SmackTalk 18.01.13

How many times can WWE present the same bunch of situations in more or less the same way? That seems to be what the promotion's writing team are trying to discover with SmackDown. It's becoming a thoroughly predictable show.
 
Case in point: this week's episode featured a six man tag team match putting tag team champions Team Hell No and Randy "I've got a beard and I'm not afraid to use it" Orton against Wade Barrett and The Rhodes Scholars. We've seen variations on this bout for well over a month now, with the Scholars, Kane and Bryan providing the regular backbone of the bouts. Wade Barrett’s joined them at least once before. It makes for dull programming.

The reason WWE’s booking these six man tags is sound enough. It’s to keep the feud between Team Hell No and the Rhodes Scholars bubbling away. It’s not a bad way of keeping things going it’s not a particularly good way either.

More variety with the singles guys could help but what would be even better would be for the two tag teams to be booked in in-ring promo segments. All four are perfectly good enough to make such a segment work. With RAW still chugging away with its bloated three hour run time it’s not as though there’s no place to fit something like that into the schedule.

The same problem is occurring with hints at Randy Orton’s heel turn. This week’s SmackDown got two little additions to that upcoming event. The first was the group hug he endured after his six man tag win. The second was a verbal disagreement backstage with Sheamus.

A slow approach to someone turning heel is a good thing. I’m not complaining about WWE foreshadowing the turn and presenting compelling and logical reasons for ‘The Viper’ to go bad. What I am against, however, is every TV show they promote adding to the story. It feels forced.

It wasn’t all negative though. Alberto Del Rio did a great job working a more fan friendly style and encouraging fans to back him. The interaction between he and Dolph Ziggler in the tag team main event were particularly enjoyable too.

Intro video

Tweet 1: I'm going to watch SmackDown. Join me!

Tweet 2: Tonight on SmackDown.... The Rock. Again.
Tweet 3: And... Alberto Del Rio holding a belt. Can you bear the excitement? Can you?!

Fiesta Del Rio

Tweet 4: Fiesta Del Rio. Is that a car?

Tweet 5: SmackDown should start like this every week.
Tweet 6: Albertoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Delllllllllllllllllll Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiooooooooooooooooooo!!
Tweet 7: Something I've noticed about ADR: his hair never gets any longer or shorter. He's been on TV for two years and he's never had a haircut.
Tweet 8: Will Del Rio's Latin hero gimmick make him a heel in Canada? I hope so.

Ricardo is rocking that bow tie!

Tweet 9: Ziggler needs to take better care of that briefcase.
Tweet 10: Big Show's not wearing a hoodie. He's got a tent stapled to his head.
Tweet 11: Sheamus isn't walk in a straight line. I'm taking that as a sign that he's drunk.
Tweet 12: Del Rio's a face now so Sheamus has forgiven him for attempting to crush his skull with a car bonnet. #WWEbabyfacearmy
Tweet 13: I'm beginning to think Booker's have a match with Big Show sometime fairly soon. I can't imagine it will be pleasant.
Tweet 14: A tag team match being made by the SmackDown GM? #revolutionary
Tweet 15: That segment was excruciatingly bad.

Antonio Cesaro v Kofi Kingston

Tweet 16: Antonio Cesaro. Heeeey!!

Tweet 17: #flagheat
Tweet 18: Nice spot to get into the Neutralizer there. What's happened to Kofi's push?
Tweet 19: The most he can hope for right now is to be booked to do a handstand in the Rumble. Oh wait... that happened last year.

The Great Khali v Tensai

Tweet 20: Khali can't even walk convincingly!!

Tweet 21: What point did Big E prove, Josh? He proved he could beat a midget. He's a powerful man!
Tweet 22: How is Tensai v Khali like watching two Transformers fight?

Randy Orton and Team Hell No backstage

Tweet 23: Randy Orton is interested in pain. Lots of pain.

Tweet 24: Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton hugging? I don't think SmackDown can get much better than that.
Tweet 25: Daniel Bryan has the best entrance of the current WWE roster.

No?

Tweet 26: Josh has just claimed that the winner of the Royal Rumble match will "headline WrestleMania." That's not happened for years.
Tweet 27: That was a pretty quick six man. They could easily have done another five minutes. I suppose they need to make space for a Ryback squash.
Tweet 28: The group hug. Another step on the road to Randy Orton's heel turn.
Tweet 29: So when they said Rock would be on the show they actually meant they'd repeat his appearance from Monday's RAW? #cheap

The Miz v Primo (or Epico…)

Tweet 30: Forget what I said about Daniel Bryan's entrance. I think Rosa's is better.

