WWE Vengeance 2005 Preview
WWE's Vengeance is set to begin in approximately 7 hours. On paper this could be a very middle on the road pay per view. There should be some strong matches and moments but other aspects worry me a little. Here are the matches and my thoughts, hopes and predictions on the card.
World Heavyweight Champion Batista vs. Triple H (Hell in a Cell)
This feud has been going strong since the day after the Royal Rumble — officially anyway. Prior to that the company had been teasing the upcoming feud and Batista face turn. Whatever the result of this match I hope it is the end of the feud for quite a while. From a company standpoint, Batista needs to win. They've invested a lot of time and money into developing him into this role. Because of how long this feud has been he hasn't really gotten the opportunity to show more of his personality. We know that Triple H considers this to be "his" match but fans just aren't buying it. A loss in the Cell won't damage his career in the least. And giving the win to Batista can allow the company to move forward in a new era of Raw. Prediction: I think Batista should win but I won't be surprised if he doesn't.
Kane vs. Edge (w/Lita)
What can be said about this that hasn't been said already? The worst part is that they simply don't have good matches together. Remember Edge's return last year around Backlash and the small feud with Kane? Not much better. They seemingly don't have any chemistry in the ring together. Even with the addition of Lita at ringside to act as spoiler I don't expect the match quality to improve. Prediction: Edge so the feud can continue.
WWE Champion John Cena vs. Christian vs. Chris Jericho
This is probably the most important match on the card from a company standpoint. Here we have in Jericho one veteran returning to form and possibly the top of the card again. One veteran in Christian who is connecting with the audience in a major way the past few months. And a star who can possibly reignite the wrestling industry in Cena with the strong crowd response he is getting. So who do you give the title too? They all deserve it. All three can carry the ball. And all three have a really strong connection with the crowd.
It isn't too much of a stretch to think that the winner of this match will be drafted to SmackDown this Thursday. So who will it be? As much as the crowd likes Cena he just hasn't been performing up to snuff in the ring the past year. Both Raw and Smackdown have the roster depth to hide this shortcoming. But Jericho is close to signing a new contract (if he hasn't already). He's proven he can carry the ball and is willing to elevate other wrestlers. That seems to be Smackdown's milieu. Jericho in SmackDown's main event or uppercard can be just what the brand needs. Then there is Christian whose star is rising faster than probably anybody else's in recent memory. He's a proven performer in the ring and is one of the best superstars in the WWE at getting an angle over. With him at the helm it sends a very strong message to the lockerroom that paying your dues and doing what is asked can result in good things if you are willing to learn and improve.
Prediction: Rough. Very, very rough. I'm going with Christian and a move to SmackDown with him on Thursday. I also expect he and Cena to continue their feud while on seperate brands leading to a match at SummerSlam.
Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels
This should be the best match on the card/ Their WrestleMania match tore the house down and is going down as one of the best matches of all time. How do they follow up? Kurt says he told Vince not to make it a Last Man Standing match which is a smart move. These guys can wrestle so let them wrestle without the frills. Prediction: The fans win. Besides that, from a writing standpoint it would make more sense for Kurt to win. Allowing Kurt to have two wins and no losses over Shawn can be a very, very strong seed for a future storyline.
Intercontinental Champion Carlito vs. Shelton Benjamin
First, let me just say that I hope they bring back the other two C's of Carlito's name. As to this match, I have no idea what to expect besides a Carlito win. Some other columnist on one of the sheetsites was predicting Snitsky to help out Carlito but I don't think it will. I see Christian moving to SmackDown and Tyson Tomko becoming Cartlio's new bodyguard. Prediction: Shelton puts on a hell of a performance but Carlito ekes out a win.
Victoria vs. Christy
Oy vey. Ok, first off, nobody is buying Christy as a serious competitor in the ring at this time. I hope WWE realizes this. She may be nice, pretty, whatever, but she looks so non-threatening and obviously doesn't have the ring skills yet to make this match interesting. I have an idea their going to abandon the "angry" Christy stuff in favor of something more believable. WWE had to notice the fac pops Victoria has been getting for beating up the non-wrestling Divas a couple weeks ago and with her attack on Christy. So what could they do? Bring back somebody who hates Victoria even more: Trish Stratus. Prediction: No contest.
