The weather turned Wednesday. Summer 80s are gone for another year (with the exception of TPI weekend, where the room wouldn’t feel right if it wasn’t 90 degrees). Chicago’s in the four to eight week in the nice comfortable area between sweating and chilling, where you can walk around without a jacket or a water bottle. It’s a nice change.
Now that summer is over, I’ve thought of three things it forgot to bring this year:
– a decent amount of rain (poor dead lawn)
– about 8 more Cub wins
– a WWE World Title change
John Cena and (occasionally Dave) Batista haven’t lost their belts since they both won them at WrestleMania, and in teh era where people thought it wasn’t realistic for someone to hold a title for a long time, they’re doing just that. Though I’m not near as high on the quality of the title reigns, the lengths are bordering on historic/”they really ought to be mentioning this on TV” distances.
Date of first World Title change after WM, per year
04/21 2002
04/30 2000
05/23 1999
06/13 1993
06/27 2004 WWE
06/28 1998
07/27 2003 WWE
08/03 1997
08/15 2004 WORLD
09/01 1992
————— <- you are here
09/18 2005? (Unforgiven)
09/21 2003 WORLD
09/23 2001
10/09 2005? (No Mercy)
11/17 1996
11/19 1995
11/23 1994
11/27 1992
11/27 2005? (Survivor Series)
01/19 1991
It'd be pretty shocking if Batista lost the belt at the next TV taping or any time before the PPV, so he's going to pass pass Triple H in '04 and Austin in '01 and become the longest survivor in nearly ten years (HBK in '96.) His No Mercy challenger is looking like it'll be Eddie, and I don't know if they'd have him be the man to take the title. If they don't, Survivor Series seems as good a place as any for a switch (the change that day in '92 is Undertaker beating Hogan), but there's no looming opponent for him.
This probably has something with WWE desperately searching for permenant answers and trying not to sabotage the current possibilites, and a lack of attractive alternatives at the same time. Ultimately, this title belt is destined for Orton by WrestleMania, but even his case isn't strong enough anymore to make them hurry.
I'm not so sure about Cena's chances of continuning as champion. Where I can't imagine a drawn out Eddie/Batista feud requiring Eddie to win the belt, I certianly can see that with Cena/Angle. Neither side has a NEXT challenger primed, but there's a lot more spark in the Angle/Cena stuff. Unforgiven isn't near strong enough a show to do a indecisive finish in the main event, so whatever they do, they're going to have to give a pinfall or submission finish, and if Cena/Angle is going long, it can't be Angle looking at the lights.
The reflexive theory of booking ("whoever lost the last match going into the big match will win the big match") points Cena's way, but what's best for next doesn't.
Well, it sure does look like people are getting fired left and right here at work, so why don’t I just chip in and comment!
Eddy/Batista may last a while, as who other heels are on SD that haven’t been played out other than Orton now? I just watched Eddie/Mysterio from HH 1997 and it’s just as great then as it is now.
How long will Cade and Murdock hold the tag belts?! I say a few weeks!
I know this makes me really lazy, but I kinda wish you’d put the winners and losers at each change up. I’m curious as to how JBL’s legendary run stacks up. All I know is that it’s the longest since HBK’s “childhood dream” was realized.
Oh, duhr, I just realized why that makes no sense. Nevermind.
One other thing to consider is that the next Raw PPV is Taboo Tuesday, and if they’re going to do the fan voting like last year, they wouldn’t necessarily *need* to have a next challenger for the WWE champion right away, regardless of who it is.