One
of the eldest staples in wrestling history comes around yet again as we kick
off WWE’s pay-per view calendar for 2015. This year, we hope that WWE can see
their way clear to pushing newer stars rather than ones we don’t want to pay
our money to see anymore. With the inclusion of Roman Reigns as the first name
to be announced for the Royal Rumble Match as well as the evolution of Seth
Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt and many others this could be the beginning
of something special in 2015, let’s just hope the company don’t lose sight of
the tradition whilst focusing on making new stars.
As
the question surrounding just who will book their spot in the main event of
WrestleMania XXXI circulates, it’s time to delve into the first event of the
year and once again listen carefully for that infamous claxon. With Brock
Lesnar set to defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time
since September and a host of other WWE names ready to claim their moment in
history, this year’s event promises to be the first of many highlights.
From
the Wells Fargo Centre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 25th this is
WWE Royal Rumble 2015.
30 Royal Rumble Match
Many
wrestlers throughout wrestling history have triumphed in this match and gone on
to become legends of the business. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and
Yokozuna to name but a few all outlasted their foes on the way to their first
WWE Championship and now another young name has the chance to do the same when
they battle twenty nine other stars in one of the most anticipated matches of
the year. Whilst many will be predicting another predictable victory from a
name who no longer needs the exposure, the Royal Rumble brings about one of the
many good things about having a unified WWE World Heavyweight Champion. With
the winner receiving their shot at the title in the main event of WrestleMania,
over the previous year’s we’ve seen those people not get what they were
promised which means the entire match was pointless.
For
example, take Sheamus. He won the 2011 Royal Rumble Match but didn’t get the
main event chance he was promised. Instead, like Alberto Del Rio one year
later, Sheamus was thrown on first with the main event being kept back for
those WWE deemed more important. Now, with just one title up for grabs the
winner is sure to get a main event spot and as long as it’s a new face up there
when the grandest stage of them all rolls around then I don’t see any of us
having a complaint. So, with that said, let’s take a look at this year’s thirty
man spectacular and who could possibly triumph, as if we didn’t know that
already. As per usual, I won’t be going through all 30 men because we all have
better things to do.
Roman
Reigns was the first name announced for this bout and let’s be honest, no one
was surprised. From his return at TLC to his quite excellent hype, Reign’s
ascension over the last few weeks has been nothing but extraordinary. In fact,
so meaty that it resembles that of Triple H in 2002 when he returned from leg
surgery and won the event as predicted. The same is true for Roman Reigns. Ever
since The Shield split in mid-2014 WWE have handpicked Reigns for stardom and
it shows. Out of the trio, it was Roman Reigns who was thrown into a major feud
with Randy Orton whilst Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins were left to do as they
liked. Sadly for WWE, their plans had to be put on ice when Reigns came down
with an injury.
Resolute
if anything, the promotion promptly delayed Reigns rise and instead gave his
spot against Seth Rollins to Dean Ambrose who has ran with the ball ever since.
Whilst many reading this may not believe that Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins
will tangle in 2015 and renew their rivalry will be sadly mistaken when the
pair come to blows in the aftermath of WrestleMania XXXI. Why? Because WWE have
a plan and I’m pretty sure it revolves around Roman Reigns defeating Brock
Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and then having it snatched
away from him by Seth Rollins who will more than likely cash in his Money in
the Bank contract at the conclusion of WrestleMania to have his own
WrestleMania moment. At least that is the plan right now. For that to happen,
two things have to occur. The first is for Roman Reigns to enter the Royal
Rumble first and outlast everyone by finally eliminating Seth Rollins which is
the second. If WWE are going to build that feud again then look for it to
happen here.
Of
course, everything could change between now and WrestleMania, it usually does.
WWE is hot on someone and then they go stone cold on them without warning. It’s
not fair but its business. However, Roman Reigns is popular backstage because
of his looks and his physique. The only thing left for him to do now is brush
up his game. He has two months to do so before WWE throw him into the deep end.
A relation of The Rock, Roman Reigns is going places in 2015 and he will stand
tall at the top of the mountain before we hit summer. It’s written in the
stars. Get used to saying it, Roman Reigns – WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Daniel
Bryan has been gone a long time, that we can all agree on and he has been
missed even though Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and the rest have done a sterling
job filling in for him. Now though, many believe that WWE have changed their
mind on who will win the Royal Rumble Match now that Daniel Bryan has informed WWE
that he will be returning to the ring in January. I can’t blame them. Daniel
Bryan was without a doubt the highlight of WrestleMania XXX last year and the
way audiences got behind him was eye watering to witness, but the question has
to remain that will people still be eager to see Daniel Bryan at the top of the
card when he returns from a massive period of inactivity?
