SURVIVING THE ELIMINATION CHAMBER

As we edge ever closer to Elimination Chamber, the only pay-per view to be solely shown on the WWE Network, designed solely to draw people into the Network and subscribe, this week we’ll look at some of the decisions which need to be made on the night in order preserve the future of the industry and give them the best possible chance. As regular readers will know, the traditional pay-per view preview has been thrown to the cutting room floor as we prepare to end this blog for good. That however is a few more weeks in the future so let’s concentrate on the here and now.

The first point I would like to bring up, is the Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships which seems like a really good idea. It’ll be the first bout in Elimination Chamber history where tag teams compete in the structure and though no one knows how it’ll work yet, I believe that the best way to kick this off will be with a five way as one person from every team begins in the ring with the other member of each team entering at five minute intervals. I don’t believe that having two members crammed into a chamber and then enter together would be productive. However, that isn’t my biggest gripe.

I brought this up because of those chosen to participate in the bout itself. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro, The Ascension and Lucha Dragons I agree with. However, could someone tell me how Los Matadores made it into this bout when they’ve been as good as absent from the picture for as long as I can remember. The artists formerly known as Primo and Epico and The Prime Time Players may have had small parts to play on Raw and Smackdown but mainly have been regular features on Superstars and Main Event. As far as I can see, they’ve had no part to play in the title picture over the last few months and don’t deserve a place here. WWE should have stuck with the running theme of this event and put a team from NXT in the chamber and Damien Sandown and Curtis Axel.

Ever since Sandow split from The Miz, which I predicted would happen, he’s been teaming with Curtis Axel as a Mega Powers tribute act. It’s not going to do anything for their careers and they’re not going anywhere fast, but at least they’re popular right now. More so than either Los Matadores or The Prime Time Players who just make up the numbers in this bout. It’s a poor decision by WWE and one which should be fixed as soon as possible. No one would complain if WE axed either team from this bout for Sandow and Axel and it should be a decision made on or before the night.

Either way, I doubt it’ll matter. This bout has been set up to further The New Day vs Tyson Kidd and Cesaro feud. The tag titles should be kept between these two teams for the foreseeable future until Kidd and Cesaro take back the gold. With The Usos due back in action any time now, this feud could turn into a gripping triple threat in time for SummerSlam. That is something I will willingly pay 9.99 a month to see.

The second point coming from Elimination Chamber is the Intercontinental Championship bout which is suffering from the same hindrance as the tag team title match. Namely, lack of meaningful participants. I agree with everyone in the match apart from R-Truth. I wish someone in WWE would wake up and smell the coffee where their roster is concerned. R-Truth is no longer a contender to the title and should never have been mentioned within the confines of this bout. There are so many more participants who could have used this bout to their advantage and gained something from it such as Neville, Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper. WWE should have seen this and rectified their mistake before announcing to the public.

I’m sure we’d all have liked to see Bray Wyatt lift the Intercontinental Championship at the end of the night or Adrian Neville hit the Red Arrow from the top of a chamber. It’s just so annoying that WWE have put Truth in this bout instead of someone who could have done something with the spot. I firmly predict that Truth will be the first man eliminated in the bout but that doesn’t matter, because there can be only one winner and his name is Rusev. If WWE want Rusev’s career to flourish after the John Cena debacle where he lost three in a row then Rusev needs to lift the title and have a long and meaningful run with the gold. If he doesn’t then I don’t see any future for Rusev and he’ll go the same way as everyone else John Cena has ruined.

John Cena vs Kevin Owens is one if not the most important match of the entire event. And we all know why. Kevin Owens has been thrust into the main roster on a part time basis so early in his career, that he cannot lose to John Cena in any shape or form. WWE must get this correct if they don’t want to devalue NXT and its Champion. One wrong move and Kevin Owens is going to find it difficult to progress in WWE especially when he gets to the main roster full time. If Kevin Owens submits to John Cena or is pinned after the Attitude Adjustment following a devaluation of his arsenal then this match will be wholly pointless and only exist to give John Cena a massive ego boost. In fact, this is true so much so that there will be no point in WWE having any more NXT wrestlers challenging Cena because it’ll be predictable how it’ll end.

It gives me hope that WWE have made this a non-title match because there’s no way WWE would allow Kevin Owens to take the gold back to NXT and work a double schedule. This should mean that John Cena has nothing to lose and everything to gain with a loss, putting over a man who has been hand picked to take his throne. If Kevin Owens pins John Cena following a beating and a Powerbomb then it will mean so much for his career and go a long way to making amends for what WWE allowed Cena to do with Rusev over the last few months. Kevin Owens could use this victory to springboard him to better things as NXT Champion and onto his feud with Finn Balor and Samoa Joe which will be a marvel in the making. I literally can’t wait for Kevin Owens vs Samoa Joe. It’ll be massive.

