Some of you may have noticed that I
haven’t been around for a few weeks. That’s because I promised to leave the
review of the book up for a while to increase sales for the writer and because,
well, it breaks me to say this but I believe this will be the penultimate blog
of this sites existence. I hope you brought the book in your droves, it really
is a cracking read and if you would like to know more about signed copies or
other merchandise (T- shirts, mugs, mouse mats, limited edition prints from the
book etc) then you can contact Matt Tennant at @10antfuturedw or on teenagelife10ant@yahoo.co.uk with ‘Book Merchandise’ in the subject
line. I’ve seen some of the merchandise being crated for the book and it looks
really good. With that said, I hope you’ve been buying the book. As you can now
order it from Waterstones and the wrestling shop in Portsmouth may be stocking
it in the weeks to come.
Now, let’s get into what I believe will
be the penultimate post of this blog. And with Battleground approaching, there
really is only one subject fitting for this week and that’s the event that lies
ahead of us. Because you see, events in previous weeks have made sure that what
was once a ‘B’ level pay-per view, will be one of the most eagerly anticipated
in 2015. Of course, there are some throwaway matches such as Prime Time Players
vs The New Day which holds no interest with anyone thanks to a needless Tag
Team Championship change and the triple threat match for the Intercontinental
Championship. I believed that Ryback was on his way up the ladder when he
pinned Sheamus to capture the title at Elimination Chamber. Judging on his
storyline with The Miz and Big Show, I was wrong.
Also, there is the overwhelming
predictability about the event with matches such as Roman Reigns vs Bray Wyatt.
I don’t expect Wyatt to defeat Reigns even though the pair are due to clash
again at SummerSlam in a stipulation bout. This feud has been built for the
sole reason to build Roman up for a strong end to the year and a WWE World
Heavyweight Championship reign in 2016. Bray Wyatt’s message of ‘Anyone But
You’ is something the audience have echoed, however, this is WWE’s way of
knocking back our cries through a storyline. Basically, WWE are telling us that
Roman Reigns will succeed whether we like it or not. There is a strong
possibility that Wyatt will defeat Reigns at Battleground so Roman can score
the big victory at SummerSlam.
As of yet, as I post this, there has
not been a Divas Championship Match announced though I expect Nikki Bella to
defend her title against either Naomi or stroll out at Battleground to issue an
open challenge. If that happens, then expect Charlotte to answer the call and
make her main roster debut, echoing Paige’s achievement of winning the title on
her debut. However, the latter is unlikely to happen with Nikki Bella signing a
new contract with the company, I am lead to believe one of her stipulations was
to hold the title for at least one year before she handed it over. If this is
true, then Nikki will be Divas Champion until at least Survivor Series when she
will be dethroned at last.
The biggest two matches going into
battleground though are of course Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE
World Heavyweight Championship and John Cena vs Kevin Owens for the United
States Championship. The first will surely be a stunning display of technical
wrestling at its best, though do not get your hopes up if you expect Brock to
leave with the title. As far I know, WWE have no plans to have the title off of
television again for months at a time and though Brock will be at SummerSlam,
possibly in a rematch, The Authority will almost surely screw Brock out of the
gold somehow. The way WWE have built Seth Rollins over the past few months,
there’s almost certainly no way the company will allow him to go over Lesnar by
himself. There will be help. But the most important part of this match is that
Seth pins Brock to win the bout and doesn’t walk away with the title by other
means. And whilst we’re on the subject, Brock Lesnar really can’t win by
count-out or disqualification.
Of course, there is another, exciting
possibility from this bout which could see it end in a no-contest. With Triple
H rumoured to do battle with Sting at SummerSlam in a WrestleMania rematch,
there is always the possibility that Sting could return at Battleground to help
Brock Lesnar stave off The Authority. It’s an age old story. Heels gang up on
face, give him a beat down and then the lights go off, the crow sounds and
Sting comes tearing down the aisle to set up his match with Triple H next
month. Never say never, it’s a distinct possibility.
But of course, the real talking point
of Battleground is the third instalment of the thoroughly excellent feud
between Kevin Owens and John Cena. Over the past two months, both men have put
on two stunning displays. Each better than the last. I didn’t believe John Cena
had it in him, but hey, we’re all wrong sometimes. Hell, John Cena has even
taken that momentum into two brilliant exchanges with Cesaro on Raw. I’m liking
this new John Cena between the ropes and hope that once this feud is over, he
can carry on the performance side.
I was surprised by Kevin Owens’ loss of
the NXT Championship. I’m a massive Kevin Owens supporter and I feel he almost
needs a title for his character to shine. His aura needs to be superior to
everyone else he fights otherwise what’s left? He’s a cracking wrestler but
he’s at his most loathsome best when he’s flaunting his title over others and
telling them they haven’t earned a shot. I believe the loss of the NXT
Championship paved the way for Owens to knock Cena off his perch at
Battleground. With a wrestler unable to hold two pieces of gold at once from
two different brands, it was almost signposted that Owens would do the
unthinkable. I hope I’m right. I’m not so sure his image could suffer two
massive losses in such a short amount of time.
Of course, there’s also the question of
what happens to Kevin Owens if he loses. What do WWE do with him? He has a
rematch against Finn Balor at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn on August 22nd but won’t
recapture the gold because I believe Owens has outgrown NXT in a very short
amount of time. Which means he has to move up. But if he does, then what
happens to his feud with Samoa Joe? WWE have no intention of moving Joe up in
the foreseeable future so it would just disappear. In hindsight, WWE should
have pitted Kevin Owens vs Samoa Joe for August 22nd in a Loser Leaves NXT
bout. This would have given Kevin Owens the perfect opportunity to move on to
better things.
I don’t know what lies ahead for Kevin
Owens should he lose at Battleground. The options are limited. So for once in
his career, I hope John Cena and WWE do the right thing.
Onwards and upwards…
