That RAW Recap 07.07.14

Two things stood out as being good on Monday’s RAW.

The first was the presentation of Roman Reigns. A few weeks ago he was a fun-lovin’ prankster, spiking coffees being carried by Vickie Guerrero so he could sneak his way into a pay-per-view main event. That wasn’t the sort of approach that was going to turn Reigns from a man with potential coming off a run as part of a popular trio into the leading man WWE needed. It didn’t play to his strengths. Worse, it made him look like every other WWE babyface.

Thankfully someone involved in the creative process seems to have realised that was a mistake. Monday’s RAW opened with Reigns striding through the crowd, to a reaction only reserved for top stars, and cutting a promo in which he displayed charisma and the ability to hit bullet points that further storylines (both necessary skills for those at the top of the WWE ladder). The response he got when addressing Kane, Randy Orton, John Cena and Triple H was a very good sign.

I don't want to know what Joey Mercury's grabbing for.

The good booking continued when Kane showed up and Reigns left the ring to battle him in the aisle. That he was keen to fight ‘The Big Red Monster’ made him look like the tough guy WWE needs. That he speared Finlay and then knocked Kane off the apron with a Superman punch ensured that RAW’s first segment ended with Reigns looking like a man who doesn’t back down. That’s the kind of star the promotion needs.

The show ended in a similarly positive manner. After Cena had defeated Rollins (in a non-title match) Orton and Kane appeared to duff up the world champ. Reigns showed up and immediately KOed both men with Superman punches, establishing that the move is incredibly effective. After briefly being dazed by a thump from Rollins’ briefcase (again protecting him by showing that Rollins needed to use a weapon to stun him) Reigns returned to the ring to save Cena from a choke slam by spearing Kane.

The episode went off the air with Cena and Reigns raising one another’s hands. When Reigns held up Cena’s hand the crowd booed. When Cena held up Roman’s hand the fans cheered. It was confirmation that Reigns is becoming accepted as a top guy and that he’s already preferable in the eyes of many to Cena. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise. Cena’s been on top for near enough a decade and WWE have done a terrible job of creating new stars over the last few years. Reigns is new and looks the part, so people will back him. They want change and Reigns represents it.

The second thing that stood out as being good was the booking of the non-main event names. This is something I’ve mentioned in a variety of articles over the last couple of months, my feeling being that giving people outside of main event plots something to do is what’s needed to make WWE’s weekly programming more watchable and to create new stars.

Please note that Fandango has "Girls" written on his tights.

The best example was Fandango. He followed up his enjoyable Money in the Bank performance with a stint as guest commentator during a Dolph Ziggler v Alberto Del Rio match. He was fun and got his character over before he leapt up on to the announce table for the planned finish: distracting Dolph with his dance moves.

But this wasn’t just promising because it gave Fandango something to do. It was clear that Fanners had a problem with ‘The Show Off’ giving Summer Rae (Fandango’s ex) a kiss and that that was his motivation for causing a disturbance. It’s not the ideal starting point for a Ziggler v Fandango rivalry but it’s at least a step in the right direction, and the involvement of Summer and Layla could allow for some tag matches to keep things interesting.

Similarly the idea of having The Miz read out fan mail was a nice touch. It got over his new wannabe movie star vibe, as did the Tom Cruise shades. I could have done without the return of his awful leather trenchcoat though. That things needs to be retired.

The Divas division was well served too. AJ Lee and Paige were paired up as a babyface team to defeat The Funkadactyls. Cameron opted to apply lip gloss instead of tagging into the match at a critical moment and was immediately pinned with a Paige Turner when she did eventually ta in. She and Naomi then had a shoving match followed by a fight. It was not impressive or multi-layered but it did get a surprisingly strong reaction, indicating audiences may be more into the Funkadactyl v Funkadactyl feud than I’d assumed. If so that’s good news. It means people can be pleased by a storyline involving performers who have only been half-heartedly pushed as long as it develops naturally.

Of course, the Paige and AJ thing was underplayed. There were no signs of jealousy or bitterness from the former champ. The closest they came was AJ flaunting the title belt a little too much, but it wasn’t pushed by the commentary crew and Paige didn’t really react to it. The long approach is being with their rivalry. That’s good.

While RAW as a whole was nothing spectacular it did several things right and indicated that the roster as a whole is being given attention. It’s a step in the right direction and I hope WWE sticks with it.

Diva Reconstruction

The WWE Divas division received a welcome boost on Monday when AJ Lee made a surprise return during RAW. After nearly three months off Mrs CM Punk sauntered down to the ring and defeated Paige, the woman who’d beaten her the night after WrestleMania XXX, to become a two time Divas champion. Her return is obviously a good thing. She’s WWE’s most over and capable female performer, and it opens up several storyline possibilities that could help to make the division, its title and its performers mean more than they currently do.

AJ Lee, celebrating her second title victory.

Judging solely by what occurred on RAW it looks as though AJ is going to be booked as a face. That would make sense. The reaction her return got shows that people are keen to cheer her, mostly because of how talented she is and because she carried the Divas scene for so long. Paige’s response to AJ’s return and the loss she suffered in their match was to look dejected and whimper a bit. It would seem fair to assume that she’ll try being nice about AJ’s entitled mean girl attitude for a few weeks before snapping and going heel, probably after failing to regain the gold.

Although Paige is a great technical wrestler she hasn’t managed to connect with audiences in her time on the main roster. She proved she could connect with crowds before her RAW debut (pretty much everywhere she worked, from SHIMMER to NXT). The reason she’s not managed the same in WWE is almost entirely attributable to her being given nothing to do but be a champion and work short title defences against challengers of the month.

A heel turn would suit Paige, basically. And an official face run would give AJ fresh things to do. Although the gulf between them is vast Paige and AJ are WWE’s most prominent and able female performers. They are the natural choice for the Divas division’s top feud.

