New Promotional Poster for SummerSlam 2010

Current Extreme Rules 2010 Card

Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship
John Cena (c) vs Batista

Extreme Rules Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Jack Swagger (c) vs Randy Orton

Steel Cage Match
Chris Jericho vs Edge

Street Fight
Triple H vs Sheamus

If CM Punk Loses, He Gets His Head Shaved
CM Punk vs Rey Mysterio

Wrestlemania XXVI Preview: Money in the Bank Ladder Match

‘I look up to the sky and now the World is mine’

A line from this year’s Wrestlemania theme ‘I made it’ and I think it quite aptly describes the Money in the Bank ladder match. A briefcase hangs above the ring and the first person retrieves it get a title match at any time from the moment they unhook it till Wrestlemania the next year. Every person that has cashed in MitB has won one of the World titles (however as we all know not everyone who won money in the bank went onto cash it in. Mr Kennedy won the briefcase but lost it to Edge who went on to cash it in.

Anyway that is enough of history lesson now it is time to look forward to tonight’s MitB match. 10 men are all vying for the briefcase. How do they rate? Well let’s take a DSHD look at what we think their chances are. The two number factors are chances of winning in our opinion, which seems pretty obvious and entertainment factor which is basically how many spills/ big spots they will be involved in or just how much will their involvement be remember. So for example at Wrestlemania XXV Mark Henry would score relatively high although not taking many big bumps he was involved with the ‘Tadpole Splash moment’ The Kofi ladder moment and the parting of the Ladders with Kane.

Christian
Captain Charisma making his Wrestlemania return and just like his last Wrestlemania with WWE he is in the MitB money match. The big difference is that this year lots of people have him down as the favourite to win. A former ‘WWEECW’ (thanks for that one Joey Styles) champion and a ladder match specialist it would seem that he has all the advantages going into this match. However, the only time Christian has headlined a company was TNA and would Vince trust him to be able to headline Smackdown or RAW as WWE or WHC? It is hard to tell also it seems that Vince is increasingly about developing new talent which is why the US, one half of the tag team titles, Women championship and Divas championship are all held by rising stars in the WWE as well as the fact that up until Elimination Chamber Sheamus was the WWE Champion and MitB has often been a match to give either a young star his break CM Punk and Mr. Kennedy even if he got injured and lost his chance, but paradoxically it has been used to give a veteran his break for example Edge and RVD all one the big prize for the first time after winning MitB.
Chances of winning 8.5/10
Entertainment factor 8.5/10

Dolph Ziggler
You can’t stop perfection? Well, really? I have to disagree. Ziggler sort of disappeared last summer after his feud with Rey and to be honest he resurfaced at the Royal Rumble as number one again ruining one of my predictions and since then he has been back on the scene with his new move the Sleeper hold, which he has been utilising with to good effect. But I just don’t see him winning MitB because he has not been given a consistent push and I have a horrible feeling he could disappear after Wrestlemania or float around like Shelton until the next MitB or Royal Rumble or a similar event. But I could see Ziggler hitting the Zig Zag off a ladder or something tonight and having a few good spots.
Chances of winning 1/10
Entertainment factor 5/10

Drew McIntyre
The Chairman’s choice, the current intercontinental and with only one lost to his name (sort of) looks destine for great things. But is he destined to win MitB? Perhaps, but it would be a long shot. The Scotsman is making his Wrestlemania debut this year’s as the extra 9th man to the MitB, which in itself suggests that he is not top on the list for people to win. As well as that as a current champion giving him the MitB would I feel be too much too young for this Superstar, who lacks the charisma and in my opinion the talent that someone like the Miz, has can and is currently pulling off holding two titles. But in a year or so I have a feeling I could be writing about MitB and Drew McIntyre could be the odds on favourite. Also with regards to his entertainment factor Drew is neither a powerhouse nor a high flyer and I feel he could get a bit lost in a ladder match with this many men.
Chances of winning 3.5/10
Entertainment factor 4/10

