My Two Centsss - Daniel Bryan IS NOT Cashing In At Wrestlemania
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1. Day 376 - Daniel Bryan IS NOT Cashing In At Wrestlemania
Ever since CM Punk won his second Money in the Bank briefcase at Wrestlemania 25, the element of surprise that has accompanied his world title opportunity has been severely tarnished. People began counting down the days until Punk would ultimately cash in the contract, because as history had proven, Money in the Bank winners did not go many months without using their briefcase. As a result, the instant Punk, The Miz, and Alberto Del Rio walked into a Pay-Per-View with their MitB briefcase in hand, there would always be a certain amount of people who predicted there would be a MitB cash-in that night. Regardless if a superstar like The Undertaker was the current world champion, or if it was a throwaway PPV like Over The Limit, as long as someone had a Money in the Bank contract in their possession, there was always a small but realistic chance that a fallen champion would be victim to Money in the Bank.
In other words, Money in the Bank has lost A LOT of it's prestige. It may be a one-way ticket to a world championship, but as someone like Jack Swagger or even CM Punk will tell you, cashing in the briefcase does not cement you as a main-eventer for life. Furthermore, I'd argue that not only has the outcome become stale and predictable, but the timing of the cash-in has as well. Faces and heels wait until a world champion is nearly beaten to death, competed in a gruelling match, or sustained an injury, and then they "pick the bones" to win the title. It was cool the first few times (Punk cashing in on Edge is still a mark-out moment for yours truly), but it's the same formula being recycled over and over again.
Daniel Bryan, on the other hand, has taken the Money in the Bank "rulebook" and has flipped it upside down. Rather than taking the cheap way out and keeping his cash-in a secret to win the world title when no one expects him to, he has openly stated he wishes on cashing in at Wrestlemania 28. If Bryan follows up on his promise, he'll have held onto his Money in the Bank briefcase for a grand total of EIGHT months. In the world of WWE, that's a lifetime. Some people's careers are made and lost in eight months. Bryan, however, wants to be in the main-event of Wrestlemania. He doesn't want to be like all the other MitB winners before him. Bryan wants to win his first world title on the grandest stage of them all.
There's only one problem with Bryan's little plan, though:
I don't believe him
No matter which way I look at it, I cannot picture a scenario of Bryan competing for the world heavyweight title at Wrestlemania 28. This isn't a knock against him in any way, of course. I just think there's a lot more guys who I can realistically imagine fighting for both world titles in April instead of D-Bryan. Hell, I'll even be a bit surprised if both Mark Henry and Alberto Del Rio are involved in world title matches at the big event. Granted, a lot of things can change between now and Wrestlemania, but if Bryan is cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase that night, and Henry AND Del Rio are still in the title picture, than only one or two of these names will have a world title match as well: Randy Orton, CM Punk, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Christian, Sheamus, Cody Rhodes. Those are a lot of main-event or quickly rising superstars right there. For Orton to not have a world title match at Wrestlemania for the third year in a row sounds ludicrous to me.
The reason I believe Bryan won't cash-in at Wrestlemania 28 is because he's using his announcement as a red herring. Basically, Bryan is trying to surprise the massive wrestling audience by telling them to expect a Money in the Bank cash-in at Wrestlemania, when it's not even true. Call it a "super-swerve" if you will. How do you make the fans stop guessing which Pay-Per-View the MitB briefcase will be used at? Give them an exact date and then use it beforehand, completely out of the blue. Fans have become so conditioned to seeing MitB cashed in on fallen champions that when a babyfaced, good guy promises to wait until Wrestlemania 28 to do the deed, they believe him. Whether Bryan cashes in on a heel like Henry or a face like Orton, at RAW, Smackdown!, or a PPV before Wrestlemania, they'll never see it coming. Whether Bryan wins the world title or not, Bryan will have shocked the world.
There's still five months to go until Wrestlemania. A lot of things can happen before then, including another Money in the Bank cash-in. This time, the fans won't be ready for it. If I were you, I'd even go as far as to "bank" on it.
*****Song Of The Day:
Well everybody, we're less than a week away from my favorite time of the year - Halloween!. I partly love the holiday so much because my birthday falls on November 1st, so it's quite a fun week for yours truly. I'm not too sure whether to go trick-or-treating, give out candy, or go partying on the 31st. How about you guys? What will you be doing for Halloween this year?
Want to leave some feedback? Then don't be shy:
- Send me an e-mail at captain_charisma16@hotmail.com
- LIKE my NEW Facebook page (search for Super Chrisss)
- Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/chrisss16 or
- Leave a comment below.
Be good, or I'm gonna fist-pump-YOUR FACE!
#WWWYKI
My Two Centsss - Hell In A Cell Predictions
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1. Day 362 - WWE Night Of Champions Predictions
2. Day 363 - Mark Henry, A Deserving World Heavyweight Champion?
3. Day 364 - William Regal's Last Chance
4. Day 365 - Examining A "Faceless" Situation On RAW
5. Day 366 - SummerSlam Did Only 300,000 Buys - I'm Not Surprised
6. Day 367 - The Current Product Is Actually Pretty Good
7. Day 368 - Hell In A Cell Predictions
We are less than twenty-four hours away from the final Pay-Per-View of Summer 2011, Night Of Champions. After putting two excellent shows at Money in the Bank and SummerSlam, can WWE make it three for three and score a knockout with tomorrow's show? Something tells me they won't, but I'm not in a pessimistic mood tonight. So let's run down the card, one at a time.
WWE Divas Championship: Kelly Kelly (c.) vs. Beth Phoenix
Kicking things off we have surprisingly the only rematch from last month's SummerSlam, Kelly vs. Beth. I predicted a Glamazon victory in Los Angeles, but WWE may have been wise to keep the belt on Kelly a bit longer as she actually looks a tad more credible out there. However, if the "Divas Of Doom" are to be taken seriously, Phoenix absolutely needs a victory tomorrow night. With Natalya falling to Kelly last week, how are the duo supposed to appear dominant if they can be easily beaten by a barbie doll? Beth wins, and I'm not complaining.
Winner, and NEW Divas Champion: Beth Phoenix
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Cody Rhodes (c.) vs. Ted DiBiase
In case you didn't know, yes this match is taking place tomorrow night. I don't blame you for not being sure though. Rhodes has been feuding with Orton so much lately you'd forget that he's "techincally" in a rivalry with his former friend, Ted DiBiase. Now, these two have been wrestling to great reviews at recent live events, which would explain the reason for it taking place tomorrow, but despite Rhodes' recent awesomeness inside the ring, I doubt they'll get enough time to tell a decent story. Expect Rhodes to win cheaply (presumably by using his mask like he did on RAW) and prolong this rivalry to Hell In A Cell.
Winner, and STILL Intercontinental Champion: Cody Rhodes
WWE United States Championship: Dolph Ziggler (c.) vs. John Morrison vs. Jack Swagger vs. Alex Riley
Even though this is a Fatal 4-Way match, we all know it's going to come down to two men: Ziggler and Riley. Morrison has nothing to gain from winning the title, and Swagger has been booked too inconsistently to warrant a championship win (but then again, he was also booked terribly going into Wrestlemania 26 but ended up winning MitB, so who knows). Regardless, either Vickie somehow screws Ziggler out of the title or he finds a way to keep it. Personally, I would book Riley to win the belt, but not tomorrow night. Defeating Ziggler one-on-one at Hell In A Cell or even Vengeance would be a more fitting end to Ziggler's excellent title reign. Riley's time is coming, just not so soon.
Winner, and STILL United States Champion: Dolph Ziggler
WWE Tag Team Championship: Air Boom (c.) vs. The Awesome Truth
One month ago, you probably didn't expect to see these two teams to face off at Night Of Champions for the tag team titles. Heck, you probably didn't even expect to see both units become "official" tag teams. That being said, The Miz and R-Truth are two of the more entertaining aspects of Monday Night RAW, and while putting them in this spot on the card is likely a downgrade, it will do wonders for Bourne and Truth to beat them. And that's exactly what's going to happen. Air Boom are less than a month into their reign as champions, and are too over to drop the belts so quickly. Truth and Miz have nothing to lose and little to gain, but the same can't be said for the champs. If WWE are serious about revamping the tag team division, then Air Boom MUST retain tomorrow night.
Winners, and STILL Tag Team Champions: Air Boom
WWE Championship: Alberto Del Rio (c.) vs. John Cena
There are plenty of people not looking forward to seeing this match, but keep in mind folks that this was supposed to be the main-event of last month's SummerSlam so count your blessings. Thus far, Cena and Del Rio's feud has been...uninspiring. They have clearly been overshadowed by CM Punk and Triple H, but that's probably a good thing. I like Del Rio, but he is not ready to main-event PPVs, at least not yet. He doesn't seem to believe he's actually the WWE Champion, and when paired wih Cena, a man who's no stranger to being a world champion, you get a bad mix. WWE won't take the belt off Del Rio until they tour Mexico next month, so the outcome is rather predictable. But will Cena put over Del Rio 100% clean? THAT is the question.
Winner, and STILL WWE Champion: Alberto Del Rio
World Heavyweight Championship: Randy Orton (c.) vs. Mark Henry
Although I'm disappointed we're not getting Christian vs. Sheamus for the world title instead, I have to give credit to both men in recent weeks. Orton has had fantastic matches against Ziggler and Rhodes, while Henry's mic work has me thinking WWE might actually pull the trigger and make him the world heavyweight champion. This has little to no chance of being match of the night, but I'm sure both men's facial expressions will tell a story of it's own. While a Henry title victory wouldn't shock me, I expect Orton to retain by disqualification and have the rematch at Hell In A Cell, where Henry will have a very good chance of walking away world champion.
Winner by disqualification and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Randy Orton
No Disqualification Match - If Triple H Loses, He Must Step Down as WWE C.O.O.: Triple H vs. CM Punk
There's no doubt about it, folks. THIS is the selling point of tomorrow's PPV. Has this feud been rushed? Yes. Has it been booked perfectly? Not at all. Will we get an outstanding match tomorrow night? I damn sure hope so. Both the action and the finish for this match could very well salvage a throwaway PPV. But what nobody seems to agree on is what will happen. We all know Kevin Nash will make an appearance, but to help who? Will he aid Triple H and "bury" Punk? Will he shock the world and help Punk? Will he lay out both men and just leave? Honestly, any of those three scenarios have a good chance of taking place, which makes picking a winner rather difficult. Hmmm HHH heel turn or Punk heel turn? Aw, what the hell, let's say Punk wins, just because I smell another "conspiracy" at work here.
