Botched Spot

Alright, so I know Botched Spot is officially on hiatus, but I can’t let a new year begin without doing some predictions! It’s one thing I’d like to keep regular around here.

Okay, so just for review, my predictions from last year were:

WWE following through on their promise to elevate young stars and put them in the main event… but only as lumberjacks for Batista vs. Undertaker and Orton vs. Cena vs. Triple H.

WWE will prove the rumors of ECW being rebranded as a show for new wrestlers to work on their craft before being brought to Raw to be correct… which isn’t that much different than what ECW has ever been.

January 4th will fail to restart the ratings success of the Monday Night Wars despite using all of the same stars of that time.

I’m giving myself two out of three on this one, although ECW being rebranded was pretty much a given thing at that point. I think I really just wanted an excuse to draw Tommy Dreamer in suspenders.

January 4th definitely did not reignite any Monday Night Wars, despite many hoping it would. I guess this could also be considered a safe bet, considering that it’s going to take more than competition to make wrestling popular again. People have always said that competition brings out the best in wrestling, but if the best results in things like “The Band” and Bret Hart and Vince McMahon’s match from Wrestlemania 26, I’ll pass.

My major misjudgment was obviously about WWE’s youth movement, with Miz becoming the WWE Champion. While I think the change in direction had more to do with the established main eventers retiring or getting injured, and Smackdown’s main event scene has still largely been stuck in the past, 2010 was a good year for seeing fresh faces in the main event. And to me that’s a good thing. Guys like Wade Barrett, Shaemus, and Miz may not have any classic matches under their belts, but after seeing every possible combination of Cena/ Orton/ and Triple H, the younger wrestlers’ main event injection was what I needed.

But anyway, have a happy new year, and may all your predictions come true.
-James