Predictions: WWE Presents TLC!

Unified Tag Team Championships (TLC Match)

Jeri-Show vs. D-Generation X

Predicted Winner: DX
Reason: Jeri-Show's running campaign has been that DX has never been in a TLC Match, but neither has Big Show. DX has a tendency for not campaigning for title matches, like at the Survivor Series for the WWE Championship, but when it came down to business, they put on a hell of a match. I believe that the next succession in tag team champions who are worthy to transcend all three shows is DX. Jericho has done an amazing job, showing up on every episode of RAW, an episode of ECW, and making regular appearances on his own brand on SmackDown. Jericho even led SmackDown to victory at Bragging Rights, making SmackDown the superior brand. Jeri-Show has held the titles since Night of Champions, while Jericho held it just a bit longer at The Bash with his original partner Edge. Bottom line: Jeri-Show has run its course, its time for the DX Army to have their Generals decorated in Tag Team Gold. Plus, it would give us a chance to see history repeat itself: Jericho became the first Undisputed World Champion followed by Triple H - so now that Jericho is the Unified Tag Team Champion, who better than Triple H to succeed again?

WWE Championship (Tables Match)

John Cena vs. Sheamus

Predicted Winner: John Cena
Reason: Plain and simple, whenever they try boosting Sheamus, and that the rest of the WWE Locker Room can't stand Cena - WWE has to lessen Sheamus and boosting Cena even more. John Cena has been boosted up so high, exactly like Hulk Hogan, that it is not believable that a one-hit wonder like Sheamus can surpass "The Champ." Remember the late Eddie Fatu? WWE build him up as the Samoan Savage, undefeated - just like Sheamus, here - and gave him his first loss. That's what Cena does, he slays the giants, monsters, and freaks.

World Heavyweight Championship (Chairs Match)

The Undertaker vs. Batista

Predicted Winner: The Undertaker

Reason: Batista has been built up as a heel way to aggressively. Sure, Batista has defeated The Undertaker before, but I sense that the Deadman will prevail once again. This may be Taker's final World Title in his career, and I believe WWE wants to make it a long one. And sure, it's easy to be badass when you attack someone from behind, but what happens when you go one-on-one with The Phenom?

ECW Championship (Ladder Match)

Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin

Predicted Winner: Shelton Benjamin
Reason: Shelton Benjamin has been in almost every MitB imaginable, and he has always been looked over. Shelton Benjamin is a world class athlete and deserves a major win. His gimmick has been dying out as he's been passed from brand to brand, but he returned to ECW for a second time looking to reinvent himself. 1st stay at ECW he became the Gold Standard (heel), now he is the Gold Standard (babyface). Christian has held the title for too long, and he claims he wants to steal the show, I think Shelton will be stealing the once-coveted ECW Title.

Intercontinental Championship

John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre

Predicted Winner: John Morrison
Reason: Did you see that excellent promo-gag that Morrison did towards McIntyre? He was dressed like William Wallace! John Morrison defeated Rey Mysterio for the title back in the summer, and defeated Dolph Ziggler in countless IC Title matches. If anyone were to win the belt, it would be Drew McIntyre, but not tonight.

Women's Championship

Michelle McCool vs. Mickie James

Predicted Winner: Michelle McCool
Reason: As much as I would love Mickie to hold her 5th Women's Title (6th, including Divas') but McCool has held that title since The Bash, longer than current champ in the WWE. McCool has one-uped the likes of Natalya and Melina for those titles, and has always had lengthy reigns. Plus, McCool has Layla on her side, and Mickie could have Maria on her side, but more than likely she won't. I love to have Mickie James hold the gold, but more so, I love to see a long hard fought series of title matches, which will culminate into a big win. This could be the WrestleMania Divas match that we have been all waiting for. Let's not screw it up by making it a short feud.

Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston

Predicted Winner: Randy Orton
Reason: Mark Cuban is calling this the rubber match, since the score is 1-1, but if he was truly paying attention, the score is in Kofi's favor. Kingston cost Orton the WWE Title at Bragging Rights, humiliated him at MSG, and knocked him out at the Survivor Series. Kingston has all the momentum going into this match, but Kofi should also remember that at Unforgiven 2008, Legacy attacked Kofi when trying to protect CM Punk (babyface at the time). Kingston has enough momentum going into this match, but Orton is much stronger. Hopefully, this will be a hard fought match, it a lot of memorable spots culminating into a shattering RKO.

The Undertaker Responds; John Morrison is Braveheart; Hardy falls to the Gallows Pole

First Match: CM Punk and Luke Gallows vs. Matt Hardy and R-Truth. The Jeff Hardy: My Life, My Rules DVD is flying off the shelves, why? Because there are people who want to be drugged by a man who will make them believe that they can fly - or so said The Straight-Edge CM Punk while holding the alleged digital video disc collection. Matt Hardy, the brother of Jeff Hardy, came out with R-Truth carrying a duffle bag filled with Jeff Hardy DVDs, passing them to the crowds. CM Punk shouted, "Sell it on eBay!" The past two weeks, R-Truth and Matt Hardy have won separate matches against CM Punk due to Luke's interference with the match. Now, these victims of the Gallows Pole, have teamed up to face off Punk and Gallows in tag team action. Yet, Hardy could not Twist Luke's Fate, nor could Truth Detect Punk's lies. The Veteran, Matt Hardy fell once again to The Twelfth Step, the Gallows Pole for the win. Is Straight-Edge really the way to go?

Handicap Match: Jeri-Show vs. Eric Escobar. Despite falling to the Hart Attack and being slapped by his ex-girlfriend, Escobar was relentless in making fun of Vickie this week. The match was originally a one-on-one match against Chris Jericho, who Escobar really had the advantage for some reason, but it was changed into another handicap match with The Big Show added to the list. Jericho was knocked out of the ring when the announcement was made, and what did Escobar do as Show walked down the ring? Exactly what I would have done, Get Jericho back into the ring and go for the cover! Jericho kicked out and brought in Big Show. I thought it would end in two seconds, just like Jericho did to Gaspard last week with the KO Punch, but Show knocked him around the ring, weakening him enough to tag in Jericho. He applied the Walls of Jericho, forcing Escobar to aggressively tap out. And of course, Jericho campaigned, once again, for the TLC match and how they will destroy DX and the DX Army. I wonder when DX will campaign?

