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FAST FORWARD: Raw Scramble Match, Smackdown Scramble Match, Christian to WWE - Predictions and Please Not That! Aug 31, 2008 - 11:51:34 AM
Welcome to the third installment of "Fast Forward", the column that lets everyone know what is going to happen before it actually does...well, tries to, at least. This week's main focus is the scramble matches set for Unforgiven. Since we have yet to experience a scramble match before, and since all three major titles are being defended in said match, my first prediction of this column is that I will have some trouble with the rest of the predictions to come; but I guess that's the brakes, so on with the predictions!
MAIN EVENT PREDICTION:
Raw Scramble Match: Batista is the first man to start the match, followed by Kane. The two brawl for the first five minutes until C.M. Punk makes his entrance into the match. Punk gets on a roll reminiscent to how he entered the last Royal Rumble match until Kane knocks him out of the ring.
Batista begins to get the best of Kane and looks as though he is going for the Batista Bomb until time runs down and JBL enters the mix. JBL works over all three competitors until Punk hits him with a few stiff kicks. Once Punk takes out JBL, Batista knocks Punk out with a spinebuster. Then Kane clobbers Batista with his flying forearm, leaving Kane the only man standing as time ticks down.
Mysterio makes his long awaited return, hitting Kane from every side. Mysterio then takes out JBL, as well as Punk before Big Dave stands in his path. Mysterio goes on the offence, but is cut short by Batista.
Then out of nowhere JBL hits Batista with the Clothesline from Hell. He makes the cover, but Punk is there to make the save. Kane then brings a chair into the fold, but Mysterio is able to turn it around on Kane. The two then battle on the outside of the ring and towards the back.
Meanwhile, Punk eliminates JBL with the GTS and appears to have the win sealed until Batista comes from behind and hits the Batista Bomb on Punk. He makes the cover just as time expires, thus Punk remains World Heavyweight Champion.
Notice, this scramble match has no pinfalls or submissions. I think for this pay-per-view to work, all three matches must be put together differently. I think this match will close the show and the excitement will come from Batista being one second too late to capture the title.
MID-CARD PREDICTION:
ECW Scramble Match: Mark Henry and Finlay are the first and second men to start this match. It will be a normally paced match-up until Finlay dumps Henry to the outside as time ticks down and the third entrant, The Miz, enters the battle.
Finlay and The Miz have a back and forth match until Hornswoggle distracts The Miz long enough for Finlay to hit him with the shillelagh and score the first pinfall. Mark Henry comes back in the ring and quickly flattens Finlay with the World's Strongest Slam and is able to score a quick pinfall to regain his place at the top of the mountain.
Chavo enters the fray next and starts to get the best of Mark Henry with his speed. Henry is able to fight Chavo off until Finlay tosses Henry out of the ring yet again and hits Chavo with the Celtic Cross. Just as he does so, The Miz comes out of nowhere and chop blocks Finlay out of the way to pick the bones of Chavo and score the pin.
Just then, Matt Hardy enters the match and goes to work on The Miz, quickly hitting him with the Twist of Fate. He goes for the pin, but a Frog Splash delivered by Chavo breaks it up. Chavo then attempts to get a pin on Hardy, but Henry breaks that up by tossing Chavo out of the ring. Henry then goes on the offensive against The Miz, hitting him with a Vader Bomb to score yet another pin. Finlay then enters the ring and goes to work on Henry, but Henry is able to fight him off.
At the close of the match, it is down to Hardy and Henry. A back and forth battle ensues until Hardy hits the Twist of Fate and pins Henry to capture the ECW Title as time expires.
I know in my last column I wrote that the ECW Championship should stay with Henry for a while, but with this formula, there can be this swerve. Henry could say that Hardy just got lucky, setting up a rematch where Henry can regain his title.
FINGERS-CROSSED PREDICTION:
Christian to WWE: I am going to shift gears from the scramble theme of this week and talk about Christian. Christian's contract in TNA is coming up in the next couple of months and there is no guarantee as to what he will be doing once it does.
Christian reportedly left WWE on good terms. With the success that he has had in TNA and the popularity that he has garnered, it is expected that WWE would welcome him back with open arms.
But is that the route that Christian really wants to take? In WWE, Christian would not be the top draw that he is in TNA. The travel schedule would obviously be much tougher as well. But there is definitely something to be said about being an employee on the big stage compared to one in the minor leagues.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that Christian comes home to WWE once he is contractually able to. I would like to see him on the Raw brand and come back with the edge that he had during his final few months in WWE back in 2005.
I hope that Christian can have stand out feuds with the likes of CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, and Kofi Kingston as well as show his Main Event status with programs with John Cena, Batista, and Shawn Michaels.
I hope Christian returns as a heel and cuts some of the best promos of the year. I hope he comes back with the Peep Show and is really able to explore that facet of his character.
I think it goes without saying that there is so much more fore Christian back in WWE rather than in TNA. He is too much of a big fish in a little pond over on TNA and I just hope he decides to make the jump back to the WWE where he can really have the success that he cannot achieve in the other company.
PLEASE NOT THAT PREDICTION:
Smackdown Scramble Match: MVP and Shelton Benjamin start things off for the Blue Brand to continue their mini feud and to give the audience the heel versus heel dynamic that we do not see all too often. The two have solid back and forth action until Jeff Hardy makes his appearance.
Jeff Hardy goes to town on both Benjamin and MVP until MVP cuts him down with a big boot to the face. Benjamin then regains his composure and the two form an alliance and begin to tear Hardy apart. This continues until Shelton attempts to get a quick cover on Hardy. MVP breaks that up until the two argue and the alliance is broken.
As the two begin brawling back and forth, The Brian Kendrick saunters to the ring with Ezekiel by his side. Kendrick starts beating on Hardy and goes for the pin, but MVP breaks it up. MVP and Kendrick fight back and forth while Benjamin comes from out of nowhere and hits Pay Dirt on Hardy to score a pinfall.
Just then, Triple H's music hits and he comes down to the ring and starts to take out Benjamin, MVP, and Kendrick. Triple H clears the ring of the heels until he is staring in the face of Jeff Hardy. Hardy and Triple H have a back and forth brawl until Benjamin, Kendrick, and MVP enter the fray once again.
Kendrick and MVP double-team Triple H as time is winding down. Hardy then is able to get the best of Benjamin, hit the Swanton Bomb, and score the pin and win to capture the WWE Championship. From there a case that Triple H was not involved in the pin could be made to setup their rematch.
I know a lot of people are pulling for Jeff in this one, but since this prediction is in the "Please Not That" section of the column, you must know that I am not one of them. I don't think this is the right match for Jeff to finally reach the top of the mountain. He deserves a high profile one-on-one match-up at a big pay-per-view. Plus, with the way that CM Punk is being booked over on Raw, I do not think the time is right for Hardy as champion over on Smackdown. I think that the two champions would be too similar and make each other's characters a bit stale.
ONE FINAL PREDICTION:
TNA will go one step further, and instead of recycling footage of the past when their fans were going nuts, they will use footage of people going crazy for the Beatles back in the '60s.
That does it for this week's "Fast Forward." Remember to watch Unforgiven on the 7th so you can poke fun at me if I am way off with my predictions this week. Keep your emails coming kylehodgdon@hotmail.com, and I will be back next weekend with another batch of predictions!
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