WWE Night Of Champions 2008 Results
ECW Championship: Kane (c) vs. The Big Show vs. Mark Henry
I should have gone with who I said was the logical pick - Henry; Big Show is SD and Kane is Raw. That only left Henry who was ECW. The end came when Kane gave Show a superplex and then was immediately splashed by Henry. Is Henry World Title Material? No, but the ECW Title isn't exactly on the same level as the Heavyweight Title or WWE Title.
Me: 0/1
Dave: 0/1
WWE Championship: Triple H (c) vs. John Cena
Trips wins after reversing an attempted STFU into a Crippler Crossface which Cena reversed into an FU which Trips escaped from and gave Cena a pedigree. Follow all that?
Me: 1/2
Dave: 1/2
World Tag Team Championship: Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Ted DiBiase and TBA
I predicted that DiBiase's partner would be a let down and it was - Here is how it went down. DiBiase came to the ring and said that his partner was running late. The match began with DiBiase without a partner. DiBiase insisted that Holly start off in the ring. Holly entered the ring and Rhodes DDT'd him and it was revealed that Rhodes was DiBiase's partner. DiBiase then gave Holly a combination Million $ Dream / Russian Leg Sweep. Rhodes is now a 2-time champ. What a waste.
Me: 2/3
Dave: 2/3
WWE Diva's Championship: Natalya vs. TBA - This will be used to inaugurate the Diva's Championship by determining the first champion.
----Match didn't take place----
World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. Batista
Batista was about to pin Edge after a Batista Bomb/Spinebuster when Vicki pulled the ref out as he was about to count 3. Edge then pulled the ref out of the ring and punched him. Vicki then called for a new ref and Chavo came out in a ref's shirt. Edge then nailed Batista with the belt and covered him while Chavo counted 1,2,3.
Me: 2/4
Dave: 3/4
WWE United States Championship: Matt Hardy (c) vs. Chavo Guerrero
Hardy won.
Me: 3/5
Dave: 4/5
WWE Tag Team Championship: John Morrison and The Miz (c) vs. Finlay and Hornswoggle
Miz and Morrison won after Morrison destroyed Hornswoggle (not hard to do). At one point Hornswoggle was giving Miz a bunch of DDTs, Bulldogs, and Hurricanranas. It looked ridiculous since Miz pretty much had to lift Hornswoggle up so he could do the moves.
Me: 4/6
Dave: 5/6
WWE Women's Championship: Mickie James (c) vs. Katie Lea Burchill
Mickie wins.
Me: 5/7
Dave: 6/7
WWE Intercontinenal Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Kofi Kingston
Jericho came out and said that he was hoping that he would defend the IC Title against HBK, but that HBK wasn't there. Kofi then came out and the match began. Eventhough Kofi is a relative newcomer I figured that he would get the win; I didn't really think that the WWE would have the IC Title involved in the whole Jericho/HBK feud.I was impressed by Kofi. Towards the end of the match HBK came running out through the crowd and then gave Cade, who was watching Jericho's back, a superkick. He then climbed on the apron and Jericho, who had Kofi in the Walls of Jericho, knocked him off of the apron. As Jericho turned around Kofi delivered his spin-kick thing and got the win and title. As HBK was being helped to the back Jericho went over to him and hit him in the eye - AGAIN.
Me: 6/8
Dave: 6/7
I am really surprised that we both did so well. I was totally confused on who to pick because of the whole shifting of the rosters after the draft and I thought that Dave's total would suffer since his picks were made without taking the draft into account.
wrestleblogger@yahoo.com
Supplemental Draft Thoughts & My FINAL Night of Champions Predictions (I Hope)
As expected, the WWE held its supplemental draft to reorganize the lower-card talent since Raw's Draft seemed to only involve the upper-card talent. My thoughts:
Mark Henry to ECW - He's already on ECW all the time since ECW & SD have that 'talent exchange' program. Once ECW and Raw start taping together I expect him to be a semi-regular fixture on Raw too. Not a big fan of Henry in the first place and now I'll probably get stuck watching him battle Raw's very top-heavy roster.
