With
the announcement of the supposed unification match for the WWE and World
Heavyweight Championships between Randy Orton and John Cena, many have touted
TLC 2013 to be one of the best and most important events of this year if not
the last three years. So without wishing to drag this intro out any longer
we’ve all got Christmas presents to wrap, on December 15th 2013 from the Toyota
Centre in Houston, Texas this is WWE TLC 2013.
WWE Championship and
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Tables, Ladders and
Chairs Match
(WWE Champion) Randy
Orton vs John Cena (World Heavyweight Champion)
Honestly,
I have to say that I didn’t see this one coming. After John Cena and Alberto
Del Rio’s short and largely uneventful feud I have to admit that I thought WWE
would at least give the faux Mexican millionaire one last crack in a ladder
match before they relegated him to the mid-card ranks. Isn’t gratitude a
wonderful thing? On the flipside, I also thought that after Randy Orton’s match
with Big Show at Survivor Series, Daniel Bryan would be back in the fold for
what would have been an excellent TLC match. But no, WWE surprises us again and
for the first time in many months by booking a rehash of a former feud but with
a new twist.
I’m
not going to sit and complain about Randy Orton vs John Cena yet again because
I’m convinced that it will only be for one month. Let me explain. Even though
both Championships are on the line and we will have a unified WWE and World
Heavyweight Champion after TLC had come to an end, I am convinced that this is
just part of the grander scale of WWE’s planning with The Authority and the
outcome could go one of several ways. Those ways are going to be the focus of
this section inside of going through the old route of recapping who has done what
in the lead up to the event – which would be near impossible since I begin
writing this almost immediately after the matches are announced.
The
first way would be a simple Randy Orton victory, thus adding weight to The
Authorities rule holding both World titles. It would be a statement of intent
by the group which could then induct more members down the line in order to
garner the Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships to the group who would
then hold all the power. In a sense, they already have the WWE United States
Championship in the fold as Dean Ambrose and The Shield are affiliated with
Triple H, Stephanie and co. That could be a very sensible way to go for WWE
who, if they played their cards right could easily make the Intercontinental
Championship important again by recruiting someone with clout in their ranks
and then making the gold their priority. People would look at the I.C title as
vital to the company if Triple H made it his priority to add it to the stable.
Away
from what could possible happen if The Authority headhunted each Championship
in the company, the second string to this particular bow would be Daniel Bryan.
Now I know everyone thinks that Bryan is done with the storyline in which he
tries to stop The Authority and John Cena seems to have taken his place – which
is what WWE didn’t need to happen – but I couldn’t disagree more. I believe
that should this be the beginning of something much larger then a Randy Orton
victory would almost certainly mean a Daniel Bryan Royal Rumble victory and the
culmination of this feud at WrestleMania XXX. It would be a brave move by WWE
putting two men in the main event who were kind of untested in pulling a six
figure box office draw, but its something that needs to happen.
The
match would be taking place at WrestleMania XXX. WrestleMania I sought to seek
out a new path for the company to travel down and what better what than for the
thirtieth anniversary to make the event about the future of the company again.
Regardless of whether Hulk Hogan returns to the company or not. Triple H
lobbied tirelessly to get his WrestleMania 18 match with Chris Jericho put on
last instead of The Rock vs Hulk Hogan because he thought that the Championship
belonged on the main event of WrestleMania. Despite that being stepped on in
recent years I believe it should be true of WrestleMania XXX and regardless of
whether of the company book John Cena vs Hulk Hogan or not, it should be the
WWE Championship which goes on last here in order to prove that the company are
looking forward and not backwards.
I’m
sure after months of keeping them apart, Randy Orton vs Daniel Bryan for the
gold would be a huge selling point for the event, especially when Daniel Bryan
dethroned Randy Orton and put an end to The Authority. It’s the classic ‘good
guy wins out’ story and one WrestleMania XXX would benefit from ending on.
The
next option is the least likeliest of all. A John Cena heel turn. Yes, it’s
been mentioned before but hey, you never know. WWE still have the power to
surprise us and what better way to enter 2014, a new year with new hopes than to
have a new outlook for the company. It wouldn’t even be hard to pull off
either. With Randy Orton’s losses to Daniel Bryan in the past months, WWE could
plant in the mind of the audience that Triple H doubts Randy Orton can get the
job done without help and when the times comes to really step up. The story
from there could stem to Triple H turning to Cena, making him an offer he
couldn’t refuse to join The Authority.
