So tonight is the Slammy Awards and I figured I’d give my predictions. I debated between stating who I think should win and who I think will win. So, this is a combination, with me giving both who I think it should be and who I think it will be.

SUPERSTAR OF THE YEAR
• The Undertaker
• John Cena
• Randy Orton
• CM Punk
Is there an option for none of the above? Punk would have been my choice until about September, when his push seems to have been seriously derailed. The Undertaker was gone half the year, so that leaves us the over-exposed duo of Orton and Cena. Ugh. I’ll go with Orton on this one, though I think that if the year had ended in September, Punk would have been a shoo-in.
Who Should Win: Randy Orton
Who Will Win: Randy Orton

EXTREME MOMENT OF THE YEAR
• Kofi Kingston lands a Boom Drop on Randy Orton at MSG
• Big Show chokeslams John Cena into arena spotlight at Backlash
• Jeff Hardy jumps from a ladder onto CM Punk at SummerSlam
• Triple H invades Randy Orton’s home
The Triple H moment is a rehash of an older Stone Cold storyline and thus shouldn’t count and I didn’t find the Kingston moment that extreme. I think it should be the Big Show chokeslamming John Cena, but it probably won’t be. It’ll probably be the Hardy ladder jump.
Who Should Win: Big Show chokesalms John Cena into arena spotlight at Backlash
Who Will Win: Jeff Hardy jumps from a ladder onto CM Punk at SummerSlam

SHOCKER OF THE YEAR
• Batista turns against former friend Rey Mysterio
• Randy Orton DDTs Stephanie and forces Triple H to watch
• CM Punk forces Jeff Hardy to retire after steel cage match victory
• Sheamus slams Raw host Mark Cuban through a table
This should be an obvious one. The Sheamus moment was ‘meh’ and while Hardy’s retirement and Batista’s heel turn had a bit of a OMG factor (more so the Batista turn, since it was well-reported that Hardy was leaving after SummerSlam), they couldn’t compare to the shock and horror of Randy Orton chaining Triple H to the ring, DDTing his wife and then kissing her. It was definitely the most stunning moment of the year.
Who Should Win: Orton DDTs Stephanie and forces Triple H to watch
Who Will Win: Orton DDTs Stephanie and forces Triple H to watch

MATCH OF THE YEAR
• Jeff Hardy vs. Edge ladder match at Extreme Rules
• Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania
• John Cena vs. Randy Orton “I Quit” match at Breaking Point
• Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown at Bragging Rights
I know I’m in the minority here, but I found the HBK/Undertaker match boring. It just didn’t do it for me. I found the Cena/Orton “I Quit” match to be much more compelling with it’s intensity. Still, the rest of the world loved the Wrestlemania match, so that’s what it’ll be, I’m sure.
Who Should Win: John Cena vs. Randy Orton “I Quit” match at Breaking Point
Who Will Win: Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania

THE “OH MY” MOMENT OF THE YEAR
• Chris Masters performs special “dancing pecs” routine for Osbournes
• Shawn Michaels superkicks little girl in cafeteria
• Michael Cole vomits on Chris Jericho at Smackdown’s 10th Anniversary
• Santino Marella accidentally nails Vickie Guerrero with a pie
Most of these were actually pretty funny and I’d be happy with any of them, actually. However the Chris Masters one was definitely the most memorable, so it would be my choice.
Who Should Win: Chris Masters performs special “dancing pecs” routine for Osbournes
Who Will Win: Chris Masters performs special “dancing pecs” routine for Osbournes

DIVA OF THE YEAR
• All divas are eligible. This is the only award that will be determined by fan voting.
Who’s the most popular diva? It seems to be Mickie James, so she’ll be the winner. I personally find all the divas pretty useless, so not a category I care about.
Who Should Win: No idea
Who Will Win: Mickie James