Braveheart Face Off. Drew McIntyre came out telling the people that Mr. McMahon personally endorsed him into SmackDown and saw him as the future of the WWE. He claimed that the only thing stopping him from becoming the Intercontinental Champion is John Morrison, who he defeated last week. Then, the bag pipes were playing, and out of no where, John Morrison appeared as William Wallace! He had the blue/white face, the kilt, and the mighty sword. The Shaman of Scottish Lore? spoke in a Grounds Keeper-like scottish accent, totally making fun of McIntyre's culture. Unlike the Celtic Warrior, Sheamus, McIntyre draws his strength from the modern era and does not rely on Scottish Lore to dictate his life. Morrison was hilarious as William Wallace, and did what he came dressed to do, punched McIntyre in the face! This Sunday, John Morrison will defend his title against Drew McIntyre at the TLC PPV. Will The Shaman of Sexy remain champion, or will McMahon's intuition be right?

Third Match: Kane vs. Mike Knox. Last week, Kane defeated Knox with a chokeslam and did so again this week. The difference was, Knox asked for this match because he feels that they are one and the same. Kane said that they are nothing alike and tried choking him. Knox, a kinesiologist, seemed to enjoy the asphyxiation applied by Kane, creating a euphoria in the lungs. It seems as if Kane likes to deal out punishment, while Knox likes to take it - sounds like Mick Foley in any WWF feud.

Fourth Match: Mickie James and Maria vs. Michelle McCool and Layla. I believe we all foresaw this match coming. Last week, after Mickie James became the #1 contender for McCool's Women's Title, was outnumbered by both McCool and Layla, until Maria evened the odds. The sad thing, Maria has about two years more than Layla in the WWE, and she's on the same level of inexperienced wrestling ability as Layla. Believe me, I'm happy that Maria is back and all, but she cannot put on a match to save her life. Hence, when Maria finally became the #1 contender for McCool's Divas' Title, she tapped out in like 2 minutes. When Mickie James was tagged in, McCool tagged out to Layla. Bad idea, seeing as Layla cannot out-wrestle Mickie James in a million years; hence, why McCool lost the match cause Layla was pinned. Speaking of inexperienced women wrestlers, what ever happened to Alicia Fox? Don't forget that this Sunday, Mickie James will face off Michelle McCool for the Women's Title at WWE's TLC PPV.

Street Fight: Batista vs. Rey Mysterio. Why would Rey Mysterio want to be a part of a street fight against The Animal Batista? Why would Rey continue to wrestle when he has a knee that needs surgery? Mysterio is holding off on surgery until after WrestleMania. Why on earth would he do that? It's not like WWE is going to give him the title at the Show of Shows. Mysterio is digging a deep hole for himself, possibly shortening his career by at least... the rest of his life! But if Mysterio wants the crap kicked out of him, then a Street Fight it is! It wasn't much of a fight, Mysterio did everything he could, but Batista would just lift his arm and Mysterio would be flat on his back. Mysterio even executed the 619, but was too small, or Batista too roided out, to have a secure cover on The Animal. Why did Rey Mysterio ask for a Street Fight? Well, if you were small and unable to take down a big guy, wouldn't you want all the foreign objects available at your choosing? Problem is, that big dude also has access to those same foreign objects, so Mysterio would fall to a chair shot to the face - ending the match. After the match, Batista fixed Mysterio's neck inside the fold of the steel chair, and was going for an aerial drop from the top rope, until the lights went out. After two weeks of being humiliated and pummeled by a steel chair, it was time to return the favor, as The Undertaker appeared - standing where Rey layed - and started pummeling Batista. This Sunday, The Undertaker will defend the holy grail against The Animal Batista in a Chairs Match. What exactly is a chairs match? Pretty much a street fight with chairs as your #1 foreign object.

WWE Superstars Results: Montel-Swagger a Racial Feud?; Hart Dynasty Truly Better Than the Best?

SmackDown Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Finlay. Last week on WWE Superstars, Dolph Ziggler had an impressive win over Matt Hardy, but would he be able to take on SmackDown's resident fighting Irishman, Finlay? The commentators focused mainly on Ziggler, not giving much credit to Finlay. When they mentioned, "He's in line for gold," they were talking about Ziggler, since Finlay's career was over about four years ago. Finlay's best chance at gold was on ECW, he could have been the ECW Champion, but instead he's jobbing to the Champions of Tomorrow. I guess you do what you are asked of if you keep getting nice paychecks, but seriously, it should eat away inside of you. Dolph Ziggler won with the Zig-Zag. For two weeks straight, Ziggler has defeated two veterans from SmackDown, but with Drew McIntyre inline for Morrison's IC Title, when will he move on to the next level? Probably when he stops showboating and remains 100% focused in the match.

SmackDown Match 2: The Hart Dynasty vs. Jimmy Wang Yang and Slam Master J. Jimmy Wang Yang appeared in a doo-rang alongside his tag team partner, Slam Master J. This choice of matching headwear is shades of when Yang teamed with Shannon Moore, who wore a cowboy hat to compliment Yang's redneck gimmick. This union came about simply because they are from the state of Georgia: J is from Atlanta, and Yang is from Austell. This is also the second experimental tag team to be showcased on WWE Superstars, the first: Evan Bourne and Primo. The Hart Dynasty have been on a roll as of late, defeating Cryme Tyme followed by Escobar in a handicap match. But they also have one added ingredient that makes them Better than the Best, Period, and that's Natalya. While the referee was distracted, Natalya dragged Yang out of the ring and scooped slammed him to the ground. How many female managers have you known to do that? Slam Master J had an interesting turn about within the match, taking Tyson Kidd to the limit. It looked as if J would win the match with a vertical suplex, or vertical facebuster, but it was countered into a Three-quarter facelock corkscrew neckbreaker. The Hart Dynasty claim that they are better than the best, period... Well, have they defeated Jeri-Show or DX? The Hart Dynasty have a long way to go to be considered better than the best. So their slogan should be "Better than the Best, Question Mark?"

