Crossface
The Crossface: Vengeance Preview
By The Smart Marks
Jul 26, 2003, 00:13

On Sunday, The Smackdown-only PPV, Vengeance, takes place and should be a big improvement over the mediocre Bad Blood. Listen to the Smart Marks predict the winners and place their bets. Before we get started, we have to introduce the players...

Al Padrino: Don't miss Al's debut on TSM, a review of the Hacksaw Jim Duggan Coliseum Video

Charles "Loss4Words" Williams: A special guest and no stranger to the IWC, Charles used to write for the Smarks and is respected on message boards across the globe! Once I post his e-mail address, you can bomb him with requests to start writing again.

Matthew Ditaliano: The always vocal and passionate writer chimes in this week on how the WWE can Fix The Championship!

Peter Kostka: Depressed by the current state of the WWE, Kostka had to review Royal Rumble 2000 to turn that frown upside down.

Retro Rob: Near the end of his rope with Confidential, Rob has begun a new column that you can't miss... The Booking Report!

Thomas Green Thomas chimes in on the WWE after months of Indy Excess. Check out his latest review of NWA wildside hardcore hell 2003.

William Hemlick: William is the moderator of the Crossface.


The Crossface: Vengeance 2003 Predictions

Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Big Show

William: In the main event, Kurt Angle returns top PPV against The Big Show and Brock Lesnar. Who wins this three-way dance and why?
Matthew: Kurt Angle wins because they seem to be heading towards McMahon/Lesnar, and no one is stupid enough to put Vince in a title feud. I don't even consider Big Show to be a real challenger in this match. Paul is the job boy.
Retro Rob: I'm going to be putting my money on Angle winning the Title. It would give Brock a reason to follow through on his rumored heel turn down the line, but it will also free up the WWE Title for if McMahon faces Lesnar at SummerSlam.
Charles: I personally think Lesnar has this one in the bag. I don't see Angle winning the title by pinning Big Show in a three-way match. I think they'll save a singles match for Summerslam and Brock will retain.
Thomas: Brock wins. As of now, the Summerslam plans seem to be Brock/Angle (please don't bring up McMahon/Brock, ugh). The suspense would be dead if Kurt were to beat Brock for the belt this month. Show's simply the guy who'll job so next month's main event isn't killed.
Al: Brock Lesnar goes over the Big Show. The whole reason Show is in there is so that Angle doesn't have to put Brock over, thus keeping a possible match between the two at Wrestlemania XX interesting.
Charles: Putting Big Show in the match was actually a smart decision because it furthers the suspense for the Lesnar/Angle rematch.
Peter: I think it's WAY too soon to have Angle retain so he's out. Brock still hasn't had a real victory over Show this year so here's where he gets it. Hopefully, it finally ends this damn feud.
Al: Brock pretty much squashed Show at this year's Royal Rumble, Peter.
Matthew: We're not supposed to remember all the way back to the Rumble
Peter: Ok, but he's faced Show a few times after winning at XIX, and hasn't had a real win over him, correct? In one match, the damn ring broke!
Al: That's right, I was just pointing out that he did in fact handle Show with ease this year.

William: Personally, I wish Benoit should have been the thorn in Angle and Brock's side. The matches would be guaranteed winners. With Big Show in there, what rating would you predict?
Charles: I would rather see Benoit stay in the midcard than job in a main event at a point where its crucial that he be rebuilt, so from a booking standpoint, it would be a bad decision. I'm actually thinking this is going to be better than people are thinking. I'm going *** or so.
Thomas: I'm not a big fan of star ratings, but it shouldn't be bad. Remember last year's Vengeance main event? Kurt vs. Rocky vs. Taker, and that was way better than any Taker match (or most Rock matches) have the right to be.
Matthew: With Show in there in the match, It will be a *** match. Lesnar and Angle can get the best out of him so hopefully they will.
Al: In a match like this, Show's weaknesses can be hidden greatly. He can interject himself at various parts of the match when he needs to and be little more than a spectator the rest of the way. Angle and Brock have proven they can have a good match, and with Big Show playing a minimal role, I think we're lookin at ***. The 3-way at last year's Vengeance was quite good as well, and Taker was in that.
Peter: Angle is closer to 100% than his Wrestlemania match, and that one was pretty good, so we should see a good mix of power and amateur stuff and Show doesn't have to do TOO much, so I'll say ***.
Retro Rob: Both Brock and Angle have been able to pull out some of the best Big Show matches in the man's career. On top of that they also work well together, so I see this as a pretty good and entertaining match that should score somewhere around ***1/2.
Al: The key is for Show to stay low in the match, much like the Undertaker did, which let the Rock and Angle present a nice match.
Charles: I think the layout for this match should be Lesnar and Angle working together to take down the monster, then fighting over who gets the pin and going one-on-one for the meat of the match, only for Show to make his comeback and get some good nearfalls toward the end.

