MONEY IN THE BANK 2014 - THE BUZZARDS ARE A CIRCLING

Since its inception at WrestleMania 21, the Money in the Bank Ladder Match has long been the highlight of every card it has been included on, not to mention elevated the careers of almost everyone who has gone on to successfully cash in the contract and win WWE’s top prize.

After raising our hops last year with the promise of a Damien Sandow push which never materialized, WWE have a chance the move on its youth movement and capitalize on the popularity of Daniel Bryan by creating a brand new foe for the leader of the Yes Movement which could help revolutionize WWE’s top tier picture. Along with the chance to freshen up its headline scene and with only one major title to battle for number once contendership to instead of two, it would be nice if WWE included an NXT Money in the Bank Ladder match to showcase the abilities of some of WWE’s next big stars as well as promote the NXT programme which is regularly better than WWE’s two main shows.

On June 29th from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts this is WWE Money in the Bank 2014.

NOTE: others matches should be added to this card after this blog is posted. However with three days to go until the event, this was the card. I left it as late as possible to include other potential matches but none were announced as of Thursday June 26th.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match

Ladder Match

Alberto Del Rio vs Cesaro vs Randy Orton vs Kane vs Sheamus vs Bray Wyatt vs Roman Reigns vs John Cena

As I sit and write this, only four men have qualified for the Money in the Bank Ladder Match in Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton, Cesaro and Sheamus. I was suitably devastated when Stephanie and Triple H announced on Raw that they were stripping Daniel Bryan of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship citing his neck injury as the cause because it just seems like a waste of time. Everything we went through with him from 2013 to WrestleMania XXX now seems like a giant waste of time. That the emotional journey ends like this is a huge comedown and one I imagine Vince McMahon is relishing. Now he can say that he was correct about Bryan all the time.

I have no idea whether Daniel Bryan will be inserted into this match at the last moment or if we are actually going to crown a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, what I do know is that WWE have missed a huge chance with Bryan who was surely destined to face Brock Lesnar in one of the biggest matches of the year at SummerSlam. No one already involved with this match or still to qualify could possibly draw the required numbers with Lesnar at SummerSlam other than Bryan. It was to be the payoff of all payoffs when Bryan went over Lesnar in an uplifting victory which would have set him on course for a successful end to 2014. Now what? Now, we have to sit back and wait for him to heal after he seemed to be doing so well and suffer once again whomever WWE decrees eligible to carry the gold.

Would it be a little too much if Bryan were to miraculously recover before Money in the Bank and take the final place? Probably! Now he’s been stripped of the gold there seems no reason to have him involved or it would render all of this pointless. Perhaps Bryan’s replacement will be C.M Punk. Maybe his marriage to A.J Lee will force him back on the road so the pair don’t have to spend any time apart. It would certainly seem the only surprise left which could make Money in the Bank a must see pay-per view in 2014. I know this is meant to be about the Money in the Bank Ladder Match and we’ll get onto that in a moment, but let’s just concentrate on WWE’s saviour in 2014 for a moment and where he goes from here.

I mentioned Brock Lesnar and what must have been on the cards for SummerSlam. There is still a possibility as I begin writing this preview on June 10th because of my busy schedule, that Brock Lesnar will grab a place and win the title thus setting up the series with Bryan when he returns to action in August. How a Brock Lesnar WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign would work is beyond me, seeing as he’s on a part time contract and the gold should and needs to be defended every month on pay-per view but it would seem right now, the logical step to take. Daniel Bryan has to regain the title or WrestleMania XXX was for nothing. I just hope that WWE don’t delve back into the story that took him to WrestleMania XXX because I don’t believe it has legs a second time around.

Seeing as the gold is on the line for the winner in this match, it means WWE can book a second Money in the Bank Ladder Match on the card and actually push some of the younger talent. If a second match is to be announced then I would heavily suggest either Roman Reigns or Bray Wyatt take the briefcase for a shot at the gold later in the year. Another victory for someone like John Cena would just be pointless. Cena doesn’t need the gold in 2014 or ever again for that matter. Though obviously I’ll add to this part at a later date, you’ll know by know if a second Ladder match is on the cards or whether we have to sit through yet another Bray Wyatt vs John Cena match. Or if Cena, as I predict, will be entered into this bout only to be cost the match by Wyatt.

Looking at the four announced names so far, the only real one which stands out as a surprise and popular winner would be Cesaro. Fans love the guy even though he’s aligned himself with Paul Heyman. When the former Ring of Honor star turn face its going to be the biggest moment in his career. He’ll skyrocket to the top as Daniel Bryan has and there will be no stopping him. There’s something special about the way we get behind someone new like Cesaro, buck the trend and defy authority even though WWE doesn’t see guys like him as main event calibre talent. We know what we want and we demand the very best even though we don’t get it all the time.

A Cesaro victory would be massive and prove that WWE have the future generation at heart when it comes to their main event scene. Where though would that lead later in the year? No doubt, as Cesaro borders on a face turn, a series with Daniel Bryan over the gold would be hot stuff and certainly better than the one Bryan was meant to contend and end here with Kane. Their bouts for Ring of Honor were sizzling and if they could recreate that on the WWE stage it could give us the best main event series since Punk vs Bryan in 2012. Would WWE really give that spot to another up and comer though, so soon after believe Daniel Bryan failed them? Probably not.

Sheamus really needs an attitude adjustment. He’s been face for three years now and accomplished absolutely nothing. The United States Championship reign isn’t going to change that either or add any prestige to the gold just because it’ll be featured in the main event. If Sheamus doesn’t get a heel turn before Survivor Series then he may as well as for his release because he’s going nowhere. WWE could even book a feud between him and Barrett who seems to be hearing the cheers with both titles on the line in a unification match, with the face / hell roles reversed. The pair have contested some memorable bouts recently, a full blown feud would be welcome.

Whilst I am adamant that a Sheamus heel turn needs to happen, we have to be logical about this. Where would he go if he turned? Well there’s the aforementioned feud with Barrett to consider otherwise its John Cena again and does anyone really want to relive that feud? Sheamus was a total draw as a heel in 2009 and 2010 but his face turn took everything appealing about him away. We live in an age where it’s much more profitable to cheer the heels as we’ve seen with The Wyatt Family and The Shield before they turned face.

If WWE want Sheamus to hear the support once again then this is the only option left open to them. Sheamus is irrelevant in WWE in 2014, if he’s to recapture that magic before the turn of the year then something drastic needs to happen. The Irishman has to give fans something they crave and at the moment he and WWE are totally ignoring the fans.

As for the other two men who make up the first four qualified, Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio have had their time in the sun for very different reasons. Randy Orton has only just lost the title, for him to regain it so soon would be a soul destroying moment to witness. With the gold around his waist, Randy Orton was awful in the ring. He produced some of the worst matches of his entire career and bored his loyal fans to the point where we were willing for him to drop the gold so he could get his career back on track.

