The Cosmic Rivalry

So the current hot gossip is that John Cena is about to take time off to film some sort of fitness reality show. This puts his fifth and current reign as United States champion in jeopardy. Because time off while still being champ would go against established characteristics and, more to the point, the last several months of enjoyable Open Challenges.

Say goodbye (for now) to that belt, John.

I've no idea how WWE will write Cena out of storylines. It seems likely that we'll find out at Hell in a Cell this evening or on tomorrow's edition of RAW. The typical WWE approach would be for a heel to defeat Cena via shenanigans and then go on a tear while he's away before dropping the belt back to him upon his return.

I think Cena's departure could be better than that. It's a chance to give someone a boost and use the Open Challenge for what it was always designed for: giving someone lower down the card a rub. My pick would be Stardust.

In Stardust WWE has an incredible villain. Not only is he different to everyone other heel on the roster but he works in part because of the PG environment. His panto villain-slash-Adam West Batman adversary shtick is perfect for WWE's current product and in casting himself as a mad, scheming supervillain Stardust is the perfect foil for the archetypal true blue WWE babyface. And they don't come any truer or bluer than Cena.

That he has henchmen is a help. And henchmen is the ideal term for Konnor and Viktor because it invokes the 60s Batman vibe that Stardust plays to. Outnumbering Cena is a big deal as it provides an easy way for Stardust to get the win and the championship without Cena being made to look weak (Cena, like Roman Reigns, must be kept strong). And the group is something that can be fleshed out.

Stardust and his money-loving lead henchman.

Bad News King Wade Barrett I, despite having had a falling out with 'The Prince of Dark Matter', would make an excellent lead goon. Yeah, he's probably talented enough to warrant an upper mid-card spot on his own merits but nobody in WWE seems interested in giving it to him. He and Stardust (under different monikers) used to have good chemistry as a double act on The JBL and Cole Show. It would be nice to see that revived for the main roster. I think Barrett would work well as a guy who's agreed to be Stardust's lackey just for money, deadpanning his way through backstage skits in which The Ascension clearly believe in Stardust's mental outer space chat. 'The Cosmic Centurion' has a nice ring to it.

I also think Paige would be a good addition to The Cosmic Wasteland. Yeah she's busy with the confusing disintegration of PCB and developing personal beef with Natalya right now but that won't last forever. Her character could do with a tweak or two to refresh it. Being put with The Cosmic Wasteland would fit with her recent slightly unhinged nature and also allow for an interesting switch-up. Less punk chick and more space valkyrie maybe.

These are additions that could be made while Cena was off doing his filming. Four people being stationed at ringside for rematches would help the feud stretch for a while, giving Cena something to do against a character well-suited to being his foe, boosting Stardust's standing, helping Paige stay fresh, and giving The Ascension and Barrett larger roles than they're likely to get doing anything else.

This is what I'd do. Let's see what WWE does.

WWE Live From MSG: Lesnar Versus Big Show review

This was not a pay-per-view. It was a Network special. That was an important distinction to remember watching this event because the standard of WWE PPVs is generally pretty high while the previous two Network exclusive cards had been rejigged house shows with a camera crew and a production budget. By now it's clear that Network shows are not going to be of a pay-per-view standard. It you expected a lot from this show you were always going to be disappointed. But was it good on its own level? Let's find out...

After a brief opening video package focusing on the Cena v Rollins cage match and Big Show v Lesnar we were introduced to the show by Rich Brennan, JBL and Byron Saxton. JBL has lost his edge and Byron is irritating but Brennan is good and warrants more chances to call bigger shows like this. It's cool to see a bit of experimentation with the commentary lineups even if two of the guys have their drawbacks. Announcing is probably one of the most stale parts of the product.

The opening match was Rusev and Sheamus versus Dolph Ziggler and Randy Orton. That Orty was on curtain jerk duty demonstrates that he has virtually nothing going on right now. This was a holdover from his rivalry with Sheamus which ended a while ago. There was no reason for it to be revived here beyond a mentality of "Welp, let's stick Orton on the spesh!"It was also strange that this was the first broadcast match in which Rusev and Orton faced each other because that's a singles pairing that could have been saved and built up. They could have done it here. The venue was ideal and it would have made Network specials seem more worthwhile, even if the match had ended up relatively basic.