RAW Match: MVP vs. Jack Swagger. A match up against a former 2-time United States Champion, and a 2-time All American-American: MVP and Jack Swagger have feuded on and off again within the past six months. Jack Swagger, a former ECW Champion, is looking to capture the United States Title, which is currently held by The Miz; while MVP wouldn't mind becoming a 3-time US Champ, or capture the Unified Tag Team Titles with his partner, Mark Henry. My problem with MVP and Mark Henry becoming the Unified Tag Team Champions, is that with those titles, one is able to transcend their own brand and appear on the show of their choosing. And, as we learned from Verne Troyer, Mark Henry does not have much of a personality. MVP pretty much carries all the personality for the whole team. For this reason, MVP and WSM will never hold the gold until Henry changes his gimmick. As for Jack Swagger, he attempted to go undefeated until the end of the year, but thanks to The Miz, Swagger lost to Evan Bourne. Jack Swagger dominated all of ECW, until being defeated by Christian for the ECW Title. Then, after being drafted to RAW, I thought he was going to join forces with Randy Orton, which would have really boosted his career ten-fold, but that never happened. Then Swagger-Miz-Kofi entered a Triple Threat Match for the US Title at Hell in a Cell PPV, which clearly would give Swagger the edge, but that never happened. Jack Swagger should abandon this racial feud with MVP and move on to a heated one with Miz. Yes, I said racial feud, because they don't like each other's backgrounds. MVP grew up in a "bad" neighborhood, which got him into some trouble and did jail time. And now he's described as a bling-wearing, club-hopping, bottle-popping man that should not be a role model. Swagger, on the other hand, went to school and graduated at the top of his class. Don't get me wrong, these two are impressive athletes and always put on great matches. The aspect of this feud that I'm not too particularly found of is the fact that MVP is part of a tag team and should be focusing on that, not single matches. Hence, putting MVP on a tag team was a bad move on the part of WWE, MVP is a great singles competitor and should remain as such. Jack Swagger has got the Swag and the capability to one day become the WWE Champion. MVP lost the match because he was too focused on theatrics instead of keeping his head in the game, and a Gut-Wrench Powerbomb can also do the trick.

Final Assessment: This episode of WWE Superstars marks the first time that an ECW Match was not shown. Also, this episode did absolutely nothing to hype up the TLC PPV this Sunday, but, then again, it's a show to build up "The Champions of Tomorrow."

Slow Build for ECW Ladder Match; Next Week's ECW Looks Promising

First Match: Vance Archer vs. Tommy Dreamer. For weeks, the WWE Universe has witnessed ECW's newest acquisition, Vance Archer, decimate his opponents, but this week he would go up against the heart and soul of ECW. And when they say ECW, they mean the real ECW, not this watered down training ground show. Ever since the short-lived tag team with Goldust, Dreamer has fallen off the map. Apparently he's been hosting classic ECW matches on WWE 24/7, but is he back for certain? The commentators praise Dreamer as the poster boy for overcoming adversity, but I see him as the poster boy for jobbing. Despite being a former ECW Champion, Dreamer became Archer's next victim in a long line of jobbers. I'm still not impressed with the guy, he seems like a very generic wrestler.

Second Match: Trent Barreta and Caylen Croft vs. Mark Franks and Danny Vaughn. Last week it was Guitar Hero, and this week it's Mario Kart. I don't know the reasoning behind playing Mario Kart before a match, but their entrance music is still terrible. Barreta and Croft seem to know a lot about gaming; well, here's an analysis for them: their opponents tonight were fighting on a level 1, just like the tutorial in most fighting games. Mark Franks, I believe, remained in the entire match while sadly attempting to tag in his partner. Barreta and Caylen picked up another win this week against an unknown tag team. You would think since TLC is sponsored by SmackDown vs. RAW 2010 the video game, Barreta and Croft would be playing that instead.

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Christian, Shelton Benjamin, and Yoshi Tatsu vs. The Ruthless Roundtable. At the start of the show, after interrupting a promo for the ECW Ladder Match, Kozlov demanded Jackson to face him. Accepting, Jackson ran down the ring and they started shoving one another before Regal could interfere. Shelton Benjamin, who was really fumbling on the mic, started a chant, "Let them fight!" ECW GM Tiffany made the six-man team official after getting the majority vote, from the Roundtable, over a Jackson-Kozlov showdown. Shelton's other two team mates were Yoshi Tatsu, and his opponent this Sunday, ECW Champion, Christian. However, the match went in favor of team babyface, because Kozlov got revenge for Jackson walking out last week by abandoning his teammates. Sadly for Kozlov, Jackson ran after him and continued what they started at the top of the program. As Regal attended to his fallen Roundtable, team face won via count out. Then Christian went for the ladder, as Shelton executed a sunset flip over the top rope and unto the Ruthless Roundtable. The ECW Title still hung, suspended in the air, and Christian symbolically, just like Jericho, climbed the ladder to grab the belt. Shelton, seeing this, springboards from the top rope and lands on the ladder. The show ends with these two fighting over the title. What scared me was when Shelton landed on the ladder, and one side bent inward. The ladder was definitely unstable and should be tested before the pay-per-view.

A Look at Next Week's ECW:
The Ripper vs. The Hurricane (Burchill's Shot for an ECW Contract)

And Possibly:
Tommy Dreamer vs. Zack Ryder w/Rosa Mendes
Vladimir Kozlov vs. Ezekiel Jackson.