BREAKOUT STAR OF THE YEAR
• Yoshi Tatsu
• Drew McIntyre
• Sheamus
• Abraham Washington
I don’t watch ECW, so I don’t know who two of those guys are. I was a little confused by this category, because I expected to see Kofi Kingston, John Morrison and The Miz all nominated. I know that none of them debuted this year, but this is definitely the year they broke-out, however I guess the WWE and I have different ideas about how this category should work. Both McIntyre and Sheamus have gone through major pushes, so it definitely comes down to the two of them and while I like McIntyre better, I have to go with the new WWE champion.
Who Should Win: Drew McIntyre
Who Will Win: Sheamus

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR
• Jerishow
• DX
• Legacy
• The Hart Dynasty
I love, love, love the Hart Dynasty and I adore Legacy, but neither of them has a chance. Honestly, Jerishow barely has a chance, no matter how dominant they’ve been. I think it should be Legacy, since they’ve been together the whole year and have come across as so strong (even though they never held the titles this year), but we all know who it will be. DX reunited this year, sold lots of merchandise and won the tag team titles and now they’ll be tag team of the year.
Who Should Win: Legacy
Who Will Win: DX

RAW GUEST HOST OF THE YEAR
• Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne
• Bob Barker
• Seth Green
• Shaquille O’Neal
I want it to be Seth Green, since he was my favourite non-wrestler guest host, but I know it won’t be. I was torn between Shaquille O’Neal or Bob Barker, since both were huge, but I think it’ll be Bob Parker since The Price is Raw was a huge hit and got some mainstream publicity, which is the point of the whole guest host concept.
Who Should Win: Seth Green
Who Will Win: Bob Barker

There you go, of the nine categories, my should and will picks line up only three times, but that’s because I tend to see things differently than the average wrestling fan and I know it. What can I say? I’m an original.

So the last TLC of 2009 has come and come and there were def

Christan b. Shelton Benjamin to retain the ECW title
This was a great match, but it went on too early. I love Christan and he never fails too work a good match and this was no exception. It wasn’t the greatest ladder match I’ve ever seen, but it was very good. It’s just a pity it went on first.

Drew McIntyre b. John Morrison to become Intercontinental Champion
Not a great match, though I’m not sure that’s either man’s fault, I think it’s just a lack of ring chemistry. It wasn’t a bad match, just not a particularly entertaining one. I am happy with the result though, I think McIntyre has a lot of potential and I’m glad to see him shine. Besides, I think Morrison’s ready to move past the IC title and on to bigger things.

Michelle McCool b. Mickie James to retain the Women’s Championship
What can I say? It was a diva’s match and a mercifully short one. I don’t enjoy the divas matches, I don’t find them entertaining and this was no exception.

Seamus b. John Cena to become WWE Champion
I think I’m pretty much the only person who predicted this outcome and I kept second-guessing myself. It wasn’t a bad match and the ending allowed Cena to look strong, while still putting the belt on Seamus. I do think that Seamus’ push has happened a little too fast, but… I do find him entertaining to watch in the ring and I said in my prediction post, I suspect he’ll be losing his title to Orton soon.

The Undertaker b. Batista to retain the World Heavy-Weight Title
Batista was robbed! Not a bad match, but I didn’t like the hokey ending at all. I thought the time was right for Batista to be champion and Long coming and restarting the match just felt weak. Oh, I know Batista will get the title soon and this just gives more opportunity to see him as a monster heel on a rampage, but it still hit a bad note with me.

Randy Orton b. Kofi Kingston
Great match. Kingston definitely held his own, but I’m glad Orton won without interference, especially after Kofi’s challenge. The fans needed to be reminded that Orton’s a killer heel in his own right, that just because he often uses low tricks to get ahead, he doesn’t need to. The loss doesn’t hurt Kingston, because he’s come off so well in this feud and he put in such a strong performance last night. I don’t think the feud is over though, I’ll predict right now that Orton wins the title from Seamus between now and the Royal Rumble (or at the Rumble) and Kingston wins the Rumble and challenges for Orton’s title, continuing the feud.

