Step into the Ring

Friday 26 July 2013

ON THE RIGHT PAIGE

This week in wrestling hasn’t been full of events for us to talk about, which is a shame. Of course, it also makes my job a lot harder. Usually we’d be pondering over the recent goings on which took place on Raw and Smackdown this week, but things are slow so I don’t expect this to be a very long haul for any of us at all.

We could ponder over the way WWE built up RVD’s comeback and then suddenly stopped the push and booked him against Wade Barrett on Raw, thus shoving him down the card and out of the main event picture that badly needed him. Or Randy Orton’s concussion at the hands of Alberto Del Rio, covered below. Maybe the Wyatt Family and their impressive path of destruction which they have carved through the WWE locker room. Certainly they look to be the next big stars of the company if Vince doesn’t suddenly change his mind and relegate them to ‘Superstars’. Those are all good subjects but nothing that I can’t cover in a few sentences or less. So forgive me my fellow minions, for I will try to extend this weeks sermon for as long as possible.

Feel the Heat

Backstage heat on wrestlers is common place in the industry. Those who don’t conform to what the higher powers want or do as the locker room leaders say come in for a great amount of heat when they come back through the curtain and unlace their boots. Backstage heat can take many forms, from a certain wrestler being ostracised from his or her group of friends and left out in the cold. The heat could, in the case of Zack Ryder, come in the form of a major burial which sees the wrestler lose to any and every nobody on the roster. Or, it come in the way of a good old fashioned tongue lashing from the boss. Something WWE stars have come in for more often than not in the past.

This time around though, two of WWE’s biggest stars are the ones who have come under fire, not from Vince, Stephanie or Triple H, but their own peers. Yes, the wrestlers are revolting as summer begins to hit and turning on their own colleagues. First in the firing line is the current World Heavyweight Champion, Alberto Del Rio. The recent heel turn by Del Rio has, unlike originally thought, opened up a new avenue for the Mexican to walk down. He’s a lot more forceful in the ring, you may have noticed. But it is this new found grit that has seen him firmly put in the spotlight with his co-workers.

On the July 19th edition of Smackdown, Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton went head to head in a decent outing which ended with all eyes on the Champion. His new, reckless style gave Randy Orton a legitimate minor concussion that could have been much worse if it wasn’t dealt with immediately. Now, accidents happen in the ring we all know that and have seen it in the past, sometimes with heartbreaking and tragic consequences. Take Owen Hart for instance. To this date, the worst wrestling accident to ever take place. Wrestlers get injured. They break bones, dislocate limbs, rip muscles, tear cartilage and so on.

Randy Orton’s injury though happened through Del Rio’s careless nature. Does Alberto now believe that he’s bigger than the rules? Does he believe that he can be as careless as he likes in the ring and no matter what he does to whom, he’ll get away with it? If this is the case, that Del Rio is doing whatever he wants, a recklessly as he wants then its time he came down a peg or too.

The heat that is on Del Rio from other wrestlers, isn’t because he injured just Randy Orton. It’s because it’s not the first time and Randy Orton isn’t the first man that Alberto Del Rio has injured in the ring. It appears that the WWE talent are getting tired of Del Rio inuring their friends and are rebelling against his new reckless style. We can’t blame them, who wants to step into a ring with someone who could hurt them? They already have John Cena to cope with, they don’t need Del Rio becoming sloppy when their career are at stake. If Alberto Del Rio doesn’t tone down his ring style then he and WWE may find that there’s no one willing to work with Del Rio. Where will they be then?

The biggest concern with Del Rio however, is that if his series with Dolph Ziggler isn’t finished, then he could seriously injure Ziggler. Having already suffered a concussion after a dumb and reckless Jack Swagger kick, the last thing Dolph Ziggler needs now is either another concussion or something much worse. WWE need to jump on this before it gets out of hand. Alberto Del Rio is an asset at the moment, but it’s easy for asset to become a detriment.

Sheamus is a different story. The Irishman hasn’t injured anyone, far from it; instead he has disobeyed orders and put the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at risk. How you ask, well I shall tell you, well it’s that or we can just go about our business now. But I don’t really have anything else to do right now except write scripts that small minded people won’t look at. So let’s have a look at Sheamus’ part in all of this.

Again, as with Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus has come under scrutiny from his friends in the locker room. At Money in the Bank, Sheamus was accused of being selfish in the All Stars match. I know, a selfish Irishman, who would have thought it. Sources close to WWE say that Sheamus is in the dog house because he only cared about his planned spots in the match and showed no concern for helping in putting together the rest of the match and the rest of the planned spots.

If this is true then Sheamus needs a dressing down. He can’t do that, because it’s visible to the audience. We can spot people trying to either sabotage or purposely being selfish and refusing to put others over. It sticks out like a sore thumb and despite what the wrestler in question thinks, it only turns us off of the person. We don’t want to see someone only out for themselves, we want a team player who can help their opponent to create something special. Whilst I doubt Sheamus will be punished for this misjudgement, as he’s Triple H’s golden boy, he should be.

Just think about it. If WWE were to punish Sheamus with a demotion to Superstars for four weeks and putting over everyone who he faces, then it would send everyone in the locker room a message. Slack and you will be where Sheamus would be if they demoted him as punishment. Everyone then may up their game. Seeing such a big name demoted because of his selfishness would get the message across that no one is immune from this treatment. We may even get a better in ring product and not just from Sheamus.

Hey, it’s just a thought.

When Wrestling Goes Wrong

We all know that from time to time, Wrestling goes wrong. Someone gets seriously hurt like Droz. Or someone gets killed like Owen Hart. Or as in the case of Chris Benoit, something happens outside the ring which is or isn’t related to the business. This next story though is a sad one, as the victim of it wasn’t even a wrestler. Yet she paid the price of this industry, be it indirectly or directly.

For those few who remember WWE’s NXT programme from 2010 – 2012, you will be familiar with a wrestler named DT Porter whose real name was Brian McGhee. News is filtering through that Brian McGhee has been arrested and charged with stabbing his girlfriend to death. Truly horrific. McGhee, who was injured after a high speed pursuit which encapsulated two counties of Hillsborough and Pasco, plus entailing several police agencies, was working for NWA Florida Underground Wrestling as Donovan Terrell at the time of the attack is a stain on the wrestling industry. Someone we don’t need in the business or the industry and the whole world of professional wrestling will be much better without him.

There’s no good reason for stabbing or murdering anyone, let alone the woman you claim to love most in this world. McGhee can rot in prison for all I care. I don’t know his girlfriend, I’d never seen her, but my good friends, if you do believe in the power of prayer then please let her be in yours tonight.

A Paige Out of the Book

And now onto some better news. Something more uplifting. On a recent edition of WWE NXT (taped a while ago) the British diva known as Paige captured the first ever WWE NXT Divas Championship. The girl that calls herself ‘The Diva of Tomorrow’ has made a breakthrough for the Divas division and the claim isn’t one to be taken lightly. She truly is one of the best women to come out of WWE developmental in a very long time and on top of that she is gorgeous.

Winning that Championship was a step forward for the Divas Division on the main roster and for WWE as a whole. You see, if they can hire wrestlers like Paige and train them to become someone the people will willingly watch, then they can do it with anyone. The Divas Division on WWE’s main roster no longer has to be a parade of Playboy models who are more interested in getting their tits out than stepping into the ring. It can be packed full of beautiful women who can fight like they mean it. It truly is a promising step for Paige and WWE, and being congratulated by Triple H after her victory, surely Paige has done enough to make the step up to WWE’s main roster.

Granted, with her only just been crowned champion on television, it will be a while before we see her on RAW, but that’s not such a bad thing. If WWE want to her to be something special which she already is then the path they must walk with her is simple. Right now, on WWE.Com, the company have reported on the victory and quite right too. Now, on television, WWE need to give A.J Lee some killer material that states not one of the women in the locker room or anywhere in WWE is good enough to take the gold from her. The boasting would then see A.J run through other women in the division, pinning them clean whilst looking strong doing so.

In November, A.J would come to the ring and issue an open challenge for Survivor Series. Any Diva in WWE or WWE development could come forward and challenge her for the gold. This is where WWE could bring Paige in. If they kept hyping Paige on Raw and Smackdown and sporadically showed us highlights of the Brit winning the NXT Divas Championship, then she’d be fresh in our minds. When she came out to challenge A.J Lee at Survivor Series, she could bring the NXT gold out with her. This would put the spotlight on NXT and hell, maybe a few more people would tune into the show that will be solely shown on the WWE Network in 2014 in the USA, when WWE decide to launch it.

A.J vs Paige for Survivor Series, for once, would be a huge match if it was hyped right. In fact it would be the first Divas match which would be relished by the fans since Trish Stratus vs Lita. That’s saying something. Paige doesn’t need a dumb gimmick to get her over on the main roster. Let her come with her attitude, her skill and the fire that burns deep inside her and you will have a guaranteed star on your hands.

Let’s hope now that WWE take the hint. Let’s hope that Triple H backs up what he says about the future generation and puts Paige at number one on his list. She deserves it. Congratulations Paige.


The Unforgettable...

Last but not least is a new article that will be appearing on this blog every month. Everyone who reads this blog and who has done so for the last year will remember the highly popular ‘Fantasy Warfare’ series which we looked at each month. I received no end of praise for it from you guys and for that you have my thanks. However, ‘Fantasy Warfare’ had to cease for the time being because I was and am still very busy trying to get my career off of the ground. There is just not enough time in my month to write ‘Fantasy Warfare’ as well as the monthly pay-per view previews and ‘Review Corner’. So I put it on the shelf for a while. But it will return.

Instead of ‘Fantasy Warfare’ we are going to trial a new article. It’s going to be called ‘The Unforgettable...’ with the name of the wrestler after the title. The article will aim not to look at the careers of well known and established wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan or Ultimate Warrior, but instead those wrestlers who have been forgotten. The wrestlers, who may not have been brilliant in the ring, made the business what it is for a lot of us. Wrestlers who were considered part of the cartoon character phase WWE and WCW went through in the very early nineties. I thought it would be good to look at them for a change and their careers.

The article won’t just be a two paragraph summation, it will aim to encapsulate as much information about the character and person behind it as possible, complete with little known match dates, their best feuds, their impact on the business as well as what they’re doing now. It’s going to be fun and complete with pictures of that characters career in the ring. I’m halfway through compiling the first one now which will be ‘The Unforgettable: Papa Shango’.

As I said, this is a trial. It will run for a few months beginning in August, one per month and depending on what feedback I get – please do leave your comments in the box below and tell me what you think, I’d love to know your thoughts about it when it’s up – it could become a regular monthly feature. I’m having fun writing it and its brining back some memories which I thought had gone completely.

What I need from you guys right now is some feedback and input. This is all going to rely upon you. People still haven’t taken the poll to the left hand side of your screen which I implore you to do, but right now I want to know from you who you would like to see in the second ‘The Unforgettable...’ in September. Your choices are Marty Jannetty, Rick Martel, Big Boss Man or Doink the Clown. Have your votes (just put a name of the wrestler you’d like to see out of the four in the comment box or give me a totally different name – I like a challenge) in by August 15th and the one with the most votes will appear right here in September.

Onwards and upwards...

Saturday 20 July 2013

REVIEW CORNER: WWE EXTREME RULES 2013 DVD AND BLU-RAY





   A – Excellent


   B – Good


   C – Mediocre


   D – Avoid





 
Release Date: July 29th 2013

Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk

Price:
DVD £ 12.99
Blu-ray £ 13.99
(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street prices will vary)

Format Reviewed: DVD
(Also Available on Blu-ray)

What It’s About:

WWE’s Extreme Rules 2013 pay-per view event, held at the Scottrade Centre in St. Louis, Missouri on May 19th 2013. In previous years, Extreme Rules has surpassed WrestleMania as a show and this years effort features the Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship between John Cena and Ryback, an ‘I Quit’ Match between Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger and Steel Cage Match to settle the score between Triple H and Brock Lesnar, plus much more.

Strengths:

Once again, we begin with the best match of the night and this time the honour falls to Triple H vs Brock Lesnar in a stunningly brilliant Steel Cage Match. Just a small point though, before we take a look at why the match was so good. Before the match begins, WWE show us a video package of Brock Lesnar’s rampage on Triple H’s office in WWE’s Titan Towers headquarters. Whilst the angle was meant to provide heat for this match, it was an illogical story for anyone to pen. Lesnar simply wanders into the company’s offices and trashes Hunter’s office, threatening staff as he goes. Do WWE really expect us to believe that a Billion Dollar company doesn’t have one security guard on the door, or that those who were verbally and physically threatened by Lesnar wouldn’t press charges against Heyman’s main man for his conduct? What’s more, do WWE believe we’re that stupid that we wouldn’t realise that had Lesnar done this for real, WWE would have had no choice but to suspend and fine him, possibly taking legal action? Now that’s said, let’s move onto the matter in the hand. The match gets off to flying start as Triple H attacks Lesnar on the aisle, pounding him against the outside of the brand new steel cage design which fits the modern day WWE perfectly. The beginning of the match is speedy adding the sense of urgency perfectly. WWE wanted us to believe this was life or death for both men and thanks to the action and more importantly selling of both men, there’s not one moment you don’t buy into the story they’re telling. On the whole, this is much better than their WrestleMania 29 clash and tops even their SummerSlam 2012 brawl. Triple H sells like a trooper for Lesnar who looks like the hurting machine that he should always portray and even Triple H’s comebacks, even though spirited, have a sense of doom about them. From the outset here you get the feeling that Triple H is always fighting a loosing battle. The feeling makes this match more exciting than one could ever have imagined. The real star of the match though is Brock Lesnar. The selling of the injured knee is as flawless a performance as you will ever see in WWE. Lesnar sells his injured limb like it’s the end of his career and even more refreshing, Triple H actually works the injury. I know it’s not a huge turn around, but in a company where its stars don’t sell injuries like they should and their opponents don’t exploit those injures, it does fell like a whole new concept when we get to this. The first F5 results in a brilliant near fall as does a thunderous pedigree which has the attending audience standing. Triple H’s sharpshooter on Lesnar will probably get Bret Hart’s ire up and Paul Heyman at ringside, slowly interjecting himself into the match is once again, nothing short of a marvel. The end sequence involving all three men is executed well and Paul Heyman’s role as the dastardly manager takes him up another level as he first takes a pedigree as well as any WWE Superstar and then delivers the final, crushing low blow allowing Brock Lesnar to take control for the last time. As Lesnar stands over Triple H’s fallen body, everything seems to slow to a near crawl which is just perfect for this match. The finale is hauntingly slow, wonderfully deliberate and cringingly hard hitting as Lesnar drops Triple H with the deciding F5. That Triple H is willing to Brock Lesnar over here and then Curtis Axel the follow night on Raw proves that the once ‘Cerebral Assassin’ has the company’s best interests at heart. When Triple H leaves the ring at the end, he looks a beaten man. Though the commentators try to pin the victory on Heyman’s interjection anyone with eyes can see that Brock Lesnar deserved this victory and much more for his part in the match. He was truly excellent.

Chris Jericho vs Fandango is a world apart from their dull WrestleMania 29 clash and both men up their game immensely. Whilst Fandango’s tights are a sight to behold in themselves, his in ring work in coming on slowly but surely and at Extreme Rules, the pair keep the action simple to aid Fandango. It works. Whilst the pair blow a planned spot, neither allows it to put them off their game as they competently move into the next sequence. Something which younger talent are usually fazed by. Fandango deserves praise for this. The man who seemingly wants to be Patrick Swayze hits a stylish head over heels kick from the outside floor to a waiting Jericho between the ropes, though WWE should have taken away those boring rest holds which are out frequently here. The ending is perfectly timed and even though he comes out on the short end, Fandango doesn’t lose face by doing the job for Jericho. At ringside, Summer Rae is really coming into her own as a valet and has promise. The match has its dodgy moments though, when Chris Jericho illogically traipses half way around the ringside just to pose on the announcers table when he could have done so on the steps or ring apron and there are moments when Fandango looks lost and one at the conclusion where he looks awfully wobbly on the top rope, but on the whole, it’s fast, gels much better and whilst its not match of the year, it is worth a look. 

Kofi Kingston vs Dean Ambrose for the WWE United States Championship is a very good encounter which does wonders for the failing division. Thankfully, The Shield doesn’t come to the ring with Ambrose and it favours the match greatly, not to mention the image of Ambrose as a wrestler who can get the job done alone. Beginning a little dodgy the match does pick up pace and doesn’t slow until the finish. Whilst Kingston isn’t as impressive as he usually is and comes across as a little sloppy, with careless chops and punches, including a dive from the top rope which was meant to clear a ducked Ambrose but which catches The Shield member with a stray foot, Dean Ambrose shines. Ambrose’s knowledge of wrestling seems to be way beyond his young years, a fact backed up by an impressive Crossface Chicken Wing worthy of Bob Backlund himself. The United States Champion elect nails Kingston with a beautiful double under hook suplex from the middle and top turnbuckle and the missed ‘Trouble in Paradise’ into the falling front headlock to finish couldn’t look better. WWE booked this match correctly by having Ambrose going over Kingston clean in the middle of the ring with a wrestling move instead of outside interference. This is a very good match which leaves you wondering why WWE can’t do this all the time.

