wrestling / Columns
The Fink’s Payload 02.12.07: Money In The Bank 3: Adrian’s Revenge
Matt: Hello, I am Matt, formerly of the Evolution Schematic, although given what I’ve now learnt…Let’s just say this won’t be a long hiatus if I have anything to say about it.
Nick: I’m Nick Marsico, of course, of the News to Start Your Weekend and RocketBusta Radio. Check out my blurbs from the first part of three special editions of WWE vs. TNA. Read and listen to all that goodness.
Matt: Anyway, my toe is killing me, so onto the ideas.
*looks at the mailbag*
Crap.
So, to start this super-mega-upsized we start off with the quickies then build up. In that vein, we begin with B. Cris Reyes II… or maybe Madmex, not sure which one he wants to be called by. Anyway, his short and sweet idea.
From Smackdown I Would Have Mr. Kennedy…. Kennedy, MVP, and a returning Rey Mysterio. From Raw I would use Carlito, Super Crazy, and Masters. From ECW I would use Marcus Cor Von, Sabu, and CM Punk. MITB’S are always clusterfucks anyways, so I say let them go at it, unleashed. You could have Carlito and Super Crazy double teaming, as with Kennedy and MVP having a loose allegiance. But in the end it comes down to Kennedy and Rey fighting for the Briefcase on the ladder, and Boom Swerve…
They both fall holding onto the case. Upon review, it appears that neither lost possession of the case and you have dual contenders. The only way to resolve it would be a match or give each a title shot to be used whenever. I prefer the latter, this way Rey can challenge for a Championship and win or lose, Kennedy uses his title match right after Rey does to win the belt.
Matt: For starters, posting me ideas all in caps does NOT make me a happy camper. Otherwise, ok I suppose. Although I’d rather see a Flair/Carlito match now. And I want Masters nowhere near it. And Sabu should be in the New Breed/Originals match. And two guys winning…Well, if it was a case where they had a triple threat match whenever, that would be interesting. But otherwise…I dunno, not sure it’s established enough to fool around with it like that.
Nick: Go with 2 men per brand, not three. 9 could be fun, but people who wouldn’t fit in ladder matches are in there.
Matt: Next up, Turtle (He Moves! Ok, that’s my nerdy joke out of the way for the week).
Two stars from each brand through qualifying matches. An inter-promotional Money In The Bank adds to the match.
ECW- CM Punk, RVD
Smackdown- King Booker, Fit Finlay
Raw- Chris Masters, Shelton Benjamin
The combination of superstars gives u the balance between the high-flyers who can take the big spots (Carlito, RVD, Shelton) to the grapplers (King Booker, Fit Finlay) and the person who has no right to be in the match (Masters). With Masters they could possibly work a comedy spot similar to the Regal/Taylor afraid of heights joke. Perhaps instead to play on Masters’ stupidness gimmick perhaps he has opportunities to win the match, but continually puts the ladder in the wrong spot. Anyway the end of the match sees C.M Punk take the briefcase and get his first major break in the WWE. From then on he could declare his title shot to be used in the main event of Wrestlemania 2008, giving the WWE a year to build him as a credible superstar.
Matt: Ah yes, the ‘year ahead’ booking route. Problem is, in a year CM might be injured, on another brand, already the champ, in a hot feud with someone else or gone from the company (that last one the most likely outcome). And again with Masters?
Nick: You said it yourself. Masters has no right to be in the match. Don’t book it then.
Matt: So next is ReY (too late to make a Mysterio joke?).
Just like the other joint brand productions, this should also include ECW. However, their participation should be like that of the Royal Rumble, proportional. There should be 3 representatives from Raw, 2 from Smackdown, and 1 from ECW. Qualifying matches should precede the actual event just like the previous two years. On Raw Kenny vs. Flair, Umaga vs. Eugene, and Carlito vs. Masters. On Smackdown it will be Greg Helms vs. Matt Hardy and MVP vs. Vito. ECW on the other hand will showcase an EXTREME battle royal for their sole spot.
Raw:
Kenny- The WWE chosen one.
Umaga- The Samoan bulldozer
Carlito-The borderline star
Smackdown:
MVP- He is supposed to be a headliner in the near future.
Helms- The guy who carries around that gold thing for some reason upsets Hardy since he wants the US title anyway.
ECW:
CM Punk- Their future.
The Royal Rumble has been owned by Smackdown since the brand extension began. MITB should be a Raw launching pad. CM Punk should go over here. But after Carlito was confronted by Flair, a fire is lit within and he pulls out the big win and uses his shot against a still bleeding from his match and newly crowned champ HHH at Summerslam. But I guess I’ll save that for another Payload.
Matt: Why does SD own the damm Rumble? I mean, NWO is THEIR PPV. They don’t NEED a #1 contender to be set up early; they can hold the ‘Semi-Annual Smackdown #1 Contenders “Road To Wrestlemania” Kevin Nash Invitational Open Stipulation Gauntlet For The Big Gold Belt Of Destiny, Part Seven’ each year or something. But I HATE the idea of proportional representation without a reason. Uneven teams make baby Cthulhu cry. I mean, in this one yeah, it’s easy (Coach says Raw should get 3 since they came up with the damm thing, Long agrees and since no-one runs ECW, Coach takes one of theirs), but the Rumble had exactly zero logic. Especially given the double up (seriously, would it have killed them to take out the Hardyz and Nitro and replaced them with Kendrick, London and say Burke? Kendrick and London are 8-9 Champs and Burke would have added some comedy with a few knock out shots after big moves, i.e. Sweet Chin Music to Vis, he taps Vis in the jaw, group elimination, he asks like he knocked Vis out) and it would have been a much more sane 11-11-8 split. Or at least a fricking explanation as to how the hell Coach got 3 more spots…but I digress. At least no Masters.
Nick: I was with you until you swerved me. Don’t tell me CM Punk wins and then change your mind and go with Carlito. For shame.
Matt: So, next up, we have Sean O’Brien getting all analytical on us.
The possible candidates for MITB 3 would be ken Kennedy, Jeff hardy, Shelton, cm punk, RVD, Carlito, Marcus Cor Von/hardcore holly, Kenny, MVP, Umaga, Finlay, Benoit and Matt Hardy. Although they may be good suggestions based on their styles, here’s who gets cut from that list and why:
Jeff Hardy- Would most likely be entrenched in an IC title feud or possibly MNM.
Shelton- With the WGTT back together, Spiderman cannot be used here.
Kenny- Too young, a little too green, a future MITB prospect though.
Matt Hardy- Would be good for spots, but see Hardy, Jeff.
RVD- Had his chance last year- I doubt with management’s dogging of him and his dislike with WWE that he’d be included here. It’s a shame because he gets really good pops.
And so my MITB would include:
Ken Kennedy: It’s his time, he’s got IT and would most definitely win this match. The 2007 version of 2005’s Edge, but he’s light years ahead of where Edge was in this stage of his career on the mic, and isn’t bogged down in a tag team.
