Can They Be Champ? 4.23.07: The Next Champs

Isn’t it kind of refreshing to watch these international WWE shows? The audience always seems to get way more into things (I haven’t heard such a loud pop for Benoit in awhile). Most attribute this to the international markets being starved for WWE shows, and… I mean, it’s true. Some places will only get one show a year. Some get less than that. It might be something that we take for granted. I myself only have to drive an hour to get to either Pittsburgh or Cleveland. I can see multiple Raw’s and Smackdown’s a year, and that’s not counting the annual house show that’ll be within a 10-minute drive. Hell, WrestleMania was only a four-hour drive. Social and political unrest be damned. I love being an American. It’s just convenient.

Anyways, I’m going to be doing things a little differently this week. Rather than pick specific wrestlers and look at their chances of being World Champion, I’m going to run down four of the biggest championships (WWE, World Heavyweight, ECW, and NWA) and try to predict who will be holding each belt next. Now, this is kind of dangerous on my part. I will be trying to predict events in a business where unpredictability rears its ugly head at random moments (who honestly thought Deuce and Domino were going to win the Tag Team belts on Smackdown last Friday? You’re lying). Plus, I’m sure there will be plenty of people to mock and verbally assault me if the future proves me wrong.

Still, I am awesome, which makes my predictions equally awesome. Here’s my first prediction: this is going to be the best Can They Be Champ? ever! Yep, out of all four of them, this one will rock the most.

Thumbs up. Let’s do this.

Who will be the next WWE Champion?
Likely Candidates: Edge, Shawn Michaels, Triple H

Cena has held the belt for the majority of the last two years, so whoever takes the belt off of him is going to have to be an established main eventer. They can’t have guy who’s never been a world champion before get his big break by beating Cena. They’re simply not ready to put someone over Cena at this point. What’s far more likely to happen is for someone to take the belt off of Cena (probably “unfairly”) setting up a feud where Cena will have to win his belt back. Like exactly what happened the last two times he lost his belt.

So, who’s going to have the honors? Well, Cena’s current biggest feud is with Shawn Michaels. Now, they weren’t willing to put Shawn over Cena at WrestleMania, but that doesn’t mean Shawn can’t win the belt off of him. Taking the championship at a smaller PPV may seem like less of a burial to the WWE than doing so at the company’s biggest show of the year. Besides, a lot of the fans have been clamoring for it. If HBK comes out of this feud without getting a hold of the belt once, the fans will continue to turn on Cena. Even now, Cena is getting some of the worst heat he’s had since One Night Stand. So let Shawn get the belt, have him hold it for awhile, then let Cena win it back at some overbooked gimmick match (Hell in the Cell maybe? It would play off of Shawn’s history with that kind of match). That way everyone would be happy.

Of course, at this point, it seems far more likely that Cena is never going to drop the belt in the Michaels feud. In that case, he’ll probably hold onto the belt until Summer. And guess who comes back this Summer? HHH. Upon returning from his injury, Trips is sure to get some huge pops. His character’s popularity could be at an all time high. And what better way to capitalize on that than having him feud for the world title? They could even get Shawn involved, if they wish to continue that feud. Now, they’re a lot of rumors that the WM23 main event was originally going to be HHH vs. Cena II. Well, maybe the WWE will simply have HHH win the belt this fall, hold onto it until WM24, and then put that match on then.

Still, I think the safest bet to take the belt off of Cena is Edge. He’s the man who did it both times before (ok, technically it was RVD that second time… but Edge helped). He’s also the one who could benefit the most from another title run. The man is now the top heel on Raw. We need to see him hold the belt to know that he’s a legitimate threat. And I’m sure you’ve noticed, but all of that Cena booing seems to fade away whenever he’s feuding with Edge. I’m sure the WWE loves that.

Now one man I may have considered to be a candidate until recently was Orton. But after being sent home from the Euro tour, I have to imagine that he’ll be in the doghouse for a while. Of course, he has gotten out of said doghouse pretty quickly in the past, so who knows.

If I had to pick a wild card, I’d have to go with Great Khali. You know that they would love to put Cena in another underdog program again. God help us all.

