The Wrestling Matt News

Greetings, fans. It's been awhile since I've penned a column - but inspiration has struck after watching WWE book the two Wrestlemania 23 main events: John Cena v. Shawn Michaels and Batista v. The Undertaker.

Here's how I'd set up these feuds:

Face versus face matches don't work (see The Rock v. Stone Cold at WM 15 for proof), let alone two face versus face matches. One side of each feud must turn heel - and I hope the writers have the same simple idea in mind as I do for how to accomplish this.

At No Way Out, Cena teams with HBK against Batsita and Taker. Let the new guard turn on the old guard. Throughout the tag-team bout, Cena and Batista rarely trade blows. They continually tag in, tag out, make sure they rarely face off against one another.

And when the time is right - bam! - a double turn. Cena takes down Michaels. Batista slams Undertaker. The pay-per-view ends with the two, newly heel champs raising their hands, standing over a bloodied HBK and Taker. The reasoning?

It actually makes sense. On WWE RAW the next night, Cena and Batista give a promo  in which they cast off HBK and Undertaker as washed up veterans, wrestlers that don't know when to retire and have no business being in the same ring as the younger, stronger champions. And how dare you fans still cheer them?!? You're stuck in the past!

Tell me Cena and Batista wouldn't get mega heat for this. The fact is that fans will never cheer either of them over their Wrestlemania 23 opponents - and when was the last solid, unexpected heel turn in the WWE? I can't even remember.

That's why it's time for two major ones, simultaneously, as we head into the biggest event of the year.

Greetings, wrestling fans. Welcome to The Wrestling Matt, one man’s take on the latest story lines and backstage TNA/WWE rumors.

What would I like to see tagged in for further development? What should be tapped out immediately before it gets even worse? Let’s find out. On to the column …

Tap Out: The inanity of the Voodo Kin Mafia angle. Let's forgot for a moment how TNA and WWE are obviously two different companies, so it's sheer idiocy to pretend as though the VKM could be involved in a WWE match.

But just who does this story line appeal to? TNA fans already watch that product and WWE fans won't change loyalities because two former stars are bashing their brand. It's ridiculous.

Tap Out: DX. Tell me other people are sick of their antics and seeming invincibility, too. Fine, they got a win at Survivor Series. Did they really need to shutout Team Rated-RKO? Why not give Edge and Orton at least some rub?

Tag In: Ashley Massaro in Playboy. We're not exactly gonna complain about this one.

Tag In: Best wishes to Roddy Piper, Candice Michelle and Michelle McCool. All three are suffering from various ailments. We hope surgeries and time resting helps each superstar recover well.

Greetings, wrestling fans. Welcome to The Wrestling Matt, one man’s take on the latest story lines and backstage TNA/WWE rumors.

What would I like to see tagged in for further development? What should be tapped out immediately before it gets even worse? Let’s find out. On to the column ...

Tag Out: Kurt Angle bashing the WWE. How does this make sense for his debut in TNA? If you're a WWE fan, you don't wish to see that company insulted; if you're a TNA fan, you're already watching that brand. No wonder ratings for Angle's first iMpact shows weren't very high. TNA wrestling will never succeed if it continues to reference its superior competition.

Tag Out: Cyber Sunday. I'm all for fan involvement - but does anyone buy the legitimacy of the voting process? Vince will book the show however he wants to book the show. Don't mislead fans into thinking that have a say in how events are run.

Tag In: Cryme Tyme. The gimmick isn't really racist, but that's not even the point. It's just nice to see an actual tag team with an actual name. I miss the days of The Bushwhackers, Demolition, British Bulldogs, etc.

Tag In: John Cena. Boo him if you want, but has anyone else been so consistent over the course of the year? The guy puts on entertaining matches, has mic skills and knows how to get a crowd reaction. Even The Marine wasn't THAT bad.

Thank you for reading. If you'd like to write a column, email me at: matt@thewrestlingpost.com.

Greetings, wrestling fans. Welcome to The Wrestling Matt, one man’s take on the latest story lines and backstage TNA/WWE rumors.

What would I like to see tagged in for further development? What should be tapped out immediately before it gets even worse? Let’s find out. On to the column ...

Tap Out: The constant use of WWE mainstays in ECW. If you're gonna bring this brand back, aren't you trying to appeal to fans of stars such as Sabu and Sandman? Right now, Test, RVD, the Big Show and Hardcore Holly are main eventing. I mean, seriously ... Hardcore Holly?!?

Tag In: The tournament for the women's title. Sure, it's fun to see WWE Divas actually in the ring and performing instead of just looking good; but who doesn't just love a tournament? Maybe it's the NCAA basketball fan in me, but seeing brackets
puts a smile on my face.

Tag In: The use of Kevin Federline on RAW. Some may have had a problem with it, but it wasn't a main storyline or anything more than harmless humor. And it certainly got John Cena over big time, something WWE insiders keep hoping for.

Tag Out: The Undertaker. He's a respected veteran, has earned his spot, yadda, yadda, yadda. The guy shows up maybe once a month and never, ever loses. Fans gotta stop popping at the simple sound of his gong or else there will never be a reason for the Undertaker to actually be involved in a real feud. Or just appear on TV at least.

Greetings, wrestling fans. Welcome to The Wrestling Matt, one man's take on the latest story lines and backstage TNA/WWE rumors.

What would I like to see tagged in for further development? What should be tapped out immediately before it gets even worse? Let's find out. On to the column ...

Tap out: Backstage grumblings about ECW Extreme Strip Poker. Give me a break. Anyone involved with the WWE - from go-fers to main events - knows that it's about hot women almost as much as in-ring action. My goodness, they tried to get ratings from nude WWE Divas?!? Big shocker.

Tag in: Kelly Kelly. While we're on the topic of divas - or "vixens," as the're trying to dub ECW women - I never thought it would get any more beautiful than Torrie Wilson. And I still don't. But Kelly-squared is at least giving Mrs. Billy Kidman a run for her mesmerizing money.

Tag in: The Edge/Orton alliance on RAW. It's nice to see an old story line (the Triple H attack on Orton) actually be used to set up a new angle. All true fans ask for is consistency and a long-term plan with angles. We've got one here.

Tag out: The debut of Kurt Angle in TNA. Spoiler alert, but Angle will give a supposedly in-depth interview tonight about why he left the WWE and joined TNA. But anyone who cares has already read this online - and other fans just wanna see the guy in the ring. You've got the best wrester in the business, TNA, put those skills to use as soon as you can.

That's all for today. Thanks for reading. If you have any feedback - or would like to post a column of your own - email me at: matt@thewrestlingpost.com

- Matt