CM Punk- The IWC’s favorite gets a spot here due to the pops he gets and how it just makes sense for him to be here.
Marcus Cor Von- This would give him momentum to feud with Lashley after WM23, even though he wouldn’t win it, he would look strong in it.
Carlito- Although he’s in a feud with Flair now, he should be in this match as he’s a top mid card face.
Umaga- Now demoted to just a monster and not a #1 contender, he could be the big man of the bunch as was Lashley last year. As long as he doesn’t look like he’s scared of heights 3 ft up.
MVP- MVP has history with Kennedy.
The brand split is almost officially fucked in the last 4 months, I’d have this ECW storyline with the originals getting what’s coming from some WWE guys (Umaga, Kennedy, MVP) this would starts the intermingling of all the wrestlers between brands to set it up for a mania match.
Matt: Eh…It’s all right I guess, but still…Eh.
Nick: It’s my favourite one thus far, but none of the matches really have guys that you see their names and thing “they’ll combine to create a great ladder match”.
Matt: Next up is dominick281 and his brief concept (I’m not posting the Vince/Trump booking in case I cause heart attacks).
Well I’ll just say the participants in it. Inter-promotional 2 from Raw, 2 from SmackDown!, 2 from ECW. Raw has Jeff Hardy and Shelton Benjamin. SmackDown! has Mr. Kennedy wait for it ……………………………………………Kennedy and Matt Hardy. From ECW CM Punk and Sabu. Kennedy wins and goes on to WrestleMania 24 to become World Heavyweight Champion. Kennedy deserves to be champion but at next year and no one out of the two Mr. Money in the Banks have used it at the next WrestleMania.
Matt: See Punk. It is good booking, but Kennedy and very long term booking…it’s just slightly risky. Not to say I wouldn’t give him the win, just that holding it off for a year is both risky and slightly out of character, given that Kennedy is a jerk.
Nick: Yeah, I agree with that. He’s not likely to end up waiting that long to use the shot. And finally a match with guys that can create a death defying ladder match. This is the WrestleMania spotfest highlight, and it should be nothing more and nothing less. None of the others people have booked before this one would have resulted in that type of match. Bravo on that.
Matt: Next up, Sam Everett wants to up the stakes…or at least the number of guys in it.
We have to accept two premises to make this work. First is that it doesn’t matter how many guys are in a match of this nature. Everyone keeps using six competitors as a hard-and-fast rule for $itB, but it could be more or less. If you consider that, aside from being a vehicle through which to push a new main eventer, this match is just an excuse for some cool ladder spots that usually don’t involve more than four people at a time anyway, then it doesn’t matter if there are six, ten, or thirty guys in the match really, since they’ll all get their turns taking separate bumps anyway. So if a 10-Man match seems too big, think about that.
Also, after No Way Out, an angry Mr. Kennedy inspires a three-way trade among the brands, with Kennedy going to RAW, Umaga heading to ECW, and Test shifting to
SmackDown! leading to WM23. Only one of those guys will actually factor into THIS match, but just so there’s no confusion as to why…
The Match: Jeff Hardy v. Kenny Dykstra v. Johnny Nitro v. Matt Hardy v. Chavo Guerrero v. Joey Mercury v. Rob Van Dam v. CM Punk v. Umaga v. Rey Mysterio
The Hardyz and MNM make the match for pretty obvious reasons. We see a sort of reversal of fortunes in their ladder match at No Way Out, with a Hardy taking the nasty bump this time (hopefully a FAKE one!). So $itB will be these teams’ last chance to get at each other with ladders. Kenny Dykstra is just an acrobatic high-flyer who looks like he has the potential to give us the signature spot that Shelton Benjamin won’t be able to provide in this match this year, as he normally does (wish there was a way to squeeze him in, too. DAMN!). Plus the E really wants to push him as a guy we’re supposed to take seriously. Probably gets in by beating Super Crazy in a qualifying match. If RVD really is on the outs with the company, then this is the best chance to use him as a draw without getting him involved in a title match or ECW’s central New Breed v. Originals war. At best, he’ll be a sort of periphery Original to counteract the newly-arrived New Breeder…Uuuuuuumaaaaagaaaaaa.
Speaking of, the Samoan Bulldozer’s really shown his stuff in pretty extreme matches of late, which is why he’ll be an asset to both the ECW brand, and this match. I’m picturing CM Punk as a loner in ECW’s war, and if they have time to do the story right, ECW could build to their third of $itB by having RVD and Armando Alejandro Estrada try to lure Punk to one side or the other.
Rey Mysterio is in as the tenth man–a free agent. When Rey arrives back on SmackDown! after his injury, it turns out his contract is in limbo (perhaps from the I Quit match, even), and so each brand wants to sign him. He says he’ll make his decision AFTER $itB, hopefully with a guaranteed title shot in hand. They agree. The only person who doesn’t like this arrangement, of course, is Chavo Guerrero, who thought he’d gotten rid of Rey for good. He begs Teddy Long for a $itB qualifying match, which he wins on his quest to crush Rey’s title dreams once and for all.
The Winner: Rey Mysterio. It’s pretty obvious, given the storylines–but winners and losers don’t really matter in this match, anyway. It’s all about death-defying moves and the promise that we’ll see something we haven’t seen before. I think all ten men are MORE than capable of giving us that this time. Plus, we get to start, advance, and pay off at least three separate storylines; the Hardyz and MNM get to wipe each other out; the ECW guys get to target each other, perhaps with RVD and Umaga & Estrada even trying to gain the trust of Punk during the match; and a Rey win gives the E the chance to milk his decision for a few more weeks while he chooses what brand he wants to sign with, and what champion he wants to challenge.
Matt: Everything sounds pretty cool. Although Long slipping up AGAIN with someone’s paperwork? Gee, the guy sucks as a GM. But, while I want to make it a 9 man match myself, you have to remember the video games. Unless Smackdown vs Raw vs ECW can have 9 guys fighting at once, you can’t do a 9 man match like that.
Nick: Here’s the easy way to get Shelton into the match. Just leave out Kenny. Look! Problem solved! Just call me Tomko. I like the 10-man format, though. It works right in with my “WrestleMania spotfest” match of the night ideal. It would just be insanity, with guys just flying around everywhere, going through tables, falling off ladders, and something happening at all times somewhere around the ring. That’s what I’m talking about.
Matt: So, next up, Joe Hoferer books half the card around the match, Smart…
This year for the MITB Match I would run the qualifying matches in a tournament format. 8 guys from each roster in a 2 round tournament with the final two from each brand getting into the match. (King of the Ring style in a way) This would add some competition to the series and possibly add to some ongoing builds to other matches at WM23. This keeps 24 upper mid-card wrestlers active for at least 2-3 weeks in setting up for the match. I don’t think that this years MITB should be a ladder match, they just had 3 this year, 4 if you count No Way Out coming up. I think that this year’s match should run like the format of the main event at Unforgiven ’99. The 6 Pack Challenge match in which 2 wrestlers are in the ring to start out and the other four are at each corner awaiting a tag. Any wrestler can tag any other wrestler in or can tag themselves into the match from the outside. From here on it is like a Survivor Series match: you get pinned, submit, DQ or Counted Out you are Bye Bye. It is less exciting than the ladder match, but a lot less of a cluster than a six man all out mess.