I
can only image the answer to that question is, yes. You see, despite Brie Bella
failing horrendously to fill her husband’s shoes fans still love Daniel Bryan
which means when he returns he has to be a favourite to win this bout and go on
a run with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship which he didn’t get to do in
2014. Fans want to see it. When Daniel Bryan returns at Royal Rumble he’ll get
a larger reception than Roman Reigns, which will leave WWE in a quandary about
what to do for the best. You see, Roman Reigns is slated to win this match and
reach the top of the mountain at WrestleMania XXXI but with Bryan back in the
fold there is an option for the company to withhold that plan and allow Bryan
to head on back up to the top of the mountain where he left off. After all,
Daniel Bryan never lost the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
That
latter fact is something WWE cannot ignore and have to deal with. If Daniel
Bryan does lose out to Roman Reigns which should be the case then the company
must instigate a feud between the pair to settle Bryan’s claim to the gold. It
would be easy to decide a winner between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns, but for
the sake of a massive buy rate on March 29th, the correct decision must be made
and not rushed into like so many others are.
I
think it’s fair to say that Rusev hasn’t set the world on fire since being
granted the mercy of bowing out of those big man battles. Fights against Big
Show and Mark Henry did Rusev no favours in 2014 and then WWE committed the
ultimate sin. They saddled one of their most promising future stars with the
WWE United States Championship, a title which hasn’t done anything for anyone
in at least seven years. It couldn’t have passed WWE by that the gold is a
worthless piece of tin and should have been scrapped years ago, yet they still
persevere in attempting to make it relevant again. They failed with Sheamus and
yet again they’re failing with Rusev and dragging him down to the murky depths
of WWE because they can’t bear to admit defeat.
Could
Rusev work as United States Champion? Yes he could, but for that to happen he
needs an unforgettable opponent who can put on a show the likes of which Rusev
hasn’t been a part of since his tangle with Big E. at Money in the Bank. Slow,
boring matches aren’t going to garner interest in an already pointless title
and what is needed for WWE to make the gold relevant again WWE deem too much
work to initiate. So it’s going to continue on the path it’s on until someone
sees sense. But that doesn’t have to mean that Rusev has to be dragged down
with it. The problem here is that Rusev can’t lose the title without breaking
that winning streak and WWE are meaning to keep that in tact until John Cena’s
diary frees up. So what could WWE possibly do with Rusev? The answer to that is
the right thing!
Fans
may boo Rusev and his U.S Title reign may be nothing more than a ploy to gather
him heat as an anti-American heel, but I can’t imagine too many people will
jeer him if WWE were to allow him to unify the United States and
Intercontinental Championship. Maybe then Rusev could bring some meaning back to
the latter title before WWE insert him into the main event picture and pit him
against John Cena which is supposedly scheduled to happen for WrestleMania when
John Cena fails to leave the Royal Rumble as WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Would a Rusev victory at the Royal Rumble herald his feud with John Cena
brought forward? It’s a possibility and whilst I have made Roman Reigns a
favourite for this bout, the truth is that Rusev’s name has to be right up
there with the main contenders. 2015 should be a massive year for ‘The
Bulgarian Brute’. I hope a pit-stop in the Cenation doesn’t derail his train.
Bad
News Barrett should have had a massive comeback when he returned from injury
not so long ago. However, that premise fell on deaf ears and his homecoming passed
without any fuss. This was an oversight by WWE who should have gone to town in
order to make Barrett a star upon his return as he was when he departed to
nurse and injury. Fans loved BNB when he became Intercontinental Champion
earlier in the year and his character was really catching on with fans when
disaster struck and he bowed out with an injury which kept him out of Money in
the Bank. It was touch and go for a while but Barrett overcame the odds with
designs on an unforgettable comeback which should have shunted him into the
main event.
This
is what should have happened. Before BNB left, Barrett was a massive hit and
even though he was a heel fans treated him as a babyface. WWE should have
purposely built their programme with one eye on Barrett’s comeback, with the
possibility of inserting him into The Authority’s reign of terror and siding
him with John Cena. Just imagine the reception this would have gotten. The
Authority controlled the WWE titles with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
in Brock Lesnar’s grip, the Intercontinental Championship in Luke Harper’s grip
and the tag team titles in the grasp of a team The Authority had employed.
