I GOTTA SAY THIS
2005: A Sports-Entertainment Odyssey
January 25, 2005 – by Brad Dykens
This is a follow-up to last year’s 2004: A Sport’s Entertainment Oddyssey
This time of year, every wrestling fan (or mark, let’s face it we’re all marks) has their opinions on what SHOULD happen in the upcoming new year in the wrestling world. Every single fan thinks they have the answer to each and every problem plaguing the industry. I’m not going to say I could fix all the problems, but I have a few suggestions that might lead to a more entertaining 365 days. The dawn of every wrestling new year is flooded with discussions of one event–Wrestlemania!
Agree if you will, disagree if you must, but for the love of God, edit your comments before you send them in!
WRESTLEMANIA XI: WrestleMania 21…. Where it all begins, again, and again and again and again. Well it’s really too bad they gave up on that new beginning stuff so quickly last year because I was really enjoying it. It doesn’t matter how good or bad WWE is (and to its credit, he has been great compared to this time last year) they always seem to hit a grand slam at Wrestlemania. I look forward to it every year. I will outline a series of matches that I would like to see later, but right now I would like to talk about the Hall of Fame. It’s hard to pick people out now because they pretty much took all worthy candidates last year. However, three very important names are missing — Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan & Bret Hart. Now would be a fitting time to honor all three of them. I’d also like to see Bob Backlund acknowledged finally. They don’t need to induct a huge crop like they did last year. The Hall of Fame just doesn’t seem legit with a Sammartino or a Hogan or a Hart. They can correct this in one night.
WRESTLEMANIA XI MATCH POSSIBILITIES (IF I WAS IN CHARGE):
I had the bright idea last year to book a 30-Man Battle Royal on HEAT with the winner gaining a spot on the WM21 Card against a mystery opponent. A lot of people I suggested this to, thought it was an excellent idea, and helped get over the fact that every wrestler wanted to be on Wrestlemania. Since WWE didn’t listen to me last year I’m going to pitch the same idea. Participants (from both rosters) would be Simon Dean, Tyson Tomko, Rob Conway, Sylvain Grenier, Rhyno, Tajiri, Stevie Richards, Val Venis, The Hurricane, Rosey, Charlie Haas, Kenzo Suzuki, Rene Dupree, Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak, Bubba Dudley, DVon Dudley, Chris Masters and fill out the entrants with developmental guys and perhaps some of the Ring of Honor prospects like Samoa Joe, CM Punk and John Walters. The mystery opponent this year would be MATT HARDY, and the winner of the Battle Royal (if I was in charge) would be Simon Dean.
I have always pleaded with WWE to put their Cruiserweights in the opening match. Unleash their talents and let them bounce around the ring and get the people on their feet. Let them fly, let them bump, let them make our hearts thump (I’m a poet and don’t even know it). Let the Cruiserweight division shine for a change. Last year they made the mistake of making it a Gauntlet match; this year it should be a free-for-all with elimination rules in place. I’d send Funaki in with the championship and have Spike Dudley recapture it in the end. Match can also include Chavo Guerrero, Billy Kidman, Paul London, Shannon Moore, Akio and Nunzio.
There’s got to be a six-man tag team match somewhere to get some of the bigger names on the card so this is it. The Big Show, fresh of a bloody feud with WWE champion John Layfield, can recruit Booker T & Hardcore Holly to face JBL’s Cabinit members Orlando Jordan and The Tag Team Champion Basham Brothers. It doesn’t really matter who wins but the heel team would benefit most with a victory. The SD! Tag Team titles would not be on the line this year.
I absolutely hated the two Fatal 4-WAY matches for both brands’ Tag Team championships last year. I know the WWE was disappointed too, because those two matches were dropped from their VHS release of Wrestlemania 20. Let’s get back to the old style tag team wrestling and have Team vs Team. This may sound crazy, but I think La Resistance is going to turn babyface. I don’t know how, that’s up to my writers, but they will be crowd favorites by Wrestlemania, only to drop the titles to Muhammad Hassan & Khosrow Daivari. I’m also going to recommend making Sgt. Slaughter the referee for this match!
