I think it’s a bit too soon after his recent surgery, but reports are saying that John Cena will return for a Raw Challenge Match at a Raw brand house show from the Sovereign Center in Reading Pennsylvania on November 30th against Randy Orton.

I’m not sure what the doc’s stipulations are on him returning to the ring so soon after having neck surgery, but I just think it’s too soon. John Cena is always a great match and Randy Orton…well, Randy is a bit overdone if you ask me. He’s a great heel but it gets a bit old. How long has he been doing this Legend killer angle now? C’mon, it’s time for a change with this dude.

I’d rather see Cena off for a while so he can heal properly without risking further injury, but I suppose you can’t keep Cena down.

Image used with permission from Newscom.com

Last Night’s WWE Raw from Seattle Washington, saw Chris Jericho as acting General Manager due to Mike Adamle being called to an important meeting with Shane McMahon. Jericho comes out with a big bruise around the left side of his mouth. Talking about the PPV and how he is still the champ but Shawn Michaels did exactly what he said he was going to do by "disfiguring" him and pulls back his lip to show a broken tooth. He goes on to talk more about the match and how he beat the man that revolutionized the ladder match. He goes on to to say that he’s finished with Shawn and that he’s handing him off to Lance Cade in an "Anything Goes" match on Raw. Shortly after Batistas Music plays and Batista comes out and reiterates that he’s the number one contender and wants to know how long before Jericho defends his title. Jericho gets all tough guy saying that pretty much anytime. anywhere, he will defend the title and even after a brutal match from the night before he would find a way to beat Batista and that he’ll make the name Batista synonymous with Failure. He then tells Batista to get out of his face…NOW! Batista says he’s going to explain a couple of things. First he tells Jericho that one thing that is for sure is that he’s going to have tp defend that title against him and the second thing, Batista gives him a spine buster and tells him "You mess with the bull, you get the horn!". Batista leaves the ring with Jericho rolling around in pain. Later Jericho set up a re-match with JBL and Batista as the main event.

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August’s b5media sports channel theme day is “favorites”. Presumably I’m supposed to tell you about my favorite pro wrestler and/or boxer. The thing is, as a sports blogger/expert analyst journalism ethics tell me that I can’t show favoritism. I can’t root for one fighter over another. It would destroy my credibility. It would severely undermine the high standards to which jabandgrapple.com aspires.

“Um, excuse me.” It seems the peanut gallery has something to say. “Everytime you write about Jeff Hardy you say ‘I love you Jeff Hardy, I love you Jeff Hardy’. And what about your ridiculous and overt pining for Eve Torres? (Mr. JandG note: she doesn’t wrestle. I CAN favor her.) Or the fact that you’ve admitted that Y2J is your favorite. And then said that Randy Orton is your favorite. And then said that John Cena is your favorite. And then said that Edge is your favorite. And I think you might have even said that Kofi Kingston was your favorite. You have more favorites than a Las Vegas casino sports book. And in your glorious high standard blog as well.”

What you say might be true. But that’s wrestling. I’m supposed to take sides. That’s why there are good guys and bad guys. I am completely absolved. And, plus, I’m fair and balanced towards the people I don’t like like HHH, Mark Henry, the Great Khali, and Mike Adamle. Really, I am.

And anyway I don’t show favoritism in boxing. No sides no favorites pure rational Platonic objectivity.

“Um, here are two quotes from YOUR OWN BLOG:”

We are big Klitschko fans; Mrs. Jabandgrapple has even claimed to have married Mr. Jabandgrapple because of his passing likeness to Wlad.

and

Then Darling Jimenez knocks him down! Oh my heavens! Vamos Darling!

“Those don’t sound too nonobjective to me!”

I’ll admit, maybe once or twice I’ve cheered a bit for one fighter and not the other. But that doesn’t mean I have a favorite. The only favorite in my heart in the Manchester City Football Club. And I like them so much that I vehemently cheer (oops) for Ricky Hatton even though he hangs out with Manchester United strikers every now and then.

So if I were to admit a really really really favorite boxer/wrestler it would be Ricky Hatton but it oddly has nothing to do with boxing or wrestling and everything to do with, um, soccer. Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone… There’s only one Ricky Hatton!

