WWE’s first ‘Payback’ pay-per view event has replaced Over the Limit in the pay-per view calendar without actually adding anything new, except the name change, to WWE’s annual pay-per view output. Lacking a theme for the show which would have sold it to the audience better than its predecessor, ‘Payback’ now has to live up the hype as it takes its first steps onto the grand sage of wrestling pay-per view.
On June 16th 2013, WWE will attempt to convince us that ‘Payback’ is the name of the game is presumably puts forth endings to old feuds and beginnings to new ones. For the first time in its history, this is the first card of the first – and depending on its buy rates it could also be its last – WWE Payback event.
WWE Championship Match
Three Stages of Hell Match
Stage 1: Lumberjack Match
Stage 2: Tables Match
Stage 3: Ambulance Match (If needed)
(c) John Cena vs Ryback
I know, I know, I know and I’m bored of saying it time and time again. WWE really don’t learn when it comes to their main event pay-per view matches. After Extreme Rules saw John Cena and Ryback fight to a no contest which is a shambles of an ending for a WWE Championship on pay-per view, WWE have once again pushed two of its most clueless stars onto a grand stage and are crouching behind a closed door with their fingers crossed that they will fly. The only problem with that is the albatross around both of their necks.
It’s no secret by now that John Cena and Ryback do not have what it takes to main event a pay-per view together, their Extreme Rules match was less than satisfactory and the last time they met in the main event of a pay-per view was at Royal Rumble as the pair battled it out to see who would face The Rock at WrestleMania 29 for the WWE Championship. On that night John Cena got the share of the cheers for once as the fans clearly indicated to WWE they didn’t want to see Ryback in the main event challengers spot for the WWE Championship ever again – after his shambles of a challenge in 2012.
WWE should have listened to its audience at the Royal Rumble and whilst John Cena isn’t the ideal main event guy as far in ring wrestling goes, he does have a certain aura about him which Ryback currently lacks. Before 2013 rolled around, Cena and Ryback had last clashed on pay-per view at Survivor Series 2012 in the triple threat main event for the WWE Championship, along with then WWE Champion, C.M Punk. That match was only saved because of Punk’s acumen in the ring and as he was willing to sell so convincingly for both Ryback and Cena, the pair looked better than they would have done had Punk been absent.
Putting aside the Royal Rumble and John Cena’s WrestleMania 29 victory which has now been well documented, Extreme Rules should have been a turning point for both Champion and challenger. WWE should have sat John Cena and Ryback down and gave them a stern talking to as a last resort. John Cena should have been told that he has to try and learn the business which has made him a multi-millionaire in just over ten years and perform to a higher level in the ring – it’s something which Cena could easily do if he could be bothered, unfortunately he can’t and worse still, can’t be bothered – and Ryback should have been made to see that this is potentially his final and biggest chance to become a full time main event player. Had the artist formerly known as Skip Sheffield been told by Vince this was his final chance to impress, then maybe we would have seen something out of him that resembled potential. Alas, nothing resembling that was presented.
It was a hard decision, I imagine, for WWE to come up with something which we hadn’t already seen between the pair and whilst Cage matches, Ladder matches, Falls Count Anywhere matches are all very well, WWE needed something to dictate that this was a major feud stemming from both men’s results at WrestleMania 29. Could it have been handled better? Of course it could. The Ryback heel turn would have been much more effective had we seen it build since Royal Rumble or his TLC loss. Though that is now where Ryback’s character falls flat.
When Ryback was introduced to the WWE, he was a Goldberg type wrecking machine who tore through anyone and everyone in his path without a loss. It was a clever plan by WWE or at least would have been had they employed a wrestler who could have portrayed the Ryback character whilst being able to wrestle and go longer than five minutes without blowing up in the middle of the ring. When Goldberg played the part he was convincing. As rough as hell, but convincing. WWE on the other hand chose a wrestler who has been seen previously in an unimportant role as part of a group which had been destroyed and had all their credibility took away by John Cena. From the beginning, it was clear the Ryback character wasn’t going to work.
Goldberg’s undefeated streak lasted years and his match count surpassed one thousand before he was finally defeated. Ryback’s lasted a number of months and consisted of nothing but jobbers who barely put up any resistance. WWE needed to book Ryback strongly against wrestlers such as Sheamus, Randy Orton, Kane, Daniel Bryan, people who could have gotten him over either by selling for him or looking at the lights for him. Instead, WWE sacrificed wrestlers like Dolph Ziggler and idiots such as Brodus Clay to the cause of getting Ryback over. Did it work? No. All that happened was those who lost to Ryback had their star diminished as a result.
Ryback’s turning point was Hell in a Cell, the event which will now be looked at as the night WWE booked itself into a hole. There was no way Ryback was ready for the WWE Championship and by the time the Hell in a Cell match came around, The Rock had already agreed a deal to face C.M Punk for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble. There was only one outcome to the match which had no count out or disqualification ruling to it and everyone in the arena knew it. C.M Punk had to win that night because WWE didn’t want to piss the Rock off and Ryback would have bombed as Champion – as he will do should he ever win the gold. WWE couldn’t get out by having Punk counted out or disqualified so the Champion had to pin the challenger. An outcome which WWE knew would diminish Ryback significantly and that we would no longer see him as the monster WWE wanted us to buy into. Had this been a triple threat match, Ryback could have been spared with Punk pinning another man – despite the fact that Ryback was a stand in for the injured John Cena. To make matters worse, with C.M Punk injured, Ryback had to lose the match in under twelve minutes. The whole night for Ryback and WWE, because of that fact was a total disaster.
Since his loss at Hell in a Cell Ryback failed to triumph at Survivor Series, TLC, Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, WrestleMania 29 and Extreme Rules despite the fact whether he was pinned or not. It is simply not good enough for a wrestler WWE were always planning on warring with Cena over the WWE Championship in its post WrestleMania period. Vince McMahon has no one to blame but himself for the fall of Ryback.
And so we come to Payback. What else could WWE have done? Another Hell in a Cell match which would have necessitated that John Cena pin Ryback or make him tap out? That would have been almost career ending for the monster with no clue. Three Stages of Hell may not be the match in which Ryback will capture the WWE Championship – thank god – but it will at least allow him to defeat John Cena in one fall before Cena totally ruins Ryback in the other two. Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H’s 3 Stages of Hell match at No Way Out 2001 was criticised by many but I still believe it remains a very good bout which got both men over. It’s just a shame Randy Orton vs Triple H’s 3 Stages of Hell match at The Bash 2009 was an absolute dud.
