Extreme Rules thoughts
Talk about going from one extreme to another.
At WWE’s Judgment Day pay-per-view last month, no titles changed hands in the four championship matches. I applauded those booking decisions at the time, especially in regard to the two world title matches.
“I’m a firm believer that frequent title changes diminish the value of the championship and lessen the impact of the switches,” I wrote. “There have been way too many [world] title changes the past several months. Barring injury, however, I think Randy Orton and Edge are going to bring stability to their respective championships.”
Well, so much for that. There were five title switches Sunday night at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, including three changes involving the world championships. Orton dropped the WWE title to Batista, and Edge dropped the world heavyweight title to Jeff Hardy, who then lost it to CM Punk after the “Straightedge Superstar” cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
The other new champions crowned at Extreme Rules were Chris Jericho (Intercontinental) and Tommy Dreamer (ECW).
As far as Sunday’s world title changes are concerned, even though I would like to have seen Edge get a lengthy run as champ for once – his nine reigns combined add up to a little more than 14 months – I didn’t have a problem with Hardy winning. And I really liked Punk cashing in and beating Hardy, because no one saw it coming.
What I didn’t like was Batista taking the strap from Orton. On the surface, this seems like the wrong call, but I’ll withhold final judgment until after I see what happens on Raw Monday night.
The other noteworthy development from Extreme Rules is that America’s Sweethearts – Edge and Vickie Guerrero – appear to be divorcing. Well, it was great while it lasted, but the pairing of the two heels has probably run its course.
Here is a match-by-match look at the show:
Batista defeated WWE champion Randy Orton in a Steel Cage Match to win the title: If CM Punk had not won the title from Jeff Hardy at the end of the show, this match would have been the biggest shocker of the night. Batista dominated the action and pinned Orton clean with The Batista Bomb in about eight minutes. When this match went on third to last, I figured that pretty much guaranteed what I was already fairly certain of – that Orton would retain the title. I got a bad feeling, however, when Orton had a chance to climb out of the cage but he chose to go for the punt to the head instead. I told my friend at that point that Batista was going to win. I don’t see Batista holding the title for long, though.
Jeff Hardy defeated world heavyweight champion Edge in a Ladder Match to win the title: I don’t know that this match will be regarded as a classic – which Hardy basically promised on Smackdown Friday – but it was a great match. There have been so many fantastic ladder matches over the years that it’s hard to devise spots that haven’t been done before, but Hardy and Edge came up with a few. In one particularly painful-looking spot, Hardy dropped Edge stomach-first on an upside down ladder, which closed shut on Edge’s ribs. Outside the ring, both guys took a bump off a ladder and onto another one that had been placed horizontally between the ring apron and the guardrail. Hardy also hit a Twist of Fate off a ladder. The finish came at about the 20 minute mark, when Hardy trapped Edge between the rungs of a ladder and then climbed the ladder and grabbed the title belt as Edge watched helplessly. My first thought after Hardy won: I guess this means he’s not leaving WWE, because the company wouldn’t put the belt on him if there was any question. Not so fast.
CM Punk defeated world heavyweight champion Jeff Hardy to win the title: Hardy barely had any time to celebrate his big victory. As Jim Ross was preparing to interview Hardy in the ring, Punk’s music hit, and Mr. Money in the Bank came out to cash in. Hardy had a look on his face that said, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Punk went for the GTS right away on the weary Hardy, but Hardy surprisingly kicked out. Hardy then got a near fall with an inside cradle before Punk hit a second GTS and got the pin. Total time of Hardy’s second reign as world champion: about three minutes. Since Punk spoiled Hardy’s moment after he had finally clawed his way back to the top, I’m assuming that makes Punk a heel. A Punk-Hardy feud would be interesting, especially given their respective personalities. You’d have the straight-edged Punk against the free-spirited Hardy. Punk has shown in the past that he can effectively play the straightedge character as a heel by adopting an “I’m better than you” attitude.