At
TLC, as Randy Orton goes to grasp the gold, Triple H could low blow him, nail
him with a sledgehammer and pedigree him in the ring, allowing John Cena to
climb the ladder to the gold. When John Cena feigned shock and came down from
the ladder he could display that annoying smirk and shake Triple H’s hand.
There would be justification for the turn and offer made to Cena. After all,
it’s John Cena who nearly almost always wins every big match. To get The
Authority where it needs to be, John Cena would be the ideal man to front it,
someone who is expected to win every match. And then a Randy Orton Royal Rumble
victory, as a face of course, would set up a rematch at WrestleMania XXX where
Orton got his revenge.
Of
course the other option, should Cena turn heel would be the imminent arrival of
Hulk Hogan back to the WWE. Whilst Hogan and his representatives have kept
quiet on the subject, if a heel Cena were to hold the two top Championships
then a heroic Hulk Hogan return in order to stop him and headline the event he
headlined thirty years ago would surely put bottoms in seats. Of course, there
is the question of what would happen afterwards, Hulk Hogan in 2013 is in no
state to hold the top title but then WWE could find a way around that, they
always do.
It’s
a good idea but it’s not going to happen. WWE will never turn Cena heel and we
know it, not just because of the financial issue, but also because of the fact
John Cena is so opposed to turning himself that the company don’t want to upset
him. They believe they can’t afford to risk losing him now.
The
last option is the one I believe is most likely to happen. With Raw and
Smackdown as good as merged now and wrestlers mingling between both brands,
there is question whether two Heavyweight Championships are needed to carry the
load. The answer is, no. Not considering how WWE have treated the World
Heavyweight Championship recently. It would be miles better if the company took
one step back to take three forward if you know what I mean. I believe this is
the beginning of the company unifying both Championships into one and having a
single WWF Championship to focus on. It can’t do any harm. The WWE Championship
is the company’s top priority; it always has been so it makes sense to get rid
of the other one.
Down
the card it would do a great deal of good as far as star building. Instead of
trying to find constant challengers for both Championships WWE only have to do
so for one. Which means more talent get more time in order to progress and the
Intercontinental Championship can once again become number two in the company.
Just think of all the good it would do if WWE began again as it were. The likes
of Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus and C.M Punk could be great for the I.C division in
order to rebuild the Championship and the line of WWE Championship challengers,
and of course, their own careers. A couple of heavy hitters winning the gold
and losing it to new blood would be a real star making moment and one which
would do more good than the current I.C scene is doing.
Whether
people believe it or not, this really is the best course for WWE to take. There
are not enough people to fill out two contender lines. Most don’t belong there
anyway. A slow and steady rise up through the ranks, finally stopping at the
WWE Championship is what has always worked best before and will again if WWE
implement this change. It may be a way which is stuck in the past but it is a
way which has a proven track record. And if we have to go back to those ways to
make a more solid foundation for the future then so be it. It’s that or what we
have already and that isn’t working.
So
I do believe this match is a good idea for TLC 2013. Yes on a basic level it
has been done before but this time with two added stipulations – TLC and winner
takes all – the pair have a great start in which to put on a memorable show. In
the end, without a John Cena heel turn, Randy Orton has to walk away unified
Champion. There is no other choice. To keep the story going and The Authority
rolling along with Orton as the hired gun it’s what has to happen. If John Cena
wins then everything has been for nothing. There is nowhere the company can go
with Cena as unified Champion and Randy Orton would look weak yet again. Plus,
no one is interested in a story where the heel has to chase the gold. It just
doesn’t work.
If
Triple H ever had a hand in an outcome then it must be this one, and no pun
intended, but he needs to stamp his authority all over this.
Winners Prediction:
Randy Orton
3 on 1 Handicap Match
C.M Punk vs The Shield
It
was the wrong decision to have C.M Punk and Daniel Bryan go over The Wyatt
Family at Survivor Series, but it was the correct decision to have The Shield
and The Real Americans triumph on what used to be the November classic. Had
Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins lost the match then it would have
surely taken a titanic struggle to re-build them in time for their proposed
WrestleMania XXX bout with The Wyatt Family. Even though they would have been
losing to the current WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust, it would
have been a major dent in the trio’s image, coming so soon after too many
television losses.