Sheamus Finds Third Table Guest; Chris Masters Turns Babyface; Orton-Kingston PPV Match Revealed

First Match: John Cena vs. Carlito. Really?? First off, these two had a history. Carlito defeated John Cena for the United States Title when he first arrived in the WWE. And how interesting to see how much success one has while the other became not so successful. Last week, Carlito stated that the locker rooms are filled with people who cannot stand John Cena and wishes Sheamus all the luck in defeating him at the TLC ppv; Lawler tried to erase that comment by commenting that Carlito was only talking about himself, while reaffirming Cena's position in the WWE. John Cena may be a nice guy, but there is no doubt that what Carlito claimed does not have a large kernal of truth embedded somewhere. John Cena is the top of the business and always will be, you cannot say that people are happy about that. Word has it that Charlie Haas wanted his release from the WWE over not being used, but instead WWE gave him a raise to keep him away from rival TNA. People like Haas will never get a world title shot as long as Cena is the peak of Sports Entertainment. Sheamus, who is leading the revolution, came to interfere with the match, but was ejected from the ring by Mark Cuban's security team. Then Carlito "took advantage" while Cena was distracted. Well, the match never stopped, so that would be Cena's fault for taking his eyes off of his opponent. But, as usual, Cena ended it quick with a firearm carry followed by his U Can't C Me hand gesture, finished off with the attitude adjuster. What a slap in the face to Carlito, and they wonder why people can't stand The Champ.

Second Match: Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase vs. Evan Bourne and Primo. Mark Cuban was unwilling to accept Rhodes' request for a match, seeing as if Rhodes would have won, then the ban, restricting Orton to face Cena for the WWE Title, would be lifted. Instead, Cuban announced that Legacy would be in action immediately, while Orton would face Kofi one-on-one with him as the special guest referee. Michael Cole mentioned that Mark Cuban watched WWE Superstars because this was a rematch from last Thursday, when we all know Cuban had no clue who Legacy would face, "Don't you have a match now? Go!" The match was decent, not as great as last Thursday, but it still had its moments. Again, Bourne is the strongest member of the team, but once again Primo did not concentrate on the match costing Bourne to be pinned by Dream Street. It's interesting that Primo is the weakest link seeing as he was the first ever Unified Tag Team Champion alongside his brother Carlito. But, Primo is also the one that cost them from recapturing their titles against Edge and Jericho. Bourne would be well advised to find another partner. Legacy didn't have much time to celebrate their win since they were ejected from the Airlines Arena by Cuban's team of security guards; thus, insuring that Legacy would not interfere in Orton's match.

Third Match: Gail Kim vs. Maryse. Kelly Kelly was the special guest ring announcer for the match, a little rough around the edges but makes a formidable announcer. Gail Kim was fluid in her motions and carried the entire match; and when I say entire, I mean Gail executed every offense within the match. Seeing as Gail Kim is a former Women's Champion prior to the decline of women's wrestling, I would expect Gail to be in the title picture. But one swift kick to the back of the knee dropped Gail on her back. And Maryse, with the assist from the ropes, covered Gail for the win. Mark Cuban was right, the WWE referees are worse than the NBA, how do you not see that! Kelly Kelly announced Maryse as the winner with very little enthusiasm, but Maryse demanded that she'd be recognized as the next Divas' Champion. Refusal to adhere to her request led to a beat down, followed by a rescue from current Divas' Champion, Melina. So far, SmackDown has the better Divas storyline.

Fourth Match: Kofi Kingston vs. Orton w/Special Guest Referee, Mark Cuban. Randy Orton won his match last week thanks to the blatant assault that occurred prior to the match. The referee allowed the match to go one, despite seeing Kofi assaulted by both members of Legacy, which is one of the reasons Cuban opted to be the referee for this match. The second reason would become clear after the match. Cuban, much like Stone Cold at Cyber Sunday 2007, allowed pretty much anything to go down. Orton attempted an RKO, but was countered into a backslide, which would not normally win a match, but Cuban's fast 3-count ended the match. Oh yeah, that's the second reason. In 2003, at the Survivor Series, Randy Orton RKO'ed Mark Cuban, so after 6 years, he has gotten his revenge on Orton. And seeing as each one has a win over the other, at TLC, Randy Orton will face off against Kofi Kingston one more time.

At TLC PPV: Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston.

United States Title Match: (C) The Miz vs. Mark Henry. Resulting from last week's win, Mark Henry was granted a title match against The Miz. Sadly, the WWE showed a video recap of Verne Troyer celebrating with Mark Henry and the Divas, which was a pathetically low point in last week's show. The Miz has defeated MVP, so how would he fare against the World's Strongest Man? Well, it helps when the strongest man is also the slowest man. Mark Henry obviously doesn't work out like he use to, and his two knee braces are indications that his body mass is getting to him. The Miz utilized his agility and his hunger to remain a champion to retain his title. It almost looked as if Mark Henry would capture the U.S. Title as he had Miz positioned for the World's Strongest Slam, but it was countered into a DDT. Beautifully done Miz, I saw the DDT coming and it was worth it.

Mixed Gendered Tag Team Match: Hornswoggle and Eve vs. Chavo Guerrero and Jillian. Billed as a mixed gendered tag team match was actually disguised as a second divas match. Hornswoggle, who now sports a self-made DX-Hornswoggle t-shirt, which is also available at WWEShop.com, started the match. Hornswoggle is just as bad as DX with his self merchandise promoting. Hornswoggle started the match, but then quickly tagged himself out, so that Eve and Jillian would fight. The team of Eve and Hornswoggle doesn't surprise me seeing as they travel together and twitter one another on the road. Eve is still rusty, but she is starting to look more like a wrestler. She doesn't bother dressing sexy to the ring, but wears lady trunks to her matches. She pinned the former Divas' Champion with a rolling senton. Chavo then started pushing around Hornswoggle, a little pay back for all the countless times Hornswoggle one-uped the Warrior. Side note, I miss JBL's commentating, "The name Guerrero, it means Warrior!" Eve then took a firm stance before Chavo, which really got the crowd moving. It's nice to have a woman not afraid to confront a guy. Yet, Chavo wasn't shy about shoving Eve out of his way to get to Hornswoggle, so cue in Chris Masters. Ever since his peck dance when Ozzy hosted, WWE has been pushing Masters as a babyface during house shows to see how the crowd would respond. I'm guessing that it went over big, seeing as the audience were for Masters scaring Chavo with his dancing man pecks, followed by a Masterlock powerslam. Then a love interested bloomed as Masters told Guerrero that he better not dare touch Eve. Let's see if this love story with Eve sticks, unlike the short-lived love triangle between Swagger and Miz.

