As announced on SmackDown.... *Spoilers*

[NeanderCarl]

... the King Of The Ring tournament is returning, according to reports. It's funny because literally last week I was thinking that they may bring back the KOTR due to it's reputation for getting mid-card guys over (in most cases). The majority of KOTR winners have gone on to great success in the WWE.

I'm guessing it will be limited to SmackDown, or maybe a Smackdown bracket and a Raw bracket, with an interpromotional final, maybe at a PPV. (I'm guessing there won't be a KOTR PPV anymore.)

Anyone else think this is a good idea? Or has the KOTR's usefulness been negated by the Money In The Bank match?

Or could the KOTR victory be for SmackDown what the MITB win has been for Edge and RVD?

[Mr. Nerfect]

I remember thinking about the tournament yesterday, and then I read later that day it would be returning.

The KOR Tournament definately has its uses. I'm not too sure about Randy Orton being in the tournament. They need to set sme guidelines on who can enter. I always thought the tournament would be more consistent if all entries had never won a World Title, or had won a World Title but had also won a King of the Ring Tournament previously. Maybe they can also admit former World Champions under 30 years old, just for Randy Orton.

I drew up fantasy brackets yesterday, and if Kurt Angle is in this tournament with guys like Paul London & Jamie Noble, this could really be a great move by the WWE. Assuming both brands have 16 participants, these are the brackets I'd like to see:

SmackDown!
-Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton
-Matt Hardy vs. The Road Warrior
-Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley
-Paul Burchill vs. Doug Basham
-Kid Kash vs. Paul London
-Jamie Noble vs. Brian Kendrick
-Chris Benoit vs. Booker T
-JBL vs. Gunner Scott

-Kurt Angle vs. Matt Hardy
-Bobby Lashley vs. Doug Basham
-Paul London vs. Brian Kendrick
-Chris Benoit vs. Gunner Scott

-Kurt Angle vs. Doug Basham
-Paul London vs. Chris Benoit

-Kurt Angle vs. Paul London (I can dream)

RAW
-Triple H vs. Edge
-Viscera vs. Val Venis
-Kenny vs. Nicky
-Mikey vs. Johnny
-Umaga vs. Ric Flair
-Shelton Benjamin vs. Chavo Guerrero
-Carlito vs. Chris Masters
-The Damaja vs. Rob Conway

-Triple H vs. Val Venis
-Kenny vs. Johnny
-Umaga vs. Chavo Guerrero
-Carlito vs. The Damaja

-Val Venis vs. Kenny
-Umaga vs. The Damaja

-Val Venis vs. The Damaja (I can still dream)

King of the Ring Final Match: Kurt Angle vs. Val Venis

The return of the King of the Ring Tournament also means the return of a solid mid-card, in my opinion.

[CNM]

Val Venis beating Triple H? Lay off the crack

[DaveWadding]

I remember thinking about the tournament yesterday, and then I read later that day it would be returning.

The KOR Tournament definately has its uses. I'm not too sure about Randy Orton being in the tournament. They need to set sme guidelines on who can enter. I always thought the tournament would be more consistent if all entries had never won a World Title, or had won a World Title but had also won a King of the Ring Tournament previously. Maybe they can also admit former World Champions under 30 years old, just for Randy Orton.

I drew up fantasy brackets yesterday, and if Kurt Angle is in this tournament with guys like Paul London & Jamie Noble, this could really be a great move by the WWE. Assuming both brands have 16 participants, these are the brackets I'd like to see:

SmackDown!
-Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton
-Matt Hardy vs. The Road Warrior
-Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley
-Paul Burchill vs. Doug Basham
-Kid Kash vs. Paul London
-Jamie Noble vs. Brian Kendrick
-Chris Benoit vs. Booker T
-JBL vs. Gunner Scott

-Kurt Angle vs. Matt Hardy
-Bobby Lashley vs. Doug Basham
-Paul London vs. Brian Kendrick
-Chris Benoit vs. Gunner Scott

-Kurt Angle vs. Doug Basham
-Paul London vs. Chris Benoit

-Kurt Angle vs. Paul London (I can dream)

RAW
-Triple H vs. Edge
-Viscera vs. Val Venis
-Kenny vs. Nicky
-Mikey vs. Johnny
-Umaga vs. Ric Flair
-Shelton Benjamin vs. Chavo Guerrero
-Carlito vs. Chris Masters
-The Damaja vs. Rob Conway

-Triple H vs. Val Venis
-Kenny vs. Johnny
-Umaga vs. Chavo Guerrero
-Carlito vs. The Damaja

-Val Venis vs. Kenny
-Umaga vs. The Damaja

-Val Venis vs. The Damaja (I can still dream)

King of the Ring Final Match: Kurt Angle vs. Val Venis

The return of the King of the Ring Tournament also means the return of a solid mid-card, in my opinion.

