The Intellectual Cosplayer

When Damien Sandow first appeared in WWE he was, by modern standards, a wonder. He was a solid wrestler with an understandable and distinct character that acted consistently. Plus he did cartwheels. I thought he signalled the beginning of a mid-card rebuilding project.

Sadly that’s not been the case. During his two years in WWE Sandow has never been treated exactly right. His pushes have faltered. He’s been shunted up and down the card. The company never seem quite sure whether to position him as a man on the rise or a piece of enhancement furniture used to get other, newer stars over.

Damien Sandow's better than this. So's Ian McKellen for that matter.

His treatment in the last year demonstrates this perfectly. He’s recently abandoned his intellectual roots, the thing that set him apart from every other heel on the books, and taken to cosplaying. We’ve seen him as Magneto, Davey Crockett and some basketball player I’ve never heard of, all for entirely unexplained reasons. It’s a move that may or may not be linked to the bizarre and ill-conceived decision to have him attempt worked shoot promos about being underutilised just a week or two before he decided to reveal this previously unhinted at aspect of his personality.

Under a year ago things were different. At last July’s Money in the Bank ‘The Intellectual Saviour’ won the titular ladder bash at the expense of his then-best friend (not forever) Cody Rhodes. That not only gave Sandow a guaranteed World Heavyweight championship match but also slotted him into one of the few mid-card feuds bothered booking all year. Rhodes versus Sandow happened at SummerSlam and actually had a worthwhile backstory to it!

That Sandow lost his cash-in match against WHC John Cena wasn’t a problem in itself. It could have led to Sandow going away and proving himself worthy of a rematch by winning a string of matches against significant members of the roster. It could have led to him entering a lopsided (perhaps even one-sided) feud with Mr Cena. It could have seen him refocus and promise fans he’d have gold by the end of the year, leading to a two month story culminating with him winning the Intercontinental or US strap on the last RAW or SmackDown of the year.

The second option was hinted at but never really went anywhere. That may be because of the probably last minute decision to unify the World Heavyweight title with the WWE title in December but it’s more likely that WWE just couldn’t be bothered dedicating time to Sandow. In their minds they had, and have, bigger names to concentrate on.

While it’s true that there are bigger established names and newcomers with more potential to strike it big than Sandow that shouldn’t mean he gets overlooked. In Sandow WWE has a near perfect mid-card heel. He’s a decent wrestler, is easy to dislike, gives a great promo, and understands his character. Not making the most of how different his character is is, as Sandow himself might say, incontrovertibly imbecilic.

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 44

That Wresling Podcast Episode 44 by Dave Hatton on Mixcloud

On April 25 2011 Mark Henry tuned heel. It wasn’t the first turn of his career and it wouldn’t be the last, but it would be the most significant. It instigated the push that finally saw him accepted as a main event act after years of half-hearted and incomplete attempts by WWE. ‘The World’s Strongest Man’ started mentioning his Hall of Pain, produced the best promo work of his career and cultivated a monster aura.

At Night of Champions, five months after he’d gone bad and been rocketed to the top, Henry defeated Randy Orton to capture the World Heavyweight championship. That result, and the fact that it was clean, amazed me. I’d been convinced that Henners had been built up in order to be fed to a valiant babyface, which ‘The Viper’ then was. I hadn’t expected him to capture what was WWE’s second most prestigious title.

I was shocked by the reign but he did look good with the gold

It took me quite a while to warm to Henry. His promos and look upon turning were positive points but his matches remained as ponderous and uninspiring as ever. It probably didn’t help that I’ve never been that big a fan of big men in wrestling, particularly those who work the sort of slow, powerful style Henry does.

For most of 2011 the character was there but the match quality wasn’t. But towards the end of the year I began to be won over. Henry had some great interactions with Daniel Bryan (doesn’t everybody?) on episodes of SmackDown and at the 2012 Royal Rumble. He had a trio of matches with CM Punk on the April 2, April 9 and April 16 episodes of RAW which were, in hindsight, pretty fun.

Shortly after that Henry disappeared from TV to undergo surgery. He would return nine months later and continue to benefit from strong booking. This was another surprise. Previously breaks from TV had been one of the most common reasons for his pushes faltering. When he returned Henry not only qualified for a spot in the Elimination Chamber but was protected in his inevitable exit from the structure. A month later he cleanly defeated the previously unstoppable Ryback at WrestleMania XXIX.

Since then Henry has continued to be presented as a top act, most notably in his solid swerve turn on John Cena prior to Money in the Bank 2013. While my initial reasons for disliking the push, specifically that WWE could have given a younger member of the roster with a longer future and a less disappointing past such as Brodus Clay to spot in Henry’s place, remain I can’t deny that Henry hasn’t grown into the role and been accepted in it by fans. I wouldn’t claim to be the biggest Mark Henry fan, and I’d still argue that his matches often come closer to being boring than exciting, but when he’s on form against the right opponent Henry can and does shine. If WWE could get more people over to the same extent they'd have far fewer problems.

I just wish Henry hadn’t shaved his head bald. The dreads look was wonderful.

Ryback Rules

WWE have really missed out by not pushing Ryback. This time last year he was the company's hottest star, a status he'd achieved thanks to the rarely seen (probably contributing to its effectiveness) simmering push he'd received. Ryback was popular with fans and seemed like he could become the next major star. But somehow, somewhere, it all went wrong.

I suspect part of the problem could be the head writer changes WWE has experienced this year. Two new guys came and went in quick succession, which it would be fair to assume created instability. In such circumstances the writing team would have relied on the established likes of CM Punk and John Cena for the weekly TV shows. A newcomer like Ryback, not having an established enough character and perhaps being viewed as a pet project of the previous administration, would have been one of the first guys to find themselves shoved casually to one side. The famed McMahon mercuriality wouldn’t have helped his cause either.

Even if this instability is imagined it's certainly true Ryback has been handled incredibly poorly on television. Since WrestleMania he's been senselessly turned heel, gone on a ridiculous pay-per-view losing streak, been booked to play a bully and a coward, and been shunted from one forgettable programme to another with seemingly no long term goals and plans.

The 'Mania turn was the worst offence. It was done to provide WWE champion John Cena with someone to face after Rock's sudden exit from the league. It provided a great moment on the April 8^th RAW and 'Big Hungry' was utilised well enough during the feud but once it was over it became clear that WWE didn't know what to do with a heel 'back without being able to put him against Cena.

His feud with Chris Jericho should've seen Ryback built up as an unstoppable killer. The difference in size between the two and 'Y2J's' ability to sell a beating (which isn't extraordinary but is better than most) would have made that approach completely natural. Had Ryback blitzed through 'The Highlight of the Night' at Money in the Bank in a five minute match, countering Jericho's trademark manoeuvres with power moves and feats of strength, he'd have looked like the most dominant heel in the company.

