The Power of Bolief

Bo Dallas's motivational speaker gimmick is similar to the archetypal televangelist. For whatever reason WWE seem unwilling to fully embrace this¹ and instead keep Bo doing the same trite promos that end in his "Bolieve!" catchphrase. Yeah, it's a damn nice pun but Bo could be doing more as a character and livening up the lower card as he does it.

Do you.. Bolieve?

Here's an idea. Have Bo come out dressed in an all white suit, including a white tie and white shoes. They should go full televangelist with it and have him look like he's trying to resemble an actual angel. The New Day lads have honed the televangelist promo style but they're not using the look. That's still wide open and Bo would fit it well.

With this new look could come a new focus in promos. Instead of just setting himself up for his punchline catchphrase Bo could spend a few weeks or a month talking about how he wants to help WWE Superstars™ who are floundering and struggling. Interrupting random matches on SmackDown and getting segments on Main Event would be enough to get this new approach across, with it being made clear that Bo's looking to help lower card lads.

After a few weeks Bo could reveal the guys he wants to help, interrupting a match involving them or simply calling them to the ring during SmackDown (this clearly isn't high profile enough to get air time on RAW). There are a few options for this. Bo could tell Cutis Axel and Damien Sandow that they're better than imitating people from decades ago. He could tell Fandango and Adam Rose that they're both great athletes not being taken seriously because of their silly gimmicks. He could tell Zack Ryder that management aren't interested in him despite his hard work and that he hasn't been relevant for years.

Bolievers?

They're all middle or lower card guys (whether they deserve to be or not). The diea should be that Dallas recruits them to be Bolievers and becomes their manager. Let him manage two guys, give them new all-white ring gear (maybe have their names in black on them or something) and use them as a tag team. You'd have a new team, a new use for Bo Dallas that plays to his strength of being both irritating and ridiculous, and something for guys who are currently directionless.

You would also have the option to imply that Bo is some sort of sinister cult leader who's brainwashed guys into being Bolievers. That may not sound like anything particularly novel in and of itself and it wouldn't be. But it's worth noting that Bo's real life brother is Bray Wyatt, a man well established within WWE canon as a cult leader. Doing something similar with Bo would create the option to play the cult leader thing up in a future storyline. It's an idea that does things short and long term.

But it won't happen. Obviously. Nobody in WWE writes for the mid-card anymore.

***

¹ It's possible they're concerned about upsetting big Christianity fans in their own locker room or religious groups outside the company. But that argument doesn't really tally with them referring to Brock Lesnar as the Devil or the continued depiction of The Undertaker as a demon and-or zombie.

NXTweet 21.01.15

The highlight of NXT this week? The long awaited return of Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy. Hideo Itami wrestling a singles main event on a show that also featured Charlotte v Sasha Banks and Finn Bálor v Curtis Axel was just icing on the cake.

Intro and recap

Tweet 1: What is with these 50 minute-plus episodes of NXT? Ah well, best get on with it. The sooner I start the sooner I finish...

Tweet 2: I'm immediately laughing at people in the audience looking massively shocked at the Owens turn from R Evolution.
Tweet 3: They're showing highlights of last week's title match now. It was good, for the record.
Tweet 4: I'm less enthusiastic as Owens using the pop-up power bomb as a finish.

William Regal makes announcements

Tweet 5: Regal sitting at a desk? You better believe I'm marking out.

Tweet 6: Tournament. Marking out for that too.

Sami Zayn promo, featuring William Regal and Tye Dillinger

Tweet 7: What did Tye Dillinger ever do to Sami Zayn, eh?

Poor ol' Tye.

Tweet 8: Regal means business here. Didn't even wipe his feet before getting into the ring.
Tweet 9: On a side note I realised the other day that I wipe my feet whenever going into a building. I like to think I picked that up from Regal.
Tweet 10: Owens v Zayn will main event the next Takeover special? I'm shocked...
Tweet 11: One of the tournament entrants is "the enigmatic mind of Finn Bálor"? So, not Bálor, just his mind? C'mon, commentary team.

Number one contender tournament: Curtis Axel v Finn Bálor

Tweet 12: Better than Perfect? Nah mate.

Tweet 13: Axel went to NXT to get his career back on track. He should've just reformed his team with Ryback.
Tweet 14: Axel realising he's been outperformed before the bell's even rung, there.
Tweet 15: Rich Brennan cracking jokes about Yogi Bear. I actually despair.
Tweet 16: This match was really good until Axel went on offence and slapped on a rest hold.
Tweet 17: Bálor's double stomp needs a cool name. How about... Kill Feet?
Tweet 18: Magic Jumping Finisher?
Tweet 19: Rich Brennan is welcoming us to the show and we're well over 18 minutes in.

Devin Taylor interviews Sasha Banks

Tweet 20: Sasha reckons she's winning the women's title on this episode. I reckon she's not.

Bull Dempsey promo

Tweet 21: Lovely close-up on Bull Dempsey's hands.

Tweet 22: Bull Dempsey: the talent Taz could have been.

NXT women’s championship match: Charlotte (c) v Sasha Banks

Tweet 23: Charlotte's had her hair done but she's STILL wearing that same T-shirt and ring gear. I bet she smells rancid.

Tweet 24: Love that she threw her shirt in a kid's face. You wouldn't catch John doing that.
Tweet 25: Yeah, just John. What of it?
Tweet 26: Charlotte being announced from Queen City tickled me. Probs near Dudleyville.

Could've been great with more time and a different ending.

