No Way Out was once a great pay per view tradition in WWE. I myself was always a big fan of the event because at one time, before the bigwigs got involved, No Way Out was the final beacon on the Road to Wrestlemania. If you’re a fan of at least fifteen years, then you’ll remember No Way Out when it started out as an In Your House pay per view (most of which were just glorified T.V products repackaged as monthly pay per views) which then became so successful they dropped the In Your House name and just branded the Pay Per Views with their own name.
If you’re sitting there thinking that I don’t usually go into this much detail about a pay per view event, then of course you’re correct. But No Way Out has provided us with some of WWE’s best moments and quite a few decent matches across its years. WWE should have, before now, found a place for it on their schedule instead of the such pay per views as ‘Capitol Punishment’ and ‘Fatal Four Way’. Each event would have prospered more had it been under the ‘No Way Out’ banner, still WWE don’t think of these things. Let’s not forget that WWE was a company who after more than two decades wanted to get rid of Survivor Series (a staple of change in WWE in the late 1980’s) because it blamed poor pay per views buys on the actual event, instead of blaming themselves for creating no new stars to attract viewers (which coincidentally, is why WWE buy rates are so low still). Blaming your own pay per view, an inanimate idea for failure is preposterous, that would be like Keith Harris (English puppeteer) blaming Orville (Keith Harris’ puppet) for no one coming to see their show anymore, or a footballer blaming the ball he kicks for not going in the goal and using that as an excuse as to why no one wants to sign him.
Before we get into this years offering, I’d just like to take a moment to look back this month on past years of No Way Out events and some of the great moment’s it has given us:
The NWO Returns
No Way Out 2002
After the bungled Invasion angle of 2001, in January 2002, Vince McMahon was supposedly fed up with Ric Flair owning half of his company and wanted to put a stop to the Nature Boy running wild on his turf. The story went that failing to defeat Flair in an ultra bloody battle at Royal Rumble 2002, Vince McMahon was going to destroy his company within so Ric Flair couldn’t take it from him.
The story was pants, let’s be honest. What CEO would willingly destroy their own multi billion dollar business just so a man (who had no right to it anyway) couldn’t take it from him? Have these people never heard of Judge Judy? Anyway, the result of the angle was the N.W.O. The New World Order, having just finished off WCW financially (thanks to Hogan and Bischoff) were heading back to the company which made them individually famous. Hall, Nash and Hogan were the talk of the town.
It’s fair to say we weren’t expecting much. Most of us in February 2002 were still getting over the bungled invasion angle (which to be honest I thought was actually alright, except it should have been about another year and a half longer – WWE had dynamite in Paul Heyman). On No Way Out night though, all the sins of the previous year were forgiven, when the show opened and the music hit, to this day, I’ve never heard a reaction to match the one the NWO received.
It was truly special. Something which every WWE fan should see for themselves if you haven’t already! The standard of the pay per view was automatically made better. It was a good pay per view event headlined by Chris Jericho’s second pay per view Unified World Heavyweight Championship defence against Stone Cold Steve Austin, which in itself was quite brilliant considering Austin could hardly walk at the time. The main event was one of the best of the year when the NWO came to the ring to close the show, cost Austin the championship and then branded him with the NWO sign to close the show. Pure brilliance! And one pay per view I must recommend for those who have never seen it.
Three Stages of Hell Match
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Triple H
No Way Out 2001
The war between Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin was reaching fever pitch in February 2001, ever since it had been revealed that it was Triple H who ran Stone Cold Steve Austin down at the 1999 Survivor Series putting Austin out for a year (in the storyline).
At No Way Out 2001, Austin sought to extract his final vengeance on ‘The Game’ (who was the hottest ticket in town around that time) in three stages of hell match (exactly the same as a two out of three falls match with added stipulations). First fall, was a single wrestling match; second fall was a no holds barred wrestling match; third fall was a steel cage match. It was a thing of pure beauty. You’ve probably realized by now that I’m very critical about WWE today, and rightly so. We pay our money we can say what we damn well like. Back then, yes, I was critical, but matches and angles like this really undid all those wrongs that went before.
Again, if you have never seen No Way Out 2001 then you must obtain it. At all costs! This match is worth the price of the DVD alone. The match was awesome, a fine piece of storytelling which to this day. if you want to see a pitch perfect, all around match, then this is the one for you. Bloody and fantastic in the extreme.
Of course the match was unnecessary, as Stone Cold had taken his revenge in October 2000 at No Mercy (against Rikishi – the other man to have been in the car with Triple H) and in November 2000 at Survivor Series against Triple H, when their match (another brilliant encounter) spilled out into the parking lot and Stone Cold hoisted Triple H (who was hiding from Austin in his car) and his car into the air in a crane and then dropped them both a good twenty five feet to the ground (of course Triple H wasn’t inside, they’d filmed the part with Triple H in the car earlier in the day – and cut together the live action of Austin hoisting the car up, then cut to a close up recording of Triple H in the car, then cut back and forth. It was a superior piece of editing). For that moment, you really did believe that Triple H was inside that car. You don’t get pay per view endings like that anymore – maybe the best ever.
This match wasn’t the only great moment of No Way Out 2001 as you’ll read next.
WWE Championship Match
Kurt Angle (Champion) vs The Rock
No Way Out 2001
Kurt Angle in 2000 was one of the quickest rising stars in WWE history. Winning the Intercontinental Championship, European Championship, King of the Ring tournament and finally the WWE Championship all within a few months of each other. The latter he defeated the Rock for, in a blinding encounter at No Mercy 2000.
Angle was the cream of the crop in WWE, but the Rock needed the title back because Wrestlemania 17 was set to have one of the greatest main events in history (the greatest match the Rock and Steve Austin were to ever have, together or individually). Anyway at No Way out 2001, the Rock finally received his rematch – see it if you haven’t already, it is spectacular. The pair fought a blinding encounter one which stands as one of Angle’s best ever matches (he even shouted fuck at the Rock live on air). The Rock won and took back the gold, but wrestling was the real winner at No Way Out 2001.
Hell in a Cell Match
WWE Championship Match
Triple H (Champion) vs Cactus Jack
No Way Out 2000
Triple H and Cactus Jack / Mick Foley had an epic war raging in the latter stages of 1999, which spilled into Royal Rumble 2000. It was Triple H’s baptism of fire (something Sheamus needs today), if Triple H faltered then the WWE and the attitude era would fall with him. Luckily for us, it was a performance of epic proportions (you must see their match at Royal Rumble 2000).
It was the next month in the rematch at No Way Out 2000, that the classic moment was made. No one gave them a hope in hell’s chance of recapturing the Royal Rumble magic, yet on the night, aided by the Hell in the Cell, they put on a barn burner (I’m running out of adjectives for matches). It was bloody, it was special and it was something you will never see in the modern WWE. Which, for that reason amongst many others, make it a must see.
The stand out, ‘Holy Shit’ moment came at the conclusion to the match. When Foley ascended the cage and went to the top to find Triple H who was waiting up there. They fought on top with a barbed wire baseball bat, until Mick Foley went to Piledrive Triple H onto the bat; Triple H reversed with a backdrop and Foley went straight through the ceiling of the Cell, crashing into the mat below which gave way – Foley went straight through the ring. A classic moment! This along with his King of the Ring 1998 Hell in a Cell match with Undertaker were Foley’s greatest matches in WWE for which he will be remembered for.
If only WWE had the guts to do something like that today.
WWE Championship Match
Brock Lesnar (Champion) vs Eddie Guerrero
No Way Out 2004
All these memories are really great ones. The greatest No Way Out memory will forever be from No Way Out 2004, when Eddie Guerrero overcame addiction and finally won the WWE Championship after years of trying. His reign as champion was disappointing, though this night will be forever eclipse the whole reign for the emotion it brought to the table.
It seemed that Eddie Guerrero was outmatched when he stepped into the ring against Brock Lesnar, the reigning WWE Champion, yet those of use who knew that Lesnar was to depart WWE at Wrestlemania 20 (the next month) knew there could be only one result. WWE had pushed Guerrero so heavily that you just knew he had to come out on top. And come out on top he did. With a mighty frog splash from the top rope, after Bill Goldberg had speared Lesnar (the ref was down) Eddie Guerrero collected his victory and finally ascended to the top of the mountain. The match was hard hitting and Guerrero took a battering of the likes I’ve never seen before or since, but the end result was what made it worth sitting through. The whole crowd were on their feet through the entire match and loved every minute of it.
The final line fell to Michael Cole who despite his normal shambolic ramblings, uttered the greatest line maybe in the history of WWE. As Eddie Guerrero was knelt at the top of the ramp, WWE Championship held above him, Michael Cole screamed the immortal line...
‘Tonight, Eddie Guerrero will no longer be known as an addict! Eddie Guerrero will be known as WWE Champion!’
Pure brilliance. If we could just bottle those times and replicate them today.
Of course we can’t. And if even if we could, WWE wouldn’t. They don’t like to dwell in the past too long. Because it reminds them of everything they used to do right, then they have to look at their product today and at everything they’re doing wrong. I’m not one of these people who say that anything before 2005 was classic and anything after it was rubbish, because that’s bullshit. There’s a lot to be proud of post 2005, it’s just that the moments that made things special for me and millions of others were in the early days of the naughties. Moments which I actively strive to recapture on DVD at any given opportunity.
Will we get any classic moment this year? The odds are stacked against it. With John Cena and the Big Show in the main event it all looks bleak and samey. Though WWE used to have the knack of surprising us, maybe with nostalgia running wild at No Way Out 2012, maybe WWE will rediscover the old magic, even if it’s for one night only.
So, let’s look to the card this year and cast our eyes over what should happen, what could happen and what more than likely will happen.
Steel Cage Match
John Cena vs Big Show
This feud could have been so easily avoided, if John Cena and WWE were to see sense and turn the walking advertising machine heel. Before you argue against my point, let me just point something out to you. WWE and John Cena both think that turning heel would be a bad idea because in their minds, the John Cena merchandise that sells with the children, women and retarded males would sell no longer. It just goes to prove my point that WWE and John Cena aren’t in this for the pageantry or history, or the memories they could leave behind with the viewers, or even the long term situation of the company, both parties are in this for the money.
As I say this, you can blame John Cena for the fact that we’re stuck with a re-run of 2009. You might think I’m purposely being horrible towards Cena because of my distain and hatred towards him. You couldn’t be more wrong. Now, listen to this. At Extreme Rules, Brock Lesnar agreed to lose to Cena on the understanding that Cena feigned injury after the match and had to have help up the aisle, and back to the locker room, via referee assistance or stretcher, in a bid to keep up the pretence that Brock Lesnar was a wrecking machine. All parties agreed. Until the match was over, and then John Cena went into business for himself.
As soon as Cena had pinned Lesnar, Cena threw the agreed ending out of the window, stood up of his own accord, grabbed the microphone and cut an incoherent speech in which he stated he may be taking a vacation. Lesnar was furious backstage, not only had Cena disobeyed WWE, he’d made Lesnar’s offence look weak. What makes a guy like this think he can get away with it? Not only did WWE have to console Lesnar, Cena received no recompense for his unprofessional behaviour. Had it been Lesnar or any other WWE talent, then they’d have been demoted for weeks. Because it was the man who puts millions in Vince’s pocket, he was allowed to get away with it. And now Brock Lesnar has refused to work with Cena again. Had Cena followed the rules and planned ending, then maybe the Lesnar vs Cena feud would still be on. Instead it fell to Triple H to do what Cena couldn’t and make Lesnar look like a monster.
Do you see now? The man is dumb. Is it his fault? Partly! Half the fault has to lie with WWE. If they punished Cena for his behaviour then he’d follow the rules and do as he’s told. Instead they’ve allowed him to get away with whatever he likes, and now he thinks he can carry on doing it. This has to end somewhere.
Lesnar was brought back to WWE to feud with Cena, because WWE’s post Wrestlemania 28 season needed help to get off the ground. This could have been remedied by a Cena heel turn, but as we’ve established, Cena isn’t in it for the legacy, just the money. However if WWE and Cena had bothered to make new stars to feud with Cena, then all this could have been avoided. Instead, on regular occasion, WWE stops and starts pushes like cars and anytime WWE gives the bumbling Cena a fresh opponent, he has no idea how to get both them and himself over, no sells their offence and each one is tainted by association. WWE have snookered themselves.
WWE need to turn Cena heel and forget about the money. Otherwise they’re going to lose more than a few million from merchandise. People will not keep on watching the same old shit, every week, every year. WWE needs to see this before it’s too late. Cena has become lazy and repetitive, doing the same moves, wrestling the same type of matches week in and week out. This could be remedied also, if Cena just took a few months off to learn some new tricks. Learn to punch properly, learn to wrestle properly, learn to hit some moves with complete accuracy. That would at least quell half the hatred.
He deserves a lot of credit for going out there week in and week out, to the boos and the jeers. The biggest credit I ever gave John Cena was when he walked out to a totally hostile audience at the Hammerstein Ballroom at ECW One Night Stand 2006 to face ECW original Rob Van Damn. He was heckled, booed, had things thrown at him, but he still had the guts to go out there and do the job in hand. And that night he didn’t do it half badly. Also that night, for the abuse he took and the guts he showed, John Cena went up in my estimation. I can never and will never criticize John Cena for his guts and determination.
Onto No Way Out 2012:
The smart money will be to plump for a John Cena victory. After losing the main event of Over the Limit 2012 to former wrestler and now General Manager John Laurinaitis, WWE won’t want to book John Cena as weak two months in a row. We’ve seen this at Extreme Rules 2012 when he defeated Brock Lesnar after losing to The Rock at Wrestlemania 28.
Against a man the size and considerable weight of the Big Show, the stage is set for John Cena to once again make an underdog comeback. The Big Show doesn’t have an ounce of charisma or talent. Much like John Cena, though the one thing John Cena does have, even though I hate to admit it, is the big game feel. He might not be any good, in fact he’s rotten to the core, everything and everyone he touches turns to shit. Midas in reverse. But there’s something about John Cena that screams main event.
The build up to this match has been almost wholly centred around John Cena’s rivalry with John Laurinaitis and the faction that Johnny L has set up. In numerous weeks gone by we’ve seen John Cena lose to Lord Tensai (miracles do happen; and Tensai would have been a much better choice for this match instead of the bumbling Big Show), be beaten down at the hands of Johnny L and his cronies and lose to the General Manager thanks to a Big Show run in. The feud is going to continue, have no mistake about that, and if I’m not mistaken, then it does appear (at time of writing at least) that John Cena looks like he’s taking this storyline seriously. Maybe he’s seen sense and realized he looks like a cock when he does that smug grin. Or maybe WWE have finally taken a stand and told the walking merchandise machine that his expressions are just pathetic. I don’t for one moment think it’ll last. If Cena has proven anything over the last ten years then it’s that he’s incapable of maintaining a decent standard of anything.
On the other side of the fence, the Big Show has had a degrading few weeks leading up to No Way Out. First he drops the Intercontinental Championship (a title he should never have won in the first place – only given to him to pad out his title record and set him up in the fans eyes to take stage in this feud. It did the first well, the second it failed miserably on) to Cody Rhodes and then is forced to beg and cry like whiney little bitch for his job. The sight of the Big Show on his knees in the ring, crying, blubbering like a whale will stick in my head for a very long time. It’s like seeing a really old member of your family naked by accident: a picture that’s burnt on your retna and one which you really didn’t want or need.
All the angle did in fact was make Show look like a baby, then the forced demolition job on John Cena at Over the Limit 2012 made him look like a turncoat to his limited fan base. If, which I believe it is, the plan is to turn Big Show face again sometime after SummerSlam or at the end of Johnny L’s reign of tyranny and have Team Cena versus Team Laurinaitis (which Cena will win) then it would have been much more effective to have Big Show tell Johnny L to shove his job, chokeslam him in the middle of the ring and then walk out of WWE and wait for Triple H to reinstate him in time for the final battle. That way Lord Tensai could have taken Big Show’s place in this match and really shown what he’s got. As of Over the Limit 2012, Lord Tensai is yet to have a pay per view match and has spent some times on Superstars. Not the start he wanted.
Tensai has had one pinfall victory over John Cena so far this year and sneak attacked him on the orders of Laurinaitis, so far without any real comeback from John Cena. To my mind, a Tensai victory at No Way Out 2012 and more attacks with no comeback after the pay per view would have set both men up nicely heading into SummerSlam. Lord Tensai could have portrayed the unstoppable monster and John Cena, given the moniker of hero who had lost faith in himself after the losses and sneak attacks could have extracted revenge and beaten Tensai at SummerSlam in what would have been a really heated battle. After that Johnny L, assuming the feud hadn’t ended, could have sent one of his other foot soldiers after Cena to prolong the feud and give someone else (Christian is a prime candidate as Intercontinental Champion – he has the skills to carry Cena) the spotlight which they need to thrive.
