411 PPV Preview: The Road to Armageddon 2007

MICKIE JAMES VS. BETH PHOENIX FOR THE WWE WOMEN’S TITLE

Background: Mickie James earned a title shot by defeating Melina on the November 26th RAW. Beth Phoenix watched on. Phoenix and Melina teamed against Mickie and Maria on RAW for December 3rd. Phoenix killed Mickie dead in short order.

Match Up: This is a classic big ‘man’ vs. little ‘man’ match. Phoenix has torn through the competition, including James. Hopefully, this will not give her a swelled head. Cockiness is the downfall of many in the squared circle. James is scrappy and spunky and her energy will allow her to keep a licking and keep on ticking. The question is if she can score the upset victory before times runs out. James will want to stick and move using her speed to knock Beth off her game. If Phoenix can keep her composure and meticulous ring style, she can retain.

Outcome: Both women show a lot of potential, but Phoenix is still green and making James look like no challenge doesn’t help her to grow and develop. They seem to be just biding time until Candice Michelle comes back, but they would best be served to develop an interesting feud here to benefit both women. Look for Phoenix to win in a glorified squash.

FINLAY VS. THE GREAT KHALI

Background: After being vexed by his illegitimate son Hornswaggle for weeks, Vince McMahon decided the best way to get rid of him was to pit him against the massive, seven foot Great Khali. On the following RAW a video was shown from earlier in the day. While the arena was empty, Regal had Coach dress like Khali and fight Hornswaggle to give him a tune up match. Horny did a lot of biting and going after the legs. Smackdown for November 16th had a weigh in. Hornswaggle was 138 pounds. Khali came in at three times that much. Finlay rushed in to save Hornswaggle at Survivor Series and draw the disqualification. The next night on RAW Carlito applauded Vince for the tough love he was showing his bastard son. Vince decided to show him a little more by booking him against Carlito. Vince and Finlay later talked with Finlay sort of verbally messing with the boss without getting to overt. With the match being no DQ, Finlay came out to help Hornswaggle again. Carlito inadvertently sprayed the Irishman with apple, so Finlay took his head off with the shillelagh. On Smackdown for November 23rd Vince allowed Finlay to help his little pal officially by booking a handicap match with the pair facing off with Mark Henry. Finlay laid out Henry with the shillelagh in the match and allowed Hornswaggle to pin him. Finlay used the club again to help him and Horny beat Deuce and Domino on Smackdown for November 30th. Hornswaggle wasn’t so lucky on RAW for December 3rd. Finlay was off visiting Ireland. Vince booked Horny in a handicap match with Carlito and Coach. However, Vince left his phone behind and Hornswaggle found the number for the APA. He hired JBL and Ron Simmons to work the match for him. They aided Hornswaggle in a tad pole splash on Coach for the win. Smackdown for December 7th had Finlay back. Hornswaggle was messing with Cherry and Deuce and Domino’s car. Finlay backed the greasers off and even had Horny break their antenna. Finlay later defeated Deuce in the ring. Khali finally defeated Hornswaggle on the following Smackdown, even though Finlay got involved again. On the 15th anniversary RAW Finlay conveniently ‘lost’ his airplane ticket. Regal booked Hornswaggle to face Khali again. This time Hulk Hogan made the save. Khali finally beat Hornswaggle on the last Smackdown even though Finlay got involved.

Match Up: If there is any undersized grappler in WWE that can hang with the massive Khali, it’s Finlay. Finlay is devious and without fear, two key components for someone who is such an underdog. Khali has always relied on his size and strength. Finlay is a great ring general who knows how to neutralize this. Look for Finlay to strike the legs and get Khali off his feet, then work wear down holds. When all else fails, he always has the shillelagh and his little buddy pulling for him.

Outcome: Finlay might be one of the few on the WWE roster that Finlay couldn’t get a good match out of, so we’ll have to see how this fairs. Look for Hornswaggle to interfere and give Finlay the win somehow. Khali is pretty much at the end of his monster push, emphasis on monster. This match is just to tread water in the storyline as the big blow off has to be Vince McMahon vs. Finlay somehow with Hornswaggle having to choose between them.