Storyline: Kennedy is pissed that he doesn’t get the title from Batista, so he bitches to Teddy Long. Teddy says that he already had it in the works for a Third Annual Money in the Bank Match, but this year will be the First Annual Money in the Bank Qualifying Tournament. Kennedy makes sure he is the first on the list.
Raw Round 1:
Flair d. Kenny via Figure-4
Carlito d. Super Crazy via pin (on a mission after Flair said he was Lazy)
Chris Masters d Jeff Hardy via roll up, MNM distraction
Umaga d. Nitro via kicking his ass
ECW Round 1:
Elijah Burke d. Sabu
Holly d. Thorn pin
C.M Punk d Striker
Cor Van d. Balls
SD Round 1:
Benoit d. MVP
Kane v King Booker DDQ
Kennedy d. Finlay
Rey d. Miz
Raw Round 2:
Ric Flair v Carlito DDQ melee involving Flair, Carlito and Kenny (setting up IC Title match at WM)
Umaga d Chris Masters (only RAW member going into money in the bank)
ECW Round 2:
Holly d Burke Alabama Slam
C.M Punk d Cor Van by luck: makes both guys look good, puts CM Punk and Holly back into feud mode for a week or two
SD Round 2:
Chris Benoit BYE into MITB
Mr. Kennedy d. Rey via DQ (Helms attacks Kennedy as a way to screw Mysterio out of MITB chance. Challenges for Cruiser belt at Mania)
MITB III: Umaga vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Chris Benoit vs. Hardcore Holly vs. C.M. Punk
This gives us what was supposed to be a 6 man match but becomes 5 (Umaga worth 2 men). Also this sets up matches for the IC Title (Flair or Kenny will get it off Hardy soon) between Flair, Kenny, Carlito and Chris Masters (Flair wants to teach the young’ns a lesson). Also sets up the Kane vs. Booker match and a pretty good match for the Cruiserweight title. Booked 4 matches with around one, possibly throw in an ECW feud w/ OLD vs. NEW Balls, Sandman, Sabu & RVD vs. Elijah, Cor Van, Striker and Thorn.
The way I have it set up is to have the other two brands shine over RAW so in short, Umaga is the only representative and is the first man eliminated by efforts of the 4 others. Then it is just down to mat wrestling and brutal shots, no fancy high flying (unless you count the diving head butt) Winner: Mr. Kennedy ……Kennedy.
Matt: Removing the ladder removes the point. But AGAIN with the fricking uneven sides!!! IT SHOULD BE EVEN! GAH! *runs off screaming*
Nick: I love the idea of a tournament and I always like to see feuds developing through those, because I love the spirit of competition. But then you had to ruin it with a pair of double DQs. If it’s not going to be a ladder match, though, the 5 man lineup you have set for the match at least would probably turn out good.
Matt: I’m fine now. Take off the jacket please. Ok, phew, let’s keep moving, next up, Rob Halden begins the more…detailed booking concepts.
Money In The Bank III – This is my attempt at booking something without Mr. Kennedy, since everyone else is booking him to win. 3 brands, going with one heel and one face from each (sort of). Contestants – Jeff Hardy & Johnny Nitro from Raw, Chris Benoit & Chavo Guerrero from Smackdown and Sabu & CM Punk from ECW. A set of six qualifying matches take place on Raw, Smackdown and ECW on Sci-Fi in the same week, giving us our six competitors. We’re 4 weeks away from Wrestlemania.
Week One
On Raw the following week, Nitro & Melina come out to brag about qualifying for “the biggest match at Wrestlemania”. Nitro says that when he becomes Mr. Money In The Bank 2007, he’ll cash it in the day after Wrestlemania and become the new WWE Champion right here on Raw! This brings out the IC Champion Jeff Hardy, who reminds Nitro & Melina that the last time they played with ladders someone got their face broke…and it wasn’t a Hardy Boy. Jeff claims that no one has more success with ladders than him, and he’s looking to add some more gold to the Intercontinental Championship.
ECW On Sci-Fi opens up with Chris Benoit in the Extreme Ring. He tells the audience that it’s great to be back in ECW where it all began for him. He had a lot of success here, but the one accolade he never reached was ECW World Champion. He has a chance at Wrestlemania to walk out with a guaranteed title shot, anywhere and anytime he wants. And when that day comes he’s gonna have a tough decision on his hands, because he may well come back here to challenge Lashley for that belt he never won. Then the lights go out, plunging everything into darkness, and when they come back on again, Sabu is in the ring, steel chair in hand! Joey Styles goes nuts, putting over the fact that Benoit made his name in ECW by breaking Sabu’s neck. The two men have a tense stare-down before Benoit leaves the ring.
Smackdown has Chavo Guerrero airing the ECW footage. He says that for Benoit to talk about winning at Wrestlemania, overlooking him, is an insult not only to Chavo but also to his entire family. Chavo says that Benoit doesn’t have what it takes to win such a high-risk ladder match, and this prompts the US Champion to come down to the ring. Benoit gets in Chavo’s face, saying he talks a big talk about the Money In The Bank Match, so how about he puts his money where his mouth is. The two erupt into a wild brawl, with Benoit attempt to slap on the Crossface but Chavo escaping and exiting the ring, talking smack to his rival all the way back up the ramp.
Week Two
Raw sees a non-title match between Jeff Hardy and Chris Masters, in which Melina comes out to distract the referee whilst Johnny Nitro assaults Hardy and costs him the match.
CM Punk speaks on ECW On Sci-Fi. He says that it looks like the big stars of the WWE have forgotten that CM Punk is going to Wrestlemania, and going to the Money In The Bank match. Punk calls himself “the spirit of the new ECW” and says that he’s going to bring something to the Money In The Bank match that it’s never had before. Discipline. He’s going to be disciplined enough to climb to the very top of that ladder, knowing full well that one wrong step could mean the end of his career. Because that is the spirit of ECW.
Smackdown showcases another match between Chris Benoit and Chavo Guerrero, with both men putting in strong performances. Benoit appears to gain the upper hand when he locks Chavo in the Crippler Crossface…only for Sabu to come flying off the top rope, crashing down into both men! The Crossface is broken and the match goes to No Contest, as Sabu hammers away at Benoit. Sabu grabs a ladder from the outside, but as he brings it into the ring Benoit catches him in the act and plants him with a big German Suplex. Chavo picks up the fallen ladder and drills Benoit right in the face, then comes flying off the ladder with a massive Frog Splash onto the Wolverine!