Jaime Noble to Raw - I am a bit of a fan of Jaime Noble so I am looking forward to this. Hopefully he won't get lost in the shuffle.
Trevor Murdoch to Smackdown - Whatever happened to the Murdoch/Cade feud? I'm not sure how far this singing gimmick is going to take him.
Big Daddy V to Smackdown - Prediction---Trips will squash him.
Deuce to Raw - I don't really care about Deuce very much at this point. An image makeover is in order here. The whole 50's gimmick worked as a tag team, but these types of gimmick for individual are stale.
D.H. Smith to Smackdown - I don't care. He won't be on T.V. there either just like he was never on Raw.
Hornswoggle & Finlay to ECW - These were actually 2 seperate and nonconsecutive picks. I suppose a fresh start is in order for these two, but it doesn't really make a difference to me where they are.
Super Crazy to ECW - Back to his roots I guess.
Kendrick to Smackdown - Has he even been on Raw in he past 3 months?
Striker to Raw - I find him entertaining so this is probably a good thing.
Maria to Smackdown - She was one of my favorite Divas and would have rather seen her stay on Raw
Shelton to Smackdown - This is a big surprise seeing as how I had heard that he was going to become a major player on ECW.
Carlito to Smackdown - I heard that Carlito was going to once again ask for his release and wouldn't be recinding it this time. Perhaps this is one of those instances where a wrestler gets traded and released. Perhaps he was sent to SD since he has been very outspoken about how Raw had too much backstage politics. I'm not sure if that will remain true with Trips now on SD too.
Layla to Raw - I liked her at first and then gradually I started to not really care anymore. She needs to improve her skills a bit and there are plenty of Divas on Raw to help her tweak her skills. A good move I'd say.
Kofi Kingston to Raw - I haven't really seen too much of him, but I've heard some good things. We'll wait and see how this turns out.
Ok, the first version of my predictions was a mess. I was trying to organize all of the draft details, the rumors, and all of the possible scenarios. Seeing as how the supplemental draft took place and that a whole slew of wrestlers have new brands I figured that I would just re-do the whole thing. Here goes.
ECW Championship: Kane (c) vs. The Big Show vs. Mark Henry
Dave Says: Wake me when this one is over. Big Show wins.
I Say: Yes, this is now a triple Threat. Since Kane is now Raw, Big Show is still Smackdown, and Henry is now ECW the logical pick is Henry, right? I'm going to stick with my original pick of Big Show. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think that Henry is World Title material (as if Chavo was).
WWE Championship: Triple H (c) vs. John Cena
Dave Says: Y'know kids there was a time when a champion took on all comers. Now it's just the same two or three guys battling over and over and over... Trips wins. Snore.
I Say: I still think that Trips will somehow end up back on Raw, but let's assume for the time being that he will stay on SD. Smackdown needs a champion since Batista will probably win the World Title from Edge and take it with him to Raw. Trips retains the belt.
World Tag Team Championship: Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Ted DiBiase and TBA
Dave Says: The mysterious "J" has a great tendency to pick TBA and TBA always loses (he also always thinks TBA will be someone exciting and it never is) however in this case I'm picking Ted Jr. and TBA.
I Say: DiBiase has been rumored to have told some brat fan that his partner will be the 'Son of a Bulldog'. That obviously means D. H. Smith. He is now on SD so let's pretend that it won't be him. Perhaps the WWE has someone else in mind. Not that I think that DiBiase will become a major WWE star I can't imagine that him losing in his first WWE match could help his cause. DiBiase and TBA win.
WWE Diva's Championship: Natalya vs. TBA - This will be used to inaugurate the Diva's Championship by determining the first champion.
Dave Says: WTF??? I protest. I refuse to pick. If you want to count this as a loss fine. Here is where I make my stand.
