January 3rd Royal Rumble Predictions

Predictions haven't changed much from my initial thought. We have, so far, two confirmed matches thus far; they are, the WWE Championship match and the Royal Rumble match itself. Only changes from the previous predictions are the Divas Championship match (going back to my original prediction before changing it on 12/23) and an updated 30 names list.

Here ya go:

Divas Championship
Natalya (c) v. Melina

World Tag Team Titles
Vladimir Kozlov & Santino (c) w/Tamina v. Uso Brothers

World Heavyweight Championship
Edge (c) v. Kane

*WWE Championship
The Miz (c) w/Alex Riley v. Randy Orton

30 Participants
Alberto Del Rio, Rey Misterio, Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler, United States Champion Daniel Bryan, Big Show, R Truth, Ted Dibiase, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, Ezekial Jackson, Alex Riley, Heath Slater, William Regal, Mark Henry, Justin Gabriel, David Smith, Tyler Reks, Tyson Kidd, Sheamus, John Cena, CM Punk,

New Predictions: Husky Harris, Michael McGillicutty, JTG, John Morrison

Surprise Entrants: Triple H

--

Alex Munchie Avila

Avila Productions
(510) 708-7266

wwfalex04.blogspot.com

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Royal Rumble 2011

These are my preliminary Royal Rumble Predictions. -- All predictions made 12/19 unless otherwise noted.

I'll fine-tune my list once more 1/3 and hopefully by then we would have an idea of how the Rumble's shaping up.

Predicted Matches:

Divas Championship (12/23):
Natalya (c) v. Melina v. Michelle McCool v. Beth Phoenix

World Tag Team Titles:
Vladarella (c) w/Tamina v. Uso Brothers

World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Kane v. Edge(c)

WWE Championship Match

Miz (c) v. Morrison

Predicted 30 Participants:

Alberto Del Rio, Rey Misterio, Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, Big Show, R Truth, Ted Dibiase, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, Ezekial Jackson, Alex Riley, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Chris Masters, Tyler Reks, Mark Henry, William Regal, Goldust, Tyson Kidd, David Smith, Sheamus, Randy Orton, John Cena, CM Punk,

Surprises: Chris Jericho & Triple H

My King of the Ring Thoughts

With 1 Heel and 3 Faces already qualifying that means 3 heels and 1 face will advance from Smackdown.

Rey Mysterio and Big Show have just won two big Smackdown matches in a row - battle royal and survivor series - they won't advance. Instantly, Del Rio advances since he's facing Big Show.

Now that leaves MVP & Kofi Kingston. Coming off of Survivor Series it seems fitting Drew McIntyre faces MVP and again beats him again. McIntyre in, MVP out, thus the last face Kingston advances.

This leaves Cody Rhodes or Jack Swagger as the last heel. Again, coming off of Survivor Series it seems fitting that Swagger will be the one to lay down as Cody Rhodes "performance" at Survivor Series advanced him to KOTR. Swagger out and Rhodes in.

That leaves 8: Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, Ezekial Jackson, John Morrison, Daniel Bryan, and Kofi Kingston.

At Survivor Series, Del Rio never officially lost his match - he was TKO'd. This says something - no one on smackdown was able to beat him and having to go through Big Show says he'll knock off a top face in the first round - Daniel Bryan. He's already the US champion, a Crown won't do nothing for him.

John Morrison's huge upset over Sheamus says that he'll move onto the Semi's, but which former tag team champion does he beat? The Dashing One or the more aggressive McIntyre? I think Rhodes' style may fit Morrison better so I say the former.

This leaves McIntyre and Sheamus against Kofi & Jackson. I think that Sheamus and Kofi mix it up and McIntyre and Jackson go at it. McIntyre looks fierce standing behind Del Rio during their team promo at Survivor Series and McIntyre was the last man eliminated from his team, so because of his strong showing at Survivor Series Drew McIntyre will knock off the red hot Ezekial Jackson.

With my earlier prediction of Del Rio winning over Bryan it only goes to show that Kofi Kingston will upset Sheamus to advance to the Semi's to loose to Del Rio. A Sheamus victory and obvious storyline choice to set up Triple H would be good, but is unnecessary. Sheamus can go into another grudge match with John Morrison at TLC as they set up Triple H's return.

This leaves 4: Alberto Del Rio, Kofi Kingston, John Morrison, and Drew McIntyre.

I still think Morrison's upset over Sheamus shot him straight through to the finals of th KOTR and the teleplay during the night will be the fact that John Morrison went through former Tag Team champions to make it to the finals.