Vince McMahon vs. Zach Gowan

William: Another match getting major coverage on Smackdown is Vince McMahon vs. Zach Gowan. Does McMahon put the young one over?
Charles: Vince has to be kept strong for his eventual blowoff matches with Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle and Kane. Yes, I am being sarcastic.
Al: Zach loses but you can bet that it'll be by some sort of fluke. It's quite obvious that Vince picked Gowan up simply to present him as a sideshow act, so expect to see plenty of attention put on that aspect during the match.
Matthew: Vince puts Gowan over. As illogical as it is to have this kid main event and dominate the show most weeks, it makes NO SENSE for him to lose to an old man�unless, of course, they finally start to phase Gowan out.
Peter: Ugh, Zach is climbing the ladder of annoying characters for me. Ok, he beats Vince, so what? What does that accomplish? Oooh, he beat a 50-year-old non-wrestler, give the man a WWE title shot RIGHT NOW!!
Thomas: If they're blowing this one off, Vince has to. I don't see them carrying this on to Summerslam, unless they put some gimmick on it. Knowing Vince's tasteless booking, he'd probably book a ladder match so Zach would HAVE to lose.
Peter: With that said. I guess I'll go with Zach, just for the emotional factor, even though I give less than a hoot about this one.
Matthew: I agree, Pete, I lost patience with Gowan very early in his run. Now I just can't wait for him to leave.
Retro Rob: I see Vince going over, if only because he has an upcoming match with Brock whether it be on PPV or SmackDown. The only way Gowan is going over would be if Brock interferes and based on today�s show I don't see that happening. Plus it's not like Gowan is going to be having another main event feud.
William: Do you think this angle or match deserved the attention it has received in the last few weeks?
Charles: Pat Patterson will spend more time booking this match than he has any match since Vince's last match and it will seem better than it has any right to be.
Matthew: Absolutely not, Will. Vince isn't a wrestler, and Gowan's pops are shrinking. There is no reason for this to over shadow all the workers
Charles: Does anyone else see the strange psychosexual tendencies of this feud? I'm expecting Vince to whip it out one day and say, "Do you beat me? Then you can't have a contract!" or equally engrossing McMahon humor like "I'll give you one of my legs, I have three!"
Peter: Nope. Yeah, seeing Gowan wrestle with one leg is pretty neat, but just because he's facing Vince doesn't mean the fans will care as much. Besides, I'll bet wrestling on one leg tires him out pretty quickly.
Retro Rob: Yes and no. As a single brand PPV, any match involving and a one legged wrestler should be hyped because of the lack of star power and household names. On the other hand, it would be nice to see the "wrestling" feuds pushed this way
Thomas: By the attention it "deserved", you'd probably be meaning none. However, if this is going to be the semi-main event like it's being hyped as, then yeah. It's one of the longer-running feuds in the fed. Heck, two of the other main guys in it have since left the company. The hype's been there, for sure.
Al: Neither the match nor the angle has deserved as much of the attention, but then again, nor does anything involving the McMahons on Smackdown, yet those are the storylines that are getting the most attention. Still, you can see why they've gone and given it a lot of attention. It's not like they can just have this one-legged wrestler show up and then ignore his presence right away. That'll come soon enough.