On the other hand, what could John Cena possibly gain from defeating someone looking to make his name? Another notch on his belt which he doesn’t need isn’t a good reason to ruin a brand new talent. WWE have to get this correct, otherwise they may not only hurt a brand new talent but they could lose a lot of viewers in the process. There a lot of people who love Kevin Owens and want to see him succeed. This is one of those times WWE are going to have to swallow their pride and accept defeat, or they may find a down turn in viewership and that would disastrous for NXT and the future of their business.

Onwards and upwards…

THE PAYBACK OF PAYBACK

This week, we’re going to take a brief look at the results of WWE Payback and what they mean for the company. So let’s crack on with this week’s musings.

The first of our subjects is what transpired at Payback this past Sunday. For those who didn’t see the event, which I know won’t be many of you now the WWE Network seems to be running just fine on almost every device, then it was once again a worthy event. In fact, it was the third enjoyable WWE pay-per view in as many months with last stinker being Fast Lane in February. However, several things stood out for me at Payback which could do with addressing further down the line. The first was the WWE Tag Team Championships which were contested in a thrilling two out of three falls out between The New Day and Tyson Kidd and Cesaro. Now, those who have been regular readers of this blog will know my thoughts on The New Day and even more so on them taking the titles from Kidd and Cesaro at Extreme Rules.

I wasn’t a huge fan of The New Day for the longest of times when they formed. Why you may ask. Well the truth is that it looked as if WWE had cobbled together three men who meant nothing to the company anymore just to keep them in the spotlight. Xavier Woods was as good as heading for the exit door, he was present that little in the company and the last thing I remember him doing of any substance was losing comprehensively to Rusev in a two on one handicap match at last year’s Extreme Rules. Big E’s career had stalled drastically after being forced to submit twice to Rusev twice on pay-per view and Kofi Kingston was so stagnant on the roster that he’d been crying out for a makeover for at least three years. It really did seem as if WWE were scraping the barrel for ideas.

However, since capturing the tag titles at Extreme Rules last month, I have revised my opinion of the trio as have WWE. You see, they’ve been thoroughly excellent in matches with Kidd and Cesaro and even been given the honour defeating Roman Reigns and Randy Orton in tag team matches on Raw. This is huge for The New Day who I am now convinced can do excellent things if WWE keep them relevant and pit them against teams who can get a great match out of them. Kingston and Big E will defend the titles inside the Elimination Chamber and should they hang onto the gold then, without wishing to use the pun, it really could be a new day for WWE’s doubles division.

The second thing to come out of Payback was just how sparse WWE’s divas division is getting. With A.J retired and Paige gone for the foreseeable future to take up a role as trainer on Tough Enough, Nikki Bella is really struggling for challengers to her throne. Which is why WWE should either give Naomi a decent shot at the gold as she seems to be Champion elect or bring up some new talent from NXT. Right now, the prime choice would be Charlotte, who is beginning to tread water in NXT.

For those who have watched NXT over the past year, Charlotte has done some amazing things inside the ring with women like Sasha Banks and Natalya so it’s only right WWE bump her up the ranks to their main roster. Charlotte may actually be able to have to gripping bouts with Nikki Bella, Naomi and Natalya should WWE give her the time she needs in the ring. If Triple H were to oversee the divas division then it could be a tremendous part of WWE’s product, because the man knows the talents of his women and knows the time it will take for them to get over in the ring. Like Kevin Owens vs John Cena at Elimination Chamber, if Triple H were to convince Vince McMahon to allow Charlotte to make her main roster debut against Nikki Bella on pay-per view then it could be massive for her career.

However, that leaves the quandary which is Naomi. The real life Trinity is a beautiful girl and a hell of a wrestler, there’s no doubt about that. But there’s the question of whether she can withstand WWE’s usual treatment of its female stars. Naomi isn’t a star yet but could be if WWE give her a long and involved run with the title. This however would be a result of the audience’s reaction to her on a weekly basis. If Nikki Bella was to lose the title, there’s no guarantee Naomi would be accepted as Champion without good reason. Which is why I’m suggesting WWE delay the switch for two months until SummerSlam, have Naomi defeat some reputable divas by pinfall and then by the time she gets to the title match, she’ll be good to go.

