Sheamus...What a Shame!

Professional wresting is a scripted form of entertainment. And like any fictional universe, the writing has to fit into certain “rules” that make sense in that universe. If events start happening in a mythology that do not fit into the “rules” of that mythology, then the storytelling starts to fall apart. For example, it would destroy the Batman mythology if Bruce Wayne suddenly became invulnerable and had the ability to travel through time. Similarly, it would make absolutely no sense for the Easter Bunny to become a mercenary for hire. Sheamus winning the WWE Championship at the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Pay-Per-View is very confusing and hurts the mythology of the WWE Championship.

The WWE Champion is supposed to be the best wrestler on the Raw brand. Does anyone really believe that Sheamus is the best wrestler on that roster? On a television show that features guys like HHH, Shawn Michaels, and John Cena we are supposed to believe that Sheamus is the best that Raw has to offer. Hardly!

In addition, the history any wrestling Championship, while fictional, is very important to a wrestling organization. This is evident in the WWE with their recent “History of…” DVD releases. A wrestling champion has to prove himself before even getting a title match. A wrestler usually spends years improving his wrestling skills and developing his character. That wrestler has to prove himself in matches for secondary Championships such as the Intercontinental title. Guys like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Randy Savage all proved that they were Championship caliber wrestlers by capturing the Intercontinental title before moving into the WWE Championship hunt. Is Sheamus supposed to be better than Hart, Michaels, and Savage? I don’t think so!

What has Sheamus done to prove that he deserved a WWE Championship match? Absolutely nothing! He debuted on ECW on June 30 2009 and had feuds with an old, out of shape Goldust and the underachieving Shelton Benjamin. He never even won the ECW Championship, the lowest prestige title in the company, before going to Raw on October 26, 2009. On Raw, Sheamus’ big accomplishments included feuding with the equivalent of a jobber in Jamie Noble and beating up an announcer. He then won a “break-through battle royal” to earn the Championship match. This was a battle royal where Sheamus spent most of the time in the ring just standing there looking confused. In less than a year Sheamus has been given a WWE Championship match while doing nothing to prove that he deserved it. It must be frustrating for guys like MVP, Mark Henry, and Carlito who have spent years working on their wrestling skills and developing their characters to watch an inexperienced rookie be given a big push less than one year into his WWE career.

Finally, the Championship victory itself has to be believable. The WWE wants the fans to believe that John Cena, the guy who beat HHH at Wrestlemania 22, Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 23, Edge in a TLC match, and Randy Orton in a 60 minute iron man match, lost to an newbie with little over 5 months of experience in the WWE. Not even close to being believable.

I will concede that Vince McMahon knows talent and Sheamus may develop into a big star. But Sheamus holding the WWE Championship at this very early stage in his career is a joke, no different than when Vince McMahon held the title in 1999 and when David Arquette was the WCW Champion. Giving Sheamus the title hurts the mythology of the WWE Championship.

Breaking Point Predictions

BREAKING POINT



After Summerslam, I am 28-35 in my predictions. Here are my picks for Breaking Point.


When the WWE first announced that this pay-per-view was going to feature submission matches, I was very skeptical. I did not think that this would create exciting matches. I am glad to say that I was wrong. There are some very intriguing match-ups on this card. And many of these matches are difficult to predict.



-United States Championship Match
Kofi Kingston (CHAMPION) vs. The Miz

This match was added at the last minute, so there cannot be a lot of storyline reason behind the match. Kofi Kingston seems to be at a disadvantage here. He is used to defending the United States Championship in multi-challenger matches such fatal four-ways. Will he know how to deal with just one opponent? I have no idea who to pick here, so I asked my daughter “Kofi” or “Miz”. She said “Kofi”.

WINNER and STIL UNITED STATES CHAMPON: KOFI KINGSTON



-Kane vs. The Great Khali
Singapore Cane Match

I am not really sure why Kane dislikes the Great Khali. The reasons for this feud are not clear. But Kane won their match at Summerslam, so now it is time for Khali to get a win.

WINNER: THE GREAT KHALI



-Unified Tag Team Championship
Chris Jericho & The Big Show (CHAMPIONS) vs. Mark Henry & Montel Vontavious Porter

The build up for this match has been really well done. You have the “World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry taking on the “World’s Biggest Athlete” The Big Show. And you have two accomplished singles stars in Jericho and MVP. This will be a great match. But the pairing of Jericho and Big Show is just too impressive to lose the titles so soon. They are on the way to a long and dominate run as the Unified Tag Team Champions.