But AJ Lee and ‘The Anti-Diva’ are not the only two ladies that are currently giving the division hope. Although they haven’t been the most exciting things to ever hit a wrestling show there are two other rivalries involving women in WWE at the mo: Summer Rae versus Layla and the (heart-breaking) splintering of much-loved institution The Funkadactyls.

The former was over the affections of love rat Fandango so it was hardly a great achievement for feminism but, on the plus side, it did at least see WWE’s writing team dedicating time to female wrestlers that weren’t involved in a title feud. That’s a step in the right direction (with either gender). Meanwhile the split of Cameron and Naomi is still in the early stages but every indication is that it will be awful. Though, again, it’s encouraging to see the writers doing something with female performers without the title being used as the impetus.

In addition to this recent booking has hinted at a showdown between Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella sometime in the future. Perhaps it’s been decided that Triple H will sit SummerSlam out and Steph will represent the family in the ring. It’s unlikely to be a technical clinic but Steph v Brie has potential thanks to the heat Steph will bring. Plus I maintain that Brie is underrated as a worker.

This is not the best use of Emma.

These rivalries display a cast of Divas that is deceptively well-developed in terms of character. And they don’t include Alicia Fox, who has been cast as an overly excitable poor sport and shown herself to be a far better wrestler than she’d previously been credit for. It also discounts Emma who, brush with the law and multi-hour unemployment stint aside, still has the potential to overcome being saddled with Santino, get her NXT dance moves over and establish herself as a perennial contender to the butterfly belt and someone who can always be relied upon to churn out a solid bout.

Meanwhile in NXT Natalya’s reinventing herself on a developmental roster that includes captivating cheerleader cum fairy Alexa Bliss, the almost-certainly-not best friends forever Beautiful Fierce Females unit of Sasha Banks and Charlotte, the starstruck and naturally likeable Bayley, and the disappointingly stereotypical Becky Lynch. All of them are ready for the main roster in terms of wrestling ability. There are just a few wrinkles to be worked out in terms of gimmicks and characters in some cases. Considering the drought WWE’s women’s league has been in pretty much since Trish Stratus left in 2006 that’s a welcome sign.

With AJ and Paige on top wrestling for the championship, time being dedicated to non-title programmes, and a nice number of names waiting on the developmental roster the Divas division could very well be poised to become must-see wrestling viewing. That’s not something I would have expected to write six months ago. It’s a nice surprise.

Money in the Bank 2014 review

The chief selling point of this year's Money in the Bank pay-per-view was the crowning of a new WWE champion. The titular briefcase took a backseat to the title, with all three of the company's top rising stars and all but two of the active main eventers bring piled into the ladder match for the vacant title. This left the Money in the Bank contract match looking like a mid-card affair. This being the first time there's ever been a MITB match with only one world title on the roster that shouldn't have been the case. It should have been presented as something more prestigious than a mid-card prize.

WWE was hit with an unfortunate number of injuries but they still had options. A non-ladder bout could have been held for the championship, freeing up the bigger names to work meaningful matches against one another. Or the competitors for the pair of matches could have been jumbled up to create a mixture of former champions and undercard guys in each. Dolph Ziggler would have been accepted in the world championship ladder match for example.

But they made the decisions they made and presented the card they did. Was it as good-looking a piece of booking work as other shows bearing the Bank brand have been? No. Was it the above average offering it had the potential to be even with its clear limitations? Read on and see.

In notable happenings from the kick-off show WWE debuted a new Money in the Bank stats video, in the same vein as their Rumble by the numbers one and Daniel Bryan made his first appearance since being stripped of the championship. Bryan received a huge reaction and announced that he doesn't know when he'll return to the ring, mentioning the possibility of another operation.

This photo sums up perfectly why I like Bo Dallas.
Or, if you will, why I'm a Boliever.

After answering a couple of trite questions Michael Cole had collated from Twitter Bryan was interrupted by Bo Dallas. He was given a pep talk and responded by saying "Bo, leave!" It was a pretty insubstantial sequence but it did at least get D-Bry and Bo on TV. That's never a bad thing.

Money in the Bank proper kicked off with the tag team title match. That came as a surprise. I'd expected the briefcase match on first with the championship match closing the event. The Usos dictated the pace for the first several minutes, ultimately losing control when a Jey was shoved off the turnbuckle and landed face first on the crowd barrier. After absorbing punishment for a while he managed to tag out to his bro and the match phased into a brawling, double teaming and leaping over the top rope session. After a near fall heavy sequence Jimmy and Jey retained off a double superplex and a pair of splashes on Erick Rowan.

It was a satisfying opener. I can't help but feel it would've been nice to see the Wyatts win the belts but that can come later. The lack of meaningful teams practically guarantees a Battleground rematch.

Next up was a series of video recaps reminding us why Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose dislike one another. Then Ambrose was shown backstage cutting one of his eccentric, lively promos. Which, for the record, are hard not to enjoy. He said he planned to use ladders to win the contract and smash in Seth's face.

Match two was Paige against Naomi. They worked what I think we can at this point refer to as a standard Paige defence. The challenger was in control for much of the match and most of the time when Paige got the advantage she opted for submission holds. There was, however, the added thrill of seeing Cameron looking smug at ringside when her fellow Funkadactyl took a move. Paige won with a guillotine DDT.

After an expert panel segment and a repeat of the MITB by the numbers vid Damien Sandow came to the ring to call the crowd halfwits and say New York's better than Boston (because cheap heat, that’s why). He got his comeuppance at the hands of Adam Rose.

The Money in the Bank match followed that but was preceded by talking heads from the competitors. It was overly scripted nonsense not worth my time repeating. Ziggler was the best of the bunch, and got a heartening pop when he appeared on the screen. Also, it was announced Bad News Barrett would be unable to compete due to injury. That was a pity. He's been doing great stuff since WrestleMania and deserved to be included here.

