I’m sorry I didn’t get a Raw column out, but this might be a pattern for a few more weeks. Our house is finally coming to the end after almost 11 months of construction. Yes it’s been a nightmare, but things are I would say a couple of weeks away from finally getting done. And once it’s done, we have to have the house painted so that will take up just a little more time. The reason I couldn’t get a column out was because the electricity was on and off for a couple of days. One day it was because we lost power due to the heat, dare I say it wasn’t pleasant in here? The other was because of work being done in the house. I’m just going to go with the flow and if I can get a column out, oh I definitely will, if not at least you guys will know why and you’ll know that it’s just a temporary thing. With that said I would like to say that I loved Raw and Smackdown this week. You guys would have been so proud of me, because my Raw column was going to be so positive. And last night’s Smackdown was another fantastic show. With the exception of too much Vince on both shows, everything else just about worked for me. And both shows along with ECW really have me all ready for the Bash. Yeah this one I’m ordering and you know if there’s a pay per view this weekend it must be time for my predictions. I feel somewhat shaky with most of them, but what the hell it’s not like I’ve been doing excellent in the last few months. So here are my Bash picks, and I want to thank all of you that have sent me yours, and don’t forget keep them coming I promise I will get to each and every one of them.

Unified Tag Team Champions Carlito & Primo vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase
Sure this is the first tough one for me. Now this is one of many feuds that WWE rushed to get into this pay per view. See I would keep the title on the Colons, which would allow them more TV time. But I have a feeling that Legacy is going to win. Now I am very sure that this is going to be a good match and it’s nice to have a tag team match on a pay per view for a change. I just wish this one would have gotten the build up that Morrison and The Miz got when they feuded with Primo and Carlito. But then as good as that build up was they didn’t even get a shot at Wrestlemania, their match was saved for the Wrestlemania DVD, go figure. So Legacy wins and God only knows whom they will defend against because without the Colon’s there really isn’t anyone to go against.
Winner; Legacy

John Cena vs. The Miz
This is another match that should have had a better build up. Now don’t get me wrong, they have had the Miz taunting Cena for several months, but the problem was that instead of more focus between Cena and the Miz, they kept that miserable Big Show /Cena feud going. Listen I’m not sure that it’s over. I have a bad feeling that Big Show is going to interfere and cost Cena the match, and believe me that’s the last thing that I need to see. Now I would prefer Miz to beat Cena. I feel that way because on the mic the Miz has knocked this feud out of the ballpark. His insults week after week have been so solid and it would be very sad to see the Miz lose the first time out to Cena. I think this could turn out to be a good match, at least it’s a fresh match, and I’m going with the Miz to win. Now I hope this makes sense I’m staying with the Miz, but a Cena win I think is more likely.
Winner: The Miz

The Great Khali vs. Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler is a shoe in. This guy is on the way up, and he’s managed to get the upper hand on Khali when he has lost to him. Ziggler has really been a blast to watch since his move to Smackdown and this guy is going to get a “big” win tomorrow night. I think this match will be kept short, but just from their past encounters this should be a good one to watch.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio
There is no way that Rey is losing that mask, nope no way at all. Rey is going to win and get the IC title back. I can’t wait to see this one; these two have been so great together and when this feud ends which I guess could be after the Bash I am really going to miss it. You can bet that this will be one of the highlights of the night. And watching Jericho’s facial expression when he loses will be another highlight.
Winner: Rey Mysterio

Women's Champion Melina vs. Michelle McCool
I guess it’s goodbye to Melina’s title reign tomorrow night. I would rather see her retain, but I see McCool getting the win. Many of you know I’m not big on McCool; she just can’t seem to break out of her lackluster heel persona. There’s just so much more that she needs to do to get that character over. Anyway I will go with McCool for the win, and hopefully this will be a decent match, and I think it will be. I’m also thinking, well maybe hoping if McCool wins, than maybe Gail Kim will finally get into the spotlight and the title picture.
Winner: Michelle McCool

ECW Championship Scramble Match - Tommy Dreamer vs. Christian vs. Fit Finlay vs. Jack Swagger vs. Mark Henry in a Championship Scramble match
This is another match that I’m not sure about. It’s a toss up between Dreamer and Swagger. Of course I have been waiting for Swagger to get the title back for a couple of months now. I don’t know if they want to take it off Dreamer after only one month, then again I think Swagger could bring in more ratings. The scramble match could be fun and I’m sure this will turn out well. In fact it should be a good match and it was nice of Vince to allow ECW to have one match on tomorrow nights show. Yes that was sarcasm. Well I’m going with a Swagger victory. It would be good to get the belt back on him. He wears it very well.
Winner: Jack Swagger

WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Triple H - Three Stages Of Hell match with a regular first fall, a Falls Count Anywhere second fall and, if needed, a Stretcher Match third fall.
I was so thrilled with Hunter and Orton’s Last Man Standing match this past Monday night. It was absolutely outstanding. Now can they do it again tomorrow night? That I don’t know, but I sure hope so. They really have to work hard to top Monday’s match and I think it is possible. Now this might be a stupid reason for going with a Triple H win, but here it is. Since this is a two out of three falls match you just know it’s going to take all three stips to get a winner. And the reason I’m going with Hunter is because the last match is a Stretcher match, and I just can’t see Hunter going out that way. Only because he has gotten “hurt” time and time again from Orton. I think tomorrow night; Hunter will be the one that ends Orton’s title reign by putting him on a stretcher and taking his belt away from him. My reasoning might sound weird but then again you know me. As I said I hope that this one turns out to be one of the best of the nights. They proved on Monday night that they certainly could work a 5 star match let’s hope the streak can continue for the Bash.
Winner: Triple H

World Champion CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy
This feud has been off the charts on Smackdown. CM Punk has been outstanding and I still say he’s turning heel. This has been a very gradual turn, and kind of a sneaky one. He has done nothing but play mind games with Jeff Hardy. Hardy has come back very strong on the mic when he has interacted with Punk and everything with these two have clicked. This is a MUST see match at least I think it is. It could maybe be the match of the night. Can you tell I’m excited? I really am and I see Punk beating Hardy and not necessarily beating him cleanly. Punk could care less how he wins, as long as he wins and all of that should add to one hot match.
Winner: CM Punk

There you have my picks of the night, and I already ordered the show. I’m kind of worried because I am so hyped for the show that it could turn out to be nothing great, so I’ll try to tone down my excitement just a little so we can get one terrific show. I will also try to return with my thoughts on this show and Raw Tuesday or Wednesday, but remember if you don’t see me than you know it’s house related. For those of you planning on watching The Bash or anyone lucky enough to be there live ENJOY!

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Read more • 0 Comments

I’m sorry I didn’t get a Raw column out, but this might be a pattern for a few more weeks. Our house is finally coming to the end after almost 11 months of construction. Yes it’s been a nightmare, but things are I would say a couple of weeks away from finally getting done. And once it’s done, we have to have the house painted so that will take up just a little more time. The reason I couldn’t get a column out was because the electricity was on and off for a couple of days. One day it was because we lost power due to the heat, dare I say it wasn’t pleasant in here? The other was because of work being done in the house. I’m just going to go with the flow and if I can get a column out, oh I definitely will, if not at least you guys will know why and you’ll know that it’s just a temporary thing. With that said I would like to say that I loved Raw and Smackdown this week. You guys would have been so proud of me, because my Raw column was going to be so positive. And last night’s Smackdown was another fantastic show. With the exception of too much Vince on both shows, everything else just about worked for me. And both shows along with ECW really have me all ready for the Bash. Yeah this one I’m ordering and you know if there’s a pay per view this weekend it must be time for my predictions. I feel somewhat shaky with most of them, but what the hell it’s not like I’ve been doing excellent in the last few months. So here are my Bash picks, and I want to thank all of you that have sent me yours, and don’t forget keep them coming I promise I will get to each and every one of them.

Unified Tag Team Champions Carlito & Primo vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase
Sure this is the first tough one for me. Now this is one of many feuds that WWE rushed to get into this pay per view. See I would keep the title on the Colons, which would allow them more TV time. But I have a feeling that Legacy is going to win. Now I am very sure that this is going to be a good match and it’s nice to have a tag team match on a pay per view for a change. I just wish this one would have gotten the build up that Morrison and The Miz got when they feuded with Primo and Carlito. But then as good as that build up was they didn’t even get a shot at Wrestlemania, their match was saved for the Wrestlemania DVD, go figure. So Legacy wins and God only knows whom they will defend against because without the Colon’s there really isn’t anyone to go against.
Winner; Legacy

John Cena vs. The Miz
This is another match that should have had a better build up. Now don’t get me wrong, they have had the Miz taunting Cena for several months, but the problem was that instead of more focus between Cena and the Miz, they kept that miserable Big Show /Cena feud going. Listen I’m not sure that it’s over. I have a bad feeling that Big Show is going to interfere and cost Cena the match, and believe me that’s the last thing that I need to see. Now I would prefer Miz to beat Cena. I feel that way because on the mic the Miz has knocked this feud out of the ballpark. His insults week after week have been so solid and it would be very sad to see the Miz lose the first time out to Cena. I think this could turn out to be a good match, at least it’s a fresh match, and I’m going with the Miz to win. Now I hope this makes sense I’m staying with the Miz, but a Cena win I think is more likely.
Winner: The Miz

The Great Khali vs. Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler is a shoe in. This guy is on the way up, and he’s managed to get the upper hand on Khali when he has lost to him. Ziggler has really been a blast to watch since his move to Smackdown and this guy is going to get a “big” win tomorrow night. I think this match will be kept short, but just from their past encounters this should be a good one to watch.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio
There is no way that Rey is losing that mask, nope no way at all. Rey is going to win and get the IC title back. I can’t wait to see this one; these two have been so great together and when this feud ends which I guess could be after the Bash I am really going to miss it. You can bet that this will be one of the highlights of the night. And watching Jericho’s facial expression when he loses will be another highlight.
Winner: Rey Mysterio

Women's Champion Melina vs. Michelle McCool
I guess it’s goodbye to Melina’s title reign tomorrow night. I would rather see her retain, but I see McCool getting the win. Many of you know I’m not big on McCool; she just can’t seem to break out of her lackluster heel persona. There’s just so much more that she needs to do to get that character over. Anyway I will go with McCool for the win, and hopefully this will be a decent match, and I think it will be. I’m also thinking, well maybe hoping if McCool wins, than maybe Gail Kim will finally get into the spotlight and the title picture.
Winner: Michelle McCool

ECW Championship Scramble Match - Tommy Dreamer vs. Christian vs. Fit Finlay vs. Jack Swagger vs. Mark Henry in a Championship Scramble match
This is another match that I’m not sure about. It’s a toss up between Dreamer and Swagger. Of course I have been waiting for Swagger to get the title back for a couple of months now. I don’t know if they want to take it off Dreamer after only one month, then again I think Swagger could bring in more ratings. The scramble match could be fun and I’m sure this will turn out well. In fact it should be a good match and it was nice of Vince to allow ECW to have one match on tomorrow nights show. Yes that was sarcasm. Well I’m going with a Swagger victory. It would be good to get the belt back on him. He wears it very well.
Winner: Jack Swagger

WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Triple H - Three Stages Of Hell match with a regular first fall, a Falls Count Anywhere second fall and, if needed, a Stretcher Match third fall.
I was so thrilled with Hunter and Orton’s Last Man Standing match this past Monday night. It was absolutely outstanding. Now can they do it again tomorrow night? That I don’t know, but I sure hope so. They really have to work hard to top Monday’s match and I think it is possible. Now this might be a stupid reason for going with a Triple H win, but here it is. Since this is a two out of three falls match you just know it’s going to take all three stips to get a winner. And the reason I’m going with Hunter is because the last match is a Stretcher match, and I just can’t see Hunter going out that way. Only because he has gotten “hurt” time and time again from Orton. I think tomorrow night; Hunter will be the one that ends Orton’s title reign by putting him on a stretcher and taking his belt away from him. My reasoning might sound weird but then again you know me. As I said I hope that this one turns out to be one of the best of the nights. They proved on Monday night that they certainly could work a 5 star match let’s hope the streak can continue for the Bash.
Winner: Triple H

World Champion CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy
This feud has been off the charts on Smackdown. CM Punk has been outstanding and I still say he’s turning heel. This has been a very gradual turn, and kind of a sneaky one. He has done nothing but play mind games with Jeff Hardy. Hardy has come back very strong on the mic when he has interacted with Punk and everything with these two have clicked. This is a MUST see match at least I think it is. It could maybe be the match of the night. Can you tell I’m excited? I really am and I see Punk beating Hardy and not necessarily beating him cleanly. Punk could care less how he wins, as long as he wins and all of that should add to one hot match.
Winner: CM Punk

There you have my picks of the night, and I already ordered the show. I’m kind of worried because I am so hyped for the show that it could turn out to be nothing great, so I’ll try to tone down my excitement just a little so we can get one terrific show. I will also try to return with my thoughts on this show and Raw Tuesday or Wednesday, but remember if you don’t see me than you know it’s house related. For those of you planning on watching The Bash or anyone lucky enough to be there live ENJOY!

