The WWE now enters that time of the year where there seems to be a lull after the mega build for WrestleMania and the hype leading up to the event. The company in the past few years has had its best wrestling it seems leading up to Mania, only to have some of its worst in the few months following it. We shall see if that is the case yet again in 2008.

Mania for the most part was a strong card, and after being there as well as in Detroit last year for 23, I would have to honestly say that this years was a better offering. The hoopla with the Ric Flair match, the huge build around Floyd Mayweather and the Big Show, the best Money in the Bank match to date, and a strong finish with the Undertaker and Edge outdid what they had on the plate last year.

Last years build was mostly around the saga involving Vince McMahon and Donald Trump in the hair vs hair match. The two "hired" wrestlers to represent them, which was Umaga for McMahon and Bobby Lashley for Trump. While the match was okay, the spectacle was seeing McMahon getting his head shaved post match.

The two main events last year were both solid, with John Cena beating Shawn Michaels, and Batista losing the belt in a very good match with the Undertaker. While that being said, I still felt this year was slightly better due to the undercard being stronger, and the three main events being strong as well.

The attention now turns to Backlash, the next PPV venture coming up on Sunday, April 28th from Baltimore. Without giving out "spoilers" for the show, already there will be a few Mania rematches, with the RAW main being announced on Monday night, which also will be a multi-wrestler title match. In the past few years Backlash has also been pretty strong, so let's hope that same will be for the 2008 edition.

Labels: backlash 2008, bobby lashely, vince mcmahon, wrestlemania 23, wrestlemania 24

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments

The Following was posted one year ago today on Let's Wrestle

WrestleMania is a wrestling event that has over the years made or broken careers. Look at the defining moments of the sport, and you can easily trace some of them back to Mania's of the years past. From Hulk Hogan to Stone Cold Steve Austin, the men that have made Mania their showcase have mostly gone on to have great wrestling careers. That is why right now you can say that current WWE Champion John Cena is on a roll that no other wrestler in the history of the sport has seen, and that his last four years at WrestleMania is a direct result of it.

Yes, trace it back, the statement that I am about to throw out cannot be denied - John Cena has had the best four years at WrestleMania over any other wrestler in the history of the event. Forget Hulk Hogan, Undertaker, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, The Rock, or Bret Hart. Cena is the biggest name in the sport right now, and whether you love him, or hate him, that fact cannot be denied. Going back to WrestleMania 20, he has either won, or defended a major title in his first four showings at Mania. At WM 20, he beat the Big Show in the opener to take home the US Title. The following year in LA, he topped JBL in a underachieving match to win his first WWE Title. Then last year he won a match that just about no one thought he would win, making HHH submit to keep the WWE Title. Now just two days ago, he once again kept the gold, making Shawn Michaels submit to the same move he used on HHH a year ago, keeping the spinner belt alive.
Look back at history, and you will see why Cena is right now making his career each and every year he wrestles at Mania. Even the Undertaker, who has never lost at the event, has had bad matches against lackluster guys (Kevin Nash, Mark Henry, and King Kong Bundy come to mind). Hulk Hogan? Even going back to his run to start WrestleMania, he won a tag match with Mr.T in WM 1, then beat Bundy in a cage in two, slammed and pinned Andre in 3, but then had a double DQ with the Giant in 4. From that point on, he went 6-2. Not bad, but right now not on tap with Cena.

I'm not saying that Cean will never lose at Mania. I for one am already saying that maybe next year he's due to take a fall. A rematch with HHH in front of over 70,000 in Orlando would be a spot for Cena to give up the belt that he has had a stranglehold on for what seems to be the last two years. But, as his career continues towards what someday will be a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame, Cena right now owns Mania more than any other wrestler in the history of the sport - and that's a fact.

Labels: john cena, wrestlemania 23

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:21 AM | Permalink | Comments

The following was publihsed one year ago today on Let's Wrestle

As hours remain until Wrestlemania 23, much has been stated about who should be given the nod in both main events. Should the two legends, Shawn Michaels and Undertaker get the wins to further their legacy? Or should the two young lions, John Cena and Batista, get over, pushing their careers to another level? Of couse a case can be made that maybe one legend, and one younger star should get the victories, meaning that we have one new world champion, and one champion that will be successful in their title defense.