The biggest thing to come out of Payback however, is the announcement that NXT Champion, or at least he is as I write this before tonight’s NXT pay-per view, will challenge John Cena at Elimination Chamber in a non-title match. Now, I know what you’re all thinking. It’s what I was thinking when it was announced on Raw. But this could be massive for NXT and Kevin Owens. It could also be a turning point for John Cena. You see, John Cena has made his last few weeks about fighting younger, up and coming stars. He disrespected Sami Zayne in a really good bout by not selling his moves properly and did the same to Neville but rightly lost via disqualification. Now, on pay-per view, WWE cannot allow John Cena to do this and neither can they have him devalue their brightest NXT star.

Kevin Owens is awesome. We all know that. His NXT run has been so good that he’s the natural born successor to John Cena’s throne. However, he has to get over this hurdle first. John Cena would be respected the world over by wrestling fans if he lost clean in the middle of the ring to Kevin Owens at Elimination Chamber. Cena has won the last three pay-per view bouts, it’s time he lost one and made up for the damage he did to Rusev. If Kevin Owens was to defeat John Cena as he should, then it opens up an avenue down the line when John Cena predictably regains the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. You see, Kevin Owens will be NXT Champion for a very long time, it’s written in the stars. Which means WWE could build Kevin Owens as the man John Cena cannot defeat.

If both were to clash off of this encounter in a title vs title match for the United States or WWE World Heavyweight Championship then Kevin Owens could defeat John Cena again, take his first main roster title and make the transition to the main roster as easy as blinking. WWE cannot waste this opportunity and Triple H needs to fight for his star. John Cena can only prosper from doing such a job, anything less would diminish Owens and his reign and standing in NXT. This is the time for John Cena to do the right thing and we know he’s capable of it.

Onwards and upwards…

A LITTLE PAYBACK

As we amble ever closer to the end of this blog, this week’s offering will take the place of the usual pay-per view preview which has been a monthly staple of this site since its inception three years ago. Those who read the Extreme Rules preview will know that was that last one I was willing to write as we slowly but surely take this blog off of life support and bring it to its natural conclusion.  However, for now anyway, we have a job to do and though there may not be a preview of Payback, we are going to take a short look at the only two match announced for the event as of writing this, which are Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins vs Randy Orton vs Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and John Cena vs Rusev in an I Quit Match for the United States Championship.

We’ll begin with the latter and though everyone knows my thoughts on another John Cena vs Rusev bout, WWE feel that they need to bring it to its natural conclusion after Rusev has been a complete write off after WrestleMania. But then, what did WWE think would happen when they fed yet another promising career to John Cena? Did Vince really believe that Cena would treat Rusev any different to the rest of those he’s had a hand in ruining? Of course not. They knew what would happen but booked themselves into a corner with the whole American pride angle they conjured up for the feud. Had the company not made this about national pride, then Rusev could have easily defeated John Cena at WrestleMania and Extreme Rules, only to have this bout contested under different rules which meant he could have escaped with his title and undefeated streak still in tact. That would have been the clever thing to do. But then this is John Cena we’re talking about, and WWE still believe that Cena will be damaged by not winning a bout in a feud.

As mentioned before, WWE should have preserved Rusev for as long as possible. His streak could have lasted well into 2016 and not come to an end until he lost the WWE World Heavyweight Championship which it seems he will now struggle to capture. But, do WWE have an ace up their sleeve to preserve Rusev’s image? I think they do and it lays with Lana at ringside who I’m confident will turn on Rusev at Payback and throw in the towel to preserve his image and standing going forward. Rusev has now lost at two consecutive events and cleanly at that. If WWE were to book controversy at the conclusion of this bout then it may go some way to helping Rusev carry on after this feud is over.

I don’t quite know where Rusev vs Lana could go, though it would be a safe bet that Lana would side with Rusev’s next foe or bring up a star from NXT to oppose him, Baron Corbin maybe? If not, then there’s no life in the obvious turn on its way. And it’s coming. All those times Rusev has mistreated Lana over the last few months has made sure of that. It’ll be interesting to see where Rusev goes from here. Whether WWE have the courage to do something mind blowing with him after John Cena or whether they bury him in the mid-card and forget he ever held a threat to everyone in the locker room.

Whilst we’re on the subject of this bout and John Cena, did anyone see how he treated Sami Zayne on last week’s Raw? I watched in disbelief as John Cena paid Zayne no respect whatsoever and just crushed him after permitting the challenger to kick out of his Attitude Adjustment. For those who missed it, Sami Zayne leapt through the bottom turnbuckle to hit a sumptuous swinging DDT on the matting outside the ring only for John Cena to leap back up and hit him with a second Attitude Adjustment seconds later. It made Zayn seem weak and not up the challenge at this level. If you’re keeping count, that’s two NXT stars John Cena has now ruined. These guys and girls are meant to be the next generation of star. Not cannon fodder for John Cena to run thought when he’s been through everyone else on the main roster.

