Friday, April 29, 2005
Backlash 2005
This Sunday from Manchester, NH, WWE Raw presents their annual Backlash Pay-Per-View. Here are my thoughts and predictions:
WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: BATISTA vs. TRIPLE H
After the excellent job that was done building up this feud, I don't see them taking the belt off Batista so quickly. The big man will win again, but probably not by pinfall. Look for Ric Flair to get involved, leading to a DQ and a beat down of some kind, leaving Batista down and bloodied, and another re-match at the next Raw PPV.
INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP: SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. CHRIS JERICHO
This should be a good match and could go either way, but I think Benjamin will keep his belt. I think they want to turn Jericho heel, and a loss here could send him over the edge.
SHAWN MICHAELS & HULK HOGAN vs. MUHAMMAD HASSAN & DAIVARI
Yeah sure, Hulk is coming back to lose a match. Look for Michaels to do most of the heavy lifting in this one to cover for Hulk's age, but Hogan will get the pin for his team. Don't feel bad for Hassan & Daivari; sure, they'll have to job to a well-past-his-prime Hogan, but they'll probably be put right into a Tag Team Championship spot as a reward (in fact, that ball already started rolling last week on Raw, when they put a beat down on Tajiri).
LAST MAN STANDING: EDGE vs. CHRIS BENOIT
I don't think they gave Edge the win in the 6-man ladder match at WM 21 last month only to have him lose a big one now. Look for Edge to take this one (though not cleanly) to keep his momentum going.
KANE vs. VISCERA
Ummm.....what the hell is Viscera doing on a PPV? I never thought I'd say this, but where the hell is Gene Snitsky? Needless to say, Kane should make quick work out of this lump.
TAG TEAM TURMOIL
A match so exciting that it wasn't even advertised on TV! That's right, there will be a 5-team Tag Team Championship match this Sunday, and it was never even mentioned on Raw. I just found it on the WWE website. At any rate, William Regal and Tajiri put the belts on the line against The Hurricane & Rosey, La Resistance, Simon Dean & Maven, and The Heart Throbs. As mentioned above, Muhammad Hassan & Daivari laid a beating on Tajiri last week, so I think Regal and Tajiri will keep the belts and go into a feud with the Arabs starting on Monday.
WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: BATISTA vs. TRIPLE H
After the excellent job that was done building up this feud, I don't see them taking the belt off Batista so quickly. The big man will win again, but probably not by pinfall. Look for Ric Flair to get involved, leading to a DQ and a beat down of some kind, leaving Batista down and bloodied, and another re-match at the next Raw PPV.
INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP: SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. CHRIS JERICHO
This should be a good match and could go either way, but I think Benjamin will keep his belt. I think they want to turn Jericho heel, and a loss here could send him over the edge.
SHAWN MICHAELS & HULK HOGAN vs. MUHAMMAD HASSAN & DAIVARI
Yeah sure, Hulk is coming back to lose a match. Look for Michaels to do most of the heavy lifting in this one to cover for Hulk's age, but Hogan will get the pin for his team. Don't feel bad for Hassan & Daivari; sure, they'll have to job to a well-past-his-prime Hogan, but they'll probably be put right into a Tag Team Championship spot as a reward (in fact, that ball already started rolling last week on Raw, when they put a beat down on Tajiri).
LAST MAN STANDING: EDGE vs. CHRIS BENOIT
I don't think they gave Edge the win in the 6-man ladder match at WM 21 last month only to have him lose a big one now. Look for Edge to take this one (though not cleanly) to keep his momentum going.
KANE vs. VISCERA
Ummm.....what the hell is Viscera doing on a PPV? I never thought I'd say this, but where the hell is Gene Snitsky? Needless to say, Kane should make quick work out of this lump.
TAG TEAM TURMOIL
A match so exciting that it wasn't even advertised on TV! That's right, there will be a 5-team Tag Team Championship match this Sunday, and it was never even mentioned on Raw. I just found it on the WWE website. At any rate, William Regal and Tajiri put the belts on the line against The Hurricane & Rosey, La Resistance, Simon Dean & Maven, and The Heart Throbs. As mentioned above, Muhammad Hassan & Daivari laid a beating on Tajiri last week, so I think Regal and Tajiri will keep the belts and go into a feud with the Arabs starting on Monday.
