That Wrestling Podcast Episode 47

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 47 by Dave Hatton on Mixcloud

This episode sees the debut of a new recurring feature. It is imaginatively titled Three Things. The premise of it is simple. We take three wrestlers, tag teams, or other role in wrestling and think of things (three to be precise) that could be done to improve them.

Here we apply it to three WWE tag teams. I won’t mention any specifics because I think finding out who we’re talking about and how we think they could be bettered is a large part of what makes the episode enjoyable. Although it’s possible you can guess through a process of elimination.

I will say that I think WWE is overlooking their tag team division and not doing as much as they could with the teams they have. It’s not that the doubles scene is bad. It’s been improving for around eighteen months now. In that time we’ve seen Team Hell No, The Rhodes Scholars, The Shield and the Rhodes bros doing everything they can to make the division and the titles mean something. The spate of six man tags involving The Shield and The Wyatt Family has helped too.

Do we have ideas to improve Goldust and Cody Rhodes

But WWE are at risk of losing this. The Rhodes brothers seem to have been cooled off a little since losing the championships in January and The Shield have been moved away from doubles action this year. Even The Prime Time Players, a duo who had lots of potential to work as a fun supporting act but never got the chance to be as good as they could be, have been split (read my thoughts on that stupidity here). The division is currently in the hands of teams that are mostly proficient but seem unlikely to keep the momentum of recent times going.

Of course, wrestling well is fine. It’s better to have good wrestling than bad, especially when it comes to an aspect of WWE programming that hasn’t been handled too well for much of the last decade. But there’s more to wrestling than just putting on good matches, especially in WWE. The tag scene is the perfect place for WWE to be experimental with characters and gimmicks or for humour to be inserted into shows. These things are important to keeping shows varied and for experimenting with guys who could be stars for the company in the future.

If the Usos are left as the centrepiece team of the division it’s not going to take long for the good work of Daniel Bryan, Kane, Cody Rhodes, Goldust and ‘The Hounds of Justice’ to be undone. Even if Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, the obvious choices to oppose Jimmy and Jey in the post-‘Mania season, are moved into the division it will lack the variety of the last year and a half.

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 37

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 37 by Dave Hatton on Mixcloud

I know the Royal Rumble’s tonight but we discussed that in last Sunday’s episode. There’s only so much that can be said about it in a podcast before it happens.

Talk to the hand, TNA!

As a change from all the Rumble hype Michael and I turn our attention to TNA and the various news and rumours surrounding the company and its staff. Such as Jeff Jarrett leaving and allegedly talking about forming another new company. He’s got the experience to pull that off but I don’t think there are enough guys out there that he could sign to exclusive contracts for it to be a real possibility. He could probably do something on the level of EVOLVE or Ring of Honor, but I get the feeling ‘Double J’ would like to be affiliated with something on a grander scale.

Then there’s the signing of Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards, the American Wolves. They’re not guys who are going to turn things around for TNA but they could help improve the tag division and perhaps the X Division too. Ultimately they talented fresh names. That, along with a strong creative vision, is what TNA needs the most.

The final subject discussed is a wonderful conspiracy theory that, in fact, tie in to the Royal Rumble. But it’s so ridiculous that I don’t think it falls under the umbrella of serious Rumble talk. Have Kane and Daniel Bryan been in cahoots since they stopped teaming? That’s the question, apparently…

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 27

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 27 by Dave Hatton on Mixcloud

At the start of the year Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow were working together as The Rhodes Scholars. At the time it seemed inevitable that they would be the pairing to take the tag straps from Team Hell No boys Daniel Bryan and Kane. There were no realistic alternatives and they were too entertaining to not get a reign.

 

That didn’t happen of course.

 

This is a team that deserved a title reign

Instead Rhodes and Sandow mounted an unsuccessful title challenge at Royal Rumble, got split up and put back together in a matter of weeks, and then spent months killing time in completely forgettable and not especially good matches. It was Shield members Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns who were selected as the men to dethrone Team Hell No, having progressed throughout the spring from being six man specialists alongside Dean Ambrose to men who could contribute to shows in more conventional ways.

 

In the long run it made a little more sense. Rollins and Reigns benefited not only from being the men to take the belts from THN but also from holding them for so long. It’s unlikely they’d have got them as soon as they did had The Rhodes Scholars had them after WrestleMania. And the aimlessness of Rhodes’ and Sandow’s careers throughout the first half of the year can be overlooked with hindsight because such a good job was done with them at Money in the Bank.

 

But even there I can’t simply heap glowing praise on WWE. The feud between former best friends Sandow and Rhodes should have continued for longer than the month it did. The story was there to be told and WWE, for unfathomable reasons, decided to cut it short.

 

For Rhodes it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. He got sucked into the company’s lead angle opposite Triple H and Stephanie McMahon and got a belated run with the tag straps alongside his brother Goldust. Since being paired with ‘The Bizarre One’ Cody has had a string of fiery, captivating matches that have reinvigorated the tag championships.

 

All Sandow wants is some consistency, is that too much to ask?

‘The Intellectual Saviour’ hasn’t fared as well. The sudden ending of his programme against his former best pal left him drifting for weeks. The failed cash-in attempt he made on ‘Superman’ Cena could have been the start of something interesting for him. He cut promos hinting that it would be, saying that his goal in life was to destroy Cena. Needless to say that’s not happened. It was never likely to. But the fact that Sandow’s done nothing to advance this stated plan feels like a wasted opportunity.

 

It’s interesting how much has changed for the two most prominent WWE teams since the start of 2013. Neither are together anymore, but one of the four is a current tag champ. His partner has fallen and risen from grace numerous times, and currently seems on the cusp of another rise. Kane has gone from being an unstoppable monster to a modern day interpretation of Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco’s stooge role. Meanwhile Daniel Bryan has left the other three, and the rest of the roster, behind him and become the most popular man in the company.

Uso Oh No

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Dazzler

Anyone who’s been watching WWE lately will be aware that Daniel Bryan is one of the company’s most reliable and popular stars. The last two episodes of RAW have seen Bryan in the match of the night. On June 3^rd he lost to Ryback in one of ‘Big Hungry’s’ best matches to date. This week’s episode saw him cleanly defeat fellow former ROH champion Seth Rollins in a heated battle.

During both of those outings the crowd came alive in a way that isn’t seen too often on RAW these days. They’re not the only examples of Bryan exciting crowds either: he gets rousing responses every time he wrestles. Both Ryback and Rollins pulled their weight in their RAW matches but that the crowd become so raucous so quickly has to be credited largely to Bryan. He has exhibited a mix of character and wrestling ability that’s rare in WWE these days.