Though John Cena’s team prevailed at Survivor Series, Triple H should have come
out the next night on Raw and fired Dolph Ziggler, Eric Rowan and Ryback
setting up something massive for WrestleMania.
One
week after the firings, with John Cena lying beaten and bruised in the ring at
the hands of Triple H and The Authority, Triple H should have grabbed the microphone
and announced to the world that there was no one in the WWE locker room that
could defeat them. With a smug grin on his face, Triple H would have been
brought crashing back down to earth when the words “I’m Afraid I’ve Got Some
Bad News” echoed over the titan tron and Wade Barrett strutted out to a massive
ovation. It would have been set in stone for Wade Barrett to rise throughout
the ranks of WWE in 2015 and be a major contender for the WWE World Heavyweight
Championship which he was being groomed for before he was forced out.
Now
it looks highly unlikely that Wade Barrett will climb that ladder in 2015 and
all that hard work he put in during 2014 has been lost. Can Wade Barrett win
the Royal Rumble Match and go to WrestleMania and defy all the odds? No.
Unfortunately. Too many other contenders have come forward in his absence. But
that doesn’t mean it can never happen. If Wade Barrett can have an injury free
year then there is a chance that he’ll be first pick for the 2016 Royal Rumble
Match or even this year’s Money in the Bank. If Wade Barrett became just
another face lost in WWE’s shuffle, well that really would be bad news.
I
had high hopes for Bray Wyatt when he returned from injury at Hell in a Cell
2014. His attack on Dean Ambrose was pitched perfectly as was the resultant
feud which ended too prematurely in my opinion. Especially when WWE have
nothing else planned for the pair in the hype for WrestleMania. There’s always
a chance the pair could re-ignite their rivalry if WWE can conjure up nothing
else in the meantime, but it looks doubtful. Happily, Bray Wyatt won his feud
ending bout with Dean Ambrose which means he’s in a position to go on and
participate in a much needed storyline as we look ahead to WrestleMania 31.
This
time last year, Bray Wyatt was pitted into a feud with Daniel Bryan before
pleasing the WWE Universe on Royal Rumble night by thwarting John Cena’s
attempts to defeat Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. This
of course initiated his feud with John Cena at the thirtieth anniversary of
WrestleMania which promised so much but delivered so little on the actual
night. Bray Wyatt wasn’t rejuvenated or uplifted by this feud in the way he
should have been and that set him on a course into no mans land when it ended.
He was fed Chris Jericho in a meaningless feud before being taken off of
television to heal old wounds.
Many
predicted that Bray Wyatt would never reach the levels set out for him when he
was a part of The Wyatt Family and indeed for the most part they may have been
correct. I was one of the first to lambast WWE for splitting up The Wyatt
Family but so far it’s been a smooth course for Bray Wyatt and all those
concerned. Could the split of The Wyatt Family be the best thing for Bray
heading into 2015? Probably, looking at everything objectively, but that means
WWE need to do something special with Bray Wyatt and at the moment it should
revolve around The Authority.
Bray
Wyatt is the best name to carry forth retribution on Triple H’s stable at the
moment and a sure fire hit if WWE turn him face. That said, this would only
work if WWE start the ball rolling now and mean to keep it going. The plan of
action could and should be this; the Royal Rumble match should come down to
Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt and one of The Authority’s men. Targeting Roman
Reigns, on the premise that Seth Rollins has walked away with the WWE World
Heavyweight Championship earlier in the evening, Triple H or an Authority goon
would interfere and eliminate Bray Wyatt by accident leaving Roman Reigns to
win the match by last eliminating the Authority member.
This
course of action would allow Bray Wyatt to garner the support of even more
fans. The next night on Raw, when Triple H tried to apologise to Wyatt he’d
ideally fall prey to Sister Abigail and complete his face turn. This would set
up a Bray Wyatt vs Triple H war at WrestleMania with the fate of the company at
stake. A victory over Triple H would be momentous; more so than winning the
Royal Rumble match. Missing out one of WWE’s biggest accolades may just be the
making of Bray Wyatt.
When
Dean Ambrose was announced as a participant in the 2015 Royal Rumble Match, it
signalled one of the strongest line ups to participate in the event in many
years. Usually, we’re given a weak roster headlined by two or three possible
winners and everything becomes predictable. This year, it’s not certain who
will walk away with the honours thanks to the names on display. Dean Ambrose
adds to the strength of this years event which should be the greatest Royal
Rumble match since 1992 and there are many possible outcomes now that ever
member of The Shield will or should have some part to play in WrestleMania 31.
