Hey guys! Hope you’re having a good week. With RAW’s 10th Anniversary on Tuesday and the Royal Rumble PPV tomorrow (Sunday), there’s plenty of things to get to today! Let’s get started!
No time to recap this week’s TVs, but I will talk about Vince’s return first thing. Ratings were fairly good for WWE this week, which is somewhat odd, as RAW scored a solid 3.9 — higher than usual — probably based on the return of Vince McMahon. SmackDown! did a 3.4 which is nothing out of the ordinary, but again, a solid score for a Thursday night show. RAW’s 10th Anniversary Special scored a rather good 2.9 rating.
Before we get into the topic probably most of you came to read about — RAW’s 10th Anniversary Special — let’s take a look at what went down a night earlier on RAW. For those who missed it, Vince McMahon made a return to the show and reminded Eric Bischoff he was hired by him to turn RAW around, to shake things up. Vince feels that Eric has done a good job of being RAW’s GM but hasn’t been able to complete the task. Mr. McMahon then granted the former WCW president a 30-day period to do what’s needed and finally turn things around on the RAW brand. We also found out that if Eric isn’t successful in doing so, he will be fired from Vince and Shane McMahon will take over Bischoff’s place as RAW’s GM. Well, folks, it seems that RAW is in for another change. First it was Ric Flair who took over, then it was Eric Bischoff who became the “boss” on RAW, but it seems that neither case has worked out well. For now they seem to be headed to yet another change, now putting Shane-O-Mac as the third leader of the brand. It would really make sense to see that change occur, because even though Bischoff has played the role of a GM very well, RAW hasn’t been “shaken up” nor has it changed for the better since he came over. Many are already blaming the WWE for exposing the truth that their program isn’t at its best, and that since Bischoff is playing a heel role it’s natural for the fans to want him to fail in the next 30 days. I have to agree to a certain extent with the first argument, but I think that if they have carefully planned out whatthey’re going to do once the change happens, they’ll be able to just kind of “use” this fact and move on to positive things. So, as logic would have it, in the next one month I would expect Eric Bischoff to try his best and come up with all kinds of solutions, including new matches, or maybe even signing new talent! We’ll see how things go, but ultimately I would expect the fans to stay tuned in for 1 month to see what Bischoff would do, but at the end it seems like a lock that Shane will take over. (After all, the WWE has done a nice job of reminding us all of the sudden who Shane McMahon is — see RAW’s 10th — after nearly a one-year silence on the words “Alliance” or “WCW.”) Eric Bischoff’s deal with the company is an open-ended one which means he can leave at any time, but I really doubt the WWE will get rid of him. Eric has done a tremendous job with his character and though he hasn’t managed to help ratings, it really wasn’t his fault but rather the pathetic booking on the show the last several months. The logical solution would be to have Eric either join up with Stephanie McMahon‘s SmackDown! brand and start a storyline involving Steph (against Shane?) or simply stay on RAW and feud head-on with Shane McMahon. We’ll see what the future holds, but unless the WWE decided to bring someone big back, or someone new in the next 30 days and credit Bischoff for it, I think we’ll be seeing a new General Manager of RAW. Here comes the money.
Now to the topic that has been everywhere lately — RAW’s 10th Anniversary Special. The show was considered a huge disappointment by many, including WWE personnel as well from what has been reported. However, I feel that many have failed to distinguish the differences of opinion here. First off, the fans are very disappointed because they had very high expectations going into the show. They expected names like The Rock and Mick Foley to be there for sure, and were also even thinking WWE will surprise us with appearances by people like Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, or Bret Hart. Also, the company has said that there will be surprises from the past, and that further got people into the hype. Well, obviously, none of these guys appeared (besides Rock, who wasn’t in attendance, but had a pretty bad promo “via satellite”) and the fans were enraged. From the mail I’ve received, you guys weren’t happy at all with what the WWE did. Well, the way I see it, you have the Internet world to blame, not just the WWE. You see, they never officially announced who will be on the show, and everything else was speculations on the Internet side of things. All we could do was report the rumors that were flowing around the ‘net, and even guys like Dave Scherer were saying that there’s a high possibility we’ll see Austin there, and many other old-school stars. You could also blame the WWE if you’re one of these fans, for not properly advertising their event, running all the Stone Cold Steve Austin footage they have, and pretty much taking advantage of the created opportunity to bring in a high rating, but at the same time not do a good show, which was obviously put together 1 or 2 days before it aired.