In addition we're supposed to be seeing the next step in the Viscera/Lillian angle which I am really looking forward to.
A few other comments: What about a tg title match? They have a few make shirt tag teams in Maven/Simon Dean, Regal/Tajiri and a "real" tag team in the Heart Throbs. So will they have something on Heat? Wait and see I think. In any case, I don't expect Hurricane and Rosey to lose the tag titles for a while simply because there really isn't anything for the tag titles to do besides just sit around their waists. The tag title situation hasn't been this bad on Raw since 1995.
Overall, the pay per view should be interesting with a few high spots and a few low. They've had more than enough time to put more into the pay per view despite the draft being firmly around it. I can see why they didn't want to have too many storylines leading in because of that but the tag title situation, for example, is one that could have been developed for it. My expectations are sorta of low especially after the amazing ECW: One Night Stand but I could be surprised by some steller performances. Unfortunately, this seems to be a story driven pay per view rather than in-ring driven. That isn't necessarily bad but it doesn't allow for a truly standout experience which is a shame given the use of Hell in the Cell and some potentially great matches.
World Heavyweight Champion Batista vs. Triple H (Hell in a Cell)
This feud has been going strong since the day after the Royal Rumble — officially anyway. Prior to that the company had been teasing the upcoming feud and Batista face turn. Whatever the result of this match I hope it is the end of the feud for quite a while. From a company standpoint, Batista needs to win. They've invested a lot of time and money into developing him into this role. Because of how long this feud has been he hasn't really gotten the opportunity to show more of his personality. We know that Triple H considers this to be "his" match but fans just aren't buying it. A loss in the Cell won't damage his career in the least. And giving the win to Batista can allow the company to move forward in a new era of Raw. Prediction: I think Batista should win but I won't be surprised if he doesn't.
Kane vs. Edge (w/Lita)
What can be said about this that hasn't been said already? The worst part is that they simply don't have good matches together. Remember Edge's return last year around Backlash and the small feud with Kane? Not much better. They seemingly don't have any chemistry in the ring together. Even with the addition of Lita at ringside to act as spoiler I don't expect the match quality to improve. Prediction: Edge so the feud can continue.
WWE Champion John Cena vs. Christian vs. Chris Jericho
This is probably the most important match on the card from a company standpoint. Here we have in Jericho one veteran returning to form and possibly the top of the card again. One veteran in Christian who is connecting with the audience in a major way the past few months. And a star who can possibly reignite the wrestling industry in Cena with the strong crowd response he is getting. So who do you give the title too? They all deserve it. All three can carry the ball. And all three have a really strong connection with the crowd.
It isn't too much of a stretch to think that the winner of this match will be drafted to SmackDown this Thursday. So who will it be? As much as the crowd likes Cena he just hasn't been performing up to snuff in the ring the past year. Both Raw and Smackdown have the roster depth to hide this shortcoming. But Jericho is close to signing a new contract (if he hasn't already). He's proven he can carry the ball and is willing to elevate other wrestlers. That seems to be Smackdown's milieu. Jericho in SmackDown's main event or uppercard can be just what the brand needs. Then there is Christian whose star is rising faster than probably anybody else's in recent memory. He's a proven performer in the ring and is one of the best superstars in the WWE at getting an angle over. With him at the helm it sends a very strong message to the lockerroom that paying your dues and doing what is asked can result in good things if you are willing to learn and improve.
Prediction: Rough. Very, very rough. I'm going with Christian and a move to SmackDown with him on Thursday. I also expect he and Cena to continue their feud while on seperate brands leading to a match at SummerSlam.
Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels
This should be the best match on the card/ Their WrestleMania match tore the house down and is going down as one of the best matches of all time. How do they follow up? Kurt says he told Vince not to make it a Last Man Standing match which is a smart move. These guys can wrestle so let them wrestle without the frills. Prediction: The fans win. Besides that, from a writing standpoint it would make more sense for Kurt to win. Allowing Kurt to have two wins and no losses over Shawn can be a very, very strong seed for a future storyline.
Intercontinental Champion Carlito vs. Shelton Benjamin
First, let me just say that I hope they bring back the other two C's of Carlito's name. As to this match, I have no idea what to expect besides a Carlito win. Some other columnist on one of the sheetsites was predicting Snitsky to help out Carlito but I don't think it will. I see Christian moving to SmackDown and Tyson Tomko becoming Cartlio's new bodyguard. Prediction: Shelton puts on a hell of a performance but Carlito ekes out a win.
Victoria vs. Christy
Oy vey. Ok, first off, nobody is buying Christy as a serious competitor in the ring at this time. I hope WWE realizes this. She may be nice, pretty, whatever, but she looks so non-threatening and obviously doesn't have the ring skills yet to make this match interesting. I have an idea their going to abandon the "angry" Christy stuff in favor of something more believable. WWE had to notice the fac pops Victoria has been getting for beating up the non-wrestling Divas a couple weeks ago and with her attack on Christy. So what could they do? Bring back somebody who hates Victoria even more: Trish Stratus. Prediction: No contest.
In addition we're supposed to be seeing the next step in the Viscera/Lillian angle which I am really looking forward to.
A few other comments: What about a tg title match? They have a few make shirt tag teams in Maven/Simon Dean, Regal/Tajiri and a "real" tag team in the Heart Throbs. So will they have something on Heat? Wait and see I think. In any case, I don't expect Hurricane and Rosey to lose the tag titles for a while simply because there really isn't anything for the tag titles to do besides just sit around their waists. The tag title situation hasn't been this bad on Raw since 1995.
Overall, the pay per view should be interesting with a few high spots and a few low. They've had more than enough time to put more into the pay per view despite the draft being firmly around it. I can see why they didn't want to have too many storylines leading in because of that but the tag title situation, for example, is one that could have been developed for it. My expectations are sorta of low especially after the amazing ECW: One Night Stand but I could be surprised by some steller performances. Unfortunately, this seems to be a story driven pay per view rather than in-ring driven. That isn't necessarily bad but it doesn't allow for a truly standout experience which is a shame given the use of Hell in the Cell and some potentially great matches.
posted by Stefan at 12:44 PM
2 Comments:
I would say Batista goes to Smackdown twith the World title and think it probably should happen. But that causes a logistical problem with the belt names on the shows. WWE Championship and World tag team championship on Raw. Meanwhile SmackDown would have the World Championship and the WWE tag team championships. The title situation is hard to remember as it is. I'm probably way, waaaaaaay off with my predictions but I am thinking in terms of how I would do it rather than the company standpoint.
And I agree with the problem on Raw. It's just about the opposite of how SmackDown always is. IMO, I think SD's way is healthier for the product. Why not move Kane to SD? It could solve a few problems anyway.
- DAAAAAAAAVE vs. HHH: If this match lasts more than 20 minutes, it's gonna blow. It'll be good for Batista's career if he went to Smackdown without the belt, as much as it pains me to say.
- Kurt vs. Shawn: HBK gets his win back and steals the show.
- Kane vs. Edge: I seriously doubt that Vince will continue this feud, but then again, who will Edge feud wiyth afterwards. I can only see Batista, and that is if he stays on RAW.
- Cena vs. Xtian vs. Y2J: I want CC to win, but I'm not holding my breath. Y2J wins it here in a 3 star match and goes to SD!. They spent too much time on CC and Cena, and to waste it all on a Triangle match is foolish. But then again, this is WWE Creative.
- Shelton vs. Carlito: Shelton has done it all with the belt, except get a push and be in an angle. So I think it's wise to have him move on without the belt. Besides, Carlito will need the push, because he's cool.
- Victoria vs. Christy: *Farts*
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