Eddie Guerrero looks like he’s been trying to turn heel and I’d love to see him go one-on-one with Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania. They seem to be developing this storyline but they are going to fast with it. I hope they prolong it until WM21. I also hope that Chavo Guerrero somehow factors into the finish of the match, which would have Eddie winning the match and reforming Los Guerreros! There’s an idea swirling around the back of my head of making this a tag match between Los Guerreros vs Rey Mysterio and a new Luchadore such as Psicosis or Juventud Guerrero or Super Crazy.
The outcome of the HEAT BATTLE ROYAL would have Simon Dean winning at the end. His mystery opponent would be the returning MATT HARDY. These two guys would work extremely well together and no doubt put on a superb match worthy of a Wrestlemania.
There has been a lot of debate over the legitimacy of Mick Foley’s backstage feud with Ric Flair in recent months. It all started when Ric Flair’s book was published and he wrote that Foley was just a “glorified stuntman”. Foley shot back with a few insults at the Nature Boy. Recently Flair allegedly extended his hand to Foley backstage at a RAW TV Taping, and Foley snubbed him, and Flair threw a punch. I personally think that it was all staged to create a buzz, and it has. Which is why I believe they’re building towards a match at Wrestlemania. I see Ric Flair coming out on top of this one. The truly interesting part of this match would be to see whom the crowd cheers for. And just to spice it up a little more, let’s make The Rock the special guest referee!
I think it should be a great tradition to have several inter-promotional matches at Wrestlemania, and this next suggestion would be unique in several ways. This wouldn’t exactly be Smackdown! vs RAW, but instead, members of both rosters teaming together. I propose that Kane (RAW) & Undertaker (SD!) team up one more time and face their recent adversaries Gene Snitsky (RAW) & John Heidenreich (SD!), who if you remember, had a brief confrontation at Survivor Series and complimented each other. Snitsky said, “I like your poetry!” and Heidenreich said, “I like what you do to babies!”. Disturbing yes, intriguing yes. I think the fans would REALLY enjoy watching Kane & Undertaker gain closure on their storylines with a pair of tombstones. I was thinking of making this a Buried Alive match, but we wouldn’t want to over book the card!
This match has been in the making for months. We all remember Taboo Tuesday’s World title match, when Edge cost Shawn Michaels the championship when he was facing Triple H. This grudge will gain steam over the next two months and will finally hit its peak at Wrestlemania. I think Shawn Michaels has realized that he is on his last run and will likely put Edge over. Edge should be in line for a World title run by August. It should also be noted that Edge has an undefeated streak at Wrestlemania at 3-0.
The WWE is still pushing John Cena as the future of the company (along with Randy Orton). In an attempt to get John Cena over as a major Superstar in the WWE, he should defend his funky turntable United States championship against “Your Olympic Hero” Kurt Angle — who could ignite the feud by saying Cena degraded the title (and the USA) by creating the Turntable gimmick. This will really put Kurt Angle to the test, to see just how good he can make John Cena look. With Cena going over and retaining his championship, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this should catapult Cena into a solid main eventer, and lead into a possible WWE title shot at Summerslam.
The Intercontinental championship will be up for grabs in a Fatal Fourway match. Shelton Benjamin will defend the title against Chris Jericho, Christian and Maven. I’ll get a lot of flack for this but I’d like to see Maven walk out of this battle with the IC title. I see a new character debuting as Maven’s bodyguard and helping him score the victory. Might be a great way to introduce Samoa Joe — who, of course, would eventually murder Maven and capture the IC title for himself.
I read JUST TODAY a humorous rumor circulating that Hulk Hogan wants to wrestle at WM21 (where there’s money, there’s a Hogan) in a tag team match with his daughter Brook, taking on his mortal enemy Vince McMahon and HIS daughter Stephanie McMahon. As ridiculous as this sounds — I WANNA SEE IT! Of course, part of the deal would be to have Brook Hogan sing America The Beautiful, even if the match doesn’t materialize. Hey, it could be worse, they could get Joanie “Chyna” Laurer. I don’t care who wins; it would just be interesting and VERY unique. Oh yeah, and your special enforcer would be Stone Cold Steve Austin! I’d have Austin stun Vince McMahon, giving The Hogans the victory, but then stun Hogan after the match, and let them have some sort of a non-physical confrontation at a later date.
One more possibility for Wrestlemania that would make it truly unique is the return of one of Wrestling’s greatest stars. Sting! The Rock reportedly wants to do a match against Sting at this year’s Wrestlemania. I don’t even have to explain the reasons WHY this match wouldn’t be amazing.