Sheamus vs Mark Henry is an entertaining strap match which, whilst it doesn’t boast any actually wrestling is kept watchable by both Sheamus and Mark Henry. The lights attached to the turnbuckles look like that have come straight from the 80’s and one would have thought that by now WWE could have updated the technology. Sadly, Jerry Lawler telegraphs the outcome of the match for us by stating that he doesn’t think Sheamus can defeat Mark Henry, thus telling us Sheamus will come out victorious, but it never detracts from the match itself. In the build up to the match, I was impressed with Mark Henry who showed a willingness not to take himself seriously all the time and also Sheamus in the weeks leading to the match displayed some top heel qualities which I have a feeling he will need in the months to come. As for the match itself, there really isn’t much to discuss thanks to the lack of wrestling. There is no real innovation as far as the strap goes, the usual whipping and dragging ensues, to be honest WWE really need to give this match a make over. The World’s Strongest Slam into the Brogue Kick finish is the most inventive thing on display, but somehow both keep it going to their credit.

Jack Swagger vs Alberto Del Rio in the ‘I Quit’ match for the number one contendership to the World Heavyweight Championship is more than fair. WWE begin this by showing us the replay of Dolph Ziggler’s concussion on Smackdown which is horrible on first sight, but when they slow it down it looks truly sickening. Jack Swagger was reckless here and should have been reprimanded for his actions. Accident or not, it could have been a lot worse for Ziggler. Once again we get the usual rubbish coming from Zeb Coulter’s mouth as he takes a good three minutes to waffle on about immigrants, this time choosing the local baseball team as his target. However, this is where Coulter and his logic fall down. During his rant, Zeb says the team is full of foreigners who come for the pay cheque and then run home, just like Alberto Del Rio. Yet, Del Rio is still here, pay cheque or not. Jack Swagger during this tirade looks his usual zombie self and as usual adds his monotone ‘We the people’ line, which makes him sound like a robot. Next time Jack, put some emotion into it. Thankfully after these distractions, we get to business in what turns out to be a by the numbers match but there’s nothing bad about it, even though it should have been exceptional. In truth this should have been a ladder match in order to save Swagger’s image and not have him quit. There is a lot of use of the Singapore cane throughout but both manage to vary their uses so it doesn’t become a monotone copy of their WrestleMania 29 outing. Alberto’s arm breaker over the top rope looks sublime but he does take a nasty and dangerous bump on his head when releasing the move. The backstabber through the middle rope is innovative and like everything else here looks good. Jack Swagger fights back with a fine Gut Wrench Powerbomb which quickly escalates into a flurry of reversals, the finest of these is the Arm Breaker into the Patriot Lock. You can’t see the seam between the two moves. The false ending in which Coulter throws the towel in for Del Rio and the referee believes its Ricardo Rodriguez who has committed the act is a waste of time seeing as the referee has to look back at instant replay. Not only does it waste time which could have been given in the ring, it also highlights WWE’s shoddy booking as no matter what has happened before the referees never look at replays. When the match restarts it’s short and the ending comes out nowhere and with no build up. Had the false ending and Coulter’s rant at the beginning been canned, Del Rio and Swagger could have had seven extra minutes to build a convincing ending with great reversals. Despite the ending, it’s a worthy entry into their feud.

The WWE Tag Team Championship, Tag Team Tornado Match pitting Team Hell No vs Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, regrettably isn’t anything special. It’s not a bad match, but it doesn’t offer half as much as most other matches here do. Once again the outcome is telegraphed by the announcers when Michael Cole points out that Team Hell No have been Tag Team Champions for over 240 days and its one of the longest reigns in wrestling history. In other words, it’s time for a change. Still, it has its moments which keep it on track, one of which isn’t Kane. ‘The Big Red Machine’ is slower than usual and fails to add anything to the match. Because all four men are in the ring at once, it thankfully saves this from what would have been a stoic and stalled normal tag team match and Daniel Bryan takes advantage of this. As per usual, Bryan cements his place up the card with a lively performance which involves a suicide dive through the middle rope onto The Shield duo and a pitch perfect hurricanrana from the top rope. Bryan and Reigns share some decent exchanges and Seth Rollins makes his presence known with a dazzling flying knee from the top rope. The Shield’s double team finisher looks good when executed and the result is given approval by a good reception by the crowd. The sight of all three members of The Shield in the ring with their respective Championships is a turning point in WWE, whilst it’s easy to see why Daniel Bryan is on a one way ticket back to the top of WWE’s mountain.

 Randy Orton vs Big Show in an Extreme Rules Match is a wonderfully pleasing anything goes brawl which makes sure the fans in Orton’s home town go home with a smile on their faces. Randy receives a much deserved ovation on his homecoming and his interaction with the crowd throughout the match is enjoyable to watch. For a long time it seemed as if Randy Orton didn’t enjoy his job but finally he looks to be having a whale of a time. Whilst hopes weren’t high for this match thanks to Big Show’s performances taking a down turn in recent months, everyone was pleasantly surprised as the pair put together a good and logical fight. Big Show bumps brilliantly, as if he was 200lbs lighter and is surprisingly agile for a man of his size. Big Show’s Vader Bomb through a waiting ladder looks like it really hurt and Orton’s draping DDT over the top rope gets the fans on their feet. It’s a move Big Show takes well considering he has further to fall than if the move was executed from the middle rope as it usually is. Orton’s first RKO garners a killer near fall, whilst the punt makes a welcome return to action when Orton gets some impressive shoe leather around Big Show’s cranium in the crowd pleasing finale. Naturally, Randy Orton’s victory gets the biggest reaction of the night.

Kaitlyn and A.J’s face off backstage is better than any angle the pair have had, where they have had to talk. A.J once again plays the mentally unstable character well and for once in these backstage skits, Kaitlyn doesn’t look wholly out of place. In recent months, when she’s been required to act, Kaitlyn has looked phoney and embarrassing. Here though, she baits A.J to perfection and her lines actually mean something. Sadly though, the angle ends in a tussle which other Divas including The Bella Twins just stand and watch whilst screaming like they’ve just been shot.

As for the DVD extras, the Pre-show match between The Miz vs Cody Rhodes is a very good back and forth tussle which hits the ground running. The problem with matches like this is that it highlights how much better Miz and Rhodes are than a pre-show spot like this. Anyone with eyes can see they belong higher up the card. At the beginning of the match, during his entrance, Cody Rhodes looks thoroughly annoyed at his predicament as anyone would. The Miz is slick and looks fresh faced and his performance here is beginning to look like Miz belongs back at the top. Whilst the Figure Four Leg Lock finisher is popular with the crowd, Miz needs to get rid of the move and go back to his Skull Crushing Finale finishing move. Using someone else move is making Miz look like a copycat and unoriginal.

Weaknesses:

From the main show, the only real weakness is the Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship pitting John Cena vs Ryback. Truthfully, this is embarrassing to watch and even worse if you’re doing so with others who don’t understand the business. Before the match airs, WWE unhelpfully show a video package of Cena destroying The Shield on Raw, something the company should have cut from the highlight package as Cena treats all three like jobbers, without a thought for their futures. As usual, John Cena totally no sells everything that comes his way, including the Achilles tendon injury which he simply shrugs off by running to the ring, idiot. Laughably, the announcers have to try and sell the injury for him. Sadly though, Ryback follows suit and makes sure this match has no meaning at all. Illogically, Ryback doesn’t bother to work over the ankle that he supposedly injured on Raw at all during the whole fight. It’s simple logic. You work over the limb which is injured otherwise there was no point in booking the injury angle which went before. Ryback’s one decent move of the match consists of a catch into a Powerbomb combo and Cena does hit an able Powerbomb but unfortunately those are the only good things here. For the rest of the duration of this predictably dull match, John Cena and Ryback no sell a host of moves including Cena going through a table which he just springs back to life from, and a three minute segment of the fight where Ryback no sells an Attitude Adjustment through the table, Cena no sells Shell Shocked and Cena spears Ryback through the ringside barricade which the supposed wrecking machine lays there for thirty seconds before giving chase through the crowd. It is one of the worst moments in any match ever. The pair blows an important spot when Ryback fails to catch Cena in the turnbuckle, forcing Cena to pull on Ryback’s head in a horrible looking makeshift sleeper hold. Whilst in the crowd, Cena and Ryback stumble through a procession of foreign object shots which don’t look like they’d hurt someone with brittle bones, before Cena drills Ryback through a table with a botched splash in which Cena for some reason lands on his side. How can he get this wrong after eleven years? The match goes for what seems like an eternity before the pair finds themselves on the Extreme Rules set ready for the big finish. Ryback’s running spear on Cena which send both men crashing through the set and ends the brawl is nothing but predictable as WWE have used it many times and the fact that Cena even no sells this spot by simply getting up from the stretcher and refusing to go to hospital, simply walking away shows how little he cares about the business. This footage can be found on the Post show highlights. Truly horrible.

As usual, the announce team of Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole and JBL provide some head in hand moments. During the Chris Jericho vs Fandango match, Jerry Lawler announces to the world that ‘Fandango is the most underrated wrestler in WWE’. Fandango isn’t and Lawler should have kept this to himself; during the same match, JBL makes himself look like a complete novice by stating that Fandango’s debut at WrestleMania 29 was the most impressive debut in wrestling history; whilst Sheamus and Mark Henry are giving it their all in the ring, Jerry Lawler strikes again by saying that the strap match has gone ‘High Tech’ because of the lights which look like they come from the 80’s and have been used before. I constantly wonder why WWE employ Lawler in 2013.

The DVD extras only provide one low point and that is the Post Show Highlights. Not even in complete form, WWE hack together five of the most uninteresting minutes from the show on WWE.Com. Hosted by the lifeless Renee Young and with guests Wade Barrett – the then Intercontinental Champion who WWE couldn’t find a spot for on the card – Titus O’Neil and Mick Foley, this is a total and utter waste of time. Like the Post Show from WrestleMania 29 it’s full of highlights we’ve just sat and watched and inane comments from the guests. Idiotically, Mick ‘The Cheeseburger’ Foley says that Brock Lesnar proved nothing in his cage match with Triple H, only that he can win with Paul Heyman’s help. Not once does Foley even mention the unmatched performance of Lesnar in the ring. When Foley has finished there, he somehow believes that the pair needs yet another match when they’ve already had three and Lesnar beat Triple H 2-1, but this time with an equaliser in Triple H’s corner to contain Heyman. Can someone please brief Foley on what has been happening in WWE these last few months? Shawn Michaels was that equaliser at WrestleMania 29; even Renee Young looks embarrassed when she is told to call the Last Man Standing Match between John Cena and Ryback, ‘epic’. I have been witness to many epic matches in my time; this certainly was not one of them. Wade Barrett and Titus O’Neil add nothing of worth to the five minute highlight package. WWE couldn’t even be bothered to include the full show. Then again, this should have been omitted from the release anyway.

DVD and Blu-ray Special Features:

Pre-Show Match
The Miz vs Cody Rhodes
Post Show Highlights

Blu-ray Exclusive Extras:

Monday Night Raw – May 13th 2013
Chris Jericho and Fandango dance off
Triple H and Brock Lesnar face off
6 Man Elimination Tag Team Match
John Cena and Team Hell No vs The Shield

Smackdown – May 17th 2013
Miz TV with Randy Orton and Big Show

Conclusion:

There is a lot to love and very little to hate about Extreme Rules 2013. Apart from the Last Man Standing Match everything else here has something to offer everyone. The standout match of the night is the Steel Cage warfare between Triple H and Brock Lesnar and even if you’re not a fan of either or partial to marathon matches, this is a must see for Brock Lesnar’s epic performance. On this evidence, Lesnar would do the company a lot of good if they were to give him the WWE Championship.

Randy Orton and Big Show put on a good show; Mark Henry pulls his weight with Sheamus, The Shield shine brighter than ever before because of a stand out performance from Dean Ambrose and even Fandango and the Pre-Show Match is worth the time it takes to get through it. This should be how every pay-per view is booked and fought, WWE could do a lot worse than following the example they set here.

Like its predecessors over the years, Extreme Rules is the show that WrestleMania should have been. Though it lacks Undertaker and C.M Punk’s presence, the show builds new talent and showcases what is possible without a couple of your big stars around. From the opening bell to the main event, bypassing the WWE Championship Match, Extreme Rules 2013 is better than WrestleMania 29 and should be a must for every wrestling fan.

Rating: A

Next Time in Review Corner: ECW Unreleased Volume 2 DVD and Blu-ray

Onwards and upwards...



Tuesday 16 July 2013

BACK ON A ROLL

It’s good to be back. You know when you get that feeling that no matter how bad things are for you in your personal life, there is always somewhere you can go that strips all of that away. This is it for me and I hope that for some of you, this blog is that same thing. For some it won’t be and for some it may be. Now that this blog is back up and running, for a moment there I thought I would have to set up another blog and all this would be for nothing, but browsers have been updated and we, my good friends, are back in business.

A Change at the Top

I predicted wrong. It’s not often I get something wrong when predicting outcomes of matches, but hell, at Money in the Bank I got at least two wrong. Rob Van Dam was the perfect choice to win the match on his reintroduction into the company but hence, at last, Randy Orton grabbed the privileged after doing so much for so many. The match had its fair share of top notch moments, Paul Heyman turning on Punk was always sign posted from the beginning to set up the Punk vs Lesnar match at SummerSlam, but for as much as Randy Orton’s victory will be celebrated the other standout result of the night is the one which is most promising.

Damien Sandow is the new number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. In the Money in the Bank preview, I wrote that Sandow wasn’t an option to win the match because his star in WWE wasn’t big enough. To take Damien Sandow seriously as a threat to the World Heavyweight Championship WWE should have pushed him hard towards the event and if we’re going to buy into him and the whole Team Rhodes Scholars split then Sandow has to look better than he has. Which means no more losing to Brodus Clay or Sweet T on Raw and Smackdown and no more jobbing him out to talent who are going nowhere fast. Now, Damien Sandow has to be the man others job to.

How is the best way to build him up for his Championship shot and almost inevitable reign I hear you ask, well that’s simple. First, Alberto Del Rio has to lose the World Championship. A heel vs heel feud will do no business in WWE and now that Dolph Ziggler has dumped A.J and not before time, WWE need to switch the Championship back to Ziggler for his face turn. When that has happened WWE need to concentrate Sandow on wrestling only the biggest and best wrestlers WWE has to offer, and yes that does mean Cody Rhodes as well. Rhodes may be at the bottom of WWE’s pecking order but he still has the skills to elevate Sandow in what would be a cracking SummerSlam mid-card match.

With Randy Orton occupied elsewhere now, Damien Sandow has a limited cast of bit players to rely upon to hoist him upwards to lofty heights. Sheamus surely has to be out, after their Payback pre-show match which Sandow lost, no one would believe the scholar is capable of defeating Sheamus in a run in to the gold. So who does that leave? Rob Van Dam could do Sandow some good. Their wrestling styles compliment each other perfectly and Sandow has the ability to cover up for any rusty elements Van Dam may have acquired since leaving TNA. The feud could be an upper card box office smash and it’s almost a necessity if Damien Sandow isn’t going to be a caretaker champion.

I don’t know how WWE are planning to handle Sandow in the coming weeks and months, but let’s just hope history doesn’t repeat itself. If WWE treat Sandow like they did Jack Swagger when he won the Money in the Bank briefcase and World Heavyweight Championship then all of this, the hype, the build up and result would have been for nothing. If Damien Sandow is squashed going into this run, then WWE may as well have put the story on Jack Swagger for all the good it’s going to do. This is once chance they cannot waste, yet again. The future depends on it.

Here Comes Summer

Now Money in the Bank is out of the way, we can look forward to SummerSlam and the biggest event of the summer, once again from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, looks very promising even though only one match has been announced but Brock Lesnar vs C.M Punk will be added at a later date. Will it be the Triple H vs Brock Lesnar feud of last and this year? Maybe. Punk has the skills we all know that and Brock Lesnar, if he puts in another performance like he did at Extreme Rules then this match and feud could set the WWE on fire.

Now that John Cena has chosen Daniel Bryan as his opponent for SummerSlam, Bryan has the unenviable task of trying to both make John Cena and the match look good whilst protecting his own image. We know that Cena has a habit of killing off careers like they’re going out of fashion, but WWE cannot allow Bryan to be the next in a very long line. As stated before, there are very few men to come out of a feud with John Cena with their image intact. WWE needs to add a stipulation to this to aid Bryan in hiding Cena’s weaknesses. I don’t know if he can do it alone and if the rest of 2013 is going to pan out as WWE have planned then Bryan may need all the help he can get dealing with Cena.

Hopefully though, John Cena will drop the WWE Championship to Bryan on the show and if he does, then expect Randy Orton to cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase on Bryan at SummerSlam and take the gold, thus finally beginning his heel turn. If played well then it could be a huge turn, much the same as C.M Punk’s on Jeff Hardy in 2009 when Punk cashed in on Hardy and gradually began to turn heel during their great feud. It wouldn’t have to be done immediately but in time, over the next few months, Randy Orton could finally get the push he’s so richly deserved. Of course, on the upside, there is one huge advantage to Bryan defeating Cena and then losing to Orton on the same card. If Orton was to dethrone Bryan, then Cena’s automatic Championship rematch would be null and void. Which means we wouldn’t have to see him in the main event again in 2013. Ever cloud...

Not much else has been announced for the show but its safe to say that Kane will try to exact his revenge on The Wyatt’s for his attack on the pre-Money in the Bank Raw and there is even talk that maybe Undertaker will make an appearance. This may be just rumour but the biggest event of the summer would be that much bigger if The Undertaker and Kane were to team up to face The Wyatt’s.

Take the Poll

Last but not least this week, those of you regular readers may have noticed that three new polls have appeared to the left side of the page. They are free to take and would give me an insight into what you miss from the blog and what you would like to see in 2014. The first poll will decide this with many options to choose from. The second poll is for you to vote for who you think is the greatest wrestler in history and the third is for the worst wrestler in history.

