tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103 2010-02-09T22:46:33Z Ring Posts is a Baltimore Sun blog about wrestling Movable Type 3.36 tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.231774 2010-02-09T21:37:00Z 2010-02-09T22:46:33Z

Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels have not wrestled on the same WrestleMania card since they had their classic Iron Man Match at WrestleMania XII in 1996. Who would have believed that in 2010 “The Hitman” and “The Heartbreak Kid” would...

Kevin Eck Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels have not wrestled on the same WrestleMania card since they had their classic Iron Man Match at WrestleMania XII in 1996. Who would have believed that in 2010 “The Hitman” and “The Heartbreak Kid” would once again be the focal points at WrestleMania? It was evident watching Raw Monday night that the most compelling programs for WrestleMania XXVI are Hart vs. McMahon, and Michaels vs. an opponent to be determined. Of the two, even though Hart-McMahon has something of a surrealistic quality to it, I’m more intrigued by the Michaels angle. A big part of it has to do with the Hart-McMahon storyline being somewhat predictable, while the story line of Michaels being obsessed with facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania has a lot of twists and turns. I also think that too much time may have passed – 12-plus years to be exact – for the Hart-McMahon feud to have as much juice as everyone always believed it would. On Raw, Michaels inadvertently caused DX to lose the WWE unified tag team championship to The Miz and The Big Show in a triple threat elimination match that also included CM Punk and Luke Gallows. That created even more tension between Michaels and partner Triple H. After the match, an unstable Michaels confronted Smackdown general manager Teddy Long and frantically demanded that Long bring him to Smackdown and put him in the elimination chamber match for the world heavyweight title. Long said that he couldn’t do that, and Michaels super-kicked him. Triple H then asked Michaels if he wanted to throw his career away, and Michaels replied, “My career is over” and stormed off. It seems like we could be heading to a match at WrestleMania in which Michaels puts his career on the line against The Undertaker’s streak. That would certainly make their rematch from last year more interesting, but, personally, I’d still rather see Michaels vs. Triple H. Their interaction on this show made me want that match even more. Sure, they have wrestled many times, but it’s been several years since they were in a program together, and this time it would be different in that Michaels would be the heel, which is something I didn’t think would happen. Triple H, surprisingly, has played the concerned friend role very well, which has added a layer to his character. As for the Hart-McMahon segment, I didn’t think it was as good as last week’s. Something just seemed to be a little off with the verbal exchange between McMahon and John Cena. I think it was Cena’s delivery, which was not as intense and realistic as it was during his previous confrontation on the mic with McMahon. Hart appearing at the end of the scene and trashing the set – a recreation of what he did at the 1997 Survivor Series – also seemed a bit flat to me. Again, with so much time having passed since The Montreal Screwjob and with as many times as the angle has been copied, it felt somewhat anti-climactic. Other thoughts on Monday’s show: After all the attention paid to Batista’s brutal attack last week on Cena – including showing the footage twice on Raw – it would have been nice if Cena sold even a hint of a back injury. ... I’m not a NASCAR fan at all, but I liked Carl Edwards as guest host. Unlike previous hosts from NASCAR – Joey Logano and Kyle Busch – Edwards actually had a personality. I love that he took a shot at those two during his promo at the top of the show. By the way, has anyone ever pointed out that Edwards bares a resemblance to Richie Cunningham? Too bad Deuce and Domino and Joanie Laurer are no longer with WWE. ... It was a pleasant surprise to see ECW champion Christian on the show. Well, it was until he lost clean to Sheamus. I get it that Sheamus is the WWE champion and WWE is trying to make him look strong heading into the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on Feb. 21, but there had to be another way. Have him destroy Mark Henry or something. Christian has so much more to offer than Sheamus. It wasn’t all that long away that Sheamus was in a program with Goldust on ECW that did more to get Goldust over than it did him, while Christian was the ECW champion. Bottom line: Sheamus as champion isn’t working and it’s lowering the importance of the title. ... It didn’t surprise me that DX dropped the tag team title, but I thought Punk and Gallows would go over rather than Miz and Big Show. How great would it be to have Punk on both shows on a regular basis? Miz, also the U.S. champion, now gets to walk around with three belts. Considering how bad Miz was when he first started, that’s amazing. ... It’s still unclear where The Legacy story line is going, but it does seem almost certain that Orton will end up as a babyface. Cody Rhodes figures to remain a heel, but I’m not sure which side of the fence Ted DiBiase Jr. will be on, although I’d guess he’ll turn babyface. Rhodes got an unexpected pinfall over Orton, but it came off as a bit of a fluke since it was the result of a distraction by Sheamus. ... It’s nice to see that “The Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase will be getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. It’s well-deserved and overdue. ... When Cena said that he is in the business to experience the rush of being in the moment and that McMahon was just in it for the money, he referenced DiBiase Sr. as a guy who also was in it for the moment. Bad example. DiBiase’s character was the epitome of being all about the money. ... I’ll bet Michael Cole got a stern talking to. He committed the unpardonable sin of calling referee Charles Robinson by name. ... I could have done without Jared the Subway Guy on the show. It did make me hungry for a BMT, though. ... Since WWE’s main angle right now is based on something that happened in 1997, it’s fitting that Jerry Springer will be the host of next week’s show. tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.231404 2010-02-07T18:57:05Z 2010-02-07T18:59:15Z

If Edge and Chris Jericho end up facing each other at WrestleMania XXVI – and I’m pretty sure they will – the road to WrestleMania is going to be a fun ride. The two superstars opened Friday night’s episode of...

Kevin Eck If Edge and Chris Jericho end up facing each other at WrestleMania XXVI – and I’m pretty sure they will – the road to WrestleMania is going to be a fun ride. The two superstars opened Friday night’s episode of Smackdown with an effective verbal confrontation and closed it with another one, whetting the fans’ appetites for a match between them on the grand stage that seems inevitable. Jericho was gold on the mic as always, and Edge did a nice job of playing the babyface role without losing the “edge” that made him such a great heel. It’s too bad Edge got injured shortly after he and Jericho were put together as a tag team last summer and we never got to see their story line play out as it was originally intended. For these two to meet at WrestleMania on March 28, Jericho is likely going to have to win the world heavyweight title in Smackdown’s Elimination Chamber match on pay-per-view in two weeks. By winning the Royal Rumble match last Sunday, Edge is guaranteed a title shot at WrestleMania with the world champion of his choosing. Other thoughts on Friday’s show: The war of words between Edge and Jericho at the end of the show was interrupted by CM Punk, so we had three of the top promo guys in the business with microphones in their hands. Good stuff. The Undertaker also showed up, and after he and Edge cleared the ring during a brief brawl, the two of them stared each other down in the final shot. ... In addition to the Edge-Jericho segments, the entertaining episode featured five Elimination Chamber qualifying matches: John Morrison defeated Kane and Drew McIntyre in a triple threat; R-Truth defeated Mike Knox; CM Punk defeated Batista by countout; Jericho defeated Matt Hardy; and Rey Mysterio defeated Dolph Ziggler. ... I liked the angle in which Batista refused to wrestle Punk and just walked to the back, taking a countout loss. It raised the question of why a guy so obsessed with being champion would give up his only hope of getting a title match at WrestleMania. I’m guessing it will be revealed that Batista was promised a world title match at the pay-per-view after WrestleMania by Vince McMahon for Batista helping McMahon lay out Bret Hart on Raw. ... The footage from last Monday after Raw went off the air was edited to make it appear as if Cena saved Hart from McMahon and Batista, and then Batista came back and laid out Cena. What actually happened was that Cena made the save, but he then wrestled Sheamus in a dark match. Batista jumped Cena during the match, causing a disqualification, and power-bombed him hard on the ring steps. However, Cena still managed to get up and hit the Attitude Adjustment on Sheamus to send the crowd home happy. ... It looks as if the rumors of Cena battling a back injury have been exaggerated. Either that or he is insane. There’s no way to protect yourself when taking a powerbomb from Batista on the steel steps. ... The Mysterio-Ziggler and Morrison-Kane-McIntyre contests were both good, and the Jericho-Hardy match wasn’t bad either. Ziggler is one of the most underrated guys in the business. I really liked the triple threat match because I had no idea who was going to win it. I’m a little surprised that it wasn’t McIntyre. ... In regard to Hardy’s performance in the Royal Rumble match, Todd Grisham said, “There’s no shame in being eliminated by Kane.” No, but being eliminated by anyone 10 seconds after entering the ring is pretty shameful. ... It looks as if WWE is really serious about pushing R-Truth, as he beat Knox in less than two minutes. Normally I would complain about Knox getting squashed, but R-Truth needed to be put over strong. It’s great to see him booked in a high profile pay-per-view match. ... When R-Truth defeated Knox, Grisham breathlessly said, “R-Truth just scored another upset!” Really? R-Truth defeating Jericho could be categorized as an upset, but Knox hasn’t won a match in forever. ... It was nice to see a segment with multiple women cutting promos in the ring. Mickie James and Beth Phoenix both did a nice job on the mic. I think Vickie Guerrero, who interrupted them, set a record by saying “Excuse me!” four times in one promo. ... Phoenix plays the tweener role very well, and I’m looking forward to another program with her and James. I would expect Michelle McCool to remain in the WWE women’s title hunt as well. ... I liked the finish to the tag team match that pitted James and Phoenix against McCool and Layla, who are now known as Simply Flawless. After Phoenix laid out both James and McCool and left the ring, a fresh Layla tried to steal the victory over James, but James caught her in a small package for the three count. That keeps James looking like a resilient champion heading into her showdown with the dominant Phoenix. ... Cryme Tyme’s “Word Up” segment made its return. What’s next, a Pretty Ricky sighting? ... Wow, Jerry Lawler actually said the word “puppies” during his cameo with Cryme Tyme. Since this is the family-friendly era in WWE, I’m guessing he was talking about cute young dogs and not cute young women. tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.231269 2010-02-06T04:20:12Z 2010-02-06T04:22:15Z

After TNA Impact did the highest rating in company history for a Thursday episode last week, it took a step back this week....

Kevin Eck After TNA Impact did the highest rating in company history for a Thursday episode last week, it took a step back this week. Thursday’s episode did a 1.2 rating (1.6 million viewers), down from the previous week’s 1.4 (1.9 million viewers), according to various reports. To put it in perspective, a TNA show that featured marquee names such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle and Mick Foley, barely beat Thursday’s WWE Superstars, which did a 1.0 with an episode that had little star power. I’m guessing Hogan will go with the theory that the rating fell because Bubba The Love Sponge and Sean Morley weren’t on the show and The Nasty Boys only had a cameo. tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.231266 2010-02-06T03:18:30Z 2010-02-06T04:41:19Z

In the climax to Thursday night’s TNA Impact, Scott Hall and Syxx-Pac attacked “bandmate” Kevin Nash after Nash’s hardcore match against Mick Foley, a development that no one could have seen coming. Well, actually, everyone saw it coming, especially since...

