Friday, December 8, 2000

The World's Greatest WWF Armageddon 2000 Preview

While several matches on the undercard could quite possibly deliver, what really matters is the last bit on the card, the one that takes us home. What exactly the WWF has done here has yet to be revealed.. whether they shot themselves in the foot by throwing all their main eventers into one match or revealed their path to success by covering the weaknesses of the unhealthy with the enthusiasm of the new faces, we won't really know before this Sunday night. Also, my partner's been correct in mentioning the lack of build in the undercard. This was something that bothered me with last month's Survivor Series lineup, and I'm not happy to see the trend continuing.

Hardy Boyz & Lita vs. Eddy Guerrero, Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko

I'm actually enjoying the hell out of this angle. Even though the whole 'date' was quite silly this past Thursday night and the LHW championship match on Raw wasn't all it could have been, there's just something that clicks with the backstage segments and these players. I've been hooked by the 'thrill of the chase', and find myself counting the days until Lita makes the big turn on the Hardys, giving the Radicals the momentum they need to be taken seriously. With that said, the action in the ring won't be shabby, either. The Hardys and Radicals are among my favorites in the sport, and to see them facing off against one another in any situation is cause for rejoice. Perhaps the brothers Hardy will be able to rub a little of their magic heat off on Malenko and company? I'll go with Team Extreme here, though the angle should run for a month or two longer.
Winners: The Hardys and Lita

Val Venis vs. Chyna

We've got a taste of irony going on with this one... somebody that's got everything it takes in the ring, but no sort of push or attention from the fans meeting somebody with little to no redeeming value on the mat, alongside the push of a lifetime and all the fan support you could ask for. Maybe 1 + 1 will equal two and the match will be surprisingly good.. or maybe we'll suffer through a little slop before these two go their separate ways and the viewers are left neither richer nor poorer for the effort. I'm betting on the latter, but I can definately see the former going down as well. Worth keeping your eye on.
Winner: Chyna

Ivory vs. Molly Holly vs. Trish Stratus
Women's Championship

The women's division, too, is doing fine and dandy.. in fact, better than it's ever been. As evidenced by this match, we've got women that are easy on the eyes, but can still work an interesting and believable match as well. While Trish may drag the match down a notch as the least adept of the three, her inclusion was almost a must to ensure the audience's attention, no matter how much positive publicity Molly's been getting over the last month. If kept short, this should be nice.. and I can't justify giving it more than five or six minutes. Ivory's my choice to retain, as her heat's been steady and she's a fighting champion. Can't ask for much more.
Winner: Ivory

William Regal vs. Hardcore Holly
European Championship

Regal's been a bastard this last month, completely destroying poor Crash and Molly, and it's a side of the British good will ambassador that I really enjoy seeing. After dropping the European title for a lengthy one day to the younger cousin, Regal's been built for this match quite nicely.. and the title shot for Hardcore himself is a natural progression from the events. The tension between this little 'family' has been teased for some time now, and while I won't say with any certainty that it's going to boil over Sunday night under the lights, I have been looking for it for a little while now. Regal holds onto the gold by the skin of his teeth, possibly splitting Hardcore from Crash in the process.
Winner: William Regal

RTC vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Road Dogg & K-Kwick vs. Edge & Christian
Tag Team Championship

Though the re-turn of the Dudleys was quite a bit predictable, the way they did it came a bit out of left field. When they refused to tear off their suits and ties this Monday night, I thought the angle might be the real thing after all.. but just as I found myself believing the hype, we were reminded who really is in charge here, as they turned face almost immediately Thursday Night. Perhaps a bit of a rejuvenated feud was hinted with the Hardys, as their little ploy cost the Boyz the Tag Team titles, but that's still quite a ways off. Elsewhere, I like K-Kwick allright, though he's still green as grass, but in all honesty he doesn't deserve a title shot just yet. The New Outlaws' loss on Raw was more an issue of inexperience, rather than cheating on the part of the blondes, and I was surprised to see the decision overturned on those grounds. While this would be nicer without Road Dogg and the RTC, it won't be too ugly as is, and serves as all the proof you need to declare the Tag division healthier than ever.
Winners: The Dudley Boyz

Billy Gunn vs. Chris Benoit
Intercontinental Championship

Though I'd rather have seen Benoit involved in the main event and Guerrero granted the rematch for his title on PPV, this will do nicely on its own. If nothing else, the point of this match should be to get Benoit further over as a ruthless SOB that deserves his spot near the top of the card. Though an Intercontinental reign doesn't look to be in the cards for him, this should serve as a nice little retainer between feuds, and may just give Gunn the motivation he needs to quit sucking cheeks. Gunn retains through DQ, as Benoit takes it too far and slaughters the former Ass master.
Winner: "Number Two" Billy Gunn

Kane vs. Chris Jericho
Last Man Standing Match

Pretty much a guarantee as the blowoff here, I say it's about time. While both the participants are equally promising talents, they just haven't clicked in their brief feud and it's in the best interests of all to just move on and quit trying to build something where there's nothing. It would be nice to see Jericho continuing his slow, steady heel turn, while gaining some badly needed credibility along the way with a victory over the former champion in red. Paul Bearer's been rumored for Sunday, and I'd wager his appearance is more likely here than in the Cell. May or may not have an impact on the outcome.
Winner: Chris Jericho

Kurt Angle vs. Triple H vs. Rikishi vs. Steve Austin vs. Undertaker vs. The Rock
WWF Championship - Hell in a Cell

A quick show of hands; how many readers out there are looking for Rikishi to follow Mick Foley's path to fame with a dive from the cage this weekend?? Bloody hell, I'm not sure the arena's foundations could stand it. By keeping the card relatively small, the WWF has made it perfectly clear they'll be giving this match all the time it needs to develop into whatever shape it may choose to adopt. The possibilities here are endless, and we're pretty likely to see every two man combination in the match headed after one another before the final bell tolls. Vince will make his presence known during the match, though in who's favor I haven't a clue. Perhaps the long-rumored Austin heel turn will come to fruition behind the fencing, though he's got another couple matches with HHH down the road.. so I'd probably scratch that. With two injured men, one super heavyweight that isn't likely to scale the fencing and a veteran that's having more and more difficulty just getting to the ring, it all comes down to the Rock and Angle in the end. Though I expect things will get complicated, leading to the rumored Rumble for the gold next month, but we're pretty much expected to choose a victor in these things. "No contest" reads like "cop out" in my eyes, so I'm taking Kurt Angle for my man. His reign still hasn't lasted quite long enough for my tastes.
Winner: Kurt Angle

In Closing...

Really not that awful of a card, and a definate step up from last month's questionable Survivor Series. A number of feuds are either hitting full speed or blowing off this month, and the World Title's surrounded by quite a bit of interest as well. It's reason enough to blow off studying this Sunday night (then again, what isn't..?), but I think things will look even nicer at the Rumble a little ways down the line. Not their best work, but a far, far cry from their worst.
until next time, i remain
drq

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