DX b. Jerishow to become Unified Tag Team Champions
This match was better than I’d expected. Triple H and the Big Show in a ladder match? It wasn’t an idea that really appealed to me. However, it was actually pretty good. I loved the finish with Triple H holding up the half of a ladder for HBK to get the titles down, because it really demonstrated that it was a team effort. The result was what we all predicted and what I personally wanted, I’m glad to see DX as tag team champs at least once, though I suspect it’ll be short-lived.

All in all, TLC wasn’t a great PPV, but it wasn’t a bad one either. I’ve watched every PPV this year except the Royal Rumble and I’d put TLC in the middle. One of the problems of having so many PPvs, is that you get a lot of the middle of the road ones, I would have liked to see more from the last PPV of the year, but at least it wasn’t awful.

Ok, I’m behind on my posts again. Oops. I’ll be caught up by the end of the week–blame exams and a bunch of family drama, plus the Christmas season, it means that I tend to be even more behind than usual. Sorry. However, I am here with my TLC predictions. It’s the last PPV of 2009 and five titles are on the line and oddly enough, I think they’ll all switch hands.

Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton
Kingston has come off really strong and this feud has been responsible for him getting a major push, but I don’t think it would be a great idea for him to beat Orton in a clean fight just yet, but at that same time a loss would be a set back. So, I think this one will either end in DQ or Orton will win thanks to interference. I think that option is a little more likely, since I’m not sure the rules of the match (and whether a DQ is even possible).
My Pick: Orton

Drew McIntyre vs. John Morrison for the Intercontinental Championship
McIntyre has been getting a pretty strong push, almost on the same level as Seamus’ and thus I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win the IC title. Honestly, Morrison’s had the title for too long and while I thought (and hoped) that Dolph Ziggler would be the one to take it from him, that no longer looks possible, so I’m going with McIntyre instead.
My Pick: Drew McIntyre

Mickie James vs. Michelle McCool for the Women’s Championship
I don’t really care about this match, since I find divas matches boring and kind of awful, but I do think Mickie James will win, mainly because it’s about time for McCool to lose the title which she’s had since July. My only hope is that this match is short.
My Pick: Mickie James

Seamus vs. John Cena in a Table Match
I don’t care if Seamus’ push is happening too quickly, I’m just happy to get new blood in the title picture. That said, I’m going on a limb and saying Seamus wins this one. Only because it lifts the Orton ban. Maybe we could even get a storyline about Seamus and Orton being in cahoots. Since I think that it’s time to the belt on Orton, I’m going with the wild card on this oen and saying Seamus.
My Pick: Seamus

Shelton Benjamin vs. Christian in a Ladders Match for the ECW Championship
Christian has been ECW on-and-off since April and I think it’s time for a change. This could be because I think Christian is wasted on ECW, but I also think Shelton Benjamin would be a good choice to hold the title right now. Now, I do hope that if Christian loses the title, he’ll be saved from the depths of despair that is ECW, but I’m not holding my breath on that. Still, for better or for worse, I think Christian’s time as champion is done.
My Pick: Shelton Benjamin

Batista vs. The Undertaker in a Chairs Match for the World-Heavy Weight Championship
Batista has the bad-ass heel going on right now and a title run would only solidify that, so I think he’s the pretty obvious winner, besides the Undertaker’s had the title and while that’s not long by any means, it’s fairly long now a days and besides, the Undertaker’s pretty limited in the ring so it makes the sense to put the belt on someone else and Batista seems to be that person. Though, since Batista is the Eric Lindros of the WWE, I’m predicting another short title reign, maybe two weeks this time?
My Pick: Batista

DX vs. Jerishow in a TLC match for the Unified Tag Titles
Unless there’s a major upset tonight, this one is obvious. Jerishow got thr upper hand on Monday and a big deal’s been made abuot DX never having being tag team champions, plus TLC is in San Antonio, Shawn Michael’s hometown. Unless the WWE is planning a major swerve, I think it’s safe to say that DX is about the become the new tag team champions.
My Pick: DX

So there you have it, my picks for the last PPV of 2009!

