With the Shotgun relaunch and after just coming off Wrestlemania, we thought it would be a great idea to bring all the wrestling minds on the site together, knock each other’s heads in, and come up with our PPV predictions for this Sunday’s WWE Backlash in Atlanta, GA. Starring in this prognostication of sports entertainment are myself, Lyrical Lounge editor and lifelong Hulkamaniac Jonathan Birdsong, fellow wrestling contributor Corey Henson, and reviewer and former booker for World 1 South AWA Steven Ekstrom.

The Russ: First of all, let’s talk about WWE scrapping the brand-only PPV format starting with this show. What do you guys think about that?

Eks: I think this was LONG overdue. At times it is painfully obvious that their “favored” talent was on the live television programming and their “other” group (made up of gimmicky wrestlers and smaller, faster cruisers) were dumped over onto Smackdown. Why they had two tag team titles will always be a mystery to me.  It really came down to necessity, I’m sure–too many wrestlers, not enough time on television.

I feel like we’ll get to see more “important” matches. It’ll put prestige back on the titles matches themselves and give the shows “air to breathe” for better build up to PPV pay-off.

Corey: I’m still in favor of having split brands, if only because it keeps the main eventers from taking all the television time away from the midcard. Eliminating brand-specific pay-per-views means that only a handful of workers will get spots on the card (enjoy your Sunday off days, Gregory Helms), but may be a necessity from a business standpoint. The UFC is primed to explode all over the public consciousness, and stacking Backlash and the like with as much big name talent as possible may keep interest from waning too dramatically.

Birdsong: Never was a big fan of the brands to begin with. Aside from having the “A” list players on Raw and virtually everyone else either on the other two shows, what significant difference is there between Smackdown, ECW and Raw?

I am for scrapping the brand-only PPV, only if it leads up to having one exclusive World Champion and tag-team champion to represent the organization.

The Russ: Yeah, but they tried that before, and they had problems building up a main event on one show while the champion was on the other show working a program. You ended up getting a lot of tag matches and 6-man tag matches with main eventers that were having manufactured feuds.

Whether they want to believe that the belt is a prop or not, fans pay more attention when a belt is on the line generally than when two top guys are fighting over an old-fashioned grudge match. I think that there are very few guys in the fans’ eyes that would be worth watching in a non-title match.

Eks: Unified Champ… not so much.  Unified Tag Champ–yes.

If they did that and dropped the women’s match to Heat as a “side sha-ho” expedition, then they could always have some random tag team gimmick match and they could try to be creative for a change.  I love tornado tag matches and big elim matches–you could have a #1 contender match at every PPV also to make the tag belts important again.

The Russ: To me, it seemed inevitable that WWE would have to put all the brands back together again after some really lackluster buyrates for the brand-only shows and steadily declining buyrates for those shows overall since they started doing them. I think that December to Dismember was probably the last straw in Vince’s mind whether or not ECW could carry its own PPV (never mind the fact that the WWE machine meddled with Paul Heyman’s script that entire show), but I think that No Way Out and the Great American Bash have also been historically bad draws for Smackdown. There was even the rumor that was why John Cena and Shawn Michaels got added to the No Way Out, because they thought the guys from Raw might add some buys.

To me, the fact that they had to throw in the towel on it in the first place says to me that the brand extension is a failure, nobody buys into the “competition” between Raw and Smackdown because Smackdown is almost always treated like the B-show, and even when they’ve had chances to differentiate the three brands (better women wrestlers on Raw, cruiserweights on Smackdown, extreme style on ECW) they’ve failed miserably.

Okay, let’s get to the matches then…

WWE Women’s Champion Melina vs. Mickie James

Birdsong: Melina will win. I wonder if Micheal “PS” Hayes booked this match? This smells just like a Jimmy Garvin w/Baby Doll blast from the past!!

Melina has more heat than the wrestler she subsequently “manages”. Throw in half of the ECW roster into that category for that matter as well. Looking further down the road, I see a long title reign, but I don’t really see her in Playboy magazine. Now, if they do a second season of Charm School or some other Flavor Of Love spin-off, she should be first in line!!

The Russ: Thanks for dragging this into the gutter already.

Eks: I think Melina will win because a heel holds a belt better long-term.  For the purpose of storytelling the arc should carry out to Summerslam, because that would be the logical point to change the title over.