Tweet 27: Still not sold on Becky Lynch. Sasha is a great talent. Probably the best woman WWE has.
Tweet 28: Between her and Paige.
Tweet 29: Not understanding why Becky interfered, other than to set up that Bayley run-in.
Tweet 30: Was that suplex from Bayley to Charlotte meant to be a heel turn? On the unimaginative main roster it would be obvious.
Tweet 31: What's Becky done to earn a women's title match? Actually what? C'mon, Regal...

Some new interviewer bloke talks to Kevin Owens

Tweet 32: New interviewer interrupting Owens while he's texting or playing Angry Birds or whatevs. He wouldn't have gotten off that lightly with Punk.

The Vaudevillains v Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake

Tweet 33: #Vaudevillainspop

Tweet 34: No pop for Murphy and Blake.
Tweet 35: Can't tell Murphy and Blake apart? Don't worry, they've got you covered! Their names are written on their tights.
Tweet 36: Sometimes even they forget which one's which.

Wear down hold!

Tweet 37: Murphy still looks like a younger, shorter Undertaker.
Tweet 38: I've worked out what it is that gives me trouble about these lads. Their look is very TNA. Which obviously isn't a good thing.
Tweet 39: Their entrance music though. I'm going to be disappointed when Jim Johnston gets around to them.
Tweet 40: Vaudevillains lost btw. I was surprised.

The new interviewer bloke talks to Murphy and Blake

Tweet 41: "This isn't where our year ends!" - Buddy Murphy, in January

Tweet 42: They reckon they're going to the top. Maybe settle for NXT, guys. You don't want to get Ascensioned on RAW.

Number one contender tournament: Tyler Breeze v Hideo Itami

Tweet 43: Look! Look, everyone! It's Tyler! *swoons*

Tweet 44: Against my better judgment I'm enjoying this phantom of the opera thing they've got going on with Marcus Louis stalking Breeze.
Tweet 45: It's exactly the level of gimmick storyline I love right now. They'll mess it up though.
Tweet 46: 'The Handsome Godzilla'! That's Breeze's best nickname yet.
Tweet 47: "That is going to change some molars in the mouth of Tyler Breeze" - J-Train, with a perfect example of why he shouldn't be commentating
Tweet 48: I mean, yeah, I'm enjoying this match, but not as much as I think I should be. I'm beginning to think this is on Itami.
Tweet 49: Breaking news: Lucha Dragons accept the challenge of Burphy and Mlake.
Tweet 50: Even breakinger news: no one cares.
Tweet 51: Maybe Rich Brennan should look into what a fisherman's suplex actually is.

Tasty little point from Breeze, there.

Tweet 52: Breeze hitting a super kick, reminding me that he is WWE's answer to the Young Bucks.
Tweet 53: That crucifix was a bit...
Tweet 54: Look at all those lovely, lovely kicks.
Tweet 55: Itami won. With a kick.
Tweet 56: Good show, everyone. Good hustle.

NXTweet 08.01.15

Hideo Itami gets a singles match and The Vaudevillains have their tag title rematch. Oh, and NXT champ Sami Zayn returns to work. Good episode. Compelling and rich.

Sami Zayn promo, featuring Adrian Neville and William Regal

Tweet 1: And now to tweet about NXT.

Tweet 2: Sami Zayn has finally bothered to show back up to work. Why did nobody lay into him for taking a month off like Lesnar?
Tweet 3: Just kidding, obvs. Dude was a-selling.
Tweet 4: Flat cap alert.
Tweet 5: Sami's wandered into the crowd to show off his belt. Imagine if someone nabbed it.
Tweet 6: I like Zayn but his T-shirt could be better.
Tweet 7: Sami Zayn and the Zayniacs. Oh Sami. I just said I like you, mate.
Tweet 8: Guy in an nWo T-shirt in the front row. There's always one.
Tweet 9: The point of this is that Zayn got the title because he believed in himself and the fans supported him and that he's ready to fight Owens.
Tweet 10: Neville coming out with his weird music and his Orc ears and his guyliner.

BFFs.

Tweet 11: "I didn't mean to interrupt you" - Adrian Neville after deliberately interrupting
Tweet 12: They'll end up agreeing to have a flat cap on a pole match, just you wait.
Tweet 13: #Regalpop
Tweet 14: Regal announced a rematch for next week. Fair enough.

Vaudevillains backstage interview

Tweet 15: #Vaudevillainspop

Tweet 16: #Gotchvoicepop
Tweet 17: Good promo. English explained what they wanted (the tag titles) and Gotch did some squats. It had it all.

Hideo Itami v Curtis Axel

Tweet 18: Prince Tensai has just claimed that Hideo is popular in Japan as Flair was in his prime. Such a weird analogy.

Tweet 19: Flair was hated in his heyday.
Tweet 20: Curtis Axel and his beard are better off in NXT than on RAW. I hope they stick with him and give him things to do on this show.
Tweet 21: Graves and Albert arguing about hats there.
Tweet 22: Yeah, I mean, you've been going for three minutes so it's probably time for a rest hold.

The dreaded palm to the temple. It's a killer.

Tweet 23: Groin to the face cover from Axel there.
Tweet 24: I like both these guys but this match is doing nothing for me. It's slow. They should have just started off leathering each other.
Tweet 25: I'm disgusted at the lack of reaction to the attempted Perfectplex.

Byron Saxton interviews Natalya and Tyson Kidd backstage

Tweet 26: Tyson's busy preparing for a match next week? Lolwut?

Tweet 27: He's wearing his gear and everything.
Tweet 28: Tyson wants the title. He's also keen on cats. He likes them to eat food from his mouth.