Since losing the title at WrestleMania XXX, Randy Orton has been back to his old self. Performances at Extreme Rules and Payback in six man tag team matches against The Shield were nothing short of stunning. A stark contrast between what he was in 2013 and what he is now. Whilst I have no doubt Orton will once again reign as Champion, it should be on his terms and not just because WWE want to put the gold on someone with experience at that level. If Randy Orton is comfortable with a feud then he can perform as Champion, just look at what he did with Christian in 2011. If he’s thrown into a confusing and meaningless jumble as he was in late 2013 then his enthusiasm for the job drains faster than us when we’re watching John Cena. At the time of writing, Randy Orton is the favourite to walk away with the title but I have to disagree. Next time, it has to be on his terms otherwise his legacy may begin to fade.

What is there left to say on Alberto Del Rio other than he won’t be a WWE star by the time we reach December 2015? The Mexican is just counting down the days until his contract expires and he can tell WWE where to stick their offer. They’ve ruined him to the point that even if he did grab an unlikely victory here we could never take him seriously again. After feeding him to John Cena in the most un-merciless fashion imaginable, he’s here to make up the numbers. Anyone who believes he’s in WWE’s plans for the future because he qualified first is misguided.

Just take a look at the way Del Rio has been treated by WWE since his losses on pay-per view to John Cena in late 2013. He didn’t have a notable role at WrestleMania XXX, he was a joke entrant in the Royal Rumble which only served to further his interminable feud with Batista at Elimination Chamber and he’s been as good as invisible since Mania passed. The writing is on the wall for Alberto Del Rio, we can read it loud and clear as can the man himself. It’s just a matter of time now before he gets his freedom and I can’t imagine that it would come as anything but a relief to him.

Its June 14th as I sit and write this part of the preview and Bray Wyatt has just qualified as I predicted above. They say that he has the whole world in his hands but we haven’t seen a lot of that lately. Rather, the slogan on the back of the new Wyatt Family shirt should read ‘He’s Got the Whole in His Hands, When John Cena is Somewhere Else’ and actually it fits into the tune of the song if you sing it out loud, but we’re not so childish that we’re going to spend thirty seconds of our life applying the new words to an old tune. Are we? Oh, just you in the back then. Someone slap him when he’s finished, there’s wrestling to get down to.

Now, Bray Wyatt hadn’t been the star WWE predicted he’d be after The Wyatt Family made their debut in the company almost one year ago. That’s because WWE’s booking of the team and Bray Wyatt in particular had been shoddy. The group were never going to profit from a feud with Kane, it was ridiculously inconceivable. Kane couldn’t get an old hand across let alone someone who needed to make an immediate impact. Rather, WWE used The Wyatt Family to explain Kane’s absence. They should never have been used as a convenient alibi. All three are better than that.

If we’re being honest here, Bray Wyatt didn’t really grab our attentions as a wrestler until his stunning match with Daniel Bryan at the Royal Rumble. From there, it was all uphill as he decimated John Cena at every avenue he got and was the centre piece of the scorching six man tag team match at Elimination Chamber. The cheers The Wyatt Family received when John Cena was planted with Sister Abigail at the conclusion to the Elimination Chamber match were foretelling of whom the WWE Universe believed the future star to be whether WWE believed it themselves or not. So was a bright feud with Cena, followed by several enhancing victories in the pipeline? Of course not, that’s not how WWE roll.

Losing to John Cena at WrestleMania XXX was undoubtedly a dent in the rise of The Wyatt Family. Worse, the group were constantly beaten down and warded off by John Cena who took no care in making the three and only served to break them and the image they had carefully crafted to themselves. When it came to John Cena, no one was safe and instead of reigning him in and insisting that he sold for The Wyatt Family week in and week out to provide a suitable base for the group, WWE once again turned a blind eye as he almost ruined three more bright careers. I don’t know how long WWE are going to allow this to continue but somewhere down the line Cena is going to come face to face with Cesaro and then he can’t do this again. For a new star, John Cena should have extended the courtesy which was granted to him by stalwarts in 2005. He couldn’t even be bothered to do that. What a selfish prick. And until he begins, he’ll receive no favour here.

With the chance to enhance Bray Wyatt on the grandest stage passed, WWE instead believed that he would prosper from a victory at Extreme Rules. He may have done had John Cena not once again ruined Harper and Rowan at ringside before Wyatt was granted a distraction victory which, I will say was a little eerie. Even at a non important pay-per view event Bray Wyatt wasn’t allowed a clean victory. The signs weren’t good. But then they never are when ‘new talent’, ‘pay-per view’ and ‘John Cena’ are mentioned in a sentence together. He has a bad track record which should be negated from happening again. Even the Payback outcome was signposted from the beginning.

But now I have to question WWE. Was all of that, the losses to Cena and the hype going into WrestleMania just foundations for this? Can Bryan Wyatt credibly win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank and go on to have a successful and celebrated victory? Of course he can, but only if WWE are willing to allow him to go over John Cena clean on pay-per view at some point because should Wyatt win, guess who’s going to be the first challenger to get in line. Should WWE give Bray Wyatt the gold just so he can lose it John Cena at SummerSlam then this will have been a pointless exercise.

There is support enough still from the WWE Universe that Bray Wyatt could take the gold at Money in the Bank without sufficient build up. Fans believe in him enough that he could reign until WrestleMania XXX with the correct build and a face turn which would catapult the group into the stratosphere. But it has to come from WWE this time. We can’t keep pushing them into making the correct decision. If they’re not willing to do it off their own backs then there’s no hope. Because as soon as we turn our attention elsewhere, they’re going to fall back into bad habits. They always do. WWE have to want to make Bray Wyatt a star even if it means putting John Cena second for two years. I’m not convinced they want it that much.

So where would Bray Wyatt go if he were to win the gold on June 29th? The answer seems simple. The only story which could possibly get the fans attention after Money in the Bank, providing he walks out with the gold is another gripping feud with Daniel Bryan. Fans would lap it up when Bryan returned from injury and should the leader of the Yes Movement lose at SummerSlam, Hell in a Cell and Survivor Series clean then fans would once again take his rise to the top to heart. Also, Bray Wyatt would get a hell of reputation. He cannot be allowed to retain the gold by fluke or by other means.

I can’t outright predict if Bray Wyatt will take the spoils at Money in the Bank because WWE have been predictable when it comes to Wyatt and company. If they do then it would be a good idea to put the tag team gold on Harper and Rowan to make the set. The Wyatt Family are one of the few teams who could elevate all three pieces of gold in 2014. If John Cena qualifies for this match after I write this segment then the match will go one of two ways. John Cena will once again reign as WWE World Heavyweight Champion, or for the fist time as WWE will tell us because he’s never held the unified gold before, or Bray Wyatt will cost John Cena the gold in the end with interference from Harper and Rowan only to lose to John Cena in August. Should John Cena not qualify for the event then the possibilities are endless, as long as WWE can see them of course.

Like I said before, if you ‘Follow the Buzzards’, they’ll lead you to brighter and more promising future.

