Another Late Preview.....TLC !

Hey, it's time for WWF's latest Adventure in Unfortunately Themed Pay Per Views!

So no, none of these matches begat the use of tables, ladders or chairs in any kind of naturally-occurring-in-the-storyline way. Gone are the days of Michaels and Razor fighting over championship legitimacy and settling it with both titles hung from a hook; these days, TLC matches take place because "There's a pay per view coming up called TLC!". Not a problem, though, because this is still a decent-looking card.

Picks, in projected match order:

WWF Intercontinental Championship
John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre
I'm not all that impressed with Mr. McIntyre so far, but it'll still be interesting to see what he can do in a longer PPV match, assuming this gets some time. Can't go against Morrison, though. Let him keep the belt until he's ready to challenge for the bigger one, hopefully around Mania this year.

Winner: John Morrison
My Pick: Morrison

ECW Championship
Ladder Match
Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin
Very likely the FINAL swan song for the ECW title, at least on PPV. I'm certainly hoping, given the match format and Shelton's involvment, that they send it out with a bang.

Winner: Christian
My Pick: Shelton, why the hell not, its not going to be a title two months from now anyway.

Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton
I don't know what happened, but the WWF is actually sort of on a roll when it comes to getting newer guys over. This feud has been great so far, and the crowd legitimately freaked out when Kofi won at Survivor Series next month. Let's see if they have the balls to keep this going. I officially doubt their testicular fortitude.

Winner: Randy Orton
My Pick: Kofi Kingston

WWF Championship
Tables Match
John Cena vs. Sheamus
Nice picture, Sheamus!

IWC consensus on this match seems to be that Sheamus has no shot. I'm not so sure - if you read the Tribute to the Troops spoilers, it certainly makes it sound like Sheamus may have won here. They've done a great job building this guy in no time, and I've even seen a couple of mainstream outlets mention him. I'm very, very interested to see what they do here.

Winner: John Cena. I don't think they'll go through with the Sheamus win, I just think the chances of them doing so are much better than others suppose them to be.
My Pick: Sheamus would be interesting, but I'm sticking with Cena in the hopes that his reign will be a nice, long one.

WWF Women's Championship
Michelle McCool vs. Mickie James
Ugh, I don't care for the "Piggie James" stuff, especially when they have women on the roster so skinny that they're going to the hospital. Might be decent in the ring, though.

Winner: Michelle, because bigger girls don't get rewarded in this company for having the gall to eat.
My Pick: Mickie, who actually has some talent.

WCW Championship
Chairs Match
The Undertaker vs. Batista
I am LOVING Heel Batista so far. Say what you will about his in-ring work, but the guy knows what he's doing with subtle mannerisms and playing the part. Taker's eternally banged up, so I'm holding out hope that they take things to the next level here and give Batista his belt back.

In case you're wondering, a "Chairs Match" is just a No DQ match with chairs surrounding the ring. Not sure we'll see this more than once.

Winner: Batista
My Pick: The same

WWF Tag Team Championship
TLC Match
D-Generation X vs. JeriShow
Strange that we might actually be seeing the tag titles defended in a main event. Jericho can save anything, I'm convinced. These belts were dead six months ago.

I'm probably not going to be happy with the result here, but JeriShow's had a great run, and Show finally got a new singlet that doesn't make him look like such a useless fatass, so, um, can we please keep this going?

Winner: DX, to Send The Fans Home Happy!, one of the worst concepts the WWF has had in recent years. I fully expect this match to be very good, though.
My Pick: JERISHOW

Overall: Well, I'm posting this after the show took place, so I didn't order it and I wouldn't have advised you to do so either. Could be a decent show, and I'll certainly check it out in a day or two via alternate means, but as far as real-time viewing goes? Save your dollars, because its almost time FOR THE ROYYYYYYYALLLLLL RUMMMMMMBLEEEEEE!


Enjoy the show if you watch(ed) it, folks.
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Late Survivor Series Preview!

Ah, the Thanksgiving Eve (Eve Eve Eve) Tradition!

Quite a lackluster job by the WWF of generating interest in this show, but the matches themselves could be fairly good. Onto the card before the tryptophan kicks in....