Please do vote, it’s free and no they do not have viruses attached to them. I don’t do this for my own amusement people.

Onwards and upwards...




Saturday 13 July 2013

MONEY IN THE BANK 2013 - THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME


Whilst Money in the Bank 2013 stands to be remembered for the return to WWE of Rob Van Dam, it’s important that we don’t forget what the event means and what fruits of labour it could bring as we venture into the second half of the year. Whilst the return of RVD may be a vital part of WWE six months from now, there are many roads WWE could take with its younger talent to cement their place in the company and in the fans minds as serious contenders.

With previous winners of the coveted Money in the Bank matches including Edge, Dolph Ziggler, John Cena, The Miz plus many others, the two winners of this year’s annual spectacle are almost guaranteed a WWE or World Heavyweight Championship victory at some point in the next year, meaning the winners could – if they avoid the ‘Dolph Ziggler’ treatment – be automatically elevated into a main event position. A huge step up the card for a mid-card player treading water somewhere he can no longer do anything for.

As we look towards July 14th, WWE once again have the stage to make new stars. As we await two new Champions elect and the homecoming of one of WWE’s most popular wrestlers, this could be the beginning of a fresh new landscape for WWE, all they have to do now is capitalise on the gifts they have been given.

NOTE: this review was written before Kane was taken out of the Money in the Bank Match and it also slipped my mind that Alberto Del Rio had turned heel at Payback, which means here, he is referred to as a face.

Money in the Bank All Stars Ladder Match
WWE Championship Contract
Rob Van Dam vs C.M Punk vs Kane vs Randy Orton vs Christian vs Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan


Last year in this very match, John Cena predictably scaled the ladder to capture the Money in the Bank briefcase which entitled him to a shot at the WWE Championship, any time for the next year. John Cena chose to cash that briefcase in on Raw’s 1,000th episode where he failed to capture the WWE Champion from then reigning champion, C.M Punk. The result made John Cena the first man in history to fail in succeeding to win the championship in the history of Money in the Bank. The problem people had with last year’s offering from the Red brand is that it was wholly predictable. There was no one in the arena who didn’t believe John Cena was going to leave Money in the Bank with the briefcase.

Reading opinions on the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, none were truer than a piece which was written in Power Slam Magazine in June. Inside the issue, it stated that the Money in the Bank Ladder Match shouldn’t be won by known wrestlers who have already held the coveted WWE Championships. Instead it should be won and contested between mid-card wrestlers who need to make the next step up the food chain in WWE and spread their wings as far as their standing in the company goes. They’re right. Those who have already held the WWE Championship, even just once, don’t need the Money in the Bank Match to grant them another shot as it’s a given that at some time or another they will get another shot.

Last year’s match featured only former WWE Champions seeing Big Show vs John Cena vs The Miz vs Chris Jericho vs Kane, no new talent featured in the match and WWE only seemed bothered about pushing those who had already been recognised as champion and the match only seemed to exist in order for to further the John Cena and C.M Punk feud which was scheduled to kick off again in the latter months of 2012. The booking totally devalued what the match was created for and that was to give those who needed the chance to get a foothold in the main event of WWE, the opportunity to step up and see if they were made of sterner stuff. The winner of the Money in the Bank Match should immediately be elevated into an important place in WWE’s plans and the fans minds. By having five former WWE Champions compete in the match there was no real winner and all WWE did was screw itself out of a new main event player.

Looking at this years line up for the one and only Money in the Bank Ladder Match, WWE have done exactly what they should have avoided. In the style of 2012’s outing, WWE have booked all former WWE and World Heavyweight Champions to compete for a shot at the prestigious gold. In this match there isn’t one man who needs the spotlight a victory here would provide and no one who needs that step up the ladder they could only find here. Reasonably, looking at all seven men in this brawl, each could easily find their way into the main event scene once again which begs the question, why, in their time of need, aren’t WWE doing something to make several new stars – a task which could have competently been done in this match.

The big news going into this match, as we learnt at Payback, is that Rob Van Dam is returning to WWE after several years away from the company, competing in TNA. Whilst his exploits between leaving the company and re-entering will more than likely be kept under wraps on WWE television as they have some kind of phobia of mentioning wrestler’s pasts when it comes to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, WWE will do everything it can to hype his return and that includes a victory on his reintroduction into the company. I know we’re starting out with the predictions early into the preview but looking down the list of competitors only RVD and Daniel Bryan should be in mind to win this match.

A few weeks ago, we pondered on Van Dam’s role in WWE in 2013. Where could he possible fit in to the structure? I commented that he could give the Intercontinental Championship division a huge lift and maybe a feud with Curtis Axel may be on the cards for RVD. As a wrestler who made an impact on his WWE debut in 2001, RVD could have a few great scraps against Axel who in many ways did the exact same thing RVD did on his debut. Making an impact. Henning has the skills but he lacks a pinfall victory, on pay-per view against a really huge name. If and most likely when RVD wins the Money in the Bank Ladder Match then a run against the current WWE Intercontinental Champion before cashing in the Money in the Bank contract could be beneficial for both men and the company as a whole.

Of course, all of this is based on RVD staying around long enough to do anything worthwhile. According to reports, and as of yet I cannot deny or confirm this, RVD has only signed a part time contract with WWE, the likes Brock Lesnar has now. Which means Van Dam will make scarce appearances should this turn out to be true. Such a contract would then state that RVD cannot be WWE Champion for any length of time. If this is true then its unlikely RVD will win this match or the WWE Championship. WWE like their Champion to close every house show and on a limited contract RVD could not appear on every show throughout the week and whilst this could be done with the World Heavyweight Championship, WWE do not see their second most important piece of gold as a show closer.

Despite his contract, Van Dam would of course be the perfect choice for the next WWE Champion. He’s been away so long that those who have joined in his absence do not know fully what he is capable of at the right weight. Van Dam could bring new viewers into the company and with someone new at the helm, especially someone capable of being the underdog face that the likes of Ryback could beat on and then lose to in a dramatic overcoming on pay-per view would give WWE the perfect chance to shake up and reinvigorate the headline scene. Van Dam’s presence at the top of the card for three or four months would allow WWE to build a new, younger and stronger foundation underneath him. Whilst Van Dam is defending against the likes of Ryback and C.M Punk above, WWE could furnish the division with the likes of Curtis Axel, Christian, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton and Sheamus to name but a few. And when Van Dam is ready to drop the gold WWE would have a wealth of options to chose from that aren’t John Cena.

In addition to all of this, Rob Van Dam as a fresh face would give WWE a brand new feel. Though he’s an old hand returning, those of us who have sat and been subjected to WWE’s non stop merry-go-round of recurring faces would welcome a change of face and those who have tuned out of the product in the previous three or four years may be tempted back to WWE should they find out that WWE are no longer pushing John Cena as WWE Champion every week and month but instead a wrestler who may have seen and done it all before but who ultimately, is bringing something different to the industry. There’s no denying that WWE have missed RVD since he’s been gone as there is no one else with his high flying style in WWE’s ranks.

On June 14th 2013, one of wrestling’s favourite sons comes home to roost and I for one will be there to welcome him home. World Wrestling Entertainment and the wrestling industry as a whole should be all that much better off for it.

Daniel Bryan, if one does not plump for Rob Van Dam, has to be the next favourite to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match seeing as he will almost certainly challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. His in ring performances have been a tour de force and he is ultra reliable in singles competition. Recently, Bryan’s performances in the ring against Randy Orton, one of the men who will oppose him in this match and on the mic against Triple H have been nothing but outstanding and surely this is the beginning of Bryan’s ascension back to the top of the card. No one reading this can deny that Daniel Bryan belongs at the very pinnacle of WWE’s mountain.

Now Bryan has shook off the Team Hell No albatross that was placed around his neck when WWE didn’t have anything else to do with him, the man who was a sensation around the entire world can begin once again to climb back towards his destiny. And it’s a move which WWE should have executed in January, instead of waiting until June to do so. Team Hell No, at the beginning was amusing but rapidly became stale and sour. The comedy in the group and the interactions between Bryan and Kane were predictable and there was only ever one place Daniel Bryan could go. If WWE had kept him as a mid card talent there would have been a severe backlash from the fans. Had we began chanting his name and peppering WWE with chants of ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ during events, the company would have had no sensible reason as to keep Bryan where he was. Even worse for Vince, he couldn’t have possibly invented an excuse as to why so many people were into Bryan and yet he wasn’t competing at the top.

I like to think that WWE have elevated Bryan as thanks for everything he did for both Kane and the WWE Tag Team division. Without Bryan, Kane and the Tag Team Championships would have been mere time filler on each show and certainly there was no one within WWE who could have stuck up a partnership with Kane like Bryan did and for the most part is was successful. But there had to be an end to the tomfoolery and the sooner WWE pulled the trigger on the split, the sooner the company could prove that they were serious about making new stars and not relying on the tiresome John Cena to pull in the numbers. Let’s face it, on his worst day Daniel Bryan is ten times better than John Cena. Thinking about it, with a little investment, Bryan could even be as big a money spinner as Cena. His chants of ‘Yes’ and ‘No’, have sold millions of t-shirts world wide and his popularity is showing no signs of dissipating.

I have no doubt that at Money in the Bank, Daniel Bryan will fight RVD, Christian, C.M Punk and Randy Orton to be the star of the match and judging by his talents alone we should be in for a cracking ladder match which by rights could take ‘Match of the Year’ honours. Whilst Bryan needs to eliminate the ‘diving head butt’ routine from his long list of moves, I’m sure that at Money in the Bank Daniel Bryan could have several great feuds with other talent before cashing in and even elevate them before he himself once again takes the mantle of WWE Champion.

Whilst this is what should happen, or at least another version of it, we have to look at what WWE will most likely do. It has been widely rumoured that at SummerSlam in August, Daniel Bryan will challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship and if the campaigning by Bryan’s fans work, then we will have a new WWE Champion on the biggest show of the summer. Will Bryan be hindered by Cena? Most probably. But hey, its fresh, it’s new and its certainly a better option than anything else WWE may have in mind for its best all round performer.

Only time will tell what WWE have planned for Daniel Bryan after Money in the Bank – John Cena or no John Cena. One thing is for certain and that is no one in Titan Towers can dispute that the man with a beard that would make God jealous, is the future of Vince McMahon’s company. One would have thought WWE had learnt their lesson about keeping their top stars and hot prospects happy by now after Brock Lesnar and Goldberg left in 2004, Rob Van Dam refused to sign a new contract before the turn of the decade and The Rock chose Hollywood over the squared circle. But hey, maybe Daniel Bryan will be the one to show WWE how to value a star and this time keep him sweet, so he chooses WWE over any other form of entertainment or company. Right now though, Daniel Bryan is in poll position to take this industry by storm and there’s only one thing to say about that! ‘Yes’, ‘Yes’, ‘Yes’!

Christian has almost became a shadow in WWE. I know he’s had no end of injury problems over the last years and they have kept him out of action and out of the public spotlight, but unfortunately, it has been to his detriment. Jay Reso has been a man who has given his all to WWE for fifteen years and his reward has been two World Heavyweight Championship reigns which lasted less than a month each with the first last forty eight hours. His feud with Randy Orton in 2011 was the hottest thing in WWE at the time and produced several gripping pay-per view matches which will live long in the memory. But in 2013, WWE do not see Christian as a viable choice to carry the company through the rest of the year.

I would normally stand up against this choice and say that Christian is one of WWE’s best wrestlers, which there’s no doubt he is, but on this occasion maybe WWE have it right. Christian has become a liability in the ring because of his injuries. ‘Captain Charisma’ has had so many injuries in such a short amount of time that I doubt WWE will ever put the big one around his waist again. WWE like wrestlers who aren’t injury prone and who can carry out a long and developed programme as champion against numerous challengers without the risk of serious injury. Right now, that isn’t Christian and WWE know it. The truth is, whilst he’s so injury prone, WWE are scared that if they give him the big one again and he gets injured in the middle of a hot feud, their buy rates would plummet when Christian was forced to take more time out to rehab another injury.

And they’re right. At such a precious time when you’re looking to make new stars or at least reignite old stars into the main event position, you cannot take a chance on someone so injury prone. Right about now Vince McMahon will be thinking about WrestleMania and either having whoever is going to take the briefcase cash it in on the grandest stage of them all or being champion until WrestleMania night. Simply put, Christian cannot be relied upon to be the short term future of the company. Getting injured three months into an eight month storyline and being out for a year recovering would be disastrous for WWE if they put the WWE Championship on Christian and the discussed should happen.

What needs to happen with Christian now is that WWE need to build him all over again. The injuries have taken their toll on his standing within the company and the man who contested those superb matches with Randy Orton in 2011 has disappeared. This Christian is a man who is being jobbed out and thrown on shows to fill time when WWE have no one else to fill a spot. I think it’s fair to say that once again the glass ceiling which was placed above Christian’s head in 2010 is once again in place and now the man who was once touted as the brother of WWE Hall of Famer, Edge, needs to do everything he can to break that ceiling. Don’t let Christian’s appearance in this match fool you.

Christian isn’t in this match to give the impression that he may be the next contender to the WWE Championship. Instead, Christian is simply here to fill out the numbers once again, and fingers crossed, provide some much talked about moments. Moments which were missing from last year’s effort. With previous in these matches, Christian surely has to be the favourite to take the lead in what everyone hopes will be a stunt packed show. Putting that fact aside, what can WWE do to boost Christian’s chances of finally making his way back into the main event scene, providing he keeps injury free?

The Intercontinental Championship division is where Christian has to look for the time being. With the top tier out of bounds for now, Christian can do the most good down the ladder and at his age and experience, maybe that is where he is best suited now. When WWE get the feeling he can once again go for long periods without picking up any injuries then they can begin to looking at elevating him once more. Curtis Axel is the obvious choice to oppose Christian after Money in the Bank and with WWE serious about pushing Axel and now with Paul Heyman at his side, the pair could turn a feud for the Intercontinental Championship into a real money spinner and a step for Curtis Axel to begin climbing the ladder. Christian has the skills and know how to elevate another wrestler by both beating and losing to them and undoubtedly, that is where he is best suited now.

WWE don’t have to limit Christian to Axel. In fact if he was used as a lynch pin to hold the division together, they could easily disguise the fact that Reso is the man whilst everyone else is built around him. Incorporating Antonio Cesaro, Wade Barrett and The Miz, WWE could easily fill out the rest of the year with the five men and begin building the I.C division from there. Each one have the skills to help put the building blocks in place, and with Christian overseeing it all, where can they go wrong? Unfortunately, at this time, that is the only choice WWE have for Christian. His many injuries have necessitated that he cannot confidently compete in the main event for a while to come, so hey, why not put your skills to good use elsewhere. There are worse things to be known as, than the man who rebuilt the WWE Intercontinental Championship division.

C.M Punk is a man who absolutely doesn’t need another WWE Championship reign, only six months after losing the WWE Championship after his mammoth run, to The Rock at Royal Rumble. WWE proved that with C.M Punk as WWE Champion, they have no other opponents for ‘The Straight Edged Superstar’ other than John Cena. And at this point in time, every member of the WWE Universe will do whatever it takes to avoid witnessing another Punk vs Cena feud. Of course, anyone who has witnessed happenings since Payback knows that immediate plans for C.M Punk don’t include a WWE Championship reign at the moment. Instead they focus on another face turn and the imminent split from Paul Heyman and face off with Brock Lesnar.

That path is a much more beneficial one for Punk to walk right now, rather than re-treading old ground with the likes of Cena and Jericho over and over again. A Punk vs Lesnar feud which will presumably take place at SummerSlam for the first time has Box Office smash written all over it. Punk, as the wronged avenger has the clout as Triple H did to combat Brock Lesnar and on top of that, Punk also has the skills to go head to head with Brock Lesnar and not look like he’s going to get demolished. People believe in C.M Punk. Good or bad they love C.M Punk because he stands up for what we believe in. Over these last few years Punk has become the voice of the voiceless and WWE is all the better for it.

A Punk vs Lesnar feud has limitless potential and even though Brock Lesnar is only on a part time contract and couldn’t wrestle Punk at Survivor Series, Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, WWE do have an out card in the form of Rob Van Dam. If RVD was to join Paul Heyman upon his return to the company then in Brock Lesnar’s absence, Punk could take out his frustrations on Van Dam until Lesnar returned to the company to resume his feud with Punk. Punk and Van Dam is another feud we haven’t seen and would have made us salivate back in the day. Now, it could be epic. The focus of this feud though will be Paul Heyman and who he sides with.

Whilst it’s a certainty that the WWE Championship will end up around the waist of Punk and / or Lesnar once again in the not too distant future, this feud will benefit from not having the company’s top gold on the line. Triple H vs Brock Lesnar had the same vibe promoting the feud about respect and who was the best. Pushing himself as ‘The Best in the World’ Punk would have the chance to prove that claim by felling WWE’s biggest monster in 2013. Whether or not Paul Heyman chooses Punk to stand by or his original client Brock Lesnar is irrelevant although thinking about it, WWE missed a trick with Heyman, Lesnar and Punk. Allow me to explain.