Many are now in the corner that the Undertaker should continue his undefeated streak tomorrow in Detroit, hereby getting the clean win and the Heavyweight title vs Batista. It seems like night and day when you look at where Batista was just two years ago, winning the belt in the main event of WrestleMania 21 over HHH, and now, a wrestler who is mostly a punch, kick guy that seems to get over on name alone. He is no longer the future of the company, and that fact will be made even more clear when he cleanly loses to Taker on Sunday. Already there are a series of rematches in place on SmackDown house show cards, meaning that Sunday's bout between the two will be the first of many that we will see. There are also talks of not only one, but at least two more major PPV matches with these two.

As for the RAW main event, and the last match on the show, I think we'll see the career of John Cena continue to go up as I think he'll walk away from Ford Field with a pinfall win over Michaels in what should be one of the matches of the year. Cena has been gaining momentum all year, and despite what some still think he lacks, I clearly think he is the biggest in ring name in the sport, and he has done everything I good champion should to earn the win here. As for Michaels, he is a Hall of Famer, and he should be honored that he has been in now four main events in WrestleMania.

So argue if you will, but I think as we leave Ford Field on Sunday night, you'll see both now and the past be served. I like the Taker to walk out with the World Heavyweight Title, and Cena to keep the WWE Title.

Labels: john cena, shawn michaels, wrestlemania 23

Posted by Matt Loede at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments

The Following was Posted One Year Ago today on Let's Wrestle

WrestleMania is now less than two weeks away, and the final card for the show has yet to be put into place 100 percent, but we know the big matches, as well as the second-tier matches that will make up the show. On paper, this card looks better in my opinion than last year, with Shawn Michaels vs John Cena having the makings of a very good match, and the World Heavyweight Title match with Batista vs Undertaker should be good as well. I have high hopes for the Taker-Batista match, as I think that the emotion for the bout is there, and with the Taker being the fan favorite, they really can let Batista go and be aggressive and show a little more killer instinct than normal. They have tried to make the Taker-Batista match a face vs face affair, but they are out of their minds if they think that Batista is going to get cheered in Detroit. Remember in 1991 at Survivor Series in Detroit when Taker, then a pronounced heel, got cheered in his WWF title match vs ultimate fan favorite Hulk Hogan? With that said, you don't think that Taker, now a future Hall of Famer and legend won't be the more over face in this match? Think again.

As for the Michaels-Cena match, this should be your main event, as these two have the makings of putting on a great show for the over 70,000 at Ford Field. Watching WWE 24/7 over the weekend and seeing the final few minutes of last year's HHH-Cena match, I recall how pumped the crowd was in Chicago, and the bitterness when Cena made HHH tap out. I have a feeling that the same can happen this year, as already in various matches your hearing Cena get booed again. It's so funny to me that Cena goes the whole year, either as the champion or not, and gets basically cheered, especially at house shows. Then you get to the biggest event of the year, and he can be fighting the most hated heel, or the biggest fan favorite, and he gets booed. It's one of the more bizarre things in the sport I have ever seen. Will Cena lose? He could. Then again, I don't see what they would get with putting the belt on Shawn, as his time as a World Champion in my opinion has passed. They are better off keeping it on Cena, and a possible 2nd main event with Michaels at Backlash would be something they could pull off.

Speaking of which, I am happy that the WWE has decided go ahead and make each PPV a combo of all three brands again, meaning that instead of just watching Smackdown, RAW, or ECW grapplers for $40, now we'll be able to see all three at once, like Mania, Summerslam, Royal Rumble or Survivor Series. Those PPV's always seem to have more of a special feel, and I think now there will be something better to look forward to each month. Add that into the fact we'll be seeing guys go between shows a little more, and the interest level in all three shows should be higher. While some disagree, I think that it will give the company a better chance to build stars, and with guys going up against different guys and not the same old, it will make it better. Just my two cents.

Tonight starts a heavy week of wrestling, both on TV and live for me as we get closer to Mania. At 7pm tonight at a local Marc's store, Kane will be there making a live appearance, and while I have never met him, I am looking forward to him being there. On Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena, there is the SmackDown/ECW tapings, which I will be at live with the wife. Then Saturday, WWE comes to Canton, about 55 miles south of Cleveland, for a RAW house show, where we'll be second row. Then of course the night of the 30th it's time to head to Detroit for Mania. RAW tonight is in Indy, with tons more build for Mania, and another Hall of Fame announcement, which we are expecting to be The Wild Samoans.