The four ran through standard house show stuff, something which would be a theme throughout the evening. The faces larked about because they're Great Mates (or something) while the heels glowered. Shaymo and Rusev controlled most of the match before a hot tag was made, ultimately leading to the finish. The Show Off Vipers won when Orton sidestepped a brogue kick and Ziggler super kicked 'The Celtic Warrior' into an RKO.

After the match Rusev called Sheamus a "stupid non-American" (implying Rusev's hate campaign now includes both Americans and non-Americans, truly a vast scope) and berated him for being stupid, losing the bout, and being more useless than Lana. Sheamus Brogued him and sauntered to the back. The purpose of this was lost on me. They're not going to do Rusev v Sheamus. They're not going to turn either man face. It was just a way of killing a little bit of time.

Next was a recap. We were shown Rollins Pedigreeing Kane on RAW and the whole multiple personality thing that's going on with the COO pretending his unaware of his antics as 'The Demon'. Then Renee caught up with him in the back. He teased being out of control but ultimately assured Renee that if the demon that's been terrorising Seth appeared he'd come running. This isn't the best feud for Rollins or the best spot for Kane in 2015 but Kane is great with the material he's being given. He's one of WWE's better wrestlers at handling comedy segments.

Match two was Stardust v Neville. It was a fun match but there was nothing exceptional on offer. It was the quality of a standard TV match between the two. Neville won with the Red Arrow. I was disappointed we didn't get to see the Cosmic Wasteland out in full force, either as backup for 'The Prince of Dark Matter' or as part of a trios match.

Renee Young got more screen time after that when she chatted to Paul Heyman. He taught her how to do hyperbole, introducing himself and the show, building up MSG and dropping an uncharacteristic sports team mention. He ended by telling Big Show he'd be losing to Barack Lesnar. It was standard Heyman. Not that that's a bad thing.

Team Bella got a loud pop when they entered for their six woman tag match, actually louder than the ones Paige, Becky lynch and Charlotte got for their individual entrances. This illustrates that for all certain people hate on them the Bellas are genuinely popular with the majority of WWE crowds. That's overlooked too often. Their popularity is why the Bellas are so valuable to the company and they haven't been quietly de-pushed in favour of the new batch of call-ups.

The story of the match was that Team Bella had better teamwork than Team PCB because they all get on, although this came as much from commentary as it did from anything anyone did in the majority of the match. Aside from Paige showing some generally snarky body language and tagging herself in on Charlotte PCB got on fine. The Bellas and Fox managed to control the match less because of problems on the opposing team and more because they were simply better and outwrestled their opponents. This sort of booking will only help those face reactions. It makes Nikki, Brie and Alicia look competent, and modern audiences like competent wrestlers.

Dissension did play a part in the finish. Paige had tagged herself in and been worked over for a while. She finally managed to break away to make a tag only for Charlotte and Becky to jump to the floor. A shocked Paige was left alone to eat a Rack Attack from Nikki, putting her down for three. After the match Paige said she'd never behave like that and that she couldn't forgive their behaviour. This made sense for the PCB characters and long term stories it's just a pity it was all tied together with an average match.

Chris Jericho cut a promo about his twenty-five years in the business and pointed out Lance Storm before his IC championship bout with Kevin Owens. He pandered to the crowd by chatting about his dad playing hockey at MSG and pointing out more friends in the crowd (including one of my faves, Don 'Cyrus' Callis) and running through his catchphrases. The audience responded well to this but it didn't put them off KO. They were always going to pop for the former NXT champ.

This was the best thing I've seen involving 'Y2J' in I don't know how long. I'm chalking that up to Owens, a guy whose character and ring work I enjoy, because 'Y2J' did nothing outside of his usual "embarrassing dad" routine. Y'know, the same moves and mannerisms he's been doing for years. The match was lacking  in big moves from KO but that was okay, it played into his character: he got a cheap win raking Jericho's eyes and rolling him up as he tried for the Walls of Jericho. Then he left shouting "Happy anniversary!"

The first truly great moment of the night was New Day's pre-match promo on the Dudleys. They danced, the mocked the Dudleys' routine, and Xavier played the trombone. I'd recommend watching this skit and the last two matches from this show.

