Night of Champions 2014 review

In my Night of Champions preview I wrote that it looked like a show that had the potential to be good but was relying heavily on its main event. Now, with the show having taken place, I stand by those remarks. The show as enjoyable enough and featured a handful of title changes, but it was the main event that made it what it was. With the Cena versus Lesnar SummerSlam rematch the 2014 Night of Champions would be a far more forgettable affair.

This is not the sort of thing that should be said of any of WWE’s not so special events right now. A big part of the marketing strategy for the WWE Network is getting to watch these shows as part of the subscription. If they’re not any good then how worthwhile is their inclusion in the Network package? If WWE expects people to stay signed up to the Network they need to make these shows feel significant. One match in the main event spot cannot do that.

Don’t get me wrong here. While WWE is struggling with crafting an undercard of matches we want to tune in and watch he quality of the matches was mostly pretty high. They’re getting some things right, just not enough.

The show kicked off, as all WWE special events do, with a video package. This one featured footage of Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin and Ric Flair during their respective world title reigns, with audio excerpts from promos playing over them. It was well done and nice to see acknowledgment of the legacy of world titles in wrestling. It helped with the theme of the pay-per-view.

Another nice touch was showing former champions before each title match (with the exception of the main event, oddly). Opening the show, the tag title match was preceded by shots of The Legion of Doom (not the Road Warriors, because this is WWE, yo), Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson, and Edge and Christian. It sounded lie the latter got a pop but I may have been wrong.

Bad guys. Don't forget it!

Goldust and Stardust got a good reaction when they walked to the ring. The crowd must not have gotten the memo about them being heels now. Goldust had gone heavy on the black makeup while Stardust was doing everything in his power to come across as a weirdo.

The dusts controlled the match. They isolated Jey at first, then we he managed to tag out they isolated Jimmy. It was a good match wrestled at a fast pace. Everyone did what was expected of them with Goldust deserving special credit for trying to work in a more aggressive role.

Eventually Jey was tagged back in for the finish. He gave Stardust a top rope body block and a Samoan drop before Stardust came back with an inverted DDT (which has been one of Goldust’s many finishers) for a believable two count. After a dive sequence on the outside they returned to the ring, where Jey went for a splash and got hit with Stardust’s knees. The winded champ was rolled up by Stardust for the win and the straps.

Backstage Byron Saxton spoke to Dolph Ziggler and his stunt double, hired to combat Miz’s stunt double, R-Ziggler (it was R-Truth). Ziggles said Miz pretends to be a Hollywood star but he's the IC champ and that's better. Even with Dolph involved this was a nothing segment.

Despite the fact that we’d just seen the Intercontinental champion it was the United States championship match that came next. Champions shown beforehand were Harley Race, Sting (chosen for the obvious reasons, I’m sure), Ricky Steamboat, Eddie Guerrero and Booker T. Cesaro entered first wearing a red robe and a black towel over his head, like a cross between Rick Rude and ECW era Taz.

The pair started out with some technical exchanges but it didn't last long. Cesaro gave Sheamus a slap after breaking on the ropes and that got started fighting. They brawled around for a while before Sheamus did his skinning the cat to the top rope spot (to boos) and got lamped with an uppercut (to cheers). Cesaro took control with a sleeper. Shaymo absorbed a pair of clotheslines and a pair of uppercuts before firing back with a pair of Irish Curse back breakers. Cesaro countered the ten punch on the apron spot (which did get cheers) and booted Sheamus in the face. Not to be outdone, Sheamus yanked Cesaro off the top rope and attempted a Brogue kick.

Cesaro ducked it and hit Swiss death. Sheamus blocked a double underhook bomb and went for another Brogue kick. Cesaro dodged and connected with the double underhook bomb, which ‘The Celtic Warrior’ kicked out of. Cesaro landed on his feet after being back dropped out of a Neutralizer attempt and avoided another Brogue kick, muscling Sheamus up into a modified burning hammer. That yielded a fantastic two count.

Cesaro slapped Sheamus, then gave him an uppercut into the corner. Sheamus shoved him off and called for more. Cesaro obliged before getting dragged off by the referee before, finally, eating a Brogue kick. More matches like that and people might care about Sheamus and his championship.

We were shown Mark Henry getting ready for his match in a locker room. Big Show joined him and asked if he was ready, focused and aware of what was on the line. Henners said that he knew and he said he wouldn’t let people down. Show told him he had 18,000 tag partners with him (which seemed a bit unfair). Show then gave Henry a new outfit and told Henry to tear Rusev's head off. Henry said he would because that's what he does. He walked off leaving Show to stare after him like a proud dad. It was a standard pandering, pro-America bit to remind everyone why they should cheer for Henry.

Florida Georgia Line, the hottest band in the world according to 'Big Daddy Hip' Michael Cole, were introduced as guest commentators before the Intercontinental title match, which was preceded by shots of Pat Patterson, Pedro Morales, The Honky Tonk Man, Mr Perfect and Razor Ramon. I’d hoped for a shot of Jeff Jarrett but it wasn’t to be.

I’ll say here and now that Florida Georgia Line were an irritating addition to the show. The first half of the match was broken up by constant shots of them sitting at commentary and none of the three people paid to talk about what happens in the ring did anything to put over Dolph Ziggler, The Miz or the Intercontinental championship for the majority of the match.

Things changed when Damien Sandow (currently trading under the name Damien Mizdow as Miz’s stunt double) shouted at FGL one too many times and they shoved him onto his backside. Proving that they could handle a wrestler they sat back down and left R-Truth to chase Sandow to the back. Yeah, Sandow was booked to run away form a pair of weedy-looking singers. I think we can all agree his career isn’t getting back on track anytime soon.

Like twins.

With the seconds gone Ziggler got a near fall off a super kick before ‘The Awesome One’ placed him in the figure four. After a rope break he dropped Miz with a Fameasser for two. The champ prepped for the Zig Zag as Sandow returned, taking a super kick from ‘The Show Off’ but providing enough of a distraction for Miz to get a roll up and a handful of trunks for the win. Florida Georgia Line just sat there and let Miz win the title by nefarious means. Sickening.

