Sunday, November 2 – 12:00 P.M. (CT)

-WWE Champion Triple H will be defending his title soon against relative newcomer Vladimir Kozlov. Kozlov, like others before him, has quickly risen through the ranks to become a main eventer. However, one has to wonder if he belongs there and who exactly is happy to see him there.

Since Kozlov has begun this second run (I am counting his "interview from the crowd" days as his first run), he has been absolutely unstoppable in the ring. He proved for weeks on end that he could look dominating in squash style matches. While he was promoted to his current main event level status alongside the aforementioned Triple H and Jeff Hardy, he still has yet to work an extended program with anyone.

I continue to wonder if Kozlov is coming across as impressive and intimidating in his matches. Sure, he has looked good at times, but his offense is of the slower variety and thus, may not be intriguing to some fans. On top of that, can he carry (or be carried in) a long term, main event program? I predict he will win the WWE Championship. If he does, he will have to actually work a series of matches with top guys.

-Two other former WWE Champions who won the title in their first year in the company were Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar. I compare these two men to Kozlov and frankly, there is no comparison. When Angle came in, he had a legitimate background that made him someone worthy of the push he received.

He was impressive on his way to the title by also capturing the Intercontinental and European Championships. He actually held those titles simultaneously. By the time Angle wrestled for and won the then WWF Championship from The Rock, he was believable as a top guy. He had been impressively booked and quickly worked his way from the bottom of the card up to the top.

-Speaking of being booked impressively, Lesnar came in the night after Wrestlemania 18 and made an immediate impact. In terms of making a first impression, Lesnar could not have been any more impressive than he was. Of course, both Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy put him over multiple times. Coupling those early, high profile victories with having Paul Heyman as a mouthpiece, it was clear that Lesnar had a rocket strapped to him.

Lesnar was Bill Goldberg with in-ring skills. While North America had seen some big men that could move (Vader comes to mind), Lesnar's combination of speed, overwhelming strength, agility, and destructiveness was truly something that needed to be seen to be believed. Lesnar's trip to the top took significantly less time than Angle's.

Leading up to SummerSlam in 2002, Lesnar earned a championship match with The Rock. WWE produced some fantastic training videos; showcasing both Lesnar and The Rock in their various regimens. More times than not, these produced video packages in WWE are extremely well done and these were no exception. On top of that, they made both men look like absolute beasts. Lesnar had truly arrived and the match at SummerSlam was one of the most anticipated title matches of the year.

For those people that remembered the match, it was very good. What you may not have remembered was the fans turning on The Rock and actually cheering for Lesnar. Perhaps even more surprising is that Lesnar hit the F-5 and won the match cleanly. No run-ins, no screw jobs. Lesnar pinned The Rock and became the champion a mere five months into his WWE tenure.

-Vladimir Kozlov is not Kurt Angle or Brock Lesnar. I am sure WWE would love for him to be, but he just has not been booked to be strong enough to win the title as this point. I was excited with Angle and Lesnar winning their first championships. However, I cannot say the same thing if/when Kozlov is wearing the gold. If he does win the title, hopefully he will smash the spinner belt to pieces and "demand better belt."

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: