Shawn Michaels vs. Edge
PK: I really, really think they should have held this off until WM. If HBK didn’t job out to Jericho, what would make Edge so different?
Winner – HBK
Widro: This is one time HBK is going to have to do a clean job.
Winner – Edge
Eric Szulczewski: This feud’s been confusing from the start, and completely dominated by Edge. It’s Edge’s motivations that have been moving the feud, and Michaels has just been a bystander in his own program. Edge’s heel push is just starting to work, and they can’t kill it now. Even “creative” understands that.
Winner – Edge
Matthew Michael: This feud isn’t ending anytime soon. Will be a good match, but Shawn will come out on top (with a finish that allows Edge another reason to complain), with Edge then causing Shawn to be eliminated from the Rumble match itself. This goes to Mania.
Winner – Shawn Michaels
Kurtis Osterlund: It’s time for Edge to get his. There’s no way he’s winning the Rumble, so he has to win here.
Winner – Edge
Chris Pankonin: Wow, they really rushed this along didn’t they? Both guys will get a victory in some fashion, whoever wins this match, will be eliminated by the loser in the Rumble. Its just too predictable. Since Edge is all crazy insane obsessed about the title, I predict a heel win, and then HBK will eliminate him in the Rumble to keep this thing going. Too Easy.
Winner – Edge
Gordi: I think Edge has more to gain from a victory than Michaels does. It would be a nice surprise if he went over clean here.
Winner – Edge
Jed Shaffer: Edge losing here would be a critical disaster. He needs the momentum badly…and besides, Shawn can always “get revenge” later on and eliminate him from the Rumble, setting up a rematch at WM21.
Winner – You think you know him
Blatt: Will Edge get to the Rumble? Will Michaels stop him dead in his tracks? Will Michaels rekindle the feud he had with Jericho over the
Rumble match with Edge? Most definitely not, but this one could be fun.
It also could be the curtain jerker. Whatever occurs in this match is only part one because they’re both in the Rumble match itself. I’m gonna have to give Michaels the match and Edge the elimination during the Rumble. God forbid we show that one wrestler’s better than the next.
Weiner – Shawn Michaels and Edge’s career thanks to HBK willing to help young guys break the upper-mid card threshold
Chris Biscuiti: I think that the payoff will be an Edge win in the match, with perhaps Michaels getting some kind of revenge in the Rumble match. Either that, or can you say “More Mystery Entrants”?
Winner – Edge
Brad Torreano: I know this isn’t a popular opinion ’round the old campfire, but Edge kinda sucks now. He’s boring, even as a heel, and he doesn’t know many unique wrestling moves. His whiny heel character needs a win desperately, but I don’t think an Edge push is gonna be very interesting anyway, so I don’t care a whole lot. Where’s Shelton Benjamin? Now that dude deserves a win over Michaels. Oh yeah, errr… I guess Edge.
Winner – Edge
Kyle David Paul: It’s so weird to think that these two are opening the show, but I really couldn’t see any of the other four doing it. I almost thought they were going to let these guys do the slow burn WrestleMania storyline (in exactly the same fashion Michaels did with Jericho 2 years ago) but maybe not. If this is the blowoff, then Michaels will win it. If not, however, then I’d say Edge will eek one out either by hitting Shawn with something really hard or pulling some tights and grabbing some rope. Since it’s the opener, I’d have to assume the former.
Winner – Shawn Michaels
Michaelangelo McCullar: If they’re going to make Edge into a credible main eventer, then it’s time to put him over a top-tier star. A win over HBK would put Edge on the fast track for world championship gold. Alas, HBK jobs to no one with less than 3 H’s in their name, much less someone with none.
Winner – HBK
The Undertaker vs. Heidenreich – Casket Match
PK: Something fishy will happen, and have UT lose. If there is any outside involvement, you can’t forget about Team Heyman (Dudleyz…Brock?).
Winner – Heiden…Heidenreich
Widro: This is either the end of the feud, or it extends it to mania for a tag match with Kane and Snitsky also involved. I’ll go with Taker because I think heels are winning the rest of the matches.
Winner – Taker
Eric Szulczewski: Let’s see, the last time they had a casket match at RR, it took ten guys to put UT down, and let’s not discuss what happened after that, for the sake of all our sanities. Let this interminable program end, now, so both guys can move on to other things. In the case of Heidenreich, though, I have no idea what he’d move on to. Eddy, maybe?
Winner – UT
Matthew Michael: Lets go out on a limb here. Heidenreich wins with help from A RETURNING BROCK LESNAR, PAUL HEYMAN AND THE DUDLEY BOYZ!
Winner – Heidenreich!
