WrestleMania XXX preview and predictions

 

So here we are again. Another WrestleMania. But this isn’t just any WrestleMania. This is the thirtieth WrestleMania. If ‘Mania XXV is anything to go by that means that it’s also the thirtieth anniversary of the event. Thankfully the anniversary tag doesn’t seem to have been brought up this year. It seems as though someone at WWE has learned to count. Or it’s been decided that WrestleMania XXX is a big enough deal to succeed without erroneous celebratory milestones being deployed.

‘Mania XXX is going to be a big deal. That’s obvious. Each year WWE does it’s darnedest to make WrestleMania more impressive, glitzy, memorable and spectacular than it was the year before. They don’t always succeed but it’s not for lack of trying. Everyone in the company pulls out all the stops for ‘Mania, from the wrestlers to the writing team to Kevin Dunn’s army of production staff. WrestleMania, as WWE’s flagship show, is intended to be the biggest spectacle of the wrestling world (and the non-wrestling world come to that) every year.

Something I’ve never written about when previewing a show before is the set design and colour scheme. This is largely because I only preview WWE shows and generally all we get is some fireworks and video packages. But WrestleManias are different. There’ll still be fireworks and video packages (obvs) but ‘Mania is the one show of the year at which top wrestlers get specially designed entrances and there’s a chance that the show will kick off with something other than the standard issue pyro.

What that could be for WrestleMania XXX is anyone’s guess. Production tsar Kevin Dunn has made a reputation over the last several years of concocting lavish sets and impressively choreographed sequences for WWE shows. The obvious thing would be a street carnival, seeing as the show’s being hosted in notorious party town New Orleans. Flamenco dancers, jazz trumpeters, and scantily clad women draped in feather boas and absurd headdresses would feel thematically appropriate. But who can say if Mr Dunn will take the obvious route. He may have something just as relevant but far less predictable in store. A safer bet is that the colour scheme will feature a lot of purple. Photos of the set released on Twitter confirms this but even without that the logo that’s been hanging from the rafters on RAW all year has been purple, tipping WWE’s hand.

But what most people (if not all people) reading this will be concerned with are the matches. That is, after all, why we tune into wrestling events. When looking at the WrestleMania card there’s one match that stands head and shoulders above all others. One that’s been months in the making. One that will feature one of the most popular WWE performers of recent years, who I’m sure will end up considering WrestleMania XXX as a significant milestone in their career.

I am of course talking about AJ Lee defending her Divas championship in the Vickie Guerrero Invitational. Ms Lee will defend her title against the thirteen other women who make up the promotion’s female main roster. That includes the Bella twins, the Funkadactyls, newcomer Emma, ballroom valet Summer Rae and AJ’s bodyguard Tamina. We are, I think, supposed to anticipate a showdown between AJ and Tamina which results in AJ finally receiving her comeuppance as a heel.

It would be more effective to deliver that in a singles match between an officially turned Tamina and cowering heel champ AJ but I can understand WWE taking this approach. They want to get as many people onto the card as they can, partly as an act of kindness and partly because they seem to enjoy loading up ‘Mania cards divisible by ten with every member of the roster possible. That and they couldn’t leave the cast of the immensely popular Total Divas on the sidelines while two women not featured on the show ate up a single spot between them. Oh, and the fact that Tamina versus AJ probably wouldn’t have been much good because a split hadn’t been sufficiently teased and so the crowd wouldn’t have been primed to want to see AJ take a pasting.

Multi-person matches like this are a devil to predict. They’re the ideal way to deliver a surprise. Come Sunday April 6 AJ will have held the championship for 294 days. That feels like a long enough reign to me. Switching the belt would get a great reaction and shake up the Divas division. As much as I like AJ and think she deserves the title a change is needed to stir up some interest in the division. A popular, talented performer can only hold the title for so long before someone else needs to take the reins to create fresh scenarios.

Almost anyone could relieve ‘The Black Widow’ of her butterfly-shaped hardware. Nikki Bella seems to have been set up as a female wrestler of significance in recent weeks. And in fairness she has improved in the ring so wouldn’t be the worst choice. Naomi is pushed as the best female athlete on the roster and has been given non-title wins over the champ on TV, the most recent being on the pre-‘Mania RAW. Reactions to her and dance partner Cameron are generally little more than tepid but a reign for her could be made to work, particularly if it were kept short. Tamina winning the belt would allow the division to have a “monster” champion, something it’s not ever had, at least during the modern era. That would also allow for the tried and tested breakup storyline that WWE seem to want to go with.

But of everyone in the match I’m going to go with Brie Bella. The second and current series of Total Divas will apparently climax with her getting hitched to Daniel Bryan. If he were to win the WWE championship (find out how likely I think that is below) it would allow TD to spin the finale as two champs tying the knot. That’s not particularly thrilling to me but I bet it is to TV execs. Far less importantly Brie is capable of decent matches when she puts her mind to it, so the in-ring quality of the Divas division wouldn’t take a catastrophic hit if she became its figurehead.

A similar match is the tag team championship match. Sibling champs Jimmy and Jey Uso will defend the titles they won on March 3 in Chicago against Los Matadores, The Real Americans and RybAxel. When I say similar I’m referring to the result rather than the content. It’s another instance of a bout that could be used to produce something surprising. Switching the titles is a good way of getting a loud reaction from the crowd (and while the crowd will be boisterous for the big matches it’s unlikely they’ll get overly worked up for undercard outings like this one) and would create some tension in the doubles division. If the Uso brothers are to become the reliable, ever-popular duo WWE clearly wants them to be they’re going to have to lose and regain the belts a time or two. Losing the belts encourages fans to continue supporting the lads in their quest (because champions can’t really go on a quest) and regaining them shows that the Usos didn’t fluke their first golden win.