Who will be the next World Heavyweight Champion?
Likely Candidates: Batista, Mr. Kennedy

There really are only two likely men to take the belt off of Taker. Batista makes sense because he really is the most over man on Smackdown right now. Besides, he’s still feuding with Taker, and probably will be for a good while yet. And if the WWE is worried about Batista looking a little weak due to losing the belt from Taker, what better way to salvage the situation than have him win it back from him. Or maybe the WWE could use this opportunity to turn Batista heel. Have his inability to win the belt back from Taker drive Batista so mad that he’s willing to do anything to get it back.

The other candidate is Mr. Money in the Bank himself, Ken Kennedy. I think this is pretty obvious, but I’ll explain myself anyways. He’s guaranteed a title shot at his time and choosing, and since Kennedy’s character is supposed to be so cunning, I’m sure he’ll do it at an opportune time. It’ll be more Edge than RVD. And when the time comes, there’s a very good chance he’ll win the belt. The precedent has definitely been set for that. Still, many think that they won’t have Kennedy win due to fears that Money in the Bank will become too predictable. Well, that hasn’t stopped them from having the Royal Rumble winner win the belt at WrestleMania over and over again.

Those really do seem like the only logical choices. King Booker is injured, Kane hasn’t been a serious title contender for a while, same with Benoit, Finlay usually puts other people over, MVP is still too new… I think that about covers it.

Who will be the next ECW World Champion?
Likely Candidates: RVD, Elijah Burke, CM Punk

Well, I don’t think Lashley will be dropping the belt anytime soon. He’s having way too good of a time defending it against all of those Raw and Smackdown guys. But, he’ll have to fight someone from ECW eventually. Right?

…right?

Well, I guess all that time is giving some of ECW’s younger stars some time to develop and shine. The two-standout rookies are Elijah Burke and CM Punk. Elijah Burke has come a long way as a heel (remember when he was merely a lowly escort for Terkay?). His character is a totally believable conniving leader. His wrestling has improved as well. I mean, he’s not on fire in the ring or anything, but he’s a lot better than some people on ECW (like, you know, the champion). So if they really want to push this New Breed thing hard, what better way to do it than by having their leader win the belt? They’ll have control over all of ECW. They’ll definitely be enough people willing to challenge Burke for the belt. They could even have his own teammates eventually turn on him for want of the belt.

And then there’s Punk. The man has definitely gotten pretty popular in his short time in the WWE. And love or hate his heel turn, you can’t deny that it definitely sent shockwaves. It’s easily the most talked about thing happening on ECW right now. Of course, all signs are pointing to this heel turn being short lived, but that just means that Punk can return to being a face more over as ever. But if they plan to keep him heel, what better man to take the belt off of Lashley? He’s over, has the ability, and has his own posse of New Breed members willing to cheat for him.

Then there’s RVD, who may get the belt as a good will gesture from the WWE, who desperately wants RVD to resign with them rather than jump ship to TNA. A title would definitely make him happy. Worked for Chris Benoit in WCW.

Yes, that was a joke.

Wild card? Snitsky. He’s big, and… you know… big guys are tough.

Who will be the next NWA (or TNA… I’m still confused) World Champion?
Likely Candidates: Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Jeff Jarrett

Ok, Angle and Joe clearly both have title runs heading their way. They’re the two biggest names in the company, and probably the most over men TNA has. Besides, they’re both face (I think Angle’s a face… he does seem rather perturbed quite often) so they have a good chance of taking the title off of Christian.

Who has the better chance of getting the belt first? I would probably say Angle. His title match against Christian was less recent than Joe’s, and I still believe they’re going to save Joe winning his first title for Bound for Glory 2007.

Of course, there’s always the Jarrett factor. He’s face now too, so maybe he’s setting himself up to take the belt off of Cage. I don’t know though, surely Jeff realizes that Angle and Joe need to get a hold of that title more than he does. Seriously, I believe he has that much sense.

Abyss would probably be the wild card here. He’s face now, and may want to go after the man who took the NWA title away from him in the first place. And he’s big. That’s always important.

As for Sting… well, his last title reign didn’t go so well, did it?

I’m not going to be doing my usual recapping this week, though I would like to take this opportunity to tell everyone that I’m going to be covering the ECW on Sci-Fi Report this week. So if can’t get enough of Minotti 2 Hotti, you’ll know where to find more.