WWE Draft 2008

Tonight’s bouts will match-up two brands against each other. The winner gets the draft pick. More importantly, the Guy at Ringside Dressed like Hulk Hogan that was at every Michigan show a few months ago is back in the front row tonight in San Antonio!

Oh, and the Million Dollar Madness password tonight is Night of Champions.

Match/Draft Pick #1
Triple H (RAW) vs. Mark Henry (SmackDown)
Henry gets the most of Triple H for most of this match but there’s no way the WWE Champion is going to lose this one. And he doesn’t. He hits the “World’s Strongest Man” with a Pedigree and the sweaty one is out for the count.

RAW Draft Pick: Rey Mysterio! And there he is!!! He looks great and ready to rumble. RAW just got a lot more exciting but we don’t know how the tiny luchador is going to do among RAW’s pantheon of behemoths. Maybe this means John Cena or Randy Orton is moving to SmackDown.

Draft Grade: D. This doesn’t really alleviate RAW’s matchup rut since we don’t think Mysterio is going to be fighting Cena-Triple H-Orton at PPV’s any time soon. Their massive size difference is painfully obvious when Mysterio stands with Cena-Triple H during the next segment. Is he going to fight Jeff Hardy every week? This doesn’t make sense unless there are a lot more changes to come.

Match/Draft Pick #2
Finlay and Hornswaggle (SmackDown) vs. Santino Marella and Carlito (RAW)
Looks like Vince McMahon is getting back at Santino for insulting the Triple H politics. Santino gets pinned by the little leprechaun. How embarrassing.

SmackDown Draft Pick: Jeff Hardy.

Draft Grade: B. We called for this pick in our Draft Wish List because we wanted to see the Hardy Boyz reunited but also because we wanted to see Jeff fight Rey Mysterio. With Mysterio gone to RAW this seems like an even swap that won’t really change the make-up of either brand. Too bad. It leaves poor Rey without a high-flying RAW counterpart.

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Tonight is the WWE 2008 Draft (see photo of Draft Horses) and it couldn’t have come at a better time. RAW and SmackDown have descended into a long period of stagnation. Every week we get the same matches, the same winners, and the same losers. Things are changing tonight with a special three hour RAW. There have been no telling spoilers regarding the event and it seems not even the wrestlers themselves no if they are changing brands or not.

We’re not going to make any predictions but we are going to make a list of ten changes we would like to see happen at the draft. Please comment below with your own thoughts or hopes. Not sure who is in which brand? The WWE.com has a fun flash game where you can move your favorite superstars from brand to brand. Just click to http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/wwedraft2008/fantasydraft/.

1. No more JBL vs. John Cena matches. Everyone is sick of boring matches these two give us what seem to be every week. The best way to stop them would be to move JBL to ECW purgatory.
2. Stop Umaga’s descent into a high-level jobber. When exactly was the last time Umaga won? Move him to SmackDown and throw him into the Big Show-Mark Henry-Kane big man brawl.
3. Give Natalya a good rival and competitor in the SmackDown Women’s Title hunt. Who better than Beth Phoenix? She’s lost far too many times to Mickie James to still be a viable RAW entity. She moves to SmackDown and she’s back to claim her rightly throne again.
4. Give MVP his wish and let him leave SmackDown. If you send him to RAW he’ll run into the same outside rut he’s in at SmackDown. Move him to ECW and let MVP be the big fish in a small pond.
5. Move Shelton Benjamin away from ECW. He’s been the Pro Wrestling Observer’s Most Underrated wrestler for three years running now. He’s not going to be facing Kane for the ECW title anytime soon. Move him back to RAW. He’s big and strong enough to fight their top level guys -John Cena, the Randy Orton, and Triple H - and if given another chance he could up his game.
6. Let some perennial losers have a chance to lose elsewhere. I guess this is the point of the draft, actually. Shuffle Snitsky, Chuck Palumbo, and Paul London.
7. Reunite the Hardy Boyz. Bring Jeff over to SmackDown. Let the magic happen again. The rainbow-haired warrior is much better suited to Friday nights anyway.
8. More high flyers to SmackDown just in time for the return of Rey Mysterio. If Jeff Hardy is coming over why not bring Kofi Kingston and/or Evan Bourne along with him?
9. Give RAW another Big Dog. Why not Batista? he hasn’t been there since 2005 and would give Triple H or Cena a great adversary. We haven’t seen those matches in a while.
10. More rough and tumble brawlers to RAW. We like the pair of the tested Finlay and the untested Bam Neely. How that would effect Hornswaggle and La Familia would be hard to tell but it would be fun.
BONUS Send Mike Adamle away. Far, far away.

