ECW HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH After aligning himself with Paul Heyman, Joe Corey attempted to resurrect the ECW brand Heyman created. As a token of his appreciation, Heyman attempted to award Corey with the original ECW title belt. But Rob Van Dam, arguably the most successful and most popular ECW superstar ever, took exception to that. A match was set up for TWF King of the Ring in which the two would face off in an Extreme Rules match for possession of the ECW title. With 911 and Justin Credible in their back pocket, Heyman's brigade felt like they had the title in the bag. But they didn't count on RVD doing some recruiting of his own. Sabu, Sandman and Tommy Dreamer all got involved, helping RVD to victory. Now, 2 months later, a rematch has been set up, with the same stipulations. After defeating Dreamer, Sandman and Sabu in consecutive singles matches, Corey doesn't feel they'll be a factor this time. "Once I defeat Van Dam and take that title, my plan will start to take shape", said Corey. When asked if he had anything up his sleeve this time, Heyman swallowed his pride and said, "Corey's calling the shots right now. Obviously, his ideas have worked better". One thing is for sure, if Corey wins, he and Heyman definitely have something big planned but should RVD retain the belt, he might bury this regime for good.
3 MEN- 1 GOAL When Axl Irvin captured the Universal title in the Elimination Chamber match at War in the Winter, not only did he come out of left field to do it, it set up a ton of controversy in the process. Off the heels of a heated series of matches with Jordan Rockwell, that included the Bed of Nails and the first ever Hell in a Cell in live television, Axl won the title by pinning Orton, with the help of an eliminated Rockwell. Now, all 3 men lay claim to the title, Orton even referring to it as his "property". "At the Royal Rumble, I will prove that Axl's win was nothing more than a damn fluke and I will take my property back"!, said Orton. Throughout his illustrious career, one thing Rockwell has never done is compete for one of the major titles at WrestleMania. That was a personal goal for him this year. "As the franchise of this company, it's only natural for me to be in the main event. I've worked for it, I've earned it and at the Rumble, whether I have to beat two other guys or two hundred, I am leaving with that Universal title". Axl Irvin on the other hand, is out to prove all the doubters wrong. He is sick of people saying he was lucky or calling him a fluke and a win in this match would validate his claims that he wasn't, and he's not. We attempted to reach Axl for comment, but he refused, so we talked to his manager, Traci Brooks. "Axl is not in the mood to talk. He has trained hard for this match and he is out to prove that out of the three men in this match, he is by far the best", said the gorgeous vixen. It would be interesting to see who Vegas oddsmakers listed as the favorite here, because they all have the ability to win the match. Question is, who will?
ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH Over the years, the Royal Rumble has been the most exciting match the TWF has to offer. After a totally random drawing, competitors battle to throw each other over the top rope. There are no friends, only foes and the man who outlasts every one else, gets the golden ticket to WrestleMania's main event. Through the years, there have been several amazing performances in the Rumble match. The Undertaker holds two wins and a runner-up performance and Travis Wakeman has won it twice as well. Who can forget Billy Gunn's record 9 eliminations in 2004 or Masa Chono's nearly 40 minutes in the ring in 2001? Then there was the year that Charlie Haas bought his Rumble victory, using the money of the Million Dollar Man to buy a better number, entering the match fresh and winning with Dibiase preventing him from being eliminated at the end. Haas, of course, was the only Rumble winner not to main event WrestleMania, though.Other than Haas, every Rumble winner has gone on to win the title at WrestleMania, as well. This year's field is loaded with top notch superstars from Rampage and PrimeTime. Batista and Money Mike head the class for Rampage and on the PrimeTime side, Edge, Bobby Lashley and former Rumble winner John Cena are all in it. But the luck of the draw remains key, as the lowest number to ever win the Rumble was 18, by RVD in '03.
WORLD's STRONGEST..... CHAMPION? One of the most anticipated matches heading into the Royal Rumble is the one for the World title. Unfortunately for fans, there might not be a match at all. Mark Henry cracked 5 of Travis Wakeman's ribs on a recent edition of Rampage and doctors have informed Wakeman that he is risking further damage, especially since there's no way to protect the ribs. Rampage GM Muhammad Hassan has ruled that Wakeman must either make the mandatory title defense, or show up to hand the title over to Henry. Wakeman's manager, Melina, who has also felt Henry's wrath, has told us that Wakeman will make the title defense, but he won't be at 100%. So, even if he does compete, how effective will Wakeman be against the 400 pound World's Strongest Man? Not only that, but TWF.com reporters have been able to break the story that Wakeman is actually working this match without a contract, as his contract expired on January 31st. If this is Wakeman's last appearance in the TWF, that makes the Royal Rumble a can't miss event!