For
the former Tag Team Champions and the current United States Champion, the
victories mean everything to their still fledgling career. Even though losses
will no longer harm the Tag Team Championships, it will do so to the United
States Championship and as Dean Ambrose has done so much good work with the
gold, it would be a hell of a shame to do that now. Especially with talks that
Roman Reigns is set to turn face on The Shield after WrestleMania XXX is done
and dusted with. So instead of going down the same channels, let’s focus on the
face turn of Roman Reigns and take a look at how best to execute the turn.
Beginning
in 2014, WWE need to get this feud with The Wyatt Family out of the way.
Victories for both teams at TLC would begin the hype as they would then own the
bragging rights over two of WWE’s top stars. The Shield need to comprehensively
defeat C.M Punk at TLC without Punk taking the attitude he did with Curtis Axel
at Night of Champions. On December 15th, C.M Punk needs to enter the arena with
the attitude that he must make stars. He’s done it before and he can do it
again. Then in the run up to the Royal Rumble, WWE’s must focus on the six man
rivalry instead of allowing C.M Punk and Daniel Bryan to extract their revenge
– that will open up a new avenue as discussed below. Just think how much more
appealing both teams will be if they have major victories over former WWE
Champions under their belt.
At
the Royal Rumble, The Shield and The Wyatt Family must eliminate each other,
even better if one member from each faction is one of the final four in the
ring. That way WWE could book an all out war as the eliminated members come
back for revenge and the two remaining members eliminate each other, building
an even more stable stage on which to work the WrestleMania XXX feud off of.
Depending on what happens in the supposed Unification match at the end of the
night, maybe WWE could book one member of each faction in each Elimination
Chamber match for both top Championships – if they’re not unified – and the two
remaining remembers could battle it out in a Fatal Four Way or Triple Threat
Match for the WWE Intercontinental or United States Championships. Whatever the
company has planned they must keep the factions on top of each other and not
allow the feud to die away. That’s a mistake the company has made far too often
with far too many wrestlers.
Depending
on whether the match at WrestleMania XXX is a success or not and which team is
portrayed as face – I was convinced it would be The Shield, but then that would
null and void a Roman Reigns face turn on his team mates – if any, WWE can then
look at their options in turning Reigns face. One option could be to make
Rollins and Reigns WWE Tag Team Champions again and have the six man match at
WrestleMania an ‘All Titles on the Line’ affair where whichever wrestler who
gets a single pin on a champion takes that Championship. If the champion gets
the fall he retains his Championship. That way one scenario, Roman Reigns could
be the man to lose one half of the WWE Tag Team Championship thus having
Rollins and Ambrose turn on him, blaming him for the slip up.
The
next night on Raw, Reigns could lure his comrades into a false sense of
security and turn on them to what would surely be a huge reaction from the
fans. A feud with Rollins and Ambrose would have to ensue but WWE could use
that to their advantage as well as the advantage of the company, should they
give Reigns the WWE Intercontinental Championship and then have him unify it
with Dean Ambrose’s WWE United States Championship. Like the WWE and World
Heavyweight Championship, it could open up a more solid foundation and more serious
challengers should there be only one major undercard title to vie for.
I
don’t see many more scenarios where WWE could turn Reigns face other than have
his partners turn on him. Maybe the only other option would be to do with
Triple H and The Authority. Should Triple H, as he did with Big Show, order
Reigns to do something that he doesn’t agree with only for Reigns to snap and
spear Triple H, that could possibly be the moment that not just turns him face
but defines his career in the WWE. It would be a moment to remember certainly.
As
for C.M Punk, well he’s had it rough in past months. Ryback sucked almost all
of the life out him during their dreary feud, and his revenge on Paul Heyman
could have and should have been so much more. WWE missed a trick with this
angle particularly going into WrestleMania XXX. C.M Punk should have beaten
Ryback at Hell in a Cell, only for Paul Heyman to either disappear or to be
saved by Brock Lesnar at the moment before Punk got his hands on him. That
would have set up a rematch at WrestleMania between Lesnar and Punk in which
Punk would have finally defeated ‘The Beast’ and gotten his revenge on Heyman.
For once, it wouldn’t have mattered the outcome was see through and
predictable. Had WWE played this right then people would have ordered
WrestleMania XXX in their droves, just to see Paul Heyman get his comeuppance
and be redeemed. That is the type of story you need to sell WrestleMania with
when there is hardly anything else going on around it. That way, whilst you bring
in lapsed fans – who only order WrestleMania for the nostalgic feeling and
don’t watch WWE the rest of the year – with the promise of Punk’s revenge you
also begin to sell them better stories, wrestlers and matches thus brining them
back into the fold and upping your weekly television ratings.