With the face in the finals it's only obvious and clear that a heel will oppose him and who better than Alberto Del Rio.

The Finals sees John Morrison against Alberto Del Rio. Tough call, Sheamus upser wins says Morrison wins it but the King of the Ring gimmick is better suited for heels.

My money is on Alberto Del Rio.

Extreme Rules Predictions

Here are my Extreme Rules Predictions:

With the draft looming these matches are all up in the air as to who
will win. Everything gets shaken up tomorrow and it'll be an
interesting thing to watch.

The Strap Match
JTG v. Shad
Recently, JTG has yet to get much offense against Shad Gaspard and
this sunday Shad will show why he left Cryme Tyme. Unlike many, I do
not believe that JTG will be released. If anything, JTG is the talent
in Cryme Tyme; thus, Shad is getting the huge push to get him over.
Shad wins and gets drafted to Raw (more on that later).
Winner: Shad

Extreme Makover Match
WWE Women's Championship Match
Michelle McCool (c) v. Beth Phoenix
With the shocking release of Mickie James this matched looked to have
Simply Flawless come out on top. The wildcard is Vickie Guerrero as
the real feud seems to be between Phoenix and Guerrero and not McCool.
However, with the odds stacked against her I still think Phoenix will
take back the WWE Women's Championship heading into the Draft.
WInner and new Women's champion: Beth Phoenix

Punk's Hair on the Line
Rey Mysterio v. CM Punk
Mysterio won at Wrestlemania to not join the Straightedge Society. I
expect to see CM Punk come out on top and then being drafted to Raw
along with this followers. Also, I expect a rematch between the two on
Monday night.
Winner: CM Punk

Street Fight
Sheamus v. Triple H
All signs seems to point towards a Sheamus victory - well since he
needs a clean win - but I still do not see that happening as I see The
Game putting a stop to anyone that challenges him for his top spot on
the card.
Winner: Triple H

Steel Cage Match
Edge v. Chris Jericho
With Jericho winning at Wrestlemania and the title not on the line
here I think Edge gets his retribution and wins. Though, this will not
be the end of this feud as both will continue to battle it out to take
on the World Champion.
Winner: Edge

World Heavyweight Champion
Jack Swagger (c) v. Randy Orton
Jack Swagger has been built up as a weak champion since he's lost to
every person he's had to face - with the exception of Jericho/Edge.
His first win will come at the hands of Randy Orton, similarly to how
Sheamus beat Orton at the Royal Rumble in his first PPV title defense.
Orton seems to be putting over the young guys this year and will
continue to do so as he knows he'll regain control of the WWE later in
the year. I think Swagger pulls off the upset and keeps his title. I
also think Randy Orton turns Blue and continues to battle with Swagger
on Friday nights.
Winner: Jack Swagger

WWE Championship
Batista v. John Cena (c)
With the reports of Batista leaving the WWE it is obvious that John
Cena will end the night with a hard fought victory over Batista.
Enough said - a new #1 contender for Cena's title will emerge tomorrow
night during the draft.... CM Punk anyone?
Winner: John Cena

WWE Raw Review 4/12/10

The Guest Hosts on Raw have been hit or miss and last night's Guest Host was one to remember. The Hoff - David Hasselhoff - hosted Raw emanating from the good old United Kingdom. Here, the WWE Universe never lets up and truly show their distaste towards the WWE if they do not like something - The Hoff was over in England. Right off the bat The Hoff makes some huge announcements regarding Raw and Extreme Rules. First, a Baywatch Triple Threat tag team match for Raw. Second, Randy Orton challenges Jack Swagger for the World Heavyweight Championship (whoa!) at Extreme Rules. Finally, Randy Orton battles Batista in the main event. The huge news that comes out of this segment is the fact that Randy Orton will be facing Jack Swagger. This rises some questions and makes everyone want to tune into Smackdown - why don't Edge and Chris Jericho, or the entire Smackdown brand for that matter, have a chance to earn the #1 Contendership again? One answer would be to have Edge and Chris Jericho battle for that coveted title shot at the pay-per-view itself in order to increase buys. Or will Chris Jericho and Edge find their way into the Extreme Rules title match? We shall see this Friday.

