?Reported by Mike Siciliano of WrestleView.com

On Thursday, March 10, 2005 at 3:59 AM EST

I have been accused since returning to Wrestleview as a columnist as being more negative than anything else about the programming being shown by WWE. I think it necessary, for people to understand, some of my likes and dislikes from a talent perspective so that my opinion could be more illustrated than what is already been pre-determined. Ok, Let's do this. I'll put the lists out, then a brief about each of them, why I like or dislike their characters. I hope it helps you to figure out where I stand with the product. Or if nothing else, just kill me about my opinions. I'd love to go toe to toe with you guys on 'em.

RAW FAVORITES
BATISTA - When the Animal was first brought in, I honestly thought he was another Matt Morgan, Nathan Jones type, muscle bound clod without a personality gene to be had. I was obviously mistaken. His development to the #1 contender for the world title has been spectacular. I look forward to some significant violence come April 3rd.

SHELTON BENJAMIN - Dude's got a 'tude, dude's got some major talent, and dude's a pro's pro. Taken on all comers, beaten all comers, and took the Wolverine to the limit last week on Raw. My upset pick in the Money in the Bank ladder match for Wrestlemania. If Trips manages to retain the title against Batista, Shelton is your next logical candidate for a program with the World title on the line.

RANDY ORTON - I gotta be honest, I think Orton's a better heel. BUT, I still love his talent, his cockiness is legendary, and quite frankly, his legend killer monicker fits him like a glove. It is kind of sad how he's dropped out of the world title picture, but I guess that's inevitable until Trips drops the belt, whenever, or IF, that may be.

To show I am not a face only guy, yes, I am going to write him down, TRIPLE H. Triple H NOW is a disgrace. Triple H THEN was one of the best heels on the planet, one of the most violent men to ever walk the squared circle, and one of the most deadliest talents to ever walk the face of God's green earth. For him to reclaim his glory as the best in the business, he needs to find that killer instinct, and get it back, Quickly.

KANE - Call Kane a tweener, call him a heel, call him a face, he still is one of the most intimidating forces ever to step over the ropes. Not many people can hold a non-talent like Snitsky and put him in main events all over the world, but Kane did that for months on end. He needs to be commended for that.

CHRIS JERICHO & CHRIS BENOIT - To save time, and go forward, I will end this section with the Canadian Chrises. Personally, Jericho's rapier wit is better suited as a heel, but he can still get under the skin with the best of them. Benoit, jeez, Benoit is still the man. A human wrecking machine the likes of nobody, takes a back seat to nobody, and quite frankly, It is a shame how WWE has treated his character since he dropped the world title to Orton back at Summerslam.

Some of my RAW disapproves:

RIC FLAIR & SHAWN MICHAELS - Quite frankly, I have to be honest on this, I admire both of these competitors for their resumes in the squared circle, but the time is up on both of them. Flair much more visible than Michaels, but come on, it's just time for things to wrap up for both of these legends. Their respective careers have guaranteed them hall of fame status the first opportunity that presents to them, but it is time. Ric Flair needs to get out of Triple H's shadow IMMEDIATELY, and Shawn Michaels, although his new feud with Kurt Angle prior to Wrestlemania 21 is refreshing, who else can Shawn go after that would provide some fresh new angles to the storyline? Debate me on that one, Click here and email me your thoughts.

MUHAMMAD HASSAN & DAIVARI - They may be excellent heels. They may be the worst villains to come out of the territories in some time. This angle, this arab American angle and the references to 9/11 are offensive, unnecessary, and down right wrong. End of story.

EDGE, CHRISTIAN & TYSON TOMKO - First off, Isn't Tyson Tomko really just a reincarnated version of Matt Morgan? Morgan lasted for less than a cup of coffee in the big leagues, why the hell has Tomko survived? Second, Christian. Christian is a talent, don't get me wrong, but he is one of thse mid-carder hell talents that never is able to get over the hump in to world title contention. His presumptious cocky attitude isn't refreshing, either, it's borderline sanctimonious. Edge. Edge's new paranoia is driving me nuts. His insanity is so predictable it's not funny. It's not noteworthy. It's obnoxious.