Lord Tensai, real name Matt Bloom, is one of the only wrestlers in WWE at the moment, that the audience could be fooled into believing could beat Cena, having done it previously on Raw. Big Show, in their 2009 feud never beat John Cena once. Never looked liked beating him, never came close to beating him and the audience knew it. At Wrestlemania 25 John Cena defeated Edge and Big Show in triple threat match to win the World Heavyweight Championship. At Backlash 2009, four weeks later, Big Show threw John Cena into a stage light in a stunt which looked terrific (on a terrific pay per view) to cost him the World Heavyweight Championship. At Judgment Day and Extreme Rule 2009 John Cena and Big Show contested two of the most boring, tedious, soul destroying and pointless matches ever to take place in a wrestling ring. If your haven’t seen them, then don’t bother tracking them down. They’re half an hour of your life you could do something much better with.
How exactly, does WWE expect us to believe that Big Show in 2012, which is a no different Big Show to the one from 2009, is meant to defeat the supposed ‘Underdog of Underdogs’, which is absolute crap, everyone knows Cena isn’t an underdog and never will be again. In reality WWE are trying to recreate the Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant feud, it always has been with these two, the only problem is that neither has the likability that Hogan and Andre had in the late 1980’s. And with today’s WWE storylines, they’ll never get close.
John Cena has had too many superman comebacks to really be in any danger of losing or being injured and in recent weeks Big Show has come across as a self centred, easy to control prick, who no one had any interest in a month ago and has even less in now. What WWE have essentially done is steal away the spotlight from either Tensai or another WWE Superstar who needed this to revive or kick start their career. Saying that, WWE’s track record in making superstars over the last few years has been shambolic! Would we really want a new upstart given to John Cena, just so the moron can ruin another promising career? The fact WWE are pushing Brodus Clay so hard and then have him knocked out by Big Show in one punch should tell you how seriously WWE take their future stars, not that Clay is one.
We’ve seen too many John Cena vs Big Show matches over the years. 2009 wasn’t the only time they fought (it should have been the last. After Cena beat Show first time in 2009, the second match was pointless because Cena won that as well. There was no revenge for Big Show in the second outing which rendered it pointless and meaningless. If two men fight twice on two consecutive pay per view events then at least one of those matches has to be won by the heel, as to add some tension and create a reason for another match – the rubber match) They fought many times in 2005 over the number one contender spot to the WWE Championship, which Cena almost always won and at Wrestlemania 20 when John Cena defeated Big Show in the opening match for the United States Championship. The only advantage Big Show has ever had over Cena was when he eliminated him from the 2004 Royal Rumble match. Almost every other time, Cena has come out on top. The fact that the steel cage is an added factor, doesn’t detract from the fact that no one watching at home or anyone in that arena will expect anything other than a John Cena victory. Why? Because this is what WWE has done to its audience! It has created a ‘WWE Universe’ of drones which it likes to think won’t know the outcome of anything they do, when in fact it’s because of what they do, that their drones know every move they’re going to make and every outcome of every match. A five star fuck up, I think you’ll all agree.
A John Cena win, while predictable would, all around, be the best result. I never thought I’d hear myself say that, but a Big Show victory would just prolong a feud which should never had been restarted in the first place. If John Cena wins then we can all move on from this feud which is going to be nothing more than a disaster. Of course, the added stipulation, that if Big Show loses then John Laurinaitis gets fired, will almost ensure that Big Show exits No Way Out as the winner, even though it means that John Cena will have lost two consecutive pay per view outings. If Cena does win, then that kills the ‘People Power’ taking control storyline dead. Even WWE can see what a good thing they’re onto with that.
As long as WWE don’t book this match again at the next pay per view, then we should be able to put this behind us and move on quickly. Hopefully Wade Barrett is on the mend and makes his return swiftly, as part of Team Laurinaitis Barrett could exact revenge for his treatment at the hands of Cena in 2010, leading to a World Heavyweight Championship reign, the opportunity given to him by Johnny L for his good work vanquishing Cena – you can see how that would look better overall.
Then again, if WWE and John Cena have no intention to change John Cena, then why should we care? It’s not ou business that will suffer. It’s not our company that will be slammed by critics every time he steps into the ring. And when we’ve had enough we can always go somewhere else. WWE can’t, they’ll forever be associated with Cena. So maybe we should just watch his matches and put up with them however bad or once in a blue moon, good. We can’t change what WWE want to do, we can’t change Cena. So maybe we should just all buy a Cena T-shirt and go with the flow. If you can’t beat them, join them. I used to be a Cena fan and I can see why fans cheer for him. Take away the cartoon expression, the career killing and the inability to wrestle and look what John Cena stands for. Loyalty (though he didn’t show much to Zack Ryder in the storyline), respect (he hasn’t shown any lately to anyone), an unnerving will to overcome the odds and most of all, hope and faith. That’s what the Cenation take from John Cena, to them he’s hope, hope for something better. And you can’t fault him for that. I for one am about to purchase a Cena T-shirt, the one which boldly states ‘Cena Sucks’!
Winners Prediction: Big Show
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sheamus (Champion) vs Dolph Ziggler
This match hasn’t had the luck of the Irish on its side. First, it was meant to be Sheamus vs Alberto Del Rio, then Del Rio suffered a nasty concussion at the hands of the bungling Great Khali on a taping of Smackdown. Why WWE would put the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship in a match with a man who is literally falling apart, and who once killed another wrestler (seriously: in his earlier years, when training, Khali was so careless that he threw an opponent up in the air, remember he’s seven foot plus, and forgot to catch him. The guy hurtled to the mat and died) is beyond even me.
For a while there was a ‘will he, won’t he’ quality about the match, but eventually WWE had to concede that Alberto Del Rio wasn’t going to make it No Way Out and had to set about finding a replacement. Thank god they didn’t chose Ryback or Brodus Clay, that may have been the end of the serious Sheamus World Heavyweight Championship reign. There’s no way anyone would have taken Sheamus vs Ryback or Sheamus vs Brodus Clay for the gold seriously. Thankfully WWE saw sense and gave the spot to Dolph Ziggler.
Lately, Sheamus has been on a run that his career can only compensate from. He has beaten down any and every challenger that came his way and is also the apple of Triple H’s eye. In case you didn’t know, when Sheamus first came to WWE, he caught Triple H’s eye immediately. In Triple H’s opinion Sheamus had the build, the skill and the look of a main event star. And to his credit, Sheamus did.
He looked fearsome in the ring and did something in the early days of his career, that no one else managed to do in years. He made Goldust look good. His feud with Goldust in the latter days of WWE’s ECW was decent by the standards of the programme. More importantly it got across to the world what Triple H knew. The guy was a star.
Sadly it all fell apart and the wheels came off when Sheamus was pitted into a feud with John Cena. Sheamus being the new boy was relying on Cena to carry him. What Sheamus didn’t know, but WWE did, was that Cena couldn’t carry a bag, let alone a new guy and make him look good. Anyone else in Cena’s position, Triple H, Stone Cold, The Rock, Undertaker could carry a wrestler and make him look good. Kurt Angle could do it with his eyes closed. Triple H did do it for Sheamus, selflessly putting his own image on the line and allowing Sheamus to take credit for putting him out for months with injury (it didn’t help that on his return, Triple H lay waste to Sheamus like a first class jobber, but it made Sheamus look good for the time it lasted). Cena was unable to and it nearly cost Sheamus his spot.
To this day it’s still unclear whether the fall by Cena from the top rope through the table, in their Tables match for the WWE Championship at TLC 2009 was intentional or an accident. Maybe we’ll never know. If though it was accidental, then WWE had the great foresight to run with it and not take the belt from Sheamus the next night on Raw. Had Triple H not been in Sheamus’ corner to fight his battle, then maybe history would be different.
So, onto No Way Out 2012. The push for the Celtic Warrior continues, after his Royal Rumble victory and his Wrestlemania 28, blink and you’ll miss it triumph over Daniel Bryan didn’t solicit the reaction WWE wanted, then one is inclined to believe that the WWE Universe are indifferent to Sheamus and his title run. We couldn’t blame them if they are, WWE made such a mess of the last two that it was hard to see how anyone was meant to take him seriously. Maybe the lukewarm reaction to the Royal Rumble win and the Wrestlemania 28 victory were because the fans knew that the story was going the way, where Sheamus was going to pick Bryan as his opponent, a C.M. Punk vs Sheamus match would never have got off the ground. By the time Wrestlemania 28 rolled around, Daniel Bryan had become a sensation in WWE, even to the point where WWE couldn’t believe it. His t-shirts were selling like hot cakes and his ‘Yes, yes, yes’ chant had caught on like wild fire.