With a Lumberjack Match as the first stage, Table Match as the second stage and Ambulance Match as the third stage if needed, Ryback has been given a playing field in which to shine should he care to bother putting in any effort at all. It always irks me that WWE put into the match listing ‘if needed’ on the final fall when we all it will be. I can’t remember a 3 Stages of Hell match which didn’t need the third fall to decide it. It’s WWE way of building tension for the bout but in truth, we can all see through it. Do they believe that we think they would book such a match and leave the final and most appealing stage out of the match? Not likely. Especially after all the build up revolving the ambulance in the weeks leading up to WWE. The ruling for this match should be that there are points awarded for all three stages necessitating them all to be fought and promoted as so.
If you don’t want to know the likelihood of the outcome of each stage of this match then it may be time to leave the room or you could just skip down a paragraph, it’s up to you. Ryback will win the Lumberjack Match thanks to outside interference. John Cena will have to be safeguarded – why? His image can never be hurt now no matter who he loses to. John Cena will win the last two falls straight to make him look strong going into his next feud or the continuation of this one. The match won’t do anything for Ryback if booked this way unfortunately, being the man to lose the first fall in is basically a straight up wrestling match won’t do him any good either. It’s a lose-lose situation for Ryback at Payback.
I have a horrible feeling that no matter what, this feud is going until SummerSlam and will probably end in a Cage of some sort. This match is simply as big as it is because WWE want to rake in as many buy rates as they possibly can for the birth of this new event. Is the outcome of this match ever in doubt? Not really. Is there any point for it to exist? That question can only be answered after one man has been bundled into the back of the ambulance and carried out of the arena.
Winners Prediction: John Cena
World Heavyweight Championship Match
(c) Dolph Ziggler vs Alberto Del Rio
Welcome back Dolph. Those are the banner which should be out on June 16th, when our World Heavyweight Champion returns to action from a very nasty and potentially career ending concussion received at the hands of Jack Swagger shortly after Dolph Ziggler was crowned World Heavyweight Champion.
Re-watching the footage of Dolph Ziggler’s injury makes it more violent every time. When you know the effects which stemmed from the kick to the head, you can’t help but wince every time Swagger’s boot connects with Ziggler’s head. It’s nasty stuff and one which WWE hopefully reprimanded Jack Swagger for seeing as he received no punishment for being pulled over by the cops, smashed out of his face and in possession of marijuana. Putting that aside though, poor old Dolph Ziggler has really been through the wringer lately. First he’s buried mercilessly by WWE when he should have been pushed to the sky and beyond seeing as he was World Heavyweight Champion elect, then Ziggler was used as cannon fodder for any and every star WWE could throw at him and the final insult was that WWE couldn’t even find him anything meaningful to do at WrestleMania 29, instead saddling him in the WWE Tag Team Championship match in which he was used as the fall guy.
I doubt Ziggler cared about WrestleMania 29 when he was informed that he would become World Heavyweight Champion 24 hours later. When you knowing something great and wonderful is on its way then the human body and mind find ways to weather the storms which still lie ahead. It’s a wonderful survival mechanism. If you know something is going to happen and you have the dates of when and where, whatever shit you’re in presently becomes that much more tenable. That was the boat Dolph Ziggler found himself in on April 7th. No matter how short or inconsequential his match was on WWE’s grandest stage of the year, no matter how much he’d been looked over in the past for other, less talented wrestlers, Dolph Ziggler was in the knowledge that his World Heavyweight Championship reign, the reign which had worked tirelessly for, for years, was on its way.
It was a triumphant moment when Dolph Ziggler finally cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase the night after WrestleMania 29 and pinned Alberto Del Rio to lift the gold. A moment one won’t forget quickly and one I’m not ashamed to say made me give a wrestler a standing ovation for the first time in years. You see, unlike most in WWE who are pushed without need because of their bodies or connection with those backstage, Dolph Ziggler had worked his arse off for years, toiling and getting nothing but United States Championship reigns back as a reward. It wasn’t enough to satisfy Ziggler and certainly not enough to repay him for being one of the most reliable and efficient workers in the entire business. More was needed and despite being a heel who people were supposed to hate and turn their noses up at, Dolph Ziggler defied WWE and got the audience on his side. I lost count of how many times a World Heavyweight Championship match ended with the Champion down and the crowd chanted Ziggler’s name. On April 8th they got their wish as did Dolph Ziggler and your Wrestling God.
I am a big campaigner for those getting what they deserve in wrestling. If you’ve worked for it, if you desire it and if you have what it takes to never let the disappointments knock you back then who the hell has the right to tell you that you cannot achieve a dream. Those who do are those who either failed where you are looking to succeed or are those who didn’t have enough talent to do what you’re trying to in the first place. The best thing to do with those people is shut them out of your life, grab your dream and shoot for the stars. Dolph Ziggler did that and the reaction he received when he finally lifted his first legitimate World Heavyweight Championship (I, like many, do not count his 2010 victory as legitimate even though WWE list him as a 2 time World Heavyweight Champion) was thoroughly deserved as was every standing ovation he received from those in attendance and those watching across the world.
What could possibly ruin all of that for Dolph Ziggler? Enter, Jack Swagger. It was careless and clumsy of the All American-American. A worker so reliable that he could usually be relied upon to carry anyone to a safe match. Not for one moment do I believe the kick he gave Dolph Ziggler was intentional but nevertheless it was careless. After the incident many in wrestling believed it was a work of fiction, a mere storyline to allow Del Rio and Swagger to finish their feud at Extreme Rules. However it was not. Dolph Ziggler’s concussion was so severe that he could not remember anything about it or the last few days. He’d lost days of his life to a careless kick and the doctors and WWE were suitably concerned. They had good reason to be. After Chris Benoit, WWE treat concussions very seriously to the point they donate money to Christopher Nowinski’s foundation which researches head trauma. Dolph Ziggler’s high moment was brought down to earth with a mighty bump.
The injury to the World Heavyweight Champion necessitated that WWE change their booking for Extreme Rules and instead of the Triple Threat ladder match which was scheduled to take place, Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio contested an ordinary ‘I Quit’ Match. Now though, with doctors clearance, Dolph Ziggler is back in the driving seat and set to make his first defence of the World Heavyweight Championship. A championship WWE should be given credit for keeping around Ziggler’s waist when it would have been so easy and so unsurprising for WWE to strip of the gold he had worked all of his life for.
WWE have missed Dolph Ziggler on television since his injury and even Alberto Del Rio, as good as he is, hasn’t been able to fill the gap left by Ziggler in his absence. Alberto, the supposed face in this feud hasn’t been able to step up to the plate as he should have and has more or less failed to impress since his turn from heel to babyface. His World Heavyweight Championship victory over Big Show on January 3rd Smackdown aside, Alberto Del Rio has failed in every aspect to produce something unforgettable as the main man on top of WWE’s blue brand.