Tweet 31: So who is Miz facing? Primo? I think Josh just said Primo.
Tweet 32: If they're going to push Miz as the new Flair he needs to be given championships. That's what will make the shtick stick.
Tweet 33: I think Primo just had a longer match than Orton, Bryan, Kane, Barrett and the Rhodes Scholars.
Tweet 34: And since when do people tap out to the figure four? Is this 1976?

Kaitlyn v Aksana

Tweet 35: Eve's left the company so there's no pay off to the months of storyline time devoted to her feud with Teddy Long.

Tweet 36: How do you get your new Divas champion over? Put her in the ring with a limited worker who wrestles once a month.
Tweet 37: And there we go. Kaitlyn wins. How thoroughly predictable. I'm looking forward to Layla's inevitable heel turn.
Tweet 38: Nice Hall of Fame video for Mick Foley.

The Shield video promo

Tweet 39: Remember when Dean Ambrose was going to get called up for a singles feud with Mick Foley? That idea’s been recycled into The Shield push.
Tweet 40: Why did The Shield leave their camera lying on the ground? It'll get stolen.

Big Show and Dolph Ziggler v Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio

Tweet 41: No televised entrance for Dolph. We know who the stars are...

Tweet 42: FELLAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
Tweet 43: Albertooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Dellllllllllllll Riiiiiiioooooo!!
Tweet 44: El champ is really embracing this Latin hero gimmick. I like the red, white and green gear. Nice touch.
Tweet 45: How do you know Del Rio is definitely a babyface? He's wearing white boots. #goodguyswearwhite
Tweet 46: I think ADR just did the most unconfident moonsault I've ever seen. I liked the backward roll recover though. Nicely done.
Tweet 47: Big Show is a stupid ring name. He should change it to Papa Rhino.

Papa Rhino

Tweet 48: Well... his boots are mostly white.
Tweet 49: Well... they have white on them.
Tweet 50: When is Papa Rhino going to buy new ring gear? He's had that camo singlet for years now. Change to something neon...
Tweet 51: To say Sheamus loves "being in the heat of battle" may be taking things a little far.
Tweet 52: Big Show jumping off the second rope reminds me of a Thwomp. Y'know, from the Mario games.
Tweet 53: ADR throws water over Big Show. WHY? And why did Ricardo have a bucket oover water at ringside?
Tweet 54: Papa Rhino walks out in disgust after having water thrown on him.
Tweet 55: The babyfaces win via count out. It is perhaps the stupidest match finish of all time.

SmackTalk 06.11.12

Birmingham let Britain down on SmackDown. The crowd had been hot all night the previous evening for RAW but at the SmackDown taping they seemed burned out. Reactions were poor, even for guys like William Regal and Wade Barrett. That was disappointing considering that Barrett is local to Birmingham and Regal is supremely popular in Britain.

Speaking of Regal and Barrett, they were on opposing sides of a tag team match. Barrett teamed with World Heavyweight champion Big Show to take on Regal and former World champion Sheamus. The quiet crowd didn’t help this match. Nor did the fact that Regal, who seemed to be more over than ‘The Celtic Warrior’, was required to sell for most of the match before making the hot tag. I can understand the decision but it doesn’t mean I like it.

On the plus side Show helped Barrett look good. He treated him as an equal before, during, and after the match. That sort of unselfish behaviour is normal from Show. Nice that a guy like Barrett got to benefit from it.

I said in last week’s SmackTalk that WWE should be using the programme to give time to guys who don’t  get much exposure. The poor trend continued this week. There was only one other match of note and once again a lack of underutilised stars.

The headline bout (the other match of note) saw Randy Orton defeat Alberto Del Rio in a Falls Count Anywhere match. The story between these two seems to have become that ADR wants the ‘Apex Predator’ moniker for himself. Not only did he say he was ‘The New Apex Predator’ before and during the match but he also stole Orton’s pose (a big deal in the WWE locker room I assume) and attempted to use the draping DDT.

This somehow didn't hurt Orton at all

I really don’t care about their feud. Both men are far too overexposed and as I have written many times this year Del Rio in particularly needs to be given something different to do. Adding Rosa Mendes to his act could help. It would be one step closer to the large entourage I’d like to see him with. As for ‘The Viper’: he needs to go bad.

Intro video

Tweet 1: WWE. Then. Now. Forever. It's SmackDown time!