John Cena defeated The Big Show in a Submission Match: I’m sure some will complain about the slow pace, but the match told a good story even if it was predictable. I thought the match was over after Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment, but he still couldn’t apply the STF to Big Show. Cena finally got a modified version of the hold on him, as he tied up Big Show’s foot in the middle rope instead of using a toehold. Big Show’s foot slipped out, but Cena’s facelock still looked painful and Show sold it great before tapping out at about the 19-minute mark. The problem I had with the finish is that the hold should have been broken since Show’s feet were under the ropes.
Chris Jericho defeated Intercontinental champion Rey Mysterio in a No Holds Barred Match to win the title: This was another very good match between these two that featured a lot of nice counters and near falls. Jericho, who cut a promo before the match that started at the merchandise stand and continued as he made his way through the crowd and into the ring, vowed to win the title and unmask Mysterio, and he did both. At one point, Jericho nearly unmasked Mysterio prematurely, as he was pulling on the mask and exposed more of Mysterio’s face than probably was intended. The finish was both clever and perfectly executed, as Jericho caught Mysterio on a 619 attempt and pulled his mask off in mid-move. Jericho then scored the pin as Mysterio covered his face. As great as this was, I can’t help thinking how much more it would mean if Mysterio hadn’t wrestled without his mask in WCW a decade ago. I suppose, however, that there’s a large segment of WWE’s audience that has no knowledge of that.
CM Punk defeated Umaga in a Samoan Strap Match: I’ve never been a big fan of strap matches, but this was fine for what it was and I liked the finish. During the match there was a graphic on the screen that showed how many corners had been touched. Not only was it unnecessary – counting to four isn’t that hard, is it? – but in the beginning it was off by several seconds in both directions. After some back and forth action, Punk touched three corners, and as Umaga tried to prevent him from reaching the fourth, Punk managed to hit the GTS and touch the turnbuckle for the win. Jim Ross called it a “shocking result,” which I didn’t get since Punk was a former world champion (at that point) and two-time Money in the Bank Ladder Match winner. That’s a lot more than Umaga has accomplished. By the way, are we ever going to find out the motive behind Umaga's attacks on Punk?
Tommy Dreamer defeated ECW champion Christian and Jack Swagger in an Extreme Rules Match to win the title: I’m not surprised that WWE put the title on sentimental favorite Dreamer, but I wouldn’t have done it. I suppose in the big scheme of things the ECW title is pretty much inconsequential anyway. Despite the result, this was a decent match. Dreamer hit Swagger with a crutch and then hit a DDT on him for the victory.
U.S. champion Kofi Kingston defeated William Regal, MVP and Matt Hardy: All the guys tried hard, but there were several botched moves that hurt the quality of the match. MVP, in particular, had an off night. Kingston got the win by hitting Trouble in Paradise on Regal.
Santina Marella defeated Vickie and Chavo Guerrero in a Hog Pen Match to become Miss WrestleMania: Just before the “match” began, Vickie announced that it was now a handicap match and Chavo was her partner. This was exactly what you’d expect – a short comedy match (about two minutes) that ended with both Guerreros flopping around in slop after Santina pinned Vickie. Santina putting a bucket over Chavo’s head and then punching the bucket to set up the finish was good for a chuckle. I also laughed when Chavo tried to brush the slop off of Vickie’s gown after the both of them were already covered in it. What wasn’t humorous, however, were Jerry Lawler’s one-liners when he was introducing the match. “The King” is usually pretty funny, but he must owe money to whoever wrote those lines for him.
Comments
Good review Kevin.
I was rather disapointed in this PPV, although I thought the ending was pretty cool. WWE has a habit lately of putting on a few good matches and a few bad matches when it comes to PPVs. Personally, I think that is unacceptable on the show that you have to pay to see. By this point they should know which styles mix, and which don't. I honestly expected more from this PPV, but then again, that is what I always say...
Posted by: Alex | June 8, 2009 6:03 AM
I'm happy CM Punk is back on top again. The WWE can really make something cool out of his persona.
The Umaga attacks were probably just buying time until he won the title.
Glad he won, but the constant title changes are not good.
Posted by: rob the barber | June 8, 2009 7:28 AM
Apparently the WWE is now TNA. They've completely killed all their belts.
Why was the Orton match so short- did he fail a drug test or something?