:rofl:

Thanks for making my life easy.

[Londoner]

Alienoid, your love of Doug Basham and Val venis is getting boring.They're never going to go anywhere.

And back on topic,i always found the King Of The Ring boring and predictable, MITB is much better,but i understand the use of KOTR.I think it needs to come back.

[Loose Cannon]

lol who is Umaga and how did he make the semis?

[UmbrellaCorporation]

Wasn't Umaga that Cuban 3 minute warning guy from last night?

I didn't catch his name.

[PureHatred]

Wasn't Umaga that Cuban 3 minute warning guy from last night?

I didn't catch his name.

Yeah, although he's not actually Cuban. That guy who looked like Lou Bega was/is supposed to be Cuban.

[Jaton]

Wow, Alienoid. Give up on London, Venis, and Basham. They're good wrestlers, but they're not going to go anywhere.

[Mr. Nerfect]

lol who is Umaga and how did he make the semis?

Umaga is the guy the WWE are going to put over Flair at Backlash. May as well put it in the tournament.

Holy shit, some of you claim the tournament is too predictable, and yet as soon as someone suggests something different you crap all over it. Pick a side and stick with it.

Venis is out of the tournament, as he is undergoing shoulder surgery. The only way I had him picked to beat Triple H is because The Game is going to be challenging for the WWE Title for a while, may as well have John Cena cost him the match to build to that.

This tournament would be the ideal place for the WWE to turn "DaveWadding's Idea of Jobbers" into legit mid-carders. Or is that DaveWadding's idea of a jobber?

By the way, I guarantee you, Doug Basham WILL be going somewhere in the WWE. His uncle is head trainer at OVW, and Basham is one of the better guys to ever come out of OVW. If the WWE has any sense, they'll at least give him a push into the mid-card. Hence the King of the Ring fucking Tournament.

TL, it's funny how you skipped over Danny Basham when you read through my brackets. Do you actually think Danny is going somewhere, or are you just unaware of his OVW gimmick and simply jumping on the "these guys had crappy gimmicks in their debut, so I'm going to shit all over them," bandwagon?

Look, you can have Triple H or Randy Orton as KOR Winner if you want, but I'm going to be hoping someone who can actually use the victory gets it.

[PureHatred]

SmackDown!
-Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton
-Matt Hardy vs. The Road Warrior
-Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley
-Paul Burchill vs. Doug Basham
-Kid Kash vs. Paul London
-Jamie Noble vs. Brian Kendrick
-Chris Benoit vs. Booker T
-JBL vs. Gunner Scott

-Kurt Angle vs. Matt Hardy
-Bobby Lashley vs. Doug Basham
-Paul London vs. Brian Kendrick
-Chris Benoit vs. Gunner Scott

-Kurt Angle vs. Doug Basham
-Paul London vs. Chris Benoit

-Kurt Angle vs. Paul London (I can dream)

RAW
-Triple H vs. Edge
-Viscera vs. Val Venis
-Kenny vs. Nicky
-Mikey vs. Johnny
-Umaga vs. Ric Flair
-Shelton Benjamin vs. Chavo Guerrero
-Carlito vs. Chris Masters
-The Damaja vs. Rob Conway

-Triple H vs. Val Venis
-Kenny vs. Johnny
-Umaga vs. Chavo Guerrero
-Carlito vs. The Damaja

-Val Venis vs. Kenny
-Umaga vs. The Damaja

-Val Venis vs. The Damaja (I can still dream)

King of the Ring Final Match: Kurt Angle vs. Val Venis

The return of the King of the Ring Tournament also means the return of a solid mid-card, in my opinion.

You always post enough solid possible storylines that I'm not going to mock you. This is obviously YOUR fantasy KOTR and really there's all kinds of problems here in regards to its relationship to ..um..reality.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Wow, Alienoid. Give up on London, Venis, and Basham. They're good wrestlers, but they're not going to go anywhere.

