Hulk Hogan ‘gets’ OJ

Perennial liar Hulk Hogan has ‘sympathised’ OJ Simpson.

Hogan (real name Terry Bollea) is going through a divorce with wife Linda at the moment, who is now having a relationship with a man many years her junior.

“I could have turned everything into a crime scene, like O.J., cutting everybody’s throat,” he told Rolling Stone, according to the Post story. “You live half a mile from the 20,000-square-foot home you can’t go to anymore, you’re driving through downtown Clearwater and see a 19-year-old boy driving your Escalade, and you know that a 19-year-old boy is sleeping in your bed, with your wife … I totally understand O.J. I get it.” (Source: TBO.com)

It is hard to say if the disturbing comments are the genuine words of Terry Bollea or the bizarre workings of Hulk Hogan – I am not sure there is much difference any more. Either way, it is safe to say that the continuing family problems facing Hogan are leaving the man with many anger issues and I am sure his finances are taking a beating too; he’ll probably be wanting one last run in the ring with WWE to pay for the divorce, brother!

WrestleMania XXV Review

Initial notes: I was not happy AT ALL that the Tag Team Championship Unification match was turned into a dark match; also, I know I made certain notes about Stone Cold but once I saw his HOF speech I knew that he wouldn’t be in an angle; strangely, I was still hoping, when JBL lost to Rey that he’d slag off Texas and we’d hear the glass smash but alas, his career is over.

Austin, along with The Rock, was reason I started watching wrestling again after a hiatus that followed the rubbish end of WM9. While The Rock was better on the mic, and there are certain wrestlers that are better in the ring such as Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels, I still believe that the best wrestler of all-time, in terms of overall package, was, is and always will be Stone Cold Steve Austin. The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be is NOT Bret Hart; it’s Stone Cold Steve Austin.

But I digress. So onto WM25:

Money In The Bank - This match is one which has already started to suffer a bit from repetitiveness, but this was a solid outing with some great high points. Kofi Kingston running up the non-stationary ladder and the overall performance – yet again – of Shelton Benjamin were outstanding. I really hope they allow Shelton to win one in the next year or two if he remains as a competitor in the annual event, as he is always the star of the show. I was genuinely surprised at CM Punk’s win; I may be being naive here but I am hopeful this means that he will get a better championship run this time around. Still, this is WWE, so….

Winner: CM Punk (my prediction: MVP) – Rating: 7/10

Diva Battle Royale - It was about as you would expect, but why bother with the diva’s from days gone by without giving them so much as a proper introduction? That said, I still found ‘Santina’ genuinely amusing!

Winner: Santina Morella (my prediction: Melina) – Rating: 5/10

Jericho vs The Legends - I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this! Superfly can’t move properly and shouldn’t still wrestle. I loved him in his heyday and it makes me sad to see him like this now. But Roddy Piper put in his best in-ring performance in years, and if anyone ever doubted Ricky Steamboat’s ability, then he made a mockery of that on Sunday night. In terms of pure in-ring ability, this guy deserves all the credit he has received. Jericho did okay, his spot with Rourke was all-too predictable but then this whole angle became more of a mess than it should have done.

Winner: Chris Jericho (my prediction: The Legends) – Rating: 7/10

Rey Mysterio vs JBL – This was a nothing match which got a big pop for the quick win. It was like a poor man’s version of the Ultimate Warrior’s Intercontinental title win against The Honky Tonk Man. I will be sad to see JBL go as a personality, as he was entertaining on the mic and a superb commentator, which I thought he would go into given the absence of Tazz. But as a wrestler I wont miss him at all, and it is probably best for his physical well-being that he has walked away. I suppose getting beaten up by Joey Styles didn’t help matters…!

Winner: Rey Mysterio (my prediction: JBL) – Rating: 5/10

Matt vs Jeff - Very good match with some great spots. I am just glad this was as good as it could be, as I was honestly concerned that the similar styles may have clashed. Nice to see Matt get the win on the big stage.

Winner: Matt Hardy (my prediction: Jeff Hardy) – Rating: 8/10

Undertaker vs Michaels - Two absolute masters of their craft going at it. Wonderful. So great in fact, that I watched again on Monday night – even my Dad watched it and enjoyed it! One of the all-time great matches. The Undertaker’s spot with the cameraman was horrific, I thought he was going to end up paralysed. Michaels kicking out of the Tombstone was pretty damn cool too. I mean, I expected him to kick out of the chokeslam and the Last Ride (I am not complaining about that, I would have been disappointed had them spots not been in there, as it all adds to the psychology) but when he kicked out of the Tombstone I was actually surprised, which is a rare moment in wrestling for me these days!