Survivor Series Elimination Match
Morrison Starship (John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Matt Hardy, Finlay & Shelton Benjamin) vs. The Awesomenauts (The Miz, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler)
Ah, a rematch from the slightly-disappointing Morrison-Miz tilt at Bragging Rights! WWF brass are high on at least two of the heels, but I think Team Morrison still takes this one and gives John Morrison a win in the return match.

Winner: Team Morrison, with Morrison and Hardy surviving in a callback to their August alliance.
My Pick: The Same!

Batista vs. Rey Mysterio
Too early to end the feud, sure, but both brands need heels and Rey Rey needs some time off. We're in DC, which means any normal company would put the hometown guy over, but the WWF has a thing about that so you never know. Still, I think common sense prevails here.

Winner: Batista
My Pick: Batista

Black Power, Plus Christian! (Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, Christian, MVP & Mark Henry) vs. The Royal Straight-Edge Legacy (Randy Orton, CM Punk, William Regal, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase)
Meltzer brought up a good point in the news update; regardless of who wins here, Kofi HAS to take out Orton to keep the momentum going from the MSG Raw (which was excellent, and I normally hate Raw). I think they do just that, but that Team Kofi still loses somehow

Winner: Team Orton, with Ted DiBiase as your Sole Survivor
My Pick: The above scenario sounds just fine as long as they put some effort into it.

WCW Championship
Triple Threat Match
The Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho vs. The Big Show
I don't think they're about to break up JeriShow, but I'd have no qualms with Jericho getting the win here. Doubt it happens, though.

If they go through with Cena-Taker at Mania, are both guys going to drop their belts ahead of time? Is either?

Winner: The Undertaker
My Pick: Chris Jericho

The Spunky Hats (Mickie James, Melina, Gail Kim, Eve Torres & Kelly Kelly) vs. The Outfits of Puzzling Faith-Based Imagery (Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, Layla, Alicia Fox & Jillian Hall)
Awww, no Nattie? Even with just six matches on the card, I expect this one to be short

Winner: I doubt McMahon even cared enough to figure this out before this morning, but let's say the faces, eh?
My Pick: Team Mickie, as it includes both her (cute even at a controversial higher weight class) and the great Gail Kim

WWF Championship
Triple Threat Match
John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
Well, they did the right thing in the Michael Bay-esque Iron Man Match, and gave the belt and the ultimate victory to Cena. After they spent the year switching the strap every week or so, I will now stand by my promise to support a nice, long Cena title reign. Orton wasn't reaching any new heights with the strap anyway, so might as well keep it on the Franchise indefinitely and make it mean something again.

That starts TONIGHT, I hope.

Winner: John Cena, and a DX breakup angle, which will only be watchable in a "we didnt see this from 2002-2004" manner if Michaels is the one who heels out.
My Pick: Cena, and the Michaels heel turn to end all heel turns. Seriously, he would be AWESOME in the role.

Or, we're just gonna see months and months of DX vs. JeriShow. There are worse things.

Recommendation: Well, it's too late already, because this is going up after the show happened (although before I know anything of the results). I hope you read last week's TNA preview and splurged for that, because it was the best show of the year. I expect significantly less here, and will be watching it later by a means that will cost me 0 dollars.

Happy thanksgiving, all.
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TNA, yes, TNA Turning Point Preview

Very possibly the only time that I'll urge you to spend your money on this.

Way back in 1994, WCW had been in a funk for a few years running; more specifically, they'd spent the previous year doing this. However, when news broke of Hulk Hogan's imminent arrival, the good folks at WCW came together and delivered a run of excellent shows to rival even their 1989 peak period. This came to an end when Hogan eventually got there, but those few glorious months made for some great television.

Fast forward to 2009; Hogan, nearly 60, will be arriving in TNA in January with full control of the company, according to him. I was at first excited about this news, because initial reports implied the displacement of Vince Russo, the day-to-day involvement of Eric Bischoff and a Monday night timeslot, which could easily get things rolling again in a universe that's been devoid of big-fed competition for a decade. Since then, Hogan has announced that his Big Plans to resuscitate TNA include the pursuit of Steve Austin, Randy Savage, and "Nasty Boy" Brian Knobbs. Seriously, that's his plan. In the year 2009 (2010 once he takes over).