That was followed by a video of roman Reigns discussing his bladder region. I think that’s all I need to say here.

Seth 'Hawkeye' Rollins walked out. He did a lot of smiling and posed on a turnbuckle. The announcers talked more about him walking to the ring than they did about Miz v Ziggler.

Rollins cut a promo and had Charles Robinson count Roman Reigns out of the match and declare him the winner. Michael Cole bleated about "Mr Reigns" being unable to make it to the building. Rollins went back to the mic and ran down Reigns some more before issuing an open challenge. His reason? He knew people wanted to see him compete.

In the back a taxi cab was shown arriving. Out got Dean Ambrose to one of the biggest reactions of the night. ‘The Lunatic Fringe’ stormed to the ring, immediately taking down Rollins and brawling into the crowd with him. The Authority brought out security and a bunch of agents to stop the fight. Ambrose leapt off part of the entrance structure, wiped them all out and carried on the fight.

They returned to the ring where Ambrose grabbed a chair. Before he could use it he was once again taken down (by Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble, fact fans!) and swarms by security. With plastic cuffs applied to his wrists Ambrose was carried out of the arena. Rollins was left to pitch a fit at ringside with H3 and The Stepher. It was a hot angle. If WWE don't push Ambrose hard in Reigns's absence something will have gone wrong. He’s the most over man in the company.

Over at the expert panel set Renee Young mentioned the title changes. A-Ry rambled on about nothing. Show said if Henry can stay focused he'll send Rusev home. Booker said "it" was "all about America!" The message was clear: America is the bestest thing ever.

Henry wandered out in his patriotic singlet... and a scarf for some reason. Lilian Garcia sang the US national anthem because AMERICA!! Henry cried. The crowd ate it up and burst into a USA chant afterwards. Rusev, hero of the Russian federation, came out to a surprising lack of heat. I’ll put that down to the crowd. He usually gets far better (or worse, depending on your point of view) treatment than that.

Henry sent Rusev rolling from the ring twice at the start of the match then knocked him off the apron as he tried to dash back in. After chucking him out for a third time Hnery followed him. That turned out not to be the brightest move: Henry was rammed into steel steps and then splashed in the corner back in the ring. Despite the rousing patriotism, Henry’s early offence, and Rusev’s shady method of gaining the upper hand the crowd were dead at this point.

Henry came back from a sleeper with some basic moves. He didn't get long before Rusev floored him with a spinning heel kick and tried for the Accolade. Henry powered out, took a kick and then hit the World’s Strongest Slam. Rusev rolled out of the ring to avoid being pinned (which the crowd did react to). Henry stupidly stuck his head out between the ropes and took a super kick. Rusev returned to the ring and connected with a second, then applied the Accolade for the tap out victory.

Rusev and Lana: Mr and Mrs Russia.

After the match audience members were shown looking disappointed. JBL declared that he was disappointed in Henry. That was a poor call, in my view. Considering the heavy patriotism of what we’d seen it felt as though Layfield was admonishing Henry for not being a good enough American. It would have made more sense for him to say that if Mark Henry, ‘The World’s Strongest Man’ and a former World Heavyweight champion, can’t beat Rusev he doesn’t know who can. But no, Layfield had to act the super patriot. Because AMERICA!!

A recap of Michael Cole’s interview with Brock Lesnar followed that. ‘The Pain’ said both he and Cena were fired up for the rematch but that Cena will get another ass beating. The crowd understandably cheered that.

They also cheered Chris Jericho's entrance. Which is far less understandable.

Jericho and Randy Orton put on a better match than I thought they would. They made good use of their plethora of signature spots and finishers to craft interesting sequences and believable near falls. Highlights included an Orton to Jericho superplex; a wild over the turnbuckle bump to the floor from Jericho; a Punt being reversed into a schoolboy; Jericho countering an RKO into the Codebreaker; and the match-winning cross body block turned into an RKO (which was predictable and sloppily performed but still good to see). Meanwhile, on commentary, commentary JBL said Orton reminds him of a young Barry Windham and Cole said that’s high praise. I’d be amazed if he’s ever watched a Windham match for pleasure.

That said, the match was still slow in places and I don’t think it’s too much to say that we could have expected more form the pair considering the time they had, their standing in the company, and the number of times they’ve worked together. Nothing I saw made me change my mind about ‘Y2J’s’ presence in WWE in 2014.

The Divas championship match was preceded  a video of Paige talking about AJ being her frenemy and putting down Nikki Bella as unworthy of a title shot. Lots of shots of Paige applying the PTO were included. It did a lot to make Paige look like a serious competitor with a personality. And a nasty submission hold.

Backstage Byron Saxton asked Brie Bella what she thought of the Divas championship match. Brie said everyone he was the first person to ask her that. Everyone else, apparently, is more concerned with asking when Nikki will “get hers”. So, not when her husband’s coming back then? Brie said Nikki shouldn't be the champion because she's self-centred and obnoxious already. Basically she delivered poor banter poorly.

Divas champs shown before the match: The Fabulous Moolah, Wendi Richter, Lita and Trish Startus, none of whom ever held the Divas championship. I wouldn't have mentioned that but Cole got snippy with JBL for saying the APA had been WWE tag champions, correcting him and saying he was a world tag champion. You can’t have it both ways, WWE.

AJ got cheers when she entered. Nikki and Paige got apathy. Paige deserved better considering the video they’d played and the fact that she’s mimicking the popular AJ.

The AJ Lee dead sell. It's a classic.

It was a standard WWE triple threat: the three combatants took it in turns to catch their breath at ringside while a string of singles matches took place in the ring. That finish saw Nikki tossed off the apron by AJ and then a Black Widow applied to Paige for the submission. New, three time, Divas champion crowned in a nothing match. Something fresh needs to be done if the rivalry is to continue into Hell in a Cell (the show, not the gimmick match).

Over at the expert panel set Alex Riley agreed with Paul Heyman’s sentiment that Cena has to become a beast in order to defeat Lesnar. Big Show said he should stick to his usual approach and remain true to himself. Booker T, with the only insightful comment from the trio all evening (I know right, Booker T!) said he noticed Cena trying for takedowns in their RAW scuffle and that he should do that in the rematch.