A couple of years ago WWE seemed determined to keep ‘The World’s Toughest Vegan’ down in the middle of the card. He was probably viewed as a “reliable hand” who could work solid matches but not actually draw people into his performances enough to become a star. For whatever reason (probably because there were few alternatives) he was given the Money in the Bank briefcase in July 2011, won the belt, and gradually transformed into a conceited heel.

Bryan was incredibly effective as a heel champion and managed to have credible matches with Mark Henry and Big Show in the early months of his reign. That’s something that many other guys Bryan’s size would not be able to do. It’s a fine example of how talented he is.

Bryan was famously met with booming “YES!” chants at WrestleMania XXVIII. Fans booed loudly when his World Heavyweight title match against Sheamus was cut shorter than expected, again indicating that Bryan was someone fans wanted to watch. He received a similarly positive reaction on the following evening’s RAW. When the chants stuck around he gradually reverted to the babyface role.

WWE didn’t expect Bryan to get over to the extent he has. He’s a perfect example of someone using what they’re given by the writing team to transform themselves into a star. Bryan used the exposure being the WHC provided to form a bond with fans. That’s how you make yourself indispensable within WWE.

This should be renamed the Dazzle Lock

The company has been using Bryan aimlessly for months. He was placed into a tag team with Kane and the pair wandered from one programme to the next, working most notably with the Rhodes Scholars and pairing up with singles wrestlers to clash with The Shield in six man tags whenever required.  The reason Team Hell No have battled ‘The Hounds of Justice’ so often is because WWE has had little else for them to do. They were conveniently placed good guys. There’s no other reason than that.

Since losing the tag team titles at Extreme Rules Bryan and Kane have been subtly distanced from one another. Bryan thinking of himself as a weak link was originally going to lead to a singles match with Randy Orton at Payback (somehow). It has instead led to a tag team title match for the pair.

I said in my Payback preview that I think Reigns and Rollins versus Bryan and Orton will be the match of the night. I don’t expect ‘The Apex Predator’ and ‘The King of Beards’ to win the belts. Nor do I expect them to become a regular team. I’m also inclined to believe we’re close to seeing an end to Team Hell No.

So what’s Bryan going to do next?

Well, the obvious prediction to make is that he’ll head into a programme with Randy Orton. That was the original plan for Payback so it would make sense for it to be postponed. Either man could turn on the other, setting up a clash at Money in the Bank. They could face each other without a turn happening too: Bryan’s feeling that he’s the weak link has been nicely established and could be used as a reason for a face versus face confrontation in which Bryan feels he has something to prove and Orty just wants to shut him up and get a win.

Bryan would also make a very good opponent for Dolph Ziggler. They’ve had numerous great matches before. Given fifteen minutes on a pay-per-view they could do something memorable. Bryan’s popular enough that a loss to ‘The Show Off’ wouldn’t harm him and a clean win (something he’s unlikely to get opposite Alberto Del Rio) would give Ziggler a credibility boost. Throw in AJ at ringside and you’ve got a feud with a nice amount of history to it that would be fun to watch and be compelling viewing. What’s not to like there?

Bryan could even head into a programme with company supremo John Cena. It’s safe to say the match quality wouldn’t rival Bryan v Ziggler, but Bryan’s proven he can get good work out of ‘The CeNation Leader’. It could work as a face versus face rivalry too: Bryan challenging the biggest name in the company for the most important title in order to show he’s not a weak link.

The June 3^rd match was evidence that Ryback can have matches that rise above average. A rematch on pay-per-view, given a similar amount of time, wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It would allow Ryback to finally pick up a win again and add something good to a show.

A resumption of his feud with CM Punk would be enjoyable. They could wrestle each other for months and produce something new in every bout. A programme with fellow beard-sporters RThe Wyatt Family could be intriguing too. Bryan could almost certainly get good matches from Erick Rowan and Luke Harper. I’d love to see him facing Bray Wyatt. Built up right that could be great.

Part of what makes Bryan so valuable is that he can afford to lose. He’s not someone like Ryback who’s been pushed as unstoppable. He’s been shown to be fallible. That helps audiences to empathise with him and means he doesn’t need to win all the time. His appeal is his character and the intensity he displays during matches. People don’t watch a Daniel Bryan match to see him win (although it’s nice when he does), they watch to see him perform. The ‘Dazzler’ moniker Bryan gave himself a few months ago is very accurate.

Extreme Rules 2013 review

How do you open a show called Extreme Rules? Why with a match that pits a singer against a ballroom dancer of course!

I’m skipping ahead a little. Extreme Rules actually opened with the typically good video package treatment. The first screenshot of that featured the word “Thou shalt not”, which made me think of the Dudleys. That may have been intentional but I doubt it. The main focus of the video were the WWE championship feud and the story of Triple H v Lesnar. The latter dates back to last year but only seemed to feature footage from the last month. I find that odd.

Anyway, the event kicked off with Fandango facing Chris Jericho in a rematch from WrestleMania XXIX. Lawler told us that he thinks Fandango's underrated as the dancer made his way to the ring. JBL agreed because he had the most impressive debut ever. I couldn’t follow the logic but then I’m not a WWE commentator.

The opener was the standard Jericho affair, which is to say that fans went wild as he botched moves and loudly called spots. In a particularly glaring blunder he bellowed "Over the top!" moments before Fandango sent him sailing over the top rope to set up a missile drop kick. Considering how long 'Y2J's' been at it he should really know better. He has no incentive to improve though because people rave about him despite these flaws.

Fandango was permitted to kick out of the Lionsault towards the end of the match. That helped his credibility. Being felled by a Codebreaker as he leapt from the top rope couldn’t have hurt in that regard either: that ‘Y2J’ had to pull out such a big move to finish him off makes Fandango look a star.

The match was hit and miss but ultimately achieved what it needed to.

Backstage Josh Mathews interviewed Sheamus. When asked how he was going to drag Mark Henry around the ring to win his match, even though that wasn't the requirement of the match (because the strap's pretty long), Sheamus basically said he'd go extreme. He also said "pacifically" instead of "specifically". I wept and wished he’d referenced his time in WWECW instead.

Match number two was for the United States championship. Despite being the champ Kofi Kingston was annoucned first. The announcers plugged Hulu as he was in the ring. I don’t think ‘The Wildcat’s’ standing within the company could be made any clearer.

The crowd chanted “Let’s go Ambrose!” early on, which must have been heartening for the indy standout and an irritation for the talented and professional Kingston. The two had a very spirited match, culminating in a missed Trouble in Paradise by Kofi that allowed Dean to hit a fall forward DDT. The new champ celebrated, alongside his stablemates, like he'd achieved something. That's how to elevate a belt.

The Mark Henry v Sheamus strap match was next. Lights had been added to the corners to make it easier for fans to keep track of who’d touched which corner. It struck me as the sort of innovative change WCW would have come up with: designed to fix a non-existent problem and utterly pointless.