Alexa Bliss v Sasha Banks

Tweet 29: Hype video for Corbin v Dempsey followed by an Alexa Bliss match. No, not odd at all...

Tweet 30: "I spend a lot of time around these ladies" - Rich Brennan, probably not realising like he sounds like a massive stalker
Tweet 31: Still loving the Banks Statement.

One of the best moves in WWE.

Tweet 32: Becky Lynch is no longer playing a nineteenth century Irish girl but hasn't updated her ring gear. Poor effort.

Tyler Breeze announces his comeback

Tweet 33: Close-up of Tyler Breeze! *swoons*

Chad Gable v Tyler Breeze

Tweet 34: Look! Look, everyone! It's Tyler!! #sogorgeous

Tweet 35: "Let's go Gable" chants? What is this? Why aren't they cheering for 'The Gorgeous One'?
Tweet 36: Nice to see Gable making use of some old Kurt Angle gear.

He learned this at the Olympics.

Tweet 37: "We've got a match to call, Albert" - Corey Graves to Jason Bloom
Tweet 38: Big fan of Graves on commentary for that exact reason.
Tweet 39: Chad Gable may have been to the Olympics but he didn't win gold with a BROKEN FREAKIN' NECK.
Tweet 40: Breeze should totes start using the Unprettier.

Devin Taylor talks to Finn Bálor backstage

Tweet 41: Finn Bálor's looking forward to his match with Tyson Kidd next week. Clever lad doing interviews instead of stretching a week early.

Tweet 42: Hilarious shot of Marcus Louis perving on Breeze from behind a curtain from before the (entirely unnecessary) break.

The Vaudevillains v Lucha Dragons

Tweet 43: One day the Vaudevillains pose will be as celebrated as the Impact Players pose.

Tweet 44: Has anyone ever explained why Sin Cara went from being on RAW to being in a tag team in developmental? I mean in storyline terms.
Tweet 45: Is he mentoring Kalisto? That would be a very WWE thing to do.
Tweet 46: Gotch nearly suffered a wardrobe malfunction taking that dive.

Lucha Device?

Tweet 47: I like both of these teams but the WWE tag formula is grating on me here. How about a match where nobody is isolated for an extended period?
Tweet 48: English singing to the crowd while applying a sleeper. Just like that I'm drawn back in.
Tweet 49: Nice sunset bomb, yo.
Tweet 50: "Look at that teamwork! My god!" - Rich Brennan with a call straight out of the Vince McMahon playbook
Tweet 51: Lucha Dragons win. I knew they would but I'm still disappointed.

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 47

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 47 by Dave Hatton on Mixcloud

This episode sees the debut of a new recurring feature. It is imaginatively titled Three Things. The premise of it is simple. We take three wrestlers, tag teams, or other role in wrestling and think of things (three to be precise) that could be done to improve them.

Here we apply it to three WWE tag teams. I won’t mention any specifics because I think finding out who we’re talking about and how we think they could be bettered is a large part of what makes the episode enjoyable. Although it’s possible you can guess through a process of elimination.

I will say that I think WWE is overlooking their tag team division and not doing as much as they could with the teams they have. It’s not that the doubles scene is bad. It’s been improving for around eighteen months now. In that time we’ve seen Team Hell No, The Rhodes Scholars, The Shield and the Rhodes bros doing everything they can to make the division and the titles mean something. The spate of six man tags involving The Shield and The Wyatt Family has helped too.

Do we have ideas to improve Goldust and Cody Rhodes

But WWE are at risk of losing this. The Rhodes brothers seem to have been cooled off a little since losing the championships in January and The Shield have been moved away from doubles action this year. Even The Prime Time Players, a duo who had lots of potential to work as a fun supporting act but never got the chance to be as good as they could be, have been split (read my thoughts on that stupidity here). The division is currently in the hands of teams that are mostly proficient but seem unlikely to keep the momentum of recent times going.

Of course, wrestling well is fine. It’s better to have good wrestling than bad, especially when it comes to an aspect of WWE programming that hasn’t been handled too well for much of the last decade. But there’s more to wrestling than just putting on good matches, especially in WWE. The tag scene is the perfect place for WWE to be experimental with characters and gimmicks or for humour to be inserted into shows. These things are important to keeping shows varied and for experimenting with guys who could be stars for the company in the future.

If the Usos are left as the centrepiece team of the division it’s not going to take long for the good work of Daniel Bryan, Kane, Cody Rhodes, Goldust and ‘The Hounds of Justice’ to be undone. Even if Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, the obvious choices to oppose Jimmy and Jey in the post-‘Mania season, are moved into the division it will lack the variety of the last year and a half.

TLC 2013 preview

One thing we know about Sunday's Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view is that it won't be the regular forgettable second tier event. The unification of the WWE and World Heavyweight championships in the main event will see to that. With a match of genuine historic significance happening there doesn't need to be a particularly noteworthy undercard. Which is good, because there isn't one.

This is assuming the unification happens. WWE avoided the U word when the champ versus champ match was first announced but they've since embraced it. But this means nothing. It's not beyond WWE to say they're combining the belts knowing full well they've got different plans. It's entirely possible this is part of a longer plot that will culminate at the Rumble or perhaps even WrestleMania itself. I don't think this will come to pass. Everything that's been on TV over the last few weeks indicates WWE have gotten into the one world champ idea.