The pre-match video package was predictably excellent. Cena was positioned as a man with a fresh game plan who wants a fight as much as the championship. Lesnar was positioned as someone who's not just unstoppable but someone who has Cena's number.

There was a mostly positive reaction for Cena's entrance. Lesnar's got a roar of approval. The in-ring intro got cheers for Cena and a mixed reaction for the world champion. There were duelling chants at the bell.

Lesnar took Cena down at the bell. Cena escaped a German suplex attempt, dropped Lesnar with a clothesline, and hit an AA. It didn’t even earn him a two count. A visibly angered Lesnar applied the kimura arm lock. Cena grabbed the ropes for a break. Lesnar mauled him with knees and connected with a German suplex.

Cena popped up and fought back. Lesnar halted him with knees and snapped on the kimura again. Cena got a rope break and hit some punches before German suplex number two and the Three Amigos (a spot I love Lesnar doing because it references one his more entertaining feuds from over a decade ago). More strikes went Cena's way before Lesnar ran through him with a lariat. Cena tried a takedown but Lesnar hammered his back and applied a standing kimura, Cena once again having to rely on the ropes for escape.

‘The Beast’ threw Cena with a belly-to-belly suplex. Cena came back with some more right hands but Lesnar easily spun him round for some shoulder barges in the corner. The challenger hammered back with a barrage of rights on Lesnar. But it did nothing. Lesnar shrugged them off and nailed a third German suplex then smashed his foe with more shoulder charges.

One of the match's many kimura locks.

A surprise AA put Lesnar down for a two count. He hauled Cena up for the F5 but Cena escaped and applied the STF. Lesnar slipped out of that and clamped on the kimura again, positioning himself between the ropes and Cena's free arm to keep Cena trapped in the hold. Cena got to his feet (because he’s Cena) and rammed Lesnar into the turnbuckle for the break. He hit the third AA of the match, opting to apply the STF again instead of trying for a cover. Lesnar kept crawling to the ropes, forcing Cena to break and dragging him back to the centre of the ring to reapply it (like a player spamming a hold in a wrestling video game). On the third application it felt like Lesnar was close to tapping.

But he didn’t get the chance to: Seth Rollins slid into the ring and hit Cena with the money in the bank briefcase for the disqualification finish. He walloped Cena again, sending him out of the ring and then gave Lesnar, who was staggering to his feet, a Curb Stomp. Rollins left the ring for the ceremonial handover of the briefcase that signals a Money in the Bank cash-in then made to get back into the ring to pin the champ.

Cena stopped him, pulling him from the apron and sending him scurrying to the back. Cole was exceptionally quick to point out that the cash-in match bell hadn’t rung so Rollins’s title shot was still safe. It was almost as if he were being promoted.

Cena slumped against the ropes looking dejected. When he got up he was immediately slapped with an F5. The official announcement came in: Cena had won the match by DQ but Lesnar had retained the gold. It was a clever way of keeping Cena and Lesnar’s rivalry alive for a final outing at Hell in a Cell. I’d much rather see Rollins and Ambrose clash inside WWE’s premiere gimmick but I won’t deny putting Cena and Lesnar in there makes sense.

Results summary:

Goldust and Stardust defeated the Usos for the tag team championship

Sheamus defeated Cesaro

The Miz defeated Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental championship

Seth Rollins defeated Roman Reigns via count out

Rusev defeated Mark Henry

Randy Orton defeated Chris Jericho

AJ Lee defeated Paige and Nikki Bella for the Divas championship

John Cena defeated Brock Lesnar via disqualification

Return of 'The Lunatic'

Fans of WWE Studios movies (and I’m sure there are loads of them) will know that Dean Ambrose has been away for the last five weeks filming Lockdown. Those of us more interested in WWE’s wrestling output will know this too, of course, because Ambrose has been absent from RAW and SmackDown, being written out of plots after supposedly having his head caved in by Seth Rollins. It was an absence that hurt WWE because he was arguably their most popular wrestler before he was written off TV.

Ambrose’s five week stint on a movie set may have halted his momentum but it’s also likely that his time away will have made people keen to see him again. As my old pal Jim Cornette would say, nobody can be missed if they don’t leave. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that.

Ambrose is listed amongst the superstars confirmed for tomorrow’s episode of Monday Night RAW. That means we can expect to see him on that show but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be returning there. He could just as easily show up at this evening’s Night of Champions to gain some unadvertised retribution on Seth Rollins.

In fact, a Night of Champions appearance seems likelier than a return on RAW after the news that Roman Reigns has been pulled from the pay-per-view due to injury and will be out of action for somewhere in the region of two months. It’s easy to imagine Rollins hitting the ring to have himself announced the winner of his match with Reigns via forfeit only for ‘The Lunatic Fringe’ to charge out and give him an impromptu battering. The crowd would eat that up, it would get the Rollins v Ambrose programme back on track, and keep Rollins on the pay-per-view. Three wins.

But is that the best course of action for WWE? Personally I’d like to see them take another route. Have a backstage segment in which The Authority gloat about Reigns being injured and tell Rollins that he’ll still be in action, but wrestling for the Intercontinental championship. Or have Rollins crash Christian’s pre-show Peep Show to make the announcement himself. At the start of the scheduled Miz versus Ziggler match Rollins could go to the ring only to sit at commentary, explaining that he’ll face the winner of the IC title match. ‘The Show Off’ could retain and then lose the title to Rollins immediately afterwards.

Then Ambrose could show up to give the new champ a kicking.

Give them the Intercontinental title. Both guys and the belt would benefit.

This would achieve a few things. It would keep up Rollins’ status as the spoilt chosen one of The Authority: he’d have been handed a championship match (which the commentary team could put over as unjust) and beaten a popular guy in unfair circumstances (unjust again, obvs) to win the gold. It would get the IC belt involved in the company’s hottest and longest running feud, potentially restoring some of its lustre. It would also set Ambrose up for a title win at some point in the future, further painting him as a man destined for the top and again giving the title’s status a boost.