Had WWE kept all the ‘Paul Heyman’ guys together in one group, aka Punk and Lesnar then WWE could have easily added more to the stable gradually with the likes of Curtis Axel and Rob Van Dam. If the group needed anymore members then WWE could have easily chosen someone like Cody Rhodes who needed the exposure. The group could have gradually gone on to dominate WWE over the coming months and then eventually gone for gold by challenging Vince McMahon to once again put it all on the line by pitting several of his WWE superstars against Heyman’s guys. The guys in Heyman’s stable would have been instant stars and even better, WWE couldn’t have just booked Heyman’s stable to lose like jobbers because Brock Lesnar would not have stood for it behind the scenes. This could have become a really gripping story which escalated over time and involved WWE’s top stars and it’s underneath roster. Everyone would have been a winner. Still, maybe WWE will take some notice now that story is in circulation. We can always hope.

As for C.M Punk in Money in the Bank, well I still believe that Punk has returned to WWE too soon. With his departure after WrestleMania 29 and before Extreme Rules 2013 to heal old wounds, Punk could have done without at least another three months away from the company in order to maximise the hype for his return. That he was away for only two months if that, tells me that WWE had nothing else planned and no one else they believed capable of carrying a story like this one with Lesnar and rushed Punk back. Had WWE allowed C.M Punk time off until September or even November, then his return would have been one of the biggest ever. WWE would have begun to hear the chants of C.M Punk throughout the arena and could have even built the Lesnar feud off of that, citing jealousy that the fans wanted Punk and not Lesnar to compete for them. As a face, a Royal Rumble victory in January is almost guaranteed for Punk at this point in time and let’s hope both he and WWE can convey the face persona without smirking or looking like a heel this time around.

Without a doubt, the future is bright for C.M Punk right now and with a host of opponents lined up for him in between his feud with Brock Lesnar, I can only see him going from strength to strength. WWE have big things planned for C.M punk and judging on his professional conduct during his lengthily WWE Championship reign in 2012 and match against Undertaker at WrestleMania 29, we can all rest easy about his ability to perform whatever task is bestowed upon him. Whatever WWE plans to do with the company in the future, certainly C.M Punk is going to be right at the front of the charge.

Kane is the weak link in this match. Everyone knows it and its no secret that the former WWE, World Heavyweight and ECW Champion is out of place in this Ladder match. After Team Hell No’s disbanding, Kane has found himself a loose end in WWE. There is nothing left for him to do and that fact that WWE have placed him here because there are no other options for the Big Red Machine means that he’s now officially expendable. Would a few months break benefit Kane? Maybe, but that’s only if WWE were to come up with a plan for Kane they haven’t executed before and looking back on his run, Kane has done just about every single storyline WWE could conjure up for him.

Kane has been in love triangles, comedy tag teams up to the eye balls, tag teams where his partner turned on him, tag teams where his partner was seeing his squeeze behind his back, he’s been the face, the heel, turned on Undertaker more times than not and chased each top tier Championship without relative success. If anyone has any more ideas for Kane then I would like to hear them because I have nothing left to suggest for him. The only possible thing WWE could do with Kane now is demote him to the United States Championship division and just hope he can make an impact there. But judging by the fact WWE have placed him in this match, booking him further down the food chain isn’t an option.

If WWE were to give Kane six months off then the company would be forced to make a news star to fill the spot Kane leaves. Then, if that star becomes big enough, WWE could bring Kane back to feud with that star. Maybe. And I’m afraid that is me dredging the bottom of the barrel for ideas for Kane. Truthfully though, I really don’t know what Kane is doing here anyway. In recent months he’s been one half of the team who lost the Tag Team Championships and then fell to Dean Ambrose in singles competition at Payback. If anyone should be included in this match then it should have been the WWE United States Champion. Just think of the opportunity for Dean Ambrose and The Shield had one or all three of them been entered in this match. Kane is taking up valuable space here, space which WWE needed to make a new star.

With every other superstar in this match, there is an obvious path for them to take after Money in the Bank. Christian will drop into the Intercontinental Championship division and more than likely feud with Curtis Axel. C.M Punk is on a collision course with Brock Lesnar. Daniel Bryan will either clash with Randy Orton or Triple H in the coming months. Rob Van Dam has something huge coming his way and as for Randy Orton and Sheamus, well you can read them below. Kane on the other hand, is redundant. WWE have no storylines lined up for him and no plans for Kane at SummerSlam, though I assume they will find a match to sling him into so he’s not left off of the show.

Glen Jacobs’ time in WWE may very well be over. I’m not saying this to be horrible; I’m saying it because it’s the truth. Kane will never hold the WWE Championship again and it doesn’t seem to matter what he does at the top of the card, he remains irrelevant. Jacobs has had a terrific run in WWE as Kane and been one of the few big men who have outlasted their original transpire date. No one could ever have imagined Kane would come this far in WWE when he ripped the cell door off of Hell in a Cell on October 7th 1997. That is an achievement in itself. Now would be the perfect time for Kane to step away from the spotlight and go out on top. Because I’m warning him now. There’s only place for his career to from here and I doubt he’ll like the sheer plunge ahead of him.

Randy Orton has been a sheer marvel in WWE since WrestleMania 29. It was a disappointment to him I’m sure, to be booked in the opening match of the night when he belonged in the main event but since then he has been a force to be reckoned with. His match at Extreme Rules with Big Show was brilliant and his matches and exchanges with Daniel Bryan on Raw and Smackdown since ‘The Viper’ teased the much anticipated heel turn by dropping Bryan with an RKO have been nothing short of exceptional. The man who has done more jobs in wrestling than anyone I can remember is on his way back to the top, but before he gets there, he has one more job to do.

The job I speak of should come at Money in the Bank and it’s for Rob Van Dam. Those of you with long term memories will remember Van Dam’s last proper night in WWE, not counting his one off Royal Rumble return, was in a match against Randy Orton and Van Dam put Orton over big time. The last we saw of RVD was when Orton sent Van Dam crashing into the concrete with a DDT and RVD was wheeled out of the arena on a stretcher. Now it is time for Orton to return the favour before he is returned to his rightful place at the top of the mountain. I expect this match to end when Van Dam stops Orton grabbing the briefcase and claims it for himself.

So what is in store for Randy Orton after Money in the Bank? His feud with Daniel Bryan should continue and be taken to pay-per view level. Hopefully, Orton and Bryan will feud across SummerSlam and with any luck Orton will turn heel before August is done. I have heard people say that Orton doesn’t need to turn heel thanks to his new found connection with the fans but a heel Orton is needed much more than the face one. As heel, Randy Orton can elevate any face talent in victory or defeat. In 2009, Orton was the highlight of WWE with his scathing ‘Viper’ looks and his yellow bellied nature. Fans would regularly chant his name above Cena and Triple H’s and when he won the WWE Championship at Backlash 2009 he received a thunderous reception.

As a heel, Orton had systematically taken out the McMahon Family. Vince, Shane, Stephanie had all fallen to Orton and still we cheered him. Any other heel would have been booed out of the arena when he punted the face in the head and pinned him to secure the WWE Championship, yet Randy Orton was treated like a hero. Heel or face, Randy Orton has a connection to the crowd the likes of which most wrestlers only wish they had. It reminds me of Steve Austin. Heel or face, Austin could provoke a reaction from the crowd that was unlike anyone else. Even as a face, Austin could drop the company’s top guy with a Stone Cold Stunner and still receive a standing ovation. That is the sign of something special and Randy Orton has it.

Personally, I would love to see Randy Orton vs Brock Lesnar. It would be a tour de force of action and high spots. Lesnar has the power to throw Orton around the ring like a rag doll and Randy can sell that shit like it’s the end of his career. On the other side of the coin, Orton has the technical skills to carry Brock Lesnar through a long and technical main event match. If Orton could do with Lesnar what he did with Christian in 2011 then it would remake Brock Lesnar. Who knows, maybe WWE are planning an Orton vs Lesnar feud for 2014, but it will not have as big affect if both men are heel. Maybe it could be the beginning of Orton’s heel turn. Maybe after losing a long and breathtaking feud to Lesnar, Orton could be offered representation by Paul Heyman, a move which could lead to a beautiful partnership.

This of course is what should happen. WWE lack top tier heels at the moment and Big Show, Mark Henry and Ryback just aren’t filling the void. Randy Orton could bring a whole new dimension to WWE if he were a heel. But then WWE don’t think that far ahead. It’s been a while since we’ve seen anything long term in World Wrestling Entertainment and I don’t expect Randy Orton to be the first after all this while. Whatever WWE do to him after Money in the Bank, I’m sure that Orton can handle it with the usual aplomb he manages on a weekly basis.

Sheamus oh Sheamus, how far you have fallen recently. Not since TLC has Sheamus had a really important role in WWE. His last high profile match on pay-per view was in December and since then, his career has petered out. He was a blip in the Royal Rumble match, made no impression at Elimination Chamber, jerked the curtain at WrestleMania 29, was fed to Mark Henry at Extreme Rules and demoted to the Pre-show match at Payback in June. Where did it all go wrong for Sheamus in WWE? Six months ago he was competing in respectable matches for the World Heavyweight Championship, in the present; he seems to be an unimportant cog that WWE have no plans for.

The man who was once Triple H’s class pet doesn’t seem to be going anywhere fast and the impressive 2013 that people foresaw for him is dissipating fast. With only six months to go in the year, Sheamus needs to make up ground fast. With a lack of heels at his level in WWE at the moment, then WWE have to find other ways to make Sheamus count. If this means inserting him into the World Heavyweight Championship picture in a triple threat capacity then that is what it needs to do. Sheamus is too big in 2013 to be competing down the ladder. He’s still not at Randy Orton’s level image wise so he cannot get away with being pushed down the card. Sheamus has to be seen in main event positions to be known as a main event guy.

With Mark Henry and Big Show down, who else is there for Sheamus to compete against main even wise? He almost embarrassed Alberto Del Rio in numerous consecutive matches in 2012 for the World Heavyweight Championship and ran through Dolph Ziggler like he was nothing on television matches around the same time so maybe they are now out of the equation. The Shield have opposed and beaten Sheamus and the trio are not an option for Sheamus to defeat on his way back to the top. Ryback is a possibility as is a heel Chris Jericho, maybe if Randy Orton turns in the coming months WWE could once again look at booking the duo in another feud. Maybe Rob Van Dam is the answer if and when he wins the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Other than that, Sheamus is stuck.

You see, it’s at time like these that WWE find they have booked themselves into a corner in the previous six months. Because WWE have failed to make any new stars, Sheamus now finds himself sparse as far as opponents go. Wade Barrett vs Sheamus could have been a huge at the Box Office had WWE not treated Barrett like a jobber for months and the same goes for The Miz. Antonio Cesaro was another option WWE could have had a lot of success with had they not anchored him with that awful yodelling gimmick and used him as cannon fodder to anyone and everyone. That just about passes up everyone and anyone with credibility in WWE and Sheamus has either fought them all already or wouldn’t be elevated by taking the rest on.

I’m sure WWE will find an answer to Sheamus’ problem, it always does somehow, but I hope this gives WWE the kick in the backside that it needs to see how important it is to make new stars instead of concentrating on John Cena and Ryback. Maybe WWE will finally take action and make a conscious drive forward to make someone new before December. If it doesn’t then it will find itself in the same position once again before the year turns.

Whilst Money in the Bank All Stars doesn’t exhibit anyone new, it will feature the return of Rob Van Dam, the continuation of Randy Orton vs Daniel Bryan and a whole host of death defying moves which are sure to set this apart from everything else on the card. Whilst Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan are the second and third choices to win this match, in reality I believe only one man will. This match should be one of a kind.

Winners Prediction: Rob Van Dam

WWE Championship Match
(c) John Cena vs Mark Henry


Are WWE trying to make their main event matches the most boring ever? First WWE gave John Cena, Ryback. In the hope the pair could bring the best out of each other and prove the doubters wrong. That didn’t happen. John Cena and Ryback’s Last Man Standing Match at Extreme Rules was one bore after the next and filled with illogical moves and selling. Their three stages of hell match at Payback, should have been much better than it actually was, thus putting an end to the pair’s feud. To be honest, I thought the two would continue feuding for a while to come but I guess WWE saw the problems of putting two negative energies together and decided that it was time for a change.

So does that change come in the form of a wrestler who desperately needs the spotlight that a WWE Championship challenge brings? What bright, young, vibrant and exciting wrestler do WWE choose for this spot. Mark Henry. Give me a break. After the John Cena vs Ryback bore WWE must have realised that John Cena, to succeed this time as champion needs a ruthless son of a bitch who the crowd cannot possibly back even if that means cheering Cena. I don’t believe for the life of me that this match or god forbid, feud, will do anything better than Cena and Ryback’s tussle over the last two months. Mark Henry lacks everything in the ring and John Cena needed someone who could carry him to a good match instead of someone who will highlight the champion’s flaws as well as his own.

It’s not even like WWE didn’t have anyone else on hand to challenge John Cena. What about Sheamus, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar? I would have preferred to see WWE put a hold on the Brock Lesnar vs C.M Punk feud and have the former ‘Next Big Thing’ challenge Cena for the gold here. Any of those listed wrestlers would have been preferable to Mark Henry and if anyone can tell me what he brings to the table in 2013 that someone else, in fact anyone else, doesn’t then I will eat my hat, if I had one. We’re talking about a man here who has been given every chance to shine in his long and very dull wrestling career and has failed at every turn. Henry has been garnished with ample Championship opportunities over the years and every time he’s captured the gold his reign has been about as fun as toothache.

For once in their lives, I would like WWE or more importantly Vince McMahon, to come out in public and explain why he keeps pushing Mark Henry. Hell, what would have to lose? A little pride when people pointed out where he’s going wrong? If Vince McMahon was to stage a press conference or Q&A with the fans and actually listen to us and take our suggestions on board then all of this could be avoided. He could explain to us why he keeps giving Mark Henry chance after chance to be a star and we could tell him why it’s not working. Because clearly, those around him are too scared to do the job themselves. Anyone with eyes could tell Vince why Mark Henry is done in the wrestling business and give him some new ideas as to where to take the stories.

Mark Henry is the perfect example of why WWE should open up a submissions page on WWE.Com or Twitter or Facebook so we could send in storyline ideas and comments which would give WWE a different feel to other wrestling companies. There’s a reason why the stories we create and upload online as part of WWE’s annual game release are ten times better than the drivel WWE push out weekly and that’s because we know what we want to see and there are millions of us out there who would love to contribute to WWE television, most of us would do it for free just so we didn’t have to pay to see the same crap month after month. The problem though lies with the boss man himself. You see, in case you haven’t realised by now, Vince McMahon marches to his own beat and anyone who isn’t listening to that tune is swiftly removed and replaced by ‘yes’ men who tell Vince what he wants to hear. In short, McMahon doesn't like to be told what to do by people he employs let alone by the people who have made him his fortune. Vince believes he knows what we want to see and we don’t have a clue. Oh what it must be like to live in the world of McMahon.

On the subject of Mark Henry, the man who could actually fit a championship belt around his waist in 1999, believe it or not, did anyone else get their hopes up when on the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw Mark Henry announced his retirement from wrestling. I really believed we had been granted eternal salvation from anymore of Henry’s horrible wrestling. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about and who don’t keep up with Raw on weekly basis, Mark Henry didn’t retire and it was all a ruse to get John Cena out to the ring in order to attack him and make a challenge for the WWE Championship. Because a wrestler who you previously had no dealings with or showed virtually no friendship through the years would be the first to come out and congratulate you on your retirement (insert sigh here). The whole angle was shoddy in the way it was booked and as soon as John Cena made his way to the ring you could read where it was going.

If WWE were to make Mark Henry the next WWE Champion, what could it possible accomplish? As World Heavyweight Champion in 2011, Mark Henry destroyed every challenger who opposed him not allowing them any offence and often making them look utterly out of his league. Whilst John Cena does this regularly, at least the current WWE Champion has a legion of followers who try their best to make every main event match seem important. The only thing a Mark Henry victory could accomplish is a down turn in business considering SummerSlam in one month away. Do we really want to see Mark Henry enters SummerSlam as WWE Champion and more importantly how could Mark Henry, billed as champion possibly sell the kind of buy rates WWE expect SummerSlam to pull?

John Cena can’t take all the blame for this recent dull run as Champion. Whilst his in ring product has been predictably awful as usual, WWE haven’t exactly given him the best start possible in his quest to win back as many fans as he can. Since defeating The Rock at WrestleMania 29 Cena has been given dud after dud, none of which he can rely on to help him cover up everything that is wrong. Ryback was a dumb choice for Cena’s first feud and WWE must have known that Ryback didn’t have the skill necessary to carry an effective feud in that spot on the card. Ryback is so boring that if you sent him to an insomniacs meeting, he’d cure the lot of them. His Smackdown match with Daniel Bryan aside, the highlight of his career has been just before he was sacrificed because WWE booked themselves into a corner.

For once John Cena is only partially to blame. Could he have done more in the ring? Absolutely. But the fact remains that WWE should have done more to make Cena’s latest remain memorable. This could have been accomplished several ways. Had Randy Orton turned heel at WrestleMania 29 or shortly after he could have either done so on John Cena or been someone who could have challenged Cena for the gold and lost without having his career affected. Had WWE given the pair all the distractions they could then another feud between the pair may have been watchable. It’s been nearly four years since the pair last did battle in a singles feud and if WWE aren’t shy of booking Cena and Punk in a feud one year after their last outing then Orton and Cena are surely destined to meet again somewhere down the line.

Without turning John Cena heel the other options are Sheamus and Daniel Bryan. The Irishman is at a stage in his career now where he can reasonably challenge John Cena without being ruined in the ring by the leader of the ‘Cenation’. Whilst WWE would have to turn Sheamus heel, it wouldn’t be a bad idea. Sheamus has gone as far as he can as a face and the change would do him good. Daniel Bryan on the other hand has the all round skills needed to hide John Cena’s flaws. Bryan has done so with others in Ring of Honor and surely would have no trouble at this stage in his career putting on a one man show in order to produce a main event worthy of remembrance and maybe even help John Cena take that next step.