Posted by: Elevation | June 8, 2009 7:54 AM
Well the WWE has asked fans again to fork out $39.95 on a bloated PPV schedule that has gone from building storylines and fueds to weekly angle's that aren't given time to develop. I agree a Punk-Hardy fued would be awesome but alas with so many stars opting for TV it maybe impossible.
Let's not write Dreamer out of the picture completely on this. This could be a setup for Christian to move off ECW to Smackdown or Raw. I wouldn't be suprised if the ECW brand was not folded into the other brands within the next 18 months to 2 years anyway.
As for the rest of the matches on the card ...So What?!?!
Are we to believe that the next best thing for Cena is a feud with The Miz?
The Big Show hasn't won anything since who can remember?
Dave Batista can't wrestle longer than 15 minutes on a good night unless it's in a 6-Man Tag Match.
If Rey Mysterio is tired of wrestling in a mask, so be it. But he should probably get the letters written ahead of time to all the Latino fans and Mil Mascaras surviving family to explain how he has stained Luche Libre wrestling for all time.
Kofi is a bright spot. I see big things for him as long as he stays healthy.
Last but not least....Thank God for Edge. At least he has the smarts to know how to stay hot and get ready for another run. One of the smartest workers in the business today.
Later.
Posted by: Prime Time Bobby Lee | June 8, 2009 8:21 AM
I wonder if hardy is still leaving. I agree Punk will work as a heel. Will HHH now return and be the main heel vs Batista. Orton lost the strap way to early I agree the title reigns should be longer. Maybe the WWE is not happy with Orton. I'd like to see a HHH turn, beat Batista at SS, then Orton go face. I wonder long term where this leaves HBK in the Raw mix. Edge should not hold the title for a long time. His reigns have been so unmemorable I can't believe he is an 11 time champ.
RESPONSE FROM KE: Edge is a nine-time champ. His reigns aren't memorable because most of them lasted about a month.
Posted by: Patrick Johnson | June 8, 2009 8:33 AM
I didn't see it. Did Punk use heel mannerisms at the end of the PPV?
RESPONSE FROM KE: It was subtle, but I think his facial expression was sort of heelish.
Posted by: Andy aka @NateLinehan | June 8, 2009 9:03 AM
Weak event overall, but I have one question. When was the last time the Intercontinental champion was better, and more over than the World Champion?!
RESPONSE FROM KE: Magnificent Muraco/Bob Backlund?
Posted by: Andy | June 8, 2009 9:21 AM
Did Lawler pull out the classic, "I don't know if she can wrestle, but I'd like to see her box?" That's the best one-liner.
I'm definitely interested in seeing who is and is not a heel on Smackdown, and also if Hardy is going to be staying. Matt posted a blog a few weeks ago that made it seem as if Jeff would be staying, but now, who knows?
Posted by: Ben | June 8, 2009 9:27 AM
I am hearing that Batista is hurt so I suspect his title reign will be short. He could drop the belt to Orton tonight. But what's the fun in that? He could relinquish the belt. But he's done that before.
I think Vicki will come out at the top of the show with the belt and announce that Batista is hurt, cannot fullfil his obligations and she has stripped him of the belt. Orton will come out and demand Vicki give it back to him. She resists. Orton becomes menacing. MVP's music hits. He challenges him. The match is made.
Last week, I said that MVP would be WWE champion before the end of 2009. Now I am predicting he will become champion tonight. Ballin'.
Posted by: Aaron Goldstein | June 8, 2009 10:09 AM
It was a really strong PPV in my opinion, but the highlight once again was Chris Jericho. His promo was awesome, specially when the fans kept touching him, and he kept flipping out at them.
Posted by: Sam Fletcher | June 8, 2009 10:32 AM
Kevin,
I agree with you about the changing of the titles. They do not mean anything. Although, Punk cashing in the 'MITB' was shocking, which is what I want with a PPV. I am fine with that.
What do you think they will do woith Batista? considering he goes in for surgery tomorrow for a torn bicep. Another words, how does he drop the belt tonight?
Great blog!!!
