Thank You, Warrior

I’ve avoided writing anything about the Ultimate Warrior’s death until now for two reasons. Firstly I knew there would be something addressing the issue on RAW and I wanted that as guidance. Secondly, I’m not that familiar with Warrior’s career. He was long gone before I started watching wrestling. Even his WCW stint had ended. I was familiar with him only from a VHS of SummerSlam 1992 that was in the house for some reason (even now nobody knows where it came from) and from a visit to a friend’s house in what was probably the very early nineties. A lengthy post documenting his career just didn’t seem appropriate.

While I’ve never been a fan of the Warrior and Hogan approach to wrestling there are some Warrior matches I’ve enjoyed via YouTube. Both his SummerSlam outings opposite Rick Rude are enjoyable, as is his WrestleMania VII encounter with ‘Macho King’ Randy savage. Meanwhile, if taken as angles as opposed to matches, there’s value in his Intercontinental title winning outing against the Honky Tonk Man and his weasel suit bout with Bobby Heenan. And the WrestleMania VI match, which famously saw Ultimate Warrior hand Hulk Hogan his first clean loss in years, is entertaining if taken on its own terms. In fact I’d say it’s more enjoyable than the vaunted Michaels v Hart iron man encounter from WrestleMania XII.

Warrior the man is someone I think a lot of people got a hint of during his too brief return to WWE. He was clearly touched by the positive emotional response he got from the fans and his peers at the Hall of Fame, WrestleMania and the April 7 RAW. He was just as obviously proud of his two daughters, and it was touching to hear him tell them that they were his greatest accomplishment.

His promo on RAW, while disjointed by today’s standards, was a passionate speech about the values of working hard and self-belief. These are themes that appear to have been constants throughout Warrior’s career and life. It was nice to hear a wrestler humbly putting over the importance of the audience and providing encouragement to the locker room. His comments on how a man is remembered are undoubtedly one of the eeriest things to ever happen in wrestling. They’re true too.

Warrior’s return to WWE showed us that he was a man worth respecting for the values and morals he lived his life by. No, he wasn’t the best wrestler, but he appears to have been a good man and father and he provided inspiration for many wrestlers that we all enjoy today, both in and out of WWE. His impact on the business, specifically Vince McMahon’s company, was significant. Not in terms of his body of work, but in terms of his motivation and passion. I’m incredibly pleased he got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame when he did. It clearly meant a lot to him and allowed him to be remembered as he deserves.

Retiring the Mask

Rey Mysterio's been injured, on and off, for over two years now. It's reached the point where his credibility as a reliable main event performer is almost completely eroded and his long term health is in jeopardy. He's generally okay when he turns up but no long term plans can be made for him because the chances are that he won't be around to see them through. I’d like to advocate retirement for him.

The latest on his knees, which are said to be the cause of his erratic schedule, is that they'll be healthy enough to allow 'Mr 619' to compete at SummerSlam. This is by no means a certainty. He was originally going to be back in the ring by June.

I'd like to advocate holding off his return for beyond ‘The Hottest Event of the Summer’. If the last few years have taught us anything it's that rushing back from an injury does Mysterio no favours. It has no impact on ratings either, so it’s not even as if something’s gained from the rush. It would be best for Mysterio if he spent the rest of the year resting. That would allow him time to return to full health and give WWE a chance to prepare a storyline for when he comes back.

 

Mysterio there, invoking the Riddler

 

It's the return plan I'm interested in. I think WWE and Mysterio should be thinking of his next return as his last, hence the reason that he should be as healthy as possible to avoid any injury-related complications. All parties should want to give Mysterio the send-off he deserves.

The obvious time to do this would be next year’s WrestleMania. Adding a Mysterio retirement match to a card that’s already likely to feature big names like Brock Lesnar, Undertaker, Cena, Punk, and The Rock, would help to make ‘Mania XXX one to remember.

They could even do a longer wait and have Mysterio go out at next year’s SummerSlam. With a bit of effort WWE could turn SummerSlam back into their second biggest annual show, the WrestleMania of the summer.

Obviously things like fanfests can help with that but the best way to make SummerSlam mean something would be to hoard big names for the show. They seem to be doing that with CM Punk v Brock Lesnar this year. But the top three or four matches need to be big if SummerSlam’s to do truly impressive numbers. Again a Mysterio retirement stip could help with that.

The ideal way to reintroduce Rey would be through a series of vignettes in which he discusses the reasons for his time away, his passion for wrestling and his desire to come back and show that he can still be as good as people remember. He could talk about having one more run and cementing his spot as one of the greatest wrestlers ever.

Reveal a return date for Rey and show a new vignette every week. The should ensure people are aware of his return. From there the company should know roughly how long they’re going to have access to Mysterio for before he retires and draw up a list of all the opponents they want him to face in important matches.

The biggest matches should be saved for pay-per-view. Everything else could be a heavily promoted TV match. Yeah, I still think WWE could improve their ratings by advertising matches. I’m crazy like that.

Mysterio has been an important member of the WWE roster for a long time now. He’s won world titles and had some memorable and very enjoyable matches. The guy deserves a send-off befitting what he’s accomplished in and for WWE.

Twenty Years Later

It was reported last week that WWE officials had met representatives from several British stadiums during the company’s recent tour of the company. London’s Wembley Stadium, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and Manchester’s Old Trafford are the known venues. It’s entirely possible they met with others too.

This series of meetings has stirred up that long-standing rumour slash wish of WWE returning to the UK to promote a large scale pay-per-view. I’ve always been of the opinion that WWE would never return to Britain for anything other than RAW and SmackDown recordings. The time difference between the two countries is pronounced enough that WWE would have to air the proposed pay-per-view on a delay.

Even a few hours is enough for spoilers to become a serious issue, which could potentially harm buy rates. They’re not going to care if people find out that Kofi Kingston beat The Miz on RAW a few hours before the show airs, but a world title changing hands on PPV is a different situation entirely. I’ve always felt it’s a big enough reason that WWE would not do anything major over here.

If a pay-per-view were to be held here it would be the first large scale WWE event since SummerSlam 1992 to be held outside of North America. That event was headlined by the heated confrontation between brothers-in-law Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart and ‘The British Bulldog’ Davey Boy Smith. That WWE has not ventured overseas for a big show in decades tells us that it isn’t an idea they’re keen on.

 

The home of SummerSlam '13?

 

This recent talks have begun to make me think that management (mainly Vince McMahon) may have had a change of heart of the issue. Britain almost always provides WWE with hot crowds, desirable for a big show. The atmosphere would be incredible and it would allow WWE to present themselves as the globally dominant colossus they love making themselves out to be. The issues of internet spoilers arising could easily be worked around by WWE broadcasting the event live or streaming it on their website in addition to a taped show kicking off at the usual time of a PPV.