Week Three
Nitro & Melina open Raw bragging about how they screwed with Jeff Hardy last week, and how they’ll do the same thing at Wrestlemania. Nitro gets rudely nterrupted by Chavo Guerrero! Chavo tells Nitro that no one has more experience with ladders than the Guerrero’s, and airs footage from Smackdown of his huge Frog Splash onto Benoit. Guerrero claims that he is going to be Mr. Money In The Bank, and then he’s going to be World Heavyweight Champion. Nitro and Chavo come to blows in the ring, Melina leaps on Chavo’s back but he slams her onto the mat. As the brawl continues Jeff Hardy sprints down to the ring, pulls out a ladder and uses it to clear house, laying out Nitro, Melina and Chavo!
ECW On Sci-Fi has a mini-Mania preview as CM Punk goes one-on-one with Sabu. Both men get the ladders out and use them to good effect, but Punk picks up the victory with his Anaconda Vice.
Teddy Long announces on Smackdown that he is getting sick of seeing all these superstars switching brands, interfering in matches and showing up unannounced. Tonight it’s going to be Benoit versus Guerrero one last time, but in a Lumberjack Match. The job of the Lumberjacks tonight will not be to keep the action inside the ring, but to keep anyone from Raw or ECW out of the ring. Teddy also announces that he’ll be going to Raw on Monday night to sort this situation out for good. The Lumberjack Match goes ahead, Johnny Nitro sprints out from the back but is met with a wall of Smackdown Lumberjacks who battle him off up the ramp. Sabu comes through the crowd on one side of the arena and Jeff Hardy comes from the other side. Both men are met by the Lumberjacks and they brawl through the crowd, leaving the Chavo/Benoit match unguarded. Chavo scores the victory with a Frog Splash, but after the pin-fall CM Punk strides down to the ring, unchallenged, and puts Chavo in his Anaconda Vice! Chavo fights and struggles but CM Punk stands tall as the show ends.
Week Four
As promised Teddy Long is on Raw meeting with Mr. McMahon to discuss the Money In The Bank competitors. McMahon says that he loves competition and the WWE thrives on competition. It’s the reason he created the separate brands and it’s the reason he created the Money In The Bank match. But it’s not good for business if superstars are appearing on other brands unannounced, because he can’t make any money out of it. So tonight and tomorrow night, if any of the Money In The Bank superstars show up on a brand that is not their own, they will forfeit their place in that match at Wrestlemania. However, Friday night on Smackdown Jeff Hardy, CM Punk and Chris Benoit will face Johnny Nitro, Sabu and Chavo Guerrero in the first ever Interbrand 6 Man Tag Team match!
ECW On Sci-Fi sees Tommy Dreamer call out both CM Punk and Sabu to the ring. Dreamer says he lives and breathes ECW, and never before has ECW been in a position like this. For the first time ever ECW gets to compete at Wrestlemania, and right there in one of the biggest matches of the year there’s going to be the “ECW Original” Sabu and “the spirit of the new ECW” CM Punk. Dreamer says he’s damn proud of how far ECW has come and he’s damn proud to have both those guys representing ECW at Wrestlemania. They’re going to be beating the hell out of each other on Friday night and at Mania itself, but right now he wants them to shake hands. Punk has his arms folded as he considers Sabu and Dreamer. Sabu is crouched low, suspicious. The crowd cheer both men on as they edge closer and closer to each other. Finally, with a roar from the crowd and a round of applause from Tommy Dreamer, Punk and Sabu shake hands as competitors.
Smackdown carries the huge tag match that Mr. McMahon booked on Raw. Things start off well enough but Nitro and Chavo can’t get along. They start off slapping each other hard to make a tag. Jeff Hardy hits the ropes and accidentally knocks Benoit off the ring apron, sending him crashing into the guardrail. Benoit and Hardy have harsh words for each other as the match continues. Nitro and Chavo shove each other back and forth, Nitro takes a swing at Chavo but misses and hits Sabu! Sabu goes nuts! He drags Nitro through the ropes and brawls with him outside the ring. Hardy makes a blind tag on Benoit and goes up top for his Swanton Bomb, but Benoit doesn’t see him and hits the ropes hard, crotching Jeff on the turnbuckle. Benoit hits a big German Suplex on Chavo and makes the cover, unaware he’s not the legal man. Hardy comes in, pulls Benoit off of Chavo and makes the cover himself. Benoit snaps and puts Hardy in the Crossface! Jeff reaches out for the bottom rope, CM Punk leans across and tags himself in! Punk walks right past Benoit and Hardy and locks the Anaconda Vice on Chavo! Nitro hits the ring to break the hold…then thinks twice and just watches Chavo get choked out! CM Punk wins the match as the match devolves into a war!
For the MITB match itself I’d have Benoit win it. I’d have it end with the IC Champ Hardy on one side of the ladder and the US Champ Benoit on the other side. And I know I mentioned the idea of Benoit switching to ECW, but that was just hype. I’d use the MITB prize to put Benoit back in the Smackdown main event and have him go face Vs face with Batista at Summerslam.
Matt: Well, nice to see someone not using Kennedy from the POV of change…but really, it’s his year, so it’s also a bad move. And Sabu…he should be busy that night. But Benoit winning would be a nice moment, although it’s really a heel’s turn. And DAVE will be heel by then. But how exactly do these guys qualify? They just announce they are in it? Gu-huh? And by the way, Bischoff invented the match, not Vince (in kayfabe that is).
Nick: I’ll be honest. I didn’t read this entry. It’s quite late and I have to go to class in a few hours, so I want to just get through this. I read the beginning, though, and I like the idea of not having Kennedy win, and I like that you have Benoit going after Batista at SummerSlam. I don’t know if you mean they’re both faces or if they’d just be face to face, but if you mean they’re both faces, just have Benoit be the heel. It would just be better, and it’s been a while since Benoit’s been the bad guy. I’d prefer to see Kennedy take on Flair, though, at WM, and in the context of Flair’s promo, it makes sense for Kennedy to face him. Kennedy does have the passion and has been proving that, so he can call out Flair and say he’s somebody that Flair can face that can actually give him a good match. He does it in a cocky asshole way, of course, because there’s no reason to turn Kennedy face.
Matt: Todd Vote. That is all.
Raw, the night after No Way Out. (Feb 19): Vince is out… after both blowing the Donald and talking down at him in the same breath, Vince moves on to something that catches everybody’s interest. MITB! Vince says that at this year’s WM, he wants the absolute best to be in the Money in the Bank match. So he is going to be holding an 8 man tournament on each show to see who will fill the spots. There will be two reps from each brand. Later tonight we will show the brackets for each show.
RAW:
First round:
Carlito vs. Orton, Edge vs. Ric Flair, Kenny Dykstra vs. Eugene, and finally Super Crazy vs. Shelton Benjamin
Orton wins via RKO on Carlito. Edge wins after bumping the ref, and hitting Flair with a chair. Kenny pulls the tights to get the win over Eugene, and Super Crazy beats Shelton Benjamin after Cryme Tyme comes to the ring for some shenanigans.