'The Big Guy' could have been big business

At a time when WWE didn't have a clearly defined lead bad guy that would have been the best approach possible. If he had to be bad, and it had been decreed that he did, then the company should've been prepping Ryback for that spot. Obviously the plan at that point was to have Randy Orton turn and become the central villain (on the active roster at any rate, Heyman and Triple H consistently draw greater heat than him) but it wouldn't have hurt to strengthen Ryback before that point. It would have made him more valuable in his role and may even have fooled people into thinking that a heel Ryback versus babyface Daniel Bryan series was being built to. Going to town on a Ryback push over the summer could’ve fooled people into overlooking Orton (which isn’t exactly difficult to begin with).

With the benefit of having watched the bullying character for a few months it seems like a desperate attempt to give Rybers something to do that would keep him on the roster but required little attention or effort beyond a broad characterisation. In under a year he went from being potentially the next big headliner to abusing indy guys inexplicably dressed as catering staff.

It's almost as though WWE deliberately sabotaged the success of Ryback. That's a conspiracy theory that gets bandied about a lot regarding various wrestling stars and it's not one I usually give any credit. Here though it seems like a genuine possibility. It's hard to think of an alternative that explains why someone who was so popular has been bounced around with so little care and thought this year.

You need only look back at his outings at Hell in a Cell and Survivor Series last year for proof that Ryback was hot. The crowd were into him and wanted to see him win. He represented an alternative to Cena and the stagnant main event in general while still being very much a traditional WWE headliner. Had WWE stayed behind him, been more choosey about whom he faced and kept going with the policy of only having him lose due to shenanigans I think he could've been leading man material around now.

We'll never know though. The treatment he's had this year has ruined him. The treatment he’s received can’t be undone. It would be nigh on impossible for even the might of the WWE machine to return Ryback to his former state of popularity at this point. The best we can say about the situation is that it might serve as a lesson to those in charge in how not to handle a popular star in the future.

The Man Without a Feud

When Dolph Ziggler won the World Heavyweight championship on the April 8^th edition of Monday Night RAW it felt like the beginning of something special. Ziggler had been growing in fan estimations for years and had long been expected to become a world champion sooner or later. Years of support from fans and hard work from Ziggler had paid off. At least, that’s how it felt.

An errant kick from Jack Swagger changed whatever original plans lay in place. Suffering a concussion, ‘The Heel’ was pulled from his scheduled triple threat ladder match against Swags and former WHC Alberto Del Rio at Extreme Rules. Instead Swagger and ADR clashed in a submission match for the right to tangle with Ziggler once he’d returned from the injured list.

That happened in time for Payback, WWE’s next major supershow. In his first title defence Ziggler entered a cracking performance opposite ‘The Essence of Excellence’. They wrestled one of the best matches of the year and executed a silky smooth double turn in the process. Ziggler, the man who had won over fans with his big bumping style and cocky attitude, was turned face as Del Rio maliciously and aggressively targeted his head, making the most of the champ’s recent concussion problems. It was a clever storyline that did a lot for the characters of both.

The two had a barnstorming rematch at Money in the Bank. The two seemed (and still do, in fact) incapable of having a bad match together. Sadly, this would not be ‘The Show Off’s’ night. He lost again, though this time it was a result of unwanted interference from then-beau AJ Lee.

With that DQ finish Ziggler left the World Heavyweight title’s orbit. Del Rio would head off into a thoroughly forgettable one month time-killing run with Christian and Dolph would get involved in a programme with his former bodyguard Big E Langston, who was still linked (thoroughly unromantically it should be stressed) to Ms Lee.

At SummerSlam Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn, who’d had her own problems with AJ, teamed to defeat Big E and AJ in a mixed tag team. It was an enjoyable enough match considering the slight amount of time they were allotted and it felt like a satisfying conclusion to months’ worth of storylines. All four made the best of the situation.

Things should have been different. The Del Rio v Ziggler rivalry had enough left in it to carry on one final month to ‘The Hottest Show of the Summer’. A split in the Big E-AJ-Ziggler camp would have felt more impactful on the bigger show. Ricardo could still have been written out of the picture after a Del Rio Fit of Rage™, which could have been used to convince people they’d see a fair fight at SummerSlam. AJ costing Ziggler the championship in that situation would have made even more sense, because Ricardo wouldn’t have been around to do it.

Nobody involved in Ziggler v Del Rio went on to immediately do anything better so why couldn’t it last until SummerSlam? It makes no sense.

Everyone except Dolph has moved on to pastures new since SummerSlam. Rodriguez has returned to TV and become embroiled in a feud with his former boss, using Rob Van Dam as his proxy. AJ Lee recently cut an incredibly good promo about the state of the Divas division, which hints that her next task will be making it mean something again. Big E will either stay by her side or break off on his own for a spot of mid-card action before having a main event push activated for him some time next year. Kaitlyn’s not been seen, but she will likely feature in the Divas division.

 

He may not be doing anything interesting but he's still got a nice looking T-shirt on sale

 

Ziggler is the odd man out here. The night after SummerSlam his bumping skills were put to use reinvigorating The Shield. Last week’s RAW saw him without a match. He was relegated to standing atop the entrance ramp refusing to comment on Triple H’s booking decisions. He is a man without a feud just a month and a half after looking like a certain headline success.

If you were feeling charitable you could mention WWE is doing a great job at elevating Daniel Bryan into a leading man. Which is entirely true. But that doesn’t mean they can’t also pay attention to Ziggler. They couldn’t both be presented as the next major star, but there’s nothing to stop the company giving Ziggler something meaningful to do and capitalising on the progress he’s made this year.

Perhaps the beating he took at the hands of ‘The Hounds of Justice’ last week will lead to a US title match with Ambrose at Night of Champions. That would be a potential show stealer, but it’s not a match I’d want to see Ziggler win. The mid-card title would be a step back at this point.

It’s possible Ziggy will be the man who puts a stop to Ryback’s recent reign of terror in backstage segments. We’ve seen Ryback v Ziggler before, but not since both men have switched heel-face allegiances. Dolph’s big bumps are tailor made for playing the good guy. I think a heel ‘Human Wrecking Ball’ against a babyface Ziggler could be excellent. Failing that I’m sure Ziggler could do something interesting with the Wyatt Family, although they’re so popular that it could see Ziggler getting booed.

I’d much rather see Ziggler refocus on the World Heavyweight championship than anything else. Moving back into his programme with Del Rio would be good for both men. They have great chemistry and their series ended prematurely. They’ve definitely got a pay-per-view clash or two left in them.

Sandow v Rhodes

He may have guaranteed himself a future World Heavyweight title match at Money in the Bank but Damien Sandow is far from ready for a title reign. As things stand right now he is a prominent member of the roster, deemed good enough to have televised matches with the likes of Sheamus and Randy Orton but not high up enough on the pecking order to actually defeat them. You only need to check his win-loss record since MITB to see that his status has not changed. Briefcase and new feud aside little has changed for ‘The Lord of Literacy’.

Luckily for him there’s no rush for things to change. Winning the Money in the Bank briefcase is as much a guarantee that WWE’S creative team are going to spend time on him as it is of a future world title shot.

 

Damien Sandow, the preeniest 'Mr Money in the Bank' ever?