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Read more • 0 Comments

First let me start out with a big Happy Father’s Day, and second get ready because this is going to be another Smackdown column that I am going to just praise like hell. It’s one of those shows where even the worst segments didn’t hurt the show and didn’t bother me. I just wish that Vince would really take notice of what they offer on Smackdown and instead of bringing in Donald Trump just follow Smackdown’s lead. Okay I am ready to gush over Friday’s excellent show. I hope you are ready to gush with me.

I want to tell you why Smackdown’s opening segment really excited me. It kind of started with Jeff Hardy being interviewed by Josh Matthews. Hardy has really grown since he became a main eventer. I look forward to watching him week after week not only in the ring, but on this mic as well. Yes I said the mic. While he may not be THE strongest on the mic, he has come a long way from the kid that we got years ago. Matthews was talking about how Jeff couldn’t catch a break thanks to Punk, and the very laid back Hardy responded about how he doesn’t live in the past and that he would get the title back at the Bash. This brought out Punk and this is the guy that really got things going for me. Last week I said that Chris Jericho has become the Shawn Michaels of Smackdown, and now it’s Punk’s turn. Ever since CM got traded to Smackdown and won the World Title championship he has really shown me so much, and I think Punk topped himself once he entered the ring and answered to Jeff Hardy. I was just blown away by his work on the mic and how he explained why he did what he did to Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules. I saw a Punk again with so much confidence and I love it that he is not coming off like a total face. I still believe this guy is going to turn heel and right now I see Punk as a tweener.

Just like Monday night, Punk reiterated that he took advantage of his MITB contract. He said there was nothing in that contract that said you can’t cash in on Jeff Hardy. I loved when Punk said that he was offended because there were people that said he stole the match on Monday’s Raw. His answer to that was that he never stole a thing in his life. Mind you during most of this there were plenty of fans booing Punk, which just added to what he had to say. Punk has become extremely solid in and out of the ring, and when he talks and explains the way things are I find myself buying into all of it, and I think that’s what makes a character so good. So a very cool opening segment with Hardy and Punk, and as I said the Roanoke, VA crowd with their loyalty to Jeff Hardy was just icing on the cake during this segment. The first match of the night was way too short, but such a good match. It was Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho. This could have been easily the match of the night, but I want to say it was only 5 minutes long. But those five minutes were excellent. And not only was the match awesome but it was time for Rey to get even wth Jericho for taking Rey out weeks ago posing as a Mysterio fan with a mask This surprise attack by Rey was just as good. Just as Hardy got Jericho with a DDT and was about to hit him with a Swanton Bomb, Jericho got out of the ring. Hardy tried to take out Jericho, but Chris moved and threw Hardy into the rail. Now here comes the Rey part. As Jericho turned Mysterio ran out from the audience and did a hurricanranna on Jericho and then went right back to his seat. It was funny because Rey was sitting next to two guys dressed exactly like him, with the mask and the tee shirt. Well of course Jericho wasn’t laughing because he never made it back to the ring and was counted out. Between this match and the opening I know I could tell that Smackdown was going to be one hot show and I was right. Punk, Hardy, Jericho, and Mysterio again showed why Smackdown is still the A show for WWE and what makes this even more important is that it has been the A show consistently now since the April draft.
Okay so we got another Khali vs. Dolph Ziggler match. And I’m happy to say this was kept short, but again I like that Ziggler always seems to come out on top. It’s the little things that he pops with which makes me care about watching these two. No matter how dominant Khali is, Ziggler always finds a way to come off still looking tough and like a guy heading into a future push. Ziggler did an “Eddie Guerrero.” He brought a chair into the ring when the ref wasn’t looking, and just as he tossed it at Khali, the Great Khali slammed it with his hand. Dolph fell down and when the ref turned around he saw Khali holding the chair and called a DQ. These are the kinds of antics that keep from making Ziggler look weak. Now I would love to see Ziggler move on and up.

I kind of liked Melina vs. Alicia Fox. I thought Fox did a better job against Melina on Friday night. Okay I didn’t kind of like it I liked it. What I didn’t like was once the match was over and Melina won, Michelle McCool attacked Melina in the ring, which was okay. It was McCool’s very amateurish mic work that I really hated. She said she was going to destroy Melina, and she would be the first woman to win both women’s titles. Any progression that McCool might have made kind of disappeared with her promo. This was just so bad and I hope she doesn’t walk out the women’s champ next week at the Bash. Well now we are in for not only one very STRONG promo from Edge but as far as I’m concerned a pay per view quality match between Edge and John Morrison. Edge is another of Smackdown’s bright spots and he was fantastic bitching and complaining about being screwed out of his title match and about Jeff Hardy. It’s so great to have Edge out there without Vickie. He’s right back to being one of the best heels in the company. Edge’s promo brought out my up and comer, John Morrison. Edge said that Morrison was another one that was trying to be like him. He insulted Morrison’s look by asking if he was Siegfried or Roy? Edge came up with some good stuff here. Morrison responded with some great comebacks as well. He made fun of Edge and his Canadian accent. He asked Edge what was he complaining about, was it his silly boots, his bobble head, or his bug eyes?” And then Morrison said he would give him something to complain about after Morrison kicked his face. Ah another reason why Smackdown is so good, because you get segments just like this one.

And as I just said their match was off the charts fantastic. This one went on longer than 15 minutes. I was so happy for Morrison. Having him work with Edge in my opinion is a major move. I am hoping that it shows Vince that Morrison is the future and that this match is the beginning of an Edge/Morrison feud. Both men gave their all here and I am telling you if you didn’t catch this match of the night, really try too. That’s how excellent it was. Hey did you guys know that I’m not a Ricky Ortiz fan? Oh I think you know that since I say it every time he’s on TV. I did not care for the match with Ortiz, Haas and Benjamin vs. R. Truth and Cryme Tyme. Smackdown was doing this for a while and now Raw is. They just throw a match out there with no rhyme or reason and that’s just what this was. I was hoping to see R. Truth get a nice push, but now I worry that we are going to get stuck with Truth feuding with Ortiz, my God I hope I’m wrong there. And I am wondering what the hell is going on with Shelton’s solo push? Don’t get wrong, Haas and Benjamin are a great tag team, but watching Benjamin on his own has really appealed to me and it’s not against Haas, but I am starting to think that Mr. Benjamin’s push is no longer happening. I guess we will have to wait and see how the next few weeks go.

The main event was great. You had Jericho doing a terrific job on the mic along side JR and Todd Grisham. He was “critiquing” the match with Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk. And of course with Jericho’s cocky demeanor this was fun to listen too. Punk and Mysterio ranked right up their with the match of the night, in fact I would have to say that this match and Edge vs. Morrison tie for the Smackdown match of the night. I love when these two work together and I think this match was better than the one that had a while ago on Raw. You know Smackdown started so well and it ended even better. The action here was fantastic and along with Jericho’s smart-ass remarks you couldn’t ask for a better main event. Well Punk won the same way that he’s been winning since he became World Champion. He took advantage of Jericho interfering. After Punk attempted a GTS, Rey countered and ended up out of the ring. Punk was keeping the ref busy and while the refs back was turn Jericho got up and threw Mysterio head first in to the ring post. Right before the 10 count Mysterio got back in the ring and Punk did another GTS for the win. After the win Hardy ran out complaining to the ref about Jericho’s interference. And Jeff did a hell of a job showing how pissed he was. Of course the ref is signaling that he didn’t see a thing, and while the arguing is going on, Punk the champ rolled out of the ring holding up the belt.

My God so many great things happened on Smackdown. The two main feuds with Hardy vs. Punk and Mysterio vs. Jericho played out so well. And those are two reasons why I won’t pass on the Bash next week. Then we got a super match between Edge and Morrison, and the main stars came through on the mic. How can I not praise the show? Okay so it’s a commercial free Raw tomorrow night with Raw’s new owner Donald Trump, and the Last Man Standing match with Triple H vs. Randy Orton. I don’t have the same feeling about the show like I have with Smackdown, which could be a good thing. Maybe I will get a nice surprise and the last Raw before Sunday’s Bash will come through. Look for me on Tuesday or Wednesday for my thoughts on Trump’s Raw.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Read more • 0 Comments

Let’s see, Vince went from face to heel, sold Raw to Donald Trump, Trump wants to be inventive and sets up a Last Man Standing match between Triple H and Randy Orton on next Monday’s commercial free Raw, and they will also meet 6 days later at the Bash, the Raw brand offered VERY little to the show, but the two Smackdown matches were phenomenal. I think that about sums up a pretty bland three hours with just a few exceptions. So I will leave you with that, and you please check out my column over the weekend. Okay that’s my humor, of course I’m not leaving quite yet, but I was very disappointed with Monday’s show, in fact disappointed might be an understatement. I know many of you emailed me with very favorable thoughts about the show, but I just couldn’t find that many highlights. Let me do my list, you know when I do a list that usually in not a good sign of what’s to come in this column. But what the hell, things could get interesting with the Trump angle, well they could. Okay I’m going to hit the list and comment on each segment. Wish me luck.

1. Before the first match Chris Jericho got things started in a big way with one if his excellent promos. He couldn’t have said it better when he said that since he was drafted to Smackdown Raw has gone into the toilet and that it’s in a tailspin that they will not be able to recover from. Wow how true that statement was. He then had to bring up that there is no General Manager, and no WWE champion. Jericho also knocked the fans and said that one day they will realize how important he is to Raw. He was just so good here. He went on to talk about Rey and his mask. Jericho really got things off to a great start and that continued with the first match.

2. Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio was the first match, and it was a solid match. They left off where they did at the Extreme Rules pay per view. This was the second hot match of the night, and mind you there weren’t many. I just want to see this feud continue because the chemistry here is just off the charts. I thought because this match was so hot, Raw would be a strong show, but damn it I was wrong.

3. There was a backstage segment with Josh Matthews interviewing Randy Orton with John Cena interrupting. I hate the way this started with Cena trying to be funny, and I do mean trying. He made fun of Orton and did it like he was cutting a promo about how the WWE Universe always talks about Randy Orton. He said Orton was "the grand wizard of the baby oil boy's club." I wasn’t laughing with any of this. But then Cena turned a little serious and reminded Orton that it wasn’t just him and Orton in the 4-Way match. He said if Randy thinks that he and Show are going to take the night off then maybe the oil he puts on his skin is starting to rot his brain. Now this part was okay, because Cena didn’t have to be “funny.” So at least the end of this wasn’t bad. This segment ended better than it started.