The also-rans of the match.

The first ladder battle was the match of the night (although it didn’t have much competition). Impressive spots and storyline points in order of occurence: Ambrose entered last and went straight for Rollins; Ambrose butterfly suplexing Rollins onto a ladder; a Rob Van Dam tumbling senton onto Rollins, laying on a ladder propped in the corner; JBL lecherously saying that Jack Swagger is a weapon; Swagger power bombing Van Dam off the top of a ladder, followed moments later by Ambrose suplexing Rollins off the top; Swagger catapulting Ziggler into a ladder and Ambrose; 'The Lunatic Fringe' getting taken out of the match on doctor’s orders after "landing awkwardly on a shoulder"; Kofi back dropping Rollins off the top of one ladder onto another; 'The Show Off' super kicking a ladder into Swagger's face; Ziggler pulling himself up a ladder while trapped in a Patriot lock; Rollins doing a number on Ziggles with a chair; and an effective finishing sequence which saw Ambrose make his (inevitable) return to stop Rollins winning, only to be stopped from winning himself moments later by Kane.

Kane’s interference (specifically a Tombstone piledriver) allowed Rollins to take the briefcase, causing Michael Cole to kick off about the injustice of Ambrose being cost the match. The scene was topped off by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon coming out to celebrate with their charge. It was a well booked match that delivered the required thrills and spills and furthered the Rollins and Ambrose rivalry. Not bad considering it was missing Bad News and RVD got injured halfway through.

The need for some comedy was pretty high after such a hard hitting ladder battle. Thankfully RybAxel were on hand to provide it. Because there's little funnier than Ryback's perma-anger and Axel's depressing Better Than Perfect T-shirt and poorly designed ring gear featuring an axe that looks like a Wi-Fi emblem. They were facing the not unfunny Goldust and Stardust. Their team name really needs to be Gold Star.

The match went longer than their first encounter on RAW. But that wasn't hard as that match lasted less than two minutes. It was inoffensive but utterly unmemorable. Stardust got the win for his team off a roll up on 'The Big Guy'.

In the back Byron Saxton asked Fandango about the love triangle he was involved in. Fandango's response was that he loves triangles. Next he called Byron's question about fairly officiating the match "fascinating." It was a great example of why WWE needs to do more with its mid-carders. The Fandango gimmick isn’t cut out for the top of the card but it, and the man behind it, could do so much more in a thriving, well-booked mid-card. Summer Rae and Layla rocked up and bickered. Fandango remained the most captivating thing on the screen.

The talking continued in the ring with cheap heat act Lana and Rusev. They were met with a USA chant. Lana screeched for the crowd to shut up and, amazingly, they did. After some pro-Putin patter Rusev said something in (presumably) Russian. Part of it sounded like “super athlete.” Then Big E came out. A box appeared in the corner of the screen. In it was a pre-recorded talking head of E in which he seemed to be channelling Abraham Lincoln. The pair had a physical match but it never progressed beyond average (although Big E nailed his ever impressive spear through the ropes. 'The Super Athlete' went over with the Steiner Recliner then posed in front of a large Russian flag.

Fandango is magical.

Summer Rae v Layla was the penultimate match of the night. It was a standard Divas match but with the added twist of the two women flirting with guest ref Fandango throughout. Layla won after elbowing Rae in the face. She and Fandango had a kiss and a cuddle after the match. It was heart-warming to see, although Summer didn’t seem to think so.

And then, finally, it was time for the WWE championship match. The order of wrestler entrances was actually pretty interesting here. Bray Wyatt came out second (missing out on the impactful first spot to Sheamus), hometown star Cena was out fifth (and in fairness he tends to get booed in Boston just as much as anywhere else), followed by Orton. The final man introduced should have been Roman Reigns, presenting him as the star and holding off his big pop for as long as possible. Instead he was the penultimate man out and Kane took the final entrance.

The match was a slow starter. There just weren't any big spots happening and none of the men in the ring seemed interested in trying to draw the crowd in. That included the usually reliable Cesaro, Wyatt and Cena. It was a disappointing effort. The audience amused themselves by booing Cena and chanting "Boring!" For that to happen during the main event of Money in the Bank should cause the writing team some concern.

There were a few memorable exchanges, although most of them got subdued reactions from the crowd: Cesaro dangling above the ring from the belts; Orton doing the draping DDT off a ladder propped up between the ring and the announce desk; Reigns lifting up a ladder as Cesaro and ‘Great White’ stood punching one another on top; Cena doing the same; Wyatt suplexing Cena on to a ladder; Cesaro giving Sheamus a Swiss Death off a ladder; and Orton giving Cesaro an RKO to Cesaro off a ladder.

Roman Reigns should have looked like the star of the show.

People finally started reacting when Reigns was booked to storm through all of his opponents, presumably because that’s what they’d been waiting to see. It’s understandable. With three rising stars in the match WWE should have prioritised giving them all impressive moments and booking them to dominate the veteran headliners. That’s what audiences want: new stars. That the Reigns sequence culminated with him facing off with John Cena was a good call but the visual failed to get the sustained cheer it merited. That was probably a result of it taking too long to come about and-or the first portion of the match being so bland.

Cena and Reigns briefly traded punches to boos and yays but stopped pretty quickly. They should have recognised that it was drawing the audience in and gone a bit longer. Thankfully Bray Wyatt was in next, stopping the audience from cooling off too much. A roar of approval went up when he floored 'The Viper' with Sister Abigail. Unfortunately the pacing was off again as 'The Eater of Worlds' quickly vacated the ring to make way for ADR and a continued sequence of run-of-the-mill attempted title grabs. In an ideal world Bray would have hung around for longer.