There are two questions I feel this subject raises. The first is which location should WWE pick? The second is which event would they hold here?

A pay-per-view could be held at pretty much any stadium in the country. Wembley would seem the most logical to me though. It was overhauled a few years ago and is in the capital of the country. Plus there’s the link back to SummerSlam ’92 being held there. There’s even a great hashtag they could push on Twitter: #WWEmbley could be trending worldwide!

Speaking of which I think SummerSlam is the most logical choice of event to hold in Britain. August is a good time of year to put on such an event in this country. Not only are schools off but nights are longer and there’s as slim a chance of rain as you’re ever likely to get.

Even without those reasons SummerSlam still seems the best option because the alternatives seem so unlikely. Survivor Series is not really treated as a particularly special show anymore and wouldn’t feel like such an event. The Royal Rumble is generally considered the kick-off to WrestleMania season and I can’t see WWE going outside of the US for that, or for a show that relies so heavily on surprises and spoilers.

WrestleMania seems unlikely simply because of the time difference. It being WWE’s biggest show of the year means they’d almost certainly be against it airing on delay or in the middle of the afternoon. Live streaming doesn’t seem a realistic option either: WWE wouldn’t want their greatest card of the year watched across North America on laptops. The rest of the calendar is made up of B shows. They, like Survivor Series, would not feel special enough to warrant going overseas for a broadcast.

So, SummerSlam 2013 in Britain? If so WWE better serious about that Wade Barrett push.

When Worlds Collide

As I was watching SmackDown earlier I begun thinking about WWE having two world championships. I’ve written before that having two world titles on a combined roster dilutes the importance of both and makes it more difficult for guys to rise up the card (and has also created a company where many members of the roster have a ridiculous number of world title reigns to their name). As the show unfolded I came up with an idea that would lead to a title unification match sometime in the latter half of next year, ideally at SummerSlam.

The first step would be to have Dolph Ziggler cash-in his Money in the Bank contract relatively soon and win the World Heavyweight championship. He wouldn’t necessarily have to defeat the Big Show. ‘The World’s Largest Athlete’ could lose the strap to Sheamus at Survivor Series and ‘The Show Off’ could cash-in on the new champ.

With the title on Dolph Ziggler that would place John Cena back into a world title programme. No, I’m not the biggest Cena fan either, but in fairness he hasn’t really been involved with world titles that much over the last year and he’s not challenged for the WHC for years.

Cena and Ziggler’s feud could probably be spanned out until Royal Rumble thanks to the addition of AJ and Vickie Guerrero. A match at TLC could see Ziggler retain the championship, likely by losing via disqualification or due to some form of Vickie-related shenanigans, setting up the Rumble rematch.

At the Rumble Cena would defeat Ziggler clean to become the new World Heavyweight champion. In the evening’s main event CM Punk would face The Rock. ‘The Great One’ is the heavy favourite to win the WWE championship at the show even now and I can’t imagine that state of affairs will change. This plot would see him lose. Punk would continue his epic title reign.

 

Who doesn't want to see this sight again?

 

From there there would be two options. The first would be to have ‘The Brahma Bull’ earn or be granted a rematch with Punk at WrestleMania XXIX (which would be easier to accept if Punk had cheated at the Rumble). The second is to have The Rock challenge John Cena for the World Heavyweight championship at ‘Mania.

With option one The Rock would defeat Punk in their rematch and leave WrestleMania as WWE champion. With option two he would defeat Cena for the WHC. Whichever scenario goes ahead Rock would leave Met Life Stadium with a belt. The company’s other world title would be held by either Punk or Cena.

From there Rock could appear intermittently and snipe back and forth with the other world champion about whose title is the most meaningful. Around June a champion versus champion title unification match could be agreed upon for SummerSlam. That would pit The Rock against either John Cena or CM Punk.

Admittedly the Cena v Rock match would probably be best for SummerSlam as it would put that much more distance between their “once in a lifetime” clash at WrestleMania XXVIII and the rematch. Cena has more history with The Rock than does Punk and they would feel like the natural choice for a unification bout. Personally I think Punk would be a fine choice too, and placing him in the situation would cement his position as Cena’s equal, which should be a priority for WWE.

This scenario would create a long-running storyline, have the potential to attract a large pay-per-view number, and tidy up the promotion’s cluttered championship scene. I can’t see any reason not to do it. That means it won’t happen.

Preparing a Heel

Judging by what happened at the conclusion of Friday’s SmackDown it would appear that a Ziggler versus Orton feud is in the works. This is just about the best thing that could happen to ‘The Show Off’. 

Orton is one of the best in WWE at helping others advance. He seems happy to lose cleanly to anybody, no matter their place in the company pecking order, and knows how to beat people without making them look inferior to him. This is the sort of opponent Ziggler needs if he is to establish himself as WWE’s newest headline star.

Orton’s programme with Wade Barrett earlier in the year helped the Mancunian get that little bit closer to the top, and his feud with Cody Rhodes last autumn made it seem as though the former ‘Dashing One’ was going somewhere too. Meanwhile Friday’s SmackDown saw him lose clean via submission to Alberto Del Rio and he famously lost the World Heavyweight championship clean to Mark Henry (yes, that Mark Henry) last October. ‘The Viper’ isn’t afraid of going under.

Dolph Ziggler has just finished a very short programme with Chris Jericho. While he was booked to lose at SummerSlam he did manage to pick up a win over ‘Y2J’ on RAW that has seen the rock star “fired” (in reality he’s on tour with Fozzy). Moving straight into a rivalry with another established star will help to lend credibility to ‘The Heel’ and keep him firmly at the top of the card.

That’s a good move. Instead of simply putting the belt onto him and expecting him to be accepted as a new main eventer Ziggler is being promoted as a main eventer before winning the gold.  Fans will view Ziggler as a headliner by the time he becomes champion, not a glorified mid-carder who got lucky with a briefcase. Very few people are elevated in this fashion by WWE these days. It should be done more often.

Of course it doesn’t hurt that Ziggler has developed an on-and-off rivalry with World Heavyweight champion Sheamus over the last several months. Challenging ‘Great White’ for the gold at No Way Out and on SmackDown has helped to present Ziggler as a headline star.

 

Dolph should really take better care of that briefcase

 

Working with Orton doesn’t just provide Ziggler with the opportunity to pick up wins, it helps him to appear as a top guy. Only established names or people WWE want to become established names get to work with Orton on pay-per-view. This feud will keep Ziggler around the top of the card and further advance his burgeoning headline career.

A match between the two at Night of Champions is a possibility. ‘The Apex Predator’ is set to leave WWE television after that show to film a movie for WWE Studios. ‘The Heel’ could be used as a way of writing Orton off of TV as he was with ‘Y2J’.