Whether they involve the Intercontinental championship Ambrose v Rollins is the perfect match to get the Hell in a Cell treatment in October. The problem with attaching the gimmick to a pay-per-view is that it doesn’t always sync up with rivalries that are worthy of it. Hell in a Cell, as WWE’s (in theory) premiere feud-ender, is something that should be built up to over time and only used for the most serious of grudges. If there’s been any feud in WWE over the last year that deserves the Cell treatment it’s Ambrose versus Rollins.

I’m going to hope WWE see sense and book Ambrose and Rollins to close the Cell PPV inside the cage. Closing a major show would give both men a credibility boost (and the Intercontinental strap, were that involved), and Cena could always be slipped into the penultimate spot to combat concerns of there being a lack of established headliners at the top of the card. If WWE wants to get new stars over they need to break from their long-established patterns. Ambrose and Rollins closing Hell in a Cell would do that.

That RAW Recap 18.08.14

I wrote in my SummerSlam review (read that here) that the show was possibly the best WWE had put on this year. So the following evening’s RAW had a lot to live up to. An average show wasn’t going to cut it. It had to be memorable, building on the successes of the bigger show.

I’m pleased to say it did.

The show began with Daniel Bryan’s music playing. Elated, the audience burst into a “Yes!” chant. They were left disappointed when Stephanie McMahon came out (dressed down in her own Bryan-esque T-shirt and a pair of jeans). She mocked Bryan’s entrance. The crowd booed her at first and then became bored.

After trolling on about the Network and reminding us she’d won a match at SummerSlam Steph brought out Nikki Bella. Nikki  revealed she'd turned on Brie because she was tired of Brie's selfishness. Brie, she claimed, had been jealous of her since they were kids and had raced her to the alter.

Brie came out to refute this and did the betrayed babyface “Why, Nikki, why?” routine. Nikki slapped her to the mat and pouted. Steph laughed. Brie left the ring looking teary-eyed. The whole thing could have been worse but it also could have been significantly better. Nikki’s explanation speech was horribly overacted. It did at least make sense. That was something.

The first match saw the tandem of Mark Henry and Big Show defeat the Wyatt Family. That was disappointing, considering how over the Wyatts are as a team. It’s made worse by the fact that WWE almost certainly have no long term plans for the big lad team.

After that Seth Rollins was attacked by Dean Ambrose backstage. Complaining to Triple H he was told that he’d have a match with Ambrose later in the show, the idea being to get rid of ‘The Lunatic Fringe’ for good. The WWE App hosted a poll to decide the stipulation for Rollins v Ambrose. The choices were no holds barred, falls count anywhere and no disqualification. The commentators did a great job Filing to acknowledge that those gimmicks are all basically the same.

Match two saw Paige pinned by Natalya (non-title, natch). The reason ‘The Anti-Diva’ lost was AJ Lee. She skipped to the ring and distracted the champ. To be honest they should both be used to his sort of thing by now. Paige had said she still loved AJ and was dedicating the match to her before the bell rang. AJ said she loved Paige and was dedicating her life to her. Their rivalry is clearly going to continue.

Hour two opened with The Authority. Stephanie had changed into a dress. She couldn't embarrass Tripper by not being well turned out, could she? 'The Game' said Cena and Lesnar’s SummerSlam match had been an instant classic that represents the future of the company. They then unveiled "the symbol of that future," the new WWE championship belt. It was sat on a table underneath a red cloth. There were scattered boos for it. JBL said "That is a championship belt." I suspect that was some sort of in-joke or rib knowing Layfield.

Not enough wrestlers pose for pictures during promos.

Lesnar was then introduced. He, Heyman and The Authority pair posed with the belt to all four sides of the ring. A photo op for the audience. Generous, no? This was booed at first, then a Lesnar chant broke out. That’s what happens when you give someone a strong push while most of the rest of the roster stagnates: people are drawn to the proven winner.

Triple H and Stephanie headed backstage, leaving Paul Heyman to gloat. Naturally this took the form of talking about Lesnar ending The Streak, winning the championship, and giving Cena such a beating that he couldn't physically be there. Heyman did a tremendous job of putting Cena over, emphasising how long he'd been on top compared to Rock and Austin and reminding us (as if it were needed) that Cena had been a near constant WrestleMania headliner for ten years. The former champ earned his respect by adhering to his slogan and not giving up, to the extent that Heyman said if he had time he'd take Cena on as a client.

Why did he do this? Because it makes ‘The Beast’s’ accomplishment far greater, of course. Heyman also talked up Lesnar and his reign. He's more than a man and anybody stepping into the ring will have to deal with that, basically. Nothing was said about when Lesnar will defend his title, or who he’ll face. My assumption is he’ll work a rematch with Cena at Night of Champions and then work most, not necessarily all, pay-per-views until he loses the championship, which will probably be at WrestleMania.

After that Dolph Ziggler beat The Miz in a rematch from the previous night. It was good stuff. So was Jack Swagger v Cesaro. 'The Swiss Superman' won with a Neutralizer and then Swagger was told to Bo-lieve by Bo Dallas. Rob Van Dam, Sheamus and Roman Reigns v Randy Orton and RybAxel was also enjoyable enough. RVD won that for his team when he pinned Axel after a Five Star frog splash. Reigns wiped ‘The Viper’ out with a spear. Goldust and Stardust then defeated the Usos following a sunset flip. JBL called them the Dust Brusters. WWE needs to get their tag division back on track. They’ve got some popular, talented teams, but they don’t seem interested in penning storylines for them.

A Rusev and Lana promo was interrupted by Mark Henry. ‘The World’s Strongest Man’ said he doesn't usually have a problem with people and their countries but he does have a problem with Rusev. The Russian flag being raised at SummerSlam made him sick so called Rusev boy and announced he was going to induct him into the Hall of Pain. They exchanged punches then Rusev hurt his foot (injured the previous evening) kicking Henners. A World's Strongest Slam and a splash followed. That's Rusev's next conquest sorted then.

Crazy ol' Dean Ambrose.