Winner: CM Punk
Two days ago at Night Of Champions, Mark Henry accomplished something that has eluded him his entire professional wrestling career - he won a legitimate WWE world championship. Many "experts" and long-time fans believed it would never happen, that his run as ECW Champion a few years ago was his "thank you gift" for being a company man for over a decade. Almost nobody expected Mizark to win the world title - or any title for that matter - less than six months after being drafted from RAW to Smackdown!. Suffice to say, Henry shocked the world last Sunday when he cleanly defeated Randy Orton and became the new world heavyweight champion.
But most of you already know that. So let's ask the burning question instead - does Mark Henry deserve to be the world champion?
Based on everything he has done since turning heel and joining the blue brand, the answer would have to be yes, without a doubt. Why? Despite only recently being inserted into a main-event program, Henry has been a highlight of Smackdown! more often than not. He took a feud with The Big Show that should have been a trainwreck and turned it into a decent match at the Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View. After that, Henry had a mini-feud with Sheamus, another "big man", and their match at SummerSlam was far from the best match of the night, but again, it was another good match. Ten years ago, if I told you that Henry had competed in two consecutive, acceptable PPV matches, you would call me a crackhead. And you would probably be right, because up until a few years ago, most of Henry's matches were awful, slow, and boring. However, that's the old Mark Henry, and he's dead and gone.
THIS Mark Henry has not only stepped up his in-ring game, but whenever he's presented with a microphone, he seems to say something legen- wait for it - dary. The best part is, it's not like he's cutting a fifteen minute, "shoot" promo about how he's been overlooked or something. He just bursts out an awesome one-liner everytime he speaks. Whether his promos are scripted, or if Henry is using some of his own material, he has become a treat to listen to.
Now I know what you're thinking. "Chrisss, so what if Henry can put on an okay match with Big Show and talks non-stop about The Hall Of Pain? There's a reason he's been with the WWE for fifteen years and never won the world title before last Sunday?" If that's what's running through your head, well, I agree with you. Like I said earlier, Henry seemed to be going through the motions the first half of his career, as his ten-year contract guaranteed he would be employed by the WWE no matter how bad he stunk in the ring. Yet, sometime around 2006, right around the time Henry's contract was set to expire, we saw flashes of a renewed World's Strongest Man. Before he went down with an injury, Henry was being booked like a beast, decimating guys like Batista and The Undertaker. Despite returning and winning the ECW Championship, it has taken Henry almost five years to recapture the magic he had once been building up.
Chances are, Henry will drop the title at next week's Hell In A Cell or maybe even Vengeance. I would not be surprised if he does not head into Survivor Series as champion. This "Mark Henry as world champion experiment" could end as badly as Christian's first two world title reigns did, or maybe it will be the thing that creates a brand new main-eventer. Only time will find out. Right now, Henry is at the top of the food chain, and I couldn't be happier. He is bringing something new to the table and it's good to see Henry finally getting an opportunity to take the ball and run with it.
He is the world's strongest man, and he is also your new world heavyweight champion. No one knows for how long, so enjoy the ride while it lasts.
Since the events of last Sunday night, it appears the entire Internet Wrestling Community cannot stop quarrelling over whether CM Punk was "buried" by Triple H or not. In my honest opinion, Punk was most certainly NOT buried, and that's all I'm going to say on the subject. If you want compelling reasons why, feel free to check out Hustle's latest daily or Mazza's "ZOMG! Buried!", which basically sum up my thoughts.
Anyways, prior to Night Of Champions, there was another rumour circling around Twitter and the rest of the internet that had people buzzing. On his Twitter account, current NXT commentator/wrestler and infrequently seen Smackdown! superstar William Regal tweeted to WWE and his followers demanding a shot at the world heavyweight championship when the company tours the United Kingdom this November. Almost immediately afterwards, my timeline was filled up by hashtags like #RegalForChamp and #RegalOrRiot. Even people who aren't his biggest fans jumped on the Regal bandwagon, believing that one of the best technical grapplers of our generation deserved at least one world title match before he retires (permanently, not Ric Flair style).
Keep in mind that these tweets and hashtags all started before Mark Henry defeated Randy Orton for the world heavyweight championship at Night Of Champions. I'm sure many people assumed Orton would retain the gold for quite some time, so when WWE happened to stop by Manchester in late-November, Orton could defend the title against William Regal. However, Henry winning the belt last Sunday certainly throws a wrench into those plans. Why? Well, if Henry is able to keep the title for the next two months, he would assumedly plow through the likes of Orton, Christian, and maybe even Sheamus before then. Now, if Henry is booked to defeat the likes of those three men, who are without a doubt the biggest stars on Smackdown!, why would anyone think Regal can come from nowhere and stop Henry's wave of destruction? Even though he'll have the hometown advantage, not even the U.K. fans can give Regal the strength he would need to dethrone The World's Strongest Man.
Fortunately, all hope is not lost. I'm sure someone with power in the company has heard about Regal's request for a world title match in November, and maybe that person can convince Vince McMahon to make it happen. After all, it's not like Regal is saying he wants to win the world title, or he'll quit. Regal has simply demanded one final chance to wrestle for the championship, because although he's signed to a lengthy WWE contract, Regal's days as an active competitor are almost over. There's no guarantee that Regal will not be officially retired the next time WWE returns to the U.K. This might truly be Regal's last chance to wrestle for the title that has alluded him all these years.
WWE, give him a shot. There's still two months left before WWE tours overseas. Have Regal return to Smackdown! in the upcoming weeks and give him a mini-push. Have him feud with Cody Rhodes, but not win the title. Just make Regal look credible, that way regardless if he's challenging Mark Henry, Randy Orton, or even his former rival Christian for the world title when Smackdown! stops by Manchester, the fans watching at home might believe Regal has a chance to become the world champion. I wouldn't put my money on Regal leaving the country as the world heavyweight champion, but if Regal is winding down his career, he might as well go out with a bang.
It doesn't matter if he's a face or a heel, how old he is, or what country he's wrestling in. William Regal deserves one final chance to become a world champion. Now it's up to the WWE to give him the opportunity to do so.
A few months ago, I wrote about the RAW brand being disproportional in terms of the roster's face vs. heel ratio. Keep in mind though this was before CM Punk turned face almost overnight, and Rey Mysterio went out with an injury. In that column, I discussed how WWE had the perfect excuse to turn a drifting midcarder like Jack Swagger or Drew McIntyre, turn him face, and give him a big push. Unfortunately, that didn't really happen. Punk's face turn, although inevitable due to post-Money In the Bank booking, basically replaced Mysterio's absence, and WWE attempted to push Alex Riley as a huge babyface. The A-Ry experiment didn't work out as planned, and with Smackdown! stars now appearing on RAW, Sheamus and Randy Orton are wrestling as two top-tier faces on Monday nights, with only Punk and Cena above them.
But what if the RAW "SuperShow" ceases to exist? When Triple H announced that Smackdown! superstars would also appear on RAW, many people took that as a sign that the brand extension is nearing it's end. However, The C.O.O. never said the RAW "SuperShow" would be a permanent fixture of Monday nights; he said it would happen for the "foreseeable future". Maybe I'm wrong; maybe RAW "SuperShow" will continue for the rest of the year, maybe even for years to come. But what if it doesn't? What if WWE decides the influx of Smackdown! stars isn't helping to improve ratings and RAW goes back to being only one brand by December, for example. Should that happen, WWE will be presented with a major problem; they only have two credible babyfaces - Punk and Cena.
Of course, many things could happen between now and December. The Miz could turn face, The Big Show could return from hiatus, Triple H could start wrestling full-time again, blah blah blah. But looking at the current RAW roster, who could claim to be the third biggest face?
I'm sure an argument will be made for John Morrison. Before "Awesome Truth" was formed, Morrison was involved in a major feud with R-truth. However, since returning from neck injury, and Melina's WWE release, Morrison has been losing a lot of matches. That main-event push many thought was coming has flown out the window. Just take last week's RAW for example. Morrison was squashed by Alberto Del Rio in less than two minutes. In fact, one would even argue that Del Rio "BURIED" Morrison. Since returning a few months ago, Morrison has taken one step forward and three steps back.
I already name-dropped Alex Riley in today's column, and I'll bring him up again. After turning on The Miz last spring, A-Ry was booked like a beast, defeating his former mentor twice in a row and even competing in main-event tag team matches. However, since Money in the Bank, Riley has been booked strangely. One week he's defeating Jack Swagger, the next he's jobbing to Dolph Ziggler. One week he's in contention for the United States Championship, the next he's competing on Superstars. Riley has the tools to be a major player in the WWE, but he's been booked too inconsistently in recent weeks.
Before "Air Boom" won the tag team titles, many people predicted a midcard push for Evan Bourne or Kofi Kingston. Both men experienced a taste of the main-event in 2010, and I even went as far as to pick Kofi to be the man to win the RAW MitB Ladder Match. Alas, WWE seems to still have cold feet about pushing either man to the next level, so instead they're using their popularity to give a boost to a dying tag team division. "Air Boom" won't be tag champions forever, and when they eventually go their separate ways, I wouldn't be surprised to see at least one of them given a chance to take the ball and run with it.
If it's not Morrison, Riley, or "Air Boom", then surely no one is worthy of being considered RAW's third biggest face, right? Well, what about the Internet Champion, Zack Ryder? He's been on the receiving end of a fairly big push in recent weeks. Ryder was selected as Jerry Lawler's partner and defeated former tag team champions David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty, picked up a win over Drew McIntyre on Superstars the following week, and just this past Monday, got a pinfall victory over the United States Champion, Dolph Ziggler. That victory makes me wonder if we'll be getting Ryder vs. Ziggler for the U.S. title at Hell In A Cell and/or Vengeance. Add in the fact that Ryder also appears on Smackdown! as Teddy Long's assistant, gets more and more viewers with his YouTube show, and is one of WWE's top merchandise sellers (seriously), Ryder may be quickly becoming one of RAW's top faces.