Kevin Eck In the climax to Thursday night’s TNA Impact, Scott Hall and Syxx-Pac attacked “bandmate” Kevin Nash after Nash’s hardcore match against Mick Foley, a development that no one could have seen coming. Well, actually, everyone saw it coming, especially since the title of the episode was “Breaking of the Band.” And here I thought Nash was supposed to be the smartest man in wrestling. Doesn’t he know that TNA 2010 is basically WCW 1998? Hall turned on Nash back then, too. Then again, perhaps Vince Russo’s master plan is that this swerve is just part of an even bigger swerve in which Nash joins Hall and Syxx-Pac in a beat-down of Hulk Hogan. Just one question: When does the “Finger-poke of Doom” come into play? Maybe I’m being too snarky. I’ve been accused of always seeing the glass half-empty instead of half-full when it comes to Impact, so let me see if I can change that perception. Here are some positives from the episode: • There was no Bubba The Love Sponge on the show. • Foley and Eric Bischoff were both really good on the mic during their war of words. • The Nasty Boys made an appearance, but at least it was brief and they didn’t speak or wrestle. Actually, that was a little snarky, wasn’t it? • Mr. Anderson looked impressive in his win over Brutus Magnus, as did Samoa Joe in his victory over Jesse Neal. • The Eight-Card Stud tournament is shaping up nicely. So far, Desmond Wolfe, Kurt Angle, Mr. Anderson and Hernandez are in. • Pope D’Angelo Dinero, one of TNA’s most promising young stars, pinned TNA world champion A.J. Styles in a non-title match. One nitpick with that, however: Dinero’s win was somewhat over-shadowed by the post-match angle between Samoa Joe, Styles and Ric Flair. Still, a pinfall over the world champ bodes well for Dinero. • Did I mention Bubba The Love Sponge wasn’t on the show? OK, enough of that. Now let’s get back to the usual negativity. Other thoughts on Thursday’s show: The finish to the Nash-Foley match was pretty silly. Foley was about to KO Nash with a framed picture, but he hesitated because he didn’t want to ruin the caricature of him and Abyss together. Please. Nash took advantage of the momentary lapse by kicking Foley in the head and pinning him. So after all the punishment that we’ve seen Foley absorb over the years, we’re supposed to accept that he was done in by one kick in a two-minute match? ... Foley told Bischoff that he likes just about everyone in wrestling but him, even unpopular guys such as Buff Bagwell, Paul Heyman and Jim “Ultimate Warrior” Hellwig. One of those three guys would be a huge asset for TNA. The other two, though, probably have a lot better odds of ever getting anywhere near the Impact Zone. Can you guess who fits into what category? ... Mr. Anderson knew he would get easy heat with the Impact Zone crowd (I mean cast members) by saying that he was “the future of the four-sided ring.” He even repeated “four-sided ring” just to make sure they got it. ... It wasn’t all that long ago that Styles was upset with Joe for turning heel; now the roles are reversed. I’m sure they’ll have a fine match at the Against All Odds pay-per-view on Feb. 14, but the characters in TNA turn so frequently – especially Joe – that it’s hard to get emotionally invested in them. ... It appeared that Tara had a wardrobe malfunction during her match against Angelina Love, as her chest was digitized. I didn’t know the nip-up was part of her repertoire. ... Bischoff unnecessarily buried Eric Young by acting as if he didn’t know who he was. I get it that Bischoff’s character is supposed to be a smug jerk and he did it to get heat, but the message that comes across is that Young isn’t a star. I think Young has done a good job since turning heel. Plus, he’s a homegrown guy, and TNA needs more of those and less nostalgia acts such as Sean Morley. ... Abyss doing his “Am I gonna be OK?” little-kid bit was embarrassing. ... After Foley told Bischoff that he was the worst announcer in wrestling, Taz said, “He must have never heard of Mike Adamle.” Adamle was horrible for sure, but Taz isn’t exactly Jim Ross himself. ... Not that it’s a big deal, but Angle got the “shame on you, shame on me” saying backwards. ... Just wondering: Whatever happened to the alliance between Team 3D, Rhino and Neal? And is Beer Money still on the roster? tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.231225 2010-02-05T20:08:28Z 2010-02-05T20:20:14Z

• Evan Bourne and Carlito had a very good match – which Bourne won with the Shooting Star Press – to highlight Thursday night’s episode of WWE Superstars. It was a welcome change of pace to see these two in...

Kevin Eck • Evan Bourne and Carlito had a very good match – which Bourne won with the Shooting Star Press – to highlight Thursday night’s episode of WWE Superstars. It was a welcome change of pace to see these two in a match in which both of them had a chance to win rather than playing their usual roles of jobbers to the stars. Bourne is always fun to watch, and the inconsistent Carlito stepped it up in this match. • The Divas tag team match, which saw Alicia Fox and Katie Lea Burchill defeat Kelly Kelly and Eve, was fun as well. It was smoother than a lot of the women’s matches in WWE because they actually had some time (approximately six minutes) to have a match rather than just trying to get in as many spots as possible in two minutes. • Of the three matches that were on the show, the main event, in which The Great Khali, Matt Hardy and John Morrison defeated The Hart Dynasty and Drew McIntyre, was actually the least interesting. It wasn’t bad; it was just kind of there. tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.230954 2010-02-04T01:13:27Z 2010-02-04T01:16:45Z

Tuesday night’s episode of ECW was a newsworthy one. First and foremost, WWE chairman Vince McMahon announced that the ECW brand was going away, which wasn’t a very well-kept secret. He said the show is going off the air in...

Kevin Eck Tuesday night’s episode of ECW was a newsworthy one. First and foremost, WWE chairman Vince McMahon announced that the ECW brand was going away, which wasn’t a very well-kept secret. He said the show is going off the air in three weeks and a new WWE program will take over the time slot. He didn’t provide any specifics, only saying that the show will be “the next evolution of television history.” At least he’s not over-hyping it. The new show will be called WWE NXT (as in next generation) and will feature young talent and fresh faces, according to a report on pwinsider.com that cited sources in WWE. It stands to reason that the roster will consist largely of developmental talent from Florida Championship Wrestling. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Bryan Danielson and Kaval (formerly known as Low Ki) were made the centerpieces of the show, even though they have both been wrestling for more than a decade. I’m interested to hear how the demise of ECW – which debuted on SyFy in June 2006 – will affect ECW champion Christian. I would guess that he will end up on either Raw or Smackdown once WWE NXT premieres. I like the idea of a show focusing on new talent, and while ECW did feature good wrestling a lot of the time, I won’t really miss it that much. Calling it ECW didn’t make sense anyway because it had virtually nothing to do with the original company of that name. The edgy content and hardcore style of wrestling that made the ECW of the 1990s so distinctive were absent in the new ECW, as the show looked like Raw and Smackdown, just with a lot fewer stars. And once talent from the old ECW such as Rob Van Dam, Paul Heyman, Sabu, The Sandman, Balls Mahoney and others were all gone – leaving Tommy Dreamer as the last man standing – it really was silly to keep using the ECW name and logo. Also mentioned on Tuesday’s show was the fact that footage of what happened after Raw went off the air Monday night involving John Cena and Batista will be shown on Smackdown Friday night. The fans who chanted for Cena to make the save that night when Batista and McMahon were beating down Hart got their wish. That virtually guarantees a Hart-Cena vs. McMahon-Batista match at WrestleMania XXVI. Some have suggested that it will be a singles match between Cena and Batista, with Hart and McMahon in their respective corners. That’s a possibility, but I still think it will be a tag match. Yes, Hart and McMahon are physically limited as to what they can do in the ring, but I’m guessing they can do enough to work a tag match. Other thoughts on Tuesday’s show: Christian is really at the top of his game. He was entertaining on the mic during the Abraham Washington segment, and also had a good match with Zack Ryder in the main event. ... Ezekiel Jackson got his heat back after losing to Christian at the Royal Rumble Sunday by laying out the ECW champ at the end of the show. Big Zeke is growing on me more and more. ... I was surprised that Gregory Helms’ arrest was made into a story line. His mug shot was even shown on the big screen. ... William Regal’s delivery was awesome when he asked Helms if he was having a tough week, and then said matter-of-factly, “It’s about to get worse.” Regal and Jackson then proceeded to destroy Helms. ... It was funny when Ryder pie-faced Christian in a realistic-looking way, and then said, “Woo, woo, woo.” Could you imagine someone doing that in a real fight? ... Tony Atlas’ shtick still makes me laugh out loud. I love how he takes shots at Washington and then does his laugh. ... The finish to the Vance Archer-Shelton Benjamin match appeared to be botched. Archer got Benjamin into a pinning position and tried to use the ropes for leverage, but he did it in plain view of the referee and seemed to have trouble gaining his balance. Immediately after that spot, Archer took Benjamin down and pinned him with his feet on the ropes. That wasn’t much better, because Archer’s feet were still on the ropes when the referee looked up to call for the bell. There’s no way he could have missed it. Anyway, since Benjamin won their last encounter, I figured Archer would win to keep the program going. ... Benjamin showed once again that his agility and athleticism are sick. The ease in which he dove over the top rope was very impressive. ... There was a creative spot during Yoshi Tatsu’s win over Trent Barreta. Barreta hit a top rope hurricanrana, and Tatsu rolled through it almost like a sunset flip to get Barreta into a pinning position. Barreta, however, rolled through that and got Tatsu down for a two-count. tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.230917 2010-02-03T21:11:19Z 2010-02-04T03:28:34Z