I could be dead wrong, but I don't see this ending well for TNA. Fortunately, we still have a month and a half left of actual TNA! If tonight's card is any sign, they're doing all they can to pull an early-1994 WCW and prove to posterity that TNA was, indeed, worthwhile before Hogan laid waste to it. Tonight, you get a rematch of the best match in TNA history, and a top-to-bottom excellent card with only one likely stinker.

Onto the show:

Six Man Tag
Matt Morgan, Hernandez & "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero vs. Rhino & Team 3D
Well, I like all three babyfaces, and Team 3D are a bunch of useless hasbeens, soooo......

Winner: Team Morgan
My Pick: The Same

Steel Cage Match
Tara vs. Awesome Kong
Very much looking forward to this one. I like both girls and hopefully the cage actually wards off Russorific booking. Don't bet on it though.

Winner: Tara
My Pick: Awesome Kong

TNA Knockouts Tag Match: All Titles On The Line
ODB, Taylor Wilde & Sarita vs. The Beautiful People
And here's your likely craptastic match. Yes, both the women's title and the pointless women's tag titles are on the line. Welcome to WCW 2000.

Winner: The ODB team
My Pick: Eh. Next match.
TNA X Division Championship Amazing Red vs. Homicide
Don't lnow what the issue here is, but the match itself should be fine.

Winner: Amazing Red?
My Pick: Fine with either as long as they get some time. TNA Tag Team Championship The British Invasion vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Beer Money
Oh goodness, I want to see this. Nigel was allegedly supposed to be in the Invasion the first time they tried to get him. I think he's better off on his own.

Winner: The Brits
My Pick: Either of the other two teams, both of whom I greatly enjoy watching.

Bobby Lashley vs. Scott Steiner
Scotty looked great at BFG last month, and I remain a Steiner mark through and through. Besides, Lashley might be leaving for MMA anyway.

Winner: Lashley
My Pick: STEINERLINE!

Kurt Angle vs. Desmond Wolfe
Wolfe, of course, is Nigel McGuinness, the awesome former champion of ROH and the new poster boy for why indy guys should go to TNA rather than the WWF. McGuinness debuted a month ago with a sudden attack on Angle, and boom, now he's in the semi-main event, and instantly credible. What does this prove? Two things: that Angle (who dragged a **** match out of Matt Morgan last month) rules the world, and that the WWF development system is a mess. Yes, it's good to have guys work their way up the ladder, but wrestlers at McGuinness' level shouldn't have to go through the "year in FCW/year on ECW/MAYBE a US title reign four years in" cycle. You can effectively debut these guys in larger roles and have the fans buy it going in; you just have to do it right.

I anxiously await to see if the WWF follows suit with Bryan Danielson. If not, things may be hopelessly backwards for a while.

Winner: Kurt Angle
My Pick: Desmond, but Kurt will make him look like a million bucks either way.

TNA Championship
AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Daniels
A rematch of the best TNA match I've ever seen, their 2005 tilt which I had at somewhere around ****3/4-*****. Tonight's probably won't be that good, but still may be good enough to merit buying the show on its own.

Winner: AJ Styles
My Pick: AJ, too soon to take the belt off your franchise player.

Overall: Buy this, skip a lackluster Survivor Series next week, and enjoy the feeling. If you only base your selections on what I recommend, it's very possible that you'll love tonight's show and then never watch a TNA show again.

6 weeks left til Hogan. Go get 'em, boys.
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Somewhat Apathetic Bragging Rights Preview

First things first, my sincere apologies for recommending Hell in a Cell, which may have been the most disappointing PPV of the year. I'm not a big TNA fan, but Bound For Glory was certainly a superior show.

Now.....

If the "workrate" is your thing, this could very well be a decent show. Aside from the main event and the Morrison-Miz match, though, this is all stuff that should be on free tv. If the WWF is really expecting people to care about which brand has the mythical "Bragging Rights", they may be in for a shocker when this buyrate comes in.