Kurtis Osterlund: I honestly thought this stipulation, pardon the pun, died. BUT picks up the win, because he’s never going to JOB to the thawed out, poetry reading, Cole raping, Nazi.
Winner – The Undertaker
Chris Pankonin: We COULD see outside interference from..Snitsky? To help Heidenreich snap the 0 for 100 losing streak, in fact, even though even as I was typing this sentence I was going to pick Taker, I have now changed my mind and am going for the UPSET SPECIAL, outside interference, yeah, that’s it.
Winner – Heidenreich
Gordi: If you read my column this week, then you know how I feel about Thirdenreich. Conventional wisdom has it that Undertaker has to lose every casket match. This isn’t for money, though, so I am going to go against the grain here.
Winner – ‘Taker
Jed Shaffer: Zzzzzzzzzzzz.
Winner – The Collector of Souls, The Killer Of Careers
Blatt: My money is on this is the worst match of the PPV. This could also give ‘Taker some time of before Mania to rest up and work out a it more. Or just to be at home with his wife. Then Heidenreich can start his friendship with Snitsky at the Rumble and cross promotional matches begin!
Weiner – Jeidenreich and whoever chooses a “bathroom break” for this match
Chris Biscuiti: The match I am looking forward to the least on the card. I can only hope Taker puts Heidenreich out of his misery, and buries the guy, and the gimmick, forever.
Winner – Taker
Brad Torreano: Cliché number one: Undertaker is old and washed up. Cliché number two: Heidenreich is a talentless lug who is pushed because of his height and HGH consumption. Sigh, I hate it when I can’t rail against a cliché.
Winner – No one.
Kyle David Paul: Has Heidenreich won any match between these two? I don’t believe so, and I don’t see any reason why he should start now. However, there really isn’t anyone for Undertaker to fight until ‘mania, and it looks more and more like there’ll be a brand-extension tag match with Kane and Snitsky involved as well. You know, I bet if that’s the case, there’ll be another exchange between Snitsky and Heidenreich during the show at some point…hey, maybe during this match?
Winner – Heidenreich
Michaelangelo McCullar: The only losers in this match are the hard-working schmoes who plunk down $35 and get this. I’ve got one word for you, kids: bittorrents.
Winner – masochists worldwide
JBL (c) vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Big Show – WWE Championship
PK: Why have him drop the title now? SD has been riding on JBL all year long, you might as well let him ‘main event’ WM with the belt.
Winner – JBL
Widro: I think JBL will retain, but if Show wins, I could see Show/JBL in Feb with JBL getting the title back. I don’t see the point of doing that switch though.
Winner – JBL
Eric Szulczewski: The set-up for this one has actually been good, although a little over-the-top. It looks like they’re going to stand pat until Wrestlemania, though.
Winner – High-Quality Speaker Boy
Matthew Michael: JBL’s had the belt for so long, the payoff can’t come here, not yet. Angle has no chance, as Big Show/JBL seems to be slated for the barbed wire match at No Way Out, so my guess is that JBL wins, pinning Angle, leaving some business unfinished with Show.
Winner – JBL
Kurtis Osterlund: It’s Rumblemania time and that means time to put the WWE title on Kurt Angle. I’m not straying from the norm here.
Winner – Kurt Angle
Chris Pankonin: The only angle that I haven’t been fast forwarding through lately on Smackdown, been played up really nicely. I’d like to see a change, but I think we all know JBL is holding that title until Wrestlemania, unless they go for a cup of coffee change..man I miss those (seriously) these long title reigns take out any suspense.
Winner – JBL
Gordi: It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that JBL will hold on to the strap until WrestleMania.
Winner – JBL
Jed Shaffer: That JBL is going to WM21 as Champ is so undeniable now, the only intrigue in this match is whether or not the JBL/Angle partnership breaks down. Naturally, it will. Let’s hope this doesn’t mean a face turn for Angle.
Winner – Zeig heil!
Blatt: JBL JBL JBL. Why would the Big Show defend his title in a barbed wire steel cage match? He wouldn’t, but JBL would be forced to. Look for JBL to win this one, but certainly not clean. Why give him a real victory now when he’s gone since beating Eddie for the title without one?
Weiner – JBL and his cabinet
Chris Biscuiti: JBL will probably secure the win and thus head to WrestleMania as a long running champ. If Angle wins, however, I can sense more possibilities opening up for fresh SD feuds going into the granddaddy of them all.
Winner – I’ll go with what I hope for: an Angle win.
Brad Torreano: Despite all his claims about a penthouse in New York City, I know JBL is a country boy at heart. And you remember what Hillbilly Jim sang about country boys, right?
Winner – JBL, duh.