Baltimore native and former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler returns to the USA Network – but not for an appearance on Raw. She is guest starring in an episode of “Psych” at 10 p.m. “My character is into extreme sports, so...

Kevin Eck “My character is into extreme sports, so I’m white-water rafting and rock climbing," Keibler told me in an interview in November. The episode is titled “Thrill Seekers and Hell Raisers.” Sounds interesting, but I’m guessing it has nothing to do with Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, Road Warrior Hawk and Kensuke Sasaki (some of you will get that). Getty Images photo]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.230743 2010-02-03T02:32:08Z 2010-02-03T02:42:19Z

The featured Ring Posts comment for the week of Jan. 25-31 comes from Barney, who responded to the entry “Raw: WWE tries to get viewers 'psyched about Royal Rumble". Here is Barney's comment:...

Kevin Eck “Raw: WWE tries to get viewers 'psyched about Royal Rumble". Here is Barney's comment:]]> My review of Raw, written from the perspective of Kevin watching Impact: Raw started by rehashing the old 1999 (and other years) storyline of having DX feud within itself, this time over who was going to win the Royal Rumble. Of course, that didn't stop Monday Night Wars veterans Shawn Michaels (who made his WWE debut in 1988) and Triple H (who made his WWE debut in 1995) from dominating the opening segment and defeating young tag team Legacy. Speaking of Legacy, that team wasn't getting along either. What is it with WWE and its insistence on having every tag team feud within itself? Raw continued to allow veterans of the Monday Night Wars to bury young talent. Next was the Big Show - who wrestled in WCW as The Giant - pinning MVP clean. Raw also featured its usual non-sensical booking. It promoted the Royal Rumble match featuring Randy Orton against Seamus by having Orton interfere in Seamus' match and attack him from behind. Since those are actions that only a heel would take, I guess that means Seamus is supposed to be the face in this match. Hard to tell since Seamus was booked as ready and willing to fight Cena, but the match was made by heel McMahon to punish babyface Cena. I almost expected to see Orton invading Seamus' locker room and trashing it while Seamus was gone, and then jumping Seamus as he comes back to confront Orton. The nonsensical booking also included Mr. McMahon playing the billionaire owner who can never be told what to do, informing the crowd he would never let Bret Hart back into the WWE no matter what. Yet somehow Mr. McMahon was then easily convinced by John Cena to have Hart back on the show next week. The show wasn't all bad - this week was the first show since the guest-host format started that didn't involve a wrestler getting beaten up by either the guest host or a midget.]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.230735 2010-02-03T01:11:25Z 2010-02-03T20:37:22Z

There’s no question about who screwed Bret this time. It was Vince McMahon ... and Batista. A compelling closing segment featuring a confrontation between Bret Hart and McMahon – with a surprise appearance by Batista – highlighted a very good...