 

WWE have until next July at the latest to prep Sandow for a run as the World Heavyweight champion. I don’t think they’ll take that long. His current rivalry with former best friend and Rhodes Scholar tag team partner Cody Rhodes should help there. Having a memorable feud opposite Rhodes should help ‘The Intellectual Saviour’ stand out as a man on the ascent. Winning or losing the feud isn’t that important, what matters is that the two men have memorable moments while they’re working opposite each other.

The real key to getting Sandow over as a headliner will be moving him away from his current TV filler enhancement talent role. That shouldn’t be a problem for WWE. They have other guys that can and do fill the role. ‘The Duke of Decency’ can pick up a few more wins here and there to ensure he’s seen as a winner by the time he challenges for the strap.

Sandow could go from the Rhodes feud to another before taking his title match, but that’s not a necessity. In fact WWE have hinted at a potential storyline that I think could work very well that would see Sandow becoming HC while still involved with Rhodes. Rhodes has stated on commentary that he wants to become the World Heavyweight champion before Sandow. And really, there’s nothing to stop this happening. Sandow has a briefcase but that doesn’t mean nobody else on the roster can challenge for the big gold belt. Cody could quite easily enter into and win a number one contenders match, the traditional route to the top.

ADR would be the ideal opponent for Rhodes as he’s a heel and someone ‘The Moustachioed One’ hasn’t ever faced in a significant match (or, possibly, at all). That he’s expected to head into a programme with Ricardo Rodriguez would even allow WWE to present what could be an interesting Alberto and Damien v Cody and Ricardo match. Rhodes could be booked to defeat Del Rio for the title only to have Sandow cash-in and take the gold away from him.

This would instantly get heat on Sandow, give their feud a shot in the arm, and cast Rhodes in a sympathetic light. That’s not going to do a babyface any harm at all.

 

A deliciously emotive performance from Cody Rhodes

 

I suggested an idea similar (or identical, depending on your point of view) idea last year with Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes. You can remind yourselves of that here. It would work better with Rhodes and Sandow as the issue between Sandow and Rhodes is far more personal. There’s a feud already in place rather than one being manufactured.

Switching the belt onto Rhodes and then Sandow would trial two men who deserve it at the top of the card. It would create compelling television and be a sensible, logical story to follow. Even if only one of them did well enough to rise up the card on a permanent basis it would be worthwhile. Whether or not these facts will count for or against it with WWE is anyone’s guess, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

Snakeskin Case

It’s taken two years but Randy Orton is finally back on top of WWE. Well… sort of.

‘The Viper’s’ show-closing, briefcase-snatching victory at Money in the Bank has set him firmly back on the track to the WWE championship. That’s a title he’s not held since November 22^nd 2010. Funnily enough he lost it to a Money in the Bank cash-in from The Miz.

Part of what’s kept Orton away from the top is his history with WWE’s Wellness Policy. Having tested positive for banned substances twice Orton’s next infraction will see his contract terminated. Should that happen WWE would, by their own rules, be unable to rehire him until a year had passed and he’d passed a drug test. Naturally this sort of high risk situation is not something WWE have wanted to link to their top title.

Orton’s last brush with the top of the card came in 2011. He had the feud of the year opposite Christian for the World Heavyweight strap, winning it twice and leaving the rivalry with it. But as good as those matches were they were not for the company’s most treasured belt. Vacating the WHC or taking it off someone in a hurry would be an annoyance but it wouldn’t be a disaster. Getting the WWE title, the real world title, off someone in hurry would be.

Presumably ‘The Apex Predator’ has kept his nose clean for long enough (his last suspension came to an end on July 30^th last year) to convince WWE that he can be trusted with the championship. That he’s been outside of the main event bracket for so long and thus can be involved in relatively fresh matches and feuds probably doesn’t hurt either. In fact his briefcase win has put him on course for what has to be considered one of the freshest pay-per-view matches WWE can currently present.

I’m talking of course about the potential Orton versus Daniel Bryan series.

We’ve seen the two men wrestle several times before. They first clashed on SmackDown at the beginning of last year. The match was good but it was a standalone incident, something to keep both men busy. They’ve met again this year and actually had a respect based TV rivalry that saw them exchange clean wins in regular and gimmicked matches. Those bouts were never anything less than thrilling.

 

Orton has remained in an unassuming role since Money in the Bank. The most noteworthy thing that’s happened to him is getting low blowed by a fan in South Africa. The second most noteworthy thing that’s involved him was a short lived rumour that he was injured and would be missing ring time (in the end he missed one or two TV tapings and turned out to be fine). As far as scripted events go he’s done nothing of interest beyond walking out to pose with his briefcase during segments involving Daniel Bryan and-or WWE champion John Cena.

The message those posing scenes have sent has been clear. Orton intends to add himself to the WWE title picture. And soon.

 

Orton's been doing a lot of this since winning the case

 

The obvious time for this to happen would be the SummerSlam main event. I’ve outlined in a couple of posts now how Bryan could win the title to a huge ovation only to lose it moments later to Orton. Cashing in on in the ultra-popular ‘King of Beards’ would not endear Orton to fans and would make a natural starting point for a heel turn. Even if he lost his cash-in attempt, which seems incredibly unlikely, a villainous streak could emerge: he could become eaten up by frustration at losing in what was considered a “can’t lose” situation.

Orton winning the MITB briefcase initially disappointed me. It painted a dreary picture of his 378^th feud with John Cena. Thankfully WWE gave us a pleasant surprise when Daniel Bryan was awarded a title match at SummerSlam. Not only did that make use of a red hot talent but it also hinted at more Orton v Bryan matches, on pay-per-view and with one man playing a heel. If any changes could help them better their efforts of the last few months it’s an upgrade to PPV and one man playing an aggressive bad guy.

Further adding to Orton’s fortunes is the supposed elbow injury John Cena has suffered. I’m not convinced this isn’t a work to give Cena an excuse to tap out to the Yes Lock but whether it’s real or not it’s part of WWE storylines it hints that Cena will be taking time off in the next few weeks. That would leave Orton alone for a run opposite ‘The Dazzler’. Should Cena stick around we’ll see a three-way feud instead. That won’t be bad but I’d rather Bryan and Orton be left to tear it up alone.

Orton’s return to the main event could not have come at a better time.

Money in the Bank 2013 review

If every pay-per-view worked as well as Money in the Bank 2013 wrestling fans would have little to complain about. I'm not even talking about match quality with statement, although it never fell below good throughout the entire show. No, I'm talking about putting on a show that's not only satisfying but draws fans in, makes the best use of available talent possible, and builds towards the future. Using those criteria there hasn't been a better wrestling broadcast (in North America at least, I don't see enough of the Japanese product to comment) all year.

The show also illustrated how a good cried van enhance a wrestling show. John Cena's WWE title defence against Mark Henry benefited greatly from the audience having belief in 'The World Strongest Man's' character. Had they seem him as yet another disposable challenger in the spot just to help Cena kill time the match wouldn't have received the reaction it did and would have been poorer for it.

Similarly the all bad guys ladder match wouldn't have been the success it was without such a crowd. Philadelphia proved its worth as a wrestling city at Money in the Bank.