I Say: I read the SD spoilers and it didn't seem like an opponent for Neidhart was announced so I am assuming that it's still TBA. The WWE either has no clue as to whom it will be, in which case look for Cherry, Michelle McCool, Maria, or some other SD diva to be plugged in, or they are planning a big surprise with a returning Trish or something like that (highly unlikely). My pick is Nattie. Yeah, I know that I picked TBA in my first set of pick, but I've had a change of heart.
World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. Batista
Dave Says: I'm a die hard Edgehead and it broke my heart to see him switch brands. I pick Edge.
I Say: Raw needs a champion and Batista looks like he will be it. Edge's wedding to Vicki next month will be interrupted by 'Taker's return. I am assuming that 'Taker will go on to defeat him fairly quickly and I can't see them putting the title on him yet so Edge can't have the belt. Batista wins.
WWE United States Championship: Matt Hardy (c) vs. Chavo Guerrero
Dave Says: Ummmm, Matt Hardy I guess.
I Say: I agree Hardy will win.
WWE Tag Team Championship: John Morrison and The Miz (c) vs. Finlay and Hornswoggle
Dave Says: Miz & Morrison.
I Say: I can't see Finlay and Hornnie winning the titles as anything more than a novelty. I think that the will win though by DQ or something.
WWE Women's Championship: Mickie James (c) vs. Katie Lea Burchill
Dave Says: Wow. Two women I actually recognize. I don't think the WWE is going to give Burchill the title just yet. She seems kinda separated from the rest of the women. Mickie James keeps the title.
I Say: Yeah, Dave's right. It's too soon for Burchill to get the title. For that reason she'll probaly win. My pick is James. Here is a possible scenario. James loses to Katie Lea, gets traded to Smackdown and becomes the TBA in the Nattie Neidhart match. I'll stick with James though in this match.
Summary
Dave Says: Big Show, Trips, DiBiase & TBA, No Pick, Edge, Hardy, Miz & Morrison, & Micki James.
I picked: Big Show, Trips, DiBiase & TBA, Nattie, Batista, Hardy, Finlay & Hornswoggle, & Micki James.
NOTE: I am about 90% confident that the PPV will result in a World Title being on each show. That means that I will either get both of my World Championship matches right or they will both be wrong; there can't be a split.
I am also hearing rumors that Y2J's IC Title will be on the line at the PPV (perhaps replacing the SD Diva match). I would have to say that C.M. Punk cashes in his MiTB title shot. Yeah, I know that that would be a bit of a waste, but it wouldn't surprise me.
Wrestleblogger@yahoo.com
Random Thoughts and 2008 WWE Night Of Champions Predictions
How about some random thoughts before I get into the predictions...
Mr. McMahon's Million $ Giveaway
This was little more than a ploy to get ratings and it's more or less considered a failure. The same people who have been watching Raw are still watching Raw and the one's who weren't still probably aren't. A total of 3 million $ have been given away and the giveaway is seemingly done with Mr. McMahon being 'injured' due to the 'accident' at Raw's conclusion. The WWE was looking for a way out of this promotion and I think they found it.
Some of the more memorably moments have been
- Mr. McMahon giving away prizes of $2 and $16
- The person whose answering machine picked up
- The viewer who gave Vince the correct password only to have Vince claim that they got it wrong and tried to hang up on them only to have Kelly Kelly make the save and tell Vince that the password was right.
- The person who said 'Wrong Number' and hung up as soon and Vince called him.
- The person who happened to be in the arena at Raw in San Antonio (I'm suspicious of this one because the camera-shot went right to her near what looked to be far from the ring.)
WWE Draft Lottery - The Rich Get Richer (A Lot Richer)
There have been reports that ECW will no longer be taped with Smackdown and will instead be taped before (or after depending on the location) Raw. Because of that any pick that Raw or ECW gets means a pick for both brands esentially.
Raw Gets:
Rey Mysterio - He's injured, but will be coming back soon. I'm not a huge fan of this pick.
C.M. Punk - This was easily predicted. C.M. Punk is a rising star and it was only a matter of time before he went to Raw. Look for him to feud with Y2J over the IC Title in the not to distant future.
Batista - Rey & Batista on Raw? (sarcastically) It must be my lucky day.