Winner: Undertaker (my prediction: Undertaker) – Rating: 10/10

Cena/Big Show/Edge – This was better than I thought it would be, and the ending with Cena simultaneously lifting Show & Edge was freaking awesome! Say what you like about Cena, but he works exceptionally hard, is usually entertaining on the mic and, because of his freakish strength will provide the odd amazing spot like Sunday night. Obviously it couldn’t follow the previous match, though.

Winner: John Cena (my prediction: John Cena) – Rating: 7/10

HHH vs Orton - Much like the triple threat, it was never going to be better than the REAL main event of ‘Taker vs HBK. But, this was still a dull affair. The build-up to this feud has been good but as I have said, they had feuded three times previously (that includes a DX v Rated RKO feud) and this match was somewhere in the middle. It ended okay, but overall it was pretty dull.

Winner: Triple H (my prediction: Triple H) – Rating: 6/10

Summary: WM25 was further proof that the WWE has a problem with developing new stars. Even those that it has, such as Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr, have been buried by HHH. They are also from wrestling families, meaning it is easier for them than someone just looking to break in. I am going to be 100% honest, I think my viewing days of wrestling are going to become less & less. The convenience of Sky+ means it is easy for me to just leave it on series link & follow the action, but the truth is I fast forward that much of them these days that I can get 7 hours worth of weekly wrestling viewing (that includes TNA with the 3 WWE brand shows) in about 3 hours. A lack of long-term planning, new stars and the irreplaceable absence of the likes of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin means that wrestling feels stale and I truthfully have little faith that this will change.

That said, I am a fan of the grap game and will no doubt continue to watch and just get frustrated that it’s not as good as it used to be – much like I do with football and heavyweight boxing!

As for the event itself, it was a shame about the tag match being made into a dark match, and the event was relatively predictable in terms of quality; this analysis includes Stone Cold’s segment, which was as good as it could be. Nicole Scherzinger did okay with the opening, Kid Rock felt like a bizarre waste of time. Overall, it was a fairly average ‘Mania, with one absolutely wonderful match.

Overall rating – 7/10

WrestleMania XXV Preview

First things first – take note, this is called WrestleMania 25 and not the “25th Anniversary of WrestleMania”. Yes, I know that is the official line that they have gone with but honestly, it is shocking that something so profoundly incorrect has been allowed to run!

Anyway, rant over. On to the card:

WWE Heavyweight Championship Match
Randy Orton (w/ Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase) vs Triple H (w/ Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) (C)

This could go either way. On one hand, I think that Randy Orton winning is the right thing for business. But on the other, the storyline has gone such a way that I think HHH will win. With this being WM25, the chances are that the last image we see is HHH & the McMahon family standing in the ring, celebrating. In addition, HHH has put over his last few opponents at ‘Mania and I would be surprised to see him do it again. I do not even except this to be the end of the feud, and therefore would suggest Orton will probably take the belt at a later date.

Prediction: HHH win

“The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker

This has been the best build-up, and I am absolutely certain it will be the best on the card. If it isn’t, I think that will be because someone else managed to conjure up something special, not because this is a let-down. Two absolute masters of their craft, I expect them to put on a fantastic match. To the untrained fan, it may seem in the build-up that HBK has ‘Taker’s number. This wont be the case though, and I fully expect Undertaker to win; even with that confidence, I am still genuinely excited about this match.

Prediction: Undertaker win

World Heavyweight Championship Match
John Cena vs Edge (C) vs The Big Show

The build-up to this has been amusing in places, but the truth is it just doesn’t feel like a main event worthy of ‘Mania. That is partly because of the Big Show, who to me is always better in an upper mid-card role.

Edge is one of the best in the business today, and will help carry this to a decent match. If him and Cena can carry Show then it will be okay, but nothing better. If this was the final match I’d say it will guarantee a Cena win, but as it isn’t, then it is left more open to an Edge win. I will be genuinely surprised if Big Show won. I still think it will be Cena’s event though.

Prediction: John Cena win

25-Diva Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal

This features every ‘diva’ on the roster and a few ex-diva’s. Nothing more than a way of getting all the women involved, this is ultimately filler and will involve lots of quick exits. Personally, I would like to see my favourite female wrestler, Gail Kim, pick up the win, but it will depend on who is in it. If they go with Mae Young, which I really hope they don’t, then she will win as she will be unable to take the bump that comes with being eliminated.

Prediction (based on Mae Young not been involved): Um… probably a Melina win.