Jerry Lawler announced that a falls count anywhere stip had won the Ambrose v Rollins vote. The pair quickly brawled through the crowd and up onto the stage where Rollins took a suplex. After the obligatory foray they headed back to the ring where Ambrose brought a chair into the match, body slamming and elbow dropping 'Mr Money in the Bank' with and on it. Seth took control when he ran Ambrose headfirst into a chair then grabbed a cane. When Ambrose eventually got his turn with the cane he really walloped Seth and exhumed Sandman's ECW Singapore cane leg sweep spot.

Ambrose survived a power bomb onto a pile of chairs as Kane showed up at ringside. Rollins set up a table in the ring. His attempt to Curb Stomp Ambrose through a table backfired when Ambrose intercepted him and suplexed him through it. They diverted out to ringside so Ambrose could lay out Kane with a suicide dive, then returned to the ring for a rebound lariat and Dirty Deeds. People were convinced that would be the finish, but Kane pulled Ambrose out of the ring to make sure it wasn't. Deano dropped Kane onto ring steps and back dropped Rollins into the crowd.

An announce desk was cleared and Ambrose went for Dirty Deeds again but Kane intercepted him with a choke slam. The table didn't break. It withstood a Curb Stomp too.

Things got a bit silly at that point. Kane moved a table aside to reveal a stack of cinder blocks. Kane held Ambrose in place as Rollins Curb Stomped his enemy through the blocks. Yes, through them. Because concrete really would crumble against the of mighty bone and flesh. Ambrose did a stretcher job as Kane and Rollins raised their arms and nodded. Meanwhile Jerry Lawler predicted we would never see Dean Ambrose again. Oh, 'King'. Will you never learn?

Overbooked finish aside the main event was very enjoyable. In an ideal world Ambrose would sit out for a month to sell the injury and Rollins would challenge Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental championship at Night of Champions. Ambrose could come back and cost him the gold or, better yet, attack him straight after he’d won it. Involving the IC strap in such a high profile feud would give it a much-needed boost and Ziggler v Rollins on a pay-per-view could be great.

Another Conversation With Dan Pryce

Last December I adapted a lengthy exchange left on a Facebook comment into a blog post (read it here). It was between myself and Dan Pryce. People who pay too much attention to this blog may remember Dan being referenced before and since that conversation-cum-blog post but it remains his sole contribution.

I thought it would be nice to change that. Because Dan’s a naturally funny and smart guy and it comes across surprisingly well in text (perhaps it helps if you know him, I’m not sure). Facebook conversations about wrestling between he and I are pretty frequent but it’s rare for them to rival the length and all-encompassing nonsense of the previous conversation post.

But there was one from the beginning of August that was mostly focused on the SummerSlam main event and what will follow it. As I still agree with everything I wrote here I thought it would be sensible to post this instead of retyping it all in a more traditional style. For the record Dan actually started the conversation with “In other news.” I want to clarify that so it’s clear nothing’s been cut out.

So now, for the second time ever, Dan Pryce contributes to That Wrestling Blog…

***

Dan: In other news, would they do Sting-Lesnar? Would they?

Lesnar beating Cena, then Sting dropping from the rafters would be a mark out moment. The resulting match would be drivel.

Dave: They might do the match. The rafters should be out of the question after Owen. I'd rather they went territories: turn out the lights for long enough for Steve to walk to the ring then put them back on. Massive pop and Heyman can sell a heart attack. Everyone wins.

But let me put this to you: would you rather Sting or The Rock make a post-main event SummerSlam cameo?

Dan: Rocky. Just a big stare-down. Though I'm pretty sure they're keeping Lesnar for Reigns. Or the returning Bryan. Though Bryan may never return. I don't think Reigns will be ready, even by WrestleMania. So The Rock. That was a roundabout way of getting to the same conclusion.

Dave: I think they're definitely saving Lesnar for Reigns. Doesn't mean they can't give him Sting or Rocky to go over at NOC or the Rumble. Something about the stretch of shows from October to December makes me feel they're beneath Rock and even Sting, who I've never understood the appeal of.

I've no interest in Sting v Lesnar if it happens. In fact I think I’d actively be against it. There's no reason for it to happen. They're not the sort of names who get tossed into the same "dream match" scenarios. And it would be awful.

On a related note I could see Lesnar sitting out Survivors to save his dates and a ten man tag headlining instead.

Dan: I'd like that. He'll defend against Cena at NOC, in a rematch. Because: who else? Batista return? Possible? Imminent?

Dave: Actually I think Batista's a likely candidate for a post-SummerSlam main event cameo. Or a return on the following night's RAW.

Dan: I'd like an Authority versus everybody else tag match. They haven't done one yet. Survivor Series would be the best place to hold it. You could have a team led by Aitch and a team led by Reigns. Some kind of ridiculous stipulation involving title rights or company control or some such. I always used to enjoy that. Putting your company up casually in a match.

Dave: Vince was crazy about defending the company in matches. Why did the board stand for it?!

Survivor match pitting Team Reigns v The Authority would be excellent. They could do some interesting things with teammates turning on teammates to set things up for future feuds. Triple H, Orton, Batista, Kane and Rollins versus Reigns, Ambrose, and three others. The three others bit is where things fall down. They don't have a deep enough roster.

It'd probably be the Usos, which makes me want to weep.

Dan: Why they never do this anymore befuddles me. They could use Survivor Series to set up big Royal Rumble feuds to set up big 'Mania feuds. But there's no progression. Remember progression?

Dave: I do. Vince doesn't.

Dan: Stardust. Titus O'Gator. And Alicia Fox. That’s a team!

Dave: In fact, Wyatt could be face by then. There's potential in the Wyatt Family, Ambrose and Reigns teaming. Then the December show could have a six man of the Wyatts v Evolution.

Then they could slowly build to Wyatt v Trips at 'Mania.

This is pointless chatter though. Survivor Series will be headlined by Cena v Batista in a Lack of Interest on a Pole match.

Dan: Where is D-Bry? I miss him so.

I still don't miss Punk. I feel nothing about Punk's absence. I realise only that he kind of existed for about 8 months and I watched none of his matches after The Undertaker one.

Dave: Stopping robbers with a broken neck. If this were ECW that would become his chief gimmick. Heyman would be dressing jobbers as fans and having them leap the rail to get their necks snapped during D-Bry matches.