Do I think Melina should win? HELL NO. She’s terrible.  Mickie James is a real wrestler.  I think Melina looks like Stacy Keibler trying to wrestle but NOWHERE NEAR AS HOT. I think this was rushed to the books, because it should’ve already been booked several months ago.

I’m pretty open about the fact that as much as I love two broads rollin’ around and pullin’ each others hair–I don’t want to PAY to see it.  Save the women’s matches for filler material on your cable shows or for HEAT proceeding the PPV. Then, you can say that there is a TITLE match up that’s a dark match and the live fans feel special.

Corey: Melina wins. I’m just surprised they’ve put as much effort into booking this feud as they have. The divas work harder than most of the men in the WWE do to learn
their craft.

The Russ: And, it’s 4-4. I pick Melina. Even though she’s not a popular person in the locker room, who else do they have to feud with Mickie James? I could see Mickie winning if they were trading the belt back and forth or something, but what’s the alternative? Victoria? Saw that already last winter. Maybe they bring over Jillian Hall from Smackdown, but that’s about all the talent they have on the women’s roster for an actual wrestling match.

WWE U.S. Champion Chris Benoit vs. MVP (Wrestlemania Rematch)

Corey: MVP wins. Benoit has been off-camera for at least half of this feud. WTF? I never thought MVP’s career would survive the “Power Ranger” chants, but thanks to a strong performance at Wrestlemania, he’s become a credible contender. He deserves the title, and Benoit deserves to move on to something more meaningful, like a title feud against the Undertaker (one can hope, at least).

Birdsong: Benoit and the Undertaker… Wow, that’s not a bad idea!! Mad that I didn’t think of it!!

I see MVP winning with the assistance of the ropes or the ole’ handful of trunks finish so as to not make Chris Benoit look totally weak. Their Wrestlemania match-up–a solid performance–was arguably the second-best match on the entire card. However, the boys in back probably should have kept Benoit and MVP separated (at least on TV) to build more tension and expectation from a fan perspective. He should win the title and immediately ditch the Flash Funk bodysuit!

Eks: MVP wins because he didn’t win at Mania. Rumors had persisted that Benoit was leaving Smackdown and going to Raw. Plans changed and so did the booking on last month’s match-up.  As much as I don’t think MVP is ready to hold a belt (much less be on television), he was one MILLION times better at Mania than any of his other matches, and that intro with the cheerleaders was totally in line with his “Terrell Owens” gimmick.  If MVP doesn’t win this match, then they must be “burying” him, and that’s a real bonehead move when you’ve got a really limited heel stable like they do on Smackdown. It’s like nobody on that show is willing to be the bad guy because they all want to sell a T-shirt.

The Russ: Well, considering all their contracts are full of downside guarantees, they probably all do want to sell T-shirts because they know they’ll get a cut.

Then again, a heel is only as dangerous as a babyface lets them be, so if nobody on that show looks like a credible heel, it’s because Rey Mysterio isn’t around to get layed out by somebody (like was happening to him every 5 minutes as the World Champion) and because Batista and Undertaker only want to put the younger heels over with 1500 run-ins at the end of the match. Oh, yeah, but they’re company guys…

Eks: Well, if I were a wrestler… fuck T-shirts–I’d never be a ‘face’.  I have to be a good guy every morning I crawl out of bed.  I ain’t scared of being booed.  I just think that most of these guys with their fragile prima donna egos don’t know how to heel properly because of Vince’s creative department being ridiculously limited by Vince. If he came to me and said “Evil Rooster Man”, I’d say “Fuck you, I quit.  I’d rather deal drugs.”

I just miss the Ron Simmons as a Black Supremacist. Right now they have the cast to TOTALLY re-invent the Nation of Domination and they would be DOMINANT HEELS.

The Russ: Well, I think MVP wins too, but I’m not quite as confident that he walks out with the belt. I think MVP wins maybe by DQ or wins the title cheating. The best thing they can do right now is to stick him with Benoit and keep him there so he’ll look like a million bucks. MVP has one of the cleverest gimmicks in WWE, but he’s terrible on the mic sometimes, just about as bad in the ring, and has some of the worst ring attire ever for a guy with a gimmick as a show-off. I think Benoit could probably teach the kid a thing or two, which helps.

I have read that people were mildly surprised that their Wrestlemania match was any good. I don’t know why they didn’t capitalize on the buzz. Their storyline leading into Wrestlemania was much better, with MVP beating the Lichtenstein Champion and such.