Kevin Eck There’s no question about who screwed Bret this time. It was Vince McMahon ... and Batista. A compelling closing segment featuring a confrontation between Bret Hart and McMahon – with a surprise appearance by Batista – highlighted a very good episode of Raw Monday night. Both Hart and McMahon cut strong promos on each other before things got physical. Hart was especially good, as he brought up the stroke he suffered in 2002 and how hard he had to work to come back from it. He seemed a little more comfortable on the mic than he did during his appearance a month ago, and he also looked and sounded more like his old self (I think the wet hair had something to do with the familiar look). As McMahon went on and on about how little he thought of Hart, “The Hitman” asked him a few times, “Are you finished?” Finally, after McMahon told Hart that he wasn’t going to put his father into the WWE Hall of Fame because he didn’t deserve it, Hart kicked McMahon in the gut, pulled his jacket over his head and began wailing away on him. The bit with the jacket was a nice touch, as it was a re-creation of a famous televised scuffle between Hart and McMahon in 1997. As Hart was about to put McMahon in the Sharpshooter, Batista hit the ring and attacked Hart. Batista then held Hart down while McMahon spit in his face. He's been waiting 12 years to do that. It will be interesting to hear what Batista’s motivation was for going after Hart. It’s seems likely that the proposed Hart-McMahon match at WrestleMania will be of the tag team variety, which is a good idea considering the respective ages and limitations of McMahon and Hart as in-ring performers. Batista appears to have the spot as McMahon’s partner, but it’s unclear who would be paired with Hart. There was a chant for John Cena to make the save during the attack on Hart, and Cena would make sense since he was the one who talked McMahon into bringing Hart back for Monday’s show. Another possibility for Hart’s partner is his old rival, Shawn Michaels. It was Batista who eliminated Michaels in the Royal Rumble match Sunday, so there is an between the two. Plus, the novelty of seeing Hart and Michaels as partners given their history would probably boost the buy rate. Personally, that’s the scenario I’m hoping for. That way we can still get a fresh matchup between Cena and The Undertaker at WrestleMania rather than a Michaels-Undertaker match two years in a row. Other thoughts on Monday’s show: Hart must not have gotten the memo about WWE going PG. He said the word “ass” three times during his promo. The segment did air after 11 p.m., though. I wonder if McMahon knew that he was going to say that, and if he didn’t, I wonder if there was any heat on Hart for it. ... William Shatner did a nice job as guest host. The spoken word CD and “Raw Negotiator” bits were funny. What I really like about Shatner is that he is perfectly willing to be the butt of the joke – it’s what’s helped keep him relevant. I’m still not sure whether his fall entering the ring was a pratfall or if he just tripped coming through the ropes. ... More Shatner: I can’t believe there were no “Star Trek” skits. I thought for sure we’d see Santino Marella with pointy ears and a Vulcan bowl cut. Perhaps Marella not being on either Sunday’s pay-per-view or Raw is an indication that he was legitimately hurt when he was attacked by Jack Swagger last week. There were reports that after Swagger’s attack, Marella stayed down for several minutes during the commercial break and had to be helped to the back. ... The elimination chamber match for the WWE title at the Elimination Chamber (catchy name) pay-per-view on Feb. 21 is set: Sheamus will defend the title against John Cena, Randy Orton, Triple H, Kofi Kingston and Ted DiBiase Jr. ... Speaking of DiBiase, there wasn’t much of a follow-up on the Legacy angle from the Royal Rumble. Orton and DiBiase had a brief, tense exchange backstage, but Rhodes wasn’t involved at all, which was strange since he was the one who cost Orton his match against Sheamus at the pay-per-view. ... Despite what looked to be the start of a babyface turn at the Rumble, Orton pretty much played his usual character. I actually like that. The turn should be gradual, not something that happens overnight. If and when Orton does become a face, hopefully WWE will let him maintain some of his “Viper” characteristics. When they tried to turn him in 2004, he became a smiling, respectful babyface. It didn’t work, which was no surprise, because that role just doesn’t suit Orton. ... Edge cut a nice promo to open the show. He made a crack about Chris Jericho’s mug shot being on TMZ, and he also referenced Dennis Miller’s awful performance on Raw last December. He said when Jericho made light of his injury on that show, “the room went silent, and not just because Dennis Miller told another joke that bombed.” ... Edge ended up brawling with Sheamus, a tease that the two of them could meet at WrestleMania. No way. ... In three of the elimination chamber qualifying matches, the winner was easy to predict (Cena over Rhodes, Triple H over Swagger, DiBiase over Mark Henry), while the other two – Orton vs. Michaels, Kingston vs. The Big Show – were more competitive match-ups. For story line purposes, Michaels had to lose, so it made sense to put him in with someone of Orton’s caliber. I liked the finish to the match, as Orton rolled Michaels up for the pin after Michael did his “vintage Shawn Michaels” nip-up. ... Michaels did a good job of selling his despair after losing to Orton. It almost seems as if WWE is setting him up for a heel turn. I’m very interested to see where this is going. Before Michaels’ match against Orton, Triple H told him that he would love it if they wrestled each other at WrestleMania and tore the house down together. The fact that a Michaels-Triple H match was teased makes me think that it’s probably not happening. ... While Triple H defeating Swagger was a foregone conclusion, at least Triple H gave him a lot of offense. Swagger actually controlled the match before his cockiness cost him the victory. I would like to have seen Swagger wrestle someone else and get into the chamber match, but there’s really no one I would take out of it – except for Sheamus, but he’s the champion, so he has to be in it. ... Big Show was not moving well during his match against Kingston (no jokes please about him never moving well). Kingston was off his game a bit, too, as he slipped climbing the ropes and then delivered a dropkick off the top that missed the mark. The ending to the match was weird. Big Show was disqualified for inadvertently hitting the referee, which made him come off as a sympathetic figure and made Kingston’s win look like a fluke. ... The video tribute to the late Jack Brisco was well done. ... Oh great, there’s going to be another NASCAR guy hosting Raw next week. Yeah, because the last two guys did such a fantastic job. tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.230536 2010-02-01T21:15:27Z 2010-02-04T02:16:15Z

Jack Brisco, one of pro wrestling's top stars in the 1970s, died today due to complications from open heart surgery, according to multiple reports. He was 68. Brisco had undergone the surgery a few weeks ago, and a little over...

Kevin Eck Jack Brisco, one of pro wrestling's top stars in the 1970s, died today due to complications from open heart surgery, according to multiple reports. He was 68. Brisco had undergone the surgery a few weeks ago, and a little over a week ago he collapsed while undergoing rehab and was in rough shape, according to wrestlingobserver.com. There are no further details at this point. For longtime fans as well as younger fans who know the industry’s history, Brisco’s name is synonymous with wrestling excellence. His long program with then-NWA world champion Dory Funk Jr. in the early 70s is considered the standard for outstanding technical wrestling. Shortly after winning the 1965 NCAA wrestling championship at 191 pounds while at Oklahoma State, Brisco made a seamless transition from amateur to pro wrestler. Regarded as one of the greatest in-ring workers of all time, Brisco won the NWA world title – which at the time was considered the true world championship – from Harley Race in July 1973 and held it for nearly a year and a half, except for a week in December 1974 when he lost and then regained the title from Shoehei “Giant” Baba in Japan. In addition to being a singles star in various NWA territories into the early 80s, he also formed a very successful tag team with his brother, Gerald “Jerry” Brisco. In any discussion about the greatest tag teams of all time, the Briscos and the Funks (Terry and Dory Jr.) are often the first two mentioned. The Briscos had a classic feud against Rick Steamboat and Jay Youngblood over the NWA world tag team title in 1983, culminating in a match at the inaugural Starrcade that was billed just below the NWA world title match between Race and Ric Flair. The Brisco brothers also played a huge role behind the scenes in changing the course of wrestling history. In 1984, Jack and Jerry gained a majority interest in Georgia Championship Wrestling and sold the company to Vince McMahon, which resulted in the WWF taking over the coveted 6:05 p.m. Saturday time slot on SuperStation TBS. A year later, McMahon sold the slot to Jim Crockett Promotions. In the 1970s, the Briscos discovered a twenty-something blonde-haired muscleman in Florida who was interested in becoming a pro wrestler. The young man’s name was Terry Bollea. They referred him to trainer Hiro Matsuda, and Bollea eventually became the biggest star in wrestling history as Hulk Hogan. Having grown up in Baltimore, a traditional WWWF/WWF city, I only got to see Jack Brisco wrestle in person on a couple occasions, although I knew about him from wrestling magazines. When I began following wrestling, Brisco, Bruno Sammartino (WWWF) and Verne Gagne (AWA) were the three world champions. I was excited the first time I actually got to see the legendary Brisco in action. It was April 1984 at The Baltimore Arena shortly after the Georgia territory began expanding into the Northeast. Brisco was in the main event, challenging another superstar who I had never seen in person until that night for the NWA world title – Flair. After the Briscos had cut the deal with McMahon for the sale of Georgia Championship Wrestling in the summer of ’84, the Briscos came to the WWF as a tag team later that year, and I saw them unsuccessfully challenge then-WWF tag team champions Dick Murdoch and Adrian Adonis at the Arena. Jack Brisco retired not long after that at 43. According to The Wrestling Observer, while the Briscos were wrestling in the WWF in late ’84, there was a blizzard in the Northeast and Jack told his brother that he was flying home and calling it a career. He never wrestled again. The Briscos were inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008, and Jack also is a member of The Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame and the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. I extend my condolences to Brisco’s family and friends. tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.230413 2010-02-01T10:09:22Z 2010-02-01T10:44:46Z