Labels: batista, john cena, undertaker, wrestlemania 23

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:11 AM | Permalink | Comments

The Following was Posted One Year Ago Today on Let's Wrestle:

Lots of news and notes to get to as we head into another week of WWE TV tonight with now less than a month away from WrestleMania 23 in Detroit. Here's the latest in the world of wrestling:

* TV has been strong as of late, and tonight with RAW in Phoenix, they already have a few solid matches announced that should make it another strong offering. The main event will have Edge vs John Cena. They also will have Randy Orton vs Shawn Michaels, and a women's title match with Melina vs Mickie in falls count anywhere. RAW has been red-hot as of late, and tonight should not be any different.

* Orton will almost for sure be the 8th man in the WrestleMania "Money in the Bank" match, but his qualifying match will likely not be until tomorrow night on ECW or Friday on SmackDown. Tonight in a match vs Michales there is no way to play off a MITB stip, so they will save it for tomorrow night or tape it tomorrow and air Friday. It almost feels like the MITB match is now as high as 4th on the WrestleMania list of matches for the show.

* The big news this past week is that the WWE will now have wrestlers from all three brands on their "B" PPV shows. Already set to appear on the RAW PPV "Backlash" in late April are RVD, Undertaker, and Batista. Flyers for the "Great American Bash," which will take place in July in San Jose had Bobby Lashley and John Cena scheduled to appear. This is a major, and very smart move for the WWE. The lesser PPV's struggled in 2006, and this will give them a much fresher look and feel for 2007.

* Couple of WWE wrestlers that were destined for big pushes on TV now appear to be on hold due to not being even close to ready to compete. Those two guys are Vladimir Kozlov and Daniel Rodimer. There was a few interviews given to Kozlov during SmackDown, but you can bet those will not continue. As for Rodimer, he was slated to be a third man in Rated RKO with Edge and Orton, and his name was even on WWE's web site in house show matches of 3-on-2 vs DX. Once HHH got hurt, plans for that halted, and now the company is saying that he too is not ready to be on TV as of yet.

* Mick Foley's new book "The Hardcore Diaries" comes out tomorrow, and should be an interesting read. The book is being pushed on WWE TV, despite the fact there are points in the book its very critical of things within the company. Seems a lot like Eric Bishoff's book, which I read and thought was not very good nor very well written. Foley is a pretty good writer though for a wrestler, and this should be one to get. There is word that he will not be a part of Mania, and that some of the higher ups in the company want him off the show for what he said about them in book.

* Even with a weaker lineup this year, the WWE Hall of Fame looks like the hottest ticket in Detroit, as the event sold out Saturday morning in about 25 minutes. Most of the pairs and 4-packs were gone within 5 minutes, and scattered singles were all that were left after that. Last year my friend and I in Chicago, picked up two tickets through the box office the day of the show, and you can bet that can be done again this year. Expect Jim Ross or The Wild Samoans to get announced tonight for the Hall.

Labels: jim ross, mick foley, the wild samoans, wrestlemania 23

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:35 AM | Permalink | Comments

The Following was posted on Let's Wrestle on February 26th 2007:

WrestleMania 23 hype is starting to now shift into full gear. We have less than five weeks left until the event, and after watching SmackDown! on Friday night, things are starting to get a little more clear as far as the overall direction we are heading in. Expect next week to have an Undertaker promo on SmackDown!, which would be his first speaking of the match between he and Batista, and overall his first interview in which he has spoken for some time. That match will continue to get pushed as heavy as the RAW main event of John Cena and Shawn Michales, and currently is still the plan to be the last match on the card as the true main event.


Right now on the WWE website, they have just four matches listed as official, but there are plenty of matches that are in the works, and more than a few that are for sure a go.

The listed matches include:
Batista vs Taker
Cena vs Michaels
The Hair vs Hair match (Lashely vs Umaga) between Donald Trump & Vince McMahon
Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Edge, C.M. Punk, King Booker already in)

Here are some of the rumored matches and things that are likely to take place and be announced soon as Mania gets closer:

* Ashley vs Melina for the Womens Title is a go. The match will be built on the jealousy factor that Melina has for Ashely appearing in Playboy. Speaking of which, that issue releases on 3/12.

* Kane vs The Great Khali is another likely match after this past weeks SmackDown! They had better once and for all decide about Khali, as this weekly switching brands thing is getting old, and he needs to get better in the ring once and for all, or just be kept off of shows all together.

* ECW Originals vs The New Breed is likely to be a go as well. This basically is an 8-man tag of most of the mid-level ECW guys, and look for this to be extreme rules. RVD is the MVP of this one, so look for him to shine and get the win.

* I still think Randy Orton finds himself in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. With Edge already in, they really are lost on what to do with Orton, and for sure he needs a spot somewhere. They scrapped the planned Edge-Orton match to keep them a team, so with nothing else really out there, look for him to be added to this match.