I don't miss Punk either. There was nothing for him to do and I wanted him to take time off. I am looking forward to his hypocritical return in time for a WrestleMania in a few years’ time though.

Dan: I can't think of any matches he could have, even now, that would interest me. His great foil was Cena. He needed Cena, and Cena needed him. They had fantastic matches.

Dave: The only fresh matches are singles ones opposite The Shield guys but none of them interest me, even though I like Regins, Rollins and 'Brose. Even Punk v Wyatt wouldn't do anything for me and I love me some Wyatt.

Punk v Bo would have held my interest before Bo's streak ended.

Dan: I'm excited for Lesnar to get the title, somehow. They should have given it to him earlier. Also, he should have a) beaten Cena in his first match b) never had one match, let alone three, with Hunter c) broken the Streak but tried to make a good match out of it.

Dave: R-Truth ending Bo’s streak is a perfect example of WWE ineptitude.

(At this point I posted a lengthy scenario detailing how Bo’s streak ending could have been a bigger deal. I’ve edited it out of this because it became this blog post. There didn’t seem much point in having it on the blog twice.)

Dave: Lesnar should've been undefeated since 2012. The Streak ending would've had more impact and been easier to accept were that the case.

Dan: That Bo idea would have been excellent. He's such a perfect character for that. I'd like him to start doing self-help videos.

Come to think of it, who will Lesnar face?

Cena. Done.

Triple H. No.

Bryan? Out.

Reigns? Mania is seven months away.

Dave: Orton v Lesnar is fresh, strange considering how long they've both been around. I'm desperate to see a mid-air reversal from an F5 into an RKO.

Bryan will probably be Lesnar’s Rumble challenger.

The other question is who will Reigns face? He needs to be prepared for a 'Mania main event against a former UFC champion and the man who ended The Streak in which the title's on the line. That's a tall order in seven months, and that's with him being pretty good now.

Lesnar v Cesaro is likely. It would have made a lot more sense to keep Heyman with Cesaro, obviously, which is probably why they got split. Nobody in WWE seems compatible with sense.

What we learned from this is that Lesnar's world title reign is going to be awful until its final couple of months. By which point people will have stopped caring.

Good luck, Roman.

SummerSlam 2014 preview

SummerSlam looks like one of the best WWE shows in some time. It’s perhaps the best looking WWE pay-per-view, as far as match quality as opposed to spectacle is concerned, of 2014 so far. There’s a big main event featuring two of the company’s biggest stars, for the WWE championship, supported by a collection of strong pairings all of which have at least some sort of storyline explanation for taking place. WWE’s usual approach towards pay-per-views (special events, call them what you want) is to have two or three big matches and a host of randomly tossed together filler bouts. This is a welcome change.

The main event of SummerSlam will be Brock Lesnar versus John Cena. We’ll come back to that below, and start instead on the second biggest match of the card. There are actually a few potential choices for that, part of the reason this feels like a more important show than the usual WWE PPV.

There’s Randy Orton v Roman Reigns, almost the archetypal secondary pay-per-view match, featuring as it does the company’s top rising star and the second most established main event name after Cena. There’s Dean Ambrose v Seth Rollins, a feud between two over performers that’s been going for months without the two having an official (televised) singles match. It could even be argued that Swagger v Rusev is the second biggest match on the card thanks to a white hot catchphrase and ‘The Super Athlete’s’ Putin inspired heat.

But for my money the second biggest thing at SummerSlam is the Brie Bella v Stephanie McMahon match. Why it’s happening, from a company perspective, isn’t exactly clear: nobody has been crying out for either more Brie Bella matches or a ring return from Steph. The best reason I can think of is that WWE wanted to capitalise on how hated Stephanie has made herself and Brie’s marriage to overachieving yes man Daniel Bryan.

Stephanie has not wrestled since 2003, her last match being an I Quit outing against her own father. Because that’s the sort of thing Vince booked in those desperate post-Attitude Era days. It wasn’t a good match. What enjoyment could be derived from it mostly came from Vince’s lunatic facial expressions and heelish antics. Before that Stephanie had mostly appeared in short, forgettable singles matches and tag bouts where she did little but stand on the apron.

What I’m getting at here is that Stephanie is not a skilled, talented, or experienced wrestler. What she and the match have going for them is her heat. People (by which I mean fans sitting in WWE audiences) really dislike her, and they’ll react to her in a match. Which is an entirely valid reason for booking the thing.

The match also has Brie Bella in its favour. She’s no Manami Toyota, she’s not even the more realistic target of Trish Stratus, but Brie Bella is good enough to have an entertaining eight minute, distractions-heavy scrap with an in-shape non-worker. Which is good, because that’s the task in front of her. Triple H will almost certainly involve himself, as will Nikki Bella. It’s not impossible that Daniel Bryan will make a surprise appearance, but it is massively unlikely.

Either woman could win. Stephanie could cheat to remind everyone what a dastardly heel she is. Brie could overcome the odds to demonstrate that she’s a spunky babyface (also prepping her for a crack at the Divas title, although somehow I think that’s far down the list of priorities). I would usually lean towards the heel winning in this scenario, but there’s no guarantee that Stephanie’s going to work a rematch. Without that we have to assume she’ll get her comeuppance here. If Steph does win it will almost certainly come after a Nikki Bella swerve turn, leaving us with a sister versus sister rivalry. I’m hoping we don’t see that because I think it would be dull.

Back with the other potential number two matches… despite liking Orton when he’s on form and enjoying the whole Reigns package since he split from The Shield far more than I thought I would their singles match here does nothing for me. Perhaps it’s because we’ve already seen quite a bit of them together in the form of six man tags, traditional tags, and recent brawl encounters (although that hasn’t hurt my interest in Ambrose and Rollins). Reigns should go over cleanly and move on to his expected collision with ‘The Game’. ‘The Viper’ doesn’t need a victory here and I don’t think there’s enough interest in the pair together for them to have another singles encounter at Night of Champions.