It should have been so different. Alberto Del Rio should have been more determined than anyone in WWE to make a difference after his treatment at the hands of bigwigs. Before his victory at TLC in December 2012 Alberto Del Rio hadn’t won on pay-per view since October 2011. What followed that night was defeat after defeat, all to the detriment of Del Rio’s character. In fact he became so boring and dull that his succession of losses to then World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus on a number of pay-per views in 2012 all but finished off Del Rio as a heel character. How could we buy into Del Rio as a menacing threat to the WWE after he had fallen to Sheamus on so many pay-per view events and television shows?
I’d have hated to been around Vince McMahon when Del Rio ignored orders to turn face and continued to wrestle and act as a heel. I can just imagine the number of chairs thrown, windows broken and people fired for no good reason when instead of appearing humble on television, Del Rio continued to smirk his way through angles and promos as well as wrestle just as he always had. It really wasn’t rocket science for Alberto Del Rio. All he had to do was watch tapes of Chris Jericho, C.M Punk and Shawn Michaels. When you’re a good guy there are rules that have to be adhered to. You can’t cheat and if you do then you have to make it look like its payback for something the heel you’re opposing did. You can’t hook tights, put your feet on the ropes or try to distract the referee and having your own personal ringside announcer in your corner, helping you win matches is certainly looked down on. As the man who people are meant to be urging on, you are meant to be the man who overcomes adversity at every corner.
On the other side of the coin, if you’re a heel, then you can easily break all the rules and do whatever necessary to win the match. It’s a tried and tested tradition that works well and one that Alberto Del Rio has all but ignored. Not once, nearly seven months after his face turn have I watched Alberto Del Rio and thought that he was really in trouble. Ricardo Rodriguez is a huge part of that barrier which Del Rio has yet to break down. As popular as Rodriguez is, Alberto Del Rio is now meant to be the man representing us. WWE have already packaged him as an aristocratic millionaire who thought he was better than all of us, that part of the character has been toned down significantly in recent months with WWE doing away with the expensive cars Del Rio drove to the ring which screamed ‘heel’. Ricardo though has to be the next to go.
With Ricardo by his side, Alberto Del Rio has a get out clause. He doesn’t have to win matches cleanly because whenever another manager gets involved for his opponent, Ricardo can always be called upon to defend his boss. For a face this is a certain no. Just think how much better Alberto Del Rio could play the victim if he was all alone in the ring and forced to take a beating from his opponent. If anyone in WWE is listening then it is time to turn Ricardo Rodriguez heel. And Payback is the perfect time to do so.
Should Ricardo turn on Del Rio, costing him the World Heavyweight Championship then it would lend an air of pity to Del Rio which he needs. WWE has to make us, the viewers, feel sorry for him. Right now, when an Alberto Del Rio match is announced we sigh and in the back of minds know that whilst Del Rio may give us his very best, there’s nothing about him to buy into. With his best friend gone, turned on him, we could begin to feel sorry for the man who has no one left to turn to and a man who is battling the odds alone. That, right now, is the perfect role for Alberto Del Rio to play and indeed the only avenue left open to him if WWE want the character to succeed in the company.
As far as the match goes, there is only one outcome. After being away for a while WWE could have simply stripped Dolph Ziggler of the World Heavyweight Championship. That it didn’t, makes them taking the title off of him in his first Championship defence very, very unlikely indeed.
Winners Prediction: Dolph Ziggler
C.M Punk vs Chris Jericho
WrestleMania 28 anyone? Whatever possessed WWE to book this match again, just over one year after the first, boring instalment ended is beyond me. C.M Punk defeated Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 28 to retain the WWE Championship in a choice effort which neither man can be proud of. People can blame the Jericho main event curse at WrestleMania if they so want to and whilst it’s true Jericho has never had a really good WWE or World Heavyweight Championship on the grandest stage of them all, both Chris Jericho and C.M Punk should have put up a better fight than they gave to us on the night.
WrestleMania 28 wasn’t the end of the pair’s feud however; they manage to produce a fine brawl at Extreme Rules 2012, four weeks later before the end of the feud mercifully was delivered. Last year, Punk and Jericho failed to cover themselves in glory in a feud which should have been so much more. Can the pair produce anything better this time around? It’s a possibility seeing as there is no high profile Championship on the line this time around. Chris Jericho seems to perform better without the stress of the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship though one would question the choice to bring C.M Punk back to action this early on after he walked out of WWE the night after WrestleMania 29.
This kind of lazy booking has become synonymous with WWE and to make matters worse, it is going to affect how C.M Punk is seen by WWE fans because this won’t be the first time he’s promised to walk away from WWE for an extended amount of time and gone back on that pledge. The first, as many will remember was at Money in the Bank 2011 when Punk promised to leave WWE with the WWE Championship after defeating John Cena. The hype for it was massive and by far one of WWE’s stand out angles of that year. Had WWE kept their promise to the WWE Universe of having Punk stay away from WWE with the legitimate Championship for more than the fortnight they manage then they could have built a super hyped feud between Punk and Cena when Punk finally did return several months later. It was a missed opportunity by WWE and C.M Punk suffered as a result.
Now, history is beginning to repeat itself. After WrestleMania 29 C.M Punk came out on Raw, live in front of the watching world and pledged to leave WWE for numerous reasons. Paul Heyman played the part of shocked manager who was losing one of his biggest money spinners to perfection and everyone seemed shocked. The angle would have been even more believable had Punk stayed away from the WWE for a prolonged period for the first time in 2011. Coming out of WrestleMania 29 and even the talk before hand stated that Punk would take an extended leave from WWE, partly to heal wounds which he had acquired during his WWE Championship reign in 2012 and partly as thanks by WWE for helping carry the company and the product in the pre-WrestleMania period with his feud with Undertaker. For a reward then it was well earned, despite the shocking build up which revolved hugely around the late William ‘Paul Bearer’ Moody, and C.M Punk and Undertaker put on the match of the night on the grand stage.
In truth, there was never any way Punk could continue without a rest after WrestleMania. The man was a standard bearer for anyone aspiring to the top tier in the future. He showed what dedication and commitment looked like and even when he was struck down with a serious knee injury in September, Punk continued to wrestle Ryback in an attempt to put him over. Punk never complained that he was injured and couldn’t compete. In fact, the only time Punk didn’t compete on an injury was when the doctors medically refused to clear him. Weeks after the operation to mend the knee, Punk was back in the ring and receiving a customary beating from Ryback in a TLC Match on Raw. That is commitment. Many wrestlers would have vacated the WWE Championship in favour of rehabbing the injury properly. For C.M Punk, the show had to go on.