The WWE title will be a hot topic this year. JBL will have held it for nearly a year by then and the fans will be frothing at the mouth in anticipation to see who will dethrone him. JBL will beat The Big Show at No Way Out and come out on Smackdown! bragging about how he’s beaten everybody that matters on Smackdown! and will be taking Wrestlemania off this year because there is no competition. Meanwhile, over on RAW, Chris Benoit would be fresh off his second Royal Rumble victory, but would not be 100% clear about which brands title he wanted to challenge. After a month of uncertainty, on the Smackdown! following No Way Out, Chris Benoit would appear on SD! and issue a challenge to the WWE champion for an inter-promotional match at Wrestlemania. JBL would resist, and Theodore Long would step in and enforce it because Chris Benoit won the right by winning the Rumble. Chris Benoit would capture the WWE title from JBL and jump back to SD! for the duration of his reign. Hey he did it last year; why not do it again!
Everyone has been clamoring about Triple H vs Randy Orton or Triple H vs Batista. I say throw them all in there and let God sort’em out! Keep this aura of uncertainty between Batista and Evolution alive and have him be the ‘unknown factor’ during this triple threat match-up. Triple H will walk in with the championship belt, but will walk out empty handed. Randy Orton should pull off the impossible and capture the World title for the second time! Triple H and Batista will finally do battle after Wrestlemania at Backlash and Orton will begin to take on all comers, such as Edge, Kane, Chris Jericho and others.
NWA:TNA: Speculation continues to run ramped over the fate of TNA in 2005. Some predict the company will not survive the first quarter. I feel people have invested way too much into the organization to just let it die over night. I foresee a shocking turn of events in TNA’s destiny that will help raise them to the next level in sports entertainment. They need to get a handle on their policies and how they treat their employees. In 2005, Monty Brown is the cream of the crop, and he will surely rise to the top, sooner than you might think. TNA will eventually learn their lesson, and realize that wasting money on old farts isn’t productive and begin to concentrate on their in-house talent. AJ Styles will continue to be the franchise, despite generous offers from the WWE. Elix Skipper will FINALLY break out as a Super Star and even have an impressive run in the Heavyweight division. Many wrestlers will leave TNA, but they will be replaced with better wrestlers dedicated to making TNA a success.
The World Heavyweight title situation, please god please, will finally get interesting this year. Jeff Jarrett is a great wrestler, and a deserving champion, but just the simple fact that he co-owns the company makes him a bad choice for World champion. The one truly damaging factor going on in WWE is Paul (Levesque) McMahon’s greedy monopolization of the World title, so why would you create that same environment in your own company if you are trying to separate yourself from WWE. Hello! McFly! It doesn’t make sense. Monty Brown will be the breakout star that TNA is looking for. He will be the guy who shows up on talk shows and gets guest appearances on TV and Movies. For this reason alone, he should be World Champion. He just has that ‘look’. I will pray every night that he maintains his integrity and turns down and offers from WWE when they try to sign him to a Velocity contract. TNA will foolishly push guys like Kevin Nash (already booked for title shot at Against All Odds), Diamond Dallas Page, Dustin Rhodes, Jeff Hardy and Scott Hall when hard working Stars like Raven, Abyss, Ron Killings will struggle in the Mid-card spot. Diamond Dallas Page has a good shot at having an entertaining main event match. But he has no business holding the World title. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, and I’ll continue to keep saying it in the future — Kevin Nash is garbage! He’s been in TNA for 3 months and has wrestled two matches 1) A Six-Man Tag Match, and 2) A 3-WAY where he was eliminated first. And in that time, he’s probably earned more money than AJ Styles did all year long. I loath Kevin Nash but recognize that he is the smartest man in wrestling.
