The Steel Cage

Watching the Hall of Fame ceremony last night made me remember just how friggin' talented The Rock is. Unlike other guys who come back and just feel old and dated compared to today's product, within seconds of The Rock's opening speech, he was already in a league of his own.

Here's hoping his little rip on John Cena serves as a wake-up call to Vince that there's a huge money match on the table if he wants it for next year's WrestleMania. I know Rock has said that he's done wrestling ... but if Floyd Mayweather -- who couldn't draw flies at a wrestling show -- is worth $20 million, then The Rock is worth a billion.

Back up the Brinks truck, Vince, and make it happen.

What did you guys think of the Hall of Fame stuff? I'm curious to hear what you have to say. And enjoy the show tonight -- I'll be in DC for the Nationals home opener.

Time for some predictions for Wrestlemania XXIV. And what with this being the digital age and all, words don't seem fair. So let's predict some matches in video.

Alfonso and Seth differ on the Triple Threat champ.

Alfonso and Seth both agree on this "Money" Mayweather vs. the Big Show nightmare waiting to happen.

Alfonso has a special surprise for the Bunny Mania match

Alfonso and Seth fight it out over who will win the Money in the Bank match.

Seth breaks down the undercard, including Ric Flair vs. HBK.

Fans got excited when WWE advertised a special three-hour Monday Night Raw last week with the "WrestleMania Rewind" theme. The idea was a novel one - The show would exclusively feature rematches from past WrestleManias. Using the current WWE roster, there were something like 21 different possibilities to recreate past matches from the Granddaddy of Them All, dating all the way back to WrestleMania XIV ten years ago.

Instead, WWE phoned in a lackluster and unimaginative Raw that featured exactly three actual WrestleMania rematches - none of which were very good.

It's a shame that WWE wasted the potential for a truly memorable Raw. Here are some of the more intriguing match possibilities that were squandered.

Picture it if you will: Randy Orton has just retained his WWE championship by cheating his way to a victory against his opponents Triple H and John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania XXIV. The braggadocios champion grabs the microphone and boasts about having turned back all his challenges.

Then, the distinctive music plays. Fresh off his victory in the Money in the Bank ladder match earlier in the night, Hardy cashes in his guaranteed world title shot, hits the Swanton Bomb, and defeats the Legend Killer. WrestleMania XXIV closes with a triumphant Hardy celebrating before 65,000 screaming fans as the new WWE champion.

It would be a heck of a WrestleMania moment, but we'll never see it happen.

My poor wife.

In a couple of weeks me and the Mrs. will embark on the mother of all vacations for a wrestling fanatic. Indeed, most every year I try to plan my vacation around WrestleMania's destination that year. Since 2002, I've attended five out of six WrestleManias (I couldn't justify a trip to L.A. after just buying my house in 2005.)

But this year's trip to Orlando may prove to be extra special. WrestleMania XXIV weekend is widely predicted to be not only the biggest weekend in wrestling of 2008, but one of the biggest in history.

It starts with a Friday night show in downtown Orlando put on by Ring of Honor. I was a latecomer in getting on the ROH bandwagon, having not sampled the product until 2006. I was instantly addicted to its athletic, no-nonsense approach and now try to catch ROH whenever it comes to town. For the last several years, ROH has held some shows over WrestleMania weekend near the site of the big event. ROH almost never disappoints, and this will be a fun way to kick off the weekend.

On Saturday, I'll be checking out Orlando's own Total Nonstop Action wrestling, the defacto number two wrestling promotion in the country. TNA has come a long way since I first visited the Nashville Fairgrounds in 2004 to catch one of the company's then-weekly pay per views in person. There's no question that TNA is a highly flawed product, but at its best, it's got one of the most talented rosters wrestling has ever seen. I hope they bring their A-game when I go see them at their home base at Universal Studios, where they'll be taping a televised event.

On Saturday night, I'll put on my suit and tie and head over to the Amway Arena for the annual WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. This is always a highlight of WrestleMania weekend for me, as I get to listen for hours as wrestling's legends pay tribute to their peers, and share funny and moving stories about their industry. Making this year's ceremony even more special is the induction of the greatest wrestler who ever lived, Ric Flair. I'll have the Puffs tissues nearby.

On Sunday, I hope to attend the annual WWE WrestleMania brunch, which will benefit the Make a Wish Foundation. That night, there's a little show being held at the CitrusBowl called WrestleMania XXIV. I'll be writing more about that soon.

The fun doesn't end there. The next night, I'll be catching WWE's flagship TV show, Monday Night Raw, live at the Amway Arena, and on Tuesday, I hope to make the trek to New Port Richey to see the stars of tomorrow compete for Florida Championship Wrestling - WWE's "minor league" affiliate.

Somewhere in between all of this, I have to find time to attend my buddy's wedding in Miami. In keeping with the theme, I'm contemplating hitting the groom with a steel chair as he takes his vows.