It might have been short sighted for WWE to have picked Sheamus to face Bryan at Wrestlemania 28. There was no way a just turned face, Sheamus, was ever going to be as popular as the most loved heel in the company (at that time). The signs at ringside pointed to where the fans allegiance lay on Wrestlemania night, Sheamus knew he was walking out to a hostile audience, and I have to give him credit, he didn’t falter. Many a wrestler would have been intimidated walking out a crowd that were mostly supporting the heel. If Sheamus is nothing else, he’s the consummate professional.
Of course the three reasons WWE made to book Sheamus to go over Bryan at Wrestlemania 28 (which looking at it, was the wrong choice, the title change should have happened at Extreme Rules 2012) were simple. 1) Sheamus was the golden boy, Triple H wasn’t going to have him lose to a former independent circuit wrestler on the biggest stage in the world 2) WWE wanted the quickest Championship match of all time record and 3) this was the beginning of Bryan’s punishment for getting himself over when WWE failed.
In WWE’s eyes Sheamus is the man to carry the company forward. Personally, I don’t think he is. I think Sheamus is just a quick fix to a temporary problem. The problem being that there was no one else at the time to put the title on. It’s no secret of WWE’s failure to create new stars and Sheamus was there in the right place and the right time.
The match itself can be nothing more that a filler. I don’t for one minute believe that anyone going to No Way Out or anyone watching it on T.V believes that Dolph Ziggler, a man who two months ago lost a humiliating match to Brodus ‘No Talent’ Clay, will walk out World Heavyweight Champion. Because Ziggler was only second choice then this isn’t a feud that will run and run. Once Del Rio is back on top form, then the feud will resume until Wade Barrett is healthy.
Nonetheless, both men possess the skill to at least make the match enjoyable. With Sheamus’ High Cross finisher and Zigglers’ enthusiasm to be the champion, then the match has the potential to produce some cracking near falls. Even if the result will never be in doubt.
It seems at the moment that WWE are keeping Sheamus back for something. And you’re right. That something, is a guy name Wade Barrett. I’m sure we all remember the English brawler who is set to become the next British Bulldog by WWE design. Barrett was injured in a battle royal on Smackdown, when a wrestler was thrown over the top rope and landed on top of him. For months Barrett has been on the side lines, missing out at Wrestlemania 28. Now, he’s almost ready to return to WWE and when he does, he’s heading for Sheamus.
It is believed that WWE were going to book a Money in the Bank Ladder Match at Wrestlemania 28, with Wade Barrett as the victor. The idea then was to scrap the Money in the Bank pay per view and replace it with something different. When Barrett went down injured, WWE scrapped the match with the hope (and subsequent doctor’s reports) that Barrett would be fit enough to compete at Money in the Bank 2012 – a belief which is being upheld. Fingers crossed, Wade Barrett will be back in action sometime in July, if not before.
Wade will either win Money in the Bank Ladder match in July and go on to cash his shot in against Sheamus at SummerSlam, or he’ll miss the event due to his injury and then come back strong after Money in the Bank to take out his pent up frustration on Sheamus. This feud will be hot, providing WWE book it correctly. Wade Barrett is the man that they’re keeping Sheamus for. And have no doubt that it will be Wade Barrett that will dethrone Sheamus before the end of the year.
Of course this feud will be just that bit more special than any other in WWE for some time. It’s not just another feud to fill T.V time and build another career. This will be the first ever feud, over a major World Heavyweight Championship between an Englishman and an Irishman. What a moment it will be. It will be violent, as rivalries between the two countries usually are. Anyone who has ever attended an England vs Ireland football (soccer) or rugby match, or been in a pub with a drunk Irishman and a drunk Englishman when they start a fight will attest to this fact. Not only will the feud be special for that reason, being the first feud over the World Heavyweight Championship by two Brits (Ireland is classed as part of Britain, along with England, Scotland and Wales), but the end result will bring about the first ever English World Heavyweight Champion. It’s something that English people have been waiting for, for many, many years.
Barrett is the man chosen to have this honour bestowed upon him, let’s hope he doesn’t waste it. The honour would have fallen to the British Bulldog in 2003 (he was due to make a comeback to WWE and win the World Title – but Davey Boy Smith sadly passed away too soon and too young) now Barrett has the chance to be the next British Bulldog. In the sense of the second biggest English wrestler in history (British Bulldog will be the first, always). There are those morons who say that American fans won’t be interested in a feud for one of the main Championships that doesn’t feature at least one American. That of course is doggie doo. Bret Hart and the British Bulldog fought over the Intercontinental Championship in 1992 producing one of the greatest matches ever. Bulldog was English, Hart was Canadian. Not an American in sight.
Dolph Ziggler of course will be hoping that No Way Out is the start of another main event push. He looked good at the beginning of last year and his main event spots this year made him look a million dollars. It didn’t look too good when WWE jobbed him out to Clay at Extreme Rules 2012 or booked him as part of the rushed twelve man tag team match at Wrestlemania 28, but the quite brilliant Tag Team Championship match at Over the Limit 2012, where Ziggler tagged with partner in crime Jack Swagger to lose to Kofi Kingston and R-Truth, put Dolph back on track. Maybe WWE have finally seen the light and seen that Ziggler belongs in the main event.
Until then though, WWE must make Sheamus look unbeatable. Which means running down Ziggler and whoever else steps in his path to immortality! WWE could piss this up the wall, like it has done with many other angles and many other wrestlers. Something deep down inside tells me that even the idiots in WWE creative and Vince McMahon himself know what a special thing they have here.
I just hope Sheamus is ready for the path he’s charging down. Because it’s going to take dedication and all of his skills to get to the end of it! With Triple H behind him and the WWE creative looking for another Stone Cold Steve Austin, then Sheamus will have every chance to succeed. For Sheamus, there really is No Way Out.
Winners Prediction: Sheamus
Triple Threat Match
WWE Championship Match
C.M. Punk (Champion) vs Daniel Bryan vs Kane
A question comes out of this match that WWE needs to answer. Why does Kane get a title shot? The Big Red Bore has done nothing to warrant a shot at the WWE Championship. It just looks like they’ve dropped him into the match to do something with him. Then of course there are the other alternatives. Supposedly Kane booked his spot in this triple threat match because of his victory over Zack Ryder on the Over the Limit 2012 Pre-show match. That was the last pay per view match Kane was involved in. So would Zack Ryder be in this match had the result been different? Of course not!
WWE wants Kane to succeed desperately. Even though he’s already had fifteen years to do it and done hardly anything with his time in the company. The reason Kane is so favoured in the locker room and in Titan Towers (WWE’s headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut) is because he’s one of the best friends of the Undertaker, and what the Undertaker says, goes. Even Vince McMahon doesn’t overturn what the Undertaker says – and the Undertaker isn’t even in office power in WWE. Tells you something about the state of play in WWE behind the scenes.
Kane’s pay per view record this year is abysmal. His match with John Cena at Royal Rumble 2012 was the worst thing on the card. He lost to John Cena one month later at Elimination Chamber 2012 in a dire Ambulance Match. He defeated a heavily injured Randy Orton in a Wrestlemania 28 match – in which the best thing about the whole match was the chokeslam ending from the top rope. Four weeks later, Kane lost to Randy Orton at Extreme Rules 2012 in a match which was by far the best Kane has been involved in for at least a year and a half. And last month, Kane defeated a run down and out of favour Zack Ryder on the pre-show match at Over the Limit 2012 – the match didn’t even go on air. WWE thought it would be better to put Brodus Clay and Ryback on the pay per view instead of Kane. So please, someone, somewhere, tell me how this man who would be more use as a corner post, deserve a spot in the main event, when he’ll be out classed, out wrestled and made to look like the incompetent oaf he is, by his two superior opponents.
On the plus side, Daniel Bryan and C.M Punk, in-between the interruptions from Kane should give us another great match. The best thing that could happen at No Way Out 2012 would be for Kane to be attacked by Zack Ryder before the match, brutally, so Kane couldn’t compete. Maybe that would be a boost for Ryder who went through hell at the hands of Kane in early 2012. Otherwise Ryder may as well pack his bags and head for ‘Future Endeavoursville’.