Speaking of the Mid-carders, there needs to be a few demotions or releases. I think Johnny Swinger is already gone. Glen Gilbertti should be next. Erik Watts, canned. Konnan, make him a road agent, and involve him promoting future shows in Mexico. I don’t know what is wrong with Sonny Siaki, but he has SO MUCH potential. Whenever TNA gets behind him, he slacks off when he should be working his ass off. Some of the veterans backstage should get behind Sonny and let him realize his potential. That goes for a lot of guys backstage, the older guys should be passing their knowledge onto the young guys. Elix Skipper deserves to be elevated and rewarded to his constant dedication to the TNA product. He should get several Mid-card feuds under his belt before taking a shot at the World title. The upper mid-card matches involving Raven, Abyss, DDP and Jeff Hardy are always decent. There need to be some additions to the roster to fill in these spots. Some of those WWE-rejects should be appearing within the coming months. I think Abyss could have a great feud with a guy like A-Train. A few months ago I wrote a column called Heads Will Roll about a possible WWE invasion angle in TNA involving a lot of the guys/girls who were fired by WWE in 2004. This is still a great possibility and could supply this added spice to turn some more heads. Here is a sample from that column.
With this large group of now-former WWE employees floating around out there, the healthy prospect of what could happen in 90-days is what has me most intrigued. There is a potential for a portion of this group to show up in TNA and pursue an Invasion storyline. The nWo angle put WCW on the map and skyrocketed them to incredible financial success. The WWE group is pretty substantial, but lacks a member with credible leadership skills, so my solution is that they go out and make Tom Prichard an offer he cannot refuse. Bring him in as an Agent, and he can also be an on-screen performer, acting as the mouthpiece and figurehead of this WWE Invasion group, which would call themselves, ummmm — The Northern Intruders! Ha ha, sorry that’s all I could come up with in four seconds, but they could think of something much cooler. They could also add Kevin Nash & Scott Hall to the angle to supply star power. Defections from TNA could include BG James (to reform the New Age Outlaws with Billy Gunn), Ron Killings, or if hell froze over, Vince Russo! Moan and groan if you want, but that would be truly shocking, and would make sense after he was voted out by fans as Director of Authority at Victory Road. There are limitless possibilities here, and I will boldly predict that this could very well put TNA on the wrestling map for good. That is, if they do it.
The Tag Team division has always been great in TNA. America’s Most Wanted is still the Greatest Tag Team in the World right now. They have great matches all the time. Team Canada is also great, but should play up the 3rd member a little more (like the Freebirds). Kid Kash & Dallas have run their course, I’d like to see Kid Kash team up with Chris Candido on a full time basis. The Naturals earned their spot in 2004, and deserve to be in the running in 2005. 3-Live Krew has run its course too, and should break up. Billy Gunn should join the TNA and reform his alliance with BG James and feud with Konnan & Ron Killings. Michael Shane & Frankie Kazarian are being wasted! They should be having big time feuds with top tag teams. I would turn Kazarian & Shane (with Tracy Brooks) babyface and book them in a feud with Team Canada, only to have Tracy turn on Kazarian & Shane to join Team Canada, after all she IS CANADIAN!
The X-Division will continue to be the company’s bread and butter. Dusty Rhodes has made it clear he wants to push the personalities of the X-wrestlers to compliment their talents, and I agree 100%. AJ Styles will continue to bounce back and forth between the X-Division and Heavyweight division, and I’m okay with that. Chris Daniels will get the X-title eventually and enjoy a lengthy run on top. Chris Sabin, Petey Williams and Elix Skipper will be major players. They should also use the X-Division to bring in International stars every so often. I don’t know why they are wasting Alex Shelley, release him and let him thrive in CZW & ROH.
All of the extra curricular activity in TNA is all fine and great. But there’s no way in hell anybody actually believes Jonny Fairplay has drawn one single dime for TNA. And for the money they’re paying him, they could hire a dozen prostitutes to service the fans while they wait in line at the concession stand. THAT WOULD DRAW! I’m joking, but fire Jonny Fairplay immediately; I think he’s already gone, so I’m happy. I’m worried about Trinity. She doesn’t really do anything any more, and I continue to get the feeling she will be the next Chyna (that’s not a good thing). Prove me wrong Trinity. I’ve often dared wrestling companies to get rid of the authority figure gimmick. Why does there always have to be a President, Commissioner, General Manager, or Director of Authority? Ring of Honor doesn’t have any of that and they’re product and amazing. Dusty Rhodes needs to take himself off TV and concentrate on booking a great show. Scott D’Amore is a great manager, but the hockey stick shtick is getting on people’s nerves. Why don’t they skip to the match where he’s suspended over the ring in a shark Cage and get it over with. I enjoy the occasional appearances by Roddy Piper, but let’s keep it to a minimum, please. One final thought, would anybody notice if that Hillbilly Jeff Hammond disappeared over night??
