Extreme Rules 2013 review

How do you open a show called Extreme Rules? Why with a match that pits a singer against a ballroom dancer of course!

I’m skipping ahead a little. Extreme Rules actually opened with the typically good video package treatment. The first screenshot of that featured the word “Thou shalt not”, which made me think of the Dudleys. That may have been intentional but I doubt it. The main focus of the video were the WWE championship feud and the story of Triple H v Lesnar. The latter dates back to last year but only seemed to feature footage from the last month. I find that odd.

Anyway, the event kicked off with Fandango facing Chris Jericho in a rematch from WrestleMania XXIX. Lawler told us that he thinks Fandango's underrated as the dancer made his way to the ring. JBL agreed because he had the most impressive debut ever. I couldn’t follow the logic but then I’m not a WWE commentator.

The opener was the standard Jericho affair, which is to say that fans went wild as he botched moves and loudly called spots. In a particularly glaring blunder he bellowed "Over the top!" moments before Fandango sent him sailing over the top rope to set up a missile drop kick. Considering how long 'Y2J's' been at it he should really know better. He has no incentive to improve though because people rave about him despite these flaws.

Fandango was permitted to kick out of the Lionsault towards the end of the match. That helped his credibility. Being felled by a Codebreaker as he leapt from the top rope couldn’t have hurt in that regard either: that ‘Y2J’ had to pull out such a big move to finish him off makes Fandango look a star.

The match was hit and miss but ultimately achieved what it needed to.

Backstage Josh Mathews interviewed Sheamus. When asked how he was going to drag Mark Henry around the ring to win his match, even though that wasn't the requirement of the match (because the strap's pretty long), Sheamus basically said he'd go extreme. He also said "pacifically" instead of "specifically". I wept and wished he’d referenced his time in WWECW instead.

Match number two was for the United States championship. Despite being the champ Kofi Kingston was annoucned first. The announcers plugged Hulu as he was in the ring. I don’t think ‘The Wildcat’s’ standing within the company could be made any clearer.

The crowd chanted “Let’s go Ambrose!” early on, which must have been heartening for the indy standout and an irritation for the talented and professional Kingston. The two had a very spirited match, culminating in a missed Trouble in Paradise by Kofi that allowed Dean to hit a fall forward DDT. The new champ celebrated, alongside his stablemates, like he'd achieved something. That's how to elevate a belt.

The Mark Henry v Sheamus strap match was next. Lights had been added to the corners to make it easier for fans to keep track of who’d touched which corner. It struck me as the sort of innovative change WCW would have come up with: designed to fix a non-existent problem and utterly pointless.

They tried to do interesting stuff but it all failed due to clumsiness. They have to share the blame for that: they were as bad as each other when it came to fumbling their way through simplistic spots. ‘The Celtic Warrior’ won a surprisingly short match by easily tapping three corners, handily felling 'The World's Strongest Man' with a Brogue Kick and then slapping the fourth and final corner.

Conclusive proof that Sheamus is a slapper

 

Medics were shown checking on Henry, even though he'd only suffered a standard finishing move. The match hadn’t even been that rambunctious so I’m not sure why this was shown. Perhaps something happened to cause genuine concern for Henners’ health.

As Sheamus sashayed his way to the back JBL said he'd been unsure that he could win, which was an odd statement considering he’d picked the Irishman to go over. Someone really needs to have a word with the WWE commentary team. Inconsistencies like that crop up all too often.

The cameras then cut backstage to show as AJ on the phone to World Heavyweight champion Dolph Ziggler (who I really missed on this show). Divas champion Kaitlyn interrupted and made fun of her mental state before pretending to walk off only to return and attack her from behind. Yes, Kaitlyn’s the babyface here, so I don’t know why she’s being portrayed as a coward. The crowd were silent as the pair exchanged bland insults but perked up for their very convincing brawl. The sooner AJ and Kaitlyn start getting to wrestle regularly the better. I think they’ll have very good matches.

Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter cut a promo as the headed to the ring for the number one contenders I Quit match. Well, Colter talked while Swags flexed and stared listlessly. It was almost more interesting than the match that followed. Not because I agree with Colter (although he's a great promo) but because I'm sick and tired of ADR versus Swagger. Colter talked about an IRS scandal that completely passed me by because I don't really pay much attention to non-wrestling news (true story). I understood his cheap heat comments about the St. Louis Cardinals more. I’m not into baseball, I just understand cheap heat.

The match started off quickly. ADR nailed a suicide dive within seconds and then introduced a kendo stick to proceedings. The early going was characterised by Mike Chioda asking if people wanted to quit every twenty to thirty seconds. It got annoying quickly. Swagger and ADR got in on the act themselves when they started doing Jericho impersonations, screaming "Ask him!" every time they scored any offence on their foe.  

The finishing sequence to this match was… odd.

ADR locked in the cross arm breaker. Swags reversed into an ankle lock. Del Rio did a great job of selling the move, which set up Ricardo teasing that he'd throw in the towel to stop his friend’s suffering. ADR told him not to so he didn't.

But Zeb Colter did. He grabbed the towel and chucked it into the ring as Chioda’s back was turned, causing the match to be called in favour of ‘The Real American’. Another referee came running out to inform Chioda what happened, but the senior referee wasn’t satisfied. He went out to ringside to watch a replay on a conveniently placed TV. I don’t think we’re meant to ask why the finish couldn’t be replied on the Titantron.  The upshot of this was that the match was restarted with Del Rio playing a massive underdog.

The entire saga received the loudest reaction of the Swagger-Del Rio segment by far. That should tell WWE something about their programme.

The restart probably lasted for about a minute. Within seconds Swagger was caught in the arm breaker. After less than thirty seconds he quit. While ADR won it seemed as though the finish was designed to protect Swagger in defeat. I was hoping their rivalry was going to end and that they’d head off to do something new. I assume that’s not the case. Perhaps keeping this rivalry alive is WWE’s contingency plan until Ziggler’s cleared from his concussion and can wrestle again.

Josh Mathews interviewed The Ryback. Actually Ryback just diatribed as Josh held a microphone for him. He hined about how he should have been champion six months ago. It was nothing we’ve not heard before.

Team Hell No were out next to defend their tag team championships against Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. Stat Master Michael Cole told us the champs had had the belts for 245 days, which is a very healthy reign by company standards. JBL followed up with a reference to Kane's oft forgotten feud with May 19^th. It was nice to hear it mentioned. What? Yeah, he feuded with a day. Google it.

The tornado rules gave Bryan and Kane a chance to do something different to their usual routine of Bryan getting isolated for a while before making a hot tag to 'The Big Red Machine'. It made a nice change and allowed both men the chance to work equal portions of the match. It was a very good outing that was designed to showcase The Shield combo’s teamwork without harming the work that’s been put into Bryan and Kane. I thought it was an excellent display.

The believers have been rewarded

 

The Shield won with a double stomp-torture rack combo. Ambrose appeared to raise the hands of the tag champions. The trio then posed with their belts. It was another example of belts being treated the right way.

A recap of Cody Rhodes tapping out to The Miz's figure four was shown. There was no reason for it.

Match six saw Big Show and hometown boy Randy Orton clash in a lively Extreme Rules match, noticeable mostly (to my mind at least) for Show being allowed to kick out of an RKO. He lost eventually but it was still a pretty big moment. Not just anyone gets to survive Orton's answer to the Diamond Cutter. It was a punt kick that eventually put 'The World's Largest Athlete' away. That was a banned move for a while so I assume it's now back in use for special occasions... and that for some reason a standard match against Big Show is considered a special occasion.

The Ryback v Cena feud was treated to a lengthy hype video. It was well produced and recapped the feud nicely. You could almost believe their interactions had been exciting.

The Ryback, out first, got a mostly negative reaction but there were cheers to he heard. Some people simply want anyone but Cena on top, which means they'll cheer whoever's pitted against him. Once his music cut off Ryback did get the solid wall of jeers he was after. I'm not sure how. All he was doing was flexing his jaw.

Cena got a mostly positive reaction. St. Louis is obviously a town that enjoys his work. I don't, and Cena provided me with a perfect example of why within seconds of appearing: he sprinted to the ring despite allegedly having a foot injury. It’s this cavalier attitude towards telling a realistic story once the bell rings that causes him to be so unpopular.