Posted by: Robert Testoni | June 8, 2009 10:40 AM
The Batista-Orton match was pretty quick. Did someone legitimately get injured causing a rushed finish? Why has WWE spent all these months building Orton as a monster heel with his own faction only to have him get tooled by Super Shane, worked over by the 60-something year old Ric Flair, and then drop the strap to Batista in 8 minutes? Something must be going on behind the scenes that we don't know about it. The whole thing is unsatisfying.
My deepest fear came to fruition when Punk cashed in the MITB case on Hardy. I am so tired of the WWE using the Jeff Hardy fan base as a tool go get PPV buys and then sucker punching us. I'm all for swerves now and again but what happened with Punk and Hardy last night was not entertaining. You could tell by the tepid response that Punk got and by the looks on the New Orleans fans in attendance. Nobody looked thrilled. One of the commentators tried to sell it by saying that the CM Punk fans were all cheering. Yeah, all five of them.
At WM25, I recall hearing boos when Punk grabbed the briefcase in the MITB match. I don't see what the appeal of this guy is. I've never found his punching and kicking all that entertaining in the ring. I never see his merchandise in the top 10 sellers list on wwe.com. When he cuts a promo, I don't particularly care to hear what he has to say. What is it that everyone sees in this guy?
I know that Jeff has not resigned his contract so that probably drove alot of this but good grief already. I feel completely disenchanted with the WWE product right now across the board.
P.S. - I will be booing the hell out of Punk from here on out...whether he makes a full heel turn or not.
Posted by: Lynelle | June 8, 2009 11:09 AM
Sup Kev,
Sounded like a crazy PPV, but not the best they could have come up with in terms of booking the finishing.
Batista having the belt and Orton dropping it makes no sense, especially if you're trying to push Legacy. It at least would be better if they had put the tag-belts on Rhodes and DiBiase rather them have them 100% focused on helping Orton retain his belt.
If Punk goes heel and fueds with Hardy, I agree, its a good move. Of course, where does that leave Edge? Or does Hardy leave the company, which I think would be a huge blow as I view him at the top Babyface with the Adult audience (Cena is for the kiddies)
Cena's matches are all predictable. Yawn. He doesn't do the job unless there is cheating or interference.
The rest of the PPV sounds yawn, except maybe Jericho / Mysterio.
Posted by: dave macmickey | June 8, 2009 11:34 AM
Apatrently Batista was injured before the match with Orton, he is due for surgery after monday night raw so will probably be losing it back to orton. So I heard anyway it could be wrong though.
Posted by: Wylsey | June 8, 2009 11:34 AM
a lot of the matches surprised me starting at the top with Punk cashing in MITB to win the belt. Additionally i thought Show should win the submission match with cena Passing out and not being able to continue ala Bret /Austin that sending him off to make his movie. thirdly would have never seen Dreamer winning the Title so i guess this means that Swagger will when it back come Tuesday. Finnally is it True that batista is injured and will more than likely be forfeiting the Title at Raw.
Posted by: frank from dundalk | June 8, 2009 11:58 AM
I couldn't believe it when Batista won. It seemed, to me anyway, that the match was disappionting, like the Orton HHH Mania match. It was well built up (apart from Super Flair) and then didn't deliver, in my opinion. I'm guessing HHH will cost Batista the title, probably to Orton, but possibly Cena.
Talking about Cena, i was quite bored during the match he had with Show. As you said though, it did tell a good story.
Wow. Didn't expect Hardy, or Punk, to win. I thought Edge would retain. I then though Hardy would over-come the odds and retain against Punk.
I had the same thoughts when Rey's face was 'overexposed'.
By the way, in reguard to your mention that Show had his foot under the rope, resulting in the break of the STF. I'm not sure about this but, isn't a Submission match a no-DQ, as you can only win by submission. This would mean, i presume, that there is no rope-breaks as, there cannot be an DQs. I don't know, just a thought.
Another good pay-per-view, and excellent post Kev.
