All I'm saying is this PPV better be better than Backlash, or I'm gonna consider opting out of the next Pay Per View (which I think is the King of the Ring). I think it will, and all because of four words: Hell in the Cell. I forgave them for Backlash, it happens. Bound to when they go year-round. But if they can't pull this one off I'm seriously gonna question the WWE's ability to stay entertaining without the presence of The Rock. I know that's a lot to put on one guy, but think about it: when did the WWF suck last year? Around Backlash and Judgment Day (actually, the King of the Ring sucked too). What did this have in common with this year? That's right, The Rock had just left for The Scorpion King (although, Triple H's injury didn't help either).

       Storyline-wise, this could go either way. Edge is a rising star in the WWE whose time has almost come, there can be no doubting this. His match with Angle at Backlash last month was the only redeeming value of an otherwise dreadful show, and since then he's been paired with the likes of Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Triple H, the two biggest names on the Smackdown brand. I think his string of excellent PPV bouts against Angle, Booker T, William Regal, Test and Christian have done the trick in eliminating his tag-team stigma, but he does have one thing working against him- there are too many blonde, long-haired wrestlers wrestlers in the biz, hell, the amount of blond, long-haired Canadians reached critical mass awhile ago (I think that's why Val Venis cut his hair). As distinct as Edge's hair is, it makes it kinda hard to pick his look out from that of Triple H, Christian, Test, Kevin Nash or, to a degree, Chris Jericho. Seriously, what's the deal with the long hair? Is that the first lesson in wrestling school; how to grow your hair? (If so, Maven missed that day; although, ironically, Al Snow would be an excellent teacher).

       So, it seems as though the stage is set for Edge to lose his hair, huh? Well, I say no. Even worse for Edge's rising star than looking like everyone else would be for him to keep losing to Angle, especially in so humiliating a fashion. Angle, on the other hand, only benefits from losing in humiliating fashion. It'll help him sell more "You Suck" T-Shirts. And like Hogan said, it looks like Mother Nature is gonna get Angle anyway. Look for Edge to win, clean.

Predicted Winner: Edge

       Is there any reason for Paul Heyman to be in this match? Does anyone wanna see him wrestle? Or in tights? (I assure you, he won't be in tights). Well, yes, there is a reason for him to be in this match, and that is to cause The Next Big Thing to lose. And yes, some people would like to see him wrestle, but only because they'd like to see him get his ass kicked. It's time for the Hardys to stop getting their asses kicked by a rookie, but it would be foolish for the WWE to waste a good buildup on such a promising star by having him lose this early. So the Hardys will get some measure of revenge by beating Heyman. The match will start with Brock taking it to both Matt and Jeff, with Team Extreme managing only brief moments of offence. Then, when Lesnar has the Hardys at his mercy, Heyman will demand a tag, so he can boost his ego by getting the pin. This will be the turning point where the Hardys take it to Heyman. They'll keep Lesnar from interfering, then Twist of Fate on Heyman, Swanton Bomb, 1-2-3. Voila, the Hardys get back some dignity and the seeds are sown for Lesnar's eventual dismissal of Heyman (and maybe Heyman eventually resuming colour duties for Smackdown). The RAW brand needs stars desperately (Kane and Nash are hurt, Scott Hall is gone, Austin versus Undertaker can no longer draw any interest- witness the abomination that was Backlash), so I think Lesnar will be thrust into the spotlight.

Predicted Winner: The Hardy Boyz

       It was good to see Trish finally win the Women's Title; I didn't really need to see Trish vs. Jazz for the billionth time this Sunday. However, I have to wonder if the WWE really wanted to give Trish the strap or if Jazz's injury facilitated the move. Obviously, it had something to do with it, but the WWE's current Canadian swing may have also been involved. Now Trish can visit Canadian cities for both RAW and Smackdown. With that in mind, it's pretty obvious that Trish will beat Stacy, even if she and Bubba will be outnumbered because of the new Deacon Bautista. I'm not saying Stacy will never become Women's Champion (remember: former Champs include the likes of Debra, The Kat, and Stephanie McMahon), but not yet. The WWE has been trying to build a serious Women's Division under the guidance of road agent Fit Finley, but injuries to Lita and Jazz could easily drag it down to a T&A level. I have no problem with that. Still, there are still a few Canadian dates for Trish to fulfill and if the WWF wanted Stacy to win the title, they wouldn't have had Trish win it less than a week ago. The Dudleyz will be an interesting addition to the mix, but I don't see a major feud developing there, given that they're on two different shows and neither is going to be WWE Champ any time soon. Instead, I think their involvement is to help fans recognise each wrestler as a singles competitor instead of longing for their reunion.

Predicted Winner: Trish Stratus

       I've read good things about their bout at Backlash, but honestly, it wasn't that good. It wasn't as bad as Austin vs. Undertaker, or Triple H vs. Hogan (which was god awful), but it wasn't what I would call good. Too bad, I expected good things from these two. I think this time it will be better. Eddie was still rusty and he and RVD hadn't had much opportunity to work many programs together, so I think this time they'll deliver. Also, the crowd and program were dead in Kansas City for Backlash, and RVD feeds of the crowd like few others. What he needs to start doing is putting together a more complete match. He's been moving from spot-to-spot a little too much lately, with little connecting his dynamic moves. He needs serious work in that area, along with his obvious vocal short-comings, this is why he is not being called on to fill the star void on RAW. Instead, he'll be leading the second-tier by regaining the Intercontinental Title on Sunday. I'm not sure he deserves it more than Eddie, but this is a return bout, so invaribly it's going to go the other way.