4. Then we got the beginning of too much Vince for the night. As I said he went from a victim of Randy Orton’s back to a heel and announced that he sold Raw to Donald Trump. The first thing that I thought of was, dear God things must be really bad because Vince is using Trump to get that mainstream media attention. This segment kind of bothered me because it screamed of desperation, just like last year when Vince had to give money away.

5. Tommy Dreamer vs. Christian was next and I’m sorry to say that this match did nothing for me. I think I might have said this last week, but the timing is all wrong making Dreamer the ECW champion. Maybe if he would have had that title two years ago it would have meant something, but Tommy really hasn’t done much in a while, that’s why I feel ECW champion Tommy Dreamer really isn’t doing much for ECW. I also noticed that the fans weren’t exactly making too much noise while this match was going on. And I feel bad because Christian isn’t getting a lot of focus, and I feel Vince is really making a huge mistake by not giving Christian a lot more to do.

6. The four way with Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. Big Show vs. John Cena was a good match, it was what I expected, and probably one of the only decent matches that the Raw brand put on. I do not understand why they took the belt off of Orton at Extreme Rules. They could have had Batista beat Orton on a DQ, this way Randy still would have had the title, and then the next on Raw the injury angle still would have happened because Big Dave was demanding a rematch. That would have be reason enough for Orton, Rhodes and DiBiase to go after Batista. I wasn’t happy to have Orton with the title, I think Cena winning would have worked for me, and believe me at first I didn’t want that either. But I got to thinking about it and a Cena win would keep Orton and Hunter feuding but not for the title. So a good match but the Orton win was a slight disappointment for me.

7. I absolutely despised the segment with Vince McMahon and Donald Trump. I think it was pretty obvious that the Trump part was pre-recorded, but maybe Vince forgot because he kept interrupting and the whole thing just bombed. And to make matters worse they replayed this thing throughout the show. The crowd was dead for most of this and I was embarrassed because Vince just didn’t know when to shut up. This had to be one of the worst segments on Monday’s show.

8. So they give Rosa Mendez a solo shot against Mickie James and I wasn’t impressed. Now I’m not saying that they should dump her, but throwing her in there like that was really ridiculous. This wasn’t much of a match; it just felt like a way to fill a few minutes.

9. The Miz got things going with insult after insult directed at Goldust. Goldust and Hornswoggle started things off by shooting t-shirts out to the fans. The Miz then came out and did a very good job putting Goldust down. The Miz was one of the few highlights of the show, and after he insulted Goldust and attacked him, he then aimed the t-shirt gun at Hornswoggle and shot him with a shirt, my God this was brutal. No, it wasn’t at all, but it was a good segment thanks to the Miz and his insults.

10. Okay yes, I’m a CM Punk fan, but I feel since this push has happened and he has become the World champion he seems to be showing much more confidence. His mic work as been very smooth and he carries himself in a different way, he just seems very confident. I love it that they are not having Punk apologize for the way he got the belt at Extreme Rules. He’s going to do whatever it takes to win. The interaction between Punk and Matt Hardy I also liked very much. Hardy was kissing up to Punk and telling him he would have done the same thing. Matt was referring to the way Punk beat Jeff at the pay per view. Punk shot Hardy down immediately by saying that it wouldn’t be possible for Hardy to do the same thing because Hardy has never won the Money In the Bank match. And then Punk said that Hardy thrives on jealousy and hate, while Punk feels that he earned everything that he has done. Punk in my opinion is showing that his new push is well deserved.

11. The match of the night was with CM Punk vs. Edge vs. Jeff Hardy. And this was as good as it gets. It’s sad when this match and Jericho and Mysterio’s match outshined anything that the Raw brand had. All three of these guys did a superb job and as far as I’m concerned this could have been on a pay per view. Punk won by taking advantage of Jeff Hardy. Hardy hit the Swanton Bomb on Edge and was just about to pin him, but Punk who was out of the ring, reached in and pulled Hardy off and slammed Jeff into the ring steps. CM got back into the ring, and pinned Edge for the win. This was just a great ending and it set up Punk vs. Jeff Hardy for the Bash. I can tell you right now, this is a match that I WANT to see.

12. Carlito and Primo defeated the Hart Dynasty. Now this one really bothered me, but before I tell you why, I will say that I liked Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase at the announce table checking out this match and for the most part putting down Michael Cole. I really enjoyed their insults towards Cole and they both came off cocky and very secure as far as taking the tag team titles from the Colons at the Bash. But what I hated about this match was that on ECW the Hart Dynasty is being built up to be one of the strongest stables in the WWE. But in less than three minutes the Colons beat them and they were basically jobbers out there. I really did not like the way this match was booked.

13. The 10 man Battle Royal with MVP, William Regal, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, The Miz, Kofi Kingston, Triple H, John Cena, Matt Hardy, and Big Show turned out better than I thought it would. I mean come on I think most of us knew Hunter was going to win, but yet there were times when it got a little exciting wondering if Cena would get it. I noticed that MVP went out fast and it worries me that he’s being pushed down again. I thought when he lost his title to Kingston it might mean bigger things for him, but in the last few weeks very little has been done with MVP and that makes me think that a major push might not be in his future. Matt Hardy was another guy that didn’t last long, but I’m going to say that’s because of his injured hand, at least I hope that’s the only reason why. But I did like this match, but my one complaint was we all know the Miz is gunning for Cena. I could not understand why we didn’t see the Miz and Cena go at it from the beginning. They could have taken it out of the ring into the fans, but no instead they have the Miz sneak up on Cena and Hunter and he goes over the ropes thanks to those two guys. I just don’t get why they have the Miz rock with his anti Cena promos but when it comes to any in ring action, all the momentum that the Miz has disappears. So Hunter won, and Randy Orton was standing on the ramp, not a happy camper that he has to face Triple H for the title. Just as the show is ending we get another pre-recorded segment with Donald Trump. Trump congratulates Hunter for the win. I guess Donald reads tealeaves because he knew Hunter was winning that match. Anyway he makes an Orton vs. Triple H match at the Bash. Okay fine, but then he says why wait until then, next Monday night on the commercial free Raw it’s a Last Man Standing match with Triple H vs. Randy Orton. Okay fine, then why the hell do we need to get another match 6 days later with these two again? You know it makes no sense to me at all. It’s not like Hunter and Orton have had 5 star matches, so why not hold that Last Man Standing match until the pay per view?

See there were just so many weird things going on that it just got the best of me. As I said way too much Vince, way too many replays of the very bad segment with Trump and Vince, and the Raw mid carders just don’t get enough build up, so when they are thrown into matches it really doesn’t mean much. I noticed I forgot to mention another Vince segment, this time with Santino. It wasn’t much, but Santino came off pretty funny when he kept saying all the wrong things to Vince. Hopefully bringing in Trump won’t turn out be a big mistake, and it will make for a strong storyline, it’s possible. I will be back over the weekend with my thoughts on Smackdown and honesty I can’t wait to see it, remember Smackdown has been the A show at least for me it has been now for a while now.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Read more • 0 Comments

First let me apologize for not having a Raw column this week. I had minor gum surgery on Monday and I thought at least by Wednesday I would feel better, but it took a few days longer to get back on my feet than I thought it would. I should have mentioned it last Sunday, but honestly I didn’t think I would miss a column. Now second this is a Smackdown column, but I just want to start off very quickly with Raw. I will just do a paragraph, but I definitely want to get Raw in, also I thought of one more thing, I just got done watching Superstars since we get it here on Sunday’s and I have to talk about one of the EXCELLENT matches that I saw. I’ll start with Raw and then on to Smackdown and end with Superstars.

The only thing that I can say about Extreme Rules is that I am glad that I did not order it. This is one of the first times that I didn’t give in, and from what I read I am very thankful that I passed on the show. From all accounts the two matches that I wanted to see, Jericho vs. Mysterio and the ladder match with Jeff Hardy vs. Edge were the only highlights of the show. I do feel bad about missing the ladder match because it sounded brutal, and you all know brutal is what I like, but again I’m glad I didn’t get it. Also I never thought about CM Punk going for the gold after Jeff Hardy won that caught me completely off guard. And from the reaction that the Hardy fans gave him, I really think a heel turn is in Punks future, the near future. Now the show that I’m glad I watched was Raw. I thought this was a super show. Yeah there were some blah segments, but all in all I would have praised the show like crazy in my column. I won’t get into the whole WWE title thing, you know putting it on an injured Batista, but I promise when I put my column out this week I will let you know what I thought about having Batista win on Sunday’s show. So it sounded like a miserable pay per view, but I definitely liked Monday’s Raw very much.

But the show of the week again was SMACKDOWN. The matches that we got were just off the charts and I just wonder why Vince can’t put out at least a few good quality matches on Raw, but at least Friday night Smackdown offers a hell of a lot of solid matches. First we got a sweet opening segment with CM Punk the new World Champion. He got a few boos, but plenty of pops and he came off well with his promo. He acknowledged that not all were happy with what he did to win the title, but he also explained how hard he worked to attain the title and that he would bring honor to the title. Punk came off very well and as he was talking Jeff Hardy appeared and his mic work was good too. Hardy played up to the fans by asking them if they thought Punk deserved the title, and man did they responds with LOUD boos. Hardy felt Punk cashed it in the wrong way and that he wanted HIS title back and the fans went nuts. This was just all going so well and it only got better when arrogant Edge came out and said that he was the one that wanted the title back. I loved the part where Edge said that he was trying to figure out Punk and he finally did. Punk wanted to be Edge. I started laughing when Edge said that Punk called his lifestyle Straight Edge; see he named it after him. That was a good one, Edge, Punk and Hardy were just awesome during the segment and it ended with Hardy kicking Edge out of the ring, and hitting the twist of fate and Swanton Bomb on Punk. Man this was just a crowd pleaser.
All of this brought out Theodore Long and Teddy told Punk he would defend his title Monday night on the three hour Raw, facing either Edge or Jeff Hardy. That would be decided after the Edge vs. Jeff Hardy match later in the show. What an opener and as it all ended we saw a not so happy Edge and a very upbeat Jeff Hardy reacting to Long’s announcement. So the next cool segment was Chris Jericho asking Teddy why he continues to deny him access to the world title. Jericho came up with this being a conspiracy against him. Long reacted by making a Jericho vs. Punk match, and let me tell you not only did that please me, but the match was, well wait I will tell you exactly how that match was in a little bit. The first match was a quickie and it was Dolph Ziggler vs. The Great Khali. Now listen this might not have been a work of art, but Ziggler again made me care about what was going on. He was able to get plenty of offense against Khali and got the win. Once the match took place out of the ring, Ziggler grabbed Singh and used him to protect him from Khali, and right before the ref counted to 10, Ziggler got back in the ring and got the win. I have to say I enjoyed watching this, and that’s something I never thought I would say months ag0. Ziggler is showing me so much week after week, and I hope he continues to impress.

The women’s match with Layla and Michelle McCool vs. Eve and Melina wasn’t bad. I didn’t mind the match at all. In fact I think all four put a lot into this one. I guess I just wish Gail Kim would start getting a hell of a lot more time including mic work and get to show the fans what she brought to TNA. Hopefully that will happen soon, but with Vince you just never know. I really liked the tag team match with R. Truth and John Morrison vs. Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas. I’m very pleased that Truth is finally being given a chance and I have to say he’s coming along very well, at least I think he is. Morrison came through as did Haas and Benjamin and together this was a damn good match. I will be honest with you and tell you I would prefer Morrison to go solo, but as long as he is on every week I can handle the tag team role for him as long as it’s just a temporary thing.

