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So we're just one week away from the launch of the WWE Network and less than a week away from the Elimination Chamber Pay Per View. Which is more important to the WWE? Obviously, the WWE Network and the February Pay Per View is just an appetizer for Wrestlemania anyway. Now, many of you were complaining about my last column, not understanding the point. I wasn't calling for a mass boycott of WWE Network and/or Wrestlemania 30. The point of the column was that the WWE fans need to put their money where their mouth is. If you're unhappy wth the way the WWE has booked CM Punk or Daniel Bryan, then stop giving them your time and money. That's all I was arguing... If you want real change, force the WWE's Income Statements to see a reduction in Total Revenues. Being a sucker and buying the WWE Network anyway or buying tickets to "hijack" the show with crowd chants still gives the WWE money. Thus, if the WWE has upset you about Punk/Bryan, then speak as a consumer and utilize your scarce resources (time and money) elsewhere for other wants in your life. For now, I'm NOT buying the WWE Network. In my older age, I find myself getting bored with watching older content. I've already seen most of those WWE/WCW/ECW Pay Per Views, RAW/Smackdown shows, and many of the DVD's available on demand. I want to be impressed by NEW WWE content, such as good Pay Per Views for the rest of 2014. Unless the show is named Royal Rumble or Wrestlemania, there is no guarantee of quality. The WWE has "mailed it in" on too many Pay Per Views for the past 3 years that I've become very picky on my purchases. And again, not just with my money, but with my time. Do I want to spend 3 hours on a subpar Pay Per View? Time is money... Something would have to happen at or through Wrestlemania 30 to convince me that the WWE Network is worth buying for the rest of 2014. It would take Daniel Bryan winning the WWE Title at Elimination Chamber, Wrestlemania 30, or Extreme Rules for me to consider along with a lengthy title reign that includes multiple clean wins over big name wrestlers. For those of you who suggest that I'll SAVE money buy purchasing the WWE Network... Consider that I usually split the cost of a Pay Per View between 2 other friends. For 2013, for example, I spent $45 on Royal Rumble, $60 on Wrestlemania, and $45 on SummerSlam. Divide each of those into 3, and I paid $50 all year on Pay Per Views. The WWE Network would cost me $120 by comparison for an entire year (assuming $9.99 holds beyond the first 6 months). Enough with those "WWE Network will save you money" Tweets. It won't. Now, onto Monday Night RAW... Decent show, overall... Much better "GO HOME" show than what we've seen for the past few years... Seems like the WWE booked a stronger in-ring show to maybe show off for the WWE Network, which launches next week? RAW ended with Randy Orton vs. Sheamus was the main event. "Meh". Match seemed to be saved by many run-ins to end the show. The Shield ruining the Orton vs. Sheamus match felt so random but it saved a match that wasn't going anywhere. Just remember, the WWE has devoted lots of time and resources towards pushing Sheamus and Orton hard yet they barely can muster a reaction together. Speaking of reactions, I continue to hear pin drops during Wyatt Family matches that are NOT against Daniel Bryan. When you force a gimmick down our throats, fans in the arena are too busy choking to cheer or jeer. That's why you let the Wyatt Family grow in the midcard instead of hotshotting them into the Main Event scene and letting Bray Wyatt get a 100% clean win over Daniel Bryan at Royal Rumble. Bryan should be your #1 babyface and WWE Champion and he's being used as elevation talent to a guy who isn't naturally over? How messed up is that? Hot WWE crowd tonight but not much in the way of CM Punk. See what happens when you walk out of the WWE? Like Steve Austin during 2002, many fans have turned on CM Punk for quitting on them. Punk could have just collected those sweet WWE paychecks until July 2014 and he would have been free to do and work anywhere. Now, he'll have to deal with the tough WWE lawyers for breach of contract. EDIT: Many of my readers are asking for a reaction to the Cesaro vs. John Cena match. Yeah, it was good... To be honest, I was cranking away at my Elimination Chamber predictions to post this column timely. The match appeared to be good, but it wasn't impressing me enough to stop what I was doing. If many readers like it, I'm happy because Cesaro appeared to step it up in the spotlight and John Cena, ONCE AGAIN, works well with