'The Franchise' kept his Last Man Standing hot streak alive with another enjoyable tussle. This is definitely the best gimmick for him, he never enters a less than great performance with it. Not even his comedy facial expressions and failure to sell exhaustion could ruin things. On the subject of expressions Ryback proved very capable of working the crowd. I'd noted that he could do it as a face with his shoulder jerking routine but hadn't seen him do it much as a heel. After his performance here I'm now more comfortable with him as a bad guy.

The Ryback entered one of the best performances of his career

 

The finish saw Ryback slip out of an AA attempt, scoop up the champion and spear him through the set at the top of the ramp. The moment was replayed several times as Charles Robinson scampered backstage to help get the crash mats the wrestlers had landed on out of sight. Cena was peeled off the floor and slapped onto a stretcher as the announce team talked gravely in an attempt to convince us that we were seeing dire stuff unfolding. Ryback stood up and walked away (with help from referees admittedly).

It was a very cool visual but ultimately it was a disappointing finish. I can understand the decision to do it though: it keeps the title on Cena and prolongs the company's top feud for at least another month. Ryback now has a legitimate argument for being the champ because he was quite literally the last man standing. As long as their inevitable rematch at Payback has a better finish there's no problem with the LSM bout ending like that.

Going on last were Brock Lesnar and Triple H. 'The Game' jumped Lesnar before he'd even reached the ring and also lumped Heyman for good measure. Yeah, another alleged babyface attacking their supposedly dishonourable foe form behind.

Once again the two men failed to put on a match that fully engaged me. On paper they did everything right but the pace was just a little too sluggish, with just a little too much stalling, to be as good as it could have been. They were in a tough position. Had they shaved time off the match it would have been more enjoyable but the encounter wouldn’t have felt like the feud-ending meeting it clearly was. Taking the longer run time meant it felt like the epic encounter they wanted but that it ended up being boring.

Lesnar got himself a storyline knee injury a few minutes into the match. He rivalled Del Rio for best selling of the night. That’s not something you normally hear of ‘The Beast’. I think he deserves praise for doing such a stellar job. A chair was introduced within a few minutes and eventually a sledgehammer was revealed, stashed in the upper reaches of the cage. Presumably ‘The King of Kings’ put it there. If not him then maybe it was the same person who raised the briefcase at King of the Ring 99.

The sledgehammer would eventually lead to the finish, but it was a while coming. First the two men ran through a number of finisher exchanges, some Heyman interference and a Sharpshooter. I’d like to think that last was a dig at Bret Hart for his comments that Triple H is a below average wrestler who produces below average matches. Eventually ‘The Pain’ lamped Hunter with the sledge and then followed up with an F5 for the victory.

Lesnar swaggered out of the building as Triple H sold the beating in the ring. Because WWE now runs into a post-show analysis broadcast there was no well-produced final shot available. If they’d had to have one I reckon they’d have gone with Lesnar having his hand raised at the top of the ramp and looking very pleased with himself.

On the whole I thought Extreme Rules was a very good show. The main event, while not brilliant, wasn’t offensive and capped off a long-running feud. The WWE championship match, Team Hell No v The Shield, and Big Show v Randy Orton were all very strong offerings, while Mark Henry v Sheamus and Ambrose v Kingston were as entertaining as they could be given their running times. WWE should be pleased with what they put on. If all their pay-per-views were this good the product would be a lot better.

Extreme Rules 2013 preview

Since WrestleMania you may have noticed WWE announcers and interviewers bandying the word "extreme" about like it's going out if style. In wrestling terms I suppose you could argue it went of style in 2001. This pay-per-view, Extreme Rules, is the reason for that. WWE want the number of gimmick matches on this show to seem normal. They've got to justify keeping the title around somehow and this is the best they can come up with. I know, no wonder the creative division's in the state it's in.

Gimmick pay-per-views aren't ideal. They force the booking team to escalate programmes too quickly, moving guys into extreme (I can do it too) matches before they're ready. A return to more generic pay-per-view names would allow special stipulations to be wheeled out as and when required. WWE have done a pretty solid job of giving meaning to the gimmicks that will be on display here though. It could be worse. There's nothing as absurd as CM Punk and Ryback's first meeting being in a Hell in a Cell.

Several weeks ago I wrote that WWE could present three triple threat matches on this show. I was pretty excited at the prospect. It could have been different and interesting. In the end they only announced one and even that won't take place now. Dolph Ziggler would have defended his World Heavyweight championship against Jack Swagger and previous champ Alberto Del Rio but has been pulled from the match after suffering a concussion.