The closing moments saw Reigns fight a bloody Orton off the ladder with headbutts and punches before being choke slammed by Kane. Cena then slipped in from nowhere and AAed 'The Demon', yanked Orton off the ladder and then jauntily scampered up the ladder to unhook the belts and become a fifteen time world champion. The show went off the air with Michael Cole saying "Ladies and gentlemen you can boo him or you can cheer him but there can be no doubt that John Cena is the greatest champion in WWE history." It’s hard to think of a comment more clearly designed to illustrate that Cena is above Daniel Bryan in the WWE pecking order.

Money in the Bank was not a good show. The opening match and the briefcase ladder match were both very enjoyable offerings but everything else was either forgettable filler or poorly formatted. Some of the matches were better cut out for an episode of RAW or SmackDown than for the undercard of what’s become the company’s fourth biggest event of the year.

The champ is here. Again.

The main event was the worst offender. Cena did very little before winning the thing and the opportunity to build up Wyatt, Reigns and Cesaro was horribly squandered. With the number of men involved the match could have been used to launch some fresh feuds for Battleground and SummerSlam. Even the obvious feud for those shows, Reigns v Orton, didn’t get the treatment it should have: there was no clear point where Orton (with help from Henchman Demon Kane) clearly and definitively cost Reigns the championship via shady tactics.

Money in the Bank 2014 was a missed opportunity and a below average offering. That’s partly attributable to injuries. It’s mostly attributable to WWE not knowing where they’re going or what their audience want.

SmackTalk 20.06.14

SmackDown’s generally a one match show. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It can lead to good matches ad interesting matches and good interesting matches. This week’s show featured the latter. The seven participants in the WWE championship ladder match at Money in the Bank were placed in a four-on-three handicap match. It was well booked and made the more important match the seven are to be involved in seem more interesting.

It’s an approach I think WWE should use more often. Getting a number of guys together who don’t usually interact is a good way of starting fresh issues. With that seeming to be something WWE has a problem with (so much so that they rarely bother doing it outside of the main event) it’s odd that they’ve not realised this themselves.

Anyway, just for fun, here’s a tweeting session I did.

Seth Rollins v Kofi Kingston

Tweet 1: Let's tweet some Smack.

Tweet 2: First guy out is Seth Rollins, meaning I have to make the obligatory Agents of SHIELD comment.

Seth Rollins, agent of SHIELD.

Tweet 3: Rollins was wearing trainers when Ambrose attacked him on Main Event. Can't imagine image conscious Triple H approved of that.
Tweet 4: He's facing perma-disappointment Kofi Kingston who's decked out like The Flash.
Tweet 5: "Dean Ambrose belongs in a rubber room" - JBL, perhaps hinting at plans for WWE to steal the Samuel Shaw story
Tweet 6: Kofi lost surprisingly quickly. I don't think it'll hurt his chances of being added to Money in the Bank though.
Tweet 7: Uh-oh, Seth's got a mic...
Tweet 8: Is Kane's new ring name Demon Kane? Everyone seems to be calling him that. It's like he's a DBZ villain who's reached his second power level

John Cena promo, featuring interruptions from Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus, Cesaro, Paul Heyman, Roman Reigns, and Randy Orton

Tweet 9: Michael Cole's welcoming us to the show after the first match and a recap vid. Weirdo.

Tweet 10: John Cena on SmackDown? SAYWHAAAAAAT?!
Tweet 11: Cole's introducing himself AGAIN. This is getting out of hand.
Tweet 12: Cena's jokes falling flat there.
Tweet 13: Rough cut to the crowd chanting "Yes!" It's almost like they didn't take Cena's original cue and had to be prompted a couple more times.
Tweet 14: Hahahaha interrupted by Del Rio of all people.
Tweet 15: Remember when ADR first debuted and he feuded with Rey about three separate times in his first year?
Tweet 16: Sheamus came out. I wanted him to say that he was going to unify the US title with the WWE and World titles to make the WWE triple crown.
Tweet 17: He didn’t. Poor.
Tweet 18: Heyman getting the most heat of the entire show by mentioning Lesnar ending The Streak there.
Tweet 19: Reigns and Cena could be something one day.

Wouldn't surprise me if this was a WrestleMania main event one day, to be honest.

Tweet 20: And I don't mean slash fic.
Tweet 21: Randy Orton. Go to guy for exciting promo segments.
Tweet 22: That promo segment ended with all the guys fighting. Didn't see that comin'...

Dolph Ziggler v Bad News Barrett

Tweet 23: Dolph putting the moves on Lilian Garcia there.

Tweet 24: Bad News Cape Klaxon!!
Tweet 25: Leave it to Barrett to drop in a football reference. Helping to stereotype all Brits as football lovers.
Tweet 26: Could've done with that being longer. Still good though. I want Ziggler v Barrett on the next three PPVs. I'll take them in MITB together.
Tweet 27: Bad News hit Ziggler so hard that his music stopped. Impressive.

Titus O’Neil v Adam Rose

Tweet 28: They're idiots for not saving Titus v Rose for a pay-per-view.

Tweet 29: Love the fact that Rose's entourage are the most excited people in the arena. Most people in the crowd aren't bothered.

The most excited people in the building.

Tweet 30: Can't wait for that bunny heel turn.
Tweet 31: Titus loses. Demands a rematch. Loses again. I'm sure someone, somewhere finds that hilarious.

Kane v Dean Ambrose

Tweet 32: #DemonKane

Tweet 33: Nice to see Rollins has put some effort in for his spot as a guest commentator. So few wrestlers care these days.
Tweet 34: Look at Lawler. He sits there in naff T-shirts every week.
Tweet 35: Once again I feel compelled to comment on Dean Ambrose being really, really surprisingly over as a singles babyface.
Tweet 36: Rollins didn't cost Ambrose the match. mbrose cost Ambrose the match. #BretscrewedBret

Jack Swagger v Big E

Tweet 37: BIG HOSS.