Following a proficient but instantly forgettable pre-show match in which The Shield successfully defended their tag team championship against Jimmy and Jey Uso the show proper kicked off with the World Heavyweight championship MITB match. It was the smartest choice for the opener but it meant the action peaked early: for my money it was the best thing on the card.

After a promo-heavy selection of ring introductions (which saw (heard?) Damien Sandow, Dean Ambrose and Zeb Colter receive cheers) the match kicked off. Having only fifteen minutes, a slight time for such an important match with a large number of wrestlers, a brisk pace was set. Early highlights saw Cesaro gordbuster Rhodes onto a ladder, Barrett boot Ambrose in the face through ladder steps, and Fandango chucked into one ladder before getting suplexed onto another by Sandow.

The Real American team took over when Swagger yanked Barrett off of a ladder into a Swiss Death uppercut from Cesaro. Cody Rhodes made his presence known seconds later when he pulled 'The Swiss Superman' from a ladder and Shellshocked him onto another ladder. The commentary team didn't reference the nicked move. They didn't even reference Kinnikuman.

From that moment on Cody was booked as the star of the match. The fans, appreciating 'The Moustachioed One's' efforts and sensing he was going to be the man of the match, broke into chants of "Cody" and "Cody's moustache".

It wasn't quite his time at that moment. The Real Americans and Ambrose returned for a memorable sequence. Ambrose stuck a ladder on his shoulders and started spinning around into his opponents. Cesaro and Swagger put a stop to that when they each grabbed an end and lifted the Shield member off the ground. Ambrose skinned the cat onto the top of the ladder, which seed the crowd, before he was dumped down to ringside.

Remaining united Cesaro clambered onto Swaggalag's shoulders and was walked into the centre of the ring. It was an impressive sight but they'd have had a better chance at winning had Cesaro simply climbed a ladder while Swagger stood guard. As it was Cody made his return to the match, drop kicking Swagger in the gut.

Fandango and Barrett (who'd been my pick to win but ended up playing a bit part) both got a Cross Rhodes when they tried to eliminate Cody. A big ladder (the sort Jeff Hardy used to use in these matches all the time) was climbed by 'The Son of a Son of a Plumber', but he was stopped near the top by Dean Ambrose. Rhodes made short work of him but then had to contend with the other 'Hounds if Justice' arriving in the ring. They gave Cody a kicking before the Usos rocked up to make the save. I liked that. It reminded us that The Shield are still a faction, something we've had little evidence of on recent pay-per-views. It also set Rhodes up for a big comeback, further enhancing his standing as the babyface of the match.

Cesaro and Swagger joined the Usos and The Shield brawling at ringside. While this essentially happened to create a crash mat for Ambrose, whom Rhodes tipped off the gigantoladder still set up in the ring, it provided a nice picture of where WWE could take their tag team division if they wanted to. Right now that's the best place for The Real Americans.

With Ambrose having wiped out a sizeable chunk of competitors in his tumble and Fandango and Barrett having been wiped out by The Shield it seemed as though Rhodes had a clear run at the briefcase. Fans cheered their approval as he climbed a ladder and then booed loudly when Damien Sandow appeared in the ring, tipped Cody to the mat, and claimed the ladder for himself.

It was a brilliant finishing sequence, the greatest example if WWE building for the future on the whole show. Sandow's smart guy character was enhanced as he waited for the best moment to strike, Rhodes was presented as a courageous guy who earned the victory and had it cruelly snatched away, and The Rhodes Scholars got the split they deserved to have. For the second show in a row WWE successfully turned a wrestler babyface by presenting them as a fighter. It was great to see.

Following the match Sandow shouted "You're welcome" numerous times before ending the segment by saying that the best man won. In the ring Rhodes looked crushed. Great work from both men. I look forward to their encounter at SummerSlam.

 

Damien Sandow is 'Mr Money in the Bank'

 

In order to not burn the crowd out early a slower segment came next. Brad Maddox, who received a surprisingly positive reaction from the crowd, cut a promo about replacing Vickie Guerrero. He topped it off by introducing a video package that he said celebrated her entertaining past but actually just embarrassed her. Up in the skybox Ms Guerrero looked less than amused. I'd love it if this led to Vickie managing Ryback and then to Maddox v Ryback II but I think it's unlikely.

That painful segment ended when Miz's music hit. All I could think as he strutted his way to the ring was that he needs to drop the leather coat from his entrance. Do something new, Miz, you've had that thing for years now.

On the subject if Miz, how about this for a T-shirt idea: Miz's face and the words "I'm awesome" done out to emulate the famous les miserable poster? If WWE has to pay a rights fee so what? They can afford it.

The Intercontinental title match was perfectly satisfactory but wasn't especially memorable. Heyman got slung out early after a trick from Miz, leaving Curtis Axel to battle alone. He handled the former WWE champion well, putting him away with a kick to the face and a neck breaker.

Divas champion AJ Lee got cheer of approval when her music hit and she skipped to ringside alongside Big E Langston. Kaitlyn, the challenger and alleged face, didn't get half the response. Perhaps that was because she was accompanied by personality free zone Layla, who seems to have no skills beyond sucking enthusiasm from crowds. I don't really understand why she was there. Moral support? Kaitlyn's secret weapon against Big E? Either reason is laughable.

AJ worked the arm in the first half of the match. Kaitlyn made a comeback for a bit before the two took a rumble to the outside and the champ regained the advantage. AJ managed to lock in the Black Widow. Kaitlyn held out for a while but eventually had to submit. The match was slow to begin with and didn't really pick up as it should have when Kaitlyn tool the imitative but it was still a good effort. Mostly because AJ's such a popular character and underrated as a wrestler.

 

Shades of Cattle Mutilation from Ms Lee, there

 

Up in the skybox Kofi Kingston talked about Rhodes and Sandow. He probably had a point but I've no idea what it was. Big Show did better. He put over Curtis Axel as a smart wrestler and a riding star and emphasised that he won without Heyman's aid. 'The Wildcat' should should ask 'The World's Largest Athlete' for some promo tips.

Back at ringside the pyro extravaganza that is Chris Jericho's leather jacket told us it was time for 'Y2J's' battle with The Ryback. As 'Big Hungry' entered I noticed there were ambulances parked in the entranceway. That made me miss his short-lived ambulance lover gimmick from a month ago.

The way this match was booked was odd. I'd expected Ryback, who was announced at 291lbs, to hit the rock star with a blitzkrieg of offensive moves and smash his way to a quick victory that rebuilt him as a potential headliner. It wasn't to be. Instead the two were booked as equals with Jericho being presented as pretty much level pegging in terms of strength. Ryback only got the advantage when he hung 'The King of the World' up on the top rope.

I appreciate that Jericho was the veteran of the match but that card doesn't need to be played every time. It wouldn't hurt him to suffer a steamroll loss once in a while, especially to a guy like Ryback. He was far too resilient here.

That said we were excused one of Jericho's botch-heavy performances and got a smooth performance. It had the right result too. 'The Human Wrecking Ball' got his long awaited first PPV win of the year when he schoolboyed Jericho after avoiding a Lionsault.