At the present moment, it isn’t known if C.M Punk will be at Payback or not. This whole storyline may just be another attempt by WWE to create a feud later down the line in the way they did The Miz vs John Cena in 2009, when Cena was injured and Miz called him out. When Cena failed to appear Miz claimed he was the winner and built up a record of Cena no-shows. If this is not the plan then WWE may have another in mind for Chris Jericho when the night draws near. Maybe Brock Lesnar will appear and destroy Chris Jericho necessitating Y2J takes some time out in order to allow him to appear with Fozzy on tour. Whatever the plan then it unwise at this very moment to bring C.M Punk back so early after his exit in April.
Chris Jericho could do with some high profile spotlight at this very moment after his feud with Fandango bombed worse than Pearl Harbour and maybe a small feud with Paul Heyman’s other client, Brock Lesnar is on the cards. If so then Jericho needs to come across as a real threat to the man who has become sluggish in his attempts to regain what he once possessed in 2002 – 2004. For the life of me, I cannot see how another feud between Punk and Jericho could do either any good at all. Everything has been done and seeing as Jericho is now a babyface WWE can’t retread old ground and revisit the Jericho trying to taunt Punk over his family being drug and alcohol addicts. There’s no Championship for the pair to brawl over and quite frankly at over forty years old, it’s time for Chris Jericho to take his final bow in the upper mid-card position.
Had Chris Jericho still possessed something to give WWE in this role then he would have produced it by now and certainly at WrestleMania 29. That he failed to make Fandango look good in their match and only seemingly turned up for the pay cheque is a clear indication that Chris Jericho has grown stagnated with wrestling, almost as much as the business has with him. If this is the last time Chris Jericho makes a march on the main event then what a career it has been for him. However, if he’s going to continue to take the spotlight of those who need and deserve it more than him in 2013 then maybe its better he just heads for the exit door, with our thanks, altogether.
Winners Prediction: C.M Punk
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Triple Threat Match
(c) Wade Barrett vs The Miz vs Curtis Axel
By the time Payback has ended, for Curtis Axel, it could be the perfect rise in WWE. Excuse the pun. After being subjected to humiliating defeat after humiliating defeat by WWE as Michael McGillicutty, WWE wisely decided to withdraw the son of the later Mr. Perfect and repackage him but whilst leaving time in between his exit and re-appearance so WWE could at least have a chance to forget his run as one of the Nexus. An achievement we can accomplish with some certainty seeing as Henning’s run as a Nexus foot soldier was lifeless from beginning to end.
Like his father before him, Henning is a very good athlete even if he is not in his father’s league. Though that may be something which hampers the Henning heir to the throne in weeks to come. Not the fact that he isn’t anywhere as good as his father but being compared to him. So here at least, we shall refrain as much as possible from doing so. Now Henning has gained a little weight and muscle mass WWE have decided to take an interest in him, go figure, and his introduction into WWE as Curtis Axel – note he has his father’s first name in his in ring character ‘Curt’ not ‘Curtis’ – couldn’t have been a better start had WWE wrote it. Oh wait. They did. Instead of coming out on Raw the night after Extreme Rules and suffering the Tensai push, in which he demolished a wrestler no one cared about, Henning came out and took out Triple H. Could he have had a better re-introduction?
Defeating Triple H via referee stoppage was much more impressive for Henning / Axel rather than pinning Triple H. Granted, his star would have been elevated had he pinned Triple H in the middle of the ring but for WWE to be able to package Henning as the man who fought Triple H and the man Triple H couldn’t continue against has made Henning’s beginning in WWE a dream one. And if you think about it, everything has come full circle for Henning and Triple H. In the mid 90’s when he was Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Triple H benefited from the help of Curt Henning in the ring and on the microphone. For those that remember the interaction between the pair then you may not do so fondly, nevertheless, Mr. Perfect helped Triple H a lot and now Triple H has finally done something he seldom did in wrestling and that’s repay a debt. Triple H has advanced Curtis Axle’s career a great deal.
There is a train of thought which now says that WWE will either lose interest in Henning as a singles star and book him in the coming months to be part of some diabolical tag team where he’ll flounder for a year until he either asks for his release or is ‘Future Endeavoured’ by WWE or WWE will finally cease their stop/start booking policy with new stars and begin to push them as they did in the 90’s and late 80’s. Let’s hope it’s the latter. All it needs now is for WWE to get behind Axel as it did The Shield and we are in business. Not only could WWE fast track Axel to the main event within six months as it did Brock Lesnar in 2002 but if everything runs smoothly and Axel can stay drug free – something his father never managed – and show WWE that he deserves to be at the very top then not only will he be treated as a main event star but he will also be able to reinvigorate the Intercontinental Championship division and before they know it, WWE have the next main event star in their grips.
Imagine this. Curtis Axel defeats Wade Barrett and The Miz for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at ‘Payback’. He goes on to convincingly defend the Championship against Randy Orton, Sheamus, Big Show and wrestlers of that calibre week in and week out on Raw and Smackdown until we get to Money in the Bank. Entered as one of the participants in one of the Money in the Bank Ladder Matches. At the end of the match Henning captures one of the briefcases. Putting aside his Money in the Bank victory for a few months WWE put the spotlight on the Intercontinental Championship and Triple H comes back to challenge Axel for the gold at SummerSlam citing that he will not be shown up by his opponent ad if he can defeat Triple H then he will truly be ready to be WWE or World Heavyweight Champion. WWE build the match at SummerSlam as Axel’s day of reckoning and on the night Axel defeats Triple H clean in the middle of the ring. This strategy would make Axel look like the next big thing in WWE’s eyes and Triple H, almost single handedly would have made the next WWE star.
That is the perfect scenario which could come out of Payback. The worst would I don’t even want to think about until it’s over with. Because the worst case scenario would be that Axel falls to either Miz or Wade Barrett and be buried under the weight of crap WWE currently wheel out on a regular basis whilst being noted down in the history books as another chance gone begging. Based on what has transpired so far with Axel then one is confident that history will not repeat itself and it looks like WWE are taking him down The Shield route rather than the Tensai route. Surely now, with Curtis Axel, we can all breathe a sigh of relief.
What can we say about the Miz? Poor old Miz. The man who was promised the world and then kicked right off of the end of it. Seven months after being promised a push back into the main event and Miz is no closer to grabbing that brass ring than he was when he dropped the WWE Intercontinental Championship to Kofi Kingston on an edition of the tiresome Main Event. The King of the Pre-Show has finally though made his way onto real pay-per view and now stands to gain as much from it as his opponents.
