Source: Northwest Arkansas News
“ Saturday Night’s Main Event†tonight at 7 on NBC is a pay-per-view caliber lineup featuring the return of Hulk Hogan and the WWE debut his daughter Brooke.
This is the WWE’s second chance to make a good impression with the network after falling short of expectations back in March with the return of SNME after a 14 year hiatus. That was a loaded show as well (Stone Cold’s return, “ WrestleMania †main event match up, Shane McMahon / Shawn Michaels street fight ) and was part of the “ Wrestle-Mania †hype-machine that had been rolling for months.
Fast forward to tonight and you’ve got about two-weeks worth of promotion on Raw and ECW that had to be completely rewritten when Rob Van Dam and Kurt Angle were both suspended.
And the July 23 “ Great American Bash†hype-machine consists of a monkey, a laptop and a pile of bananas.
That hits way too close to home.
Still, this has every chance to be a winner. And every chance to smell like The Highlanders’ kilts. But the stuff with the Hogans and the evil Randy Orton should help draw a decent amount of fans.
So let’s jump into the “ Saturday Night’s Main Event†edition of Picks from these Parts with yours truly, Nostrildamus:
• WWE Champion Edge vs. John Cena — This isn’t listed as the main event, but in these parts the title bout will always close the show. And while this match up has been done a lot the last few months, it should still be good.
Edge is the No. 1 bad guy in the WWE and I hope they continue pushing him as such. Cena is a much stronger performer when he’s chasing the title. And as much as I dislike the dude, I have a ton of respect for the way he does business.
With Edge just winning the title two weeks ago from RVD (30-day suspension for marijuana / pain pill possession bust during a traffic stop ) it’s too soon the switch the title. “ Summer-Slam†is in Cena’s hometown so look for a possible switch then. Winner: Edge.
• Degeneration-X vs. The Spirit Squad — Elimination rules apply here which means Shawn Michaels will probably go down for DX, allowing HHH to finish off the cheerleaders single handily. Expect the McMahonmen to stick their well-groomed backsides in the mix as well. Thankfully this is on network television other wise we’d have to watch more naked man-haunch. Really, that’s all “ Raw†has become — one continuous, not so funny, dirty joke. Winner: DX
• World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio, Batista and Bobby Lashley vs. King Booker, Mark Henry and U. S. Champion Fit Finlay — Since Smackdown is part of the CBS family, this is the only match they get tonight on NBC. All these guys are involved in singles feuds with each other so this should get crazy. Finlay won the U. S. Title from Lashley on Friday and Booker is challenging Rey for the World Title at “ The Bash†next weekend. Batista is back from injuries and faces Henry next week as well. Winner: Mysterio, Batista and Lashley.
• Hulk and Brooke Hogan — The WWE needs Hulk for the ratings. Hulk needs to the WWE to help launch Brooke’s singing career. Randy Orton needs a new legend to kill. See how this all works out. I can’t imagine this lending Brooke any credibility in the world of pop music, but stranger things have happened. And if Paris Hilton can make a CD then I guess credibility has very little to do with anything. Winner: Hulk Hogan’s bank account.
• Diva Search Bikini Bull-Riding contest — Do I really need to write anymore ? Although, wouldn’t be funny if the bull was wearing the bikini ? I guess not. Winner: Dudes who like Divas.
• Carlito and Trish Stratus vs. Johnny Nitro and Melina — The Alpha Divas collide in this one. Nitro and Carlito have been a lot of fun to watch and should do the bulk of the work tonight. As far as pure wrestling enjoyment — Nitro, Carlito and Shelton Benjamin have been a true bright spot on Raw. Winner: Nitro and Melina.
• Sabu vs. ??? in Extreme Rules match — Sabu’s been on a hardcore roll since the relaunch of Extreme Championship Wrestling. My guess for his opponent tonight is “ Nature Boy†Ric Flair. The last few weeks have been a hardcore revival for Flair. After being blind sided by Mick Foley at the ppv, Flair took ECW Champion The Big Show to the limits on Tuesday and even flopped into a pile of thumbtacks. I don’t like watching Flair put himself through this, but hat’s off to the man for doing it. He’s never been a garbage wrestler, but in the past has had his share of hardcore wars with the likes of Terry Funk and Dusty Rhodes. And a clash with Sabu tonight would be a dream match of sorts for a lot of fans and should pull in some ratings. Winner: Ric Flair.