Before I discuss Orton v Cena I'll look at the undercard. As I've already hinted, it looks unimpressive. It's built around two three-on-one handicap matches. Repeating that sort of match on a show people are expected to pay to watch is asking for trouble. Not only are they inherently boring but they're fairly common on TV. Why pay for something that you get for free?

The handicap matches involve CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, The Shield and The Wyatt Family. Specifically Punk will wrestle Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns and Bryan will face Bray and his boys. The union between the two faces didn't really last long, did it? I was hoping for some sort of gimmick outing for the two in a rematch with Harper and Rowan instead if these bouts. The reason that's not happening and the three-on-one outings are is because Punk and Bryan defied The Authority (in some utterly minor way) on an episode of RAW. This is the McMahons' way of teaching them a lesson.

I imagine both matches will be laid out in similar ways. The faces will start with some offence before getting beaten down while managing to stay in the fight by kicking out of increasingly impressive moves. I think one will win and one will lose. Punk seems the better placed to win. 'The Hounds of Justice' have been showing signs of breaking up over the last month or two. A loss would further that thread. I don't expect them all to go their separate ways, but I think TLC will feature a step towards the group's dissolution.

Bryan seems the better option for a loss. The Wyatt Family did the job at Survivor Series last month so it's, if you like, their turn to win here. Not only that but there's Bray's promise that he'll turn Bryan into a monster to consider. Losing would set Bryan up to be taken away by the family, triggering this supposed monstrous transformation. The only wrinkle with that thought is that 'The Eater of Worlds' already abducted Bryan once and let him go without doing anything to him.

Note that Brie Bella is not booked to appear on this show. That could indicate she's going to be used as part of Bryan versus the Wyatts. She and Bryan are kept separate for the most part but WWE have been willing enough to tinker with them as an on-screen union before.

Speaking of Divas, AJ Lee will defend her championship against Natalya. If they get the time they deserve that could be one of the better Divas matches of the year. A title change seems unlikely. I think we've a better chance of seeing Faaaaaan... daaaaaan... goooooo and-or Summer Rae and-or Tyson Kidd intervening to further the Total Divas plot that Fandango is in love with Natty than AJ losing her gold (or pink... but that sounds wrong).

Speaking of Fandango, he'll face Dolph Ziggler on the TLC pre-show stream. I'll be surprised if he wins. 'The Show Off' may have been dropped down the card for no reason but WWE still seem to recognise his popularity.

Back on the main card, Damien Sandow versus Big E Langston is a match I have what is probably too much hope for. Nothing indicates they're going to do anything that's better than average but I like the idea of them facing one another. Character-wise 'The Intellectual Saviour' is the perfect foe for a guy like Big E. If this match stays relatively short I think it will have more impact. Langston is not yet good enough to keep a crowd interested for long. Ideally Sandow would trick the champ into getting disqualified, setting up a rematch and reminding us that he's billed as an intellectual for a reason, but I'm not expecting to see that. We live in an imperfect world, after all.

Cody Rhodes and Goldust will defend their tag team titles against The Real Americans, Big Show and Rey Mysterio and Ryback and Curtis Axel. Going off the last few pay-per-views I think this is the one to earmark as the early contender for match of the night honours. Dusty’s lads do amazing work alongside one another.

The former Paul Heyman guys beat the Rhodes bros in a non-title match on the December 6^th SmackDown. That doesn’t mean they’ll leave with the titles here. In fact I can’t see any of the teams in this match dethroning Cody and Goldy. ‘The Big Guy’ and Axel have just been shoved together to keep them occupied, Show and Mysterio (MysteriShow?) have been paired for novelty value (a large man and a small man, what larks!) and The Real Americans are presented as non-threats most of the time.

There’s still enough room for another match or two on the show. With Alberto Del Rio not announced to wrestle I think it’s likely he’ll appear. A third match in his current series with Sin Cara would seem likely. So what if we've seen the masked man cleanly defeat 'The Essence of Excellence' two Mondays in a row? These days that passes for a gripping storyline. Sin Cara beating ADR again would further convince people he's becoming a major star. I think that's a priority for WWE because I suspect they want to do Sin Cara v Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania.

The other filler match I wouldn't be surprised to see would be Kofi Kingston v The Miz. As with Del Rio and Sin Cara they've wrestled one another almost exclusively since Survivor Series. Another match we've already seen for free being added to TLC wouldn't make it a worthwhile buy but that won't stop WWE. They're clearly expecting Orton v Cena to be the only reason people watch this show.

Which just leaves the main event. WWE champion Randy Orton versus John Cena for all the gold. It may be a tired rivalry between arguably the two most overexposed men on the roster but it has two good points. The first is that while Orton and Cena have faced each other several times before they've never done so in a TLC match. They have the opportunity to do something new. They may not take it but the chance is there.

The other thing they have going for them is that their storyline has involved a load of other guys. CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Triple H, The Shield, Kane and Shawn Michaels have all been around the edges or a direct part of the main event over the last several months. All but Michaels could interfere directly in the match because of their feelings on one or both competitors, while it would take no more than a Daniel Bryan run-in to bring out HBK. WWE has loads of options with this match, so much so that I'll be disappointed if it's not booked like one of Raven's ECW title defences or, if you prefer, an Attitude Era classic.

There are reasons for both to win. 'The Apex Predator' could do it to continue rebuilding him as a big name and to stop the WWE championship reverting being a distinguished prop, a status it held until around 2011 or so. Building up is something Cena doesn't need of course, but it's standard practice for WWE to heap accolades on him when they can. And there are few accolades greater than unifying championships, especially when you consider how rarely that happens. I could see Cena winning for no other reason than for WWE to be able to say he's won.