It can’t have failed to have been a kick in the teeth for the Miz to find out that he wouldn’t be competing on the WrestleMania 29 pre-show instead of the main body of the card as was initially thought. When WWE told him he would become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion before WrestleMania kicked off I imagine the Miz was slightly eased by the fact that he was going to emerge from WrestleMania victorious with gold around his waist even if it wasn’t going to be seen on the main portion of the event. Imagine then, how disappointed Miz was when WWE told him that his celebrated and popular Championship win would only last twenty four hours. Miz must have gone from ecstatic to downhearted in a matter of moments.
For a man who was promised his spot at the top of the card, a position he previously occupied in 2011, after he lost the Championship he now fights to regain on June 16th, Miz’s career has once again stalled hideously. I can’t quite fathom what WWE were thinking when they saddled Miz with Ric Flair’s figure four leg lock, a move which has had its day and should have been left out of Miz’s repertoire. But I can imagine them believing in their heart of hearts that it was some kind of character breakthrough for the floundering former WWE Champion. The man was the star of ‘The Marine 3’ and is one of the brightest options WWE has for taking the product forward. Can you imagine what state WWE would have been in today had they applied what they are doing to the Miz, to Rock, Austin, Triple H, Brock Lesnar and Edge? It brings a shudder just to think about it.
There is a way forward for the Miz, even if he can’t see it himself. All it would take are a few huge wins on pay-per view and not the pre-show over headline talent and Miz would start to look like a Champion again and more importantly, a contender. Miz really needs a gripping feud to reignite the people’s interest in him. Something which one cannot turn their attention away from instead of turning the channel on when you can signpost the ending to his matches or angles before they begin. WWE have saw fit to insert Miz as a Lumberjack in the John Cena vs Ryback outing at the top of the card which is basically telling us that The Miz is now seen as a curtain jerker as only lower card talent who WWE have no other plans for usually fill out the ranks in Lumberjack matches. Certainly, this isn’t the way WWE should be handling the Miz.
With Money in the Bank fast approaching, assuming Curtis Axel will grab one of the briefcases then Miz could be a surprise if WWE were to allow him to grab the remaining shot at whatever Championship Axel isn’t in line for. Yes it would be a moment which came out of the blue but also a moment which would necessitate that WWE do something with Miz before he is damaged beyond repair. Vince knows how good Miz is which makes it all the more baffling as to why Miz is in the predicament he’s in. As challenger to either top tier Championship though Miz would certainly be a favourite in the build up and at last could break that glass ceiling which he has been hunched up against for so long and break out on his own. The problem with his face turn is that it will only last so long before the novelty wears off and WWE are using up valuable time by booking Miz as cannon fodder to fill their often dull pre-show matches.
Even though I doubt Miz will walk out as Intercontinental Champion at Payback, if he and Wade Barrett could put on the show they did on the WrestleMania 29 pre-show, combine that with Curtis Axel thrown in as well then this could be one of the highlights of the entire night. All three men have the skill and the Miz would have a stronger standing in the company if he came close to winner before being piped to the post by Henning.
The reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion, Wade Barrett needs something stunning, maybe more than Miz does at this very moment. Barrett has been compared to the great British wrestlers of his age yet has failed to produce in the ring time and time again. Be it because WWE haven’t allowed him time to breathe or at times Wade has simply failed to sizzle the way he should have, the Brit needs WWE’s backing now more than ever. As mentioned with the other two competitors if Wade Barrett does lose this match then maybe, with hard work he could win the Money in the Bank Ladder match next month but that would require a huge willingness by WWE and Wade Barrett to deliver the goods night after night. Something neither party has managed to do.
Wade Barrett’s Intercontinental Championship reign should have set the world alight and not ended and began again within 24 hours. WWE should have either allowed Barrett to retain on the WM 29 pre-show or had him chasing the Championship for a couple of months after his loss. This is booking of the sloppiest degree and Vince McMahon needs a slap to see what he’s doing to his talent. But it hasn’t just come about since WrestleMania 29, Wade Barrett has been suffering at WWE’s hands for a very long time now and no has seen fit to put him out of his misery. Ever since Barrett returned from injury he hasn’t looked the same man that left. Yes, he has put in some very worthy performances but overall, Barrett has shown me nothing that even approaches main event standard.
I can pin it down. Usually you can look at someone at put your finger on what is wrong, but with Wade Barrett I can’t do it. Even with my knowledge of the industry. That’s unusual and dangerous for Wade. If the professionals can’t tell you what’s wrong then how can Barrett see it himself? His in ring performances have lacked a certain sparkle and only when he’s in the ring against bigger stars who can drag that side out of him does Barrett even resemble something approaching main event player. The floppy haired Wade Barrett seemed to have the ‘IT’ factor. He contested some brilliant wars with Randy Orton in early 2012 after he’d dumped the Nexus and Corre groups and could have feasibly stepped into the shoes which have been made for him. The Wade Barrett of today cannot.
Example in point, during the WWE’s November 2012 tour of the United Kingdom which is available from www.wwedvd.co.uk Wade Barrett was welcomed home by his countrymen like he was a hero of epic proportions. When he came to ring on his numerous appearances on the different shows Barrett looked like he couldn’t wait to get back on the plane to America and leave the land which made him famous. Even Sheamus looked pleased to be back in the UK and the shows weren’t even held in Ireland – Sheamus’ birthplace. Wade Barrett though resembled a man who was literally going through the motions. It was an embarrassment to watch. Even worse, when in the ring, Barrett’s offence looked slow and slapdash in places. Certainly not what was expected of him. Every time the British Bulldog stepped onto UK shores he gave everything he had. Just look at his stunning matches against Bret Hart at SummerSlam 1992 (held in Wembley Stadium) and Shawn Michaels at One Night Only (held in Manchester, England). Davey Boy Smith gave the fans back the reception they gave him in in-ring performance. Barrett did nothing of the sort.
It simply isn’t good enough from Wade Barrett. The Brit was earmarked for big things by WWE, he had to have been otherwise the company would have anchored him with another group, possibly an all British faction to carry on his career. There were signs of how good Wade Barrett could be in 2012 when he fought Randy Orton and again at WrestleMania 29 on the pre-show when he and Miz went through a short but really good match. Like the England soccer team though Wade Barrett can’t his form on Raw and Smackdown (let’s call them the league clubs for this comparison) and apply it to pay-per view (his national team). If Wade Barrett doesn’t prove himself once and for all soon then WWE will lose interest in him. We all know the company has a very limited attention span.