Great stuff on your column this week (editors note: referring to last week’s Lethal Lockdown themed column). I think I actually preferred it to last week’s WWE Could They. Now for some comments and questions…bullet-style, because I’m lame like that.
• I’m not an ROH fan, so I wouldn’t know how Punk was as a heel, except through what I’ve read. Still, I think overall, it could be a good thing as long as they have him be the one to defeat Lashley for the ECW Title. I imagine whenever Lashley does drop the title, he’s going to RAW. Still, I’d rather see Punk with the title than RVD. Hell, I’d rather see Sandman with the title again than RVD.
• Styles as TNA Champ again? I totally agree, I think he’s actually progressed a lot more with his heelish tendencies since partnering with Christian. I just hope that Christian retains the title a little bit longer before he has to drop it to someone.
• Angle as champ is a no-brainer. Like you said, it’s just a matter of time. Can you imagine the bragging that a heel Angle could do? I do hope that when he wins the TNA title, that he goes full-fledged cowardly heel, since I think that’s when Kurt is at his best.
• Samoa Joe. I hate the guy. I just can’t see the marketability in the guy. Sure, he might be able to do moves that a guy his size shouldn’t be able to, but so what? I don’t see what the big fuss is over him, and other than ROH fans, I’m surprised that anyone can get behind the guy.
• Tomko would make a great TNA champ in my opinion. Wait for it. Wait. You see, Abyss was a fairly decent TNA Champ and he’s a big, lumbering lummox. Tomko at least can talk on the mic, his skill set isn’t as limited as people make him out to be. (his recent Japan stuff is pretty good, albeit the camera work by the person recording it wasn’t exactly top notch.) I think he would make a great big heel champ, especially if he goes on a killing spree, just mauling anyone who gets in his path. Give the guy a chance and I bet he’d run with it.
• Steiner, Sting and Abyss. Sting and Abyss would be okay champs, but I just didn’t feel anything when they held the title. Steiner as champ would be a PR nightmare. I couldn’t even imagine why they’d want to have Steiner as champ, but I’ve seen stranger things in wrestling. (ie: Jay Leno)
• Jarrett as champ, will naturally happen. But I think even he knows that putting the title on himself anytime soon would be a major mistake. Even the most egotistical person would rather have money than fame, right?
• Rhino? Meh…I like the guy, but like you said, he’s a little stale. He needs to freshen up his act a bit and I think he’d make one hell of a champ.
• David Arquette. Am I the only one who thought he was awesome as WCW Champ? Okay, I guess I am. Still, I’d mark to Hell and back if Arquette became TNA Champ. I’d laugh, mark, buy all of the TNA merchandise and become a ring rat if that happened. Just a personal wish of mine. The guy at least deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame, right next to Pete Rose. He’s a former World Champ dammit!
• The Photoshop of Batista was top notch. If I knew how to work Paint Shop Pro, Adobe or Roxio or any of those programs, I’d give it a shot. Instead, I just do artwork for Kingdom of Loathing. (see: http://kingdomofloathing.com for the joke)
Take care man, great job this week.
Joe

Thanks for the feedback, Joe. I think I should also thank you for agreeing with almost everything I said. Well, minus Samoa Joe and Tomko.

But you may be right. Maybe Samoa Joe isn’t marketable… to a WWE like audience. But remember, TNA isn’t the WWE (even if they want to be). They’re a smaller company that has attracted the fan base it has with some wrestling that is noticeably different than the kind of stuff they do in the WWE. Keeping that in mind, Joe is a pretty good fit for TNA. Would he work as well in the WWE? Probably not, but the TNA faithful love the athleticism from such a big man. I mean… it’s unusual, and something that you won’t see on Raw.

As for Tomko… well, I haven’t seen his Japan stuff, so I can’t comment on that. But maybe you’re right, and he would be a good monster heel champ. I just don’t really like champs who sort of tear through their competition like they’re nothing. I hate seeing a single person being pushed at the expense of the entire roster.

I am glad you liked the Batista/Gears of War picture. Continuing the wrestlers and video game theme, here’s another pic I doctored a while ago featuring one of my favorite wrestlers and one of my favorite games:

In case it’s lost on anyone, that’s Chris Benoit (in action figure form) holding the Oblivion and Oathkeeper Keyblaydes from Kingdom Hearts.

Ok, that’s enough shenanigans. I’ll be back next week. Oh, and don’t forget, I’m covering the ECW on Sci-Fi Report this Tuesday. I’ve heard some say reading the report is better than watching the show. And keep e-mailing any comments or questions to [email protected].

Keep the dream alive!