Los Matadores may seem like a tandem that can be easily eliminated as potential winners but that’s not the case. With The Prime Time Players split and The Real Americans looking set to join them the matadors are one of the few regular tandems left on the books who could work a long series with the current champions. There’s a lot of merchandise potential in the pair and they can have good matches. WWE needs little more reason to give them the titles.

While The Real Americans seem on the cusp of a split, with Cesaro being the one who’ll go on to bigger and better things, it’s not impossible that they’ll get a tag title run beforehand. The right sequence of events could actually add to their parting of ways: one member could clear the ring of opposition at ‘Mania and get the winning pin fall with the other member responsible for losing the titles (to the Usos, Los Matadores or whoever) the following evening on RAW. With the difference in capability highlighted the guy who won the gold could turn on the guy who lost it. The story could work stretched to Extreme Rules but a one night reign would help to emphasise the different roles of the teammates in winning and losing the gold.

RybAxel are, like Los Matadores, likely to stay together. Unlike Los Matadores they don’t seem like they’ve got much of a chance at winning the titles. There’s nothing marketable about them, they’re unlikely to be turned into good guys, and the only reason they’re together is because WWE had nothing else for them to do. I think they’d be fun as the tag champs, mainly because Ryback’s character has become absurd, but it seems a long shot.

All of this said I’m going to predict an Uso victory. It took forever for them to be given the titles and I think they’ll hold on to them for quite a while before losing them, solidifying their position as a top team. Whoever wins this match has a fair chance at being one of the most action-packed of the night. It probably won’t last very long which should see the match amount to a swift progression of signature moves and high spots.

Sticking with tag team action The New Age Outlaws will team with Kane to take on The Shield. This one is something of a surprise to me. I was convinced at the start of the year that WWE were going to split The Shield in time for ‘Mania so as to present a triple threat match that would function as a launching pad for a Roman Reigns solo push. Reigns’ impressive outing at the Royal Rumble, eliminating a record twelve men and being the final man eliminated, only made me more certain of this.

I’m pleased Reigns has remained associated with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. While all three have singles potential they are currently better off being part of a team. They complement one another, disguise one another’s weaknesses, and enhance one another’s strengths. The trio is greater than the sum of their parts.

This match should be very good. Everyone has something to offer. Road Dogg and Billy Gunn can still bump around like they did in their prime, which will make their foes look good and encourage strong crowd reactions (which will be strong to begin with because people love The Shield). Rollins is seemingly inexhaustible and has proven very good at stringing together high-flying offensive sequences that bring crowds to their feet (and put a smile on Reigns’ face). Ambrose’s wild, magnetic personality draws people in, as does the peculiar way he performs otherwise basic moves (watch his drop kick). Kane, always pretty good when it comes to making his character work, has been a blast as Corporate Kane, unleashing a dazzling array of facial expressions. And Reigns, when kept in reserve for a hot tag that sets him up to take out everyone opposing him, is one of the most popular men on the roster. Not only that but The Shield have been together long enough now to know how to structure a sequence that lets everyone shine.

I favour the men in black for the win. ‘The Big Red Machine’ and his teammates are supporting rather than main cast these days. As three men who should play significant roles in WWE for years to come The Shield need the victory more. That and they’re the cohesive team. The only reason I can see for a Shield loss is to (re)start the split of the group. That’s not something I want to believe WWE are going to do any time soon.

The final undercard match is the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. In storyline this was added to the card after Hulk Hogan spent an afternoon watching his WrestleMania III clash with Andre over and over again. That’s not especially relevant but I feel it’s worth mentioning because it conjurs an amusing image. There will be thirty entrants in the match, consisting of every man on the main roster not involved in a match elsewhere on the card. Except Bad News Barrett and Yoshi Tatsu (although it’s possible that Tatsu is no longer considered a main roster player).

Correctly predicting a winner in this match is practically impossible. WWE could do almost anything with it. They could use it to bring attention to someone not currently doing very much, like Titus O’Neil or Sin Cara. They could give the nod to The Miz to keep his thoroughly unimpressive but nonetheless real WrestleMania winning streak alive (and as it’s something they’ve had ‘The Awesome One’ draw attention to in the past I don’t think this possibility can be completely ruled out). Sheamus, as one of the few significant names not to be involved in a significant match, could be booked to win the thing. There are lots of directions WWE could take.

The one I’m predicting they’ll go in is the big man victory. Andre the Giant’s gimmick was that he always won battle royals. It would probably be seen as a fitting tribute to him to have one of the larger men on the roster take home the trophy here. That leaves us with The Great Khali, Mark Henry and Big Show to choose from. Henry is more of a monster than a giant, so I‘d rule him out. Khali is a limited comedy performer who doesn’t even seem worthy of this “honour”, so he can be ruled out too. Which leaves me with ‘The World’s Largest Athlete’. Which doesn’t seem too ridiculous. He is not only a wrestling giant but a wrestling giant who was routinely compared to Andre during the early years of his career. He was even billed as Andre’s son in WCW. It would feel appropriate for him to win here, and that’s about as good a reason as any to pick a win when you have thirty men to choose from.

Interestingly three spots remain open for the battle royal. I’m hoping WWE fills them with deserving cameos. Chris Jericho is an obvious name to throw out, as is Rob Van Dam. Although it should be noted that Alexander Rusev hasn’t been confirmed for anything at WrestleMania and this would be a good way of getting him some ring time. I wouldn’t be that surprised if he won it. It would give him a strong start to his career.

Speaking of the battle royal, John Cena originally announced that he would be an entrant. That was a laugh. Anyone who believed Cena would share his ‘Mania XXX match with twenty-nine other guys hasn’t been following WWE for very long. His mind was changed when Bray Wyatt rocked up and started running him down, prompting him to issue a challenge to ‘The Eater of Worlds’ which was accepted.

