411 PPV Preview: The Road to the Royal Rumble 2007

Background: Jeff Hardy redebuted on the August 21st RAW by challenging Edge to a match. The next week he was rewarded with a number one contenders match for an Intercontinental Title shot against Randy Orton. He won with help from Carlito. Later that night Melina and Johnny Nitro held a press conference on why Melina turned on Mick Foley the week before and generally how great they are. The next week Jeff compared the interview to watching paint dry by literally doing such. In the title match Hardy won by DQ when Melina got involved. The next week Melina and Nitro took exception to Hardy’s comments last week. As they blabbed on, Hardy appeared behind them and proceeded to paint a picture. Nitro finally noticed him and they fought. They faced off later in a six man tag. Nitro tapped out to the STFU by Cena in the contest. At Unforgiven Hardy took a boot to the head from Melina to allow Nitro to steal the IC Title back. The next night Nitro used chicanery again to hold onto the title in a six pack challenge with Hardy, Carlito, Super Crazy, Randy Orton and Chris Masters. On October 2nd Hardy won the title back on RAW. He lost it back to Nitro on the RAW after Cyber Sunday thanks to General Manager for the night Eric Bischoff restarting their match with the disqualification rule waived. On November 13th Hardy took the belt back on RAW. He held onto it on November 20th by beating Nitro in a ladder match. At Survivor Series Nitro tapped out to CM Punk in a Survivor Series match in which all of Hardy’s team survived.

The reformed Hardy Boys made an open challenge for the upcoming ECW pay per view. It was answered by Nitro and his returning partner Joey Mercury. On the November 27th RAW the Hardy Boys lost a tag title match by disqualification to Randy Orton and Edge. MNM tuned up on Smackdown that week against Paul London and Brian Kendrick. On the December 4th RAW MNM teamed with Rated RKO to face The Hardys and DX. Edge speared Matt for the win after interference from Kenny and a breakdown in the action. The Hardy Boys then won at December to Dismember. On the next RAW Hardy and Nitro were booked for New Year’s Revolution by Coach. Nitro lost to John Cena while Hardy was destroyed by Umaga and the match stopped by the referee. On December 18th the Hardy Boys faced Nitro and the World’s Greatest Tag Team in a handicap match with the heels winning and Nitro orchestrating a post match beat down on both men. In a surprise, The Hardys and MNM were put into a tag team title match at Armageddon against The Blue Bloods and Paul London and Brian Kendrick in a TLC bout. London and Kendrick won.

On January 1st Hardy beat Rob Conway in near record time. Meanwhile, Nitro assisted his friend Kevin Federline in defeating John Cena. Nitro later joined forces with Coach, Armando Estrada and Umaga to face Cena in a handicap match. Cena lost by disqualification, but Nitro took an FU. At New Year’s Revolution Hardy kept the IC Title over Nitro in a cage match. On January 8th Jeff defended the IC title against Kenny Dykstra. The next week Hardy teamed with Maria to face Nitro and Melina. Maria counteracted Melina to allow Jeff to score the win. On January 12th Joey Mercury returned to Smackdown with his face broken and battered from the match at Armageddon. He promised to do the same to Matt Hardy. The two locked up the following week with Mercury wearing a mask to protect his face. Matt scored the win and was then attacked by Nitro. MNM gave Matt the snapshot on the concrete. On January 22nd Mercury showed up on RAW to take on Jeff Hardy and lost. On January 24th on Smackdown the total group of MNM defeated London, Kendrick and Ashley.

Match Up: This has turned into a real blood feud. Joey Mercury in particular is thirsty for revenge on Matt and Jeff. Look for MNM to attack early and don’t be surprised to see the match disintegrate into a tornado tag or hardcore match if the referee lets it go. The teams match up well and could put on a classic tag match if they are inclined too, but the high emotions will certainly get in the way. It’s important to note that all except Mercury will also be in the Rumble match later. It would be good for them to save some energy for that.

Outcome: When WWE needs filler they book MNM against the Hardy Boys. The feud between Matt and Joey still has potential, but Jeff and Johnny has long played out and they would both best be served to be put into new feuds. Since the Hardys always seem to go over, the heels have a decent shot to go over here but I wouldn’t put money on it.

BOBBY LASHLEY VS. TEST FOR THE ECW TITLE

Background: On December 19th ECW fans were allowed to go online and vote for the man to face Bobby Lashley for the ECW title between Test, Rob Van Dam and Sabu. Test won a triple threat match in the main event to make his case, but RVD won the fan vote. On January 2nd Test got out his frustrations for losing the fan vote by defeating Sabu. In the main event Lashley flew from the apron to clothesline RVD through the announce table. The referee stopped the match. This led to a rematch the following week that ended in a disqualification when Test hit Lashley with a chair. This in turn led to a triple threat the week after that. Lashley pinned RVD and was then smacked with his own title belt by Test after the bout. On the January 23rd show the main event of Lashley vs. Hardcore Holly was changed to Test vs. Lashley. Test pulled out all the stops, but couldn’t slow down the monster. Lashley won with a power slam.