I have a feeling with all this drug testing shit going on, the WWE will start using their talented guys more. Or at least take small windows of opportunities to see if they have what it takes to make it into the mid-card.

London is currently higher than the Tag Team Champions, Venis is undergoing shoulder surgery (I have a feeling the WWE is going to use this to refresh him when it comes time for his return) and Doug Basham is training the developmental wrestlers. A push for any guy, even if it is only a small one, is entirely probable.

Hey, JBL won the WWE Title the same year he was the first guy thrown out of the Royal Rumble. For three guys, arguably more talented than JBL, a push into the mid-card (you know, that space between main eventer and Velocity main eventer the WWE used to have) is not too hard to fathom.

[PureHatred]

I have a feeling with all this drug testing shit going on, the WWE will start using their talented guys more. Or at least take small windows of opportunities to see if they have what it takes to make it into the mid-card.

London is currently higher than the Tag Team Champions, Venis is undergoing shoulder surgery (I have a feeling the WWE is going to use this to refresh him when it comes time for his return) and Doug Basham is training the developmental wrestlers. A push for any guy, even if it is only a small one, is entirely probable.

Hey, JBL won the WWE Title the same year he was the first guy thrown out of the Royal Rumble. For three guys, arguably more talented than JBL, a push into the mid-card (you know, that space between main eventer and Velocity main eventer the WWE used to have) is not too hard to fathom.

You're right. It's not entirely impossible. but for all three to receive a push simultaneously? Over guys who the WWE have been trying to get over forever like Orton, Shelton, or Master? C'mon..I could see maybe one of them pulling a George Mason and sneaking into the final four of a KOTR tourney..but all three?

[Bo]

If not a PPV I guess they could do the final or finals on Saturday Night Main Event.

[Marcyo]

(...) and Basham is one of the better guys to ever come out of OVW. If the WWE has any sense, they'll at least (...)

[Skippord]

I remember thinking about the tournament yesterday, and then I read later that day it would be returning.

The KOR Tournament definately has its uses. I'm not too sure about Randy Orton being in the tournament. They need to set sme guidelines on who can enter. I always thought the tournament would be more consistent if all entries had never won a World Title, or had won a World Title but had also won a King of the Ring Tournament previously. Maybe they can also admit former World Champions under 30 years old, just for Randy Orton.

I drew up fantasy brackets yesterday, and if Kurt Angle is in this tournament with guys like Paul London & Jamie Noble, this could really be a great move by the WWE. Assuming both brands have 16 participants, these are the brackets I'd like to see:

SmackDown!
-Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton
-Matt Hardy vs. The Road Warrior
-Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley
-Paul Burchill vs. Doug Basham
-Kid Kash vs. Paul London
-Jamie Noble vs. Brian Kendrick
-Chris Benoit vs. Booker T
-JBL vs. Gunner Scott

-Kurt Angle vs. Matt Hardy
-Bobby Lashley vs. Doug Basham
-Paul London vs. Brian Kendrick
-Chris Benoit vs. Gunner Scott

-Kurt Angle vs. Doug Basham
-Paul London vs. Chris Benoit

-Kurt Angle vs. Paul London (I can dream)

RAW
-Triple H vs. Edge
-Viscera vs. Val Venis
-Kenny vs. Nicky
-Mikey vs. Johnny
-Umaga vs. Ric Flair
-Shelton Benjamin vs. Chavo Guerrero
-Carlito vs. Chris Masters
-The Damaja vs. Rob Conway

-Triple H vs. Val Venis
-Kenny vs. Johnny
-Umaga vs. Chavo Guerrero
-Carlito vs. The Damaja

-Val Venis vs. Kenny
-Umaga vs. The Damaja

-Val Venis vs. The Damaja (I can still dream)

King of the Ring Final Match: Kurt Angle vs. Val Venis

The return of the King of the Ring Tournament also means the return of a solid mid-card, in my opinion.


I love you Alienoid in the most legal ungay way possible

[Mr. Nerfect]

You're right. It's not entirely impossible. but for all three to receive a push simultaneously? Over guys who the WWE have been trying to get over forever like Orton, Shelton, or Master? C'mon..I could see maybe one of them pulling a George Mason and sneaking into the final four of a KOTR tourney..but all three?