Seth Rollins is in trouble as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Every week since he won the gold at WrestleMania, Rollins has been either defeated or humiliated on Raw and Smackdown. It’s simply not good enough. WWE have advertised Seth Rollins on their November UK tour as Champion which means he’ll be the man around these parts for the foreseeable future. He’ll overcome the challenge which awaits him at Payback and also Brock Lesnar in the summer. But how much will all that mean if WWE don’t push him as the biggest star in their company? There’s no way we’re going to buy into him for that long if Rollins is kept down by men like Randy Orton and Roman Reigns.

It almost seems like a joke by WWE now. Bury the new talent that fans want to see and then they can turn around and say we know nothing, and that they were right all along. But this is business now, Rollins is the future of the industry and what message does it send out if the company he represents is continuously trashes him weekly? The perfect set-up for Payback would have been to have Dean Ambrose qualify one week previous and then allow Seth Rollins to defeat Randy Orton and Roman Reigns in singles competition in one night, without help. That would have stood him in good stead with the fans and proved he was a force to be reckoned with. Instead, J and J Security have been there at Seth’s beck and call to aid him and he really doesn’t look like a capable Champion.

However, after Payback, Seth Rollins will move on to pastures new and begin a new war with Kane as has been signposted for weeks now with the Big Red Machine working against Rollins and The Authority. Though it may have happened before you read this, when Triple H and Stephanie return to WWE television they will turn on Kane and expel him from their side. This will cause Kane to put back on his mask and vest, which is for the best because I don’t know if I can stare at that body much longer, and battle against those who have wronged him. Of course, this also means Kane back in the main event once again whilst Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton and Roman Reigns fight it out amongst themselves for a number one contendership, but if it’s a means to an end and a bridge to something better then we put up with it for a month or two.

Before I end this week’s musings, I would just like to mention the man everyone is overlooking in this scenario and that’s Dean Ambrose. The Lunatic Fringe isn’t the first candidate that would come to mind when mentioning a replacement for Seth Rollins, simply because of the way his former Shield partner has been treated as Champion. But fans have taken to Dean Ambrose more so than they have Rollins or Reigns it would seem. So, I’m not saying this will happen, but if WWE decided that they wanted to shock the world this weekend then there’s a stark possibility that Dean Ambrose could leave Sunday night as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It’s not likely right now, but just ask yourself why WWE have put him in this situation when it would have been easier for them to book Ambrose vs Luke Harper in a Steel Cage Match or another stipulation bout.

This is Payback, maybe WWE are going to take it literally and give us what we want. A WWE World Heavyweight Champion we can finally believe in.

Onwards and upwards…

KINGS AND DEMONS

In this week’s blog, we’re going to look at two happening which went on through the WWE Universe this week. Each as different as the other. I will say that the last one on the agenda transpired on the WWE Network, which I have now gotten to work on my Xbox 360. However, just because I can now access NXT and everything on the Network, it hasn’t changed my mind about bringing this blog to an end over the coming months. Sometimes, things end and that’s how it has to go.

The first item on the agenda this week is a certain absence from WWE which most of you will have noticed if you watched Extreme Rules last Sunday. Originally meant to be Daniel Bryan vs Wade Barrett for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, rumours had been circulating the WWE Universe in the days prior to the event that Bryan wouldn’t make it to the Allstate Arena in Chicago because of an mystery illness which had kept him out of action. From what I read before Extreme Rules, it was touch and go and the wrestling world seemed geninually worried about Bryan. Naturally, your Wrestling God passed it off as an excuse to cover for an injury Bryan had sustained on Raw or Smackdown. I believed it would be a heat builder for Bad News Barrett when he refused to stop wailing away on Bryan in the match itself.

The whole thing stunk of a set-up, to add more believability to the Daniel Bryan character. Over the last few months, there have been some rebellious members of the WWE Universe who haven’t taken to the Yes Movement as they did last year. When Daniel Bryan was seen to be possibly added to the WrestleMania main event in his feud with Roman Reigns, some fans actually booed him. It was noticeable at WrestleMania as well. In short, the message from fans to WWE was that they were pushing the Daniel Bryan pity party too far and having him try to crash other people’s spotlight wasn’t what they wanted to see from the man who made it big one year previous, thanks to working for his fame instead of trying to steal it from someone else.