And now comes a segment that I loved. Listen Chris Jericho has become the Shawn Michaels of Smackdown. Since Jericho and HBK’s program on Raw, Jericho has been on a wonderful streak. He is not only ruling as far as his mic work goes, but in the ring he is making his opponents look like gold. And this man I think is one of the main reasons why Smackdown is just such a great show to watch. Jericho came through again big time first by bashing Rey Mysterio and how he removed Rey’s mask at Extreme Rules. He made the comment that he no longer had to worry about whether the mailman or the store clerk knew who he was. Like Edge’s line where he said Punk was trying to be like him, I also got a good laugh when Jericho said that instead of Rey thanking him for removing the mask, Mysterio disappeared. He was also going to expose Punk for being a fraud. Yes, Jericho was excellent here and it all got so much better when Punk came out and the match began. What a fantastic match, my match of the night. Listen feel that Punk is a hell of a wrestler, but in this match he came off better than I have ever seen him. This was a MUST see match and man did they work their asses off. Words cannot describe really how great this match came off. Punk got the win, and maybe it’s me but I noticed a little hmmm “EDGE” in him. During the opening and after his victory Punk didn’t come off maybe as sweet as usual, now don’t get me wrong he was still a face, but I could definitely see a gradual heel turn happening extremely soon. He seemed to have a look like “hey I’m unstoppable no one can stop me.” I guess seeing him would be a lot better than reading my explanation, but I just saw a tad different side to him. As I said this was just a great match and plus a super Jericho promo to get this all going.

And the main event was another solid and very strong match. I read all week about all the major bumps these two took in that ladder match on Sunday. So watching them work this one made me think that these two must have been in quite a bit of pain. This was a very good main event and CM was sitting at the announce table with JR and Todd Grisham. Again I found Punk coming off as a face, yet maybe with a little dash of heel added to his character. I love it that they keep having Punk bring out that the fans were not happy about his win on Sunday. I hope when we least expect it, the man makes a full heel turn. Now back to the match, as I said this was a well-done match and even with injuries from that ladder match Edge and Jeff Hardy gave 110% percent. There was a lot of action going on here and one of the highlights for me was when Edge threw Jeff onto the announce table and Hardy landed on Punk. Edge got back in the ring, and Punk went after Edge, which caused a DQ. Once Hardy got back up and realized it he got in the ring and attacked Punk. Edge went right after Jeff Hardy, but it was Hardy who hit the Twist of Fate oh him. And to put the icing on the cake, Punk got up and Hardy received the GTS from Punk. Man were the fans into all of this and so was I. Smackdown came to an end when Teddy and Tiffany were watching the match and he told her that on Monday night we will see Punk vs. Edge vs. Jeff Hardy for the World title. Hey I have a feeling that this will definitely but the top match on Raw.

Now before I go I mentioned Chris Jericho reminding me of Shawn Michaels because of the way he gets the very best out of his opponents. This holds true for the match on Superstars with Jericho vs. Morrison. This was just a hell of a great match. Morrison has proven time and time again that he’s GOT IT, but he looked even better during this match. I have been waiting since Thursday night to see just how fantastic this match was. I mean many of you emailed me raving about it, as did so many of different sites. This was well worth the wait. That’s why I said I wish Morrison would be on his own because he definitely can handle going solo. I think with Raw, ECW, Superstars and Smackdown we got some very good shows this week. Okay I will return, Tuesday or Wednesday with my Raw thoughts. Remember it’s a three-hour show with all the brands involved. So on paper this show should be a good one. Also let’s not forget that in two weeks the Bash will be on, so I would guess that matches for that show would be made tomorrow night. I mean really some should have been made this past week on each show.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Read more • 0 Comments

I’m still on the fence about ordering tonight’s show. There are really just two matches that I would love to see. The first being the ladder match with Edge vs. Jeff Hardy and then the second Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio in a No Holds Barred match. Now the ECW title match should come off well, as I’m sure the Cage match with Batista vs. Orton will, but they are not enough to really get me to order the show. I have no desire to see the remaining matches on the show. But I have been known to order the shows every time I think I’m going to let one pass, so it’s still a slight possibility. Let me get give you my very unsure picks of the night. Man some of these matches are tough so I’m not expecting to shine with tonight’s Extreme Rules. Okay I will stop stalling and share my picks with you.

WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Batista (Steel Cage Match)
I’m kind of concerned about this match because after watching Monday night, I’m guessing that Batista doesn’t know how to climb cages. Yes I’m being sarcastic here. Listen I know that this is going to be done very well, and I expect to see this one get bloody. And that’s something that the PG WWE has been missing for a long time. I am staying with Orton for the win, but tonight I am wondering if Triple H will show up. I said that three weeks ago about Judgment Day and it didn’t happen, but from what I have read I think there’s a chance that he could come out and who knows maybe he could cost either guy the title. But whatever happens I just can’t see an Orton loss not quite yet.
Winner: Randy Orton

World Heavyweight Champion Edge vs. Jeff Hardy (Ladder Match)
Yes, this to me is the match that’s going to rock the show, and the match that is keeping me from ruling out ordering the show completely. These two guys have made Smackdown such a pleasure to watch. Their feud has been just what WWE programming has needed, something with so much depth to it. Oh yeah this is going to be a hell of a physical one to watch. This is a coin toss for me, because I could see this going either way. You know the rumors are still out there that Hardy is leaving soon, so why then would he get the title. However, Jeff Hardy said in an interview that he might be re-signing. If that’s the case then why not let him win? But I am staying with Edge only because I feel that they give and take the title away from Edge too much. As I said without a doubt this should be the match of the night. I expect BIG things from Hardy and Edge. BIG THINGS!
Winner: Edge

John Cena vs. Big Show (Submission Match)
I wasn’t happy with their match at Judgment Day and I’m not into watching Cena and Big Show again tonight. Big Show should win since he lost three weeks ago to Cena, but JR must have said 100 times on Friday night that there’s no way that Cena can STFU the giant. That to me is a clue, and against my better judgment I will be going with another Cena win.
Winner: John Cena

ECW Champion Christian vs. Jack Swagger vs. Tommy Dreamer (Triple Threat Hardcore Rules Match)
Logic tells me that this should be the night that Tommy Dreamer becomes the new ECW champion since a loss ends Dreamer’s career in the ECW. But I just can’t help but feel that he’s losing, Christian is losing and Swagger will become the ECW champion for the second time. Honestly this is another match where I could see any of the three leave as champion. I definitely think this will be a very good match, and it’s nice to see Dreamer get a spot on a pay per view.
Winner: Jack Swagger

Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho (No Holds Barred Match)
These two had the match of the night at Judgment Day and I just figure this one is going to be even better. Now since we didn’t get a title change at that pay per view I’m going to say that Jericho beats Mysterio and leaves as the new I.C. champion. While many think that Jericho will remove Rey’s Mysterio’s mask, I don’t see that happening, at least not quite yet. Look out for tons of great moves here and this should be a real crowd pleaser.
Winner: Chris Jericho

United States Champion Kofi Kingston vs. MVP vs. William Regal vs. Matt Hardy (Fatal Four Way Match)
How can Kofi lose after he just got this title on Monday night? No it’s not happening, at least I don’t see it happening. With the exception of a strong Cage Match the Raw brand doesn’t offer that much, but this is one match that should make Raw proud. I think with these four guys involved in this one you will get a very entertaining match.
Winner: Kofi Kingston

CM Punk vs. Umaga (Samoan Strap Match)
Listen these two put on a cool match this week on Friday’s Smackdown, but because of that, I don’t feel the need to see them go at it again so soon. But they are and thankfully anytime they work together their matches have come off very well, so this should be a decent match with CM getting whipped A LOT with that Samoan strap. I can’t see Umaga losing only because he lost to Punk Friday night. So Umaga wins and I am going to guess that this match will end the feud.
Winner: Umaga

Miss Wrestlemania Vickie Guerrero vs. Santina Marella (Hog Pen Match)
Here it is, the worst of the evening, Santina wins, and Vickie is covered in Pig crap.
Winner: Santina

Okay now if I order the show I’ll talk about it with my Raw thoughts this week, if I don’t I will be checking results like crazy. Thank you for all your predictions that you have been sending me, and keep them coming there’s still plenty of time. Don’t forget I’ll be back Tuesday or Wednesday with my Raw thoughts. And let’s hope Raw is as good as last week’s show, if not better. Hey Folks, If you are a loyal reader of Linda Robin's fantastic columns on the world surrounding Raw, SmackDown and everything in between, then you'll love hearing her discussions with Nick Malone and Mike "Bon" Hawkins each and every Saturday Night from 10PM to 12AM on "Over The Ropes" only on www.mywcwp.com and www.wcwpsports.com. We are in the process of starting a new segment on Over The Ropes where you the loyal listeners and fans of Linda's column can contribute to the show by sending in their questions to Linda as she will discuss them with the panel of Over The Ropes (namely Mike and I). You can send them throughout the week to her email address at (put in whatever email address you want to use) and we will discuss them personally on the air but in the email address, you must state your name and where you are from so we can properly identify you and such. If you ever want to call into the show, you can do so at 516-299-2030 as it is completely toll free and an experience as a wrestling fan you will never forget. Names like former Ring of Honor Champion, Nigel McGuiness, Larry Sweeney, Tyler Black, Sarah Del Ray, Mike Quackenbush, Les Thatcher, and even former WWE Superstar, Elijah Burke have appeared on this program in the past but if you want to hear all of 120 minutes of all the wrestling knowledge you can ever need, tune into Over The Ropes each and every Saturday Night from 10PM to 12AM only on WCWP!"


Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Read more • 0 Comments

Okay I do believe in miracles because Raw made a nice comeback after what we got last week. You know I haven’t enjoyed Raw for a few weeks now, but Monday night I didn’t think of channel surfing ONCE! Now there were a few weird things but all in all it was a good show, and I think Raw did a super job with the way that they hyped Sunday’s Extreme Rules. I thought I would start off with the parts of the show that I didn’t care for which are few, then I will have a new segment called – Come On Do They Think We Are Stupid? Yes Raw had two big segments that came off totally ridiculous, making me wonder, do they think we are that stupid? However, they were not enough to upset me or make bash the show. And after that I will end with all the cool things that won me over. There were just a few things that didn’t appeal to me. And I will start with those things first.

I don’t know about you, but I do not have any interest in the Big Show/John Cena feud. The longer this has played out the less I have liked it. The tag team match with Big Show and the Miz vs. Chavo and Cena was blah, there was nothing too it. I’m hoping Sunday marks the end of this dud of a feud. I also was not pleased to see Chavo pin the Miz. I would have much preferred to have this match end in a DQ or a no contest, but to pin a guy that has been one of the only bright spots of Raw, that didn’t sit well with m. But as much as I didn’t like this match, there were two things about this segment that I did like, and I will get to them later in this column.

Wow have they ruined Vickie’s character. Bringing her to Raw has been a downfall as far as I’m concerned. The woman that I looked forward to watching week after week on Smackdown is now the woman that at times just gets on my nerves, and not in that great way that she did when she was starting up her romance with Edge. This whole Miss Wrestlemania thing is far from clever. Her hand waving is the female version of what Booker did years ago as King Booker. When he did the Royal hand wave it was funny because it was different. Now it’s just recycled and not humorous at all. Instead of giving the fan’s a nice extreme match with maybe Mickie and Maryse, they are showcasing Santina vs. Vickie in a Hog Pen match. And watching Santino “take on” Vickie was time that could have been given to one of the better matches of the night. We all know that Vickie will be covered in pig crap Sunday because on Monday with the help of William Regal and Matt Hardy, Santino was taken out and pinned by Vickie. She then poured a bucket of slop on Santino’s crotch and then on his face laughing like a hyena. This was the worst segment of the night.

