Royal Rumble Reaction

Overall I was pretty happy with this PPV. Not the best. Certainly no 5 Star matches. But it was entertaining and the ending was a nice surprise.

ECW Title Match - Christian(C) defeats Ezekial Jackson
I was wrong. And I'm glad. Zeke is not ready yet. Christian has done a nice job with the ECW strap, which had become a joke. He deserves to lose to an opponent who is more ready. That being said, he should find that opponent soon so he can move to Smackdown.

US Title Match - Miz(C) defeats MVP
I'm SO glad they gave this match PPV time. This feud is only beginning so it was the right choice to have Miz retain. Miz has been drawing some good heel heat lately, and though MVP has taken some steps back, he could potentially be a Main Eventer one day. Props to WWE for giving them a shot here.

WWE Title Match - Sheamus(C) defeats Randy Orton by DQ
As I predicted (and so did many other people), Legacy blows it for Orton. I thought it would have been Ted but it was Cody who interfered, costing Orton the match. The crowd is DYING to cheer Orton, and many of them did. The original plan may have been for DiBiase and Rhodes to turn face, but I think you have to let the WWE Universe dictate this one - and they are clamoring for an Orton face turn. Frankly, so am I. And Sheamus getting the last word at the end also lends itself to that possibility. Could it be Orton in a handicap match vs. Rhodes and DiBiase at Wrestlemania? And does this mean WWE is really serious about Sheamus in a title match at Wrestlemania? Only time will tell.

Women's Title Match - Mickie James defeats Michelle McCool(C) to become the NEW Women's Champion.
I was wrong here. Pretty far off too. Mickie wins in 10 seconds. Not much to say about that.

World Heavyweight Title Match - Undertaker(C) defeats Rey Mysterio
No surprise here, other than Taker getting a legit bloody nose. I thought it was from one of Rey's kicks but some are saying it happened when they collided. Anyway, it was a decent match. They made it look like Rey had a strategy to defeat Undertaker and could have done so. It could have been longer though. But it was the right move to have Taker retain. I still don't see him being champ come 'Mania.

Royal Rumble Match - Edge WINS
Edge was the only one of my predicted surprise entrants and in fact the only one who hasn't been currently competing. I did not, however, think he'd get the win. Needless to say I am stoked about it! I hope they go ahead with the Edge/Jericho feud (and I think they will as Edge came right after Jericho). Maybe Jericho can take the belt from the Undertaker and Edge and Jericho will be headlining Wrestlemania for the World Title! At any rate, the 3 obvious choices, Cena, HHH, and HBK did not win. Maybe the WWE could hear so many of us groaning at the prospect of seeing HHH and Cena in another Main Event at 'Mania. Not that either couldn't find a way in it between now and then. I love that HHH was not in the final 4 as well! I marked out big time when HBK eliminated him with half of the Rumble left to go. I'm still predicting a heel turn for Trips, maybe as early as tomorrow night's Raw.

As for the match itself, it was not the best rumble by any means, but there were some cool moments. CM Punk was phenomenal as usual. I loved that he was delivering a promo after everyone he eliminated. I would have liked to see him hang in a little longer, but the point was made and his character continues to get a reaction. Miz and MVP continuing to feud was cool and MVP forsaking his shot at winning the Rumble to get at Miz made their rivalry real. It also makes the US title feel important, which it should. R-Truth had an interesting little run. He seems to be taken more serious lately. Oh, and did anyone else miss Santino Marella being in the match?

Well, it's getting late. I need some sleep, and to let this all digest some more. Let the 'Mania speculation begin!

Royal Rumble Predictions

Gotta do this now...