With that in mind, WWE had to do something to make Daniel Bryan seem the underdog again. After all, that’s part of the reason we fell in love with him in the first place. He could have been us. Anyone reading this blog who has been held back because of other people. That was the appeal. What WWE did with him in the pre-WrestleMania season was just stupid. Hence the belief that Daniel Bryan’s latest ailment was a storyline set-up so Wade Barrett could look like the merciless son of a bitch when he concentrated on the injury or illness in their bout. But I was wrong. When Daniel Bryan failed to appear at Extreme Rules as advertised, I suddenly realised that the illness and or injury was serious.

As I write this, it’s not been brought to light exactly what is wrong with Daniel Bryan but there’s always the possibility that he could be back in action as you read this. But by the sound of it, I doubt that will happen. Bryan is sicker than anyone first thought which means he may have to forfeit the WWE Intercontinental Championship. I was thinking about this the other day and suddenly came to realise that Daniel Bryan has had some really bad luck after WrestleMania’s in the previous couple of years. Last year at WrestleMania XXX, Bryan bested Randy Orton and Batista to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Days later, Bryan came down with a serious broken neck which he managed to carry on with until after Extreme Rules. Following the event, Bryan was withdrawn from television and forced to undergo neck surgery which not only kept him out for the majority of 2014 but also ensured he had to forfeit the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

There’s no doubt it was a disappointing end to his journey, but when the devil pisses in your kettle then there’s not much you can do. This year, Bryan and his millions of fans believed things would be different. Seemingly with no injury going into the event, Daniel Bryan captured the WWE Intercontinental Championship in a brilliant Ladder Match. And then weeks after lifting the title, once again Bryan is stuck down by a mystery illness which if it goes on much longer means he’ll have to forfeit his latest piece of gold also. Daniel Bryan has had some terrible luck after WrestleMania events. It make me wonder if there’s a curse hanging over his head. It doesn’t matter how well he does on the grandest stage of them all, he’s cursed with bad luck following.

Whatever his ailment, I’m sure you’ll all join me in wishing him a speedy recovery.

The last thing on the agenda this week is a return to WWE. Not of a wrestler or someone we love, but rather something which has been missing from the product for way too long. I am of course talking about the King of the Ring tournament which made a welcome return this week on the WWE Network. First sprung upon us at Extreme Rules, I was a little sad to see that the qualifying rounds were held the previous night on Raw with just the semi-finals and final on the WWE Network. WWE could have done so much with the return of the event that I believe whilst what we were given was a bonus, the company also dropped the ball here.

Years ago, King of the Ring was a staple of WWE. It was one of the big five events of the year. Yes, it dwindled away with a new century and the company attempted to resurrect it on Raw over the years, but I don’t believe there’s ever been a better chance to bring it back to pay-per view than 2015. There are so many wrestlers who need elevating that a great showing on a King of the Ring pay-per view could have been the making of men like Neville. Would we really have moaned had WWE done away with Payback or Battleground in order to stage the first King of the Ring pay-per view in thirteen years? No, of course not. Also, what better way to keep those viewers who only tuned in for WrestleMania than to give them back that nostalgic feeling with King of the Ring?

Had WWE scrapped one of the aforementioned pay-per view events in favour of a return for the tournament, then they could have began hyping it at WrestleMania with both promos as well as the first qualifying match on the card. Those lapsed fans who only watch WrestleMania for the nostalgic feeling would have been intrigued as to the return of an old favourite, and a qualifying match at WrestleMania would have signalled intent that WWE were taking it seriously. This course of action would have forced those lapsed fans who were interested into watching Raw and Smackdown and Extreme Rules to keep up with the product in the run in to King of the Ring. Those two months, WWE could have provided the lapsed fans with killer material keeping them with the company once again after the event had finished. It was a fool proof plan.

Instead, we were given a thrown together event which may have been good in the ring but was a huge missed opportunity. Next year, WWE must restore King of the Ring to pay-per view with the quarter finals also being held on the card. This is what made the tournament great and would again if WWE concentrated on the event itself instead of its main event. Restoring this event, King of the Ring could be the making of younger stars looking to make a name for themselves in WWE.

As for this year, Bad News Barrett reigned as King on the show defeating Neville in the final. For those who didn’t see it, it was a really good outing which Neville should have won seeing as he’s new to WWE’s main roster. I feel like Bad News Barrett has done everything he can in WWE and whilst a royal gimmick may help him out, it would have done much more for Neville who I believe would have been better staying in NXT. The guy is a hell of a talent, but he’s too small and too different for Vince McMahon to take seriously. Sometimes, we have to be thankful for what we have. And in NXT, Neville had it made.

Onwards and upwards…