LOL, to be honest I never noticed that they were all in the main event. Well, there's not way Val Venis will ever get a shot now, because he's out with injury.

I just think the KOR is the most likely event where the WWE will push their "who?" stars to the front a bit more. I mean, if the event is interpromotional, they can have two World Title matches on the card, which means you can use the tournament as a experiment.

All three receiving a push at the same time does seem illogical, even for my tastes.

[Fox]

I've always been against the KOTR tournament, mostly because it makes for one hell of a boring PPV. I prefer built up matches with storylines behind them to an athletic tournament in a predetermined environment. KOTR is almost always very, very easy to predict.

And I disagree that KOTR can shoot you to megastardom. Look at the winners:

1993: Bret Hart (had already won WWF Title prior to this event)

1994: Owen Hart (saddled as a career midcarder)

1995: Mabel (Big Vis, anyone?)

1996: Steve Austin (KOTR certainly helped his career, mostly because of the "Austin 316 says I just whipped your ass" quote during his victory speech)

1997: Triple H (gave him some recognition, but his success can be much more attributed to his alliance with Shawn Michaels, Chyna and Rick Rude later that year)

1998: Ken Shamrock (gave him a strong shot of popularity, led to a few IC Title runs, but ultimately did not propel him into the main event)

1999: "Mr Ass" Billy Gunn (Led to a #1 contender's match against The Rock a month later, but he rejoined The Road Dogg as the NAO soon after his KOTR victory, and never prospered from it.)

2000: Kurt Angle (probably the wrestler to accomplish the most in his rookie year, Angle's KOTR victory was just another notch in his belt in 2000. Angle was going places with or without KOTR.)

2001: Edge (won KOTR, mostly as a swerve since most people thought Kurt Angle was going to win, but subsequently did very little with his victory. It wasn't until he turned heel with Lita in 2005 that Edge got his main event push. Most people forget Edge was a KOTR winner.)

2002: Brock Lesnar (like Angle, this was just another notch in his belt during a very successful rookie year. Lesnar was going places with or without KOTR.)



If they do decide to bring back King of the Ring, they need to give the nod to someone who both needs and deserves it, and they need to make it mean something afterwards. Someone like Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, or even Ken Doane of the Spirit Squad could do well after a KOTR victory.

[domononizuka]

Id rather see Gunner Scott take it.Brents been busting his ass in OVW long enough,so WWE should give him some sort of recognition.

[NeanderCarl]

Who is Gunner Scott? I know he wrestled on SmackDown this week, but I've never heard of him.

[domononizuka]

Hes Brent Albright from OVW.

[NeanderCarl]

Ah right. Any relation to Gary Albright? Or is Gunner Scott his real name?

[domononizuka]

Ah right. Any relation to Gary Albright? Or is Gunner Scott his real name?
Theres no relation between the 2.Gunner isnt his real name,he had to come up with a new ring name for the WWE.

[redoneja]

I don't think KOTR is going to be a PPV. I think its just going to be the name of a tournament that will be held on subsquent Smackdowns until a winner is decided and goes on to face Mysterio at Judgement Day, or the finals will be at Judgement Day. My only reasoning for this is that Judgement Day has already been advertised, and Smackdown won't have another brand specific PPV till July and I doubt they drag this out that long.

[Gertner]

KENNNNNNNYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lord-Of-Darkness]

KENNNNNNNAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!;)

[KingofOldSchool]

Lashley or Ken Kennedy will win it.

Or maybe this will be to help push Dalipiece of Crap.

[Londoner]

By the way, I guarantee you, Doug Basham WILL be going somewhere in the WWE. His uncle is head trainer at OVW, and Basham is one of the better guys to ever come out of OVW. If the WWE has any sense, they'll at least give him a push into the mid-card. Hence the King of the Ring fucking Tournament.

TL, it's funny how you skipped over Danny Basham when you read through my brackets. Do you actually think Danny is going somewhere, or are you just unaware of his OVW gimmick and simply jumping on the "these guys had crappy gimmicks in their debut, so I'm going to shit all over them," bandwagon?

Look, you can have Triple H or Randy Orton as KOR Winner if you want, but I'm going to be hoping someone who can actually use the victory gets it.