2-0n-1 Handicap Match: DX vs. Chris Jericho. Chris Jericho made another great promo, stating that Jericho is greater than RAW and SmackDown, that he transcends all of the WWE. A man of his calibur knows no boundaires and he can do whatever he likes. DX's strategy was to make frequent tags, trying to keep Jericho in the corner. A lot of good that did seeing as Jericho knocked the referee into Triple H, which apparently means that the ref is knocked out for the remainder of the match, and the Big Show appeared. How did we not see that one coming? Then, Tables, Ladders, and Chairs came into play, leaving DX destroyed. Chris Jericho set up the ladder and symbolically climbed to the top hositing the Unified Tag Team Titles in the air. Was this truly Jericho's final night on RAW, or will he be back next week?

WWE TLC ShowDown: Mark Cuban set up this Q&A session between Sheamus and WWE Champion, John Cena for further build up to their Tables Match this Sunday. It would have been wise for Sheamus to have actually had a match, instead of being ejected from the ring. But, Sheamus spoke of how it took Cena three years to become the WWE Champion, while it will only take him a few months. John Cena states that he is impressed with the Celtic Warrior, but he is not intimidated. Cena has faced off against everyone from the greats, to the one-hit wonders, and that Sheamus won't be any different. I have no doubt in my mind that Sheamus could overpower Cena, but I also foresee John Cena finding the strength deep inside from all his Hulkamaniacs... I mean Cenation and put Sheamus through a table. Sheamus delivered two boots to Cena's face and shoved Cuban around. Mark Cuban was all big and tough earlier when he had a whole security team at the snap of his command, but what happens when its just you starring at a man like Sheamus, a man who retired Jamie Noble? Well... Sheamus propted a table on one corner of the ring and rammed Cuban through the table. Unlike Ben Roethlisberger, who had his whole defensive line to protect him, Cuban's Dallas Mavericks were of no help. Overall, Sheamus is indeed ready to face off against John Cena, but all things considered, Cena will be Sheamus first real challenge since Shelton Benjamin. Will the revolution come full circle with a new WWE Champion, or will The Champ Still be Here?

WWE Remembers: RIP Eddie Fatu 1973-2009

The world of Sports and Entertainment lost a great performer on December 4th 2009. Some may remember him as Jamal from 3-Minute Warning, but the rest remember his as the "Samoan Bulldozer," Umaga.

Source: Excerpt from Wikipedia

Eki "Eddie" Fatu (March 28, 1973 – December 4, 2009) was a Samoan-American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Umaga. He was best remembered for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a two-time Intercontinental Champion. He was a member of the Anoa'i wrestling family and frequently worked as a part of a tag team – variously named The Island Boyz, the Samoan Gangstas, and 3-Minute Warning – with his cousin Matt Anoa'i. During Fatu's first stint with WWE, he was known as Jamal and Matt was billed as Rosey. In late 2005, Fatu returned to WWE repackaged under the ring name "Umaga", Fatu went undefeated for many months on WWE's RAW brand throughout much of 2006, before suffering his first defeat in January of 2007. Fatu died on December 4, 2009, as a result of a heart attack.

The news struck everyone hard, many of Eddie's former wrestling coworkers tweeted how much they would miss him and to keep the Fatu family in our prayers. Umaga was only 36 years-old when he was discovered on the floor of his room with blood from his nose and mouth. He was taken to the hospital, but, aside from life-support, not much could be done.

Umaga was released from the WWE because he failed the Wellness Policy for a second time, and refused to go to rehab. Fatu died of a heart attack, unlikely that it was from natural causes, especially at 36 years of age.

Umaga's final apperance in the WWE was a Samoan Strap Match, at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, in a losing effort against CM Punk. Let's hope that WWE does not decide to use his death as a means to boost CM Punk's crusade against drug abusers.

Eddie Fatu's final wrestling gig was in Australia as part of Hogan's Hulkamania Tour.

My foundest memory of Umaga was at the Royal Rumble 2007, in a Last Man Standing Match against John Cena for the WWE Championship - also known as Umaga's first loss. Umaga never became the WWE Championship but he was a 2-time Intercontinental champion, beating the likes of Jeff Hardy and Santino Marella. It was the best year for Umaga especially alongside his manager, Armando Alejandro Estrada.

Umaga was an amazing athete and during his final months with the company he had a great match against John Morrison where the audience got up from their seats to applaud both performers.

There will never be anyone like Eddie Fatu, let's see if at least WWE pays him the repect that he deserves with a 10 bell salute to the Samoan Bulldozer

R.I.P. Eddie Fatu
(1973-2009)

Batista Sends a Message; Mickie James and Drew McIntyre in line for Gold; Maria Returns!

First Match: CM Punk w/Luke Gallows vs. R-Truth. CM Punk has been fighting a crusade, trying to turn people away from the abuses of drugs and alcohol; and during that time he has acquired a disciple, Luke Gallows. Punk started his heel turn with preaching, now he has a follower. How soon until he forms an army of Straight-Edge superstars? And how long until he faces off against the Born-Again, or Straight-Edge?, Shawn Michaels? I would love to see that encounter, possibly a WrestleMania main event? R-Truth suffered the same fate as did Matt Hardy by the hands of Luke Gallows, who delivers the Inverted full nelson spinebuster. Truth may have won the match, but Straight-Edge is winning the war.

