Post by Dr. Wrestling on Aug 12, 2008 11:20:36 GMT -5
This week for That's My Story and I'm Sticking To It I'll be telling you who I think the winners will be at Summer Slam.
Before I discuss the matches, I want to mention a few general things about the overall card and the build up to the event itself. Maybe this is too much of an old school theory here but in the past Summer Slam has been the biggest PPV of the summer and along with that it's the peak of feuds. This year's Summer Slam just doesn't seem to have that feel to it considering that there's only really one match on the card that has had any long term build up to it. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not trying to bury the event here and it does look at least on paper to be a decent card but it just doesn't have the build up of what you would expect from a Summer Slam.
The winner take all tag team match will feature Kofi Kingston and Mickie James v.s. Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix. The stipulation of the match is that the winning team will get both the IC and Women's title belts. Considering that, I think Kofi and Mickie with get the victory because Kofi is still in the process of establishing his title run so it would probably be too soon for him to lose the title. That being said, it's an interesting match up because each competitor brings a different element to the table. Santino is pure entertainment and the pairing with Beth Phoenix has made for some funny T.V. the past few weeks on Raw. Mickie James is one of the best women's wrestlers on Raw and possible one of the best women wrestlers in the past decade in any company. Trish Status deserves some credit for Mickie's success because that feud and their great match at Wrestlemania 22 really propelled Mickie's career, which has led her to the champion she is today. Her tag partner, Kofi Kingston is an amazing athlete and could be one of the long term stars in the WWE. Kofi had some success during his time in ECW but when you consider that ECW is the least watched show in the WWE, you know that Raw is a whole different level so if Kofi can become a main star on Raw then he could have a very bright future in the WWE. Aside from the tag match at Summer Slam, I would like to see Beth v.s. Mickie for the Women's title at some point in the near future because those two have great matches every time they have wrestled each other weather it be on Raw or at a PPV.
The Jeff Hardy/MVP match should be a decent match but it's tough to pick a winner for it. It seems like it depends on who the WWE wants to push on Smackdown and with Mr. Kennedy out of action for an unknown amount of time with a shoulder injury, there's an open spot in the upper mid card level on Smackdown at least for the moment. MVP has vastly improved since his debut on Smackdown but the major criticism I have about MVP is that he can only have good matches when he's in the ring with someone that can work him though the match. Not necessarily carry him but my point here is that you probably won't see MVP carrying someone else through a match. His in ring work is average at best but aside from that he has a great character and some decent mic skills. Jeff Hardy has the charisma, popularity, and during his main event push proved he can have the matches of a major top level star but there's a few reasons I don't think Jeff Hardy will be a main eventer in the WWE, which I will explain. Most importantly in this case, Hardy has been suspended twice for violating the WWE wellness policy and a third violation would get him fired from the company so is the WWE willing to invest the time as well as the money into Hardy again? Another thing that could work against Hardy being put in the main event could be his lack of mic skills, which could be essential to building an effective storyline. Besides that and the most simple reason is the WWE creative team just might not consider Jeff Hardy for another main event push. As for Summer Slam, I'll pick Hardy to get the victory because Kennedy has been Smackdown's main upper mid card "good guy" and at least for the time being, Hardy would probably be able to be the most effective in that spot on the Smackdown roster.
The ECW title match is another one that it’s tough to pick a winner and I don’t expect too much from the match. If you’ve read any of my past columns you know I’m not a fan of Mark Henry and him being push then depushed over the years is evidence that he has been consistent but as I said in a column a few weeks ago, Tony Atlas being Henry’s manager could do nothing but help his title run. Mark Henry’s opponent for Summer Slam, Matt Hardy is a former U.S. champion and has always had some what of a cult following throughout his career, which could fit perfectly with the ECW product. That’s something that has to be said about ECW, within the past few months it has become more of the under dog type of show that features talent the fans know should be given more of a chance in the WWE, which is a lot better then the lame show ECW had been for so long before the under dog show approach was taken. There’s many examples of this in ECW and I’d like to take a moment to mention a few. Evan Bourne, who was known on the independent scene as Matt Sydal would probably be a jobber on Raw or Smackdown because he’s not 250 LBS. but on ECW he’s actually getting a chance to show case his skills, which I didn’t think was going to happen when I heard he got signed to a WWE contract last year. Another example of this is Shelton Benjamin, who is one of the most fantastic wrestlers in WWE history that could just never get a real chance to be a long term star in the WWE and hopefully now on ECW Shelton will get a decent U.S. title run. I know Shelton is a former tag champion and IC champion but in between that he wouldn’t appear on T.V. for months. Hopefully on ECW he can be showcased on a weekly basis because Shelton has too much talent not to be a main star in ECW. That being said, when it comes to Summer Slam it seems like it would be too soon for Mark Henry to drop the title because he just won it two months ago so I will pick Mark Henry to retain the title but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Matt Hardy win the title in the near future.