I don’t think the “big surprise” of Edge showing up as a participant in the Royal Rumble match at Sunday night’s pay-per-view was really much of a surprise to most fans, but Edge winning the Rumble certainly was – at...

Kevin Eck I don’t think the “big surprise” of Edge showing up as a participant in the Royal Rumble match at Sunday night’s pay-per-view was really much of a surprise to most fans, but Edge winning the Rumble certainly was – at least for me. Edge – who had been out of action since suffering a torn Achilles tendon last July – drew No. 29 in the 30-man contest, and he immediately eliminated former tag team partner Chris Jericho, which is exactly what I and probably everyone else who expected an Edge appearance believed would happen. When it came down to Edge, John Cena and Batista as the final three, I turned to my wife and said it’s going to Cena who wins, or maybe Batista, but it definitely won’t be Edge. I should have heeded the old adage that it’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. Edge won the 30-man Royal Rumble match: The star of the match in the early going was CM Punk. He entered the ring at No. 3 and quickly eliminated Evan Bourne and Dolph Ziggler. He went on to throw out three others (JTG, Zack Ryder and surprise entrant Beth Phoenix), and every time he cleared the ring, he cut a promo about “saving” people. That was great stuff and it made Punk stand out, but I wish he would have lasted longer. Triple H came out at No. 8 and put an end to the fun by tossing out Punk at around the 12-minute mark. … Before she was thrown out by Punk, Phoenix eliminated The Great Khali by putting a liplock on him and pulling him over the top rope. … MVP was No. 14, but before he could even get in the ring, The Miz attacked him on the ramp and he was taken to the back. Miz came out two spots later, and MVP hit the ring and clothes-lined Miz over the top, with his momentum carrying him over as well. They continued to brawl to the back, so it appears that their program isn’t finished. … Matt Hardy was the 17th man to enter and in a matter of seconds he was thrown out by Kane. Talk about what a difference a year makes. At last year’s Rumble, Hardy turned on his brother Jeff to kick off the biggest singles push of his career. Now he is buried deep. … Shawn Michaels was No. 19, and he eliminated six guys in succession (Carlito, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase Jr., John Morrison, Drew McIntytre and Triple H). The announcers pointed out that Triple H had saved Michaels from being eliminated by John Cena right before Michaels eliminated Triple H. … R-Truth was No. 25, and he took out The Big Show and Mark Henry simultaneously, which was a nice feather in his cap. … Jack Swagger came out next, and he started like a house of fire, hitting moves on R-Truth, Cena and Michaels. Before he could eliminate anyone, however, he was thrown over the top by Kofi Kingston, who was in at No. 27. Kingston was eliminated by Cena, which the crowd didn’t like. … That left Cena, Michaels and Chris Jericho – who was No. 28 – in the ring with two entrants still to go. When it was time for No. 29, Edge’s music hit and the crowd popped. Jericho (who was sporting a shiner, possibly from his much-publicized incident with Gregory “Hurricane” Helms last week) had a look of disbelief and fear as Edge charged the ring and quickly disposed of him. … Batista was the last one in, and he eliminated Michaels, who totally snapped and attacked two referees as he kept asking for “one more chance” before finally going to the back. … Cena eliminated Batista, which left longtime rivals Cena and Edge as the final two. Edge went for a spear but Cena caught him with a kick to the stomach. Cena then charged at Edge, but Edge sidestepped him and threw him out for the win. ... It was a fun match, but there have been better Rumble matches. It was interesting that no one with a low number lasted a long time this year. World heavyweight champion The Undertaker defeated Rey Mysterio: This is pretty much what you would expect from these two: a good match in which Mysterio put up a courageous fight against his much larger opponent before finally succumbing. Mysterio really took it to The Undertaker, who had a lot of blood coming from his nose, which made for a great visual. I guess nosebleeds are allowed in WWE, as there were no medics running in the ring to shove cotton swabs up The Undertaker’s nostrils. After hitting consecutive 619’s – one on each side of the ring – Mysterio attempted to springboard off the top rope, but he was caught by The Undertaker, who hit The Last Ride for the win. WWE champion Sheamus defeated Randy Orton by disqualification: Before the match, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. went to Orton separately and said that they had his back while selling out the other. Orton later told them not to interfere because he wanted to beat Sheamus by himself. There wasn’t a lot of heat during the match because the majority of fans just don’t buy Sheamus as a world champion. The crowd was behind Orton and there was a “Randy” chant early. Later, I think there were about three people chanting “Let’s go Sheamus.” The match had a slow pace and was only average at best. Sheamus focused his attack on Orton’s arm, while Orton targeted Sheamus’ knee. Orton did a great job of selling his arm, but Sheamus was inconsistent in selling his knee. The finish and post-match happenings were the real story. At about the 12-minute mark, Rhodes came down to ringside and attacked Sheamus right in front of the referee, making it appear as if he may have intentionally gotten Orton disqualified. While the referee chastised Rhodes, Orton hit the RKO on Sheamus and covered him. The referee, however, called for the bell and awarded the match to Sheamus. Orton attacked Rhodes after the match, and when DiBiase tried to intervene, Orton laid him out, too. When Orton turned around, Sheamus nailed him with a bicycle kick. There are several directions this story line could go from here. DiBiase came off looking less like a heel than Rhodes, so I could see DiBiase turning babyface and wrestling Rhodes at WrestleMania, while a babyface Orton challenges Sheamus for the WWE title (although the speculation is that the plan is for Sheamus to face Triple H at WrestleMania). Or, DiBiase and Rhodes could both remain heels and feud with Orton. The long-rumored Orton-DiBiase singles match at WrestleMania doesn’t seem likely. ECW champion Christian defeated Ezekiel Jackson: This match, which opened the show, was a lot better than most probably expected. There were several signs during the course of the match that pointed to a Christian victory. Right off the bat, color commentator Matt Striker said, “How can Ezekiel lose?” Then William Regal was ordered by the referee to go to the back, so my theory about outside interference costing Christian the match was out the window. Jackson also was getting an awful lot of near falls, but he couldn’t keep Christian down for a three count. The match told a good story, as Christian tried to counter Jackson’s substantial size and power advantage by using stick-and-move tactics. Christian absorbed everything Jackson dished out, and in the end, the savvy veteran overcame the inexperienced powerhouse. In his biggest match to date, Jackson made a good accounting of himself. U.S. champion The Miz defeated MVP: Smackdown general manager Teddy Long made this match early in the show. The match was fine, but it only went about seven minutes and seemed more like a TV match than a pay-per-view contest. Miz won with a small package after catching MVP off guard as MVP was coming through the ropes. Miz retaining the title was not a surprise, as is he clearly higher than MVP in the pecking order at this point. MVP did get some heat back by hitting The Playmaker on Miz after the match, although he got a lot of boos for it. Mickie James defeated WWE women’s champion Michelle McCool to win the title: After McCool hurled more insults at James on the mic and Layla came out in the fat suit, James ran down the ramp and immediately jumped on Layla. Once the bell ring, McCool attempted to kick James but she missed and nailed Layla, who was standing on the apron. James than hit a big DDT on McCool for the win in 23 seconds. After the match was over, several female babyfaces came out with a big cake, and James smashed it in the faces of McCool and Layla, who both sold it great. After all the humiliation she had suffered as of late, it was a sweet victory for James, and McCool and Layla finally got their just deserts. The only drawback to the quick finish is that it almost came off like a fluke victory. I’d like to see McCool get a rematch and this time have James score a decisive win in a longer match. Here is the order of entrance for the Royal Rumble match, with the order of elimination in parentheses: 1. Dolph Ziggler (2) 2. Evan Bourne (1) 3. CM Punk (7) 4. JTG (3) 5. The Great Khali (4) 6. Beth Phoenix (5) 7. Zack Ryder (6) 8. Triple H (17) 9. Drew McIntyre (16) 10. Ted DiBiase Jr. (14) 11. John Morrison (15) 12. Kane (11) 13. Cody Rhodes (13) 14. MVP (T-8) 15. Carlito (12) 16. The Miz (T-8) 17. Matt Hardy (10) 18. Shawn Michaels (27) 19. John Cena (29) 20. Shelton Benjamin (18) 21. Yoshi Tatsu (19) 22. The Big Show (T-21) 23. Mark Henry (T-21) 24. Chris Masters (20) 25. R-Truth (24) 26. Jack Swagger (23) 27. Kofi Kingston (25) 28. Chris Jericho (26) 29. Edge (winner) 30. Batista (28)]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.230379 2010-01-31T22:33:59Z 2010-01-31T22:37:46Z

