Where do you see the WWE...

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Right now on RAW we have Edge, Benoit, and HHH as possible champions, Jericho and Orton are on the fringes, and Batista is being hinted as a possible contender. There is a RAW PPV in early January, and also the Royal Rumble. Will HHH be the title holder all the way up to Mania? Will the Royal Rumble be from the Raw brand?

 

Right now on Smackdown we have Taker, Booker, Eddie as contenders for JBL's title heading into their PPV in 2 weeks. Kurt Angle is in a lil bit of limbo right now, battling injuries and waiting for an opportunity. Big Show is also a factor.

 

So, where do you see each show being in 1 month (End of the Year, setting up for the Rumble)? In 2 Months (After the Rumble, setting up for WM)? And in 4 months (WM)?

 

You can either fantasty book the way YOU would have it, or you can put yourself inside the mind of Vince McMahon and look where the WWE will be headed in that time.

 

Key Dates:

 

Sunday, December 12, 2004: Armageddon (Smackdown)

Sunday, Janurary 9, 2005: New Years Revolution (Raw)

Sunday, January 30, 2005: Royal Rumble (Split)

Sunday, February 20, 2005: No Way Out (Smackdown)

Sunday, April 3, 2005: Wrestlemania (Split)

 

Quite frankly, I haven't given it much thought (not nearly as much as I used to), so this is an opportunity for all of us to look ahead and map out the upcoming months.

 

Things to consider:

 

Snitsky and Heidenreich meeting at Survivor Series. Snitsky having just finished a feud with Kane and Taker feuding with Heidenreich. A possible match at WM, or perhaps something earlier?

 

Smackdown is in Pittsburgh, Kurt Angle's hometown.

 

Angle and Taker have been rumoured to be looking to face each other at Mania.

 

HHH can pick whomever he wants to face at Mania, and will likely pick the match best for him.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

HHH isn't an idiot and methinks after seeing the way the crowd has taken to Batista in the last few weeks he may seriously be reconsidering his plan to make himself Flair and make Orton the new Sting at WrestleMania.

 

Now, HHH as Flair and Batista as Vader on the other hand..........

[Guest Loss]

I need to see what the plan is next week with Jericho at the helm. At this point, we don't know who the champion is, and when the smoke clears, if the belt goes back on HHH, I think he'll hold it until Mania and drop it to Orton there. If the belt ends up on Benoit, I think he'll drop the belt to HHH at the Rumble after successfully defending the title in the Elimination Chamber at New Years Revolution, leading again to HHH/Orton at Wrestlemania. If Edge ends up with the title, I see Edge holding the belt until WM, when he drops to Orton in the title match while HHH and Batista have a non-title match that gets WAY, WAY, WAY more hype. If Jericho somehow interjects himself into the title scene next week and wins a big match, I think he'll be laying down for HHH at the Royal Rumble.

 

I really think the booking of next week's RAW will tell me everything I need to know about what they plan on doing until Wrestlemania.

 

On Smackdown, I see Bradshaw dropping the belt to Eddy Guerrero, who would have some type of "finality" match with Angle at the Royal Rumble, where Kurt would take the title. I see Orton winning the Rumble, but 'Taker winning some type of crazy handicap match at No Way Out to get a title shot against Angle.

 

I think we'll have two new champs coming out of Mania -- Undertaker and Orton.

[JoeDirt 0]

I don't know what will happen on RAW in the next few weeks, but coming out of New Years Revolution there is no doubt HHH will be the champ one way or another.

 

I'm really concerned about Smackdown's lack of any direction. RAW seems to at least have a direction right now, whether you like Randy Orton or not. Guys like Batista, Benjamin, Snitsky and Edge are getting good pushes and seem to be really getting over. There are a lot more positives on RAW than on Smackdown right now. Smackdown is just a mess. There are very few stars getting built up, and no direction you can really see them going in. That said, I see Eddie (or maybe Booker) as champ heading into the new year, and losing to Angle at the Rumble. I predict Orton will win the Rumble, so we have HHH vs. Orton and Angle vs. Taker at Wrestlemania.

 

It's really hard to say with Smackdown, though, because who really knows what the hell is going on with that show. Some people have said we might see JBL vs. Cena for the title at Wrestlemania and that's a possibility I suppose, but Meltzer said that isn't the current plan, so I'll go with that.

[King Cucaracha 0]

When is HBK supposed to get back from his injury? I actually believe that if they have the time, they'll do Angle/HBK this year at Mania. I could then see Taker/Kane vs. Heidenreich/Snitsky as another inter-promotional match.