Posted by: Legacy.1 | June 8, 2009 12:34 PM
I enjoyed the smackdown matches on the show. It didnt even cross my mind that CM Punk would cash in the MITB. Glad to see Y2J holding gold again. Btw Kev Im one of the ones who seen Mysterio wrestle w/o his mask. Heck Im even have the match he lost his mask still on vhs tape. Was surprise at the length of the steel cage match until i read online that Batista is hurt and having surgery tomorrow. Dont know if is true or not but if it is why put the title on him. IMO Batista is just as injury prone as Mr. Kennedy
Posted by: jason | June 8, 2009 12:40 PM
I just read, that Batista has a torn-biceps which he sustained in a previous match and that is why the match only lasted about eight minutes.
Guess he will give up title tonight on Raw in an injury angle, like he did a few years ago on Smackdown.
Posted by: Legacy.1 | June 8, 2009 12:42 PM
Who ever is in charge of WWE Booking Team is very dumb.. they should've let Orton retain his Championship, because Batista was already injured coming into his match against Orton. after what happen last night now we have a injured World Champion.. i seriously will think of quitting of watching WWE, if they come up with some way to keep Batista as World Champion.
The bottom line is this, Batista is scheduled to have surgery for tomorrow, rumors are saying he either has torn bicep tendon or torn triceps muscle. either way Batista will not be able to defend The World Title at the next PPV.. which is called the Bash, and takes place in 3 weeks
Posted by: Jamel Wade | June 8, 2009 1:04 PM
Let's see. My money is on Triple H comes back tonight to win the vacant WWE title. Ugh!
Posted by: Travis | June 8, 2009 2:30 PM
"What is it that everyone sees in this guy?"
CM Punk's matches range from good to very good to great. I can't think of anyone who delivers on free television as often as Punk does. The last top-notch match that I saw Kane involved in was when he held the ECW Title and defended it against Punk.
For sure, Jeff Hardy has an upside, but I'll cheer for The Straight-Edge Superstar, heel or not, when they lock up.
Posted by: Christopher | June 8, 2009 2:46 PM
C'mon! I know the WWE is going all "PC" on us, but not ONE drop of blood during "Extreme" Rules? I can do without the gratuitous blading, but a "crimson mask" can do a lot to promote a new feud, or put an exclamation point on the end of one. Oh, for the days of The Sheik and Pampero Firpo!
RESPONSE FROM KE: A Pampero Firpo reference . I love it!
Posted by: Ray Herrick | June 8, 2009 3:03 PM
I read somewhere that Batista is getting bicep surgery tomorrow so Raw should be interesting tonight
Posted by: Sam | June 8, 2009 3:11 PM
Backlash- lots of title changes, many complaints about it on this board, but a great and entertaining event.
Judgment Day- no significant title changes, applause from this board, and a somewhat disappointing event given the stacked card.
Extreme Rules- title changes galore, more complaints about that aspect, but overall very strong reviews of the PPV.
I enjoy wrestling because it is entertaining. If title changes are entertaining, and I believe that the guys winning the titles are somehow believable or legitimate, I don't mind frequent title changes. The UFC has constant title changes, but that doesn't devalue the sport. I understand that the concern is the long-term viability of the high-level stars if they continually lose, but I think that idea died out with Hulk Hogan's career- top guys can beat each other and come back from it. If unaccomplished wrestlers or guys without skill start getting titles simply for the sake of the title change's entertainment value, my assessment will be quite different. But the way it's going now seems fine to me.
Also, why did Michael Cole say Cena could be counted out in the submission match. I know SCSA lost to Bret that way, but it was while he was IN a submission hold. And then Big Show loses with his feet in the ropes? I have trouble following matches when I don't understand the rules.
Other than that, a great show. And Punk provoked a gasp from me for the second straight year with a well-timed, unexpected trip to the bank.
Posted by: Andrew | June 8, 2009 3:31 PM
I was reading an interview online in which Lance Storm talked about the poor writing in wrestling lately and he said the writers don't care about smarks (or true fans like the ones on this blog) because we will watch it if it sucks or not (for the most part). But they want the fairweather fans, the ones who don't care about Orton getting squashed by SuperShane, or Batista never being able to have a good match. They just see something fun with big muscular guys fighting. That's it. The writers don't write for us, they write for the larger audience.
Sad ain't it?