* Ric Flair vs Carlito is also a planned match, as you could see Flair turn heel as early as tonight, but likely in the next two weeks. I think Carlito being back to heel would be a better storyline, but I don't think that is the route they are planning.

* There will be some mega-tag match in there somewhere, with the two top teams, London and Kendrick, and the Hardy's (they are planned to get the belts shortly) being in the match with two other teams. I am thinking a four-way ladder with them, along with Decue and Domonio and MNM could be the plan at this point.

All in all, that would be nine matches, which I think is about what they want to do for this event, the problem is they still have plenty of star power on the sidelines if the card above is all but set. They simply have to find a place though for a few guys - Chris Benoit, Finely, Kenny, Shelton Benjamin, Chavo Guerrero, Gregory Helms, and MVP. There are three spots left in the Money in the Bank match, but that actually will be two after Orton is added. Look for some creative booking to possibly add 1-2 more matches with some of these guys mentioned above involved.

Labels: hardy's, john cena, wrestlemania 23

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments

The following article appeared one year ago today on 2/21/2007

Lot's of stuff to get to as far as WrestleMania and what not is concerned, but I will tell you ahead of time, some of the stuff below is spoiler material, so if you want to be totally shocked going into RAW next Monday in Fresno, I recommend you not read ahead. I am not into totally blowing storylines and where they are headed, but some of the stuff below is going to give you a general idea of where things are going.

* Donald Trump's wrestler will be......Bobby Lashley. Ugh. I can't believe we are going to have to get screwed out of watching Hogan at WrestleMania after all the year build up that he would be on the card. Instead, we get Umaga vs Bobby Lashley in the much hyped Vince vs Donald Hair vs Hair match. Umaga is going to have to carry Lashley, who continues to not impress me with much in the ring. Unless things take a massive 180, which I don't think they will, this will all come to form on Monday night at RAW. As for another shock in this match....

* Steve Austins role at Mania is set, and it is.....Guest ref for the Trump vs McMahon (Lashley vs Umaga) hair vs hair match. Yep, they blew that on E! when they showed a picture for Mania and it had Austin in the pic for the match with a ref shirt on. It will be the first time since the forgettable Brock Lesner vs Goldberg mess in WrestleMania XX that Austin has donned the ref attire. Of course they will probably make him more of a "special enforcer" like they did for that match. I expect they will have that Vinnie Jones at Mania as well, likely to taunt Austin.

* I would expect to see Mick Foley in some fashion at WM as well, as his new book "Hardcore Diaries" will be out and being pushed on WWE TV, as it was this past week. He has already set up quite a few book signings around the country, and I think that with the WWE pushing the book, he will be in Detroit for the big event and will at least have his face on the show. Interesting that the last two wrestling books the WWE has promoted, the Eric Bishoff book and now Foley's, both levy some heavy shots at the company.

* Many people are expressing confusion over the Hulk Hogan "20-year contract" that was the main topic on "Hogan Knows Best" this past week that he signed with WWE. The contract is legit, but it is NOT for wrestling, which they made it out to be. It is more for licensing and for the company to use his name and not have Hogan turn around everytime he's mentioned and suing the WWE. I still think and will continue to say that not having Hogan in Detroit at Mania is a crime. As for "Hogan Knows Best" season 4, reports say that shooting has already begun, despite earlier claims that season 3 would be the last.

* The WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony at the Fox Theatre in Detroit will take place on March 31st, the night before Mania. The show will NOT be on TV, as the last two years they have taken an hour of it and put it on late on Saturday night on USA Network. If interested in going to the event, tickets will go on sale Saturday March 3rd at 10am via Ticketmaster, and the price ranges for the event are $100-$50.

* So as we stand at this moment, here is the confirmed and the unconfirmed but rumors for matches at Mania:


CONFIRMED
-------------------
Undertaker vs Batista for the World Heavyweight Title (Top Main event)
Shawn Michaels vs John Cena for WWE Title (2nd Main event)
Umaga vs Bobby Lashley w/ Steve Austin as Ref (McMahon vs Trump Hair vs Hair match)
Money in the Bank Ladder Match w/ six wrestlers (Edge only confirmed name as of 2/20)

RUMORED
-----------------
Ashley vs Melina for the Women's Title
Ric Flair vs Carlito
Hardy's vs MNM for the Tag Title in TLC Match (Hardy's beat Edge & Orton in 2-3 weeks on RAW for tag belts is heavy rumor)

Labels: batista, shawn michaels, undertaker, wrestlemania 23

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:30 PM | Permalink | Comments

Following in the footsteps of co-editor John Sefcik, here are my Year End Awards for the WWE:

Wrestler of the Year:
John Cena

Yeah, he missed the last few months due to injury, but to me Cena continues to carry this company, and as I have stated before maybe his injury could be a blessing in the long run since it will make people miss him and before you know it he'll be back. Once he's back, he'll be right back in the main event scene where he belongs. He's one guy that on the injury front has been missed more than the others that got hurt this past year.