John Cena, CM Punk, and Zack Ryder. A year ago, you would have called me crazy if I named those three as the biggest babyfaces on Monday Night RAW. Now? You just might agree with me.
Hmmm. Maybe the current product isn't that bad after all.
We're less than a week away from WWE's third annual Hell In A Cell Pay-Per-View, but that is not the PPV event I wish to discuss in today's column. In case you missed it, the early buyrate for last month's SummerSlam has been released, and I can't say I'm surprised with the results:
"According to updated numbers from WWE, the preliminary buyrate for WWE's 2011 SummerSlam pay-per-view is only 301,000 buys, down from the 350,000 buys in 2010 and 369,000 buys in 2009."
While 300,000 PPV buys is not a bad number (every WWE PPV post-Wrestlemania has earned less than 300,000 buys), it's important to note a decline in revenue from the previous year's SummerSlams. Two years ago, SummerSlam almost got 400,000 buys. This year's event saw almost 25% less purchases from 2009's show. That is NOT a good sign for the WWE.
If you asked me, the primary reason for this year's show not being as impressive revenue-wise when compared to other years' is because of the lack of hype for the event. WWE put so much effort into making Money In The Bank feel like a must-see event, and fumbled their storylines immediately afterward, that SummerSlam came across as an afterthought. I would argue that they only REALLY started the build-up to SummerSlam a mere two weeks before the PPV, once Punk had returned and Cena was crowned champion. WWE then tried to sell the event as a one-match show, assuming that by inserting Triple H into the main-event would garner enough interest.
Well, they were wrong. After witnessing CM Punk and John Cena put on a historic match at Money in the Bank, I would have loved to see them go at it again at SummerSlam. The thing is, I was not keen on whipping out my wallet a mere four weeks later for only one match. I ordered MitB for Cena/Punk, Orton/Christian, the two MitB ladder matches, and even Henry/Big Show. But going into SummerSlam, there was very little to be excited about. Punk/Cena and Orton/Christian, although both solid, were rematches, and...oh, wait, what was the rest of the card? I can't seem to recall because WWE only promoted a few matches, not the entire card. I know I'm not the only one who decided not to purchase a PPV with only four pre-announced matches, and the buyrate seems to reflect that.
Now, I'm sure the Punk-haters will blame the poor buyrate on him. They'll argue that WWE put on a great PPV, and the event wasn't successful because Punk isn't a draw. If anyone truly believes that, they need professional help. To put the blame on CM Punk is ludicrous. Both John Cena and Triple H (two of WWE's biggest stars of the last decade) were also advertised for the main-event. So why should Punk take the blame while the other two get off without a slap on the wrist? If anyone should take the heat for post-MitB RAW ratings and/or a mediocre SummerSlam buyrate, it shouldn't be Punk. He gave WWE the best angle they had in years and he had to watch them run it into the ground.
The reason SummerSlam did not perform up to "expectations" is simple - in a tough economy with bills to pay and internet streams free to everyone and their mother, WWE really has to step up their game if they want to sell PPVs. Shows like Wrestlemania 27 and the aforementioned Money in the Bank PPV outdid their 2010 numbers because WWE hyped the hell out of both events. Judging by the lack of build-up to SummerSlam (or if you prefer, putting the entire focus on one match), WWE has no one to blame but themselves for the low and declining buyrate. If anything, they should be rewarding Punk for making them switch the planned main-event of Cena vs. Del Rio to Punk vs. Cena. I'm curious how WWE would have hyped that match.
I'm not saying SummerSlam was a bad show, because it really wasn't. But why put on a five-star Pay-Per-View when very few people bother to purchase it?
Over the past few weeks, I have heard dozens, if not hundreds, of complaints from the Internet Wrestling Community about how the current WWE product is unbearable to watch. Some people are saying it's the same old storylines being recycled over and over; others are tired of seeing John Cena constantly involved in the world title picture; hell, some people are still bitter over the PG rating. Yours truly is no innocent bystander though - it wasn't that long ago I was scolding WWE for dropping the ball with CM Punk and doing a piss-poor job of promoting SummerSlam, their "second biggest Pay-Per-View of the year".
But when you take a minute to step back and view the product from another perspective - let's call it a "mark's perspective - things really aren't as bad as they seem. In fact, I'd even go as far as to claim that the 2011 WWE product is way better than what we were getting twelve months ago. Don't believe me? Then I'll show you.
The main-events. 2010 was a great year to be a Cena-hater. Why? Because WWE's top guy spent a good portion of the calendar year feuding with The Nexus and Wade Barrett rather than chasing the WWE Championship. This allowed the company to push Randy Orton as a top face and have him feud with Sheamus for the world title over the summer and fall months - bad idea. What resulted was a lackluster feud filled with decent but forgettable matches. When wrestling fans recall their favorite matches from 2010's SummerSlam, Night Of Champions, and Hell In A Cell, they're more likely to discuss the Cena vs. Nexus/Barrett confrontations than any Sheamus/Orton match.
Smackdown! wasn't doing any better. While Kane was enjoying a better-than-expected "thank you" world title reign, his run as champion was anything but enjoyable. Kane's long-awaited feud with The Undertaker happened a few years too late, and the two veterans stunk up television shows and PPV main-events for far too long. To make matters worse, when Kane was done with 'Taker, his feud with Edge was even worse. For a good six months (July 2010-December 2010), no one but veterans occupied Smackdown!'s world title picture.
Fast-forward to SummerSlam 2011. Although I bitched about it in Tuesday's column, I have to commend the WWE for giving us two fresh main-event match-ups in Cena vs. Punk and Orton vs. Christian. Both contests may have been rematches from past PPVs, but at least the fans were heavily invested in both of the backstories. Not only that, but each contest was absolutely worthy of being a SummerSlam main-event, as they both delivered big-time. Ask yourself this: which match did you enjoy more - Rey Myserio vs. Kane from 2010 or Christian vs. Orton from last month? Sheamus vs. Orton from last year or Punk vs. Cena II? I'm pretty sure both of this year's contests get the nod.
A rising mid-card. Last year, Cena, Orton, Mysterio, Kane, Big Show, Edge, Chris Jericho, and The Undertaker were all heavily involved in most of the year's PPVs. This year, WWE has had to make some changes in the guard due almost all of these big stars either retiring, leaving the company, or being sidelined with an injury. While I'm sure their absence has hurt buyrates and attendance figures, it has forced WWE to call up some new blood.
One year ago, what were Christian, Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, and Zack Ryder doing? Hmmm, let's see. Christian was doing next to nothing, Henry was getting lost in the RAW shuffle, Ziggler was stuck in second gear on Smackdown!, Rhodes was almost irrelevant, and Ryder was jobbing on Superstars. My, how the times have changed ever so quickly. A few roster switches and face/heel turns later have resulted in these men finding their way back into the spotlight. Christian won the world title twice, Henry is the current world champion, Ziggler is a solid United States Champion, Rhodes is the Intercontinental Champion, and Ryder is finally getting a push on both RAW and Smackdown!.
It wasn't that long ago that people were classifying these five superstars as "midcarders for life". So much for that theory.
Women's wrestling actually means something again. Hear me out. I'm well-aware that Kelly Kelly has been the divas' champion for almost four months now. BUT, look at who she's been feuding with since August - Beth Phoenix and Natalya, the "Divas Of Doom". Although it's complete bullshit that Phoenix is yet to take the title off K2, at least the rivalry has been rather interesting, especially when you compare it to last year, when we had to endure the title reigns of Eve Torres and Alicia Fox (what were they thinking?!). Kelly vs. Phoenix isn't exactly on par with Trish vs. Lita, but it's a lot better than Eve vs. The Bellas.
The midcard titles have regained some of their lost prestige. I could have included this with the midcard section above, but fuck it. Some people have to open their eyes and realize that the tag team, Intercontinental, and United States championships have all been rejeuvanted in recent months, mainly because of their current title-holders. There's obviously no chance the U.S. title will be defended in the main-event of an episode of RAW anytime soon, but you have to praise WWE for putting the midcard belts on all the right people.
One year ago today, Show-Miz were the tag team champions, Dolph Ziggler was the Intercontinental Champion, and Daniel Bryan was the United States Champion. While that's certainly not a bad group of people to carry titles around, they defended their belts so rarely you'd sometimes forget who was champion until. Three months ago, David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty were tag team champs, Ezekiel Jackson was the Intercontinental Champion, and Ziggler had recently won the U.S. title. Apart from Ziggler, none of these guys deserved their respective title, not even Zeke, who was pushed too soon. That's why I'm glad that today's champions include Air Boom, Cody Rhodes, and of course, Ziggler.
What I like the most about our current midcard title holders is that unlike the former champions in recent times, I can realistically see each one of them moving up the card in no time. Ziggler continues to get more and more air-time, Rhodes has wrestled and even pinned Randy Orton, and Air Boom have been booked phenomenally since winning the titles. Not only is today's midcard stronger than 2010's midcard scene, but the champions appear dominant as well, and no longer seem like second-fiddle to the main-eventers (although WWE Creative would have you think otherwise). From here, there's nowhere for the midcard to go but up.
I could keep going, but I think that's enough. From almost every way you look at it, despite it's flaws, 2011 WWE is a much better product than the 2010 version. For those out there who are complaining that we're stuck in the worst period in wrestling history, they need to stop being dillusional. 2011 may not go down in the record books as WWE's most shocking, exciting year ever, but Vince McMahon's creation has been through a lot worse.
If anything, just be glad we're not witnessing another 1995 (*shudder*).
Man, it feels like just yesterday I was typing up my predictions for the Night Of Champions Pay-Per-View. But here we go again, less than forty-eight hours before WWE's third PPV in five weeks, Hell In A Cell. Although a mere five matches have been made official, the card already intriuges me more than Night Of Champions did. Mainly because there's a good possibility of two or three excellent match-ups taking place. Which ones you ask? I'm getting there, but let's kick things off with the WWE Divas.