I was looking forward to the match. The ladder rules and the gaggle of seconds at ringside would have allowed for plenty of memorable spots and bumps (AJ strikes me as being game to go through a table to get a big match over). I'm pleased WWE caught Ziggler's concussion. Better to hold off on a match and keep him healthy.

Instead of a three-way ladder battle ADR and 'The Real American' will clash in an I Quit number one contenders match. I expect it to be all about the Patriot Act ankle lock being pitted against Del Rio's cross arm breaker. Making it an I Quit match instead of a submission match allows for more ringside brawling and weapons.

These two guys have been feuding since February. Their matches are always good but the feud hasn't really interested crowds so I can't see it continuing after this. I would imagine ADR's going to win here, slipping him into a one-on-one feud with 'The Show Off' and letting Swagger do something new. Or nothing at all. Depends on how much you expect from the writing team there. I expect very little.

Another triple threat I was expecting was Big Show v Randy Orton v Sheamus. It's probably a good thing this one isn't happening: two faces and one heel in a triple threat is never a good idea and I can't imagine the three putting on anything special. Sheamus and Show do nothing for me and Orton's seemed bored senseless for a while now. It would've been a letdown.

Instead of that match Big Show and 'The Viper' have cultivated their own rivalry and 'The Celtic Warrior' has gone to war with Mark Henry. The bored Orton should be more comfortable only working against 'The World's Largeat Athlete' in their Extreme Rules match, which should make it a little more tolerable. It's not something I'm looking forward to. It feels like their problems have been playing out forever.

I'm picking Big Show to win. A loss at this event could be used as the reason for 'The Apex Predator' turning bad. He's in such desperate need of a refresh that I think that's got to be happening soon.

The Henry v Sheamus strap battle is a bit more interesting, mainly because of the rarely seen stipulation and 'The World's Strongest Man's' character, which has been a highlight of Henry's (admittedly tiresome) career. I find neither enjoyable to watch in the ring but this match should at least play to their strengths of working sloppy and stiff (that sounds a bit wrong but I'm keeping it in).

I could see either men winning here, to be honest. There's no clear reason one should or could win over the other. They'll probably meet again at Payback too, which only makes this even more arbitrary. I'll go with Henry winning via a cheat of some sort, under the logic that Sheamus can come back to get his avenging babyface win in June. That's something to look forward to!

 

Strap match with Mark Henry? That warrants a pay-per-view poster!

In generic singles matches Fandango will face Chris Jericho and, on the live pre-show, The Miz will face Cody Rhodes. 'Y2J' lost at WrestleMania and while it wouldn't hurt him to lose again here I don't think he will. The appeal of the Fandango character isn't that he's undefeated (well, he's not lost clean and that's close enough) but that he's incredibly camp and has catchy entrance music. He can lose and not lose any momentum. Plus this show needs babyfaces to win at least some matches.

Miz has become the king of pre-shows. This will be the third time this year he's been on one. Not that that means anything beyond WWE not having a long term plan, which we knew was the case already. A few weeks ago it looked like something was planned for Cody Rhodes when he had a scorcher of a match with Randy Orton on RAW (Randy RAWton? That scans). That's not been followed up on so I expect Cody to be the next bad guy sacrificed to build up 'The Awesome One's' figure four leg lock into a move that's taken seriously. It's wasteful but that won't stop WWE. For some reason they seem determined to make the move credible for Miz.

For the first time ever The Shield will compete in a non-six man tag match on a pay-per-view. Rollins and Reigns will challenge Team Hell No for the tag team titles in a tornado match. These sorts of matches are incredibly rare in WWE. I think it's probably because they dislike the name but conjure up anything more relevant. Things like that make a difference in that company. Rare gimmick or not I expect this to be very enjoyable.

Meanwhile Dean Ambrose will challenge for the (sarcasm alert) prestigious United States championship. No special rules have been announced for that match and I don't expect that to change.

I think all three members of The Shield will have titles by the end of Extreme Rules. They've been built up for six months to the point where they're one of the most over acts in WWE. It just feels like a good time to increase their push. While the titles don't mean much traditionalist Triple H understands that it's the right way to elevate guys. Perhaps they'll be able to restore some meaning to their new prizes.