If Ziggler were to lose to Orton and then become World Heavyweight champion during his absence then the two would have a reason to be rematched against one another. This is already the case for Chris Jericho. Giving Ziggler feuds with big names like those at the start of his title reign would give him a good chance of having a memorable run.

That said a match between Ziggler and Orton at Night of Champions is by no means definite. Recent booking of the former Evolution member could indicate that he will be added to the Sheamus v Del Rio match on the show. Ziggler would then be left to cash-in, or at least tease a cash-in. Either scenario would work: ‘The Show Off’ could be used to get rid of Orton at the show whether he wrestles him or not and they could continue their feud upon Orton’s return.

In an ideal world I’d like to see him wait until December or early next year to cash in the briefcase but the fact that he’s tried using it several times in the last month makes me think WWE are keen to get the belt onto Ziggler sooner than that. He seems the likeliest candidate to take the belt from Sheamus. If someone else happens to beat ‘The Celtic Warrior’ then their immediate loss to Ziggler seems a safe bet (and that would give Ziggler yet another person to clash with).

It’s encouraging that WWE seem to be taking a longer approach than usual with promoting Dolph Ziggler. There’s less immediate gratification but a greater chance that ‘The Show Off’ will stick at the top when he finally wins a world title.

Fantasy Booker: SummerSlam 2012 to WrestleMania XXIX

With WWE having confirmed the main event for next January’s Royal Rumble event months in advance I thought it would be a good time to do another fantasy booking piece. This time I’ve decided to tackle the WWE championship from SummerSlam 2012 to WrestleMania XXIX. Let’s go!

The champion going into SummerSlam is CM Punk, who will defend his belt in a triple threat match against Big Show and John Cena. I do not expect it to be a pretty affair. In reality I’m expecting Punk to retain. For the purposes of this article he would definitely retain. I don’t see any point in switching the belt onto ‘The World’s Largest Athlete’ and Cena is as over as he’ll ever be without it. Punk is one of the company’s best workers and is the best candidate for WWE champion of the three.

That being said I would want to keep the Punk v Cena rivalry going for a while longer. September’s Night of Champions will be held in Cena’s hometown of Boston and I think it would be great to have him go into that pay-per-view challenging one of his chief rivals.

To keep the feud alive a point of dispute would need to be created in their SummerSlam clash. To my mind the best way of doing that would be with a finishing sequence that makes it clear that Cena was about to become champion. I’d have a finishing sequence of Cena ducking a clothesline from Big Show and then hitting him with an AA. Before he could make the cover Punk would grab him and hit him with a GTS. Punk would then pin Big Show to retain.

This paints Punk as someone benefiting from somebody else’s hard work, and also creates an argument that Cena could have won, because it was his finisher that earned ‘The Straight Edge Superstar’ the victory. It also has Show doing the job, handily invalidating any claim he may have to the title and writing him out of the title picture.

Cena would voice his frustrations on the following evening’s RAW, and ask Punk why he opted to cover Big Show. Punker would come out with the deliberately lame excuse that Big Show was closer to him than Cena was. The announcers can then be left to speculate that Punk pinned Cena because he trusted the AA more than the GTS.

A rematch would be booked for the August 27^th edition of RAW. That match would go on last and get a good twenty minutes or so. During the inevitable ringside brawl Cena would blast Cena into a barrier and then roll back into the ring. It’s a standard WWE move usually followed by the man who’s been tossed into the barrier rolling back in just before the ten count. Instead of that Punk would recover at around five or six and then tease getting back into the ring, agonising over the decision.

The referee would continue counting and Cena would shout for Punk to get back into the ring and continue the match. The champ would not. He would stand still until getting counted out, collect his belt from the timekeeper’s table and then head to the back, leaving Cena to mug and gurn RAW off the air (he does it so well).

During this period I would also be preparing Randy Orton as a title contender. He would not be directly interacting with Cena or Punk, but would mention when interviewed (probably by Matt Striker) that he has his sights set on the WWE championship. He would be winning constantly and would perhaps work a brief TV feud with Heath Slater or someone similar to keep him busy for the month.

The September 3^rd RAW would include an opening promo from Cena calling out Punk. He would come to the ring and tell Cena that he doesn’t have to explain his actions to anybody, which would bring out AJ to make a match between the two at Night of Champions. Punk would become incensed with this, demanding to know why Cena constantly gets awarded title shots while other guys on the roster have to earn them. AJ would suggest a tag match between Punk and Cena with the partners of their choice, with a stipulation that if Punk’s team wins the Night of Champions title shot would be Cena’s last during Punk’s current championship reign.

How long would I keep the WWE title on CM Punk? Find out below

Punk would win that tag match. This would elevate the stakes and create a must-win situation for Cena in his hometown. That, coupled with Punk’s increasingly unsportsmanlike behaviour and whiney attitude, should ensure that the fans are firmly behind ‘The CeNation Leader’ at NOC.

Punk v Cena would be the final match to go on at Night of Champions. It’s possible it would be turned into a no disqualification match but the initial plan would be to have it as a straight wrestling match. The two men would again get twenty minutes or so to turn out as good a match as possible. I like the idea of teasing the count out finish again, only for Cena to go out and throw Punk back into the ring, so if it wasn’t a no DQ environment I’d have that included.

The finish would see Cena go for an AA only for Punk to wiggle free, drop to his knees and hit a low blow followed by an immediate schoolboy for the win.

The September 17^th RAW would feature a crowing promo from Punk about how he toppled John Cena in his hometown and the fact that he’s become the first WWE champion in years to not have to worry about defending the belt against him.

This would bring out… no, not Cena. It would bring out Randy Orton. ‘The Viper’ would tease that he’s going to speak to Punk but would instead nail him with an RKO. He would then take a microphone and say that John Cena is not the only man capable of winning world titles. He would then go to leave only to be stopped by Cena himself.

Cena would tell Orton that he appreciates what he just did to Punk but that he would have liked the opportunity to do it first. ‘The Apex Predator’ would smirk and walk up the ramp, leaving a now-recovered Punk alone with Cena. ‘The Doctor of Thuganomics’ would tell Punk that he’s angry and disappointed. Not because he doesn’t have the WWE title, that would have been nice but he can earn another shot in the future, but because of the man CM Punk has become.

Punk would reply with a self-righteous promo about how Cena has been on top too long and that it’s given him a false sense of entitlement. This would finish by Punk saying that he won’t have to worry about Cena for a very long time.

The main event of this episode of RAW would be a twenty man battle royal, with the winner getting to face Punk for the title at Hell in a Cell. Featuring all the usual suspects (with the exception of Cena) plus some random jobbers everyone knows have no chance of winning this match would be won by Randy Orton.