ECW Title Match - Christian(C) vs. Ezekial Jackson
As I said in my last post, Christian is ready to move on from ECW but Jackson is not ready to be a champ yet. I've been unimpressed by pretty much everything he has offered thus far. There are other guys in ECW who could and should be in this match. If you want new blood, I think Zack Ryder is the closest thing to being ready. Or, they could've done a rematch from TLC and had Shelton Benjamin go over Christian this time, with Shelton taking over the duties of carrying the brand and getting guys over. Maybe that's just my Benjamin bias talking as I think he is one of the most talented wrestlers in the world. At any rate, the match is Christian vs. Zeke, and I predict the WWE will go with their latest big, strong monster. And if that happens, they should change the name of the ECW brand on the spot.
THE PICK: Ezekial Jackson

WWE Women's Title Match - Mickie James vs. Michelle McCool(C)
I'm the wrong person to ask about this as i usually fast forward through women's matches. But, I will pick McCool to retain because I think this feud may have legs.
THE PICK: Michelle McCool

WORLD Heavyweight Title Match - The Undertaker(C) vs. Rey Mysterio
This is as close to a lock as it gets. Rey is rumored to be facing Punk at Wrestlemania in "hair vs. mask" match, and I don't see the World Title being involved in that. Undertaker may not still be champ come 'Mania but he will be after Sunday.
THE PICK: The Undertaker

WWE Heavyweight Title - Randy Orton vs. Sheamus(C)
I keep going back and forth on this one. Orton has long been rumored to face Ted DiBiase at Wrestlemania. I can't imagine Ted would also be given a title shot in that match. But the forced Sheamus push has to be looked at as a huge fail. I know I've hated it. This could be the chance to end it and give the belt to one of their main stars. I think they will keep the belt on Sheamus though. As much as it will pain me to see a guy who hasn't even been around for a year with little to show in the ring or on the mic be in a WWE Championship match at Wrestlemania, I do think at this point it is probably the best move to build Sheamus up as an unstoppable, monster champ and finally have someone take him down at Wrestlemania.
THE PICK: Sheamus

Royal Rumble Match - 30 Participants
If you are like me, then you are praying for someone new to surprise everyone and come out on top at the Rumble. John Morrison or Kofi Kingston would be cool. Even Jericho, who has never won a RR, would be refreshing. He is after all the best in the world at what he does! But it ain't happening. To me, it comes down to 3 names - HHH, HBK, and John Cena. I do not include Batista because I believe he will be World champ before Wrestlemania and won't need a title shot there. HBK is the obvious choice as it has been teased for weeks on RAW as the "only" way Michaels can face the Undertaker at 'Mania, and as a Michaels fan would be pretty nice. He's at the end of his career and likely will not get another run with a world title. Winning a 3rd Rumble would be a nice way of rewarding Shawn for the great matches he has put on even in the twilight of his career. HHH has become the sexy pick and it's understandable. He's the man with the backstage power. His workout buddy Sheamus is WWE Champ. I'm pretty sure Hunter would love to main event Wrestlemania and work with his new pal, all the while defeating the unstoppable monster that Cena and Orton failed to beat. Here's why I am not going to go with HHH though. All signs are pointing to a showdown between HHH and HBK, with HHH forgoing their friendship to earn a shot at the title (for the trillionth time). This will mark the end of DX (thank the Lord). So why open up the can of worms that is a HHH/HBK breakup only to have them each fight in separate matches at WM? I think this is actually going to lead to a HHH/HBK/Taker triple threat match at 'Mania. And to me it's the right move because how can you really top what Taker and Michaels did last year? Adding Triple H to the match gives HBK an excuse for losing a second time. The newly heel HHH can "injure" HBK the next night on RAW, allowing him to take some time off before coming back and finally beating Undertaker at Summerslam. Then they can continue the HHH/HBK feud culminating in Shawn's retirement match with Trips at Wrestlemania 27. Yup, I believe that's the plan. So who does that leave for this year's Rumble Winner? Super Cena. This whole thing with Sheamus started with him. If we are to go by their match results, Sheamus is the better man. No matter how tight Vince and HHH, this simply cannot last. Cena will win the Rumble, likely taking advantage of HHH and HBK fighting, and go on to beat Sheamus at Wrestlemania. And all the kiddies go home happy. Sigh.
THE PICK: John Cena


As an extra bonus, I'll try and guess who the 4 Mystery Entrants will be. As of now there are only 26 participants announced as far as I know.
1. Hornswoggle - because that would be so funny wouldn't it? ugh.
2. Edge - he's back, with one target in mind... Chris Jericho
3. Rob Van Dam - wishful thinking? maybe, but he's been a surprise entrant before, and WWE put his blog on WWE Universe back up after disalowing him to sign-in.
4. Primo Colon - remember him? When a big surprise guest fails, the WWE will for no good reason, over a bunch of other guys who should be in this match (like the Hart Dynast, Dolph Ziggler, and Zack Ryder.)