They tried to do interesting stuff but it all failed due to clumsiness. They have to share the blame for that: they were as bad as each other when it came to fumbling their way through simplistic spots. ‘The Celtic Warrior’ won a surprisingly short match by easily tapping three corners, handily felling 'The World's Strongest Man' with a Brogue Kick and then slapping the fourth and final corner.

Conclusive proof that Sheamus is a slapper

 

Medics were shown checking on Henry, even though he'd only suffered a standard finishing move. The match hadn’t even been that rambunctious so I’m not sure why this was shown. Perhaps something happened to cause genuine concern for Henners’ health.

As Sheamus sashayed his way to the back JBL said he'd been unsure that he could win, which was an odd statement considering he’d picked the Irishman to go over. Someone really needs to have a word with the WWE commentary team. Inconsistencies like that crop up all too often.

The cameras then cut backstage to show as AJ on the phone to World Heavyweight champion Dolph Ziggler (who I really missed on this show). Divas champion Kaitlyn interrupted and made fun of her mental state before pretending to walk off only to return and attack her from behind. Yes, Kaitlyn’s the babyface here, so I don’t know why she’s being portrayed as a coward. The crowd were silent as the pair exchanged bland insults but perked up for their very convincing brawl. The sooner AJ and Kaitlyn start getting to wrestle regularly the better. I think they’ll have very good matches.

Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter cut a promo as the headed to the ring for the number one contenders I Quit match. Well, Colter talked while Swags flexed and stared listlessly. It was almost more interesting than the match that followed. Not because I agree with Colter (although he's a great promo) but because I'm sick and tired of ADR versus Swagger. Colter talked about an IRS scandal that completely passed me by because I don't really pay much attention to non-wrestling news (true story). I understood his cheap heat comments about the St. Louis Cardinals more. I’m not into baseball, I just understand cheap heat.

The match started off quickly. ADR nailed a suicide dive within seconds and then introduced a kendo stick to proceedings. The early going was characterised by Mike Chioda asking if people wanted to quit every twenty to thirty seconds. It got annoying quickly. Swagger and ADR got in on the act themselves when they started doing Jericho impersonations, screaming "Ask him!" every time they scored any offence on their foe.  

The finishing sequence to this match was… odd.

ADR locked in the cross arm breaker. Swags reversed into an ankle lock. Del Rio did a great job of selling the move, which set up Ricardo teasing that he'd throw in the towel to stop his friend’s suffering. ADR told him not to so he didn't.

But Zeb Colter did. He grabbed the towel and chucked it into the ring as Chioda’s back was turned, causing the match to be called in favour of ‘The Real American’. Another referee came running out to inform Chioda what happened, but the senior referee wasn’t satisfied. He went out to ringside to watch a replay on a conveniently placed TV. I don’t think we’re meant to ask why the finish couldn’t be replied on the Titantron.  The upshot of this was that the match was restarted with Del Rio playing a massive underdog.

The entire saga received the loudest reaction of the Swagger-Del Rio segment by far. That should tell WWE something about their programme.

The restart probably lasted for about a minute. Within seconds Swagger was caught in the arm breaker. After less than thirty seconds he quit. While ADR won it seemed as though the finish was designed to protect Swagger in defeat. I was hoping their rivalry was going to end and that they’d head off to do something new. I assume that’s not the case. Perhaps keeping this rivalry alive is WWE’s contingency plan until Ziggler’s cleared from his concussion and can wrestle again.

Josh Mathews interviewed The Ryback. Actually Ryback just diatribed as Josh held a microphone for him. He hined about how he should have been champion six months ago. It was nothing we’ve not heard before.

Team Hell No were out next to defend their tag team championships against Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. Stat Master Michael Cole told us the champs had had the belts for 245 days, which is a very healthy reign by company standards. JBL followed up with a reference to Kane's oft forgotten feud with May 19^th. It was nice to hear it mentioned. What? Yeah, he feuded with a day. Google it.

The tornado rules gave Bryan and Kane a chance to do something different to their usual routine of Bryan getting isolated for a while before making a hot tag to 'The Big Red Machine'. It made a nice change and allowed both men the chance to work equal portions of the match. It was a very good outing that was designed to showcase The Shield combo’s teamwork without harming the work that’s been put into Bryan and Kane. I thought it was an excellent display.

The believers have been rewarded

 

The Shield won with a double stomp-torture rack combo. Ambrose appeared to raise the hands of the tag champions. The trio then posed with their belts. It was another example of belts being treated the right way.

A recap of Cody Rhodes tapping out to The Miz's figure four was shown. There was no reason for it.

Match six saw Big Show and hometown boy Randy Orton clash in a lively Extreme Rules match, noticeable mostly (to my mind at least) for Show being allowed to kick out of an RKO. He lost eventually but it was still a pretty big moment. Not just anyone gets to survive Orton's answer to the Diamond Cutter. It was a punt kick that eventually put 'The World's Largest Athlete' away. That was a banned move for a while so I assume it's now back in use for special occasions... and that for some reason a standard match against Big Show is considered a special occasion.

The Ryback v Cena feud was treated to a lengthy hype video. It was well produced and recapped the feud nicely. You could almost believe their interactions had been exciting.

The Ryback, out first, got a mostly negative reaction but there were cheers to he heard. Some people simply want anyone but Cena on top, which means they'll cheer whoever's pitted against him. Once his music cut off Ryback did get the solid wall of jeers he was after. I'm not sure how. All he was doing was flexing his jaw.

Cena got a mostly positive reaction. St. Louis is obviously a town that enjoys his work. I don't, and Cena provided me with a perfect example of why within seconds of appearing: he sprinted to the ring despite allegedly having a foot injury. It’s this cavalier attitude towards telling a realistic story once the bell rings that causes him to be so unpopular.

'The Franchise' kept his Last Man Standing hot streak alive with another enjoyable tussle. This is definitely the best gimmick for him, he never enters a less than great performance with it. Not even his comedy facial expressions and failure to sell exhaustion could ruin things. On the subject of expressions Ryback proved very capable of working the crowd. I'd noted that he could do it as a face with his shoulder jerking routine but hadn't seen him do it much as a heel. After his performance here I'm now more comfortable with him as a bad guy.

The Ryback entered one of the best performances of his career

 

The finish saw Ryback slip out of an AA attempt, scoop up the champion and spear him through the set at the top of the ramp. The moment was replayed several times as Charles Robinson scampered backstage to help get the crash mats the wrestlers had landed on out of sight. Cena was peeled off the floor and slapped onto a stretcher as the announce team talked gravely in an attempt to convince us that we were seeing dire stuff unfolding. Ryback stood up and walked away (with help from referees admittedly).

It was a very cool visual but ultimately it was a disappointing finish. I can understand the decision to do it though: it keeps the title on Cena and prolongs the company's top feud for at least another month. Ryback now has a legitimate argument for being the champ because he was quite literally the last man standing. As long as their inevitable rematch at Payback has a better finish there's no problem with the LSM bout ending like that.