Predicted Winner: Rob Van Dam

       I've been predicting a lot of face victories, huh? Don't worry, I'm not marking out here, there are just a lot of return bouts, which are painfully easy to predict (although not fool-proof, Regal defeated Edge twice in a row, and RVD defeated Jeff Hardy in both their back-to-back PPV bouts last year, just to name a few exceptions to the rule). In this bout, I'm going the other way. The then-WWF really killed any momentum the nWo had going when Austin no-sold Hall and wiped the floor with he and Nash at Mania. Ultimately, it probably had to go down like that, with Big Kev ailing with what turned out to be a torn bicep and Hall causing so much trouble that he eventually was let go, but this time the WWE is putting a lot of work in making this nWo angle work. They're looking for some more of that Austin versus the boss magic, and really need the nWo to work. Like I said, RAW is short on stars, so this match will be an opportunity for Big Show and Booker T to prove they can hang (as I'm sure Booker will get involved somehow).

       Now, I don't think Show or Book can hang, and don't even get me started on X-Pac, but the Austin v. Flair thing has legs. Plus, they only need to keep this nWo viable long enough for Nash to heal and Scott Steiner to sign, then they'll have a real nWo. So Austin will lose in a four-on-one match (or two if Bradshaw helps out), but unless Flair can work some magic, I don't think this one will be that entertaining (but there'll be blood, lot's of it. Flair and Austin? In the same match? Oh yeah, there'll be blood).

Predicted Winner: Ric Flair and The Big Show

       I think it's pretty obvious the champs will win this one, what with the whole five minutes dedicated to the build-up of this match. The WWE must've realised that it would be weird without a tag title match at a PPV, so tried to throw Billy and Chuck (the only tag team on the Smackdown roster) a match against their main opponent of late. Then they remember B&C have no opponents. They've been fighting Rikishi of late, so let's give him a partner and the entertainment should ensue! I'm just hoping that this match won't take too long. Since predicting the winner will be no fun, I'll predict Rikishi's partner-to-be-named-later. I can't decide between Randy Orton, who is a rising star who could bring the most to this otherwise non-descript match, and it works storyline-wise since Vince is punishing the young Orton for his perceived impropriety with Stacy. However, maybe Vince is upset at Billy and Chuck for failing to beat Rikishi and interupting smoochy time with Stacy, then his partner could be Mark Henry. Those are my best guesses, with Orton being my first prediction.

Predicted Winner: Billy and Chuck

       This will be good, real good. Not only are Hell in the Cell Matches usually exciting (although not always, the Undertaker fought the Big Bossman in a very forgettable Hell in the Cell Match at Wrestlemania), but in Triple H and Chris Jericho the WWE has two of its best going at it, two who will give their all to put on a show. That kinda sounded like a J.R. promo, huh?

       I think Triple H has to be the favourite going in, given his Hell in the Cell experience and his string of victories over Jericho. But I'm going the other way with this one. I think Jericho needs to win this one to seen as a top heel and a legitimate threat, and the WWE needs Jericho to be a top heel. They left him off the card at Backlash, and suffered for it. His run-in during Triple H's match with Hogan was the best part of the match, with the competitors actually moving at a brisk pace. Then it slowed right down again and the crowd fell back asleep. Nobody will be falling asleep during this match, which will be the highlight of the show and cement Jericho's place at the top of the WWE (something that his title run did not do).

Predicted Winner: Chris Jericho

       I don't think this match will suck as much as Hogan's last title fight, and that's not just wishful thinking. I think The Undertaker can be as brutal as he wants to be with Hogan, a luxury the face Triple H did not have. This will help Hogan's come-back- despite-the-odds schtick and could lead to some real drama (something that was lacking in his bout with Triple H). I would like to see Undertaker win, so that Triple H could meet him for the title at King of the Ring in what would be a much more interesting match, but I don't think the WWE is going to end Hogan's run so soon. They want to let the guy ride off into the sunset (and why not? No one deserves it more), and a one-month title run is not the way to do it. Too bad, though. He's really dragging the show down right now.

Predicted Winner: Hollywood Hulk Hogan

For more WWF content on this site, click on any of the following:

THE YEAR 2001- YEAR IN REVIEW- See how the superstars of the WWF stacked up using my rankings system for the entire year of 2001. Who was number 1, Stone Cold or Kurt Angle? Who were the top tag team, The Dudley Boyz or The Hardy Boyz? Along with my usual brand of commentary is new photos and stats for the year 2001, including title reigns and PPV information.

THE YEAR 2000- YEAR IN REVIEW- See how the superstars of the WWF stacked up using my rankings system for the entire year 2000. Who was number 1, The Rock or Triple H? Who were the top tag teams? Also, the title pictures for each belt from the WWF Championship all the way down to the Light Heavyweight Title, with my own commentary on each reign.

LITA- ONE MAN'S OBSESSION- I admit, I was in love with Lita. I also admit that this behaviour did become a bit of an obsession. I have since conquered this insanity, but you can still see pictures of the Team Extreme Diva, biographical info and random career facts, all presented while I was attempting to come to terms with the fact that I was in love with someone I saw on TV.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS- Ranking archives dating back to November 2000. Missed a posting? Want to track my biases? Find all past information here.

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