Tweet 2: Are Orton and Del Rio feuding over the rights to the 'Apex Predator' moniker? If so it's probably WWE's stupidest feud.

Sheamus promo, featuring Michael Cole, Wade Barrett and some shoddy phone footage

Tweet 3: Sheamus and Cole promo? Snore, you say?

Tweet 4: Please don't let Cole join JBL and Mathews on commentary.
Tweet 5: Sheamus and Regal went to a pub to have a good time, eh? Questionable.
Tweet 6: I can pretty much guarantee that if this footage was genuine more people would ask for Regal's autograph than Sheamus's.
Tweet 7: Birmingham is Sheamus turf? I thought he was Irish...
Tweet 8: I'm bored of every WWE main event wrestler except CM Punk and Ryback. That's the state the company is in.
Tweet 9: By the way, Bryan's not a main eventer...
Tweet 10: Barrett should be the face. He's English. The fans seem quite taken with him.
Tweet 11: WWE books all its heels as cowards. Most of its faces are one dimensional catchphrase machines. No wonder the product's in trouble.

Booker T and Wade Barrett backstage

Tweet 12: Is Booker going to make a tag match? He is! It's a SmackDown GM specialty.

WWE Intercontinental championship – Kofi Kingston (c) v The Miz

Tweet 13: Idea for The Miz: wear a flat cap as entrance attire.

Tweet 14: This crowd seems dead. Stop filming in Birmingham.
Tweet 15: Bring back John Morrison and give him a rivalry with Kofi. They could make the mid-card exciting and the IC title mean something.
Tweet 16: Miz worked the leg at Hell in a Cell too. If that had been mentioned during this match I wouldn't mind the repeat.

Miz works the leg. Again

Tweet 17: I thought Kofi would win. I didn't think he'd win with a cross body. I like random finishes like that. Doesn't happen enough in WWE.
Tweet 18: Miz tried to follow the Code of Honor and Kofi dropkicked him. I'm glad the crowd booed that. Poor sport, Kofi.
Tweet 19: It's possible that handshake thing will be the starting point of a double turn for Miz and Kofi. It'd freshen both guys up.
Tweet 20: Not sure about Kofi as a heel though.

Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara v The Prime Time Players

Tweet 21: Mysterio and Sin Cara need a team name.

Tweet 22: Remember the days of Sin Cara Negro and his Lost inspired theme music? #goodtimes
Tweet 23: Rey is a whiney gimp who needs to turn heel on Cara. I reckon it'll happen in time for WrestleMania.
Tweet 24: Josh is getting flustered at the mention of Cole mentoring him. Don't mention Jim Ross whatever you do...
Tweet 25: How is that an upset for the Prime Time Players? They've been teaming for longer than Cara and Rey. They're the more experienced team!

Prime Time Players post-match promo

Tweet 26: Titus is a six foot six, bald, black Bill Alfonso.

Tweet 27: Striker's had his microphone hijacked. As bad as Titus is he's still better than idiot Striker.

Titus doesn't looks very impressed with Striker. Can't say I blame him

Tweet 28: Striker appears to have a 'tache coming in. He looks like Joey Ryan.
Tweet 29: That's Joey Ryan the wrestler, obvs...

Booker T and Teddy Long watch a RAW recap backstage

Tweet 30: Booker and Teddy don't think Vickie has the capability to make a tag match. They clearly don't rate her highly at all.

Tweet 31: Is Booker turning heel on Teddy? THASS RIDICULOUS!!

Sheamus and William Regal v Wade Barrett and Big Show

Tweet 32: The fans seem fairly quiet again. You'd think they'd cheer their hometown boy.

Tweet 33: Largest athlete, fattest athlete, what's the difference?
Tweet 34: #Regalpop
Tweet 35: "Blackpool only about two hundred miles from where we sit tonight in Birmingham" - Josh Mathews, not realising that's a long way in Britain
Tweet 36: I have my fingers crossed for run-ins from Robbie Brookside and Drew McDonald.
Tweet 37: Big Show is very good at working crowds during tag matches, I'll give him that.
Tweet 38: Regal is isolated to set up a hot tag to Sheamus. I think the crowd would be more into Regal coming in a clearing house. But that's just me.
Tweet 39: Regal roaring in pain there. Sounded like he was having nails hammered into him.
Tweet 40: JBL has just said that Regal needs to be at the top of any list of wrestling tough guys. Cue Angle's next Twitter rant.
Tweet 41: "This place just erupted" - JBL, who must have super sensitive hearing
Tweet 42: Not a bad match. I wish Regal had managed some more moves but... meh.