But
WWE didn’t do that. Instead of a prolonged feud in which people had to wait for
a feel good pay off, we were fed something which resembled pig swill and a
rushed feud which we were willing to buy into. Now it’s ruined. Should C.M Punk
and Brock Lesnar face off again there will be very little interest in Punk and
Heyman’s interaction. Which is a shame. After his dreary Ryback feud, WWE
seemed to panic that they had no point of interest with Punk and pushed him
head first off of the diving board into what seemed to be a senseless feud with
The Wyatt Family. In truth, the feud which led to the match at Survivor Series
was okay, there was nothing truly horrible about it and the match on the night fell
into the same category. But it always seemed like a filler rather than
something which would grow and grow until it became something WWE could finally
rely on to sell numbers.
I
am convinced however that WWE booked C.M Punk and Daniel Bryan to face The
Wyatt Family to create another option should everything they planned go awry.
Now that John Cena and Randy Orton are seemingly locked in a feud until
WrestleMania, WWE are planning to turn C.M Punk and Daniel Bryan into another
profitable feud with one of them in the heel role. It could work. Should Daniel
Bryan be brainwashed by The Wyatt Family then C.M Punk could endeavour to turn
him back to the light thus portraying both men as the face but with one who has
been turned by The Wyatt’s. Or Punk could just turn heel again. Whatever, we
already know the pair would tear the house down at WrestleMania and as they
only competed in singles match on two pay-per view events in 2012, there is a
whole ton of mileage left in a feud of that nature.
The
best thing is, neither man needs a Championship to make it top an Undertaker
match or the main event of the show. WWE would be wise to seek out this avenue
if they have nothing else better planned for C.M Punk and Daniel Bryan at
WrestleMania XXX. This is going to be one the defining events of WWE’s future.
Something people look back on and judge. They need the best talent possible.
As
for TLC, The Shield needs this victory badly. They may have triumphed at
Survivor Series but losing a three on one battle to C.M Punk, just one man,
would be disastrous. To look like three men, one of whom is a Champion, who
can’t beat one man even if he’s a former WWE Champion and one of the best
wrestlers in the world today, could just about sink all the credibility The
Shield have. On the other hand, a victory over C.M Punk, especially after all
of the television losses to people lesser down the card than them, would do
them the world of good. We could begin to believe in the trio again and that’s
best for everyone involved.
Winners Prediction: The
Shield
WWE Intercontinental
Championship Match
(c)
Big E. Langston vs Damien Sandow
I
still stick by the statement that WWE shouldn’t have made Big E. Langston
Intercontinental Champion. Not because he hasn’t shown any initiative or
foresight in the ring, because in the last couple of months he has begun to
come into his own. Simply because, in the past, WWE have used the
Intercontinental Championship as a star maker. They never relied on the name to
make the title, rather than allowing the title to make the name and that’s how
it should always be.
It’s
no secret that in recent years the Championship in itself has been buried on
the undercard so much that it’s no longer the attraction it used to be. It may
still be the same Championship which Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat feuded
over in their still excellent match at WrestleMania III, but it is in name
alone. At this point in 2013, there is literally nothing the Championship can
do for any star and it will continue that way until WWE do something to restore
the gold to its former glory. Of course, that is easier said than done when so
much damage has been done. WWE put the Championship on Langston, in the hope
that it would do for him what it did to all those who came before. WWE did this
without realising the gold no longer has that power because of their
shortcomings.
WWE,
at this point in time need a name holding the gold that could remake its
prestige. Granted, there are not that many wrestlers in WWE who have the power
to do that, but they would, if the company were to unify the Intercontinental
and United States Championships. That way, as discussed, wrestlers would have
to work their way up one set of ranks instead of two – where there are not
enough wrestlers with prestige to compete in both divisions. Should the WWE and
World Heavyweight Championships and the Intercontinental and United States
Championships be unified then there would be two male singles Championships and
two alone. It would create a more solid base as the likes of Alberto Del Rio
and C.M Punk could rebuild their reputations and that of the belt. It’s a fool
proof plan which will take some time to implement but it has to be done soon.