With ‘The Apex Predator’ enjoying a bit of post-match posing Punk would come to the ring through the crowd and smash him in the head with the title belt. He would then hit him with a GTS. After posing Punk would go to leave but look back at Orton and decide to return to give him another GTS. RAW would go off the air with Punk holding up the title and Orton knocked out.

Across the next four weeks the Punk v Orton rivalry would become increasingly heated. Punk would continue with his supremely confident character, delighting in rubbing his opponent the wrong way and demanding respect as the champion. Meanwhile Orton would want to prove that he is just as much of a threat as anyone on the roster (meaning Cena, but that would never be explicitly stated).

Cena would remain on the periphery of this feud, not being involved every week but appearing enough to make it clear that Punk considers him the biggest threat to a champion and that Orton wants to prove he’s better than him.

I would also gradually introduce Daniel Bryan to the title picture, at first as an uneasy ally of Punk for a tag match or two against Cena and Orton. The idea would be to tease a Bryan v Orton feud for the future. Would that be the true plan? Stay tuned!

Two weeks before the pay-per-view AJ would confirm that the Punk and Orton would meet in a Hell in a Cell bout. It would also be announced that Cena would act as the official in that match in order to ensure that there is a clear winner and no controversial finish takes place. Punk would freak out at this (it’s unfair and disrespectful to the champ, and so on) while Orton would not appear terribly happy either.

At Hell in a Cell on October 28^th Punk and Orton would go on last. I actually think this is a match WWE should book for the event in reality. Both men are excellent wrestlers and I believe they’d turn out as good a Hell in a Cell outing as you can in the PG Era. There doesn’t need to be blood and half a dozen chair shots to make Hell in a Cell worthwhile.

Throughout the course of the match both competitors would make their displeasure at Cena’s presence clear. Both would begin getting in his face over two counts, which would be met in the predictable Cena fashion of smiling, wagging his finger and pointing at his ref shirt.

The finish I’d book would see Orton go for an RKO on Punk, only to be shoved off into Cena. Cena, thinking that ‘The Viper’ had finally snapped and attacked him, would shove him and receive a shove in return. The two would then slug it out with one another with Cena getting the upper hand (rationalised by the announce team stating that he’s far fresher than Orton because he’s not been wrestling) and scooping Orton up for an AA.

That’s where Punk would stop watching and yank ‘The Viper’ off of Cena’s shoulders to hit him with a GTS (perhaps not the first of the match). He would then cover Orton, staring and smiling at Cena as he’s forced to make the count.

The point of this finish would be to set up a Cena v Orton feud. The following evening on RAW Cena and Orton would wind up in the ring together and ‘The CeNation Leader’ would offer a handshake. Orton would look to the fans, tease accepting, look back to the fans, and then shake… then do a DDP and pull Cena into an RKO. To fully cement the heel turn ‘The Viper’ would follow the RKO up with a stomping session. I’d like to book him to give Cena a punt to the head too, but there’s possibly still a ban on that.

Don't worry: if I was booking WWE up to WrestleMania XXIX Cena wouldn't be going anywhere

This would write Cena off TV for a week or so and create a reason for Orton v Cena to take place at Survivor Series and TLC. I’m not sure which of the two would go over when but they’d each get one pay-per-view victory apiece and their TLC clash would be a gimmick battle of some sort.

Back to the WWE championship. The night after Hell in a Cell I would turn Daniel Bryan face. It may sound poorly planned to do it just like that but the Bryan character is so over that I believe WWE could actually turn him into a huge babyface sensation any time they liked. His monosyllabic chants are a gift for any performer.

I would have Punk head to the ring for a bragging session about having overcome the top two stars in the company before stating that there’s nobody who can beat him and that he’ll be the man to face The Rock at the Royal Rumble. He would then say that he’d like to borrow an idea from Daniel Bryan and ask the fans if they want to see him versus ‘The Great One’. He’d then start chanting “Yes!” which would bring out Bryan.

Hopefully the audience would have chanted “No!” at Punk. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if they didn’t but it would make Bryan’s turn a little smoother. ‘The American Dragon’ would say he agrees with the fans or rhetorically ask himself if he wants to see Rock v Punk, then start chanting “No!” at Punk.

He would remind everyone that he has issues with The Rock himself, but also wants the chance to get into the ring with one of the best of all time at one of WWE’s biggest events of the year. He would challenge Punk to defend the belt against him at Survivor Series. Punk would decline but AJ would appear to say that she agrees that Bryan deserves a shot at the belt.

Bryan v Punk would be made for Survivor Series. There would be no special referees or stipulations, just two great wrestlers having a great match. The lead up to their match would consist of the usual array of tag battles and promos. Punk would continue his unsportsmanlike streak by taking count out losses and refusing handshakes before matches. During promos Bryan would milk the “Yes!” and “No!” cries as much as possible. A good way of safeguarding Bryan would be to have Punk infuriated by the chants, meaning that audiences enjoy chanting and don’t become bored with it.

Punk would go over at Survivor Series with some shady tactics. This would be either his low blow and schoolboy routine or a rollup while holding the ropes. The idea would be for there to be a clear need for a rematch between the two at TLC.

On the post-Survivor Series RAW Punk would attack Bryan with a chair. On the November 26^th show Bryan would retaliate by putting Punk through a table. On the December 3^rd episode Punk would set up a chair, a table and a ladder in the ring and cut a promo talking about how they’ve used one weapon each, with the ladder being the next logical step. Bryan would join him and the result of the segment would be the two agreeing to face off in a Table, Ladders and Chairs match at TLC.

I think Punk and Bryan could have a great TLC outing. Punk worked a highly enjoyable bout with Jeff Hardy under those rules at SummerSlam and I’m sure he could do the same again with Bryan. There would perhaps be less stunts than the average gimmick bout, but they’d still be the best two men to headline the card.

Punk would win clean at TLC. Well, as clean as you can in a whacky match such as TLC. The best finish I can think of is Bryan being shoved off the top of the ladder through a table, allowing Punk to snatch the belt and remain champion. If something better presented itself I’d book that, but Punk would be the man leaving as champion.

That would set up Punk v Rock for the WWE championship at the Royal Rumble on January 27^th. It would also mean that Punk becomes the first WWE champion to hold the belt throughout one calendar year since Hulk Hogan’s first reign from January 23^rd 1984 to February 5^th 1988. It would also give him an impressively long title reign by modern standards. This trivia would keep Michael Cole bleating for weeks.

I’m not sure exactly when WWE will have access to The Rock in the hype for the Royal Rumble. I assume he will appear on at least one episode of RAW so that he can interact with the champion and create interest in the pay-per-view clash.

