Reported by Mike Siciliano of WrestleView.com
On Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 12:06 AM EST

I was going to try and come back tonight with another "creative" idea column, trying to prognosticate future #1 contenders for WWE championships, but after seeing Smackdown tonight, I have to make some comments, and also, I forgot entirely, that there's a pay per view sunday night from TNA Wrestling.

Since I'm going to the Mets game tomorrow, who knows if I am going to get the chance to do this later in the weekend, so let's go to work.

First, on Smackdown, I am absolutely grossed out by the Edge and Vickie Guerrero angle now. The scenes tonight made me puke. Every single time. 'Nuff said.

Now, moving forward, the Great Khali punjabi peace offering segment was, with all due respect, not necessary for the show. Having Khali talk when he can't speak english is not good for WWE programming, and doing what they did today wasn't entertaining.

If you don't agree with me, let me quote Jonathan Coachman when Cole was trying to show some "reverence" from the ceremony, recapping what Khali gave Show, Coachman said, and I quote, "I'm glad you're paying attention."

Is it me, or is Coach due for some more finishing move punishments? I think so.

One thing is sure though, I loved the end of the segment. "Words cannot describe how I feel, but I can show you, " Show says to Khali, then BAM, right in the face, and down like a ton of bricks goes the skyscraper. Absolutely classic.

I am enjoying Miz and Morrison as a tag team more and more. It's only a shame that they have zero competition. Deuce & Domino would be perfect, but WWE has seen fit to bury them further than below a snake's belly, even going so far as to giving that sexy mama Cherry her own identity. (Who knew she could talk, like she has the last couple of weeks.) Moore & Yang are viable, but they're not going to provide long term rivals for the tag team champs, so who's next? Welcome to the tag team division of WWE, one that is still "invisible", as quoted by Jim Ross in a past blog.

It's a shame that Victoria and Natalya Neidhart are on Smackdown. They would provide more than adequate challengers for the women's champion, Beth Phoenix, face or heel. Neidhart still does look amazing, even though she could probably kick my ass from here till doomsday. (Why couldn't they just call Nattie Neidhart, Natalie?????)

Whatever.

I am NOT a Batista fan. However, with that being said, tonight's segment with Michaels and Batista was done very well. I think Michaels will bring Batista to a new level. It will SHOCK me if Michaels loses to Batista, but win, lose, or draw, the fans will be victorious with this rivalry, because it's beneficial for us to see these two megastars go at it, and I think it'll benefit Batista for the experience of working with someone as knowledgable as Michaels.

Credit to Matt Hardy and Chuck Palumbo for an entertaining television match. Was it me, or was MVP showing his commentary hostility to the wrong guy? It seemed like he kept killing Coach, and Coach was the one who was supporting the US Champion. It's also pretty pathetic that MVP put Coach and Cole down so bad with the comment of how JBL and Cole were the "sixth best announce team of all time," and now Coach and Cole are the "worst announce team of all time." I think that was also not scripted, and doubtful Vince would find that very positive to the overall product. It appears we've got MVP vs. Matt Hardy again next week in London. How many more times are we gonna get MVP and Matt in wrestling matches before Matt wins the US title? We all know it's going to happen, so either let it happen, or distance them for the month and change until MVP eclipses the year long run as US Champion. Not criticisms here, but something to question.

Now, main event time. Two schools of thought here. A) Undertaker did a tremendous amount of good for Jesse & Festus by getting Festus over as an impressive singles competitor during their match. One thing is for sure, based on the performance Festus gave this week vs. the Undertaker, if he's not "hurt" from the submission move, it'd be viable and legitimate to give Jesse & Festus a major prize for the impressive showing, ala a WWE tag team title shot. It may be the break that both Jesse & Festus as well as Miz & Morrison are desperate for, a tag team rivalry.

The other school of thought, from more of a pessimistic approach, is that Undertaker showed his age today, in a major way. I don't think that's the case, but it's going to be very interesting to see how Undertaker's body handles the wear and tear of being the hunted prey on Smackdown on a week in week out basis.

Although Taker's rep is legendary, in every sense of the word, I am going to believe that he tried to put Festus over a bit, before knocking him off, and that, I think, will benefit the product in the long term, which is the overall final goal.

Your thoughts? Drop me a line at the email or the blog. I'll provide links at the end of the column.

Before I go on, I want to thank everybody for emailing their ideas on the four horsemen of the current age. I haven't responded yet, because I am saving them to print them on the blog.

When I do, I'll announce it, and drop each of you who have emailed me a reply so you can check it out. If you still want to drop me your suggestions on the theory from the last column, please, I'd love to see it.

Ok, time to get back to business. Lockdown picks.

SIX SIDES OF STEEL: TNA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle vs. The Samoan Submission Machine Samoa Joe

As my new friend, "The Power", Andy Knowles, from the Pro Wrestling Rewind has dictated for weeks, (check out the podcasts on Wrestleview.com), the TNA World title is currently being held hostage by Angle, and Joe has put his career in TNA on the line if he doesn't win the World title at this moment. With that being said, the report that I just read that TNA President Dixie Carter, Christopher Daniels, and Homicide are at ROH in Boston tonight, and Joe's contract with TNA still "up in the air", as a report was said from the conference call, there's a slim chance that maybe there's a relationship brewing and if so, I would think Joe's name would be all over it. With that also being said, there's a slim chance that Kurt Angle will slip out of this match with the belt. As I said during the podcast I was the guest on with the Power, I said Kurt Angle would win the match, and I am going to continue to say that now. I hope and pray I am wrong, but somehow, deep in my gut, I don't think so.