Which leaves us with the final two matches, the second biggest of which is Triple H v Brock Lesnar in a feud ending cage match. I don't think I'm alone when I say I'm not terribly interested in this.

Their feud started a year ago. Only wrestling twice in that time should make the deciding encounter something hotly anticipated. It hasn't. People just don't seem to care. The fact that weeks can pass without the two men interacting could be a factor, as could the general pacing of the programme when they have met.

I think a bigger reason is that their match at WrestleMania XXIX was a slightly generic affair while their first encounter at SummerSlam verged on dull. They haven't produced anything to make anyone believe their cage match at Extreme Rules will be something special.

I'm assuming this bout is going to be another blasé entry into this incredibly monotonous rivalry. 'The Pain' is the obvious pick to win because its him, not 'The King of Kings', that's expected to main event the larger shows between now and the end of the year. He's one of WWE's biggest drawing cards and if he's to retain his allure he can't lose twice in a row, within the space of a month and half, to the same guy. He needs to be reinvigorated with a win so he looks strong for his next feud

Who that will be with and when it will take place we don't know. The idea of CM Punk returning at Payback next month in front of his hometown crowd has a certain appeal to it, and were that to happen 'The Beast' could potentially be booked to take down his stablemate to trigger a rivalry between the two. It would draw a crazy amount of heat because Punk's so loved on Chicago.

If it's not Punk there aren't many other options. Orty, Del Rio or Sheamus could be sacrificed to Lesnar but none of them feels like a big enough name to be in a meaningful feud with him. In the case of Orton that's pretty sad. He used to be a special talent.

If The Rock's healthy and willing to return he'd make a great SummerSlam opponent for Lesnar. But that's not likely, and even if it were most people think that match should be saved for WrestleMania XXX. I'd like to see Lesnar tackle The Streak next year so is have no problem with him tackling 'The Brahma Bull' at SummerSlam. But that's me.

If he doesn't face Punk next WWE should just put Lesnar on the shelf for a while. Better to save his limited appearances rather than waste them in a panicked attempt to fill PPV minutes.

The main event of Extreme Rules will see WWE champion John Cena defend against The Ryback. I think I'd be looking forward to this if the booking had been better. We've had one shambolic instalment of this rivalry after another and it's resulted in it feeling like the programme's been going on for months rather than five weeks.

Why did The Ryback have to turn heel? Why did he have to be cast as a cowardly heel? Why hasn't SuperCena been instructed to react to The Ryback as though he sees him as a threat? Why did The Ryback, when given the chance to select the match type, pick a stipulation that his opponent has never lost? None of what we've seen makes sense.

'Big Hungry' was perfectly placed to work in the number two babyface spot long term. He could have stayed a good guy and still gone after Cena's title. A face versus face feud would have been great and could have been used to create a hot, split audience atmosphere when the two met. It would have be something out of the ordinary too.

Not of that matters now. WWE were more interested in having 'The Human Wrecking Ball' as a bad guy. It's a wasted opportunity but it's not like that's anything new with WWE.

The good news is that Cena tends to do his best work in Last Man Standing and similar match types. That he's not required to wrestle much actually helps. He can spend his time swinging chairs about instead. If ever there were a stipulation that would allow Cena and Ryback to excel this would be it.

There was a period several weeks ago when it seemed as though Cena could be dropping the title because of an injury. While his heel is still injured it's not as bad as was previously believed. He's been working through the pain to appear on house shows and has been announced for more after Extreme Rules. He's been okayed by doctors so WWE are under no pressure to relieve him of the strap if they don't want to.

So the question is, of course, do they want to? The likelihood is that they don't. They spent around a year and a half keeping the WWE championship off of Cena. Now that he's finally made it back to the top with his wholly unbelievable redemption story (he's the most highly paid regular in the company and the most heavily protected act since Hulk Hogan, it's impossible to see him as an underdog seeking redemption) WWE will almost certainly want to give him a lengthy run.

However, Ryback has been marked out as a star of the future. He's not had a win on pay-per-view in ages so having him lose again would set back his progress further. It won't stop him becoming a headliner but it will make it a harder, longer job than a win would.

There are reasons for both men to win and there's no obvious choice but I think it's slightly more likely that Cena will win. He's the more established guy and WWE have been favouring lengthy title reigns over the last couple of years. I'd love to see a Ryback victory and I don't think it's impossible but I think Cena retaining is a little more likely.

