Royal Rumble and IWGP Title Tournament thoughts

Currently blaring through my speakers: "I Don't Want To Be Me" by Type O Negative and "White Wedding" By The Murderdolls.

So it's now being said that the winner of this year's Royal Rumble match will get to choose to face the champion of either brand at Wrestle Mania XX. I think it's just a lazy way to switch brands. Though it wouldn't suprise me if Chris Benoit won and suddenly challenged HHH for the RAW World Title. God knows Hunter is desperate to have a good match at WrestleMania and since he's killed everyone on RAW, why not start burying talent from the other brand to enforce his dominance?

Also a rumour going round that Jimmy Hart and Hulk Hogan are planning on starting their own fed. As if Jeff Jarrett's power trip in TNA wasn't bad enough. Imagine Hogan if he had total control... Hey, didn't that happen in WCW at one point?

And New Japan Pro Wrestling has released the brackets for their big upcoming 6-man IWGP Heavyweight Title Tournament:

1. - Round 1: Yuji Nagata vs. Tadao Yasuda
2. - Round 1: Masahiro Chono vs. Genichiro Tenryu
3. - Semi Final: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Winner of Nagata/Yasuda
4. - Semi Final: Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Winner of Chono/Tenryu
5. - Final:

Unless Yasuda pulls off somekind of miracle, Nagata is a sure thing to face Tenzan in the Semis. Whereas the other side is gonna be harder to call. Chono and Tenryu will definately be exhausted for their semi final against Takayama. Chances are high for a Tenzan/Takayama rematch, though I expect Tenzan and Nagata could bring the house down, and at the same time probably soften each other up for whoever makes it to the finals.

One thought still lingers in my head, couldn't they have made it a standard 8-man tournament? Bringing in Keiji Mutoh for one more NJPW match would definately help ticket sales, and Tenzan would definately like to avenge his Wrestling World 2K4 lost. And Chono could put up or shut up by letting Kensuke Sasaki in the tournament. Sasaki is a marked man and alienating him is not what they should be doing now.