Going on last were Brock Lesnar and Triple H. 'The Game' jumped Lesnar before he'd even reached the ring and also lumped Heyman for good measure. Yeah, another alleged babyface attacking their supposedly dishonourable foe form behind.

Once again the two men failed to put on a match that fully engaged me. On paper they did everything right but the pace was just a little too sluggish, with just a little too much stalling, to be as good as it could have been. They were in a tough position. Had they shaved time off the match it would have been more enjoyable but the encounter wouldn’t have felt like the feud-ending meeting it clearly was. Taking the longer run time meant it felt like the epic encounter they wanted but that it ended up being boring.

Lesnar got himself a storyline knee injury a few minutes into the match. He rivalled Del Rio for best selling of the night. That’s not something you normally hear of ‘The Beast’. I think he deserves praise for doing such a stellar job. A chair was introduced within a few minutes and eventually a sledgehammer was revealed, stashed in the upper reaches of the cage. Presumably ‘The King of Kings’ put it there. If not him then maybe it was the same person who raised the briefcase at King of the Ring 99.

The sledgehammer would eventually lead to the finish, but it was a while coming. First the two men ran through a number of finisher exchanges, some Heyman interference and a Sharpshooter. I’d like to think that last was a dig at Bret Hart for his comments that Triple H is a below average wrestler who produces below average matches. Eventually ‘The Pain’ lamped Hunter with the sledge and then followed up with an F5 for the victory.

Lesnar swaggered out of the building as Triple H sold the beating in the ring. Because WWE now runs into a post-show analysis broadcast there was no well-produced final shot available. If they’d had to have one I reckon they’d have gone with Lesnar having his hand raised at the top of the ramp and looking very pleased with himself.

On the whole I thought Extreme Rules was a very good show. The main event, while not brilliant, wasn’t offensive and capped off a long-running feud. The WWE championship match, Team Hell No v The Shield, and Big Show v Randy Orton were all very strong offerings, while Mark Henry v Sheamus and Ambrose v Kingston were as entertaining as they could be given their running times. WWE should be pleased with what they put on. If all their pay-per-views were this good the product would be a lot better.

Extreme Rules 2013 preview

Since WrestleMania you may have noticed WWE announcers and interviewers bandying the word "extreme" about like it's going out if style. In wrestling terms I suppose you could argue it went of style in 2001. This pay-per-view, Extreme Rules, is the reason for that. WWE want the number of gimmick matches on this show to seem normal. They've got to justify keeping the title around somehow and this is the best they can come up with. I know, no wonder the creative division's in the state it's in.

Gimmick pay-per-views aren't ideal. They force the booking team to escalate programmes too quickly, moving guys into extreme (I can do it too) matches before they're ready. A return to more generic pay-per-view names would allow special stipulations to be wheeled out as and when required. WWE have done a pretty solid job of giving meaning to the gimmicks that will be on display here though. It could be worse. There's nothing as absurd as CM Punk and Ryback's first meeting being in a Hell in a Cell.

Several weeks ago I wrote that WWE could present three triple threat matches on this show. I was pretty excited at the prospect. It could have been different and interesting. In the end they only announced one and even that won't take place now. Dolph Ziggler would have defended his World Heavyweight championship against Jack Swagger and previous champ Alberto Del Rio but has been pulled from the match after suffering a concussion.

I was looking forward to the match. The ladder rules and the gaggle of seconds at ringside would have allowed for plenty of memorable spots and bumps (AJ strikes me as being game to go through a table to get a big match over). I'm pleased WWE caught Ziggler's concussion. Better to hold off on a match and keep him healthy.

Instead of a three-way ladder battle ADR and 'The Real American' will clash in an I Quit number one contenders match. I expect it to be all about the Patriot Act ankle lock being pitted against Del Rio's cross arm breaker. Making it an I Quit match instead of a submission match allows for more ringside brawling and weapons.

These two guys have been feuding since February. Their matches are always good but the feud hasn't really interested crowds so I can't see it continuing after this. I would imagine ADR's going to win here, slipping him into a one-on-one feud with 'The Show Off' and letting Swagger do something new. Or nothing at all. Depends on how much you expect from the writing team there. I expect very little.

Another triple threat I was expecting was Big Show v Randy Orton v Sheamus. It's probably a good thing this one isn't happening: two faces and one heel in a triple threat is never a good idea and I can't imagine the three putting on anything special. Sheamus and Show do nothing for me and Orton's seemed bored senseless for a while now. It would've been a letdown.

Instead of that match Big Show and 'The Viper' have cultivated their own rivalry and 'The Celtic Warrior' has gone to war with Mark Henry. The bored Orton should be more comfortable only working against 'The World's Largeat Athlete' in their Extreme Rules match, which should make it a little more tolerable. It's not something I'm looking forward to. It feels like their problems have been playing out forever.

I'm picking Big Show to win. A loss at this event could be used as the reason for 'The Apex Predator' turning bad. He's in such desperate need of a refresh that I think that's got to be happening soon.

The Henry v Sheamus strap battle is a bit more interesting, mainly because of the rarely seen stipulation and 'The World's Strongest Man's' character, which has been a highlight of Henry's (admittedly tiresome) career. I find neither enjoyable to watch in the ring but this match should at least play to their strengths of working sloppy and stiff (that sounds a bit wrong but I'm keeping it in).

I could see either men winning here, to be honest. There's no clear reason one should or could win over the other. They'll probably meet again at Payback too, which only makes this even more arbitrary. I'll go with Henry winning via a cheat of some sort, under the logic that Sheamus can come back to get his avenging babyface win in June. That's something to look forward to!

 

Strap match with Mark Henry? That warrants a pay-per-view poster!

In generic singles matches Fandango will face Chris Jericho and, on the live pre-show, The Miz will face Cody Rhodes. 'Y2J' lost at WrestleMania and while it wouldn't hurt him to lose again here I don't think he will. The appeal of the Fandango character isn't that he's undefeated (well, he's not lost clean and that's close enough) but that he's incredibly camp and has catchy entrance music. He can lose and not lose any momentum. Plus this show needs babyfaces to win at least some matches.

Miz has become the king of pre-shows. This will be the third time this year he's been on one. Not that that means anything beyond WWE not having a long term plan, which we knew was the case already. A few weeks ago it looked like something was planned for Cody Rhodes when he had a scorcher of a match with Randy Orton on RAW (Randy RAWton? That scans). That's not been followed up on so I expect Cody to be the next bad guy sacrificed to build up 'The Awesome One's' figure four leg lock into a move that's taken seriously. It's wasteful but that won't stop WWE. For some reason they seem determined to make the move credible for Miz.