It’s June 16th now and wouldn’t you know it, John Cena has qualified for the Money in the Bank Ladder match, though that isn’t the name WWE are touting it under this year, which makes me think the pay-per view has no meaning. The whole point of the event was to stage a match of the same name. Without that it just becomes another pay-per view. But right now that’s not the point. Neither is the point that there’re only two matches announced with a week to go, but the point is that John Cena is once again in the championship picture and that isn’t a good thing. No matter how much his fans rejoice.

As I’ve stated before, matches like this should only be for wrestlers who haven’t held the title before. Had this bout been full of new wrestlers, guaranteeing a new champion rather than an old one then the interest in the bout would have been amplified by ten. Now, people will expect John Cena to win but that could be where WWE play their trump card. Yes, no one wanted to see him here in the bout, me least of all but if that means an even bigger shock when he doesn’t win it and a new face does then this match and his participation in it will be tolerable.

I don’t have much more to say about John Cena because it’s all been said before. However, if he’s here just to continue his feud with Bray Wyatt and then take the gold at the end, WWE need a boot up the backside. It would be a huge mistake to make John Cena champion again now, especially when there has been such a positive reaction to the youth movement at Extreme Rules and Payback. In fact, it would be a massive step backwards if Cena were to scale that ladder and unhook the title. We’d be back where we were in 2010 and no one wants that. Instead, John Cena should be now used as a mere facilitator, someone who helps ease in a new generation and someone who doesn’t get greedy when it comes to crunch time. We can respect him more in that role. Because WWE doesn’t need John Cena as champion as much as it needs its future generation to shine.

What I assume to be the final entrant into the already overbooked bout is Roman Reigns, a man who will undoubtedly be one of the audience’s favourites going into this. However, I disagree. Whilst Reigns is the star of the future, he’s not ready for a jump this big yet. Going from upper-mid card player to main event player is a huge leap for anyone. But there are still some faults in his in ring activity which must be ironed out before he’s set loose on the company in a singles capacity. Don’t get me wrong, Reigns has shined over the last year but he’s still missing that something which will show if he is pushes as champion at Money in the Bank.

Everyone else with a few minor exceptions has that all around feel to them, even Bray Wyatt which is why he’s my favourite heading into the event. But Roman Reigns still has to eradicate that boring chin lock from his routine and learn a few other tricks including how to brush up on his selling. His feud with Evolution has been brilliant and produced two brilliant matches whilst giving him an education under fire. Now, WWE need him to come full circle quickly. I may be wrong. He may win this match and go on to dominate like Batista did, but it’s doubtful. By the end of the year, Roman Reigns will be champion, but just not yet.

And if he did, what would happen to what is left of The Shield? Dean Ambrose is beginning to get lost in the shuffle in WWE whilst Seth Rollins rightfully takes a lead role in The Authority and Roman Reigns is getting the spotlight where the main event is concerned. Which leaves Ambrose where? If Reigns win this match then The Shield may as well go their separate ways and it’s a possibility. A victory for Reigns could continue the Shield vs Evolution feud in some form not to mention bring Daniel Bryan back into the fray as a member of the group to help them vanquish a threat he’s defeated before.

So the ball is very much up in the air when it comes to the winner of this match. Bray Wyatt, Cesaro or Roman Reigns would be popular winners, whilst John Cena, Randy Orton, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio would be greeted with sighs and apathy. WWE have to take the next step now and continue their youth movement by having one of them capture the gold. It’s the only way to move forward.

Winners Prediction: Bray Wyatt

WWE Tag Team Championship Match

(c) The Usos vs Luke Harper and Eric Rowan

It’s been pretty uneventful for The Usos since they won the WWE Tag Team Championships after Elimination Chamber. Their fatal four way stunner on the WrestleMania XXX pre-show was meant to be on the main body of the card but once again lost out to bigger names when it was better than everything except for the opener and main event and to add insult to injury, they haven’t been advertised on pay-per view since the grandest stage of them all. It’s not the beginning we envisaged for the sons of Rikishi when they toppled the Outlaws for titles and not the start the titles needed either.

After being held by Billy Gunn and the Road Dogg, which only served to dent their image, the gold needed something new. Something untested before and to all intent and purposes The Usos were it. They were young, vibrant, talented and raring to go. It’s what the division needed after so many disappointments and certainly a Usos vs Rhodes Brothers feud would have been preferable to what they were fed after Goldust and Cody were toppled at Royal Rumble. Many rightly predicted that the Outlaws were only holding the gold to build a little nostalgia interest and that their loss would kick start a new era for the titles. But it has yet to appear.

Maybe that’s for the best though. Because whilst The Usos always give their best in every match, WWE simply aren’t interested in them. If they had been, the twins would have been pushed as the company’s top team. Instead of capturing the imaginations of the WWE creative team, Jimmy and Jey have been treated as caretaker champions and now I truly believe their time on top of the mountain is over. It’s time for two more popular and important wrestlers to take the mantle and see if they can do anything at all to lift the division. Which, as you sit here and read this, may not be as difficult as it appears should the gold go two thirds of The Wyatt Family at Money in the Bank.

It would be a shame for The Usos to drop the gold so soon after winning them but when progression is at stake then sometimes there’s no choice. Right now, as things stand I cannot see them taking the company and the division forward. Let someone else who may stand a chance at least try. Whilst WWE have themselves to once again blame for failing to push the brothers as they should have been pushed. An attitude adjustment and two new characters would have set the brothers careers alight, even a heel turn would have done but of course that was never in contention as WWE have very few face teams to combat them.

Now though, stars seemed to have aligned and with Bray Wyatt surely the favourite to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the headliner, the tag team gold is destined to go to his wards so The Wyatt Family can reign supreme over the company. There’s something coming from this, I’m sure of it. Its doubtful WWE would book all three men in such important positions just to shoot them down again at the final hurdle. Apart from being ridiculously stupid, it would be a colossal waste of money as the company risk having to start from scratch with the factions build.

Of course, there were other ways of getting Harper and Rowan over other than hastily dethroning the Samoans. One of those options would include giving the pair the United States and Intercontinental Championships but they’re not the stature enhancers they used to be so why not allow the pair to rebuild one division rather than splitting them between two separate ones which wouldn’t get WWE’s attention anyhow.

If Harper and Rowan succeed here, then expect Bray Wyatt to shock the world and lift the big one on top. WWE have to rebuild The Wyatt’s after the John Cena debacle and the best way to do that would obviously be saddle them with the gold and a gripping storyline. Maybe the faction, holding most of the gold, could finally bring in Sister Abigail as that role would catapult either an NXT star or development star into the stratosphere. In their bid to take over WWE, its possible the faction could recruit another member. Real life brother of Bray Wyatt, Bo Dallas would be the ideal candidate. Right now though, the group are chugging along nicely and as long as they avoid the John Cena pitfall once again, they should finish strong in 2014.

There are many possibilities for The Wyatt Family in 2014. I hope WWE see the possibilities and book the trio to take on The Authority and turn face for control of the company. Just imagine how big that would be if Bray Wyatt got his hands on the ownership of the business for six months. It could tie in Vince McMahon’s return to television as well as give The Shield, or at least what’s left of them, something to do as Triple H turned them all heel and recruited them to win back what he sees as his company. Alternatively, a Wyatt Family vs Triple H, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins would be a massive box office draw at WrestleMania XXXI, especially if as said, it was for control of the company.