 

Ryback should have looked this dominant far more during the match

 

A video piece on the WWE Performance Center was shown after that. The place looks impressive. Not that I'm an expert on gyms and TV production studios...

Match five was the World Heavyweight championship match, Dolph Ziggler challenging Alberto Del Rio. They were treated to a nice video package, starting the night after WrestleMania with ‘The Heel’s’ cash-in and taking in their match at Payback , Fiesta Del Rio and Ziggler inexplicably behaving like a mid-carder to strum a guitar and work under Sin Cara’s mask (hey, at least that finally created a purpose for Sin Cara!).

Ziggler entered to a rousing response from a crowd that seemed tailor made to appreciate his ‘Show Off’ gimmick. Years ago I remember reading an interview with Paul heyman in which he spoke about Rob Van Dam becoming a babyface in ECW. He did so by playing exactly the same character he always had, the audience just begun to appreciate how good he was and Heyman simply started booking him against heels. That’s the sort of approach I’d like to see WWE take with Ziggler. Have him continue to be a braggart and book him against bad guys. Changing that would change what has made fans like him in the first place.

Sadly ADR didn’t get much of a reaction when he entered. He did hear some boos when he got his in-ring introduction though. Ziggler got another roar of approval and an immediate “Let’s go Ziggler!” chant when the bell rung.

Ziggler controlled the early portion of the match before Del Rio ame back with a headlock to slow things down. Dolph missed a splash, allowing ADR to begin targeting the head as he did at Payback. Dolph begun a comeback with an athletic X Factor from the top rope. That led to a slugfest and then a neck breaker from the challenger. Dolph ducked ADR's corner enziguri and hit a Fameasser for a hot two count.

‘The Essence of Excellence’ jumped off the top but got struck with a drop kick for another two count. AJ, Dolph’s storyline girlfriend, chose that moment to cue up her music and skip out to the ring. Confused by her presence Dolph told her he had the match under control and scored a DDT on ADR to emphasise his point. That got him a two. Obviously he didn’t have the match as under control as he thought.

‘The Show Off’ climbed a turnbuckle but got caught before he could do anything. Del Rio got an inverted suplex for two then went for the cross arm breaker. Ziggler escaped only to be flapjacked then super kicked, scoring another two count for the champion.

ADR exposed his knee brace and went for another kick. Ziggler caught his foot as AJ clambered into the ring and hit Del Rio with her sparkly Divas butterfly belt. ADR won by disqualification and it was all AJ’s fault. ADR celebrated as Dolph screamed at AJ that he'd had the match won. AJ apologised and got booed and heard chants of "You screwed Ziggler!”

It was another well produced chapter in the saga of Ziggler's face turn and feud with Alberto Del Rio. It’s an obvious way to prolong the feud but that’s fine. It should lead to a split for AJ and Ziggy and a continuation of the WHC feud until SummerSlam.

After Lillian Garcia thanked the National Guard for all their hard work we got a video package of the Henry v Cena programme. Naturally they started with the retirement swerve. They dwelt on the comment about earning the title. That's smart as it put Henry and the belt over.

Mark Henry got a huge ovation when his music hit and he stomped out to the ring. When Cena entered he got nuclear heat. I suspect the reason for these reactions was not so much that Cena’s hated as that people wanted to see Henry, the veteran who’s worked hard to improve over the last two years, become the WWE champion.

 

Cena looking like he's going to break into a run, there

 

There were the standard duelling pro- and anti-Cena chants as the match started. Henry dominated early on with his standard array of power moves. Amazingly Cena actually sold during this period, which created some genuine drama and a sense that Henry may actually win. After Henners had roughed up Cena for a while, including dropping him on steel ring steps and lobbing his substantial weight across a Cena draped on the ropes, the “Sexual Chocolate” chants kicked in.

Cena got booed when he scored two punches and a drop kick, his first offence of the match. The crowd roared their approval and broke into a Henry chant when Henry dropped his foe with a simple clothesline.

Cena dodged a splash and stupidly went for a scoop slam. Unable to support his challenger’s weight he fell over, Henry landing on top of him. Cole, JBL and ‘King’ wittered away about how Cena had to be realising he couldn’t hit the AA, happily omitting the fact that he’s hit it on Henry, and larger opponents before.

Cena managed a comeback by launching himself at Henners and hitting a side suplex and five knuckle shuffle. To emphasis the point about the AA Cena failed his first attempt at the move. Moments later he went for it again... and hit it. The crowd went wild for it. Henry kicked out and Cena oversold shock. He looked less like someone had just kicked out of his finisher and more like he'd just witnessed mass genocide.

Cena decided that if the AA didn’t put his foe away then a cross body from the top rope definitely would. Henry caught him. Obviously. He then hit a World’s Strongest Slam for a two count. The crowd, presumably happy to see Cena on the receiving end of such a battering, chanted “One more time!”

Frustrated, Henry brought in chairs. As referee Scott Armstrong busied himself lobbing them back out of the ring Henry exposed a turnbuckle. It would prove to be his downfall. Cena shoved Henners into the exposed metal and locked in an STF. Henry managed to escape by grabbing the ropes (powering out would be been better as it would have established his incredible strength) and then shoved Cena into the ref, creating a gap for a cheeky low blow. Moments later we found out even Cena’s genitals don’t sell as the champion kicked out.

Henry went for the WSS again but Cena slipped out and locked in the STF for the tap out win.

It was a surprisingly good match that was made even better by its relatively short length and the enthusiasm of the crowd. Henry was helped to the back by Armstrong as 'The Champ' celebrated.

After an ad for Dead Man Down (featuring Wade Barrett, fans!) we found Cole and co still enthusing about Cena's win as a man in an nWo T-shirt cavorted in the background. In the skybox Show said he’d thought Henners would win. Kofi said he'd thought Henry had the match won several times. Back at ringside 'King' was gazing sternly at his phone before he realised he was on camera. A video recap of the Wyatt Family’s attack on Kane was shown to remind us all that ‘The Big Red Machine’ wasn’t going to be appearing.

The returning Rob Van Dam was the first man introduced for the WWE championship Money in the Bank ladder match. He looked to be in better condition than he was in at the end of his TNA run in March. ‘Mr Monday Night’ soaked up the adulation and did his cute little thumb pose. The audience lapped that up.  

 

He's back! And he's as spot-heavy as ever!

 

Christian got a fairly indifferent reaction. Daniel Bryan didn't. The crowd went nuts for him. I think more people chanted "Yes!" than “RVD!” It was back to subdued reactions for Randy Orton (glacial pace) and Sheamus (mincing gait).

Obviously, the crowd went nuts for Punk too. He, Bryan, and RVD were clearly the stars of the match.

RVD was ganged up on and tossed to ringside as soon as the bell rung. The same thing happened to Sheamus. ‘The Viper’ and ‘Captain Charisma’ were then lobbed out, leaving Bryan and Punk to clash in the battle of the indy stars. They kicked and wrestled for a moment before ‘The Celtic Warrior’ returned with a ladder, finally bringing us into traditional ladder territory.