For the first time ever The Shield will compete in a non-six man tag match on a pay-per-view. Rollins and Reigns will challenge Team Hell No for the tag team titles in a tornado match. These sorts of matches are incredibly rare in WWE. I think it's probably because they dislike the name but conjure up anything more relevant. Things like that make a difference in that company. Rare gimmick or not I expect this to be very enjoyable.

Meanwhile Dean Ambrose will challenge for the (sarcasm alert) prestigious United States championship. No special rules have been announced for that match and I don't expect that to change.

I think all three members of The Shield will have titles by the end of Extreme Rules. They've been built up for six months to the point where they're one of the most over acts in WWE. It just feels like a good time to increase their push. While the titles don't mean much traditionalist Triple H understands that it's the right way to elevate guys. Perhaps they'll be able to restore some meaning to their new prizes.

Which leaves us with the final two matches, the second biggest of which is Triple H v Brock Lesnar in a feud ending cage match. I don't think I'm alone when I say I'm not terribly interested in this.

Their feud started a year ago. Only wrestling twice in that time should make the deciding encounter something hotly anticipated. It hasn't. People just don't seem to care. The fact that weeks can pass without the two men interacting could be a factor, as could the general pacing of the programme when they have met.

I think a bigger reason is that their match at WrestleMania XXIX was a slightly generic affair while their first encounter at SummerSlam verged on dull. They haven't produced anything to make anyone believe their cage match at Extreme Rules will be something special.

I'm assuming this bout is going to be another blasé entry into this incredibly monotonous rivalry. 'The Pain' is the obvious pick to win because its him, not 'The King of Kings', that's expected to main event the larger shows between now and the end of the year. He's one of WWE's biggest drawing cards and if he's to retain his allure he can't lose twice in a row, within the space of a month and half, to the same guy. He needs to be reinvigorated with a win so he looks strong for his next feud

Who that will be with and when it will take place we don't know. The idea of CM Punk returning at Payback next month in front of his hometown crowd has a certain appeal to it, and were that to happen 'The Beast' could potentially be booked to take down his stablemate to trigger a rivalry between the two. It would draw a crazy amount of heat because Punk's so loved on Chicago.

If it's not Punk there aren't many other options. Orty, Del Rio or Sheamus could be sacrificed to Lesnar but none of them feels like a big enough name to be in a meaningful feud with him. In the case of Orton that's pretty sad. He used to be a special talent.

If The Rock's healthy and willing to return he'd make a great SummerSlam opponent for Lesnar. But that's not likely, and even if it were most people think that match should be saved for WrestleMania XXX. I'd like to see Lesnar tackle The Streak next year so is have no problem with him tackling 'The Brahma Bull' at SummerSlam. But that's me.

If he doesn't face Punk next WWE should just put Lesnar on the shelf for a while. Better to save his limited appearances rather than waste them in a panicked attempt to fill PPV minutes.

The main event of Extreme Rules will see WWE champion John Cena defend against The Ryback. I think I'd be looking forward to this if the booking had been better. We've had one shambolic instalment of this rivalry after another and it's resulted in it feeling like the programme's been going on for months rather than five weeks.

Why did The Ryback have to turn heel? Why did he have to be cast as a cowardly heel? Why hasn't SuperCena been instructed to react to The Ryback as though he sees him as a threat? Why did The Ryback, when given the chance to select the match type, pick a stipulation that his opponent has never lost? None of what we've seen makes sense.

'Big Hungry' was perfectly placed to work in the number two babyface spot long term. He could have stayed a good guy and still gone after Cena's title. A face versus face feud would have been great and could have been used to create a hot, split audience atmosphere when the two met. It would have be something out of the ordinary too.

Not of that matters now. WWE were more interested in having 'The Human Wrecking Ball' as a bad guy. It's a wasted opportunity but it's not like that's anything new with WWE.

The good news is that Cena tends to do his best work in Last Man Standing and similar match types. That he's not required to wrestle much actually helps. He can spend his time swinging chairs about instead. If ever there were a stipulation that would allow Cena and Ryback to excel this would be it.

There was a period several weeks ago when it seemed as though Cena could be dropping the title because of an injury. While his heel is still injured it's not as bad as was previously believed. He's been working through the pain to appear on house shows and has been announced for more after Extreme Rules. He's been okayed by doctors so WWE are under no pressure to relieve him of the strap if they don't want to.

So the question is, of course, do they want to? The likelihood is that they don't. They spent around a year and a half keeping the WWE championship off of Cena. Now that he's finally made it back to the top with his wholly unbelievable redemption story (he's the most highly paid regular in the company and the most heavily protected act since Hulk Hogan, it's impossible to see him as an underdog seeking redemption) WWE will almost certainly want to give him a lengthy run.

However, Ryback has been marked out as a star of the future. He's not had a win on pay-per-view in ages so having him lose again would set back his progress further. It won't stop him becoming a headliner but it will make it a harder, longer job than a win would.

There are reasons for both men to win and there's no obvious choice but I think it's slightly more likely that Cena will win. He's the more established guy and WWE have been favouring lengthy title reigns over the last couple of years. I'd love to see a Ryback victory and I don't think it's impossible but I think Cena retaining is a little more likely.

Despite the lack of triple threat matches (I'm partial to triple threats) Extreme Rules looks like a strong offering. I hope the big matches can deliver and some of the lower card action (particularly Ambrose v Kingston) gets time to be memorable. This show could be better than WrestleMania XXIX.

Predictions summary:

John Cena to defeat Ryback
Brock Lesnar to defeat Triple H
Alberto Del Rio to defeat Jack Swagger
Mark Henry to defeat Sheamus
Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns to defeat Team Hell No
Big Show to defeat Randy Orton
Dean Ambrose to defeat Kofi Kingston
Chris Jericho to defeat Fandango
The Miz to defeat Cody Rhodes

Protectors of the Faith

Over the last five months The Shield has been incredibly well handled. Part of the reason for this is that they haven't been overexposed. They’ve wrestled only a handful of matches since November, the rest of the air time they’ve had seeing them on run-in and beatdown duty. The approach has meant fans haven't become sick of seeing them and that it's special when they step into the ring.

Working almost exclusively with headliners (they've had a handful of brushes with comedy trio 3MB and a solitary outing against Zack Ryder, Justin Gabriel and Great Khali) has helped them too. Wrestling guys at the top if the card makes any newcomer look like a big star and a hot prospect. Beating those stars hasn’t hurt either.

No taped fists for Reigns. He's a tough dude

To date The Shield has suffered just one loss: Dean Ambrose lost to the Undertaker on the April 29^th SmackDown from London. Dean Ambrose lost but the fact that he was selected to be the first member of The Shield to have a solo outing demonstrates that WWE sees him as the guy with the most potential, or at least the most capable of the three right now. That he will wrestle Kane on this evening’s SmackDown indicates the same thing.