Right now, the slogan is right. The Wyatt Family do have the whole world in their hands and the longer WWE stretch it out, the more everyone involved will benefit. Watch this space, The Wyatt Family could be as big Stone Cole Steve Austin. Oh hell yeah.

Winners Prediction: Luke Harper and Eric Rowan

Money in the Bank Ladder Match

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Contract

Seth Rollins vs Rob Van Dam vs Kofi Kingston vs Jack Swagger vs Dean Ambrose vs Bad News Barrett vs Dolph Ziggler

At some point before Money in the Bank went live on June 29th, I knew WWE would yield to demand and book a second ladder match in order to give the winner of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match some opposition as we head into SummerSlam and the high hopes which surround it in 2014. Whilst I opined some time ago in this blog that I believe John Cena will challenge the champion at the biggest event of the summer that could be proved wrong if WWE have the guts to fill this bout with new and upcoming stars, such as Seth Rollins, who was the only competitor announced as I write this first section on the second ladder match on the card.

In many ways, this should be the most exciting bout of the night if WWE fill it with young stars such as Rollins and Stardust which is Cody Rhodes’ newest persona, in the hope that it will revive an otherwise tired career which has been spent treading water. Whilst the world will expect John Cena to life the main gold at the end of the night, WWE could go a long way to making another career here and the person in line for the push doesn’t even have to win the bout, all they must do is put in the career performance of a lifetime and they will be seen as another break through star. Now WWE have canned several of their most useless talent, it makes it easier to focus on building new stars and budding new talent.

As stated several times above, this bout should be for new wrestlers only and no one who has held the gold before; with the exception of Daniel Bryan should he be cleared for action by the time Money in the Bank comes about. One way to get Daniel Bryan into the bout should he be fit would be to allocate one place to Kane, only to have Bryan turn up on the night, attack Kane backstage and then appear to the surprise of the audience in Kane’s position. WWE could play the assault as a ‘whodunit’ for a few minutes and you can guarantee Bryan will get a thunderous reception as well as the backing of the fans. It would be the perfect timing for Bryan who has been stripped of the gold and instead of working his way through another underdog story, it would make sense should Bryan win this, if he’s cleared, then challenge the champion in a long and thrilling feud which would end in 2015 with a Bryan victory.

However, that’s only speculation and at no point have I been given any reason to believe Daniel Bryan will be fit for Money in the Bank. Which turns attention to the first entrant, Seth Rollins. It’s not often you get to say this in wrestling but I was shocked when Rollins turned his back on The Shield and joined Triple H and Randy Orton in what is meant to be a new Evolution without Batista. The Shield had so many more places to go as a faction and now Rollins, arguably the most talented of the trio, has departed, one has to question what will happen to the faction. Where can they go from here? It would certainly be best for everyone (Dean Ambrose especially) if The Shield were to add a new third member to their ranks from the NXT roster.

Just look at what it for the Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns to be part of a successful stable and at least two of the three are heading to be main event players. There are many people who could fill Rollins’ space in the team and I’ll leave it up to you to argue amongst yourselves about whom you’d like to see, but if WWE don’t act upon the gap left by Triple H’s new lap dog then they may find Roman Reigns flourishes but Dean Ambrose is lost in the mid-card shuffle. Can anyone really see Ambrose being treated by WWE as a player who can affect things high up? Now, Ambrose is the weak link of the team and needs someone to take under his wing whilst Reigns charges towards the main event.

One question I would like answered by WWE is now Seth Rollins isn’t a member of the shield anymore, why hasn’t he changed his ring attire? It’ll have been several weeks between Rollins leaving The Shield and competing at Money in the Bank and still he’s donned in his Shield attire. Why, if he’s not going back to the group and his affiliation with Triple H isn’t a ruse to get the stable ahead of the game, quite literally. This is still an option at this point if things don’t quite work out the way WWE would like with the main event push.

As it stands, Seth Rollins has to be a major favourite to win this bout, being under Triple H’s wing as it were. The whole point of this match and the storyline it will be built around is Triple H’s urge to get the belt out of circulation and back under his watchful eye for when Daniel Bryan returns. Seth Rollins would be able to achieve that and be a poplar choice. If WWE’s idea is to turn The Wyatt Family face and have them feud with Triple H and the authority for control of the company then Bray Wyatt vs Seth Rollins would be an excellent choice for main event feud if WWE were brave enough to back it and not put it on before any type of John Cena match.

Seth Rollins could be the leader of a new WWE generation along with Wyatt and company and there are several avenues WWE could take him down if he wins this bout here. Many will be looking at his participation and expect that if picks up the briefcase then Roman Reigns would take the gold to set up a Shield feud at the top of the card. Of course that would be massive. Two men who only made their debut a year and a half ago feuding over the gold would cement WWE’s backing of the new generation but then against so would Wyatt vs Rollins or Wyatt vs anyone other than John Cena.

I can see a bright future for Seth Rollins and those around him if WWE can keep interest high and not lose their own drive to push him. Is he WWE World Heavyweight Championship material? That remains to be seen. Just because he reigned as ROH Champion before he came to WWE doesn’t mean he’ll be readily accepted as WWE’s top man by either the company and backstage staff. If that is the case then it’ll be a shame. WWE fans have taken to Rollins thus far and it would be the epitome of pathetic if he didn’t grab the proverbial brass ring because of what people think behind the scenes.

I don’t think its worth going into great detail about several of the other competitors in this match. As most of you will know, everyone except Seth Rollins was announced for this bout six days before the event was due to go live meaning that the majority will hold no interest of value with the fans. Had WWE announced this match three weeks before the event then each competitor would have held some interest for the audience, even making them believe this was a new beginning for the likes of Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler when in actual fact those three men are just here to fill the spots at such a late date.

There’s no doubt that Dolph Ziggler will be one of the fan favourites on the night. The WWE universe have been surprisingly supportive of him regaining his top spot being regained and would love nothing more than to see him grab the briefcase, which would be nice but wouldn’t fit into the story of why this match exists. WWE didn’t need to book a second ladder match, but we’re thankful they did or the title of the event would have very little meaning. However, they have booked it for a reason and as mentioned above will not entertain anyone who has previously been considered a flop in their eyes to take the briefcase. Even if it’s clear the paying audience require to see Dolph Ziggler claim the contract.

For the likes of Jack Swagger, Rob Van Dam and Kofi Kingston, this could be a new beginning for the trio if the company are remotely bothered about their futures in wrestling. WWE could use this match to platform at least two heel turns for Kingston and Van Dam and it wouldn’t even be that taxing. Using the frustration the pair feel at constantly being overlooked before being foiled by seconds by the eventual winner of the bout, it could be huge. Fans still want to see Kofi Kingston do something meaningful which means WWE wouldn’t be wasting their time with him. A heel Kingston would be huge for his career, not to mention open up other avenues for him to go down. Because right now, he’s lucky he wasn’t on the list of those ‘Future Endeavoured’.