WWE Divas Championship: Kelly Kelly (c.) vs. Beth Phoenix
Is three times a charm for The Glamazon? I sure hope so, because if Beth fails to knock off Kelly AGAIN tomorrow night, she probably won't get another opportunity at the title anytime soon. I was pissed when Kelly retained the title at SummerSlam. Even more fans were outraged when Kelly defeated Beth in her hometown at Night Of Champions. I can just imagine the amount of worldwide hate that will occur if Kelly finds a way to walk out of New Orleans with her championship intact. I'm praying that doesn't happen, though. I predicted Beth to win at the last two PPVs, and I'll be damned if I switch sides now.
Winner, and NEW WWE Divas Champion: Beth Phoenix
WWE Tag Team Championship: Air Boom vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger
I know this match is unconfirmed, but I am certain it will occur at tomorrow's show. I would have preferred Ziggler vs. Ryder for the United States Championship, but that can wait until Vengeance in three weeks. In the meantime, I fully expect this match to be announced via wwe.com over the weekend, or added to the card as a "bonus match". Now, if Air Boom weren't still relatively new as champions, I'd give the nod to "Swaggler" here. However, Air Boom have found major success since winning the belts and continue to get more and more over with every passing week. I like Swagger and Ziggler's new team, but it's too early to take the belts off the high-flyers.
Winners, and STILL WWE Tag Team Champions: Air Boom
Sin Cara A vs. Sin Cara B
Several of my readers are quite into this feud, but I'm sorry, I'm not buying it. You can be a mark and call this match "Blue Sin Cara vs. Black Sin Cara". Or you could be a smark and call this match "Mistico vs. Hunico". Honestly, I really don't care. Either man has done anything to wow me since he/they debuted earlier in the year, and to watch both of them wrestle in identical ring gear under those annoying Christmas lights seems more like a punishment than a treat. Then again, maybe I'll be proven wrong. Maybe the two Caras will go out there tomorrow and put on an exciting, fluid, breath-taking match. Or maybe it'll be botchamania. Either way, I hope the "good" Sin Cara wins and his imposter is unmasked, and the feud ends. But I doubt I'm that lucky.
Winner: Sin Cara A
Christian vs. Sheamus
If given a good amount of time to work with, these two could easily pull off the match of the night. They clearly have their work cut out for them, as both world title matches will be contested inside Hell In A Cell, while theirs will be an old-fashioned, singles contest. But don't count them out so easily. Christian is having an incredible year, competing in some of the year's best PPV matches against Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton. As for Sheamus, he's in the middle of a successful face turn, and has adapted his in-ring style accordingly. I'll be very disapppointed if their match doesn't live up to it's hype (which started BEFORE Night Of Champions, by the way). I feel Christian needs the win a lot more than Sheamus does, but if Sheamus is going to eventually be next in line to challenge for the world title, a big victory over Christian would set him on the right track.
Winner: Sheamus
Hell In A Cell for the World Heavyweight Championship: Mark Henry (c.) vs. Randy Orton
Is it normal I'm more excited for this match than the triple threat main-event? Meh, who cares. As J.R. would say, this is sure to be a "slobber-knocker". I find it hard to believe Henry has never competed in Hell In A Cell, as you would assume the gimmick would fit his character perfectly. Regardless, as impressive as Henry's title win at Night Of Champions was, I believe this will be THE match that puts The World's Strongest Man on the map. It won't be pretty, it won't be technical, but we will see a hell of a match tomorrow night between these two men. I'm sure WWE is itching to get the title back on Orton, but Henry has been fantastic in his title reign thus far (a ratings spike doesn't hurt either). Like it or not, the Henry push will continue.
Winner, and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Mark Henry
Hell In A Cell for the WWE Championship: John Cena (c.) vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk
I may be more pumped about Henry vs. Orton, but I still have high expectations for this match. Unlike the rest of the card, this is the only match where I'm uneasy picking a winner. WWE's Tour of Mexico is just around the corner, so it would make sense for WWE to put the title back on Del Rio. However, I don't think WWE would feel comfortable having Mark Henry and Del Rio as their two current world champions, so forget about that theory. CM Punk continues to be one of the highlights of RAW, but has lost at the last two PPVs. A win tomorrow would certainly dispel those pesky "PUNK WAS BURIED" complaints and satisfy the majority of the IWC. That being said, I think the best bet is to keep the title on Cena. Despite having twelve WWE/World title reigns, Cena's days as champion are not anything to brag about. He needs to hold onto the belt longer than a few weeks for a change. As long as Cena does not head into Wrestlemania 28 as WWE Champion, I have no problem with a Cena victory at Hell In A Cell.
Winner, and STILL WWE Champion: John Cena
Song Of The Day:
So after much debating (and trying to get off work), I will unfortunately be missing tomorrow's PPV. I'm sure it will be an above-average show, and like I mentioned earlier, I could easily see Sheamus/Christian, Henry/Orton, and the Triple Threat each being phenomenal. If you're watching Hell In A Cell, I hope you enjoy it.
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Keep on fist-pumping until the world ends, broskis!
#RyderOrRiot
My Two Centsss - Mark Henry, A Deserving World Heavyweight Champion?
AppId is over the quota
1. Day 362 - WWE Night Of Champions Predictions
2. Day 363 - Mark Henry, A Deserving World Heavyweight Champion?
We are less than twenty-four hours away from the final Pay-Per-View of Summer 2011, Night Of Champions. After putting two excellent shows at Money in the Bank and SummerSlam, can WWE make it three for three and score a knockout with tomorrow's show? Something tells me they won't, but I'm not in a pessimistic mood tonight. So let's run down the card, one at a time.
WWE Divas Championship: Kelly Kelly (c.) vs. Beth Phoenix
Kicking things off we have surprisingly the only rematch from last month's SummerSlam, Kelly vs. Beth. I predicted a Glamazon victory in Los Angeles, but WWE may have been wise to keep the belt on Kelly a bit longer as she actually looks a tad more credible out there. However, if the "Divas Of Doom" are to be taken seriously, Phoenix absolutely needs a victory tomorrow night. With Natalya falling to Kelly last week, how are the duo supposed to appear dominant if they can be easily beaten by a barbie doll? Beth wins, and I'm not complaining.
Winner, and NEW Divas Champion: Beth Phoenix
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Cody Rhodes (c.) vs. Ted DiBiase
In case you didn't know, yes this match is taking place tomorrow night. I don't blame you for not being sure though. Rhodes has been feuding with Orton so much lately you'd forget that he's "techincally" in a rivalry with his former friend, Ted DiBiase. Now, these two have been wrestling to great reviews at recent live events, which would explain the reason for it taking place tomorrow, but despite Rhodes' recent awesomeness inside the ring, I doubt they'll get enough time to tell a decent story. Expect Rhodes to win cheaply (presumably by using his mask like he did on RAW) and prolong this rivalry to Hell In A Cell.
Winner, and STILL Intercontinental Champion: Cody Rhodes
WWE United States Championship: Dolph Ziggler (c.) vs. John Morrison vs. Jack Swagger vs. Alex Riley
Even though this is a Fatal 4-Way match, we all know it's going to come down to two men: Ziggler and Riley. Morrison has nothing to gain from winning the title, and Swagger has been booked too inconsistently to warrant a championship win (but then again, he was also booked terribly going into Wrestlemania 26 but ended up winning MitB, so who knows). Regardless, either Vickie somehow screws Ziggler out of the title or he finds a way to keep it. Personally, I would book Riley to win the belt, but not tomorrow night. Defeating Ziggler one-on-one at Hell In A Cell or even Vengeance would be a more fitting end to Ziggler's excellent title reign. Riley's time is coming, just not so soon.
Winner, and STILL United States Champion: Dolph Ziggler
WWE Tag Team Championship: Air Boom (c.) vs. The Awesome Truth
One month ago, you probably didn't expect to see these two teams to face off at Night Of Champions for the tag team titles. Heck, you probably didn't even expect to see both units become "official" tag teams. That being said, The Miz and R-Truth are two of the more entertaining aspects of Monday Night RAW, and while putting them in this spot on the card is likely a downgrade, it will do wonders for Bourne and Truth to beat them. And that's exactly what's going to happen. Air Boom are less than a month into their reign as champions, and are too over to drop the belts so quickly. Truth and Miz have nothing to lose and little to gain, but the same can't be said for the champs. If WWE are serious about revamping the tag team division, then Air Boom MUST retain tomorrow night.
Winners, and STILL Tag Team Champions: Air Boom
WWE Championship: Alberto Del Rio (c.) vs. John Cena
There are plenty of people not looking forward to seeing this match, but keep in mind folks that this was supposed to be the main-event of last month's SummerSlam so count your blessings. Thus far, Cena and Del Rio's feud has been...uninspiring. They have clearly been overshadowed by CM Punk and Triple H, but that's probably a good thing. I like Del Rio, but he is not ready to main-event PPVs, at least not yet. He doesn't seem to believe he's actually the WWE Champion, and when paired wih Cena, a man who's no stranger to being a world champion, you get a bad mix. WWE won't take the belt off Del Rio until they tour Mexico next month, so the outcome is rather predictable. But will Cena put over Del Rio 100% clean? THAT is the question.
Winner, and STILL WWE Champion: Alberto Del Rio
World Heavyweight Championship: Randy Orton (c.) vs. Mark Henry
Although I'm disappointed we're not getting Christian vs. Sheamus for the world title instead, I have to give credit to both men in recent weeks. Orton has had fantastic matches against Ziggler and Rhodes, while Henry's mic work has me thinking WWE might actually pull the trigger and make him the world heavyweight champion. This has little to no chance of being match of the night, but I'm sure both men's facial expressions will tell a story of it's own. While a Henry title victory wouldn't shock me, I expect Orton to retain by disqualification and have the rematch at Hell In A Cell, where Henry will have a very good chance of walking away world champion.