 If this is the WWE Hive Mind's opinion then it's one I agree with. Rollins is technically sound in the ring but still doesn't really have the mic skills or those intangible qualities that allow a guy to establish himself as a headliner in WWE. Roman Reigns still has yet to do anything that will make me think he's anything more than average. He enjoys roaring and has a good look (featuring big muscles!). That's going to be enough to get him a shot at stardom as a solo act at some point because that’s how things are in WWE. At the moment the smart thing is being done: he’s working with more experienced guys and his weaknesses are being covered.

Ambrose goes out of his way to separate himself from his peers. Instead of snarling and scowling during his entrance as his buddies (and practically every other bad guy in the company) Ambrose has adopted other mannerisms. Flexing his hands, twitching his neck and bumping around during matches with almost Ziggler-esque abandon, Ambrose is clearly not a run of the mill talent.
 

Star of the show

His promo delivery makes him stand out too. He has a good understanding of how to get across what is a fairly generic point in an engaging and interesting fashion. His inflections and delivery are pitched perfectly. His Heath Ledger Joker-like drawl hinting at a slightly unhinged man.

It seems likely that the three men are going to get a tag team title match against Team Hell No at some point. I expect they'll win, mainly because their push has been so strong and there's really very little else Kane and Bryan can do as a tandem without reverting to the challenger role and working as chasers.

I'm not going to advocate two specific members of The Shield holding the belts. What would be the point? The group would be best served by a return of the Freebird Rule (a ruling that allows a trio to reign as tag champs, with any two members of the three defending the gold on any given occasion). That approach would allow them all to notch up a title reign relatively early in their WWE careers and continue to share TV time with one another.

The Shield wouldn't be the only beneficiaries of a tag title win. The belts themselves could conceivably get a boost from the switch if 'The Hounds of Justice' continue working opposite established headliners.

Randy Orton and Sheamus could be reunited as challengers at Payback or Money in the Bank. Their loss could be what triggers that Orty heel turn seemingly everyone on the planet (from Lou Albano to Barack Obama) is gagging for. A win over 'The Celtic Vipers' would be good for Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns and show that the tag titles are still relevant.

Their win could even be used to turn the Prime Time Players into babyfaces. With Titus O'Neil given some time to talk I think they could work as good guys. Making them seem like credible threats could be The Shield's first challenge from management. If fans can be made to cheer the Players then it’s a job well done for the boys in black.

Their issue with 'The Dead Man' could resurface too. That's a feud that feels as though it should take in a pay-per-view. ‘The Dead Man’ still has fresh singles matches waiting against Reigns and Rollins for TV, and the Shield v Undertaker and Team Hell No (or Daniel Bryan and the Brothers of Destruction) match could be trotted out again on a PPV with a gimmick added to it. We could even see The Shield defend the titles against Kane and 'Taker. A win there would be a massive credibility boost for the flak jacket aficionados.

Sooner or later The Shield is going to split and each man will get a shot at singles stardom. Ambrose is my pick to gain the most success, although I imagine Reigns will get a chance to make it first. Rollins? He’s got the talent to make it to the top but in the current WWE era even average guys win the World Heavyweight title (I’m looking at you, fella).

It’s too early to be talking about their split though. For the foreseeable future The Shield are going to continue to work together. Hopefully they will continue to be one of WWE’s most well-handled acts and those in charge will pay attention to what’s worked with the group. Every guy form NXT should be as protected as Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns have been.

Believe in The Shield

The question going in to tonight's RAW is not whether the London crowd will hum Fandango's theme tune. We all know they'll not just do it but do it well. No, the question for tonight's show is what will happen with the announced Undertaker and Team Hell No v The Shield match.

I don't just mean who will win and who will lose, I mean whether or not the match will actually take place to begin with. This bout feels like it should be on a pay-per-view. That's mainly because of the Undertaker. With his career likely to wrap up within a few years and WWE's general lack of stars any outing 'The Dead Man' has at this point warrants a pay-per-view slot. He's not wrestled at an event not named WrestleMania since Bragging Rights 2010 (discounting house shows of course). Even appearances on RAW have been a rarity for him so it feels peculiar for him to be having a television match after so long.

It's possible the six man tag won't actually take place. Antics could occur before the bell to instigate a brawl in place of the official match. That would keep the programme going without short-changing viewers. This feels as though it's going to be a programme that takes in a PPV so my assumption is something will happen to keep the disagreement alive.

The other obvious option would be for 'The Hounds of Justice' to get a clean win. That would keep them looking strong, something WWE have done very well since introducing the trio to the roster. If they were to get a fall on Bryan or Kane that would give them the perfect argument for a tag title match. Not that much of an argument is needed for a title shot in WWE but you see my point.

That said I wouldn't have a problem with any of the three getting a pin over the Undertaker. He's not a Jericho-like guy who can start putting people over left, right and centre but he can afford to do it occasionally. The Shield would benefit greatly from being able to say they handed 'The Phenom' his first loss in two and a half years. It would make believing in them easier too.

These three should be teaming on pay-per-views

It's likely that Team Hell No will face The Shield at Extreme Rules. Undie could be a part of that rematch or he could simply be playing his part tonight before leaving the regulars to it. Should he leave then Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns could challenge THN to a handicap match. If he sticks around the rematch could have a stipulation added to it. Either approach would fit the Extreme Rules moniker.

Handicap matches aren't extreme? Well, no. But neither was last year's two-out-of-three falls match.

I think the Shield have been booked well enough that they could sustain a loss. It just makes more sense for them to continue winning for the time being. The first loss the gang suffers should be on a pay-per-view, preferably to big name stars. There are few names bigger than 'Taker, which is why I'm expecting tonight's six man tag to either not take place or result in a Shield win to set up a rematch at Extreme Rules. There's money in this match. Why give it away for free?

WrestleMania XXIX preview

Considering it will be the biggest and most financially successful wrestling event of the year the booking of WrestleMania XXIX has left quite a bit to be desired. The stories for many of the top matches have been botched, the only one of the big three that's managed to weather the storm being Brock Lesnar v Triple H.

Perhaps WWE are simply content to rest on their laurels. They know this show will make money so why overanalyse things and risk making it a sub-par event. Coasting will get them perfectly satisfactory results after all.

Blue Steel

Outside of the three main event matches the one with the most hype, and very probably the best story behind it, is Alberto Del Rio v Jack Swagger for the World Heavyweight championship. 'The Real American' has become more relevant than at any other point in his career thanks to his xenophobic overhaul and pairing with Zeb Colter. ADR has worked out well as a babyface, although his job is understandably easier in Latin markets. This means that we could  see a pretty hot match.