Whilst there’s a possibility a heel turn could do something huge for RVD and Kofi Kingston, it’s getting harder and harder to come up with things for Jack Swagger to do in the company. With Zeb Coulter by his side, he’ll remain a low to mid card player until he jettisons the former Dutch Mantel, however one option could be to make him a face. The ‘We the People’ chant has really caught on, surprisingly, so there may be mileage in that but something spectacular is needed to really propel him into the atmosphere. Right now, I just can’t see what that is. Would we really see Jack Swagger a true contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in 2014? I don’t think so.

I worry about Dean Ambrose. Roman Reigns is headed for main event stardom and Seth Rollins is being readied for what seems like a massive push at the top of the card. So where does that leave Ambrose? The Shield seems all but over and done with which means he can now be considered a singles wrestler and whilst his feud with Triple H is still ongoing at time of writing, it’s not something which is going to last thanks to priorities lying elsewhere. There is a chance that Dean Ambrose could be turned heel to side with Rollins, especially if he should win the bout and Roman Reigns wins the main event. Apart from that, what else is there?

Bad News Barrett has to keep the Intercontinental Championship which means Ambrose can’t head up that division so he’d be floating between divisions with nowhere to call home. I would hate to think of Dean Ambrose as a Tommy Dreamer character who misses out on the top spot every time only to be used when the company have no one else. What Ambrose needs now is a red hot feud which puts him amongst the elite. He certainly has the skill and drive to make it at the top if WWE push him, but it just seems at the moment they’re too busy elsewhere.

As for Bad New Barrett, what else is there to say about him? Since winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship his character seems to have taken off. Those who watched the 2014 Hall of Fame will have seen how popular his character is with chants of ‘Thank You Barrett’ after he came out following Mr. T’s induction. Ideally, it should have been Bad News that brought Mr. T off that night, wash your minds out, by interrupting him after he’d gone over with a speech resembling something like; “I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news. Mr. T, just like 1986, your time here is done.”  That would have been brilliant.

It’s a character that has been done before but not for a very long time which means it works. His material may not always be fresh and funny but his presence and popularity mean he should go far this time as long as WWE don’t lose interest in him again.

Wade Barrett needs something meaty. Something to get his teeth into. The mid-card scene isn’t exactly alive at the moment so maybe WWE would be better employing him in a secondary role as a speaker rather than a wrestler, fighting once per month on pay-per view after riling someone with his words. Until a huge wrestler becomes available and a storyline comes along that will benefit him and elevate him. It’s for the best. We don’t want this run to be bad news also.

Winners Prediction: Seth Rollins

WWE Divas Championship

(c) Paige vs Naomi

Do you know, I’m getting quite bored of talking rubbish about the Divas division? We sit here month after month and say the same thing yet nothing ever changes. So why do we bother if WWE aren’t? They’ve made no effort to bring in some dangerous challengers for Paige in the absence of A.J Lee and this is a rerun of A.J’s title reign all over again. What’s the point? I’m not going to waste my time saying the same thing for things to be identical at Battleground next month. Because they will be. WWE never seems to learn from its mistakes and if A.J Lee isn’t back by July then Paige will defend her gold against another unimportant member of the division.

Of course, things will change when A.J Lee gets back from her honeymoon at the end of July or the beginning of August. As you’ll have read about elsewhere, WWE has big plans for a lengthily A.J vs Paige feud and it should be awesome. Paige has learnt a lot from being on television week in and week out and is by and away the best wrestler in the division. Her and A.J combined should be nothing less than magic. If only her short career had been up to this point. There were several scenarios WWE could have played out on television, none would have cost them a lot of money to initiate but they didn’t think of them.

The first would have been the feud with Tamina. Whilst producing solid results at Extreme Rules, this wouldn’t have been a massively entertaining feud but would have kept Paige occupied until her real opponent arrived back on the scene. The story could have been centred on A.J sending Tamina to get her title back for her or at least soften up her opponent. Or the other and more preferable scenario would have been for WWE to hire three Japanese female wrestlers to mysteriously attack Paige throughout the weeks, with Paige defending her title against each one on a different event before having to take on all three at once.

After she’d done away with the trio who would pose a threat to her and her title, it could be revealed that A.J had sent them to do the same as she would have done to Tamina. Not only would we have gotten several brilliant matches from Paige but the storyline would have been fresh also. The three female Japanese stars wouldn’t have had to stay a long time just a few months to build up the feud between A.J and Paige. It would have given the landscape of the division that much more legitimacy and made the gold seem important again. Which is what it needs right now.

I have every confidence that A.J and Paige will produce something unforgettable at SummerSlam and afterwards as long as they’re allowed to do what they want and not stick too rigidly to a conformed plan. If that happens and WWE tries to tell them what is good wrestling the whole thing could fall completely apart.

Winners Prediction: Paige

When I look at Money in the Bank 2014, I can’t help but feel WWE have missed a chance to really hype the event to its full potential. I know that WWE didn’t have a choice about vacating the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Daniel Bran just wasn’t ready to compete but had they delayed the event until July and dovetailed Battleground with Payback in June then the company would have had a lot more time to properly flesh out the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship picture and hype a supporters favourite instead of just thrown them all in and hope for the best. Even though Bryan may have been cleared for action in July, the gold would still have had to be vacated.

The favourite for the Money in the Bank Ladder Match is clearly Bray Wyatt. He’s captured the imagination of the WWE Universe and will be the outright favourite on the night with Cesaro coming a close second. No one will want to see the likes of Randy Orton, Sheamus or Alberto Del Rio hold the gold for a long time to come. Had Battleground come first then WWE would have been able to really build Bray Wyatt with one final and clean victory over John Cena at Battleground before moving onto Money in the Bank. It would have been the preferred method of build. However, now we face the prospect of a brand new and previously untested WWE World Heavyweight Champion reigning and that can only be a good thing.

Before we wrap up this preview and to save me bleating on about how the Money in the Bank Ladder Match should only be for those who haven’t previously held the title, I would like to point out an event which transpired as the pay-per view was taking shape. For those who kept abreast of happenings will know that in mid-June WWE released several superstars from its roster and wished them customary ‘All the Very Best in Their Future Endeavours’. It came as somewhat of a shock, not that they’ve been released because we were all expecting them to be fired at some point or another. But rather the timing.

WWE usually cuts its roster or at least had done previously immediately after WrestleMania and not as we approach summer. I see this as a warning from Vince to the WWE locker room that anyone can go at any time. Those who were released were, JTG (not we even realized he was still employed with the company), Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal, Aksana, Curt Hawkins (who was doing what exactly at time of release?), Theodore Long, Camacho (explains itself), Brodus Clay (at last, he had no future in wrestling), Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu (who was only employed to raise WWE’s profile in Japan, apart from that he was pointless and never used) and referee Mark Harris.

Some of these releases were surprising. Evan Bourne was still on WWE’s injured list and awaiting clearance for a comeback. He should find work on the independent scene when fit to wrestle again and if they have the money could be a star for TNA or Ring of Honor. Drew McIntyre was once handpicked to be a star by Vince McMahon and not just on screen. Vince saw unlimited potential in McIntyre but since his inclusion with 3MB, the writing was on the wall. Teddy Long deserves an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame for what he has done in wrestling.