John Cena v.s. Batista is one of the few matches that has some build up to it as it’s been getting the main event spots on Raw so in a way it has more build up then the World Heavy Weight title match but it seems like the WWE rushed the feud just to add another match with some star power to Summer Slam, considering that the two main event title matches seem on paper to be weaker matches then what you would normally see for a main event of a PPV. Cena v.s. Batista bring something new and fresh to the table that the fans haven’t seen before, which is something that you can’t really say for the World Heavy Weight title match. JBL v.s. CM Punk was seen on Raw the night Punk won the title so it would seem almost necessary for the WWE to add Cena v.s. Batista because in a way it adds that “must see” element to the PPV. I could see the winner of this match being the next challenger for the title on Raw and since Batista had his shot at the title recently, I have to pick Cena to get the victory at Summer Slam.
The WWE title match will feature Triple H v.s. The Great Khali and wow this will be a classic match…I’m sure it will be a 60 minute draw and it will be a wrestling clinic. Incase you haven’t picked up on the sarcasm, this match is probably going to be a train wreck so it will probably be a good time during the PPV that you can go to the refrigerator to get some pop or maybe make a sandwich while you’re in the kitchen because you’re probably not going to miss too much with this match. It seems like the only reason the WWE is having Khali in a title match is so that Triple H can pin him and continue his lame attempt to try to be put in the same category as a Stone Cold or a Rock but that’s probably not going to happen. The result for this one is obvious, Triple H retains the title.
CM Punk has had some good matches during his title run and it’s been interesting every time he’s defended the title because I don’t think anyone really expects him to have a long title reign but at least it’s something that makes the audience want to see what happens next, which is usually rare in the WWE. As I mentioned before, this match has been seen before and in a way has almost been portrayed as a secondary feud next to Cena/Batista on Raw. I’m not expecting too much from this match but I didn’t expect too much from Punk/Batista and they had some good matches so it’s possible that Punk v.s. JBL could be a decent match. I’ll predict CM Punk retains the title because his title reign has generated some interesting T.V. and has produced some good matches so there’s really not a reason for Punk to drop the title. That and I think JBL’s time as champion has come and gone so to speak because while he is a good heel, I just don’t think he could be an effective champion on Raw with his lack of in ring ability at this point in his career.
The cell match is really the only match on the card that has months worth of build up to it and it could possible steal the show. It has all the ingredients of a great match. Edge is a great heel, The Undertaker is a legend, the storyline has been decent, and the cell is actually being used logically instead of just being used for no reason the way it often has been the past few years. As for a winner, I will predict The Undertaker gets the win because the whole purpose of the storyline is for him to get revenge on Edge.
Overall I think Summer Slam will be a good PPV.
Until next week
That’s My Story and I’m Sticking To It
Dr. Wrestling
If you have comments or questions e mail me drwrestlingallpro@yahoo.com
Before I discuss the matches, I want to mention a few general things about the overall card and the build up to the event itself. Maybe this is too much of an old school theory here but in the past Summer Slam has been the biggest PPV of the summer and along with that it's the peak of feuds. This year's Summer Slam just doesn't seem to have that feel to it considering that there's only really one match on the card that has had any long term build up to it. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not trying to bury the event here and it does look at least on paper to be a decent card but it just doesn't have the build up of what you would expect from a Summer Slam.
The winner take all tag team match will feature Kofi Kingston and Mickie James v.s. Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix. The stipulation of the match is that the winning team will get both the IC and Women's title belts. Considering that, I think Kofi and Mickie with get the victory because Kofi is still in the process of establishing his title run so it would probably be too soon for him to lose the title. That being said, it's an interesting match up because each competitor brings a different element to the table. Santino is pure entertainment and the pairing with Beth Phoenix has made for some funny T.V. the past few weeks on Raw. Mickie James is one of the best women's wrestlers on Raw and possible one of the best women wrestlers in the past decade in any company. Trish Status deserves some credit for Mickie's success because that feud and their great match at Wrestlemania 22 really propelled Mickie's career, which has led her to the champion she is today. Her tag partner, Kofi Kingston is an amazing athlete and could be one of the long term stars in the WWE. Kofi had some success during his time in ECW but when you consider that ECW is the least watched show in the WWE, you know that Raw is a whole different level so if Kofi can become a main star on Raw then he could have a very bright future in the WWE. Aside from the tag match at Summer Slam, I would like to see Beth v.s. Mickie for the Women's title at some point in the near future because those two have great matches every time they have wrestled each other weather it be on Raw or at a PPV.
The Jeff Hardy/MVP match should be a decent match but it's tough to pick a winner for it. It seems like it depends on who the WWE wants to push on Smackdown and with Mr. Kennedy out of action for an unknown amount of time with a shoulder injury, there's an open spot in the upper mid card level on Smackdown at least for the moment. MVP has vastly improved since his debut on Smackdown but the major criticism I have about MVP is that he can only have good matches when he's in the ring with someone that can work him though the match. Not necessarily carry him but my point here is that you probably won't see MVP carrying someone else through a match. His in ring work is average at best but aside from that he has a great character and some decent mic skills. Jeff Hardy has the charisma, popularity, and during his main event push proved he can have the matches of a major top level star but there's a few reasons I don't think Jeff Hardy will be a main eventer in the WWE, which I will explain. Most importantly in this case, Hardy has been suspended twice for violating the WWE wellness policy and a third violation would get him fired from the company so is the WWE willing to invest the time as well as the money into Hardy again? Another thing that could work against Hardy being put in the main event could be his lack of mic skills, which could be essential to building an effective storyline. Besides that and the most simple reason is the WWE creative team just might not consider Jeff Hardy for another main event push. As for Summer Slam, I'll pick Hardy to get the victory because Kennedy has been Smackdown's main upper mid card "good guy" and at least for the time being, Hardy would probably be able to be the most effective in that spot on the Smackdown roster.
