January 7, 2006
SLAM! Predictions
Jason Clevett
A very strange match, based on who is in it. WWE has been looking at taking the belt off of John Cena, and reason would say take it off in this match. But with half of the participants not really title contenders (I would be stunned if Carlito, Kane or Chris Masters won the strap) that leaves either Shawn Michaels or Kurt Angle. Angle deserves another title run, but his feud with Cena has been going on for four months already. There isn't the star power that was in the previous chambers, which hurts the match.
Ed Ludwig
If there is a time for John Cena to drop the title then this is the perfect time to do it. Cena's momentum won't take a major hit if he loses in a match like this. Angle wins here.
Bob Kapur
It will be interesting to see if the youngsters, Carlito and Masters, can work a big gimmick match like this one. If they can put on good performances here, they could rise above the perception that they're too green for the main event scene -- this is particularly true for Masters who the company clearly wants to push. The other big question is to see if they will finally do something to acknowledge Cena’s waning fan support. I would suggest they do this via a double-turn for him and Angle, who the fans clearly still want to cheer, but I doubt this will happen until WrestleMania. Cena retains.
Jon Waldman
To be completely honest, I'm scared here. I'm scared that Angle is going to push himself too far and seriously injure his neck and end his career. Of these men, only Michaels is a proven bumper who can take the beatings of the cage, so don't expect a hell of a lot of action on the steel. Carlito, however, will take a few solid hits and this will really be his proving ground. Angle will eventually get the win, with Daivari somehow sneaking into the chamber, possibly from above.
Greg Oliver
I'm quite confident that John Cena is not walking out of the ring with the title. That said, I think he'll regain it in a rematch at Royal Rumble. So who deserves the short reign? Angle merits a longer run; Masters is too green; Carlito is about six months away from being able to pull it off. That leaves me Michaels and Kane, both of whom are troopers for the company, and both are former world champs. Given what he's contributed over the years, I can see HBK getting a reward.
Chris Sokol
This is another opportunity to put Cena over as a dominant champion, to build momentum for his Wrestlemania match with Batista. It's too bad too, Masters has really stepped up his game, Michaels is Michaels, Angle is fantastic, Carlito shows promise and Kane is just kind of there. In any event, Cena wins this bloody affair.
Countdown to WWE New Year's Revolution
By SLAM! Wrestling
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Raw's first PPV of the year hits this Sunday, with a lot of questions to answer.
Most of those questions will be answered in the main event. With John Cena's recent decline in popularity, we'll know the answer to whether or not WWE still believes in the Chain Gang general as the lead face on Monday nights. We'll also know if Chris Masters and Carlito are ready to step up to the main event level.
These are points to ponder among others. Let's see what solutions the SLAM! Wrestling crew came up with.
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SLAM! Predictions
A very strange match, based on who is in it. WWE has been looking at taking the belt off of John Cena, and reason would say take it off in this match. But with half of the participants not really title contenders (I would be stunned if Carlito, Kane or Chris Masters won the strap) that leaves either Shawn Michaels or Kurt Angle. Angle deserves another title run, but his feud with Cena has been going on for four months already. There isn't the star power that was in the previous chambers, which hurts the match.
If there is a time for John Cena to drop the title then this is the perfect time to do it. Cena's momentum won't take a major hit if he loses in a match like this. Angle wins here.
It will be interesting to see if the youngsters, Carlito and Masters, can work a big gimmick match like this one. If they can put on good performances here, they could rise above the perception that they're too green for the main event scene -- this is particularly true for Masters who the company clearly wants to push. The other big question is to see if they will finally do something to acknowledge Cena’s waning fan support. I would suggest they do this via a double-turn for him and Angle, who the fans clearly still want to cheer, but I doubt this will happen until WrestleMania. Cena retains.
To be completely honest, I'm scared here. I'm scared that Angle is going to push himself too far and seriously injure his neck and end his career. Of these men, only Michaels is a proven bumper who can take the beatings of the cage, so don't expect a hell of a lot of action on the steel. Carlito, however, will take a few solid hits and this will really be his proving ground. Angle will eventually get the win, with Daivari somehow sneaking into the chamber, possibly from above.
I'm quite confident that John Cena is not walking out of the ring with the title. That said, I think he'll regain it in a rematch at Royal Rumble. So who deserves the short reign? Angle merits a longer run; Masters is too green; Carlito is about six months away from being able to pull it off. That leaves me Michaels and Kane, both of whom are troopers for the company, and both are former world champs. Given what he's contributed over the years, I can see HBK getting a reward.
This is another opportunity to put Cena over as a dominant champion, to build momentum for his Wrestlemania match with Batista. It's too bad too, Masters has really stepped up his game, Michaels is Michaels, Angle is fantastic, Carlito shows promise and Kane is just kind of there. In any event, Cena wins this bloody affair.