Which brings us to the second group of somewhat unhappy people. This group consists of the non-Internet viewers, and the group of people on-line who know that the Internet world exaggerates once in a while for some things. These people didn’t even care what sites had to say about the Special and just watched the show from their own point of view, trying to see what the WWE will deliver. Well, folks, the main reason we had a bad show would be that one — the WWE simply didn’t deliver. Not only were the nominations just from the past 5 years, but nothing besides some video footage of the first 5 years of RAW was included on the darn show. The Superstars were all in character and were doing promos on the Royal Rumble. (Trish Stratus was the only one who had some decent words, and probably because she has no match for the Rumble.) They didn’t allow the fans to vote on all categories, and quite frankly it was obvious that w/ the exception of Foley, all the awards were arranged in a way that the winner would be present to accept. (Austin’s award is an exception due to its magnitutde.) There were also several horrible spots on the show, such as the Stephanie McMahon/Triple H interaction, Rock’s promo which obviously didn’t go well one bit, and anything from Stacy Keibler‘s blonde jokes to seeing Jeff Hardy vs. Undertaker be nominated for a match of the decade. Now for all this, you have only one group to blame and that’s the WWE for not spending the time to write up the show or invite the proper guests. You could also add the WWE Superstars to that latter group, as the feeling backstage was that the show didn’t deliver and the company is not at all proud with it. Anyway, my thoughts are that the WWE did screw up, and I’m not trying to defend them, but the Internet world should also take a huge bunk of the blame on this one.
One more thing that links the return of Vince McMahon and RAW’s 10th Anniversary is the comment McMahon made on Tuesday. Steve Austin was given the Superstar of the Decade award (quite deserving), but since Austin wasn’t present, Vince McMahon accepted the award. Vince said that there’s really only one reason Stone Cold couldn’t accept his award that night and the reason was that he simply… wasn’t invited. This ultimately caused many casual fans to think that the Vince/Austin relationship is still bad. However, if you give it more thought, you’ll realize that whether it is or not, Vince would want us to think things are not good between him and the Rattlesnake. It has also been rumored that all this could lead to a future storyline pitting Austin and McMahon (yet one more time), or it could even lead to WWE bringing Austin back the same night that Eric Bischoff’s 30-day period is over, and Shane takes over. You never know. Rock is also to return in a month, or a month and a half and he could be a part of the Vince/Eric/Shane storyline as well. Again, I don’t spend much time with rumors on here, but I feel that these are just some interesting thoughts and possibilities the WWE could go with in the future, and definitely something to consider.
Well, with Vinnie Mac’s return and RAW’s 10th out of the way, I will waste no time and get right into my full Royal Rumble predictions, like I promised last week. There isn’t much to say on anything else from that week, really.
Triple H vs. Scott Steiner — World Heavyweight Championship
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again — the WWE handled this feud as best as they could, really. Scott Steiner is NOT in a good shape (how odd of a statement is that?). He is physically, but his conditioning, and his speed inside the ring seems to be at an all-time low. That’s understandable having in mind all the injuries Steiner has suffered and is still currently suffering from. Triple H was also recovering from some nagging injuries, so there wasn’t much they could do. The WWE filled the feud with what seemed to be useless challenges such as an arm-wrestling contest, a pose down, and what not, but if you think about it, these little useless segment got their point through — they managed to make Scott Steiner look good and be presented to us as able to defeat the champion, by always getting ahead of The Game. They did a good job with that, therefore I really think Steiner should win the title at the Royal Rumble. If he becomes just another guy to job to Triple H, then his character is pretty much dead and we’re back to square 1 where we have Hunter defeating everyone on RAW and now even the new top dog, who’s been built up as the most serious player to challenge the champion. Since Steiner has been getting the better out of Triple H lately and Triple H is well… Triple H, there is always the opportunity for an H win as well. If they choose that way (which is the wrong way in my opinion), they will hopefully make it tasteful, meaning that Steiner will be beaten big time or screwed over big time so that his character doesn’t lose his heat. Four Horsemen anyone?