Winner by disqualification and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Randy Orton
No Disqualification Match - If Triple H Loses, He Must Step Down as WWE C.O.O.: Triple H vs. CM Punk
There's no doubt about it, folks. THIS is the selling point of tomorrow's PPV. Has this feud been rushed? Yes. Has it been booked perfectly? Not at all. Will we get an outstanding match tomorrow night? I damn sure hope so. Both the action and the finish for this match could very well salvage a throwaway PPV. But what nobody seems to agree on is what will happen. We all know Kevin Nash will make an appearance, but to help who? Will he aid Triple H and "bury" Punk? Will he shock the world and help Punk? Will he lay out both men and just leave? Honestly, any of those three scenarios have a good chance of taking place, which makes picking a winner rather difficult. Hmmm HHH heel turn or Punk heel turn? Aw, what the hell, let's say Punk wins, just because I smell another "conspiracy" at work here.
Winner: CM Punk
Two days ago at Night Of Champions, Mark Henry accomplished something that has eluded him his entire professional wrestling career - he won a legitimate WWE world championship. Many "experts" and long-time fans believed it would never happen, that his run as ECW Champion a few years ago was his "thank you gift" for being a company man for over a decade. Almost nobody expected Mizark to win the world title - or any title for that matter - less than six months after being drafted from RAW to Smackdown!. Suffice to say, Henry shocked the world last Sunday when he cleanly defeated Randy Orton and became the new world heavyweight champion.
But most of you already know that. So let's ask the burning question instead - does Mark Henry deserve to be the world champion?
Based on everything he has done since turning heel and joining the blue brand, the answer would have to be yes, without a doubt. Why? Despite only recently being inserted into a main-event program, Henry has been a highlight of Smackdown! more often than not. He took a feud with The Big Show that should have been a trainwreck and turned it into a decent match at the Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View. After that, Henry had a mini-feud with Sheamus, another "big man", and their match at SummerSlam was far from the best match of the night, but again, it was another good match. Ten years ago, if I told you that Henry had competed in two consecutive, acceptable PPV matches, you would call me a crackhead. And you would probably be right, because up until a few years ago, most of Henry's matches were awful, slow, and boring. However, that's the old Mark Henry, and he's dead and gone.
THIS Mark Henry has not only stepped up his in-ring game, but whenever he's presented with a microphone, he seems to say something legen- wait for it - dary. The best part is, it's not like he's cutting a fifteen minute, "shoot" promo about how he's been overlooked or something. He just bursts out an awesome one-liner everytime he speaks. Whether his promos are scripted, or if Henry is using some of his own material, he has become a treat to listen to.
Now I know what you're thinking. "Chrisss, so what if Henry can put on an okay match with Big Show and talks non-stop about The Hall Of Pain? There's a reason he's been with the WWE for fifteen years and never won the world title before last Sunday?" If that's what's running through your head, well, I agree with you. Like I said earlier, Henry seemed to be going through the motions the first half of his career, as his ten-year contract guaranteed he would be employed by the WWE no matter how bad he stunk in the ring. Yet, sometime around 2006, right around the time Henry's contract was set to expire, we saw flashes of a renewed World's Strongest Man. Before he went down with an injury, Henry was being booked like a beast, decimating guys like Batista and The Undertaker. Despite returning and winning the ECW Championship, it has taken Henry almost five years to recapture the magic he had once been building up.
Chances are, Henry will drop the title at next week's Hell In A Cell or maybe even Vengeance. I would not be surprised if he does not head into Survivor Series as champion. This "Mark Henry as world champion experiment" could end as badly as Christian's first two world title reigns did, or maybe it will be the thing that creates a brand new main-eventer. Only time will find out. Right now, Henry is at the top of the food chain, and I couldn't be happier. He is bringing something new to the table and it's good to see Henry finally getting an opportunity to take the ball and run with it.
He is the world's strongest man, and he is also your new world heavyweight champion. No one knows for how long, so enjoy the ride while it lasts.
*****Song Of The Day:
For all you FactOrFiction fans, I would keep my eyes peeled on the LOP main page over the next twelve hours, because there just might be a brand new edition posted before the sun goes down. That's right, Morpheus was able to put real-life aside for a bit and treat you, the readers, to one of LOP's trademark columns. So read it, agree, disagree, as you wish. You won't be disappointed, trust me.
I am reachable in several different ways, in which you may:
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- Take the lazy way out and leave a comment below.
Keep on fist-pumping until the world ends, broskis!
#RyderOrRiot
My two Centsss - there is excitement in the air
1 Day 355 - there is excitement in the air
As I'm writing this, we are less than sixty minutes of "SuperSmackdown!". I am not going to lie, it feels a little strange preparing see two hours of fighting in a Tuesday night. However, it is a good kind of strange. Yesterday, was reported on this Web site very WWE creative team is under much pressure entering this show because WWE wants the show to get a good grade. Why? Get it on Friday nights - permanently.! It is something that the company should have done years ago. Oh, well, better late than never.
I've enjoyed an episode of RAW from last night. Apart from the title fight, combating of divas and the latest cure for insomnia (also known as Triple H new movie), the show really delivered. However, not a very good job of the building towards the night of Champions pay-per-view. Alberto del Rio, the WWE champion, wasn't even on the show, and the only other confirmed party - Kevin Nash vs CM Punk - got changed to Punk vs. Triple H at the end of the show! Normally, the inconsistencies as I would like to pee, but it's OK, because although it was hardly brought and conducted Night of Champions, I put much effort in promoting the most important show: Edition Live tonight on Smackdown!.
Really can not express in words how crucial is for this night of the show is excellent. I'm not saying The Rock, Stone Cold and Brock Lesnar all have to make appearances, and we get a match IronMan CM Punk vs. John Cena that rewrites the history of wrestling, but the show must be better than "regular" edition of Smackdown!. Why? Because if tuning fans, as they see it and win the show a high rating, only might convince SyFy officials seriously consider its highest-rated weekly show to move to a different schedule. Let's be realistic - with the RAW ratings of sliding and UFC debuting on FOX several months from now, is only a matter of time before the Friday night becomes very cruel to Smackdown!. The show should be moved to a different day not only to succeed, but to survive.
He is currently 19: 15, and you can bet the suits are sweating their asses off at the headquarters of the WWE in Connecticut. You can see the writing on the wall for Smackdown! and they have to do something. Randy Orton sending does not improve ratings or show of home assistance. Triple h made one appearance every two weeks do not help the ratings. Only by putting even the title Christian world had stabilized the decline, it was not a long-term solution. The only way to make Smackdown! relevant once more is in the air in a day of the week not called "Friday". Personally, I've always been a big fan of the "Thursday Night Smackdown!", but it also works on Tuesday. Thursday is also home to WCW - I refer to TNA - sorry, impact Wrestling. Do you know what I mean!?
The point is, as a wrestling fan, I can feel the electricity in the air. WWE has been pimping out "SuperSmackdown!" of this night of all shapes can - on television, on Twitter, through appearances in the media superstar - the name. Everything has to do is click on an episode of tonight, and the fans will be entertained. They have to give a reason to stop seeing Smackdown! as younger brother of premiums and view the brand on a par with the red mark. Granted, with the brand split temporarily suspended, it will be easier for this to happen, but WWE has to take the next step. They must have the electricity off the air and feed him. Produce the damn better live Smackdown! they are capable of.
After all, moving Smackdown! for the Tuesday night on a regular basis, it is a victory for everyone. The fans are happy because they no longer have to stay on a Friday night to watch wrestling. The company is happy because the ratings have risen due to more people watching and saboteurs are no longer a problem. SyFy executives are satisfied because its most-watched show only became even more popular. So at the end of the day, dependants than more money, and the fans get to see Smackdown! in a Tuesday night. Everyone wins.
Unless of course tonight show not to throw higher that a 2.0 and SyFy chooses to keep the show on Friday. Something that may very well happen, eye.
I count on "SuperSmackdown!" is very special. WWE, therefore our sake, please do not screw it.
*****Song of the day:
Would like to seize this moment formally Welcome Laiman, Romeo and the Raven to LOP homepage! Three of these men have been tearing it for months down in the forums and are each deserving of their promotion. Welcome to the land of the Titans, gentlemen.
It is never a bad time for me to leave some comments. Here is how:
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The next time you hit the gym, keep in mind that more weight = more dates.
# WWWYKI!
My two Centsss - Christian or Rey Mysterio: who was the worst world champion?
1.? The day 348 - Christian or Rey Mysterio: who was the worst world champion?
The introduction of the brand broke in 2002 saw the WWE undergo some major changes. Half of the list appear on RAW, while the other half will be presented exclusively on Smackdown!. When Brock Lesnar beat The Rock at SummerSlam undisputed Championship, brought the title SmackDown!. As a result, the RAW list was left without a world title to compete by the. Even things, former General Manager Eric Bischoff introduced the World Heavyweight Championship, which he presented to the first world champion - may know him as a Triple H. Since that day, the World Championship and the WWE title change numerous brands times, but thanks to superstars Edge and John Cena, Batista, finally was considered prestigious Championship World Championship.
There have been twenty different world heavyweight Champions since the official debut of the belt, and some were longer than others reigns (cough * HHH * cough), while others had a day or even week-long reigns. Twenty men, usually is rey mysterio that obtains most flack as one of the worst champions of heavyweight in history, and for a long time, nobody could dispute this claim.
I.e. up Christian lost the world title back to Randy Orton at SummerSlam last Sunday. In brief, Mysterio and Christian may not have much in common. During the late 1990s and early 2000, Mysterio was a WCW boy while Christian is establishing the team of wrestling on the map with edge. While Mysterio was to win the Royal Rumble 2006 and leading to Wrestlemania 22, Christian was to make an impact in TNA. Mysterio has never been a heel on WWE television, but some of best work during his career Christian arrived to be an antagonist. On paper, Christian and Rey Mysterio have almost nothing in common.