That would leave the following influx:
To RAW: Batista, Shelton Benjamin, Finlay, Bam Neely, and Chuck Palumbo
To SmackDown: Jeff Hardy, Umaga, Kofi Kingston, Beth Phoenix, and Paul London
To ECW: JBL, MVP, and Snitsky

Your thoughts or wishes? Comment below!

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Image details: Man with arm in sling and ice pack on head served by picapp.com

I’m not going to get into the whole fixed NBA, fake injuries, scripted events thing again but Paul Pierce’s acting last night left a lot to be desired. Let’s just leave it at that. Over in the WWE, however, a rash of post-One Night Stand PPV injuries could be placing the Sports Entertainment product at a bit of a crossroads.

At One Night Stand WWE’s number one SmackDown star Undertaker lost to Edge and was banished from the WWE. The word on the streets is that Undertaker was suffering from some nagging injuries and needed some time off an understandable fate in the rigorous marathon working environment of pro wrestling.

Randy Orton, arguably RAW’s number one star, suffered a much more dramatic injury as he broke his collarbone after being tossed out of the ring. He is gone for at least three months. And as the WWE pictures show and as you’ll see tonight on SmackDown the Big Show’s eye is in a bad way. The larger-than-life star possibly suffered a broken eye orbital bone after dropping the steel ring stairs on his head during his One Night Stand Singapore Cane match.

So in the course of a weekend the WWE lost three huge stars, two unexpectedly, to bodily trauma. Before One Night Stand there was a lot of harping around the internet about how the WWE pay-per-views have suffered from too many rematches and retreads, not enough newcomers, and general stagnancy.

These injuries could give the WWE a chance to test out up-and-comers, give ignored wrestlers a chance, and groom others for stardom. Someone needs to fill the void, right?

Or we could just get John Cena vs. Triple H again. That’s what’s happening, you say? Oh well.

What do you think? Which up-and-coming wrestler do you want to see get a title shot? Comment below. Your opinion is just as good as mine.

Yesterday I made some bold predictions. Let’s see how I did.

PREDICTIONS:

MATCH #1
Falls Count Anywhere
Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga
my choice: Jeff Hardy
my odds: Umaga 2 to 1 favorite

how did I do: Most predictors around the world wide web had Umaga winning this one but I wasn’t so sure. I thought the anything goes style favored the quick and unpredictable Hardy rather than the brutish plodding force of Umaga. As it turned out I was right. The match seemed more like a Bam Margera video than a wrestling match and spent very little time in the ring itself. The out-of-shape Umaga must have felt winded running all over the San Diego Sports Arena aisles and parking lot.

I’ve been to the Sports Arena before and know that there’s are restaurants directly across the street including Phil’s BBQ and a Red Lobster. It would have been very easy for Umaga to get distracted. I win here.

Running Score: 1 for 1

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WWE One Night Stand Pay-Per-View Results and Live Blog

RESULTS

MATCH #6
Last Man Standing Match For The WWE Championship
Triple H vs. Randy Orton

Result: Triple H wins with a sledgehammer (yes) hit.
Match Grade: B+. Good match which ended early presumably because of a real injury to Orton. The announcing team is saying a broken collarbone and we have no reason to disagree.

Commentary:
Is this match ever going to start? Finally, after an eternity of intros the bell has rung and HHH gets to work quickly slamming Orton into seemingly everything that surrounds the ring: the gate, the announcer’s table, and of course the steel staircase. So far this match has been very one-sided but Orton brings things closer with a terrific drop kick off the ropes.

His advantage doesn’t last as HHH easily tosses him outside the ring and looks ready to reintroduce Orton to the ECW announcer’s table. It doesn’t happen as Orton painfully DDTs HHH’s face into the ringside floor from on top of the table.

Orton is now lifting the padding from the ringside floor. This is so 1982. Cement exposed but no one is taking advantage of it just yet. They’re back in the ring and Orton begins his predictable stomp-o-rama. Guess what’s in the ring now?