Posted by: frank King | June 8, 2009 3:58 PM
Solid PPV overall, and just like the respective shows, the Smackdown matches were far better than the RAW ones. I said after WM that a Punk heel turn should be in the works, and it was perfect for his character. A heel Punk/Hardy feud could write itself. Still, the way the announcers were plugging his win makes me wonder if they're going to try to keep him a face, which is both a huge mistake and borderline impossible.
Hardy/Edge was good as expected, as was Jericho/Mysterio. Still, as Eck mentioned, Mysterio wrestled without a mask for years, but of course, per WWE custom, anything that didn't happen in the WWE didn't happen at all. Still, I wonder if Rey still looks like a 12 year old kid.
The decision to put Batista over that huge knowing he was already injured is mindboggling. It's amazing how horribly the WWE has managed to botch a can't miss heel push with Orton this year, just one inexplicable misstep after another. Sometimes it's hard to believe SmackDown and RAW are produced by the same company
Posted by: Joe Barber | June 8, 2009 4:36 PM
Good point about the Cena-Big Show match, the ref should have broke the hold. The same thing happened in a PPV match with Hulk Hogan and Kurt Angle a few years back. While in the ankle lock, Hogan reached the ropes several times but was pulled away by Angle. The ref never broke the hold and Hogan eventually tapped out.
Posted by: jt | June 8, 2009 4:38 PM
Except for the Big Show-Cena match, I thought this PPV was pretty great. I'd rather the WWE err on the side of moving belts around too much than to just keep it on one guy (Cena, HHH) for 6+ months. With how similar the top guys are in talent, I think it's a little unbelievable that Cena was holding the belt for so long.
And I was legitimately shocked - and in a good way - by Punk cashing in MitB. He definitely switches to more of a tweener / heel now; it's impossible for him not to, given how much that moment meant to Jeff Hardy. I would have liked it even more if he interrupted Ross' interview with Hardy in the middle of it, as opposed to right before it started.
Posted by: Steve | June 8, 2009 6:05 PM
These quick title changes are disappointing.........If you're name's not Cena or HHH, you won't get a lengthy title reign anymore, I guess? Even The Undertaker doesn't hold the belt long. Is this a sign of the times? In today's terms, "same-old, same-old" starts after a week.
Posted by: Beach Bum | June 8, 2009 6:34 PM
I enjoyed Extreme Rules. I had no problems with the Orton/Batista match, because it made sense with how Orton has been booked in the last several months. Orton hasn't really been able to win clean, he's either used the numbers advantage or something else, so him losing last night made sense to me.
All in all, I thought it was a good night and Punk cashing in MitB as a good shock, that I didn't see coming and definitely helped the evening end on a high note.
Posted by: Michelle | June 8, 2009 6:37 PM
Where does everyone seem to be getting the idea that because Punk took advantage of a weakened Hardy, that automatically means he's turning and becoming a heel? After last week's ECW, Tommy Dreamer laid out Christian, does that make him a heel? When Shawn Michaels kicked Taker from behind on Raw a few months ago, did that mean he was turning heel? All i see coming from this is Edge/Hardy/Punk in a rematch at the Bash for the title.
RESPONSE FROM KE: The Punk-Hardy angle is different than the others you mentioned. In babyface vs. babyface program, having one lay out the other is not uncommon. With Punk-Hardy, Punk spoiled Hardy's moment and took it away from him by being an opportunist after Hardy had just gone through an extremely physical match. Hardy has a large and very loyal audience that lives and dies with Jeff, and because Punk screwed their guy, he will be a heel in their eyes.
Posted by: Jay | June 8, 2009 6:42 PM
Here's hoping that a CM Punk heel turn would result in an Edge face turn since Jeff Hardy is most likely going to be taking time off soon.
Edge is overdue for another stint as a babyface. As a heel, he has already done everything that his character can do (and repeated most of it two or three times, in fact). Truthfully, that love triangle angle for WM25 should've ended with him turning face.
Posted by: Mr. Sarcasm | June 8, 2009 7:33 PM
TOO MANY TITLE CHANGES!!
Edge and Orton should have had the belts until at least Summer Slam maybe even Survivor Series. I love Punk but a slower build in some mid- card feud's would have been better in helping to build him up as a top guy.