WINNERS AND STILL UNIFIED TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: CHRIS JERICHO & THE BIG SHOW



-WNGETBOROS Championship
Christian (CHAMPION) vs. William Regal w. Ezekiel Jackson & Vladimir Kozlov

Regal lost in an embarrassing 8 seconds to Christian at Summerslam. He looked like a joke. And that is because William Regal is a joke. He cannot win this rematch. If William Regal wins the WNGETBOROS title after such a humiliating defeat only a month ago, then this Championship will lose the tiny bit of prestige it has left.

WINNER and STILL WNGETBOROS CHAMPION: CHRISTIAN



-D-Generation X: Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. The Legacy: Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase
Submissions count anywhere match

It seems like DX always wins. And they won at Summerslam against The Legacy. But Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase made a good showing of themselves in that match. They looked like they could easily have won. So here is round two of this feud. I think that The Legacy prevails here. The submissions count anywhere stipulation favors the sneaky and underhanded tactics of The Legacy. They can take this match backstage and use any number of strategies to get DX to submit. Hopefully this great feud continues and we get to see round three at the “Hell in a Cell” Pay-per-view.

WINNERS: THE LEGACY



-WWE Championship Match
Randy Orton (CHAMPION) vs. John Cena
“I Quit” match

I might as well flip a coin on this match. Either wrestler could win. Randy Orton has been such a dominate Champion that I have a hard time seeing him lose, especially since John Cena has had multiple opportunities to become the Champions in the last couple of months. But I also cannot see John Cena saying “I Quit”. Cena’s character has already been significantly weakened. He went from being a dominate Champion and THE man in the WWE to a guy who can’t seem to win a title no matter how hard he tries. If he says “I Quit”, that would completely destroy his character to the point where the WWE would need to rebuild him. For that reason, John Cena HAS to win.

WINNER and NEW WWE CHAMPION: JOHN CENA



-World Heavyweight Championship Match
CM Punk (CHAMPION) vs. Undertaker
Submission Match

This is another “flip a coin” prediction. CM Punk just won the World Heavyweight Championship at Summerslam. I do not think that he will lose the title less than a month later. And the Undertaker will never submit. NEVER! I expect Matt Hardy to interfere in this match to extract some revenge on Punk for making his brother leave wrestling. I am going to pick the Undertaker to win, because like I said he would never submit. But CM Punk will somehow retain the title. This match may even be ruled a no contest. It is going to be very interesting to see how this one plays out.

WINNER: UNDERTAKER



Enjoy BREAKING POINT!

SUMMERSLAM PREDICTIONS

My slump continues. After Night of Champions, I am 23-32 in my predictions. Here are my picks for Summerslam:





-WWE UNIFIED TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Chris Jericho & Big Show (CHAMPIONS) vs. Cryme Tyme: Shad & JTG

When Chris Jericho and Big Show joined forces at Night of Champions, they had the resume to be one of the greatest tag teams of all time. There is no way that they will fall to a team who has never won a tag team championship in the WWE. Jericho & Big Show’s march to dominance will begin with this match.

WINNERS and STILL WWE UNIFIED TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: CHRIS JERICHO & BIG SHOW



-MVP vs. Jack Swagger

This is one of the most exciting match ups on the card. Both guys have the potential to be pushed into the main event picture. So who wins here? It is a toss up. MVP has already had an impressive run as the U.S. Champions. Swagger has only been the WNGETBOROS Champion (aka Wrestler Not Good Enough To Be On Raw Or Smackdown Champion aka ECW Champion). Swagger needs the win a little more than MVP does. Regardless of who wins, I predict a great match here.

WINNER: Jack Swagger



-Kane vs. The Great Khali

Poor Kane! While this should be a great battle of two monsters, Kane deserves to be in a more important feud. He has paid his dues. He deserves a better storyline. Khali needs a win here a lot more than Kane does. Khali went from being a dominating monster to a joke with the Khali kiss cam segments. He needs to get back that monster reputation or else his career is over.

WINNER: THE GREAT KHALI



-WNGETBOROS CHAMPIONSHIP
Christian (CHAMPION) vs. William Regal

YAWN! William Regal, one of the most BORING wrestling’s in the history of professional wrestling, is competing for the most useless title in the WWE. Christian will win, just because he has been immensely popular since his return to the WWE.

WINNER and STILL WNGETBOROS CHAMPION: CHRISTIAN



-WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Rey Mysterio (CHAMPION) vs. Dolph Ziggler

At Night of Champions, Dolph Ziggler proved that he could hold his own against a Legend like Rey Mysterio. The fact that he is getting a rematch means that he will win the Intercontinental Championship this time. This is too bad for Mysterio. It is always a good thing to develop new talent. But Ziggler is a Spirit Squad has been whose biggest accomplishment so far was being able to shake wrestlers' hands backstage. Mysterio was bringing prestige back to the Intercontinental Championship. That title will lose a little bit of that prestige after this match.