As
far as Big E. Langston is concerned, he is beginning to show potential and
against the right opponent can pull out something which resembles a wrestling
match. It may not sound like much but it is a huge step forward from what we
began with when Langston was introduced to the WWE Universe as Dolph Ziggler’s
bodyguard, in a role reminiscent of Mr. Hughes in the early 1990’s. It wasn’t a
role which was advised to be given to anyone. It took wrestlers like Diesel a
good while to get over it and that was when the company had the patience to
wait and build new stars. In the current climate when Vince McMahon’s patience
runs ever shorter, Langston should have been introduced as a direct threat t
Dolph Ziggler, even if the whole thing did have a dumb storyline to it linking
to some faux history between the pair.
It
was because of Langston’s build that WWE penned him into the role he played for
so long. Had they introduced him as a face who was hell bent on making it to
the top, then he would have had a much better beginning than he actually got.
Now, with very little ring time in his first few months in the company,
Langston is playing catch up to the rest of the roster, but the good news is
that he cottons on fast. Langston’s matches have gone from unbearably dull to
quite pleasing depending on his opponent. It’s without an opponent of great
quality, where Langston struggles.
Which
begs the question of whether it was a good idea for WWE to put any kind of
Championship on him in the first place? There have been moments of inspired
brilliance where this solution was concerned in the past. WWE have put
Championships on untested wrestlers and it’s worked, but they were wrestlers
who already had enough talent about them to carry off the plan. Whilst Langston
has something, he is a former NXT Heavyweight Champion after all; he still
doesn’t have the full package. He can’t make other people look good and still
relies on them to help him get across. That my friends, isn’t Championship
material. I would much rather have seen a slow and steady build from Langston
to the gold, rather than a drop in the ocean.
Had
WWE kept the Championship on Curtis Axel until WrestleMania and then put it up
for grabs in a ladder match or an elimination match, for Langston to come out
on top, it would have been a much more memorable moment when he lifted the
gold. Plus, people would have been so irritated by the heelish Curtis Axel as
champion; they would have taken the roof off of the stadium when Langston made
that final pinfall. We would have recognised that Langston had worked for the
gold and as WWE like to put it, paid his dues. That way, we’d have been much
more likely to back Langston when his moment came.
Don’t
get me wrong, I’m not saying that Big E. Langston and the Intercontinental
Championship won’t flourish under the association with each other, because they
may do. What I am saying is that once again WWE have gone about this all wrong.
Everyone involved would have been much better rewarded had the company stuck to
tradition, and who knows, WWE may have had a new mid-card star. I guess for the
end product, we’ll have to watch this space.
I
feel really sorry for Damien Sandow. At Money in the Bank just a few months
ago, the sky looked to be the limit for the faux scholar. After months of
jobbing to everyone and anyone on WWE’s weekly programming, Sandow looked to
finally be earmarked for success. Many people thought he was World Heavyweight
Champion elect. And then came the aftermath. Instead of building Damien Sandow
to a point where we could believe he would successfully cash in the briefcase –
even if the company never intended to crown him – WWE resorted to type and
returned to form. I can’t even remember a victory Sandow had on television
after his Money in the Bank victory, that how little he mattered to WWE.
So
why give him the briefcase if you’re not going to award him at least the
opportunity to reach for the stars? Knowing the outcome now, it would have been
a much better idea for Cody Rhodes to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match
and then tie the victory in with his storyline sacking. For him to come back to
the company in a blaze of glory, overcome the odds and then finally, after
months of torture cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase to become World
Heavyweight Champion would have been a fairytale ending. But we rarely get any
of those in wrestling.
Another
gripe I have with WWE is that their storylines are planned out at least four
months in advance, which means they knew that they were planning to spin a
Championship unification story at the end of 2013. Knowing this, why crown a
new Money in the Bank winner, just to have him embarrassed and humiliated when
he failed to cash in the Championship? Wouldn’t it have been easier to change
the rules and have the Money in the Bank briefcase contain a number one
contender’s contract for SummerSlam? It’s illogical decisions such as this
which make me question WWE’s thought process where mid to upper card talent are
concerned.
I
can safely say that the end of Damien Sandow’s credibility came when he
unsuccessfully cashed in against John Cena, only to be embarrassed by World
Heavyweight Champion. It’s been a long time since I have seen such a show of
disrespect by the company towards one of their stars, but this updated that. It
was shocking. When Damien Sandow lost the match – in which John Cena had
already been supposedly beaten up – you could almost see a sea of obscurity
come and swallow him up. Now, I firmly believe there is nowhere left for Sandow
to go. He’s been beaten, humiliated and buried beyond comparison. Normally a
face turn may shed some of that weight but there’s no way, though some still
cheer him, the WWE Universe would buy Sandow as a face.