Second Match: Kane vs. Mike Knox. The bearded giant has vast knowledge in biology and the human anatomy, which he claims he can use that to inflict unimaginable pain on his opponents. There is something wrong with that statement, Mike Knox inflicts imaginary pain on his opponents, seeing as he has virtually lost every match. I'm usually not a fan of two monsters fighting in the ring, but they were fast paced so it was worth the watch. Despite a valiant effort by Knox, Kane finished him off with a chokeslam.

#1 Contender's Divas Triple Threat Match: Mickie James vs. Natalya vs. Beth Phoenix. A dream match for me because these are the three best wrestlers that the WWE has to offer! I liked how the other two got rid of Mickie early in the match, in order to devote some time between Natalya and Beth Phoenix.The two tested each other's strengths by shoving the other, only to find that they were evenly matched as they collided to the other's clothesline. Natalya attempted to win the match by applying the move that she used to beat Mickie James a few weeks ago, The Sharp Shooter! However, Natalya was pulled away and suffered the impact of the Glam Slam. Normally, Beth Phoenix would pick up the victory, but Mickie dropped kicked her out of the ring to steal the pin-fall victory. Mickie James is now the #1 contender for Michelle McCool's Women's Title. Mickie spoke adamantly about, not only becoming the Women's Champion again but, shutting McCool up once and for all. She ended her rant by knocking McCool over her seat and delivering a forearm to Layla. The numbers game caught up to Mickie, until an old friend came to the rescue. Here She Comes Again, Maria evens the score and both chase away McCool and Layla shouting, "That's right, I'm Back!"

Fourth Match: John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre. Drew McIntyre was not only personally signed by Mr. McMahon and considered a future champion, but he was on the surviving team that did away with captain John Morrison at the Survivor Series. John Morrison told Teddy Long that he would take either Sheamus, Miz, or Drew on at anytime one on one, and that's exactly what Morrison got. McIntyre told Morrison that the title must be going to his head because who would want to face him, knowing the pain he ensues. The battle between these two was fierce, but with the assistance of the metal support railing underneath the ring, Morrison was primed for the Kobashi DDT. As a result, Drew McIntyre becomes the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship. Will McMahon's vision of McIntyre becoming a champion come true? Or will John Morrison leave TLC, still the Intercontinental Champion?

At TLC: (C) John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre (Intercontinental Championship Match)

Handicap Match: The Hart Dynasty vs. Eric Escobar. After being embarrassed last week, Vickie Guerrero demanded an apology from her ex-boyfriend. Eric Escobar made his face turn as he apologized for ever having to be with her, and seeing her in her unmentionables. As punishment, Escobar had to face the Hart Dynasty in a handicap match. People actually got behind Escobar, not so much of his wrestling, but because we all hate Vickie. The Puerto Rican wrestler fell to the Hart Attack and then restrained so Vickie could deliver the finishing slap to the face. The Hart Dynasty escorted Guerrero out of the arena, but let's hope it was courtesy and not a plea for a new manager.

Main Event: Jeri-Show vs. Cryme Tyme. Chris Jericho, in an interview, was asked of the dangerous weapons used in a TLC match. Jericho scoffed at Matthew's lack of understanding the true significance of a steel chair, or a 20ft ladder, or the shattered splintered effects from a wooden table; but most importantly, that he has the greatest weapon in his arensal, The Big Show. In their match with Cryme Tyme, Jericho and JTG started things off. Yet, as soon as both Show and Shad were tagged in, Show KO'ed Shad in under 3 seconds. DX beware because Jericho has the World's Largest Athlete.

Undertaker Calls out Batista. Last week, after being declared the #1 contender, Batista interrupted Taker's match in order to deliever a steely message. This week, Undertaker wanted a heart to heart with the Animal and possibly talk about messing with the wrong man. That never took place as Batista assualted the World's Heavyweight Champion, during Taker's iconic entrance, with a stel chair. Batista stood above Taker, shirtless, holding the steel chair and the World Title - the two things that symbolize this match, but will Batista be the one left standing, or will The Deadman walk out still the World Heavyweight Champion?

WWE Superstars Results: The Masked Man's Identity Revealed; Ziggler is Perfection

RAW Match: Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase vs. Evan Bourne and Primo Colon. WWE Superstars is truly the mid-card show, which is great because they are the future champions of tomorrow. And like Legacy's Theme, It's a New Day for them as they have been frequenting this show ever since Orton lost the title. As for Bourne and Primo - really? This union is entertaining seeing as two weeks ago, on the 3-hour Thanksgiving episode of RAW, Primo and Bourne were suppose to fight each other in a Break Through match, but Primo was unable to compete after an ambush by Orton. So taking out Rhodes and DiBiase would be the equivalent of taking out Orton right? Another thing these two have in common, they are both high-flying jobbers. This was actually a really good match, Bourne works well with Rhodes and DiBiase. Primo, on the other hand, annoys me, cause he jumps and does cart wheels that take away from actually delivering offense. By match's end, Primo launched Evan "Air-Bourne" to the outside onto DiBiase, but Primo was not ready for the Cross-Rhodes in his life. Legacy won obviously.

ECW Match: Zack Ryder w/Rosa Mendes vs. The Hurricane. Finally, an ECW match that I wanted to see. The Hurricane hasn't been seen since casting the Burchills from ECW two weeks ago; while Ryder was seen this past Tuesday on the Abraham Washington Show. Ryder, since he has the girl, has been more focused in the ring - almost like he is trying to impress her with more wins. Remember people, more wins = more pay = more shopping = a happy Rosa Mendes. Ryder has the advantage throughout the match, but Hurricane picked up some momentum during the end, until he was attacked by a masked man. Looks as if The Hurricane has met his match, a masked nemesis. He appeared in a scarecrow-like gas chamber mask and wore tights. Much like The Miz's strategy to remain on RAW by donning the Calgary Kid costume, Paul Burchill, on the money, is the masked villain. Sure, Burchill wears trunks, but the masked assailant executed Burchill's Dangerous Buster. This past Tuesday, Burchill was begging for his spot back on the roster, so why not remain on the roster through another identity? Plus, after being driven to the position, Paul is the type to fixate on the Hurricane's identity so much that he would conceal his own in order to finally reveal Gregory Helms' secret to the world.