I came back last night from a trip to Ottawa and did my usual wrestling news checking and was greeted with sad news: the death of Eddie Fatu (Umaga), at the age of 36.

I don’t have that many memories of Umaga (remember I only started watching wrestling again this past January), but the few matches I watched he seemed very talented for such a big man and I remember being surprised when he was released from the WWE.

Right now I’m sure there is a lot of speculation about his death and how it relates to his release from the WWE, but I’m not going to go into that. Instead, I’m just going to offer my condolences to the Fatu family–my heart goes out to them in this difficult time.

Remember how I said Raw was getting better? How lately it had been a vastly improved product over what we were forced to watch last spring? Well, I guess the WWE wanted to prove me wrong because last night’s Raw sucked big time.

I’ll cut them a little slack, it was the last show before they left for their annual Tribute to the Troops tour, I’m sure people were distracted and already concentrating on the worthy thing they do overseas and figured ‘we can just spit this one out quickly without giving it much thought’. The problem with that, is that you tend to get a product that’s not very good and that’s what happened last night.

First, I beg and plead that I will never again have to see Mark Henry either dance or rap on my TV screen ever again. The whole angle with him, Verne Troyer and The Miz was incredibly painful. At last The Miz was, as always, entertaining. He really is one of the best mic guys in the company right now and every week my love for him grows, but even with his presence, the whole thing was a waste of time.

Speaking of wastes of time… Diva matches. They’re generally short, they’re usually tag matches, and they’re always bad. Anyway, tonight’s match with Melina and Gail Kim vs. Maryse and Jillian Hall was no exception and was pretty bad, though thankfully short. I’m sorry, maybe it’s because I’m a woman and thus, am not that intrigued by the T&A factor, but I always find the diva matches a total waste, which is sad because I think some of the women are very talented. I just think the whole thing is handled badly and that the WWE has no idea what to do with the divas in the new family-friendly environment.

So Randy Orton’s so afraid of Kofi Kingston he needed his goons to beat him down first? I guess that’s a good sign for Kofi and that he’s getting a strong push, but it makes me feel a little sad for Orton. For a Mega Bad Ass feel, he seems to be a pretty big coward, just sayin’. Still, I am enjoying the elevation of Kofi Kingston and watching Orton mix it up with fresh blood, so even though tonight’s angle didn’t thrill me, I am enjoying the storyline on a whole.

Count me in as one who likes the new Bad Ass Cena. Cena was angry last night and for the first time in 2009, he was interesting. He was intense and on edge and I liked it. I also liked that they had Carlito come in and speak up for the rest of the locker room, though I think that message needs to be directed at more than Cena. DX and Orton are pretty good at hogging the spot light as well.

I love Chris Jericho and I love DX, but that promo at the beginning was pretty painful. Still, the match at the end of the night was good and I enjoyed HBK and The Big Show on commentary. Triple H really needs to start wearings pants for his promos though, he looked especially silly next to Jericho in his suit, just sayin’. Next we get Jericho vs. DX, which should be interesting, at least I hope so. To be fair, it would have to try pretty hard to be worse than this week’s Raw and I think we’re all praying that doesn’t happen.

Sorry, it’s been illness central around here. Plus it’s essay season. Ugh. I really am trying to be a better blogger, just don’t always succeed. It’s one of my big priorities for 2010, write my posts on time and keep this blog running smoothly. I figure I have a few weeks left in 2009 to figure out how to do that and I might actually get things on track by the time 2010 comes along.

Once again, I’m two weeks behind. Oops. So just some quick thoughts on the last two weeks and I promise that tomorrow I’ll have tonight Raw’s review up and be back up to regular recaps. Plus a few other articles.

I really, really hate the DX/Hornswoggle storyline. Just saying. Not looking forward to “Little People’s Court” at all. Plus, as much as I want DX to hold the tag team championships, I can’t say I’m thrilled at the idea of DX vs. Jerishow in a TLC match. Just saying. I almost can’t wait for the inevitable DX break-up (which will happen after they drop the titles at Royal Rumble, after picking them up at TLC), just so the stupidity can end. Love DX, don’t love DX with Hornswoggle.