As i've said before, i don't pay attention to OVW.I don't have access to it, so until he actually does something that interests me in WWE, i can't take your love for Doug Basham seriously.His tag team titles run bored the hell out of me which is partly why i don't care for him.Also, you had Val Venis going over HHH, you are mad for doing that.HHH would never EVER lose to Val Venis.

But ok i get it, its a fantasy tournament.Fair enough.Still would never happen though, i understand you're trying to be fairer to the guys further down the card,but that wouldn't make the WWE money.And btw i wouldn't have HHH win it either, thats ridiculous.It would make sense to have Orton win though.

[Londoner]

Lashley or Ken Kennedy will win it.

Or maybe this will be to help push Dalipiece of Crap.

Got a feeling Orton will win it.It's too soon for Lashley/kennedy,but the timing is just right for Orton.

[The Naitch]

the winner of the King of The Ring should get a title shot at SummerSlam

bad or good?

[Pepsi Man]

Useless right now. It's so random. "Here, it's the King of the Ring tournament". There's no event, it's randomly in April, right after WrestleMania, and it's not even a one night only tournament. What differentiates it from say the Raw Gold Rush last year, or the tournament to crown a Number One Contender for the WWE Title at WrestleMania?

[Pinnacle Charisma]

I think Lashley will win it.

But I hope Burchill will go the distance.

I also have that sinking feeling that this is just another standard tourny for the title which would be a shame

[Kane Knight]

;)

...Kennedy.

[The Heat]

I'd like to see Matt Hardy win, but, that's about as likely as Funaki winning it......

[Mr. Nerfect]

So seven guys have been announced so far:

1. Kurt Angle
2. Randy Orton
3. Booker T
4. Chris Benoit
5. Bobby Lashley
6. Finlay
7. Matt Hardy

I have a feeling Hardy will face The Road Warrior, which leaves us with an eight man tournament already to go. Hopefully they get RAW involved so it means something. I would also have one match per week. Drag this out as long as possible.

Next week, Kurt Angle defeats Randy Orton via submission despite interference from Booker T, who Orton contacts earlier to cash in that favour from earlier this year (as if the WWE would remember, I know).

Gunner Scott helps Chris Benoit defeat Booker T. This gives us Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit in the semi-finals.

Bobby Lashley defeats Finlay to advance. Matt Hardy joins him in the semi-finals after defeating Road Warrior.

Chris Benoit defeats Kurt Angle when Gunner Scott again gets involved. Benoit is starting to feel dirty for getting all this help from Scott. He tells Scott to stay out of the finals. Matt Hardy defeats Bobby Lashley when Shannon Moore re-joins Hardy, costing Lashley the match.

Our final is a pretty interesting Chris Benoit vs. Matt Hardy match. Shannon Moore tries to cheat for Matt Hardy, but Gunner Scott runs out and helps Benoit. The Rabid Wolverine gets the submission from Matt Hardy and wins the tournament 12 years after his mentor did. Benoit celebrates his victory, but Gunner Scott smashes the trophy over Benoit's neck and claims he isn't going to wait 12 years before he follows in his mentor's steps. Gunner Scott says that if Benoit is really "King of the Ring" he will defend his crown against Benoit when the next time SmackDown! is on PPV. You get seven weeks out of the KOR Tournament if you do it this way. I'm too lazy to check when JD is, but you sould be able to get the finals on there. The winner of Benoit vs. Scott can get a title shot against Rey Mysterio at Summerslam.

[Mr. Nerfect]

This tournament would be so much better if it was sixteen men from each brand, with the tournament coming to a close with a huge interpromoional match, winner gets a title shot of their choice at Summerslam.

[Londoner]

Does anyone else feel this will be the worst king of the ring ever?Just based on the fact that it isn't on PPV, as far as we know.KOTR better be on a PPV.

[Londoner]

Also i hope we see a Angle V Benoit classic out of this, which would mean Orton would have to lose, but i can live with that.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Also, you had Val Venis going over HHH, you are mad for doing that.HHH would never EVER lose to Val Venis.

It's kind of trivial, but Triple H did lose to Val Venis, on RAW a few months back. It was by DQ, though, so even thought it technically qualifies as a win, you wouldn't count it as such.

[Kane Knight]

Does anyone else feel this will be the worst king of the ring ever?Just based on the fact that it isn't on PPV, as far as we know.KOTR better be on a PPV.