The next week on Raw It’s set to be one of the final match-ups, as Randy Orton draws Kenny Dykstra as his next opponent. Orton cuts a promo saying that he has not really had much luck the past few WM’s noting that he came up short against Taker, and then against Rey and Angle, but he is more focused now than he has ever been. He realizes what it will take to win Money in the Bank, and he realizes how bad he wants to get back to the top of the mountain. Orton’s promo is interupted by Kenny who says that once he wins Money in the Bank, he will be the youngest champion ever. Orton takes exception to this and asks Kenny if he wants to get their match out of the way right now? Kenny accepts, and no sooner than he puts the mic down, he eats an RKO for the 1-2-3! Orton gets back on the Mic, and tells Kenny that “You got a lot to learn kid!”
The Next week on Raw is the final Match to see who the Raw brand will be sending to war in the Money in the Bank match. Edge vs. Super Crazy. Promo time: I am Super…I am Crazy….I am Super Crazy… Edge wins the match, clean with the spear. At the end of the match, Orton comes in behind and attacks Edge. Orton gets on the mic, says “Nothing personal” then just walks away.
ECW:
CM Punk vs. Matt Stryker, RVD vs. Kevin Thorne, Test vs. Holly, and Sabu vs. Mike Knox.
Week 1: CM Punk vs. Matt Stryker: Stryker taps to the anaconda vice. RVD beats Thorne with the Five Star Frog splash.
Week 2: Holly beats Test in an extreme rules match. After smashing his face with the steel steps, Holly delivers the Alabama slam on top of the steps. Sabu vs. Mike Knox: Sabu wins with an Arabian Facebuster.
Week 3: CM Punk has to face Holly, and RVD goes up against Sabu. Punk is barely able to pull out the win against Holly, but manages to pin him with a sunset flip. RVD again beats Sabu with a Five Star Frog Splash. Punk comes out shakes RVD’s hand and turns to walk away. As Punk ducks his head back behind the curtain, we hear the smack of a chair hit his face. Punk collapses out of the curtain and we see Orton standing over him posing to close the show.
Smackdown:
Kennedy vs. Kane, MVP vs. Matt Hardy, King Booker vs. Boogeyman, and Gregory Helms vs. Chris Benoit (you know, when you try to book a tournament for all three shows, it really shows the depth of the Smackdown Roster)
Week 1: Kennedy beats Kane, unveiling a more devastating, yet practical finisher. (A variation of the Rock Bottom) Matt Hardy is able to pin MVP after a Twist Of Fate. King Booker takes a count out loss to the Boogeyman, and Gregory Helms pins Benoit after Chavo Guerrero interferes.
Week 2: Kennedy is out cutting a promo about how unfair it is for him to have to face the Boogeyman, so soon after all his grueling wars with the Undertaker. But he learned from The Deadman, and now he can handle the freaks just fine. This brings out the Boogey, and Kennedy shows his new tactic involves running. Matt Hardy pins Helms with a Twist Of Fate.
Week 3: Kennedy vs. Boogie man ends in an upset when Kennedy hits his new finisher and becomes the first man to beat the Boogey. As Kennedy gets the mic to announce himself the winner, he hops off the turnbuckle and turns just in time to see Randy Orton trying to hit him with a chair. Kennedy ducks, and kicks the chair out of Orton’s hands. The two stare each other down to end the show
RAW March 12th: Vince has decreed that since it was a tournament that got everyone to the money in the bank matches, this week we will have unofficial tournament finals. Randy Orton will face CM Punk tonight on Raw. Mr. Kennedy will be heading to ECW tomorrow night to face off with RVD, and Edge will head to Smackdown to take on Matt Hardy. CM Punk beats Randy Orton by count out. Orton got thrown out of the ring, and Edge comes down and throws him head first into the steel steps causing the count out.
ECW March 13th: Mr. Kennedy makes his first ever appearance on ECW. RVD comes out to welcome him to the House of Hardcore, and asks if he wants to make the match a hardcore match. Kennedy declines, but beats RVD in a great match.
SmackDown! March 16th: Matt Hardy and Edge ends in a DQ win for Hardy. Edge got caught using brass knucks, and the ref DQ’s him. This show once again ends with Orton running in and hitting an RKO on Edge, grabbing a mic and once again saying “nothing personal”.
RAW March 19th: A six man tag match is announced for tonight, with Rated RKO teaming up with Mr. Kennedy to take on CM Punk, RVD and Matt Hardy. Orton tags in towards the end of the match hits an RKO on all three faces, then turns and walks out, giving his team a count out loss.
RAW March 26: Edge is in the ring to call out Orton. He asks Orton what has been going on lately, why has he abandoned him once, and hit him with an RKO at every chance. Orton simply replies with “It’s nothing personal, my focus right now is on the Money in the Bank. I want to win. I am sending message that it is every man for himself. You and I are not partners in the Money in the Bank match.” This hits Vince’s music. Vince says that Wrestlemania is a week away. So tonight on Raw, then on ECW and Smackdown respectively, we will have three one on one matches. Edge vs. Orton tonight, CM Punk vs. RVD tomorrow night, and Matt Hardy vs. Mr. Kennedy on Smackdown. Orton pins Edge after rolling him up and pulling the tights.
On ECW: CM Punk makes RVD tap to the Anaconda Vice.
On Smackdown: Mr. Kennedy pins Matt Hardy
Money in the Bank WM: and the winner is: Mr. Kennedy!! Honestly I could not decide who I wanted to win as it has my favorite from each roster in the match, with Orton and CM Punk respectively. I chose Kennedy due to the incredibly impressive performance he gave at the Rumble. Kennedy wins and challenges John Cena in the Real WM main event after he pins Shawn Michaels.
Matt: Uh….No. Kennedy needs a few months to say ‘…In The Bank!’ first, before he uses it. And way too much cross-brand stuff.
Nick: I’m with Matt. Once again, though, I like the concept of doing a tournament for it. Just do it right.
Matt: Jay 2K Winger has AAE talking. Great start.
On Raw, we have Carlito qualify after beating (MITB II veteran) Ric Flair. Elsewhere on Raw, Jeff Hardy attempts to get into the match (being a ladder match specialist), but his qualifying match puts him up against Umaga, who dominates as per usual, but there’s an additional assist from Johnny Nitro, thus furthering the Hardys/MNM feud. Thus, qualifying from Raw: Carlito and Umaga.
On Smackdown, the returning Rey Mysterio qualifies by defeating William Regal, helping establish that Rey’s back on the scene. Mr. Kennedy handily defeats Matt Hardy (Money in the Bank II veteran) to qualify as well, getting an assist from Joey Mercury. (More Hardys/MNM continuance, since it seems obvious to me, at least, that the big blow-off match will happen at Mania, despite the Hardys having won twice already.) So, from Smackdown, both Rey Mysterio and Mr. Kennedy qualify.