Cena versus Wyatt is a strange pairing. Cena is the clean cut valiant babyface. Wyatt is an unkempt swamp preacher shadowed by two fellow undesirables. Cena is the company’s top star. Wyatt has been on the main roster for less than a year. That they’ve been put together indicates that Cena’s role is becoming less about continually regaining and losing the WWE championship and more about helping to establish new stars. As the top boy he’s the best placed person to accomplish that feat: even a cheated victory over Cena can help a rising name to stand out.

Questions of quality could potentially be raised regarding this bout. Cena is regarded as a limited worker and Wyatt has yet to win people over. I think there’s every chance they’ll do produce something great. Cena had the best year of his career in the ring last year and has shown that he’s willing to sell for and play fearful when confronted by Wyatt and his boys over the last two months. Meanwhile Wyatt is coming off of back-to-back match of the night performances on the last two WWE pay-per-views. Yes he was in the ring with Daniel Bryan and The Shield but he was a passenger in neither match. He pulled his weight with crisp, charismatic performances.

Those last two performances indicate that WWE has big plans for Wyatt. He defeated both Bryan and The Shield clean, getting the win in the six man tag after hitting Sister Abigail on Reigns. It could just be that he was being built up with wins so that he was a more impressive man for Cena to defeat on ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All’ but I don’t want to believe WWE is that short-sighted. At just twenty-six Wyatt could be a money maker for years to come, but he has to be solidified as a star first. There’s no clearer way of saying someone is a big deal in WWE than having them pin John Cena. It doesn’t need to be clean, and it probably won’t be, but Bray winning is the result WWE to go with in this match. Cena can get his wins in the feud at a later date.

Mentioning Cena feels like a natural way to bring up Hulk Hogan. He will be the host of this year’s ‘Mania. What that entails is not exactly clear, a deliberate move so that WWE is not obligated to do anything particular with him and can chop and change his role on the card depending on their whims at the time. He will presumably kick off the show with a promo referencing his past at the event. Introducing the battle royal or the main event, or presenting the title belts to the winner of the main event, wouldn’t be unexpected either.

What I don’t want is someone interrupting ‘The Hulkster’. As he can’t take any bumps such a confrontation would end with Hogan flattening whoever was daring to share his spotlight. That would almost certainly be a young heel (I’ve already noted Bad News Barrett is not currently scheduled to appear on the show). Taking a pasting for a sixty-year-old man who’s shrunk four inches since his prime isn’t going to help anyone’s career prospects.

Without doubt the most obvious outcome on the card is The Undertaker’s match. At this point it’s inconceivable that ‘The Dead Man’ will lose at WrestleMania. I don’t think any doubt will be cast on the outcome of any of his ‘Mania performances until he announces his final one. And he will announce his final one ahead of time because The Streak has become such an important part of modern WrestleMania lore that WWE would want to milk that final appearance for all it’s worth. That can only be done if people know ahead of time that no matter the outcome ‘Taker will be making his final in-ring appearance. Without that foreknowledge ‘The Dead Man’ cannot be given the send-off he deserves on the show he has become synonymous with. As I’ve written many times before I think that final appearance, whenever it comes, will be opposite John Cena.

WM30 will see ‘The Phenom’ opposed by Brock Lesnar. The build-up to the match has been subpar, both in the short- and long-term. Short-term we saw both Undertaker and Lesnar return on the February 24 RAW and engage in… a contract signing. ‘Taker did stab a pen into Lesnar’s hand and choke slam him through a table but on the whole it was a less than impressive start. Things haven’t been helped since with the rivalry progressing primarily via Paul Heyman promos covering the same base points, which have failed to make for exciting television. The nineties-style magical altercations involving caskets and druids haven’t made me eager to see the match either. Nor has Lesnar’s sole dominant performance on the March 31 RAW.

Luckily for WWE The Undertaker is not a man who requires a lot of hype for his ‘Mania matches now. His recent track record of producing the best bout on the show and seeing how well he can do convincing viewers that he may lose are the attractions now. But something has to be put on TV before the match to inform and remind people it’s happening.

It would have been nice if WWE had reminded people that ‘The Beast’ has defeated Undertaker before, just never at WrestleMania. It would have made Heyman’s promos more varied and lent a sliver of credibility to Lesnar’s boast that he will break wrestling’s most impressive record. There’s still time for those wins to be mentioned in the pre-match hype videos but it would have been far more effective mentioned early on.

The top two matches are entwined with one another. At some point before the main event Triple H and Daniel Bryan will face one another and the winner will progress to the WWE championship match involving number one contender Batista and champion Randy Orton. The roots of Bryan v Triple H can be traced back to SummerSlam, and while it’s not been their plan all along to have the two face off in a singles encounter here it’s fitting that they’ve ended up doing so. ‘The Game’ is the man who cost Bryan his first WWE championship after mere minutes and the man who stripped him of his second WWE championship after a day. There is a clear reason for the two to oppose one another and the tension has been heightened by Triple H’s months of refusal (he first said no in August of last year) to wrestle Bryan.

On a more basic level this match works because it is the company’s most popular star, chosen by the people rather than selected and pushed as such by management, against the embodiment of the WWE system. It’s a dynamic that I think WWE have searched for, whether they’ve known it or not, since the McMahon-Austin feud in the nineties: an authority figure who can actually get into the ring and wrestle a compelling, satisfying, high quality match. This match allows the fans’ avatar to give the systems’ avatar a good kicking and emerge triumphant. The system can literally be beaten.

I want to believe that’s what will happen. There’s a niggling feeling at the back of my mind that WWE will get this wrong at the last minute and have Triple H beat Bryan, win the championship, and then face him in a rematch for the gold at Extreme Rules. Or that they will stubbornly go with what was probably their original plan and have Batista win. Or that they will harken back to a few months ago and have Orton “beat the odds” again. Any of these scenarios would be bad. Bryan’s story needs to peak at WrestleMania, in front of WWE’s largest, most passionate audience of the year, many of whom will be the same people who helped popularise the “Yes!” chant two years ago at WrestleMania XXVIII. This is WWE’s grandest stage and it has to be where Daniel Bryan finally gets his reward for months of struggle.