Winners Prediction: Curtis Axel
WWE United States Championship Match
(c) Dean Ambrose vs Kane
One cannot grumble that Dean Ambrose is now WWE United States Champion after the recommendations made in the Extreme Rules 2013 pay-per view preview. I stated last month that by putting the United States Championship around the waist of a member of the Shield, their reputation would automatically elevate the once prestigious Championship. Lo and behold I was correct. Fear not though, one shall not blow their own horn anymore. Well...not more than two or three times anyway.
WWE have followed through the plan to perfection and already the WWE United States Championship is taking a turn up the ladder instead of peering aimlessly at the bottom. Since defeating Kofi Kingston at Extreme Rules 2013 in May, the United States Championship has been seen in matches pitting Ambrose vs Randy Orton and every Shield appearance on television. The way this differs from any other United States Champion is that the Shield are in a prominent role on WWE television as where Antonio Cesaro and Kofi Kingston weren’t. Now, whenever the Shield are involved in a high profile angle which they always are, the United States Championship is on show for all to see. It is simply a perfect way to re-begin the push for an old piece of gold that maybe could do with an update.
When WWE introduced their first WWE United States Championship, a Championship that is separate from the WCW United States Championship but the title records are somehow cannon it was the same design as it currently is. The only change it has seen is when John Cena captured the gold and made it into a spinner championship. Less said about that the better. After Cena dropped the gold the belt reverted back to its original design when Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero contested the first Championship nearly ten years ago. From that point on it has gone down hill with the likes of Santino Marella as the holder and dumb feuds with equally dumb booking have only added to the downfall of the Championship. Now though, the gold is in the hands of the Shield, the renegade faction could easily introduce their own version of the gold to help their cause of not wanting anything WWE related and the new design would do the gold the world of good. It may even be looked at as a new championship.
Dean Ambrose was the perfect choice to replace Kofi Kingston as champion. Kingston, who suffered an injury, is dated as a character and has no mileage left in him. If WWE don’t act upon the rumoured heel turn soon then all may be lost for the phoney native of Ghana who has a perfect American accent. Ambrose though has excelled in the role so far and continues to do so even though his first pay-per view Championship defence is against the big red bore, Kane. Now, all that’s left to do is for WWE to begin rebuilding the U.S title division under Ambrose so when he does drop the gold he can do so to a wrestler who is primed and ready to step up and continue run with the ball, so to speak. Most certainly, Dean Ambrose cannot build the Championship up to something worth watching again for WWE to totally destroy the gold when it’s in the hands of someone who doesn’t matter in WWE.
If WWE allow it then The Shield can do a lot of good for the Championships they currently hold. Still a major part of WWE’s plan for the remainder of 2013 it’s possible that one member, maybe Dean Ambrose could be elevated by the time WrestleMania 29 rolls around and who knows, could be competing for the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship. That may be a dream right now but certainly putting the United States Championship on Dean Ambrose is a step in the right direction for WWE and the Shield and long may it reign.
What can WWE do with Kane now? Team Hell No is all but over and the Tag Team Championship reign which started out exciting but then degenerated into the same old stuff has to be a memory past for WWE. Now, Kane is about in the correct position on the card and if WWE have finally decided to take him out of the main event picture, which they should have done years ago, Kane may be the wrestler to begin to spearhead the United States Championship division and begin to rebuild it.
Without Daniel Bryan in tow, Kane is limited to what he can do. However, what he can do is give back some of what he’s taken from the wrestling business. As of yet, sixteen years into his career as Kane, Glen Jacobs has failed to give anything back to the industry which refused to give up on him even when a tirade of gimmicks such as Issac Yankem and Fake Diesel failed to take off. I believe that it is time that Kane put something in instead of taking something out. In 16 years, Kane has done nothing of note and even his WWE, ECW and World Heavyweight Championship runs have failed to impress at the top of the card. Down below though, Kane could do some really worthy stuff with younger talent, presuming he’s willing to put lower talent than himself over.
When Kane loses to Dean Ambrose at Payback, as he inevitably will, then WWE need to act with haste to redevelop the United States Championship division, possibly with Kane as the helm. Every division needs a wrestler of standing to be seen to be bothering with it and should Kane make it a point to capture the gold then all under him could begin to regain a little respect when fighting in matches to make them contenders for the gold. WWE could even split its company into division and announce them on television instead of just having people come out and wrestle, letting us guess where they are on the card. If WWE were to divide its wrestlers into categories (Unites States Championship division, Intercontinental Championship division, Tag Team Championship division, World Heavyweight Championship division and WWE Championship division – the Divas division speaks for itself) then we as the viewing audience could buy deeper into each Championship and the elevation of each wrestler when they were announced they had been promoted through the ranks would be seen by us a well earned.
Whatever WWE decide to do with the United States Championship then let’s hope they’re not hasty about doing it. They now have ample time to rebuild the foundations under Dean Ambrose and should not allow this opportunity to pass them by again. They may not get another.
Winners Prediction: Dean Ambrose
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
(c) Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins vs Randy Orton & Daniel Bryan
Like with the WWE United States Championship, WWE have done the right thing by putting their Tag Team Championships around the waists of the two remaining members of The Shield, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. As with Dean Ambrose and the United States Championship, now the WWE Tag Team Championships belong to two wrestlers who seem to be important in WWE, the image of the gold will be automatically raised. It certainly didn’t do the trio of titles any harm when the Shield congregated at Extreme Rules to show off their newly won Championships to the camera in a show of solidarity. That moment shouted from the rooftops that the gold the trio had just won was important. Something which previous custodians of the gold for the past few years have failed to get across.
Defeating Kane and Daniel Bryan at Extreme Rules to lift the gold was the best thing for Ambrose and Reigns and the tag team division. Team Hell No had become stale and repetitive and it was time for them to break out on their own even though WWE have now pushed the wrong singles star up the ladder and left Daniel Bryan in doubles action. Whether they’re not convinced Bryan has what it takes is another matter, but certainly Daniel Bryan could carry WWE alone without any help in singles competition and Kane, can’t. Ambrose, Reigns and Rollins are the future of WWE with some saying that Reigns more so than his partners. Seeing Roman Reigns in combat over the last couple of months, one has to agree.
WWE now have the task of ensuring that the Championship reigns which the Shield are now contesting don’t turn stale. We all know how easy it is for something promising to turn into something dull and boring. When Team Hell No defeated R-Truth and Kofi Kingston at Night of Champions for the Tag Team Championships it seemed to be a breath of fresh air for the company and Championships. That though turned dull and boring with the constant in fighting of the team and the jokes which had grown juvenile and samey. The question that looms over WWE’s heads is how do they make the Shield’s doubles reign go smoothly and not bring down the duo who were doing wonders with the chances WWE were furnishing them with?