On ECW, meanwhile, things are getting more heated in the ECW Originals/New Breed storyline. C.M. Punk has been approached by the Originals to support them, but he doesn’t exactly agree to side with them, but he rejects offers from the New Breed to side with them, putting Punk in a tweener-face position. At any rate, for his impudence at rejecting the New Breed’s offer, he’s put up against Hardcore Holly in his qualifier, but Punk manages to pull out the win after the Punk Rush and Uranage. Elijah Burke contends against Rob van Dam (Money in the Bank II winner), and gets plenty of assistance from other members of the New Breed, while RVD has backup from the ECW Originals. In the end, however, Burke picks up the win. So, from ECW, we get C.M. Punk and Elijah Burke.
These six men fit the match in that you have a few likely prospects to win the match (Kennedy, Rey, Punk), someone willing to do crazy stunts and take bumps (Carlito), a space filler there to get a heat segment and absorb punishment (Burke), and a big man to throw people around and hit high-impact power moves (Umaga). Although Carlito may be in the doghouse right now, and Punk is in the midst of a de-push, they don’t even necessarily have to win the match. They’re there to get the fans to buy the PPV, and give them someone to cheer for. The fans may not like or even accept Burke as being part of the match, but he’s clearly being groomed for bigger things by WWE Management, so putting him in a high-profile match like this is a good way to give him screen time. Umaga and Kennedy are both just about at the main-event level, and a win in MITB III would give them that “step up” to reach that level, like Edge did. Rey Mysterio’s been in ladder matches before and he’s good for a few insane spots, like Carlito can be if they can get him motivated.
To stir the pot a little bit, Mr. McMahon books, for Saturday Night’s Main Event, a three-team tag match, pitting the three brands against each other: Carlito & Umaga vs. Mysterio & Kennedy vs. Punk & Burke. Naturally, none of the teams quite get along, and the winner of the match doesn’t particularly matter in the long run, since it’s more there to fill time on TV and put over the Money in the Bank match for Wrestlemania. In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, all six competitors do their best to put themselves over as “the next Mr. Money in the Bank.” Carlito believes that by winning the match at Mania, he can put to rest the doubts that he’s gotten lazy and shut up his critics (like Ric Flair). Rey-Rey wants to get his hands back on the World Championship he lost, and prove that his title reign wasn’t a fluke. C.M. Punk continues to put himself over as “the future of ECW,” and especially seems the crowd favorite from ECW. Elijah brings up his endorsement from Mr. McMahon, and even calls himself “Mr. McMahon’s Chosen One.” Mr. Kennedy does his usual excellence on the mic (be it in-ring or in one of his studio interviews), and continues calling himself the “Future of Sports Entertainment.” Armando Alejandro Estrada continues to put over Umaga’s monstrous power, and says that nobody’s going to stop his monster from walking out as Mr. Money in the Bank. In between all the self promotion, the conflicts continue on each brand, and since the current WWE thinking is ‘F**K THE BRAND EXTENSION,’ there may be crossover appearances between the six competitors. Regardless, Estrada uses Umaga to try and soften up Carlito before the match, so that he’ll be less of a threat. Kennedy joins forces with King Booker to try to take Rey out of the match, even wrangling a stipulation from Teddy Long that if Booker defeats Rey in a match, he’ll take his slot in the MITB match. Rey, however, manages the upset win. On ECW, Punk finds himself in a hard place with his refusal to side with the New Breed, and he’s facing trouble from the Originals as well for not picking a side. He presses on, thriving on the competition. Elijah Burke does what he can to soften up Punk, with Hardcore Holly and Snitsky doing their best to remove him from the match.
Wrestlemania. Mr. Kennedy comes out first to do a super-special extended Wrestlemania-edition self-introduction, once again using the “Future of Sports Entertainment” moniker, then goes into the money line: “The next man to become Mr. Money in the Bank will be MMMMISTERRRRR KENNEDYYYYY!” But when he climbs the turnbuckles for the echo, he’s interrupted by Umaga’s music. Estrada comes out with a mic in hand. “¡Esperate! ¡Esperate! ¡Esperate! Everybody listen…to me!” Umaga accompanies Estrada to the ring, but remains subdued — ready to explode, but not doing so until Estrada gives the word. Estrada point-blank disagrees with Kennedy, “Everybody already knows your name, Señor Kennedy. But just in case they’ve forgotten, haha, MY NAAAAME ES ARRRRMANDOOOO ALEJANDRRRROOOO ESTRRRRRRRRRRRADA! And the difference between you and the REAL next Mr. Money in the Bank is you don’t need to say his name twice, he is MY MONSTER, THE SAAAAAAMOAN Bulldozer–“
And here Estrada is interrupted by the next competitor, Carlito, who speaks on the mic on the way to the ring. “I was just listening to you two talking all night in the back. No one wants to hear you two talk all the way through Wrestlemania! And the thought of either of you two getting that contract? THAT’S NOT COOL!” He gets in a few more words to put himself over, then gets interrupted by Rey Mysterio, who likewise gets a few words in to put himself over, and then it goes on with C.M. Punk and then Elijah Burke doing the same. Burke, however, makes fun of all five other competitors, and so he’s clobbered off the apron by Kennedy from the get-go. Once this happens, the match begins, with typical chaos to start, until Umaga begins to go crazy and begins to dominate. Estrada has to constantly play the role of handler, telling Umaga what to do, who to attack, and even has to instruct him in how to set up the ladder, leaving the announcers to speculate on whether Umaga could even win the match, since he’s never been in a ladder match before. You get plenty of ladder spots and train wreck spots. Estrada even gets involved while trying to get Carlito out of the match, holding him in place for the Samoan Spike from Umaga, but Carlito gets out of the way so that Estrada gets hit instead. Umaga stares down at his handler, dumbfounded, until Carlito smacks him in the face with a chair, temporarily putting him down. Toward the end of the match, you have Rey, Punk, and Kennedy going for the belt, with two ladders set up side by side, Rey and Punk on one ladder, and Kennedy on the other one. Brawling at the top, until Umaga comes in and pushes Rey and Punk’s ladder over, toppling them to the floor. Kennedy sees this, and quickly makes a ‘lower it’ gesture. The announcers play this off as Kennedy trying to “will the briefcase” into his hands, until Kennedy’s microphone lowers down from the ceiling. Umaga grabs him by the ankle and pulls him down to attack, but Kennedy counters and bounces Umaga’s head off the ladder, then goes to the other side of the ladder to climb up, keeping the ladder between himself and Umaga. Estrada jumps back in the ring, recovered from the errant Spike to the throat, and grabs Kennedy’s leg to slow him down. This distraction lets Umaga climb up the other side with bad intentions. Kennedy kicks Estrada away, then grabs his microphone, which dangles within reach, using it on Umaga’s head.