It’s the steel stair steps which Orton lifts over his head and tosses into HHH’s face. Hunter gets up but not before Orton brings an extension cord into the ring! He’s choking the lights out of HHH but just not enough to ensure a submission. Another 8 count. Orton looks to finish him off with an RKO but gets tossed out of the ring and, if he hit the steel stairs, might have hurt himself.

He’s holding his collarbone as if it were broken and it just might be. HHH now has a sledgehammer which he connects with. Orton is done and the medics are out. This injury might be real. As he leaves the ringside Orton snarls at a taunting fan and looks like he’s going to snap. We love him even more.

MATCH #5
Stretcher Match
Shawn Michaels vs. Batista

Result: Batista wins convincingly.
Match Grade: A-. Really great match between two top-notch professionals. At the end of the match Michaels received a lot of unnecessary punishment and it will be interesting to see what happens between him and Chris Jericho; whether he thanks him for his care and assistance or resents his ridiculous interference.

Commentary:
The spoilers have suggested a winner here. But I won’t do any spoiling myself.

Batista is cleverly utilizing the stretcher to his advantage slamming the HBK into its exposed top. Michaels hit the Animal with a good kick to the head and them dismantles the ring entrance ramp (which is getting a lot of action tonight). HBK then rams Batista with the stretcher. Good thinking Shawn!

Batista lines up the Batista Bomb outside the ring but Michaels is able to get out of it and manages to get the Animal onto the stretcher. Batista seems out and Michaels is nearing the finish line just as the Animal awakes and does some pounding of his own.

I audibly groan as Batista slams HBK’s band into the side of the ring. Batista looks in control and Michaels is reeling. After one shot he seems to do a full 360-degree turn. After a powerful body slam Batista is lining up HBK for the kill but the wily Michaels is able to dodge the juggernaut who tams himself into the ring post.

Michaels is gradually regaining his energy and looks to put his adversary away with a high-flying elbow drop off the top rope. He’s successful but looks to have done some damage to his problematic back.

The Animal has Michaels in what looks to be, heavens no, a Batista Bomb over the top rope. Michaels gets away and Sweet Chin Music’s Batista onto a stretcher. The Animal is out but maintains a grip on the apron. He doesn’t want to lose and rolls himself off the stretcher.

We wonder how many stretchers are at ringside (maybe 5) as Michaels repeatedly rams one into Batista’s stomach. The Animal counters by flipping up the stretcher into Michael’s face. We can’t believe HBK’s lip isn’t bloodied at this point. Batista continues his dominance and is finally able to land a Batista bomb in the center of the ring. Problem is now he has to drag the HBK onto a stretcher. Does Shawn have time to resuscitate? It seems as Chris Jericho intervenes and stops Batista from rolling Michaels out.

As Y2J leaves Batista pulls Michaels into the ring to inflict more punishment. Michaels looks destitute. Heavens to Betsy, another Batista Bomb landed! This has to be it. But Y2J reappears. He’s put himself in between the stretcher and the finish line and is trying to spur Michaels on.

But he seems to be hurting Michaels more than he’s helping him. Batista brings over the steel ring entrance ladder and ruthlessly slams HBK onto it. The Animal lifts Michaels back onto the stretcher and easily wins. Michaels went through a lot of pain in this one.

MATCH #4
“I Quit” Match
Melina vs. Beth Phoenix

Result: Beth Phoenix almost cracks Melina in half and she submits
Match Grade: C-. Just not my cup of tea.

Commentary:
Admittedly I used this women’s match to use the restroom. Now I’m back although I did hear A LOT of screaming from the other room. The Glamazon had Melina in a debilitating back breaker but sadly couldn’t close the deal.

Why must they both scream so much? Please please make them stop. I get it, they’re supposed to be in pain but it’s just so unattractive. Phoenix lands an impressive front face body slam and now has Melina in a hold that really shows off her flexibility. Melina can’t maintain the Phoenix-enforced yoga pose and submits.

MATCH #3
First Blood Match
John Cena vs. John “Bradshaw” Layfield

Result: Cena wins after JBL spits up some “blood”
Match Grade: C. Boring, long, and anti-climatic. Not as bad as their Judgment Day fight but not much better. Let’s hope these two never ever fight again. The fun was a lot too sporadic for my tastes.

Commentary:
We’ve already had blood so we’re about to go 2 for 3 tonight in plasmability. Cena’s already dismantles a turnbuckle. Now they start swinging in the middle of the ring. Knuck if you buck indeed.