'Mania tends to attract hardcore fans who will happily cheer heels over faces if the mood takes them. I can't see that happening here, what with Swagger being a beardy racist and everything. This will be a test for Del Rio's popularity and ability to get a reaction from fans when not opposing an established headliner. How well he fares will play a part in determining what role he plays in WWE's long term future.

If it's given the time I think Del Rio’s WHC defence could be the best wrestling match on the show. Immediately after Elimination Chamber I thought Swagger seemed destined to get the gold. Following his drug-related arrest his chances have fallen. No ramifications for that act of stupidity have been made public. If there had been some they would likely have cropped up on a rumour site or two by now. This lack of punishment makes me think that Swagger was originally going to win the title from Del Rio and that WWE has changed their minds as a way of teaching him a lesson (that lesson being “say no to drugs”).

While I expect ADR to retain the big gold belt I don't expect him to leave with it. Dolph Ziggler still hasn't cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase he won last July, which grants him a WHC shot whenever he wants it. WrestleMania seems like a fitting time for 'The Show Off' to cash-in and I expect him to be successful. Not only would this make use of the talented and popular Ziggler (who I think is likely to turn face later in the year) but it could kick off a new three-way programme for the big gold belt.

Ziggler's scheduled appearance is in a tag team match alongside Big E Langston. Yep, Big E, the reigning NXT champion, will wrestle his first televised match as a member of the main roster at WrestleMania. That’s pretty much the ideal way to debut. And Langston’s not the only guy getting that treatment: somebody in WWE is taking pushing new acts seriously again.

Big E and Ziggler will challenge Team Hell No for the tag team championship. I don't think this match will get very long, unfortunately. I'm expecting Bryan and Ziggler to have a good wrestling exchange and at least one spot where Langston muscles Kane around. That would be fine with me. Bryan and Ziggler are two of the best on the roster and throwing 'The Big Red Machine' around will make Big E look good without asking too much of him.

It’s hard to pick a winner for this match, although Bryan and Kane need to lose the championships soon because their act has become tiresome. Both would benefit from doing something new. But if Ziggler's winning the World title (and I think he is, remember) giving him a tag belt too would be a peculiar move. Having two titles would be a good way to highlight 'The Heel' and could see a return of his two matches per PPV gimmick from late 2011. It’s just that it goes against WWE’s current booking practices.

Elsewhere on the undercard Ryback will tangle with Mark Henry. This is one of the matches I was alluding to earlier when I mentioned botched storylines. 'The Human Wrecking Ball' was originally announced for the six man tag match (see below, obvs). He was pulled from that after just a few days for a showdown with 'The World's Strongest Man', which was at one point advertised for an episode of SmackDown (it didn't happen due to an attack by The Shield).

A plot ripe with false advertising is not the best way to treat one of the top prospects the company currently has. WWE did it anyway. Because they know best.

I think Ryback seems a safe pick here. He needs rebuilding after losses to CM Punk at the end of last year, as well as his elimination from the Rumble by John Cena and his relatively clean loss to The Shield at Elimination Chamber. Once someone is established as a headliner in WWE they can lose as often as is needed. Before they've made it they need to show that they can win consistently. It's what WWE fans have been conditioned to expect from top guys.

This match seems like an elaborate excuse to have ‘Big Hungry’ hit his Muscle Buster finisher on ‘The World’s Strongest Man’. What a WrestleMania Moment™ that will be! It also has the added bonus of giving Michael Cole an excuse to get overexcited. I think we all want that.

Big Show replaced Ryback in the six man tag match. He will team with Randy Orton and Sheamus against The Shield. 'The Celtic Warrior' is cretinous but everyone else has something to offer. Rollins and Ambrose are both excellent and while I'm still not a massive fan of Reigns he's acceptable in small doses and multi-man outings. Big Show is Big Show. He'll be blown up by the time he gets to the ring, but he'll do everything with intensity.

Orton is probably going to be the star of this match. A heel turn has been rumoured for him for months and it's expected to take place here. The favourite prediction seems to be 'The Viper' blasting Sheamus with an RKO during or after the match. That would make sense from a storyline perspective and would set up the expected Sheamus v Orton programme, but people seem to be forgetting WWE's habit of changing plans that leak or seem obvious.

I don't think a Sheamus heel turn should be ruled out. Orton may have said he wants to play heel but that could be a ruse to misdirect fans. Or he could be denied his wishes as punishment for talking about them freely on Twitter. 'Great White' has been a disappointment as a headline babyface so a heel turn doesn't seem impossible. Orton is still a popular guy with fans. Turning him would freshen him up but it would cost the promotion more money than a Shaymo switch and be slapped with the dreaded predictable label.

I expect The Shield to win no matter what. I'm just not convinced it's 'The Apex Predator' who will go bad.

Chris Jericho v Fandango strikes me as an oddity. I’m not against the match being on the WrestleMania card. I’ve come around to the idea of ‘Y2J’ being used to elevate the ballroom dancer because WWE seems to be serious about getting the new act to stick.

Usually I’ll complain that I don’t think matches will get long enough. Here I’m going to hope they don’t. Fandango would be best served with a quick pinfall over ‘The Highlight of the Night’. Sticking in some stalling and a pre-match demand to have his name said correctly is fine, but once they lock up things need to be over quickly. Fandango’s still in a delicate position. Viewers need to be kept wanting more.

One match that I don’t think we’ll be wanting more of is the eight person tag team match. That the Rhodes Scholars have been lumbered with Tensai, Brodus Clay and four part time Diva wrestlers is an incredible disappointment. They’ve been so good as a unit that they deserved to be in a tag title match. At least they’re on the card, I suppose. That’s more than can be said for others who deserve it just as much.

We’ll probably have a clearer idea of who’s winning this match when we see where it’s placed on the card. It’s likely going to be strategically slotted in as a bathroom break after one of the bigger matches. If they’re following a heel win then it’s likely Tensai and Clay will go over, and vice versa. I’m going to officially select Damien Sandow, Cody Rhodes and the Bella twins to win. I care about the guys more, and the Bellas are better looking. It’s that simple.

Originally announced for the main card was an Intercontinental title match between former champion The Miz and current champion Wade Barrett. It got bumped down to the pre-show a week ago, likely because of time limitations. I think that’s fair enough. They’re still getting to wrestle in front of a WrestleMania crowd. In fact they’ll probably get a better reaction than they would on the ‘Mania broadcast because they’ll be one of the night’s first outings.

Barrett’s a Brit so I’d like to pick him as a national pride thing. Realistically I think ‘The Awesome One’ has a better chance. He’s not been pinned at WrestleMania and while I think it’s unlikely Miz is ever going to have an Undertaker style Streak I do think it helps his chances against a guy like Barrett. I think they’ll have a decent match.

On the subject of the pre-show I think there’s a good chance there will be a battle royal featuring everyone not in a match. With Antonio Cesaro not announced to defend his US title a battle royal defence could be booked. Alternatively ‘The Swiss Superman’ could face the winner of a battle royal.