Michael Cole - He'll be back on SD soon.
Kane - I'm pretty sure he'll be dropping the title this weekend, but you never know since Raw and ECW are going to be together.
Smackdown Gets:
Jim Ross - Obviously since Cole is on Raw. Don't be surprised if they turn this into an angle where Ross comes off very bitter during his commentary. At that point he will be put into a match where he can win his spot back on Raw.
Jeff Hardy - I'm a little surprised that they didn't keep him on Raw
Kennedy - Does this mean that he will be becoming a heel again?
Umanga - Yeah, he's become a little stale on Raw
Triple H - There's no way that this lasts for long. Remember last time when Trips was drafted to SD in 2004? He was traded back to Raw almost immediately for the Dudleyz and Booker T. There is a small chance that Trips stays on SD for around 8 months or so (see Edge v. Batista match below)
On to the picks - I have the advantage (or disadvantage) here since I've seen the draft and I would imagine that the draft has A LOT to do with what's going to happen at Night Of Champions. Because of that these were probaby the hardest picks I've made in two and a half years of making them.
ECW Championship: Kane (c) vs. The Big Show
Dave Says: Wake me when this one is over. Big Show wins.
I Say: ECW moving to Raw makes me think that Kane may keep the belt since Big Show winning the belt would mean that Big Show would essentially be on all threee brands since he's currently a SD star. I'll go with Show to win. What the hell.
WWE Championship: Triple H (c) vs. John Cena
Dave Says: Y'know kids there was a time when a champion took on all comers. Now it's just the same two or three guys battling over and over and over... Trips wins. Snore.
I Say: Part of the build up for this match has been that it will be one of those huge WWE moments where you can always remember where you were when it happened. For me is was watching WM22 and Backlash - TWO YEARS AGO! Trips is probably going to be back on Raw so he can go on and beat Cena and then drop the title to him at Summerslam....or maybe not (see Edge v. Batista match below) . Either way Trips wins.
World Tag Team Championship: Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Ted DiBiase and TBA
Dave Says: The mysterious "J" has a great tendency to pick TBA and TBA always loses (he also always thinks TBA will be someone exciting and it never is) however in this case I'm picking Ted Jr. and TBA.
I Say: HA! I'm not going to pick TBA here! Well, I might. I am predicting that TBA will be a huge disappointment. Why? Because I have read that DiBiase has been telling people that it will be 'The Son of a Bulldog'. D.H. Smith? Are you kidding me? DiBiase and Smith will never be over and putting the titles on them isn't going to work. The WWE will try it anyways. I hope I'm wrong. DiBiase and TBA win.
WWE Diva's Championship: Natalya vs. TBA - This will be used to inaugurate the Diva's Championship by determining the first champion.
Dave Says: WTF??? I protest. I refuse to pick. If you want to count this as a loss fine. Here is where I make my stand.
I Say: 2 TBA's on on card? It must be my lucky day! I can't imagine who it will be. Either the WWE is planning a huge surprise like someone jumping over from TNA or maybe a returing Trish Stratus or Chyna (highly unlikely for both) or the WWE has no clue what they are going to do. It will probably be Cherry or Michelle McCool. Natalya wins. No, wait a minute TBA wins again. (when will I learn?).
Note: I am writing these picks before this week's SD tapings so if an opponent is revealed I will try to updat my pick.
World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. Batista
Dave Says: I'm a die hard Edgehead and it broke my heart to see him switch brands. I pick Edge.
I Say: I'm could go with a scenario similar to what I said last PPV. Edge wins, Undertaker interferes with Edge and Vicki's wedding, regains the title at Summerslam and cruises to WM25 where his streak ends to........Triple H. Finally, it all makes sense. Wait a minute! Ok, here is what will really happen - Batista wins the title and takes it to Raw while Trips takes the WWE Title to SD. The WWE title is the top title in wrestling. That's the one that they want to put on 'Taker for his last run.
