411 PPV Preview: The Road to SummerSlam 2007

Background: On the past RAW William Regal preempted a tag match to announce that SummerSlam would feature a battle royal of all WWE divas. The winner would get a future title shot against Candice Michelle. Candice and Mickie James would win the tag match over Melina and Beth Phoenix. James then turned on Candice after the match and threw her to the floor. Victoria then tossed James. Phoenix finished by tossing Melina and held the ring.

Match Up: Battle royals often favor those with size and power. If that is the case here, then Beth Phoenix is the odds on favorite. Former Women’s Champions Victoria, Melina and Mickie James should also be rated high. However, a battle royal can often serve up a wild card winner, so no lady can be discounted.

Outcome: One would hope this would be an excuse to get Victoria back to RAW where she is more useful. However, this is probably going to be the start of a major push for Beth Phoenix. Not since Chyna has WWE had a woman the size of Phoenix and she can probably get over if properly pushed.

KANE VS. FINLAY

Background: On August 10th, Finlay lost to Matt Hardy by count out when Jamie Noble went after Hornswaggle. Finlay had words with Noble in the back, but was then jumped by Kane. Kane then defeated Sylvan in a match and was attacked by Finlay with his shillelagh afterwards. Smackdown for August 17th saw Finlay taking on Jamie Noble. Kane came in for the disqualification and attacked Finlay. Hornswaggle shoved Noble into Kane. This made Kane thing Noble was trying to interfere and he choke slammed him. This allowed Finlay to escape. At the end of the night Finlay got revenge on Kane after the Great Khali beat him down. Batista made the save. At Saturday Night’s Main Event Finlay and Khali teamed up to face Batista and Kane. Interference by Horswaggle backfired and Batista pinned Finley. On the last Smackdown Kane greeted Vince McMahon, suggesting he might be his son. He then asked for a match with Finlay. Vince granted it for SummerSlam. Chris Masters then came out bragging to be Vince’s son. He wanted to get Kane in the Materlock to prove his virility, but took a choke slam. Finlay faced Batista in the main event, but Khali interfered.

Match Up: Kane dominates Finlay in size and power. Finlay doesn’t really care though. He’s not a man that gets scared easily and is a great, underrated ring general. Finlay will try to brawl with Kane early and might faire better than most think. He’ll do this just to get Kane going one way before he targets the knees and lower back. Finlay will get Kane on the match and wear him down. Kane will just need to use his power advantage to squash Finlay decisively early so he can’t enact a game plan.

Outcome: This is just adding another match to the card. Kane should go over and the feud probably won’t progress. Both men seriously need something long term to do on Smackdown to be better assets.

REY MYSTERIO VS. CHAVO GUERRERO

Background: Videos and commercials for Rey Mysterio’s returned aired on Smackdown for weeks. On August 3rd Chavo Guerrero bragged to his aunt Vicki that if Rey did return he would put him out of action again. Vicki consented to give Chavo that chance at SummerSlam. Mysterio returned on August 10th to face Eugene, or so was thought. It actually turned out to Chavo in a mask. The next week Chavo beat Shannon Moore. He then put the Mysterio mask on Moore and frog splashed his knee to send a message. Chavo did the same to Funaki the following week.

Match Up: Mysterio is looking for revenge, but will have a lot of ring rust. Look for Chavo to control early and target the bad knee. Not only is the knee a weak spot, but taking the high flying Mysterio off his feet is always a sound strategy. Mysterio will not want to be too impetuous in his first match back. He needs to let Chavo come to him and protect the bad knee.

Outcome: This just serves to reintroduce Rey and put him over. The feud with Chavo most likely will not be rekindled. Mysterio is being geared up for a program with Khali. This means he needs some solid wins to put back in the limelight.