Card of the Year:
WrestleMania 23

This had better be the card of the year each and every year, as if it's not, the company is in deep trouble. I thought the overall look of Ford Field was really well done, as was the booking except for one lumbering match with Khali and Kane. The main events had so much heat and emotion you couldn't help but love them. A great crowd, great card, and a great job by the company. Makes me wonder what the heck they will do in Orlando this March.

Tag Team of the Year:
MVP and Matt Hardy

A weak year in this department, and overall the choices were somewhat limited, with Deuce and Domonio, London and Kendrick, Yang and Moore, The Hardys and Cade and Murdoch. While the tag team feud of the year had to be the Hardys and Cade and Murdoch, no team really had a strong run like MVP and Hardy, even though you knew the eventual outcome. I think this year we'll see Hawkins and Ryder, along with Yang and Moore dominate this division.

Face of the Year:
Undertaker

He doesn't have to do much to draw a pop, other really than to show up and do his same routine over and over, but the fans love it. Should be much of the same in 2008, as he will be involved in the main event feud that should eventually lead him into another co-main event at Mania with Edge. Batista, DX, Cena and C.M. Punk should also get some nods in this department.

Heel of the Year:
Randy Orton

The "Legend Killer" took his character to a whole new level, and along with Edge these two really dominated this department. Orton also was rewarded with a World Title, and he deserved that as well with the injury to Cena being the key for him to get the belt. While the first part of the title reign with a program with Chris Jericho has been kinda flat, it has picked up with a solid program with Jeff Hardy.

Match of the Year:
Shawn Michaels vs John Cena on Raw in London

This was what the title and wrestling was all about. These two put forth a great show that lasted nearly an hour, and in the end was won by Michaels. It was a non-title match, so no belt change, but the impact was felt as it clearly was the best match of the year. The writers should consider doing longer, impact matches on TV like this more often, as it really kept the attention of viewers for the entire second half of the show.

Biggest Disappointment
Jericho's Return

For something that not only was talked about for so long, but leaked for so long, it came across as totally flat when it happened. The company dropped the ball totally on this one, as they waited WAY too long for him to finally show up on TV, and by then there was not many people who didn't know he was coming back. His initial promo with Randy Orton was also way off the mark from the one he did upon his debut years ago with the Rock.

Feud of the Year:
Michaels vs Cena

These two really did it all, from tag champs, to main eventing Mania, to a match of the year iron man type match at RAW, there wasn't much left for Michaels and Cena to do other than to wrap up the feud. That couldn't be done due to a knee injury for HBK, and we were robbed from Michaels vs Cena III at SummerSlam or another summer PPV. It was good while it lasted, and had two of the great matches of the year in their Mania battle and the one at RAW.

Diva of the Year:
Beth Phoenix

In the mold of Chyna, Phoenix came back from an injury and dominated the last quarter of the year with the WWE Womens Title. She also got better in the ring and showed that she should hang around the womens scene for sometime. This is a tough division right now with no real women wrestlers other than Phoenix, Mickie James and Candice Michelle, who also gets some consideration here.

Newcomer of the Year:
Cody Rhodes

You knew with his presence at the WWE Hall of Fame when he and Goldust introduced their Dad, that Cody would eventually make a splash. It started slow, as unlike some newcomers, he really took his bumps as well as his share of losses, but he rebounded in the second half of his first year with a solid tag team with Bob Holly and a tag title run that is still on-going.

Surprise of the Year:
The Shift of ECW

By surprise, I should clarify that with the shift of the show, I am still surprised a bit that it's even on the air. There were a few days when it looked as if the WWE's third brand would be bye-bye, as they announced that they would be showing the show on WWE.com. But then they regrouped, got a new deal with Sci-Fi, and are now shifting talent between ECW and SmackDown, which is what they should have done all along. Plus they finally did the right thing and gave a deserving C.M. Punk the title.

Labels: john cena, shannon moore, shawn michaels, wrestlemania 23

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:38 AM | Permalink | Comments