A campaign for carnage

A campaign for carnage

You could fill an Atlanta reservoir these days with the bad blood between Rey Mysterio and Finlay. Better yet, you could just vote on how these two Superstars will spill even more of that bad blood at Cyber Sunday. WWE.com puts the voting power in your hands.

So, how exactly can the Master of the 619 and the Irishman mix it up at Cyber Sunday next week? There are three selections for you to choose from: A Stretcher Match, a Shillelagh on a Pole Match and No Disqualification. Not sure about which stipulation to go with? Let's break down the pain, shall we?
 

To stretcher a point

Participants in a Stretcher Match -- especially the ones who lose -- tend never to forget the unpleasant experience. The object of the match is brutally straightforward: Incapacitate your opponent to the point where you can place them on an ambulance gurney, then wheel said gurney to a predetermined finish line (usually indicated by a line) for the victory.

Sports-entertainment historians may fondly recall how the late Andre the Giant put his long-standing rivalry with Killer Khan to (hospital) bed in a 1981 Mongolian Stretcher Match. Others are more likely to remember Edge pulling every trick in the book to literally lay Kane out during a July 2005 Raw. And of course, who could forget how Randy Orton -- despite losing the match -- sent Rob Van Dam out on a stretcher at One Night Stand last June? (Well, after the massive concussion he received from the boot of the Legend Killer, we suppose the answer to that is RVD.)

Should the Stretcher Match be your contest of choice, Finlay may have the upper hand going into Cyber Sunday. He test-rode a gurney after Mysterio seemingly injured him at No Mercy two weeks ago, though it was only a ploy to ambush the unsuspecting Superstar and beat the tar out of him. Then again, the Irishman may have succeeded too well; in beating down Rey's compassionate nature, Mysterio has seemed more aggressive on SmackDown in recent weeks. Therefore, we don't expect the Master of the 619 to let matters lie at Cyber Sunday -- at least, not willingly.

 

Welcome to the club

C'mon -- Shillelagh on a Pole Match? It may not be up there -- literally -- with Al Snow's dog or a WCW wrestler's mom (yes, those did happen), but the name alone makes us here at WWE.com want to vote for it. However, that decision is up to you, friends, and we won't try to sway your decision.

Besides, it's not like we can make our case with a proud history of "S.O.a.P." Matches. Amazingly, the WWE 24/7 On Demand archives seem a wee bit barren regarding epic struggles over a blackthorn wooded club perched atop a pole. Yet over the years, Superstars have battled to reach many other items on that pole, realizing that doing so often means victory, plus being able to use the object on their adversary -- repeatedly.

Depending on the object -- usually a very solid weapon -- it can be a painfully humiliating experience. Edge can attest to that fact, tasting a pair of brass knuckles and losing to then-Intercontinental Champion William Regal during February 2002's No Way Out. And for those who think the Irishman has a natural advantage with a shillelagh, keep in mind that he has to reach it first. If it comes down to a foot race, Mysterio, not Finlay, is more likely to grab hold of the item from the pole that's fastened to the top of a ring post.

Besides, Superstars who live by a particular "sword" occasionally fall on it in these kinds of battles. Carlito made sure Sandman's skull felt the effects of his own bamboo bludgeoner in a Singapore Cane on a Pole Match at last July's Great American Bash. As for Al Snow's dog, "Pepper"…well, Al won that match in 1999. Just don't ask what Big Boss Man did to her soon after that. (But hey, the WCW wrestler's mom came out of things OK.)

 

No Disqualification, much anguish

What makes No Disqualification potentially the most dangerous of your three Cyber Sunday stipulations? Repeat after us: No Disqualification. Those two words add a malevolent tone to a contest more than just about any other specialty match -- which is likely why it has remained a long-time staple among many of you out there. Outside interference, crude weapons of any kind…you name it, this match allows for it. Everything is fair game.

Of course, the last such contest -- held at Unforgiven last September -- wasn't fair to The Game, Triple H. That's because the No Disqualification proviso had applied only to his opponent, Carlito, thanks to then-acting Raw General Manager Jonathan Coachman. Yet not even Carlito's use of a steel chair, camera cables and the ring bell could stop Triple H from hitting a Pedigree -- plus a low blow, unnoticed by the ref -- to overcome the Caribbean's baddest apple.

Again, one could logically assume that a No Disqualification Match is tailor-made for a Belfast-born brawler like Finlay. Haven't you heard his opening entrance? He loves to fight. And with no one warning him to break an illegal hold or get rid of a foreign object (like a shillelagh), he's truly in his element.

On the other hand, let's turn the tables around a moment. If you really think about it, No Disqualification can work even better in Rey Mysterio's favor. Seeing as Mysterio gives up size and mass to the Celtic combatant, any type of outside equalizer -- especially if he can combine it with his aerial acrobatics -- could conceivably provide Rey with a much-needed edge at Cyber Sunday.

So, there you have it -- Stretcher Match. Shillelagh on a Pole Match. No Disqualification. Any one of these career-threatening contests can easily make for a dream match come true, even if it might be more like a nightmare for both Finlay and Rey Mysterio. Which match stipulation would you like to see these two ring warriors engage in at Cyber Sunday? The only way you can make it come to life is to vote here at WWE.com, vote frequently and vote now.

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