Sadly the match that followed couldn't equal that greatness. It was good, maybe slightly better than their clash at Night of Champions, but it was let down by another disqualification finish. The Dudleys caught Kofi with a 3D (outta nowhere) and Xavier, not legally in the match for his team, broke the pin up to save the belts. As with NOC New Day grabbed a table after the match only for Bubba and Devon to make a miraculous comeback and put Xavier through it with another 3D.

I understand the logic here. The Dudleys are chasing the belts and keep getting denied them by the rotten, cheating bad guys, which will eventually lead them to issuing the challenge for a tables match. But the specifics are uninventive. They could at least have come up with a different sequence to end on. Network specials may be treated internally as house shows but if we're expected to take it as a reason to subscribe (or stay subscribed) to the Network it needs to present us with more than reruns. DQ finishes aren't really the problem, the repetitiveness of them is. 

A picture of your boy Brock Lesnar. Because why not?

Big Show and Brock Lesnar took the semi-main event slot. They deviated from the Lesnar format established over the last few years with Show fending off the clotheslines, double leg takedowns, and suplex attempts thrown at him and dropping 'The Pain' with three choke slams. Lesnar would kick out and comeback with four suplexes and an F5 to win a four minute match. No, it wasn't exactly Show trouncing Lesnar and Lesnar getting a fluke win but Show got a lot more on offence in than I'd expected him to. 'The World's Largest Athlete' let tone giants everywhere down. Andre watched on from the big ring in the sky shaking his head sadly.

After the match Lesnar left then returned to give Show a belly-to-belly and an F5. Because there's time that needs filling on that there Network.

After some ads and a reminder of the two previous PPV encounters in their feud, including Jon Stewart's (who was in the front row) interference at SummerSlam, the cage lowered and we got the main event: United States champion John Cena defending against world champion Seth Rollins. In terms of match quality nothing else on this show came close to this, not that that's saying a great deal. They traded escape attempts, top rope moves, near falls (for the record I hate pinfalls and submissions being a thing in cage matches, but at least these guys made good use of them), an amusing but brief top-of-the-cage boo-yay, and signature and finisher attempts before Kane wandered out and scared Rollins back into the cage just as he was about to escape and regain the US title. Rollins dithered between leaping down and getting the title, leaving himself prone to an attack from Kane, and returning to the ring to defeat Cena honourably, something against his standard behaviour. 'The Future' chose the latter, leaping off the cage with a frog splash. Cena rolled out of the way and immediately scooped Seth up for an AA. That was enough to earn Big Match John a three count. Arguments could be made that this weakened the WWE champ but I'd disagree. He fell to an established match-winning finisher from a top guy after throwing himself to the mat from ten feet in the air.

After the match Kane got into the ring and choke slammed and Tombstoned the WWE champion. The show closed with 'The Demon' dropping the title belt on Rollins and leaving. Because, hey, there are rivalries to keep heated here for the more important shows, okay?

Taken as the glorified house show from a major arena that it was this special was fine. The main event was good and Lesnar v Show provided what it needed to and surprised us as it did so. Everything else would have fitted in on an episode of RAW but this was at least shorter.

***

Results summary:

Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler defeated Sheamus and Rusev

Adrian Neville defeated Stardust

Team Bella defeated Team PCB

Kevin Owens defeated Chris Jericho to retain the Intercontinental championship

The Dudley Boyz defeated New Day by DQ

Brock Lesnar defeated Big Show

John Cena defeated Seth Rollins to retain the United States championship

That RAW Recap 18.05.15

On June 6 2011 RAW was held in Richmond, Virginia. The most exciting thing on the show was R-Truth marching to the ring in a Confederate uniform to talk about a perceived conspiracy against him. It's fun to look back on but when Truth is the highlight of RAW something is going wrong somewhere in the writing process.

Getting on for four years later and RAW was back in Richmond. There were no Confederate uniforms and only a little R-Truth. What there was was a very solid episode of WWE's flagship show. The kind of episode that is all too rare.

The most notable part of the show was the first main roster appearance from Kevin Owens, in which he shared a ring with John Cena. Whether this was the beginning of a full-time call-up or, as seems more likely, something designed to hype Takeover: Unstoppable and give Cena something to do at Elimination Chamber isn't that important. It was NXT champion Kevin Owens on RAW with his championship belt.