Kyle David Paul: It’s getting to the point where JBL has to lose at
Wrestlemania, and anything else storyline-wise would be anticlimactic. That leaves the question of who will do the job, right? All those rumors of Big Show in the barb wire cage at No Way Out suggest that Show might get screwed here. I’m going to go with a DQ ending on this one
Winner – Big Show, but by DQ
Michaelangelo McCullar: Kurt’s already got a jacked-up neck. Now he’s going to have a f*cked-up back trying to carry close to half a ton of suck to any sort of watchable mess. Having said that, since they haven’t yanked the belt off of JBL and kicked his no-talent hack ass back to West Texas, the only thing that makes sense is to let him hold it until he can officially usher in The Cena Age at Wrestlemania.
Winner – JBL
HHH (c) vs. Randy Orton – World Championship
PK: I’m starting to really like the Evolution Triple Threat idea at WM, however, the only way that would seem to work is if Orton gets the title here, Batista wins the Rumble, and HHH weasels his way into the WM match (rematch clause or something).
Winner – RKO
Widro: ha ha
Winner – Hunter
Eric Szulczewski: Speaking of standing pat until Wrestlemania, guess who’s the main beneficiary of that policy? Trip will understand, though, that Orton has to look really good in order to bolster his credentials for a rematch at WM (which I expect to be at least a Triple Threat or a Fatal Four-Way, including Benoit and Edge into the mix). So it’ll be a decent match, but nothing we haven’t seen before.
Winner – Trip
Matthew Michael: I have a weird feeling about this one… Which includes HHH vs. The Rock at Mania, despite all the rumors.
Winner – Randy Orton
Kurtis Osterlund: I think I can sum it up best by quoting former IWC personality Jay Bower here, YOU WILL DO THE JOB!!!!!!!
Winner – Many H’s
Chris Pankonin: How will Orton be “screwed” out of this one, c’mon, we know he’s going to be screwed by that evil Triple H. What do you expect?
Winner – HHH
Gordi: It would be a nice surprise if HHH didn’t go over clean. I’m not holding my breath, though.
Winner – HHH
Jed Shaffer: If they have H’s go over clean, it kills Orton’s push deader then dead, so that can’t happen. This leaves two finishes available: Orton wins (not likely) or some kind of draw/SE ending that gives Orton an excuse to be in the title match at WM21. And “creative” isn’t exactly smart enough to figure out an alternative so…when in doubt, go with the ending that seems most “logical”…
Winner – As JR would put it, a “sister-kisser”.
Blatt: Whew, this one’s hard to predict. Or not. Orton has been wearing thin on the crowd lately and it’s beginning to show. He even admitted to the stress in a recent article. HHH wins this one hands down. But it’ll be a good match more than likely and we’ll see not one, but TWO RKO’s and three attempts for a Pedigree, but only one will connect.
Weiner – HHH and an eventual Batista face turn
Chris Biscuiti: I don’t know how, but already I see this as a stale angle, possibly due to the lack of Batista juice in this match. I portend another HHH win, easily.
Winner – HHH
Brad Torreano: Sorry Randy, but the writing’s on the wall for ‘Mania. The best you can hope for is a place-keeping title run before losing it there, and that ain’t how I’m voting.
Winner – HHH.
Kyle David Paul: HHH has had the title match at the Royal Rumble 4 out of the last 5 years, and he’s only lost one of them, and that was the one time he wasn’t champ going in. Not that WWE books on statistics, but the Rumble has sort of become the yearly ‘given’ in a HHH title defense. However, there is a hell of a lot more going on at a subtle level in this match than, say, HHH vs. Scott Steiner. This was originally going to be saved until Wrestlemania, with Orton beating HHH, but something in the minds of the bookers have changed the course here. Does that mean they have finally realized that Orton isn’t ready to be on that level? Or are they just swerving us? Or do they really, honestly have no idea? Of all the years for a guy to lose the championship match and find a way into the Rumble, this is the one. In terms of the storyline arc, that would make the most sense. On the other hand, it looks like they’re going with Batista at this point, given all the hints on Raw in the past few weeks. I think it all depends on who ‘creative’ believe the man is right now.
Winner: HHH, with Batista helping out for the last time
Michaelangelo McCullar: Gotta admire sticktuitiveness, but it’s time to bail on the Orton Experiment. They’ve botched his face turn beyond all salvaging. Trips isn’t losing the belt until WMXXI.
Winner – Trips
Royal Rumble Match
(RAW: Edge, Shelton Benjamin, Ric Flair, The Hurricane, Muhammad Hassan, Batista, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, The Coach, Gene Snitsky, Viscera, Chris Benoit, Simon Dean, Kane, & Christian)
(SmackDown!: Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, John Cena, Booker T, Daniel Puder, Scotty 2 Hottie, Kenzo Susuki, Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak, Hardcore Holly, Orlando Jordan, Charlie Haas, Paul London, Rene Dupree, & ????)