EUGENE - I know Eugene is hurt, and I shouldn't pick on him. His character is growing on me, but, let's be honest, I sometimes take this programming a bit too seriously, and being the father of two handicapped children, a 'special' superstar like Dinsmore is sometimes hard to take. It had gotten better prior to New Year's Revolution where Eugene got hurt, but it's not there yet.

Now, on the Smackdown side, some of my personal faves....

JOHN CENA - Not because he's been a gentleman the four times I met him, not because his character has grown on me like a virus, like Stone Cold's did back in his prime, but because quite frankly, he's got a passion and a drive for this business that I have not seen in talent in some time. He is the future of this company, and will lead it to the promised land, soon. Very soon.

BOOKER T. - Booker, I think, is a better heel with a 'sidekick', if you will, but his abilities and promotion is still top notch, and still main event calibre. I would like to see Booker become more involved in title contention, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the WWE title match progresses following Wrestlemania 21.

EDDIE GUERRERO - I honestly think Eddie is still bothered by his run as WWE champion. I don't know why, the crowds went nuts, the people loved him, and he seemed to be on top of the world while holding the gold. Since then, he has turned in to something of an enigma, and his momentum has taken the pounding for it. He is still one of the best in the business, but he could use a jump start back in to the main event calibre of talent on Smackdown.

UNDERTAKER - Who can't say in some form or portion that they haven't been down with the Dead Man? I can't. Every incarnation of the Undertaker has been unique, tremendous, and cutting edge. His current run as the Man from the Dark Side is probably his twilight, and he has not disappointed, nearly capturing the WWE title on multiple occasions, and now leading himself in to a clash of titans with the future on Raw at Wrestlemania, Randy Orton. Taker just keeps rollin' along.

HARDCORE BOB HOLLY - Yep, the midcarder makes it to my list of favorites. Be honest with you, ladies and gentlemen, there really is not a tremendous heel on Smackdown that strikes my fancy. JBL is going to be on the down list from Smackdown for me, Carlito I can't stand, the Bashams are nothing, Orlando Jordan is just a poor man's child version of Soul Man Rocky Johnson, I mean, where's the talent? Don't tell me Rene Dupree, either, because it will make me barf. Hardcore just goes out each and every night, and beats people up. He also doesn't mind not being the most popular guy in the room, and I like the fact that he doesn't have an ego to bruise. He's been on the road with WWE for over a decade, and anyone who can survive the likings of Thurman "Sparky" Plugg can't be all bad.

Now, some of the talent on Smackdown I could do without....

CARLITO - Carlito comes to Smackdown and in his debut, wins the US title. How idiotic? And the apple spitting thing is so repulsive to sit and endure, it makes me want to puke every time I see it. Now, with his failed attempt at usurping Teddy Long of his power, Long has seen fit to make Carlito's life a living hell, and I can't personally wait to see more.

LUTHER REIGNS - A poor man's Nathan Jones. Enough said.

THE CABINET - Ok. Now if you're a heel champion, you obviously need a faction to help keep your belt. Hence, JBL made the Cabinet, with Orlando, and then eventually the Bashams have tried to take over Smackdown, but in the process have driven Smackdown in to the ground. Talent may be there, but charisma sure as HELL isn't, and I don't see it coming in any infusionary form any time soon.

KENZO SUZUKI & RENE DUPREE - The French phenom needs to get himself a new gimmick, because his days at portraying a frenchman are long over. The hair, Rene, the hair.
Kenzo, is he a far east warrior, or a womanizer? Can WWE somehow make up their minds which way they want to go with Suzuki? Not to mention the fact that there is a faction waiting to be born on Smackdown with three guys who desperately need air time.

Hopefully, by me showing you some of my likes and dislikes from the talents on both brands, you can get an idea about my opinions before dropping a verbal tirade on my email account. Just kidding. I thought it would be cool to debate who our favorites are in the business. Mine are now out for all to see. Come and get 'em.