Evan Bourne
If I had to pick a winner based solely on personal opinion then Evan would be up there in the top two. He has bags of talent and when he is given the chance to speak he seem quite charismatic. The problem is WWE don’t seem to know how to use him properly, they don’t have a heel cruiserweight that has the same highflying ability to put him up against and it seems they don’t like Evan doing a David vs. Goliath sort of victory over the bigger competitors. So at the moment Evan is stuck in no man’s land and I really don’t see WWE even consider giving him a title match but what I do see is him stealing the show in the MitB tonight and showing everyone how to go Air Bourne properly.
Chances of winning 0.5/10
Entertainment factor 9.5.10

Jack Swagger
The All American American is the person I want to win and it is not wholly unlikely but I would say that if he did win it would be a big surprise. The former ECW champion was teased as having a feud with Cena when he helped Mr. McMahon the other week (walking to the ring in somewhat comical fashion) likewise in the past when Cena and Swagger have locked horns it has been an epic contest between the two superstars and if they were allowed to go at it again it could really make Swagger’s career much like The Miz. Also it would seem that Cena or a RAW superstar has to win the WWE championship match because technically Batista is a Smackdown Superstar and both titles cannot be on the same brand. Could it be Swagger? Maybe but either way I think this athletic Oklahoman could be quite entertaining in MitB regardless of the outcome.
Chances of winning 5.5/10
Entertainment Factor 7/10

Kane
The Big Red Monster the only former WWE/WHC champion in this match. He has Wrestlemania and Money in the Bank experience which might give him an edge in tonight’s match. Also he came ridiculously close at winning MitB at Wrestlemania XXV which could drive him forward at Wrestlemania XXVI also the man that knocked him off the ladder is not in the match so could this mean it will be Kane’s year? Probably not, WWE seem not to want to give Kane a World title or any title for that matter and I just don’t see MitB making a difference this year but who knows, I have been wrong before?
Chances of winning: 4/10
Entertainment factor 6.5/10

Kofi Kingston
The Ghanaian Buzzsaw was Jamaican in the last MitB that is not particularly relevant on the face of it but actually after reverting back to his actually nationality and ditching the Jamaican accent Kofi actually was given a main event push against Randy Orton and look destined for great things. Then that push sort of died for some unknown reasons and Kofi went into the grey area between mid-carder and main eventer. But also like Swagger during the Mr. McMahon vs. John Cena match it was teased that Kofi could be feuding with Batista in the future. However, Kofi’s ability to bust people open all the time seemingly by accident could put him in lots of people’s bad books a prevent him winning MitB or getting the final push fully into main event status, this seems pretty clear since he was the 10th man to qualify for a 8 man match.
Chances of winning 7/10
Entertainment factor 9/10

Matt Hardy
After a up and down 2009 Matt Hardy has vowed to reinvent himself and set the record straight in 2010 and MitB could be his way of doing just that. A bit of a dark horse and sort of forgotten in the run up to MitB because of NXT, but do not let this fool you Matt Hardy could surprise everyone and finally climb to the same heights as his brother Jeff (no pun intended.) The only drawback is that Matt Hardy has always been second fiddle to Jeff and whenever I look at Matt Hardy I always put him as the second brother. He is a very gifted and talented wrestler but he seems to be never quite reach the level needed to be WWE/WHC champion. But perhaps he can win MitB and shake off the shackles of his brother’s legacy and finally reach the top of the food chain.
Chances of winning 4.5/10
Entertainment factor 6.5/10

Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP)
One half of the World’s Strongest Tag Team (he is the half with the talent and Charisma) MVP has always been a consistently good performer and his Wrestlemania matches are very good. Who can forget his U.S. title match with Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania 23 when he took the Crippler to his limit? MVP has been feuding with The Miz for quite a long time now and to be honest every time the two of them met one on one they have had amazing matches. A truly talented individual that has not quite yet been give the chance to prove himself at the highest level since his debut feud with Kane. Wrestlemania XXVI will probably not be his year but his performance on the grandest stage of them all will be up there with everyone else and who knows this year could well be a good year for MVP.
Chances of winning 4/10
Entertainment factor 5.5/10