The Rock would appear in the main event segment. The best way to keep people watching during a three hour show is keeping your biggest star until last. ‘The Great One’ would come out to cut a promo discussing the Rumble pay-per-view, the importance of the WWE championship to him and his eagerness to go into WrestleMania XXIX with the strap. Then, and only then, would he turn his attention to CM Punk.

There’s no point trying to write out a script for a Rock promo. Broadly speaking he would say that CM Punk has lost his way and not represented himself as the champion he said he’d be when he first threw a “tantrum” (that’s a terminology suggestion I’d make). He’d dust off all his old catchphrases and state that he’s lay the smack down on the champ at the Rumble.

CM Punk would head to the ring to join him. Basically, Punk would disagree with The Rock’s view (I know, mind-bending stuff here). Punk would not see himself as having lost his way or failing to be the champion he said he’d be. He’d point out that he’s held the title for fourteen months and beaten everyone put in front of him. At the Rumble that list will grow to include Rock.

The tension would increase throughout the segment and would end with the two battling with one another. Punk would go for a GTS. Rock would slide out and go for a Rock Bottom. Punk would break free with elbow strikes and go for another GTS. Rock would block that and send Punk to the ropes for a spinebuster, followed up by a People’s Elbow.

I’m not sure if The Rock would connect or not. It would be a great moment and get a tremendous pop, but with the result I have planned at the Rumble it’s not really needed. I think if this segment took place on the final RAW before the Rumble then Rock would connect with the Elbow. If it was on an earlier episode of RAW then Punk would slide out of the ring and retreat clutching his title.

I never really like Royal Rumble pay-per-views headlined by anything other than the thirty man match. I don’t think that’s an option here though. You can’t have a match featuring The Rock go on before a match featuring Heath Slater. It’s just not realistic. The Rock and CM Punk would be the only choice for the main event spot of this show and as such they would go on last.

I don’t know how good this match would be. The Rock v Cena clash at ‘Mania suffered from a slow pace and a multitude of poorly disguised rest spots. These were added to the match for Rock’s benefit and I can’t imagine his conditioning has improved in his time away from the ring. I think a shorter, quicker match would be the best thing to book for Punk and Rock at the Rumble, but it would be up to the combatants ultimately.

Rock would go over clean with a Rock Bottom followed by a People’s Elbow. That would mean that the biggest name associated with the company has the most important championship heading into the biggest show of the year (WrestleMania XXIX, not Elimination Chamber). That allows for the company to go all out getting WrestleMana and WWE in general covered by mainstream media.

This man would have to go on last at the Rumble

                                                                                                                                                                               

Daniel Bryan would enter the Royal Rumble at number one and last around forty minutes or so. Bryan’s elimination would be linked to a sequence designed to start two WrestleMania programmes. The first step would be John Cena eliminating Dolph Ziggler. By this point Ziggler would have won and lost the World Heavyweight title in order to free him up for ‘Mania season, and Cena would have been permitted into the match as a special one-off attempt to earn a WWE title match permitted by AJ (perhaps he’d have to beat Punk in a non-title match to earn a spot in the Rumble, I don’t know).

Anyway, Cena eliminates ‘The Show Off’ on the aisle side of the ring. Ziggler, unhappy with this situation, yanks Cena out of the ring under the bottom rope and throws him into ring steps and hits a Zig Zag onto the floor. Basically attacks Cena more viciously than we are used to Cena being attacked by anything other than a top guy.

While that’s going on Bryan eliminates Randy Orton on the announce desk side of the ring, but as the officials are all preoccupied with Ziggler and Cena this goes unnoticed. ‘The Viper’ sneaks back into the ring and chucks an unsuspecting Bryan over the top rope into the aisle right in front of all the referees. Bryan protests (perhaps screaming “No!” depending on whether or not that cry becomes too heelish after his face turn) but ends up heading to the back.

Cena would clamber back into the ring to valiantly continue his quest to regain the WWE title and would make it to the final four alongside Orton, Sheamus and Brock Lesnar.

This is as good a time as any to mention that Lesnar would have recorded some vignettes leading up to the Rumble stating that he wants to win the WWE title so that he can dominate the company as champion for years and destroy it from the inside. The destruction of WWE would be Lesnar’s stated mission heading into the show.

‘The Pain’ would work over Cena while Sheamus and Orton battled one another. ‘The Viper’ would manage to eliminate ‘The Celtic Warrior’ by using the tried and tested Protected Babyface Elimination Method™ of pulling the rope down as Sheamus charges him.

Orton and Lesnar would double team Cena in the closing moments of the match. Cena would fight back and manage to get and fluke elimination on Orton, leaving us with Lesnar and Cena as the final two. I like the idea of reusing the spot from Extreme Rules that saw ‘The Pain’ sail over top rope to the outside of the ring as Cena’s method of eliminating him. If that was possible to work without ring steps I’d book it and have Cena win that way.

Yes, Cena would win. Cena v Rock II at WrestleMania XXIX? Read on to see!

The following evening on RAW there would be a big angle to set up the Elimination Chamber three weeks later. Cena would come out to cut a victory promo about how he now has a rematch with The Rock to look forward to, which would be quickly interrupted by Dolph Ziggler. ‘The Show Off’ would state that if there were any justice he’d be the man facing The Rock and remind everyone of how he battered Cena the night before.

This would bring out Orton, who would say that he was only eliminated by luck and that if Cena had the guts to put the Rock match on the line against him there’s no way he’d win. ‘The Viper’s’ presence would attract Daniel Bryan. He would say he’s not there to whine about losing the night before, he’s there to make Orton tap out.

Before that could happen Lesnar’s music would play and Paul Heyman would come out to the entrance ramp with a business proposition for Cena: sell his match with The Rock to Brock Lesnar and allow ‘The Pain’ the pleasure of breaking the neck of the company’s saviour in the headline match of WrestleMania XXIX.

Cena would give his typically comical response to everyone who’d joined him before saying he’s a fighter and not afraid to back down from anyone, agreeing to put his Rumble victory up for grabs in an Elimination Chamber match on February 17^th. With that RAW would go to a break.

Later in the show AJ would make the Chamber match official in a backstage segment and add CM Punk to the mix to make the number up to six. Speaking of Punk, he’d get his own in-ring segment later in the show to talk about the epic title reign he’d just enjoyed (stretching from November 20^th 2011 to January 27^th 2013), his pride at having been champion for that long, and to make a promise that he’d be the man to dethrone The Rock.

There would be no WWE championship match at Elimination Chamber because The Rock wouldn’t be booked to wrestle (though I’d try to have him appearing in some capacity). The Chamber bout itself would go on last and would be the only one on the show (the trend of booking two on the card is excessive and only dilutes the importance of what is supposed to be a gruelling bout).

Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan would start off and give us solid wrestling for the first five minutes. They’d be joined by Randy Orton next, allowing Bryan to be the underdog babyface battling superior numbers. The fourth man in would be John Cena, who would immediately target Dolph Ziggler. Before entrant number five entered ‘The Heel’ would eat an AA and be eliminated.

Cena would then turn around into an RKO to write him out of proceedings for a moment or two. Bryan and Orton would wrestle for a minute or so before Bryan would get a surprise small package on ‘The Apex Predator’ and eliminate him. Orton would go ballistic at the officials telling him to leave the ring as Bryan drags himself up with the ropes.

As Bryan turned around to rejoin the match he’d get an RKO from Orton. Lesnar would then enter as the fifth man and briefly have a stare off with Orton. The former Evolution member would raise his hands up and indicate Bryan limp on the mat, then leave. Brock would pin Bryan and we’d be down to he, Cena and Punk, with Punk still in his pod.

Lesnar would batter Cena for several minutes. There are numerous spots that could be planned to make him look an animal. In addition to basic heat building devices such as throwing Cena to the outside and into the chains Lesnar could also ram ‘The CeNation Leader’ through the Plexiglas of a vacated pod and wrench a length of chain free to wrap around his first. The aim would be for Cena to take a battering and make it clear that he’s a beaten man: ‘The Pain’ could win whenever he’s ready.

Sometime during this Punk’s pod would open but he’d stay put watching the carnage. Cole could push this as smart, Lawler could call it a coward’s way out.

After a few minutes of Cena being pulped the lights would go out, coming back on a moment later to reveal the Undertaker in the ring. Lesnar would turn around and go to attack, only for ‘Taker to fend him off and nail a Tombstone.

‘The Dead Man’ would pull a bedraggled Cena onto Lesnar, the referee would make the count and we’d have two men left: Cena and Punk.

Punk would immediately dash out of his pod to attempt a quick pin on Cena. Cena would kick out. Punk would hit a GTS. Cena would kick out. Punk would then either lock in the Anaconda Vice for a victory via stoppage or wrap the length of chain Lesnar used around his knee and get Cena with a second GTS for a pinfall victory.

This would set up Punk v Rock II for WrestleMania XXIX. At the show Punk would regain the title and go forward into 2013 as a massive heel and the man who handed The Rock his first loss in over a decade.

On the WrestleMania XXIX undercard Daniel Bryan would get a win over Randy Orton and John Cena would put over Dolph Ziggler. Building for the future. That’s what WWE should be doing.

Brock Lesnar would be the man to challenge The Streak. The hype for that match would be based around Lesnar’s yearning to destroy WWE, with ‘Taker built up as the last bastion of hope for the league. Naturally Undertaker would win, his undefeated record couldn’t be ended, but I think a lot of people would be torn if that match were booked well enough.

SmackTalk 17.08.12

Any show that includes a match between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan can’t be all bad. This week’s SmackDown was no exception: the two men in question had a belter of a match that was a highlight of the episode. That it was the highlight even though it had an unsatisfactory finish involving Kane’s entrance music should tell you just how good the match was.

Elsewhere on the show Chris Jericho wrestled a good match with Alberto Del Rio. It wasn’t quite as good as it could have been due to ‘Y2J’ having to sell an attack from Dolph Ziggler that had occurred moments before the match started, but it wasn’t bad. ‘The Highlight of the Night’ has had far worse outings in 2012.

The match had come about after an altercation between the two earlier in the evening. ADR had kicked off the show demanding his world title match with Sheamus at SummerSlam be reinstated (the match had been cancelled after the previous week’s SmackDown). Booker T told Del Rio that wouldn’t happen and Jericho came wandering out to suggest he challenge ‘Great White’ after beating Ziggler.

It was a basic segment but it got the job done.

Elsewhere on the show Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins introduced a new gimmick. Walking to the ring in matching suits and without entrance music it seemed a little uninspired at first. That changed when the two men started doing a striptease in the middle of the ring, to a loud chorus of boos.

I thought it was a nice idea. It sets the MidCard Mafia apart (are they even call that anymore?) and gives them something to do on a weekly basis. They’ve been wasting away as glorified enhancement talent for far too long. Anything that prompts a reaction from audiences and gets them on TV is a good thing.

I don't know who looks more deranged, Bryan or the screaming fan

Antonio Cesaro put in a good showing too. His United States title match with Santino is going to be broadcast on YouTube before SummerSlam and I think it’s a positive sign that WWE went out of their way to give the two men some time to create interest in that match on SmackDown.

Slightly less impressive was the absence of Damien Sandow and Ryback. I suppose you can’t have everything though.

Recap video of the ADR v Sheamus feud

Tweet 1: Stand back, I'm about to watch SmackDown.

Tweet 2: Recap of the Sheamus v ADR feud. Well, the recent parts of it at least.
Tweet 3: I'm pleased the car bonnet attack has been covered.
Tweet 4: Booker T has cancelled the match. Something tells me it will be back on within the next ninety minutes.

Alberto Del Rio promo, featuring Booker T and Chris Jericho

Tweet 5: Cole and Mathews are unchaperoned again. This is not going to go well.

Tweet 6: Doesn't Del Rio have dozens of cars? Why is bothered about Sheamus trashing one?
Tweet 7: Booker T's come straight from a Reservoir Dogs convention.
Tweet 8: ADR's right, he did earn the right to be number one contender a long time ago. It was April...
Tweet 9: Here's Chris Jericho, looking like he's stopped in on his way to the convenience store.
Tweet 10: The face Del Rio just pulled made it look as though he could smell a dead cat and was concerned about where it had been hidden.

Cody Rhodes and The Miz v Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio

Tweet 11: Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara v Rhodes and Miz. The potential for botches with Rey and Cara on one team is spectacular.

Tweet 12: Sin Cara's inability to work a crowd is really quite spectacular. It should warrant a permanent spot on Superstars but doesn't.
Tweet 13: Rhodes is continuing his silly quest to unmask Sin Cara. Nobody cares about Cara or his face.
Tweet 14: Miz is a movie star. WWE will help him on this new career path by bringing out the inflatable "AWESOME" from storage at SummerSlam.
Tweet 15: Nice use of the 619. Disappointing that it led to another loss for Cody. Where's his push?
Tweet 16: Sin Cara always keeps a small slice of cheese under his mask in case of emergencies.
Tweet 17: A child has hopped the guardrail and is playing with Miz's IC belt! Oh wait, it's just Rey...

Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins v two unnamed jobbers

Tweet 18: Hawkins and Reks have been given a stripper gimmick. They asked Booker T for an opportunity to get noticed and this is what they got...