The answer is simple. With a severe lack of challengers in the tag team division, WWE have to continue to have higher profile wrestlers, such as Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan challenge for the gold whilst they make new and exciting teams. The other key is that The Shield don’t always have to defend their Championships on pay-per view, instead WWE could and should opt to have the trio compete in six man tag team matches as they did before they became champions. That way feuds are preserved and the Championships get an even bigger lift from being seen but not defended on pay-per view and when the Shield go over their opponents just think how much better the trio of Championships would come across belonging to three people who don’t even need to defend them to get over.
When WWE have green lit that idea then they must make sure they have a clear indication of where the trio are going. All too often we have seen a wrestler pushed without WWE really knowing where the story or person was going. It’s a shoddy practice but one which does more harm than good. After all this effort pushing The Shield and making them look so dominant, for WWE to sell the team short would be a grave miscarriage of justice. No pun intended. Reigns and Rollins have a great future ahead of them as does Ambrose and now is the time that like babies, WWE need to nurture them and give them the best start in life. That is how to do the Shield Justice.
Randy Orton has to be chomping at the bit. Every since his heel turn came up in 2012, Orton has to be hoping that it will come soon. Of course, the turn began last week on Smackdown, I’m sure you cannot have failed to notice Orton turning on Daniel Bryan with a thunderous RKO. The lash out at his tag team partner for this match may not have been his full turn but this has to be the night that Randy Orton completes his heel turn and steps up to the next level. A level which did tremendous business in 2009 with Randy Orton as the heel. Is Daniel Bryan the correct opponent for Randy Orton? Of course he is.
Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan have a chemistry and with the talents of both they could produce the match of the night on every card they are booked. For those who saw Randy Orton and Christian’s stunning 2011 feud, then just imagine something twice as good as that. With Randy Orton’s skills and Daniel Bryan’s technical prowess then the sky is really the limit for both men. On top of that, Randy Orton may be cheered as a heel but if WWE want him to be booed out of the arena every night, the desired reaction would have the best possible start with Randy Orton turning on a man who is loved by the public.
Daniel Bryan has a rapport with the fans that very few wrestlers can lay claim to. His ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ chants are so catchy that one of the moments of WrestleMania 29 was when he and Kane defeated Big E. Langston and Dolph Ziggler and Bryan led a ‘Yes’ chant which it appeared the whole arena joined in with. Those kind of audience participation moments are the kind that wrestlers such as John Cena and Ryback dream about. Because of this and his very fine displays of wrestling over the last few years, no one can forget his astonishingly brilliant Over the Limit 2012 match with C.M Punk, WWE have to see Daniel Bryan as a contender to the throne. If they don’t then they need their heads testing.
I for one would love to see Randy Orton vs Daniel Bryan in a real, lengthily feud which produced classic after classic in the ring, every time it was booked. There would be no reason for WWE to rush the feud and it could begin at SummerSlam and end at Royal Rumble or even WrestleMania. If the matches are good enough and people want to see, there’d be no reason they wouldn’t then this could be the feud of the year and rocket both men right back into the main event picture where they deserve to be.
With Daniel Bryan stuck in a lifeless tag team act for the last nine months, how time flies, and Randy Orton putting everyone and anyone he can over to give them the best start possible, both men are owed a huge debt of thanks by WWE for doing what no one was seemingly willing to do. Randy Orton has done more for other wrestlers in the past two years than anyone on WWE’s roster and Daniel Bryan tried his very best to help reinvigorate the tag team scene even when it looked doomed. He never gave up. A hot feud and first class ticket back to the top of the mountain is well overdue for both men.
Winners Prediction: Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins
WWE Divas Championship Match
(c) Kaitlyn vs A.J Lee
It’s been a while since we last talked about the WWE Divas Division in at any length. I did hope in January that by the time we talked about the division again WWE would have made giant strides towards fixing the problems which were staring it in the face and pulling the once celebrated division apart. With the lovely Eve Torres gone from the Divas Division and the Championship passed to Kaitlyn, WWE did have the chance to cut away the deadwood from its female roster and add some weight to it. And by weight I don’t mean Kharma, although her rehiring would have been ample.
I won’t go through the plan again of hiring Japanese female stars to compensate for the lack of American competitors in the company, even though it is the best plan at the moment, but WWE really do need to do something. Whilst they are trying their best, to their credit to make more female wrestling stars instead of models and playboy sluts with the likes of Paige in NXT, those women aren’t being pushed hard or quick enough to reach the main roster. And therefore WWE need stand-in’s until they can push their NXT rookies into the main spotlight.
Whilst there are many women across the world who would die for a chance to compete on WWE’s stage and who can wrestle at this very moment in time the two in question are WWE Divas Champion, Kaitlyn and challenger, A.J Lee. Whilst Kaitlyn has made huge strides in her in ring ability over recent months and has to, at this moment, be one of WWE’s best female workers for all its worth. I know its not saying much but credit where credit is due, since Eve has left the company, Kaitlyn has at least made the effort to improve where she was weak before. If all WWE Divas showed this willingness to improve then maybe the division may not be in such a state as it is now.
With Kaitlyn at the top of the Divas tree, WWE could now introduce some fresh blood. Fresh blood that aren’t required to come up through the NXT ranks. With the championship around her waist, one has to question how much further Kaitlyn can go without a good storyline or any decent opponents which she lacks at this moment. Apart for A.J, who else does WWE have to oppose their top female? The Bella Twins? When WWE can reasonably give us a good response as to why they re-hired the pair then I will give them a chance. By the way, have you noticed that one of them has increasingly bigger tits than the other? Explanations in the comment box below as to how WWE’s referee’s still seem incapable of telling them apart. The truth is, it’s no good Kaitlyn trying her best right now if WWE don’t have the competition for her.