There is another option however, for John Cena and that is reinstating John Laurinaitis. After Cena caused Laurinaitis’ dismissal, in a storyline, at No Way Out last year, there is scope for Johnny L to return to WWE as a regular on screen character to extract his revenge on the WWE Champion. If Johnny L was to gather another group which were more powerful than his former ‘People Power’ stable, it could be a way to turn Randy Orton heel completely and give mid-card talent a reason to turn up to work every week. Like DX and to a lesser extent, Legacy, this would be an ideal way in which to give some exposure to those trapped in the shadows. Providing John Cena didn’t demolish them before they got started.

Either way WWE need to do something with John Cena and do it fast. I would mention a heel turn for the popular with women and children champion, but we all know the likelihood of that happening. It’s more likely that Vince McMahon will come out on Raw, get down on his knees and beg our forgiveness for everything he’s done wrong in the past. If Cena were to turn heel though then I still stand by my original idea of reforming the NWO with JC as their leader. This would be one of the most important and earth shattering events to happen in wrestling since Hulk Hogan turned heel and formed the group at WCW’s The Great American Bash 1996. With Daniel Bryan on the horizon though, things could start to get interesting.

Right now though we’re left with the unappealing match of John Cena vs Mark Henry. Without a stipulation such as a cage match or something John Cena can handle then I imagine this is going to be a cross between Mark Henry vs Ryback (WrestleMania 29) and John Cena vs Ryback (Extreme Rules). Maybe though we’ll be wrong. Maybe on this night the pair will prove us all wrong. If there’s ever a time to do so then now would be it.

Winners Prediction: John Cena

Money in the Bank Ladder Match
World Heavyweight Championship Contract
Dean Ambrose vs Jack Swagger vs Fandango vs Antonio Cesaro vs Wade Barrett vs Damien Sandow vs Cody Rhodes


The second Money in the Bank Ladder Match for the contract entitling its holder to a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship looked, for a while, like it would never materialise. For the longest of times, WWE seemed concentrated on the Money in the Bank Ladder Match which had the WWE Championship shot at stake. But unlike its predecessor, the blue brand’s ladder encounter looks much more promising when you consider the star making potential with only one former World Heavyweight Champion in the mix.

As where Raw’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match features all former WWE or World Heavyweight Champions, Smackdown’s offering is focused solely on the younger talent and getting the future over today. A method everyone should surely agree with seeing as by the time this match has taken its final bow we could have two or three potential new main event stars. Everyone here is either an exceptional or promising talent and everyone watching should be anticipating this match more than the red offering.

When looking down the list of participants, then everyone except Fandango could easily take the step up to the next level and even if the match fails to put everyone in the spotlight then WWE could and should use this as a chance to elevate everyone here somehow. Antonio Cesaro, Dean Ambrose etcetera don’t have to win the match and they don’t need to capture the contract to get noticed on July 14th. All WWE need to do is simply allow their stars time to shine, that way, without a win, everyone will be elevated at least one level up. Which means those previously relegated to the United States Championship division should be pushed up to the Intercontinental Championship division and everyone in the once coveted Intercontinental Championship division should, in theory be in the frame for a World Heavyweight Championship shot of their own within the next year. Everyone is a winner.

The current WWE United States Champion, Dean Ambrose, has been a tour de force in the recent weeks and months on WWE pay-per view and television. After WrestleMania 29, The Shield looked like they were going from strength to strength. With Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins capturing the WWE Tag Team Championships, Dean Ambrose made it a home run when he went over Kofi Kingston at Extreme Rules to take the WWE United States Championship. It pointed to a upturning in WWE’s star making machine, and proved to the doubters that WWE were serious when they found a talent they believed could go all the way.

The victory was always sweeter considering Seth Rollins was a former Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Champion, thus an independent circuit wrestler. That WWE would push Rollins, as well as Bryan, Punk and to an extent Cesaro meant that those who knew independent circuit wrestlers were often better than WWE trained talent could bask in the glory and sit back smug as Vince McMahon was forced to swallow his pride.

During WWE’s tour of England, The Shield once again came off strongest in a brilliant six man tag team effort against The Undertaker and Team Hell No and in singles competition as Dean Ambrose combated Undertaker in a singles match on Smackdown. Whilst Ambrose would lose the latter brawl, The Shield would defeat Undertaker and Team Hell No on Raw, live for London’s O2 arena. Dean Ambrose was the standout star of the six man tag team match along with Daniel Bryan and one was greatly impressed with the respect he showed Undertaker in their singles outing, recorded the next night on Raw. After those nights and Extreme Rules, everything began to go downhill for The Shield and a little of their rebel image was cast adrift as they suffered their first ever collective loss since their debut in November 2012 at Survivor Series.

Payback saw Reigns and Rollins drop Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan and Ambrose make the first successful defence of his United States Championship against Kane. After Payback had ended though, things didn’t look so rosy for the trio of next generation stars, despite their victories. Seemingly, WWE had run out of ideas for The Shield on television and having exhausted all their six man tag team options and with a baron Tag Team and United States division for the trio to truly immerse themselves in, WWE had to resort to what they knew best. Namely an undeserved burial. You would have though they’d have learnt from Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, Zack Ryder, The Miz, Antonio Cesaro, Kofi Kingston and the endless list of buried stars who are now seemingly dead in the water, that burials only kills the aura instead of feeding the hype.

On the June 28th edition of Smackdown, The Shield lost yet another six man tag team match against opponents which included The Usos. Yes, that’s right. WWE’s hottest properties in years were jobbed out to The Usos. I can only imagine how quickly the three men who aspire to much better things felt the ground begin to slide under them and the earth open up at the bottom as they felt their images diminishing. Don’t get me wrong, the Uso’s are very good tag team and could have become huge had WWE bothered to build something of note around them, but as it stands, a loss to the tandem does more harm than good.

As the United States Champion, Dean Ambrose has the whole company at his feet. He could face anyone and convincingly defeat them or put them over without harm to his image, but we have to draw the line somewhere and that somewhere is The Uso’s. At this present moment in time WWE need to be hyping Ambrose because if he fails then the WWE United States Championship division goes with him. Vince has to know that this is basically the final chance for the division to regain some of that respect it once had. After so much damage it has been subject to, the division should by rights be defunct by now. Certainly there was no interest in it from the moment Santino won the gold which seems like years ago now, to when Dean Ambrose pinned Kingston in May. Dean Ambrose won’t win this Money in the Bank Ladder Match which means another loss for the trio of stars but that doesn’t necessarily have to harm them.

If Dean Ambrose puts in a solid showing on the night, willingly puts his body on the line during a few high bumps and takes his lumps, even WWE cannot harm his image. Heel or face, we want a fighting champion and if Dean Ambrose plays his cards right at Money in the Bank then he could do more good to his career in one night than WWE could do in six months. There can be victory in defeat; you just have to know how to attain it.

Poor old, Jack Swagger! What can one say to sooth the pain? As it happens, not much. You see, everything that has happened to Jack Swagger is partly his own fault. I won’t go over the police charge which currently faces him and by the time you read this and he appears at Money in the Bank, Swagger should already have stood in front of a court and accepted his charge. Unless his court case is yet again postponed. Obviously WWE don’t expect him to go down the Kermit otherwise he wouldn’t have been booked in this match.

Instead of concentrating on one negative, let’s concentrate on all of them. You see, Jack Swagger had it made for him when he returned to WWE after a lengthily absence and won the Elimination Chamber Match to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 29. Everyone sat up and took notice of Swagger once again, despite the fact they never should have lost sight of him in the first place. The man born Donald Hager can thank WWE for that. And then it came. WWE gave Jack Swagger the artist formerly known as Dutch Mantel as a manager, a man who was meant to raise Swagger’s profile, instead all Zeb Coulter managed to do was turn people off of Jack Swagger.

The All American-American began spouting racist and anti-immigrant speeches backed by his manager and WWE even created an anti-immigration t-shirt for Swagger to supposedly cash in on this tripe. Though one would imagine it lost the company more money than it made. Can you honestly see people buying that shirt and wearing it proudly in the streets? The anti-immigration stuff was of course WWE’s idea, who else? But when it was executed, the whole house of cards came tumbling down around their ears. Whether what Swagger and Coulter were trying to preach on weekly basis was right or not, or the facts were the belief of Vince himself or a member or his staff are irrelevant. Whoever penned the angle should have realised that WWE’s fan base is made up roughly of 40% of foreign people spread across the world. That is like creating a product specifically for a certain market and then coming out verbally against your target audience with some offensive rubbish.

This is wrestling. Not an immigration tribunal or rant. Yet this didn’t stop WWE and on they went with the offensive rants. The whole thing was born out of a need for WWE to create an angle for Swagger vs Del Rio at WrestleMania 29. In truth they may have well not as bothered as neither man really turned it on in the ten minutes they were allocated and the match passed, as did their Extreme Rules foray, practically unnoticed. Now us, the normal, reasonable people of the world would turn to the angle and ask what is wrong with a simple feud over the World Heavyweight Championship with a story that puts the gold centre stage instead of a global problem. Partly, it was because WWE felt the need to draw attention and have their say on something that shouldn’t concern them and partly because Vince doesn’t believe the gold has enough power to sell tickets on its own. And we all know whose fault that is.

Naturally, WWE were always going to turn Jack Swagger onto Alberto Del Rio’s nationality. It could have been handled with care, instead WWE instructed Jack Swagger to go out to the centre of the ring and imply that both Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez were illegal immigrants who were working in America without a green card or the appropriate work visas. Anyone who knew anything about wrestling could tell this was fabricated bullshit. Did they really expect us to believe that two men, evaded border security, someone falsified their documentation and passed the rigorous immigration checks both the American authorities and WWE put its talent through upon hiring them? Even of Alberto and Ricardo had somehow managed to do so, people aren’t so useless that they wouldn’t have caught or questioned Del Rio’s right to work and live in America during all those plane tripe across th USA and abroad. The whole angle was poorly planned.

Now, thanks to shoddy booking and some of the worst writing I have ever seen in my life, WWE have to rebuild Jack Swagger when they could have just kept pushing him. It is a senseless waste of time and talent. WWE could just have easily booked Jack Swagger to injure Rodriguez and have Del Rio take his revenge, as their story for the pairs match at WrestleMania 29. How do WWE do this? Well a victory at Money in the Bank would do wonders for Swagger but seeing as he’s already won the match once and then went on to flop as World Heavyweight Champion thanks to WWE, maybe that isn’t an option. Could we really believe that Swagger would do any better this time around than last?

What Jack Swagger really needs now is a feud which you have to wear oven gloves to touch. Something which necessitates people tune in and are gripped by. WWE have created such feuds in the past and it wouldn’t take a huge amount of imagination to do so again. If WWE really want Jack Swagger to succeed then it has to shed Coulter from his side and begin booking him against its top stars. It’s the only way to make us forget against this recent blip and hey, who knows, maybe if Jack Swagger can begin producing unforgettable matches in the ring, we may have a new Kurt Angle on our hands.

Wade Barrett, the former WWE Intercontinental Champion, is yet another under card star who has taken a plunge in recent months. The Brit star looked like he was going to make a change in this industry and do what Davey Boy Smith ‘The British Bulldog’ never managed, thus becoming the first English WWE or World Heavyweight Champion. Even Sheamus has upped Barrett on that front and held both of the ‘big ones’. I don’t know why WWE have chosen to bury its British stars; William Regal is included in that, because often, with the tough brawling background, the British stars can prove to be the cream of the crop. What must irk Wade Barrett greatly though is that he and Sheamus competed for the same wrestling company in the United Kingdom before treading on WWE’s shores and often fought each other.

On the British shores both men were equal. However, in America, Sheamus is the stand out star and Wade Barrett has had to make do with making up the numbers further down the roster. The decent began, as it did with so many stars stepping onto the Money in the Bank Ladder, at WrestleMania 29 though the fall can traced further back than that. Wade Barrett had been a shadow in WWE in the latter part of 2012 and rarely featured on the product in any great capacity until he captured the WWE Intercontinental Championship for Kofi Kingston on Raw. The writing was on the wall when WWE booked the Championship change to take place on free television instead of pay-per view.

It’s now well documented that the Championship change would have had more impact had it happened at Survivor Series or TLC as more people would have seen it and therefore taken Barrett as a serious threat. That didn’t change the fact though that Wade Barrett was now the man holding what was once WWE’s second most important Championship. Though the Championship wasn’t seen as anything special anymore, Wade Barrett could have been the guy to change all of that. Both The British Bulldog and William Regal’s Intercontinental Championship reigns were important and well received, both men brought something different to the strap which elevated it and in turn the belt did the same to them. This time around though, neither the man nor the gold had the clout to do anything special for the other.

January, February and March passed for the Englishman without incident, sadly, and Wade Barrett fell further into obscurity in WWE. The Intercontinental Championship was as good as defunct and with the biggest show of the year was just around the corner. With the WWE Intercontinental Championship still in tact, Wade Barrett was right to hope for bigger things at WrestleMania 29. Instead of getting a main show match, WWE thought it wise to give Wade Barrett ‘Mr. Pre-show’ himself, The Miz. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Miz and he should be higher up the card than he currently is but at WrestleMania, Wade Barrett needed a huge name to carry him to the next level.

Putting the Intercontinental Championship on the pre-show was a dumb mistake by WWE and only further diminished the once and former prestigious belt. It sent out the message that WWE didn’t value the gold which previously made stars. On the night though, WWE were to be pleasantly surprised. Bumping Wade Barrett vs The Miz down to Pre-show made room for the abominable Fandango vs Chris Jericho brawl which just killed the show stone dead. Instead, the four minute WWE Intercontinental Championship which saw The Miz dethrone Barrett of his gold was a top drawer encounter which would have set the main card alight. WWE missed a trick there and I hope that they are beginning to regret it.

Losing the gold to The Miz was meant to be part of the beginning of Miz’s non-existent push back to the top of the card. However, WWE reneged on their booking agreement and switched the Championship back to Barrett. This kind of lazy, stop / star booking has devalued WWE’s stars over recent years and it only went to do the same with Wade Barrett and The Miz. Miz looked like a complete jobber and Barrett looked like a man who wasn’t capable of performing under intense pressure. Yet again, instead of booking Wade Barrett of a dangerous and intense challenger to the gold, WWE simply made the switch on free television and Wade Barrett wasn’t helped by the hasty title change.

At Payback, WWE took its eye off of Wade Barrett and The Miz and instead, rightly concentrated on Curtis Axel. Many criticised this move by WWE but they had shown a willingness to make a new star and at least we should be thankful of that. In truth, Wade Barrett hadn’t done himself any favours in the ring and his performances have been below par for a very long time. Thus, it doesn’t warrant a continuation of a Championship reign and Wade Barrett had to step aside so that the son of Curt Henning could have a shot at doing what Barrett had failed to done. It’s not all Wade’s fault; he really hasn’t had the backing of the creative and booking team. To make up for that though, Barrett should have given it his all in every match to show WWE what they were missing.

To demonstrate Barrett’s diminishing popularity in WWE one only has to cast their mind back to WWE’s live UK shows in November 2012 and April 2013. When Wade Barrett made his entrance for his numerous matches in November, he received a thunderous ovation from his hometown crowd and couldn’t have been more over. Fast forward five months later, and Wade Barrett comes out for his one and only match on the recorded leg of the tour to a sour ovation. Even Barrett’s own countrymen didn’t give a damn about him anymore. WWE couldn’t make excuses for this reaction and they tried then every one of them would have failed. Some could say that as the April show was recorded in London and Barrett hails from Manchester, the reaction was warranted. But then I would argue that William Regal, who got a heroes reception on the night against Barrett and the previous night against Fandango, didn’t hail from London either.

The truth is that time has run out for Wade Barrett and his main event charge. As the line of John Cena’s entrance song states, ‘the time is now’. Wade Barrett has to be the stand out star of this seven man brawl and we can only hope that his failings elsewhere, combined with the subsequent burial he has received urges him on to produce something truly memorable. WWE should book Wade Barrett to win this match as they were going to in 2012 before he was shelved with an injury. Money in the Bank should and in reality has to be the beginning of Wade Barrett in WWE. If he loses the match then I really don’t see what else there is for Wade Barrett in WWE.

Yodelling! Surely WWE could have come up with something better for Antonio Cesaro. Like others in this match his burial since he dropped the WWE United States Championship to Kofi Kingston has been purely childish on WWE’s part. I say childish instead of pathetic because there was no reason at all for it. Cesaro hadn’t gone online and tried to overtly get himself over with the WWE Universe because WWE wouldn’t. As United States Champion, Cesaro had been strong but not outstanding. He hadn’t been pulled over by police and arrested for marijuana possession, caught drunk in charge of a vehicle, arrested for domestic abuse or failed a random WWE drugs test. Antonio Cesaro had been the model employee. He’d done what he was asked and he’d done jobs for those he was told to do them for.

So what was the reason for WWE’s treatment of Antonio Cesaro. Same old, same old. You see, as much as WWE would have us believe they are a progressive company, behind the scenes they’re as stuck in the past as any other small minded minority. The fact that Antonio Cesaro is a former indi wrestler means that he is almost expected to tread the same boards that C.M Punk and Daniel Brian were forced to walk before him. WWE really expect every indi wrestler who passes through their doors to prove they belong in WWE by jobbing to everyone on the roster before the company consider them for a titanic push. If history does repeat itself then I truly fear for Seth Rollins when his time in The Shield is up.