Both Roddy Piper and Jesse Ventura did a great job as guest hosts. With Ventura, I have to say I loved seeing Vince back behind the announcers table, sparring with Ventura… Brought back my childhood.

There’s a lot of great young talent on Raw right now. Legacy, Kofi Kingston, The Miz… So with all these potential superstars, why is it that Sheamus is the one who gets a title shot? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see fresh blood. As I wrote a while back, it was getting boring having the same guys compete in the main event week after week. However, Seamus wouldn’t have been my choice for new blood, since I think there are guys more worthy of a push. That said, I love how strong both Kofi Kingston and The Miz are looking these days and I can’t wait for the day they both get the push they deserve, and with Kingston’s feud with Orton, I think for him at least, the push is starting.

The Raw thanksgiving special was fun, especially the Santino bit with the pie. I’m still not sure what the point of Santino is, because at this part I’d be hard-pressed to call him a wrestler, but at least he’s entertaining.

Raw is getting better each week, which is good, because for a while it was absoloutley awful. The guest host gimmick is working for the most part, though I’ve noticed it’s better when the guest hosts are former wrestlers, and the elevation of young talent is great and helping make the show seem less stale. Raw is doing an awful lot right these days, which I guess is all we can ask and is what I’m thankful for.

Ok, I’ve been a terrible blogger. I’m now behind on three weeks of Smackdown and one week of Raw. Oops. Those catch-up posts will be up tomorrow, promise. But for tonight, let’s focus on Survivor Series.

Batista vs. Rey Mysterio
Is there anyone who thinks Mysterio is winning this? I didn’t think so. Batista looks better and stronger as a feel than he ever has a face and it makes no sense for him to lose now. The only question is how badly will he hurt Mysterio?
My Pick: Batista

Michelle McCool, Jillian Hall, Beth Phoenix, Layla and Alicia Fox vs. Mickie James, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres and Melina

First of all, can I comment what an oversight it is that Natalya is not in this match? She’s probably the most talented woman on the WWE roster and I loved seeing her in the ring at Bragging Rights, it was one of the highlights of the terrible show. She would be a much worthier contribution than Layla or Alicia Fox, just saying. That said, team McCool is a little less useless than Team Mickie, so they’re winning.
My Pick: Team McCool

John Morrison, Matt Hardy, Finlay, Evan Bourne and Shelton Benjamin vs. The Miz, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler
Team Miz seems stronger since it’s got five hot, young stars including two guys (McIntyre and Sheamus) who are getting major pushes from the powers that be, while Team Morrison has three guys who are mid-carders at best and never going to be more than that, as well as two hot, young stars. But… The Miz and Jack Swagger seem to be headed for a big feud and I see that getting in their way tonight and giving the win to Morrison’s team.
My Pick: Team Morrison

Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase Jr., Cody Rhodes, William Regal, and CM Punk vs. Kofi Kingston, Christian, R-Truth, MVP and Mark Henry
We actually get to see Christian at a PPV! Yay! That said, I don’t think we’ll see much of him. This match is really about Kofi Kingston and Legacy, particularly Randy Orton. My prediction is that Kofi will be the last man standing on his team and he’ll be left facing Legacy, but that the three members of Legacy will start squabbling and somehow Kingston will manage the victory. This would solidify Kingston as a major player and it would start the long over-due destruction of Legacy. Not saying they’re breaking up tonight, but I think after tonight we’re going to be one step closer to the final split.
My Pick: Team Kofi

The Undertaker vs. The Big Show vs. Chris Jericho for the World Heavy-Weight Championship
I’d love for Jericho to win this, but we all know that’s not happening. And The Big Show doesn’t seem like a legitimate contender either since he hasn’t managed a one-on-one title shot in the last year, neither has Jericho for that matter. The Undertaker is retaining, but the destruction of the tag team champions is going to happen. They might not break up tonight, but the end will be in sight.
My Pick: The Undertaker