Despite the lack of triple threat matches (I'm partial to triple threats) Extreme Rules looks like a strong offering. I hope the big matches can deliver and some of the lower card action (particularly Ambrose v Kingston) gets time to be memorable. This show could be better than WrestleMania XXIX.

Predictions summary:

John Cena to defeat Ryback
Brock Lesnar to defeat Triple H
Alberto Del Rio to defeat Jack Swagger
Mark Henry to defeat Sheamus
Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns to defeat Team Hell No
Big Show to defeat Randy Orton
Dean Ambrose to defeat Kofi Kingston
Chris Jericho to defeat Fandango
The Miz to defeat Cody Rhodes

The Civil War

Jack Swagger is going to remain in orbit around WWE's World Heavyweight title until Extreme Rules. At that show he will clash with current champ Dolph Ziggler and former champ Alberto Del Rio.

A title win for 'The Real American' seems unlikely, mainly because of the court date that’s still hanging over his head. WWE aren't likely to put their second most important belt on someone who may bring them negative press. Just as unlikely will be Swagger remaining a part of the title picture after the extreme PPV. By the time Extreme Rules is out of the way Swagger and Colter will have been feuding with ADR for three months. It'll be time for both men to do something new. So says WWE's time tested booking practice.

For man of the people Del Rio that will likely be a continuation of the feud he's currently got going on with Ziggler. Dropping Swagger will provide just enough of a change to keep their programme interesting (in theory anyway).

Theoretically Del Rio could be ditched to allow for a Ziggler v Swagger programme. Realistically that's not happening. It would require one man to switch to playing face and necessitate a step down the card for Alberto, who only started getting the star treatment again in January. Also, Ziggler versus Swagger matches would not be the finest things known to man.

This is going to leave Swagger with nothing obvious to do come May 20^th. Nothing with headline guys anyway, unless CM Punk returns to work with him. I can think of likelier scenarios.

What I'd like to see WWE do is drop Swagger down a level to help elevate someone from the lower ranks. The perfect choice is... wait for it... Zack Ryder. Okay, perfect may be stretching things a little but Ryder would be a good choice for a promotion.

'Long Island Iced Z' is already reasonably popular with fans. That makes moving him up a notch easier. He proved in his 2011 programme with Dolph Ziggler that he can get the crowd into a match if he's given more than two minutes to do so. He's underrated on interviews too. Most importantly (for the point I’m about to make anyway) Ryder is an American with a gimmick that reflects an aspect of American pop culture. Specifically, reality TV.

Since returning in February Swagger and his mouthpiece Uncle Zeb have claimed that America's society is broken. One aspect of this belief, illegal immigration, is what led to the programme between Swags and Del Rio. Ryder could be used as the embodiment of American failings, blamed by the heels for what's wrong with the country’s populace.

Is this what's wrong with America today?

Getting it right would be tricky. Fans haven't exactly reacted to Swagger like a main event star during his most recent push and ‘The Long Island Broski' has been on the bottom rung of the roster since dumping the US title (to Swagger, funnily enough) early last year.

The usual approach of weekly rushed segments paid off with a pay-per-view match nobody cares isn't going to suffice. Viewers need to be given reasons to root for Ryder and despise Swagger. That would mean giving each man time to get their points across in an engaging fashion. Ideally it would mean giving Ryder some wins before the programme begins too, so that he's taken more seriously as an opponent for a former world title contender (and indeed a former World champion), and so that the option is open to have 'The Real American' cost him matches to get the ball rolling.

WWE can do all of this but it's unlikely they will. Ryder isn't seen as important enough to be a part of a featured rivalry and Swags will probably go the same way once Del Rio's done with him. The idea is just completely alien to their current booking style. Which, when you get down to it, is pretty depressing.

Countdown to Charisma

Up until 2011 Christian had had a career free of major injuries. That changed in November of that year when he suffered an ankle injury on WWE’s European tour. It’s not been the only one he’s suffered since then. Perhaps karma's making up for lost time.

You've got to feel for the guy. 2011 was the year he finally hit it big in WWE, becoming a two time World Heavyweight champion during a main event run opposite Randy Orton. He entered some of the best performances of his career, both in the ring and on the microphone, during that feud, proving he belonged at the top.