someone beneath him to elevate. For Match of the Year candidate, I still have Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt at Royal Rumble 2014 as my frontrunner. END EDIT. I could add more, such as the Daniel Bryan stuff with Kane... But most of the show was just your typical paint-by-the numbers "GO HOME" show. WWE hopes to have everyone relatively healthy for the Elimination Chamber and I don't blame them. I usually spend most of the "GO HOME" shows writing Predictions columns, so you can see how immune I am to these mailed-in shows. I'll go B as my RAW grade. ------------------------------------------------------- MR. TITO's PHAT ELIMINATION CHAMBER PREDICTIONS In the classic what SHOULD happen and what WILL happen format. Cody Rhodes/Goldust vs. Curtis Axel/Ryback WWE loved Goldust/Cody doing great in the pre-game show before Royal Rumble 2014 that they requested another! Seems that the WWE is leaning towards doing a Rhodes vs. Rhodes match at Wrestlemania 30. I'll lean on that match probability for my prediction. What SHOULD Happen: Goldust/Cody Rhodes win. For as much time and money that the WWE has spent trying to get Curtis Axel and Ryback over, they are total failures. Axel is pushed hard as the son of Mr. Perfect and the grandson of Larry "the ax" Hennig but nobody cares. Ryback was pushed as an unstoppable monster for much of 2012 and all it merited was "Goldberg" chants. Complete bomb with his heel turn. What WILL Happen: Axel/Ryback win when the Rhodes boys accidentally hit each other with a move or a foreign object, thus prompting a fight between the two to set up a possible Wrestlemania 30 match-up. Better yet, to set up a pre-Wrestlemania show match-up. ------------------------------------------------------- Titus O'Neil vs. Darren Young I still don't understand why the WWE pulled the plug on the Prime Time Players while also turning Titus O'Neil as a heel. Titus seemed to have great charisma as a babyface but yet the WWE Creative Team decided to make him a heel? I don't get it... What WILL/SHOULD Happen: Titus O'Neil wins. In my opinion, Titus was the better wrestler of the tag team and has more upside than Young. ------------------------------------------------------- The Shield vs. Wyatt Family If only we could have Survivor Series rules for this match... It seems fairly obvious to me that the WWE is pushing the Shield break-up and will push hit hard for a possible Triple Threat match at Wrestlemania 30. That, and with the WWE seriously pushing John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt for Wrestlemania 30, Bray Wyatt is going over strong in this match. What SHOULD Happen: The Shield wins. They are the more experienced and over tag team. Just look at who they beat during 2012-2013 as a unit. Why the WWE feels that they should be breaking up, I'll never know. Great stables help wrestlers, not hurt them... What WILL Happen: Wyatt Family wins. Shield 3 way match at Wrestlemania 30 and WWE wants to book Bray strong heading into Wrestlemania 30 versus John Cena. ------------------------------------------------------- WWE Tag Titles: New Age Outlaws(c) vs. Usos Seems too obvious that the Usos go over here... I wouldn't doubt that the WWE is saving the big moment for the Usos at Wrestlemania 30 instead of Elimination Chamber. WWE might add another team or two at Wrestlemania as well... Argh. But I would actually agree to holding off on the Usos winning the tag titles for Wrestlemania. Doesn't hurt to give the New Age Outlaws a longer run as it motivates them to stick around as a tag team. What SHOULD/WILL Happen: New Age Outlaws retain titles. ------------------------------------------------------- Intercontinental Title: Big E Langston(c) vs. Jack Swagger Interesting match-up and good to see that the WWE continues to put some seriousness into the Intercontinental Title and letting it be defended on Pay Per Views. Now, about that United States title... I could see the WWE letting Swagger win and then bragging to Cesaro to cause an eventual rift between the two. However, I don't believe that Big E Langston is ready for the main event scene and until then, he'll hold the IC Title. What WILL/SHOULD Happen: Big E retains the IC Title. ------------------------------------------------------- Batista vs. Alberto Del Rio I absolutely hope that Alberto Del Rio is in "screw it" mode with his contract reportedly up and just outworks Batista. Batista was in poor cardio shape at Royal Rumble 2014 and putting him against Del Rio could be a big mistake. Del Rio can work circles around most wrestlers and can tend to be difficult to keep up with. Hopefully, Batista