WWE United States Championship: Matt Hardy (c) vs. Chavo Guerrero
Dave Says: Ummmm, Matt Hardy I guess.
I Say: Hardy wins the match, but doesn't keep the title for long since he is going to ECW.
WWE Tag Team Championship: John Morrison and The Miz (c) vs. Finlay and Hornswoggle
Dave Says: Miz & Morrison.
I Say: I agree. M & M win. If Finlay and Hornswoggle do get the titles it's only so half of the tag team champs will be a little person
WWE Women's Championship: Mickie James (c) vs. Katie Lea Burchill
Dave Says: Wow. Two women I actually recognize. I don't think the WWE is going to give Burchill the title just yet. She seems kinda separated from the rest of the women. Mickie James keeps the title.
I Say: Yeah, Dave's right. It's too soon for Burchill to get the title. For that reason she'll probbaly win. My pick is James.
Dave Says: Big Show, Trips, DiBiase & TBA, No Pick, Edge, Hardy, Miz & Morrison, & Micki James.
I Say: Big Show, Trips, DiBiase & TBA, TBA, Batista, Hardy, Miz & Morrison, & Micki James.
wrestleblogger@yahoo.com
WWE One Night Stand 2008 Results
Stretcher match
Shawn Michaels vs. Batista
A fairly god match. Twice when it appeared that Batista was going to win Jericho came out to urge HBK to get up and at one point even stopped the stretcher from going over the line and knocked Shawn off of it. Batista eventually won. It looks like this may resume the HBK/Y2J feud with the basis being that Shawn wants Jericho to stay out of his business. I should have kept my original pick.
Me: 0/1
Dave: 1/1
Falls Count Anywhere match
Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga
No surprise. Hardy won after giving Umaga a swanton bomb off of the top of a semi (with a giant picture of HBK's face on it) onto the 'concrete' below.
Me: 1/2
Dave: 2/2
First Blood match
John Cena vs. John "Bradshaw" Layfield
At one point Cena was tied up in the ropes and JBL went under the ring and pulled out a whip. While I was hoping that JBL would use it on Cena, I knew it wouldn't happen. Cena managed to kick JBL in the balls, release himself, and put JBL in the STFU using a chain to choke JBL to cause JBL to start spitting up blood.
Me: 2/3
Dave: 3/3
Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship
Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton
I'm pretty sure that the ending was moved up in the match. Orton went for and RKO, but Trips instead threw Orton out of the ring which ended up breaking Orton's collarbone. Orton notified the ref and eventually made to to his feet only to have Trips nail him with a sledgehammer to get the win.
Me: 2/4
Dave: 4/4
Five-Way Singapore Cane Match - The winner of the match will face Kane for the ECW Championship at Night of Champions 2008.
CM Punk vs. John Morrison vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Tommy Dreamer vs. The Big Show
A good match. End came when Big Show was going to hit someone with the stairs, but ended up falling face first onto them. He was busted open and then went berserk and destroyed everyone and pinned Dreamer to get the win.
Me: 2/5
Dave: 5/5
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship
The Undertaker vs. Edge - If Undertaker loses, he will have to leave the WWE.
If I didn't know better I would say that this was actually 'Taker's last match since he took some pretty good bumps. The big one was falling off of the top of the ladder (in the ring) and through 4 tables set-up outside the ring. Edge wins and Undertaker is gone from the WWE (at least for now).
Me: 3/6
Dave: 6/6
Diva's I Quit Match
Melina v. Beth Phoenix
Probably the best Diva match I have seen in a long time of not ever. This is what Diva matches should be. There was a lot of actually wrestling and not al ot of the simple rules that Diva matches are usually made up of. Melina submitted after almost getting broken in half in one of Phoenix's submission holds.
Me: 3/7
Dave: 6/7
Summary:
I got a sickly 3/7 correct while Dave got 6/7 correct. To be honest Dave picked perfectly among that matches that he submitted picks for - He didn't submit one for the Diva match and since he ALWAYS picks Melina, that's who I used for his pick. I'll be nice and give him credit for perfect picks, but with an asterik.
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