From this point, you go one of two ways.
Scenario A: Umaga no-sells the microphone shots and Samoan Spikes Kennedy in the throat, then grabs the briefcase. He stands at the top of the ladder for a moment, staring at the briefcase, then holds it up triumphantly, bellowing, “FOR SAMOA!” Post-Mania, Estrada carries around the briefcase on behalf of Umaga, even uses it as a weapon in his matches, carries around weapons, cigars, etc. He takes to announcing Umaga as not just the Samoan Bulldozer, but Mr. Money in the Bank. Estrada pulls an Edge and holds onto it for months, but every time a PPV comes along, he teases that Umaga might just cash it in that night after the Championship match. It should be noted that Estrada & Umaga will indeed cash in on the contract after a particularly grueling match for the champion (whoever it may be).
Scenario B: Umaga falls off the ladder after the microphone shots, and Kennedy grabs the briefcase. Post-Mania, he likewise carries around the briefcase for a month or two, perhaps fighting off challengers who want to take it away from him, especially dealing with Teddy Long’s constant pestering of “When you gonna cash in that title-shot, playa?” He finally announces that he’s got a safe-deposit box back in Green Bay, Wisconsin where he’s keeping the MITB contract, and he’ll no longer entertain ANY attempts to take it away, noting, “I’ll cash in on that contract when I’m damned good and ready.” He no longer carries the briefcase around, and after a couple of months, the announcers “forget” that he’s got the contract waiting. Finally, Kennedy likewise pulls an Edge and cashes in on the title-shot after the Champion just wrestled a match, leaving everyone shocked, as they had “forgotten” Kennedy still had that title-hot.
Matt: I like it. I really really like it! B, that is.
Nick: I liked it, and though it is smart to challenge for a title immediately after a grueling match, I’d like it more if he were to challenge on the following TV episode and work the body part that the champion had hurt in the earlier match, and actually be able to finish and win by focusing on that part rather than beating the shit out of it for 10 minutes just to have it no-sold. Basically the best one yet, though. A little tweaking and it’s great.
Matt: We’re nearing the end of this cornucopia of ideas here, and one set comes from Adam Radomske.
Carlito opens Raw with the Cabana. His guest today is Kenny Dykstra. Carlito, “Hey Kenny many believe that you are the future of Raw. And I think that’s cool. Now how do you think your going to be in the title picture as soon as possible.” Kenny, “I just talked to Vince McMahon’s executive assistant The Coach, and he say’s that I’m in the Money In The Bank match at WM.” Carlito, “That’s cool, who else is there with you?” Kenny,” You are!” Kenny cracks Carlito with the microphone and beats him senseless. Kenny smokes Carlito with a chair, and gives Carlito the Leg Drop off the top on to the chair on Carlito’s face. I kept Carlito a face because he is over with the crowd already, and Kenny desperately needs some heel heat before he becomes stale.
ECW has set up a tournament style bracket for the MITB match. First it’s CM Punk vs. RVD in an extreme rules match. The match is back and forth with RVD doing his usual spot fest. But when RVD goes for the Five Star Frog Splash CM gets his knees up. RVD lands directly on them and CM immediately goes for the Anaconda Vice. RVD is in the vice for a minute and but he doesn’t quit. CM Punk then flips out, and opens up a mean streak on RVD. CM goes for a chair shot and nails it. Instead of pinning he waits for RVD to get up and to deliver the final blow. But RVD reverses it into the Van Daminator. RVD goes up for another Frog Splash, but he sees the ECW originals staring at him menacingly. The distraction gives CM enough time to recover and he hits the PEPSI PLUNGE on RVD for the win. The ECW originals then beat down RVD telling him he’s a sell out. The second match is Elijah Burke vs. Sabu extreme rules as well. Elijah gains the upper hand initially due to some dirty tactics. But Sabu connects with a Arabian Facebuster. RVD comes out to attack Sabu and hits him with the Van Terminator while Elijah holds the chair. Elijah then debuts his new finisher the F5 through the table for the win.
Smackdown have an eight man battle royal to determine the combatants for the MITB match the last two men in the ring get the shot. The contestants are Gregory Helms, VIto, Finlay, Benoit, Kane, MVP, Ken Kennedy, and a new Smackdownian Marcus Cor Von. Cor Von starts the eliminations buy POUNCING MVP right out of the ring. Vito is next eliminated by Benoit, but when Benoit is distracted Finlay throws him out. Kane then chokeslams Helms. Helms then plays possum in the corner. Kane is up against the ropes and Cor Von Pounces him out, but he eliminates himself in the process. Ken and Finlay go nose to nose. Then all hell breaks loose. They go at it like two men possessed. Helms seeing this waits for a moment to strike. Finlay hit Ken with a power slam, but right when he is finished he is tossed out by Helms. Now we are down to two competitors Helms and Kennedy. They are now competing for pride. But Helms doesn’t have any and he leaves. Leaving Kennedy in the ring shocked.
The MITB match is crazy. Easily the match of the night. At first the wrestler stay loyal to there brand but this diminishes quickly as Kenny smacks Carlito with the ladder. It’s hard to write exactly will happen but I will highlight it. First Kenny is the first to go for the Case. Carlito climbs the ladder beside and battles with Kenny. Carlito the hits the Backcracker off the ladder. CM the goes for the case and is caught by Helms. Helms pulls CM down and hits him the Vertebreaker, CM can take it with his Indy experience. Kennedy showing brains knocks over both ladders. And sets one up on the corner on the middle ropes. Elijah sneaks up behind him and gives him the F5 on the suspended ladder. They only men not laid out are Helms, Carlito and Elijah. Helms grabs the ladder and rams it into Elijah’s face sending him over the top through a table set up on the outside. Carlito seeing this climbs a ladder and makes his way to the top. Helms catches him and they climb up the same ladder. Carlito gains the upper hand and does a sunset flip power bomb to Helms, Carlito then climbs the ladder and wins his first MITB match.
Matt: I want Carlito/Flair at WM so Torrie can turn. I don’t know why I want this, but I do. So this one doesn’t jump out at me. Especially with the really odd face/heel lines (Kennedy’s face? RVD’s heel?)
Nick: Yeah, the RVD heel turn makes no sense, especially after how he lost to Punk. His heel turn wouldn’t even get him into the match, so why would he do it? It just seems quite random and pointless. I do, however, like the idea of doing three different things for each brand in order to get into the match. Also, the ECW one isn’t a tournament. It’s just two matches.
Matt: We have our hands on the case, it’s Dan From Brooklyn!
I assume they will 2 guys per brand so we can build it over several weeks of television. Each brand does the same route: we have 4 qualifying matches, the winners meet in a tag team finals with the winners going to MITB.
ECW
WEEK 1: RVD defeats Test with the 5* Frog Splash, and Marcus Cor Von defeats Sabu with the POUNCE/Arm bar.