Ring of Honor: Never has the phrase “Fresh New Start” meant so much than 2005’s Ring of Honor outlook. On their final show of 2004, ROH did the unthinkable, and finally took the ROH belt off Samoa Joe, who had held it just a few months shy of TWO whole years! Austin Aries will be put to the test as ROH’s new headliner and only time will tell if he’s up to the task. The major players to look forward to are the mainstays CM Punk, Homicide, American Dragon, and Low Ki. However, there is potential for many breakout stars such as Alex Shelley, Colt Cabana, John Walters, Roderick Strong and Nigel McGuinness. ROH’s future looks bright indeed. After reeking havoc for the better half of 2004, Generation Next has split up and will feud amongst themselves. Likewise, Special K has crumbled before our very eyes and members will take sides and prepare to due battle with their fellow ravers. The Rotweillers have proven to be the most vicious faction in ROH and will no doubt spill more blood in 2005. C.M. Punk long awaited alliance with Steve Corino finally happened at the end of 2004, but will they dominate the tag team division in 2005? The Pure Wrestling division continues to attract attention with John Walters leading the way, who will step up to the plate and claim the price of wrestling’s top purist? What’s in store for the established tag team combinations of the Carnage Crew and Maff & Whitmer? Will ROH see the return of Christopher Daniels in 2005? Will the Embassy do anything at all? Time, my friends, will tell.
The Independent Circuit:
If you’re dedicated enough to the independent circuit, you know that there are literally hundreds of independent promotions around the World. Some have 8 wrestlers and draw 40 fans, and some have 25 wrestlers and draw 400 fans. That isn’t always a reflection on the talent inside the ring. Some of the top independent promotions in the United States include Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling, IWA: Mid South Wrestling, Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling (3PW), Jersey All-Pro Wrestling, Full Impact Pro Wrestling, All Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Pro Wrestling Iron, Ultimate Pro Wrestling, Revolution Pro Wrestling and Internet Wrestling Syndicate to name A FEW. Unless you have an unlimited supply of frequent flyer miles and the ability to be in 4 places at once, the only way to keep track of all these promotions is by video-tape or dvd. You can purchase copies of independent shows at ROH Wrestling or High Spots or Smart Mark Video..
The independent circuit continues to turn out an endless supply of talent. Some of the indy stars who ‘made the big time’ this past year include Spanky, Paul London, Austin Aries, Shawn Daivari, Alex Shelley, Roderick Strong, The Havana Pitbulls, Nigel McGuinness, Jay Lethal, Jimmy Rave, Chri$ Ca$h, J.C. Bailey, Nate Webb, Jack Evans, Jimmy Jacobs, Matt Stryker, Arik Cannon, Petey Williams, Bobby Rude, Eric Young, Johnny Devine, Mikey Batts, Jerrelle Clarke, Bobby Quance, Ray Gordy, Jason Cross, Harry Smith, T.J. Wilson, The Shane Twins, and countless others.
Some established indy stars have continued to work their butts off to give the fans everything they have. Samoa Joe held the Ring of Honor title a few weeks short of the entire year! A.J. Styles, Steve Corino, CM Punk, Colt Cabana, Chris Hero, Homicide, American Dragon, Low Ki, Chris Daniels, Sonjay Dutt, B-Boy, Super Dragon, Excalibur, Mike Quackenbush, Chris Sabin, Joey Matthews & Amazing Red have all solidified themselves as bonified Superstars in the wrestling industry.
A little independent promotion out of Montreal, Canada called the Internet Wrestling Syndicate has been turning out a lot of great indy wrestlers lately. Guys like Sexxxy Eddy, El Generico, Kevin Steen, Excess 69 and Beef Wellington have been getting a lot of exposure in Combat Zone Wrestling, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, in several California promotions, as well as in the UK and Germany! Congratulations to all of those guys and best of luck on a bright future in wrestling! Sexxxy Eddy is the standout among these performers, and an avid reader of OWW I might add. I was floored when I saw him do a moonsault off the top of CZW’s Cage of Death with a trash can over the top portion of his body. Amazing!