has been hitting the treadmill or Del Rio could make him look really bad. WHAT SHOULD/WILL HAPPEN: Batista won the Rumble match. He has to win. Plus, Del Rio had multiple changes to get over as a main event and just failed. ------------------------------------------------------- Elimination Chamber for WWE Title: Randy Orton(c) vs. John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro vs. Christian vs. Sheamus Randy Orton has lost too much heading into this match. Even before losing to various members of this match in one-on-one bouts, he lost to Kofi Kingston. Unless your name is John Cena, you'll be made to look weak heading into a big Pay Per View payoff. Just seems as if the booking is painfully obvious. WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN: Randy Orton is a DUD as a World Champion. Get that belt off of him ASAP. He's not drawing as champion here in 2014. WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Randy Orton retains. WWE wants Batista vs. Randy Orton to headline Wrestlemania 30, for whatever reason. Orton losing repeatedly heading into Elimination Chamber Pay Per View almost guarantees Orton winning this Sunday. ------------------------------------------------------- WRESTLEMANIA 30 FORECASTING It almost seems, to me, that the WWE is trying to act like a set Wrestlemania 30 card is in place but they are planning for several surprises in the upcoming week. Based on what we've seen, this appears to be the "up front" Wrestlemania card or as I'll call it, "Scenario A". (SCENARIO A - Up Front Card) Batista vs. Randy Orton for WWE Title Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (Note: Bryan still has a shot at joining Orton/Batista) Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar But something is in the air. I believe that heading into Wrestlemania 30, the WWE wanted Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker but the Undertaker's health against a guy who wrestles like a shoot could look bad. I believe that there is a real fear that Brock would shoot on the Undertaker or that the Undertaker is too injured to withstand the beating from Brock. WWE, in my opinion, is downplaying the signing of Sting. I not only believe that it has happened, but I believe that the WWE has booked Sting to lose to the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 30 as well to satisfy a "dream match". Much safer match for Undertaker and now Brock Lesnar can "save" the WWE Title match. Thus, I believe that the hidden card, "Scenario B", will shape up like this: (SCENARIO B - Hidden Card) Batista vs. Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H Undertaker vs. Sting In my opinion, Scenario B makes for the best possible card, given the resources. It fits because Lesnar is focused on the WWE Title AND has confronted Batista/Orton already. Plus, adding Lesnar enhances that match greatly. Not sure of Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena, but that's in stone so I won't comment. Daniel Bryan STILL has to get revenge on Triple H for SummerSlam 2013. Bryan beating Triple H cleanly at Wrestlemania 30 would be a big deal, in my opinion. But Undertaker vs. Sting HAS to happen ASAP. Both guys are getting older and to hold off on using Sting would be a mistake. He's still a known quantity from being in TNA and Undertaker vs. Sting is a "dream match" to many. Plus, it allows the Undertaker to have a HUGE Wrestlemania match without taking any heat away from the younger roster. Early reports suggest that Sting really wants this Undertaker match and would be willing to do business. It's a no-brainer, in my opinion. Let me take Scenario B and complete the card with my recommended matches: (SCENARIO C - Tito's Complete Wrestlemania Card) Batista vs. Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H Undertaker vs. Sting Shield - Triple Threat Match Cody Rhodes vs. Goldust Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio Big E Langston vs. Mark Henry 4 Way Tag Team Match (Usos, New Age Outlaws, Wyatt Family, Real Americans) Divas Cluster**** Match Putting Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus in a match together makes sense and those two could bust out a great match together. I had nothing for Big E Langston at Wrestlemania, so I turned Mark Henry heel for him as an opponent. Who knows... Comments and debates are welcome on Twitter. Bring it on. @titowrestling SO JUST CHILL TILL THE NEXT EPISODE! MR. TITO COLUMN ARCHIVES on LordsofPain.net/WrestlingHeadlines.com FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @titowrestling
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