Many
will look at Dean Ambrose as a pointless addition as Roman Reigns is clearly
the favourite to secure the main event spot at WrestleMania, but that couldn’t
be further from the truth. You see, without knowing it, or maybe the company
have done this by design, Vince McMahon has set up the potential for something
special to happen at the grandest stage of them all in that we could have a
Shield triple threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
headlining the show. Not only would this be momentous for WrestleMania and all three
men concerned, but it would also go a long to proving that WWE are serious
about their new youth movement should three men who only made their WWE debut
three years ago suddenly be in the main event of the biggest event of the year,
vying for the greatest prize on offer.
So,
with no other clear ideas on display for Dean Ambrose in the run up to
WrestleMania, this is how the night should play out. As the Royal Rumble Match
withers down to its final participants, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns are the final
two participants left in the ring. Through some type of confusion, both men
take the tumble and are both crowned winners whilst Seth Rollins wins the WWE
World Heavyweight Championship when cashing in his Money in the Bank contract.
Fans would be grateful for this occurrence, as it would mean all that time
spent investing in the trio as both faces and heels and singles stars would
mean something. It would be the ultimate pay off to three stories which we’ve
taken to heart and three men who will help carry this company into a new and
brighter era.
At
the end of the day, whilst this bout features many star names and many young
guns who could easily take the spot on offer, only one will triumph and his
name is Roman Reigns. This is the path WWE have mapped out for the former
Shield member and its one we’ll follow to the bitter end. It’s time to once
again do what WWE told us to do for two years. And believe in the group which
used to be The Shield. Roman Reigns will be WWE World Heavyweight Champion in
2015 whether he’s ready or not. That’s something WWE have been adamant about
since early 2014.
Winners Prediction:
Roman Reigns
WWE World Heavyweight
Championship Match
(c) Brock Lesnar vs
John Cena vs Seth Rollins
Do
you realize it’s been four months since Brock Lesnar defend the WWE World
Heavyweight Championship on pay-per view? WWE have had the gold missing from
their product for sixteen weeks and sadly it hasn’t been missed apart from
those who are sticklers for wrestling keeping to the rules. For those who don’t
know what I’m talking about, then the rules state the title must be defended
within a thirty day period or the holder will be stripped of the gold. Yet
again, this is another example of WWE bending the rules and history to suit
what they need at the time. Until this stops, no one is going to be able to
take anything they say seriously. But does that matter to WWE? I think we all
know the answer which fills that gap.
So
here we are again, Brock Lesnar vs John Cena and is anyone really looking
forward the match we’re presented with here? I know I’m not particularly
anticipating the bout because I fear I know how this ends. We all do. However,
this could have been avoided had WWE not been greedy and attempted to push the
rivalry further than they had any right to do. In the beginning, this was a
ruse to get more people to buy the WWE Network by having Brock Lesnar defeat
John Cena comprehensively at SummerSlam. In theory that was all very good and
even an astute decision, but it didn’t work. WWE are only a few more
subscribers better off than they were in August 2014 and so we can safely come
to the assumption that their ruse didn’t work.
So
did the company stop and look for other directions to take their product? Of
course not! They persevered with a failing option and re-booked the pair to
collide at Night of Champions in September in a bout which was respectable but
a worse than their SummerSlam clash. Did this provoke an outcry of supporters
to sign up to the Network? Not a chance. If anything, fans were turned off by
the repetitive booking and went elsewhere. Whose going to buy a channel that
appears to be offering the same thing over and over again? This wasn’t
something WWE thought of before booking what turned out to be a muddled mess.
So, how should they have gone about their business? Once again, and for the
first time this year allow me to step into the breach and do their jobs for
them.
SummerSlam
should have been a one off until 2015. With Brock Lesnar defeating John Cena so
comprehensively WWE should have booked John Cena on a downward spiral which he
struggled to fight back from. He should have lost at Night of Champions to
someone other than Brock Lesnar and at Hell in a Cell after Paul Heyman
distracted him long enough to allow Randy Orton to take advantage. That would
have sewn the seeds for a John Cena rematch somewhere down the line. At
Survivor Series, at the risk of making Seth Rollins look weak WWE should have
had John Cena distracted by Brock Lesnar’s theme tune allowing him to be
eliminated from the bout. Then, when it came time for the TLC bout to roll
around with the stipulation that whoever won got a shot at Lesnar’s title it
would have been a great idea for John Cena to look lucky when defeating his
more popular opponent.