William: I can usually only stomach one Vince McMahon match a year. Do you think a match between a one-legged man and a blue hair can be decent?
Charles: It will be because the WWE will put more emphasis on booking and laying out this match than they have some title matches this year, specifically Lesnar vs. Cena. I can't really offer a star rating because it's more of a sports entertainment affair, but it probably will be so overbooked that someone somewhere will like it.
Retro Rob: Vince has been known to pull out good dramatic brawls against horrible opponents, see Hogan, so I wouldn't count this one out just yet. If overbooked properly, this could be a fun match.
Matthew: It will be awful, from a technical vantage point. However, I see a lot of over booking and three or four run ins to make it "entertaining"
Thomas: Like Charles brought up, Pat Patterson's going to have his fingerprints all over this one. They've probably been working it out for a month now. It's not going to be some amazing classic mat war, but it'll be good enough where the crowd will be happy with one big bump and Zach winning.
Al: Like Charles said, it'll be better than it has any right to be, but expect it to be an overbooked mess ala the Hogan/Vince match at Wrestlemania this year. Let's not be surprised when Nicolai Volkoff does a run-in, ok?
Peter: Eh, it'll be the typical Vinnie old-man brawl. Read, totally awful

Chris Benoit vs. Eddy Guerrero (U.S. Title Tournament Finals)

William: The one match I think we are all actually looking forward to is Eddy~! vs. Chris Benoit. Who gets to wear the U.S. Title for the first time in nearly two years?
Charles: Eddy Guerrero is supposedly about to be taken to the next level, so I'd say he has to win. It would be a step down for Benoit and a step up for Guerrero, so I think that makes the booking here pretty obvious.
Al: Eddy's getting the face pops despite supposedly being a heel now. I see them putting it on him since they like most of their champions as heels or company favorites, and Benoit is neither. Plus, with the rumors going around that Eddy's in line for a WWE Championship feud, I've gotta put it all on him.
Peter: If, IF the Torch rumor is true, Eddy will get it to build himself up for a main event push. If not, I still think Eddy will win the belt. He's just too over for them to ignore.
Thomas: Most likely Eddy wins since he's taken off huge in the past month. At best, it is a mid-card belt, but unless the Torch is correct for once, Eddy's not moving up the card, even with his newfound overness. Plus, since Eddy's getting over as a face, and it'll get a face pop when he wins.
Retro Rob: Definitely Eddy. At this point they need to capitalize on his popularity somehow and giving him the US Title would be an OK start. The only other option would be a direct push to the top of the card and I don't see that happening yet
Matthew: Eddie wins it and moves on to a feud with Tajiri. Rhyno will run in, accidentally hit Benoit, and cost him the match. Benoit will then beat the shit out of Rhyno and/or Eddie and turn heel.
Charles: All of these accidental shots seem to be done by wrestlers that have never watched wrestling. Damn, these characters are stupid sometimes.
Peter: Benoit should turn heel, I like Badass Benoit better than Babyface Benoit.
Thomas: Heel Benoit's a lot cooler than Face Benoit. That smirk he does alone makes his heel act great.
Charles: Benoit has always had an easier time getting cheered than getting booed though.
Peter: I dunno, I guess I just think Benoit's whole persona fits better as a heel.
Al: You need to be overflowing with charisma to get real good heel heat, but as you can see, even that sometimes can make you a face.
Matthew: Silent heel Benoit is much cooler than face Benoit. There's only so many times you can watch the guy lose and feel sorry for him. Eventually the fans will stop having pity for him.
William: Honestly, I could easily see the loser of this match being placed in a placeholder feud for the World Title.
Retro Rob: I don't think Eddie should be thrusted to the World Title yet. He needs some momentum, which the US Title would give him.