Match Up: Test usually uses his size and power to dominate matches. Yet, Lashley is stronger and tougher than he is and possibly the best power wrestler going today. Not to mention his strong amateur background as an army wrestling champion. Test might be over his head and not realize it. He will most likely start out the match cocky and attempt to establish his dominance, but run into a rude awakening. However, Lashley would best be served to slow play Test and score a quick rollup when his defenses are down. Lashley though is not the greatest ring general and will put Test on his heels early. This will allow Test to reevaluate quick and fight dirty. Lashley needs to cautious of Test’s cheating.

Outcome: There is little chance of Test winning the title, but not a lot of people thought Lashley would take the title as soon as he got to ECW. Test is fulfilling the role he’s been given the best he can, but he still seems like a stopgap until someone can really be built up to go against Lashley. Lashley could use a decisive win as he continues to establish himself as the champion. Rumors have Gene Snitsky possibly being built up to face Lashley at Wrestlemania. Marcus Corvan could also be a dark horse.

BATISTA VS. KEN KENNEDY FOR THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE

Background: On January 5th’s Smackdown general manager Teddy Long declared a Beat the Clock Sprint tournament in which the person to win their match in the fastest time would face Batista at the Royal Rumble. Kane set the time to beat at 7:53 by defeating Chavo Guerrero. Paul London and Brian Kendrick then went to a draw. King Booker took the driver’s seat going over Gregory Helms in 6:24. Tatanka and Jimmy Wang Yang then went to a draw. Ken Kennedy closed out the night by setting the time of 5:07 by pinning Chris Benoit after throwing him into an exposed turnbuckle. Benoit and Kennedy locked up again the following week with Kennedy stealing another win thanks this time to distraction from Chavo. In the tournament Finlay and Matt Hardy and MVP and Vito went to draws. The Undertaker vs. Mike the Miz was the final match. ‘Taker appeared to have a walk in the park, but Miz hung tough. Kennedy ran out to distract Undertaker. After the referee was bumped Kennedy smartly grabbed Miz and drug him out into the aisle. Undertaker carried Miz to the ring and choke slammed him, but time ran out. On January 19th, Long challenged Kennedy’s underhanded tactics and booked him against the Undertaker. If UT won then the Rumble match would be made a triple threat. Batista sat in on commentary. Kennedy took a cheap shot at Batista, which caused him to get in the ring and spear Kennedy out of ‘Taker’s grip. Kennedy won by DQ and UT was not happy. On January 24th Batista defeated Gregory Helms in a non-title match. Later he confronted Ken Kennedy in the ring. Undertaker also came out and kicked Batista by accident while going after Kennedy.

Match Up: Kennedy has proven himself to be a smart and sneaky wrestler. How else could he rack up an impressive record of defeating six former world champions? Kennedy will play keep away from Batista to start. This will frustrate Batista, not allow him to take control of the match and utilize his power game. As Batista gets more frustrated he will become more aggressive. More aggressive can mean more sloppy. Look for Kennedy to take over halfway through the match by capitalizing big time on a Batista misstep. He’ll slowly wear Batista down from there and work in subtle cheating to build his advantage. It will all come down to whether Batista can mount a superman comeback despite Kennedy’s superior game plan.

Outcome: Kennedy has been built up as a credible challenger, but not that credible. The rumored plan is to have Batista put his title against Undertaker’s win streak at Wrestlemania and they’ve already started building toward that program. UT could easily get involved with the match as a way to help both men save face.

JOHN CENA VS. UMAGA IN A LAST MAN STANDING MATCH FOR THE WWE TITLE

Background: Eric Bischoff became the RAW General Manager for a night following Cyber Sunday. He did not forget that Maria testified at his ‘trial’ nearly a year before to lose him the GM position in the first place. For revenge he booked her against Umaga. Umaga flattened her in a prolonged beat down with John Cena finally making the save. On November 13th Cena won against Umaga by disqualification when the Big Show ran in. Cena and Show had squared off in the recent champions of champions match at Cyber Sunday with Show and Umaga also teammates for Survivor Series. On the November 20th RAW Umaga beat Sabu with the Samoan Spike. John Cena won a captains match by pinning Kenny in the main event. At Survivor Series Umaga got himself eliminated early on through disqualification by smashing Cena with a monitor. Cena got his head right and hung on to survive the match with partner Bobby Lashley.