Brock
Lesnar returned to Raw the night after TLC which means WWE could have booked
him to appear on the night after months of teasing fans with his presence. Had
Brock Lesnar ran to the ring at the conclusion of the Tables Match and inadvertently
helped John Cena win, it would have been everything needed to set up what would
have been only the second match to take place between the pair. When WWE
announced this for the Royal Rumble, they could have billed it as John Cena’s
revenge and as a result drew more viewers into purchasing the event through the
Network. That would have been the smart thing to do. But WWE didn’t even think
about that and now we’re presented with the third instalment in their recent
feud. And its safe to say only John Cena fans are excited about it about
because they think he’s going to regain the gold.
Seth
Rollins was a late edition into the match which means everything you’ve just
read concerning this bout was written before Rollins was added. But I’m glad
WWE have deemed him important enough after The Authority lost at Survivor
Series, because this is huge whether you know it or not. The former Shield
member has come such a long way and his inclusion here is a sign of changing
times that WWE are phasing out their old timers and concentrating on their new
blood which is something which should have been done a long time ago.
Since
winning Money in the Bank, many fans have questioned Seth Rollins’ legitimacy
thanks to his series with John Cena which he lost at TLC. But that’s the role
of the heel. They either lose spectacularly or win by any means necessary,
which sadly is what people have come to expect. I can’t believe this was WWE’s
idea all along and rather forced by necessity when they looked at the outcome
of this bout and what effect it could have on the WrestleMania main event. You
see, this is the predicament WWE would have been stuck with when Roman Reigns
won the Royal Rumble Match. Roman Reigns vs John Cena at WrestleMania may have
been massive but with a large percentage of the audience it wouldn’t have sat
well. Face vs face feuds rarely do and to be honest, John Cena doesn’t have
what it takes to make Roman Reigns a star.
The
next situation on WWE’s hands would have been Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar.
Whilst Brock Lesnar undoubtedly has the aura and skill to make Reigns a star,
WWE would have been left with a quandary. You see, Brock Lesnar is such a
monster that whomever defeats him would inherit the image and WWE don’t yet
want that for Roman Reigns. WWE prefer to build Reigns from the ground upwards
and add some humanity to him which Brock Lesnar lacks. However, if Seth Rollins
was to somehow come away with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Royal
Rumble then Roman Reigns has a ready made opponent and WWE have a feud just
waiting to happen. And fans will pay to see Roman Reigns battle Seth Rollins in
what should be a stunning effort, especially if the company have Rollins and
The Authority dodge Reigns until the big night. It’s a golden ticket waiting to
be cashed in.
Of
course, that means Seth Rollins has to win the gold in the first place and that
means defeating either Brock Lesnar or John Cena which, thanks to WWE’s
booking, looks beyond Rollins in January 2015. So this how it should go down.
If Seth Rollins was to pin either Brock Lesnar or John Cena in the bout itself
then by WWE law Brock Lesnar would have to be granted a re-match. Which means
Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins at WWE Fast Lane and I can’t see that ending well
for Rollins who would require The Authority’s help to prevail. Instead, this is
how it should go down, though it pains me to admit it. WWE need to book John
Cena to pin Brock Lesnar and lift the title only for Rollins to cash in after
Lesnar dismantles Cena and pin him for the title. Fans wouldn’t mind. After
Cena lifts the gold yet again most in the arena and at home will be willing
Rollins to do so, just to avoid another John Cena WrestleMania main event. It’s
a fool proof way to make sure Rollins is accepted as champion. Use John Cena
for something useful for once.
Taking
everything into consideration, Roman Reigns being the favourite to the win the
Royal Rumble Match and WWE needing a face vs heel main event for the grandest
stage of them all I just can’t see John Cena or Brock Lesnar walking away with
the gold. Either way, with WrestleMania on the horizon, I don’t see John Cena
walking out of Royal Rumble with the title held aloft. Roman Reigns vs John
Cena won’t work as a main event and therefore steps have to be taken to avoid
it.