MVP VS. REY MYSTERIO FOR THE US TITLE

Background: On Smackdown for November 23rd JBL presented MVP with a United States Title ring to go with his title belt. Rey Mysterio interrupted proceedings and accused Porter of ducking Matt Hardy. MVP refuted that and decked Mysterio. Mysterio fought back and almost landed a 619 before Porter ran off. This led to a match later on between the two that MVP won with help from the ropes. The following week MVP lost a tag match to Rey where his partner was Big Daddy V and Mysterio had Kane. December 7th had the VIP Lounge with guest Michael Hayes. He was promoting the new WCCW DVD. He and MVP got into it. Hayes promised that Matt Hardy would take care of MVP when he came back and that Rey would beat him at Armageddon. MVP took Hayes out with the Playmaker, but Mysterio made the save afterwards. Mysterio beat Kenny Dykstra on the December 14th Smackdown.

Match Up: Once again, we have an overly cocky heel going against a face he shouldn’t underestimate. Porter is a great athlete, but not even he can match the speed and agility of Mysterio. Rey will want to blitz the US champion early. Porter will want to use classic heel stall tactics to slow the bout down. Mysterio can’t let him do this. If MVP backs off, charge him If Porter tries to take a breather on the floor, jump out onto him. Mysterio can’t let him think or breath. MVP is still new to WWE and can be rattled by someone with the unorthodox style of the former World Champion.

Outcome: The cosmos seems to not want Matt Hardy and MVP to ever hook up in the ring again. Mysterio is sadly just holding Matt’s place until he can return. The match itself should be very good, there’s just not much of a storyline behind it. It’s doubtful that WWE wants to put the US Title on Rey. A win would help to continue the rise of Porter without hurting Mysterio that much. If anything, MVP might take the cheap loss just for the title retention. It depends on how much they feel they have to protect Mysterio.

KEN KENNEDY VS. SHAWN MICHAELS

Background: Shawn Michaels lost to Randy Orton at Survivor Series for the WWE Title. Michaels tried to get Orton to meet him in the ring the next night on RAW. Instead, Kennedy came out. He challenged Micahels and their match never officially got underway as they brawled on the outside. Kennedy later claimed that Michaels was jealous of him and was trying to hold him down. RAW for November 26th had Kennedy reviewing Michaels’ new DVD. He said that it showed what a universal loser HBK was. Kennedy later defeated Brian Kendrick in a match. RAW for December 3rd had Kennedy giving Michaels a blast from the past. Kennedy brought out imitators of Marty Jannetty, Diesel and Razor Ramon before he produced a fake Michaels. Shawn had enough of that garbage and came to the ring to take out all the imposters. Later in Shawn’s match with Orton, Kennedy came out and Michaels tackled him on the floor. Michaels lost by DQ. On the 15th anniversary RAW Michaels produced the real Marty Jannetty to see how Kennedy would fair. Kennedy won. He looked for more abuse on Marty after the match, but Michaels made the save.

Match Up: Does Kennedy really give Michaels such short shrift or is this merely an act to lull Michaels into a false sense of confidence? Kennedy’s arrogance has hurt him in the past, but he has been able to put together some impressive victories over many former world champions. Will Michaels be the next on the list? The showstopper’s knees are still a major question mark and Kennedy would be smart to go after them early. Kennedy will want to control the pace and flow of the match. If he allows Michaels to dictate proceedings it will put Kennedy in a defensive posture and Shawn can still explode offensively.

Outcome: The match has potential to be the best on the card, but both men have to be motivated. They seem to be just going through the motions with clichéd angles to draw heat, like the cheap impersonation segment on RAW. However, Kennedy has cut some good promos and seems to be getting his momentum back. Usually with him he goes over early in the feud so he can hold a win over his opponent before jobbing the blow off.