A number of ring veterans have attempted to extend their careers by lending their star power to many of the indy federations. Legends like Terry Funk, Dory Funk, Abdullah the Butcher, Kevin Sullivan, Jim Duggan, Jimmy Snuka, Sabu, Raven, Sandman, Shane Douglas, New Jack, Justin Credible, Chris Candido, Crowbar, Bam Bam Bigelow, Mikey Whipwreck, C.W. Anderson, D-Lo Brown, Al Snow, Jerry Lawler all appear occasionally on wrestling shows in small towns.
A Few More Things:
2004 brought forth one pattern that I truly hope continues for years to come. The demand for nostalgia shows has risen drastically and we have seen some of wrestling’s most sorely missed stars resurface. The Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey, Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) has reunited, and essentially gone on tour throughout the south, often reviving their rivalry with the RockNRoll Express! Tully Blanchard has come out of retirement and is preparing for a World title match against Jeff Jarrett! Kamala still makes occasional appearances. The Alabama area seems to have embraced this theory, and promotes regular Nostalgia shows featuring Bob Armstrong and all his sons, Nightmare Ted Allen, Jimmy Golden, the Midnight Express and others. Even Tom Prichard has come out of retirement. Everyone knows about Ring of Honor’s dedication to this; Bringing in retired stars such as the Midnights, Ricky Steamboat, Mick Foley, Bobby Heenan, Jim Cornette, Ox Baker, Baron von Raschke among others. There is a HUGE event being planned for later this month in Tampa, Florida called “Wrestle Reunion” that has signed dozens of past and present stars to appear for an array of activities. Please check out their website to learn more about this event! http://www.wrestlereunion.com
My one TRUE BEEF with the wrestling industry is their lack of dedication to building a great storyline gradually and making it really count. TNA is worse than WWE with this. The average feud goes on from PPV to PPV and never mentioned again. Your company has existed for 3 years and a few of your wrestlers should be developing a ‘history’ to associate their characters with. Ring of Honor focuses more on their in-ring product, but does implement storylines from time to time. A ROH storyline lasts for months, I guess that’s easy when you only run 2 ir 3 shows a month. I love wrestling. I love every kind of wrestling, be it from America, Canada, Japan, Mexico, England or anywhere else in this world. That goes for any other era as well. I have been obsessed all my life, and 2005 will be no different. Everyone enjoy their year, and I hope you survived this column!
by Brad Dykens
Erkka Järvinen wrote::
Ok so i wanna talk about your WM21. First of all, you got too many special referees in WM21. It would make it boring that in every second match there is special referee. Maybe one match should be special refereed but not many. Secondly, you have put Kurt Angle on very crap place in WM21. 6-MAN TAG should be removed and Kurt Angle fighting Big Show instead (Kurt Angle could put Big Show away this time). I think Cruiserweight match should be 1v1 match because in those invitational matches eliminations happen too fast. I loved cruiserweights open on WM20 but i think it would not be good to have 2 same kind of matches in a row. US title should be on the line John Cena defending it against RVD in a ladder match! I would like to see Undertaker and Kane against Snitsky and Heidenreich but how the hell you get taker and kane back together after what Kane did to the Undertaker? Mick Foley and Ric Flair would do GREAT and so would Shawn Michaels and Edge (i would like to see Edge taking HBK down because of what happened in Elimination Chamber). I think it would SUCK if Benoit would win Royal Rumble twice. Eddy Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio match should not happen, but instead Eddy could go after JBL’s title (i know Eddy has already been used in title hunt) because Eddy could make his heel turn and screw Undertaker out of the title shot at NoWayOut in a 1 contender match. Theodore Long could announce in the next SD! that he wants a rematch between Eddy Guerrero and Undertaker due to the cheating Eddy used and this time the match would be DRAW! This way, both could be pushed to title shot and make a triple threat at WM21. At WM21, Undertaker could take out JBL with the last ride and then Booker T could come down and drag undertaker out of the ring and make Eddy make the pin and win the title (Booker T and Eddy would make a heel team after that). About the World Heavyweight Title, Randy could win Royal Rumble and face Triple H for world title at WM21 but then Batista could interfere in that match and everybody would think he is gonna screw Randy but suddenly he smashes HHH with the chair and leaves Randy winning the title (I WOULD BE VERY MAD TO SEE THAT CAUSE I AM HHH FAN BUT THAT COULD BE BEST FOR BUSINESS). Ok so there was my ideas how could Brad’s WM21 be even better (in my mind of course). What i didnt mention could just be how it was. So i hope WM21 will blow the roof and i think it will.