What
happens for all three men after this bout is still up in the air. No one knows
what Brock Lesnar and John Cena will yet be doing at WrestleMania though it’s a
fair bet that if Lesnar doesn’t go to WrestleMania as WWE World Heavyweight
Champion then he’ll have a rematch against The Undertaker or battle The Rock. I
don’t see what WWE can do with John Cena at the event, unless their plan is to
boot an Elimination Chamber match for the title seeing as the stipulation will
presumably no longer be used as the February event has been renamed ‘Fast
Lane’. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Winners Prediction: Seth
Rollins
WWE Tag Team
Championship Match
(c) The Usos vs The Miz
and Damien Sandow
This
is scraping the bottom of the barrel as far as I’m concerned. Don’t get me
wrong, it’s best for everyone that the WWE Tag Team Championships are back
around the waists of Jimmy and Jey Uso. The best tag team of the past five
years should have remained Champions until WrestleMania without losing the
gold, but what’s done is done and we can’t change that now. What we can change
is the way WWE handle their tag team division from now on with our voice. What
we wan should be WWE’s main priority and we’re telling them that this isn’t it.
I mean, it couldn’t have escaped WWE’s notice that The Usos were uber popular
with the audience as Champions and that would have brought WWE a bigger
WrestleMania buy rate to see their reign finally come to a close.
However,
that will not happen now because WWE interjected and made The Usos drop the
titles to the pointless team of Goldust and Stardust before passing them onto
the equally pointless duo of The Miz and Damien Sandow who have had their time
in WWE and now must move on to pastures new, even if that does mean TNA, in
order to rejuvenate their careers. They’re not going anywhere in WWE anymore.
The damage has been done and it cannot be reversed. So, I hear you asking, what
should WWE have done here to make The Usos a part of the festivities of the
first pay-per view event of the year? Well, my wonderful minions, as ever I’m
here for you. So sit back, relax and allow me to once again show you the way.
Beginning
in 2014, The Usos should have made short work of every team on WWE’s current
main roster. That means Goldust and Stardust as well as The Miz and Damien
Sandow. It’s common knowledge these teams have no bearing or interest as far as
audiences are concerned, so no one would have shed any tears had they been cut
adrift. They were fine for challengers, but not so much for Champion material.
Instead of taking the titles away from Jimmy and Jey, WWE should have kept the
team strong and if they wanted to cast an extra shadow over their characters
and have them show weakness then have The Miz and Damien Sandow act a little
more maturely and pose a real threat.
After
The Usos had done away with The Miz and Damien Sandow in 2014, WWE should have
already begun the wheels turning for new challengers from NXT to step up to the
plate and inject the tag team division with some much needed adrenaline. The
perfect candidates for this would have been The Ascension who are doing
tremendous things in WWE even if we’re not always allowed to see them. Though
WWE took the NXT Tag Team Championships from The Ascension, they could have
delayed their loss until February and booked a Champion vs Champion bout at
Royal Rumble, non-title of course. Had The Ascension gone over The Usos in a
thrilling war then the stage would have been set for the NXT duo to drop their
straps and make the climb to the main roster with some meaning behind them.
In
the lead up to WrestleMania, Konnor and Viktor would appear on Raw and
Smackdown delivering some eerie promos on The Usos and distracting them from
important matches. This would come to a head at Fast Lane when The Ascension
cost The Usos a victory against The New Day who would also be on the rise in
WWE if they turned heel. It’s a long time coming for Kofi Kingston. Either
that, or WWE could book a three way at Fast Lane between all three teams
involved in this scenario. This would give The Ascension some much needed
importance in the eyes of the audience who would revel in the new blood
lighting up their tag team division. And then would come crunch time. At
WrestleMania, in an important spot and not thrown on just before the main event
which is typically seen as a rest period for fans, The Usos would contest a
thrilling bout with The Ascension where Konnor and Viktor would finally lay
claim to the doubles gold.
It’s
a flawless plan. WWE couldn’t go wrong with it. Had The Usos kept the titles up
to WrestleMania night it would have given The Ascension an even greater meaning
when they finally struck gold. Though that won’t happen quite as described now,
it can still happen if WWE cut loose the dead wood and made something of the
talent on their books. Because let’s all be honest here. Does anyone really
want to pay for WrestleMania to see The Usos vs The Miz and Damien Sandow vs
Goldust and Stardust vs The New Day in a fatal four way when two of the four
teams have been used over and over again with little effect? I know I don’t,
but I also know WWE are now all about the youth movement, so fingers crossed we
may yet get to see the rejuvenation of WWE’s tag team division.