World Tag Team Champions Hardy Boys vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch

Eks: The Hardy Boys retain.  Why? Because as much as Cade and Murdoch are great in their role, they don’t have “the hook” to be champs.  I still don’t understand why Cryme Tyme isn’t in this chase.  I also don’t understand why the Smackdown tag belts aren’t put up against the Raw tag belts and unified.  Matt and Jeff are on a “retro” push, and they are cashing in–good for them.  After all the suffering Matt has incurred from the last several years, I think he still deserves better.  Jeff has the moves but Matt is a much better mic worker and and has better in-ring psychology.

I think this was booked haphazardly but I think this is a reward for both teams. Cade looks like Paul Orndorff times ten, and Trevor Murdoch still looks like an absolute bag of shit inbreeder–it’s a great gimmick.  The Hardy Boys reap because they get to coast the retro wave.

The Russ: Murdoch is PASTY. You have to turn the sound up and the picture down when he’s on!

Eks: I’ll enjoy this match for the sake of nostalgia. Because I think Murdoch makes these three guys look good and the fact that he looks so bad–makes it seem better.

The Russ: As far as the nostalgia wave goes, there’s a difference between Hulk Hogan nostalgia when he should have only come back a couple more times for special occasions and Hardys nostalgia when they both have plenty of gas left in the tank. I think when they brought Hogan back and were doing well with the Legends videos they thought they could cash in with all sorts of guys, and then they brought in Piper and Duggan and that idea look poor really fast. It’s even time for Flair to hang it up, because he looks really bad and really squinty lately.

I will also pick the Hardy Boys. They’re just starting their run as champs, and it would be stupid to pull the titles off of them now. On the other hand, given that their tag division sucks, hotshotting a bunch of title changes in 2 to 3 weeks time might actually be the way to put the interest back on the titles again. But, beyond Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas, who else are you going to put the belts on? I always hate it when main eventers get the tag belts (like Cena/Michaels, Austin/Michaels, Austin/Triple H), because all that tells me is that the tag division sucks and that the guys at the top could come in any time and take those belts away. It does nothing to build the division up at all. Who eliminated the champs in that battle royal a few weeks back on Raw? Ummm… I think it was Cena’s partner Shawn Michaels. Couldn’t even have let a jobber do it.

They should be drawing some serious money off of this Hardy reunion tour. I mean, they’ve really been teaming since before December. You would think they could have done for them like they did for DX last year and just tease the reunion during Money in the Bank this year. I just think having them show up one day as a tag team again was a complete waste.

Given that the Hardys are from North Carolina, this is truly the BATTLE OF REDNECK SUPREMACY!!!!!1

Birdsong: I pick the Hardy Boys. It never made sense to me why The Hardy’s weren’t put back together much sooner. After the heat died down from Matt’s feud with Edge and Jeff’s laughable I-C title run, their matches with MNM made a whole helluva lot more sence than the challenges of Tag-team Redneck.

Paging Col. Robert Parker… we have a tag-team in need of your services! Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch would probably be major players if this was 1986 and the match was taking place at the Mid-South Coliseum. Honestly, I’d rather see these two broken into singles–the fed needs more jobbers. Have The Hardy’s turn semi-heel and have them face a combination London and Kendrick or spend a little time on the ECW show.

Corey: The Hardys win. The Hardy Boys reunion has been a lot of fun to watch, particularly because Matt and Jeff have both become much better wrestlers since their
last run together. But the WWE needs to put a little more work into the oft-neglected tag team division in order for the reunion to mean anything. Dusting the mothballs off of Cade and Murdoch and presenting them as credible challengers, as opposed to convenient
jobbers fed to whomever Vince wants to get over, is a good start. Enjoy the bonus checks, Lance and Trevor, and just be happy youre working on a Sunday night.

The Russ: Either this group is too agreeable or this show is too predictable…

World Heavyweight Champion Undertaker vs. Batista (Last Man Standing)

Birdsong: The Undertaker wins. I like Batista. But during his interviews he’s gonna have to learn to be just a little more excited. Perhaps he needs lessons on the subject from Dick Vitale? The booking on this has went surprisingly stupid. Putting Batista and Undertaker in insignificant single/tag-matches against Fit Finlay (that’s right I said “Fit”) and Mr. Kennedy–that’s suppose to be believable? Like Finlay or Kennedy have a chance. Neither one of those two together could beat Taker or Batista in a handicap match, so why did we have to suffer through these superfluous matches? Perhaps they broke up Rated-RKO a little too soon… all it would have taken was a stroke of a pen and a little imagination and the Wrestlemania fallout would have been a lot less predictable.