On to the picks:

John Morrison vs. The Miz
This could be quite a match; I don't believe it's for either belt, but I hope Morrison gets the win here, I'm a bigger fan of his long-term potential than that of the Miz at this point.

Winner: John Morrison
My Pick: John Morrison

RAW Divas vs. SmackDown Divas Tag Match
I really don't know why this is on a pay per view, but hey, I'm just happy to see Natalya.

Winner: SmackDown, to balance out the other brand v. brand tag match result
My Pick: SmackDown

WCW Championship
Fatal Four Way
The Undertaker vs. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Batista
The WCW title match at HITC was the one that really pissed me off, just a quick means of getting the belt on a hobbled guy who shouldn't be carrying the belt. An honest to god HITC win would've put Punk over huge. He's good enough that I don't think it's too late to regain momentum. I'm now furious every time I order a PPV and it features multiple title changes. I usually like to see long title reigns. Tonight, I'm hoping two such reigns begin.

Winner: Batista
My Pick: CM Punk

Team RAW vs. Team SmackDown
No mystery in who's likely to go over here, since front-office darlings DX are captaining one team, and 5/7 of the other team was just replaced two days ago. We've been given NO reason to care about the outcome here, but I personally prefer all of the Smackdown guys, and Hey! it's the Hart Dynasty! On PPV! The match itself here might end up being pretty good.

Winner: Team Raw
My Pick: Team SD, Tyson Kidd getting the fall on HHH. Hey, I can dream.

WWF Championship
No DQ Iron Man Match
John Cena vs. Randy Orton
This is the FOURTH straight PPV event headlined by these two facing off against each other. I didn't like their HITC match anywhere near as much as some others did, and while their Breaking Point match was decent, their Summerslam outing was abysmal and I think everyone's sick of this matchup.

That said:

With the Iron Man setup and the stips here (Cena goes to SD with a loss, Orton never gets a rematch if he loses), they've essentially sold the show based on a promise that this is the definitive blowoff to a feud that's been alive, off and on, for over three years, the 2007/early 2008 portion of which was both awesome and lacking in a blowoff. On top of that, they embraced the length of this feud with one of the best music video packages they've put together in years



I was burnt out on these guys before I saw this package, now I really want to see them wrestle for AN HOUR and blow this thing off for good. That's a sign that you've got a good production team.

On top of that, they've made it plausible that Cena's actually going to lose. I have no clue what the result's going to be.

Winner: John Cena, because they wouldn't move their top guy to Smackdown. Right?
Winner: Cena, but THAT'S IT for title changes this year. You hear me? I want this belt to be his until 2011 or something.

Recommendation: There are two matches you may want to see here, and this show is expensive. If you're a regular reader and were ripped off by a Hell in a Cell show where two of the three Cell matches included precious little use of the Cell itself, well, please take a pass on this one. Or, view it by some sort of means that puts no money in the WWF coffers whatsoever.

Enjoy the show, if you're so inclined.
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HELL IN A CELL!!!

My apologies for the extended absence; do not mistake it for apathy, at least not on the Smackdown end of things.

Of all the THEMED PPVs (hopefully an experiment that dies out in a year or so, but probably here to stay), this has by far the most promise. Sure, it could end up like Lockdown, where having every match in a cage dilutes the cage matches themselves, but we get THREE CELL MATCHES IN ONE SHOW. This may only happen once, and because of that, I'm giddily advising all of you to order the show tonight.

On to the picks!

WCW United States Championship
Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz vs. Jack SwaggerHaven't been watching the A show that much lately, but this title already seems beneath Swagger. Cena's going to need some challengers if he retains, why can't we give the ball to Jack and see if he can run with it?

Winner: Kofi Kingston
My Pick: Let Kofi retain, I'm still not sure how I feel about the New Miz

WWF Tag Team Championship
Batista & Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho & The Big Show
JeriShow has been fun and all, but it's getting to the point where Jericho is being held back by wrestling formulaic 10 minute matches with a guy who can barely move as his partner. If they want to switch the belts here, I'm ok with it, but giving Batista the tag belt might be a giveaway that CM Punk is dropping the main one later, since if he retains he'll need a babyface to feud with.