So there it is. I'm not really looking forward to this, though I will be watching. Maybe they will surprise us. But as you saw from my picks, I highly doubt it.

Quick ECW Thoughts 1/26/10

A little late on this, but that just might have to be as i usually watch ECW taped, pretty late on Tuesday night. Wednesday is typically an all-day work day too. But for those who care, a few thoughts...

- Wow, that first match was long! Only 2 matches the whole show! It wasn't necessarily bad long, but ECW is supposed to be about new Superstars. When you can't even get time on ECW, you know you're in trouble!

- I'm not a big Kane guy and have yet to be impressed with Ezekial Jackson, but they had to do something to build up to this ECW title match between Christian and Zeke for Sunday. I hope Zeke getting the pin means he will be losing on Sunday. It's time for Christian to move on to Smackdown... but not yet. And Ezekial Jackson is just not ready to be the face of a brand, albeit a very lowly one. Right now he's just another big guy to me. That's not a good enough reason to give him the strap.

- I LOVE the Ryder/Croft/Barretta team! I called this as soon as Barretta and Croft debuted. They need to form a stable. Biting off the (disturbing) popularity of Jersey Shore, they could form their own group of Bros (plus Rosa). Everyone would love to hate them.

I will likely do my Rumble pics later as I don't have much flexibility this weekend.

Welcome to "THE NO SELL BLOG"

Thanks for stopping by to check out The No Sell Blog. I've been toying with the idea of starting a pro-wrestling blog for quite some time now. I finally decided to go for it after years of keeping my thoughts on everything pro-wrestling to myself.

So who am I? Just a fan of wrestling for over 20 years. I'm never quite sure what the appropriate label is to give myself but I've been "smart" about the business since around 1996 and I have probably come to love it even more because of that. It's a passion of mine that won't go away.

I'm a WWE fan first and foremost, and always will be. It's what I grew up on. I stuck with them through the mid 90's when it was fashionable to like WCW better and I'll stick with them today, no matter how much I find myself scratching my head. And so I'll primarly be covering WWE. I was a huge fan of the original ECW and am a big enough ROH fan today. I'll be sure to talk a little ROH. I'm not a big TNA guy, but that could change. I certainly can't ignore them completely.

My intent with The No Sell Blog is really just to react in writing to wrestling news as well as shows, TV, and PPVs. I'll always do some fantasy booking and reminiscing just for fun. But if you're a fan like me, you've got thoughts about what went down on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday (maybe), Thursday, and Friday night - not to mention what we read on the internet in between. And so this is my forum to speak my thoughts. Feel free to make my monologue a dialogue.

So why "No Sell"? To no sell, in the simplest of definitions, is to act unaffected by a move/punch/spot, etc. Sometimes it is used purposely to get the non-selling wrestler over as extremely tough. Other times it's just a crappy wrestler not doing his job. And other times it's one wrestler just plain old refusing to make the other look good, no matter what the booker wants him to do. For me and my blog, I'm just going to say you can expect my honest response to what I see, read, and hear. I'm not acting. I'm not buttering anyone up. I'm gonna tell it the only way I can - from my point of view. And I'll always admit when I mark out.

Before I sign off on my first post, I must thank Eddie G for designing my banner. Please check out his site for more of his work... EDDIEFNG

And in case you're wondering why I chose Bret Hart, HBK, Jericho, and CM Punk for the banner, it's because Hart and HBK represent my all-time favorite wrestlers, especially as kid. I was a Hulkamaniac for sure, but really appreciated what Hart and Michaels had to offer once I learned the industry. Jericho was my favorite (and still is) during the late 90's and into the 2000's. CM Punk is my favorite current, newer wrestler. To me they are all the whole package, and embody the very best sides of pro wrestling.

And that's that. It begins! Looking forward to doing some Royal Rumble predictions.

Thanks for reading.