I think you’ll agree that after their match at Over the Limit 2012 for the WWE Championship, that WWE should have booked this match as a Submission Match for the WWE Championship. That would have been something to witness. And would have held both men in good stead going into SummerSlam and whatever WWE have planned for them next. The sight of both men applying some submission holds we’ve never seen before (they both know hundreds), stretching and pulling away at each others sore limbs, before Daniel Bryan finally tapped out to the Anaconda Vice half an hour later would have done wonders for both men, painting them as hard nuts to crack as they both refused to submit to the most excruciating moves we’ve seen. It would also have done a great deal for the WWE Championship itself. What better than to have two great wrestlers, putting their bodies through real pain (those submissions aren’t faked – unless John Cena applies his STF, when he puts no pressure on his opponent at all and they have to sell the move like it was the most painful thing ever, when that happens his opponent looks stupid and he as usual, looks clueless), stating to the audience that the WWE Championship is worth the pain and suffering. That would have made the WWE Championship look a million dollars. A submission match would be the perfect addition to this brilliant feud, especially after the sublime finish to the Over the Limit match in which Punk pinned Bryan just seconds before Bryan made Punk tap out.
I have no doubt, that the match will be a worthy entry into the feud, even with Kane in the mix. Maybe a miracle will occur, maybe Kane will come out of this match looking good thanks to his association with Punk and Bryan. His game should be upped by two superior opponents who can show him how to put enthusiasm and vigour into a match. I doubt Kane will come out of this match with any credit, the guy has lost all interest in the business and his advanced age and injuries slow him down to almost a snails pace.
WWE should book this so that Bryan and Punk have maximum one on one time. The submission moves and exchanges between the two are like nothing seen in WWE for twenty years. The company has dynamite with Punk and Bryan and if the feud continues to be as good as it has been then surely WWE could keep it alive until SummerSlam, and even smoothly put the WWE Championship on Bryan to extend the feud. I’m sure along with an appearance by the Rock, Brock Lesnar vs Triple H and a talked about appearance by the Undertaker (to set up his Wrestlemania 29 match with Lesnar), a C.M Punk vs Daniel Bryan Submission Match for the WWE Championship would make this years offering one of the best in recent memory.
Where WWE has been clever is that it has left the two alone to create a masterpiece in the ring. It hasn’t added it’s own touch or ruined it by insisting they conform to WWE standard matches (the match at Over the Limit 2012 was not a standard WWE match – and was all the better for it). When WWE hire a wrestler they send them to their developmental league so they can teach them how to wrestle the WWE way, it doesn’t matter if said wrestler has had ten years of training and experience around the world, everyone goes to WWE School. Punk did, Bryan did, even though both were sensational wrestlers before they got to WWE.
A truly great wrestler, like Punk or Bryan, takes what they know, and merges it with the WWE way to create a new breed of wrestling. Instead of following the heard and forgetting what they knew. The former way produces matches like the Punk vs Bryan match at Over the Limit 2012. The latter way produces matches like Big Show vs John Cena (just pick any of their former battles). Maybe the key to future success for WWE, is to let anyone who signs from here on in, do what they’ve learnt around the world. If they know how to wrestle a Japanese style or a Mexican style then just allow them to go out and do it, instead of trying to make them another faceless, nameless sheep.
Maybe C.M Punk and Daniel Bryan are the prototype for the future WWE wrestler! Take away the bullshit and let them fight the way they know how. Because when they did at Over the Limit, it was better than anything WWE could have put together with two WWE trained wrestlers. If the wrestler has no experience then send them to WWE school, if they know what they’re doing then take a chance. Otherwise you’re going to end up with 50 wrestlers who all wrestle the same, who all know the same moves and execute them the same way and who plan a match identically to the next guy.
If Kane wins at No Way Out then WWE will lose millions of viewers. No one will ever treat Kane as WWE Champion again let alone buy a huge pay per view event like SummerSlam with Kane billed as WWE Champion. He’s ruined his reputation and his aura over the years. The weight he gained and the dire feuds he’s been involved in, the John Cena feud was the final nail in Kane’s coffin, have taken away the Big Red Machine image and it will never come back. Even with the divine A.J (she is stunning) in his corner. The whole A.J turning to Kane after Daniel Bryan dumped her because of the Wrestlemania 28 incident could be one of two things. 1) Just air time to give A.J and Kane more relevance and give Kane something to do or 2) A set up. A.J could turn on Kane at No Way Out and help Bryan win the WWE Championship. The only downside to that would be that Kane would have to be involved in the next WWE Championship match at either Money in the Bank 2012 or SummerSlam 2012 to gain a measure of revenge. This might involve Kane becoming the WWE Champion, so let’s hope it’s not option two.
In my opinion, Daniel Bryan should go over at No Way Out and become the WWE Champion. It would herald many more excellent pay per view matches, before Punk finally regained the WWE Championship at SummerSlam in what would be a blistering finale to their spotless feud. It would do C.M Punk no harm to chase the title for two months before recapturing it. You never know he might have a better appreciation for the belt and what it means to be WWE Champion when he wins it back. WWE needs Punk to be the next John Cena, to sell out arenas and merchandise. While C.M Punk insists on the smug nature then he can’t become the person people can fully get behind and push for. There’s something about Punk which you’re never sure about. He could help the face but just as easily turn on him. You never know what’s behind the smile. That’s why fans have a hard time relating to him. And the only person Punk has to blame is himself.
Austin was always stern and serious. He hated authority and especially those who used it to obtain whatever they wanted. With Austin you always knew he’d help the face if they were being beaten down by the corporate heel, because regardless of his feelings towards the face, he couldn’t stand to see the corporate heel winning the day. C.M Punk lacks that quality somewhere and until he finds it, then he can’t be WWE’s top guy.
Winners Prediction: C.M Punk
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Christian (Champion) vs Cody Rhodes
I think it’s fair to say that Cody Rhodes’ rematch for the WWE Intercontinental Championship should have had more build up than this! As far as the WWE Intercontinental Championship is concerned, there has been little to shout about in the past few years. It’s the wrestling equivalent to the musician Dido. Had a great run for decades (the Intercontinental Championship not Dido) and then suddenly it drops off of the radar and no one really cares.
It shouldn’t have been like this and had WWE and it’s people in charge cared then the Intercontinental Championship could have been the stepping stone to greatness, as it was back in the day. All the greats won the I.C title before being elevated to the WWE Championship. It was like the I.C gold was the last step on the road to the main event. If you won it then you were almost guaranteed at some point in time, to be the man that stood aloft the mountain holding the greatest prize in wrestling.
Ultimate Warrior, The Rock, Randy Savage, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart to name but a few all held the Intercontinental Championship before they hit the big time. When a wrestler became Intercontinental Champion they were immediately the one to watch. That sadly isn’t the case anymore.
In 2002 WWE signalled its intention to bin the belt and merge it with the World Heavyweight Championship. The plan followed through and Kane lost the Intercontinental Championship and World Heavyweight Championship unification match to Triple H. When WWE realized that it didn’t have a base on which to build new stars it promptly resurrected the championship. The problem then dawned on WWE that it had treated the gold so badly before that people weren’t taking it seriously. After 2002, the title wasn’t important in the fans eyes anymore because of the treatment WWE had given it.
In stepped Christian. In Summer 2003, Christian had a really good run with the Intercontinental Championship. Back then, Captain Charisma was a mid card player and really hot heel. It was Christian that really got people interested in the Intercontinental Championship again, before he left WWE shores for TNA. After he left the belt was given to anyone WWE thought had a chance of making it to the main event. Most didn’t, most failed miserably. The tradition continued for years, besmirching the name and image of the title that once gave so many a hope.
Sticking up for WWE for a moment, this tried and tested method had worked in years gone by. Take the title, put it on a wrestler who you plan to push heavily and allow the reputation of the Intercontinental Championship to do the rest. Only times had changed and the wrestlers who were being given the opportunity were no longer as good as the Bret Hart’s, the Stone Cold Steve Austin’s or the Triple H’s. In fact, most of them stunk.
It’s only been recently, in the last few years that we’ve had some really promising Intercontinental Champions. Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and Cody Rhodes. In 2009, Chris Jericho stepped out on a ledge and decided to make the title important again. In 2000 when Jericho was Intercontinental Champion, fans used to look forward to seeing the Intercontinental Championship defended as much as the WWE Championship. With the help of Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho elevated the title to another level, a level which should have been kept up since 2003.