Well there were just two bad segments. But now it’s time for Come On Do They Think We Are Stupid? We go two poorly booked segments Monday night and they both had to do with one storyline, the Batista/Orton/Flair angle. The first was Ric Flair taking on Randy Orton in a parking lot brawl. So Ric is retired and he’s not going to wrestle, but he can participate in brawls and his first will be in a parking lot against Randy Orton. This was the main event and for the most part I really was cool with it. But the stupidity of this has to be that a 60-year-old man was able to dominate a young Randy Orton through out the match. I would have thought a guy at Randy’s age would have taken the opportunity to brutally go after 60-year-old Flair, but no, it was all Ric. And to make matters worse, Randy needed the rest of Legacy, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase to help him with Ric Flair, not good, not good at all. The other part that was extremely stupid to me was that once the guys got Ric Flair in the cage, Batista ran out and just stood there and screamed. Now the longer Batista was standing there, I started yelling to Batista (like he could hear me) climb the cage, climb the cage. I don’t understand why they did not have Batista climb over into the cage I’m sure I have seen others do it. It just seemed so weird to see Batista get so worked up over what they were doing to Flair, but not worked up enough to climb in and help him. So that’s why I ask, Come On Do They Think We Are Stupid? But even though these two things bothered me there were things that I liked about this main event, which I will also get into in a little bit.

So as you can see I’m still right in there as far as enjoying Raw. I think Raw got off to a very strong start with the Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Ric Flair opening. Orton started things off by promising to give Big Dave the biggest beating of his life. He put over their cage match that will be taking place at Extreme Rules. He then said that Vickie gave him permission for Batista to take part in a Steel Cage match on Raw and Randy will flip a coin to see if Rhodes or DiBiase will oppose Batista. So Cody got the nod for this match and a very focused Rhodes said he knows what to do. I liked when Rhodes mentioned how his dad, Dusty was in some of the greatest cages matches of all time and that cage matches are in his blood. Rhodes then said that he would give Batista a preview of what Randy would do to him on Sunday. I like Cody, to be honest with you, I think he’s very natural on the mic and I like his wresting skills. Now after a lot of bragging by Orton, Flair came out and told Orton that he was going to call him out until Randy grows up and faces him. Flair was riled up and was waiting for an answer; I got a kick out of him when he kept calling Orton, punk, punk, punk. With that Orton agreed and told Ric it would be a night that he would never forget. Orton, Rhodes and Flair put on quite a segment here and it just made me feel that the night was going to be a good one, and it’s nice to be right for a change.

So the cage match was first and Cody lost another match, but it was one that I expected him to lose. You got a pay per view on Sunday and there was no way that someone like Batista was losing. The match was good, short but good, but I’m a little tired of seeing Rhodes and DiBiase losing most of the time, but that’s for another column. So this was a decent cage match, followed by another decent women’s match with Beth Phoenix and Maryse taking on Mickie and Kelly Kelly. Again this was very short, but it was okay. You know I have one problem. Vince gets rid of wrestlers left and right so I want to know why Rosa Mendes is still there. This reminds me of Deuce and Domino with Cherry. Week after week she would accompany them like Rosa does with Beth, but week after week Cherry did nothing and that’s what Rosa does week after week, NOTHING I don’t see why she is there. But as I said this match was okay. And the matches just kept on coming with Primo and Carlito vs. Matt Hardy and William Regal. This match came off very well, I happened to really enjoy this one. I don’t quite get the pairing up of Hardy and Regal and I hope that it’s not a permanent thing, but for this match it worked out very well. The Colon brothers won, and that was because Matt accidentally clobbered Regal with his cast. This ended with the two heels arguing with each other. I was waiting for one of them to attack the other, but that didn’t happen.

There were two backstage segments one with Flair and Batista. I didn’t mind this one as much as I usually do with these two, because Ric was so much better this week, but I’m a little tired of the low keyed Batista responding to Ric, I’m just not buying it. I know that’s Batista quiet and calm and I don’t mind it, but when he’s talking with Ric it just doesn’t work for me. Also Vickie was talking to Regal and Hardy and she was a little hostile until they came up with a plan, which involved her match with Santino. This was nothing great but the show was coming off so well that I was okay with these segments. Now maybe if the show was as bad as last week’s, I wouldn’t be so generous. As I mentioned I did not care for the Chavo/Cena vs. Big Show/Miz match, but there were two things that I liked. Of course the first was another awesome promo by the Miz. Again he was putting Cena down with a hilarious promo about how the kiddies love Cena as much as they love the Jonas Brothers and SpongeBob Squarepants. The line of the night was when he said, “ Congratulations, John you made it, you are in the same category as Hannah Montana. Oh yes the Miz was on fire. Also as much as I’m not into Big Show, I found him more interesting to watch when he was ordering the Miz around during their tag team match. He seemed to have more nastiness toward the Miz than Cena. It’s like Big Show came to life, which is something I haven’t seen in a long time.

MVP vs. Kofi Kingston for the U.S. title was an awesome match. I would say the match of the night. I was thrilled by this one and shocked that MVP lost. I’m okay with it for two reasons, one, maybe Kofi will get a decent push. I like this guy and I wouldn’t mind seeing him on a more regular basis. And the second reason why I think MVP lost, and this is just a guess, but I’m thinking with Mr. Kennedy gone MVP is moving on up. Now maybe that’s positive thinking on my part, but I could see the title holding him down and without it, MVP can get involved in bigger storylines. I promised to mention Kennedy on Sunday, but I didn’t get a chance, so I would like to say something now. I want to say that the Kennedy release for me was absolutely fine. This guy when he started was a riot and he was fun to watch, but the injuries I believe took a lot away from him and every time he returned he wasn’t the same. Plus he did some pretty bad interviews denying he used Steroids and then having it come out that he did. All these things I believe somewhat ruined him. I remember many times talking about how he just seems to lack something in the ring. His in ring work with HBK a few years ago was weak and 9 out of 10 times anyone that gets to work a feud with Michaels comes off looking pretty damn good, but not Kennedy. I haven’t been a fan of his for a while, and I really can’t get over the reaction to his release. The majority of fans seem crushed and I don’t get it. I don’t believe he ever had that one GREAT match or great feud. I remember years ago I want to say it was his first injury that they brought him back to sit next to Tazz and Cole. I think he sat with them for two weeks, maybe three, but he came off so bland, so weak that after that he was off TV until he heeled. I won’t miss him and you know many are counting the days until he starts up with TNA. Hey if he does, good for him and maybe he’ll show me that I’m 100 percent wrong and it wasn’t him but it was the WWE that was his downfall. Well wherever he ends up I wish him nothing but luck. Okay so back to MVP and Kingston. I liked the match but I will say it was a little cheesy with how well MVP took the loss. But then again they want to keep him a face so I guess losing like a good sport was what they wanted.

Hey are we getting a tease that Ted DiBiase isn’t so hot on Orton? I thought they had a very cool exchange about Orton’s brawl with Flair that was coming up. DiBiase made a few interesting comments. He seemed concerned about Orton fighting with Flair. Ted wanted to know what would happen if he got hurt in the fight and then lost the belt on Sunday. Orton responded by saying that his match with Flair would be a preview of what Batista would have to go through inside the cage. Ah but DiBiase came back with that’s exactly what Cody said. Do I detect a change in DiBiase’s loyalties? That I don’t know but I found this all to be very interesting. And finally the main event. I mentioned all the weird things about this, but you know what? I still liked it. No I could have done without Flair taking so much time beating up Orton, and I could have done without Batista just standing there, but if this makes any sense, this still was filled with action, and it was done so well that for once Raw made the Batista/Orton feud look good and it made their match on Sunday seem just a little more enticing.

I really liked what we got on Monday night and I will be honest with you. I’m not 100 percent sure about ordering the show on Sunday but after Raw I’m leaning more toward ordering it. I will be back over the weekend with my Extreme Rules predictions and I really haven’t thought about most of the matches yet, so I will have some studying to do. Send me your picks anytime and for those of you who have already I thank you. Finally I hope you will read this and think about doing it. I’m very mysterious aren’t I? "Hey Folks, If you are a loyal reader of Linda Robin's fantastic columns on the world surrounding Raw, SmackDown and everything in between, then you'll love hearing her discussions with Nick Malone and Mike "Bon" Hawkins each and every Saturday Night from 10PM to 12AM on "Over The Ropes" only on www.mywcwp.com and www.wcwpsports.com. We are in the process of starting a new segment on Over The Ropes where you the loyal listeners and fans of Linda's column can contribute to the show by sending in their questions to Linda as she will discuss them with the panel of Over The Ropes (namely Mike and I). You can send them throughout the week to her email address at (put in whatever email address you want to use) and we will discuss them personally on the air but in the email address, you must state your name and where you are from so we can properly identify you and such. If you ever want to call into the show, you can do so at 516-299-2030 as it is completely toll free and an experience as a wrestling fan you will never forget. Names like former Ring of Honor Champion, Nigel McGuiness, Larry Sweeney, Tyler Black, Sarah Del Ray, Mike Quackenbush, Les Thatcher, and even former WWE Superstar, Elijah Burke have appeared on this program in the past but if you want to hear all of 120 minutes of all the wrestling knowledge you can ever need, tune into Over The Ropes each and every Saturday Night from 10PM to 12AM only on WCWP!"

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Read more • 0 Comments

We had an atrocious Raw, a pretty good ECW, a good Superstars, and another OUTSTANDING Smackdown. Yes, Smackdown came through again, and the show put a giant smile on my face, and lately that’s something that hasn’t been happening much especially with Raw. Smackdown had so much going for it that even the weakest segments came off okay. Let me get right into another on fire show. And then I have a few words to say about the departing Mr.Kennedy…Kennedy.

The opening with Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio was another great way to get the show started. They went back and forth talking about what they would do to each other at Extreme Rules with their No Holds Barred match. This is a feud that was rumored to have happen a while ago, and I’m so glad we finally got it. Jericho’s character has been even stronger since he came to Smackdown from Raw, and believe me on Raw he was outstanding ever since his feud with Shawn Michaels. Rey seems to be happy to be back on Smackdown and when he interacts with Jericho it usually turns out very well. I absolutely loved the opening and yes it did set the tone for more VERY good things to come.

Great Khali (w/Ranjin Singh) and R-Truth defeated Mike Knox and Dolph Ziggler wasn’t bad at all. Okay maybe a year ago I would have complained but as I have been saying Ziggler has been showing me a lot and I’m still big with R. Truth. Khali as a face is working for me. Now I will say I think Knox has put on much to much weight and I’m embarrassed to say this, but I find myself looking at his big belly more than his wrestling and that’s not smart on my part. I don’t know if Knox has what I thought he had a while ago, but I would like to see some of his weight come off. He would still a big guy, the kind that Vince goes for. Anyway I was okay with this match and I have to give it to Ziggler for making me really care about his feud with Khali. Now the next match with Melina vs. Alicia Fox wasn’t great but what the hell I still didn’t mind it, maybe because it was a quick one. I don’t want to say that Fox hasn’t got it, because I think in time she might, but for me it was too soon to put her out there with Melina. But again I didn’t find myself channel surfing like I did Monday night, this wasn’t that bad.

