Ohhh yeah, I am enough of a wrestling geek to have everyone's Wrestlemania Record posted with each wrestler...
United States Title Match:
Chris Benoit (c) vs. MVP
2-5 0-0
These two men competed with Finaly in a Triple Threat Money in The Bank Qualifying Match and both ended up losing to the fighting Irish Man. The next week, MVP complained that he deserved to be at Wrestlemania and so he challenged Benoit for the US Title. Never one to back down from a fight, Benoit accepted. MVP has spent the past few weeks warming up against champions from other countries including Hondourus and Liechtenstein in some pretty entertaining squash matches.
Glen says: The WWE is really high on MVP, and if they want him to look like a million bucks on a grand stage then they are making the right decision putting him in the right with Benoit. I have read accounts of MVP's earlier matches from ROH and DSW (where he wrestled as Antonio Banks) that he has a lot more wrestling ability than he has ever used. Apparently he can bust out a Springboard Shooting Star Press. I expect both men to pull out all the stops here, but just like last year I see Benoit dropping the US Title.
Winner: MVP via feet on the ropes
Kane vs The Great Khali
4-4 0-0
Khali moved to RAW from ECW back in January, but showed up on Smackdown! to cost Kane his Money in the Bank Qualifying Match at the request of King Booker. The two have been attacking each other on both shows for the past several weeks, and Kane has even been carrying hooks and chains like his character in See No Evil.
Glen says: The WWE loves Khali due to his freakish size. Kane is rumoured to be taking some time off to heel some injuries. Expect a five star classic.
Winner: The Great Khlai via one of the three moves he knows how to do
Lumberjill Match for the Women's Title:
Melina (c) vs. Ashley
Ashley is the most recent Playboy cover girl. The amount of promotion and publicity Ashley has received has enraged Melina. On a recent epsiode of RAW, Melina was defending her title agasint Mickie James (where she almost broke Mickie's neck, may I add as an editorial) and Ashley came from Smackdown! to serve as the guest ring announcer. After the match Ashley and Melina got into a heated exchange and this match was signed. Melina has spent the past couple of weeks wrestling the other Playboy cover girls, Torrie and Candice. On the latest episode of RAW it was announced that this match would be a Lumberjill Match, so the other divas will surround the ring and are able to attack either of the wrestlers who leave the ring.
Glen says: Ashley is defiently on the rise and I think that the WWE sees her as the new Trish Stratus ( don't think that there will ever be a new one!!!). Melina on the other hand is apparetnly in some hot water due to her bad attitude and sloppy in ring work. The fact that Melina has made so many enemies tells me that one of the divas will interfere.
Winner: Ashley via divaterference, hopefully from Mickie who can then go on to be obsessed with Ashley like she was with Trish last year, I miss crazy Mickie a lot.
ECW Originals (RVD, Sabu, Dreamer, The Sandman) vs. The New Breed (Burke, Cor Von, Striker, Thorne)
RVD is 3-0, everone else 0-0
In January, Vince McMahon made his first apperance on ECW on Sci-Fi and ran down the stars of the old ECW and said that the future of ECW lied with a new group of stars. After this the battle lines were drawn and the four ECW Originals have been competing with the four members of The New Breed in a series of matches. Many of these matches were marred by interefrence from one side or another (usually The New Breed) and in order to settle ths score this match was signed.
Glen says: Seeing Sabu, Dreamer and The Sandman perform at Wrestlemania will be very, very surrel. I wish that the WWE would shell out the money to Metallica for the rights to use "Enter Sandman" like they did for the first One Night Stand. That would be a Wrestlemania Momeny and then some. But as for the match itself, I really think that this will go for the young guys. Some of these guys (especially Elijah Burke and Marcus Cor Von) have some serious potential and so I expect to see them go over here. Plus RVD and Sabu are from Michigan, so they will more that likely follow the "Faces in their hometowns always loose" rule that the WWE loves to follow.
Winner: The New Breed via PPPPPPPPPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUU
Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Edge vs. CM Punk vs. King Booker vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Kennedy (....KENNEDY!!!) vs. Matt Hardy vs. Finlay vs. Randy Orton
5-0 0-0 1-3 0-3 0-0 1-4 0-1 1-2
(Records listed in same order as competitors)
This will be the third year in a row where we have a Money in the Bank Match at Wrestlemania, however, this year it is slightly different since there will be 8 participants as opposed to 6. Edge won the first one at Wrestlemania 21, while Rob Van Dam won it last year. Both wrestlers cashed it in to win the WWE Title from John Cena. Just like last year there were a series of qualifying matches for people to earn their spot in this big match. They went as follows: Edge defeated RVD, CM Punk defeated Johnny Nitro, King Booker beat Kane, Jeff Hardy put away two-time participant Shelton Benjamin, Mr. Kennedy beat Sabu in an Extreme Rules Match (...KENNEDY!!!), Matt Hardy beat Joey Mercury, Finlay defeated Chris Benoit and MVP in a triple threat match, and Randy Orton beat Carlito and Ric Flair in a triple threat elimination match (after the initial Carlito-Flair match was thrown out after The Great Khali attacked both wrestlers). This has the most amount of Money in the Bank veterans, as Edge, Finlay, and Matt Hardy have all participated in preveious versions of this match. Also, this version has three former World Champions involved (Edge, Orton, and Booker) making it perhaps the biggest Money in the Bank Match yet. There have been two major stories that have been focused on, Edge constantly ducking out of matches and teasing confrontations with partner, Randy Orton, and the fact that Matt and Jeff Hardy are going to be facing one another in a ladder match for the first time.