SmackDown Match: Matt Hardy vs. Dolph Ziggler. After watching Mr. Perfect's IC Title defense at WrestleMania VII this morning, it is uncanny how much Dolph Ziggler aspires to be Mr. Perfect. Ziggler has got it down to the platinum curly hair, and the theme song which screams "Perfection." However, unlike Curt Hennig, Dolph Ziggler has never won the Intercontinental Title that he predicted he would win in 6 months, and less than a month remains. Could Ziggler's promise be a foreshadowing of his IC win either at the TLC PPV or a SmackDown prior to the new year? Matt Hardy, on the other hand, has faced a lot of adversity this year, having feuded with his brother Jeff, broken his arm, and ruptured his stomach lining. Will the end of the year end well for Matt as it did for Jeff one year ago when he won the WWE Title? Not likely, seeing as Batista will be contending for the World Heavyweight Title against the champion at the PPV in less than two weeks; but, Matt could become the #1 contender as did Jeff two years ago in the December PPV. No matter how the year ends for Matt Hardy, the pop that he received from the audience was immeasurable; it was his dream to become a famous WWE Superstar and he is living the dream. Last week, people were freaking out that WWE dropped Ziggler's push seeing as he lost to R-Truth - What did I tell you? Give it some time and Ziggler will come around. Ziggler pinned Matt Hardy, and let me just say, it was Perfection. I foresee Dolph Ziggler ringing in the New Year as the Intercontinental Champion.

ECW Brand Change; The Roundtable is No More

Words out that WWE is finally considering to change the ECW name, yet keep the same time slot on Scyfy. It appears that WWE has finally got the hint that this show was NOT ECW, because there has never been anything Extreme about it. The only wrestler from Extreme Championship Wrestling that has survived the politics and the degeneration of the sport has been Tommy Dreamer. And after losing the ECW title in the birthplace of ECW, it looks as though Christian will be the final title holder of the once sought after grail. But, WWE may have Shelton Benjamin steal the show and become the ECW Champion, finally giving him a world title. I strongly feel that if WWE does change ECW, then the TLC pay-per-view will be the final ppv that the ECW Title is defended.

Abraham Washington Show w/Zack Ryder and Rosa Mendes. There was signs that Tony Atlas is getting higher popularity than the self-proclaimed Funniest Man in All of Sports Entertainment. This popularity does not sit well with Abraham Washington, so he gives Tony a hard time and treats him like a naive jolly giant. The guests with Zack Ryder and Rosa Mendes, who read poems of how they feel for each other. Zack expressed his feelings for Rosa, while she expressed her love for shopping. Ryder equated her Spanish as a sign of her love for him, so he started jumping on the pleather coach - very Tom Cruise.

First Match: Goldust vs. William Regal w/Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov. Prior to the match, Jackson apologized to Regal for his outburst. He spoke with a deep voice, similar to a foreigner; a possible indication of Jackson's face turn. By match's end, Jackson and Kozlov failed to coexist and started shoving the other; this, in turn, distracted Regal long enough for Goldust to get the roll-up victory. But what would this mean for the success rate of the Round Table when they team up agaist Christian and Shelton Benjamin?

New Tag Team Debut: Trent Barreta and Caylen Croft vs. Bobby Shields and Tyler Hilton. Seems a little strange that ECW would debut a new tag team seeing as there are no established tag teams in the Land of Extreme, unless you count the unstable force of Kozlov and Jackson? Barreta and Croft are arrogant in their abilities, a good attitude to have if you expect to succeed in the WWE. When they saw Burchill, who was begging for his roster spot back, they questioned, "Didn't he use to be a pirate;" which shows that Barreta and Croft are long time WWE fans. It is said that they hype up for every match by playing Guitar Hero; which makes sense because their entrance music is so horrible, like something out of a carnival, that they must enter the ring still pumped from the similated Rock playlist. Their debut was a basic tag team match facing off against a local tag team with no one really knowing what to make of them. It felt surreal because it felt like an indie match because there was no gimmick, just a straight grappling contest. My advice: change the entrance music, and add more to their arrogant gimmick.

Main Event: Christian and Shelton Benjamin vs. Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson w/William Regal. In less than 2 weeks, Christian and Shelton set off to try and steal the show in a Ladder Match for the ECW Title. No ECW match has ever stolen the show at a WWE pay-per-view, but this does have a chance of being the best match that ECW has to offer. Despite having a title shot, Shelton seems unphased with teaming with opponent. As for their tag team opponents, Kozlov and Jackson failed to communicate in the ring. Jackson, after receiving a forced tag by The Moscow Mauler, left Kozlov to fall to Shelton's Paydirt. There was no backstabbing between the contender and the champion, only the sight of them on the ramp, absorbing the cheers from the peeps. It is obvious that Jackson's only discrepancy is towards Kozlov, not Regal - Is this truly the end of The Ruthless Roundtable?

Sheamus Gets Locker Room Support; Chris Jericho Leaving RAW?

RAW's Guest Host: Verne Troyer (born January 1, 1969) is an American actor and stunt performer. Troyer is notable for his height of 2 ft 8 in (0.81 m), the result of cartilage–hair hypoplasia dwarfism, making him one of the shortest men in the world. He is best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers series.

Divas Tag Team Match: Divas' Champion, Melina and Gail Kim vs. Maryse and Jillian Hall. This match focused on Melina's anger towards Maryse's sneek attack last week, who compared the Goobley Gooker construct as a Trojan Horse that Melina should have never encountered. Jillian Hall continues to unimpress the fans with her 'wrestling' abilities. Gail Kim continues to act as a filler, and Maryse proves to be the Hogan of the Diva division, a lot of charisma but only a few set moves. Maryse pinned Melina with the French Kiss (DDT), which will put her in line for a future title shot. Justin Roberts almost goofed by announcing, "And the winners is the Diva... Jillian and Marsye!" Nicely done, Roberts, almost announcing the Divas' Champion.