I got a kick out of John Morrison’s interview backstage with Josh Matthews. It wasn’t what he said about comparing Umaga to a tree and then comparing himself to one, it was the way it was said. He has a delivery that is supposed to come off as thought provoking, but it comes off humorous and I love that about his character. Most of you know that the singles push for Morrison is something that I have wanted to see for a long time and so far he has not disappointed me with his mic work and his wrestling. This interview also brought in Shelton Benjamin who also did a very cool job. He told Morrison that they had unfinished business in the real world, and Morrison had a great comeback. He told him that in the real world he beat Benjamin twice and that in the real world he beat the other half of the worlds most forgotten tag team twice, in the real world Benjamin hasn’t done anything since 2004. Shelton reminded him that he was the former U.S. champion and the gold standard. Morrison then said that he has better things to do than talk golden hair dye number 5 psychology to a former champ. Man these two have just complimented each other so well in and out of the ring. And the awesome mic work continued with Jeff Hardy. Man I say this every week but he is SO OVER and he gave us another solid promo. But first we got a hell of a video with Jeff and some of his ladder matches. This set up his in ring promo. He really put over how dangerous the ladder match was, but he said that they were his comfort zone. He mentioned how he and Edge years ago were a part of the very first ever tag team ladder match, and how it’s strange that their careers changed after that match. And now 10 years later their feud will end with this ladder match. Hardy said he was going to prove that last year was no fluke when he became champion, it was meant to be. And at Extreme Rules he will walk into that ring climb the ladder and become world heavyweight champion. It was a short promo, but it was done very well, and honestly this is a match that makes me want to order that pay per view.

As Hardy was leaving Umaga came out to face John Morrison. Just like the Umaga vs. CM Punk match at Judgment Day, I was surprised by how much I liked this one. No it wasn’t fast paced but both men put a lot into it. Granted there were quite a few Umaga holds but all in all I found myself very entertained. And of course the more violent it got the more I liked it. I’m talking about Umaga using the nasty Samoan strap on Morrison. Morrison took a beating and it only got worse for him when Umaga tied him upside down on the ring post. Ah, but it was Punk out to the rescue, and finally Punk got the upper hand over Umaga by hitting him twice with the Money In The Bank briefcase. He then gave Umaga a Bulldog onto the briefcase and the crowd went nuts. By the way this Los Angeles crowd was excellent, but then again look at what they got compared to Monday night. Umaga then slowly rolled out of the ring and Todd Grisham appeared and asked Punk what his strategy was for the strap match. And the very cool Punk responded by asking if he looked like a guy that strategized? He said he would find a way. Umaga might be bigger and more dangerous, but he’s not CM Punk. This was another top segment of the night, and I’m so enjoying Punk on Smackdown.

Woo I loved the tag team match with Cryme Tyme vs. Shelton and Charlie Haas. Now this was not only fast paced, but also Cryme Tyme really shined in this one. This was one of the top matches of the night, and I’m thrilled that Haas has been right with Shelton week after week. Gee you guys didn’t know I’m a Haas fan, yeah you did, but watching him wrestle week after week is so great to see. These four did a great job. I doubt we will get more since Shelton and Morrison are not over with, but I wouldn’t mind having this go on for a while. The next match I think I liked more than Melina vs. Alicia Fox. Now granted Eve and Layla don’t wrestle on a regular basis, but I thought both of these women put on a decent showing. I would have to say that they gave their all and this came off better than I thought it would.

And now the main event was on the way. It was Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio vs. Edge and Jericho. However, that all seemed to change when Edge basically ordered Jericho to follow his lead because he was the Heavyweight Champion. Jericho really wasn’t happy to hear that, and told Edge that he could go out there on his own. So we now were going to get Edge vs. Mysterio and Jeff Hardy. Okay that could work for me too, but of course a part of me figured Jericho would end up in the match. So Edge is the first one out and he cut a great promo. He said if he could describe Hardy it would be missed opportunities. He mentioned that he excelled in ladder matches and even though it was Hardy that wowed the crowd, he was a winner. Edge has been fantastic and his promo was just a great way to build things up for next week’s pay per view.

And after his promo, Jericho’s music hit, but there’s no Jericho. So next we hear Rey’s music and out he comes. This next part was EXCELLENT! Rey did his usual by going to the kids in the crowd with their masks on, and meeting them face-to-face. Now I always read the spoilers, but I missed this part, so it was a great surprise for me. One of Rey’s “fans” did the face-to-face thing, but it wasn’t a kid, it was Jericho who attacked Rey by slamming his head onto the railing. And Jericho didn’t stop there; Jericho climbed over the railing kicked Rey and then took his mask off and threw Rey into the barricade. He then tried to take Rey’s mask off, but Jeff Hardy came out and went after Jericho. After he chased Jericho away, Jeff went back to check on Rey. They went to commercial and when they came back Rey was unable to participate in the match so it was now Jericho and Edge vs. Jeff Hardy. And it was a terrific handicap/main event match. Everyone clicked here, but then that’s not a surprise and this match just flowed. Edge won and that wasn’t good enough for him. He ended things by hitting Jeff with a ladder and then by opening the ladder shoving Hardy in there and then slamming the ladder on top of him. My God what a super ending.

This was a show that I would recommend to anyone who wasn’t around to see it. As I said the weakest segments were still good. So we started the week on a very sour note and ended things on a very sweet note. Okay so I will be back with my thoughts about Raw hopefully on Tuesday. I would like to think Raw will be much better than the last few weeks, but no matter what I will be back, no matter how painful it could turn out to be. Seriously, I will think positive, it couldn’t hurt. Listen since I went kind of long today Tuesday I will also share my Mr. Kennedy thoughts with you, there’s some things that I definitely want to talk about.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Read more • 0 Comments

And I put TNA down? After last night’s Raw, I have started questioning my sanity. It’s been too many weeks of the worst of the worst. I have throughout the years gotten to the point where I might not like WWE shows, but in the back of my mind I guess I just figure that no matter how bad the show is things will turn around and they usually do. So if I don’t like one of the shows I just know I’m going to stay with it. But I’m at a point right now where I don’t know if I want to watch Raw anymore. Sure that might sound overly dramatic but last night was the first night in 10 years that I couldn’t stick with the show without channel surfing. Channel surfing was how I started to watch Raw, and now I’m doing it while the show is on. This bothers me more than all of you know. I honestly don’t know why Raw has gone down the tubes so badly. You know if some of you want to stop reading this now I can’t blame you because it really doesn’t get any better. There is nothing except the main even that I can say was at least entertaining. So if you can put up with me I’m going to comment on what I saw and oh boy it’s not good.

1. Vince should have stopped while he was ahead. He got plenty of mainstream press and favorable mainstream press about the WWE getting screwed by Denver owner, Stan Kroenke. But that wasn’t enough, no, he had to make it the theme of the night, and mind you there is a pay per view in less than two weeks, yet THIS was what Raw was about. We got an unfunny Kroenke impersonator, Vince doing DX material and not doing it well and all in all this was horrible. It was 15 minutes of my life that I will never get back, and it unfortunately set the tone for the rest of Raw.

2. Maryse vs. Kelly Kelly wasn’t bad at all, but the ending was terrible and it took a way from what could have been a decent match and a nice showing for Kelly Kelly.

3. I guess it’s more important to make the Bella twins look like the whores of Monday night instead of showing us what they can do in the ring. I am so sick of seeing them grab on to a guy backstage. And last night it was the Jack Nicholson look a like. And to make this even worse, they had Goldust and Hornswoggle do “comedy.”

4. When Ric Flair and Batista have their “intimate” talks they bomb. I didn’t buy one thing that was being said by either guy. None of it seemed natural. These two don’t click well in the backstage segments. Or maybe it’s just that I’m not happy to have Ric Flair back if they plan to let him wrestle again.

5. I happened to like the number one contender match for the U.S. title with William Regal vs. Matt Hardy vs. Kofi Kingston. However there was absolutely no build up for this match which I found funny since poor JR did all he could to make the U.S. title seem so prestigious. It’s too bad that the creative team couldn’t do the same thing. I thought MVP did a nice job on the mic with Lawler and JR so this wasn’t a total washout.

6. The segment with Ric Flair calling out Randy Orton was okay, but I thought it improved greatly with what Orton had to say. Randy’s promo said it all when it came to Flair. It was perfect when Orton said Triple H only kept Flair around because he felt sorry for him. Orton then told Flair that he's starting to feel sorry for Ric, and even the crowd feels sorry for Ric. Randy was the highlight here. But this segment wasn’t over. We then got the surprise return of Mr. Kennedy. I’m not going to say I’m happy or unhappy to have him back, time will tell if this guy can deliver. What I will add is that Kennedy according to reports injured his wrist during that main event match. So far nothing else has been updated so hopefully he can work through it.

7. Santino and Mickie vs. Beth Phoenix and Chavo. The object of this match was, that the winners would decide what kind of extreme match Santina vs. Vickie Guerrero will have at Extreme Rules. Santino and Mickie won and Santino had the honor of picking a Hog Pen match. Get it? Hog, Vickie is a pig. Oh yes this was a riot, Hee Haw!

8. The Brian Kendrick and Festus vs. Goldust and Hornswoggle was a match I have nothing to say about since I was channel surfing, but then again I think that says it all.

9. By the time John Cena, Batista, MVP and Jerry Lawler vs. Miz, Orton, DiBiase and Big Show came on I was so ready for this. I needed to be entertained and even though this might not have been the greatest match, this at least had a good pace, the Los Angeles crowd woke up for it and I enjoyed it. I needed something and this was it.


I am upset with “ME” for being so nasty with this column. It’s not why I became a columnist. I did this because I love talking wrestling, especially WWE. So putting something out like this is SO not what I want to do. I can only hope that there is a very bright light at the end of the tunnel and that Monday nights for me will be something that I look so forward too again. I don’t know if Raw has lost it because Shawn Michaels and Triple H are not on, of if it’s just bad writing, but something has to click and click soon. And for now I won’t be knocking TNA, how can I? Not when Raw the top WWE show has become an effort to watch. Hey there’s always ECW and Smackdown and over the weekend I could have one very upbeat column about Friday’s show. And I know that’s something that I need and want to do very badly.

Okay I typed this up yesterday and I’m sure you can all tell my mood was a low as it could be. I’m much more upbeat today, now I still stand behind what I said about Raw, but after watching ECW last night and reading the spoilers for Smackdown I feel so much better. My only main complaint about ECW other than we are stuck with Kozlov squashes again, is that the Evan Bourne is in a feud with Mark Henry. Now this isn’t against Henry but you talk about total opposites, that’s my complaint. I want to see Bourne go against high flyers not a big guy like Henry. But hey ECW was still a good show and I’m anxious to watch Smackdown and fill you in on my thoughts over the weekend. I apologize for my anti Raw column, but there’s always next week and maybe Raw will make a decent comeback. Okay look for me over the weekend if you dare.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Read more • 0 Comments

And I put TNA down? After last night’s Raw, I have started questioning my sanity. It’s been too many weeks of the worst of the worst. I have throughout the years gotten to the point where I might not like WWE shows, but in the back of my mind I guess I just figure that no matter how bad the show is things will turn around and they usually do. So if I don’t like one of the shows I just know I’m going to stay with it. But I’m at a point right now where I don’t know if I want to watch Raw anymore. Sure that might sound overly dramatic but last night was the first night in 10 years that I couldn’t stick with the show without channel surfing. Channel surfing was how I started to watch Raw, and now I’m doing it while the show is on. This bothers me more than all of you know. I honestly don’t know why Raw has gone down the tubes so badly. You know if some of you want to stop reading this now I can’t blame you because it really doesn’t get any better. There is nothing except the main even that I can say was at least entertaining. So if you can put up with me I’m going to comment on what I saw and oh boy it’s not good.

1. Vince should have stopped while he was ahead. He got plenty of mainstream press and favorable mainstream press about the WWE getting screwed by Denver owner, Stan Kroenke. But that wasn’t enough, no, he had to make it the theme of the night, and mind you there is a pay per view in less than two weeks, yet THIS was what Raw was about. We got an unfunny Kroenke impersonator, Vince doing DX material and not doing it well and all in all this was horrible. It was 15 minutes of my life that I will never get back, and it unfortunately set the tone for the rest of Raw.