Could
he make it as a mid-card player still? It’s possible. But WWE needs to begin
booking him some victories. Constantly losing to anyone who comes his way isn’t
doing his cause any favours. And TLC isn’t going to be any different. So soon
after crowning Langston Intercontinental Champion, WWE have no intention of
removing the gold from around his waist. The company have big things planned
for Big E. and they are willing to sacrifice anyone below him to achieve those
goals which means Damien Sandow is staring at the bottom of the barrel with
nowhere left to go.
I
suppose WWE could book a draw or a Sandow victory via count out but if that
happens then it necessitates that Langston get his revenge, so he’ll have to
win at some point. If the shoe was on the other foot and it was Langston who
was the heel then it would be easy to hand Sandow a victory by disqualification
but that has been well and truly ruled out, unless WWE suddenly spin an ‘anger
management’ story on Langston. I don’t see any way out of this for Sandow which
will end well. At this rate, Sandow may be the first name on WWE’s ‘Future
Endeavours’ list in 2014.
Winners Prediction: Big
E. Langston
3 on 1 Handicap Match
Daniel Bryan vs The
Wyatt Family
I
struggled to think what I could put here, as I feel I’ve said mostly all of it
in the other 3 on 1 Handicap Match preview. There is only so much one can say
about split matches which involve the same storylines, so don’t expect this
segment to be miles long.
The
Wyatt Family are the main focus here as in recent months, the word I’ve
associated them with the most, is ‘illogical’. The gimmick had and still does
to some degree, great potential. But it’s the usage and booking of them that
has really ground my gears. The Kane storyline which we were fed leading into
SummerSlam was bad, we all know that. After such hype, that all WWE could think
of for the trio was a feud against spoke volumes about where their priorities
were. Thankfully, we were only subjected to one match between Bray Wyatt and
Kane before the Wyatt Family dragged Kane out of SummerSlam and straight to the
set of ‘See No Evil 2’. Hands up whose looking forward to that. No one?
The
logical thing to do would have been for WWE to allow The Wyatt Family to move
on with a big feud until Kane returned and then follow up the first story to a sensible
conclusion. Did we get that? Of course not. For all the time it took Glen
Jacobs to film his movie, it appeared that The Wyatt Family had all but
disappeared from our televisions. When they did turn up they appeared not be
hunting out more victims, but biding their time until Kane returned. It was
ridiculous. To occupy them, WWE fed the unhinged Family Kofi Kingston. Yes,
that celebrated main event star who has won so many WWE Championships...oh wait,
I’m getting Kingston confused with someone who actually matters in wrestling in
2013.
Just
like they did with Kane, The Wyatt Family defeated Kofi Kingston and dragged
him away in a scene reminiscent of Kane’s departure at SummerSlam. Now this is
where we’ll stop the timeline and for just one moment, contemplate what could
have been. Instead of Kofi Kingston, a little more thought and a little sense
to actually look at what you had gotten planned for later down the line would
have told WWE to put C.M Punk in Kofi Kingston’s place and allow the storyline
to play out like The Wyatt Family had kidnapped Punk and Kane. Neither man
needed to appear on television in order to sell the story, just simply stay at
home.
Next,
after his WWE Championship feud against Randy Orton, WWE could have shot a
small scene on Raw where Triple H either hires The Wyatt Family to do away with
Daniel Bryan for him or mention to them that to get in his good books, he wants
Bryan dealt with. Then The Wyatt Family could have done the same to Daniel
Bryan and dragged him away. Meanwhile, on television, The Wyatt Family come out
and brag that they have made a huge splash on the company by targeting its top
stars and they’re not done yet. When questioned where they have taken Bryan,
Punk and Kane all they simply had to do was laugh and walk away until someone
was introduced to the storyline who threatened legal action against Triple H
unless he made The Wyatt Family return their hostages.
Live
on Raw, Triple H would have marched to the ring, under protest – joined by The
Wyatt Family – and demanded that they return Daniel Bryan, C.M Punk and Kane or
face losing their jobs. The Wyatt Family would then point to the titan tron
where one of their home made videos would show Kane (who would have grown a
huge beard – which would be fake), C.M Punk and Daniel Bryan chained to a wall
in one their barns, wearing the creepy masks. They would look and be wearing
exactly what they were abducted in or their clothes would have been replaced by
potato sacks. To the watching audience, three of WWE’s favourite sons would
have been kidnapped and held hostage. When The Wyatt Family refused to release
their prey, they would have informed Triple H that if he fires them then the
WWE Universe will never see the trio again.