The saving grace for Cesaro is that his performance in matches over the last couple of months have been superb. Much better than they were when Antonio Cesaro was United States Champion. Maybe the weight of carrying a failing division was too much for the former Ring of Honor Tag Team Champion to bare so early on in his WWE career, or maybe he just saw where the division was going and decided not to make an effort if it wasn’t going to do him any good. There is a logic there. Once you get to the top, or in Cesaro’s case the top of a certain division and you know that you’re not going any further it does cause a knock on effect. You’ve reached that goal and now you can stop trying. But without the Championship around his waist Cesaro now has something to fight for. The result is that his performances are much better.

Like a lamb to the slaughter Cesaro has willingly put over anyone and everyone WWE have put him in the ring with since his Championship loss. And whilst this may be seen as earning his stripes by the company, both parties have to make sure that it doesn’t become second nature. WWE can’t take their eye off of Cesaro and be happy using him as a jobber every week. There has to be a cut off point and that begins with Cesaro himself. Instead of sitting on the sideline, Antonio should be pestering WWE management, pointing out where he’s done the company good and paid his dues and then providing them with ideas for his character. If he continues to do nothing to halt the downward spiral then it will continue until we peer inside and Antonio Cesaro is lost.

How do WWE halt this and reverse his fortunes? This time around, it is easily said than done. Cesaro has lost so many matches in recent months that it’s going to be a struggle to get him back to his United States Championship image let alone higher up the ladder. If the willingness is there by WWE it can be achieved. Certainly though, I believe that it is going to be by winning this match. Could we really believe that Antonio Cesaro is going to be the next World Heavyweight Champion after so many losses on WWE television? A slow build is what is needed and it can begin by a strong showing here but WWE must have a plan for him when the match is all said and done.

Seen predominantly as a low to mid card player who is, at least, for the moment rooted in the United States Championship division, WWE could easily rebuild everything under Dean Ambrose around Antonio Cesaro. The newly married Tyson Kidd (congratulations go to him and Natalya), Damien Sandow, Fandango, Kane, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, Evan Bourne – when he is good and ready to return full time – and a few of the NXT stars who are ready for the spotlight could forge a tremendous United States Championship Division. This would not only provide a stable foundation for Ambrose to defend his gold but for Antonio Cesaro to thrive all over again. A few huge wins over these names and other big talent would propel Cesaro once again. Whilst he’s stranded here though, he may as well try his best to build a suitable division under Ambrose.

I am confident that Antonio Cesaro will not win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match and claim the contract to face the World Heavyweight Champion any time of his choosing this year. There’s no mileage yet in an Antonio Cesaro vs Alberto Del Rio feud and seeing as Del Rio is still champion and will more than likely remain so after Money in the Bank, the victor really does have to be a heel here. It doesn’t have to deter Cesaro from pulling out one hell of a performance though. Because whilst he’s doing that, he’s standing out from the pack and that is the best way to get the WWE Universe behind you.

Damien Sandow showed so much potential when he first stepped into WWE that those who didn’t know any better could have been forgiven for tipping him for the very top. Indeed, Sandow carried some of WWE’s more sluggish and undependable wrestlers to very respectable matches. He was cheered by the fans who lapped up his put downs of them as common folk and his intellectual character was the perfect fit for a super heel in WWE. Like Antonio Cesaro there was no need to bury Damien Sandow because not only had he done nothing wrong, the guy was a brilliant worker who could be depended on in the ring to provide a tight knitted wrestling match.

Where did it all go wrong? When WWE saw Damien Sandow as an easy target. WWE backstage is heavily revolved around politics. Who likes who and who gets on with him and her. One wrong word, in the wrong ear could cause a wrestler to lose his push or even his whole career prospects. Triple H played these politics well, as did every other successful wrestler. Those underneath though are the ones who either refused to play WWE’s games or were just unsuccessful at them. WWE didn’t see Damien Sandow as a major star and therefore labelled him as a target. That target was jobbed, put down, beat down by The Rock like he was nothing and just when Sandow thought it couldn’t get any worse, he was put into a tag team with Cody Rhodes.

Team Rhodes Scholars were a very good team. They were always going to be with two men who were great wrestlers involved. But when WWE formed the duo it wasn’t to give wither man a step up the ladder, instead it was to easily bury and mock two of their most promising talents. This way, it was easier for WWE to bury them both in one foul swoop instead of take up time John Cena didn’t really need on television to do it separately. I can imagine WWE bigwigs having a good laugh with each other when planning what to do with Team Rhodes Scholars that particular week. It’s just a shame one of them didn’t put all of that effort into thinking the long term repercussions it would have for both men and the company. You see, there’s going to come a time when WWE need Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow to step up and take the reigns of the company as members of main event club. When that time comes they won’t be able to do so because no one will be able or willing to buy into them.

Instead of battling a valiant and heated feud with Team Hell No, Sandow and Rhodes lost at every turn and were not permitted to hold the tag team gold. Why book someone in a Championship match if you don’t have the confidence they can ably be champion in the first place? Eventually after matches, both tag team and single on Raw and Smackdown, tag team encounters on numerous pay-per view events in the final few months of 2012 and beginning of 2013, Team Rhodes Scholars were spent as a team. Never being allowed to pin or convincingly defeat the Tag Team Champions had all but killed off Rhodes and Sandow as a tandem.

It was shame, anyone with eyes could see how talented Sandow was as a singles performer but instead of pushing him as a talent who could one day be up there with Triple H and Undertaker, WWE decided the best path to take with Sandow was to push him as a coward. Part way through each match, Damien Sandow would take to the highroad and leave his match when the going got tough. Many heels have taken this method in the past in order to garner heat for their character, but WWE booked Sandow to do so in almost every match he had over the span of a few months. Hell, Sandow even tried to walk out on his Survivor Series match. Even pay-per view wasn’t spared this dumb booking.

When Team Rhodes Scholars began competing less as a pair and more as singles stars, things began to look up for Sandow. On WWE’s tour of the U.K he defeated Brodus Clay in a very respectable match without cheating and even better, he made Clay look good in doing so. This was just a small example of what he could do, given the chance. WWE need to go back to this footage and every other match in which Sandow has showed how he can carry someone weaker than himself and produce a decent match with them. It’s on these bases which a true WWE great is made, that’s if WWE can stop booking Sandow as a coward.

Damien Sandow would be an ideal candidate to win this Money in the Bank Ladder Match had events panned out differently for him these last nine months. Pushed to the hilt with victories over Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio, Big Show and even John Cena would have set Damien Sandow up perfectly for July 14th and the rest of career. As things stand now, if Sandow were to hook the briefcase on the night then he would either go on to cheat his way to the World Heavyweight Championship and then go on to be a Jack Swagger Champion or cash the briefcase in and fail to capture the title altogether.

What would be kinder for Sandow on the night would be to have the briefcase in his hand and then to have it snatched away, cruelly. That way fans would begin to see Sandow as someone who is in contention for the gold at a later point, but ultimately someone who is going to start filling his potential. Should Damien Sandow run out on this match at Money in the Bank, then he may as well keep running. Out of WWE’s doors and straight into the line of ‘missed opportunities’.

Cody Rhodes, the son of ‘The American Dream’ is probably still trying to work out what he did wrong in order to receive such a stale reception from WWE bigwigs. In 2011 Rhodes was a very popular WWE Intercontinental Champion who received our respect when, at Hell in a Cell 2011, he dumped the new Intercontinental Championship into one of his paper bags and unveiled the new version of the old Intercontinental Championship. The Championship which Randy Savage, his brother Goldust, Ricky Steamboat, Shawn Michaels, Curt ‘Mr. Perfect’ Henning, Bret Hart and many others held. It was a nod to the old guard and one which showed how much respect Rhodes had for the company.

After a successful Intercontinental Championship reign Rhodes was entered into the aforementioned Team Rhodes Scholars and the end was nigh for his singles push. His matches against Randy Orton, Booker T and willingness to rebuild the Intercontinental Championship division seemingly meant nothing when it came time for WWE to plan Rhodes’ next step. Loyalty meant nothing to WWE and all Rhodes efforts and sacrifices were for nothing. He didn’t receive the mega push which he had worked for and instead WWE had no more plans for Rhodes once they had allowed Rhodes to be demolished by Big Show at WrestleMania 28 just so Big Show could pad out his Championship record.

It was a travesty in all truth. Cody Rhodes was deserving of a higher spot, more so than Big Show or John Cena. It was Cody Rhodes who had carried the Intercontinental Championship division for months whilst contesting some of the best matches on WWE television. Yet when it came time for a push, it was Big Show, the man who treated Rhodes like a jobber at WrestleMania 28 and Extreme Rules 2012. The man who had already had his time in WWE and done nothing with it. Cody Rhodes could have done a lot with the spot Big Show stole away from him, being chosen as John Laurinaitis’ right hand man to combat John Cena in the war between the General Manager and WWE hero. 

It was selfishness on the part of Big Show and just a pathetic way for WWE to send a message to their younger talent that no matter how hard you work or try; those who have had their time will still be bigger than you. Cody Rhodes was treated like a jobber by WWE and therefore received as a jobber by the WWE Universe. It was the wrong move to put Rhodes in a tag team when he was such a great singles star. WWE should have found another partner for Sandow and allowed Rhodes to carry on doing what he was doing when he was I.C Champion. If that had transpired, then WWE could have had a star on their hands.

WrestleMania is generally considered the time in which to begin again in a wrestlers career. Look at others who competed at WrestleMania. Randy Orton, Big Show and Sheamus finished their feud with The Shield and began other feuds. The Undertaker and C.M Punk brought their feud to a conclusion as did John Cena and The Rock. Every one of these men started a new and so should Cody Rhodes have. Instead WWE originally booked Team Rhodes Scholars and The Bella Twins to compete against Tons of Funk and The Funkadactyls at WrestleMania 29 but deemed they had no time for the match on the night and half-heartedly threw then show on Raw the next night.

Was Cody Rhodes allowed to start again as a singles star and flourish? No. He was kept in the doldrums which he had been used to for six months and worse, booked to lose to The Miz on Extreme Rules 2013 pre-show. On WWE’s tour of the U.K, Rhodes was forced to job to Tensai or Sweet T as he’s now known when a victory would have done him good. Going into this match, Cody Rhodes needed a few big victories to set in the mind of the fans the fact he may actually be able to accomplish the impossible. Personally, I believe Cody Rhodes would be a great World Heavyweight Champion if WWE got the machine behind him and pushed him so hard there could be no doubts in the fans mind that Rhodes wouldn’t slip back into the role he plays now. We need a change at the top and Cody Rhodes may be the man to provide it.

Fandango is an enigma. When he was first announced with the glitzy skits and adverts aired on WWE television months before his debut, it appeared as if WWE had created another novelty act which wouldn’t last the distance in the industry. To be fair, without seeing the guy and going only on the fancy presentation it seemed to all that Fandango was a character who belonged in the early 1990’s. Everyone could be forgiven for thinking that a character had escaped the era of cartoon wrestling and made his way to the modern day. Personally, I remember writing a blog on Fandango in 2012 before he made his debut in which I believe I stated that I would reserve judgment until he had actually wrestled.

Not once did I imagine that I would have to wait until WrestleMania 29, weeks and weeks after Fandango’s initial debut, to comment on his first match. The games began almost instantly with Fandango. First the character was shelved for weeks before he stepped foot through the curtains because WWE didn’t believe that a character they created, presumably for a laugh, didn’t have what it took to make it in WWE. After several weeks of pondering the case, WWE decided to give a whirl and finally debuted Fandango to the world. Unfortunately, instead of pushing Fandango as a serious threat to the wrestling business thus doing everything they in their power to make sure their initial fear wasn’t realised, WWE chose to book Fandango as a mere joke.

The expectation was high, at least for your Wrestling God. I had heard different opinions on the man behind Fandango and none of them were gleaming to the point where I believe he would ever be a true star in the ring, but he’d been through WWE developmental so he had to at least have something about him to make WWE bigwigs chose him to play the character. Sadly though, the impression everyone got of Fandango was that he was a weak, cowardly individual who used the excuse of people getting his name wrong as to duck out of a match. WWE had trod this path before with Damien Sandow and look where he ended up; it’s not something they should have done with Fandango.

However, time traipsed on and Fandango finally stepped into the ring at WrestleMania 29 in what was a dull, drab and awful effort by both the newcomer and Chris Jericho. Judging on this performance in which Fandango seemed wholly more bothered about getting his dance steps and poses correct, rather than actually putting on an entertaining match. On the night Fandango was sloppy and uninvolved, his debut certainly left a lot to be desired. Then a miracle happened. Suddenly, after the pressure of making his in ring debut has disappeared, Fandango began to perform. Granted, he didn’t set the world alight and his offence was still loose and needed tweaking but the man gave it his all and produced some impressive results.

Fandango vs Chris Jericho at Extreme Rules 2013 was a marked improvement on their WrestleMania debacle, and on Raw and Smackdown Fandango was putting in a shift. His popularity soared immensely on WWE’s tour of the United Kingdom. On both Raw and Smackdown, the British contingent were rampant in singing Fandango’s entrance theme throughout his matches and the entire show. Whenever a match which didn’t feature Fandango slowed, the crowd would tune up and in unison sing his entrance theme. I don’t see that happening with any other wrestler in 2013. This was a staunch sign that Fandango was making an impact with the audience and when that happens, regardless of the wrestlers in ring ability, he’s going places. We’ve already seen that with John Cena.

Before Payback went on air, disaster struck for Fandango. After being announced as one third of the Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match, Fandango was struck down with an injury which looked more serious than it actually was. Instead, Fandango was replaced in the match by Curtis Axel who captured the WWE Intercontinental Championship on the night. It was a blow for Fandango, especially when he tuned into the show to see the man who was standing in for him take the gold. It could have and probably should have been Fandango. I’m sure that was WWE’s plan to begin with, but hey, right now there is nothing Fandango can do for that division. He doesn’t have the skills or experience just yet to make a difference.

Here though, in a match of this quality and with its reputation, Fandango could enter a man and exit a star. Depending on how much interaction he can successfully pull off with the ladder and his fellow stars. Winning this match wouldn’t be the right decision for Fandango’s career at the moment, he’s not a headline star but the association with the main event at this level could take him that step closer. After Money in the Bank, WWE need to handle Fandango with care. A huge feud with a top name or upcoming name as we enter SummerSlam could be the making of Fandango as it’s clear the once cartoon era act is on the rise in popularity.

For a guy who was previously labelled as ‘doomed’ when he first made his WWE debut and after his disastrous showing at WrestleMania 29, maybe there is hope for Fandango yet.

This is a huge chance for WWE to prove how serious it is about its youth movement. In the absence of Jack Swagger winning the match, and lets be honest he’s had his chance in the main event and blown it, Money in the Bank 2013 would benefit Wade Barrett the most. A real hike up the ladder in one night would be momentous for the Brit. Right here, right now, I’m predicting that Money in the Bank 2013 is going to be the British revolution.

Winners Prediction: Wade Barrett

World Heavyweight Championship Match
(c) Alberto Del Rio vs Dolph Ziggler


This situation should never have come about. There was absolutely no reason for WWE to take the World Heavyweight Championship off of Dolph Ziggler at Payback, and whatever excuse WWE may give, it’s never going to be a feasible one. So let’s have a look at why WWE could have possibly have decided to have Del Rio dethrone Dolph Ziggler on his very first Championship defence.

First though, I would like to say that it was a senseless waste of time. Dolph Ziggler had been largely praised for hanging on as much as he did for his push when other men would have thrown in the towel long before, citing WWE’s ridiculous start / stop pushes and ridiculous storylines as the reason they were leaving. Dolph Ziggler though, he never gave up hope. WWE made Dolph Ziggler a laughing stock to the outside world, by making him continuously lose to talent who had already had their time in the industry and when a chance came along to actually elevate him, WWE either didn’t take the opportunity or refused to believe Dolph Ziggler was the man to carry the company forward.

Dolph’s steely resolve should have been enough to convince Vince McMahon that the man who states ‘It’s not showing off if you can back it up’ was the same one who could do the company some good if booked the correct way. And let me tell you, Dolph Ziggler can back it up in abundance. Still though, WWE refused to see it and insisted that Dolph Ziggler needed A.J Lee and Big E. Langston by his side to make him a star, because, you know, Langston has such star making qualities. I really don’t know if WWE were testing Dolph Ziggler to see if he would snap during 2012 and I’m sure they didn’t care or took delight in the fact that John Cena set Ziggler back six months during their feud, but still Dolph Ziggler refused to go down.

WWE desperately needs someone with the determination that Dolph Ziggler has. A lot of the stars today don’t and are simply happy to turn up, cash in the cheque and walk away convincing themselves they have done a good job. The entire WWE Universe celebrated when Ziggler won the World Heavyweight Championship, at last something had happened which we had waited an age to see and it was a glorious moment in time. Were we naive to think it would last or even get better? Maybe! With WWE’s track record, we should have known that anyone who isn’t Randy Orton or John Cena will be senselessly buried  when they finally hit the big time, it’s WWE’s version of trial by fire I suppose. But the company have to get it out of their heads that this is the way to get Champions over, it’s clearly not.

