Wrestlemania 26 Predix!

Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, and Gail Kim vs Maryse, Michelle McCool, Layla, Alicia Fox, and Vickie Guerrero
Normally, I'd make some sort of joke about how useless the divas are, but there is enough talent here to keep things together. I'm glad to see Beth, Mickie, Gail, Maryse, and even Michelle getting a 'Mania spot. I'm guessing the face divas win, so they get a chance to royally humiliate Vickie and provide a good pop segment for the live audience.

Triple H vs. Sheamus
If Sheamus wasn't Triple H's bestest buddy in the whole world, I'd call for him to get squashed in under a minute (since every recent 'Mania seems to have one of those). I'm guessing we'll get a decent 10 minute bout that won't set the world on fire, but will still give Triple H a victory. HHH has done a lot of jobs at 'Mania, so I can see him wanting to pad his record, and Sheamus is still a newcomer, so he'll have lots of time to shine later.

Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk
With the stipulation being that if Rey loses, he must join the Straight Edge Society, I see Punk picking up the victory to prolong the angle/feud. I know Wrestlemania is supposed to be the big show where all feuds are blown off, but that hasn't been the case in a looong time. Hopefully they get at least 10 minutes, and these two are hard workers so it should be a solid addition to the midcard. I'm also glad that CM Punk gets to be on Wrestlemania in something other than Money in the Bank.

Randy Orton vs. Ted Dibiase vs. Cody Rhodes
After the solid year that Legacy had in 2009, I'm really glad that Dibiase and Rhodes have 'Mania spots this year. I'm guessing this match will be remembered more for big angle developments rather than match-quality, but the handicap match they had on Raw a few weeks ago was quite good and if they can match that, then we have another solid midcard addition. I see Orton picking up the win here, though I wouldn't rule out a surprise Dibiase upset, especially if WWE still regards him as the potential next big thing.

Money in the Bank: Christian vs Dolph Ziggler vs Jack Swagger vs Evan Bourne vs Kane vs Drew McIntyre vs Kofi Kingston vs Matt Hardy vs MVP vs Shelton Benjamin
Many folks are upset about there being 10 men in this one, but I don't think it really matters due to the trainwreck nature of the "every man for himself" ladder match. Also, it would be bothersome if most of these guys couldn't score a 'Mania spot. What I love is that there are no full-time main eventers here, or anyone who has had a meaningful World title run in WWE (sorry to former ECW champions Christian, Kane, Swagger, and Hardy). A few months ago, I would have pegged Kofi Kingston as the winner, but it seems the office has soured on him and he's lost his push. There is no clear winner in this group, but Christian just barely rises above the rest of the flock. There are lots of storyline opportunities for Christian to be Mr. Money in the Bank, it all depends on whether or not WWE is ready to push him to the next level.

No Holds Barred: Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart
Come on, when has Vince ever won a match at Wrestlemania? Due to Hart's head condition and Vince's general old age, I can't see this being much more than a quick, nasty squash. Bret Hart wins and everyone gets to have a feel good moment.

Unified Tag Team Championship: The Miz and Big Show (c) vs. John Morrison and R-Truth
It's sad that I'm really hoping that Daniel Bryan gets involved in this somehow, so he can at least have had a 'Mania appearance. This will probably be one of the shorter matches on the card, but should be good while it lasts. Hopefully Morrison and Miz get a chance to play off of their history a little bit. I'm calling for Miz and Big Show to retain, especially since Morrison and Truth seem tossed together just so they could be a part of Wrestlemania.

Streak vs. Career: The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
I don't see this being as long as last year's 30 minute classic, due to Undertaker's physical condition, but I still see them pulling out all the stops to have another blockbuster. This could well be Shawn's last match as an active wrestler, so you know he is going to want to leave on a high note. This could be Undertaker's last match too, since he's been flirting with retirement for years now. This is just speculation, but I kind of feel like both men are regretting that they didn't retire after 'Mania last year, as in hindsight it would have been the perfect way to end their careers so they wanted to set up part two to make sure they are satisfied and not regret the way they went out. The stipulations here are perfect, because it's hard to imagine either man losing. Undertaker's streak has never been in more severe jeopardy. In the end, I'm calling for Undertaker to win, keep the streak intact, and go into retirement but open to coming back for certain big matches.

