Friday, August 15, 2008

WWE SummerSlam Preview


I'm sure I've mentioned on here somewhere my passion for pro wrestling. If not, then check out the BWE Promotions site, and see what we have going on there.

Anyway, WWE SummerSlam is this Sunday on pay-per-view, and as the biggest event of the summer, I have to put in my two cents. There have been many great moments in the event's over 20-year history, from the event in Wembley Stadium, to Undertaker vs. Austin, to the first World Championship of Randy Orton's career, there have been some big moments here.

This year's event is being billed as "The Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer," and it looks interesting on paper. There's potential in this event, so I'm going to do my best to predict what's going to happen.

Jeff Hardy vs. MVP
I'm intrigued by the build for this as it's another one of those times where WWE is trying to blur the line between fiction and reality. Both are very talented, and in line for a push (hopefully), so this match may reveal the future booking on SmackDown. With Triple H as the WWE Champion for the forseeable future, there's no reason to weaken one of the few heels on the blue brand. So, I'm going with MVP to win the match, and get a push to the WWE Title picture, so that Triple H has fresh blood at the next PPV.

ECW Champion Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy
I like the "World's Strongest Champion." Even though it's mostly a gimmick, he's incredibly believable in that role. I hate the new look of the ECW Title belt, but there's no changing that. I really like the addition of Tony Atlas as the man behind the champion. Ok, maybe I'm nostagic. Point is, all signs point to Matt winning the title at SummerSlam, so he won't. Mark Henry wins, with help from Tony Atlas, setting up a rematch where Matt wins the title.

Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston & Women's Champion Mickie James vs. Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix in a Winner Take All match
I may be in the minority, but I like new Raw General Manager Mike Adamle. The creative team is doing a good job of booking the "anything can happen" idea, and this is being called an "Adamle Original." The idea is the winning team gets both titles. I admit, I have been split on this one. I really like the current champions. Kofi Kingston is one of the most exciting young stars on Raw, and Mickie has been deserving title runs since her program with Trish Stratus ended in 2006. Santino & Beth don't need titles to get over, and with those two flirting like high schoolers, I don't see a reason for them to win. I'm picking Kofi & Mickie to retain their titles after Beth goes for the cover on Mickie, but Santino's ego causes him to come in and cost his team the match.

World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk vs. JBL
I'm really disappointed with the way Punk is being booked as Champion. In fact, I'm disappointed with this match. This is the exact same match we saw on Raw the night Punk won the title! So, either none of the writer's watch their program, or they have a very poor short term memory. Either way, this match will be very forgettable, which is a shame because it will be Punk's first clean win for the title.

Shawn Michaels is scheduled to announce his future at the event. As wrestlecrap.com recapped a week ago, HBK has retired so many times that the mention of it has been met with jeers and angry fans. Why WWE continues to insult the intelligence of its fans, I have no idea. So here's what's going to happen. HBK will come out, sing his sad song about how doctors say he has to hang up his boots, then as the fans give him pity, Chris Jericho runs in and attacks HBK to continue their angle. While all this is happening, I would suggest a concession run to the fans in Indianapolis, because you'll be seeing it on WWE TV for the next two weeks.

"First Time Ever" John Cena vs. Batista
If ever there was a money fued, this is it. And as much as we may hate to believe it, the writer's know what they are doing with the main event talent. They are not going to give away this match. There's no story behind this angle, except for a mis-aimed punch. Great way to build your big match. My pick, a draw, most likely after a Batista Bomb or Spinebuster from Batista and both not being able to get up before the 10-count. Get ready to see Cena vs. Batista II at WrestleMania 25, where this match needs to take place.

WWE Champion Triple H vs. The Great Khali
The only way Khali is going to win this match is by DQ. Triple H wins.

Hell in a Cell: Undertaker vs. Edge
This is probably the best story in WWE currently. Edge and Taker have been feuding for over a year now, and it still has steam. These two have put on some great matches, including the main event at WrestleMania XXIV. Their TLC match at One Night Stand was also good, and now they are in a Hell in a Cell. I enjoy the cell. It tends to heighten the violence and brutality in the ring. I can't remember the last time a cell match ended without blood. So I expect the same. The build for this match has been great, and the emergence of the "old Edge" has added a new dimension to this match. However, I can't look at the build without thinking one thing. What's the swerve?

The swerve: Vickie Guerrero has not divorced Edge, even after it was revealed his cheated on her. This set-up looks obvious. Taker will have to deal with Edge and his "La Familia" as it will be revealed Edge had this all planned from the beginning and was conspiring against Undertaker so that he could put the final nail in the coffin by beating the Deadman in his own match.

But with Taker just returning, it makes no sense to have him lose here. So, Undertaker wins, with the Tombstone, after fending off every member of la familia, and hopefully he gets his hands on Vickie Guerrero as well.

BTW, if anyone is buying WWE's story about Randy Orton's motorcycle accident, I don't know why. This pretty much confirms Orton will appear at SummerSlam, I'm just not sure when and why.

I don't think this event will live up to the card. There's not enough build in two of the three top matches. You have to give the fans a reason to watch the event. I don't see a reason to, so I'll be reading the results online Monday morning.

There you have it. I hope you enjoyed this preview. As always, thanks for reading, and I'll try to get it right next time.

3 comments:

David Funk said...

Nice preview. Raw really has dropped the ball in building up the matches for SummerSlam with the bad show last Monday.

And while I'll agree that the HBK retirement gig is more than worn out it's welcome, none of the other Raw matches have done much to inspire people to watch.

I mean, they basically gave away the winner of the intergender tag match with the way angle came off on Monday. Santino had to have help to beat Mickey James! Now how stupid does that look to have him or Beth Phoenix win on Sunday. Unless I've completely missed something that I don't know about, both champions retain.

And yes, CM Punk and JBL has already been done once before. They really have done a terrible job of building CM Punk as champion as you said. Punk retains, and I'm beginning to think that Orton will eventually be worked into a feud with Punk.

The Cena/Batista buildup is not there. I said it on my Wrestling Hot Spot blog awhile back that Cena/Batista would take place at WM25, so we agree. There's no need for a winner in this one.

Can someone from WWE explain why in the world you would put the tag belts on Cena and Batista only to put them back on the people they beat in the previous week. Once again, tag team wrestling is pushed to the backburner in order for one feud to get over with everyone. To further prove my point, they bring back the Highlanders for the first time since the Roman Empire to lose to Cryme Tyme. Then the Highlanders get released for their troubles. Am I missing something here?

The Smackdown brand definitely has the advantage with the feuds and matches they have for SummerSlam.

Anonymous said...

Hell in a Cell: Undertaker vs. Edge

he's my all time fave, i must say: the undertaker, i remember him when he was Mad Mark (lol) showing my age. GREAT write up !!

Hell in a Cell are klassic's

Paul H said...

Thanks for stopping by guys!

Dave- Nice preview yourself! LOL! I'm still trying to figure out the Tag Title mess that was created by Cena & Batista!

Cindy- No doubt if I were making a list of the best wrestlers of all time, Taker would have to be on that list. A sure-fire Hall of Famer if ever there was one. That Hell in a Cell match was unbelievable! I've seen almost all of the now 16 Cell matches in history, and that is one of the best I've ever seen!