Matt Striker interviews Alberto Del Rio

Tweet 43: Another Striker appearance. Aren't we lucky.

Tweet 44: ADR is giving his standard heelish nonsense. Ricardo is carrying this segment.
Tweet 45: Rosa Mendes randomly showing up there. It's a clear hint at her being paired with ADR. I think that'd be a good move (see here).

Matt Striker interviews Randy Orton

Tweet 46: Striker again! He is all OVER SmackDown tonight.

Tweet 47: Orton seems particularly bored tonight. I don't think he likes going overseas.

Randy Orton entrance

Tweet 48: Orton barely gets a reaction. That proves this crowd is useless. Not that I'm a huge 'Viper' fan. It's that he usually gets massive cheers.

Random Fandango(o) video

Tweet 49: Fandango HAS to be Johnny Curtis. Potentially great gimmick.

Alberto Del Rio v Randy Orton

Tweet 50: Albertoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Delllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Riiiiiiiiiiiiiioooooooo!!

Tweet 51: Ricardo Rodriguez needs to get an RKO here. I bet it would be the highlight of the match.
Tweet 52: I think the key problem Del Rio has as a heel is that that the fans don't particularly want to see him lose.
Tweet 53: Orton v Del Rio in a Fight Without Honor (I need to stop the ROH references...).
Tweet 54: JBL is doing a good job of making this match seem dangerous. It's clearly not but he's doing his part. That's what counts.
Tweet 55: When Del Rio does Orton's pose and breathes heavily it looks like he's miming blowing up a giant balloon.
Tweet 56: Does WWE own the cab that's always parked on the stage when they film RAW and SmackDown here? Seems wasteful if they do.
Tweet 57: ADR with the backstabber. I bet Rosa taught him that. It's all making sense!!
Tweet 58: The crowd aren't horrified, John. They're bored.
Tweet 59: Orton wins via RKO onto steel steps. Naturally because he was performing the move rather than receiving it the steps didn't hurt him.
Tweet 60: They are actually feuding over the 'Apex Predator' moniker. Someone stop the insanity.

Prime Time Comedy

Last Friday WWE released Brian ‘Abraham Washington’ Jossie from his contract. The only thing that surprises me about the situation is the amount of time it took.

The reason for his release is no secret. On the July 30^th edition of Monday Night RAW (episode 1001, fact fans,) during a match between the Prime Time Players and Epico and Primo, AW made an inappropriate joke over the microphone about NBA player Kobe Bryant and rape. After realising how inappropriate the comment was AW fell silent for a few moments.

He eventually regained his composure and continued making less controversial remarks from his station at ringside. After the match he headed backstage and immediately apologised to WWE management and the performers who had been in the segment with him. Meanwhile the job of apologising to viewers was left to commentator Michael Cole. The promotion also released a formal apology after RAW went off the air via TMZ.

The brass were said to be furious with the All World proprietor, which is understandable, but the fact that he was wired up with a microphone headset at the following evening’s SmackDown taping indicated that no serious action would be taken against him.

AW has stated that there was no malicious intent behind the remark. I believe him. That still doesn’t mean it was something that could or should be overlooked.

Since being released on Friday Brian ‘AW’ Jossie has mentioned various instances of similarly controversial matterial broadcast by WWE. The examples he has given have included another comment made about Bryant by Big Show on a 2003 episode of SmackDown, John Cena making homophobic slurs (which he did regularly up until a year or so ago), fat jokes directed at Vickie Guerrero, and Vince McMahon poking fun at Bells Palsy sufferer Jim Ross.

He’s correct. None of the above should have been aired. But it doesn’t excuse his mistake, nor does pointing it out mean he will be rehired. The fact is that the above examples have not resulted in formal reprimands or firings for a reason.

Vince McMahon is the boss. As such he will do and say whatever he likes on WWE television. If he makes a comment that causes a severe backlash against the company he will issue an apology but won’t be fired. That covers the fat jokes too: they are made at Vince’s direction because it amuses him.

As for John Cena: it would take a lot for WWE to fire him. If he made a similar remark it’s likely the most he’d receive is a fine and a suspension. As WWE’s biggest merchandise seller his position within the promotion is as safe as an active wrestler’s can be.

As for Big Show making a similar comment: not only was he a more valuable performer to WWE in 2003 than Jossie is in 2012 but it was made before WWE’s shift to PG. It is the responsibility of the performer to think about whether what they’re saying will fit with the tone and direction of the company when they have a microphone in their hand.