2. Maryse vs. Kelly Kelly wasn’t bad at all, but the ending was terrible and it took a way from what could have been a decent match and a nice showing for Kelly Kelly.

3. I guess it’s more important to make the Bella twins look like the whores of Monday night instead of showing us what they can do in the ring. I am so sick of seeing them grab on to a guy backstage. And last night it was the Jack Nicholson look a like. And to make this even worse, they had Goldust and Hornswoggle do “comedy.”

4. When Ric Flair and Batista have their “intimate” talks they bomb. I didn’t buy one thing that was being said by either guy. None of it seemed natural. These two don’t click well in the backstage segments. Or maybe it’s just that I’m not happy to have Ric Flair back if they plan to let him wrestle again.

5. I happened to like the number one contender match for the U.S. title with William Regal vs. Matt Hardy vs. Kofi Kingston. However there was absolutely no build up for this match which I found funny since poor JR did all he could to make the U.S. title seem so prestigious. It’s too bad that the creative team couldn’t do the same thing. I thought MVP did a nice job on the mic with Lawler and JR so this wasn’t a total washout.

6. The segment with Ric Flair calling out Randy Orton was okay, but I thought it improved greatly with what Orton had to say. Randy’s promo said it all when it came to Flair. It was perfect when Orton said Triple H only kept Flair around because he felt sorry for him. Orton then told Flair that he's starting to feel sorry for Ric, and even the crowd feels sorry for Ric. Randy was the highlight here. But this segment wasn’t over. We then got the surprise return of Mr. Kennedy. I’m not going to say I’m happy or unhappy to have him back, time will tell if this guy can deliver. What I will add is that Kennedy according to reports injured his wrist during that main event match. So far nothing else has been updated so hopefully he can work through it.

7. Santino and Mickie vs. Beth Phoenix and Chavo. The object of this match was, that the winners would decide what kind of extreme match Santina vs. Vickie Guerrero will have at Extreme Rules. Santino and Mickie won and Santino had the honor of picking a Hog Pen match. Get it? Hog, Vickie is a pig. Oh yes this was a riot, Hee Haw!

8. The Brian Kendrick and Festus vs. Goldust and Hornswoggle was a match I have nothing to say about since I was channel surfing, but then again I think that says it all.

9. By the time John Cena, Batista, MVP and Jerry Lawler vs. Miz, Orton, DiBiase and Big Show came on I was so ready for this. I needed to be entertained and even though this might not have been the greatest match, this at least had a good pace, the Los Angeles crowd woke up for it and I enjoyed it. I needed something and this was it.


I am upset with “ME” for being so nasty with this column. It’s not why I became a columnist. I did this because I love talking wrestling, especially WWE. So putting something out like this is SO not what I want to do. I can only hope that there is a very bright light at the end of the tunnel and that Monday nights for me will be something that I look so forward too again. I don’t know if Raw has lost it because Shawn Michaels and Triple H are not on, of if it’s just bad writing, but something has to click and click soon. And for now I won’t be knocking TNA, how can I? Not when Raw the top WWE show has become an effort to watch. Hey there’s always ECW and Smackdown and over the weekend I could have one very upbeat column about Friday’s show. And I know that’s something that I need and want to do very badly.

Okay I typed this up yesterday and I’m sure you can all tell my mood was a low as it could be. I’m much more upbeat today, now I still stand behind what I said about Raw, but after watching ECW last night and reading the spoilers for Smackdown I feel so much better. My only main complaint about ECW other than we are stuck with Kozlov squashes again, is that the Evan Bourne is in a feud with Mark Henry. Now this isn’t against Henry but you talk about total opposites, that’s my complaint. I want to see Bourne go against high flyers not a big guy like Henry. But hey ECW was still a good show and I’m anxious to watch Smackdown and fill you in on my thoughts over the weekend. I apologize for my anti Raw column, but there’s always next week and maybe Raw will make a decent comeback. Okay look for me over the weekend if you dare.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Read more • 0 Comments

I can’t get over how Raw and Smackdown are like night and day. I know I didn’t do a Raw column this week because I shared my experience with all of you about my time at Judgment Day. But honestly I thought this week’s Raw was absolutely HORRIBLE. So I was very happy that I passed on posting a column about my thought since they would have been very negative. But again Smackdown the A show was excellent, and this is the kind of show that I can’t wait to talk about. I’m so happy that WWE is giving me one really good show to get excited about.

What a difference Edge’s character has become without Vickie by his side. Edge is back on top and his mic work has been fantastic, along with facial expressions. Edge is one of the key parts to what’s making Smackdown such a great show. I loved the opening with Edge bragging about being the FACE of Smackdown. His reasoning was at Judgment Day CM Punk lost his match, Jericho lost to Rey and of course Jeff Hardy was defeated by Edge. So Smackdown is now “Edge is Smackdown”, well if you go by what he says it is. Edge does such a great job of playing the Mr. Superior role. As he was talking Theodore “HOLLA” Long came out and had no intentions of taking the win away from Edge but he made sure to let Edge know that the win was in part due to Matt Hardy’s interference. Long pissed off the face of Smackdown by granting Jeff Hardy a rematch. That was the last thing Edge wanted or needed. Edge told Long that he had more heart, and determination than Hardy. I liked it when Edge said that Jeff wasn’t World Championship material, and then he called Jeff Hardy a failure. Of course Edge did a super job with all of this, and after his last remark Jeff Hardy came out.

My God is Hardy over, Jeff did a very nice job with is mic work and interaction with Edge. He agreed and said that everything Edge said was true, but one thing that Hardy is, is a competitor. And then the plug for the next pay per view happened. Hardy said that the Extreme Rules show is all extreme matches and he wants to have one with Edge. Jeff suggested that they have a match later and the winner names the stipulation for that show. Long asked the hot Cincinnati crowd if that’s what they wanted and of course they popped like crazy. So the main event would be another hot Hardy vs. Edge rematch with the winner picking the stip. As you can see with everything I just talked about this was an awesome way to get things going. Just this opening outdid anything that Raw gave us on Monday night. Okay the first match was a very nice tag team match with Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas and wait for it, Ricky Ortiz vs. John Morrison and yo yo yo Cryme Tyme. Listen I will not lie to you, Ortiz is one of those guys that I just don’t like watching. I remember saying back in January if Vince is going to continue to push this guy on TV then turn him heel. And that’s now what he has done. Now I promise I will give him a chance, I mean maybe something good can come out of the change. I thought he held is own out there and the only thing I might do is knock that rally round crap out. The match was a good one and it was the first of many solid matches of the night. I’m thrilled that Benjamin and Morrison’s feud is still going on; it’s a good one.

The next match was a mix bag for me. Michelle McCool vs. Gail Kim was probably one of the best women’s matches Smackdown has given us in a while. I mean this one was done so well because both women killed themselves out there. Okay this was for the number one contender for the women’s title. Now I know Melina is a face but I really wasn’t happy to see McCool beat Kim for that title match. I keep waiting for Gail Kim to bust out, and I don’t mean out of her top, but I want to see her become one of the TOP women on Smackdown. So this was a very good match, with McCool’s win somewhat a disappointment to me. Oh and speaking of Melina, and I did earlier, she had a backstage segment before this match. I don’t know what it is but she comes off a little too over the top with her mic work. Her facial expressions are kind of over done. I would like to see Melina act a lot more natural with her interviews. During this one, Alicia Fox interrupted and had a message from McCool to Melina. The message was that soon the title would be McCool’s. Then Melina responded with a nice slap to Alicia’s face. Now that part I enjoyed. At least with Melina in the ring I think it’s safe to say that the road to the title match should be a good one.

I was kind of on and off with Rey Mysterio’s interview with JR. Now don’t get me wrong this guy came off very pleasant and upbeat for the fans. But I have seen better interviews with him. This one seemed to be a way to “pardon the expression” get the fans to rally around Mysterio. He had them chant 619 a few times. And there was also a tease for all of us about how important wearing his mask was. Rey wanted to give others in the locker room a chance to go for the IC title. He said that he wanted to honor those who wore that title in the past by being one of the greatest IC champions ever. During this statement he mentioned Eddie Guerrero, which of course got a great reaction. Here comes the tease. JR asked Rey about his mask. Rey said it was tradition in the Luchador community. He said he earned the right to wear the mask and it would be a dishonor should it ever come off. Ah does that mean that could happen at the Extremes Rules pay per view? I don’t know, but this wasn’t a bad interview just not one of Rey’s strongest.

Chris Jericho another guy that has brought so much to Smackdown and CM Punk, yes another star that is making Smackdown so good had maybe the match of the night. Well it was close to the match of the night. Now we don’t get Superstars until Sunday morning, but I read that these two put on a 0UTSTANDING match on that show. Well thankfully I got to see them do it again last night. I can’t even go into how much I loved this one. It seems like every time Jericho and Punk have a match it’s a 5 star match. This was a match that could have gone on forever, well maybe for a few more minutes. And of course we got another run in from Umaga who is obsessed with Punk. Umaga hit Punk with a strap, then kicked him and tied Punk with the strap and continuously hit him with the belt. And then we got something different. Umaga grabbed the mic and challenged Punk to a Samoan Strap match at the Extreme Rules pay per view. I was so surprised that they had Umaga speak so well. I guess I was expecting Umaga to speak a couple of words at a time. So this was a cool surprise for me. Hopefully the strap will match will prove to be brutal. I’m a little leery when it comes to anything with belts or straps.

R Truth vs. Dolph Ziggler was an okay match. It was a short match but I thought these two looked good at there. I’m really starting to like Ziggler, and believe me I didn’t expect too. Moving him to Smackdown was the best thing that they could have done for him. I would like to see more put into Truth, I find his wrestling to be good and I wish Vince had more faith in him. After the match, which Ziggler won, Khali came out and was going after Ziggler, but Ziggler escaped. Hey I don’t even mind the Khali/Ziggler feud, I really don’t. And finally we got the Jeff Hardy vs. Edge rematch. And yes it was the match of the night. I really will miss this feud after Extreme Rules. In a way I think this was even better than there match at Judgment Day. We got a match that was a good 15 minutes long and believe me it went by so fast. It looked like Edge was going to win, but Jeff Hardy defeated the World Champion and took the mic and announced that their extreme match would be a ladder match. Well of course the crowd went nuts and the look on Edge’s face was great, he wasn’t going nuts for it. You talk about two guys working their asses off, that’s just what they did in this main event and they are a big reason why Smackdown is the show not to miss.

Can Raw bounce back on Monday? I’m not sure if it’s possible since the theme seems to be all about the Denver Debacle. For those of you that are not aware of what this is about. I will try to sum it up. Raw was supposed to be held in Denver at the Pepsi Center, but unknown to Vince McMahon, it was double booked by the Denver Nuggets who are in the playoffs. According to Vince they were told this was going to happen and Vince has been all over TV complaining about what Stan Kroenke the owner of the Nuggets did to WWE by double booking. I have to say Vince is 100 percent right, and I feel so bad for the Denver fans that bought tickets for Raw because unless they go to Los Angeles Monday night they won’t get to see the show live. It’s sad that it’s come to this and now Vince has made it the theme of Raw. If you go to WWE.com you will see what is planned for Monday night. Hey maybe this will be a blessing and it will turn things around and Raw will be a better show than it’s been in weeks. I will be back Tuesday or Wednesday and share my thoughts about the show.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Read more • 0 Comments

I havenā€™t recuperated from last night. I am worn out from yelling and cheering so loud. As you can probably guess I LOVED JUDGMENT DAY! And Iā€™m happy to say so did my son Jason and his girlfriend Penny. Now I have read quite a bit of feedback on a few sites and it sounds like the show was better live than on TV. Not that itā€™s getting ripped. But live it was a blast however there were a few times when the crowd didnā€™t come off as loud as they should have, and I would question Penny and Jason about that. Hey when we were hot we were on fire, but when the crowd was a little quiet it shocked the hell out of me. As I said this was a damn good show with a few flaws. I want to get right into the show; by the way I didnā€™t do too bad with my predictions. I got them all right except for going with Jericho, Orton and Big Show. So Iā€™m happy with my showing for a change. And now itā€™s on to my live thoughts about the show.