This is kinda like watching Slyvester Stallon debate Arnold Schwazzenegger. A lot of muscle and action, but don’t expect any great acting.

Eks: *yawn* Undertaker wins because he’s been told this will be his longest stint with the title–ever. This match was booked because it’s a follow-up that sets up the legitimacy of Taker’s reign as the brand-new Heavy who runs the yard.  Batista’s work ethic and behavior is allegedly at an all time low. Like most big men, he’s limited in the ability to deliver intricate matches. Couple that with his shy nature, and he’s not really a good guy to carry a brand.  Taker is their go-to guy, and his umpteen years of doing his job the way he’s told to do it once again pays off.

To me this match is filler, and it sucks that a belt that was once the symbol of “the other guy” has been allocated to mid-card.

The Russ: I also picked Undertaker, but even though the players aren’t very exciting, don’t you think that the Last Man Standing gimmick plays to their strengths though? I mean, they can have a slow, plodding match that they can keep up with, but it will look like they’re working the crowd by building up spots and working the count. I just wonder what goofy finish they’ll use on the match, like throwing guys into a speaker box with all the fake electrical sparks like JBL did that one time or maybe an assload of run-ins from Finlay and Kennedy (neither of whom are even on the card) to team them all up again.

ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga & The McMahons (3-on-1 Handicap)

Corey: Lashley retains. The WWE is intent on making Lashley into a major star, and the only way to do that is by using major names like the McMahons, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Donald Trump to get him over. The entire program has been booked well, though Lashley doesn’t have the charisma or presence to make it interesting. Sure, the fans are behind Lashley now, but will they still care when all the smoke and mirrors used in the booking are gone?

The anti-Lashley backlash begins in 5, 4, 3…

Birdsong: Umaga and The McMahons win. This would be the only way to take the title off of Lashley and not make him look weak. So, Lashley drops the ECW title… which means he’s probably going to be a major player on Raw in the near future (at the expense of Randy “Always In The Doghouse” Orton).

This has been booked so horribly, as I have had to suffer thru, a “fan” winning the once-prestigious Intercontinental title and dumbed-down gimmick matches involving non-wrestlers. Bobby Lashley has all the charisma of a jar of peanut butter. Minus the ecoli. With the McMahons and Umaga becoming the ECW Champion, that pretty much solidifies ECW as a dead brand*. (*See David Arquette’s reign as WCW Champion for reference.)

Somewhere, Tod Gordon is crying…

Eks: Lashley wins, because if Eddie Fatu (Umaga) wins that match in that STUPID gimmick, I will throw up.  Bobby is a total “baby” backstage as well as on camera because he’s a good boy and he does what is asked of him.  He’s huge, and Vince loves his men huge *snicker*

This match is pointless, and it gives Vince a reason to be on camera to help draw heat. However, the heat he draws is garbage.  Between him and his “genetic masterpiece” Shane, they stink up matches so bad with the same 5 spots they’ve been pulling out of their asses for 10 years now that I can almost tell you when each spot happens.

Honestly, if I could be part of Creative, I would bring back Matt Anoai (Rosey), and I would give them an altered version of their “Three Minute Warning” gimmick where the Wild Samoans would be “mafioso types” that Vince owed favors to.  The Rock could even figure into promos if they could get him to shoot them.  The Samoans were the backbone of the strong side of wrestling back in the day. They are allocated to “caveman” gimmicks now–horse shit, I say.

The Russ: Like your Three Minute Warning idea… the problem is that Vince would never want to look like someone weaker in the company whose last name isn’t McMahon.

Don’t you think that Lashley’s push is bordering on Goldberg’s (except that he’s a lot less interesting)? Lashley just doesn’t have the right facial look to me. He’s got the size, but when he gets mad, he starts huffing and puffing and he’s got those googly Al Jolson eyes, and I just start laughing at him.

I’m betting that they will actually use this match to take the heat off of Umaga and the McMahons and that an ECW New Breed helps Vince win the title. There’s supposed to be a rematch on Tuesday night, so I’m betting that will play into this match. Vince can drop the title quickly back to someone else (or just give it away), and the new title holder/New Breed character assures them a ready-made feud for Lashley.