The road to WrestleMania XXVI officially begins with tonight’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, so with the event just hours away, I thought it would be fun put together a WrestleMania XXVI card based on what I think might happen at the...

Kevin Eck The road to WrestleMania XXVI officially begins with tonight’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, so with the event just hours away, I thought it would be fun put together a WrestleMania XXVI card based on what I think might happen at the Rumble. Actually, this is more what I’d like to see at WrestleMania; I don’t necessarily believe this is really how the card will end up. First, I’ll reiterate the predictions for the Rumble that I made this morning. I have John Cena winning the Rumble match, with Triple H and Shawn Michaels causing each other’s elimination; The Undertaker retaining the world heavyweight title against Rey Mysterio; and Randy Orton winning the WWE title from Sheamus. World heavyweight title: The Undertaker vs. John Cena WWE title: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels Street fight: Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon Edge vs. Chris Jericho Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase Jr. Hair vs. Mask: CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio Batista vs. Kane Money in the Bank ladder match: Kofi Kingston, Sheamus, The Big Show, John Morrison, Shelton Benjamin, Christian, Cody Rhodes, Ezekiel Jackson Intercontinental champion Drew McIntyre and U.S. champion The Miz vs. R-Truth and MVP (the stipulation is that if either McIntyre or Miz get pinned, they both lose their titles) Tag team battle royal (winners receive a future shot at unified tag team champs – assuming none of these teams are already champs): The Hart Dynasty, Cryme Tyme, Trent Baretta and Caylen Croft, Matt Hardy and The Great Khali, Mark Henry and Evan Bourne, Dolph Ziggler and Mike Knox, Jack Swagger and Carlito, Santino Marella and Chris Masters Some type of divas match Note: Obviously, there are some problems with this card. I have 11 matches listed. Even if one is a dark match (probably the tag team battle royal), that’s almost certainly too many. At last year’s WrestleMania, nine matches were scheduled, and one of those – John Morrison and The Miz vs. Carlito and Primo – ended up being bumped and made a dark match). A possible way to get just about everyone on the card would be to have one of the matches be a lumberjack match.]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.230360 2010-01-31T07:18:40Z 2010-01-31T07:23:21Z

Predictions for tonight’s WWE pay-per-view: 30-man Royal Rumble match: Judging by recent episodes of Raw and Smackdown, it looks as if the final four will be Batista, John Cena, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. I’m guessing Michaels and Triple H...