As good as his performances were his first run as a headliner was never going to be a permanent thing. WWE management, in particular head honcho Vinnie Mac, have made it clear over the years that they don't view 'Captain Charisma' as main event material. Had he not suffered his injury and remained a regular on TV it's possible he could have earned his way back to the top. Losing that face time on TV derailed him. At the very least he’d have had a slot on the WrestleMania card.

Not a sight we're likely to see again

When he returned last year it was to a mid-card position. Perhaps to hammer the point home he was given a meaningless two month-long reign as the Intercontinental championship. Because nothing says "this guy's no longer a headliner" quite like putting a meaningless mid-card belt on them. Not that it mattered: he barely had enough time to re-establish himself before he was struck with another injury, this one to his shoulder. He disappeared from our screens again shortly after dropping the Intercontinental title to The Miz at RAW 1000 and, barring a brief appearance to testify that Sheamus's Brogue kick is indeed formidable, hasn't done anything noteworthy since.

For the second year in a row 'The Instant Classic' missed WrestleMania. That must have been a blow to him. It's unlikely, given how packed this year's card was, that something would have been found for him, but we (and he) can't know for sure. It’s possible he’d have found himself involved with something had he been in the right place at the right time.

Christian has apparently been healthy enough to return to action since before ‘Mania. Personally I thought he'd be back on TV by now. It seemed logical to assume that 'The Man of the Peeps' would be brought back once all the big names had departed. That more big names departed than was expected makes Christian's continued absence stranger still.

It no seems as though his return will happen sometime after Extreme Rules. Brock Lesnar and Triple H will probably both disappear both disappear after May 19^th. I don't think 'The Pain' will be back until around SummerSlam and Triple H will probably be gone for longer. Undertaker will likely be joining join them on the benches, if he even wrestles on the show to begin with. There's even a chance that current WWE champ John Cena will be taking some time off.

If all of these departures happen WWE are going to have to scramble for name performers to replace them, and the already absent CM Punk. Christian may not be the biggest name available but he's a reliable guy who can work as either a hero or an antagonist and seems to be far more popular with fans than management like to admit. His feud with 'The Viper' shows he'll be accepted as a top line guy.

Should Cena require time off and the title ends up on Ryback Christian isn't the worst guy that could be pitted against him. He could work a brief one month feud with Ryback culminating at Payback (a first time match occurring on a show titled after revenge isn’t going to bother WWE), allowing something more substantial to be planned for the summer. He’d be a placeholder but at this stage of his career it seems like that’s all he’s destined to be.

I admit Christian wrestling for the WWE championship on pay-per-view is a longshot. He’d be more likely to come back into the same middle of the card spot he was given last year. Even if that’s what happens at least we’ll have a reliable hand back on TV. That’s what WWE needs right now.

Worst. Turn. Ever.

When The Ryback attacked John Cena on the April 8^th RAW I said a feud between the two could work but that Ryback shouldn't become a bad guy for it. My feeling was that the best approach would be to book the two men as faces who dislike one another as opposed to taking to tried and tested face versus heel route, allowing the fans to choose who to root for. Needless to say that’s not what’s happened. Two weeks later and he he's turned heel.

Since going bad 'Big Hungry' has been given a ludicrous amount of promo time. Newly turned acts getting time to talk isn't a problem if they can cut an effective promo that covers their points. Unfortunately Ryback can't. His pre-recorded effort on the April 15^th RAW was very good but he's not managed to keep up the good work when he's been in the ring. He’s also not a wrestler who benefits from talking much. Hulking silence is more his bag.

Adding a manager to speak for him would help. There aren't any obvious options for the role though, and it would seem peculiar for 'The Human Wrecking Ball' to take on a spokesman out of nowhere. He's never been the chattiest cat in town but he's never shied away from microphones, why would he start now?  

The biggest problem with the turn is that it's poorly timed. People still want to cheer The Ryback. He was getting over as a good guy, something WWE is in desperate need of, and was turned simply to create a convenient challenger to Cena's WWE championship. It’s a short sighted move made simply because WWE have done such a woeful job of elevating talent who can credibly oppose their top star.

Cena means business

This is particularly annoying when you consider that Cena’s title win was planned months in advance. Rock was always going to defeat Punk and drop the gold to ‘The Franchise’. Knowing that WWE should have made it a priority to spend WrestleMania Season prepping some new challengers.