In order to pick a winner for this match you have to think about what WWE's got planned for WrestleMania XXX. Right now I think it's more likely that Cena will be facing Hulk Hogan or challenging Undertaker's Streak than doing anything with the WWE championship. He doesn't need the title for his 'Mania match to be important. Orton's last several years at the show have told us that he does. While I think the most interesting and meaningful WWE title match 'Mania could host is Cena defending against Bryan again I somehow think we're going to get Orton defending against Punk instead. Which means I'm surprising myself and picking Randy Orton to unify the titles.

Predictions summary:

Randy Orton to defeat John Cena
CM Punk to defeat The Shield
The Wyatt Family to defeat Daniel Bryan
Cody Rhodes and Goldust to retain the tag team championship
Big E Langston to defeat Damien Sandow
AJ Lee to defeat Natalya
Dolph Ziggler to defeat Fandango

Hell in a Cell 2013 preview

In previous years I've written extensively about why gimmick pay-per-view names are not - ahem - good for business. I'm not going to repeat the argument at length here. The thrust of it is that gimmick matches should be employed on shows throughout the year as and when feuds require them. By tying them to a particular show it imposes constraints on an already uninspiring creative process. In previous years it's led to feuding wrestlers being put into the Cell when their disputes don't really feel serious enough for it. Happily that's been bypassed this year by two rivalries which have been running since the summer and feel natural being put into the structure.

When I was writing my preview of Battleground I completely forgot what show was following it. Had I remembered I would have altered my predictions accordingly. With hindsight it seems obvious that Bryan and Orton were going to wrestle to a no contest to set up another match in the series inside WWE's premier gimmick. With their programme stretching back to SummerSlam it makes sense to have the final showdown occur in the Hell in a Cell.

There are arguments to be made in favour of both as far as winning's concerned. 'The Viper' could become a eight time champion and head into a dispute with Big Show. That wouldn't be anyone's favourite feud but it would at least make sense and follow on from the last few months of story. Bryan could win and continue his rivalry with Triple H. The championship has been central to the animosity between them, Bryan wanting it and Tripper wanting to keep a tight control on who gets it. Casting Bryan as the renegade champ might not be the best fit but it would at least follow from what’s already happened.

When thinking about who'll win this match I've not paid much attention to Shawn Michaels being on referee duty. The likelihood is that he'll call the match fairly. I can't see him turning heel, there would be little point as there's no match that could come directly from it. I could see him giving Sweet Chin Music to 'The Viper' though, after bring sufficiently provoked. That would provide a storyline clause for 'The Game' to keep up his campaign of hatred against Bryan: he won because if the actions of HBK. Alternatively Orton could win after an errant kick floors Bryan, although that would serve only to prolong a programme I think is wrapping up.

The minutia of the match layout is impossible to predict and so I'm not going to bother trying. What I will predict is a win for Daniel Bryan and a title defence in the not too distant future against Triple H. That ‘The Cerebral Assassin’ went out of his way to say that he would not face Daniel Bryan during the October 21^st RAW can be taken as a pretty clear indication that the match will happen. Or at least that it's being considered.

The other world championship will also be defended, though in a regular match as opposed to inside the Cell. In one corner will be Alberto Del Rio. No surprise there: he's been wearing or challenging for the WHC all year.

In the other corner will be John Cena. Which is surprising for a couple of reasons. Firstly Cena underwent surgery shortly after SummerSlam and we were told he'd be gone until early next year. Having seen him return quickly from injuries before, thanks to his Wolverine-like ability to heal, I wouldn't have been surprised to see him in a match at TLC. But to cut back his recuperation time from five months to two verges on witchcraft.

The second reason Cena's involvement is surprising is that the World Heavyweight championship has been beneath Cena for years now. That the company's top star shows no interest in it is part of the reason the title is now considered to be the second tier prize. Cena has concerned himself exclusively with the WWE title, cementing that belt's reputation as the more prestigious.

It's not impossible Cena will win as part of a long-term title unification plot. But don't get your hopes up. I think the title is likelier to stay with ADR. It would be a hindrance to Cena at this point and any argument that him winning it could enhance is stature is invalid: if Cena won the WHC it would clearly be to give him something to do and, more to the point, championships increase in credibility over time as opposed to overnight by being slapped around the waist of one man (even if that one is the biggest active name in wrestling). If anything the title would be harmed being on someone clearly viewing it as something to do until more important business comes their way.

I'll be amazed if the match doesn't see 'The Essence of Excellence' focusing on Cena's arm. Cena is returning from surgery on his elbow and Del Rio's finisher, the cross arm breaker, has been built up over the years as a legitimate hold that consistently gets wins. It's too good an opportunity to miss. ADR may beat Cena clean with it, setting up the story of Cena returning too soon. Where that would lead is anyone's guess but it would be nice to have that element of fallibility introduced to the currently nigh invincible Cena character.

The other option is that Del Rio gets disqualified for shenanigans. That would protect Cena, always of importance, and would also keep the strap on Del Rio. It's the safe, and boring, option and the one I suspect they'll go with. Whatever the result I expect ADR to leave with the gold.

 

Another month, another guy on the poster not booked in an advertised match

 

If we follow the progression of WWE titles the next in line is either the Intercontinental or the tag team. At the moment I think the doubles belts just clinch it due to a combination of disinterest in the IC strap and the focus brought to teams over the last few months.