 

That'd leave Orton to win the Rumble and then the title at Mania (which he absolutely has to after he got the shaft with that one month reign) from Triple H. Cena'll win a number one contender dealy and go on to Mania to beat JBL for the belt. Also, The Rock'll probably be back for his Mania appearance...I see Rock vs. Edge at Mania.

 

 

If not, then swap the first two for Taker/Angle and uhm...I dunno, Snitsky/Kane rematch and Eddie/Heidenreich.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Have the E-Chamber match at RR since (1)RR Typically has fewer matches than most PPV cards and (2)NYE will need its star power spread out.

[JoeDirt 0]

Have the E-Chamber match at RR since (1)RR Typically has fewer matches than most PPV cards and (2)NYE will need its star power spread out.

I wouldn't waste the EC on a show like the Rumble, which is going to draw because of the Rumble itself anyways. Plus that's four guys that could be in the Rumble that wouldn't be because of the chamber match.

[algrim 0]

Some of you are forgetting that once HBK comes back, he'll most likely go after Edge for costing him his chance at the title during Taboo Tuesday.

[Guest hhheld_down]

only thing i am sure on is HHH/Orton is where RAW is heading

 

SD!, i dont know.. I guess they could go UT/Angle for the title but I hope they dont. I wander what they are going to do with JBL after he looses the WWE title (if he loses it before WM), keep in the title hunt, or (hopefully) drop him like a sack of potatos.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

They could still be in the Rumble even if they are in the Elimination Chamber match.

 

The Elimination Chamber is not a draw

 

Survivor Series: 1998 - 1.3 (highest), 1999 - 1.14 (12% drop), 2000 - 1 (12% drop), 2001 - 1.13 (13% raise), 2002 - 0.86 (24% drop), 2003 - 0.73 (15% drop).

 

The 2002 Suvivor Series (which featured the E-chamber) had the largest drop in buyrates. It DOUBLED the the drops from previous years.

 

Summerslam: 1998 - 1.48 (highest), 1999 - 1.47 (1% decrease). 2000 - 1.40 (5% decrease), 2001 - 1.32 (6% decrease), 2002 - 1.32 (no decrease), 2003 - 0.94 (29% decrease)

 

The 2003 Summerslam, which featured the Echamber, did a 29% decrease which is almost 5x's the highest rate of decrease in previous years.

 

Looking at both of these decreases, it is not only clear that the Echamber is not a draw, but it now raises a question whether or not it HURTS buyrates.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

EC at The Rumble seems like too much in one place. The Rumble itself is a big enough sell and taking all of the top RAW guys out of the match may not work. I don't have any faith in the SD crew delivering any memorable moments on the show if they're left to anchor the Rumble.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

They could call The 2005 RR "Final Elimination" and even potentially have the chamber come down near the end of the rumble with the last 4 guys left in the ring (this could be done as a surprise or they could hype it, preferably as a surprise). That would be NUTS as it adds a whole new twist to the RR concept.

 

Since I'd say Taker is winning it this year, it doesn't matter if any of the RAW guys aren't in it in this regard. However, who is to say they wouldn't be? Granted, they need to "sell" the impact of the chamber, but all of these guys (Orton, Edge, Benoit, Jericho) are characterized as being willing to go the extra mile, to take the pain, and continue on, because the title means that much to them.

[Guest Coffey]

Well, I don't get Smackdown, nor follow it, so I don't have a clue what they're doing. On Raw, this is what I forsee for Wrestlemania:

 

Gene Snitsky Vs. Kane

Triple H Vs. Randy Orton (whom will win the Royal Rumble)

Batista Vs. Ric Flair

Edge Vs. Shawn Michaels

 

It's tough to say what Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Christian & Trish Stratus will be doing. I'm sure Lita/Trish will be more than played out by then (since it is now) and Jericho/Benoit don't have a lot to do really. I assume that we could have something with Shelton Benjamin too.

[Guest LooneyTune]

Why screw with something that already works perfectly and draws money? The Royal Rumble Match that is. Why screw it over with a stupid Cage?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

The odds are the Royal Rumble will draw significantly lower than last years buyrate. Last year had the advantage of being the influence for WM XX and it still managed to be only marginally up from the previous year and hugely down from the year before that in comparison; this year doesn't have that advantage. The past 2 years have been significantly lower than the 6 year average, which means bad things for the 05 rating.

 

This is more comparable to 2003 rumble which had an astonishing 41% decrease from the previous year. That featured HHH/Steiner and Angle/ Benoit on top, with Lesnar being the favourite to win.

