Money in the Bank - The Contenders

Money in the Bank is this evening and, as usual, there will be ladder matches to determine who will get a title shot for the World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Championship. Let’s look at the contenders.

World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match

Christian
Record: 0-4
The two –time World Heavyweight Champion and the current Intercontinental Champion is in his element in this kind of match. I know that a lot of people would love him to win it, but I don’t think he will
Chances of winning: Potential Dark Horse

Santino Marella
Record: First Time
I know that some people are wondering why the current United States Champion is anywhere near this match. I think that he has a very slim chance of winning but he was the runner-up to the 2011 Royal Rumble, so I’m not exactly ruling it out.
Chances of Winning: Slim

Lord Tensai
Record: First Time
Lord Tensai has been up and down the card since his return to the WWE. Because of that, I don’t think he will win.
Chances of Winning: Slim

Sin Cara
Record: 0-1
While 2011 has been difficult year for Sin Cara, 2012 has been so far, so good for him. I think he has a slim chance of winning and I still think that WWE would like a Champion who can, well...speak. Hopefully, he won’t get powerbombed through a ladder like last year.
Chances of Winning: Slim

Tyson Kidd
Record: First Time
Tyson Kidd is a tremendous athlete and is one of the underrated people in the WWE. It’s great to see him get a push and I think he has the potential to be a great Champion. However, I don’t think this will be that time.
Chances of Winning: Slim

Damien Sandow
Record: First Time
Damien Sandow has been a joy to watch since his debut on Smackdown and I think he is one of the best talkers in the company at the minute. It would be a massive surprise if he won the briefcase, but it would also be a nice surprise.
Chances of Winning: Er...it’s possible

Cody Rhodes
Record: 0-2
Could this be Cody’s time? Cody has been a revelation over the last 18 months with his excellent ability and character development. I have no doubt that Cody will be a future World Champion; the question is, are the WWE ready to give him that opportunity?
Chances of Winning: High

Dolph Ziggler
Record: 0-2
The question about Cody Rhodes could equally apply to Dolph Ziggler. Dolph has had chances to win a World Championship and he is (technically) a former World Heavyweight Champion. Personally, I don’t think he needs the briefcase but it could be exactly what he needs.
Chances of Winning: High

WWE Championship Ladder Match

The Big Show
Record: 0-1
The Big Show was looking good in his recent heel turn until Cena fucked that up. Now, I don’t really care. I can’t see him winning the briefcase though a feud between him and Punk could be interesting.
Chances of Winning: Slim

Kane
Record: 1-5
Kane has had the most experience in Money in the Bank matches yet he is probably the one who has the less chance of winning. Kane getting the briefcase would not help anyone.
Chances of Winning: Slim

Chris Jericho
Record: 0-3
The inventor of the match has an excellent opportunity to get the briefcase. It would be great to see. However, I can only see one people winning it and it’s not him.
Chances of Winning: Quite high

John Cena
Record: First Time
John Cena has never been in a MITB match before but he has suffered it by being cashed in on, not once but twice. He is the only one that I can see winning this match. The question is, will he do the honourable thing and actually cash it in to make a match or could this be the opportunity for a heel turn?
Chances of Winning: Very high.

WWE No Way Out 2012 Preview

WWE No Way Out will take place at the IZod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. I have to admit that I’m not really looking forward to it as the card doesn’t look great. Despite that, it might be a good PPV so let’s take a look.

The Pre-Show on YouTube will see David Otunga take on Brodus Clay. Otunga has been targeting Brodus’ knees and I expect to continue that in this match. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that Otunga’s plan will not be enough and Brodus will win.

Predicted Winner: Brodus Clay

Santino Marella will take on Ricardo “Virgil” Rodriguez in a tuxedo match. This will be no more than a comedy match which both guys are extremely capable of doing. I think that Santino will be victorious here.

Predicted Winner: Santino Marella

Christian will defend his Intercontinental Championship against Cody Rhodes. I can’t see the title being hot shot back to Rhodes, so I think that Christian will retain.

Predicted Winner: Christian

The Divas Championship will be on the line as Beth Phoenix challenges Layla. I know some people are dismissing this match  but I think that this could be a good match. It’s a tough one to call as I think the winner will probably stay champion until the WWE decide to give Kharma her return and she can  then fuck them up. I’m going for Layla to retain and hopefully be Kharma’s first victim.

Predicted Winner: Layla

The World Heavyweight Championship will be defended as Dolph Ziggler will challenge Sheamus. This has the potential to be a really good match and I’m happy that Ziggler has been given this opportunity. However, I don’t think the time is right for Ziggler to win a World Championship quite yet as he hasn’t been  near the title picture since the Royal Rumble. I’m going for Sheamus to win and hopefully the WWE will start to build Ziggler up to the main event level afterwards.