Sadly, I don’t see A.J being that competition. It’s been so long since A.J competed in a serious wrestling match that I actually forget if she can wrestle or not. The woman hasn’t been given a clear direction in which to head in WWE and it has done her no good at all. This has been A.J’s journey in WWE over the last years and a half;
At WrestleMania 28 in 2012, A.J was blamed by Daniel Bryan for aiding him in losing the World Heavyweight Championship in less than ten seconds – by the time the action got going. A.J split from Daniel Bryan and began to portray a mentally unstable character who wasn’t sure who to side with so she took an interest in C.M Punk during the Punk vs Bryan feud for the WWE Championship. A major part of the feud A.J was courted by Daniel Bryan during the feud when she was made special guest referee for the pair’s match at Money in the Bank 2012, because Bryan was scared she would cost him the match. A.J then proposed to C.M Punk and was rejected only to be proposed to by Daniel Bryan on Raw and then enter a sham ceremony on Raw’s 1000th episode where she jilted Daniel Bryan at the alter to take the post of Raw General Manager. A.J was then romantically linked with John Cena, forced to resign from her post as Raw GM, turned on John Cena at TLC and sided with Dolph Ziggler where she currently resides. Wow. That is a journey and a half. At no point during that period has A.J had a meaningful wrestling match.
I do wonder if WWE know where they are going with A.J. She’s certainly not Divas Champion material but then when has that ever stopped WWE from putting a Championship on anyone? As Dolph Ziggler’s muse and one I’m almost certain will turn on Ziggler somewhere down the line and be saddled with the storyline of having an affair with Ziggler’s minder, Big E. Langston behind Ziggler’s back. A fact which Dolph Ziggler will be blind to but we will be privy to and eventually turn Dolph Ziggler face. There are limited options WWE can give Lee here and maybe putting the WWE Divas Championship on her is one of them.
What does the company have to lose? Kaitlyn has run the course as Champion and may be more effective as challenger to the gold. Given the moniker of Champion, A.J may be able to do something outside the ring with the gold even if her in ring prowess isn’t up to scratch.
Winners Prediction: A.J Lee
Pre-Show Match
Sheamus vs Damien Sandow
This one came out of the blue a little. I expected, like most of you did I assume, that Sheamus was above the pre-show spot by now. Triple H’s class pet and the man who has been at the centre of every main Smackdown feud in 2012 and 2013 so far seemed to be heading back to the top of the mountain in 2013, yet here he is, in a pre-show spot with a man who has been booked as nothing but a coward since his arrival in WWE. It’s a possibility that WWE either don’t have anything for Sheamus to do this month or the man he’s been booked against over the summer is busy on this night.
Looking down the blue brand roster, I can only imagine that Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler will do battle at Money in the Bank and SummerSlam for the World Heavyweight Championship seeing as Sheamus is too big a name to be booked in matches like this. With Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan detained and possibly about to enter a feud of their own, Undertaker nowhere to be seen, the Shield given the task of elevating the three most unpopular Championships in wrestling today and Alberto Del Rio failed miserably to be the man that Sheamus is now, it’s going to be left to the ‘Celtic Warrior’ to step in once again and headline the summer programme with Dolph Ziggler. His victory over Mark Henry at Extreme Rules in their strap match was almost set up to make this happen.
Payback would have made more sense had WWE booked Kane in this spot and had Sheamus, an actual big name that people care about in the company challenge Dean Ambrose for the United States Championship. Sheamus is ten times the wrestler that Kane is and could sell for Ambrose more convincingly that Kane will be able to. Plus, a singles victory on pay-per view over Sheamus would do Ambrose more good than one over Sheamus. But hey, maybe after bowing to WWE’s every request, Sheamus has finally had enough of doing what he’s told for little reward and wants just one month where he isn’t required to wrestle a match longer than four and a half minutes on pay-per view. Could we blame him? I’ll allow you to make your own mind about that. Has Sheamus really earned what amounts to a night off? Seeing as he is one of WWE’s premier stars in 2013 then I’d say no.
Personally, I believe that if Sheamus is needed a night off then he should just go altogether. Not permanently, don’t get me wrong, he’s a great wrestler and a perfect choice to headline Smackdown and maybe even succeed John Cena as the King of WWE, somewhere down the line. If he finds the aggression and the will to be the next Stone Cold Steve Austin he could be unforgettable. What I’m trying to get at is that right now, Sheamus is a little dry on charisma and story. WWE clearly don’t have anything important for Sheamus to do right now and he really needs a revamp as a character. Let Sheamus go away for three months, work on his promo skills and discover how to bring out his anger when needed and when he’s brought back he could be a revelation. I would rather see three months of scarce headliners in order for the preservation of the main scene for the next five years and I know loads of other people who would as well.
There isn’t much I can say for Damien Sandow. It’s obvious that Sandow isn’t going anywhere in WWE, unless this is the beginning of a run which will see him capture the WWE Championship – which isn’t going to happen. So what is Sandow still doing in WWE? He’s a great wrestler and sound in the ring. Damien Sandow could do so much for another company that I would have asked for my release by now. TNA need new stars, Sandow could go there. They’d make him a star if Hulk Hogan could get over the fact that Sandow is a much better wrestler than he ever was. The point I’m trying to make is that Damien Sandow is too good to be treated how WWE are treating him now.
Team Rhodes Scholars are done. Gone. No more. WWE have all but put an end to Sandow’s tag team career which means singles action is the only way to go. But what’s the point if he’s just being used to put over bigger stars then him? WWE have other wrestlers they could use for that. Wrestler’s who don’t have the talent or will to do anything in this industry and who only turn up for the paycheque. Damien Sandow could be a revolution in the Intercontinental Championship division or even the United States Championship division and his talent would do either so much good. Yet here he is. At the very bottom of the card, putting over wrestlers who he could feasibly defeat in a shoot fight. Do you think he’s regretting putting his carerr in WWE’s hands now?
Winners Prediction: Sheamus
WWE’s first annual Payback event may be one that falls to the wayside like so many have by this time next year but the card has given it every chance of being re-commissioned for a second year. Both Heavyweight Championship matches look like they could be very good if the four men involved put in a real shift and sell their opponents offence. Certainly, the World Heavyweight Championship Match should be a highlight and I’m placing my money on the WWE Intercontinental Championship Match stealing the show before the night ends on June 16th.
Dolph Ziggler and C.M Punk return to the ring after absences caused by very different things which means WWE have two of its best and most reliable performers back home and fighting the good fight. Certainly, both have been missed whilst they have been gone. But whilst Punk and Ziggler will undoubtedly receive heroes welcomes on the night, this night which should set the scene of things to come for the rest of the year will belong to the younger stars of the company. The Shield, Curtis Axel, Damien Sandow, Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton could all cement their place as wrestling’s elite.
On this night where WWE rely on the men it has pushed into the shadows to bring it success, I can think of no better title for this pay-per view. After overlooking so many, for so long, WWE have finally had to admit defeat and concede that fresher faces are the way forward. For those who were told by WWE they would not make it and were less important than the likes of John Cena and Triple H, this is their night of redemption, their night of vengeance...their night of Payback.
Onwards and upwards...