Winner: JeriShow
My Pick: The same, if only because Punk retaining means THAT much.

WWF Intercontinental Championship
John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler
Well-built, not rushed or given away for free, and the IC Title sort of means something here thanks to all the work Rey did to salvage it. I'm impressed.

Winner: Morrison retains, but maybe by DQ or something so Dolph can save face
My Pick: I like both of these guys much, much more than I did a few months ago, which means the WWF is getting something right. I'm rooting Morrison here, but anything would be fine with me as long as they get some time.

WWF One of the Women's titles, the one that looks like a butterfly
Mickie James vs. Alycia Fox
Who cares?

Winner: Mickie, probably
My Pick: Mickie. Why is this on the show?

Hell in a Cell
DX vs. The Legacy
I'm just as shocked as anyone, but rather than Spirit Squadding these guys, Michaels and HHH have actually made them look like credible threats, even going so far as to job to them last month. That won't happen again, but it would be amazing if it did. If they're serious about making new stars, tonight's the night. Likely to be a very good effort no matter the winner, though.

Winner: DX
My Pick: Legacy

WCW Championship
Hell in a Cell
The Undertaker vs. CM PunkIf you're not watching Smackdown by now, you've probably missed the best parts of 2009 already. CM Punk is REALLY coming into his own as a heel, and a win here would just do worlds of good in terms of taking him to another level. Especially with Taker hobbled, now is the time to tap into that mystique and whatnot, and use it to put over the future of the company. The Choice of a New Generation, if you will.

Winner: CM Punk. I think they'll really do it this time, albeit probably not cleanly. Vince has been foreshadowed as the screwjob-mastermind on SD, and maybe that or Punk's rumored bodyguard will factor into the finish tonight.
My Pick: Punk, fervently.

WWF Championship
Hell in a Cell
John Cena vs. Randy Orton
So the verdict is in: the Age of Orton was a huge failure as champ, and I don't see why they'd switch it back to him here. Now that the strap's on Cena, I hope they keep it there until at least Wrestlemania, maybe even longer. Thing needs some credibility, and as much as we may all have been bitching at the time, Cena's endless reign from 2005-2006 is one of the best things that's happened to the belt in ages. 100% for Cena here, just as fervently as I want Punk and Legacy to win.

Winner: John Cena
My Pick: John Cena

Overall: ORDER THIS. You get THREE Hell in a Cell matches, and I'm very interested to see what these guys do with it - remember, no one has even so much as climbed this thing before Cena and Orton did it on Raw. My hopes are high, and I can't see any WWF show looking this good on paper for at least the rest of the year.

Enjoy the show.
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The Bash Preview!

SHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Don't Tell Nobody!

Oh yes, its time for the Secret PPV, which was sadly advertised a bit on Monday. They were on such a roll before that. I'm actually kinda looking forward to it, but FOR THE LOVE OF GOD let's not have any world title changes tonight, ok?

Quick picks, since we're already an hour and a half into the show (which I will be acquiring later on tonight):

WWF Tag Team Championship
Carlito & Primo Colon vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase
We're getting something different in the opener, and I love that these guys are finally getting some PPV time.

Winner: Priceless
My Pick: Los Colons

No DQ Match
The Great Khali vs. Dolph Ziggler
This is also different. I do not like this pairing as much. I'm not sure why its on here, but Meltzer said cryptically that there was a reason for it, so we'll see.

Winner: Khali
My Pick: Dolph, why not?

WWF Intercontinental Championship
Title vs. Mask
Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho
Don't know if this is the end of the feud, but god I hope not. I'd also like to mention how thankful I am that they didnt do anything dumb - like, say, insist that Rey only had one mask after Jericho stole his at Extreme Rules, and have him come out maskless until he gets it back. Seriously, I thought they might do that.