CM PUNK AND KANE VS. BIG DADDY V AND MARK HENRY

Background: CM Punk hung onto the ECW Title against Big Daddy V at No Mercy by virtue of a disqualification after interference from Matt Striker. On the following ECW on Sci-Fi John Morrison returned after a month away to beat Punk in a non-title match. Morrison opened the next show proclaiming the fans should vote for him for Cyber Sunday. He was interrupted by Miz and V. The three men were booked to face Punk and a partner of his choosing in a handicap match. Punk shocked everyone by going with Kane. Kane choke slammed Miz to win. Miz and Morrison argued about the loss and agreed to face each other one on one. That match was a no contest when V entered the ring to squash them both. Miz opened the show on October 23rd to put himself over for the title match. He also got on Kelly Kelly for dating Ball Mahoney when he told her not to. Morrison came out and offered Kelly a night in the palace of wisdom. She slapped him. Morrison got rough. Mahoney came out for the save and Punk followed to back him up. Morrison and Miz argued more in the back. ECW General Manager Armando Estrada happened by and put the two in a match with Mahoney and Punk. Miz and Morrison couldn’t get on the same page and Punk pinned Morrison with the Go 2 Sleep. On the following Smackdown V destroyed Miz and Morrison. In an upset, Miz won the fan vote at Cyber Sunday to face Punk. Miz would miss the Reality Check, leaving himself open for the G2S and the loss.

On ECW for November 20th Kane faced V and Matt Striker in a handicap match. Kane choke slammed Striker for the win, but was dropped by Big Daddy afterwards. On the following Smackdown Kane and V went at it one on one. Striker caused a DQ when he came in with a chair. Kane took the chair from him and cleared the ring with it. Kane and V hooked up in an extreme rules match on ECW for November 27th. V won when Mark Henry came out to help with a double team choke slam through a table. That Friday on Smackdown, Kane got some revenge as he and Mystyerio defeated V and MVP. On ECW for December 4th, Punk was given the choice to face either Mark Henry or Big Daddy V. He said he didn’t care which and told Matt Striker to pick. He flipped a coin and Henry won. V would interfere in the match for the DQ. Kane made the save with a chair. Kane and Punk defeated Deuce and Domino on ECW for December 11th. Striker later cut a promo for his behemoths to hype the coming tag match. On the last Smackdown Kane was defeated by Batista in a last man standing match. V and Henry went down to the Undertaker in a triple threat.

Match Up: The “mounds of ebony flesh,” as Striker called them on ECW, will certainly want to isolate and work over the much smaller ECW Champion. Punk has proven that he can hold his own against the two, but a tag situation where he gets isolated might be a different story. They need to put Punk out early if they can and not toy with him. The more time they allow him to make a comeback, the more likely he is to do so.

Outcome: The sad part is that CM Punk is the ECW Champion and the fourth man in this match. Look for him to place face in peril until making the hot tag to Kane. They should go over to keep Punk strong and with the heels looking likely to win elsewhere. There might be an outside shot of interference from Shelton Benjamin as he would make the most logical new opponent for Punk.

TRIPLE H VS. JEFF HARDY, NUMBER ONE CONTENDER TO THE WWE TITLE

Background: Triple H and Jeff Hardy were the last two members of their team at Survivor Series as they joined forces to take out Umaga last.. Hardy faced Umaga the next night on RAW. Hardy won by DQ when Snitsky interfered. Triple H made the save. When questioned about it, Triple H admitted he just wanted to show up Umaga and Snitsky because he was the biggest bad ass on RAW and they needed to learn that. RAW for November 26th had Triple H and Hardy teaming against Snitsky and Umaga. Triple H hit the Pedigree on Umaga and Hardy finished with a swanton. William Regal came out after the match and booked the face team against each other for Armageddon. RAW for December 3rd had Hardy retaining the IC title over Snitsky. Snitsky wanted revenge after the bout, but Triple H made the save. Hunter talked with Regal about why he made the match for Armageddon. Regal wanted to see what would happen if Triple H had an opponent he didn’t hate. In fact, Regal knows that Triple H likes and respects Hardy. However, Regal then gave Hunter all the motivation he needed by making the bout a number one contenders match for the WWE Title. On the 15th anniversary RAW Hardy retained the IC Title in a ladder match over Carlito. Triple H cut up throughout the show, but got serious as he joined with Batista and Ric Flair to face Randy Orton, Edge and Umaga. The faces won by DQ.