Shelton Benjamin
The Gold Standard, a nickname which is perhaps not very apt as the last time Shelton held a title was March 20th 2009 when he lost his US title to MVP. The best analogy I can think of to describe Shelton’s role in MitB is ‘always the bridesmaid never the bride’ as Shelton has been in 4 of the 5 Money in the Bank matches and at Wrestlemania XXVI he will be entering into his 5th. Shelton will not win tonight, however if he is lucky he might be able to earn a feud with McIntyre over the IC title after MitB depending on how the match pans out.
Chances of Winning 0/10
Entertainment Factor 9.25/10

What is interesting about this year’s MitB is that one of the WWE PPVs later this year is called MitB which would suggest that the briefcase will be cashed sooner rather than later. This could be at Wrestlemania or at the April Pay Per View which at the moment is Extreme Rules a PPV that bodes well for MitB winners. But also this year more so than other years there is no clear winner or even a group of people you could pick to win for example at Wrestlemania XXI Kane, Y2J, Edge and Chris Benoit all looked like viable winners or at Wrestlemania XXIV Y2J, Punk and Mr. Kennedy all looked like they could win. So one of the many reasons why Wrestlemania XXVI will be off the chart this year is that like most of the matches on the card MitB is just too close to accurately call despite my best efforts.

2009 Dirty Awards: Most Under-Rated

Nominations and Winners:
- Evan Bourne
- William Regal (Co-Winner)
- Dolph Ziggler
- Gail Kim (Co-Winner)
- Jack Swagger
The co-winners of this Dirty have been overlooked. Gail Kim was meant to revolutionise WWE Divas division in her second run. William Regal however has had it worse than Kim. Gail Kim is just being ignored but Regal got besmirched at SummerSlam by having the mockery of that was 8 second defeat. To be honest I partially paid to see SummerSlam on the ground that Regal would have a proper match. Likewise Regal should at least be ECW champion or competing for the WWE or World Heavyweight Champion. Swagger was passed over for an US title shot instead of MVP or the Mark Henry, likewise Dolph Ziggler seems to be have lost his shine since John Morrison defeated him in their feud. If Bourne can keep his tag team with Primo then maybe WWE will give him a title run or at least a shot otherwise his talent could be wasted.

O’Dea Note: I know that Methos is English but he needs to calm down about Regal, You don’t hear me get this worked up about Drew McIntyre.

NEXT UP: Most Over-Rated

2009 Dirty Awards: Couple of the Year

Nominations and Winner:
Santina Marella and Jim Ross (Winner)
Vickie Guerrero and Eric Escobar
Eve Torres and Jack Swagger
Maria and Dolph Ziggler
Vickie Guerrero and Big Show
The winners of the Dirty my shock a lot of people, but unlike Vickie and Escobar, Maria and Ziggler and Vickie and Big Show, Santina and Ross did not split up. Torres and Swagger never got together to break up so hence why they did not win the Dirty.

NEXT UP: Most Under-Rated

Wrestling Quote #31: Bragging Rights DX Team Talk

Also at WWE Bragging Rights we saw the 7-on-7 Raw vs Smackdown Match. Earlier in the night DX gave a little pep-talk to the Raw Team. Triple H: Guys gather round, it's Raw 1, Smackdown 1, the stakes have been upped. We cannot lose this match tonight, so what we... Jack Swagger: Do we really need this little rah rah speech? I mean the fact is, I'm on the team, therefore it's better, therefore, you shouldn't worry so much. Shawn Michaels: Look! If it were only that simple Swagger. You have all the athletic ability in the world, but you know what? You have no-ones' respect, and it's respect that is going to carry this team. Back me up on this Hunter. HHH: Right, no-one respects you. The thing is individually, the team shouldn't even be able to get along. I mean, let's face facts, we've been making fun out of Mark Henry ever since that time he nearly had a baby with May Young. Mark Henry: Man that was a long time ago, nobodies still thinking about that, I mean you're not still picking on me. HHH: No and even if we were, thats still not the most important thing at this time. Listen we have stuffed Vince McMahon's head up Big Show's naked butt. We beat Cody Rhodes so badly that he had to be carried away on a stretcher. And more importantly, we exposed this man as a phony Jamaican. Kofi Kingston: Woah, woah, I told you guys that the only reason I did that was because I was paying tribute to the Jamaican heritage. HBK: Stop, Stop! That's not important, the fact is Swagger, nobody on this team really likes Hunter and myself, yeah it's true, but they do respect us and so will you. Now, if you don't want to be a part of this team you can walk out right now and quiet frankly I'll replace you with the first person I see... (Hornswoggle comes in wearing DX gear)... OK maybe not the first person... (Horny does the DX chop) HHH: Take that stuff off and wash your face... Listen guys, the bottom line is we cannot lose tonight, we will not lose tonight, this is bigger than just a match, this is about honour, this is about pride, this is a bout being able to go into a locker room and see those SmackDown guys and not have them look you in the eye and know your a loser. We have to win tonight. So I need to know, Are you ready? HBK: Come on! (They all put theirr hands in the middle) HHH: I said: Are.... You..... Ready!? All: RAW! HBK: Woaho and If you're not down with that we've got two words for ya! Crowd: SUCK IT!