Glen says: The way I see it, there are three favourites, CM Punk,Mr. Kennedy and Edge. The first two are quickly emerging future stars who could use a big win on a grand stage. The third though is on a very hot heel role and is a former Money in the Bank winner. Also, he is undefeated at Wrestlemania and this would be an anti-climactic way to end that streak, however the teased turn on Orton has been a long time coming, and I see them stretching it over. As a result, I'm going to make a bit of a bold prediction, they will BOTH win it by grabbing the case at the same time. This could set up an interesting feud between the two, or they could rule that they have to use it for a Triple Threat Match. There's a solid 6 months of storylines in there
Winner: Edge and Randy Orton via duel climb and fall.
....
KENNEDY!!!!!!
Hair vs. Hair Match
Special Referee Steve Austin
Bobby Lashley (w/Donald Trump) vs. Umaga (w/ Vince McMahon and Armando Estrada)
0-1 0-0
Vince McMahon and Donald Trump argued and took shots at one another. Donald Trump showed up on RAW and challenged Vince to a match at Wrestlemania. Vince said no, but instead said that he would choose a representative and Donald would choose one as well and they could have a match. Trump added the stipulation that it would be a Hair vs. Hair Match since Vince had made fun of Trump's famous coif. In the following weeks, Vince announced that his representative would be Umaga (who went on to win the Intercontinental Title that night) and Trump announced that his would be Bobby Lashley, ECW Champion. It was then announced that Steve Austin would be the Special Guest Referee. Since then Vince has been booking Lashley in unfavourable situations but Lashley has came out on top more often than not. This match has been gaining a fair amount of main stream media attention and is one of the most heavily promoted matches in recent Wrestlemania history.
Glen: A lot of people on-line are saying that this is going to be a terrible match, but I beg to differ. Lashley has had some good matches recently and Umaga is really very good considering his size. Plus the agents and veterans, including Austin, will make sure that this match goes down well. As for the outcome, they are clearly grooming Lashley to be one of the companies cornerstones, so I can't see him loosing.
Winner: Lashley via Austin Stunner
World Title Match
Batista (c) vs. The Undertaker
2-0 14-0
Back in January The Undertaker won the Royal Rumble, gaurenteeing him a shot at a title for Wrestelmania. He spent the next week teasing that he may switch shows. However, he went with the expected challenge on Batista when he choke slammed him on on episode of RAW. Tensions have been building between the two. Especially at No Way Out when Batista attacked The Undertaker and cost their team a match against Cena and Michaels. The two wrestlers have literally been throwing other people at one another during this feud and attacking each other periodically. The Undertaker of course brings his legendary Wrestlemania winning streak into this match pitting it against Batista's World Title.
Glen Says: Batista is not the man to end the streak. Taker could really use one last run with a World Title before he hangs it up in the near future. Besides I really want to see a Streak vs. Streak match between Edge and Taker at Wrestlemania 24. Ohhh and Batista should totally snap and go ape shit on Taker after he looses setting up a heel turn.
Winner: The Undertaker via a Tombstone or two
WWE Title Match
John Cena (c) vs. Shawn Michaels
3-0 5-8
After The Undertaker decided to challenge Batista at Wrestlemania it left WWE Champion John Cena. Shawn Michaels won a Triple Threat Match against Edge and Randy Orton to secure a shot at Cena. After that, Michaels and Cena maintained an uneasy friendship, even winning the World Tag Titles along the way. There were many cases where Michaels teased that he would turn on Cena but never did. The WWE did an amazing job of showing Michaels history of turning on people from Marty Jannetty to Hulk Hogan to further build dissension. Finally on the last RAW before Wrestlemania, Michaels superkicked Cena in the middle of a tag match against Undertaker and Batista (in a rematch from No Way Out) to further add to the match.
Glen says: I think that this match should be a classic. Cena performs well in big match situations and has improved a lot in the past year or so. Shawn Michaels, is of course Shawn Michaels. Perhaps the best performer in big match situations that this industry has ever seen. No matter who walks out of this match with the title the fans will be big winners here. I think that when it boils down to it Cena needs this win a lot more than Michaels does. Shawn is already a legend and a big win by Cena over Michaels would put him on track to be one himself.
Winner: Cena by a crazy finishing sequence that may even involve a top-rope F-U.
So in conclusion, I think that this card has a chance to surprise. I am a little bummed out that some of my favourites like Flair and Carlito do not have a match, but it should give us more time for the ones that they already have. I expect Cena-Michaels to really steal the show, with the Ladder Match giving us some amazing "Holy Shit" moments for years to come. A lot of people on the internet are saying that this is going to be a terrible show, but I'm excited none the less.
It is what we wrestling geeks live for after all.
Until next time,
G
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