I expect both Bryan v Triple and the headline triple threat match will be of high quality. Bryan is such a popular figure that he and ‘The King of Kings’ could tear the house down having just a basic match. Neither man would be happy with the basics though: they will want the best match possible. The main event will have one man who can, when he chooses, be a superb worker in Randy Orton and one man who is the most loathed heel on the planet in Batista. They guarantee match quality and heat respectively, although there is some overlap in that ‘The Viper’ is an effective heel in his own right and ‘The Animal’ can, on occasion, produce a match that is above average.

Either triple threat would be a good wrestling match, but only one will satisfy fans. A Triple H main event would be drowned in boos, catcalls and irreverent chants. A Bryan main event would be bathed in cheers, “Yes!” chants and explosions of positivity whenever Bryan hits a move. I’m sure WWE won’t pass up the chance to give Bryan a career highlight like that. More importantly I don’t think they’ll risk alienating their fans in such a high profile environment. WrestleMania XXX will be Daniel Bryan’s night. And it’s a night he’s more than earned.

Predictions summary:

Daniel Bryan to defeat Randy Orton and Batista for the WWE championship
Daniel Bryan to defeat Triple H
The Undertaker to defeat Brock Lesnar
Bray Wyatt to defeat John Cena
Big Show to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
The Shield to defeat Kane and The New Age Outlaws
The Usos to retain the tag team championship
Brie Bella to win the Divas championship

That RAW Recap 24.03.14

With two weeks left until arguably the most important show in company history WWE had a fair amount to accomplish on the March 24 RAW. Going into the show the undercard of WrestleMania XXX was distinctly lacking in shape. The big matches were, and remain, all in place but the rest of the card needed to be announced so that it didn’t feel cobbled together. Throughout the course of RAW it became apparent that building the WrestleMania XXX undercard was a priority.

Stephanie McMahon opened the show with thanks for the audience for attending and news that Daniel Bryan would not be competing. Bryan was not medically cleared to wrestle. At no point was this directly attributed to the beating he had suffered at the hands of Triple H the week before, even though said beating was the basis of a later segment. Which felt like a wasted opportunity. Steph justified the attack by saying that a message needed to be sent to the locker room so that nobody started to develop ideas above their station. Beating Bryan senseless was "the only way" to get him to listen.

Then she talked up her family. Again. Interestingly this included her saying she felt she is the only person capable of shouldering the responsibility of decision making. She then added that Triple H is the most powerful man (emphasising man) in WWE while talking him up. The more comments like that get made (and they're getting made routinely) the more material Vince McMahon will have to work with when he returns to TV. Which will surely be soon.

Randy Orton (wearing his ring gear even though he wouldn’t wrestle on the show) joined Steph in the ring to offer a suggestion: that 'The Game' simply end his WrestleMania XXX at beating Daniel Bryan, because Orty will have to batter him if he enters the triple threat. The suggestion was met with "Boring!" and "Daniel Bryan!" chants, the latter of which prompted Steph to reiterate her promise that he wouldn't be on the show.

Just when viewers were thinking things couldn't possibly get any more charismatic Batista mooched down to the ring. This week's natty ensemble was a merch T-shirt, sunglasses and some ripped jeans. It turned out hearing the two talking had compelled Batista to remind the world that he's going to be the next champion. His proof was that he's been saying he'll be the champion for weeks. On Planet Batista saying something repeatedly makes it true. He then said "Deal with it" three times. Whether you like him or not you have to admit he makes a compelling argument.

In fairness 'The Animal' did bring up something relevant to the storyline after that when he mentioned that Triple H has never beaten him. Then he said Orton's sucking up to The Authority makes him sick and cracked a joke about Stephanie being drooled over. Steph slapped the shades off Batista's face and left. Then Batista speared Orton and posed with the belts.

The segment did little other than establish that Orton and Batista are underestimating Bryan. The most entertaining part of it was Batista's microphone malfunctioning. He tried a witty, off the cuff remark when that happened, but it was poorly delivered and not at all witty anyway so he was booed for it. Orton turned around to hide his laughter.

The evening's first match was a four-way match to decide who'd get to challenge for the Intercontinental championship the following night on Main Event. The competitors were Sheamus, Christian, Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio. IC champ Big E sat at ringside and watched. It would have been nice to have him on commentary. The match was fun in places but was mostly unmemorable. It did have an above average finishing sequence though: Sheamus stood up while Del Rio had the cross armbreaker applied to him, at which point 'The Show Off' nipped in and delivered a Zig Zag to the arm barred arm. Before he could make a cover he was dropped with an Unprettier by Christian, giving 'Captain Charisma' the victory and the title match.

Big E entered the ring and offered a handshake to the veteran. Christian laughed and walked off. Backwards up the ramp, natch.

A Wyatt Family vignette was shown. Before he started the standard issue gibberish waffling Bray came out with some enjoyable stuff about people not believing in things they can't see, being able to see John Cena, and Cena not taking the time to "see" him. Luke Harper also got a few lines about being able to hear Cena whispering. He has a wonderfully dead stare that makes these sorts of statements particularly effective. Erick Rowan said nothing, although he was looking dapper in his sheep mask and boiler suit.

This sort of thing happens now. Get over it

After Sin Cara (accompanied by a bloke in a Scooby Doo outfit) had beaten Damien Sandow with a Swanton bomb there was a thirty second match between Los Matadores and RybAxel. Diego and Fernando won when The Shield walked to ringside through the crowd and distracted Curtis Axel. Ryback was isolated in the ring, speared and triple power bombed, all to the sound of cheers. People are not keen on 'The Big Guy'.