Tweet 38: It's the grudge match we've all been waiting for: Big E v Jack Swagger!
Tweet 39: These two had a cracking match at Elimination Chamber. My hopes are raised for this.
Tweet 40: Lasted about a minute so nowhere near as good as the match at Chamber. Gonna pin my hopes on Big E v Rusev.

Fandango, Summer Rae and Layla backstage

Tweet 41: Fandango not using his gimmick voice is the most kayfabe-breaking thing I've seen in years.

Tweet 42: Summer mouth rapes Fanners and Layla sees. Nothing is said. Their eyes do the talking.
Tweet 43: Yep. Really hyped for that Layla v Summer Rae match.

Bo Dallas v Fandango

Tweet 44: Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo!Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo!

Tweet 45: The obvious finisher for Bo Dallas is the bow and arrow. Why is this not happening?
Tweet 46: 'Dirty' Curty going back to his old ways, basically.
Tweet 47: Not pleased with Layla and Summer trying to overshadow Bo Dallas.

"Are you a... Boliever?"

Tweet 48: Is part of Bo's gimmick that he becomes a bystander in other people's storylines and gets wins out of it? If not it should be.
Tweet 49: Anyone who says Bo's not getting over is wrong. There are signs in the crowd for him and his victory is being booed.

Bray Wyatt backstage promo

Tweet 50: Wyatt Family screen thing going off with Bo in the ring made me think they were going to acknowledge them as brothers.

Tweet 51: 'The Designer of Chaos' is another great moniker for Bray.
Tweet 52: Nice that WWE are savvy enough to have Bray say that he's only siding with the other heels briefly.

Randy Orton, Cesaro, Alberto Del Rio, and Bray Wyatt v John Cena, Sheamus and Roman Reigns

Tweet 53: Instead of a four-on-three match they could have done Sheamus, Reigns and Cena v ADR, Orton and Cesaro v The Wyatt Family.

Tweet 54: Could've been interesting. Maybe they'll do it next week. But they won't.
Tweet 55: The question that everyone wants answered is: are there Mexican flags on the ring posts?
Tweet 56: Awkward shot from the cheap seats there. It was so they didn't have to show a bunch of tarped seats I expect.
Tweet 57: Bray Wyatt foregoing a musical entrance and instead choosing to teleport to the ring there.
Tweet 58: Love Cole making out Reigns is untrustworthy because he said nobody could stop him from winning the world title.
Tweet 59: This match perfectly illustrates how WWE could use six man tags to start new feuds every few months.
Tweet 60: It's not actually a six man tag, but still...
Tweet 61: "Sheamus loves to fight, don't he?" - Michael 'I Can't Think Of Anything To Say' Cole
Tweet 62: The announcers are pushing a lack of trust towards Reigns but Cena teamed with him and Ambrose the week after Rollins turned. Ridiculous.
Tweet 63: Cena and Orton tag in at the same time. The audience immediately begins booing.
Tweet 64: Needlessly sexual cover from Orton there.
Tweet 65: For those playing along at home it was the one he went for after he pointed at Reigns.
Tweet 66: "It's his first big chance at the title!" - Michael Cole on Cesaro, who also wrestled for the title in the main event of Elimination Chamber
Tweet 67: The Crowd Noise Machine is going into overdrive now that Reigns has tagged in.

Bray Wyatt's about to get Lex Luthored.

Tweet 68: Pretty good finish to that. All of Reigns' spots were used and then he went over. Works for me.

Tweet 69: I wish JBL would stop talking about watching Reigns erupt though. #filth

Hell in a Cell preview

No, your eyes don’t need checking. Hell in a Cell is a WWE pay-per-view that won’t feature a John Cena match. This is a rarity, one supposedly brought on by Cena’s slower than expected recovery from routine elbow surgery. I say supposedly because I’m not convinced that Cena is unable to wrestle.

Look at it like this: WWE has created a popular new star in Ryback and want to solidify him as a top card player. The best way of doing this is having him wrestle the company’s most highly regarded in-ring performer, WWE champion CM Punk. There is no better way of portraying him as the company’s number two babyface than to have him fill-in for its number one babyface.

Perhaps ‘The CeNation Leader’ is genuinely healing slowly. The rigours of being on the road for years, rehabbing various injuries every few months may have started taking a toll on his body. I’m not convinced though. Cena’s slow recovery seems a little too convenient for the rise of Ryback.

This match will be a big test for both men. For Phil ‘CM Punk’ Brooks it’s a chance to prove he truly is ‘The Best in the World’ and carry a notably limited opponent to a passable encounter. Meanwhile the Punk character needs to leave HIAC with the title in order to continue his quest for respect and progress to the match with The Rock that was set up at RAW 1000.

For ‘Big Hungry’ it’s a chance to launch himself from the doldrums of WWE’s bleak middle card zone to the pinnacle of the company. Ending CM Punk’s eleven month championship reign would solidify him as a bona fide star in one night and create a number of much-needed fresh booking options for WWE.

Taking everything into consideration I cannot see ‘The Human Wrecking Ball’ capturing the WWE championship on this particular occasion. As noted above Ryback would make an interesting (and welcome) addition to the existing main event crew but his win would set him on a collision course with ‘The Great One’. That’s not a match I can imagine WWE promoting.

 

A controversial new look for CM Punk

 

‘The Voice of the Voiceless’ has to be the favourite to head into the Rumble as the champion. While it’s possible he could lose the strap and regain it before then it would make his lengthy run a little pointless and make his battle with ‘The Brahma Bull’ feel a little less special. It would also mean giving Ryback a short championship reign, which would harm him long term.

If Ryback were to lose clean it would ruin him at this point. With the two men meeting inside the Cell booking a finish that keeps the title on Punk but also protects Ryback will be tricky to book, but not impossible. Punk could use a chair or other weapon to gain a tainted win. Presumably Heyman will be at ringside and Cena is likely to make an appearance, so they could be utilised too.