Something else which surprised me was those who got a reprieve. From all those who have been cut, The Great Khali, Mark Henry, Heath Slater, Tensai, Sin Cara and Fandango are still employed in WWE and I bet no one in the company can tell us why. I’m actually quite surprised Kofi Kingston still has a job. Of course there are a whole heap more who should and may be gone by Christmas, but hey, it’s a start. Now these make way for the excellent NXT rookies who do deserve a place on the roster and who have a future in the industry.

Onwards and upwards...

REVIEW CORNER: BATISTA - THE ANIMAL UNLEASHED DVD AND BLU-RAY

 

A – Excellent

B – Good

C – Mediocre

D – Avoid 

Release Date: June 23rd 2014

Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk

Price:

DVD £ 19.99

Blu-ray £ 22.99

(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street prices will vary)

Format Reviewed: DVD (3 Discs)

(Also Available on Blu-ray (2 Discs)

What It’s About:

A 40 minute documentary covering Batista’s 2014 in ring return to WWE at the 2014 Royal Rumble complete with two discs of matches.

Strengths:

The opening video may be swift but it’s more in depth than almost the entirety of the short documentary which follows. Covering Batista’s early years growing up with no father to getting into trouble with the law, this part is complimented by some unseen pictures of Batista’s youth and teenage years. Seeing a slim and hardly recognizable Batista will take you back a little. The video quickly switches to his explanation for his 2010 exit and Batista seems humble when talking about working with a lot of injuries that he and other wrestlers never let the audience see. Quickly, the release arrives back in 2014 in a neat package.

The actual first segment of the release begins on Royal Rumble morning with Batista leaving the Marriot hotel and getting into the car ready to travel to the arena. Inside the car, he conducts a short sit down interview which takes in his training to get back into the ring and reveals he suffers from a nervous disposition. It’s a frank moment on the release, before we cut to one week earlier and Batista’s return to WWE on Raw. Talking about his nerves that night, Dave reveals his worries at not being remembered. This part isn’t in character which is refreshing.

On the subject of leaving WWE in 2010, Batista brings to light a previously unknown injury which forced him from the ring. Wrestling with a broken back at Over the Limit 2010, we get a comment from Batista’s surgeon about how big and important the operation was in a personal look at the wear and tear wrestling takes on the body, which we hardly ever see.

Between segments, we get a look at something which to my recollection hasn’t been included on any WWE release ever before and that the making of the tights wrestlers wear in the ring/ Focusing on the WWE seamstress, we get a look at how she quickly makes Batista’s Royal Rumble attire in a matter of minutes. It’s a real eye opener and when you realize how many wrestlers have designs on their tights. She must be a busy woman. It’s not long but it’s different.

After what seems like an age of waiting and excuses, the release finally tackles Batista’s foray into acting and movies beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy. Batista takes us through the process of getting the role of Drax the Destroyer and the months and months of auditions needed to secure the role. The pressure he relays seems so much that when he tells of getting the role you almost feel happy and relieved for him. When he’s finished with the movie, he seems adamant about hammering home the fact that WWE is his number one priority and he’s staying. However this contradicts his final statement of the release.

The release seems lost for ideas as it hits its final stretch so now its anything will do to fill the space. Thankfully, one of those fillers is a behind the scenes look at Batista’s hardships getting ready for the Royal Rumble match which include his tights not fitting properly after they’ve been made and his trouble with new boots which he couldn’t walk in properly with an Achilles tendon injury. WWE wouldn’t usually allow us to see this or get this close to problems which happen behind the scene but then again we may have been privy to this had the company actually thought through what would and wouldn’t be included so they didn’t leave themselves short on material.

The release come to an end at the finale of Royal Rumble night. Batista talks about much it hurts to be booed by the fans and told he doesn’t deserve it. He speaks about knowing why the fans cheer Daniel Bryan because he’s worked his butt off for the chance to be here but he seems genuinely hurt that people don’t believe he has deserved it and has a point when he mentions some people forget about the eleven years he toiled to earn the chance.

Before the final credits roll we get one last summation from Batista on his future, which contradicts everything he previously said but at least it’s truthful. Speaking on what comes next; Batista says that he will lave WWE to promote Guardians, which has now done, before stating his desire not to return to WWE at any point in the near future. He wants to take a holiday and do things he never got the chance to do whilst with WWE. It’s admirable that he doesn’t bullshit by saying his priority will be getting back to the company as quickly as possible and that he has no desire to return until a later date. It’s a good way to sign off.

‘Brotherly Bond’ is the special feature on DVD Disc 1 and whilst its not a hugely in depth feature it does tell us something new about Batista and shed light on something we may previously not have known. In a sit down interview, Titus O’Neil tells of his special relationship with Batista and how Batista is responsible for him being in the business. At least we have someone to blame now. This is information even I wasn’t aware of, the fact they live next door to each other and this part is complimented by some unseen photos of O’Neil and Batista spending time together with O’Neil’s children. It’s an eye opener.

Batista and Ric Flair vs Booker T and Rob Van Dam (Raw, March 22nd 2004) is rough around the edges but comes smack bang in the middle of several terrible bouts meaning this feels fresh and watchable. Batista is still green and does very little leaving the heavy work to Ric Flair but its Booker T and RVD who bring the match to life. There are a few tense moments but you have to look for them instead of allowing them to come naturally. It’s not perfect, but I had to put something in this column from the first disc. And it’s better than everything before it.

Batista vs Booker T vs Finlay (Smackdown, December 1st 2007) is mistakenly labelled 2008 in the title menu, that’s lazy. It’s just one of many matches here to feature both Booker T and / or Finlay because Batista seemingly didn’t wrestle anyone else and all those cracking matches with Triple H were used up on his first release. However it’s watchable even if it goes for twenty minutes which here is ten too long. Had the bout been cut on the night it would have been a tight and exciting affair instead of dipping drastically in the middle as Batista blows up.

Batista vs Edge (Smackdown, June 29th 2007) is the first match over the discs which has a real main event feel to it. It’s nowhere near as exciting as their pay-per view matches contested that year but its technically sound even though there are rest and submission holds in abundance. Some are revolutionary. Edge plays his part to perfection, seeking out any avenue to win. The bout picks up a lot of pace towards the end and finishes strong with some arresting near falls and a brilliant finish sequence which sees Batista reverse the Spear into a Batista Bomb.

Batista vs Shawn Michaels (One Night Stand, June 1 2008) is a match every WWE star should be sat down and made to watch. It’s a lesson in how to sell convincingly for a younger star and get over a new talent, though Batista was far from new in 2008. It’s competitive to begin with before it turns to a mauling of Shawn Michaels which is sold to absolute perfection. Used a rag doll, Shawn Michaels really conveys Batista as a monster to be reckoned with more so than Triple H did in 2005. Shawn’s weak Sweet Chin Music which is designed to hammer home the point Batista has taken it out of him that night may get laughs but conveys what it was meant to. This brings the very best out of Batista.