Of course another problem is that Ryback has turned heel on the most unpopular lead babyface ever to grace a wrestling ring. WWE fans are so split on Cena as a performer, because he's been on top for so long, that it's going to take someone special to encourage them to rally behind the champ. That Ryback is so different from Cena aids his appeal. No matter how many times he calls fans stupid there will always be some who cheer him because he represents an alternative.

As I mentioned above a face versus face programme would have worked better. Ryback could have attacked Cena to make himself stand out and launch himself into title contention (that’s how things have worked for a long time in WWE). He could have grunted a short explanation giving those reasons on the April 15^th RAW, face-to-face with 'The Champ'. Cena could have said he respected the move (because Ryback didn't exactly sneak up on Cena in a heelish fashion) and agreed to a championship match at Extreme Rules.

Alternatively Ryback could have won a number one contenders bout on the April 22^nd RAW. That could have been good as it would have seen him earning his shot like a babyface. Plus he could've done with a win over a credible opponent or two. I can understand not doing this though, what with WWE not having access to the full roster on RAW (half the crew were at a SmackDown house show).

The feud should have seen Ryback gaining wins over upper mid-card talent, the story being that he's refocused after his numerous high profile losses. Cena could have spent his time cutting promos and talking The Ryback up as a serious contender.

The heel turn has benefited nobody. Cena is in a feud just like all his others while Ryback is left playing a coward. It’s making the former powerhouse look weak too. Could Cena have scooped up a headline babyface for the AA as easily he did Ryback on RAW. Probs not.

It's a waste. The Ryback could have been huge. Extreme Rules could have been huge too, if WWE had simply left both men as they were and booked a face versus face bout. It would likely have created an air of uncertainty and provided a great atmosphere at the pay-per-view. Surely a match with a split audience who are uncertain as to who will in is preferable to an apathetic audience who are bored by yet another promising wrestler being sacrificed to the mighty Super Cena.

Believe in The Shield

The question going in to tonight's RAW is not whether the London crowd will hum Fandango's theme tune. We all know they'll not just do it but do it well. No, the question for tonight's show is what will happen with the announced Undertaker and Team Hell No v The Shield match.

I don't just mean who will win and who will lose, I mean whether or not the match will actually take place to begin with. This bout feels like it should be on a pay-per-view. That's mainly because of the Undertaker. With his career likely to wrap up within a few years and WWE's general lack of stars any outing 'The Dead Man' has at this point warrants a pay-per-view slot. He's not wrestled at an event not named WrestleMania since Bragging Rights 2010 (discounting house shows of course). Even appearances on RAW have been a rarity for him so it feels peculiar for him to be having a television match after so long.

It's possible the six man tag won't actually take place. Antics could occur before the bell to instigate a brawl in place of the official match. That would keep the programme going without short-changing viewers. This feels as though it's going to be a programme that takes in a PPV so my assumption is something will happen to keep the disagreement alive.

The other obvious option would be for 'The Hounds of Justice' to get a clean win. That would keep them looking strong, something WWE have done very well since introducing the trio to the roster. If they were to get a fall on Bryan or Kane that would give them the perfect argument for a tag title match. Not that much of an argument is needed for a title shot in WWE but you see my point.

That said I wouldn't have a problem with any of the three getting a pin over the Undertaker. He's not a Jericho-like guy who can start putting people over left, right and centre but he can afford to do it occasionally. The Shield would benefit greatly from being able to say they handed 'The Phenom' his first loss in two and a half years. It would make believing in them easier too.

These three should be teaming on pay-per-views

It's likely that Team Hell No will face The Shield at Extreme Rules. Undie could be a part of that rematch or he could simply be playing his part tonight before leaving the regulars to it. Should he leave then Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns could challenge THN to a handicap match. If he sticks around the rematch could have a stipulation added to it. Either approach would fit the Extreme Rules moniker.

Handicap matches aren't extreme? Well, no. But neither was last year's two-out-of-three falls match.

I think the Shield have been booked well enough that they could sustain a loss. It just makes more sense for them to continue winning for the time being. The first loss the gang suffers should be on a pay-per-view, preferably to big name stars. There are few names bigger than 'Taker, which is why I'm expecting tonight's six man tag to either not take place or result in a Shield win to set up a rematch at Extreme Rules. There's money in this match. Why give it away for free?