AW wasn't an integral part of the act: he didn't even dance!

The comment had caused only a relatively minor media backlash against the federation but it wasn’t AW’s only blunder. He had also sent out a message via Twitter stating that he and the Prime Time Players supported Linda McMahon’s recent political campaign. He ended said tweet with the unorthodox hashtag “#voteordie4linda.”

Whether it was meant in jest or not doesn’t matter: it was a stupid thing to do and Jossie should understand that. He has been released in order to safeguard Linda’s political aspirations. All WWE employees are well aware of Linda’s senate campaign and should understand that it means WWE is being extra cautious regarding their media image. The guy has nobody to blame but himself.

I imagine Darren Young and Titus O’Neil will be largely unharmed by this unforeseen setback. Young is decent enough on the microphone to handle promo duties for the pair but if WWE is desperate for them to have a second then they can simply promote someone else from developmental. Byron Saxton could work in the role. Or perhaps Rosa Mendes could turn on Epico and Primo.

Whatever direction is taken with that unit I imagine it will be the original plan. The loss of a manager isn’t enough to alter WWE’s plans for the tag belts.

         
What’s next for Brian ‘AW’ Jossie? According to some the fact that he has been vocal about his release may help him to regain his job once things have blown over. Apparently Vince doesn’t rehire people who just accept a sacking. To me this seems unlikely, at least for the time being. While I can imagine this being Vince’s logic I just don’t think the promotion would be desperate to reintroduce a manager to TV.

AW’s promotion from developmental earlier in the year could be considered a test to see whether or not the manager role would still work in 2012. I believe AW did a good job in the position and made the Prime Time Players a more palatable act but he was far from a revelation. It’s difficult to imagine any decision makers in WWE desperate to have a bit-part player back on TV.

If he’s going to remain relevant within the wrestling business the most obvious place for him to seek employment is TNA. I think the chances of him getting a gig there are good. Not only is he a former WWE performer but he’s a decent talker and could perhaps attract some media attention (this is TNA, they don’t care whether media attention is good or bad).

Most importantly the soon-to-debut Aces and Eights faction provides an excellent way to introduce him. Apparently the gang is going to have a big role at Bound for Glory. AW’s no compete clause will expire around a month after that event. It would take very little effort for him to be built up as one of the mastermind’s of the angle and be revealed on an episode of IMPACT in mid-November.

The man himself has talked about pursuing a career in comedy. Judging by how well his comment on July 30^th was received I’d advise against it.

ZackDown SmackTalk 13.07.12

As you probably know, SmackDown is usually recorded on a Tuesday evening. This week that didn’t happen. Instead it was recorded after Monday’s live RAW went off the air. As a result of that the show featured a whopping forty-five minutes of ad time. In addition a large portion of the hour and fifteen minute runtime was allocated to recaps, RAW memories and various backstage segments. I would estimate that less than an hour of footage was shot in the ring.

That a show that lasted only seventy-five minutes and was the final major TV programme at the company’s disposal before a pay-per-view event (read my preview of it here) does not bode well for RAW’s upcoming weekly third hour. This should have been a show crammed with reasons for people to buy Money in the Bank.

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise: the story of the week was that Zack Ryder was the GM. The creative highlight of this one-night deal was the show being renamed ZackDown. That may be a (sort of) clever play on words but I’d expected a lot more. ‘Long Island Iced Z’ has recently had a few run-ins with Damien Sandow but the two didn’t interact at all. ZackDown would have been the perfect opportunity to progress that mild rivalry into something more meaningful.

On a similar note WWE missed a trick by not using Tyson Kidd on this show. His surprise entry into a Money in the Bank match got a lot of fans talking about the potential of a proper push for the Calgary native. You’d think WWE would want to capitalise on that popularity and have Kidd appear as much as possible. A perfect spot for him would have been teaming with Christian. We didn’t need to see anymore from Santino.

Ryder booked his share of matches mid-show though (a GM speciality). He gave us Big Show v Great Khali and Chris Jericho v Sheamus. The battle of the giants lasted a matter of seconds and was clearly designed to get over Show’s WMD KO punch over as a dangerous finisher in time for Money in the Bank. The idea was to make people consider how easily Show could win his Money in the Bank ladder match if he KO’d his three opponents as the match begins. It probably convinced a few people that could happen, so it wasn’t a bad move.

‘Y2J’s’ clash with World Heavyweight champion Sheamus was a fairly pedestrian affair. It contained a few memorable spots but there was never any doubt that Jericho would be staring at the lights come the finish. Sheamus had to be protected before his clash with ADR.