If a battle royal for the United States strap happens I think it will come down to Zack Ryder and Cesaro. If Cesaro faces the winner my pick will be ‘Long Island Iced Z’. With this show being in Ryder’s home area he seems like the best bet to challenge Cesaro. WWE may go all the way and have him win but I think that would be going too far. Cesaro’s more valuable to the future of WWE. He should leave with the gold.

Another pre-show option is a Divas title match. It was hinted that Kaitlyn and AJ were going to square off at WM29 a week or two ago but no match was ever officially announced. If it ends up happening, and I think it should if enough time can be found, I’ll be picking AJ to win.

Then there are the main event matches. Cena v Rock II will go on last. I'm not sure which of the other two will get the higher billing but personally I think it should be Undertaker v Punk. For one thing Triple H v Lesnar is a rematch from last year. For another it's not as important as The Streak, despite its stipulations.

What 'The Game' versus 'The Pain' II has going for it over the other high profile bouts on the card is that it's not easy to predict. It's a no holds barred match which will see Triple H retire if he loses. The retirement stip had become surprisingly meaningful over the last several years, thanks to the send offs of Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels. Neither has wrestled again (in WWE anyway) after losing. That adds weight to the prospect of Triple H retiring here.

Before the retirement announcement I was in two minds as to who would win this match. The stipulation decided for me, really. I can’t imagine Triple H hanging up the boots quite yet. He’s too valuable as a part time performer. As long as he’s active ‘The Game’ will always be available to appear on a pay-per-view against a rising talent or a burgeoning main eventer. There’s not really anyone else who can perform that function.

Are WWE willing to put him on the shelf and deny themselves a reliable main event act? I don't know, but I know they shouldn't be. I think Lesnar needs the win more because he's going to be appearing in pay-per-view matches regularly (he signed a two year contract extension a month or so ago) and needs to be portrayed as a winner. But my feeling that Triple H remaining part time is good for business outweighs that.

That said how good would it make Lesnar look if he could spend the next two years of his WWE contract bragging about ending the career of the COO? Perhaps WWE has a long term plan based around that.

The Undertaker v CM Punk deserves to be in the semi-main event spot, despite the spectacularly botched nature of their feud. As the year began it seemed obvious that Punk would drop the title to The Rock at Royal Rumble and then segue into a programme with the Undertaker at or around Elimination Chamber. That's what's happened but not in the way that was expected.

For starters Punk had to win a match to earn the right to challenge The Streak. I can understand the logic behind that in the abstract, but when it came to bell time the match had no drama as there was never any doubt 'The Second City Saint' would win. From there Punk and 'The Dead Man' progressed into a feud based around the death of Paul Bearer. While that's something that needed to be addressed, considering how important Bearer was to the early success of the Undertaker, it shouldn't have been the focal point of a WrestleMania feud. Not on grounds of bad taste (Bearer's family have signed off on everything that's transpired on TV) but on grounds of logical storytelling.

What the programme should have been about was Punk's continued quest for respect. After focusing so heavily on being the longest reigning WWE champion in twenty five years the natural thing for Punk to do next is try to conquer The Streak. And that's what it should be about: ending The Streak to prove he's 'The Best in the World', not nicking an urn and getting cheap heat with backstage promos.

The match itself could be good, but it's not a foregone conclusion. Undertaker has looked decidedly gaunt during his recent appearances and it's well known he's got an assortment of injuries nagging at him. Punk's younger and more used to being in the ring but his body's taken a beating over the last several months too. It's rumoured he'll be taking time off after 'Mania to rest up.

Both men take pride in what they do so I'm sure they'll do everything possible to make the match memorable. Injuries may ultimately hamper good intentions though.

Will CM Punk beat Undertaker? No. No matter what people say about building Punk up and 'Taker wanting Punk to be the man to end The Streak it's not going to happen this year. There are still big matches with The Rock, Brock Lesnar and John Cena to be had. If Punk does end it it won't be this year. Undertaker's appearances have become a draw in their own right for WrestleMania. He, like Triple H but for different reasons, is too valuable to let go of yet. I also think that when he does decide to finish his career up we'll know beforehand: the knowledge would add drama to every attempted pin of that final outing.

Finally we come to Cena v Rock II. Twice in a lifetime, as the wags are saying. There are a surprising number of people taking issue with last year's tag line being violated. I don't really understand why. WrestleMania XXVIII was the most financially successful instalment of the series ever. Much of its success is credited to Rock and Cena. Booking a rematch may be dull but it's the smart thing to do. At least they had the good grace to get to it by Rock winning the title and Cena winning the Rumble, as opposed to them simply challenging one another and deliberately going against the once in a lifetime line.

I'd like this to be a faster match than they had last year. Nothing about 'The Great One's' performances at the Rumble and Elimination Chamber makes me think he'll be capable of that. The fact that he's keeping his muscle mass up for his part in Hercules doesn't bode particularly well either. Nor does the fact that he's facing John Cena, one of the most predictable men on the roster.

It won't be a great match. Bear that in mind and limit yourself to hoping they better last year's performance and it could be a bearable main event.

Cena is the obvious pick to win. Not only did he lose last year (meaning it's his turn to go over this time) but Rock is going to be taking another sabbatical after the show. He'll be on the April 8^th RAW and May’s Extreme Rules. Beyond those dates nothing's been announced regarding his WWE appearances before WrestleMania XXX, which he says he’s looking forward to wrestling at. It seems unlikely WWE would keep the title on him for another month after their big show.

WrestleMania XXIX looks like a bearable show. There's nothing about it that makes me think it can top 'Mania X7 as the greatest ever but it should avoid being counted among the dregs. It may have a few predictable outcomes in there but there are enough opportunities for surprises for that not to be an issue. Let's hope everyone tries to steal the show and forces quality up while they're doing it.

The real test will be for those of us sitting through it. Ten confirmed matches, three rumoured ones, and a musical appearance from P Diddy. The confirmed runtime for the ‘Mania show itself is four hours, with the pre-show taking it to five and the recently confirmed after-show stretching things to six. That’s a quarter of a day of live WWE coverage. Even for WrestleMania that’s pushing things.

Something tells me April 7^th is going to be a long night.

Predictions summary:
John Cena to defeat The Rock
Undertaker to defeat CM Punk
Triple H to defeat Brock Lesnar
Alberto Del Rio to defeat Jack Swagger
Ryback to defeat Mark Henry
The Shield to defeat Sheamus, Big Show and Randy Orton
Team Hell No to defeat Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston

Fandango to defeat Chris Jericho
The Rhodes Scholars, Nikki Bella and Brie Bella to defeat Brodus Clay, Tensai and the Funkadactyls
The Miz to defeat Wade Barrett