William: I was disappointed with their PPV match last year. Can they redeem themselves and give me a long-overdue ***** match?
Al: I can see Eddy having a nice little run as US champion and then being thrown into a WWE Title program around Survivor Series like the rumors implicate.
Peter: The calculating beat downs, the SNOT BLOW OF DEATH, hell, even the Crossface is a great maneuver for a heel.
Charles: Benoit has not exactly been at his best this year, while Eddy has mostly wrestled tag matches lately. This will be a very good match, obviously, but I see it stopping between ***1/2 and ****.
Al: These two can work well together but I can't remember the last time in recent years we've even seen a ***** match in WWE. I'm thinking more along the lines of ****1/2
Matthew: Well, the match will have one, maybe two run ins with Rhyno and Tajiri lurking, so probably one or two ref bumps as well. If everything goes well outside of that, they will come close to *****, but they won't hit it.
Peter: If they give them enough time, and if the bookers know better, they WILL, this one will be a show stealer. ****1/4 for me
Thomas: It won't be perfect, but it should be excellent. I dug their last PPV match myself. But it won't be like they'll be able to go all out, unless they get granted permission to go outside the WWE style, which won't happen. Still, MOTN.
Retro Rob: I didn't see their last match, but Eddie has looked better than he has in years. However I doubt they will be given enough time, but the match should be great nonetheless. I see it somewhere between ***1/2-****.
Matthew: This match will at least have a lot more heat then the last one, and that can only help. I'll say ****1/2
Al: I think these two will be given enough time. Honestly, this card isn't really stacked with matches that can go too long (i.e. the two McMahon matches).
Charles: I think Kevin Nash is needed to take the Benoit/Guerrero match to the next level. Why he's being wasted on RAW when he could be doing clinics on Smackdown is beyond me.
Matthew: Nash needs to continue teaching Test how to work.

Stephanie McMahon vs. Sable

William: Unfortunately, Stephanie McMahon will enter the ring once again. Steph vs. Sable could be wrestlecrap atrocious. How does Steph win this match or does she?
Charles: If Sable can neutralize Stephanie's weight advantage by working on her knee, she may be able to ground her and cut out her aerial moves and mass size advantage. I think it's a sound strategy.
Thomas: Ah, the match even Ian Rotten would be afraid to book: The Silicone Deathmatch. Stephanie's last name is McMahon. The question isn't "Does she go over?" It's "How many seconds will it take?"
Al: Steph wins this match when she slaps Sable with her left breast, follows with a shot from the right, and finishes it off with a smothering between the breasts submission hold.
William: That�s called a bearhug, Al.
Matthew: If Gowan wins, Sable wins. So Sable wins the match thanks to some interference from Daddy. This will cause the Steph run in for the Gowan match
Retro Rob: I had a reader ask me what we (the IWC) would say if Sable-Steph did what Steph-Trish did two years ago... I don't even think that is worth wasting our time discussing
Charles: If Sable doesn't hook the leg when going for the pin, I think we can forgive her.
Peter: I could download amateur catfight matches that will be better than this one. Steph had ONE good match, but that was against a woman that actually wanted to have a good match. Sable? I don't think so
Al: I think the ever so lethal clipboard will make an appearance.
Charles: Of course, Stephanie may unleash the deadly Gymbag Crapper finisher we haven't seen used on Sable since 1999.
Peter: Let's take wagers: which implant will burst first, Steph's left or right, or Sable's left or right.

William: I am having doubts this match could reach DUD status. Will this be one of the worst women's matches in recent history?
Retro Rob: Steph is usually pretty intense in the ring and her screaming charges are relatively funny so it won't be a complete loss.
Matthew: Rob, if Steph keeps the mad cow charging, I'll give it an extra star.
Peter: Gail Kim's not in it, so no *rimshot*. Seriously, this will be damn crappy.
Al: I wouldn't even call it a women's match. Catfight is more like it and I'm betting the Jerry Lawler is looking for a way to get himself on the Smackdown roster before Sunday.
Retro Rob: Depends, when was the last time Moolah and Mae wrestled?
Charles: This will have intricate booking just like the other McMahon match. Someone somewhere will praise it, probably Wade Keller.
Matthew: Nothing can be worse than Dawn vs. Torrie at the Rumble. So, it will be the best Smackdown ladies match all year.
Thomas: Steph's very comparable to Low Ki: they both only feel "Ape Angry", "Ape Hurt", and "Ape Tired" emotions. That being said, unless she breaks out those roundhouse kicks that Ki uses, it'll be the most surgically enhanced bathroom break ever.
Al: They don't even have any actual women wrestlers on Smackdown, do they?
Peter: Nidia is one� kind of.
Retro Rob: Nidia was trained to wrestle... sort of.
Charles: Was there ever a storyline to make the woman's champion stop traveling between both shows? I don't remember it if there was.
Al: No. The fact that you don't remember pretty much says it all as to WHY they didn't have one.