Match Up: William Regal brought up an interesting point here as Triple H doesn’t hate Jeff Hardy. However, he will find all the motivation he needs in going for a title shot. Triple H is another ring general who you can’t let control the pace and flow. It has been sometime since Hunter has gone against someone with the unorthodox, high flying style of Hardy. This might allow Jeff to take the early advantage. However, he has to keep his brashness in check. If he charges headlong into Triple H and eats a big time power move it will be a huge momentum shifter. To win, Hardy will not just have to wrestle the best match of his life, but the smartest.

Outcome: Triple H goes through periods where he is willing to put guys over and periods where he isn’t. We seem to be in a not phase. Since his return from injury Hunter has buried Carlito and Umaga. Hardy has picked up a lot of John Cena’s fan base since his injury and is on the cusp of a main event push. With Cena likely to comeback and Triple H playing king of the mountain we might not see that push come to fruition. A win here would be huge for Hardy and not damage Triple H much. It all comes down to how Triple H feels that day.

RANDY ORTON VS. CHRIS JERICHO FOR THE WWE TITLE

Background: Randy Orton defended his WWE Title against Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series. Orton referred to this as a passing of the torch. To signify this, he had a torch runner go from Miami to Fort Lauderdale to literally give him a torch. When the runner arrived at the building he was knocked out by a mysterious figure. A few moments later the man appeared on the entrance stage. It was Chris Jericho. Jericho promised to save WWE once again. The next week on November 26th Jericho tried to make it clear with visual aides that he wanted a title shot against Randy Orton. His segment was interrupted by Santino Marella. Jericho didn’t know who he was and kept getting his name wrong. This led to a match with Jericho winning by use of his new finisher, the Codebreaker. In the main event, Orton faced Ric Flair. If Flair lost he would have to retire. Jericho came out to distract Orton and the Nature Boy lived to fight another day. This enraged Orton so much that he accepted Jericho’s challenge after the show went off the air.

This was covered at the start of the next RAW as the two men went nose to nose. William Regal broke them up and allowed them to pick each other’s opponent for the night. Jericho picked Shawn Michaels. Orton went with Umaga. Jericho was holding his own against Umaga until Orton ran in for the disqualification. Orton won his match by count out when Micahels went after Ken Kennedy out the outside. On the 15th anniversary RAW Orton teamed with old allies Edge and Umaga to face his other former allies in Evolution. They lost to Flair, Batista and Triple H by DQ. Later on, Jericho confronted his former boss Eric Bischoff in the ring for firing him. Jericho knocked Bischoff down and Orton ran in. Y2J locked in the Walls of Jericho until Orton tapped out. He then hovered over Orton with the title belt.

Match Up: Chris Jericho returns to the fold after two years off. He has looked ok in recent matches, but ring rust is still a factor. Orton could let Jericho control early and play opossum to sucker him when he feels he’s in complete control. However, Orton’s ego will probably make him take the fight to Jericho early and try to dominate. This could allow Jericho to then sucker Orton. This might prove to be more a mental chess game than a wrestling match. In that case, Y2J gets the advantage. The physical skills might need to come back, but you never lose your ring smarts.

Outcome: It’s probably a good idea to push Jericho hard and fast on his return, but putting the title on him might be too much too soon. It would also damage Orton who is still trying to shake the image of being a transitional champion. Remember, he only became champ this time due to the injury of John Cena. WWE will want to protect Jericho and we know from past bouts with Orton that they don’t mind having him win or lose by count out. Looking for something wonky just to drive the feud forward. However, keep in mind that the winner of Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy is supposed to get the title shot at Royal Rumble. Orton vs. Triple H or Hardy works better than either one against Jericho.