I personally love trying to predict some of the upcoming matches for the Pay per views, and in this case with Wrestlemania, it's even more intriguing with the aspect of interpromotional matches. Here are a couple of aspects to think about with regard to the upcoming superbowl of sports entertainment.

INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE to not be defended for 2nd year in a row at Wrestlemania

Apparently, WWE is on the brink of not having the second most prestigious title on Raw not defended at the grandaddy of them all. At WM20, we all remember Randy Orton's victory in the six man match with Evolution against the Rock N Sock Connection, as Orton was the reigning IC champ at the time. Shelton Benjamin, the current IC champion, is booked in the six way ladder match, so at the moment, there is no scheduled IC title defense.

That's not kind of, it's pretty damn ridiculous. The second most prestigious title in WWE history, and don't tell me about the US strap, because that had its start well out of WWE before they picked it up, the IC belt has been WWE's since day one, and for two years in a row, no title defense at Wrestlemania? Why keep the belt in the first place? Just to keep midcarders happy that barely make enough money to make the shows in the first place? I mean, let's bring this to the next level, who is gonna challenge Orlando for the US title? Who would fit in to the storyline? What would you like to see done with the IC title and how to defend it at Wrestlemania 21? Sounds like more interactive possibilities. Click here and drop me a bomb about some of these thoughts.

Here's a doozie for an option, maybe as a preview match before the big show.. How about Shelton defends the IC title against his old tag partner, Charlie Haas? Haas is out in nowheresville on Smackdown getting no push, no play, and no time. Haas vs. Benjamin could be a clinic from a wrestling perspective, and damn, I'd be lying to say I wouldn't want to see it. What are the chances? Nil. But it's fun to try and plot these ideas.

WRESTLEMANIA 21 as it stands at this moment...

The matches as I write this....
Triple H vs. Batista for the World title, JBL vs. Cena for the WWE title, Trish vs. Christy for the Women's title, the six way money in the bank ladder match, Big Show vs. Akebono in sumo match, Angle vs. HBK, Orton vs. 'Taker, and Piper's Pit.

What's missing?

United States Championship?
World tag team championship?
WWE Tag Team Championship? Especially since it's been rumored heavily that Eddie vs. Rey is going to happen at Wrestlemania, I don't know how with the fact that they're the tag team title holders...
Cruiserweight championship? Apparently, Paul London won the #1 contendership this week on Velocity. I hope it allows him the well deserved opportunity to go to WM 21, and compete with Chavo for the cruiserweight title.

Now, since we're so in to the interpromotional thing, and there really is not a challenger awaiting for either tag title, how about this for an interpromotional challenge match:

Champions vs. Champions:

WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS Rey Mysterio & Eddie Guerrero vs. WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS Tajiri & William Regal

I am going to assume that eventually, Chavo Guerrero vs. Paul London will be booked for the cruiserweight championship.

I'd also like to see the Bookerman go for his second US title reign and try and squeeze the title out of Orlando Jordan's hands at Wrestlemania, BOOKER T. vs. ORLANDO JORDAN for the US title.

I think I'd rather see the Intercontinental title stay with Shelton past Wrestlemania. He is going to need to extract a measure of revenge with Chris Benoit to recover from the tapout loss he suffered as a result of the crippler cross face.

What would you like to see at Wrestlemania 21? We got two weeks to predict how the four hour extravaganza is going to play out? Will the titles be defended? Will Jim Ross get as word edgewise? What role will the other superstars play? What are Austin and Piper going to do?

Any good suggestions I get I will post up next week.

I want to take a minute to apologize to anyone who sent me an email feedback and I did not reply. Last week, I got at least 50 emails, and I don't want to respond with a mere word or two, so I thought of this option. I love the emails, I promise to READ each and every one, and I will try my best to reply to everyone as well.

Anyways, that's it for now, please visit my blog at MikeSiciliano.BlogSpot.Com. Click here to check it out.

Till next time, KIMOSABE, SUMO!?!?