From there the pace slowed considerably and Sheamus was presented as the star of the match. Considering the responses RVD, Punk and Bryan had had it would have made more sense to cycle through them as the centrepieces of the match, keeping Orty, Shaymo and Christian in supporting roles.

Sheamus and Christian both proved unpopular when they neared the case. A Celtic Cross onto a ladder was teased but didn't materialise. At one point all six men ended up on ladders before tumbling to the mat. It shouldn’t have been the biggest spot of the match at that point, but it was.

‘The Great White’ was the first man to his feet. He walloped everyone in sight, desperate to evoke a reaction from the crowd. They were having none of it. Sheamus is far too close to a traditional babyface to gain the approval of such a smart mark-heavy crowd. He’s also boring, which doesn’t help.

‘The World’s Toughest Vegan’ stopped the Irishman claiming a case and then they traded blows atop the ladder, the audience screaming yes and no depending on who was throwing a punch. Sheamus did his ten punch spot to a loud chorus of “No! No! No!” Punk made the save to stop him getting the case, flattening Sheamus with a ladder before getting jumped by Orton.

Orton briefly took over as the leading man, followed by Christian. RVD quickly stopped Christian in his tracks and hit a splash from the top of a ladder. It wasn’t a Five Star Frog splash but Michael Cole called it as one anyway. Cole’s not one to let facts get in the way of mediocre, uninspired commentary.

Bryan brought the audience to life with a barrage of kicks to Sheamus and Van Dam, then drop kicked a ladder into Orton and his a suicide dive to Punk on the outside of the ring. It was the loudest they’d been since the introductions. ‘The Dazzler’ walloped everyone with ladders. Sheamus suffered a nasty fall to the outside, landing on a ladder which split in two.

Just as Bryan was about to win, to huge cheers, Curtis Axel ran in and smashed him with a chair and a neck breaker. As Axel sauntered towards the aisle he was scooped up into a GTS by CM Punk. Heyman came out and screamed at an unconscious Axel about not messing with Punk. The audience seemed pretty pleased with this.

Heyman got the audience chanting for Punk as ‘The Second City Saint’ hauled himself up the ladder. Climbing into the ring Heyman tossed a ladder onto Punk just as he closed in on the briefcase. One final blow left punk laying on the mat. Heyman stormed backstage as RVD rolled into the ring to climb the ladder. That was stopped by Orton, who shook the ladder and hit Van Dam with an RKO as he fell.

With everyone else taken out 'The Apex Predator’ unhooked the case to win. It was a mildly disappointing decision from WWE. They should've had some courage and had Bryan win, capitalising on their hottest act by giving him a match with Cena at SummerSlam. The match itself was good once it got going though.

And that was Money in the Bank 2013. Not a single duff match and plenty of preparation done for SummerSlam. We have the continuation of the Ziggler v Del Rio feud to look forward to, along with Paul Heyman, AJ Lee, and Damien Sandow’s reasoning for their actions. There's Cody Rhodes face push to begin too. They even teased us with a tag team division! Money in the Bank was a success on every possible level. It was the perfect lead in to SummerSlam. If that show’s not a success then something will have gone very wrong somewhere.

Money in the Bank 2013 preview

This Sunday WWE will present what looks like their most packed card since WrestleMania XXIX in April. Featuring two world title matches, two ladder matches to determine which men will have the near-as-dammit guarantees to world title reigns sometime in the next twelve months, and the return of Rob Van Dam after half a decade away there's a lot for fans to look forward to. WWE have had a pretty good run of pay-per-views this year. This one doesn't look like it will deviate from that.

A few weeks ago I posted an article that advocated the idea of WWE presenting one Money in the Bank match instead of two (read that here... if you like). My logic was that one guy being able to cash-in on either champion would make unpredictable television, allow WWE to present a single match packed with the best talent, and make the Money in the Bank concept in general seem more prestigious.

We're getting the tried and tested two ladder matches format. It has been altered a little though, which is nice to see. Last year saw the ladder bout for the red (WWE championship) briefcase featured only former WWE champions. This year that match has become the bout for former world champions in general. The blue briefcase match will feature guys who have never (with the exception of Jack Swagger) held either of WWE's two world titles.

For those who aren't sure who the more important wrestlers are the red case match has been dubbed the All-Star match. The other match features up-and-comers. Those aren't my words. No, those are the words of Teddy Long (holla!). Yes, Teddy has made a seven man match and described the entrants as up-and-comers even though only two have debuted in the last twelve months and one has held the World Heavyweight championship before.

The other thing to note about the two matches is that one exclusively features faces while the other exclusively features heels. It's an interesting choice for WWE to have made. I imagine it was largely decided to do an all heel match because the event's being held in Philadelphia, a city whose fans will take in their stride an all bad guy battle. My assumption is that they'll pick one or two guys to cheer as the match goes on. Some of the guys may be booked sympathetically too, encouraging the audience to support them. Fandango has been used as a pseudo face on this week's TV and has proven popular in the past so he may be laying the blue eye on Sunday.

Both matches should be good, but i think the All-Star match is likely to be the best. It will consist of CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, the returning RVD, Sheamus, Christian, Kane and Randy Orton. Well, I say 'The Big Red Machine' will be involved but he might not be: WWE are reporting that he suffered injuries after being attacked by the Wyatt Family on RAW. He may miss the event to sell that.

Bryan is an obvious guy to select as the winner. Over the last several months he's been striving to prove his worth, first as part of Team Hell No and then in his rivalry with Randy Orton. The natural progression of this is for Bryan to defy the storyline odds and unhook the briefcase, setting himself up to climb WWE's ultimate mountain: defeating John Cena for the WWE championship.

Bryan is my pick to win. It's a combination of wanting to see him enter the WWE title's orbit and the belief that Cena v Bryan is one of the best feud WWE could offer fans this summer. Besides Punk v Lesnar (more on which below) what other fresh matches and stars does WWE have access to?

They could do the feud without the briefcase or they could simply not bother with it all together, which means 'The Dazzler' is not the only option. Sheamus has been directionless for a while now. That's been a rarity over the last eighteen months. He could easily be plucked from obscurity to challenge for the WWE title. Cena v Sheamus is not a wholly fresh match but it is one we've not seen for a while.

 

It could even give us a surprise 'Great White' heel turn, not that I think that's likely. Speaking of which, a briefcase victory for 'The Viper' could play into that heel turn he's been rumoured to make for around a year. He could cash in, lose, and go nuts or opportunistically take his match against a prone Cena like a true villain. Either way it would set 'The Apex Predator' up as a bad guy.

Ultimately the MITB concept is one designed to favour wrestlers that have yet to become truly ingrained headline personalities. That's another reason I favour Bryan over Orton, Sheamus, and the rest.

The up-and-comers in the blue case battle will be Dean Ambrose, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Jack Swagger, Antonio Cesaro, Wade Barrett, and Faaaaaan... daaaaaan... goooooo. The best part of this match? There's nobody that even resembles an obvious winner. Swagger and Fandango were both in prime spots a couple of months ago but have lost momentum because of injuries (an arm injury for Swags, a concussion for Fandango). Had they not been forced to take a few weeks off either or both could be favoured. As things are they seem as likely to win as everyone else.