The first hour of RAW ended with a sitdown chat between Michael Cole and Triple H. The point of it was to discuss 'The Cerebral Assassin's' attack on a handcuffed D-Bry at the end of the previous week's show. Triple H's immediate response when asked about the attack was whether he should answer as the COO or a competitor. Then he mentioned Bryan's occupy RAW segment from March 10, calling it an attempted coup. Tripper's defence seemed to be that Daniel Bryan had done something wrong so it was perfectly reasonable for him to respond in kind. That's probably not how things work other publically traded corporate entities, but who cares about that, eh?

Cole replied that Bryan's occupation of the ring was "an inspiring act" while Triple H's attack was an act of "thug-like aggression". It's hard to disagree with the latter. Trip's response to that was that Bryan had asked him to be a competitor and that when he was a full-time competitor he did things like that all the time. Which is true of course, but doesn't exactly excuse his heelish behaviour. Basically the segment was proof that extended debating on the motivations of wrestling bad guys is ill advised.

The segment ended with Triple H working himself up and announcing the beginning of The Reality Era (something I don't think will catch on). He used the word "reality" what must have been at least a dozen times as he said he'd end Bryan's run on top and become the WWE champion. Reality is best for business.

'Crazy Legs' Fandango

Match four saw Cody Rhodes facing Faaaaaan... daaaaaan... goooooo. Summer Rae being at ringside was an excuse for the commentary crew to plug Total Divas. They seized it with gusto, Cole referring to Summer as a stooge (apparently for something that had happened on the previous evening's TD). Over at the ring Goldust and Summer got into a pose off at ringside, distracting Fandango and allowing Cody to win the match with a Disaster Kick.

That was followed by another promo. This one featured Hulk Hogan, who got a loud reaction and avoided tearing his shirt, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Joe Manganiello (no idea). After 'The Hulkster' had made the obligatory trip down memory lane he introduced the actors, both of whom were cheered, to put over WWE and talk up their film (and, in Arnie's case, Hogan's muscles). Arnie asked if there were spots for he and Manganiello in the battle royal but before Hogan could answer (his body language was supposed to make us think he was interested in adding two non-wrestlers, one of whom is 66, to the battle royal) The Miz interrupted.

Through a sequence of events too boring to relay 'The Awesome One' was expelled from the ring. The babyface trio celebrated. The entire ten minute sequence was mostly wretched but it was at least a good use of Hogan. And if celebrities have to appear on RAW (and the way WWE functions means that they do) then this is an effective enough way of using them.

After Big Show had beaten Titus O'Neil with a WMD punch we were shown The Authority and The Shield talking in an office. Triple H told the trio that their problem with Kane and The New Age Outlaws (a feud which has mostly built up on SmackDown) is nothing to do with him. Stephanie said if they were looking for vengeance she'd give them a match with The Real Americans later on in the show. She neglected to explain how exactly that classified as vengeance.

Elsewhere in the building John Cena was washing his face. The sheep mask of Erick Rowan was shown peeking around a door frame (too high to be on Rowan's head at the angle it was at, meaning it was held by hand) "watching" Cena. When the hero span round the mask was gone. I'd like to think this was a tribute to The Warrior appearing to Hollywood Hogan inside a mirror on Nitro.

Bray Wyatt, King of Expressions

The Harper v Cena match that followed was very enjoyable. The Brooklyn crowd backed the Family member over Cena, which ensured a loud and lively atmosphere. Harper used uppercuts, a super kick, a suicide dive, a Raven-esque DDT and a Michinoku driver to wear Cena down, but ultimately it wouldn't be his match to win (which I don't think would have surprised anybody watching). But it wouldn't be Cena's either. As he scooped Harper up for an AA the lights went out. When they came on seconds later Cena was tied up in the ropes with Rowan's sheep mask on his face. Bray laughed and called him two-faced as the crowd broke out in a "This is awesome!" chant. It wasn't awesome, but it was a nice step in building Bray up as someone who has a chance at toppling the unstoppable force that is John Cena.

Naomi v AJ Lee was next. That Naomi (currently wearing an eye patch) has not been repackaged as a pirate shows how uninspired WWE's creative department is. This has been a wasted opportunity to introduce a much needed gimmick performer to the Divas division.

The match lasted less than a minute. AJ took some drop kicks before scooting to the outside to take a count out loss. Vickie Guerrero reminded everyone of her existence when she wandered out and announced that AJ would defend her championship in a Vickie Guerrero Invitational at WrestleMania. Vickie revealed that everyone will get a crack at AJ Lee (insert your own jokes here), including the champ's bodyguard Tamina. She then did a lengthy Rita Repulsa laugh to close the segment.

Before the evening's final match it was announced that Razor Ramon is to be included in this year’s Hall of Fame honours. Not Scott Hall but Razor Ramon. Only work from that period of Hall's career was shown. He’s a deserving name and I think it makes sense to induct him as 'The Bad Guy'. Not only was that when he did his best work but it was also when he first became a star. It's the WWE Hall of Fame and everything of note he did in the company was done as Razor Ramon.

Cesaro v Rollins would be a nice, lengthy SmackDown match. Just saying

Ambrose and Rollins versus Swagger and Cesaro was, fittingly, the best match of the night. Ambrose found himself isolated for several minutes, eventually getting a hot tag that allowed Rollins to come in and take out both foes in a sequence that saw him monkey flip Cesaro over the top rope and immediately follow up with a suicide dive to each man. Moments later he did his single foot stomp to the head, now being called Peace of Mind, on Swagger to get the win. If they'd had twenty minutes the four could have produced something superb.

After the match The Shield pulled the announce desk apart and power bombed Cesaro through it. Then Kane and the Outlaws showed up, all three in suits, to announce a six man tag match for WrestleMania XXX: The Shield v Kane and The New Age Outlaws.

The final part of the show was a confrontation between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker. This started off with Paul Heyman doing some talking in the ring. It wasn't bad as such, but it is becoming apparent that Heyman doesn't have anything left to say on the subject of The Streak that he's not already said several times before. Basically, 'The Beast' will end The Streak.