A scenario that could protect both men would be to have Ryback power Punk through the cage. That would establish the challenger’s incredible strength and create a way out (quite literally) for Punk. The match could end with the champ heading backstage and refusing to compete. Poor finish to a PPV main event yes, but it would obtain the desired result and protect the rising star.

Perhaps a better option would be for Punk’s fellow “Paul Heyman guy” Brock Lesnar to show up, break into the Cell and cost ‘Big Hungry’ the gold. That would not only be a convincing way of having Ryback lose but it would also set up a future clash between Ryback and ‘The Pain’. Handled correctly that could be a big draw for Survivor Series, Royal Rumble or WrestleMania XXIX.

However they do it I’m sure Punk will leave as champion. The quality of the match and how the finish goes down is where I’m less clear.

The company’s other world title will also be defended at Hell in a Cell, but not inside the cage. Yes, it’s the first official confrontation between Sheamus and Big Show. That ‘The World’s Largest Athlete’ has been placed into this match despite having failed to capture the WWE championship over the summer illustrates how shallow the main event bracket is.

It also illustrates that management are not as serious as they should be about elevating new stars. Wade Barrett would have been an ideal PPV opponent for ‘The Celtic Warrior’, as their recent outings on RAW and SmackDown prove.

Sheamus v Big Show could be entertaining but I’m not going to get my hopes up. Both men are okay as characters, but Sheamus works far better when facing smaller grapplers or brawlers of his own size. Big Show is a lump who would be of more use to the company as a babyface.

I don’t think Show will be leaving as champ. ‘Great White’ will overcome the “overwhelming” (listen out for that word during the broadcast) odds which have been established (Show having a more powerful finisher, for example) and topple the giant. As Sheamus has had the belt for over six months now and I’m beginning to think that a change is coming, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Dolph Ziggler cashed in his briefcase and left as the new World Heavyweight champ.

If Show struggles to his feet and immediately starts battering Sheamus after doing the job you’ll know to expect ‘The Show Off’. Making a cash-in slightly more likely is the fact that Ziggler is not booked to appear on the show. As one of the few stars WWE seems to be dedicated to helping I’m fairly sure he’ll be appearing.

The once meaningful Intercontinental championship will be defended on the show too. The title is most commonly used these days for provoking cheap pops on landmark episodes of WWE programming. See Kofi Kingston's victory over The Miz on Main Event, and 'The Awesome One's' defeat of Christian on RAW 1000.
 
Kofi only began his fourth reign a couple of weeks ago so I don't expect him to lose it so soon, especially to the man he took it from. If this bout is allocated enough time I think it could be the best technical outing on the card. Hopefully time will be on their side.

 

Kofi has headed up WWE’s tag team division for over a year. With his partnership with R-Truth now consigned to the history books now feels like a good time to award him a serious singles push again. Kingston is an ideal candidate to build the mid-card division around. Getting the title onto him is a good first step. Calling up some fresh talent would be a good second.
 
Speaking of the tag team titles: the surprisingly entertaining, not to mention over, Team Hell No will defend the WWE tag team championship against the Rhodes Scholars. Sandow and Rhodes are clearly the best choice of team to oppose Bryan and Kane. They are established antagonists and great wrestlers. Expect to see them isolate Bryan, allowing 'Goatface' to work the majority of the match for his team.
 
Will that lead to a hot tag and a Kane-gained victory or will the Scholars successfully wear Bryan down and become the new champions? Tough call. On the one hand Team Hell No are such a popular act that WWE would be foolish to make any big changes to them just yet. On the other the dysfunctional duo, being (sort of) goodies, may work better if chasing a heel tandem for the gold.
 
As they've only had the straps for a month I'm going to predict a victory for Team Hell No. Perhaps the Rhodes Scholars will get a rematch at Survivor Series. Or perhaps the Prime Time Players will get back into the title hunt.
 
The PTPs looked like the favourites to dethrone Kingston and Truth before Bryan and Kane proved a hit. That WWE spent so long building them up as a team to be reckoned with means they'll probably get their turn at some point. HIAC was originally to have seen the Players facing Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara, presumably after costing them the tournament finals on RAW. It seems as though Mysterio's undisclosed stomach problems (maybe he's got what Matt Hardy had around the time he was in TNA) have put a stop to that.

This week’s SmackDown taping saw a Divas title match added to the show. Eve will defend against Layla and Kaitlyn. The story that’s been running since Night of Champions hasn’t been in vain after all! Missed it? Basically Kaitlyn was scheduled to challenge for the pink belt at NOC but was attacked by a mystery assailant. Eve took her place, became the new champion, and has been accused of being the mystery assailant ever since.

The drama!

A title change strikes me as unlikely. I think a swerve turn from Kaitlyn is a greater possibility. The programme has been trundling towards this inevitable three-way for six weeks Something unexpected needs to happen to keep it fresh. Maybe Kaitlyn and Eve have been in cahoots all along, cooking up this deplorable scheme because they dislike Layla. I wouldn’t blame them if that were the case.

On a side note, what does it say about the pay scale in the Divas division when the champion has to work a second job as a PA?
 
The final match announced for the pay-per-view is Alberto Del Rio v Randy Orton. I have been calling for a fresh opponent for 'The Essence of Excellence' for months now and I'm pleased he finally has one. That said I'm still not especially interested in the match.
 
The feud doesn't seem to be about anything. There is no reason for ADR and 'The Viper' to clash beyond the fact that neither has anything better to do. Del Rio constantly referring to Orton as a "little snake" hasn’t helped matters. It has only served to make a boring rivalry silly too.
 
I'm hopeful that once they lock up my attitude will change. Both men are very good in the ring and if they tell an interesting enough story (which again relies on time as much as anything else) then the lack of a compelling issue between them won't really be an factor.
 