Winners Prediction: The
Usos
Paige and Natalya vs
The Bella Twins
For
me, there’s good news and bad news upon the announcement that Paige will step
in for A.J Lee as number one contender for the WWE Divas Championship as we
press forward to WrestleMania 31. You see, with Nikki Bella as Divas Champion,
A.J Lee was at a loose end as to how to make their bouts shine. It almost
looked as if A.J had lost her passion after being told that she would play
second fiddle to someone less talented and important than her. By removing A.J
from the picture almost completely and having her concentrate on other
endeavours, WWE have saved one of its best wrestlers from what appears to be
sheer obscurity. The bad news is that Paige is in danger of falling into the
same trap. Because quite simply, whilst the title is around Nikki Bella’s waist
the division is on a road to nowhere.
That
may sound a little hard nosed of me, but let’s just look at this with a level
head. When The Bella Twins captured and shared the Divas Championship in 2009
and 2010 they were admittedly worse wrestlers than they are now. But that
doesn’t change the fact that WWE didn’t book them do anything unforgettable and
they were left to languish in the mid-card until the time came for the gold to
change hands. Just because one is married to Daniel Bryan and the other is
dating John Cena didn’t mean that the sisters were going to have better success
this time around and that is how it’s panned out, as many predicted it would.
Worse still, after WWE made giant strides forward in putting the division where
it needed to be, they’ve gone backwards in time and undone all their hard work.
I
do not believe that Nikki Bella was the tonic needed to help resolve the issue
within the division. She just doesn’t have what WWE need to move it forward and
that is the reason I believe Paige will suffer as a result of this association.
A talented and driven woman such as Paige needs someone better than Nikki Bella
to really bring out the best of her qualities. We saw what happened when she
became complacent with inferior challengers early in 2014 and I fear the same
may happen in 2015 unless WWE gets off of its backside and does something truly
memorable with Paige. However, for that to happen things must change in WWE and
they have to see that The Bella Twins are doing more harm than good in their
current roles, especially with Brie Bella’s change of heart to forgive her
sister. It’s just completely unrealistic.
Sadly,
this match exists only for one purpose as that’s to hype Total Divas which all
four women are a part of. For anyone who has seen the programme, I’m sure
they’ll be conflicting views about its quality. But I just can’t see how this
move is helping Paige at all. Yes, she’s a heel but she’s not that type of
character. She’s meant to be the anti-diva for crying out loud and WWE are
trying to make her conform to what they think she should be. Total Divas isn’t
what Paige is about and WWE should know that. The divas who take part are
regularly ridiculed because WWE fans believe they’ve used the business as a
stepping stone to television and in Natalya’s case, movies. The last thing WWE
need now is for fans to turn on Paige because they believe she’s no longer
interested in wrestling. Should that happen, then she’ll become just another
face in the crowd.
The
eagle eyed amongst you will notice that I’ve chosen to ignore Natalya and The
Bella Twins participation. That’s because they have no bearing on anything that
will happen in the next few months. The Bella Twins have reverted to near
useless whilst Natalya hasn’t featured in a main role for so long I forget she
even existed until WWE brought her back from filming yet another instalment of
The Marine. For now, this is all about Paige and so it should be. She’s the
future of this division and the sooner she defeats Nikki Bella for the Divas
Championship the better. No one will shed any tears if The Bella Twins cease to
exist.
Winners Prediction:
Paige and Natalya
The New Age Outlaws vs
The Ascension
So,
here we are again. Another year rolls around and just as it appears that WWE
are taking a turn in a new direction with younger, vibrant stars, they fall
back into old ways and book two has-beens in a main card spot to battle a team
who needs better. The New Age Outlaws are scraping the bottom of the barrel as
far as WWE digging out tag teams are concerned. Last year was an exception
because it was the thirtieth anniversary of WrestleMania and WWE needed at
least a few nostalgia acts to bring back lapsed fans. So what’s their excuse
this time around?
It’s
simple. They really don’t have any other tag teams with the lineage or history
to help build The Ascension on their path to tag team glory. If you’ve gotten
to this point in the blog then you’ll have read the proper way WWE should have
built The Ascension but Vince has obviously ignored that and gone once again
with how he believes things should be done. And yet again, it’s the wrong way.
Because there is nothing The New Age Outlaws can do to help The Ascension,
Billy Gunn and Road Dogg don’t have the skills or fan support any more to help
make a brand new tag team. Anyone who thinks they do is horribly wrong. At this
point in 2015, The New Age Outlaws don’t belong in a wrestling ring and their
participation screams of sheer desperation from WWE.