Over
the following weeks, The Wyatt Family would air more spooky vignettes where
they tried to brainwash their victims, only for the three to refuse to
co-operate. Where the story would go from were would depend. WWE could put
together a band of avengers to try and release the three or they could have
written it into the story that The Shield, the so called ‘Hounds of Justice’,
sought revenge even though they didn’t like Kane, Punk and Bryan in the
interest of Justice. That could have kicked off the feud between the six men.
When Punk, Bryan and Kane were released at the end of the year, they would have
sought redemption against The Wyatt Family.
That
would have been an excellent story, played out to unforgettable effect and
surely would have not only stuck in the memory but made The Wyatt Family look
like monsters who children should be afraid of. The vignettes may have looked
like a hostage video and no doubt WWE would have received some complaints for
the execution of them, but if you don’t take risks, you’re never going to reap
the rewards. Something in wrestling today needs to be unforgettable and risky
and this would have been the perfect choice. On top of all of that, we wouldn’t
have had to see Kane on television for months and Bryan and Punk would have
been able to rehab injuries and their bodies before another torturous schedule
befell them.
What
did we get instead? A wholly cringe worthy confrontation at Hell in a Cell
between the returning Kane and The Wyatt Family, a couple of Chokeslam’s and
then a Kane heel turn which came out of the blue the next night. It was simply
unsatisfactory. Everyone The Wyatt Family has carted away so far has returned
with ease, with no explanation of where they were taken or how they escaped.
This includes Daniel Bryan, who is the most recent victim of the inbred family.
The
Wyatt Family need to win this match for the same reason The Shield need to
prevail in their outing. If they don’t, it will render all three of them
unimportant and their following actions will not have as much clout. WWE have
messed up The Wyatt Family’s debut and their subsequent run up to the end of
2013, they surely cannot afford to do it again.
Winners Prediction: The
Wyatt Family
WWE Divas Championship
Match
(c)
A.J Lee vs Natalya
The
WWE Divas Division has been a rollercoaster in 2013. We’ve gone from Eve Torres
to A.J Lee as the figurehead of the division and from bad to good to bad again.
It began middling at the beginning of the year, picked up big time during the
middle and now we’re marching towards the end, it’s dropped again. This is
thanks to several factors. The first is that WWE have no desire or inclination
to push the division anymore and are only concentrated on their dreadful Total
Divas ‘reality’ show and the second is that they have no challengers worthy of
stepping up against A.J to challenge for the gold.
That’s
the main problem. WWE have many females on its roster, but they have very few
who can actually wrestle a good match. The Bella Twins try but fail almost
every time and the rest of the women, with maybe the exception of Natalya, are
in the company just to further their careers in other fields. Be they acting,
modelling etc, they’re only there to use wrestling as a stepping stone. I mean
look down the roster and who have we really got? Naomi and Cameron, The
Funkadactyls, are a parody on Flash Funk’s dancers right down their costumes.
Nikki and Brie Bella are only where they are because of who they’re dating.
Alicia Fox appears at random intervals and then disappears again and Eva Marie
does what exactly?
There’s
no stability in WWE’s divas division, nothing the company can build a
meaningful feud on and nothing the fans can really buy into. It’s no wonder
that at this present time, A.J – the heel – is so popular with WWE fans. She’s
the only real thing about the division which by December 2013 should have shed
its blonde bimbos and hired some real wrestling talent. Fans can identify with
A.J because she’s not the biggest or the toughest person, but she has so much
talent that it’s almost like a watered down fairytale ending. I really do hate
to think where the Divas Division will go when she finally relinquishes the
title.
A.J
has been a rock in WWE’s Divas Division. Someone the company can rely on and in
recent weeks she’s even risked her health to make sure that she’s the one who
people can point at and say ‘she deserves it’. A.J hasn’t sought fame and
fortune from appearing on a reality show which really does give its
participants a leg up the ladder. She’s ground out success from nothing. At
first WWE didn’t know how to use her as was evident by her 2012 and early 2013
usage, but finally they’ve gotten it right. A.J is the best female wrestler in
the WWE and the company must protect that even at the cost of their silicone
sluts.
