The Katz Files – Arnie Katz
Cyber Sunday: Preview & Predictions
The Kingfish Arnie Katz gets you ready for WWE’s most interactive pay per view of the year!.
WWE has learned to capitalize on the greater interactivity that the Internet and the near-universal ownership of cell phones makes possible. They have upgraded and expanded the interactivity of Cyber Sunday year by year until it is now very extensive. In fact, almost all the matches have some kind of vote associated with them.
Here’s how the card shapes up:
Shelton Benjamin vs. ?
United State Championship
The Story: Titles are there to be defended. Only this time, fans will choose the challenger.
My Prediction: Festus is such an unlikely choice that it’s a contest between R. Truth and Evan Bourne. I predicted Bourne would win the popular vote, but WWE definitely wants it to be R. Truth. Whomever fns select will win the title from Benjamin to put over the Internet feed.
Predicted Grade: B-
Beth Phoenix vs. Michelle McCool vs. Mickie James vs. Brie Bella vs. Candice Michelle vs. Eve Torrez vs. Jillian Hall vs. Katie Lea Burchill vs. Kelly Kelly vs. Layla vs. Lena Yada vs. Maria vs. Maryse vs. Natalya vs. Tiffany vs. Victoria
Diva Halloween Contest:
<B<The Story:”We need to get all the girls out there in sexy costumes,” said someone at WWE Headquarters to someone else. “This’ll do the trick,” the other person said and this event was born.
Prediction: Have you noticed that the current crop of Divas is significantly less busty than such classics as Sable and the young Stephanie McMahon? They are beautiful, without a doubt, but I think WWE is showing its age by catering to ass and leg men. The orally fixated have needs, too.
Oh wait. I think this is supposed to be a match… Big Dick Johnson on a pole or something like that. Beth and Mickie will fight each other, as will Natalya and Michelle McCool. This kind of match, fought over nothing by a mob of wrestlers, is almost impossible to predict. I’ll go with Michelle McCool,
Predicted Grade: C
Pick the Tag Team Match
The Story: There are three tag team feuds simmering in WWE. This gives the fans a chance to see one play out in the ring.
My Prediction: Rhodes and DiBiase versus Kingston and Punk would certainly give the best match of the three pairings. Assuming that the mixed tag team option is the guaranteed third-place finisher it looks to be, the only other legitimate possibility would be Cryme Tyme versus The Miz and John Morrison.
Placing my faith in the marks who bombard WWE with votes, I’m going to predict that we’ll see the Second Generation Nation against the hottest babyface tag team in the promotion. If that’s the match, the babyfaces will win, but not get the title. WWE may simply make this a non-title match. It should end in a way that leads to a championship showdown on the next pay per view.
Predicted Grade: B
Kane v Rey Mysterio
Fans pick the Stipulation.
The Story: Ever since Rey Mysterio returned from injury, Kane has had the Masked Marvel in his deadly sights. This time, though, the fans will determine the ground rules for another of their confrontations.
My Prediction: My choice for stipulation is No Holds Barred, but its far from a cinch to win the vote. If it does win, Mysterio gets to do the 619 and might even come away with a win.
The other viable choice is, I guess, two out of three falls. If so, Kane and Mysterio will split the first two falls only to have the Big Red Machine resort to a weapon during the third stanza to force a DQ.
Predicted Grade: B+
Matt Hardy vs. ?
ECW Championship
The Story: Matt Hardy finally climbed the mountain and won the ECW title. Now fans will decide whether he should continue his feud with Henry, have a match with the serviceable Finlay or give Bourne a chance to work in a championship situation.
Prediction: I didn’t have a strong conviction about whom the fans would choose, though Evan Bourne would be a breath of fresh air. In the final analysis, though, I’m not sure it matters whether Matt meets Mark Henry, Finlay or Evan Bourne. He should hold onto the title in a well-fought match against either Bourne or Finlay – and keep it in a less exciting contest against Henry if the World’s Strongest Man gets the fans’ vote.
Predicted Grade: B+ (vs. Bourne), B- (vs. Finlay) or D (vs. Henry)
Santino Marella vs. ?
Intercontinental Championship
The Story: Santino Morella keeps showing that count-down clock and proclaiming himself the greatest Intercontinental Champion of All Time. The fans will select one of three former IC Champions to try to prove him wrong.
Mt Prediction: The logical, obvious choice for Santino’s opponent is Honky Tonk Man. If the fans select Honky, this will be more of a comedy spot than a real match.
If it’s Golddust, he’ll job to Santino in a short match. If Roddy Piper gets the nod, Santino will do something to get himself disqualified.
If Beth Phoenix is at ringside for this match, she will do something with the opponent, perhaps even causing them to lose.
Predicted Grade: C
Undertaker vs. Big Show
The Story: This bait-and-switch feud started as an outgrowth of Vickie Guerrero’s split from Edge. It has now turned into a trial of strength between two of the biggest men in WWE. Taker is known as a great striker, but Show gave him a taste of his own medicine on a couple of occasions. This time, the confrontation will be in a pay per view match – and the fans will set the stipulation!
My Prediction: The fans could louse up this feud by kicking a Knockout Match (unless it means that Gail Kim will finally arrive from TNA to be special guest referee).
Whether it’s an I Quit, as I think it will be, or a Last Man Standing, the man going home the winner will be Undertaker.
Possible Swerve Alert: If Michelle McCool wins the Diva match, it might mean that Taker is going to absorb a loss or that both men will fall down and not get up in a Last Man Standing match. The latter is a possible ending for that match even if McCool doesn’t win.
Predicted Grade: A- (C+ if a Knockout Match without Gail Kim)
Chris Jericho v Batista
World Heavyweight Championship
<B<The Story: The World Heavyweight Championship is WWE’s ultimate prize. Batista feels, perhaps with some justice, that he is the true champion. This match could enable him to prove it. Fans will choose a Special Guest Referee who could very well be the decisive factor in this showdown for the gold.
My Prediction: Randy Orton may well interfere in this match to help Jericho retain the title, but fans are unlikely to vote him into the position with two such juicy alternatives.
I have predicted that the referee will be Shawn Michaels. If that is correct, then Shawn figures to help Batista. Still, their history offers room for a swerve; it is not impossible that Shawn will try to lay out both men with Sweet Chin Music.
If Austin is the special guest referee, look for Jericho to retain the title – and then take a Stone Cold Stunner.
Predicted Grade: A-
Triple H vs. ?
WWE Championship
The Story: Fans will decide if Triple H will face both of his main challengers in a Threeway Dance or one of them in singles competition. Either way, the title is on the line and The Game figures to be highly motivated.
My Prediction:Most fans are probably willing to concede, however reluctantly, that Jeff Hardy won’t beat Triple H for the title. Yet I doubt that many of them are ready to buy a pay per view with Vladimir Kozlov at the top. The most likely winner is the Threeway Dance.
If that is the case, Triple H will win when Jeff Hardy scores a sensational move on Kozlov and Triple H follows up with a Pedigree.
If Kozlov gets a one-on-one match for the title, then he should win by a DQ so that The Games holds the title.
If the fans are misguided enough to pick Jeff Hardy, Triple H will dish out a Pedigree after a hard-fought match.
Predicted Grade: A- (for Threeway Dance), A (vs. Hardy), C+ (vs. Kozlov)
Predicted Overall Grade for Cyber Sunday: B-
That’s it for today. I’ll be back on Monday with another installment of the Internet’s fastest-rising daily wrestling column. I’ll have the recap and analysis of Cyber Sunday and you’ll be able to laugh at my predictions.
— Arnie Katz
[email protected]
(10/254/08)