On
a plus note, The Ascension do have a bright future. Anyone who had the privilege
of watching them in NXT will be able to confirm that. They’re talented and
though have the capacity for a mistake in them, will learn well from those
around them as long as they’re allowed free reign over the tag team division.
If WWE try and restrain The Ascension then it’s going to end in tears once
again. Though they’re not at the level yet, The Ascension has the ability to be
the next Road Warriors. And that’s massive for them. If anyone recalls the 80’s
reign of Animal and Hawk, they’ll be able to confirm it was legendary. They
were a team who never seemed like they were going to lose and that helped them
climb the industry ladder.
The
Ascension has this aura in bundles but have to be allowed to show it. Should
they have been given to The Usos immediately? Of course not. That would have
been madness seeing as there’s great interest and a buy rate waiting to happen
the longer WWE keep the teams apart. However, it’s vital that WWE build both
teams as untouchable so when they do clash, it’s heel vs face and fans actually
care. If The Usos or The Ascension lose to meaningless teams then it’ll wipe
all that interest away and WWE will only have themselves to blame. This isn’t
rocket science and WWE have now been handed on a silver platter a chance to
make their tag team division interesting again. Please Vince, don’t balls this
up.
Winners Prediction: The
Ascension
Royal Rumble Kickoff
Match
The New Day vs Cesaro,
Adam Rose and Tyson Kidd
What
seems to be a tag team orientated Royal Rumble will kick off with yet another
tag team match on the card, bringing the overall number to four, which is just
too many seeing as interest in tag team wrestling is at an all time low. Yes, I
will grant you the fact that this is a six man tag team bout, but it’s still
partners teaming up which we have a lot of on the card itself. The answer to
what WWE could have done with this bout is easy. Had WWE entered all six of
these men into the Royal Rumble Match, they could have held an NXT fatal four
way match involving Adrian Neville vs Sami Zayne vs Finn Balor vs Kevin Owens
with the winner earning a spot in the Royal Rumble Match. It would have been a
fifteen minute stunner.
The
notion would have been a relatively fresh one. Not to mention had WWE
sanctioned the winner to do well, it could have set them up for a future career
on the main stage. Of course, having lost the NXT Heavyweight Championship to
Sami Zayne, Adrian Neville would have been the winner and his performance in
the main bout would have set him up for a very long time. Especially had WWE
entered him number one and permitted him to last until the final four. But,
they’re obviously not as tuned in as us and that bypassed them completely,
leaving us with a six man tag team match which came about on Raw this past week
without any real hype or build whatsoever. Still, this is the kickoff match and
we all know WWE don’t care about them.
The
main problem I have with this bout isn’t The New Day, because they’re fine. In
fact they’re more than fine, they could perceivably challenge for the WWE Tag
Team Championships at WrestleMania 31 if WWE give them a dedicated push after
Royal Rumble and stop booking them on the kickoff show where only a small
percentage of fans watching on the WWE Network will see it. The problem I have
here is the opposition. Cesaro specifically. Can someone tell me when Cesaro
became cannon fodder when he was such a strong star and with some investment
could have been a favourite to walk away with the WrestleMania main event this
year.
I
think you’ll all agree with me that Cesaro’s treatment has been shoddy. Worse
than shoddy in fact. It’s almost as if WWE saw him becoming popular and
actively sought to cut him down whilst there was an opportunity. A man who was
once a legitimate main event prospect is now nothing more than someone WWE sees
as dispensable. Teaming him with Adam Rose and Tyson Kidd is a massive
indicator of this as the latter two have no bearing on WWE in 2015 and are just
present to make up the numbers.
With
all that said and with no real advantage for The New Day heading into Royal
Rumble, this should still be a cracking bout. Kofi Kingston, Big E, Cesaro and
Tyson Kidd will make sure of that.
Winners Prediction: The
New Day
And
there we have it. The first event of 2015 is set and it looks to be a scorcher.
If though, we remember nothing else when the smoke clears and all is said and
done I am confident that we will remember the outcome of the WWE World
Heavyweight Championship bout should Seth Rollins surprise everyone and the
winner of the Royal Rumble clash when new blood rises to take the place the
place of the old.
WWE
Royal Rumble 2015 should be the beginning of a new era, let’s hope WWE can see
their way clear to making it a reality.
Onwards
and upwards…