Undertaker vs. John Cena

William: I believe the next match will be the most important match on the card in terms of the WWE's faith in its future superstars... Undertaker vs. John Cena. Does the Undertaker put over another young star? Or do we continue to shake our heads at crappy WWE booking?
Matthew: Another? When was the first?
Charles: One of two things happens -- Undertaker puts him over like he does everyone else or Undertaker puts him over like he does everyone else. Either way, same result.
Al: I'm usually wrong with these things, so I'll say that the Undertaker goes over just in hopes that I'm wrong again and Cena finally gets the nod.
Retro Rob: I'm crossing my fingers. I was actually surprised with the lack of build that match received. I have a feeling Cena is going to feud with so he should go over... in a perfect world.
Thomas: BWHAHAHAHA....sorry, I was just laughing at the thought of Hulkataker putting someone under 30 over. Cena does a funny rap, Taker rides out, gives a big boot and a Last Ride, and that's the end of it.
Peter: As Charles said, Taker wins, but shakes Cena's hand as a token gesture, as always.
Al: I see Taker winning, but if Cena wins, you can bet it's going to be him getting squashed the whole way and then a major bullshit finish.
Matthew: Cena owes Taker a job. I'm sure that about covers it. I do, however, think it will be better than Fully Loaded 2000 woth Angle. Cena will come close this time.
William: I am inclined o believe that none of you think Taker has changed his ways.
Al: He's done nothing to show that he has.
Charles: The only difference is that I think WWE has finally lost faith in him as a main event wrestler.
Matthew: To be fair, he hasn't really had a chance to prove himself since Brock.
Al: He did single handily squash an entire stable. Granted it was just the FBI, but the fact that he made all three look like nothing for about three straight months shows how much he's changed.
Matthew: Yeah, but it was the FBI. Chuckie and the Mamaluke. Even I was rooting for Undertaker.
William: �and you're Italian!!!!
Al: Nevertheless, it set them up to be made to look like nothing. Even if they really are, all hope of them being taken seriously was dashed when Taker destroyed them.
Thomas: I'm surprised Taker didn't kick out of a Lex Flexor shot during the FBI feud.

William: Personally, I am looking forward to this match. Do any of you have hopes that it will be an above average affair?
Charles: No. This will be Fully Loaded 2000, only worse, because John Cena is no Kurt Angle.
Retro Rob: Eh, Cena hasn't been too impressive in the ring lately besides his matches with Benoit.
Al: I'm looking forward to it just because I'd like to be proven wrong, but I don't think Cena's far enough along nor is Taker willing enough for this to be above average. : I say this thing reaches **-**1/2
Thomas: Not really. Cena's work can't touch his promo ability, and Taker's just a tall Harris family member with leather pants.
Peter: Nope. Undertaker just can't do it anymore. Cena also is still green a bit. *3/4 is my prediction.
Matthew: This will be a bad match. Cena isn't very good, and Taker isn�t good at all. There will also be a lot of Cena stalling in this match. It may hit **
Charles: It will be somewhere between a DUD and ** probably.
Retro Rob: They'll be lucky if it hits *1/2
Al: It has a better shot of being passable if it's left to around 10 minutes or less.
Retro Rob: Just think about how bad Cena's match with Brock was at Backlash... then replace Brock with Taker.


Benjamin and Haas vs. Kidman and Mysterio

William: Another match I am looking forward to is Haas and Benjamin vs. Kidman and Mysterio. Is this match just an excuse to continue the World's greatest Team's push?
Charles: Actually, I think this match is just an excuse to break up Kidman and Rey.
Matthew: This match is just an excuse to turn Everybody loves Kidman heel. However, it will be a really, really good match used to turn Kidman heel. I'm not a Kidman fan, but he's better than some, and the other three guys will carry the match
Charles: Four years ago, I would have looked forward to this match, but Kidman is pass�.
Retro Rob: The build for the tag title match was utterly horrible. It will be used solely for Kidman to turn on Rey. It is a shame because the SD! only PPV now lacks a Cruiser Title match and odds are they won't be able to squeeze one in next month, thus what's the point of this?
Al: Agreed Rob, I didn't even remember this match was signed until just now.
Peter: But, these four can probably put on a pretty good match, so hopefully we'll get a good match right before the heel turn.