HIAC 2009 Match Preview - United States Championship Triple Threat Match

"I got you where I want you,
Your clock's run out of time
Cause you know I know you, and I'll show you 
That the heat you feel is mine"
Get on Your Knees by Age Against the Machine
(Jack Swagger's Entrance Theme).

Kofi Kingston (now apparently from Ghana, having spent a lot of time in Jamica) has been in so many of these multi-person matches since he won the United States Championship from MVP the week before Extreme Rules, and has prevailed every time, but this time I think his clock has run out of time. As Miz or Jack Swagger will (or at least should) walk out of the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, the new United States Champion.

These three have done well to build this match, but I'm not 100% convinced and they will and should give us a good match tonight. The one thing that I love about this match is that the Miz is instant heat, as soon as his music hits the arena erupts with a chorus of booing. I liked at Breaking Point his French promo, considering they were in Montreal and anyone with half a brain cell could guess where he was going with it.

Jack Swagger proved himself as a main event player earlier this year during his ECW Championship reign, but since he's been on Raw, he hasn't been given the time he really needs and deserves, instead they cram the 2 hours with Hornswoggle. Also the fact that they are in America, where they have to have a ad break every 10 minutes on a live Raw broadcast only one other match except for the main event is allowed to go through an ad break, which is stupid.

Anyway, I digress, these three have everything they need to put on a match of epic proportions, but I think the amount of matches on the card will harm their chances to put on a truly fantastic match. Miz and Swagger are future main event players, and Kofi, I guess, it looks like thy're trying to remove the Jamaican gimmick from him (like announcing him from Ghana, West Africa, which is like announcing William Regal from England, North Europe, Stupid. And taking the Jamaican flag off his entrance video/set thing). So they should be trying to make a real statement tonight, but would WWE really let them do that.

Final Card for WWE SummerSlam Tonight

World Heavyweight Championship, Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match:
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. CM Punk

WWE Championship Match:
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena

Degeneration X vs. The Legacy

ECW Championship Match:
Christian (c) vs. William Regal

Intercontinental Championship Match:
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

Unified WWE Tag Team Championship Match:
Chris Jericho & The Big Show (c) vs. Cryme Tyme

MVP vs. Jack Swagger

Kane vs. The Great Khali

Same Old, Same Old

Fair Enough, the WWE Championship match at Night of Champions was a good, solid match that went over 20 minutes that did what you wanted from a "B" PPV Championship Match and you could say that it was better than their match at Wrestlemania 24, but it's the same old, same old. There are a number of names that have been around long enough to step up to a major main event slot and have proven time and time again they can take the competition, and don't have a Jeff Hardy like risk about putting them in the big time. The fact that this match is the same old match is highlighted by the face that the John Cena-Randy Orton match at Summerslam will be the 25th time in the last 5 years that there has been a combination of Orton-HHH-Cena.

Even though Dolph Ziggler has been back on the main roster for only a little while, they have got the trust in him to put him in big time match with a veteran like Rey Mysterio, where he didn't disappoint. Dolph Ziggler's character is really developing and as JR would say he's getting a real "mean streak". Personally, I think he's watchable, he's a new star who isn't boring and is totally different to the "Spirit Squad" stuff, where I can't even remember who he was, and that was when I first started watching WWE.

