I want to start with an addition to what I ended with last week, and that is a few more words about Joanie “Chyna Doll” Laurer. The Howard Stern Show aired her appearance on television, and since I had read about it, I wanted to see for myself. As of now I have only seen the first part, but that is enough to speak about. It was like seeing a terrible wreck on the freeway; you really don’t want to look, but somehow just have to do it anyway. Words cannot describe what I saw and heard on that show. This woman is nothing like the Chyna we saw in the WWE. In fact, there is almost no resemblance whatsoever. Only her boobs seem the same, and we got to see them for some time, as she spent most of the show without her dress. She was slurring her words, and frequently making little or no sense, rambling on about…well, I’m not sure, and neither was Stern. Wow! What I read sounded bad, but to see it – unbelievable!
When I settled down last Thursday night for SmackDown! I did not expect to enjoy a particular match as much as I did. Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero made me sit up and take notice. In this qualifier for the Royal Rumble Match this coming Sunday, these two grabbed my attention and really pulled me into the action. This was a really, really good match, and proof that two giants do not have to be in the ring for big things to happen. (Hear that, Vince? Not necessary!) The athleticism they showed was impressive. Mysterio is known for that and can always be counted on to throw in those types of moves in all of his matches. Chavo however, has had little opportunity to shine, going back to before he and Uncle Eddie were teaming together. On this night, shine he did, matching Rey almost move for move. I loved this match, and it brought a bright spot to SmackDown!. Mysterio was the eventual winner and will compete in the Royal Rumble this Sunday, but Chavo was a huge winner here as well.
For weeks now I have watched the commercial for the Royal Rumble and laughed. I also knew that I would remember to make mention of it in my column, and each week I forgot to do so. Now, with the Rumble this Sunday, at least I’m not too late to say that this is a super ad. It’s been fun to pick out all of the superstars in this West Side Story take-off. Chris Benoit in particular seems to really get into the singing parts, and Vince McMahon’s expression as he says that’s not the kind of rumble he had in mind is great. Maybe it’s just me, but that bed scene is a bit reminiscent of The Godfather, but thankfully no horse head is lying in what appears to be his satin-sheeted bed. This one is better than the several they did for Summerslam, but those ads that tied in with the Olympics were good, too.
I thought that Raw was an entertaining show this week, and here are my impressions. The first match of the night was a good way to start the show off, with Edge, Christian, and Tyson Tomko going against the eventual winners Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. J. R. basked in the glory of J. R. Day in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and even though there was the expected interruption in the ring by Triple H and company, the actual celebration that took place earlier was pretty cool
I absolutely howled when Batista strategically placed the flag carried to the ring by La Resistance shall we say, where the sun don’t shine? With both members of the tag team laying on top of each other, Batista did just what he said he would do, and I thought it was really funny. Batista is getting so much more comfortable on the mic, and this is only adding to his overall strength as a player in the company.
The match between Ric Flair and Randy Orton was pretty good, albeit Evolution is becoming predictably boring. Edge is continuing down his mad / crazy path and doing a good job with it. Of course Triple H is still showing off his range of emotions including anger, innocence, nervousness and arrogance. And just why did Val Venis shave his head? Oh well.
The Royal Rumble – will we be treated to a good show, or will a positive anticipation lead to disappointment? Edge is set to have a go against Michaels, and I expect this to be good. There are those who think he is past his prime, but it matters not. HBK provides us with consistently good matches, and I don’t see that changing now. This will be a great chance for Edge to shine, and I do think that he will come to the party, but whether or not he will conquer the Heartbreak Kid remains to be seen.
My favorite Undertaker has a Casket Match against Heidenreich, and UT better win this one! I fear that he won’t though, since so much has been made about Heidenreich’s fear of caskets (that sounds really funny), that I wouldn’t be surprised if he pulls out a victory. Either way, I would really like for this feud to be over. ‘Taker needs someone else to fight with now, and Heidenreich has still not shown enough in the ring for me to have any real interest in him.
The World Heavyweight Championship is there for Orton’s taking, but he will have to go through Triple H to do so. Orton still has a lot of growing to do, but he does give it his all and has certainly has the talent. HHH is a consistent workhorse for the company and always makes his opponents look good, so this will be a good match. I don’t think he will drop the belt though, for I can’t see him walking into Wrestlemania without the title, nor do I see him losing it and winning it right back.
We have a Triple Threat Match to see if John Bradshaw Layfield will remain the WWE Champion. He will have to defend his title against Kurt Angle and The Big Show, and if nothing else, this should be a hard-hitting and physical contest. In this case as with the other championship, I don’t see a title change coming, but my predications have been so awful of late, I almost hate to say that. Either way, it should be interesting to see just how much Angle and JBL work together to take out Show, and what happens if that occurs.
Then of course, we have the Rumble itself, which is always fun, even though it can get a bit confusing to watch at times. I have absolutely no idea who will get the opportunity to go for one of the two major prizes at ‘Mania, but let me try to narrow down the top five as best I can, since I believe there are still some participants missing. I think that the final quintet left to battle for the chance at a Championship belt will be Y2J, Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, Chris Benoit and Batista. Hopefully, I get one or two of those right! As to who will win, I have absolutely no clue. I’ll just be surprised.
Finally, happy birthday to my ‘birthday buddy’ Stro. I think you can keep getting a year older, and I’ll take two years off each year! We’ll be the same age in no time – works for me!
Be safe and God Bless,
Barb.
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