Except for the fact that both are former champions of heavyweight in the world on two occasions. Not only that, but which may be two of the worst world champions of heavy weight in the history of the WWE (which hurts me to say, as I've been a Christian fan for years). But rather of allowing opinion and bias of decide that it is worse, we will see in the facts:
rey mysterio: (first reign)
-Defeated Kurt Angle and Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 22 to win the title
-Defeated angle to retain the title three weeks later
-The Great Khali lost
-Lost to Mark Henry
-He fought without result with Kane
-JBL defeated to retain the title at Judgment Day
-JBL again defeated to retain the title in a week later
-Defeated Gregory Helms
-Lost to Rob Van Dam
-He fought without result against Sabu in ECW One Night Stand
-Mark Henry defeated by disqualification to retain the title in a week later
-Defeated William Regal
-He lost the title to King Booker at The Great American Bash
The first total reign duration: 16 weeks
Relationship of Win/loss/draw: 7/4/2
Christian: (first reign)
-Alberto del Rio defeated to win the vacant title at Extreme Rules
-He lost his title to Randy Orton in Smackdown! five days later
The first total reign duration: 5 days
Win/loss/draw ratio: 1/1/0
WoW. Don't need me to tell him he had better run for the first time with the world title from heavy weight, it is safe. People often criticize Mysterio for being covered a cleanly by the likes of Khali, Henry and RVD the champion, but never mentioned his victories on the angle and JBL. Not only that, but Mysterio lost the title at The Great American Bash because Chavo Guerrero interfered on behalf of Booker. Christian, however, never successfully defended his world title and was cleanly defeated by Orton days after winning the belt. I don't know about you, but four months is far more impressive than five days of reign. But let's see how to run played off second title every man...
Mysterio: (second reign)
-Defeated Jack Swagger, CM Punk and The Big Show in Fatal 4-Way to win the title
-Swagger defeated cash in the Bank to retain the title
-He lost his title to Kane moments later once they have been charged in his MitB Briefcase
Duration of the second total reign: one month
Win/loss/draw ratio: 2/1/0
Christian: (second reign)
-Defeated Randy Orton by disqualification to win the money in the Bank
-Defeated John Morrison on Smackdown!
-Defeated Ezekiel Jackson
-Computer with R-Truth to defeat Orton and Morrison
-Lost to train through the account outside
-He lost his title to Orton at SummerSlam
Duration of the second total reign: one month
Win/loss/draw ratio: 4/1/1
This is quite interesting. Both men were held in world title exactly a month ago, and each one won in various circumstances (Mysterio won a match multi-man and Christian won via a disqualification stipulation). However, Christian had a strong month as champion, winning four games in a row, while Mysterio competed only twice after winning his second world title. In addition, Mysterio successfully defended his title at least once, while Christian lost his first defense of the title once more.
Christian had a better second reign as world champion of Mysterio made, but reigned first of Mysterio blew water Christian. Mysterio has a five month combined reigned as world heavyweight champion, while Christian is barely more than one month. Not only that, but Christian never pinned or made a champion presenting to win a world title, while Mysterio made and even defended his title several times, unlike the captain charisma. Therefore, as I hate to admit it, unless Christian regains the world heavyweight title before retiring, will be the worst the world champion in WWE history.
A small note, to not put Shawn Michaels (1 reign, three weeks) or Dolph Ziggler (10 minutes) in containment because it summarizes Michaels as the WWE champion (a different belt) speaks for itself. As Ziggler, I doubt that it will never regain the world title. If not, then he probably stay as the worst world champion heavyweight of all time, not Christian. But that's a story for another day.
Sorry, Peep nation.
*****Song of the day:
A new week is to us what the worst day of the year - September 5 - nearest grows and grows closer. What is so awful about that date, you ask? Yours truly, is the first day of school! No!!!! Unfortunately, is impossible to slow down the time, so we are going to make the best of what we have left of summer, we are going?
It may take time, but always respond to comments. Leave some, you can:
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As always, take care and spike your hair!
# WWWYKI
My two Centsss - Alberto del Rio is going to be a great champion of the WWE
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1. Day 341 - WWWYKI! The Ryder Revolution Is In Full Swing!
2. Day 342 - Let's Talk About RAW And Triple H
3. Day 343 - Rest In Power, Grandma
4. Day 344 - WWE's Latest Releases: Did They Deserve The Pink Slip?
5. Day 345 - Can Punk vs. Cena Save SummerSlam?
6. Day 346 - WWE SummerSlam Predictions
7. Day 347 - Alberto Del Rio Will Be A Great WWE Champion
I tried to fight the temptation, but I just couldn't resist. FINALLY, after months of sitting on the sidelines, wrestling on Superstars, and jobbing on RAW (if he's lucky), the internet sensation Zack Ryder got his chance to shine on WWE programming this week. That's right, broskis - WWE has finally decided to push Long Island Iced Z!. Not by giving him a legitimate world title match or anything, but pushing him "subtly". Allow me to explain.
When Michael Cole came out dressed as Triple H to compete on last Monday's RAW, who did you think his opponent would be? Alex Riley, maybe? Jerry Lawler? Eve? Well, basically anyone on the RAW roster except Zack Ryder. Yet, to the pleasant surprise of many, it was Ryder who HHH selected to face Cole, and after debuting his brand new t-shirt, defeated Cole with the Rough Ryder in under a minute, which got a huge face pop from the crowd. It was Ryder's second match on RAW in 2011, but he made it count.
But the fun didn't stop on RAW. Thanks to Ryder's "persistence", Triple H officially dubbed Zack Ryder Teddy Long's new assistant on Smackdown!. At first I wasn't too keen on the idea, as I would rather watch Ryder wrestle, but Ryder proved me wrong by being his entertaining self in the four Friday night segments he was involved in. Besides, being the assistant to a general manager is never a bad thing, because as we have seen in the past with Tiffany and Vickie Guerrero, it is not uncommon for Teddy's assistants to become the interim GM every once and a while. In other words, don't be surprised if you tune into Smackdown! one day and the general manager just happens to be Zack Ryder - I can't believe I just said that.
So not only is Ryder in a major role on Smackdown!, but according to WWE's website, he's still a member of the RAW roster, which is a good thing for several reasons. For one, he will be one of few superstars who appear on both RAW and Smackdown! the same week. Also, RAW may be stacked with talent, but if Ryder can continue to find time to wrestle on the "A-show", then when he eventually moves to Smackdown!, he has the potential to be a huge name. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ezekiel Jackson drop the Intercontinental Championship to Cody Rhodes sometime soon (possibly at SummerSlam), only for Rhodes to feud with Ryder in the fall. Internet wrestling fans around the world would LOVE seeing a Ryder/Rhodes feud, especially over a midcard title.
Oh, and the icing on the cake? In WWE's latest edition of the "POWER 25", (which, much like the SUPER 25, lists the top twenty-five superstars and divas of the past week) WWE ranked Ryder at number eighteen, which is a pretty nice accomplishment, kayfabe or not.
Now, in case any of you think my "Ryder-bias" is making me delusional about his push, let's quickly recap the facts. In the past week, Ryder has:
-Received a new authentic t-shirt
-Got entrance music and an easy win over Michael Cole on RAW
-Was put over by the commentators on both RAW and Smackdown!, as was "Z! True Long Island Story"
-Was named Teddy Long's assistant
-Got more television time on Smackdown! than most of the other roster members
-Was ranked number 18 on WWE's website
Not a bad week to be a Zack Ryder fan, that's for sure. As happy as I am to see Ryder finally get the chance to capitalize on his opportunity, I'm sad to see that some of his "broskis" are already turning against him. The same people who liked his videos, followed him on Twitter, and claim they "bought the t-shirt" are already jumping off the Ryder bandwagon. They're calling him "over-rated" and a "TV-time hogger". The same people who laughed at his videos are now calling him boring, and uncharismatic. To those people (and you know who you are), I say,
Fuck you
Hustle called out all those people who supported CM Punk going into Money in the Bank, but two days after the Pay-Per-View, some of his "fans" turned their back on him. Those people are nothing but trolls and bitches. They hate it when they're no longer a minority and try to be different because they're cool. That's pathetic. You have every reason to stop liking a wrestler, but when you do so just because EVERYBODY now likes him, you're a waste of time.
HOWEVER, for those of you who were CM Punk fans last month and still are; for those of you who were a member of the Zack-Pack last week and are still "broskis", I say,
Thank you
Thank you for still being a Punk fan. Thank you for still being a broski. But most of all, thank you for still being you.
Woo, woo, woo. You know it.
Even though we're already thirty-six hours removed from last Monday's RAW, I've been asked by many readers to share my thoughts on the show. I've never been one to deny a request, so here we go.
Was it the best RAW of 2011? Not really. Off the top of my head, there was only one above-average match, which featured no superstar who is currently scheduled to compete at SummerSlam. Obviously I'm referring to The Miz/R-Truth vs. John Morrison/Rey Mysterio tag team bout. I think this match came off really well because not only did both teams gel nicely together, but everyone in the match has history with each other. The Miz has feuded with Morrison, Mysterio, and even his partner for the evening R-Truth in the past. Same goes for Morrison, as his past and current feuds with R-Truth and The Miz are highly memorable, and he and Mysterio had one hell of an Intercontinental Championship on Smackdown! less than two years. Therefore, it's no surprise that the match was incredibly fluent and fun to watch. I just don't understand why Morrison is being jobbed out just a week after his return.
Speaking of illogical wins, whose bright idea was it to have Zack Ryder get pinned by David-fucking-Otunga? Not only was Ryder WAY more over than his partner Santino was, but Ryder also received one of the biggest reactions of the night. I understand the finish is planned beforehand, but couldn't have someone pulled an audio after hearing the loud "We Want Ryder" chants to have Santino take the pin instead? Anyways, I'm just happy that Ryder got another match on RAW, and was defeated by the tag team champions, not some random jobber. Granted, Otunga and McGillicutty may be one of the worst tag teams in recent memory, but they are the champions.
As for the conclusion of RAW, like many others, I was left feeling a bit letdown. While a title unification match at SummerSlam was the most predictable and sensible thing to do, did they really have to spend the entire show building up to it as if it were some sort of "huge announcement". The COO, Triple H, could have announced it during his twenty-five minute opening promo with CM Punk, and later booked some sort of tag team match featuring Punk and Cena in the main-event. Instead, we got nearly two hours worth of hype for something not quite "wow-worthy".
So again, RAW wasn't bad, but it could have been better. A shorter opening segment, longer matches, and something else could have improved the show's quality. That "something else". None other than...less Triple H.
I don't know about you, but last Monday reminded me of a certain time frame when a certain man was world heavyweight champion and the focal point of every single episode of RAW. You older wrestling fans know exactly what I'm talking about. Last Monday, we saw a glimpse into the past; a glimpse into an era when one man dominated television and the main-event scene on RAW. Naturally, I'm talking about the the 2002-2003 era, when the show was all about Triple H. In case you missed it, HHH was almost always the world champion, would`kick off RAW almsot every week with a long-ass promo, and look dominant at the end of every other episode (depsite being a heel).What we saw on Monday was basically history being relived, with the only difference being HHH was not the world champion.