WWE should have listened to the reception Dolph Ziggler received on April 8th as a clear indicator as to how popular Ziggler is with the WWE Universe. Had Orton got this kind of reception then you can bet WWE would have done the same to him as they are doing to Ziggler. In a time when WWE are sparse on headline stars and desperately need the next big thing to sell out arenas and sell merchandise, WWE should be giving Ziggler every aid they can wheel out. A.J Lee and Big E. Langston are just another example of how much WWE do not trust Ziggler. To have them constantly there and interject them in the match only conveys that Dolph Ziggler can’t win a match on his own.

By now, WWE should have rid Ziggler of all outside distractions; a plight they should have learnt didn’t work when Vickie Guerrero was by Dolph’s side. Vickie’s constant presence by Dolph’s side was a distraction because of her screaming and wailing. One could not concentrate on Dolph’s matches because of Vickie’s distraction and now, with A.J replacing Guerrero by Ziggler’s side, it’s not the wailing and screaming that is the distraction as anyone who has seen A.J will be able to attest to. Right now, should be Dolph Ziggler’s time.

So what excuses could WWE possibly give for stripped Ziggler of the gold at Payback? The first would be that after the concussion, the company didn’t believe Ziggler was the man to represent the WWE. The answer to that then would be 1) what changed in such a short space of time? After all Alberto Del Rio suffered a concussion in 2012 yet he’s not representing as the World Heavyweight Champion and 2) if you didn’t believe he could represent the company with the gold around his waist, why put the Championship on him in the first place? If you don’t have the confidence that a member of your roster can confidently carry the company, then why allow him to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match? Surely, if you thought you had made a mistake then why not just have Ziggler unsuccessfully cash it in and save yourself all this bother?

The next excuse would be that Dolph Ziggler’s concussion made him a liability. To that I would say, rubbish. Whilst a concussion is serious and time off is needed to heal it, if the doctors cleared Dolph Ziggler to return to action at Payback then he was fully healed. This excuse would be a feeble and pathetic one to go with and would do WWE no favours either. To come out with this excuse, would make WWE look dumb and stupid. Everyone knows a wrestler isn’t allowed back without doctors and WWE’s clearance and there is no way Dolph Ziggler could have competed at Payback without the consent of both parties.

The last excuse WWE could possibly spout would be that Dolph Ziggler was a mere caretaker champion. Out of all the excuses, maybe this would be the most feeble. To call a talent like Dolph Ziggler a caretaker champion would be the ultimate show of disrespect after everything they have put him through and made him do to become champion. Feasibly, WWE could not pass off the reaction Ziggler got when he pinned Del Rio for the gold as mere caretaker. No other caretaker champion has ever received that level of approval from the fans and especially not a hell one. For WWE to call our reaction hasty or even undeserved they may as well spit in our face.

What is left for Dolph Ziggler after Money in the Bank? If he doesn’t become the new World Heavyweight Champion then I fear for his future. With SummerSlam on its way, Dolph Ziggler could get a huge advantage from the exposure the event brings and as World Heavyweight Champion, he could be WWE’s next big thing. Sadly though I don’t see that happening. WWE see Alberto Del Rio as a much better bet for its company’s future which leaves the man who put up with all their shit in 2012, completely in the dark.

I’m just not feeling Alberto Del Rio at the moment. His performances have left me cold over the last few months. This may be to do with his lack of care for what he’s doing – does he look bothered to you? – or it may be to do with what WWE are doing to him with the loss of the Championship and then suddenly, out of the blue, winning it back for no reason. It’s true that Alberto Del Rio hasn’t done himself any favours with his in ring performances lately but a headline star should be received as such, no matter how bad he’s been. And Del Rio hasn’t had that reception. If anything, most people see Alberto as a mere fix to a long term problem.

Recent events around Alberto Del Rio have hampered his image somewhat. For those not yet in the know, Alberto Del Rio’s ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez has been suspended by WWE for thirty days for violating its wellness policy. Yes, they found un-prescribed drugs in his system. This is just baffling seeing that if there is a good reason to take drugs, which there isn’t, then WWE wrestlers have it. Rodriguez doesn’t have any injuries he needs to heel and therefore there is no good reason for him to be found with the substance in his system. Welcome to the maddening world of WWE. To cover for Rodriguez’s mishap, WWE have had to write him out of WWE television with a storyline injury.

Ricardo Rodriguez though, could be a blessing in disguise for Alberto Del Rio. Away for thirty days, WWE could conjure up a really good storyline for Ricardo’s return to the company. Alberto Del Rio could be given a huge leap in image if when Ricardo returns; he begins to play the heel manager in the vein of Queen Sharmell. For those who don’t remember Queen Sharmell, she is the real life wife of Booker T who was then King Booker. Sharmell’s turn was done to perfection in 2006 when Booker T was in line for a World Heavyweight Championship shot. Gradually, Sharmell would get more heelish each week until Booker T was forced to stick up for her. The resultant action saw Booker become a heel also. Though that is where WWE should cut Del Rio off.

Alberto Del Rio needs to play the martyr. He needs to elicit sympathy from the audience so they stand up for him. So they cheer for him, because the luke warm reception he gets now isn’t good enough. That could be effectively done with a Ricardo heel turn. Everyone loves Ricardo and we’ve how much the Del Rio character cares for him. So if Rodriguez was to manufacture a fake beat down of him with Del Rio’s next opponent only for Del Rio to make the save and Rodriguez to cost him the Championship, that would all but put the cherry on top of the cake. People would despise Ricardo and Alberto Del Rio would be felt sorry for. It’s another of those time honoured storyline that work.

Without something different to his bow, Alberto Del Rio is going to grow stale fast. We all saw how quickly he ran out of steam as a heel and that is when the jeers could be explained. Can you imagine how quickly he’s going to run out of steam as a face unless WWE constantly adapt him and add to the character? This face turn was made because it was seen as the final step for Del Rio. After failing as a heel, largely thanks to WWE’s treatment, the company knew something had to be done fast. The face turn may have been hasty and handled appallingly but it happened and his first act as face was to dethrone Big Show of the World Heavyweight Championship. It was a step up for Del Rio and the fans began to see a different side to him. That side though, in July 2013 has been well and truly seen and used. Alberto Del Rio is becoming predictable and in wrestling that is the worse things he could become.

I have heard a number of names thrown around for Del Rio’s next opponent. Rob Van Dam, Randy Orton, Wade Barrett or whoever walks out of Money in the Bank with the contract for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. After that though, what? With Alberto Del Rio’s skills, should WWE allow him to use them effectively, then he could be a force to combat Brock Lesnar. Del Rio really does have all those UFC moves in his locker and if WWE pushed him as a no nonsense tough guy then Brock Lesnar may find he really does have competition after all.

Winners Prediction: Alberto Del Rio

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
(c) Curtis Axel vs The Miz


Next to The Shield, Curtis Axel is the WWE’s best new comer of the entire year. Instead of picking up where they left off with him as Michael McGillicutty, thus jobbing him out to everyone and anyone on ‘Superstars’, WWE have yielded to public demand and give us a wrestler to look forward to in the future. Sure, I doubt his push will last any great length of time and WWE will tire of him as they do every new recruit who passes through the doors in favour of pushing old talent, but hey, they’ve made the effort at least.

The son of Mr. Perfect has all the talent in the world. Just like his father, he should go straight to the top of industry in the next few years, if WWE can keep their enthusiasm with him up. A strong showing in the Intercontinental Championship division should see Axel convincingly defeat every big name star from Randy Orton to Daniel Bryan. A move which should bring some authenticity back to the Intercontinental Championship. This time around, something WWE didn’t do with Wade Barrett, the company need to have Axel look strong as Champion and I’m confident that will be accomplished with Paul Heyman by his side. With Curtis Axel, WWE must play their hand of cards differently.

This means that they cannot book an Intercontinental Championship Match on a pay-per view Pre-show. They cannot book an Intercontinental Championship change on free television, which diminishes both the feud, the Champion and the Championship and everything they do with the gold and Axel has to culminate on pay-per view. It’s the only way now to really hype the guy, seeing as most of us remember him as McGillicutty. A move unfortunately timed with WWE’s DVD release of ‘WWE Live in the UK: April 2013’ which features a match on Superstars pitting Michael McGillicutty vs Jay Uso. At this present moment in time, WWE really didn’t need to remind us of Henning’s past character in the company.

It was a shrewd move by WWE to put Paul Heyman with Axel, who, for all tense and purposes has taken C.M Punk’s place in the Heyman stable. Paul Heyman is a wrestling genius and can ably manage Axel as a superstar. With his mannerisms, his expressions, his killer mic skill, Paul Heyman can immediately elevate any star that is associated with him. This is why I believe WWE should create a storyline in which Paul Heyman recruits some of WWE’s youngest talent, including Rhodes, Sandow and Cesaro and wage war on the WWE. Only this time, let’s have it better written and booked than the promising yet poorly executed WCW / ECW invasion of 2001.

Having Curtis Axel walk out of Payback as Intercontinental Champion was the correct decision by WWE. With Barrett potentially heading for a main event push, WWE needed to reinvent the Intercontinental Championship division quickly. Curt Henning managed to help carry on the tradition of great Intercontinental Champions and so will his son. It just needs a really big feud. So who is there? As SummerSlam steadily approaches, I’m sure everyone would agree that Triple H would be the perfect opponent for Axel. ‘The Game’ hasn’t properly tried to exact revenge for the loss by stoppage the night after Extreme Rules 2013. And with the McMahon family seemingly heading into meltdown in another rift storyline – like we haven’t had enough – which we’re hearing may feature The Rock at WrestleMania 30, Triple H challenging Curtis Axel at SummerSlam, without the blessing of Vince McMahon and his wife who could be used in this feud to warn Triple H against doing so, could be huge.

If Triple H were to enter SummerSlam to challenge Axel for the gold in a high, upper card position, and lose to Axel by pinfall clean in the middle of the ring, then just imagine how much good that would do Henning in the long run. The man who went one on one with Triple H at SummerSlam and retained the Intercontinental Championship against one of the very best ever. Of course, this would also have a huge effect on the Championship. At the moment, WWE have no one of note challenging for the gold and even though Miz is a great wrestler, he’s not got the name anymore to make a huge impact. But if Triple H were to make it his intention to challenge for the gold, whilst dropping in lines like he’s not interested in the top Championships but wants to deprive Henning of one of the most prestigious Championships in history, then bam. Immediately, everything would be gold.

Like Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns, Axel has a huge future ahead of him, finally, in WWE. He’s been booked correctly, his in ring performances are better than average and if WWE can capitalise on all of this with a huge feud, then mark my words. By the time WrestleMania 30 rolls around, we will have a brand new star on out hands. Maybe even someone who could headline the show. Because this time it wouldn’t be a splash in the pan. Curtis Axel is the real thing.

What does Miz have to do to catch a break in WWE? He’s given his time to the company both in the ring and out. He’s done job after job for no names and still, he’s constantly booked on the Pre-show of a pay-per view after WWE promised us that his push back to the top was nigh. His twenty four hour Intercontinental Championship reign at WrestleMania 29 made him look like a real moron who couldn’t hold onto a Championship for longer than one night and more than that, Miz came across as a fluke Champion. But then again, that is how WWE have been booking him since his very first day in the company.

Thinking back, I cannot remember a time when Miz either won or defended a Championship convincingly without help. First he had John Morrison as a tag team partner and used him as a foil in which to retain the tag team championships. A similar pattern which continued with Big Show when the pair captured the doubles gold. Then Miz had Alex Riley in his corner and I lost count of the times Miz used Riley to retain the WWE Championship, not to mention cashing in on Randy Orton when ‘The Viper’ was injured – once again, making him look like a fluke champion. Not to mention all the times Miz cheated to win and retain the WWE United States Championship and WWE Intercontinental Championship.

From beginning to end, WWE have blatantly refused to make Miz look like star where Championships are concerned. WrestleMania 29 may have been the first time Miz actually won a Championship without help and instead of having him retain it until Payback, making him look like a worthy champion, WWE added insult to injury by booking him as fluke yet again, losing the gold twenty four hours later. Anyone else would look at their status in WWE and see what else is out there in other organisations. I’m sure Miz would fit in well in TNA or even Japan. But he has a contract to see out and the size of the engagement ring on Maryse’s finger didn’t come cheap. He’s still got that little lot to recoup before he thinks about going elsewhere.

Maybe Miz is hanging on, hoping he will catch the attention of WWE again and be spring boarded into the main event. Judging by his treatment over the last few months, Mr. Pre-show is staying exactly where he is. Miz has only wrestled on two of the last five pay-per view main bodies, Elimination Chamber and Payback. He was booked on the Pre-show of Royal Rumble, WrestleMania 29 and Extreme Rules. Whilst Miz did compete in the Royal Rumble match, his singles and most important match of the night transpired before the show went on air. Right now, everyone sees Miz as a minor player despite the face he is a former WWE Champion.

When Miz turned face, it seemed as if no one had told the man himself. He still smirked in the ring and for a while wrestled like a heel, though he’s made the change now. Instead of backing up the change with a flawless storyline which Miz could have gotten his teeth into and backed up in the ring, WWE decided instead to stick him in a pointless segment on Smackdown, yet another superstar chat show segment in Miz-TV! What was the point of that someone please tell me. It’s a waste of time completely and Miz is much too good for the role he currently occupies. If this is WWE doing everything it can to make him a star then I’d hate to think where Miz would be if the company held a grudge against him.

As for Money in the Bank, I’m sure Miz will put on a show, he always does, it’s just a shame no one backstage is watching and constantly thinking what could be done with the talent on display. Instead those at the Gorilla position, which include Vince, Stephanie and Triple H seem to either look away or use Miz’s matches to sort out any other business backstage. Because if they did watch closely then he wouldn’t be in the position he is now. Miz won’t leave Money in the Bank as WWE Intercontinental Champion this time around, but if he and Axel can put on a match superior to the fine effort Miz and Wade Barrett showcased on the WrestleMania 29 Pre-show, then maybe Miz may begin to change the higher powers mind about him.

Winners Prediction: Curtis Axel

Chris Jericho vs Ryback


Out of all the matches which will transpire at Money in the Bank, this is the only match which has nothing at steak. All the Championship matches have gold on the line and the two Money in the Bank Ladder Matches have a guaranteed Championship shot going for them. This though, is beginning to resemble something that WWE have swiftly come up with, to cover for the fact they don’t have anything else for Jericho or Ryback. Certainly after Chris Jericho’s feud with Fandango so low down the card and Ryback’s main event feud with John Cena, for the pair to be here on the card, points to a down turn in interest from the booking team.

Chris Jericho has been random as of late and that is the best way I can describe him. His feud against Fandango was lacklustre by even his standards and on Raw and Smackdown Jericho has looked like he belongs in the lower divisions rather than the high card spot he occupies at Money in the Bank. That though isn’t Chris Jericho at all. Not the Chris Jericho I used to watch and love. The only possible explanation I can derive from this, knowing how much Jericho loves the sport is that recently, thanks to WWE’s booking and usage of the man. We all know how good Chris Jericho can be in the ring, but WWE have not used him, at least this time around, to his full potential.

It’s well documented that WWE and Chris Jericho had a spat before he signed on to return at the Royal Rumble this year. With WWE wanting the rights to Fozzy, Jericho’s band, and Y2J refusing to hand over what WWE practically demanded probably out fear of being known as the man who began WWE’s venture into music – what a disaster that would be – the two parties were at a stalemate. Did WWE really expect Jericho to hand over his outside interests to the company who have so many failed exploits? Or, in actually fact, were they just testing Jericho to see how far he would go before he snapped? Either way, WWE didn’t get Fozzy and I can almost guarantee that when Chris Jericho signed the contract and WWE had him on board, already having lost the battle, revenge was on their mind.

I will never ever know why a wrestling company buries talent it needs to survive on, but that’s what has happened to Chris Jericho, even if at first glance it didn’t seem so. The Royal Rumble was a huge success for Chris Jericho even though he didn’t walk away with the WrestleMania main event in hand. Entering at number two, Chris Jericho made his way back into the WWE to a thunderous reception from the crowd. Throughout the match, the audience were staunchly behind the returning Jericho and even booed loudly when he was finally eliminated from the thirty man over the top rope match. Reasonably, things could have gone from strength to strength for Jericho had WWE not wanted to punish him for not handing over the band and everything that goes with them. They had lost the battle but they were not going to let Chris Jericho win the war.

It’s anyone’s guess whether the feud against Fandango was another attempt to punish the former Undisputed WWE Champion or not, but 3MB are definitely an attempt to take the piss out of what WWE perceive what Chris Jericho sees himself as. It could have worked out for the best had Chris Jericho found some enthusiasm from somewhere to make Fandango. I will give you that he did a good job at Extreme Rules but by that time it was already too later. WrestleMania 29 was the place to make the impression and the youngster, but on the night, Chris Jericho may as well have not turned up. It was desperately disappointing for the viewing audience and Fandango himself who was relying on Chris Jericho to do what he had done so many times before.

It was short sighted by Jericho not to have a hand in making Fandango at WrestleMania 29 and a touch selfish. But then again it’s not the first time Jericho has been selfish in the ring. At SummerSlam 2012 he fought Dolph Ziggler in a match which would have made Ziggler had he allowed Dolph to go over him on the night. Instead, Jericho came out on top and lost the next night on Raw to Ziggler. The fact still remains though that Chris Jericho should have refused to beat Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam 2012 and pledged to help Fandango. Spotting that one of their oldest and most reliable hands had failed to do what they set out for him to do, WWE instead decided to rehash yet another feud between Jericho and Punk at Payback. Did the company really believe that Chris could only shine in his later years if he was opposed by one of the company’s very best in the present day? If so, then it’s not a good sign.