ZackDown felt like a wasted opportunity. A guest host who is also an active member of the roster should produce an above average show and create something new for that star to do in the future. Next week will be business as usual for Zack Ryder. This show accomplished nothing.

Zack Ryder promo

Tweet 1: Let's watch tonight's SmackDown!

Tweet 2: How do you start SmackDown right? Send out Zack Ryder as GM for the night. Ummmm...
Tweet 3: "I have no idea what you just said" - Michael Cole to Booker T
Tweet 4: "ZackDown" starts with "the world's largest fist pump." Nice to see Ryder has his priorities right.
Tweet 5: Albertoooooooooooooooooooooooo Deeeeeeeeeeeelll Riiiiiiiiiiiooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
Tweet 6: ADR thinks winning the WHC will allow him to rule SmackDown. How does that work exactly?

Alberto Del Rio v Sin Cara

Tweet 7: Sin Cara really needs to be sent back to CMLL. Or NXT. He doesn't know how to work...

Tweet 8: His red and white outfit is better than the blue and gold one. Puts me in mind of Jushin Liger.
Tweet 9: Mathews mentions Cara's in MITB as if he has a chance of winning. He doesn't.
Tweet 10: Booker just said ADR can't make any cheap shots in tonight's match. He started by jumping Sin Cara! WWE needs to sort its commentary out.
Tweet 11: That's not news though.
Tweet 12: Sin Cara wins about as much as Val Venis circa 2000.
Tweet 13: What would happen to the lights if The Undertaker came to the ring during a Sin Cara match?
Tweet 14: #wewantKharma is trending. I agree with that. If she really has been released WWE may as well officially fold the Divas division.
Tweet 15: "You can't sleep on this guy Sin Cara cos he can do somethin' special" - Booker T on Sin Cara
Tweet 16: Cara taps out to the cross arm breaker. A win for Sin Cara would have been surprising seeing as ADR's challenging for a title on Sunday.

Alberto Del Rio works over Jushin 'Thunder' Liger... or is it Sin Cara?

Tout ad

Tweet 17: WWE and John Cena are touting Tout. How about promoting some new talent?

Tweet 18: Nah, get some tiresome fans chatting instead.

Zack Ryder, Big Show and The Great Khali backstage

Tweet 19: Zack Ryder backstage. Teddy Long thinks he's doing a great job. Why is he even there? What is his job?

Tweet 20: And there's Khali doing Ryder's catchphrase. Just a mess of vowels and consonants.

Darren Young v Primo

Tweet 21: AW and the PTPs. I'd like to see AW do a gimmick where his headpiece is hooked up to the commentators so he can join in on play-by-play.

Tweet 22: I do enjoy watching Rosa Mendes.
Tweet 23: AW's headpiece is hooked up as a microphone instead, so everything he says can be heard. This is far better.
Tweet 24: There so much potential in this gimmick. AW isn't as naturally as funny as Kevin Steen though (he used to do this on ROH's HDNet show).
Tweet 25: A leg drop, an elbow drop and a fist drop? That's being pushed as a false finish now? C'mon...
Tweet 26: "Primo steals one!" - Josh Mathews after Primo pinned Darren Young clean in the middle of the ring following a rollup
Tweet 27: I love it when Cole refuses to look at Booker because he knows he'll laugh.

For those keeping score Epico, Primo and Rosa are now babyfaces

Zack Ryder, Sheamus and Chris Jericho backstage

Tweet 28: Jericho is laying into Ryder's fake tan. He's clearly lathered in the stuff himself, plus he's wearing a stupid jacket.

Tweet 29: And the less said about his leather trousers the better.
Tweet 30: "It'll be like two monster trucks or Transformers colliding" - Josh Mathews on Big Show v Great Khali
Tweet 31: Does he know what machines are?
Tweet 32: Jericho v Sheamus could be good. Depends how sloppy 'Y2J's' feeling.

Christian and Santino v Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes

Tweet 33: Christian and Santino versus…?