TRIPLE H VS. BOOKER T

Background: The July 16th RAW started out with Triple H’s “King of Kings” theme. However, Booker T came out. He took exception to Triple H calling himself the King of Kings, when he is the only true king in WWE. He then chided Jerry Lawler for calling himself king as well and asked him to stop. Booker T started out the following RAW again by getting on Lawler. Lawler attacked King Booker. Later on, Queen Sharmell challenged Lawler to a match on Booker’s behalf. On July 30th King Booker got himself disqualified for not heeding the referees warnings. After the match Lawler got revenge by attacking Booker on the entrance ramp. In a rematch the next week Sharmell provided distraction so Booker could win with the scissors kick. Per stipulations, Lawler would have crown Booker the true king the following week in Madison Square Garden. However, Lawler refused to do so, because Booker had yet to beat Triple H. He would get his chance at SummerSlam. On the August 20th RAW King Booker announced that Triple H was in the building and would crown him king. Later in the ring a scrawny Triple H impersonator came out and crowned Booker. King Booker then forced Jim Ross to kiss his ring.

Match Up: This is much like the match above. Triple H will be fighting ring rust and a bad leg more than King Booker. Booker will be smart to target the leg and make that the focus of his offense. Triple H will want to establish his dominance early and will try to use his power to gain an advantage. Booker should let him do this, then once he gets confident take his leg out from under him. Booker doesn’t make many mistakes, but his cockiness does leave him open to comeback attacks.

Outcome: This match just serves to put Triple H over as well, but there is potential for a longer feud. There is no way Hunter jobs in his first match back. A win over Booker will help push that feud as Booker will be obsessed with getting revenge. Triple H taking the loss in his first match back would cool the heat of his return too much.

UMAGA VS. CARLITO VS. KEN KENNEDY FOR THE WWE IC TITLE

Background: John Cena and Carlito battled on the August 6th RAW. Randy Orton made the save. General manager William Regal then allowed Orton and Carlito to choose anyone they wanted to face Cena. They went with Umaga. Cena locked Umaga in the STFU to draw out Orton and Carlito for the disqualification. They setup Cena for the buttalanche by Umaga, but he turned on his would be compatriots. Regal then booked the four men in a tag match for the following week. Cena and Umaga won that when Cena hit the FU on Carlito. On the July 20th RAW Carlito had Umaga on the Cabana and challenged him to a title match. Ken Kennedy interrupted and thought he should have the title match. Umaga attacked both men and destroyed the interview set. General manager William Regal booked Kennedy and Carlito to face each other to see who got the title shot. Carlito and Kennedy fight over a superplex and the referee counted both men with their shoulders down. This resulted in a draw, so Regal made the SummerSlam title match a triple threat.

Match Up: Kennedy and Carlito would best be served to team up against the Samoan Bulldozer, but they don’t seem to get along well at all. Even if they did one man would turn on the other at some point. That really wouldn’t help Umaga much who isn’t the greatest ring general. He just charges dead head and chews up anything in his path. Umaga will be aggressive and control early, but facing two men without a clear strategy will trip him up later. Kennedy and Carlito can only defeat themselves here by being too devious and selfish.

Outcome: WWE might have new plans for Umaga since turning him face and those may not involve the Intercontinental title. Carlito looks in line for a push by being peripheral to the Orton and Cena program. Rumors have Kennedy being Vince McMahon’s illegitimate son and therefore in line for a push too. In the past the IC title has been a test run for future main eventers and a title reign would help to bolster Kennedy and the title.

JOHN MORRISON VS. CM PUNK FOR THE ECW TITLE

Background: Johnny Nitro caught a lucky break and earned Chris Benoit’s spot in the ECW title match against CM Punk at Vengeance. Nitro won in what many considered a major upset. On the July 3rd ECW on Sci-Fi Nitro and Punk go to pick the other one’s opponent. Nitro defeated Tommy Dreamer. Punk went over Kevin Thorn. Nitro teased Punk from the aisle after his match. On the July 10th ECW Punk beat Stevie Richards while Nitro took out Dreamer again in an extreme rules match. Only July 17th Punk beat Elijah Burke. Nitro’s press agent announced that the night would be Nitro’s last time in an ECW ring. It proved true as he later changed his name to John Morrison. Morrison bragged that he could walk at four months and run at eight months. He was elected student body president in high school and he didn’t even run for the post. While he was on names he wondered what CM Punk stood form. Chasing Men maybe? Punk came out. Morrison refused to face him until the pay per view, then sucker punched him. At the Great American Bash Morrison kicked Punk as he came off the ropes for a springboard clothesline and scored the pin.