Second Match?: Sheamus vs. Santino Marella. This was not considered an actual match because the bell never rung to official start the match. The #1 contender for John Cena's WWE Championship came to the ring stating that he demanded respect from John Cena, and after throwing him through a table last week, he has no choice. Sheamus has proven his position as the contender by manhandling John Cena. And in 2 weeks, all Sheamus has to do is throw Cena through a table, once more, to be crowned the WWE Champion. His opponent for the night, Santino Marella, was offended that Sheamus didn't mention him. The Milan Miracle started ribbing Sheamus for being jealous of his skin pigments, being a former 2-time Intercontinental champion, and followed up by calling him a lame ass. It shocked me, as it must have others, for Santino to say 'ass' on a PG rated show; but what happened next seemed like WWE's vengeance on those that cuse, a beat down from the Celtic Warrior. Sheamus knocked Marella out with Ramon's Razor Edge, or Crucifixion Powerbomb. He then set up a table and rammed Santino clean through, very hardcore ECW-style. I had serious doubts about Santino, but if one were to get serious heat, then why not destroy everyone's favorite Italian funny man?

Third Match: Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton. As Kofi came down the ramp, he was attacked by Cody Rhodes, then Irish whipped to the steel steps. Kofi tried selling the hit, but he over sold. I couldn't buy that he was really that beat up by a mere trip to the steps. Plus, you would think that after being attacked by Edge at No Way Out 2009, he would be more aware of ambushes down the ramp? Then, from within the ring, Ted DiBiase attacked Kofi. This was truly upsetting, not because Kofi got beat up, but that Orton still relies on Legacy to fight his battles. Randy Orton is too good to need two lackeys to beat up a superstar just climbing the ranks of super stardom. Kofi still wanted to go through the match and fell to the RKO.

Serious Heat Against John Cena. Cena, being Cena, theatrically expressed the war that Sheamus has just started and demanded to take him on one-on-one for the WWE Championship. The crowd went wild, all the Cenation kids were going nuts, until Carlito appeared. This was the worst return strategy I had ever seen. Everyone had forgotten about Carlito, and to see him back at the pinnacle of Cena's big speech, really brought people down. Carlito has been absent from the WWE since Flyod Mayweather knocked him out in a backstage segment. Carlito expressed how he may not like Sheamus, but everyone, including himself, cannot wait for Cena to lose the WWE Title. And this hatred is not just in the RAW locker room, no, no, it expands to the ECW and SmackDown locker rooms. Why, because John Cena is the face of the company, and others, who will most likely never get a chance, are tired of him being the corporate champion. Future legends, Triple H, The Rock, and Stone Cold were all Corporate Champions at one point in their careers, and John Cena is currently following the same path, not like they will ever label him as such. But The Governor has lit a match within the WWE and the locker room is a blazing forest fire waiting for Sheamus to become Champion. John Cena, before Carlito could spit apple, executed the Attitude Adjuster. This is such a stupid name for the move, seeing as Carlito's, or anyone else's, attitude surely did not change towards Cena.

Fourth Match: Mark Henry vs. The Miz. United States Champion, The Miz ribbed RAW's Guest Host, Verne Troyer, beautifully. He insulted Verne's height, his movie choices, and then imitated Fat Bastard, from the Austin Powers series, when Mark Henry walked out. And this is what opened the show to a whole new concept, Where's Henry's Personality? Well, it wasn't in dancing, cause he fell and squashed Jillian Hall. And it's not in rapping, seeing as only a few people started clapping - wow, that rhymed. And as for punishment, Verne set up this match, the only match he called, to get back at Miz for making fun of him and being mean to him. Mark Henry defeated Miz with the World's Strongest Slam. Afterwards, Verne celebrated with the other RAW Divas: Kelly Kelly, Eve, and The Bellas. There was absolutely no pop for this 'celebration.'

Main Event: Triple H vs. Chris Jericho. Have you noticed? DX uses their strongest team member against Jeri-Show's weakest. And what was up with the stipulation? If Triple H lost, next week it would be Jeri-Show vs. Triple H in a handicap match; but, if Jericho lost, it would then be DX vs. Chris Jericho in a handicap match. This was a terrible stipulation, why not have Jeri-Show vs. Shawn Michaels, or DX vs. Big Show if either member lost? And as for their match at TLC, DX are not a faction that ever cared about the tag team titles, it was never their M.O. but to pull pranks and sell merchandise. Jeri-Show prides themselves on being the Unified Tag Team Champions, but H makes a point: Chris Jericho is a SmackDown superstar, and once he loses the title, which grants him access to all three shows, will no longer be allowed to appear on RAW. With the referee distracted, Big Show struck Triple H with the K.O. Punch. He was ejected from the arena, followed by Shawn Michaels, who Superkicked Jericho (unknown to the ref of course). Jericho attempted the Codebreaker, counterfed by an attempted Pedigree, which was countered by an attempted Walls of Jericho. The Game managed to kick free and went for the roll up for the win. Seeing as Triple H lost to Jeff Hardy twice with the roll up, seems Triple H has learned to appreciate it. As per the stip, Chris Jericho will face off against DX in a handicap match.

Final Assessment: This was a terrible edition of RAW, I had high hopes that Verne Troyer would not only be the judge in the Little People's Court case involving DX and Hornswoggle, but issue a small people wrestling match. Hornswoggle and Verne had just one vignette of interaction time, which Verne suggested that he should sue DX for all they're worth. The whole Mark Henry personality push was a wasted effort, and a waste of The Miz's talent. MVP is sadly being misused in this tag team. If WWE wants guest hosts, then it is important to choose people who actually will contribute to making the show better.

RAW's Next Host: Mark Cuban