Tweet 34: Ziggler! #ShowOff #heel #heelsdoitbetter #bestontheroster
Tweet 35: Ziggler and Rhodes. The two likeliest candidates to win the WHC MITB if you ask me.
Tweet 36: How many times will wrestlers point at the briefcase hanging over the ring during this match do we think?
Tweet 37: They’re at it already!
Tweet 38: Booker's talking about never having won a Money in the Bank match but having tried to do so. I cannot remember him EVER being in one.
Tweet 39: He probably was at some point but he wasn't a regular in them. Commentary is stupid tonight.
Tweet 40: Booker has NEVER been more than filler in Money in the Bank, if he's been in it at all. The guy doesn't even know his own career...
Tweet 41: Heels win via Zig Zag. Dolph getting the win on SmackDown further convinces me it will be Cody's turn to go over on Sunday.
Tweet 42: #ReksvsRyback is trending. That's a solid trend right there.

Big Show v The Great Khali

Tweet 43: Oh good, now we get to see Big Show v Khali. Aces.

Tweet 44: The Great Khali can't even walk convincingly.
Tweet 45: That shot of Big Show was meant to show him warming up but it looked like he was dancing to Khali's music.
Tweet 46: Khali's reign as World Heavyweight champion is when the belt jumped the shark.
Tweet 47: Thankfully that was a short match. Show goes over via WMD. The bout was clearly designed to get that move over for Sunday.

Tyler Reks v Ryback

Tweet 48: Reks and Hawkins get a televised entrance this week. What sinister magicks have been invoked to make that happen?

Tweet 49: Reks will hand Ryback his very first loss. The defeats he suffered during his time in Nexus don't count apparently...
Tweet 50: Ryback is selling? OMGs.
Tweet 51: According to Josh Mathews, Ryback eats eight to ten large meals a day. More needs to be made of Mathews' Ryback fetish.
Tweet 52: Ryback handles Reks with ease. I think we'll see both members of the MidCard Mafia tackle "the undefeated one" on Sunday.

Another Tout ad

Tweet 53: The fan who picked the unveiling of the Higher Power as his favourite RAW moment is a smart lad. Classic WWE. Classic Vince.

Justin Gabriel v Damien Sandow

Tweet 54: Damien Sandow v Justin Gabriel. I won't be satisfied unless 'The Self-Professed Intellectual Savior of the Masses' goes over.

Tweet 55: Rolling through the Russian leg sweep was a nice spot. Smoothly done.
Tweet 56: Sandow is very good at getting his character over with limited TV time. #celebratorycartwheel

Chris Jericho v Sheamus

Tweet 57: FELLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

Tweet 58: SmackDown… is… JERICHO!!
Tweet 59: "Chris Jericho, one of the all-time greats" - Booker T as Jericho played the cowardly heel and rolled to the outside
Tweet 60: I'm picking 'Great White' to win this.
Tweet 61: Lionsault. Rare for that move to not be met with a pair of knees.
Tweet 62: Sheamus unsubtly readjusting his trunks there.
Tweet 63: Sheamus completely no sold the Walls of Jericho. Poor form.
Tweet 64: Why does a trembling hand indicate that a wrestler is close to tapping out?
Tweet 65: "What a match! What a match!" - Michael Cole on the distinctly average Sheamus v Jericho match
Tweet 66: Sheamus jumping off the top rope into a (sort of) Codebreaker was a nice spot.
Tweet 67: 'Y2J' charges into a Brogue Kick, resulting in a Sheamus victory. Not a bad match but it certainly didn't warrant Cole's overexcitement.
Tweet 68: Del Rio sneaks up on Sheamus and knocks him off the stage with some kicks. Now he has the cross armbreaker on Sheamus against the stage.
Tweet 69: This shouldn't pose a problem for the champion. He no sells getting crushed by cars, remember?

Prime Time

At No Way Out, in one of the many unadvertised matches to make it on to a WWE pay-per-view this year, Abraham Washington (who now bills himself simply as AW) turned on his clients Epico, Primo and Rosa Mendes and helped the Prime Time Players win a four team number one contenders match, which also included the Usos and Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd. The likelihood is that this swerve turn was not the plan when AW originally became the manager of Epico and Primo. That doesn’t matter. It was a good move.

Since being placed with AW in the weeks following WrestleMania the former tag team champions have done very little. They originally joined AW’s All World talent stable because they were tired of being left off television. Ironically their affiliation with AW resulted in them getting even fewer matches but it didn’t matter, we were told they were biding their time and waiting before instigating their contractually obligated championship rematch.

AW becoming the agent for the Prime Time Players is a much better use of him. Titus O’Neil and Darren Young have few things going for them but they are at least enthusiastic about their job and appear dedicated to improving. AW will help cover their weaknesses and make them a more rounded act.