My Prediction: Scott Steiner
Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit — WWE Championship
It feels like these two never stopped feuding since their first, original feud in 2001 before WrestleMania X-7. Of course, this isn’t true, but Angle and Benoit have been at it for quite a while, including the better part of 2002. You know what though? They never disappoint when they step inside the ring, so I personally am all up for yet another great encounter between them. The WWE did a very nice job of setting up Team Angle with their somewhat repackaged captain. They have done an even better job of giving Benoit the opportunity to feud at the top which he has done before but only a couple of times. Kurt Angle is the MVP of the WWE and is expected to be a big-time player in 2003, especially that now it’s 100% sure he won’t be going to the Olympics. As far as a finisher goes, I’d look for Team Angle to interfere, or Angle cheat in some other fashion. WrestleMania is also coming and the baddest man on this planet will be ready for Kurt. “Here comes the pain!” as Tazz would say.
My Prediction: Kurt Angle
The Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar / The return of The Undertaker
Yeah, we know the drill. I say Brock Lesnar wins, and then Show defeats him. It’s all so familiar! Ah, lightning never strikes twice, no? WWE can’t afford to have Show score 2 pin-falls over Lesnar, and by getting Lesnar the win here, and then at the Rumble match, they’ll be able to secure their Angle/Lesnar match at WrestleMania. There are other way they can go, but it wouldn’t make sense, and that’s really the way to do it in my eyes. The Undertaker makes his return to the WWE at the Royal Rumble PPV and I would expect for him to make an interference here, rather be in the Royal Rumble match itself as he’s still suffering from some elbow pains after a surgery he had. There’s also the question of what character will Undertaker portray upon his return — The Phenom or The Badass? WWE has tricked us before into thinking the Phenom will return, so I think it’s a 50-50 chance right now. Though some sites are reporting it’s sure that ‘Taker will be the Badass, you never know. If he is, I know I’ll be one of many who are disappointed.
My Prediction: Brock Lesnar
30-Man Royal Rumble Match
RAW: Shawn Michaels (#1 Spot), Chris Jericho (#2 Spot), Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Kane, Christian, Chris Nowinski, Goldust, Rosey, Jamal, Jeff Hardy (#30 Spot), Maven, Test, Batista, Tommy Dreamer; Smackdown!: Edge, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, A-Train, John Cena, B-2, Bill DeMott, Tajiri, Rikishi, Matt Hardy, Charlie Haas, Shelton Benjamin, Big Show or Brock Lesnar, and ???
You would think that many could win this match, and maybe it is so. I have my money on Brock Lesnar though. Like I said above, it’d be the perfect way to build his match at ‘Mania with Angle and a great way to make him look like even more of a huge wrestler, now that he’ll be able to add another accomplishment — winning the Rumble! So yeah, I think it’s a tough choice but I’d go with Brock Lesnar. Another potential winner could be someone like Booker T from RAW, but again, doubtful. As far as interaction in the match goes, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy in the ring at the same time, John Cena battling B-2, Team Angle facing Lesnar, The Guerreros dealing with Cena, Maven with Nowinski, Jericho w/ HBK, Rey Mysterio w/ A-Train, and Rikishi with Bill DeMott are some couples that would get it on most likely. Oh yeah, also I’d guess that Rosey and Jamal might get into some problems with each other (the team might break up in the near future due to Jamal’s legal troubles), and also look for Batista to eliminate a good bunk of people. There’s one open spot, as SmackDown! has announced 14 guys so far. It could end up being The Undertaker (Not likely) or someone like Nathan Jones. OVW’s Damaja has been taken out of the rumble. I’m just speculating on who the 15th person could be, but Jones sounds like a good guess.