WINNER: Kurt Angle

SIX SIDES OF STEEL: LETHAL LOCKDOWN WEAPONS MATCH
Team Cage (Christian Cage, Sting, Kevin Nash, Rhino & Matt Morgan) vs. Team Tomko (Tomko, AJ Styles, Team 3D, "Cowboy" James Storm)

I got a serious problem with a guy who has almost more grey hair than my father competing in this match. It'd also be nice if we'd see some NEW FACES in this match. Cage, Sting, Rhino, Tomko and Styles have all had previous lethal lockdown experience. With the amount of personnel on the TNA roster, It'd be nice to see some newer faces, and I'm not refering to 3D, Matt Morgan, or James Storm. It'd be nice to just see more talent be put in to top flight storylines. Anyway, I'm going to take the heels here, because I don't think Nash can handle the pounding this match is going to dish out. The past lockdowns have been good, but this one has the possibility, with the age in this match, to be bowling shoe ugly. And that's depressing, and something, as well, that TNA doesn't need.

WINNERS: Team Tomko

SIX SIDES OF STEEL: XSCAPE MATCH FOR THE X CHAMPIONSHIP
"Black Machismo" Jay Lethal vs. Curry Man vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Johnny Devine vs. Shark Boy vs. Consequences Creed
Pins/submissions until two participants remain, then one man must escape the cage. Winner claims the X Division Championship.

Welcome to more gimmick matches. TNA is single handedly killing my love of the gimmick match. I love the matches like Lethal Lockdown, Money in the Bank, and King of the Mountain, but this type of match is just not necessary. Make it a six page challenge, one fall, or escape the cage, and let's go to work. With the elimination rules, it makes it easier to script the result to probably be Devine and either Curry Man, Dutt, or Lethal. I doubt Creed or Shark Boy really have a chance in hell in this match, just because of the debut of Creed, and the lack of success of the cult favorite from the Deep Blue Sea. I'd like this stip a little more if we saw some rivalries brew from the finishes during this match, but the chances of that are nil. I am going to go out on a limb and say Curry Man wins the match and the title, and then unmasks to reveal his true identity and the return of the gimmick that I personally can't get enough of, "the Fallen Angel."

WINNER: Curry Man

SIX SIDES OF STEEL: QUEEN OF THE CAGE KNOCKOUTS MATCH
Angelina Love vs. Velvet Sky vs. Salinas vs. Rhaka Khan vs. Traci vs. Christy Hemme vs. Jacqueline vs. Roxxi Laveaux
(Eight TNA Knockouts will start the bout battling on the outside of the cage, trying to get inside the steel structure. The first two Knockouts that are successful will then have a one-on-one match.)

This one is even dumber gimmick wise than the Xscape match. How Rhaka Khan even has a spot on Lockdown is surprising, especially since I read reports that shre has been less than a team player in the locker room. One way or another, this match will probably be the predecessor to a future challenger for Awesome Kong, so the question is, who here has a shot in hell if they win this match to challenge Kong and potentially take the knockouts title?
Do you hear the crickets chirping?
I'm going to say loyalty wins the match here, if for no other reason that I doubt they'd put talent over as they should. If its sheer talent, Roxxie Laveaux or Velvet Sky win the match. But, I doubt it. So, let's say loyalty wins. The woman who's been with TNA since day one.

WINNER: Traci Brooks

SIX SIDES OF STEEL: MIXED TAG TEAM MATCH
Booker T & Sharmell vs. Robert Roode & Payton Banks

It disgusts me that Sharmell is in the match. Especially when the other woman in the match is one half of the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew, indy wrestler Rain. Rain will out wrestle Sharmell to death, and that's Booker's achilles heel in this match. This feud has begun to feel similarly to Roode vs. Eric Young with the length of it. However, I think Booker's clout will get him the win, and lead up to an eventual match with Kurt Angle for the TNA gold in the near future.

WINNERS: Booker T. & Sharmell

SIX SIDES OF STEEL: FORMER PARTNERS COLLIDE
BG James vs. Kip James

I think these guys will put on an entertaining match. I don't know the reason why they broke up, but the fact that they did doesn't surprise me. One thing's for certain. It oughta be emotional, as I don't remember these guys ever facing each other. So with that being said, there's got to be a lot of emotion behind this match. I would guess that BG will win, and why? Don't know. Bluntly, I'm just flippin' a coin on this one.

WINNER: BG James

SIX SIDES OF STEEL: CUFFED IN THE CAGE
The Motor City Machineguns vs. The Latin American Xchange vs. "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and Petey Williams vs. The Rock N' Rave Infection vs. Eric Young & Kaz vs. Black Reign & Rellik

Cuffed in the cage? Makes no sense to me. This is a filler match if I ever saw one. This match oughta be LAX and the McMGs. It'd be more entertaining. This is a cluster F waiting to happen. Here's the next question, how is Rellik getting a pay per view spot when I have barely read his name on an Impact spoiler in the past few months? I'm gonna pick Steiner and Williams to win the match because it appears they have the most push going out of all thse participants, and that's really pathetic, because there's some damn good teams here, with all due respect to Scott Steiner and his protege.

WINNERS: Petey Williams & Scott Steiner

SIX SIDES OF STEEL: WOMEN'S TAG TEAM MATCH
TNA Women's Champion Awesome Kong & Raisha Saeed vs. Gail Kim & ODB

No clue who Saeed is. However, Kong is so awesome, she could win this match by herself. I don't suspect Kim and ODB will be successful here unless this turns in to a tornado match of epic proportions. Since I doubt that's going to occur, I suspect Kong wins because I don't see a woman in the TNA Knockouts division that can hang with Awesome Kong, and in a cage, that statement is said with conviction.

WINNERS: Awesome Kong & Raisha Saeed

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