Batista vs C.M Punk (The Great American Bash 2008, July 20th 2008) is very much a match of two halves. When Punk is in control the bout is fast and exciting. When it falls to Batista to carry the match on his shoulders its slow and sluggish. At this point in time C.M Punk shouldn’t have been expected to carry anyone, he was still trying to get himself over and it was selfish of WWE to expect him to. The match does boast an array of exciting moments and highlights how good a match between the pair would be in 2014. The lousy disqualification ending brings down the occasion as does Batista’s trashing of Punk after the match at a time when he needed to look strong is misguided by WWE booking.

Batista vs Randy Orton (Extreme Rules 2009, June 7th 2009) isn’t the best match the pair have ever contested but its good enough even though it boasts a wholly ridiculous result. Orton carries Batista well and his leap frog which sends big Dave into the cage looks great. The cage is used well but at only ten minutes in length for a main event calibre bout it’s too short. Fans lap up the action on show even though it’s nothing special but it’s the ending which is really infuriating. Having just won the WWE Championship too much applause not one month before, Randy Orton is forced to drop it to Batista when he didn’t need the gold around his waist again. It’s a dumb result.

Batista vs C.M Punk (Smackdown, October 8th 2009) isn’t as good as their Bash collision but it’s still watchable. Shorter by far, Punk mixes up the action so it doesn’t get samey. For most of the period, the bout plays out to silence which had to be expected after the way WWE treated Punk in 2008. Once again, after the bout, Batista treats Punk like a complete jobber.

Batista vs Rey Mysterio (Survivor Series 2009, November 22nd 2009) is the perfect David vs Goliath bout which plays to perfection and is one of Batista’s best singles match in a long time, up to that point. Mysterio fuses his high flying technique with Batista’s power well before the bout turns into a mauling of Mysterio in brutal style. Batista gets the cheers here though he’s the heel and his Spinebuster onto a steel chair gets the ‘One More Time’ chant. It shows how bored we were with Rey Mysterio then. Those feelings have only strengthened.

Batista vs Rey Mysterio (Smackdown, December 11th 2009) is as good as their previous Survivor Series bout though there isn’t much to separate them apart from Mysterio finds an edge here he was previously missing. There are tense moments galore and Batista sells for his real life friend. It’s everything you want from a television outing and the story told is done well.

Batista vs Randy Orton vs Sheamus (Raw, April 28th 2010) is a brilliantly conceived triple threat match which takes in everything you could wish for. Batista’s flaws are covered by his opponents who race through an exciting routine which takes in many reversals, near falls and an excellent Orton Backbreaker into a Brogue Kick. This is twenty minutes of gripping action, if only all the matches were this good.

Weaknesses:

Whilst the documentary does explore some of the reasons behind Batista’s exit and return, the real reason for his return is never touched upon. Batista is instructed to try and make us believe that he returned because he simply wanted to be WWE World Heavyweight Champion and it was a life long ambition even though the unified gold was only created in December 2013, this version of it at least. The real reason why Batista returned was to supplement his income. When he left WWE to act, he wasn’t the Hollywood draw he thought he was and found himself with a small income which was nowhere near enough to support the millionaire lifestyle he’d become accustomed to with WWE. Apart from Guardians of the Galaxy, Batista venture into acting was a failure. It would have been refreshing to hear him admit this.

Covering his exit in 2010, Batista says that he never wanted to leave and the only reason he did was because of the PG era and it didn’t sit well with him. Strange, because the PG was in full swing long before Batista left WWE and if it was that much of a problem then he wouldn’t have returned. This is all a lie. If Batista didn’t want to leave so much then he could have returned after his back healed. Batista sees The Rock as a sell-out and in an effort not portray himself as someone who loves acting more than wrestling as not to alienate the audience, he makes every excuse in the book. The real reason Batista left WWE was to pursue his acting career and nothing else. He’d had enough of wrestling so why not just say it. Those who can pull this interview apart will know how false he sounds.

Batista covers the ending to the 2005 Royal Rumble by simply stating that it was a mess and leaves it at that. We’re shown footage of him and John Cena going over the top rope together but we’re never allowed into anymore insight than that. For those who didn’t know, this could have done with an explanation by Batista as to why it was such a mess. The real story was that Batista was meant to toss Cena over in one go but lost his footing with Cena on his shoulders and they both went over the top rope together. With just minutes of pay-per view time remaining Vince McMahon stormed to the ring to give clear instructions of what to do and tore both of his thigh muscles sliding into the ring. It was a total mess. Do we get any of that from Batista? Of course not! It leaves those not in the know wondering why it was such a mess.

Batista once again tries to cover up his passion for acting by stating that his passion was to fight after he left WWE. That’s bullshit. He may have wanted to fight but that’s not the reason he left as stated. Batista partook in months of failed acting auditions before deciding he may be able to make his millions fighting like Brock Lesnar did when he left WWE. This makes it seem like Batista went straight from WWE to training for UFC and didn’t give a seconds thought to acting. What WWE are trying to do here is blind us to the truth and make it seem like Batista isn’t the sell out he believes The Rock to be. Whilst we’re shown footage of Batista training for UFC, this isn’t needed. It begins to stray into John Cena territory in that it has nothing to do with the subject of the release. I would have much preferred this to be substituted for something on his early life even though there is some truth here as he admits there was no money in it for him.

Strangely, for a release which is set on Royal Rumble night and cuts to separate segments of Batista returning before that night, the release cuts to February 9th 2014 after the Royal Rumble before returning to the night in question. Only this segment isn’t a thoughtful piece of reflection on the night, it’s instead one which follows Batista around a car show where he displays more passion for his cars than he does wrestling. His car with Eddie Guerrero’s face on the front is the only highlight of a very dull segment.

Leviathan vs Brock Lesnar (Ohio Valley Wrestling, July 28th 2001) is terrible. Contested in a small ring, the pair just bore the crowd in the building with submission and rest holds as its clear both are blown up badly by the middle of this seven minute tragedy. Looking at this, it’s hard to see how either became a star and the story behind the Leviathan character, that Sin found him living in a lake and brought him to wrestling is bizarrely dumb. How does one live in a lake exactly? There are moments of life from Lesnar as he executes throws and slams but this is entirely forgettable and one which should have been omitted as it shows how little Batista learnt from development to winning the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21.

Batista and Reverend D-Von vs Farooq and Randy Orton (Smackdown, June 27th 2002) may have been passable had Batista done more and showed some class. Instead he stands on the apron and allows D-Von to do all the work. A young Randy Orton impresses with his ability but apart from Batista’s devastating clothesline at the death, this is entirely forgettable. Did we really need to be reminded of the dreadful Reverend D-Von character?

Batista vs JBL (Smackdown, September 9th 2005) follows the lines of the rest of their feud went along and even though this match id fought under Bullrope rules. This is actually worse than the Texas Bullrope Matches JBL fought with Savio Vega in the 1990’s. It has no flow, no gripping action and seeing as Batista is the champion going into the bout then it’s a forgone conclusion as to who will triumph. Their whole series was just awful.