When Cody Rhodes became Intercontinental Champion, an air of freshness wafted over WWE. Here was a guy who had the skills and the talent and the look to carry off a successful reign. And he did. With the exception of his matches against Big Show, Cody Rhodes shone as champion and people began to believe. It did Rhodes no harm losing the gold to Christian, because Christian could make a bin bag look good in defeat. And now we have a feud that is more deserving of air time than John Cena, than Kane, than anything else WWE has going today. It’s just a shame that WWE don’t give a damn.
On the plus side of the ignorance, the match should produce a memorable encounter. More than that, this match must push Cody Rhodes into the main event. Maybe this is Cody Rhodes’ most important match and he’s not even going in as champion. Of course he doesn’t to. All Rhodes has to do is show the world his quality and he’s as good as home and dry. His I.C Title reign was received well and so will a World Heavyweight Championship reign be when the time comes. If Alberto Del Rio and Wade Barrett fail to light up the main event with Sheamus, then it’s all going to fall onto Cody Rhodes’ shoulders.
It’s lucky then he has Christian to help elevate him. Anyone else and it might be a foregone conclusion that Rhodes may not succeed. If Rhodes were to be facing Cena then we may as well forget the last year of Rhodes career and expect the usual Cena demolition job. In Christian, Rhodes has one of the greatest wrestlers to ever step into the ring.
Christian should be commended and held in high regard for what he has done for the gold that currently sits around his waist. Indeed Christian has been a great servant to the Intercontinental Championship, it might have been dead without him. I expect Christian to demand the best from Rhodes at No Way Out because Captain Charisma knows how important it is to get new talent ready. Even though Vince McMahon thinks Christian is nothing more than a mid card player (his actual words – in the real world). These outbursts by Vince make me think he’s lost the touch. Did he watch Christian’s series with Randy Orton last year? They were dynamite. Did he listen to crowd react to Christian’s World Heavyweight Championship win at Extreme Rules 2011? An emotional match! Or the crowds’ reaction to the first Money in Bank ladder match upon Christian’s return to WWE? They wanted him to win.
It should come as no surprise by now to know that Christian’s treatment, constantly being held back is down to the fact that he left WWE to go to TNA. People, this is getting pathetic. We should stand up and say something. Until we do, Vince is going to think he’s in the right and this will keep happening to more wrestlers.
There is though a glimmer of hope of Christian and it comes in the form of TNA. At TNA Slammiversary, Christian made an appearance on the show, whilst he was recognized as WWE Intercontinental Champion. Unusual! People say this was WWE’s attempt to calm the waters of the legal battle between the two companies and WWE’s offer of a truce for taking Ric Flair for the Wrestlemania 28 Hall of Fame ceremony, without permission. I say bollocks. Look at this carefully.
Before Extreme Rules 2012, WWE announces that there’s a revolution coming. We, as the paying audience know that it has to be good otherwise we may just lose faith in WWE creative to do anything new. Weeks previous, reports flood in that Ric Flair and WWE hadn’t obtained permission from TNA (who Flair was still under contract with) to appear at WWE Hall of Fame and Wrestlemania 28. Then TNA and Ric Flair part company and rumours and rife once again that Flair is heading back to WWE. Weeks later TNA file a law suit against WWE for ‘Undisclosed Reasons’. More recently, former TNA World Champion Christian, whilst still recognized as WWE Intercontinental Champion, appears on TNA’s biggest pay per view of the year. A coincidence? I doubt it.
I’m hoping that WWE have seen sense and struck a deal with TNA for another invasion angle. This time WWE has past mistakes to learn from. A TNA invasion of WWE would be massive. It would make the news, it would spice up two dull and stale products and it would make names of wrestlers all over the world. And both companies have the perfect opportunity to make it happen. They wasted once chance at Slammiversary, if TNA talent had beaten Christian down, taken the Intercontinental Championship and raised it high above their heads as the show went off the air, then that would have immediately draw the battle lines. WWE then could have invaded TNA impact, which could have been shown on WWE Raw or Smackdown (because TNA now goes live), to take the title back. Then at SummerSlam, WWE could have booked a six man or a fatal four way match for the WWE Championship, involving John Cena, C.M Punk, Daniel Bryan and Christian as the main event. Only for TNA to invade WWE , disrupt the main event, beat down Cena, Punk and Bryan and surround Christian. Then implying that TNA were going to pound Christian again, they could feed him Cena or Punk or Bryan for Christian to turn on WWE and lead TNA, capturing the WWE Championship and making TNA look deadly.
I would pay to watch that. And I have a feeling you would too. The invasion could last a year. It could last longer. WWE could be painted as the underdogs for a change. Christian could take the WWE Championship to Impact, with McMahon’s permission (it would just be a storyline, Christian would always remain under contract to WWE) and parade it there. WWE’s attempts to get it back would have to fail until Wrestlemania, when you could have such great or failing that, iconic matches like: John Cena vs Hulk Hogan. Sting vs Undertaker. The Rock (who will be at Wrestlemania 29) vs Kurt Angle. Christian vs C.M Punk. Team TNA: Bobby Roode, Jeff Hardy, A.J Styles and Samoa Joe vs Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler. The possibilities are endless. Then when the invasion is over, TNA would have a better fan base, WWE would have a stronger stance and be credited for taking another chance and Christian would be elevated to a point where it wouldn’t matter what happened to him afterwards, no one could bring him down again!
Of course I doubt that would happen. Because that’s going to take guts, one thing WWE doesn’t have anymore. It astounds me that a guy like Vince McMahon, who risked everything he ever had, his money, his house, his livelihood on Wrestlemania 1, now isn’t willing to take any chances at all. Instead Christian has been lumbered with the ‘is he good or is he bad?’ storyline – which sucks. It has no mileage and isn’t going anywhere.
Still, it would be nice if the whole Invasion thing took off again. Both companies badly need a boost (did you see how pathetic the ending to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match was at Slammiversary? Bobby Roode hit Sting with a glass bottle and pinned him to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship: awful). Until then there’s an Intercontinental Championship match to focus on. It would be nice if there is another match between the two at SummerSlam (because both men will surly be involved in the Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match – at Money in the Bank 2012) if the build up was something spectacular. That way we’d know WWE were taking this feud and the title it once held in such high regard seriously, again. The fact remains that this match is one that could be, weather we know it or not, the most important Intercontinental Championship match in recent history! Have no doubt, Christian will retain the title at No Way Out. Let’s just cross out fingers that Cody Rhodes emerges the overall winner.
Winners Prediction: Christian
WWE Divas Championship
Layla (Champion) vs Beth Phoenix
In my belated look at Over the Limit 2012, I voiced my opinion on how WWE could improve the failing Divas Division and over time, make the fans who don’t care about matches like this warm to the performers and the angles in which the women are so pathetically booked.
WWE has decided to go the opposite way. It hasn’t embraced change in the Divas Division, instead, WWE has decided to do nothing. Hoping that one day there will be a Divas match that is so good everyone will just suddenly like the division again. That will not happen. The women that currently make up the WWE Divas Division do not have that special something to make people stand up and take notice. With the exception of Beth Phoenix, Layla and Kharma.
Kharma still hasn’t returned to action following her miscarriage at the end of 2011. I think we can all forgive that, the woman needs time to get over her tragic loss and I know I speak for all of you guys when I wish her all the very best in whatever she has to do to accomplish that. So that leaves Layla and Phoenix. The only thing is that WWE have booked this match so often now, that we’ve seen it all. The encounter at Over the Limit 2012 got a lukewarm reception at best, so how could WWE hope that their next match at No Way Out is going to be anything than a failure? People aren’t just going to stand up and take an interest because WWE forces it down our throats every month. If anything, it will have the opposite effect.
WWE desperately needs more women who can wrestle. It’s no secret that WWE needs to stop hiring models and wannabe actresses who have big tits and a nice smile and start hiring actual female wrestlers, people who can go like a fine car in the ring. I’ve said before that there’s only so far a cracking pair of knorks and cute grin will get you. Many WWE Divas have found this out. The Bella Twins and Kelly Kelly are just two of the examples. Both had everything anyone would want, none of the three could wrestle. Now Kelly Kelly is taking time away from WWE, deep down she knows that she isn’t cut out for this business. Maybe Playboy will have a more accommodating spot that is somewhere in her talent range.