My Prediction: Brock Lesnar or Booker T
Storm/Regal vs. Dudleyz – World Tag Teams Championship Match
Tough one to predict. The Dudleyz were pushed back a bit upon their return to RAW as a tag team, but are now receiving a great push and it’s done the right way. The WWE has turned the tables on the tag teams picture over at the RAW brand and I think they can enjoy the same success as the folks over at SmackDown! did earlier. Many are saying it’s a safe bet that the Dudleyz are going to win it, and they most likely will, but I think that Storm and Regal’s credential will really go down if they lose the belts so fast, and have already lost to J.R. and The King. Again, tough match to call, and the Dudleyz are the more “useable” team as they can feud both faces and heels, but I think D-Von and Bubba will get their gold at No Way Out.
My Prediction: William Regal and Lance Storm
Torrie Wilson vs. Dawn Marie
Honestly, did we really need to go through everything that happened between these two and Al Wilson? There was absolutely NO USE of anything they did. It had nothing to do with wrestling either. I have no idea what the WWE was trying to do, but my best take on it is that Torrie and Dawn are the only divas on SmackDown! (well, add Nidia I guess) and there’s really nothing much they can do with them, so they decided to stretch out this long storyline. Both ladies are great actresses and they have proven that in this feud, but wrestling is not acting. Hopefully the match won’t be as bad as it looks on paper. If Dawn wins, this one will probably get stretched down the line even more, and if Torrie does, I think it’s about time Gail Kim makes her debut on SmackDown! so they can start something new on that show with the divas they have. Hopefully, the latter will happen, and I’m probably wrong on this one.
My Prediction: Torrie Wilson
My Two Cents
* Was it really necessary to make a wrestling storyline where a female starts an affair with her coworker’s father, has a wedding where they’re in nothing but underwear, televises everything for about 2 months, goes on a honeymoon that is televised, ends up having to see her co-woker’s dad, her current husband, die, make a commercial off of that, shoot a funeral, break a lamp in the very same co-worker’s back, and blame the death of her husband on her new stepdaughter?
* Is it just me or that storyline has “Stephanie McMahon wrote it” all over it?
* Was it necessary for the WWE to hype up SmackDown! by saying Al Wilson has passed, minutes before (or after? not sure) they aired the Owen Hart moment of RAW history?
* From the way Stephanie McMahon was talking on RAW’s 10th Anniversary Special, was it just me who thought she was proud of all the crazy things she’s done storyline-wise?
* When you saw Triple H’s ass on RAW’s 10th, did it give you a pretty good idea of how the show was booked?
* Who was the idiot who nominated 6 people for Superstar of the Decade but was hesitant to add a 7th person like Shawn Michaels, or hell even make it 10 and add guys like Hogan, Yoko, Nash, etc?
* After the WWE aired the Beer Truck RAW Retro about 8 times, were you really THAT surprised this moment won? It’s like they wanted us to pick it!
* Did you ever in your life for one second think that in 2003, on WWFE RAW (is WAR)’s 10th Anniversary Special, in one restaurant will be sitting Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff, and Paul Heyman?
* What does that last question tell you about the business?
* Why weren’t the fans allowed to vote on all categories, is a question that has been asked on-line, and even I questioned that. I now have a response to it — They didn’t even know the categories until few days before the show when WWE.com announced them.
* Where’s Bobby Heenan?
* Is Shane-O-Mac the last savior for RAW?
* What the hell is the purpose of having Raven return for one match on RAW when he jobbed to Jeff Hardy???
* Also, why is someone who’s currently suspended and has been losing to Hurricane on Heat getting the #30 spot in the Royal Rumble?
* Give J.R. a gold star for pointing out that the #2 entrant in the Rumble match has the exact same odds of winning as the #1 entrant.
Thanks for reading everyone. See ya!
Eddie