The tag team titles were won by Cody Rhodes and Goldust in a very good match on the October 14^th RAW. That the titles changed hands wasn't surprising: Cody 'n' Goldy have been amazingly popular over the last month or so, to the extent that WWE practically had to capitalise on it. Not only that but The Shield had been the champions since May 19^th. It was time for a change.

WWE are not presenting a straight rematch. The reason is probably that we've seen Rollins and Reigns versus the Rhodes boys twice in the last three weeks. As good as a third bout would be it would not be able to offer anything new. Unless of course a gimmick had been added, which for some reason seems to be off limits at this year's HIAC show.

To keep things from getting monotonous the Uso brothers have been added to the match. Someone in WWE, quite possibly Triple H, seems determined to have the public accept Jimmy and Jey. They're a perfectly serviceable unit but I don't think they can progress much further than where they are now. I get the feeling they're in this match to protect the more important teams by taking the loss. 'The Hounds of Justice' could regain the titles to keep the rivalry alive and ensure they remain hot but I think a successful defence for the new champions is a better bet.

Meanwhile the Intercontinental championship will be defended on the pre-show. Paul Heyman Guy Curtis Axel will defend against Big E Langston. Think Big E's a heel? Think again! He became a good guy out of nowhere on Monday's RAW, in a move that makes the breakup of the Langston-Ziggler-AJ unit even more depressing. There was clearly no long term plan for any of them (beyond having AJ "save" the Divas division) so there was no reason they had to be parted.

I think we'll see 'The Perfect One' win with help from Heyman. That would reinforce the image of Heyman being an effective agent and someone wrestlers would want to have at ringside. It'd create reason for a rematch too. I think Big E will get the gold at some point, just not this Sunday.

On the subject of Heyman, he'll compete in his second pay-per-view match of the year at Hell in a Cell. Like his Night of Champions outing it will be a handicap match against CM Punk, only this time he'll team with Ryback as opposed to the rather less effective Curtis Axel. And, to really push the boat out, this match will also be fought inside the Hell in a Cell.

As I've already noted the addition of the Cell to this match makes sense: Heyman and Punk have been at each other's throats since July. I still think it's been a mostly tedious affair but it’s still one that lends itself to the Hell in a Cell and the importance that comes with it.

Traditionally Hell in a Cell marks the end of a feud in WWE. It’s a fittingly epic environment for a feud-ender and generally produces matches that can’t be topped, so why bother trying? I’ve a feeling Punk v Heyman and co will continue until Survivor Series (at least) and take in an elimination match: Team Punk v Team Heyman.

‘The Second City Saint’ has lain down for Heyman clients and Heyman himself at the last three pay-per-views. While wins and losses at the level Punk is at don’t usually matter too much within WWE there does come a point where a wrestler has to get a win to retain credibility. That’s the point I think Punk’s at here. A loss won’t see him fall down the card or lose the backing of people who already support him but it will send the message that he’s doomed to failure battling Heyman. I don’t think that’s a message WWE wants to give and so I’m predicting a Punk win.

AJ Lee defending the Divas championship against Brie Bella is the final match announced. This is the third straight supershow on which they’ll face each other. That’s not as bad as other matches on this card but it is strange when you consider that WWE has a not insignificant number of women that could be pitted against Ms Lee. The constant title shots for Brie are desperate attempts to establish her as a babyface.

The Total Divas star has guaranteed victory. I don’t think that’s something we should focus on. That’s not to say Brie definitely won’t become the new champion, but I don’t think it’s anywhere close to a certainty. I’d like to see AJ retain the title and move on to defences against some of the other ladies on the roster (and for some NXT Divas to be called up). Even if she remains champion I don’t think I’ll get my wish.

If we take the rumours that WWE wants to make Hell in a Cell a top quality show to make up for their recent offerings to be true the card we have is a little surprising. Yes, they're wheeling out the premier gimmick. Yes, John Cena is making a comeback (after missing a grand total of two pay-per-views). Yes, they've roped in Shawn Michaels to add interest to the main event storyline. But that's it. The show was going to feature the cage no matter what. Cena may attract a few extra buys but he by no means ensures the show will be a classic. 'The Heartbreak Kid's' involvement could and should be worthwhile, which is something, but not much by itself.

Ultimately though there's nothing about the card which makes me think it will be significantly better than Battleground or Night of Champions. WWE has misunderstood what was lacking from those shows: it wasn't Cena or focus on the major matches, it was an enticing undercard. If WWE wanted HIAC to appeal to fans irritated by the previous two supershows they should have spent more time working on matches outside of their central plots.

On paper I don't think Hell in a Cell looks bad. Both of the cage bouts should be enjoyable and the tag title affair has the potential to be memorable. But nothing's been announced that makes me think this show will reach the heights WWE apparently wants. The show could reach those heights but it's going to take numerous excellent performances and surprises. And those are disappointingly light on the ground in WWE at the moment.

Predictions summary:

Daniel Bryan to defeat Randy Orton
CM Punk to defeat Ryback and Paul Heyman
Alberto Del Rio to retain the World Heavyweight championship
Cody Rhodes and Goldust to retain the tag team championship
AJ Lee to defeat Brie Bella
Curtis Axel to defeat Big E Langston

Night of Champions 2013 review

"The fate, future and direction of WWE will be decided tonight," said Josh Mathews at the start of the Night of Champions pre-show. Even by WWE standards this was overly dramatic. Anyone who’d had a glance at the announced line-up of matches this show was offering could have told you it was going to be, at best, a functional show more concerned with advancing storylines than anything else.