Now, Chris Jericho has the chance again, to give something back. Ryback may not be the most deserving opponent and unless he ups his game doesn’t have hope in hell’s chance of succeeding in WWE, but he is new and can still be saved if WWE do this the right way. Ryback has already lost to Chris Jericho on WWE television, but that doesn’t necessarily have to matter. Like we’ve said time and time again, it’s on pay-per view where it really counts. If Chris Jericho enters Money in the Bank in the right frame of mind and with the soul purpose of making a star in WWE, then all will be forgiven. If he enters Money in the Bank, is sloppy and highlights Ryback’s faults then he may as well pack his bags and head for the exit door. Because Jericho has no more use in WWE.

What is needed on the night is a career performance of a lifetime by Jericho. Ryback doesn’t possess the ability to help himself in the ring so it will be left to Jericho to do the honours for him. Chris Jericho needs to sell every move like it’s the end of his career to give Ryback some clout back. John Cena has taken almost every inch of credibility Ryback had as a wrecking machine, but with some work it could all be restored. That isn’t to say that Jericho has to take all the punishment on June 14th. It would do Ryback good to fight back from some of that offence which made Jericho an Undisputed and World Heavyweight Champion. If anything, Ryback would look stronger for it.

Money in the Bank could be Chris Jericho’s final chance to do something worthy in WWE. If he refuses to do so then he’s surplus tom requirements and merely taking up space which is needed elsewhere and by other. Should Jericho leave Money in the Bank having made a new star then he will have justified the last seven months of his career and prove that he is still a team player.

Ryback irks me greatly. He looks the part, at time acts the part, but when he gets into the ring, he looks so far from that part its horrible to watch. With all the help WWE have given Ryback at the very beginning you would have thought he’d have learned to do something effectively. Hell, he doesn’t even have to know how execute a move properly. If he just knew how to put an effective match together then it would be a start. At the moment, every Ryback match consists of him overpowering his opponent, no selling their short lived comeback and then putting an end to them and the match as if nothing has happened. Could he be the heel John Cena? If not, then he’s doing a good job of trying to emulate one of WWE’s most successful stars.

When Ryback was created, WWE intended him to be the next Goldberg. That is clear. But what they failed to realise was that Goldberg was expertly built by WCW. Yes, he had the same flaws that Ryback has, in that both WWE and WCW booked their respective stars to work short matches which didn’t prepare them for the long haul of the main event and both men blow up around the same time each match. But unlike Ryback, Goldberg actually learnt something from those around him. Goldberg had Sting, Randy Savage, DDP, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall plus others to learn from. Ryback, it seems, hasn’t been taken under any wrestler’s wing or helped the slightest. In short, Goldberg succeed, Ryback has dismally failed.

It’s baffling when you think that Ryback began life as Skip Sheffield and went through both WWE developmental and NXT on his way to the top. He was even a part of the Nexus invasion of WWE which targeted John Cena to send a message to the company and its stars. WWE took a huge gamble when they repackaged Sheffield and Ryback. He’d been out with an injury but the Skip Sheffield character hadn’t been totally erased from the minds of the WWE Universe. It was a move which worked, thankfully, otherwise Ryback may have been one of the shortest lived characters in WWE history and that is taking in the likes of The Minotaur, Max Moon and Man Mountain Rock. A little nod to the past there for those who remember the golden years.

What can WWE do to reverse what both they and John Cena have done to the character? The obvious answer would be that WWE shouldn’t have fed him to the wolves when his character was still unstable. His loss to C.M Punk at Hell in a Cell 2012 was just the first step on a long trip down the ladder for Ryback. One which didn’t stop. Not wanting hark back on the past, but after his first ever pinfall loss in WWE to C.M Punk inside the devils playground, Ryback then failed to emerge victorious in the triple threat match for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 2012 when Punk pinned Cena; in the six man Tables, Ladder and Chairs match at TLC 2012 when Daniel Bryan, a member of his team fell to The Shield; Ryback was eliminated last in the Royal Rumble 2013 match by John Cena; once again failed to put pay The Shield in a six man tag team match at Elimination Chamber 2013; lost a rubbish match to Mark Henry by pinfall at WrestleMania 29 – the night he should have been awarded a victory; drew a pants Last Man Standing Match with John Cena at Extreme Rules 2013 and then again, lost a three stages of hell match to John Cena last month at Payback. The damage has been well and truly done.

There is a way out though for WWE and Ryback and it comes in the form of Chris Jericho as discussed above. What WWE really need to do now, if they’re truly behind Ryback becoming the next big thing in WWE is give him a mega push and with SummerSlam one month away, what better time? SummerSlam will draw huge numbers for WWE which means the company have more chance to sell Ryback to a wider audience than they do on a normal pay-per view event. With Daniel Bryan about to lock horns with John Cena for the WWE Championship – presumably – I can only really think of Randy Orton that could get Ryback over in a mega feud. Staving off the Orton heel turn for a while longer may be WWE’s only chance of getting Ryback back into a position from which he can launch a main event assault.

Randy Orton vs Ryback is a viable option right now. It’s fresh, hasn’t been done before and WWE can rely on ‘The Viper’ to convincingly get Ryback over and sell his moves as they need to be sold. After that, Randy Orton can go to WWE bigwigs and demand a main event spot on every card because the number of jobs Orton has done for the entire roster over the last two years is truly staggering. Ryback would leave a feud with Randy Orton, shining brighter than he has ever done before. The John Cena debacle would be a distant memory and maybe we could begin to believe in Ryback. Of course the downside of this is that the very limited Ryback would have to capture the WWE Championship to put a full stop at the end of the push, but hey, sometimes you have kill a whole bed of flowers in order to kill a weed so two beds can grow in its place. If you get my drift.

Money in the Bank cannot all be on Chris Jericho and Ryback must do his part as well. If he times his moves perfectly, sells convincingly and paces himself well then Ryback could lay the foundations of a megs run later in the years and at the beginning of 2014. Maybe, after all this, with the right handling, Ryback could be Money in the Bank for WWE.

Winners Prediction: Ryback

WWE Divas Championship Match
(c) A.J Lee vs Kaitlyn


The WWE Divas Division has taken a turn for the better recently. As both champion and more recently challenger, Kaitlyn has shone. Her offence is sloppy and she needs to slow the whole shebang down a little because she has a tendency to rush everything she does. But, there is promise there and not since Trish Stratus has a Diva shown this much promise in the ring, in such a short time after her debut. On the other side, A.J Lee has been brilliant in her mentally unstable role and her capture of the Championship may have been a little deflating for everyone watching but she too could be huge with a little more work.

Of course, the magic ingredient to WWE’s Women’s Division of the past is that is was overseen by Dave ‘Fit’ Finlay. The Irishman took the time to talk to and help train WWE’s women and in return they repaid Finlay with hard work and dedication. Trish Stratus and Lita are both two great examples of what came out of the Finlay era of WWE’s women. Both are legends in the sport now and both had match after match of such high quality, to the point Trish Stratus vs Lita was the first ever women’s match to main event Monday Night Raw in its illustrious history. Finlay was such an integral part of the women’s division between 2001 and when WWE released him and the dip in quality was on show for all to see.

Only Beth Phoenix and the newly married Natalya ever really stood out in the ring in the last few years and whilst women like Layla, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres to name a few tried their best, they often came across as misguided in the ring and their matches were overtly sloppy. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t like to see Eve return to WWE, because I would. There was a substantial divide between Finlay’s women and WWE’s women. Without old Fit to show them the way, the women of WWE only got the experience of WWE developmental, which wasn’t much at all seeing as those down in Florida Championship Wrestling tend to concentrate more on the men rather than the women. Thus explaining the state of WWE’s Divas Division in 2013.

Now though, Finlay has returned to the company and whilst his role has been kept under wraps it’s widely believed that he has been assigned to the women once again. And why not? It’s where he can do the most good. Once again, with guidance, the Divas division is slowly turning around and for the better. It’s been a long time coming as well. Kaitlyn, Layla, Aksana and even the once hopeless A.J Lee, WWE’s current Divas Champion have begun to up their game.

Kaitlyn has all of the goods to make it in WWE, despite initial reports if her ability being less than favourable. She’s got the looks, the build and the drive to go big; she just needs to put it all together into one lethal package. If Kaitlyn can concentrate on what she’s doing in the ring and not what seems to be a reckless personal life outside it, being arrested for non paid parking tickets and receiving fines for this, that and the other then she can ground herself and her personal life will follow.

What story can WWE possibly give Kaitlyn? Well, when you read on you’ll view my plans for A.J, Langston and Dolph Ziggler for the rest of 2013, reasonably, until WWE can find more Divas who can produce in the ring, Kaitlyn could be used to prolong the feud with A.J, outside the ring. The pair don’t have to face off on every Raw or Smackdown, or even every pay-per view event. If WWE keep the physical interaction between the pair to a minimum then there could be mileage in this feud. If A.J and Langston were to begin a feud, it could be Kaitlyn who catches them out. Kaitlyn could then be used as a go between for Ziggler and A.J and begin to warn Dolph of his cheating girlfriend and best friend behind his back. Of course, at the beginning, Dolph Ziggler wouldn’t believe her and it would take some weeks for Kaitlyn to prove what the pair were up to.

Going with the storyline, Kaitlyn could begin to develop feelings for the wronged Ziggler, thus beginning Dolph’s face turn as he notices the affection Kaitlyn is showing towards him. When it is finally revealed that A.J and Langston are cheating on Ziggler, the pair could beat down Kaitlyn only for Dolph to come to her rescue, turning face on A.J and Langston. After that, WWE could begin a relationship between Ziggler and Kaitlyn which didn’t involve Kaitlyn accompanying Ziggler to the ring, and finally he could fight on his own. For Kaitlyn it would be another side to her, as she’s yet to go down the romantic route with a WWE Superstar, a road which is usually always walked by every Diva before they exit the company.

This could eventually lead to another Dolph Ziggler World Heavyweight Championship reign as a face and then the Kaitlyn heel turn, which would cost Dolph the Championship. It’s a perfect way to build Ziggler up as a star and then take the title off of him without damaging his image and put the spotlight on the Divas division by linking it with the main event scene, thus shedding the spotlight, which is much needed, on the female grapplers.

With the current influx of women in WWE’s ranks, including the promising Paige down in NXT, Kaitlyn could have it made for her. She’s going to be Divas Champion again even if it’s not going to happen at Money in the Bank and WWE have shown trust in her by booking her on several consecutive pay-per view events. In January of this year, one had begun to forget the division even existed thanks to the lack of matches the female of the species were given on WWE’s big events. This is an encouraging sign for WWE and its Divas division.

If WWE bring up their women from NXT and buy in the talents of other females from across the globe, certainly TNA British Boot Camp contestants The Blossom Twins would have been the perfect fit for WWE as would several Japanese ladies who really know how to put it together in the ring, then Kaitlyn would have some real competition on her hands. Better competition would force Kaitlyn to raise her game to Trish Stratus level.

Whilst I’m still undecided on A.J Lee as Divas Champion, I will have to reserve judgment until I’ve seen more of her in the ring. Before A.J won the gold at Payback, she had been inactive as a wrestler for so long that the matches she once contested on NXT and Raw are a distant memory. We’ll see over the next few months whether A.J has got it or not and if she hasn’t then WWE must take the belt away from her and concentrate on those who have. There’s no pressure for A.J to be a wrestler anymore as she has it made by the side of Dolph Ziggler, but it would be nice if she had another string to her bow and for WWE to have another person to rely on in their female division.

A.J is a good fit for the league even if she is a little kooky. Can a character like that really make it as a wrestler and a manager? Personally, I don’t think so. Her mentally unhinged persona needs to be concentrated on one job, doing so on two will make it grow stale quicker and if there’s one thing WWE don’t need right now, is for its Divas division to become stale just after it appears its taking a turn for the better. Like everyone else on the card, what A.J really needs now is a storyline to keep her occupied, something more than being eye candy on Dolph Ziggler’s arm. With Dolph recently wrestling as a face on WWE house shows, a turn could be in the works, which means WWE need something to help turn him.

What better than a love triangle between Ziggler, Langston and A.J? If Ziggler begins to turn and rejects the advances of A.J, thus having her stay in the back whilst he wrestles alone, then behind Ziggler’s back the unstable Divas Champion could begin to be romantically linked with Langston. This would create an air of pity around Ziggler and get us on his side. When Ziggler finally did find out what was going on he could play along as Batista did with Triple H when ‘The Animal’ found out it was Triple H and not JBL behind the attacks in an effort to make Batista choose JBL to fight at WrestleMania 21 instead of ‘The Game’. Ziggler could then, either on Raw or pay-per view, out A.J and level Langston with the ‘Zig Zag’ to what I imagine would be a rapturous ovation.

This could be A.J’s role in WWE for the foreseeable future. Not directly involved in the in ring side of things but helping Dolph Ziggler get to where he needs to be in the company. That would be a hell of an achievement seeing as WWE obviously can’t do the job at hand and A.J may even garner some respect from the WWE Universe for doing so.

Coming away from A.J and Kaitlyn, the question is, what now? How can WWE possibly keep it rolling along and take it to better heights? Keep Finlay in charge and give him free reign over the Divas Division. WWE can’t poke their noses in and interfere if they want it to succeed. Next, hire some more women who can wrestle. I’ve gone over it time and time again and won’t here, but there are hundreds of women in all different countries who could make the division better than this is so WWE should pay the fee for them to work in America. It’s a small price if it’s going to bring long term success. Cutting away the deadwood would be advisable. Currently, WWE have women like Naomi – Brodus Clay’s dancer – competing in the division and it’s not good enough. Making room for those who can get the job done is a must for WWE, plus, getting rid of them and hiring back Beth Phoenix and even Kharma, though they would have to buy her out of her contract, would be the best path to take.

It’s a little too early to predict whether the division is going to be saved or not. But the early signs are good so let’s just hope that WWE don’t think they know best this time around. We all know where that has ended up in the past.

Winners Prediction: A.J Lee

Pre-Show Match
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
(c) Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns vs The Usos


Just when it looks like everything is going well for WWE’s latest influx of new stars, WWE go and shove their most promising stars on the pre-show to what could be WWE’s most exciting pay-per view of the year. In past years, Money in the Bank has been the standout show of the year and whilst I have no reason to doubt this years will be any different, the fact still remains this match should be on the main body of the show, instead of tucked out of the way. Now, the only way anyone will get to see The Shield is if they either tune in via WWE.Com or WWE’s You tube channel or failing that, wait for the Money in the Bank 2013 DVD and Blu-ray release.

It’s a senseless move to book Reigns and Rollins on the Pre-show, in past months the WWE Tag Team Championships have been prominent on pay-per view and television, thus giving them an important image and people are actually beginning to care about the doubles gold again. Here though, all WWE is saying that on a card such as this, the Tag Team Championships and indeed The Shield themselves aren’t important enough to be featured and neither can the company find a space for them. Sheer laziness and shoddy booking. But then again...well, we all know what comes next.

The first train of though, and I hope it’s the correct one, is that the WWE Tag Team Championship match has been booked on the pre-show because of the challengers. Jimmy and Jay Uso aren’t pay-per view material in 2013, we all know that, but surely with Rollins and Reigns as opponents this match would have been respectable at worst. Whilst the Samoan brothers and sons of Rikishi aren’t pay-per view material, they are very good athletes and had WWE booked this match on the main show then it could have been one of the stand out encounters of the night. Both teams would have had a reason to go all out and it could have been a fantastic advert for the tag team division. On the Pre-show though, there is no reason for either team to really put forth a stunning display and it’s just an excuse for the teams to phone in their performances.

As for the match itself, it came about when The Uso’s defeated The Shield in a six man tag team match on the June 28th Smackdown, to become number one contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championships. It was a shock victory, I didn’t think for one minute WWE would put a team as low in the pecking order as The Uso’s over a team as high as The Shield but maybe it was for the best. Whilst The Shield came off the worst in the image department on the night, it did give the Samoan brothers some clout when their challenge to the gild was announced. It’s true, WWE could have gone about announcing The Uso’s as number one contenders in a different and less damaging way to their opponents, for example they could have held a tag team gauntlet match in which The Uso’s entered number one and saw off every other competition.

In hindsight though, maybe it was better the way it panned out. A victory over Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose made The Uso’s legit challengers as they had already pinned The Shield to earn a victory and proved that The Shield hadn’t gotten too big for their boots and were willing to put over lesser talent than themselves. Whilst I can only hope WWE have something stunning planned for Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose after Money in the Bank, I am as sure as I’ve ever been that The Shield will leave the event still WWE Tag Team Champions.

Winners Prediction: Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns

With a strong card, filled with strong matches we could once again be looking at WWE’s best pay-per view of the year. John Cena and Mark Henry have a chance to prove that they can do something worthy in the ring and in the other Heavyweight Championship match of the night, WWE must make Dolph Ziggler look like a real challenger, instead of a fluke who can’t hold onto a main title with the assistance of his bodyguard and main squeeze. If WWE can do both of these things on the night then it can count the event as a success regardless of happenings elsewhere.

The Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder match must, and I mean must, make at least two news stars before someone grabs the briefcase entitling them to a guaranteed World Heavyweight Championship shot in the future, whilst the Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match will undoubtedly bring the house down and much like the event itself, be remembered for the homecoming of one of WWE’s favourite sons. With Rob Van Dam coming home, it signals a bright few months ahead in WWE. Let’s just hope he’s shed his weight and can fly like he used to.

With the correct booking and the right results, WWE could find that if they play their cards right with the talent and the scheduled matches, June 14th 2013, for the company, could literally be Money in the Bank.

Onwards and upwards...