WINNER and NEW INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION: DOLPH ZIGGLER



-D-Generation X: Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. The Legacy: Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes

DX will win. DX always wins. I just hope that they do not destroy The Legacy. Rhodes and DiBiase are the future of the WWE. They need to look good in this match and not getting annihilated by DX.

WINNERS: DEGENERATION X



-WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Jeff Hardy (CHAMPION) vs. CM Punk
TLC Match

This feud has been GREAT! This match will be GREAT! I am very skeptical of Matt Hardy’s attempt to make amends with his brother. It came about too quick to be believable. I think that his true colors will come out and he will cost Jeff the Championship. I hope I am wrong. Jeff as the Champion is good for the WWE and the fans.

WINNER and NEW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: CM PUNK



-WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Randy Orton (CHAMPION) vs. John Cena

John Cena NEEDS to win this match. He seems lost without the WWE Championship around his waist. And the WWE does not seem to have a storyline for him. But Orton will retain the title. Triple H will come after Orton and the Championship as soon as he is done with The Legacy. Don’t be surprised if The Miz, who was banned from Summerfest for losing to John Cena on Raw, makes his presence known and costs Cena the match.

WINNER and STILL WWE CHAMPION: RANDY ORTON



Enjoy SUMMERFEST,…er…ummmm… SUMMERSLAM!

20' X 20'

20 Thoughts on Night of Champions 2009

1-The CHAMPIONSHIPS!

Professional wrestling championships are nothing more than props for storytelling. That is why someone like David Arquet can be listed as a WCW World Heavyweight Champion and Vince McMahon can be called a WWE CHampion. But on this one night, the Championships take center stage. The entire card is made up of title matches. It is a night of the world's best professional wrestlers competing for greastest prizes in the sport. If professional wrestling were real, that is what the sport would be about.

2-Chris Jericho's mystery partner is.................................

THE BIG SHOW!

WOW! If Chris Jericho and The Big SHow can keep their egos in check, they could be the most dominate tag team that the sport has seen in a long time. Together, Jericho and Big Show held

over 40 Championships in their career. In addition to their impressive resumes, this is the best career move for The Big Show. He has always underachieved for a man of his size and power. This may be due to the fact that it is very difficult to move that large of a body around the ring for a long period of time. But in a tag team match, The Big Show can enter the ring, inflict damage, and then tag in Jericho while he gets some rest on the ring arpon. These two can conceivable dominate the tag team scene for years to come. It will be intersteing to see how long Chris Jericho's ego will allow him to share the spotlight with The Big Show.

3-The world's biggest spear!

Clearly the idea of being in tag team action has rejuvinated The Big Show. His spear on Ted DiBiase was an impressive sight. The Big Slow has not been that agile in years!

4-Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes looked REALLY good in the Unified Tag TEam Championship match. Not only did he add an impressive moonsault to his arsenal, he showed great ring pyshology. To make a pin save, he distracted The Big SHow, which distracted the referee, which in turn allowed him to break up the pin attempt on his partner. It is that kind of ring saavy that will make him a star in the sport for a long time.

5-CM Punk's Attitude

Since adopting his "Holier Than THou" attitude, CM Punk has become significantly more enjoyable to watch. He is much more expressive in the ring. Punk's facial expressions show just how much he enjoys beating up a wreslter that he feels is "morally inferior". And his promos are fun because, while he is getting booed for what he says, there is a kernal of truth in his statements. A Straight Edge lifestyle SHOULD be looked up to and cheered. CM Punk has gone from a likable but boring "face" to a very fun and believable "heel".

6-What does the ECW Championship stand for?

As Tommy Dreamer and Christian were wrestling for the ECW Championship, I couldn't help but wonder "What are they fighting for?"

The World Champion is the best wrestler on Smackdown.

The WWE Champion is the best wrestler on Raw

The Unified Tag Team Champions are the best tag team wrestlers in the WWE.

So what is the ECW Champion? The best guy who is not good enough to be on Raw or Smackdown?

7-Carlito is still COOL!

Carlito was a lot of fun to watch in the Six Pack challenge for the United States Championship. How cool was it to watch him use his brother's help when it benefitted him and then stab him in the back when he needed the advantage. Carlito is an enjoyable heel and would be a great addition to The Legacy.

8-MVP is BALLIN'

MVP is really popular, which is amazing since he spent most of his career as a heel then went through a long losing streak. The WWE needs to capitalize on his poularity.