AW and the Prime Time Players: for better or for worse the future of WWE's tag team division

The PTPs have been getting regular matches on RAW and SmackDown, winning a lot, and have been allowed to experiment with their on-screen characters. Those are all signs that somebody in the organisation thinks they have potential. While I don’t agree with that view at least WWE are giving a new act a consistent push that is mindful of their current skill level.

I actually think part of the reason for switching AW over to the Prime Time Players was to allow WWE to book a tag team feud. With R-Truth injured he and championship partner Kofi Kingston are unable to engage in a proper feud right now. Using Epico and Primo as avenging babyfaces is a good way to keep building Young and O’Neil before they’re able to take the gold from Kingston and Truth. In the long run it will be good too: a deep doubles division needs more than one face unit and if Epico and Primo are handled well they could fit the bill nicely.

I would assume WWE will either wait until Truth is injury free or, if too much time elapses, book either some sort of injury angle with ‘The Suntan Superman’ that means Kofi must defend alone or find a replacement partner (I’ve suggested Zack Ryder for the role). Of those options I think the injury angle and handicap match approach is best as it clearly illustrates the underhanded nature of the Prime Time Players, and the unjust nature of the title change would make people anticpate a rematch that little bit more.

What scant future the WWE tag team division has is linked to the Prime Time Players. They may not be great but they’re better than nothing. On the bright side WWE clearly has interest in them and AW should help them a more bearable act. Sooner or later they’ll get their hands on the ugly tag straps: that’s when they’ll really have their chance to prove they belong.

Hispanic Armada

When Hunico lost his mask last October he enjoyed a brief association with Primo and Epico. The three men appeared as a unit on a handful of episodes of SmackDown before being quietly split into two sepeate acts and going their separate ways.

Hunico continued wrestling in his street clothes and was eventually paired up with Camacho (son of Haku). That Hunico has received the trusty “ringside enforcer” gimmick is a sign that WWE sees promise in him as a low- to mid-card act. They rarely give that gimmick to an act they’ve no intention of using. It’s also worth noting that Camacho is another guy who has benefitted from Hunico’s call-up to the main roster (the others, obviously, being Epico and Primo (more on that here)).

 Rosa Mendes: she's quite the manager

Epico and Primo killed some time as a generic low-card heel tag team, with Rosa Mendes brought in as their second. Thanks to a Wellness Policy violation they also lucked into a reign as WWE tag team champions. With no true doubles division in the company they’re unlikely to drop the gold for a while, which should guarantee them a TV spot for the foreseeable future.

All three men have fairly stable spots, Camacho’s received a promotion to the main roster, and Rosa Mendes has been given a role in which she can excel (wrestling was not her forte, dancing around ringside is much more up her street). So, good news all round then?

Well, sort of. While the two units are working out nicely as separate entities I think it would benefit all five performers far more if they were reunited as one single group. Forget the fact that it’s a faction based around racial stereotypes. While that’s not exactly ideal in 2012 it’s nothing new in wrestling. It would benefit five underappreciated talents and that’s what’s important.

The five would stand out far more than they do now as they would be the sole faction on WWE television. The greater number of seconds that would be at ringside (Hunico would have four people with him for singles bouts while Epico and Primo would have three during their tag outings) would help to create more heat and allow the writing team to include greater amounts of outside interference in matches. That may not sound ideal but if booked correctly it could make Primo, Epico and Hunico very effective bad guys.

If built up for a few months, to the point where the active wrestlers in the troupe were seen as genuine threats on the mid-card scene, they could even enjoy a brief feud with an established main event babyface such as CM Punk or Randy Orton. The numbers advantage would allow them to be booked competitively without the worry of having to present them as true equals (that clearly wouldn’t happen in WWE, and the goal would be to establish them as a solid mid-card unit anyway) and a fresh match such as this could spice up TV for a few weeks. It could provide a decent pay-per-view bout too.

WWE could also put together a storyline in which the gang set their sights on the United States championship. If the company were prepared to turn Jack Swagger face and give him a proper push as a singles performer (rather than the card-filler and Ziggler henchman he currently is) that’s a storyline that could provide some interesting matches. If a Hunico were booked to win the US title on an episode of RAW taped in Mexico he could be made to look like a big star. Not only that but it could make the US belt mean something again.

Is any of this likely to happen? No. If Vince McMahon and his writing team wanted the two acts together then they would be together. Despite the clear positives the situation would offer there’s obviously a reason they’re no longer affiliated on-screen.

If WWE were serious about creating an enjoyable mid-card scene they could do far worse than putting Hunico, Camacho, Rosa Mendes and the tag team champions together. Given time they could become a solid act.