Towards the end of the pre-show Booker T said he wasn't the face of WWE when he worked for WCW. He was entirely accurate. In addition to inane comments there was also a surprisingly good tag team turmoil match on the half hour freebie. It was won by The Prime Time Players, granting them a shot at the straps held by Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins later in the evening.

Triple H kicked off the main show, entering to his heel King of Kings track. He was there to put his stamp of approval on the show because he believed it would be one of the greatest nights in company history (I’d be amazed if anyone believed that claim). After trotting out his "best for business" catchphrase he announced that the main event would feature no interference from anyone, specifically naming The Shield and Big Show. He then, bizarrely, started doing his “Are you ready?” shtick but got interrupted by Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel.

Heyman tried to get out of his match, spurring 'The Game' to activate face mode. This was a bad move. Inconsistency with how performers are presented is a contributing factor to heel and faces switches not sticking. You never would have caught Vince McMahon playing a face while acting as top bad guy.

Triple H pointed out that Paul had nothing to worry about because he could simply rely on Axel to defeat Punk, ensuring he wouldn’t need to tag in. When Axel piped up he got booked in an Intercontinental title defence against, perhaps as some sort of poster-related title switch tease, Kofi Kingston.

Michael Cole described the match as being of great importance to both men. That he spent several minutes promoting an online poll and rattling off seemingly random IC title-related factoids should tell you how true that claim was. Axel won an enjoyable enough bit of filler with his neck breaker driver.

 

Curtis Axel is very good at post-match celebrations

 

Following the decision it was revealed that 63% of WWE fans had voted Chris Jericho as the greatest Intercontinental champion ever. They'd only been able to vote for him, Rick Rude (2%), Mr Perfect (24%), Pat Patterson (1%), and the Honky Tonk Man (10%), so this is far from a definitive answer to the "who's the greatest?" question. For the record I’d have voted for Hennig or HTM from the selection.

Backstage Ricardo Rodriguez and Rob Van Dam had a painfully awkward conversation. RR taught RVD various Spanish phrases in what apparently passes as comedy.

Elsewhere in the back Alicia Fox and Aksana were busy abandoning AJ Lee. Layla remained loyal but then disappeared to straighten out the deserters. It’s possible Layla was actually meant to be leaving AJ too, but that wasn’t clear. The upshot of this segment was that AJ was left alone for the four-way match.

Before the match we were reminded of AJ's worked shoot promo and subsequent alliance with the Divas who we'd just seen abandon her. An on-screen graphic also revealed that fans had voted Trish Stratus the greatest Divas champion of all time. That's pretty impressive considering she never won the belt.

The Total Divas teamed up on AJ at the start of the match before Brie turned on her allies and presented us with a fair bout. One of the highlights of this match, for me, was the revelation that fans had voted on what outfit Brie Bella would wear. Losing options included "raggedy Bella" and "strawberry shortcake Bella". This voting for outfits idea needs to be a permanent gimmick for the Bellas. It's tremendous.

Natalya clumsily applied a double sharpshooter to Brie and Naomi (during which the recipients' shoulders were on the mat in pinning positions for a lot longer than three seconds) only to be lumped by AJ. The champ then applied her wonderful Black Widow on Natty hold for the submission victory. The division has a long way to go before it becomes unmissable stuff but it's got the right woman as its figurehead.

Experts Booker T, Santino and Alex Riley had a chat about the World Heavyweight championship match. Booker picked Van Dam to win, largely because they're pals. I like the idea that he makes all predictions based on how well he gets on with people, as opposed to form or anything that even tries to sound legitimate. Santino and A-Ry contributed nothing.

 

The battle of men known by three initials is on!

 

'Mr Pay-Per-View' got a great reaction from his home state crowd. Alberto Del Rio had to work for his heat. That wasn't a problem: he had fans jeering by the time he was on the apron. Lilian Garcia's Spanish intro helped too. That heat only intensified when ADR got disqualified for refusing to release his cross arm breaker submission after a five count. The finish did what he was designed to, namely keeping heat on ADR and avoiding a clean loss for RVD in an area where he’s very popular.

Following the decision Del Rio gave his foe a kicking. His attempt to involve a chair was foiled by Ricardo, allowing ‘The Whole F’n Show’ to drop the champ with a DDT and dust off the old Van Terminator (a move which sees Van Dam launch himself from one corner of the ring to the other and kick a chair into a seated opponent). If that was a regular part of his repertoire it would be a nice use of Ricardo. But it's not. Head shots like that are rare in modern WWE, and for good reason. It happened here because RVD was so popular and it was a positive note on which to end the segment.

Backstage Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel were shown discussing their handicap match. Here Heyman tried using the fear of Triple H causing problems for Axel as motivation for his charge to perform. We’d seen plenty of this sort of stuff on TV since the match was announced.

The WHC poll revealed that Booker T is considered the greatest man to hold that belt by fans. He got an impressive 38% of the vote. Edge (22%), Batista (5%), Undertaker (21%), and Ric Flair (14%) were the other options. I suspect Booker benefited from being a part of the broadcast. I'd have voted for Edge.

Backstage (again) Randy Orton asked Triple H why he wasn't getting any help in the main event, all but admitting he felt he couldn't defeat Daniel Bryan unaided. Why are all heels cowards these days? This hasn’t always been the case, surely? 'The King of Kings' told him he wanted to make sure he'd picked the right man to be 'The Face of WWE'. Orton told him he had done and wandered off to do whatever it is he does before matches.