After a huge shocking announcement the WWE gives us a shocking title change. The Divas Champion Maryse is dethroned by Diva Search winner, Eve Torres. Eve, entering her third year with the company, gets her first taste of WWE championship after catching the new Blonde Bombshell with a roll-up after blocking the French Kiss DDT. Maryse's charisma is what gave her the Divas Championship. Her lackluster performance in the ring since her return was what caused her the championship to one of the up and coming Divas. This reign may only be for a week or two with the Draft looming the potential of a Smackdown Diva coming over to capture the title is very high.

One of the greatest tag teams in the PG era, Showmiz have had one helluva year. The Big Show has been 1/2 of the WWE Unified Tag Team Champions for a total of 7 months. While The Miz can proclaim that he is the first ever U.S & Unified Tag Team Champion in the history of the WWE. Both men will go their separate ways come draft time, methinks, so it's interesting to see who the WWE decides to give the Tag Titles to next. Miz gets mic time with the legendary Bret Hart. This pairing is great for The Miz because the purpose of the story is to get The Hart Dynasty a tag title shot; however, it is also giving The Miz face time with a WWE Hall of Famer. And according to the British WWE Universe they are responding to The Miz in a great way - which leads me to believe The Miz may be winning his first World Title as a face... that's neither here nor there. Moving on. The Miz defeats David Hart Smith, with Big Show's help, and because of this Bret Hart will have to proclaim Showmiz as the greatest tag team in WWE history.

David Otunga continues to get a leg up on the competition on NXT by again being featured on WWE's flagship show, Raw. Otunga gets face time with Batista - who orders Otunga to get coffee - and we also are informed that Otunga will battle the WWE Champion John Cena. The WWE have high hopes for this man because of his tie in with Jennifer Hudson and the entertainment world. A match with the top star in the company definitely helps elevate superstars - ask The Miz. The Miz has more experience in wrestling than Otunga, however.

The WWE Universe are next entertained by what many people watch the World Wrestling Entertainment for, an actual wrestling match. No gimmick, no hatred, no backstory just a simple one-on-one match for the crowd's, and television audience's, enjoyment. Evan Bourne goes over Carlito via the Airbourne Shooting Star Press. England gets a treat from the WWE in the form of an aerial maneuver - something everyone can take home with them in picture form. Also, we see Carlito's role of jobber continue. Carlito is in need of a change. Interesting night for Carlito though - that to come later.

John Cena defeats David Otunga in another wrestling match via submission. David Otunga is taken to school by John Cena - who knew John Cena knew how to wrestle? Interesting to see him hardly ever employ his mat wrestling ability in any other match he is involved in. Cena takes care of Otunga to regain his heat from last week - as if he really lost much for crying out loud. Nonetheless, it also gives him an extra advantage over his feud with Batista seeing as how he did just defeat Batista's coffee-boy. Batista gets his heat back for the night by cutting a promo on John Cena about how he will take care of him on his time and not on the WWE Universe's time. This feud continues to heat up and it gets better each and every week. Their match at Extreme Rules will not be their last meeting.

Sheamus is the next man to take center stage and continue his feud against The Game Triple H. To Sheamus' advantage since his debut the WWE has been confident enough to let Sheamus get over by cutting promo's. A champion can only really get over if he has the mouthpiece to back up what he does in a ring. Sheamus has proven that but what he lacks is a clean victory over a top WWE star. Wrestlemania was the chance to let the young talent go over but Triple H came out on top. This match will continue to let Sheamus have another feud with another top talent to get him more over. My guess would be that Sheamus will be headed to the blue brand and finally win against a Phenom. Kofi Kingston makes his way out to the ring and challenge Sheamus in Hunter's absence - sources claim that he is heeling a neck injury*, yikes! Instead of jobbing out Kingston tonight we get a solid wrestling match between the two superstars; and, even a Kofi Kingston victory, by disqualification of course. Sheamus takes out Kofi after the match further proving that Kofi Kingston's shooting star is slowly fading.

Carlito and Vladimir Kozlov have a short segment in the back complaining about not getting enough air time and the fault of that being the WWE Guest Hosts. Carlito shows his frustration stating that he wants to be traded to Smackdown. This brings up something, well to me, big in that a WWE Superstar is verbally wanting to trade shows. What brings more attention to this is Carlito's recent use as of late and the fact that Carlito has been known to lack in commitment in wanting to improve his status within the WWE. This can either lead to Carlito being traded to Smackdown and try to once again establish himself as a contender for the Intercontinental Championship or it can lead to the continuation of using Carlito as a veteran star that new guys can use to get themselves over - like Evan Bourne earlier in the night.