I certainly hope that HHH's new authority figure is not going to last much longer. Why? Because what we saw on RAW this week could go on for quite some time. RAW (and even Smackdown!) would start off with HHH addressing this topic, or HHH addressing this superstar, and HHH constantly being involved with major angles that, well, he has no business involved in. I understand the reason for the Punk/HHH confrontation, but unless this is leading to a huge match between the two sometime soon, I see no reason for HHH to receive all this television time. You want HHH to come out and lay down the law? But don't have him come out at the start of RAW, get interviewed backstage, and then show up at the end of the show. He is taking up precious TV time that should be given to other storylines, and other wrestlers. Unless HHH plans on competing at every PPV for the rest of the year, I do not want nor need to see him on television multiple times per week.
I haven't read the spoliers for Smackdown!, but Triple H is supposed to make another appearance on Friday night. As long as he makes AN appearance, that's fine. But if he shows up as regularly as he does on RAW, then he won't be the one to "save" Smackdown!. He'll be the one responsible for burying it into the ground.
Writer's Note: This "column" (if you can call it that) has almost NOTHING to do with professional wrestling. Therefore, feel free to skip today's column at your own leisure.
For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, and/or follow me on Twitter, you may have already heard the sad news already. My 85-year-old grandmother, who lived in a duplex with me and my family my whole life, suffered a heart attack and passed away yesterday night. Watching her slip away was one of the hardest things I'd ever done in my life, because seeing her drawing her last breaths and not being able to do anything about it made me feel weak. It made me feel sad and frustrated. Here I am, this all-mighty McDonald's manager who rarely shows signs of fragility weeping like a little boy with the rest of my family. It was horrible.
I know she's in a better place right now, because all she did was stay home by herself and watch television with only me and my brother there to keep her company from time to time, but I still can't believe she's gone. Whenever I would play on my Nintendo Wii, she would always watch and laugh at characters like Super Mario and Samus Aran. She would always join me for RAW, Smackdown!, and even NXT, as she was a huge wrestling fan, despite her age. However, she hated watching iMPACT! - she called it "ugly". Her words, not mine.
While it feels great to have the place to myself, I'm going to miss sitting next to my grandma every other day and watching TV with her. I'm going to miss her commentary whenever she saw guys like John Morrison and Randy Orton (who she loved) and how much she hated "stupid people" like Christian and The Miz (again, her words, not mine). It's going to take a while to get used to having Sunday lunch without her, and her not opening the door for me when I came home from work at midnight or clubbing at 3am. It's going to take some time for me and my mother to accept the fact that both my grandparents are no longer among us.
Right now, the world is a daze, but thanks to all my friends' support, I'm keeping my head up and trying to stay strong. Not just for me, but for my mom as well. If there is anything to be learned from these words, it's that you should never take your loved ones for granted. I don't regret being able to spend as much time with my grandma as I did before she passed because I know I will never get another chance. I just wish I had a chance for her to hear my last goodbye, but unfortunately, she had already slipped into a coma...
So tonight, give your family an extra hug before going to sleep because you never know what's going to happen tomorrow.
Rest In Power, Bobba.
1926-2011
We all knew it was coming. Every single year, WWE tends to "trim the fat" by releasing a number of superstars/divas/referees/etc. who they feel are not contributing to the company's success. This annual process is usually referred to as "spring cleaning", but WWE changed things up this year by keeping everyone employed until August (except for Chavo Guerrero, but who cares about him). So am I surprised that WWE cut a bunch of names? Not at all. But do I agree with the list? That's another story...
David Hart Smith: I saw this one coming a mile away. Not only did he do nothing but job on Superstars since The Hart Dynasty split up, but Smith was also rumoured to be interested in learning Mixed Martial Arts. If I'm Vince McMahon and I hear that one of my superstars is interested in learning another trade, I'm going to take that as a slap in the face. There's no passion for wrestling, no passion to succeed. Just an employee already exploring other options. No wonder Smith got the boot. No interest, no direction, and completely bland inside and outside the ring. Good riddance.
Melina: Another give-away, and rightfully so. Twitter (and the internet in general) has led to lots of WWE employees losing their job because of rants against the company, posting inappropriate images/videos, and simply whining about their position in the company. If Matt Hardy has taught us anything, it's that WWE does not appreciate being made fun of, especially by their own workers. Therefore, I cannot comprehend why Melina would be surprised she got the pink slip. I (unfortunately) follow her on Twitter, and for months now, every other tweet is a jab against the company. I'm glad they got tired of her complaining and just released her all together. Besides, with Beth Phoenix and Natalya on the verge of becoming major heels, who needs a wannabe Trish Stratus?
Vladimir Koslov: I'll admit, this one kind of shocked me. Ever since his Smackdown! debut, WWE devoted so much time into pushing Koslov to the moon. Hell, he was undefeated for months and even challenged Triple H for the WWE Championship at SURVIVOR SERIES! Unfortunately for Koslov, his match against H is probably one of the worst world title matches in history, and he never truly recovered from that. Not even a clean victory over The Undertaker could save Koslov. All seemed doomed until Koslov began teaming with Santino, and they found major success, even going on to become tag team champions. In fact, I'd argue that Santino did a great job getting Koslov over as a face, which is why I'm confused Koslov got let go. There are plenty of other guys on the roster who get smaller reactions than the Moscow Mauler, but maybe age was a factor involved (he's in his thirties). Either way, I don't quite agree with this release.
Gail Kim: Whether she "quit" of if she was fired, the truth of the matter is she's no longer a WWE diva. And I couldn't care less. That may seem a bit harsh, but can anyone remember the last time Gail was on RAW and didn't wrestle in a 16-diva tag team or Battle Royal? I certainly can't. Many people praise her wrestling ability, but if she has no charisma and cannot connect with the fans, then there's not much point in keeping her around. Was she underutilized? Yes. Did she deserve to be underused? Probably not. However, WWE is currently interested in two types of divas: models like Kelly Kelly and Eve, and amazons/monsters like Beth Phoenix and Kharma. Gail Kim doesn't quite fit into either category. Sorry, girl.
Chris Masters: The final superstar to get cut last Friday is probably the one who deserved it the least. I was not a fan of Masters or The Masterlock during his first WWE run (circa 2005-2006), but when he made his WWE return last year, I was pleasantly surprised. He dropped the excessive muscle fat and was putting on good matches more regularly than ever. He didn't really make a name for himself on Smackdown!, but he had lots of entertaining bouts on Superstars. When he was moved over to RAW in the draft, I thought he would be pushed to the United States Championship. Instead, he did nothing but compete on Superstars until his release last week. A waste of a talent, really. I feel bad for Masters because he was one of WWE's most underused workers, and it's rare for superstars to get a second chance in the WWE. Masters got a second chance, and I sadly don't think he'll get another.
What do YOU think about these releases? Justified or unjustified? Don't be shy - I'd love to get your thoughts, both positive and negative.
The answer is - no, they can't. I mean, John Cena and CM Punk are sure to put on another clinic this Sunday, but not even Triple H's involvement as special guest referee can save the show.
Here's why. Even if WWE announces three more matches for SummerSlam at tonight's Smackdown! taping, they've probably already lost themselves thousands of buyers. That's because any fan who tuned into RAW, WWE's most-watched television program, likely enjoyed the show, but is going under the impression that SummerSlam will only see four matches take place - Punk/Cena, Christian vs. Orton, Sheamus vs. Henry, and Kelly vs. Phoenix.
I'm sorry, but that is a fucking joke. There are many people (a lot more than you think) who consider SummerSlam their favorite PPV of the year, and second only to Wrestlemania. Therefore, to have only four matches announced six days before the PPV is mind-blowing, especially since one of those four matches is a divas match! Now, had they gone with Hustle's idea and made Cena/Punk or even Christian/Orton a sixty-minute IronMan match, then four matches would have been perfectly acceptable. Start off the show with Sheamus vs. Henry, throw in a backstage segment to cut time, let the fans use the restroom during Kelly and Beth's match, have them mark out for another Christian/Orton classic, and then have them watch Cena and Punk produce magic for a solid hour. Problem solved, and SummerSlam 2011 goes down as one of the better SummerSlams in recent memory.
The problem is, there is no IronMan match scheduled for Sunday's PPV. Just a monster vs. monster match, a short divas bout, a no holds barred match, and a MitB rematch which features a guest referee. Now, there was a report today which said the reason only four matches have been officially announced for SummerSlam is because they plan on giving more in-ring time to every match. That's funny, because I somehow doubt Sheamus vs. Henry will go on longer than fifteen minutes, and the same can be said about Kelly vs. Phoenix. I see no logic in having either of those contests go on much longer than they should.
So WWE, I have to ask - what gives? As of last week, there were so many possible matches that could have been added to the card, and I wouldn't have minded the inclusion of any of them. Alex Riley vs. Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes vs. Ezekiel GoingJackson, Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz, Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston, John Morrison vs. R-Truth - I would have been fine with any of those bouts taking place at SummerSlam. Hell, even Otunga & McGillicutty vs. Santino & Ryder could have been realistically announced for the PPV.
Instead, WWE made the mistake of putting all the focus on the WWE Championship match. Don't get me wrong, I loved the contract signing, and enjoyed both Cena vs. Swagger and Punk vs. Del Rio, but WWE could and should have found a way to promote other feuds for Sunday's PPV. Riley vs. Ziggler did not have to happen; especially since the post-match shenanigans took more time than the actual match. Morrison vs. Truth felt odd taking place on RAW, and not even the crowd were into it. Both matches have been saved for SummerSlam, and even if they are announced last-minute, they may have already lost their momentum.