Yeah, if it's not a PPV, it's really just another tournie.

[Xero]

These are the official brackets from WWE.com:

http://www.wwe.com/content/media/touts/feature/29062/2495926

[V]

they better involve raw and make it a ppv :(

[.44 Magdalene]

Am I the only one who could see Benoit and Finlay as a really angry, really violent tagteam?

[McLegend]

Finlay is my Hero

[Londoner]

So were not going to get a benoit/angle classic out of this after all and on top of that the results are fuckin predictable.

JBL will cost Benoit his match with Finlay.Lashley will easily beat Mark Henry, obviously setting up Finlay/Lashley Semi Final.Orton will beat Angle,and Hardy will beat Booker(thanks to Boogeyman interfering).

Semi-finals:Lashley will beat Finlay despite interference from JBL.Orton will squash Hardy.Lashley/Orton final, i had a feeling from the start Orton may win, so i'm callin that he will win it.

This will be the worst KOTR ever.And its not even a proper KOTR!

[McLegend]

Orton will lose to Angle. Orton is not winning.

[Savio]

90% of the time the winner is on the outside bracket

[Xero]

Angle will probably win it and go on to face the champion at SummerSlam.

[loopydate]

Round One
Kurt Angle over Randy Orton
Booker T over Matt Hardy
Chris Benoit over Finlay
Lashley over Mark Henry

Semis
Randy Orton (who cashes in his favor for a rematch with Angle) over Kurt Angle
Lashley over Chris Benoit (interference from JBL)

Finals
Lashley over Randy Orton (Rey interference?)

[Loose Cannon]

Kennedy is the only guy who I think has any business winning the tourney right now. To bad he's hurt. Orton, Benoit, Angle and Booker are above this thing by now. KOTR is usually for a mid-carder who's ready to go to the Main event for the first time. Everyone else is garbage, except Lashley. But he just doesn't seem like a typical KOTR winner.

[Pepsi Man]

Kennedy is the only guy who I think has any business winning the tourney right now. To bad he's hurt. Orton, Benoit, Angle and Booker are above this thing by now. KOTR is usually for a mid-carder who's ready to go to the Main event for the first time. Everyone else is garbage, except Lashley. But he just doesn't seem like a typical KOTR winner.
I'm pretty sure Bret Hart had already been World Champion by the time he won the 1993 King of the Ring. Yokozuna competed in the 1995 King of the Ring tournament. Do you mean to tell me he had never been in the main event by that time?

[Loose Cannon]

Yes, I know Bret Hart and Yoko were winners. I knew somebody was going to be smart and bring that up. Fast foward years later and the tourney has always been about mid-carders a step away from the main event.

[Loose Cannon]

wait, Yoko didn't even win. Mabel (mid carder) did and they gave him a solid push.

why did you argue Yoko? I never said the tourney has never included main eventers. I said the winners are usually mid-carders.

edit: Oh I see why you brought him up. I meant 'KOTR "winner" is usually for a mid-carder.....'

[McLegend]

Orton is getting suspeneded after next week. He's not going to be in this tournment after next week

[Londoner]

Damn,ok then. Orton/Angle was the hardest one to predict.I think Orton would've won it if he didnt have this suspension, anyhow, just replace where i went with Orton and put Angle there.And Booker T beats Matt Hardy.

[Pepsi Man]

wait, Yoko didn't even win. Mabel (mid carder) did and they gave him a solid push.

why did you argue Yoko? I never said the tourney has never included main eventers. I said the winners are usually mid-carders.

edit: Oh I see why you brought him up. I meant 'KOTR "winner" is usually for a mid-carder.....'
I guess it was a misunderstanding. It's a great tool to get an up and comer over. I'll agree with that. It looked like you were saying none of those guys should even be in it.

[Londoner]

Oh and I guess if they want to keep the KOTR meaningful,they will have Lashley win it.But it's too early for him i think, but he's the only one who needs it.As i said, its a shit tournament full of people who don't need to win it.Stupid WWE writers have really fucked up here.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton is pretty easy to guess. Angle via submission. The WWE is in no mood to be doing Orton any favours at the moment. I think Booker T may get involved on Orton's behalf, with Orton reminding Booker T that he owes him a favour.

I want to see Matt Hardy go over Booker T, but with the potential Kurt Angle/Booker T tension after the opening match, I think Booker T will go over. Kurt Angle vs. Booker T in the semis.