BATISTA VS. UNDERTAKER VS. EDGE FOR THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE

Background: On Smackdown for October 12th Rey Mysterio and Finlay fought for the number one contender rights to the World Title. The match ended in a double disqualification when both men shoved the referee. Undertaker then emerged to lay out both men and demand a title match. The next week Undertaker jobbed out Jamie Noble. JBL interviewed Batista. He wanted to be the special guest referee for the Cyber Sunday match, but Batista didn’t care who the ref was. They got into it and Batista speared Layfield from the ring. On October 26th Noble lost to Batista. JBL then interviewed Undertaker and was choke slammed for his trouble. Batista ran out to spear UT. Undertaker did the dead man sit up to end the show. Steve Austin won the vote at Cyber Sunday to be the special guest referee. It mattered little to either man. Batista won after two Demon Bombs. Batista opened Smackdown on November 2nd. He knew things were not finished between him and the Undertaker. UT appeared and Batista offered him a rematch. Undertaker accepted and wanted it to be a hell in a cell. The two were forced to tag in the main event against Mark Henry and the Great Khali. JBL attacked Batista to draw the disqualification for Batista attacking him weeks previous. The following week Undertaker beat Khali. Earlier in the night Batista wished UT luck, because he wanted him strong for their ppv match. On RAW for November 12th Batista surprisingly kicked off the show. He said that general manager William Regal invited him to the show to face some RAW competition. Undertaker then came out. Regal stopped the two from going at it, because he wanted them to face Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. The faces won easily. On November 16th Undertaker hyped the hell in a cell match and promised that Batista would rest in peace. Batista beat Henry in the main event. At Survivor Series Undertaker had Batista beat with a tombstone piledriver when the referee was yanked out of the ring from making the count by a cameraman. It turned out to be Edge. He took out UT and allowed Batista to get the pin for the win.

On Smackdown for November 23rd acting general manager Vicky Guerrero blasted Edge for his interference in the pay per view match. She punished him by…giving him a title match with Batista? The two then kissed and it was revealed that Vicky was in love with Edge and he had this planned all along. Batista later questioned her on the matter with Vicky professing her undying love for Edge. To close the show, Batista was the guest on the Cutting Edge. Edge promised to take his title back the following week. Batista dared him to try. Batista shoved Edge down and left. Undertaker then appeared. Edge ran off, but he caught Vicky and gave her the Tombstone. In the title match, Batista lined up Edge for a spear when the lights went off. Yup, the Undertaker appeared. He tried to choke slam Edge, but Batista speared him out of it. UT then choke slammed Batista. Edge ran off. Edge won by DQ. Teddy Long then returned after time off for a heart attack. He made a triple threat match for the World Heavyweight title at Armageddon. On December 7th Batista defeated Elijah Burke of ECW. The following week on ECW Batista would beat him again. Teddy Long booked Edge against the man who injured him in Kane. Edge got fed up with the Big Red Machine and grabbed a chair. He was DQ’ed for that, but Kane booted it into his face. Undertaker then showed to choke slam Edge, but Batista speared him. Edge ran off. On the 15th anniversary RAW Edge teamed with Orton and Umaga to lose to Batista, Ric Flair and Triple H by DQ. Undertaker appeared only briefly to tombstone Vince McMahon. Vicky Guerrero returned on Smackdown for December 14th. She booked all of the title competitors in matches. Edge got an easy bout against Funaki. Batista beat Kane in a last man standing match, even though Edge tried to tip the balance the other way. Undertaker won a triple threat match with Big Daddy V and Mark Henry, but was beat down afterwards as Edge watched.

Match Up: Edge has already shown that he is more than willing to let Batista and Undertaker go after each other. He can then swoop in and steal the pin. The faces will want to put their personal differences aside and go after Edge first. If there is one thing they can agree on it’s that they don’t want him to be champion. Even if they do put him out of commission early, they can’t forget about him. Edge is a master manipulator and he will need that skill to pull out the win here. Undertaker always uses intimidation as a weapon, but that won’t come into play here. Batista is a head down, bulldoze ahead kind of guy but that’s not smart when facing two men at once. Edge’s brain might be able to trump the might of the other two. Maybe, because that’s a lot of might barreling down on him.

Outcome: We will learn how committed WWE is to Edge. Before his injury he looked to be in for a semi-lengthy title reign. Of course, so did the Undertaker before his injury. Rumors have them wanting to do Edge vs. Undertaker at Wrestlemania. That match would have had more juice if Edge were still undefeated at Wrestlemania too. So one or the other has to have the title on them before then and it would seem more traditional to have it be UT chasing Edge. Of course, Batista could squeak out the retention and then drop it either one come the Royal Rumble. This one might be a three-sided coin flip, but lean toward Edge.