Batista, Rey Mysterio and Bobby Lashley vs Booker T, Finlay and Mark Henry (Saturday Night’s Main Event, July 15th 2008) is a dreary seven minute collision which has no main event aura to it. Everyone seems to be on slow motion duty and the pace at which Mark Henry crawls through the bout is painful to sit through. The bout only pops when Batista gets in and runs through his completion like they’re nothing.

Batista vs Kane vs Finlay vs Mark Henry (Smackdown, May 25th 2007) is another disappointment. Undoubtedly a main event calibre match on paper, the bout fails to live up to expectations. Three out of the four are either too big or useless to matter and Finlay is brought down by their lack of ability. Surprisingly, it’s Kane who shines here with several good moves but it’s not enough to hold the bout together and it degenerates quickly. Maddeningly, Finlay is the most illogical of the match as after he nails Batista and Mark Henry with the Shelaighly he doesn’t bother to cover them and exits the ring.

Batista vs Kane (Smackdown, December 14th 2007) is timid for a last man standing match which takes place mostly in the ring and only lives up towards the end. It also boats another dumb ending as after being attacked by Edge, Batista simply gets up and reaches the ten count. It’s dull for the most part and by the time it reaches its crescendo, you’ll have lost interest in anything the pair have to offer.

Batista vs Chris Jericho (Cyber Sunday, October 26th 2008) and Batista and Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho and JBL (Raw, October 27th 2008) are both run of the mill affairs which hold no interest. The former is notable only for Stone Cold Steve Austin as the special guest referee and the latter for Shawn Michaels being attacked before the match and Batista having to fight alone. By the time Michaels appears at the end Batista doesn’t bother to tag him in and wins the match alone which makes Shawn Michaels’ comeback pointless.

Batista and Shane McMahon vs Ted Dibiase and Cody Rhodes (Smackdown, April 24th 2009) is a parade of Shane McMahon moves whilst Batista does nothing but stand on the apron. Shane is so past it here that it’s obvious why he left less than seven months later. Wrestling wasn’t in his blood. Rhodes and Dibiase try their best to make this watchable but are run through like jobbers once Batista gets in. And WWE wonder why the pair never got over.

Batista vs John Cena (Over the Limit 2010, May 23rd 2010) is an awful ‘I Quit’ Match and thanks to the nature of the bout, the ending is obvious. The only notable occurrence of the entire bout is the Attitude Adjustment from the top of a car through the stage though when Batista has John Cena above his head on a balcony, you wonder what would have been had he lost his footing as he did at the 2005 Royal Rumble. Cena fans will eat this up, the rest of us can use the skip button.

Royal Rumble 2014 Match (Royal Rumble 2014, January 28th 2014) is a pointless addition as it was only released three months ago. Here it begins from Batista’s entrance at number 28 and is only notable for his interaction with Roman Reigns at the finish and the crowd hostile reaction to Daniel Bryan’s absence. If we’re talking about pointless additions, then Batista vs Alberto Del Rio (Elimination Chamber 2014, February 23rd 2014) is up there with the best of them. Pointless additions that is. Only released two months ago, there is no reason for this burial of Del Rio to be here other than to fill disc space.

Blu-ray Exclusive Extras:

Raw – November 4th 2002

Batista vs Justin Credible

Raw – November 25th 2002

Batista vs Kane

Armageddon 2003 – December 14th 2003

WWE World Tag Team Championship Match

Batista and Ric Flair vs The Dudley Boyz

Raw – April 4th 2005

Batista vs Randy Orton

Smackdown – September 25th 2005

Batista and Eddie Guerrero vs MNM

No Mercy 2007 – October 7th 2007

World Heavyweight Championship Match

Punjabi Prison Match

Batista vs The Great Khali

Elimination Chamber 2010 – February 21st 2010

WWE Championship Match

Batista vs John Cena

Raw – March 1st 2010

‘The Name and Face of WWE’

Raw – May 24th 2010

‘I Quit’

Smackdown – February 28th 2014

‘Deal With It’

Conclusion:

‘Batista – The Animal Unleashed’ raised a few eyebrows when it WWE announced it for its release slate in 2014. Many who remember the previous release on Batista by WWE struggled to see how the company could top it and their fears were justified, because WWE have failed miserably. The documentary is thirty nine minutes long and takes place on one night with the release cutting back and forth between periods of Batista’s career. Some of the material about his personal life is interesting stuff and most you won’t find anywhere else but where it stumbles is when it tries to emulate the thoroughly excellent ‘Wrestling With Shadows’. It’s a wannabe release which doesn’t even touch the surface of Bret Hart’s non WWE documentary.

Focussing too much on trying to shield the truth from us about his reasons to leave wrestling and return, Batista seems desperate for those small minded amongst us who see The Rock as a sell-out not see him in the same way. Too much emphasis is put on the fact he just wanted to fight when he actually didn’t had he come out on camera and said that he believed he could succeed at something different and had lost his passion for the business this would have greatly improved the tone of the release. Anyone who knows anything about wrestling will be able to unstitch Batista’s claims and when that happens, the entire release begins to come apart at the seams. Like ‘The John Cena Experience’, WWE spends too much time on things which aren’t related to wrestling or the release title.

One suggestion would have been to can the rubbish and strike a deal with Marvel to do an extended segment on behind the scenes of Guardian of the Galaxy. Marvel wouldn’t have turned away the promotion and following Batista around on set for the duration of the shoot would have been a welcome release from seeing his car collection and watching him get whipped with towels in a martial arts graduation ceremony which hold no interest whatsoever. That though is only if WWE insisted on focusing on Batista outside the ring. This should have been kept to wrestling only.

When the release does eventually cut back to Royal Rumble night, its more of a procession of meeting and greeting old friends rather than his preparations for his first match back in just under four years. I would have suggested extending the documentary but seeing as they scrape the barrel to fill a small amount of time, I can’t imagine how dreary this would have been had the documentary been another hour and twenty minutes long. Maybe it’s best this way and WWE knew it. As for the matches, well they should have been cut by half. Some hold some real intrigue but sadly most of those are held on pay-per view which have already been released on DVD and Blu-ray. If you own the matches already then forking out over twenty pounds for one or two which take place on Smackdown isn’t justified.

Whether this release will appeal to you personally depends on your taste in wrestling. If you’re not a fan of sitting through long documentaries then the main presentation may be to your liking. The same applies if you found ‘The John Cena Experience’ a gripping watch. If you love to watch disjointed and slow bouts which rarely build to anything nearing tense then again, you must purchase this. For the rest of us, it’s something you don’t need to waste seven hours of your life on. It’s not worth the money and there are plenty more releases in 2014 which are.

More than anything else this release looks like it’s been cobbled together without any real thought or care. Something to make a bit of money on and there is no real reason for it to exist. It’s horribly mediocre, but could have been forgiven had it been the first this year. Sadly, it’s not.

Rating: C

Next Time in Review Corner: WWE United We Slam – The Best of The Great American Bash DVD and Blu-ray

Onwards and upwards...