Chris Benoit will probably beat Finlay via submission. I can even see Gunner Scott getting involved, which will give us Finlay vs. Gunner Scott at Judgment Day.

Bobby Lashley should win the last first round match, but I don't think he will. Chris Benoit vs. Mark Henry has been rumoured to be on the Judgment Day card for a while now, and with the rumours also stating that the semi-finals of this tournament will be on JD, I think Benoit vs. Henry is entirely within the realm of possibility.

In the semi-finals, I don't see Booker T winning. Kurt Angle defeats Booker T via submission. Assuming these matches do take place at Judgment Day, this will be a rematch from last year's event.

Chris Benoit vs. Mark Henry would definately go to Benoit. It SHOULD go to Benoit, anyway. Benoit gets the submission victory with the Crippler Crossface. Maybe Harry Smith could debut here. Rumours have been saying that he will be Benoit's protoge. Gunner Scott & Harry Smith as Team Benoit? Gold.

The final match of the tournament, possibly taking place at The Great American Bash, is Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit. This instantly earns credibility for the event. Angle seems to have the higher position at the moment, but I actually see Chris Benoit getting the win here. Although it can be argued neither man needs this, Benoit could probably use it more.

Next year, I have a feeling the tournament will return to its mid-card roots. This is just a re-establishment year for it.

[loopydate]

Orton is getting suspeneded after next week. He's not going to be in this tournment after next week

Good point. Totally forgot that. Then I change mine to:

Round One
Kurt Angle over Randy Orton
Booker T over Matt Hardy
Chris Benoit over Finlay
Lashley over Mark Henry

Semis
Booker T over Kurt Angle (w/ interference from whoever Angle feuds with next)
Lashley over Chris Benoit

Finals
Lashley over Booker T

[Pepsi Man]

I don't see why they're even still using Orton. I mean I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that if I were suspended at work tomorrow, I wouldn't be able to work Monday.

[McLegend]

or they could make you job

[Pepsi Man]

to Kurt Angle, in a competitive match? AWESOME!

[McLegend]

yeah not that bad

[Kane Knight]

I don't see why they're even still using Orton. I mean I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that if I were suspended at work tomorrow, I wouldn't be able to work Monday.

Perhaps they view this as "punishment?"

Remember, Orton's not some net fan, he's a cocky sumbitch who thinks the world is owed to him

[Pepsi Man]

Perhaps they view this as "punishment?"

Remember, Orton's not some net fan, he's a cocky sumbitch who thinks the world is owed to him
He's getting a paycheck, and despite not being a net fan, he has to realize that having a good match against a guy like Kurt Angle isn't going to hurt him all that badly, even if he loses cleanly. If it were like Simon Dean, Kid Kash, Paul London, Nunzio, Funaki, or maybe even Boogey Man he were jobbing to, I could see it as punishment.

[Kane Knight]

Errr...He's getting a paycheck, but he still doesn't get a paycheck for the same period of time, whenever it starts. And no, not everyone will see things the exact same way as you.

[Pepsi Man]

Errr...He's getting a paycheck, but he still doesn't get a paycheck for the same period of time, whenever it starts. And no, not everyone will see things the exact same way as you.
When did I say everyone would see things the exact same way as I do? In fact, if everyone saw things the exact same way as I did, why would we need (used very loosely) a forum to discuss anything at all?

[The Heat]

I'm wonderin' if RAW is gonna be included or if it's a strictly SmackDown PPV[which is what I assumed since Theodore Long didn't specify].

Just based on the names given, Angle will win. Simply because the ex-champ usually gets his rematch. They will make it appear as Angle "won" his rematch as opposed to simply giving it to him.

Can anyone tell me why Mark Henry deserves to be in it[other than shortage of stars on SD]??

[parkmania]

First round:

Angle over Orton
Hardy over Booker T (another Boogey interruption)
Finlay over Benoit in a real SLOBERKNOCKER!
Lashley over Mark Henry (UT interference)

Second round:
Angle over Hardy
Lashley over Finlay

Final round:
Lashley over Angle (if they draw this out like it seems [one match a week], Orton will be back from his suspension and cost Kurt the MOTY candidate). This also gets the KOR back to its roots of helping push a younger talent. Kurt doesn't really need the win, he's already established.