There has been news about Evan Bourne being left out of the card on Raw, even though he was meant to be set up to feud with The Brian Kendrick after a solid match at a house show two weeks ago. I'm sorry but this is where WWE is going wrong, he should have been in the US title match at Night of Champions, erm remember that Jack Swagger has been in the company less time than Evan (but I guess that they took the risk with him, by giving him the ECW "gold" which paid off). He's exciting and has shown that he's not just a thrill-factor, that he can have big time matches week in, week out. He's shown perfect for the United States scene, and if not that, have him really feud with Kendrick (and give them some time). Kendrick is the perfect size for him and is very athletic but because he made the wrong decisions he hasn't been able to show that off.

Monday Night Thoughts/Tuesday Morning Reactions

Lets be honest, this was a very strange and indifferent episode of Monday Night Raw. First off the best wrestlers tonight were the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions "Team Ego" Chris Jericho & Edge, with a great (but cut short) promo before their title defense, which was a fantastic match where all four performers work perfectly with each other.

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, lets start at the start with Vince McMahon and his continuing heel turn, he's not giving away a commercial-free Raw or a ticket refund because WWE can't afford it and it creates easy heat. I heard something about a 15 man trade for about 2 seconds, but since that had already slightly leaked onto the net, there was no worries. Then he introduced the guest host not the GM, Batista! Ohhhhhh! I don't give a s**t! No no, I'm being harsh, he gave us a 4-man tournament and a 3-on-Randy Orton Gauntlet Match (which Batista did really well not to tell us that it was going to be 3 new Raw superstars). Tournament Cena-Miz & HHH-MVP, well I wonder how that's gonna turn out.

First match tonight, Triple H vs MVP. It was obvious which way the match was going to go, but this was a rubbish match to start Raw, it didn't even go over an ad break. The finish was rubbish, too predictable! MVP goes for the playmaker, I knew that HHH would get out of it then s**t all over one of the best young competitors in WWE with the Pedigree (which is the most boring and over use finisher EVER!). Will Triple H ever lose against someone like MVP. And can he please leave Randy Orton alone, how much more can they do between these two, Randy is great, HHH is a douche! They tried to re-vamp this feud in the Road to WrestleMania, considering they had a long summer run last year, ending quicker than WWE would have wanted when Hunter broke Randy's collar bone. So, for the rest of the first hour I was pissed off about how Triple H shat on MVP, why?

Next up was the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship Match, already talked about this, loved it all. Okay, at the time of writing, I hadn't watched the whole of "The Bash" PPV so didn't see all the Cena-Miz Match but I heard that it was crap and didn't live up to any of the hype. On Raw they replayed the recap promo from the night before and I think that it must have been longer than the actually match on Sunday.

This match, which was the second in the Night of Champions #1 Contenders Tournament was good and was a solid match and they should have had a match of that caliber at the PPV, it's called a Pay-Per-View for a reason! I enjoyed this match when I got into it and knew that it wouldn't be a straight squash (and why the f**k would it be!). Except for the very end, "Moves of Doom" and Short tap to shit hold, I like this match considering it was unfortunately obvious the outcome.

I'm really liking the Miz, he's good in and out (theoretically) of the ring, even Chris Jericho, master of the heel, said about Miz practicing his promos backstage on Sunday: "In the pretape room inside re Arco arena watching Miz stumble and mumble his way through humane society promos. Top entertainment!".

Haven't heard of a Women's Fatal-Four Way before yesterday night, not bad, but don't they have a better heel than Rosa Mendes. Alright match, but when they where on the outside trying to allow others to fight in the ring, they looked like right idiots. One thing, near the end of the match, Beth Phoenix was dropped off the apron and it looked like she really smashed her head on the ring steps, that look and sounded too real, if it was, Michael Cole said that Maryse was laughing at that point, evil bitch, haha.

Here comes the Big Show, where is he going with any storyline right now, what, is he going to get a United States Championship match at Night of Champions, shut up. Double countout, could you really see a non-Big Show win against Kofi being anything but a countout or DQ, but hey a double countout is the same sorta stuff. Show then looked like a douche by storming out, doing nothing and the camera following him all the way, couldn't they have just gone to a break earlier. Silly match.