Lesnar did a rare bit of mic work for himself. He simply said he was at RAW to fight, not promote. That brought 'The Dead Man's' druids out to the ring with a coffin. After lining it up neatly alongside the ring they filed back into the aisle, leaving Lesnar to kick at and then wrench open the coffin. Finding nobody in there he walked into the aisle and ranted at the druids.

Undertaker and Sin Cara share lighting

Annoyed, 'The Pain' slammed the casket shut and shouted that he was going to leave. Heyman talked him around, yammering about 'Taker being scared then seeking (and finding) cheap heat by calling Brooklyn a slum. The lid then opened, revealing that 'Big Evil' was inside (it's almost like these things are paced so Undertaker has time to climb into the coffin from a hiding place or something). 'Taker clambered out and exchanged blows with Lesnar before Lesnar was clotheslined out of the ring, landing head first on the coffin.

RAW went off the air with the two men staring at one another.

All told it was a successful show. They announced three ‘Mania matches (the third was RybAxel challenging the Usos for the tag straps) and reminded people why The Shield, Lesnar, Undertaker, and Bray Wyatt are significant names in 2014. Considering there was more talking than wrestling, and no Daniel Bryan, I think we should be impressed with how good the show was.

Next week’s the big test, of course. That’s the final RAW before WrestleMania XXX. Expect big things.

SmackTalk 14.03.14

This episode of SmackDown typified how little attention WWE pays to the show. With WrestleMania three weeks away it’s clear that everything that means something is being saved for RAW, because that’s the show that people associate with big announcements. SmackDown is the supplementary show that does a bit more wrestling and catches people up with Monday night happenings.

Think Triple H’s promo on Daniel Bryan proves me wrong? Think again. Nothing of interest is said by a shakier than usual ‘Game’. The aim is to remind everyone that Triple H and Bryan are going to face off at WrestleMania, and that D-Bry will get added to the main event if he wins. There was no new information and there won’t be until Tripper interacts with Bryan. Which will happen on RAW, naturally.

But just because nothing important happens doesn’t mean SmackDown’s not enjoyable. The quality of matches was high. The tag team opener, Sandow versus Rollins, and Ziggler versus Del Rio were all above average, and Bray Wyatt versus Kofi Kingston and the heavyweight main event clash were both inoffensive affairs. Even the Divas match between Nikki Bella and Tamina was watchable.

Most importantly this show demonstrated consistency. No major storyline advancements occurred but everyone who appeared was a known quantity who did what we as an audience expected from them. Predictability isn’t good all the time, but when it results in reliable second tier shows I think there’s something to be said for it. If WWE could get storylines going for everyone on the card, no matter how minor, I think their product would be about as good as it can get. As it is it’s not far off.

Opening

Tweet 1: Let's tweet some smack.

Tweet 2: Cena being prominent in the SmackDown opening is a bit ridiculous isn't it? He's barely ever on the show.
Tweet 3: I imagine he'll be opening the show now...

The Real Americans v The Rhodes Brothers

Tweet 4: Oh no. It's the Real Americans. Lovely stuff. Antonio Cesaro. Heeeeeey...

Tweet 5: Michael Cole needs to start referring to Swagger as 'Big Hoss'. Not just because it's on Swag's jacket but because it's funny.
Tweet 6: Loving Cesaro nearly dropping Cody then powering him up like he's nothing.
Tweet 7: If The Real Americans split who will Zeb side with. Realistically it should be Cesaro. But Swagger needs a manager more.


Cesaro is a swinger

Tweet 8: Duelling tags. Uh-oh-spaghetti-ohs!
Tweet 9: Yeah if I was Swagger and Cesaro beating up a weakened man I'd totes run away from Jimmy and Jey Uso too...

Triple H promo

Tweet 10: Bryan v Triple H is what's best for business. As is the title match stipulation.

Tweet 11: Cole's got heat with Triple H. 'The Game' stood him up. #heat
Tweet 12: Daniel Bryan's not on SmackDown because of the people. Nothing to do with him being on a house show at all.
Tweet 13: This promo is all over the place. What do you want to say, Triple H? Sort that out and say it.
Tweet 14: Alright, D-Bry's an underdog. We get it. We don't need to hear it said fifty different ways.
Tweet 15: "At WrestleMania I put an end to your dreams and I bury Daniel Bryan" - Triple H, who had to know what he was saying there
Tweet 16: What happened to Sandow's push? Did it disappear along with the sleeves of his T-shirts?
Tweet 17: Triple H is fine saying talent but not wrestler. Priceless.
Tweet 18: Is Triple H shrinking or is Sandow taller than I thought?

Damien Sandow v Seth Rollins

Tweet 19: Rollins facing Sandow. Who's the face here?

Tweet 20: It's Rolins, isn't it? Even though he's got back-up at ringside.
Tweet 21: If Triple H wanted to punish Sandow shouldn't he have booked him against Kane? Or Reigns? Or all three Shield guys?
Tweet 22: Rollins is a good wrestler but he's not intimidating is my point.
Tweet 23: Ambrose won't fist bump. But he will instigate a beatdown. And a triple power bomb.
Tweet 24: How much posing do these three want to do...?

Damien Sandow: staring at lights and fists

Big E v Fandango

Tweet 25: Faaaaaan... daaaaaan... goooooo's still got it. #neverlostit
Tweet 26: What the Andre battle royal needs is some grace and class. Because Andre was known for both.
Tweet 27: I wish JBL would stop pushing Fandango's win over Jericho as the biggest upset in WrestleMania history.
Tweet 28: Everyone knows it's Sheikh winning the gimmick battle royal.
Tweet 29: I've nothing against Big E but he shouldn't be squashing Fandango.
Tweet 30: I can't hear the Big Ending mentioned without thinking it sounds filthy.

Bad News Barrett gives some bad news

Tweet 31: I've got some bad news. There's a Bad News Barrett segment...