John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship
Cena got a clean pin over on Triple H on Monday, which makes me think he’s losing the belt tonight. The only thing I went back and forth over was which member of DX is going to win the title. In one way it made more sense for it to be Shawn Michaels to win to set up the eventual DX split since we all know they’re facing each other at Wrestlemania. After all Triple H used to be the guy who was all about the title, it would drive him nuts to see his friend with the belt and lead to a Triple H heel turn. But then, I realized that it also made sense and would be in character for Shawn Michaels to help Triple H win the belt (remember Michaels once laid down to give Triple H the European Championship) and would allow for tension down the road. The fact that Triple H took the pin on Monday made me think that that’s the way it’ll go.
My Pick: Triple H

I’ve been a bad blogger, mainly because I’ve been sick. One of those nasty colds that just seems to be lingering and lingering, plus I’ve got a ton of my plate right now, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that I’ve missed two weeks of recaps. Oops. So here’s my condensed thoughts on the last two weeks of Raw.

I’m loving the Cena/Triple H/Shawn Michaels promos, these three have good chemistry. I know the angle should be played as more serious as it is, especially between the members of DX, but there’s still several months between now and Wrestlemania (where we all know we’re getting a HBK/HHH match) and they’ve got time to get to the serious stuff, so right now I think they’re making the right decision. Let things fall apart after Survivor Series.

I’m really enjoying the elevation of Kofi Kingston and his feud with Randy Orton. It’s been very well-done so far and it moves Kofi closer to main event status, I move I think he’s been ready for for sometime. I also like that Ted DiBiase seems to be taking on more of a “Millon Dollar” man attitude, with the comments to his financial status, I’ve been predicting a face turn for him, but a change in that direction would be just as good, I think.

I love the Miz and I love the idea of a The Miz/Jack Swagger rivalry, I just hope it’s done well and not dropped suddenly like the potentially awesome Jack Swagger/MVP rivalry from earlier this summer.

Seamus is coming out strong and I kind of like it. It might be a little soon, but let him build a reputation and get some heat. The attack on Jamie Noble looked vicious, which was the point. I winced at the bumps Noble took and it definitely made Seamus look like a monster, which was the whole point.

Final thought: Ozzy Osbourne made a much better guest host than Ricky Hatton. In fact, the Prince of Darkness was kind of awesome, Sharon got on my nerves fast thought.

I didn’t think Raw could have a worst guest host than Jermey Piven. I was wrong, in fact it got two of them: Kyle Busch and Joey Lagano. First, I admit it, I’m not a Nascar fan, I just don’t get it. I grew up watching Indy and Formula One, and quite honestly, don’t understand them either. I don’t consider driving a car at an insane speed a sport; a death wish, maybe, but not a sport.

Bad guest hosts aside, Raw was actually pretty good. Mainly because of the elevation of Kofi Kingston. I’d be predicting a Kofi/Cody Rhodes feud, not a Kofi/Randy Orton feud, but that’s where it looks like I’m going, which is amazing for Kofi. Orton needed a new opponent (before his inevitable Mania feud with Ted DiBiase) and Kingston is well deserving on this kind of push.

I also like the idea of a Jack Swagger/The Miz feud, since these are two arrogant young men and have a lot of potential as rivals. I just hope the WWE handles it well and doesn’t drop the ball the way it did with what could have been an entertaining MVP/Jack Swagger rivalry from earlier this year.

The explanation for The Big Show’s treachery made no sense to me, but then a lot of things the WWE does make no sense to me, so I’m letting it go. I figure all will be explained on Smackdown (I hope) and I did enjoy watching The Big Show get the beat down from most of the Raw roster.

As for the the main event… At first I thought it was a little soon for the beginning of the end of DX, then I realized that there are only four PPVs between now and the next Wrestlemania. So if they have a triple threat at Survivor Series, then it allows three PPVs for DX to completley fall apart, before we get a HBK vs. Triple H match at Wrestlemania 26. Plus, I think it’ll be a great match.