The Main Event was a 3-on-1 Gauntlet Match with the WWE Champion Randy Orton facing off against 3 new performers that have been "traded" to Raw. First up Evan Bourne, yeah! That's good, and strangely I didn't know how much of a size difference the was going to be between Evan and Randy, Evan looked like a child with his child-like head. He did well in the short time but lost from a massive top rope RKO after Orton stopped the Shooting Star Press, lost. Up next, again from ECW, Jack Swagger! YES! I'm loving this, he showed in april at the Draft show against John Cena how he can hold his own against the big boys in WWE. His future is bright. And finally, Mark Henry, who got a great reaction? What? Does everyone in the arena remember who this is, but actually he played it as a babyface, this is the only way I think I'm going to be able to enjoy Mark Henry, but I think I'm really going to enjoy face Mark Henry. I started to remember Sexual Chocolate, it won't be like that, but he's smiling and soaking up the pop from the crowd, who have been very good all night. But the end was very lackluster, I was thinking "Oh, Is that it? I guess so... Erm, Yeay!"

It was alright and it'll be interesting to see how the new superstars will slot in, is Jack Swagger the new Legacy member, Randy was rather surprised at Jack's actions and count-out (on the ring apron). I think I'm looking forward to next week, Ted DiBiase Sn. as Guess Host and HHH-Cena for WWE Title shot at Night of Champions (btw its so obvious its going to be a triple threat, because they've done Orton-HHH, too much and they will not let either of their biggest faces be beat like they beat Miz & MVP), YEAH?

Extreme Rules 2009: One Last Chance ECW Championship Hardcore Triple Threat Match

At Extreme Rules it will be the last opportunity for Tommy Dreamer to capture the ECW Championship, otherwise he walks from WWE from that night. Tommy Dreamer's contract expiries the night before Extreme Rules, and Jack Swagger pointed this out when ECW GM Tiffany made the match, but they even have a way round that, by signing a "one day extension" to his WWE contract so he can compete at the PPV. Lets not forget the title matches Jack Swagger and Christian have had at the two last PPVs ending with Christian picking up the win with the help of some underhanded tactics, which Jack Swagger hasn't forgotten and used this fact to almost force himself into this title match. And personally I think that having him in the match will mix it up a bit more, considering we've seen Christian-Dreamer for the title two times and we know that if it was that again, there would be more interference (yet at Extreme Rules that wouldn't have finished in a No-Contest). “The All-American American” has had his eyes firmly set on the ECW Championship after he lost it by being outsmarted by Christian at Backlash. Again at Judgment Day, Captain Charisma outwitted Swagger. Since these losses, the cocky, young Superstar has been calling Christian a cheater and he’s been interrupting Dreamer’s chances at the ECW Title. So Now, Christian will once again defend his ECW Title, but at Extreme Rules, Captain Charisma will have two opponents, and both former ECW Champions. He’ll take on Jack Swagger and Tommy Dreamer in a Hardcore Rules Triple Threat Match.

Judgement Day 2009: ECW Championship

ECW Champion Christian didn’t get to enjoy his new status among the Land of the Extreme for long without having the vulture-like hungry Superstars for ECW’s most coveted prize knocking at his door. On the Tuesday following their ECW Title Match at Backlash, former title holder Jack Swagger insisted on a rematch, which would take place at Judgment Day. Moments later, Tiffany confirmed the contest. Ensuring he would also get retribution against Christian in addition to the title back, Swagger interfered in Tommy Dreamer’s match against the champion later that evening on ECW on Sci Fi, forcing the trophy to remain in Captain Charisma’s possession. Christian heads into Judgment Day with the advantage, having defeated Swagger for the gold at Backlash. But who knows what tricks “The All-American American” has up his sleeve to make sure he can regain his role as the face of Extreme? Find out, only on pay-per-view.

Quick note on the draft

ECW was screwed in the recent draft, hopefully it will pick up in the supplement draft. Punk to pick up a title at Backlash assuming Edge loses. Swagger did well against Cena proving he is a hot prospect. The Bromance is over and the Miz and Morrison are split (for now) hopefully in the meantime The Miz could pick up the US title. Let's see what will happen on Wednesday!!!