PK: I really don’t want either Cena or Batista to win. I mean, both are ready for the last final push, and there is no time like RumbleMania season, but Cena is still spinning his US belt, and doesn’t have anyone to drop it to until Carlito comes back, and I think Batista will not stay over long without HHH’s rub. (Love or hate the guy all you want, you know that this whole face turn storyline with Batista would not be any sort of successful if HHH wasn’t giving it his…and he is doing a really good job). However, the best scenario to set up the Evo Triple Threat at WM would be for Evolution’s Animal to win.
Winner – Batista
Widro: Batista will almost win, but I think it’s Cena’s year.
Winner – Cena
Eric Szulczewski: Again, it breaks down to about four or five guys with a realistic chance of winning. The only people out of Raw to have a chance are Batista and maybe Benoit. Meanwhile, you’ve got Eddy, Cena, and Booker having a realistic chance. I’m going to go with what I’ve been saying for the past couple weeks. Batista wins and moves to
Smackdown, where he goes full face and takes on High-Quality Speaker Boy at WM. This neatly sidesteps “creative” having to break up Evolution and opens up slots in Evo for guys they want to give an easy push to.
Final Four – Batista, Benoit, Cena, Guerrero
Winner – Batista
Matthew Michael: This is a foregone conclusion, although I wouldn’t mind seeing BROCK as the mystery SD participant… Evolution collides at Mania, indeed.
Winner – Batista
Kurtis Osterlund: It’s a pretty good crop this year. Several people have the potential to win it from an average fans position. I think this one will come down Batista standing tall.
Winner – Batista
Chris Pankonin: Wow, I guess I haven’t been following WWE.com lately for all those house show rumble qualifiers: Simon Dean, Hurricane, COACH?!, so many highly qualified jobbers…although in all seriousness its likely coming down to either Cena or Batista. Batista is in better storyline position for a world title shot, in fact, RAW’s storyline has been screaming for it the last few weeks, so that’s my pick.
Winner – Batista
Gordi: It’s either going to be Leviathan or The Prototype.
Winner – Cena
Jed Shaffer: There’s only two candidates here: Batista and Cena. Cena can get to JBL without the Rumble, but then again, so can Batista. As much as I loathe Batista (as much as the rest of the IWC loathes Orton), the WWE has too much faith in the big load being the next big thing. And god knows, a “next big thing” can’t become so without winning some kind of tournament or battle royal or something, so…
Winner – METROSEXUAL MAN!!!
Blatt: I hear that ???? is from Parts Unknown. This one is going to Cena and his chain gang. The real question is will we get to see Batista and Snitsky go at it one more time? Impact players will be Kane, HBK, Jericho, Batista, Cena, Eddie, and Rey Mysterio. Look for Edge to eliminate Michaels, Hardcore Holly to eliminate Puder, Eddie to eliminate Booker T, Flair to eliminate Batista, and Shelton or Haas to eliminate the other guy. Also, when is “The Marine” coming out? Wouldn’t they want the WWE Champion to have a movie released at the same time he’s holding the
belt? John Cena, spotlight, spotlight, John Cena.
Weiner – John Cena and the Wrestlemania main event to see Cena take the
gold from JBL.
Chris Biscuiti: Batista should dominate the rest of the field and get a rather predictable Royal Rumble win. However, I think Muhammad Hassan would be an interesting sleeper pick to do well in the Rumble, even if he does not win. Just imagine if Hassanamania ran wild on all of us!
Winner – Batista, with Muhammad Hassan as my sleeper pick to finish in the Top 5.
Brad Torreano: Sooooo obvious. I could maybe see Cena taking it if they’re feeling frisky on Sunday, but the monster push for Batista just seems to opponent for that to happen.
Winner – Batista.
Kyle David Paul: The only guarantee in my mind is that at some point, HHH is going to interfere and stop Batista from winning the rumble, so that leaves him out. If that’s the case, then it doesn’t make much sense for a Raw guy to win, because that telegraphs the Raw match at ‘mania. So, over on Smackdown, there’s an entire plethora of guys that could face JBL and could draw. All but one, however, he’s already beaten. John Cena is the only guy who hasn’t faced him yet, so I’m going with him, no matter how much I’d love for Eddy to get it done here.
Winner – John Cena
Michaelangelo McCullar: ALL HAIL DAVE!!! The Batista Era is nigh upon us, boys and girls, and it starts here. Cena’s my dark horse here, but putting Batista over allows them to put together a Triple Threat and double turn at Mania, with HHH, Orton, and the big man. Cement Batista’s face status and turn Orton back into the miserable prick we all know and love, all in one fell swoop.
Winner – Deacon Batista