 

There needs to be an added incentive for fans to buy this show, because the Rumble isn't a sure thing.

[The Czech Republic 0]

They could call The 2005 RR "Final Elimination" and even potentially have the chamber come down near the end of the rumble with the last 4 guys left in the ring (this could be done as a surprise or they could hype it, preferably as a surprise). That would be NUTS as it adds a whole new twist to the RR concept.

Hey Rudo, you're the man and all, but you can't fuck with the one night that I take pro wrestling seriously.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Oh, I CAN!

 

They could have the cage lowered temporarily by, say Crazy-Old-Man Flair, because if no one can escape then no one can win and possibly face HHH at the rumble. Then, like, Eugene can stop him and raise the cage back up.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Why would you have the worst gimmick match interfere in the best gimmick match? That's like Dennis DeYoung doing a walk-on at a Frank Zappa concert.

 

The only way I'll respect the Elimination Chamber is if someone gets trapped in a glass chamber with dry ice vapor like in This Is Spinal Tap.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Because it's a twist that they haven't done yet and which could provide interesting results. It allows for character development as it will show how each wrestler reacts to the situation. The Rumble has been so predictable over the past few years that this unpredictability could liven it up, even for a few minutes. It could provide a memorable moment that will carry on to the next rumble where fans say "what could they do here to top it?".

[The Czech Republic 0]

Which is all well and good but that match SUUUUUUUUCKS.

 

 

Also continuing the Spinal Tap trend, have the Elimination Chamber be a scale model.

[Guest The Shadow Behind You]

Wow. TSM turned on Rudo.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Jericho is on the "fringe" of what?

 

Jobbing clean to Shelton twice? Getting pummeled by Batista? Back to making stupid jokes with Trish?

 

Jericho's job as GM this week will be to make a four-way World Title match, including himself. He ain't winning.

[Guest LooneyTune]

We can't even trust the booking or "rumors that are just as good as 100% sure" anymore. Jericho was the favorite of winning the title in a Battle Royale? well, the match ended up not being for the title, and he didn't even win it.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Wow. TSM turned on Rudo.

Yeah, TCR and LooneyTune, the revolution will be televised

[Guest LooneyTune]

I didn't even know I turned on someone.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I can't believe you guys turned on me.

[Slickster 0]

Eh, methinks that the Rumble format is one of the last sacred cows in WWE; I'd only be on board if it were, say, lowered for part of the match but didn't directly influence the finish (like the 'hardcore' segment of the 2001 Rumble). At least with the Rumble, any fan (even if they haven't watched since 1989) can watch a Rumble match and have some idea of the rules; the Rumble is about the only thing that hasn't changed since the Attitude Era.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I can't believe you guys turned on me.

It was a swoive. You never saw it coming.

[SuperJerk 0]

Jericho's job as GM this week will be to make a four-way World Title match, including himself. He ain't winning.

Sad, but true.

[Guest chief]

They could still be in the Rumble even if they are in the Elimination Chamber match.

 

The Elimination Chamber is not a draw

 

Survivor Series: 1998 - 1.3 (highest), 1999 - 1.14 (12% drop), 2000 - 1 (12% drop), 2001 - 1.13 (13% raise), 2002 - 0.86 (24% drop), 2003 - 0.73 (15% drop).

 

The 2002 Suvivor Series (which featured the E-chamber) had the largest drop in buyrates. It DOUBLED the the drops from previous years.

 

Summerslam: 1998 - 1.48 (highest), 1999 - 1.47 (1% decrease). 2000 - 1.40 (5% decrease), 2001 - 1.32 (6% decrease), 2002 - 1.32 (no decrease), 2003 - 0.94 (29% decrease)

 

The 2003 Summerslam, which featured the Echamber, did a 29% decrease which is almost 5x's the highest rate of decrease in previous years.

 

Looking at both of these decreases, it is not only clear that the Echamber is not a draw, but it now raises a question whether or not it HURTS buyrates.

This is misleading.

Look at the buys compared to the other PPV's during the year.

 

In '02, it was a lower PPV, but did around what the other non gimmick (Mania, Rumble, return of nWo) events did.

 

In '03, it outperformed a bunch of shows (especially non gimmicked ones, ie goldberg's first match, mania, rumble etc)

 

Meltzer wrote a decent piece back then about how the EC actually saved that SummerSlam from a pretty bad buyrate......and the numbers which were trending downward, bear this out.

 

 

-Paul Jacobi-