Winner: Rey Mysterio
My Pick: Rey Rey

ECW Championship
Scramble Match
Tommy Dreamer vs. Jack Swagger vs. Christian vs. Mark Henry vs. Finlay
Woohoo! No Scramble match PPV this year! And we might get an all-Hell in the Cell ppv instead! Whoooooo-hoooo!

Winner: Schwagga
My Pick: Finlay

WWE Women's Championship
Melina vs. Michelle McCool
It's been a while since a non-Santina women's PPV match, hasnt it?

Winner: Melina, probably
My Pick: Michelle, who sucks less than Melina

WCW Championship
Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk
The build for this has been great, they finally have a match on top that feels fresh and from a storyline perspective, theres a case to be made that both guys are in the right. Looking forward to this one quite a bit.

Winner: Jeff Hardy
My Pick: CM Punk

John Cena vs. The Miz
Total wasted opportunity here, they could've done this in a way that didnt make Miz look like a clown, but its too late now and there's no way they give Miz the win here. At least they had the balls to go with this on PPV without The Big Show being involved.

Winner: John Cena
My Pick: The Miz, by some sort of crazy accident

WWF Championship
Three Stages of Hell
Triple H vs. Randy Orton
The pussy version of 3 stages of hell, that is, where the last one is "stretcher match" and not "cage match". Sadly on RAW, I was rooting for HHH to win the battle royal so that we could finally just get this feud over with. If that's not what theyre doing here, I give up.

Winner: Randy Orton
My Pick: Randy Orton AND NO MORE OF THIS

Recommendation: I'd be lying if I said I wasnt looking forward to watching this one, but the fact that its an hour and a half into the PPV already tells you all you need to know about the urgency involved. Pick this up tomorrow and watch it, but by all means don't spend dollars on it.

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Clash of the Temporary Champions Preview!

Likely with a better card than the "secret PPV" in two weeks...

There's a lot of stuff to complain about in the WWF these days. Rather than take a cue from UFC and book PPVs so that different titles are the centerpeice of different shows, McMahon has decided to have every major title defended on every show, with such a staggering amount of title changes that someone retaining a belt now feels as noteworthy as someone winning a belt used to. Sure, Smackdown and ECW are both consistently good now, but the constant title switches are making everything seem slapdash and unmemorable.

The good part of this, however, is that the WWF is inexplicably putting on a LOADED three-hour Raw tonight, even though we're less than 2 weeks away from a PPV ("The Bash") with no matches announced and little fanfare. Four announced title matches for tonight (hopefully only one title change) and this is really the modern-day equivalent to Clash of the Champions. I love when they put on these event shows. I just hope that after tonight, they GIVE IT A REST already with flipping the belts around.

Anyway, the picks.....

WWF Intercontinental Championship
Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho
Please, please give these guys a good 20 minutes or so.

Winner: Jericho, since he just wont he title and Mysterio may be having some sort of issues with the front office.
My Pick: Jericho

ECW Championship
Tommy Dreamer vs. Christian
Not sure what these guys can do together, but for now let's just keep the thing on Tommy, okay?

Winner: Tommy Dreamer
My Pick: Same

A Very Special Announcement From Vincent K. McMahon
Raw's getting a new GM! Wait....why does Raw always need a GM now?

New Guy: Ric Flair
My Pick: E. Stan Kroenke impersonator

WCW Championship
CM Punk vs. Edge vs. Jeff Hardy
Once again, I should mention that Smackdown is carrying the company right now from an entertainment perspective. I fully expect CM Punk to retain here and go just a little more heelish.

Winner: CM Punk
My Pick: CM Punk

WWF Championship
John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Randy Orton vs. Big Show
Anyone else having flashbacks to the 1997 four-way incident here? You know, the popular babyface winning the title and instantly vacating it amidst some very shady rumors, followed by a title change on Raw? This is a pretty cool main event for free tv, and whoever ends up with this thing hopefully gets to keep it for a long while.

Winner: Randy Orton
My Pick: John Cena

Recommendation: OF COURSE you want to watch this, its free tv! Expect a lot of WACKY FINISHES to build The Bash, unless they've just given up on that one completely.

Tomorrow morning, lets just hope that the WWF decides to turn over a new leaf and build up some long term champions.
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