William: I think everyone agrees that Benoit vs. Eddy will be the best match on the card. Do you think this could be a potential show stealer?
Thomas: Yeah, Billy's turning heel, so he can job to Rey next month, since he said some crap about cruisers being wasted on some radio shows. It'll be good, but the crowd will probably be dead until the hot tag and 619 spots.
Retro Rob: The match will be good (*** - ***1/2), but it really won't help anyone or accomplish anything in the long run.
Charles: Stealing this show is like taking candy from a baby unfortunately, but yes, to answer your question.
Matthew: Rob, if they do all this and then don't do Rey/Billy at Summerslam, I'll be shocked.
Al: I say the match gets around ***1/4-***1/2. They usually don't give the tag matches like this a whole lot of time, and Kidman's going to be rusty.
Retro Rob: Let's get real, 3 hours are split between Raw and SD!. What are the odds of Kidman-Rey fitting on the card? Unless they extend the show a half hour it won't happen, and even if it does it will last all of 7 minutes.
Matthew: The match will be good, but not a show stealer. Somewhere in between the main event and the US title match
Peter: If they let it develop, yes. Have Kidman kind of get more and more frustrated with Rey as the match progresses and do the "Rey goes for a tag and Kidman hops off the apron" thing to complete the turn.
Thomas: As long as Billy doesn't get used as Ricky Morton again, it'll be really good. There's something about Kidman since he debuted for WWE that I've hated, and it's not the little tights.
Charles: I miss the days when he didn't take showers and his finisher was called the Seven Year Itch.
Matthew: It's the Rey Ramano haircut, isn't it. Even though he hasn't had it until now, you just knew he'd have it two years later.

Jamie Noble vs. Billy Gunn

William: A match I think none of us are looking forward to is Jamie Noble vs. Billy Gunn. I am almost positive that Gunn is going over. Does anyone disagree?
Charles: Noble v Gunn makes no sense at all from a booking standpoint. I'd call it a stalemate.
Al: Gunn is definitely going over since he was originally booked to win the US title. They've lost a little faith in him, but not enough to let Noble go over.
Matthew: Noble will go over so Torrie can sleep with him, turn on Gunn and start and epic Nidia/torrie feud while they slowly faze Gunn out.
Peter: Watch Torrie turn heel for no reason. This absolutely should be the Heat match, but it won�t be.
Retro Rob: Noble might be able to pull a decent match out of Gunn like Eddie did. Why bother with the Torrie nonsense tonight if Noble will end up jobbing anyway? Based solely on tonight�s twist, I'm going with Noble.
Thomas: Noble's going over. They're not turning back on the "Noble's gonna screw Torrie, but Billy Gunn stops it" story they've set.
Charles: Al is right, and also, I've noticed that many times, when you hear that a wrestler is on the outs with management, he actually gets a bigger push for some reason. I can't explain it.
Matthew: It's called WWF logic, Charles.
Al: And when you're getting too over, your push is decreased to "humble you."
Peter: Get as much milk as they can out of the cow before they turn it to hamburger, I guess.
Charles: Test is supposedly hated by management, but gets a bigger push than any other career midcarder on RAW.

William: I am not impressed with either Gunn or Noble from a ringwork standpoint. This will be my personal piss break. How would you rate this match?
Al: *1/2 at best
Thomas: It'll go five minutes, and be a complete waste of everyone's time, Noble's included.
Peter: DUD. Total bathroom break match.
Al: Noble impressed me somewhat last summer during his feud with Billy Kidman, but he's been cut off at the knees since.
Charles: What if you have to go to the bathroom during Benoit/Guerrero? Eh, never mind, why do I ask these questions? This will be between a DUD and *.
Matthew: It will be real short to make sure Billy doesn't die. It will be a big DUD
Retro Rob: I think Noble kicks ass in the ring and Gunn's two new moves look kind of impressive. The match won't be given more than a few minutes, but it will probably hit *.
Thomas: Speaking of Billy's new moves, there's just something wrong about Billy using the Hero Sandwich/Catatonic.