But a nice heel turn could do him some good, plus a Punk/Hardy program or a Punk/Hardy/Edge program should be good.
Question: Why, if Batista is having surgery, not let Punk come out and drop Batista on his head after his victory? That way Punk could move to RAW and be another top heel which RAW needs right now.
Whatever happens RAW and SmackDown should be good this week. I hope a Hardy promo on Punk goes something like "You're no better than Edge!" that should get people to hate Punk.
And here's hoping that we see the return of HBK tonight into the title picture instead of HHH like I'm fearing it's gonna be.
Posted by: Andre the Midget | June 8, 2009 8:08 PM
I found Extreme Rules entertaining overall and I'm glad I watched it, but I was absoultely disgusted when Batista squashed Randy Orton, and I'm even more so now that I know Batista is going to be out with an injury. When Orton lost so fast with almost no offence, my first thought was disgust, then I thought that Orton must be injured. Then it occured to me that he may have gotten some heat for something backstage or possibly a failed drug test. But the fact that they had a hog pen match which was beyond stupid, taking up time that could have gone to the WWE championship is mind boggling.
Unless it was an Orton injury or he failed the drug test, it proves that Vince clearly has lost his mind as to how to create a strong heel.
I remember reading in Shawn Micheals book that Vince prefers a baby face champ who always wins, where Shawn thought it was better to have a heel champ often with the baby face chasing him. I agree with Shawn.\
I can't see a logical reason to bury the Legacy, bury the IC and tag belts or even have the ECW belt.
I hope Kofi Kingston continues to get a strong push
Posted by: rob | June 8, 2009 9:09 PM
Punk turning heel is something that I've been waiting for months. It's obvious that Punk's action at Extreme Rules left a bad taste on WWE fans and he'll turn heel for that.
By the way Mr.Kevin, great blog, I'm from Malaysia and I love your blog :)
Posted by: AIRA | June 8, 2009 11:58 PM
Like usual, great post. And like always when you mention Tommy Dreamer, I only agree with most things you have to write about, because you seem not to like Dreamer too much. That match, that outcome, made me so happy I couldn't care less about what was going to happen the rest of the PPV. Then I got to sleep during Big Show/Cena and dreamed about the awesome Dreamer win! Then I woke up for Batista winning and hoped it was a nightmare :(. Well that's not exactly how things went, but I sure am glad Dreamer won. I think RVD was the last ECW wrestler to win the ECW title, so it's about time an ECW wrestler wins the title again. And the reign won't last long, you can bank on that. Vince doesn't really seem to care much for ECW wrestlers, so it won't last longer than the next PPV, if that long. ECF'NW!!!
RESPONSE FROM KE: Just to reiterate a point that I have made in the past, I don't know Tommy Dreamer (but I have heard that he's a great guy) and I respect what he has accomplished in the wrestling business, but as a fan, I just have never been that into his character.
Posted by: cowboysmb3dw28 | June 9, 2009 6:02 AM
The WWE did a good job of making me think that Tommy Dreamer was done, especially when he mentioned being a fan of TNA and wanting to go there. I didn't think it would be good for him to be a GM (what would they do with Tiffany then?), but actually winning was out of the blue for me. Dreamer as a heel? That would be completely different.
If it's true that Dreamer hasn't signed a new contract, then how crazy would it be if he showed up in TNA with the ECW title? The 90 day no compete clause can be voided if Dreamer simply chose not to collect WWE checks during that time period and go straight to work with the competition. I think that's the case, but who would want to miss out on three months of paid recovery time? If Dreamer wanted to completely burn his bridges then he could jump ship and show up at Slammiversary.
Speaking of coming out of nowhere, I'm surprised that CM Punk cashed in MitB. He can be a natural heel by pointing out how he's "better" than Jeff Hardy because of their lifestyle choices. Hardy's rebuttal will need to be based on his road to recovery and how he hasn't let his past problems keep him down or stop him from straightening out his life. Hopefully the WWE can keep it in good taste without making all of the Straight Edge movement look egotistical or self-serving.
Posted by: Another Wrestling Mark | June 9, 2009 10:36 AM