I strongly doubt we'll only see four matches take place on Sunday. Chances are WWE are sticking with their old and stupid formula of "we'll hype the hell out of three matches, but we'll announce the rest of the card on the fly". That's why I'm fairly confident we'll see Miz vs. Mysterio and Ziggler vs. Riley announced over the weekend, or even during the show. WWE have to remember that while guys like Punk and Cena are the main draws, they're not the only draws either. Lots of people will purchase a PPV where Cena, Punk, and Randy Orton are all headliners, no doubt about it. But what about Miz's fans, Rey Mysterio's fans, etc.? Some people may not be too keen on seeing two rematches from WWE's last PPV taking place, so a strong undercard might change those people's minds and make them order SummerSlam.
Punk vs. Cena at Money in the Bank was such an epic match, and seeing it live made a five-star match even better. I'm sure their upcoming rematch will be awesome as well, but WWE are really counting on the match to sell the PPV, which is not fair. Cena vs. "Dwayne" is already confirmed for Wrestlemania 28, but will WWE book only four matches for Wrestlemania, assuming the main-event is all they need for people to buy it? Of course not. Therefore, I do not understand why all the emphasis has been put on Cena vs. Punk, especially going into one of the year's biggest PPVs.
So once again, I ask - can Punk vs. Cena save SummerSlam?
I'll let you be the judge of that.
I know I'm approximately forty-eight hours early, but I know I won't have time to post my predictions for WWE's second biggest Pay-Per-View of the year (yeah right) before Sunday night, so I'm sharing them now. At least WWE bothered to announce a fifth match for the event, but still, only five pre-announced matches for SummerSlam? Really, WWE? Really? Anyways, let's kick things off with the "newest" match on the card:
Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett
I was pleasantly surprised to see this added to the card, especially beforehand, as I felt both men would be left sitting on the sidelines comes Sunday evening. Fortunately, I was wrong. In case you've missed Smackdown! the last few weeks, these two have been developing a nice little feud that stems back to Barrett being the last man standing on the ladder at Money in the Bank before Bryan kicked him off and won the coveted briefcase. Since MitB, they've been in each other's face inside the ring, outside the ring, and even on commentary. I doubt this rivalry will end on Sunday, but one thing is for sure - Bryan won't lose. Barrett is being used to put Bryan over as a major force, and that all starts two days from now.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
WWE Divas Championship: Kelly Kelly (c.) vs. Beth Phoenix
I have to credit the WWE for finally announcing a divas title match I can care about. I'm not going to indulge into the rumours about Beth's backstage relationship with CM Punk being the reason for her out-of-nowhere push, because I'm just glad she's on the card this Sunday. This will be better than the Kelly Kelly/Bella Twins train-wrecks we've seen the past few months, but not by much. After putting up a good fight, the Barbie shall fall to the Phoenix.
Winner, and NEW Divas Champion: Beth Phoenix
Sheamus vs. Mark Henry
On paper, this match looks like garbage, but when you look into things a bit further, you might be surprised by what you see on Sunday. These two have tangled in the past with the roles reversed (Sheamus the heel and Henry the face), and while none of their matches were match of the night levels of awesomeness, they were quite entertaining, considering the participants. Now that these two actually have a reason to do battle, and on PPV, if given the right amount of time, it could very well be one of the night's better matches. Obviously not better than the two world title matches, but Sheamus and Henry could have more chemistry than Bryan and Barrett do. As for the winner, it all depend son who leaves Los Angeles with the world heavyweight title. If Orton wins, then Sheamus will put over Henry big-time, and we'll get Orton vs. Henry at Vengeance for the world title. However, if Christian retains the gold, then I see him defending it against Sheamus at the next PPV.
Hmmm both men need the win; Henry to continue his wave of destruction and Sheamus to solidify his face turn, but only one can get the pinfall (they'd better not do a DQ or count-out finish). What the hell, I give the win to Sheamus, but Henry will bounce right back, trust me.
Winner: Sheamus
No Holds Barred Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Christian (c.) vs. Randy Orton
Since I picked Sheamus to go over Henry, then I assume you know who I'm going with here. There's not much I can add to this feud that hasn't already been said, but WWE would be crazy to put the belt back on Orton. Christian has only been world champion for three weeks, but the past three episodes of Smackdown! have all scored higher ratings than every episode with Orton as the champ. Therefore, after putting on another classic, I predict Christian will finally pin Orton and put an end to this great feud.
On a side note, unless another match like Riley vs. Ziggler or Mysterio vs. Miz is announced last-minute, isn't it funny that Smackdown! have more official matches at SummerSlam than RAW does? Not only that, but of the two RAW matches on Sunday, one of them involve divas? It must suck to be the RAW midcard right now. Talk about dropping the ball.
Getting back on track...oh yeah, Christian wins. I hope.
Winner, and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Christian
WWE Championship: John Cena (c.) vs. CM Punk (c.) with Triple H as the Special Guest Referee
I don't want to shit all over the SummerSlam main-event, but I truly believe WWE could have built up this match so much better. Granted, last Monday's contract signing probably got a lot of extra buys, but how many people reading this can honestly say they're more excited than their first encounter at last month's MitB PPV?
...
...
...
...That's what I thought. Inserting Triple H as the special guest referee, like it not, is a smart move because it adds doubt to the match's outcome. You can tell a screwjob is coming, but you don't know from which angle. Will HHH side with Cena and screw Punk of the title? Or will HHH and Punk be revealed as the ones in a secret alliance? Either way, there's no way this match gets called down the middle on Sunday. I'm just praying us internet fans are not disgusted with the result.
Both men have a 50/50 chance of leaving as the TRUE WWE Champion. Cena could win, only to go on to feud with Del Rio, or Punk could win, feuding with Mysterio, Del Rio, and maybe even The Miz. I'm not confident with my pick, but Scenario B sounds a lot more fun, so let's go with that.
Winner, and STILL/NEW WWE Champion: CM Punk
I'm serious. It's no secret that Alberto Del Rio's popularity within the Internet Wrestling Community has been shot the past few months (especially with CM Punk's meteoric rise to the top of RAW), but if you honestly thought Del Rio would not successfully cash-in his Money in the Bank briefcase, then you must have smoking something. Del Rio has been pushed by company officials ever since his debut. He debuted last fall, and by December 2011, he was already competing for the world heavyweight title on Pay-Per-View. Last night on RAW, Jerry Lawler commented that Del Rio has had an amazing year thus far, and he's right. Del Rio Won the Royal Rumble, headlined Wrestlemania 28, received another title shot at Extreme Rules, won Money in the Bank last month, and is now the "Undisputed" WWE Champion.
Despite all that preparation, there are still many people out there who feel Del Rio isn't ready to be the top dog on RAW. Well, first of all, Del Rio may be the WWE Champion, but he's not the number one guy. Both John Cena and CM Punk are at the head of the food chain, with Rey Mysterio and The Miz not far behind. With Del Rio now the WWE Champion, I'd say he's now the fifth biggest RAW superstar. This is a formula that's been in effect for decades now. When Ultimate Warrior won the WWE Championship, he may have been "The Champ", but Hulk Hogan was still the "man". Mankind won the world title several times, but was he ever a bigger draw than Stone Cold or The Rock? No. Even when CM Punk defeated Edge for the world heavyweight title three years ago, Batista vs. Cena was RAW's top feud, not Punk's program with JBL. Therefore, as long as Punk, Cena, and Mysterio are still heavily involved every week, I have no problem with Del Rio holding the most valued prize in the company.
However, this isn't a debate of whether Del Rio deserves to be WWE Champion or not. Instead, I wish to focus on why Del Rio will be a superb champ, and not follow in the footsteps of Sheamus or Jack Swagger, for example. In the case of Sheamus, he was pushed WAY too quickly, as he won the WWE Championship less than three months on his RAW debut. The fans simply had no time to buy into his character. As for Swagger, he went from jobbing to Santino one week, to winning Money in the Bank and becoming world champion the next week. Therefore, it was hard for the fans to take Swagger seriously, and his feuds with Big Show and Rey Mysterio did him no favours.
Fortunately for Del Rio, he doesn't suffer from either of these drawbacks. He's been on the main roster for about a year now, and has been pushed heavily on both RAW and Smackdown!. Not only that, but Del Rio has picked up wins against Rey Mysterio, Christian, and The Big Show, among others, which makes him credible in a lot of people's eyes. If Del Rio does indeed face Cena or Cena AND Punk at Night Of Champions, and walks away victorious, that will only get him over with the fans, because he has defeated one (or both) of RAW's top stars. Unlike Sheamus and Swagger, I predict Del Rio's championship reign will be booked much stronger than expected (it's already off to a good start after cleanly defeating Mysterio last night).
Now here's the tricky part. Many members of the IWC criticize Del Rio for being average in the ring, and cutting repetitive promos. These are the two main reasons people can't stand him, and groaned when he beat Punk at SummerSlam to win the WWE Championship. While he's certainly no Chris Benoit in the ring, and not Chris Jericho on the stick, he's a lot better than people give him credit for. I recall his matches against Christian and Rey Mysterio from Smackdown! - every one of them was good. Even his Wrestlemania match against Edge was decent. As for his microphone skills, Del Rio cut some great promos on Mysterio ("the little chiwawa") before creative told him to keep talking about how it's his destiny to become champion. Well, now that Del Rio IS the champion, I'm confident his promos will go in a new direction. Just give it time.
To be honest, I don't think people are upset because Del Rio is the new champion. Rather, I believe they're upset because CM Punk is NOT the WWE Champion. They're upset that WWE gave Punk a month-long reign with the belt and then gave it to Del Rio so he can be champion when WWE rolls into Mexico next October. If that is the case, that's too damn bad. I'm a huge fan of Punk, but am I crying over the fact he dropped the title? No, because his angle with Cena has turned him into something he wasn't six months ago - a legit main-eventer. Punk no longer needs the title to get over, but Del Rio does. And when Del Rio does get over, he'll be a huge star, not only in Mexico, but around the world as well.
But you already know that.
*****Song Of The Day:
As promised, I decided to skip out on watching SummerSlam this year. After reading the results, in which I went 1-4 with my picks, I wasn't too sad on missing out (especially when I saw that Orton won the title back). However, once everyone started talking about how good the matches were, I started to regret my choice and after YouTubing Orton/Christian, Cena/Punk, and Barrett/Bryan, I realized I made the wrong decision. Oh, well. That's what I get for judging a book by it's cover.
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Until next time, take it easy, bro.