I think Bragging Rights gets my vote for worst PPV of 2009. A bad concept, no great matches, and the agony of the Iron Man Match between Cena and Orton… Definitely a waste of $40.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, Bragging Rights had it’s moments. I actually believed why Team Smackdown wanted to win, but was never sold on why Team Raw cared. Most of the matches were good, if not great, and I’m glad that some of the great younger talent got a chance to shine, but still… Not a good night, not by a long shot.

The Miz b. John Morrison
This was the match I was the most interested and it was good. Not as spectacular as I might hoped, but very good. I’m glad The Miz won and won clean. The loss doesn’t hurt Morrison and The Miz needed a big win to show he was ready to play with the big boys and this gave it to him, showed that the WWE takes him seriously. Maybe we’ll get a round two of The Miz vs. Cena in the coming months? If done well, I think that could be spectacular.

Michelle McCool, Natalya and Beth Phoenix b. Melina, Kelly Kelly and Gail Kim
This was the best diva match in a long time. A little lopsided, but that was to be expected. The Smackdown divas dominated, but the Raw divas didn’t look bad. I was glad to see Natalya get a chance to shine and to see Beth Phoenix back on track, because I think she was misused on Raw. I’m also glad that Gail Kim wasn’t the one to get pinned, because she didn’t need that. Melina, on the other hand, can weather the loss.

The Undertaker b. Batista, Rey Mysterio and CM Punk to retain the World Heavy-Weight Championship
This was an ok match and it doesn’t surprise me that The Undertaker retrained, though I think that was the wrong decision. I think Punk deserved the title after the year he’s had, but that’s just me. The biggest story from this match, of course, is Batista’s heel turn and the beating he laid on Mysterio. it was a move I didn’t see coming, but it was a good one because Batista could use the change and a Mysterio/Batista program could be fun to watch.

Team Smackdown b. Team Raw
I totally called this. Smackdown needed to win this one more than Raw did and I predicted that The Big Show would betray Team Raw to set up a program with DX. It was an interesting concept and a pretty good match. I’m glad the younger guys got some decent ring action, it was great to see the Hart Dynasty get some action and though Kofi Kingston was the one to get pinned, it was done in a way to make him look strong, so I’m okay with that. These guys are the future of the WWE and they need to be given the chance to succeed and I think that was the best thing about Bragging Rights, that it put the young talent with the veterans and gave them a chance to learn.

Obviously, we’re getting a DX vs. Jerishow feud, which I think could be exciting. I think a DX tag team title run could be fun and that if anyone should take the titles off Jerishow, it’s DX, who certainly have the same amount, if not more prestige, as the champions and are able to help elevate the belt. If nothing else, having Chris Jericho, The Big Show, Triple H and Shawn Michaels fight for the tag team belts will show that they are definitely worth holding, so I think it’s a great move for the WWE.

I’m also excited about the idea of a Cody Rhodes/Kofi Kingston feud, which seems inevitable from the way these two got in each other’s faces at the end of the match. They’re both young, extremely talented guys who could go far and a feud between them would help them both. I hope the WWE doesn’t drop the ball on this the way they did on MVP and Jack Swagger.

John Cena b. Randy Orton to become WWE champion
This was the main event. It was hyped as the end of Cena and Orton’s epic feud and all I can say is thank God it’s over. Thank God we don’t have to watch these two wrestle each other again, but can I please have that hour of my life back? I’m sorry, but it was bad and it was boring. It wasn’t an epic battle, it was a battle to stay interesting and they failed. Iron Man matches are tough, but Cena and Orton should have been able to pull it off, they should have been able to deliver a satisfying ending to their feud, which has had some good battles, but they didn’t. The predictable Cena victory didn’t help. I’m just glad it’s over.

I’m surprised that Ted DiBiase didn’t get involved in a bigger way than that one run-in, I would have liked to see more conflict from him, after the events of last week’s Raw. I also would have liked to have seen Dolph Ziggler at least make an appearance. Maybe those two things would have helped make Bragging Rights a little less awful.