We were presented with a bonus match after that, The Miz facing Faaaaaan... daaaaaan... goooooo. 'The Ballroom Brute' was introduced first to a huge pop and enthusiastic gyrations. 'The Awesome One's' reaction was decidedly more tepid. I suspect WWE are building to a double turn with this feud. Miz is not considered a success as a face (although I like him in the role) and Fandango basically plays a tweener anyway, so it'd make sense.

The match was solid. Miz worked over Fandango's leg (further indicating he may be turning) and they included a number of spots that should have gotten a response from the crowd. They didn't. The audience was dead. Miz won with the figure four.

CM Punk and Curtis Axel both had kendo sticks with them when they came out for their handicap match. Perhaps they should have had a kendo stick on a pole match instead. Chairs and tables were also introduced. They made the most of the no DQ ruling they'd been granted, walloping each other and doing everything they could to remind us this was a relaxed rules affair. It was very effective. They undoubtedly benefited from being the only non-standard bout on the show. WWE should bear that in mind. Less is more.

Heyman predictably stayed down on the mat and didn’t involve himself in proceedings for the majority of the bout. His hand was forced when Axel had fallen to a GTS and an Anaconda Vice. He tried running away but that didn't work. After a jog around the tech area Punk caught him in the ring. He pulled handcuffs from his boot, slapped them onto his former agent-slash-bestie, and then pelted him with painful-looking kendo stick shots.

 

CM Punk is a talented man to be capable of wrestling with handcuffs pressed against his leg

 

After several minutes of fun and frolics Punk announced he was going to break Heyman's face. That was the signal for Ryback to charge to the ring and spear Punk through a table (a decision which did nothing to dissuade the Goldberg chant). 'The Big Guy' pulled Heyman on top of Punk and the match ended.

I'm a fan of this development. It's what I predicted would happen in my preview for the show. It should give Ryback a fresh start after being thoroughly mishandled for most of the year. He’s not bad on promos, but he’ll benefit from not having to do them quite so much and from the association with Heyman. Naturally he’ll be facing Punk at Battleground, which should be good for him too.

We saw the experts again at this point. They wittered on about what had occurred so far on the show. Santino's mind was apparently blown by the actions of Ryback. He's easily impressed.

Dolph Ziggler failed in his attempt to become a two time United States champion. Dean Ambrose beat him with the headlock DDT he's fond of. The match was good but didn't draw the crowd in. You may have noticed this was a theme at Night of Champions. The crowd were rowdy during introductions and at certain points during matches but quietened down often. They were less than ideal.

The result was a blessing in disguise for 'The Show Off'. Winning a mid-card title a couple of months after losing the WHC would have been a comedown for him, and would have looked like an admission that he didn't belong at the top of the card. Hopefully WWE will remember how popular he was in early summer soon and so something meaningful with him. He’s wasted at the moment.

After being told that 53% of WWE fans (those that voted, at least) believe Sting to be the greatest US champion ever it was time for the tag team title match. I wouldn't have been surprised had The Prime Time Players won the championship considering the rise in status they've enjoyed recently. But they didn't. The Shield retained when Reigns hit a spear on Titus, setting up a Rollins pin.

A video package recapped Bryan defeating John Cena for the WWE championship, Triple H going heel, Randy Orton successfully cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase, the firing of Cody Rhodes, the manipulation of Big Show, and Trips explaining that he's all about what's best for business. It was a very good video. It's the sort of approach that could be good for a post-PPV RAW.

Randy Orton's entrance was deemed the perfect time to address the greatest WWE champion poll. Bit weird, what with him being the face of the company and all. Hulk Hogan was considered the greatest (which surprised me) with an impressive 55%. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin came second with 16% (he'd have been my pick), followed by John Cena (13%), CM Punk (12%) and Triple H (a meagre 4%). If these polls proved anything it's that we can't trust poll results from WWE's website.

Back to the action. The match was slow to begin with. Orty was on offence which meant a plethora of stomps, rest holds and nonsensical mid-match posing. Bryan took over at various points, which always resulted in a quickened pace and some noise from the crowd.

They had a good match. The regular spots such as Bryan’s diving headbutt, Yes Lock, and top rope German suplex and Orton’s hanging DDT and numerous failed RKO attempts were all present and correct. As good as it was it didn’t quite hit the heights of their exchanges on RAW and SmackDown from the summer. Perhaps it was the lack of a stipulation or Orty altering his style because he’s now a bad guy.

The finish saw Daniel Bryan escape an RKO attempt before hitting his running knee to win. That's two shows in a row where Bryan has beaten an established star with his new finisher. At SummerSlam it was a completely clean win. Not so with Night of Champions. Referee Scott Armstrong, who'd taken a scheduled bump at the hands of ‘The Viper’ during the match and been briefly replaced by a second official, gave a fast count during the match-winning pin.

 

Daniel Bryan there, celebrating his title win with a fan

 

This will almost certainly become a plot point. Perhaps it will be revealed Tripper ordered Armstrong to end the match in Bryan's favour so he'd have the chance to gauge Bryan's popularity as champ. That would contradict his reason for turning on Bryan in the first place but it’s still possible WWE will go with it. Perhaps we’ll learn it was 'The Cerebral Assassin's' way of discrediting Bryan. There's no obvious answer but the way the camera was angled to fully show Armstrong, not the norm on a WWE broadcast, indicates something was up.

Night of Champions had the potential to be a surprise hit. The handicap match and the WWE title match both featured performers popular enough to deliver belters, but they didn’t. The rest of the card featured nothing that couldn’t have occurred on RAW or SmackDown (or Main Event in some cases). The fate, future and direction of the company were not affected in any unforeseen manner.