Tweet 32: "Look at that podium!" - Fan of podiums, Michael Cole
Tweet 33: Barrett's bad news was that The Undertaker will lose at 'Mania which will lead to everyone watching getting fired.

RAW Recap: Hulk Hogan and John Cena are confronted by The Wyatt Family

Tweet 34: I can't be the only one who noticed that Hogan placed himself right in the middle of the ring for the Wyatt promo on RAW.

Tweet 35: He literally stole Cena's spotlight.

Bray Wyatt v Kofi Kingston

Tweet 36: Bray Wyatt doesn't need the SmackDown Crowd Noise Machine.

Tweet 37: Wyatt versus Kingston. Technically this is a pay-per-view quality match. Y'know, cos they faced each other at Battleground last year.
Tweet 38: I'm not a fan of Kofi's Joker tights. He'd look good with a Spider-man design.
Tweet 39: "You are far less a man than I" - Bray 'Mid-Match Promo' Wyatt
Tweet 40: If Wyatt wins he gets his own era? Is that an official stip?

Bray Wyatt: maxing and relaxing

Kane speaks to The Shield backstage

Tweet 41: Corporate Kane is one of the best things in wrestling today.

Tweet 42: That they're still using the flame motif for Kane is great. It doesn't make sense any more but who cares?

Nikki Bella v Tamina

Tweet 43: Nikki Bella stretching there. No comment.

Tweet 44: Nikki's hat is covered in spikes. Is that what fashion is now? If so you can keep it.
Tweet 45: AJ's on commentary talking about how the Divas division has stepped up. She's wrong.
Tweet 46: That was a rough looking super kick from Tamina.
Tweet 47: Nikki using the backbreaker drop is pretty impressive. The win over Tamina's not bad either.


This is called a Rack Attack. True story

Dolph Ziggler v Alberto Del Rio

Tweet 48: That people still react to Ziggler is encouraging. I don't think he's getting pushed again though.

Tweet 49: This match could be really good if they're given ten minutes. I doubt they will be.
Tweet 50: Is there a more overused spot in wrestling than wrestlers insisting to the referee that they should have just made a three count?
Tweet 51: Pretty sure Ziggler does it in every match.
Tweet 52: Fameasser!! #BadAssBillyZiggler
Tweet 53: Inverted superplex. Impressive that they're pulling that out on SmackDown.
Tweet 54: Ziggler over clean with the Zig Zag. Great match considering the time they had.
Tweet 55: Ziggler's in the Andre battle royal. Someone's got to take the bumps...
Tweet 56: Ziggler saying he'll finally get his WrestleMania Moment could lead to an interesting story. Have him go for it every year and always miss.
Tweet 57: Then in four or five years give him something really memorable on the show.

Carlos Colon Hall of Fame announcement

Tweet 58: Carlos Colon's going into the Hall of Fame. And it's being announced on SmackDown.

Tweet 59: Twenty-six time WWC heavyweight champ. You may also be interested to know that he owned the promotion.
Tweet 60: I want Mideon to induct him.

Kane v Big Show

Tweet 61: Kane’s vest status: existential.

Tweet 62: Will Michael Cole reference the tag title reigns Kane and Show have had? Doubtful.
Tweet 63: Nip slip from Big Show there.
Tweet 64: Choke slam attempt versus choke slam attempt. This is drama!
Tweet 65: Big Show kicks out of a choke slam from the top rope. All the big moves are getting pulled out for this show.
Tweet 66: Nice that Rollins was the one to call off that attack. WWE seem to be going out of their way to not make one Shield guy a leader.
Tweet 67: And Kane goes down to a choke slam. Not even a top rope one. What a baby.

Poor Kane

Tweet 68: And then Kane takes a spear. No triple power bomb though. He probably asked not to be subjected to that. Like a baby.

That RAW Recap 27.01.14

The last year has taught us that the episodes of RAW that follow pay-per-views can be more important than the pay-per-view itself. The bigger events deliver the shocks and surprises but it’s on Monday nights that we find out what they mean and how they pertain to WWE’s plans. It’s not necessarily what WWE should be doing but it’s what they are doing, and it’s become the norm.

With this in mind I think the January 27^th RAW has to be seen as a disappointment. Good opening segment, hour two opener, and main event match aside there was nothing of significance on the show. In fact there was an omission more significant than most of what was included.

That was CM Punk. He was apparently backstage but he didn’t appear in front of cameras at all. It was assumed that he would in order to further his feud with Authority member Corporate Kane. The reason he didn’t appear could be anything. It could a simple case of time constraints or it could be that Punk has given notice to the group. Whatever the cause he wasn’t on RAW and it was noticeable.

The show opened with Michael Cole saying “unpredictability” had reigned at the Royal Rumble. This after the number most regarded as the favourite had won the thirty man extravaganza and the most shocking thing about the show has been the lack of Daniel Bryan after his loss to Bray Wyatt. Still, he’s got to say something, I suppose. The Authority pointed at the ‘Mania sign and welcomed everybody to RAW. Triple H mocked the fans for liking Daniel Bryan and said the Rumble was incredible. There was no subtlety there.

They announced that Orton would defend the title in the Chamber. Then D-Bry came out. The audience went nuts for him, which was to be expected. Bryan said his match at Royal Rumble, win, lose or draw, was a highlight of the show. Trips said described it as “a good little effort.” Steph stepped in to say it was a great match. Bryan revealed he'd asked several times to be in the Rumble but had been told no every time.

Stephanie said they were looking out for him by not asking him to compete twice. When she asked if Bryan believed the fans had paid just to see him there was (predictably) a "Yes!" chant. The audience then answered “No!” as Bryan asked if they'd paid to see Randy Orton or Triple H. Bryan's message was basically for The Authority to listen to the fans and give him a push. At points he came dangerously close to coming off as a whiney heel. That’s something WWE should try to avoid in future: the basis of Bryan’s popularity is precarious.