WWE Champion John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton (Fatal 4-Way)

Eks: Mmm, this match makes me sleepy…

Well let’s look at our Usual Suspects. Orton won’t win it–he just trashed a hotel room for $30K worth of damage.  Edge is totally misused–he had the promise of being this great “shoot-style mic operator” similar to Shane Douglas during his tenure at ECW. There is no vocal piece for the heels on any of their products, and Edge can’t “tween” like Chris Jericho so he’s out.  John Cena is such an anomaly in that he’s booed by every smart mark and guy age 18-24 that isn’t in the military, but he’s loved by every horned-up chick and jarhead everywhere.  No offense but his mock salute OFFENDS ME and his non-gimmick gimmick sucks on him because he’s kind of a dopey muscular version of Mark Wahlberg before he took acting lessons.

I see Shawn Michaels winning and turning heel, because he’s the “Heartbreak Kid” and because he sucks as a bible-thumping Jesus Freak who stops Triple H from talking about the size of his sledge hammer.

Shouldn’t this be the point where the WWE breaks out their checkbook and pays Jericho the money he deserves to pick this title up and carry it back to prominence?  I still dream of a certain BROCK LESNAR coming back and owning the insides of the ring–the mic, well he sucked with that.

The Russ: Call me crazy, but I think Edge could be the next Rock if he were a little more consistent on the mic, worked in all his catchphrases, and if they shows weren’t so heavily scripted for them not to show their real characters. Plus, he could work that whole man-whore thing to his advantage to pop the crowd… I think guys would cheer for a slutty man that brags about how much tail he bags.

Eks: Eh–Val Venis was the first Man Whore, and his gimmick was great until the WWF became too worried about it’s sponsors.

I think Edge is more than capable on the mic, but I don’t want him to be “the next Rock”–I want him to be “the first Edge”. He’s had near-miss moments of liquid hot magma-ness. *smirk*

The Russ: They need to get Michaels his own character fast… he still looks like he’s waiting for Triple H to come back, and it’s weak. I mean, it’s not his in-ring work that’s suffering, but he just doesn’t appear to have a reason or a motivation for anything right now.

Eks: Michaels has a character–it’s just a pre-attitude invention that he’s fallen back on mixed with his “born again” values. He thinks that he’s a man who can still sign blank checks, and he needs to be thinking that he needs the WWE more than they need him.

The Russ: Well, anyway, I’m sure that Cena will win, but who does he have left to fight with? I guess the only money match left on the table right now is a feud with the McMahons, but I bet they don’t come up with that until next year. I also wonder when they’re going to pull the trigger on the Edge/Orton feud. WWE has a bad habit of letting heel turns drag out for weeks until they are too late and no one cares. This match ended up taking a back seat to the McMahons all month long.

Corey: Cena wins. If I have one complaint about the way this feud has been booked, it’s that Randy Orton is involved. I just can’t find anything interesting about him. At best, he belongs in the upper midcard ranks, but not at the main event level. Still, Cena needs to pin somebody, doesn’t he? HBK probably will get another run with the title, but it won’t be at the expense of Cena. Michaels’ Broadway victory over the champ on Monday was his payback for doing the job at Wrestlemania.

Birdsong: Who do I think wins? Randy Orton. (dramatic pause)

Yeah, right. That backstage headcase doesn’t have a snowball chance of winning. Even though between he and Edge, those two are probably the most deserving of a title feud.

Well, to the point—I can’t see how the title will not somehow fall into the hands of Shawn Michaels. Long in-the-tooth though he may be, the guy more than a month ago put over John Cena in such a way, that can only be compared to the way Ricky Steamboat put over the Honky Tonk Man years ago!

I thought the better match for Wrestlemania would have been Cena vs Undertaker. More intrigue, ya know? This Fatal Four Way has no real spark, unless outta the blue Edge up and wins?!?!

Mr. Kennedy should use his Money In The Bank qualifier at the very end of the show (a la Edge a few years ago) and maybe that would save this less than interesting PPV?

Hope you’ve enjoyed our first roundtable preview. We’ll see you back here in a few weeks for a preview of TNA Sacrifice.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 27th, 2007 at 9:50 am and is filed under Corey Henson, Features, It Came From the Midcard, Jonathan Birdsong, Russ Ray's Rasslin' Ring, Steven Eks, The Russ, Wrestling. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site. Your comments will be moderated but will appear as soon as humanly possible.