The ECW title match is another one that it’s tough to pick a winner and I don’t expect too much from the match. If you’ve read any of my past columns you know I’m not a fan of Mark Henry and him being push then depushed over the years is evidence that he has been consistent but as I said in a column a few weeks ago, Tony Atlas being Henry’s manager could do nothing but help his title run. Mark Henry’s opponent for Summer Slam, Matt Hardy is a former U.S. champion and has always had some what of a cult following throughout his career, which could fit perfectly with the ECW product. That’s something that has to be said about ECW, within the past few months it has become more of the under dog type of show that features talent the fans know should be given more of a chance in the WWE, which is a lot better then the lame show ECW had been for so long before the under dog show approach was taken. There’s many examples of this in ECW and I’d like to take a moment to mention a few. Evan Bourne, who was known on the independent scene as Matt Sydal would probably be a jobber on Raw or Smackdown because he’s not 250 LBS. but on ECW he’s actually getting a chance to show case his skills, which I didn’t think was going to happen when I heard he got signed to a WWE contract last year. Another example of this is Shelton Benjamin, who is one of the most fantastic wrestlers in WWE history that could just never get a real chance to be a long term star in the WWE and hopefully now on ECW Shelton will get a decent U.S. title run. I know Shelton is a former tag champion and IC champion but in between that he wouldn’t appear on T.V. for months. Hopefully on ECW he can be showcased on a weekly basis because Shelton has too much talent not to be a main star in ECW. That being said, when it comes to Summer Slam it seems like it would be too soon for Mark Henry to drop the title because he just won it two months ago so I will pick Mark Henry to retain the title but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Matt Hardy win the title in the near future.
John Cena v.s. Batista is one of the few matches that has some build up to it as it’s been getting the main event spots on Raw so in a way it has more build up then the World Heavy Weight title match but it seems like the WWE rushed the feud just to add another match with some star power to Summer Slam, considering that the two main event title matches seem on paper to be weaker matches then what you would normally see for a main event of a PPV. Cena v.s. Batista bring something new and fresh to the table that the fans haven’t seen before, which is something that you can’t really say for the World Heavy Weight title match. JBL v.s. CM Punk was seen on Raw the night Punk won the title so it would seem almost necessary for the WWE to add Cena v.s. Batista because in a way it adds that “must see” element to the PPV. I could see the winner of this match being the next challenger for the title on Raw and since Batista had his shot at the title recently, I have to pick Cena to get the victory at Summer Slam.
The WWE title match will feature Triple H v.s. The Great Khali and wow this will be a classic match…I’m sure it will be a 60 minute draw and it will be a wrestling clinic. Incase you haven’t picked up on the sarcasm, this match is probably going to be a train wreck so it will probably be a good time during the PPV that you can go to the refrigerator to get some pop or maybe make a sandwich while you’re in the kitchen because you’re probably not going to miss too much with this match. It seems like the only reason the WWE is having Khali in a title match is so that Triple H can pin him and continue his lame attempt to try to be put in the same category as a Stone Cold or a Rock but that’s probably not going to happen. The result for this one is obvious, Triple H retains the title.
CM Punk has had some good matches during his title run and it’s been interesting every time he’s defended the title because I don’t think anyone really expects him to have a long title reign but at least it’s something that makes the audience want to see what happens next, which is usually rare in the WWE. As I mentioned before, this match has been seen before and in a way has almost been portrayed as a secondary feud next to Cena/Batista on Raw. I’m not expecting too much from this match but I didn’t expect too much from Punk/Batista and they had some good matches so it’s possible that Punk v.s. JBL could be a decent match. I’ll predict CM Punk retains the title because his title reign has generated some interesting T.V. and has produced some good matches so there’s really not a reason for Punk to drop the title. That and I think JBL’s time as champion has come and gone so to speak because while he is a good heel, I just don’t think he could be an effective champion on Raw with his lack of in ring ability at this point in his career.
The cell match is really the only match on the card that has months worth of build up to it and it could possible steal the show. It has all the ingredients of a great match. Edge is a great heel, The Undertaker is a legend, the storyline has been decent, and the cell is actually being used logically instead of just being used for no reason the way it often has been the past few years. As for a winner, I will predict The Undertaker gets the win because the whole purpose of the storyline is for him to get revenge on Edge.
Overall I think Summer Slam will be a good PPV.
Until next week
That’s My Story and I’m Sticking To It
Dr. Wrestling
If you have comments or questions e mail me drwrestlingallpro@yahoo.com