On the July 24th ECW Morrison chided Punk for never getting another shot at his title. However, he would let anyone else have a title shot if they could last fifteen minutes with him in the ring. An unnamed wrestler emerged from the back and Morrison beat him in short order. For the main event Morrison teamed with Elijah Burke to face CM Punk and Tommy Dreamer. Punk pinned Burke with the Go 2 Sleep. Morrison defeated another unnamed wrestler in a few seconds on the next ECW. Morrison then asked for another challenger and got Tommy Dreamer. Burke and Punk followed him out. Punk suggested they have a triple threat match to see who would get a chance at fifteen minutes of fame with him next week. Punk won the match. All Punk had to do was last fifteen minutes, but he fought hard to pick up the win with just five seconds left. This gave him the SummerSlam title match. New general manager Armando Estrada presided over the contract signing for the match on August 14th. It was fairly civil. Estrada booked Punk against Big Daddy V. V knocked Punk off the apron to hit the announce table and he was counted out. In the main event the Boogeyman took on Morrison. Morrison knew he was in trouble and shoved the referee to get the DQ. Morrison and V teamed against Boogeyman and Punk at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Punk won the match with a small package on Morrison. On the next ECW Punk stayed with Boogeyman, but Morrison had a new tag team partner in the Miz. Punk didn’t see Morrison tag himself in. While he hit the Go 2 Sleep on Miz, Morrison suckered him with a corkscrew neckbreaker for the win.

Match Up: These two know each other well now. Morrison is smart enough to know he doesn’t have to win the match to retain the title. Taking the DQ or count out will be in the back of his mind. Punk needs to control the pace and flow of the match. Make Morrison react to him, not the other way around. Punk is hungry for the belt and needs to wrestle like it. He needs to come out of the gate fast and hard and go for the quick win. This will put Morrison off his game, but he can’t let him take a breather to regroup. The longer the match goes the more comfortable Morrison will get and be able to control it.

Outcome: Morrison is still establishing himself as a character and champion. Punk can still benefit from chasing Morrison into a bigger blow off with a major stipulation. Perhaps bringing back the old Stairway to Hell match. Morrison will win by cheating or take the DQ or count out to prove himself a smart, yet cowardly heel.

THE GREAT KHALI VS. BATISTA FOR THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE

Background: On the July 6th Smackdown Edge threatened to leave, because he didn’t have anything to do. Teddy Long told him he had a major guest for him for the Cutting Edge. It turned out to be Kane. Edge admitted that Kane had a decade of destruction, but we spawned the Rated R Era. Kane attacked Edge. He ran off and straight into Long who booked him against Kane for the Great American Bash. Earlier in the night Khali made an open challenge to anyone to face him at the Bash. No one answered he so beat up everything that moved until Batista finally took the challenge. On July 13th, Khali’s translator tried to get the match canceled, but it was no dice. Long later hosted a contract signing. Khali refused to shake Batista’s hand, so he slapped him. Elsewhere, Edge planned for a Mardi Gras styled party. He kept sensing Kane was everywhere and he was right. During the party Edge felt that the queen figure was Kane and speared him. It turned out he was dressed as the king and Kane attacked. This led to an injury that made Edge vacate the title the following. A battle royal was held to crown a new champion. The Great Khali won by dumping Kane and Batista at the same time in the end. A singles match was then held between the two for the title shot at GAB. It ended in a no contest, so both men got the shot. At the Bash Khali broke up a cover by Batista on Kane and then Tree Slammed Kane to score the win.