Reigns’s former teammates Rollins and Ambrose have had a heated rivalry based around Rollins turning on The Shield and joining The Authority. Strangely, Reigns got over the betrayal fairly easily and has focused himself on everything from doctoring coffees to winning the WWE championship (he succeeded at one but not the other). As already noted, this will be the first singles match between Rollins and Ambrose on WWE screens. A masterful job has been done on holding off on the pair meeting, teasing us with exchanges in multi-man matches and a bevy on run-ins and brawls. It’s helped to make this first match feel like a special event and has also fleshed out their characters: Rollins is happy to be the coward and walk out on a fight when it suits him, and Ambrose is a madman motivated by gaining retribution on his former friend, desperate to stop him succeeding whenever possible.

Unfortunately, WWE have let themselves down with the stipulation of this match. Ambrose won a beat the clock challenge (itself a massively stupid gimmick) to decide what sort of match he and Seth would have. He could’ve gone for a cage match to ensure he got his hands on his foe. He could have gone for a strap match, giving him the chance to inflict a nasty and satisfying kind of beating. He could have gone with a Last man Standing match, fighting Rollins until he was unable to stand. Any of these gimmick matches would have made sense from a storyline and a character perspective but WWE had booked two of them in the last six months and repeating gimmicks in that time frame seems to contravene some sort of company law (meanwhile the strap seems at odds with their current direction… I think). So Rollins and Ambrose will meet in a lumberjack match instead.

I’m predicting a Rollins loss here. The lumberjack gimmick is an easy way of having him lose in a protected, indecisive fashion, allowing the feud to continue. Which I think it will. Because there’s not really anyone else for either man to face until some new names get established as people we should care about. And because they’re only just wrestling a singles match after months of build. Clearly this is a feud in it for the long haul.

On that note, we have the Dolph Ziggler v Miz Intercontinental championship match. It would be nice to think that we’re finally seeing ‘The Show Off’ get his push refreshed but to be honest I’ve seen far too many false dawns from WWE to believe that just yet. In an ideal world the IC strap would go to Ziggler, here or at Night of Champions, and an athletic mid-card would be built around him. Fingers crossed that happens.

I think Ziggler will lose here, mostly because The Miz has only had the championship for a short time. WWE likes him a lot and it’s hard to imagine them switching the belt off of him so soon. If there’s a rematch at NOC I’ll pick Ziggler. I think Miz will leave SummerSlam as the champ. Whoever wins I think this will be one of the night’s best matches if they get more than six minutes.

While I don’t tend to be a fan of big lads in wrestling I also think that Swagger and Rusev could turn out a belter. They had an entertaining enough tussle at Battleground. There’s no reason they can’t do the same here. Cheap heat and casual racism aside I think the programme’s been really good. It’s proof that managers, which seemed to be going out of style at one point, can still play an important role.

I don’t think there can be any doubt that Rusev’s going to win here. He’s the man on the rise. That said a Swagger win is the prime candidate for a swerve on this show, and it could be used to launch Swagger up to the top. For a programme opposite fellow amateur standout Brock Lesnar, perhaps? In truth I don’t think we’ll see that, but it’s an option for WWE if they decide they want to do something unexpected.

Paige and AJ Lee’s frenemies story has gone off the rails since it started. There was a lot of potential there but it’s been wasted on the standard WWE approach. Paige has skipped out during AJ matches and distracted her. That’s about it. This was the perfect opportunity for WWE to present a serious plot about two women who consider themselves the best wanting to prove it by winning the championship. I suppose it still could be, but a sterling performance at SummerSlam would be a must. With the card looking the way it does I don’t think Paige and AJ Lee will have the time to give us that. I’m picking Paige to win the title back to create a reason for another encounter, perhaps one with a gimmick, at Night of Champions.

The final match to discuss before the main event is Bray Wyatt v Chris Jericho. After their letdown of a match at Battleground, mostly the fault of a sloppy ‘Y2J’ performance, and a series of nauseatingly tedious promos over the last month I’m not expecting much from them. Wyatt henchmen Harper and Rowan are banned from ringside, which should make Wyatt’s inevitable win mean more as he’ll have accomplished it by himself. And it is inevitable. WWE loves a three pay-per-view series and with Jericho having beaten ‘The Eater of Worlds’ at Battleground it’s his turn to lie down here.

Lastly there’s the main event. Brock Lesnar, the man who has been hyped as an unstoppable mercenary who cares only about himself, the man who did the unthinkable and broke The Undertaker’s WrestleMania undefeated Streak, will challenge John Cena, the fifteen time world champion who’s been the face of the company for nigh on a decade, for the WWE championship. With or without Daniel Bryan, the man who was almost certainly originally planned to headline this event opposite Lesnar, this is the biggest match WWE can promote.

Which is not to say it’s the best match they can promote. The match Lesnar and Cena had at Extreme Rules two years ago was rough, and that was when the pair had access to all the shortcuts a wild brawl offers. Part of the reason that match was not great is probably attributable to it being Lesnar’s first pro wrestling outing in several years. Things should be better here, but the match will still not feel the same as a Lesnar-Bryan match would have done, or as a Lesnar-Reigns match will. But, y’know, WWE is most often about spectacle, and their golden boy taking on the former UFC champion is just that.

Lesnar is most people’s pick to win this, and with good reason. Cena does not need the championship to be over and it is an overly familiar scenario. Lesnar as champion, on the other hand, has not been seen for years, and hasn’t happened at all since he went away and further legitimised himself with a stint in the UFC. It could create interest for lapsed fans. It will certainly reinvigorate the title picture and the title itself.

The title is something that WWE wants reinvigorated for a reason. The long term plan looks very much like a Reigns v Lesnar match at WrestleMania 31. If ‘The Beast’ goes into that match having held the championship for over half a year, having defeated everyone put in front of him, starting with top boy Cena, and as the man that ended The Streak then it will look like unbeatable odds for Reigns. So it’ll be a sensational, star-making moment when he overcomes those odds and drops Lesnar to win his first world championship.

Lesnar versus Cena won’t be bad but I doubt it’ll be that great. There’s a good chance it won’t even be the best thing on the show, especially if you discount a sense of spectacle and focus on the actual wrestling. It’s designed as something to hook lapsed and casual fans, perhaps encouraging them to sign up to the Network, and as part of the building process for a future main event. On those grounds I think it, and SummerSlam in general, is already looking like a success.