Extreme Rules Match
Matt Hardy vs Jeff Hardy

This should be good. The Hardy’s had a feud a few years ago that, quite frankly, was a disappointment. But now they are bigger stars, more experienced, more comfortable in the spotlight and in a solo environment.

To me, after a brilliant promo by Matt, the build-up has been a bit disappointing. But I expect this to deliver in the ring. Personally, I’ve always preferred Matt, but there is little doubt that Jeff is the bigger star and, after the way the build-up has gone, I’d be surprised at a Matt victory.

Prediction: Jeff Hardy win

WWE Tag Team Championship Unification Match
WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz vs World Tag Team Champions Carlito and Primo Colón

I must say, I have really enjoyed the matches these teams have had, and I hope the unification of the belts is a permanent move. The tag-team division is very poor, and really should be kept to just Smackdown! as far as I am concerned. I also think the Intercontinental and US title’s should be unified, but that is another conversation for another time.

The lumberjack aspect of this is an easy way of getting everyone on the pay-roll, and may add a twist. But I expect a solid in-ring encounter and I hope that neither of these teams are split up for a while yet.

Prediction: Miz & Morrison win

Legends Challenge Gauntlet Match
Chris Jericho vs Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Rowdy Roddy Piper and Jimmy “The Superfly” Snuka (w/ Ric Flair and Mickey Rourke)

From what I have read, Vince tried to get Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin & The Rock to face Jericho but was unsuccessful. There was even a report that he had approached The Ultimate Warrior, although I find that hard to believe. I feel he should have gone with Jerry Lawler, but he decided not to.

Our Kid said he was clinging on the hope that Jericho will give attack the 3 legends prior to their match, and then Ric Flair will introduce Stone Cold as Jericho’s new opponent. While I would equally love that, and it would undoubtedly get the biggest pop of the night – in fact, probably one of the biggest pops in history – the truth is, if they was going to use Austin then I think they would have advertised it for PPV buy purposes. Jericho has been very good in the build-up, but unfortunately I don’t see this as being great in the ring, and the (star of ‘The Wrestler’) Micky Rourke factor will no doubt lead to a legend’s win.

Prediction – Legend’s win

Money In The Bank Ladder Match
Christian vs Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle) vs Mark Henry (w/ Tony Atlas) vs Montel Vontavious Porter vs Kane vs Shelton Benjamin vs CM Punk vs Kofi Kingston

I am disappointed that Kane and Mark Henry are involved. I’d rather have seen numerous other wrestlers involved, but hey, these things happen. I still expect this to be entertaining, although I would imagine it will be of a lesser quality than many other MITB matches of years gone by.

Right, I don’t see Mark Henry or Finlay winning. I’d be surprised to see CM Punk win 2 years on the trot. I don’t see Kane winning unless it is some sort of ‘loyalty award’ where he has a period of transitional champ at some point. I believe if Kofi Kingston was going to win it then he would have had a ready-made revenge storyline with Edge prepared, but as he lost his ‘grude’ match in a fashion that made Kingston look like a loser, I think this comes down to MVP, Christian and Shelton Benjamin. I am a fan of all 3 and will be glad if any of them win. I don’t think it will be Shelton due to what appears to be his standing with the office, and if there is any truth in what I have read, Christian is not one of Vince’s favourite and wasn’t even going to be in the match originally. Therefore…

Prediction: MVP win

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Rey Mysterio vs John “Bradshaw” Layfield (C)

Rey doesn’t particularly need the belt to make him any bigger a star, and given his recent victory over JBL (why did they do that?) I would say JBL will get the win here.

Prediction: JBL win

Anything else?

Well, I would be amazed if Stone Cold Steve Austin doesn’t feature on the card. In fact, if anything, it is actually a little intriguing that nothing has been reported of his involvement. Over the past year or so I have saw rumours that he will wrestle Hogan, Rock, Vince and Jericho on the card. As it is, he clearly isn’t going to wrestle anyone, but I can not believe that, at the 25th ‘Mania, in his home-town, with him being the biggest star in the history of the business and with him being inducted in the Hall of Fame this evening, that they will not use the man. I await with anticipation as to what happens there… suffice it to say I will be deeply disappointed if he isn’t involved now!

Oh and (Pussycat Doll) Nicole Scherzinger will sing America The Beautifu. Dang, she fine! Kid Rock will also be performing… he not so fine!

Anyway, enjoy the show folks. It is not the most exciting looking of cards, but more often than not, Vince gets it right on the big stage. Let’s hope that tomorrow night is yet another occasion where this is the case.