With an Orton heel turn happening at any moment I suspect he'll win to be kept strong for his renewed push as a bad guy. Should the two tangle in another singles match at Survivor Series ADR can be given his win back then. Should the office think he needs it that is.
 
There are plenty of options for last minute additions to the show. As noted above Dolph Ziggler doesn't have a match. Neither do popular acts such as Santino, Zack Ryder and Brodus Clay. Wade Barrett would benefit from an appearance too, considering his recent well received outings against World champ Sheamus. A United States title defence by Antonio Cesaro could by good too, especially if it were preceded by one of his anti-US vignettes.
 
The Hell in a Cell pay-per-view doesn't look bad on paper but, as with last year's event, it does highlight the fact that the structure is best used only when needed rather than having it on a show because marketing dictates it must be so. Ryback v Punk doesn't need the Cell in order to draw money or appeal to fans. If anything the cage will prove a hindrance. Here's hoping that the show name is retired next year and the Cell goes back to being a rare treat used to finish off only the bitterest feuds.

Predictions summary:

CM Punk to defeat Ryback
Sheamus to defeat Big Show
Team Hell No to defeat the Rhodes Scholars
Kofi Kingston to defeat The Miz
Randy Orton to defeat Alberto Del Rio

Eve to defeat Layla and Kaitlyn

SmackTalk 12.10.12

Every week I write a SmackTalk article and try providing both a summary of the episode and a selection of high and low points. This week I thought I’d try something different and make some predictions about where some of WWE’s current storylines (featured on the show) are heading.

First of all there’s the Big Show and Sheamus feud. ‘Great White’ will defend his World Heavyweight championship against ‘The World’s Largest Athlete’ at Hell in a Cell. At this point no extra stipulations have been announced and it seems fairly likely they’ll clash in a regular bout.

The Hell in a Cell would be overkill this early in their programme but that doesn’t mean WWE wouldn’t have them wrestle in the cage if they had no other choice. Should CM Punk end up facing Ryback, for example, then Sheamus and Show would be the natural bout to be bumped up to Hell in a Cell status. With the pay-per-view called Hell in a Cell WWE have to feature the gimmick on the show.

Their rivalry hasn’t produced any enjoyable matches or segments so far and I can’t see that changing before October 28^th. I expect them to see more segments similar to this week’s test of strength over the next few weeks. I think they will all be similarly tiresome. At this point nothing has happened to make me think Show will win the WHC and the story seems as though it’s going to be ‘The Celtic Warrior’ gradually coming to the realisation that Show is a threat to his reign.

Another Hell in a Cell prediction is that we’ll see the Rhodes Scholars entering as number one contenders. Sandow’s loss to Sin Cara on SmackDown was designed to make people think that the Scholars will lose the tournament finals on Monday night. They are by far the best candidates to square off with Kane and Bryan for the gold.

I’m hoping that Mysterio and Sin Cara are kept together as a unit for a while longer. Their planned split and ensuing dispute will mean more if they’ve been together longer.

One of the biggest slices of soap opera drama to grace SmackDown over the last month has been the ongoing question of who attacked Kaitlyn at Night of Champions. As Eve Torres benefitted most from the assault, being booked as Kaitlyn’s replacement and defeating Layla for the Divas gold, she is naturally the favourite to be revealed as the assailant.

While having a division’s lead feud hinge on something that happened backstage always strikes me as annoying I do think this is a positive direction. Ignore the talk of a blonde wig and you have a solid title feud situation: Layla wasn’t prepeared for a title defence against Eve, which gives her just cause for a rematch; Kaitlyn has proven that she can best Eve in a match, meaning that if she got a title match there would be no clear favourite (at least in theory); and Eve has risen to the top by being in the right place at the right time instead of earning championship matches, which is the right way to book a heel.

There are enough options to keep a three-way programme bubbling away until Survivor Series. The stuff with Eve riling Teddy Long and Booker increasingly favouring his PA over his senior adviser could also turn into something interesting too, though at the moment it’s pretty boring because WWE don’t seem to have decided where they want to go with it.

Finally, I think the decision to put Jinder Mahal, Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater together as a unit is a good move. I want them to be used as a strong upper mid-card heel outfit and prepped for a title feud, using the Freebird Rule, for later in the year. It’s the best way to use ‘The Chosen One’ and ‘The Punjabi Nightmare’, and it’s something that allows ‘The One Man Rock Band’ to be ridiculous.

True that’s not a prediction but I thought I’d include it anyway.

KO Punch v Brogue Kick challenge, featuring Booker T, Sheamus and Big Show

Tweet 1: SmackDown tweet time! BAM!

Tweet 2: SmackDown is Friday night's hottest show. #vintageJosh
Tweet 3: KO Punch versus Brogue Kick challenge will start SmackDown. That seems a stupid idea. It certainly doesn't make this Friday's hottest show.
Tweet 4: #Bookergrammar
Tweet 5: JBL and Josh on commentary with no Cole is probably the best decision the company's made all year.
Tweet 6: "Tonight is all about the Big Show and Sheamus" - Booker T, subtly letting us know the rest of the show is irrelevant
Tweet 7: Boxing statistics. This is going to get the ratings up.
Tweet 8: "Don't boo me. Don't boo me!" Y'all should be booing yourselves!
Tweet 9: This is ridiculous. Kicks are generally much more powerful than punches. That's why they're so popular in MMA. #stupidsegment
Tweet 10: Can Sheamus kick high enough to reach Show's chin?
Tweet 11: What we've learned here is that Show is strong enough to punch a mountain in two while Sheamus is only strong enough to make a cow explode.
Tweet 12: Tensai there, getting a push. It's too little too late.