From
what I’ve heard backstage, A.J is a wonderful person to be around. She lends
her hand to the publicity side of the company and I’ve seen no end of pictures
of her with small children and young girls who idolise her. And why not? I’d
rather have children idolise someone like A.J and want to be her than want to
get their boobs enhanced at eighteen and have so many face jobs it looks like
they’re constantly surprised. At last, WWE have found someone female fans can
get behind. Someone who is real and someone who is willing to do whatever it
takes to be the best. In WWE’s female division today, that’s a very rare
commodity.
Natalya
has disappointed me somewhat. She’s taken the easy way out by appearing on
Total Divas and whilst her in ring output remains just okay, she was someone
who I would have out money on to turn the offer down and like the rest of her
family, work her way from the bottom. Was the reason Natalya took the offer
because WWE offered to pay for her weeding to Tyson Kidd? Possibly. She just
didn’t strike me as someone to take a leg up when she had all the talent she
needed to succeed. And for those who would argue that having the talent doesn’t
always necessarily guarantee success, I would say look at A.J today. Talent has
won out.
I
don’t believe that Natalya is Divas Championship material anymore. Her impact
on the company has been virtually zero and WWE cannot justify putting the gold
on her. For that reason and the reason that WWE need to hand A.J a victory
after Survivor Series, there can be only one winner.
Winners Prediction: A.J
Lee
TLC 2013 Kick-Off Match
Dolph Ziggler vs
Fandango
As
if WWE weren’t insulting Dolph Ziggler enough by leaving him off of the main
body of pay-per view events since SummerSlam and booking him on the pre-show
constantly until we can’t believe in him as a serious contender to the World Heavyweight
Championship anymore, WWE are now seemingly trying to put Dolph Ziggler in the
same category as The Miz as attained. It boggles the mind why the company don’t
believe that a man as talented as Dolph Ziggler can’t once again make it to the
big time.
The
reactions he gets from the WWE Universe are beyond anything most people get. It
should be a clear sign that Dolph is the man we want to spend out money on to
see at the top of the card. It should also be clear to WWE that we no longer
want to see the same tired old matches, playing out the same way. I firmly
believe that should this be the late 1990’s and we were in the middle of the
Attitude Era, then Dolph Ziggler would be a prime candidate to be pushed to the
top of the tree.
In
a time when pay-per view buy rates are down and television numbers are at a
low, it makes perfect sense to give men like Dolph Ziggler – men who have the talent
to make the company better in the future – all the time they need in order
flourish. It’s how John Cena came to be the man he is today and its how men
like Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan became the stars and legends they are. If a plan
was ever full proof then it’s this one. Dolph Ziggler would be a huge star if
the company only gave him time and put the machine behind him.
I’m
not going to bang on about this match a whole lot because quite frankly, it’s
got hardly any appeal. Dolph Ziggler is more over with the fans than Fandango
could ever be and just because they sing his theme music, it doesn’t mean they
like him. For anyone who has failed to grasp the irony of this, the fans are
switching into their sarcastic mode when Fandango’s tune comes from their
lungs. If they can’t force WWE to axe him then they can at least greet him in
their own unique way.
This
one is very simple. WWE have wasted enough talent over the years because of
others beliefs about them. Dolph Ziggler can’t be another. If WWE don’t do
something with Dolph Ziggler soon, then it’s going to be too late and Dolph Ziggler
could be one of the most tragic wrestling wasted opportunities there has ever
been.
Winners Prediction:
Dolph Ziggler
TLC
2013 looks a sparse card on the surface but as this blog is written in advance then
we can expect more matches to be announced before or on the night. Without a
doubt, the biggest match on the card is the supposed unification match of the
WWE and World Heavyweight Championships and after the events of Triple H
pedigreeing Randy Orton, I’m certain the eyes of the world will be upon TLC on
December 15th.
Like
they do every month, WWE have given themselves ample opportunity to build new
talent and that’s clearer nowhere else than the two handicap matches. Should
the company be serious about The Wyatt Family and The Shield taking the next
step up the food chain then expect it happen at TLC. If the six men don’t
heavily feature in the company’s plans in 2014 then Daniel Bryan and C.M Punk
will whitewash them with very little effort.
TLC
2013 has a lot to live up to. Last years event was on of the best of the year,
featuring the stunning six man TLC match between The Shield vs Ryback and Team
Hell No. If this year is to compete then the company must take chances without limiting
themselves to what they are and are not willing to do based on who and what
Vince McMahon is prepared to believe in. One thing is for certain, there will
be no tender loving care this time around.
Onwards
and upwards...