Tweet 19: They have new trunks designed to look like black Y-fronts. This is Meat all over again...
Tweet 20: Reks is clearly more comfortable with gyrating in his underwear than Hawkins is.
Tweet 21: That was a pretty decent gimmick overhaul. I'll miss their bright green outfits though. They warranted a push.
Tweet 22: Perhaps the green outfits will come back to feud with Reks and Hawkins. #fingerscrossed

New highlight of SmackDown or utter embarrassment? You decide!

Eve v Kaitlyn

Tweet 23: Teddy Long is at ringside for the thrills and spills of Kaitlyn v Eve.

Tweet 24: I'd like to see Kaitlyn get the win but I think Eve winning is far more likely. They need some tension in the "Booker T administration."
Tweet 25: If Teddy likes Kaitlyn so much why didn't he hire her when he was in charge?
Tweet 26: "Kaitlyn telling me earlier today her biggest influence is Chuck Norris" - Josh Mathews
Tweet 27: I think the Eve character is great. I prefer her to AJ.

Daniel Bryan v Randy Orton

Tweet 28: Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

Tweet 29: #AberdeenWashington
Tweet 30: Orton v Bryan should be happening at SummerSlam, not on SmackDown.
Tweet 31: Orton goes to the top for a superplex. Whadda'pro!
Tweet 32: Boo-yay punch exchange is going on after a break. If this was a smart crowd they'd have yessed Orton punches and shouted no to Bryan's.
Tweet 33: Shouldn't Bryan be disqualifieed for throwing Orton into steps made from steel? It doesn't feel like that should be legal.
Tweet 34: RKO countered into the No Lock. Great spot!
Tweet 35: Orton wins via Kane music. Very effective finisher.
Tweet 36: Kane wanders out and laughs as Bryan cowers on the floor. What a pointless finish. Pointless feud too.

Antonio Cesaro v Zack Ryder

Tweet 37: Antonio Cesaro. Heeeey!!

Tweet 38: The fans are chanting "USA" at Cesaro's five languages gimmick. That's reason enough to put the US title on him isn't it?
Tweet 39: Why is Ryder allowed to do the Broski Boot but Orton can't do the Punt anymore?
Tweet 40: For a guy who just got thrown over a table Santino seems surprisingly energetic.

Michael Cole and Josh Mathews discuss Twitter nonsense

Tweet 41: Here's a new segment: Cole and Mathews lookign at tweets that have been sent out regarding the Michaels-Lesnar angle.

Tweet 42: They didn't read them all. They just chatted about some of them and made sweeping generalisations. JR never would have done that.

Alberto Del Rio v Chris Jericho

Tweet 43: Albertooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Dellll Riiiiiiiiiiiiiioooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!

Tweet 44: Jericho's in the main event and this is the first we've seen of Ziggler. Why is he even there? He didn't have a match. This makes no sense.
Tweet 45: Jericho will wrestle. He's going to no--sell that beating. It's how he rolls.
Tweet 46: 'Y2J' doesn't look too good. Maybe you should ask him, ref... #askhim
Tweet 47: Ziggler's at ringside. Considering this is a taped show it's pretty poor that he wasn't shown arriving.
Tweet 48: Oh noes! Jericho is trapped in the cross arm breaker with Ziggler shouting at him! What a villainous pair!
Tweet 49: Those jeans aren't very Talent Dress Code are they, Sheamus?
Tweet 50: Sheamus will compete even if he loses a limb. That doesn’t sound the best course of action to me…
Tweet 51: ADR claps Booker's decision. Sheamus grimaces. Great ending, writing team.

SummerSlam preview

Sunday will see the first ever televised match between Brock Lesnar and Triple H. Everyone involved seems set on making it a historic event. Learning from the mistakes they made when building ‘The Pain’s’ feud with John Cena earlier in the year (it was too quick, Cena was too comedic, Brock wasn’t sufficiently protected) WWE have gone out of their way to make Lesnar look like a beast.

Lesnar has been responsible for two storyline broken arms, one for his SummerSlam opponent and one for Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. That makes him look like a legitimate threat to ‘The Game’s’ safety. Paul Heyman, a man many members of WWE’s management team genuinely dislike, was brought back to work as a mouthpiece for the former UFC champion and keep the storyline alive while Lesnar was off television, necessitated by WWE not wanting to burn through the limited number of dates Lesnar has signed on for too quickly.

Both were good decisions. They have helped to safeguard Lesnar.

After having his arm broken on RAW by Lesnar’s kimura hold I’m sure WWE have announced that Michaels will not be in attendance when SummerSlam rolls around. That’s a good move too. Not only does it make Lesnar appear to be a genuine threat to ‘The Game’s’ safety but it also means the crowd should be roaring their approval when ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ appears mid-way through the bout (which I assume he will because this is WWE and that’s the way the usually book these things).

One man I hope is at ringside from start to finish is Paul Heyman. His performances have been world class since he returned to WWE, helping to cover up Lesnar’s distinct lack of promo ability. He can not only draw heat at ringside but can also help his charge through the match alongside ‘The Cerebral Assassin’. He would add a great deal to proceedings.

Can this man overcome Triple H? I think he can

I’m expecting Brock to win this one. If WWE want to use him to attract a large audience at next year’s WrestleMania XXIX (and they do, it’s one of the key reasons he was brought back) then Brock has to be kept looking strong.

Brock could afford one loss. He can’t afford another. Losing to Cena at Extreme Rules wasn’t catastrophic because of the way it was done.  In order to retain his box office appeal WWE must put Lesnar over Triple H decisively in the final match of the evening. Hopefully Triple H’s ego will accept this and understand his loss is the “right thing for business.”

The undercard of the show is something of a mixed bag. The WWE championship triple threat match features some of the company’s biggest names but it still manages to be one of the least appealing bouts announced for the event.

Even CM Punk, regarded as one of the company’s top wrestlers, is going to have his work cut out for him if he’s to drag a bearable outing from John Cena and the Big Show. Edge just about managed it at WrestleMania 25 in 2009. Can ‘The Straight Edge Superstar’ do it at SummerSlam in 2012? Don’t get your hopes up.

There has been talk of Cena winning the title and holding it until the Royal Rumble to setup a rematch between him and The Rock from WrestleMania XXVIII, with ‘The Great One’ going on to face CM Punk at ‘Mania XXIX. It’s not impossible that that will happen, but I think it’s too early for WWE to have things finalised yet. The writing team always seems to be working things out at the last minute and Vince McMahon is famously changeable.

Another reason I think Punk will keep the gold is that Michael Cole has recently taken to wittering on about how long his reign has lasted and where it ranks alongside other lengthy title runs. Besides that what are the options in this match? Big Show is over a decade past his best and Cena doesn’t need the belt to be over. If either of them won who would they feud with? Punk is the best choice of the three to leave as WWE champion.