The WWE Divas Division is thinning! It’s getting like my hair, nonexistent on top. We’re getting bored with seeing the same match week after week, so start giving us what we want or don’t bother giving us anything at all. It wouldn’t take much for WWE to take a few million out of their soul draining film department and invest in new female talent. They need freshness and they need it now. There are loads of female Japanese wrestlers who would love the exposure WWE could give them. There are loads of independent female wrestlers who toil and sweat, travelling around the world just trying to get to the big time who could be put to good use, if WWE just stopped looking them over for models and plastic sluts.
I think it’d be great if the important was put back on the Divas Championship. Bin the belt and bring back the WWE Women’s Championship. It had so much more history and class than the ugly Divas Championship does. The current title looks cheap and tacky, which coincidentally matches the women that hold it. Yet bringing back the Women’s Championship would add that much more class to the division. As would brining in ten serious female wrestlers, along with Kharma, Layla and Beth Phoenix, then once every six months holding a Queen of the Ring Tournament, the winner leapfrogging the opposition and getting an automatic number one contenders match for the WWE Divas Championship. That way the importance of the wrestlers, the title and the division would hammered home, maybe if the WWE Universe saw WWE taking the Divas Division seriously, the WWE Universe would as well.
That’s just one idea that could make WWE a more rounded product. Still, what are the chances of WWE listening to us? It hasn’t done so in years and I wouldn’t bet my reputation on them doing it now. Layla and Beth Phoenix will give us their best at No Way Out, despite the silence the match will play out to.
It is worth asking yourself though, if the audience doesn’t care about the match or division. WWE don’t give a rats arse about the matches or division, then why should the women who represent it?
Winners Prediction: Layla
Tuxedo Match
WWE United States Championship Match
Santino Marella (Champion) vs Ricardo Rodriguez
Yes, you read it right the first time. WWE have decided to ignore all of the lessons that it supposedly learnt by making the Intercontinental Championship a laughing stock and have applied them all to the United States Championship. Not only have WWE yet again booked Santino on a pay per view over the Tag Team Champions or someone that actually matters, it has given him a comedy opponent.
Someone obviously booked this as a joke. Someone in Titan Towers needed a laugh and Santino vs Rodriguez in a comedy tuxedo match is what they came up with. Ricardo isn’t a contender to anything in WWE, so why does he get a shot at the U.S Championship when there are so many other deserving wrestlers that could make something of a run with the U.S Championship.
WWE have found their new Doink the Clown with Santino and their reckoning is being a really bad comedian, somehow warrants a title reign. It’s hard to believe that once upon a time, Santino was a promising talent isn’t it? Now, all we need is a small teddy, a tweed jacket and a pair of black trousers and he could be the Italian Mr. Bean. Even though Mr. Bean is a classic comedy character and in twenty years while Bean will heralded as a great creation, people will be saying, Santino who?
WWE need to stop pissing about and book a serious U.S title match. Get the WWE U.S Championship off of Santino as quickly as possible and give it to someone who needs the exposure. We tune in to watch wrestling, if we wanted to see some really fine comedy we’d watch something the BBC didn’t produce.
Unfortunately, I can see WWE going from the frying pan and into the fire at No Way Out. Santino’s time in the WWE spotlight is well and truly up. Someone needs to give him his marching orders. I can foresee Ricardo Rodriguez walking out of No Way Out as WWE United States Champion. Now, this will be fine if WWE are planning to take the belt off of Ricardo in the coming weeks to give it to Alberto Del Rio, if they’re just going to force feed us another comedy championship reign, then I think we’ve all got better things we could be doing.
Winners Prediction: Ricardo Rodriguez
Triple H returns
Since jobbing to John Cena at Extreme Rules 2012, Brock Lesnar had to be guaranteed a prime spot and a first class opponent to stop him walking out of WWE after John Cena ignored all of the instructions gave to him for the match at Extreme Rules 2012. For those not in the know or for those of you who didn’t read my previous blogs, let me bring you up to date.
In order to get Brock Lesnar to agree to a loss to Cena at Extreme Rules 2012, WWE had to guarantee Lesnar the aura of the wrecking machine. This was to be done by getting John Cena to take a hell of a beating en route to victory. The understand was that Cena sold every shot and move like he’d been hit by a truck, then he’d just manage to pull a victory out of the bag before collapsing to the mat and would have to be escorted either via stretcher or referees to the back. This would have maintained Brock Lesnar’s wrecking ball image and propelled a rematch in the future, which Lesnar would have won.
Instead, John Cena, the most unprofessional man in the history of wrestling decided to go into business for himself. Cena did indeed sell the shots like they were the most devastating thing he’d encountered, he did so the best of his talent – or lack of. After the match, Cena decided to ignore Lesnar and WWE’s request, stand up like there was nothing wrong with him, grab the microphone and cut a stupid promo about ‘going on a short trip’. Everything that happened after the John Cena vs Brock Lesnar match at Extreme Rules 2012 was unscripted and spontaneous. After the promo, Cena walked up the aisle of his own accord, not a thing wrong with him. Understandably Brock Lesnar was furious. If it hadn’t been for Lesnar agreeing, then Cena would have lost two main events in a row.
The next night on Raw, John Cena contradicted himself and disobeyed orders once again, when he came out to a capacity crowd, grinning and not a hint of injury in sight, except a slightly injured arm. In 24 hours, John Cena not only made Brock Lesnar look like a pussy but he also proved to entire world that he was nothing more than a joker. The promo the night before when he talked about ‘taking a trip’ was meant to mean that when WWE got hold of him they’d supposedly suspend him for disobeying orders and making the new multi-million dollar man in Lesnar angry. By doing this John Cena put WWE’s immediate future at risk and also risked costing them millions of dollars.
After Extreme Rules 2012, Brock Lesnar had to be calmed down by numerous high rulers in the business and refused to work with John Cena ever again. Lesnar has more balls than any other wrestler in the locker room. He did what no one else would dream of doing, he stood up to WWE and bad mouthed John Cena, for which Cena gave him the ammunition. What’s worse, John Cena never received a reprimand for going into business for himself. A crime in the wrestling world that has seen many a wrestler fired for disobeying orders. Because Cena puts so much money in Vince’s pocket, he escaped without even a warning or raised eyebrow. Three things are wrong with this: 1) Because Cena received no punishment, it sent out the message the locker room that John Cena is untouchable and that it’s one rule for him and one for everyone else. Thus telling everyone who wears a pair of tights in WWE that Cena is more important than all of them put together! Can you imagine C.M Punk disobeying orders and doing whatever he liked in the ring? He’d be dropped to the bottom of the ladder and kept out of the WWE Championship picture for at least a year. 2) John Cena knew how Lesnar would react should he fail to comply, yet did it anyway. Lesnar would have had grounds to back out of his contract whilst retaining the millions WWE had already paid him, on the grounds that each party had a deal which one of them didn’t hold up. That would have put SummerSlam and Wrestlemania 29 in serious jeopardy and it would have been Cena’s fault and 3) By disobeying orders and taking the mic, Cena knew there was a chance that he may be suspended for not doing as he was told. So why would he willingly put himself and his career at risk by doing it? The man is a liability. The truth is that Cena has done this so often that he knows he can do whatever he likes and not get into trouble for it. Someone needs to do something about this guy and quickly.
WWE had to assure Lesnar that his wrecking machine image would still be viable in WWE after Cena’s antics. Looking down the roster there is a serious lack of talent to pull something like this off. C.M. Punk and his title reign would have been tarnished if he had been destroyed the next night on Raw by Lesnar. Kane and Big Show don’t have the star appeal or drawing power to pull in viewers by having a feud with Lesnar and Randy Orton, who would have been an ideal candidate was approaching his suspension for failing the WWE wellness policy (although WWE had no idea this would happen yet). Had Orton been put in the opposite corner then maybe the whole angle would have gone up in smoke, unless upon Orton’s suspension, WWE booked Lesnar to destroy Orton to explain his 60 day absence.
In stepped Triple H. The perfect candidate. Like him or hate him, Triple H has been an unparalleled solider for WWE. Doing what needs to be done at the right time. Triple H carried WWE into the new era from its attitude era and set it on its path to greatness in the early naughties. Triple H knew that his absence from the ring, to concentrate on his backstage duties coupled with Lesnar’s limited date contract would work a treat in working a storyline heading into SummerSlam. So it was left to ‘The Game’ to do what Cena should have the previous evening and make Lesnar look like a monster. Triple H accomplished his task with the usual panache. There was no worrying how he’d look to the outside world, like Cena had. Triple H like Cena had lost at Wrestlemania 28, though unlike the human career killer, Triple H wasn’t bothered about looking weak twice in the same month. Something that never would have happened with a pre 2007 Triple H (let’s not forget that a memo went out to all companies upon the release of the later Smackdown vs Raw video games, stating that in the screen shots for the game, Triple H was not allowed to look weak). This just goes to prove that Triple H is committed to the business and driving forward into a better tomorrow.