Predicted Winner: Sheamus

The WWE Championship will be defended in a triple threat match between champion CM Punk, Kane and Daniel Bryan. I’m really looking forward to this match as I think it will be the match of the night. While I have no doubt over their ability, the match all rides on the AJ factor. Who will AJ side with? I’ve quite enjoyed AJ slowly going insane in a way that would make Glenn Close from Fatal Attraction proud. Whilst a bit predictable, I think this is all part of a master plan between Daniel Bryan and AJ. I think that Daniel Bryan will win, change the WWE Championship design, and continue the feud until Summerslam.

Predicted Winner: Daniel Bryan

The main event (really, WWE?) will be John Cena and the Big Show in a steel cage match. Right, let’s see what if I got this right. If Cena wins, John Laurinaitis (did you know that he’s the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and  the GM of both RAW and Smackdown?)  will be fired; If Show wins, Cena will be fired. I don’t really get parts of the storyline here.  Why is Vince McMahon angry at Laurinaitis? If you think about it, Vince kind of started all this when he appointed Laurinaitis interim RAW GM last year. Also, why are we yet again threatening Cena with his job? If Cena loses, it won’t matter because, based on what happened with the Nexus in 2010, he’ll just act as if nothing happened.

This is a tough one as I can’t see Cena losing again. The last time he lost 2 PPV matches in a row was last year when he lost to CM Punk at Money in the Bank and Summerslam. The way I see it, The Big Show has to win this match. I know I said that when Cena faced Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules but in that match, Lensar destroyed Cena and Cena had a bit of luck to win. That cannot be the case here. I don’t mind Cena overcoming the odds eventually, but he can’t do it at the first hurdle like Super Cena. If Cena does that, it will seriously weaken Show’s heel run. The Big Show HAS, no, MUST win this. Otherwise, what the fuck was the point ?

Predicted Winner: Big Show

Hopefully, while I have my doubts, it will be a good event. I hope you enjoy it and I will post my review during the week.

LDW Fav Five: February 2012

It’s time, once again, for the Fav Five, inspired by Booker T. It has been a decent wrestling month with 2 decent PPVs and some good (and bad) television.

5. Santino Marella(?!)

Even though this is only the second ever Fav Five, I never in my wildest dreams thought that Santino Marella would be in it. However, you can’t deny what he has done over the last month. When he won the battle royal to become the final entrant in the Smackdown Elimination Chamber, I was like “What the fuck?!” However, Santino’s performance in the Chamber match was really good and it made me realise how good a wrestler he can be. I would like the WWE to do one of two things: either cut down on the comedy aspect and evolve him slightly so that he can be a guy at the upper mid-card level; or have him more main event type matches and have him slowly get more serious as it starts to get to his head.

4. Sheamus

Sheamus has been on a roll since winning the Royal Rumble last month. Sheamus has been built well over the last month and I’m really looking forward to his match against Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania.

3. Bully Ray

I know that I always say that Austin Aries is the best thing in TNA right now. However, I have been really impressed with Bully Ray over the last few weeks. He is tremendous on the mic and he has been an excellent performer in the ring. Ray has come a long way from when I first saw him as a stuttering Bubba Ray with the Dudley Boyz at Survivor Series 1999.

2. John Laurinaitis

I love, love John Laurinaitis (did you know that he’s the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, the interim RAW GM and candidate to be the GM of Smackdown?) Along with his legal advisor, David Otunga, Laurinaitis has been such a joy to watch on TV and I really hope he becomes the GM of Smackdown.

1.  Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan is the best thing to watch on Smackdown right now. I love his entrance when he is shouting “yes!” as he goes down the aisle and there was a great bit in his interview last week. Smackdown came from Seattle and Bryan told the crowd that he’s from there (about 110 miles away in Aberdeen) and then says that he went to Las Vegas as soon as possible. I thought it was a great move to get the crowd on his side and then get them to boo him in the next sentence. I’m really looking forward to see how the feud between him and Sheamus over the next few weeks.

Elimination Chamber Contenders

The Elimination Chamber takes place at 1am on Monday morning (UK time) live from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Let’s take a look at the contenders.

Smackdown – World Heavyweight Championship

This has erm...a very interesting (?) lineup.

Daniel Bryan (Current Champion)

Record: First time

Daniel Bryan has been the best thing on Smackdown with his very scuttle heel turn. Bryan at the minute is a person who uses his head as well as his technicial skills to get out of very tricky situations. It will be hard for him as he is effectively stuck in a cage with 5 other wrestlers, including 2 7-foot giants. However, I think that he will find some way to prevail.

Chances of winning: Very high

The Big Show

Record: 0-3                            Eliminations: 3

The Big Show, while unsuccessful in his 3 matches, has the most experience in this match. He can use that to his advantage. However, Bryan has gone into his head and Show needs to focus on winning the match and not just on Bryan if he wants to be successful.

Chances of winning: Possible

Wade Barrett

Record: 0-1                            Eliminations: 0

Wade Barrett took part in the RAW Elimination Chamber last year so has some experience. However, while I think that he will be a World Champion in the near future, I can’t see him winning it this time.

Chances of winning: Potential dark horse

Cody Rhodes

Record: First time

Cody Rhodes aims to be the first person since The Ultimate Warrior in 1990 to be the Intercontinental Champion and World Champion. Like Barrett, I think that he is a potential dark horse and a possible World Champion. However, maybe not this time.

Chances of winning: Potential dark horse

The Great Khali

Record: 0-1                            Eliminations: 0

The Great Khali is a former World Champion like The Big Show. However, he is not very mobile and because of that, he is very limited. Khali was my pick to be the first eliminated until I saw what happened last Friday.

Chances of winning: No chance in Hell

Santino Marella (?!)

Record: First time (gee, wonder why?)

I know that I have been very critical of Santino being anywhere near this match and it’s nothing against him. I know that he’s a popular character due to his antics, but do you really see him as a main event player?! I pray to God that either someone takes a leaf out of Edge’s manual: “How to be the Ultimate Opportunist” and takes Santino’s place; or he is the first one to be eliminated. If Santino lasts more than 10 minutes, I will be surprised and very pissed off.

Chances of winning: What the fuck do you think?! No chance in Hell!

RAW-WWE Championship

Thankfully, the RAW Elimination Chamber looks like a more exciting contest, with the most experienced wrestlers.

CM Punk (Current Champion)

Record: 0-3                            Eliminations: 3

CM Punk knows what he is up against having been in 3 previous matches. It will be tough for him but I think that he could prevail.

Chances of winning: High

Chris Jericho

Record: 1-5                            Eliminations: 8

Jericho has been in, not only the most Elimination Chambers, but also has the most eliminations with 8. While there are other wrestlers who have taken part in this kind of match, Jericho is the only one that has actually won an Elimination Chamber (with help from Shawn Michaels). I think that it will be either Punk or Jericho who will be victorious but I’m torn over which one.

Chances of winning: High

The Awesome One AKA The Miz

Record: First time

It’s been tough for The Miz recently, being (weirdly) blamed for the lower than expected buy-rate for Survivor Series and also being winless since the turn of the year. As I’m a big fan of The Miz, I hope that he will get some wins soon. Unfortunately, barring a major upset, that won’t start at this match.

Chances of winning: Slim

Dolph Ziggler

Record: First time

I love Dolph as he is a great wrestler and an enjoyable entertainer. Along with Barrett and Cody, Dolph will be World Champion one day (I don’t count him being rewarded the World Heavyweight Championship last year for11 minutes). However, I can’t see him winning it this time

Chances of winning: Slim

Kofi Kingston

Record: 0-1                            Eliminations: 1

Kofi is a possible dark horse in this match. I think that his time will come and he could do well in this match. However, I don’t think that he will be successful.

Chances of winning: Potential dark horse

R-Truth

Record: 0-2                            Eliminations: 0

I have liked the insane (in a good way) R-Truth and it would be interesting to see where WWE go with that kind of person as the WWE Champion. However, I don’t think that will happen. How about the US Championship instead?

Chances of winning: No chance in Hell

The Joke-Down Elimination Chamber

On Sunday, we will have two Elimination Chamber matches for the World Championships. The WWE Championship match looks pretty strong with CM Punk defeating his title against Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho, The Miz and R-Truth. This look like this should be a good match as you have 5 people (sorry,R-Truth) who are capable of winning the match.

On Smackdown, however, you don’t really have that. It looked well enough to begin with Daniel Bryan defending his World Heavyweight Championship against The Big Show, Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett, Randy Orton and Mark Henry. Or, so we thought. Henry has been suffering from injuries since December, so was suspended (in storyline)  and was replaced by the Great Khali. Khali, whilst popular, is a limited wrestler and he doesn’t seem to very mobile. Then, on the last Smackdown before the PPV, Teddy Long revealed that Randy Orton suffered a concussion and was unable to compete. Therefore, Long decided to have a wild card battle royal in order to determine who would be the sixth entrant. Santino Marella won after eliminating David Otunga.

I’m sorry, but What. The. Fuck?! Santino in the Elimination Chamber?! For the World Heavyweight Championship?! Really?! Really?! Really?! I don’t know what to say about this. I really don’t. I know that the roster is a bit thin with all the injuries on Smackdown. We have Mark Henry, Christian and Randy Orton all out of action. Plus, the fact that the one person you could replace Santino, Sheamus, already won the Royal Rumble so doesn’t need to be there.

As for Santino, I know he is popular with the fans and he was cheered when he won. However, you can’t hide the fact that he doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near the main event level. The problem is that the WWE has a limited roster, especially on Smackdown, and with people with Santino and The Great Khali being involved in a World title match, and the farting gimmick with Natalya; it might be understandable if some people are viewing Smackdown as more of a Joke-Down.