Our Guest Host, The Hoff, hosts the Baywatch Triple Threat match. The WWE Superstars associated with this segment give way to the fact that their only reason to be on Raw is to share the spotlight of the Guest Host - which is both to their advantage and not because they do get TV time but they do not get a story that can draw fans to them and make them give a damn. Among them are Gail Kim and Santino Marella, two WWE Superstars that deserve to have a continuous chance to actually wrestle and tell a story. Both wrestlers I'm sure are satisfied with the role they are given - TV time with celebrities. Kelly Kelly, The Bella Twins, Jillian Hall, Eve Mendes, and Hornswoggle will have to just accept the fact that they are given this time only to highlight the Guest Host's appearance on the WWE's flagship show.

The Main Event of Raw featured the two #1 contenders for the respective World titles square off. It's great to witness a match that has been done over and over with the roles reversed this time around. Randy Orton plays the role of face while Batista plays the self-absorbed role of heel this time around. We're given an excellent match between two of WWE's top stars all in hype for the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. The match ends in a no-contest, in true WWE fashion. Though, I give props to the WWE because Jack Swagger has lost heat twice in a row by loosing to Randy Orton and tonight he regained his 'swagger' by hitting a weakened Orton with the Gut Wrench Powerbomb. Ending Raw with the World Heavyweight Champion standing tall would have been a good way for Swagger to regain all his lost heat - but John Cena was not one to be outdone as he too came out and not only laid out the Blue Brand's champion; but, he made The Animal tap out to the STF. Things continue to intensify between the two and their Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules will crank their feud up to eleven!

Overall the show was solid in that it featured wrestling matches sans the throw away triple threat bout. Even the one-on-one encounter between Evan Bourne and Carlito entertained the audience. The London crowd are always vocal and really let the WWE know what works and what doesn't. As a matter of fact, all non-US audiences are like that. Maybe we're spoiled? Anyway, a great show to continue the build to Extreme Rules and the close approaching WWE Draft on April 26 - the night after Extreme Rules!

Overall Show: A-

I kNow This, Because I'm A Smark


* - http://www.gerweck.net/news/1271045368.shtml

The Miz as Champion?

In response to a thread posted here ->  The Miz a Champion?

I think The Miz has been given the greenlight to step his game up because the WWE does see a lot in this young man - despite where he came from. I actually think it is because where he came from that the WWE have more confidence in him than with John Morrison because The Miz had to have personality on the Real World circuit to continue to get on shows like the Challenges and what not. The Miz has solely elevated himself from a low midcarder to a midcarder with ease - special thanks to John Cena. John Morrison stepped his game up by wrestling the hell out of Edge, Punk, and Jeff Hardy amongst some. He was elevated thanks to a brawl with Chris Jericho.

The Miz is 5-4 at PPV's while John Morrison is 2-5 since they split (excluding the Royal Rumble match). What does that tell you?

The WWE is a continuous novel with similar themes played throughout; it takes meticulous reading of everything presented on-air to fully grasp the concepts at work and the direction a superstar is headed. The Miz is headed to the Upper Midcard/Main Event with the likes of Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Kane, and Rey Mysterio to name a few.

btw, I'm not bashing John Morrison, I actually like John Morrison - I'm just pointing out to the Morrison S/Marks that he is not going to be given the World Championship before The Miz is. And to answer the question, finally, yes The Miz will be a World Champion within the WWE, quote me!

-I kNow This, Because I'm A Smark.
--
Alex Avila
Avila Productions
(510) 708-7266
wwfalex04@gmail.com
wwfalex04.blogspot.com

Wrestlemania Review

1. Tag Team Match
Great opener. The Big Show proved to be the x-factor of the match. The Miz continues to score by increasing the number of Pay-per-view wins he's accumulated since Bragging Rights to 5 - Morrison has an 0-6 record going since his loss to Miz at Bragging Rights. Though Miz did not get the pinfall victory, he has a new entrance ring coat to go with his continued success as the Unified Tag Team and United States Champion. Great way to start off a hot pay-per-view.

2. Legacy
I knew Randy Orton would win but I wanted Cody Rhodes to walk out the winner with Orton giving him the punt to the head afterwards. Interesting to see where they go with this storyline. I said this one has everyone scratching their heads.