The APA Invitational Brawl

William: Finally, we have the APA Invitational Brawl. Who will win this clusterfuck of a match?
Retro Rob: Has to be the Easter Bunny. That guy brawls like no other.
Al: All of the blind & deaf WWE fans
Charles: I actually am clueless here. What is this match and who is involved?
Matthew: The APA will win, but it will be fun and somewhat short. Plus it will get a lot guys on the show. I still don't know why Matt Hardy has been left off.
Al: Isn't the BROOKLYN BRAWLER involved in it?
William: Is it a tag team brawl or does one person win?
Matthew: I'm guessing it's just whoever is left standing.
Peter: It'll come down to Doink and the Brooklyn Brawler. Doink wins with a Bud to the cranium.
William: Superstars invited include Sean O'Haire, Kanyon, Rhyno and Spanky
Retro Rob: God only knows. I mark for Brother Love, so as long as they don't kill him within 20 seconds it should be mildly OK. And he needs a mic. Definitely needs a mic.
William: For chrissakes, this isn't the battle royal from Mania X7!
Al: Charles got to see that in person.
Thomas: Spanky. He's going to pull out some Dennis the Menace-style trickery (rope swings, water balloons, loaded stuffed animals, etc). The finish HAS to be Spanky & The Easter Bunny throwing someone through the glass of one of those claw game machines, and Spanky handing out the toys to all the faces.
Peter: Slingshot?
Charles: Where is Norman The Lunatic when you need him?
Matthew: Will someone be unmasked as the Easter Bunny?
Retro Rob: Maybe that is how Matt Hardy could get on the show...
Charles: Matt and Shannon had some hilarious spots at the Rumble that I'm sure they could rehash or improve upon for this match.
Al: I agree Charles, some of those were true highlights of the entire match.
Peter: Yeah, Matt and Shannon team up to take everyone out, but Matt pins Shannon or something to win.
Retro Rob: That would kick all kinds of ass. Plus it would be Matt's first PPV appearance since Mania.

William: Does anyone think this thing will actually be any good? I don't think this will be compared to the Tupelo Concession Stand Brawl.
Charles: Probably not, although a broken mustard jar shattered in someone's face would automatically earn * from me.
Peter: It'll be decent, hopefully with some good comedy spots. It'll be inoffensive at least. It won't completely suck, let's put it that way.
Thomas: It could be funny, if they don't pull out the stupid toilet humor crap. Spanky's interaction with some of the older characters is going to rule.
Matthew: It will be a fun use of ten minutes. I wouldn't actually call it good but it won't be boring.
Retro Rob: Let's put it this way, it will be better than the Redneck crap last month. That is all we should be asking for.
Peter: Eh, these kinds of things are usually guys just hitting each other with stuff and adding in some comedic spots. If it's in a bar, there are plenty of opportunitites for stuff like that.

Final Thoughts

William: Would you recommend someone buying this PPV?
Charles: I will personally be skipping this PPV. One good match does not a PPV make.
Al: I'd recommend stealing this PPV or watching this at a bar or club, but not paying for $35 for it.
Peter: Hmm, good question. On the one hand, you have potentially good/great matches like Benoit/Eddy, the Triple Threat, and the tag match, but on the other hand, you got the two McMahon matches. "Wait for the DVD!"
Thomas: I haven't recommended any WWE PPV for over a year, and I'm not going to start now. Chances are, the good stuff will be on Kazaa or a second-gen tape, and the bad stuff will be out of your memory.
Al: I haven't bought a PPV since April, which is really something for me, because until then, I had gotten every WWE PPV since Summerslam '91.
Retro Rob: Why not? It will be the best PPV since March and will probably be the best one until October. If that is enough of a reason for you, then go for it.
Al: I see Summerslam being a show I'll order but not this one.
Matthew: I would certainly tell people to buy it� if it wasn't 35 bucks. That's too much for a good show. The Main Event, United States Title Match, and Tag title match will be good. The bar room brawl will be a lot of fun. And the crap will be kept short.
Peter: I'd invite friends and get them to chip in for it.
Al: Summerslam has been a solid show consistently for years now
Retro Rob: $35 is too much for almost any PPV. I split the shows with my friend, so $17.50 each isn't that bad.
William: One thing is for certain... HHH won't be going over at the end! Or will he? Tune in on Sunday for the Crossface Post-PPV reactions. Until then, the Crossface is now over.

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