Feigning the arm injury, from Lesnar’s brutal arm bar Triple H disappeared from WWE T.V to make the injury look authentic. It is at No Way Out that Triple H returns to WWE to challenge his tormentor and attacker to a match at SummerSlam. I have no idea at this point if Brock Lesnar will put in an appearance at No Way Out, but he should to give the angle more intensity. The beauty of this, is that there has never been a Triple H vs Brock Lesnar that has this much relevance. I’m sure if you go back long enough, between 2002 and 2004, you may find the odd match on Raw or Smackdown or a house show, but never on pay per view.
John Cena, by doing what he likes has done WWE a favour for once. There’s no way with his poor acting skills and his lack of wrestling knowhow, that Cena could have feigned an injury for this long. The first match he had after being attacked he’d have forgotten or just not bothered to sell the arm and made the whole thing look like a practical joke.
If all parties stick the plan this time around, which they will, then we’re in a for a treat my friends. A real gem this summer. And it’s not often you get to say that about WWE these days. And just think, we could have been facing up to the realization of another John Cena vs Brock Lesnar match.
We have to be thankful for small mercies.
Pre Show Match
Brodus Clay vs David Otunga
This pre-show match is a typical clone of the WWE stop-start machine. Both Brodus Clay and David ‘A-list, 0-talent’ Otunga were given huge pushes by WWE this year. Otunga was given the distinction of team captain when Team Johnny took on Team Teddy at Wrestlemania 28. WWE had planned to make Otunga a star, despite the apathy towards the guy from the paying fans. They could see he couldn’t wrestle, but because he’s built like a star and is married to a celebrity, he got special status.
Brodus Clay, despite his lack of talent, likability and the fact that he spends more time dancing with kids and strippers (we all know where those women come from) than actually wrestling, received one of WWE’s biggest pushes in years. He mowed through talent (proper talent) like they were jobbers. Even Dolph Ziggler and the Miz weren’t safe from this plodding elephant. WWE really wanted Clay to get over with the fans that it repeated itself with both Clay and Ryback and booked them in nothing more than squash matches. Clay even received vital pay per view time on the last two pay per view and even got a dance in at Wrestlemania 28. That was time that needed to be allocated to more important wrestlers and angles.
Now though, WWE seems to have lost interest in both men. Otunga is treading water and Clay is on a downward spiral, even though he’ll come out of this the probable winner. WWE has proven to us that it has lost its knack of making stars. If I was wrong then WWE wouldn’t lose interest in wrestlers, such as Clay, Otunga or even Tensai (who should have stayed in Japan) so quickly. A wrestler takes months if not years to build up properly. WWE did it with Randy Orton – after a fashion, they did it with Batista – to huge acclaim, they even somehow did it with John Cena – they can work miracles. So why do WWE seem incapable of doing it now?
The answer is that WWE wants instant success. They saw how well WCW did it with Goldberg and are now trying to copy that with Ryback (it won’t work). Brodus Clay is just a white, larger version of the successful Godfather character that was so popular in the late 90’s early 00’s. WWE have a horrible knack of repeating what’s already been successful instead of thinking up original ways to get wrestlers over. And when wrestlers get themselves over because WWE can’t, WWE doesn’t like it and punishes them. Not only is it a vicious circle, it’s pathetic to watch. You see my good people, WWE gets bored of these new guys so quickly because they’re repeating history and Vince McMahon prefers to keep the past in the past. So why do you bother doing it Vince?
When WWE can’t get a wrestler over their way, they bury them. Blaming the wrestler for failing, instead of looking to it’s ‘out of ideas’ creative department. A T.V show very rarely blames the actor if the show fails. If that happens the blame falls to the writer and the people in charge. You can be the best performer in the world, but if you’re not given the material to work with, all you are is another face in the crowd. You need something to distinguish you, make you stand out.
The burial argument was illustrated perfectly when Big Show knocked out Brodus Clay and WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth without WWE allowing them to put up a fight. That isn’t the way to make new stars, just build them up for Big Blunder to knock them down. I said before, Show, didn’t need to look like a monster because he was already meant to be. It would have made Clay, Kingston and Truth look much better if they’d have at least beat Show down a little before he retaliated. Big Show made all three look like part timers.
No doubt, this is a step forward for WWE, they bothered to advertise the match before the pay per view went on air. Usually, with WWE, where there’s a step forward there are two steps back. Those steps come in the fact that the match isn’t featured on the main card only on the pre-show and that the match for Clay, isn’t against anyone worth while. Clay defeats Otunga, so what? Who cares? Otunga is nothing. Clay will not benefit from a loss or victory in this match which does make you wonder why WWE booked it. It must be a come down for Clay. After being given pay per view time for the last three months, Clay is suddenly stuck on the undercard and forgotten about. I would just like to point out that when Mark Henry returns from his injury he will be given a major push. So what WWE are telling us is that waste of spaces like Henry are more important to the future of WWE than up and coming stars like Kingston and Truth and to a certain extent, Clay.
That reason alone, is also the genesis of why the WWE Universe don’t believe in anyone new. They’ve been programmed like a Cyborg to expect a wrestler to be built up and then buried. It is now second nature to them. By doing this, WWE is putting its future in jeopardy. Because when it comes to it, who will the WWE Universe have to believe in once Orton, Cena, Triple H, Undertaker, Sheamus, C.M Punk and the rest of the main cast are gone? While this continues, WWE will fail to create any new stars. All that will happen is that WWE will repeat history and keep going around in a vicious circle until is finally realizes something is wrong. By then it will be too late.
“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Winners Prediction: Brodus Clay
Conspicuous by their absence are the WWE Tag Team Champions. I presume they could be thrown on as a filler like so many are on WWE pay per view in 2012, which detracts from their momentum and the tag team gold. How can the WWE Universe take the division seriously if WWE can’t even be bothered to advertise the Tag Team Title matches? Another presumption is that somewhere, sometime, we’re almost guaranteed to see the colossal bore that is Ryback, who will most probably strut his stuff against two local athletes. Just one question for your able brains to ponder over my quislings, how can WWE expect us to treat Ryback as a serious contender and the next Goldberg if he only wrestles local athletes – non wrestlers, and not the WWE roster? Maybe WWE don’t genuinely believe that Ryback has what it takes.
WWE must be lucky. Because this yet another card on which they have the chance to put right some of the wrongs of the previous months. Though the chance will more than likely be squandered yet again, WWE must now realize that they might not get too many more chances of this magnitude. With the exception of the Steel Cage Match, every other encounter on the night should bring something that WWE can take into the future and build on. The most impressive thing on the card is the amount of coverage WWE are giving the young up and comers this month on pay per view.
Dolph Ziggler was the perfect replacement for Alberto Del Rio. The hottest property in WWE today doesn’t have to defeat Sheamus (which he won’t) all WWE has to do is allow him some really good offence and make him look like a proper contender. Cody Rhodes and Christian have been advertised to compete this month, instead of being thrown on as a time filler, like they were at Over the Limit 2012: with the skills of both men, Cody Rhodes should look like a main event player by the end of their feud. Layla, Beth Phoenix and WWE have the chance to begin to build a new future for the Divas Division – even though it’s going to take hard work and commitment, the chance for change is at No Way Out. WWE’s biggest show of the summer could be the most anticipated in years if Triple H can get it right on the night. Even though they’re going on before the show opens, Brodus Clay and David Otunga can make the WWE Universe stand up and take notice: There’s no pressure for them to perform to a high standard, so maybe we’ll get the foundations on which both can base a future on. The two people who can shine at No Way Out are C.M Punk and Daniel Bryan: if WWE are clever then they will build this towards a submission match at SummerSlam: the stars of the rebirth of one of WWE’s former highlights of the year could be two men who learnt to wrestle, made their names and began their career’s on the independent circuit – somewhere WWE and all it’s wisdom wizards despise.
WWE can’t get away from the fact that its two hottest stars aren’t of their creation and that the independent circuit holds more talent than WWE ever could. For that reason alone, until WWE see the light about the indies and the wealth of talent they themselves could exploit from the lower leagues, then for WWE, there is No Way Out.
Onwards and Upwards...
