Time to review No Mercy, the PPV that might just see The Undertaker become WWE Champion yet again…
WWE Title
Last Ride Match: JBL v The Undertaker
For a Last Ride match, just read Ambulance match with a hearse in its place, so nothing new here. Is this the weekend that The Undertaker gets the title back for what would surely be his last run with the belt? You know what, I just can’t make my mind up, but by the time I get to the end of this preview I will (hopefully).
I wish Undertaker would appear on TV more, sure we’ll soon get fed up of the old dry ice, eery music routine but I do miss him wrestling. The feud with JBL hasn’t been as bad as I thought it might be, but it’s noticeable that WWE are realising that JBL needs as much help as he can get, hence the arrival of Orlando Jordan and then the real shock of the return of Gangrel and Viscera.
I’ve heard from a very reliable source that Gangrel has in fact signed a three year contract with WWE. Now that surprises me, it also shocks UK Promoters who had him lined up for another tour this year. I don’t know if Viscera has also been signed but why sign Gangrel and not the big guy? What if the Ministry was making a full-time return and this weekend The Undertaker becomes part of it?
JBL continues to impress on the mic, the guy is funny that’s for sure but as I’ve written before, holding the WWE Title isn’t just about being a funny character, I want to see a real champion like Eddie or Kurt. Recently JBL has only been meeting guys like Haas and Holly, he should be meeting them on Velocity and not with a belt round his waist.
So what can we expect this weekend and have I made my mind up yet? It’s no DQ so there is the possibility of more surprises. Perhaps Mideon might make the return he continually claims he’s going to make? If he does, can he please keep his clothes on. I’ll be watching this at about 3am and I’ll have eaten a lot of food by then! Of course Farooq used to be in the Ministry, if he returned and turned on JBL now that would be good.
I have a feeling that JBL will keep the belt this weekend. It’s interesting that he’s been having house matches with Booker T lately. I believe Booker will keep the US Title this weekend and a feud with JBL would be interesting. Trouble is it’d also go back to the racist type of feud JBL had with Eddie. Just how will he keep the belt this weekend, well I figure it could be time for Big John the Poet to make an impact and set up that feud with Undi that has been promised for so long. JBL to keep the title thanks to outside interference.
US Title: Booker T v John Cena
So it comes down to the deciding match, well I never, who’d of guessed we’d have been tied at 2-2! Everyone I should imagine! As I’ve said before, I wish we’d seen five different types of matches rather than the same thing over and over again. It’s also a fact that Cena is off to make his WWE movie ‘The Marine’ so looks as if Booker T will keep the belt this Sunday.
Tag Titles: Suzuki/Dupree v RVD/Mysterio
Yet again the tag division becomes a dumping ground for talent WWE don’t really know what they can do with. Suzuki has been a major disappointment since joining WWE. All that Japanese talent and we get him, great scouting Vince. Dupree had a good run at the US Title but now he’s back as a tag champ, but he’s young and this is good experience for him. Over on the challengers side, RVD again finds himself in a tag team. Surely he should have been the one meeting Booker T, especially with Cena absent in the future. As for Mysterio, he keeps dipping in and out of the cruiserweight scene, has the usual giant killing storyline and then has a go at tag wrestling. But that doesn’t give us the kind of matches he used to have in WCW and ECW which is really disappointing.
So who’s going to win this one and will it be any good? It shouldn’t be a disaster that’s for sure but not a classic. The tag division on Smackdown has potential with the Dudleys, Haas/Rico and the Bashams but it just doesn’t seem to be getting the work it needs on it. Splitting Kidman and London up hasn’t helped either. I see a title change here so RVD and Mysterio can feud with the Dudleys when they’re fit again.
Cruiserweight Title: Spike Dudley v Nunzio
So just how did Nunzio get a face turn, why are FBI getting cheers? This isn’t the kind of cruiserweight match I’d expected when Vince re-introduced the division. Neither wrestler does it for me and this could be the time to make a salad (I’m still on that diet you know). I go for Spike to retain his title in what is proving to be a disappointing division.
Big Show v Kurt Angle
The use of the tranquilliser gun was interesting last week that’s for sure. But wouldn’t a three hour tape of Hardcore Holly’s greatest matches have done the job even quicker? Angle has a new faction with Jindrak (the Luger impression never did work) and Luther Reigns who is starting to grow on me We haven’t seen too much of Big Show since he came back but this could be a reasonable match. Is Big Show getting a push towards JBL? Is Angle’s new team getting the push? If I knew the answers to those questions I’d be able to tell you who wins this Sunday. I go for Big Show to win by DQ.
Eddie Guerrero v Luther Reigns
Everyone seems to be worried about Eddie at the moment, myself included. Apparently he feels he was a failure as champ but that’s a long way from the truth, it’s not his fault business is down. Reigns isn’t doing too bad at present and could be in for a push, trouble is as part of the new Angle faction, he could become Smackdown’s Batista. He’s continually getting main events in tags but no real title push. If WWE really want to push Angle’s team a Reigns victory is likely here, I figure that might happen if only to give Eddie the chance to go away and have a rest.
Paul London v Billy Kidman
How do you help give a guy a push? Well, you take away his Tag title and deprive the fans of a blossoming tag team, then make him into someone who won’t wrestle because he might injure somebody. It’s an interesting angle and has been well told but just where does it go? If Kidman doesn’t wrestle on Sunday he gets fired, so that either means he’s not wanted by WWE or he will wrestle. A proper London v Kidman match could be ten times better than Spike v Nunzio which is about six inches above a midget match! This is a real puzzle to predict, London is getting a well-deserved push so I go for him to win and add to Kidman’s woes.
It’s not a bad card overall. The main event has the potential to surprise, Angle v Show could be ok, so could Guerrero v Reigns and Kidman v London looks interesting. Enjoy it and I’ll be back with a report next week.
Stephen Ashfield