The company’s other world title will be defended by champion Sheamus against Alberto Del Rio. This match was originally cancelled after the events of the August 10^th SmackDown, which saw ADR use some hired indy wrestlers disguised as policemen to help him duff up ‘Great White’. At the following taping (held on Tuesday 14^th to be aired on Friday 17^th) the match was reinstated by General Manager Booker T.

Why did WWE go to the trouble of removing the match from the card only to add it back again less than a week later? It’s impossible to say. Perhaps they think it adds drama to the storyline. If that’s the case then they’re wrong. Another possibility is that they were considering adding Randy Orton to the bout but didn’t because too many people had guessed it was coming. The company has done similar things before.

I’ve pointed out several times that these two have been feuding since early April. That’s a long feud by modern standards. They have clashed numerous times on pay-per-view and television and have never delivered a truly excellent match. I hope this bout is the final outing the two have against one another for a while. Both men are in desperate need of fresh opponents.

I’m going to pick ‘The Celtic Warrior’ to retain. I think it’s possible he’ll soon be heading into a title feud with Randy Orton which will see ‘The Viper’ slowly turn bad.

Speaking of Orton he could have been pitted against Bryan in a singles match and Kane could have been shuffled off the show altogether. That would have been given the card something new and provided a far more enjoyable match than we’re likely to see with ‘The Big Red Monster’ involved.

Kane and Bryan have clashed many times over the last few months, most notably in a triple threat outing alongside CM Punk at No Way Out. Their countless clashes on TV make it clear that they will produce something passable at SummerSlam but it still feels like a waste of a massively popular performer.

In addition to being a skilled grappler Bryan has managed to get monosyllabic chants over with wrestling crowds around the world. Nobody’s managed that since ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin popularised “What?” Bryan’s in impressive company.

I’d like to think that WWE will do the right thing and have Bryan win to keep him popular. He’s of more use to the company both now and in the future than Kane, and as such he deserves the win.

Should anyone still be wondering, it looks as though Charlie Sheen’s involvement has been dropped. If he does happen to appear it will likely be saved as a big surprise (though not necessarily a good one).

The Miz and Rey Mysterio will do battle for ‘The Awesome One’s’ Intercontinental title. I doubt they’ll get long but the fact that the west coast is considered Mysterio territory should ensure that they get a healthy response from the crowd. The match would be an ideal, fast-paced opener.

I think we could see a new champion crowned. Mysterio winning the belt would get a great reaction, which is pretty much all the belt’s used for these days anyway. There don’t appear to be any plans for Miz’s reign so why not have Mysterio dethrone him and maybe advance the rivalry between the two?

Speaking of title matches WWE has announced a United States championship match between champion Santino and challenger Antonio Cesaro. ‘The Swiss Superman’ has toppled Santino twice in non-title contests in the last month, a move likely designed to foreshadow his title victory.

The belt is wasted on comedy act Santino. While it’s a fairly meaningful title putting it on Cesaro would at least give someone else the chance of doing something with it and giving them a turn in the spotlight. Cesaro is a great wrestler and needs something to set him apart soon or fans are going to start thinking of him as “just another guy.”

On the subject of acts that WWE needs to establish there’s a rumour that Damien Sandow and Brodus Clay will have a grudge match. ‘The Intellectual Saviour of the Masses’ has attacked ‘The Funkasaurus’ twice over the last month and a clash between the two is expected to happen soon. I think both men warrant a spot at SummerSlam. Sandow to win if this match takes place.

R-Truth and Kofi Kingston will face the Prime Time Players. Again. These two teams have been feuding for months. Epico and Primo have had a rivalry (which has simmered down recently due to their face turn) with the champions since around WrestleMania. This show would have been the natural time to book a three-way tag team match for the gold and blow off the angle, but because the WWE title is being defend in a triple threat match that’s not happening.

I think Kingston and Truth will retain the gold and the three team match will happen at September’s Night of Champions pay-per-view. I’m expecting the PTPs to be the next tag team champions but SummerSlam’s not their night.

The fact that these are the only three teams of note in the entire company illustrates just how badly more doubles acts are needed. If WWE wants us to dislike the Prime Time Players they need to put them in a division filled with teams that we can care about.

Finally we come to Dolph Ziggler v Chris Jericho. I have very much enjoyed the way this feud has been booked over the last month. I actually think it’s had a better build up than Lesnar v Triple H or the WWE title match. The dispute between the two men was introduced naturally and is easy to understand.

For those who haven’t been paying attention ‘Y2J’ has gradually turned babyface via his interactions with Ziggler and his manager Vickie Guerrero. ‘The Show Off’ has accused Jericho of not being able to win big matches anymore (based on Jericho’s PPV losing streak since returning to the company in January. As of this writing Ziggler’s Money in the Bank briefcase is not being defend in the match, though it’s possible that will be a last minute stipulation.

Shoddy Tout footage aside the Ziggler v Jericho rivalry has been great

If Jericho can avoid having a sloppy night this could be the best wrestling match of the night and the highlight of the undercard. Both men need this match to be spectacular: Ziggler because he is on the cusp of breaking into WWE’s headline picture and Jericho because he has had very few first class matches in 2012.

I’m torn on who to pick in this match. I think the right decision would be to have ‘The Heel’ walk out victorious as he means more to the company’s future and, as I said above, he is ready to progress to the top of the card. The niggling trouble I have is that Ziggler gained the pinfall victory over Jericho on RAW (in a triple threat match also involving The Miz) which makes me think WWE may have ‘The King of the World’ go over at SummerSlam.

I’ll pick Ziggler to win and hope WWE does the right things for one of their hottest acts.

On paper SummerSlam looks a little feeble. While I’m sure the Lesnar v triple H bout will be memorable there’s nothing else on the card that stands out as special. Meanwhile Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, two of the company’s hottest prospects, are booked in matches that don’t allow them to utilise their strengths. I expect it will turn out to be a satisfactory show, but is satisfactory what WWE should be aiming for, especially on one of their flagship events?

As for that “Perfect Storm” tagline… I don’t have a clue.

Predictions summary:

Brock Lesnar to defeat Triple H
CM Punk to retain the WWE championship against John Cena and Big Show
Sheamus to retain the World Heavyweight championship against Alberto Del Rio
Dolph Ziggler to defeat Chris Jericho
Daniel Bryan to defeat Kane
Rey Mysterio to defeat The Miz for the Intercontinental championship
Kofi Kingston and R-Truth to retain the WWE tag team championship against the Prime Time Players
Antonio Cesaro to defeat Santino for the Intercontinental championship