They’ve been scrapping outside the ring for a while and this one so far is about as boring as their Judgment Day bout. These two don’t bring out the best in one another. Methinks JBL has a blade in his extra thick knuckle tape tonight.

There’s a whole lot of punching and not a lot of wrestling. JBL Brings out a metal chair and lines up Cena head against the ring post. Luckily John eludes the crushing blow. JBL now has a WWE microphone with which to open up a cut. I think there’s some irony there given JBL’s propensity to talk and talk and talk.

JBL now has the steel ring entrance stairs. Are they going to cause another cut? Not likely. JBL’s not as strong as the Big Show and can’t bear to carry it any further. Cena’s got the mic now but can’t manage to make JBL bleed. His next effort is to rub Bradshaw’s face back and forth against the steel which is quite silly given the steel’s sharp edges. Oh well.

Next up for blood exposure potential is the exposed turnbuckle. Cena hits it heard but his skin is impervious. JBL now has a thick powerful chain and the end timer on this match is thankfully near. Cena gets hit in the stomach with the chain and JR aptly wonders if John has some internal bleeding. How would the ref ever know?

Now Cena’s tied up in the ropes and in some serious danger. JBL’s got an Indiana Jones bullwhip. Uh oh. One crack of that and its over. Cena gets out of the ropes, grabs the chain and proceeds to choke JBL assassin style. Bradshaw spits up some blood and it’s over. That was obviously a blood capsule and sort of a let down given last match’s Type O gushing.

Here they are. Let’s see how I do:

PREDICTIONS:
TLC Match For The WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Edge vs. Undertaker
my choice: Undertaker
my odds: Taker 1000 to 1 favorite

Last Man Standing Match For The WWE Championship
Triple H vs. Randy Orton
my choice: Triple H but I’m really rooting for Orton here.
my odds: HHH 3 to 1 favorite

First Blood Match
John Cena vs. John “Bradshaw” Layfield
my choice: John Cena
my odds: Cena 5 to 2 favorite

Stretcher Match
Shawn Michaels vs. Batista
my choice: Shawn Michaels
my odds: Michaels 5 to 2 favorite

Falls Count Anywhere
Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga
my choice: Jeff Hardy
my odds: Umaga 2 to 1 favorite

Singapore Cane Match
Big Show vs. John Morrison vs. Tommy Dreamer vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. CM Punk
my choice: Big Show
my odds of winning: Big Show EVEN; Morrison 5 to 1; Dreamer 1,000 to 1; Chavo 7 to 1; Punk 5 to 2

“I Quit” Match
Melina vs. Beth Phoenix
my choice: Beth Phoenix
my odds: Phoenix 20 to 1 favorite

Whenever Mrs. Jabandgrapple watches the WWE with me she often repeats the same chorus, “Is John Cena going to be on today? He’s cute,” or “That Randy Orton, he’s a handsome man.”

Today I posed this question: Who are Your Top Ten WWE Hotties?

She couldn’t quite get to ten. Too many meatheads.

Numbers seven through four counting down are located here. The top three, accompanied by pointed analysis, are below.

3. The Miz

Because darn it, I love the Real World/Road Rules Challenges. Heck, I’ll say it, the RW/RR Challenges are my favorite sporting events on TV. And The Miz was among the best. I feel as if The Miz is one of my younger brother’s friends whom I’ve watched growing up, recall his aspirations (wouldn’t it be cool if I could be a pro-wrestler…) and then had the pleasure of seeing fully blossom. His braggadocio is offset by the fact that I know Coral could take him down in a one on one no holds barred match.

2. Randy Orton

That jaw line. That snarl. Those perfectly shaved thighs. Those black barely there trunks! I am swooning just thinking about it. Randy also brings with him that wounded puppy dog demeanor (I try so hard; why don’t you like me??) that makes any girl a sucker. Honestly, Randy makes me randy.

1. John Cena – Despite the jean shorts, which do offend my aesthetic sensibilities, and the fact that he is most likely a Red Sox fan, which simply offends me, John is by far the hottest wrestler around. And I get the impression he is one of the smartest, which is hot. And the taunt. I love the taunt.

Again, If you have any disagreements or any additions to the list just comment below and maybe Mrs. Jabandgrapple.com will find reason to reassess.

Photo Source: Newscom.com