First the place was packed and thatā€™s always a great thing to see. We got a dark match with Mickie vs. Beth Phoenix and I enjoyed it very much. I guess for me it was just nice to see two very capable women facing each other in the ring. Itā€™s too bad that they didnā€™t get a chance to be a part of Judgment Day, but at least I got to see them. The opening match with CM Punk vs. Umaga was very good, and here I was expecting a sub par match. Yes we were all very pro Punk, but Umaga really added to this one. I noticed almost immediately Umaga looked thinner to me and I donā€™t know if maybe that made him more agile in the ring. The match was a great opener and I have to say both men worked their asses off. I did not expect Punk to win, but I would be lying to you if I didnā€™t admit there was a small part of me expecting to see him go after Edge for the title with his Money In The Bank contract. Of course that didnā€™t happen but it was so cool to see him and along with Umaga they got things started on a very positive note.
I have mentioned this before, but when I am at the All State Arena, but I have a very hard time hearing what is being said in the ring and especially backstage. So honestly I couldnā€™t really hear what Chavo, Big Show and Vickie were talking about. But I will tell you this; Vickie was getting major heat as soon as her face hit the camera. And when Edge walked in there the place really made a lot of noise. Later on I read what was said so at least that helped me, because I hate missing anything when it comes to the shows. As much as I liked the Jack Swagger vs. Christian match, I was somewhat disappointed because out of all their matches this one wasnā€™t as GOOD as it should have been. Now donā€™t get me wrong it was good and watching these two was a total pleasure for me. I 55saw Jack Swagger back in January, and from then to now this guyā€™s presence is really being felt. Heā€™s coming along so very well. And as I said yesterday I was so happy to see Christian again. And I was also very happy with the next match, John Morrison vs. Shelton Benjamin. As much as I loved the Miz/Morrison team I was really happy to see Morrison on his own. He came up with some hot moves and Benjamin is such an outstanding athlete that I couldnā€™t wait to see what he would come up with. And since I have always been a Charlie Haas fan, it was nice seeing him out there as well. This was one of the matches where the crowd died, and I donā€™t get why. There were times I would be clapping and I would be the only one in my area, I just couldnā€™t understand the silence. But I loved this match and I hope the feud continues on Smackdown. The non-wrestling highlight of the night was without a doubt the Mizā€™s promo. For a woman that couldnā€™t tolerate this guy a couple of years ago, I am now a MIZERABLE fan, okay thatā€™s my way of being funny. Seriously I canā€™t wait to hear what comes out of his mouth week after week. You know I am not one that likes to hear a promo bashing a local team. The reason for that is, if Iā€™m not from that area why would I care? But when the Miz ripped into the Cubs and their fans I was hysterical. And my son is a big Cub fan and he was laughing as hard as I was. Miz said it all so well and watching the expression on Alfonso Sorianoā€™s face while Miz was insulting him and the team was priceless. Who ever wrote this material did a hell of a job, and the Miz delivered it all beautifully. I just want to share a few of my favorite lines. The first was when he referred to Morrison as Marty Jannetty now that was gold. I then loved when Miz brought up how Soriano does the ā€œyou canā€™t see meā€ hand gesture after he hits a homerun. Miz told him the hand gesture really means, "You can't see a World Series ring as long as you play for the Cubs." Mr. Annoying said it was a cheap line and therefore he wanted to apologize to anyone who was around in 1908 to see the Cubs win the World Series. This was so good, the Miz really outdid himself and he got such major heat, the crowd loved it. I was surprised to see Santino come out, but I was okay with it. He was the Santino of old ruining names like calling the Miz the Fizz and Kozlov, Coleslaw. I had no problem with Santino last night, but I will admit once the Miz took Santino out, and Chavo came out to ā€œpunishā€ him for calling Aunt Vickie a pig I lost interest. That little part was worthless. But the Miz RULES!!

My match of the night was Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio. This was absolutely fantastic. This was as good as I thought it would be, no it was better. I wanted this one to just keep on going. Mysterio with all his knee problems did a super job, and Jericho never looked better. Smackdownā€™s roster definitely dominated last night and I know this wasnā€™t meant to be the main event, but it would have been a great way to end the show. By the way the crowd seemed to be more for Jericho than Rey, but Chicago last night was really into the heels. Rey did have a lot of fans chanting 619 as well. I still canā€™t stop talking about this one thatā€™s how good it was. Now Batista vs. Orton was good, but for me not PPV quality. Again they both worked hard but it was missing something. I wish I could tell you what that was but I just canā€™t pin point it. I enjoyed it and itā€™s always nice to see Orton and Batista live. Iā€™m glad this wasnā€™t the match that closed the show. As far as the surprise appearance by Ric Flair, I was surprised but Iā€™m not sure itā€™s what I needed. The ending with Orton slapping the ref to cause the DQ was stupid, but the most ridiculous part was having 60 year old Ric Flair run out and take out the young up and comers, Rhodes and DiBiase. I couldnā€™t believe how he rescued big Dave from them. I didnā€™t like that at all. In fact Iā€™m a little upset about the prospect of Flair wrestling. I donā€™t mind him being on TV in a non wrestling role, but if he should start wrestling it just makes a mockery not only out of that FANTASTIC retirement match against Shawn Michaels last year at Wrestlemania, but it really makes that great sendoff on Raw meaningless. Yeah right now Iā€™m not exactly welcoming Flair back with open arms right now.
My next gripe oh yes has to do with the Big Show vs. John Cena match. This I will keep short. The match stunk, Cena or should I say Super Cena took a beating for most of the match and then got his super strength going and came back like Show never touched him. Plus for some of the match he tried to sell a back injury from being thrown into the search light at Backlash. But, as I said that all seemed to disappear and with his Attitude Adjustment he finished off Show and won. And the guy that was getting a Big Show beating not only made a super comeback in the ring, but once the match was done heā€™s celebrating with Soriano. This was just pathetic and yes, the worst match and segment of the night. And finally the main event with Edge vs. Jeff Hardy was very good, not as good as Mysterio and Jerichoā€™s match but good. With the rumors going around that Jeff Hardy is definitely leaving in June or July for at least a year it meant a lot for me to see him live last night. Edge worked the crowd so well and I was very happy with the main event. And as I said earlier I was waiting for Punk to cash in his contract and when that didnā€™t happen, I was fine with that because I really did have a great time.

Live it was a blast, and I am so glad that I was lucky enough to be there. The three of us loved the evening so much that this morning I got tickets for the Labor Day Raw. Okay since this was so long, Iā€™m going to pass on my Raw thoughts this week, and I will return with my Smackdown column over the weekend. And once again thank you all for sending me your Judgment Day predictions I enjoyed each and every one of them.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Read more • 0 Comments

Okay I can’t hide it I’m very excited about going to Judgment Day. When I bought the tickets I didn’t know what to expect, but I have to say this line up really looks strong, with maybe one exception, and even that exception could turn out to be okay. Okay I really need a great comeback, because in the last couple of months my predictions have been PATHETIC. So here I go wish me luck and enjoy.

John Morrison vs. Shelton Benjamin –
I was watching Smackdown Friday night. By the way Smackdown was excellent. Three weeks in a row Smackdown has been without a doubt the A show for WWE. Anyway I’m watching the show and the opening match with John Morrison and CM Punk vs. Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. The match was fantastic and I commented to my husband that I wish that they had a Benjamin vs. Morrison match at Judgment Day. A little while after that lovely comment I checked some sites and I found out that they did add these two to the show, and I am so damn happy about this. I think we are all in for an awesome match. So far Benjamin and Morrison have done a nice job with their feud in and out of the ring. I am looking so forward to this match and I am going with John Morrison for the win. I think just the fact that Morrison was added to this pay per view shows that Vince is looking at him as a top guy for Smackdown, and a win would just help him get over even more as Smackdown’s new face.
Winner: John Morrison

WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Batista
I have a feeling that this match will turn out pretty good. While I’m not really into this storyline, I mean it all kind of went downhill after Wrestlemania, I still feel that Batista and Orton want to prove to the fans that they are the TOP guys in the WWE, or at least on Raw. I can’t see Orton losing, but I am thinking that he wins because Triple H returns and “accidentally” costs Batista the win, just like Batista cost Hunter the win at Backlash. But whether Triple H comes out or not Orton wins. I see this match as the match that ends Judgment Day and hopefully this will be a hot one.
Winner: Randy Orton

World Heavyweight Champion Edge vs. Jeff Hardy
This is the match that I can’t wait to see. When it was made I was ecstatic. In my opinion this will be the match of the night. I absolutely love the chemistry between these two guys and personally I would like to see this one close the show. Oh yeah this should be a major crowd pleaser with Edge beating Jeff Hardy. Man I am so ready for this one.
Winner: Edge

ECW Champion Christian vs. Jack Swagger
You know this card really looks good. It’s been a while since I have seen Christian live so I’m very excited about that. And I’m excited to see Swagger and Christian go at it again. They have put on two strong matches and I hope tonight’s match will be number three. I feel that we are going to get a very solid match with Christian hanging on for the win. The more I see Swagger the more I like him and I think working with Christian has really brought the best out in the All American, American.
Winner; Christian

John Cena vs. Big Show
This is the only match that totally turns me off. This is the exception that I am talking about Here’s what I see happening, not much. But Cena will lift the Big Show for an attempted STFU and that will get the fans going. But up until that move I don’t see much going on. Now if I’m wrong, then that works for me, because I would like to get into this one and enjoy it. I am going with a Big Show win. My thinking is if the rumors are true, Cena will leave to make a movie. So he loses and Show beats him up pretty badly. And when Cena returns he will make things right by taking out the Big Show for a victory.
Winner: The Big Show

Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho
Ah another match that makes me smile. Now the only setback here is that Rey hurt his knee during his Superstars match this week, so I’m kind of wondering if the match will be as good as it should be. Well it will be nice to see these two in the ring and Jericho right now is really rocking on Smackdown so I’m very excited about seeing him and Rey. Now I have no idea if Rey’s knee injury is serious, but I am going to go with Jericho for the win because if the injury is of concern, then Rey not having the belt for a while can maybe mean he can show up on TV just not wrestle. Now if there if this injury didn’t happen Rey would have been my first choice. Hey if Rey is in fairly good shape this could be one of the top matches of the night.
Winner: Chris Jericho

CM Punk vs. Umaga
Sure CM should win because he will be in his hometown, but I remember almost two years ago at No Mercy he lost to Viscera, and believe me that didn’t go over with most of us. With that said, I can’t see Umaga losing. The reason I say that is because I am guessing that Vince is trying to get Umaga back up there as a top heel. CM can afford to lose, but because he’s in Chicago I hate to see that happen. This is like the Big Show/Cena match, I have very low expectations about this match, and I have no idea if these two work well together, but I guess we will find out tonight. Listen just seeing Punk in a match thrills me.
Winner: Umaga

Okay there you are, hopefully I will be able to hold my head up high when Judgment Day is over. For those of you that have sent your predictions in thank you, and for those of you who haven’t as of yet you still have plenty of time. I will either talk about being there live on Monday or add it to my Raw thoughts on Tuesday or Wednesday. Here’s hoping that we all rave about tonight’s show when it’s over with.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.coom

Read more • 0 Comments