Segments like this are what makes SmackDown Friday's hottest show

Sheamus v Tensai

Tweet 13: Tensai has the best entrance music in WWE. #fact #somefactsmaybefalse

Tweet 14: "He's a legend in Japan right now" - JBL on, um, Tensai
Tweet 15: I still think that if WWE had gotten behind Tensai make in April and May he could have been a headliner by now.
Tweet 16: JBL just referenced NOAH and NJPW. Is this an alternate reality?
Tweet 17: Sheamus picks Tensai up for White Noise with ease. Ryback could learn a thing or two from him...

Ricardo Rodriguez and Alberto Del Rio backstage

Tweet 18: SmackDown is being held at the HP Pavillion. Modern arena names make me sad.

Tweet 19: Here's a good segment idea: have ADR talk about how unafraid of Randall Orton he is.
Tweet 20: Top that segment off with Ricardo being given a show-long mission to hunt down 'The Viper'. It's a surefire ratings smash hit!
Tweet 21: So Ricardo hears what is meant to be a snake noise and is worried it's Randy Orton? Yeah, because Orton's famed for his snake impressions.
Tweet 22: Oh wait. It's just Santino. #hilarity

Team CoBro v Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater

Tweet 23: SLATER COWBELL!

Tweet 24: I like Slater's new tights. It'll be another year and a half before he wears something else...
Tweet 25: Slater promos = ratings
Tweet 26: Team CoBro. #scans
Tweet 27: I love the paper, rock, scissors gimmick to decide which member of a tag team starts a match. Very New Age Outlaws. #Billyalwayswon
Tweet 28: The Slater Freebirds need matching gear.
Tweet 29: Slater's weird cutter-DDT finisher should be called the Cowbell Buster.

I think we all know the highlight here is Jinder Mahal's expression

Dolph Ziggler v Kane

Tweet 30: Ziggler takes to Tout to challenge Kane to a match. Remember a time when that would've happened in a backstage interview?

Tweet 31: Ziggler v Kane. I'd rather see Ziggler v Bryan. #bestintheworld
Tweet 32: I preferred Ziggler's pink T-shirt. It featured the colour teal. #isthatateal
Tweet 33: Ziggler's getting the ridiculous bumps in early. He just flew across the ring after being punched.
Tweet 34: Ziggler skinning the cat needs to be done at least half a dozen times in next year's Rumble. At least.
Tweet 35: FAMEASSER!! #BadAssBillyZiggler
Tweet 36: That was a decent match. Ziggler getting DQed is rare. He's usually just jobbed out. Maybe that title win's getting close...

Daniel Bryan and Kane confrontation, featuring Matt Striker

Tweet 37: Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

Tweet 38: Guess who's in the ring...
Tweet 39: "I saved you!" - Daniel Bryan to Kane
Tweet 40: No Lock to Striker!! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Tweet 41: "I never liked Matt Striker" - JBL, with a comment which is probably true
Tweet 42: "That's not an announcer, that's Matt Striker" – JBL

Ricardo Rodriguez continues hunting for Randy Orton

Tweet 43: Why is Ricardo asking people questions in Spanish when it's been confirmed he speaks English?

Tweet 44: "I'm coiled... to strike!" - a Randy Orton toy

Big Show v Kofi Kingston

Tweet 45: Miz and Kofi are feuding for the IC title? Good move, writing team!

Tweet 46: Big Show v Kofi Kingston. Something tells me this match will be less than thrilling.
Tweet 47: Why doesn't Show use the choke slam anymore?
Tweet 48: Also, where's Ryback?
Tweet 49: How long until Main Event becomes a Superstars level job show?

Daniel Bryan talks to Alberto Del Rio

Tweet 50: I hope this vignette is setting up a Bryan v ADR bout. Bryan has some slick verbal skills.

Layla, Kaitlyn, Eve, Booker T and Teddy Long backstage

Tweet 51: Layla and Kaitlyn are STILL wittering on about the injustice of Kaitlyn not having the Divas title match she deserved.

Tweet 52: And here's Eve. Lovely Eve. I can't wait until Teddy gets written out of storylines.
Tweet 53: Layla needs to keep her mouth shut. She sounds like an East End fishwife.

Damien Sandow v Sin Cara

Tweet 54: SANDOW POP!!

Tweet 55: Sin Cara is wearing that white outfit he got injured in last year. But never mind that, here's his special lighting effect!
Tweet 56: 'The Sovereign of Civility' is probably the greatest new moniker of 2012.
Tweet 57: Cody Rhodes is sent backstage. Ringside gets a little less dashing.
Tweet 58: Sin Cara just beat Damien Sandow, a decision designed to make us think the Rhodes Scholars will lose on Monday. I think they'll win.

Alberto Del Rio v Daniel Bryan

Tweet 59: Albertooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Delllllllllllllllll Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiooooooooooooooo!!

Tweet 60: Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Tweet 61: YEEEEEEEEES!!
Tweet 62: Loving Bryan destroying signs. #niceSandmanTshirtasshole

Daniel Bryan is the tag team champions!

Tweet 63: I want Dr Shelby to be used more often.
Tweet 64: This is the best Del Rio match I've seen for months. Thank you, Daniel Bryan.
Tweet 65: Randy Orton hasn't been sighted yet. Guess that means he's on run-in duty.
Tweet 66: Cross arm breaker in the ropes is a great little spot. That needs to be booked more often. It could be like Tajiri's Tarantula, y'know?
Tweet 67: ADR wins via submission. Nah, don't book one of your most over babyfaces strong. Why on Earth would you want to do that.
Tweet 68: "Randy Orton will not show up tonight" - Alberto Del Rio, moments before a Randy Orton appearance
Tweet 69: Orton just appeared lying down in the ring. #unintentionalLOLfactor
Tweet 70: ADR's taking a table bump is he?
Tweet 71: Ah, Ricardo interfered to help Del Rio escap. So RR is taking a table bump. Should be a highlight of the show. Ricardo takes great bumps.
Tweet 72: Table didn't break. Rodriguez now has a broken neck and a job with no pension. Thanks, Randy. #Thandy