World Heavyweight Championship: Chris Jericho vs. Edge
If it weren't for the fact that a victory here would make Edge a 10-time World champion, I would say he was a lock to win this. I'm not sure WWE is ready to bestow that honor on Edge. Also, even though this is a World title match, there are at least 2-3 other matches on the show that are more anticipated than this, so this one could wind up in the middle of the show. Therefore, it doesn't need to have a feelgood ending. I'm going out on a limb and predicting that Jericho retains and continues to feud with Edge, saving the title switch for a higher spot on a lesser show.

WWE Championship: Batista vs. John Cena
Rumor has it that this match is going to close the show. Therefore, I have a hard time believing that the finish will be anything other than Cena standing tall with the belt. I haven't really dug the build to this match since No Way Out, but it was high-time that these two went toe to toe at Wrestlemania. They are arguably the two biggest new stars of the last five years, so this match really has the chance to define the era the way that Rock/Austin defined the Attitude Era and Hogan/Andre defined the 80's. What is also exciting is that the last time Cena and Batista locked up, it was a great match at Summerslam, which I rated ****. If they can match their last bout, and kick it up a few notches, we could have a classic on our hands.


All in all, this is the best Wrestlemania, at least on paper, since Wrestlemania X-7. Hopefully nothing screwy happens (a match getting bumped off the main show to be a dark match, a match getting less than a minute) and we really do have one of the greatest shows in history. I don't want to get my hopes up, but if there was ever a reason to hope, this is it!

Rowe's Top 10 - 3/26/10

1. "Song Away" by Hockey
2. "Resistance" by Muse
3. "Little Secrets" by Passion Pit
4. "Giving Up the Gun" by Vampire Weekend
5. "Her Words Destroyed My Planet" by Motion City Soundtrack
6. "Animal" by Neon Trees
7. "Walls" by The Rocket Summer
8. "This Addiction" by Alkaline Trio
9. "Your Decision" by Alice in Chains
10. "This Too Shall Pass" by OK GO

Warped Tour 2010 Anticipation.

Vans Warped Tour is coming to Mansfield, MA on July 13th! This will be my third consecutive year attending the festival, which has become a true summer highlight for me. Here is the current line-up (bands I'm particularly excited for are bold, bands I'd be interested in checking out are in italics).

After Midnight Project
Alesana
AM Taxi
Anarbor
Andrew W.K.
Artist vs. Poet
Attack Attack
Automatic Loveletter
Beachers Madhouse
Breathe Carolina
Bring Me the Horizon
Call the Cops
Closure in Moscow
Confide
Emarosa
Emmure
Enter Shikari
Every Time I Die
Eyes Set to Kill
Face to Face
Fake Problems
Far From Finished
Fight Fair
Flatfoot 56
Four Year Strong
Gardening Not Architecture
Grind Time Now
Hey Monday
I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business
I See Stars
In Fear and Faith
Theft Alone
Mayday Parade
Middle Finger Salute
Mike Posner
Motion City Soundtrack
NeverShoutNever
Of Mice and Men
Parkway Drive
Pierce the Veil
Polar Bear Club
Reel Big Fish
Riverboat Gamblers
Set Your Goals
Sparks the Rescue
Suicide Silence
SUM 41
The All American Rejects
The Cab
The Casualties
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Downtown Fiction
The Flatliners
The Mighty Regis
The Pretty Reckless
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
The Rocket Summer
The Sparring
The Summer Set
The Swellers
Vanna
VersaEmerge
We Are the In Crowd
We the Kings
Whitechapel
You Me At Six

So, there really aren't too many bands I'm that excited about, but a lot that I'm curious to see. One of the great parts of Warped Tour for me has been discovering new bands and getting into some that I might not have heard otherwise. This year's line-up is a bit of a disappointment after last year's packed roster, but the price is good, the atmosphere is fun, and it just wouldn't be summer as I now know it without it.

Rowe's Top 10 - 3/19/10

1. "Resistance" by Muse
2. "Little Secrets" by Passion Pit
3. "Song Away" by Hockey
4. "Her Words Destroyed My Planet" by Motion City Soundtrack
5. "Your Decision" by Alice in Chains
6. "Giving Up the Gun" by Vampire Weekend
7. "Animal" by Neon Trees
8. "This Too Shall Pass" by OK GO
9. "Ambling Amp" by Yeasayer
10. "This Addiction" by Alkaline Trio