Bryan announced he wanted to be a part of Elimination Chamber match. He went nose-to-nose with 'The Game' (impressive in its own way) before The Shield were called out. Even though he grabbed a chair ‘The Hounds of Justice’ still got the better of D-Bry. They do have over a year's experience of beating guys down. Sheamus lilted down to make the save, followed by Cena. The babyfaces stood tall as Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns retreated through the crowd. This was the setup for a six man tag main event, the three winners of which would be given slots in the Elimination Chamber match.

The sign gimmick makes its long-awaited return to wrestling

The first break was followed by the first match, Mysterio and Sin Cara v The Real Americans. Mysterio and Sin Cara got the "currently in the ring" treatment, perhaps because WWE were concerned about him getting booed as he had been the night before. It was a really match, probably the best on the show. Nothing of importance happened though, beyond Zeb Colter giving Swagger a motivational slap. Cesaro got the win after lamping Cara with an uppercut and the Neutraliser.

After that Bad News Barrett had some bad news. It was as awful as it usually is. This gimmick screams mid-card and won’t add anything to his matches, whenever his return to the ring occurs.

Match two was Fandango v R-Truth. It was most interesting for Xavier Woods complaining about his Rumble number being stolen and NXT Diva Emma wandering around in the audience. Truth won with his finisher, which is called Pay Dirt, Little Jimmy or Little Jimmy's Revenge depending on what Michael Cole prefers at any given moment.

Randy Orton was given his own personal introduction by Brad Maddox when he sauntered out for his promo. They've got to get Bradley on to the show somehow. 'The Viper' was annoyed about the planned WWE title Elimination Chamber. He'd barely said that before Batista interrupted him. He heard boos when he got to the ring just as Orton had. And they were not the right kind of boos. They were crowd sending a message of boredom and disapproval boos.

Chants of "Daniel Bryan" started up as ‘The Animal’ reminded Orty of his three goals (win the Rumble, headline WrestleMania, and leave as champ). He said he didn't care who he has to beat and listed Orton, The Shield and Bryan as potential WWE champs he’d be happy to steamroll. It was clearly a list given to him by management, delivered with very little enthusiasm. His proclamations were met with boos.

If Cena had been a part of this we'd have had a full OVW Class of 2002 reunion

Brock Lesnar's music struck up and 'The Beast' walked to the ring for something of an OVW reunion. He got the most positive reaction of the three stars. Heyman told Maddox (who'd hung out in the ring after introducing the champ) he had two choices. Choice one was to announce Orton v Lesnar for the championship(s). Choice two was to put Lesnar in the ring with Batista for the Rumble-earned title shot. Heyman said he wanted an answer by the end of the night "or else."

The three wrestlers deserve credit here. Orton flipped out as a top heel should when presented with the idea of facing a man like Lesnar, while Batista looked concerned as a fightin’ face (and that’s what he is for now)should. Lesnar looked intimidating, which isn’t hard for him, and stared holes through the other two wrestlers.

Hour two is what brought the quality of the show down so much. Miz and Ziggler's Battle of Cleveland was won by Ziggler with a Zig Zag. The Usos defeated RybAxel with a pair of super kicks and a Jimmy top rope splash. ADR v Kingston was most memorable for JBL and Lawler disregarding the match they were being paid to discuss to play up to the crowd, overshadowing the men that were wrestling as they did. ADR won with a double stomp and his low super kick. None of it will be referenced ever again. It was completely pointless and sapped the enthusiasm of the crowd.

The New Age Outlaws v Cody Rhodes and Goldust did as good a job of getting things back on track as it could. It was a title rematch from the Rumble pre-show. The Outlaws did their shtick then Road Dogg said they won the titles not because of who they knew but because they were better than the Rhodes boys. That earned him a punch from Cody which sent him sprawling to ringside. When it started the match was good but not as good as the Rumble meeting. The crowd weren't as hot, because they'd been sitting around for hours, and the pace was slower.

It ended in a double DQ when Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar returned to the ring. Lesnar F5’d both Goldust and Cody as the tag champs ran away. Heyman threw a chair to 'The Pain' and said this was happening because they hadn’t gotten what they wanted. Lesnar then bashed the brothers a few times with the chair.

The filler matches returned after that as the Bellas and the Funkadactyls united to face AJ Lee, Tamina, Aksana and Alicia Fox. Naomi pinned AJ after the Rear View. The girls danced to celebrate. If they’re to be taken seriously as wrestlers that needs to stop. Rock, Austin, Hogan and Cena wouldn’t have gotten to the top if they celebrated meaningless victories by dancing about.

After that we learned that Jake 'The Snake' Roberts would be joining The Ultimate Warrior in the 2014 Hall of Fame class. He definitely deserves to be in there.

Shield six man tags will soon be a thing of the past

Then it was main event time. Even Cena struggled to get a reaction from the crowd by this point. They'd quietness down considerably throughout the night. Bryan did better. The crowd came to life whenever either of them tagged into the match and fell silent whenever 'Great White' did. The audience weren't just giving their opinion on Bryan there, they were telling WWE something about babyface Sheamus too. Also worth noting is that the audience reacted to Reigns' taunt for the Superman punch, a move I really like by the way.

They also reacted to Reigns powering out of the STF, something which happened moments before the lights went out and the Wyatt Family appeared. The faces sent them packing and then it was announced they'd won by DQ, granting them entry to the Chamber match. The Shield flipped out at ringside. This was a clever way of setting up The Shield versus the Wyatt Family for the Chamber card. The programme went off the air with the faces celebrating to Bryan's music.

Elimination Chamber came out of this RAW looking promising. So did the potential for a renewed Daniel Bryan push. But if WWE are going to make people care about WrestleMania future episodes of RAW need to be significantly better than this one.

TLC 2013 preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Predictions summary:

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