Batista defeated Deuce on the Smackdown for July 27th. The show ended with Khali celebrating his title reign with a party in the ring. Punjab dancers performed and showered him with flowers. Batista interrupted the celebration and asked for a one on one title match. Khali refused. Batista speared him. Khali’s translator backed him out of the ring before anything further could happen. On August 3rd Batista and Ric Flair teamed up against Deuce and Domino. Khali came out to draw Batista’s attention, but he still defeated the tag champs. Khali attacked Flair and knocked him out with the iron claw. Batista defeated Domino in a singles match on August 10th. Khali defeated Flair with the claw in the main event. Batista tried to make the save, but was clawed too. On the August 17th show Batista complained about Khali in the ring. Khali then appeared on the Titantron and crushed a basketball with his hand to show his mastery of the claw hold. Khali defeated Kane with the Iron Claw to close the show. On Saturday Night’s Main Event Kane and Batista faced Khali and Finlay. Khali took a double team choke slam and Finlay was pinned with a Demonbomb. Batista fought Finlay on the last Smackdown until Khali interfered, but he fought both men off.

Match Up: Batista is a straight up power wrestler, but that will be his downfall here. Khali has proven he can take anything Batista can throw at him while his Iron Claw can destroy anyone at anytime. Batista would be smart to target the claw hand and take that move out of the champion’s arsenal. Batista should then work on the legs and get the big man off his feet. Then use a sleeper or some other wear down hold. Khali needs a lot of oxygen to keep him going. Batista has to have a multi-tiered plan of attack, but he probably won’t.

Outcome: Khali has surprisingly proved to be a serviceable champion. With Rey Mysterio back, putting the giant Khali in a feud with the diminutive Rey would draw money and interest. Batista and Flair would make good opponents for the tag champions Deuce and Domino who don’t really have anyone else to feud with. While they may wish to protect Batista, him losing cleanly to the claw would help to put Khali and the move over more while not really hurting him too much.

JOHN CENA VS. RANDY ORTON FOR THE WWE TITLE

Background: On the July 23rd RAW acting general manager Jonathan Coachman stated he had his eyes on finding a new number one contender to the WWE title. He was going to be watching the night’s matches closely. He also booked a champions match with John Cena teaming with Candice Michelle to face Umaga, Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. Cena overcame the odds to win the match, but was then jumped by Randy Orton. Orton had defeated Cody Rhodes earlier in the night and impressed Coach enough to get the nod for a title shot. Carlito and Ken Kennedy both protested their claim to be the number one contender on the July 30th RAW. Cena countered that to prove themselves Kennedy should face Bobby Lashley and Carlito could take on him. Kennedy defeated Lashley and injured his shoulder. Orton distracted Cena so Carlito could get the Backstabber for the win. Earlier in the night Orton continued his legend killing ways by defeating Sgt. Slaughter.

Cena was Carlito’s guest on the Cabana on August 6th. However, Cena took over the show and interviewed himself. He and Carlito brawled until Orton ran out. General manager William Regal allowed Carlito and Orton to pick anyone they wanted to face Cena in the main event. They selected Umaga. Cena locked Umaga in the STFU. Orton and Carlito attacked for the disqualification. Umaga didn’t care for this and attacked Carlito and Orton for interfering. Regal then booked a tag match between the four for the next week. Cena and Umaga won that. Cena beat Carlito at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but was attacked afterwards by Orton. Orton threw Cena into the ring stairs. Orton opened the August 20th RAW to brag on himself, but was interrupted by Vince McMahon. McMahon was looking for his illegitimate son on the RAW roster. Cena then ran out and got into it with Vince. McMahon booked Cena to face Snitksy. Orton nailed Cena with the RKO to force a DQ in the match.

Match Up: Cena and Orton have faced each other a few times. Orton is hungry for the title, but he also sees it as his right to have. No matter what he does he feels he will win. That is dangerous thinking against Cena. The champ has faced all obstacles and triumphed. Orton’s cockiness has been his undoing in the past and could be again here. He needs to control the match and take Cena off his game with power moves and wear down holds. Orton can’t just build up to the RKO as the knock out punch, but his effectiveness to hit the move at anytime from anywhere will be a key factor. Cena gets by on heart and determination and will most likely do so again here if he wins.