Smackdown's Booking Mistake

I can recall it as if it was yesterday...Vince McMahon screaming at Steve Austin, "You ruined Wrestlemania! You ruined Wrestlemania you son of a bitch!". This was of course a result of Austin's provokation of Mike Tyson live on RAW a few years back. While I wouldn't go as far as saying that Wrestlemania has been ruined this year, I think's it's pretty accurate to say that the fans are going to be denied a potentially great match when it comes to Smackdown's main event. Do you want to know why? Two words : Rey Mysterio. Why Rey was put back into the match is beyond me. He lost his title shot to Randy Orton at No Way Out. Sure, Randy cheated and held the ropes as he pinned Rey, but Rey clearly lost the match. Therefore, he is stripped of the right to challenge for the belt. The match should be Angle v.Orton. Not a triple threat match. If the bookers want to make it up to Rey (storyline wise) and give him a title shot after Wrestlemania, that's fine. Just don't put him in the WM22 match. Since Flair lost the IC title a few weeks back due to Shelton Benjamin cheating does that mean that Shelton should be stripped of the title and Flair should be handed the title back? This has nothing to do with the fact that I don't like Rey. It has to do with the fact that I want to see a good match between Angle and Randy Orton. I'm not saying that just because they happen to be two of my favorite Smackdown superstars that I can guarentee that they will have a 5-star match, but I think that Rey's inclusion in the match eliminates all possibility. Reportedly, I'm not the only one who feels this way either. Kurt Angle supposedly has been somewhat vocal in his displeasure that the match is going to be a 3-way.

Does anybody actually think that Rey would be in the match if Eddie had not died? I sure don't. All of these Internet critics have been spouting off about how bad it is that they have incorporated Eddie's death into a storyline and how Vince is expoliting it and how Orton should have had the balls to refuse to be part of the angle. What about Rey? Just because he's the babyface and was Eddie's friend he should get a free pass? Does it become okay as long as Rey points up to the sky every 30 seconds or if Rey laughs and says that Eddie played a trick on him by giving him #1 or #2 in the Rumble? If people are going to come down on Orton for not refusing to go with the angle, Rey should take his share of criticism too.

I get the feeling that Rey may walk out of WM22 with the title. It would complete the story so to speak. I hope it doean't happen though. If I had my way I would make the WM22 match an elimination match meaning that after the first pinfall that the match would then become a two-way match for the title. That way they could just have Angle and Orton beat the hell out of Rey, eliminate him, and then have the match that it should have been all along. That's not going to happen though.

It looks like they are building a feud between Orton and Chavo (even though they are on different brands). Depending on how long it goes, I see the possibility of Chavo costing Orton the match at WM22 and helping Rey win the title. For a few weeks or so the writing team looked to be going for the surprise factor - i.e. Edge cashing in his title shot after the elimination chamber, Angle showing up on Smackdown to wil the title. If they really want to shock the hell out of people what they should do is somehow have Chavo turn heel and attack Rey for exploiting his uncle's passing. It wouldn't be as monumental as Hogan's heel turn, but it would be a great swerve to pull on the fans.

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