9-Kofi Kingston's luck

Kofi Kingston defended his United States Championship in a Fatal Fourway match at Extreme Rules and in a Six Pack Challenge at Night of Champions. Both of these matches put the Champion at a disadvantagem, since he does not have to be pinned to lose the title. Kingston defied the odds and retianed the Championship in both of these mathces. How long will his luck last?

10-Michelle McCool and Melina actually WRESTLE!

This was a Diva match that was actually a good wrestling match. Face it, most of the Divas in the WWE are there because of their looks, not their talent in the ring. But McCool and Melina put on a display of wrestling ability that rivals most of their male conterparts. It would be great to see a rematch between these two!

11-Michelle McCool has BRAINS!

Michelle McCool figured out something that no other Diva has had the brains to figure out. When Melina makes her entrance to the ring, she is EXTREMELY vulnerable. As Melina was doing the splits, McCool tooke her out with a baseball slide droopkick. GREAT MOVE!

12-Cena, Triple H, and Orton are the best in the sport!

The Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship showed pro wrestling fans that John Cena, Triple H, and Randy Orton are the best professional wreslters in the world bar none. A triple threat match is exciting, but very difficult to carry out. There are three guys in the ring trying to blend three styles and three storylines into one believable match. These guys succeeded big time. The interaction between all three was seemless. Their moves were performed flawlessly. Even their facial expressions and body language throught the match added to the storytelling in the ring. It was a masterful job by three masters of the ring.

13-Why can't we just get along?

The Triple Threat match showed an intersting contrast between The Legacy and the good guys (John Cena and Triple H). Cody RHodes and TEd DiBiase were 100% focused on helping Randy Orton retain the WWE Championship. But the good guys in the match, Cena and Triple H, could not put their egos aside to get the title away from Orton. Why do the bad guys have a tighter bond and work better together than the good guys?

14-Randy Orton is the new Ric Flair

Randy Orton is the greatest heel in all of professional wrestling right now. He is sneaky and dispicable and generastes a ton of heat from the fans. But he keeps on winning in a believable fashion, much to the frustration of the good guy wrestlers and the fans. His tactics are very similar to Ric Flair fo the 80's. Ric FLair used the Four Horsemen to help him retain his title, just like Orton uses The Legacy. Flair would lie and cheat his way to wins in Champinship mathces, just like Orton. And no matter how much the fans hated FLair, there was soemthing "cool" about him that made the fans respect him, if not cheer him. Orton has that same swagger as Falir that the fans cannot help but like. Will Orton's carrer keep on developing along the lines of Ric Flair to the point that Randy Orton can be considered one of the best ever? THose are big boots to fill, but there is no doubt that RIGHT NOW, Randy Orton is the best villian in professional wrestling.

15-The Champ is NOT here.

How strange is it so see John Cena come up short in a title match? There was a period of time, around Wrestlemanias 22 & 23, when John Cena was unbeatable. It does make for much more interesting storytelling to have Cena look vulnerable.

16-Mickie James is one of the best!

Mickie James won her fifth women's title in the WWE (4 WWE Women's Championship, 1 Diva's Championship). She has the athletic ability and charisma to reach Trish Stratus' record of 7 Championships.

17-Dolph Ziggler makes Rey Mysterio look like a jobber.

Dolph Ziggler, the guy who did nothing but run around introducing himself to everyone backstage at Raw, is suddenly given an Intercontinental Title match? He did NOTHING to deserve this title shot. And to make matters worse, he dominated Rey Mysterio in this match. It is a good idea to develop new talent, but not at the expense of a legend like Rey Mysterio. Ziggelr needed to pay his dues with a few more wins over mid card talent before getting a Championship opportunity. And Rey Mysterio deserved a lot more respect from teh WWE than to put him in a match with Dolph Ziggler.

18-Maria is useless.

So what purpose did Maria serve coming to the ring with Ziggler? There was no storyline reason for her to be there. And she did nothing to help Ziggerl in the match. All she was was eye candy, which is the typical purpose for a WWE Diva.

19-Rey Mysterio retains.

The Intercontinental Championship was a once prestigious title, held by men like Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and Randy Savage. It needs a guy of Mystrio's caliber to bring honor back to the Championship. Let's hope that belt does not find its way around Ziggelr's waist anytime soom.

20-Jeff Hardy is a 3 Time Champion

A year ago, did anyone think that Jeff Hardy has a snowball's chance of winning one Championship? He is now a 3 Time Champ, and that puts him in the same caliber as the true legends of the sport. Regardless of his outside of the ring probles, there is no doubt that Jeff Hardy goes out of his way to entertain the fans. Jeff Hardy puts his body on the line like few wrestlers do, all to entertain the fans of the WWE. That alone makes him worthy of being called a 3 Time Champion.