Predictions summary:

Brock Lesnar to defeat
Brie Bella to defeat Stephanie McMahon
Roman Reigns to defeat Randy Orton
Dean Ambrose to defeat Seth Rollins
Rusev to defeat Jack Swagger
Bray Wyatt to defeat Chris Jericho
The Miz to defeat Dolph Ziggler
Paige to defeat AJ Lee

Night of Champions: The Long Game

It’s a little disappointing to say but the next several months of WWE pay-per-special-events look a little predictable. Most people I’ve spoken to are predicting the same winners for Money in the Bank (preview of that show available here). Cena, Rollins and the Wyatts are the important names people expect to go over. Lesnar’s involvement in SummerSlam has been confirmed, with a leaked poster making it look like a match between him and Cena is on the cards. And it’s been twigged that Night of Champions is going to fall around the expiration of any initial Network sign-ups, meaning WWE will want a big show to encourage people to renew their subscriptions.

I’ve written before that predictability in wrestling isn’t always a bad thing. A card can be thoroughly predictable while still be very enjoyable and providing surprises during matches, rather than in the results. But a few months of predictable programming pushes this feeling to breaking point. A predictable show is fine. A string of them is not.

Because I feel that the next few months in WWE seem easy to call I thought I’d post some predictions for beyond Money in the Bank.

The most obvious prediction to make is that Cena will enter SummerSlam as WWE champion and defend against Lesnar. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll leave Money in the Bank with the strap. He could just as easily win the title from a transitional champion at Battleground. The frontrunner for that spot would probably be Randy Orton, although Bray Wyatt and Sheamus could work too.

I don’t think the transitional thing will happen though. I think Cena will unhook the gold at Money in the Bank and make it through Battleground unscathed to defend against ‘The Beast’ at SummerSlam. What he’ll do at BG is beyond me. A title defence against recent foe Wyatt could just about work. So could a stipulation brawl with Kane. Cena’s been slipped into a feud with ‘The Demon’ in Bryan’s absence and it’s the sort of title match WWE would likely book on a filler show, which Battleground looks set to be.

Filler show? Well, yeah. I originally thought it had a chance of being a pretty significant piece of work, featuring Ambrose v Rollins and Orton v Reigns in singles scraps, but I’ve changed my mind since the need to stack Night of Champions with big bouts came up. I’m now expecting Reigns’ match with ‘The Viper’ to be held off until SummerSlam and the SummerSlam match against Triple H that I expected him to have to be pushed back until Night of Champions. Ambrose and Rollins can rumble at Battleground and SummerSlam without hurting the appeal of the match. They’d just need to be given a suitably enticing stip for their bout at ‘The Hottest Event of the Summer’.

This leaves me predicting four matches for Summerlam. Lesnar challenging Cena for the title and probably winning. Ambrose and Rollins having their second straight singles encounter, this time with an exciting gimmick added to keep it feeling fresh. Reigns KOing Orton with a Superman punch. And Daniel Bryan returning to action to gain retribution against the main who, in the storyline, inflicted the neck injury on him, Kane. I think it’s likely Bryan will be ready to return at Battleground but keeping him off that show saves his return for the bigger show and keeps ‘The Big Red Monster’ free to lose to Cena.

Oh, and one other SummerSlam match. I’m not interested in how they’ll get there but I think the Wyatt Family versus Stardust and Goldust seems like a logical thing to expect too.

Night of Champions is the real reason I’m writing this. Because I want to predict a few months ahead of time that it will see Daniel Bryan challenging Brock Lesnar for the WWE championship. That’s the biggest match WWE can promote right now. Were it not for Bryan’s injury it would have headlined SummerSlam (technically it still might but it looks unlikely right now). That it (probably) won’t will in fact been to WWE’s advantage as it gives them an excuse to hold the bout off for a show they need to make a must-see event.

Save it for Night of Champs, bro.

I’ve already mentioned that Triple H versus Roman Reigns will probably be on the card too. That match has already been teased. We’ve had a preview of it in the Shield v Evolution six man tags at Extreme Rules and Payback but by the time a September PPV rolls around those matches will be several months old, meaning that people won’t feel like they’ve already seen the match. To be honest I don’t think that would be the feeling anyway, rising star Reigns against seasoned veteran Triple H is a match with a fair amount of appeal even without the pair locking up beforehand. But a few months between the six man collisions and their first singles match can’t hurt.

By this point the Rollins and Ambrose rivalry will have very likely run its course. I’ve no idea who ‘The Architect’ will have moved on to but whoever’s holding the Intercontinental championship wouldn’t be out of the question. I’m expecting Rollins to have the Money in the Bank contract by this point (he’ll either win it at the show or Ambrose will and he’ll beat him for it during their feud), and he’ll need a reign as ‘The Man’ of the mid-card before going on to the world strap. That’s just the way WWE works.

Rollins wrestling for the IC title will free Ambrose up for a match with Orton. That’s another fresh match to slap on the Night of Champions card. And fresh matches featuring main names is what are what’s needed for that show.

If most or all of this happens I’ll probably feel pretty proud. But I’ll also feel more than a litrle deflated. For WWE to be so predictable for three months would be very disappointing. I don’t think they will be. They must realise how simple the layout of everything up to Night of Champions looks and I suspect they’ve got plans to chuck in some surprise. Hopefully that’ll start at Money in the Bank. If it doesn’t it’s going to be a long and boring summer.

***

For ease and simplicity here’s what I’m predicting for the next three pay-per-views:

Battleground:

Cena to leave as WWE champion
Seth Rollins v Dean Ambrose

SummerSlam:

Brock Lesnar to defeat John Cena for the WWE championship
Daniel Bryan v Kane in a stipulation match
Randy Orton v Roman Reigns
Seth Rollins v Dean Ambrose in a stipulation match
The Wyatt Family v Stardust and Goldust

Night of Champions:

Daniel Bryan v Brock Lesnar
Roman Reigns v Triple H
Randy Orton v Dean Ambrose
Seth Rollins to wrestle for the Intercontinental championship