As a member of The Shield Ambrose has been used well since late last year and is now more of a singles guy than a trios guy but it feels too soon for him to be close to the WHC. The Shield will likely split before any of the three become that big.

Rhodes and Sandow have done nothing of note for months. The flip-flopping on their split during the WrestleMania build hurt them both. And Barrett and Cesaro both spent significant portions of the first half of the year as mid-card champions who lost more often than they won.

Arguments could be made for any of the seven men being potential winners. Most of them have been on the roster long enough to deserve the chance to be a top guy and all of them would inject freshness into the World title scene.

Of all the names involved I like Barrett's chances best. He has a handy combination of having very little to do and tenure on the roster. He'd be accepted in the role of 'Mr Money in the Bank' and world champion. That he dropped the Intercontinental title at Payback could have been WWE freeing him up for bigger things as much as anything else.

 

That's one busy ladder

 

Fleshing out the card are a number of matches that could be worthwhile. Top of the list for most people will be Chris Jericho versus The Ryback. I've found their antics boring for the most part. 'Y2J's' antagonised his foe while deftly avoiding a clobbering. It's the same routine we've seen him perform many times before. For his part 'Big Hungry' has done a lot of glaring and bellowing. Again, this is not fresh territory.

I'm hopeful that this match will be a cut above the average Ryback outing. He's shown in the past that he can have very good matches with smaller, faster men who are better wrestlers than he is. If they're given some time I think they'll have a very good night together.

Who'll win? The Ryback. This match seems designed to give him his much needed first pay-per-view victory of the year. It could also see Jericho written off TV too. He's got some Fozzy gigs coming up, y'see, and who better to be credited with his disappearance than the company's resident psychopathic musclehead?

Curtis Axel's first major title defence will be at MITB. He'll face former two time champion The Miz. I can't see why Axel would lose the belt after just four weeks so I expect a successful night for him. This match is unlikely to he wonderful. Axel is good and has connected well with crowds (Heyman's certainly helped in that regard) but 'The Awesome One' has been treading water for a while now. Fans aren't into him as they were. I still think he could be huge as a babyface but it's not something that can happen overnight.

The feud between Kaitlyn and AJ Lee, which had been teased for well over a year but only started just over a month ago, had been uninspiring until this week's TV rolled around. For too long it was basically AJ and Kaitlyn dressing up as each other and causing distractions. RAW saw them actually meet in a tag match and SmackDown on Friday will see the old contract signing trope trotted out. It may not be new but at least the ladies are being treated more seriously than they were.

I like both gals but this has been neither's finest hour. With just a bit of work this could have been one of Money in the Bank's hottest rivalries. Given some promo time and a remit to be a little more serious they could have built up a story of a friendship gone bad. It's a shame WWE left it so late to give them more to work with.

This isn't to say the match will be bad. I think it will be at least good and probably better if they're given the time. Their meeting at Payback was comfortably the best Divas match in some time. I expect AJ to win. She's the most effective female performer on the roster. I can't see what taking the title off of her would achieve.

The pre-show will feature one match (as is typical). Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns defend the tag team titles against Jimmy and Jey Uso. This is a wonderful example of why WWE should've spent a little more time on the tag team scene before The Shield became champions. That one of the promotion's best acts is wasting time on a pre-show wrestling against glorified jobbers is very disappointing.

Don't expect the Usos to win. It will take a massive disaster somewhere in WWE for them to ever be considered for a tag title reign.

World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio will defend against Dolph Ziggler. They'll have a tough job topping their excellent effort at Payback, especially in terms of storytelling. It was one of the smoothest plots to a wrestling match, in any company, that I've seen in a long time, and the greatest double turn since WrestleMania 13.

I had mixed feelings on ADR as a babyface. On the one hand he'd proven far better at it than I'd expected. He changed his facial expressions and wrestling style really well and managed to portray himself as a sincere individual (a not inconsiderable achievement). But on the other hand Ricardo Rodriguez outstripped ADR in terms of popularity and the programme with Jack Swagger had outstayed its welcome by the time it wrapped up.

Ziggler's turn had been building for a while. WWE's been smart to keep him mostly apart from 'The Essence of Excellence' over the last few weeks. It's made us keen for Ziggler to enact his revenge on the unsportsmanlike champion. The mini feud with 3MB is neither here nor there, as is the case with everything pertaining the 3MB. It was only meant to be a short term thing to keep the Zigster occupied.

This match could be won by either guy. Winning the title back would certainly help Ziggler's perception as a good guy that can be believed in but a Del Rio win could set up another match between the two with the same dynamic for SummerSlam. 'The Show Off's' size and unparalleled bumping ability make him a natural underdog babyface, so I'm leaning more towards Del Rio winning via nefariousness. That would allow Ziggler to go into SummerSlam as the challenger again. Then he can win it and reign into the autumn.

I'll probably be happy with whoever wins. This feud has been great for both men. It should continue into SummerSlam regardless of who's champ because it's one of the best things going on in WWE right now.

Topping the bill there's the WWE championship match. John Cena's feud with Mark Henry got off to a strong (and well received) start with the lauded retirement swerve on the June 17^th RAW. Henry dominated Cena on that show and has dominated him since. On this week's RAW they even went so far as to tease that Cena can't lift Henry for the AA. That only happens when WWE are going all out to convince us someone's a threat. Sadly it's ridiculous because Cena's managed the feat of lifting Henners many times in the past. That means we can probably look forward to Cena trying and failing to hit the move throughout their match at Money in the Bank... before he inevitably does it and the crowd go nuts (and they will).

I'm surprised a stipulation didn't get added to this. Neither man excels in regular wrestling matches. Some sort of rule relaxation would have played to their strengths. There's still time for something to be announced I suppose, but it doesn't seem likely. At least without a gimmick they'll be able to focus on telling the story of Cena hefting an overweight man on to his shoulders. Who doesn't want to see that?!

A win for Mark Henry isn't the most ridiculous prediction that could be made. He's been built up as Cena's equal and, more importantly, WWE have displayed a worrying tendency to treat him as a valuable main event asset over the last few years. I thought him defeating Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight strap was an impossibility. Look how that played out. I shan't underestimate WWE's devotion to 'The World's Strongest Man' again.

But just because I recognise the possibility of Henry winning doesn't mean I think it will happen. Cena is still very much the top dog, pushed at everyone else's expense. Henry's been built up as a standard issue Cena challenger: someone big and heavy who can muscle 'The Champ' around before falling to an AA. This is just a particularly good example of the standard formula as far as I can see.

Then there's Brock Lesnar.

Don't be surprised if you see 'The Pain' make an unannounced appearance on this show. It's easy to envisage him stopping Punk from winning Money in the Bank to move their feud along. They could, in fact, achieve a similar result simply by playing Lesnar's music. That obviously wouldn't be as good though as it would deprive us of the chance to see some hot, hot Lesnar on Punk action.

This year's MITB instalment looks like it will continue the event's hot streak from previous years. It also looks like it will continue WWE's recent streak of very good PPV events. If they want to they can start building towards a spectacular SummerSlam card here. Whether they'll choose to is a question we won't have answered until next week. But I'm going remain hopeful.