Paul Pacheco wrote::
I have some reaction to this column, regarding WrestleMania. I was reading this and I couldn’t help but to laugh at some of these match predictions, but the scary truth is: IT ALL SEEMS POSSIBLE or at least reasonable. And when I thought about it when I was done reading I actually liked the way that entire card looked, with the exception of Triple H vs. Orton vs. Batista being the main event. I love the idea of La Resistance vs. Hassan & Daivari w/ Sgt. Slaughter as the Special Ref. It would be interesting to see how WWE would make La Resistance Face though. I think the Heat Battle Royal idea sounds good, but I don’t think WWE would do it because there is already a Battle Royal every year that determines the HEADLINING match at WM (the Royal Rumble match). It has been seeming as if Guerrero will turn heel, and it would be tremendous to see a Guerrero/Mysterio WrestleMania match. Foley vs. Flair seems like it’s very possible and I think Flair would definitely be the one to come out on top if it does happen (Foley has always been a lovable loser). I think Shawn Michaels and Edge will be ending their feud at the Rumble, and I really think (and hope) it will be Michaels vs. Kurt Angle at WrestleMania, I think that would be a WrestleMania classic. But the Cena/Angle (US Title) idea sounds very interesting as well. I agree with the IC Title Fatal Four-Way Idea, and I would be thrilled to see Maven win the IC Title as well, it could be a surprise push for him at the Granddaddy of ’em all. Vince and Steph vs. Hulk and Brooke would be such a fascinating match to witness and throwing Austin in as the ref would make it even more so. Rock vs. Sting would possibly be a stinker of a match if you ask me. Both men have been away from the ring for so long, IM not sure they would be in good enough ring shape to make this match equal the enormous hype it would get. And I don’t think Rock would Ref a match then wrestle a match on the same card, it would be kind of strange. JBL vs. Benoit I think is the most out-there possibility, but it is more possible than I originally thought. You never know, Benoit could win the Royal Rumble again and jump ship yet again as well, but I consider this highly unlikely. By the way, I don’t think it’s entirely impossible for JBL to lose the Title before WrestleMania, even though all indications are pointing toward him keeping it. Something is just telling me Angle may take the Title going into WrestleMania (just a hunch, but Angle does deserve the honor much more). And lastly the World Heavyweight Championship Match. I can only hope that Triple H is miraculously not involved in this match and loses the title before then, but the odds are slim to none. IM so tired of him being involved in a World Title match at WrestleMania every year. So if the match ends up being as you are predicting then I will probably have very little interest in the World Heavyweight Title match this year (unfortunately).
For the most part I think this would be a great WM card. And as oddly as it sounded to me at first, now I can kinda picture almost every one of those matches having a chance of happening. IM sure a few of them will probably happen. We shall see how things turn out and how accurate the OWW Crystal Ball is this year.
Kyle92187 wrote::
I would like to say that this column was great! I do agree about TNA’s problem, they advertise a wrestling fans alternative, but all they give the fans are some old guys in the main event… The only useful old guys are DDP and (God I hate to say this) Jeff Hardy…The fans have already shown TNA who they are behind the most and that is AJ Styles.
As for WWE, they are off to a Rocky start, at this time last year, the WWE was getting PHENOMINAL! I think the only thing that can save one of the main events at WM21 is having Chris Benoit win the Royal Rumble and going to SD… I mean JBL is mediocre at best in the ring. So having the best vs mediocre should be a good match… Plus Benoit is the most over face not having beef with Triple H on RAW right now… Orton vs Triple H vs Batista wont be too good though… :-( (But the storyline is interesting)
All in all good article, I had my own WM21 card… But you had quite a nice one as well! All in all good article! Maybe I will write a column about it… Maybe not… Peace…
Alex Choi wrote::
Wow you are a fucking mark. Your card obviously shows it, how the fuck did you become a columnist on OWW, oh yeah most of the colums are shit thats why I read at lordsofpain.net. Here is how I feel about your card and the match results: 1. Paul London should win the title and everyone knows it. 2. No one wants to see the Basham’s and Orlando Jordan (a mutherfuckin jobber) at a Wrestlemania. 3. Simon Dean? wtf hes has a shitty gimmick and no push or storyline to be on the Wrestlemania card. And Matt Hardy’s character has gone no where, and even he is a good entertainer hes not fitting for a wrestlemania matchup unless his bro comes back to help a shitty tag division 3. I dont want to see hoss’s like Gene Snitsky and Heidenreich in match- but together in tag? thet is the ultimate shitbomb. 4. You’ve demoted Kurt Angle to mid-card status, he shouls be contending for the wwe title not the U.S title. 5. The McMahon-Hogan match sounds gay I hope your the only one who wants to see it.