Kevin Eck 30-man Royal Rumble match: Judging by recent episodes of Raw and Smackdown, it looks as if the final four will be Batista, John Cena, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. I’m guessing Michaels and Triple H will end up causing each other’s elimination, leaving Batista and Cena. I’m going with Cena. ]]> World heavyweight champion The Undertaker vs. Rey Mysterio: It would be a major shocker if Mysterio beat The Undertaker. I don’t see it happening, although I do expect Mysterio to put up a good fight and get some near falls, as he almost always does when he loses to a big man. WWE champion Sheamus vs. Randy Orton: This rare heel vs. heel title matchup is a tough one to call. I can envision a few scenarios. One is that Legacy tries to interfere on Orton’s behalf, but it backfires and allows Sheamus to get the win, thus adding to the tension between Orton, Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes. Another is that the match ends in a double disqualification. Of course, the best scenario is that WWE gets the belt off Sheamus and puts it on Orton. That’s the one I’m predicting (hoping) will happen. ECW champion Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson: My first thought was that this was going to be another successful title defense for Christian, who has held the championship for six months. After thinking about it some more, however, I’m thinking Jackson pulls the upset due to outside interference by William Regal. With the possible exception of Vance Archer, Christian has defeated every legitimate challenger on the ECW roster, so it’s probably time for a change. Plus, WWE has been building up Jackson as an unbeatable monster, and Regal costing Christian the title plays into the ongoing story line of Regal’s obsession with possessing the championship in one form or another. WWE women’s champion Michelle McCool vs. Mickie James: This is what I wrote in my preview of the McCool-James match at the TLC pay-per-view last month: “After the way McCool and Layla have taunted and humiliated James on TV, James has to win the title tonight, doesn’t she? Well, it wouldn’t surprise me if she didn’t, but I’m predicting she will.” Second time’s the charm.]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.230352 2010-01-31T00:25:57Z 2010-01-31T00:31:05Z

During an appearance on The Bubba The Love Sponge show Friday, neither Hulk Hogan nor Eric Bischoff would confirm The Wrestling Observer report from earlier in the week that TNA Impact will move permanently to Mondays beginning with a live...

Kevin Eck During an appearance on The Bubba The Love Sponge show Friday, neither Hulk Hogan nor Eric Bischoff would confirm The Wrestling Observer report from earlier in the week that TNA Impact will move permanently to Mondays beginning with a live show March 1. “March 1st would be perfect, but nothing has been confirmed,” Hogan said, according to a transcript of the show on pwinsider.com. “We will keep pushing and raising the bar so they will have to say yes.” Added Bischoff: “I haven't heard that we are going live, except from what I read on the Internet.” On SpikeTV’s programming schedule on its Web site, it has TBD (to be determined) listed for 9 p.m. on March 1, although Spike usually doesn’t list specific programming for Mondays at that time anyway because it does not have a regularly scheduled show in that slot. More curious is the fact that the Web site does not have Impact listed in its usual slot on Thursday, March 4. UFC Fight for the Troops is scheduled from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. that night, with Playbook set for 9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. My take: The Wrestling Observer got it right, but Hogan and Bischoff don’t want to say anything until an official announcement is made. tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2010:/sports/wrestling/blog//103.230347 2010-01-30T22:21:47Z 2010-01-30T22:54:58Z

There was a lot to like about Friday night’s episode of Smackdown. It featured four strong matches – three of which were fresh matchups – involving top guys, as well as some good talking segments. More importantly, it did an...

Kevin Eck There was a lot to like about Friday night’s episode of Smackdown. It featured four strong matches – three of which were fresh matchups – involving top guys, as well as some good talking segments. More importantly, it did an excellent job of selling Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. The highlight was the main event match between Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio, two superstars and top-notch workers who have rarely been in the ring together. When the show opened, Smackdown general manager Teddy Long said that unified WWE tag team champion DX’s title defense against CM Punk and Luke Gallows was off, and instead Punk would be facing Triple H, and Michaels would wrestle Mysterio. Bait and switch tactics are one of my biggest pet peeves, but I certainly can’t complain about the two singles matches. I’m not sure why WWE changed its mind on the tag team match, though. In addition to Michaels-Mysterio and Triple H-Punk, Smackdown also had a match between Intercontinental champion Drew McIntyre and John Morrison for the title, and Chris Jericho against R-Truth. Other thoughts on Friday’s show: Both the Michaels-Mysterio and Triple H-Punk matches ended in disqualifications rather than pinfalls, but I wouldn’t have booked them any differently. I was worried that Punk was going to have to do the job, so my hope was that Gallows and or/Serena would interfere to lead to a DQ, and that’s what happened. There was no way Triple H was going to put Punk over, and he really shouldn’t have, as he needs to be booked strong heading into the Rumble. By the way, I think Serena is a great addition to Punk’s entourage. She’s not a bad-looking bald chick either. ... The Undertaker simultaneously choke-slamming Michaels and Mysterio was a good way to end the show. It played into the idea that both Michaels and Mysterio are underdogs in their matches at the Rumble. ... DX, Mysterio and Punk all did a nice job on the mic in the opening segment. With Michaels, Triple H and Punk it’s to be expected, but Mysterio has surprisingly developed into a decent – not great, but solid – promo guy. ... I was very happy to see R-Truth get a pinfall on Jericho. It’s his biggest win to date in WWE. Kudos to Jericho for always being a team player. You can tell that he is so confident in his abilities and secure with himself that he has no problem putting anyone over. ... Speaking of big wins, McIntyre scored one against Morrison in a match that came across like the blow-off to their program. Keeping the belt on McIntyre is probably the right call. He needs it to help him get over, whereas Morrison will likely be over the same with or without the belt. As an aside, I couldn’t believe that Morrison actually said in his pre-match promo that he earned his spot and wasn’t hand-picked by management and “pedigreed into a top spot.” I hope for his sake that line was scripted and not an ab-lib. ... I liked the stare-down with Triple H and Batista backstage and their physical confrontation at the end of the show. There’s a lot of history between them, and it obviously teased a confrontation during the Rumble match. ... What was up with Batista’s outfit? Was that “The Animal” or The Great Gatsby? ... Did anyone believe for one second that Punk was actually going shave off even one strand of Triple H’s hair? Also, did I hear Todd Grisham say that Triple H is a 14-time world champion? I’m pretty sure it’s 13, but who’s counting (besides Triple H)? ... More Grisham: He said that R-Truth’s favorite Royal Rumble match was in 1992 because it was won by Ric Flair and they are both from North Carolina. I was surprised that Flair’s name was mentioned on a WWE program since he now works for TNA. Matt Striker quickly downplayed it by saying that 1992 was over; this is 2010. ... The Piggy James skit with Michelle McCool and Layla was mildly amusing, but it probably went on a bit too long.