The next night on RAW Armando Estrada made a formal title match challenge to John Cena for Umaga. Cena accepted and Estrada had to hold his man back from wanting to go right then and there. On the December 4th RAW Coach pushed the match with Umaga back to New Year’s Revolution and booked Cena in the Masterlock Challenge for the title. Cena reversed the Masterlock on Chris Masters and made him submit. Umaga attacked Cena post match until Estrada backed him down. Coach caught Estrada talking smack on him and booked him to face Cena the next week. He also decreed that Umaga and Cena couldn’t touch each other unless they’re involved in a match. On December 11th Estrada tried to buy his way out of the match with Cena with some fine cigars, his watch and cash. Cena tossed the money to the crowd and gave Estrada the FU. Cena was then attacked by Johnny Nitro. Nitro was training his friend Kevin Federline to face Cena in a match on January 1st. Coach then booked Nitro to face Cena in the main event. Cena won. Edge won a battle royal the following week for a title shot against Cena. Estrada said that they would prefer to face Cena at Revolution, but they’ll take the title no matter what. Cena retained with help from DX. A six man tag was booked for later and Cena and Umaga brawled out of the ring while Rated RKO took out DX. On the January 1st RAW Cena finally locked up with Kevin Federline. Coach made the match no DQ and this allowed Umaga to interfere to give Federline the huge upset victory. Coach then booked a handicap match later with himself, Estrada, Johnny Nitro and Umaga against Cena. In the match Cena stood his ground, but was DQ’ed after giving a chair shot to Umaga. He cleared the ring and then dragged Federline from the commentators’ table to deliver an FU. Umaga controlled a bulk of the match at New Year’s Revolution, but Cena dodged a splash in the corner to score the quick rollup.

The next night Estrada proclaimed Cena’s win a fluke. Cena was more than happy to give Umaga a rematch, but he supposedly had the night off. The Great Khali then appeared as Cena’s opponent for the night. Cena hit Khali with a chair to lose by DQ. Umaga then ran out to help with the post match beat down. On January 15th Umaga and Cena signed a contract to face each other at the Royal Rumble. Estrada took the FU through the table used for the signing. On the January 22nd RAW Vince McMahon continued his recent ranting and raving concerning the feud between Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell. He was interrupted by John Cena who called him out on not being as rich, successful and ego driven as Trump. Coach tried to defend Vince, but just stuck his foot in his mouth. To appease his bruised ego Vince booked Coach to face Cena. McMahon then left the building, so Coach threw on some extra booking by making a special Rumble like challenge. Cena first tackled Cade and Murdoch. Next out were Haas and Benjamin. Viscera then lumbered out. Finally the Great Khali proved the equalizer by eliminating everyone including Cena. Khali beat up Cena more before Coach finally entered the ring. Cena kicked out of a cover by Coach and Umaga ran in for the DQ. Cena was splashed through a table and Estrada counted to ten to prove that Cena would easily lose the last man standing match at the Rumble. After the show WWE stated that Cena was suffering from a ruptured spleen.

Match Up: Umaga demonstrated on the last RAW that he knows how to be as violent and destructive as he needs to be to win a last man standing match. However, Cena has proven time and time again that he has the perseverance and heart to survive any challenge. Umaga will definitely be the aggressor and with Estrada free to direct his monster Cena might be against his greatest challenge ever. The big question is if his spirit can keep going when his body is destroyed.

Outcome: Umaga has looked great in the feud so far, but he’s not taking the belt. It’s obvious that the Great Khali is being built up as Cena’s next challenger. The negative is that after losing a last man standing match then Umaga will have lost a lot of his mystique, while Cena is about as established and over as he can be.

30 MAN ROYAL RUMBLE FOR A TITLE SHOT AT WRESTLEMANIA
Chris Masters, Viscera, Super Crazy, Carlito, Shelton Benjamin, Johnny Nitro, Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair, The Great Khali, Shawn Michaels, Edge, Randy Orton, Kenny Dykstra, The Undertaker, Mike the Miz, MVP, Chavo Guerrero, King Booker, Matt Hardy, Finlay, Kane, Gregory Helms, Chris Benoit, Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, CM Punk, Sabu, Bob Holly, Sabu, Kevin Thorn, Sandman

Background: WWE did not do qualifying matches this year and simply announced all entrants. On the January 22nd RAW Coach booked a special mini-Rumble like challenge in order to take out John Cena before he had to face him. The Great Khali won by tossing Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas, Trevor Murdoch, Lance Cade, Viscera and Cena. ECW had a battle royal with Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, Rob Van Dam and Kevin Thorn. Van Dam won by eliminating Thorn. Smackdown had their own top rope challenge with Undertaker entering himself and winning.

Match Up: The Rumble is a unique match in which the luck of the draw can mean everything. However, no one has won from the last position and several have from the first. This has been hyped as one of the most star studded Rumbles and that could be true. There are few low card fillers. Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels with the most Rumble experience and a lot of fire are two to watch. The Great Khali and Viscera are also frontrunners based on their size, but getting in early could hurt them with stamina. Benoit is a recent winner and did so in grand style.