Brad Dykens wrote:
Yes, I am a mark, thanks for noticing; Anybody who has ever watched wrestling and enjoyed it is a mark. I love all wrestling. Your profanity-laced tirade proves that I’m better than you. I’m not going to go into great detail here, but I agree that Paul London would be a good choice for CW champion. Also, Simon Dean is a huge talent, you just haven’t seen his best work. Doink was also a crappy gimmick, but Matt Borne was one of the best wrestlers in the WWF and made the gimmick credible. Kurt Angle was facing John Cena for the US title (and I wouldn’t consider that a demotion) because he’s not the wrestler he used to be, his value now is in helping to get other wrestlers over. McMahon vs Hogan at WM19 looked like a bad idea on paper too; But it ended up fantastic. The tradition at Wrestlemania has been too get as many people on the card as possible (for experience), that is why the so-called ‘jobbers’ are included. Oh yeah, and I’m not just a columnist, I’m the president. I run this little website, mister. So you can stay over at Lordsofpain.net – they run a wonderful website over there and should be proud. Of course you are entitled to your opinion, but opinions are like assholes, everyone’s got one, and some of them stink like yours too. And that’s the bottom line……. cause…. you know the rest….
Mackampa Nyekudi wrote:
This is an article well written. We need you backstage at TNA and especially at WWE. Maybe you should try to get into the business someday. I thank God that I’m not the only person in the world that knows that Jeff Hardy is a waste of time. I don’t know if the rumors are true, but either way, I think that man needs help. He was always a little off, but now he’s just ridiculous. Keep ’em coming.’
red rum wrote:
if i were in charge…….1)paul london,funaki,spike dudley and akio fatal 4 way for cruiserweight title. 2)shawn michaels vs. kurt angle interpromotional match. 3)eddy guerrero vs. rey mysterio best 2 out of 3 falls. 4)la ressistance vs.edge and christian for the tag titles.5)ric flair vs.mick foley in a steel cage. 6)undertaker and kane vs.snitsky and heidenreich falls count anywhere match. 7)jerry lawler vs.mohammed hassan in a first blood match 8)shelton benjamin vs.maven for IC title 9)john cena vs rob van dam for US title 10)trish stratus vs.torrie wilson in a hot fudge sundae match 11)chris jericho vs booker t interpromotional match 12)JBL vs. (and dont laugh) luther reigns for the WWE title. 13)triple H vs batista for world tite.
other possibilties:wrestlemania to me has always been the best pay per view of the year mainly because of the different things you see whether its shocking,frightening,humorous whatever.i enjoyed the gimmick battle royal a few years back and would enjoy watching some retired veterans such as bob backlund,repo man,brutus beefcake,honky tonk man,king kong bundy…etc.do battle in an old age home.also give the WWE fans a chance to see the future of pro wrestling and have AJ styles wrestle someone like elix skipper. had no clue where to put the big show on this card so bring hogan out of retirement and have them go at it like back in WCW days.
Rhey wrote:
Brad- hell of an article:the only thing missing is a luther title push and a Y2J title push: Red Rum:YEAH!!!!! Luther Reigns needs the title push!! (Check the january fan jam for a pro-luther reigns article written by yours truly).Keep up the good work everyone!!!
Brad Dykens wrote:
Okay as I am writing this, it is March 18, 2005, a few weeks before Wrestlemania 21. I’m embarassed to say that I was WAY off on all but one of my predicted matches. The only thing I came close on was the Eddy vs Rey stuff. But even then I was a little off, since I was booking it as a Tag match. So if anybody says the WWE is predictable, I’d say they’re full of it!