3. MITB
The shocker of the night Jack Swagger does the unthinkable, wins the golden (read: black) briefcase. I knew Swagger's commentary work proved Swagger was the star to watch going into the event. Matt Hardy's inability to unhook the briefcase - albeit unexpectedly - carried over into the final moments of the match storyline wise as Jack Swagger struggled also; but, he was finally able to get his hands on the guaranteed contract. Great to see the WWE not give up on Swagger. I thought Swagger was a great choice to be the one to walk out with the briefcase. Christian and McIntyre will be fighting each other soon enough. Everyone else is going back into obscurity in shuffling around each other for a spot on the next couple pay-per-views.

4. Triple H v Sheamus
Michael Cole kept selling the idea that even though Sheamus lost he proved his worthy as a main event superstar because of the match he had with Triple H. What I saw was Triple H become superhuman in one second and overpower Sheamus. This would have been a great thing to see a Rookie go over a Pro to promote a certain brand. Sheamus deserves a clean victory over a top star - perhaps Undertaker will lay for the Celtic Warrior?

5. CM Punk v. Rey Mysterio
Really fun back-and-forth match. I thought a Mysterio joining the Society would have been a good storyline to continue this feud. Now, we shall see if these two will continue to perform against each other with the next live events or not. Great use of the society members to help Mysterio win. Even though I wanted Punk, Mysterio did a good job.

6. Bret Hart v. Vince McMahon
I figured this match would be a squash. McMahon paid off every Hart Family member to beat his @$$. As soon as Bret got on the mic a swerve was to come. Great to see Vince let things go for the good of business. Fans ate it up and loved to see Bret Hart get his hands on Vince McMahon. The ending was predictable - the sharpshooter finish - but how they got there was interesting and something that gave closure to the Montreal Screwjob of 1997.

7. Chris Jericho v. Edge
I CALLED IT! I knew Chris Jericho was going to walk out of Wrestlemania XXVI with the World Heavyweight Championship intact. The Rated R Superstar and the Highlight Reel himself, Chris Jericho, put on one helluva match and did a great job in getting the crowd back into the action after the sour taste Bret Hart/Vince McMahon left behind. Edge was on point tonight - not to say Jericho wasn't - Edge seemed more determined and focused. Jericho's relaxed approach to the match showed as he became frustrated at the fact that Edge would not stay down. Once the referee was down for some time Jericho took advantage knocking Edge out with the World title and connecting with the Codebreaker, finally Jericho was able to celebrate - at a price, however. Edge's final spear on Chris Jericho was off the announcer's table and onto the barricade. Though the right man won, the other got the last laugh. Can't wait for the continuation of this feud.

8. Michelle McCool, Layla, Maryse, Alicia Fox, Vickie Guerrero v. Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, Gail Kim, and Beth Phoenix.
I predicted that Vickie Guerrero would make her way into the spotlight and she did - paying homage to her deceased husband, the late Eddie Guerrero, Vickie Guerrero connected with a frog splash off the top rope and pinned Kelly Kelly. Guerrero has been one of the best heels the company has produced, because of this she gets the honor of winning it or her team athe the biggest stage. The rest of the Divas got a time to shine as they each hit their patented maneuvers on each other. The story's focus was on Pheonix and Simply Flawless. Look for Phoenix & Mickie James to team up against the Flawless ones.

9. John Cena v. Batista
The battle of the giants. Batista got the victory in the Summer and John Cena got the victory in the Spring. Their 1-1 and it was only right for John Cena to win at Wrestlemania since the entire time leading up to the event Batista has had the upperhand. And we all know when Cena is in a story where he has to overcome the odds - he does. So, this was predictable but it should continue the feud.

10. The Streak v. The Career
I'm a fan of both men and enjoy both their works. Though, the streak must never end. Shawn Michaels has had one heck of a career and I loved seeing it all go down. Thank you Shawn Michaels for a great ride and for putting on another great Wrestlemania match. Though, I think the 1st was still better - and that's not being biased because I was there live!

Overall Show: B+

Great hype for a pay-per-view that paid off. Great surprise victories for Showmiz, Jack Swagger, and even Vickie Guerrero. Still trying to figure out the Legacy storyline and where Sheamus will go. The final 6 men of the night did their best in winding down the latter part of an overall solid show. Can't wait for Raw. The next thing we have to look forward to is going to be the WWE Draft.

Prediction Record (5-5)
Correct: Undertaker, John Cena, Bret Hart, Showmiz, Chris Jericho
Wrong: Heel Divas, Jack Swagger, Triple H, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio

-I kNow This, Because I'm A Smark.

--
Alex Avila
Avila Productions
(510) 708-7266
wwfalex04@gmail.com
wwfalex04.blogspot.com