Predictions summary:

John Cena to defeat Mark Henry
Alberto Del Rio to defeat Dolph Ziggler
Daniel Bryan to win the WWE championship Money in the Bank match
Wade Barrett to win the World Heavyweight championship Money in the Bank match
AJ Lee to defeat Kaitlyn
Ryback to defeat Chris Jericho
Curtis Axel to defeat The Miz
The Shield to defeat The Usos

Uso Oh No

So WWE spent over half a year building up The Shield, involving them in the WWE title picture, giving them an impressive undefeated streak, putting them in the ring with the likes of super worker Daniel Bryan and Hall of Famer-in-waiting The Undertaker, so that they could wrestle a pre-show match against Jimmy and Jey Uso? Wow. Anti-climax, you say?

I admit I'm being facetious there. Obviously Rollins and Reigns haven't been pushed with the intention of setting up this match. Their incredible rise up the card was always going to slow eventually. Eight months into their WWE careers seems like a good point for that. There's plenty of time for them to be pushed again later.

What puzzles me is why WWE didn't plan things better. The Shield’s (well, Rollins and Reigns’, Ambrose is still hanging in there) drop down the card could have coincided with increased focus on the tag division. Once WrestleMania was done and dusted it became clear pretty quickly that 'The Hounds of Justice' were going to be relieving Team Hell No of the tag titles. That happened at Extreme Rules, with Bryan getting a rematch alongside Randy Orton at the following month’s Payback. That means there were two months in which WWE could have spent time preparing two or three secondary teams to create a division for The Shield to rule over.

Because nobody in WWE cares about tag team wrestling that didn't happen. Instead they waited until the week after Payback to book a hasty number one contendership match won by the Usos. Yep, the same Usos that have been appearing almost exclusively on Main Event and Superstars for the last couple of years. The same Usos nobody has any reason to care about, including Jimmy and Jey themselves.

My complaint isn't that WWE didn't bother to spend two months creating a tag division for The Shield. They were obviously never going to bother doing that so why get upset by it? My complaint is that they chose the Usos as the first opponents of The Shield instead of the far superior Prime Time Players.

I've sung the praises of Titus O'Neil and Darren Young before but the sentiment bears repeating. Neither man is in danger of usurping Daniel Bryan's spot as the best wrestler in the company. CM Punk's status as the company's greatest promo is similarly safe. They’re not the greatest at any one thing but there's just something about the pair that works. They've put far more effort into being a marketable tag team act than have the brothers Uso. Face paint went out in the nineties, guys.

Face paint hasn't been particularly relevant since this guy... and it was tenuous even then

Titus O'Neil has more charisma than both Usos put together. You only need to listen to him on commentary for proof of that. He carries himself like a star too. The Usos look like they’re resigned to losing the moment they appear.

Darren Young is not as good as 'The Big Deal' but he’s not dead wood. He carries his part of the unit well. Together the PTPs have far more to offer than Jimmy and Jey.

That the Players are bad guys isn't a problem. There's nothing about their act that wouldn't allow them to work as fan favourites. They come across as being naturally likeable. They could have been presented as credible opposition to The Shield with greater ease than the Usos.
Perhaps if Rollins and Reigns squeak by their rumoured SummerSlam opponents of Kane and The Undertaker with the gold we’ll see them tangle with Young and O’Neil. I’m not going to hold my breath for that though.

The (World's Strongest) Slam Heard Round the World

On Monday's RAW Mark Henry interrupted a John Cena promo. Dressed in a snappy salmon pink jacket, Henry told Cena he could put his guard down and that he should stay in the ring for what was about to be said. Before he said anything more the crowd started up a “Henry!” chant. The reason for that was the rumour that Henners was going to announce he retirement.

Henry said he respects everyone who works for WWE before making the bizarre claim that he was a “seasoned veteran” when Cena got called up to the main roster in 2002. He’d been in WWE six years at that point, so hardly a season veteran. He was also dreadful in the ring. It’s only the last few years that have seen him become passable in the ring.

 

Snappy dresser

 

Anyway, ‘The World’s Strongest Man’ told the champ that the way he’s going he’s going to be the greatest WWE champ ever. If you consider a large number of reigns as the key to greatness then Cena is already the best ever as far as the WWE championship is concerned. Personally I think there’s more to the greatest label tag than that. But I digress.

Henry continued by saying that if he had one regret it was failing to be WWE champion. And then he announced that he was retiring, which got loud boos and a chant of “One more match!” It was a generous crowd. It was at that point that Cena handed over his title belt for Henners to pose with. The crowd lapped it up.

 

Mark Henry with the WWE title there

 

After mentioning that he was on the road two hundred nights a year Henry talked about getting to spend more time with his family. He then raised up his arms and soaked in the amazingly warm response from the crowd. Cena came into the ring, raised the retiree’s hand and then went in for a hug.

At which point Henry then swerve turned on Cena, scooping him up and hitting him with a World's Strongest Slam. He strode up the entranceway, the crowd alternating between chants of “Henry!” and “You still got it!” Once at the entrance Henry bellowed "That's what I do!", his unintentionally hilarious catchphrase.

Yep, it was a setup all along.

Everyone involved in the sequence deserves an enormous amount of credit. The entire thing was brilliantly executed. Henry displayed a completely unexpected ability to act: his performance felt so real and full of emotion that it was easy to believe he really was calling it a day. It’s destined to become a career highlight.

The WWE office crew played their part well too. Using social media and rumour websites to their advantage WWE carefully leaked information and posted conjecture on their official outlets that 'The WSM' was retiring. The audience was prepared for Henry's announcement, which ensured they reacted in the desired fashion. Had the announcement not been setup it's possible Henry's speech would've been met with indifference or, worse, cheered. Instead the audience were primed to give Henry a hero’s send off.

Even Cena was good. It didn't seem like he was propagating a storyline when he proffered his title to Henry and he reacted in a completely believable manner to everything covered in the speech. If he'd mugged his way through, as he does all too often, then ringsiders may have guessed what was coming and its impact would've been lost.

It's the social networking and planned leaking that impresses me the most. It shows that when WWE staff put their mind to it they can use these things to their own advantage. It would become tiresome if it happened every week but once in a while I think it can be very effective. It's nice to see WWE finally experimenting with false information and more subtle teases.

 

This is what he does

 

The segment was great. Sadly I don't think the matches that follow will be. I think the approach did a good job of casting Henry as a heel (the audience cheered him but that’s probably because they realised they’d been a part of something special and that things were happening at the expense of the hated Cena), and there's plenty of time to increase the disdain felt for him before he locks horns with Cena at Money in the Bank. But ultimately we're left with the same problem we have with all Cena matches: Cena's involved.

No matter how good Henry is at being bad in the coming weeks there are some people who just won't cheer Cena. As far as this particular story goes it's a shame. Henry deserves to be treated as a heel for his quality work. Obviously the quality of the matches they have will be abysmal, but WWE has done the best they can to give what would've been a deeply tedious feud a good start.

Once again I congratulate them on the good work.