WEEK 2: CM Punk taps Matt Striker with the Anaconda Vice, and Hardcore Holly defeats Sandman with the Alabama Slam.
WEEK 3: RVD & CM Punk defeat Marcus Cor Von & Hardcore Holly with a Van Daminator/Frog Splash on Holly.
Smackdown
WEEK 1: Ken Kennedy defeats Matt Hardy with the Lambeau Leap after Mercury interference, and King Booker defeats Chavo Guerrero with the Axe-kick.
WEEK 2: Chris Benoit defeats Finlay in a 20 minute classic with the Crossface, and Kane defeats MVP with the Chokeslam.
WEEK 3: Ken Kennedy & Chris Benoit defeat King Booker and Kane after Booker hits Kane allowing Kennedy to roll him up.
Raw
WEEK 1: Randy Orton defeats Carlito with the RKO, and Jeff Hardy defeats Chris Masters with the Swanton.
WEEK 2: Edge defeats Shelton Benjamin after the Spear, and Johnny Nitro defeats Ric Flair with a rope assisted roll up.
WEEK 3: Rated RKO defeat Jeff Hardy & Nitro after Hardy and Nitro argue leading to an RKO on Jeff.
MITB III – RVD vs. CM Punk vs. Ken Kennedy vs. Chris Benoit vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton – This gives you both previous MITB winners (Edge and RVD), 4 former World Champs (Edge, RVD, Orton, Benoit), and 2 company futures (Kennedy and Punk) who even out the heel/face dynamic. This can be also built with 6-man tags RVD/Punk/Benoit vs. Rated RKO & Kennedy, Triple Threat branded tag matches perhaps on Saturday Night’s Main Event, or other high card matches. Best of all this frees the Hardys, MNM, and Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas for the return of TLC to Wrestlemania for the Raw World Tag Titles, and if you have Benoit drop the US Title to Booker you can have Booker/Kane carry to WM as a US Title match.
Matt: Apart from RVD, nice.
Nick: I’ll just assume that the Money in the Bank match isn’t a ladder match, then. This, now, by the way, has become the best idea of the entire column, outside of having a TLC match at ‘Mania. I’m a big fan of the tag team matches to qualify. I was actually thinking about that for the end of the battle royal from somebody else’s idea. I’m glad somebody else had this idea. Good stuff.
Matt: And finally, Travis Smith.
Due to the experts predicting that there won’t be a TLC at Mania this year, why not make this year’s “Money in the Bank Match” a “Money in the Bank Tag Team” Match. Winners can either use it to go after the Tag Team Title or they can use the contracts individually. It would consist of 5 teams: 1 Raw, 1 SD, 1 ECW, and 2 “at-large” teams. The participants could be determined in a number of ways. Here is my line-up.
WGTT from Raw (wins in a tag team tournament on Raw, plus Shelton HAS to be in the MIB).
RVD/Punk (win spot in a extreme-rules 4-way tag match on ECW)
Kennedy/MVP from SD (win spot through tag-team gauntlet)
One “at-large” team should be MNM. (Maybe a tag-team battle royal at a SNME leading up to Mania?).
The last “at-large” team will be decided on an ECW show by an “extreme rules – battle royal” (BYO-Weapon) where the last two survivors will be paired off as a team. Each brand will get to enter 5 stars.
Raw: Carlito, Umaga, Super Crazy, Kenny Dykstra, Khali.
SD: Kane, Finlay, MVP, Chavo, The Miz.
ECW: Sandman, Sabu, Holly, Striker, Burke.
Lots of possibilities here. For some reason, I’m liking Umaga/Sabu as winners in this (even though my original thoughts were to get Carlito and Super Crazy in the MIB – let them eliminate each other – leads to WM match).
At WM, we get:
World Title: Taker vs. Batista (Batista turns on Taker at SD, after “honoring” the winner). Taker wins.
WWE Title: Cena vs. HBK (but HBK had pinfall if not for ref bump- feud continues- HBK turns w/ Flair). Cena wins.
ECW Title: Lashley vs. Foley (see Payload 2/5) in an “Extreme Rules” Title Match proving his hardcore mettle. Lashley wins.
Raw Tag Titles: RKO vs. Hardys (botched double-team causes more dissension b/n RKO) Hardys win.
SD Tag Titles: Hooligans vs. Regal/Taylor (power of punch returns) Blue Bloods win.
Hogan w/ Trump vs. Khali w/ McMahon – Hogan slams Khali/McMahon joins “Kiss Donald’s Ass Club” Hogan wins.
Women’s: James vs. Melina – (Nitro assisted) Melina wins.
US Title: Benoit vs. Booker vs. Finley vs. Flair (special exemption from Teddy Long) – also opens the show – which pisses Flair off and causes him to cheat Cena out of title in rematch with HBK on Raw – a week after Wrestlemania) Booker wins.
IC Title: Carlito (champ) vs. Super Crazy – stems from fallout on ECW battle royal. Carlito wins.
OK. MITB Tag Team. Great-Nasty-Spotfest. RVD/Punk win. Gotcha. Maybe in some bizarro WWE. Vince won’t let that happen, so they’re out. WGTT can’t win, Shelton’s always the bridesmaid. Kennedy/MVP just need to get in WM somewhere. They are non-factors. Maybe MVP screws up somehow, more problems between the two. MNM or Umaga/Sabu? If MNM wins, they could do a good story about Nitro wanting to use the title shot individually, while Mercury wants to use it as a team. Good feud teaser, or let them go at it and give Mercury a new partner because he’s a tag team kind of guy. If Sabu/Umaga win, Umaga could go to ECW and take on Lashley, or Sabu could use it at ONS 3. No, don’t like it. MNM can come on RAW the next night and dub Wrestlemania the “THE NIGHT OF MNM” with their and Melina’s wins. The paparazzi, the red carpet, the works. Then let the bickering begin. MNM wins it.
Matt: Pushing Tag Teams? Yeah, right.
Nick: Love tag teams, but this ain’t the way to use ‘em. Sorry.
Matt: So now, finally, our ideas.
Kennedy demands it, MVP sues his way in, Super Crazy wins a battle royal into it, Kenny cheats to win a 6 way match, pinning Carlito while he’s in the Figure 4, CM Punk wins an online poll and Monty Brown bullies new ECW Rep Dusty Rhodes into entering. Kennedy wins it, then uses it at Summerslam to pin Taker after he just gets by Benoit to win the World Title. And there is much rejoicing.
Nick: As long as Kennedy isn’t in the match, I’m all for it. I say Benoit wins it, turns heel, and wins the World Title in a few months while still holding the US Title, but due to some rule that Teddy Long comes up with, a guy can’t hold two singles titles at once, so he must relinquish the US Title, and there’s a tournament for that. There we go.
Matt: Let’s get this thing in the can already. Homework.
What’s this, a storyline in ECW? The New Breed V The Vets. What’s the WM show stealer?
Send those ideas here, if you get this far..
Until next week,
Matt & Nick.
