WWE Title Update with Possible Spoilers!

According to Brian Alvarez (well, according to him according to Inside Pulse's Matthew Michaels), Vince wants to build up Randy Orton as the top heel, which makes sense. It helps that everyone he wrestles keeps going on the shelf, either because of freak injuries, nagging injuries, being semi-retired, wanting some down time, or a combination of all of the above. As much as I'm still underwhelmed by the guy, I really do think they ought to let him run with the belt until Wrestlemania, just to see if he can handle a full blown title run.

That said, between his history of having sure thing title runs snatched away from him at the last minute and the fact that they may want to put someone new and/or suprising over given the fact that they have an open spot (see Khali, the Great on Smackdown recently) and not many appealing options, young Randal and his punt of doom may be denied yet again. Alvarez speculates that we could see Ken Kennedy finally get his big push out of being able to take some credit for injuring Cena. I'd be more willing to believe that if he had not both jobbed like the biggest jobber to ever job in said match and if he weren't coming off of suspension. Surely, they don't want to set an example that there are no consequences for serving a suspension after you come back. Although the alternative may be putting the belt on a guy who smokes joints backstage and shits in gym bags, so they're in a bit of a bind there.

I'm leaving HHH out of this round of speculation because I get the feeling that, with Cena now out for upwards of a year, and Shawn Michaels apparently ready to hang up his boots for good, I imagine they would want to build up to Wrestlemania for his big title win. Bobby Lashley's status in the company probably has a lot to do with things, but it certainly seems smarter to make HHH chase whichever cocky young heel with questionable mat skills they put the belt on for awhile, if for no other reason that HHH with the belt is basically just asking for a heel turn, and they really can't afford for the crowd to turn on him at this point. Of course, if someone like Rey Mysterio or Ric Flair jumps to Raw to take the title (Rey's probably the most over face and merch mover they have next to Cena, and this would be a great not for Flair to go out on; one last title reign and a chance to put someone like Orton or Kennedy over on the way out), all of this will be moot. I also would not leave out Hornswoggle winning the belt either. Who the hell knows what they're thinking in Titan Towers at this point, other than "A torn pec muscle? Seriously?" At least Austin and HHH's big injuries set up years worth of drama in their matches. How are they going to book around Cena's; make the purple nurple or tittie twister constant threats in his matches. Of course, that would actually improve Khali's move set, now that I think of it.

The one idea that no one's floated, because it will probably not happen at anything but Wrestlemania, is Batista winning the WWE Title and becoming the Undispute World Champion. Yeah, I'm slighting the ECW Title here, but when Viscera is considered a main event threat, not even CM Fucking Punk can rescue a belt from being just another title. It would be an interesting turn of events and generate some excitement (setting up a dream match between the annointed ones of Raw and Smackdown that's you could trace back to 'Mania 21), but it seems like the wrong thing to do to waste it on No Mercy. So, even money on that one, I'd say. That the speculation over who's getting the belt is more interesting than anything actual matches for it since what may have been Shawn's last hurrah in the main event continues to be sort of depressing, but at least it gives me more material to talk about than Candice's boobs. Which are usually enough, mind you, but a change of pace is never a bad thing. You get the feeling that whatever we do get will probably not live up to whatever ideal match anyone has in their head, but that's only because suprises in wrestling always suck. Scott Keith said it once; it must be true.