goodhelmet

There is one way to fix this whole crowd noise.

They nearly won them over in the end. Also, when nearly every arena you run is giving you the same reaction, it no longer becomes an indy fetish crowd and it becomes the norm.

What did I miss?

Just thinking as Sheamus comes out, what a bad break for Sheamus to be caught in the losing end of the whole Wrestlemania card. He went from a match with the most over guy in the company to probably some random throwaway multi-man tag.

OK, I think by Mania, Emma is contending for the Divas title pissing off a lot of the Divas in the back.

THIS is the Batista we should have had all along!

Really hot TV match. I love the twist of Rollins being fed up and forcing Reigns and Ambrose to have to work together even if they failed in the end.

Cesaro is heel in name only. He is a de facto babyface. Also, I agree with Dylan. i can see Punk, not Orton interfering and cutting the "DB took my spot" promo next week.

Poor Mark Henry

IS Paul's face discolored?

I don;t know why Punk left. I don't know if it is a work or shoot or whatever but I am going under the assumption this was a shoot. All accounts so far have Punk refusing contact from everyone and that Vince McMahon wants Punk back. If Vince makes Punk an offer he can't refuse, how is that Punk's fault?

Is there word they will do a ladder match on this year's Mania? Both you and Grimmas have a ladder match on your card. Also, it never occurred to me that Big E would lose the belt prior to Mania but it makes perfect sense now.

Elaborate, Dylan

It was the Starrcade match. It had its highlights but could have been much more.

Thanks for posting that Tim. I am sure non-subscribers will appreciate it.

Tim, you gotta cut and paste for people who aren't members.

Watching the Foley stuff in 1994, I get that people love those matches but I enjoyed Badd more. Foley didn't just do reckless moves... He did them at the worst times that made no sense during the matches.

Right... and Reigns isn't getting random chants or being super cheered on the shows since Rumble. Reigns will get those cheers eventually but he isn't getting "He's our guy" chants.

I posted this at DVDVR so I thought I would bring it here as well. Once we know the final card, we'll close this out and do an actual predictions folder. In the meantime, lets predict the card and the winners. I am not fantasy booking here. This is how I really think things will turn out, not how I want them to turn out. Pre-Show Match - Sheamus, Kofi Kingston & Dolph Ziggler vs. Christian, Alberto Del Rio & Bad News Barrett Big E vs. Cesaro (I think Cesaro beats Ambrose due to some screwy Shield mishap on a SD! to get the US TItle) - Big E unifies belts when Swagger cost Cesaro the match Rusev vs. Mark Henry (or Big Show depending on who is hurt) Rowan & Harper vs. New Age Outlaws vs. Goldust & Cody vs. Usos - Usos get their big win Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose (w/ Seth Rollins as guest referee) - Reigns loses because of Rollins Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena - Cena pins Wyatt after both Wyatts interfere Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar - Taker's streak continues Daniel Bryan vs. HHH (No title shot for DB) - The Game pins DB but DB gets the pop back post-match AJ vs. Funkadactyl - AJ Loses Batista vs. Orton - Batista wins WM anyway EDIT: No Punk at Mania

It would be amazing if they did that. It would also test the servers as everyone who has the network would be watching RAW at that time anyway.

Johnny B Badd vs. Mr. Saito - Dusty and Heenan are really putting over Saito and his career. They even mention how tough Saito was when Heenan managed him in the AWA. Early on, Saito takes Badd down with some judo throws and they have a slap/chop fest ten years before Sasuke-Kobashi!!! Saito gains control with a thrust to the throat and him and Ono proceed to choke the shit out of Badd. Saito tries to put him away with a Back suplex and clothesline. When that doesn't work, he goes back to choking him. Nice. BAdd fights back and hits some top rope moves and Saito bows in respect and Badd nails him! Ugh, Ono interferes causing the DQ. This was shaping up to be a pretty good match but the finish sucked.

Everyone go to WCW PPVs and watch World War 3 1995.... ok maybe not everyone, just people who like to see two big dudes beat the shit out of each other in a taped fist match. Big Bubba vs. Hacksaw Duggan mixes some clever spots around a match where they punch each other a whole lot. First, Duggan sticks Bubba's head in between two ring posts (there are three rings out there) and punches him out to the floor. Duggan takes a nasty jump into the guard rail shortly after so Bubba punches the ribs throughout the match. I also love that the announcers do not sell missed punches. If a guy doesn't connect, the wrestler and the announcers don't sell it. Makes it feel more real. Bossman has a roll of tape and wraps Duggan's arm around the top rope allowing him to lay waste to Duggan. One spot bothered me where Duggan was supposed to level Bubba in the face but it didn't have the impact it should have but Bubba makes up for it by taking a nasty spill outside. Nice uppercut wrapped in a chain to end the match. I enjoyed most of this.

Johnny B. Badd vs. DDP (World War III 1995) - Starts off with the guys brawling, DDP attempting a punch but getting nailed by Badd. DDP tries to ram Badd into the ring post but eats metal instead. This allows Badd to control inside after a brief run by DDP. Nice way to start off the match. - I like how they keep working the headlock into pins and breaks, something the Ascension guy could learn quickly. - Nice transition out of the headlock into a hammerlock battle with DDP taking advantage by pulling the hair. They did the same thing in the Havoc match but I really love DDP using the hair for takedowns but Badd getting admonished for doing the same thing. Reminds me of the Murdoch-Nightmare match from Mid South with the punches. - It really benefits DDP not to have Max Muscle out there because that guy was a detriment to the last match. Using the Diamond Doll as a shield and taking advantage is way better. DDP is moving much faster here also and his control segment is much better as a result. SSP also gives Badd enough hope spots to keep it from being boring. - The stretch run is super with Badd breaking out a sit out powerbomb but Badd does a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. The tiltawhirl tombstone reversal that allowed Badd to hit his big finisher dive and a springboard leg drop finishes it. - This is another one to put in the Johnny B Badd was Pretty freaking great. I don’t see how anyone would see this as the same match as Havoc. They did some call back spots but they also did some new moves and there were different twists that made it a completely different match. DDP also moved much faster and worked much harder here making the match more exciting. Also, I see that Mero was the Most Improved Wrestler in the Observer poll for 1995. He probably should have won it in 1994 but his 1995 has been pretty good on PPV. I need to watch the TV he was featured on during this time.

75 out of 149 I needed more time.