Just what kind of Revolution do you call this?
Miracles of miracles, a PPV that I can actually get to see, even if I have got to stay up until 4am with work in the morning due to two knackered video recorders!! The first PPV of an important year for WWE but is it going to be any good and will I wear my knees out praying for John Cena to lose the WWE Title? On with the preview starting with the Main Event.
WWE Title: Elimination Chamber
John Cena v Kurt Angle v Shawn Michaels v Kane v Carlito v Chris Masters
So it’s time for only the third ever Elimination Chamber match and the second to be held at New Year’s Revolution after Triple H’s victory last year. This is the idea of Eric Bischoff, well that’s what the storyline says, but of course he’s no longer Raw GM and isn’t it about time that this brand actually did have a new GM rather than just Vince being a pain.
I’m begging WWE to get that title off John Cena or failing that turn him heel. Sadly I don’t see either of these happening. Yes I believe Cena will keep the belt as his feud with Triple H which should be the main event at a forgettable Wrestlemania 22. So what’s going to happen here in a match that should take around 40-45 minutes if history repeats itself.
Well, the main interest I suppose is going to be on what happens to Shawn Michaels after his recent fall-out with Vince which looks like ending up with the pair facing off at the increasingly forgettable Wrestlemania 22, soon to be titled: Wrestlemania 22 – there’s always a crap one every now and then. Michaels has to start the match and no one has started an Elimination Chamber match and gone on to win, though of course Michaels did win the first ever EC match winning the World Heavyweight Title at the Survivor Series. So will he make it all the way through to the final two, ie up against Cena who attacked him on Raw this week? That’s possible I think but how he gets screwed, which of course is Vince’s favourite word Could this be the moment Cena turns heel and aligns with Vince? Not sure which is a good thing because if I did know I’d be following a predictable sport.
I see Angle staying in the match for awhile but can’t see him getting the title he so richly deserves. I have to say though I hate this new storyline he has. Insulting serving soldiers is never a good thing. It’s good for Vince to make sure that WWE always go to Iraq or Afghanistan to visit the troops but why then give time on the show to someone who insults what they do? Since when was there logic in WWE?
Carlito continues to be a good prospect who is being pushed far too high at present, the same goes for Chris Masters. As for Kane, hasn’t he got a tag title to defend? He’s the last man coming out of his chamber and I wonder what he’ll be thinking about while he’s stuck in there for all that time? Perhaps thinking, I was champ for a day once but that was so long ago I can’t even remember when it was. Well he won’t be wearing gold again this Sunday that’s for sure though rumours persist that he’s going to be facing Batista at No Way Out for the World Heavyweight Title. As I said earlier, there’s no logic in WWE.
So I go for Cena to keep the belt and the boos to continue. He’s not an impressive champion that’s for sure and it’s a real problem for Vince as he tries to build up to that Wrestlemania event He needs a new GM and has a less than respected champion, these are not happy days on Raw.
Intercontinental Title: Ric Flair v Edge
Can you believe we’re starting 2006 with Ric Flair as IC Champ? Flair isn’t the most important man in this match, it’s Edge. He still has that promised WWE Title shot and time is running out to use it. I still think logic says he’ll use it at Wrestlemania, when else will he have the chance to headline that event (God it’ll be really forgettable if that does happen). If that doesn’t happen it’ll have to be at the Royal Rumble or Edge is going to end up with another title shot on Raw which is a bit of a slap in the face for him. Therefore he needs momentum and an unsuccessful challenge for the IC Title against an has-been veteran isn’t going to help which is why I believe there’ll be a title change this Sunday.
Edge is fast becoming a guy who ends up in storylines that reflect both fact and fiction. After the Hardy feud over who gets to shag Lita this week, it’s now a storyline over Flair’s recent real-life problems. Flair is a paper champion anyway, he’s lost convincingly to Triple H at Survivor Series and shouldn’t have the belt. By the end of Sunday he definitely won’t have it.
Women’s Title: Trish Stratus v Mickie James
This could be an interesting match and a reasonable wrestling match as well as long as it’s kept short. James entered WWE as the Number one fan of Trish Stratus, who won the belt at NYR last year and will hold the title for a year if she wins tonight and that doesn’t happen a lot these days. Since then, James has behaved like a woman who just can’t say no to a cup of coffee. Talk about over-excited, but is it just respect for Stratus or is she in love with her? The kiss and the complements about Trish’s breasts are another attempt by WWE to make lesbianism a part of women’s wrestling. Mind you, whatever happened after that kiss on Raw between Candice Michelle and Victoria? Absolutely nothing of course, logic lost again.
The main questions here are who’s going to win and who turns heel? Trish has been upset about the behaviour of Mickie for awhile and it’s looked as if she’ll be the one who turns on her number one fan, however I believe it’ll be James who turns. Looks to me as if we’re in for the ‘I love you and help you but you don’t show gratitude’ storyline. Will this also lead to her winning the belt? I think that might just happen.
Tag team Titles – sorry Vince isn’t bothered
Strange isn’t it? Smackdown has for two weeks in a row a tag team title match as their main event and the last Smackdown PPV saw the champs on each brand face off, yet here there’s nothing. Kane is in the main event and Big Show up against Triple H, why put the titles in the hands of two stars you want to use in the singles division? Then again who else is there on Raw? Viscera and Venis, the Heartthrobs, boy it’s dire isn’t it
Big Show v Triple H
What’s this, a Big Show feud that I’m actually enjoying? The build-up to this match has been pretty good and it looks as if Big Show has been turned into Inspector Gadget now he has a sledgehammer of his own. Triple H has been good too and his behaviour on Raw this week after they showed the wrong tape indicates a face turn might well be worth it Tripl H needs momentum so I reckon he’ll get the win but might get a bit of a bashing afterwards to keep the feud running to the Rumble, could be a reasonable match.
Gregory Helms v Jerry Lawler
So is this the beginning of a Helms push or is it a way of re-introducing Jamal to WWE? The Hurricane gimmick was getting tired and after recent events in the States was a bit in bad taste. So, The Hurricane became Gregory Helms again and after a short feud with Rosey not much has been seen of him until a feud started with Jerry Lawler which is destined to go nowhere. Why the heck are they using Lawler on this PPV? I wonder what talent such as Shelton Benjamin, Chavo Guerrero, Rob Conway and Trevor Murdoch think of this. Helms gets the win but is there a chance that Rosey’s former tag partner Jamal who is on his way back to WWE could make an appearance?
Bra and Panties Gauntlet Match: Candice Michelle v Maria v Victoria v Ashley v Torrie
Ok let’s work this out, this is a gauntlet match which means two women start in the ring, one loses her clothes and in comes another opponent, cue more lingerie exposed and one final match ending in more flesh exposed followed by one final match. That’s in theory four matches here, add that to Trish v Mickie and there’s 4 men’s matches and 5 women’s matches on this card. Boy Shelton and co must be happy. This would be more interesting if the winner was guaranteed a title shot at the Rumble but no, this is just a case of seeing lingerie we’ve all seen before and perhaps a chance to plug the book ‘Diva’s Uncovered.’ Who wins? Well this could be the start of the Candice Michelle is in Playboy push so I go for her to win.
So is this worth staying up for? Well the men’s matches with the exception of Helms v Lawler should be good and Trish v Mickie could be ok. Not the best of PPVs but reasonably interesting. I’ll be back soon, just a reminder that I’ve been nominated for the writer of the year award in the TwoshedsReview awards so pop over to twoshedsreview.com if you fancy voting for me.
Stephen Ashfield