The segment started fairly innocuously with Cena issuing his now standard open challenge for a United States title shot. Owens' music didn't get much of a reaction, probably because it's a bit generic, but the audience popped when he appeared. They popped more when he started speaking, saying that he didn't need to introduce himself because Cena knew who he was, as did everyone in the audience who mattered. This prompted Cena to cut in and introduce Owens to the crowd. Owens responded to that with "Thank you. That was nice", a very Owens ad-lib.

After giving Owens a telling off for saying the paying customers don't matter and plugging Takeover: Unstoppable Cena went to offer Owens some veteran advice. It was Owens' turn to cut Cena off with an emphatic reminder that he'd been wrestling for fifteen years, longer than Cena. That prompted Cena to change tack and offer a warning: he said he could tell Owens was a scared kid and that if he wasn't careful Sami Zayn would beat him for the NXT championship at Takeover.

The champ is here.

Back on the US title open challenge Cena asked if Owens wanted the shot. Owens said he'd a prize fighter but that he already had a prize: his NXT championship. He promised Cena they'd face each other one day but that it would be on his terms before going to leave and then surprising Cena with a kick to the gut and a pop-up power bomb. The segment ended with the onetime 'Mr Wrestling' stamping down his foot onto Cena's US title belt and holding his NXT title belt aloft.

This was a great segment. It introduced Owens's character and immediately positioned him as a big deal by having him hold his own verbally with Cena. Having him power bomb 'Mr CeNation' underlined this, making it clear that Owens is not just another prospect but someone who's destined for big things. The final shot of Owens standing on the United States championship and standing over Cena was symbolic of not just Owens' dominance over Cena but of his perceived dominance of the brand he represents over WWE.

In the main event segment the Rollins v Ambrose feud was revived to provide Network special Elimination Chamber with a world title main event. Ambrose interrupted a shindig held in Rollins' honour, just as Triple H, Stephanie, Kane and the New Stooges were putting him over as the greatest wrestler ever. After being told he'd have to join Roman Reigns and Randy Orton at the back of the line 'The Lunatic Fringe' attacked Rollins and they brawled around ringside.

Over at the announce desk Ambrose revealed he'd pulled a trick from Rollins' own play book and stashed a pile of cinder blocks at ringside. With 'The Future's' head in danger of being caved in (which would have put him out of action for a month, as Ambrose demonstrated last year) Stephanie agreed to grant Ambrose a title match. The brawl then continued and Ambrose wound up taking a Pedigree from the WWE champion. No paperwork was signed to make his title match official but something tells me he'll wrestle Rollins anyway.

These guys reviving their series is a good thing.

This segment wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It's one of WWE's standard approaches for setting up world title matches and gets a lot of use in short notice situations like this one. The reason I mention it is that it's good that we're getting a Rollins and Ambrose match again, and that it was nice to see the continuity at play, both with the cinder blocks and Rollins' continued use of the Pedigree. These things are simple to set up in a wrestling environment but they're so rare in WWE and it's frustrating.

In addition to the WWE title match for Elimination Chamber being set the entrants for both of the cage matches were announced too. King Bad News Wade Barrett I, Sheamus, Ryback, Dolph Ziggler, Rusev and, for some reason, R-Truth will compete for the vacant Intercontinental title. I'd have much preferred Adrian Neville in Truth's spot. It's still a possibility, Sheamus or Barrett could wipe Truth out before the Chamber show for example, but it probably won't happen. With or without Truth match quality should be high and I'm interested to see how Rusev's handled. He's coming off three straight big event losses. Would they do a fourth and give it to someone who isn't Cena? I doubt it, but I also can't see them giving him the Intercontinental title.

Meanwhile New Day will defend their tag straps against Cesaro and Kidd, the Lucha Dragons, the Prime Time Players, Los Matadores and The Ascension. It would have been nice to see the recently reunited Luke Harper and Erick Rowan in the match in place of the one of the latter three teams and I'm surprised (but relieved) WWE didn't go overboard and give the Meta Powers a slot. Rowan and Harper would make this match more interesting for me, but I'm fine with the Dragons, New Day and Cesaro and Kidd being in there. This is another good-looking Chamber match.

Considering Elimination Chamber wasn't going to be a thing until around a week ago a good job was done prepping it here. For the first time in years there are enough teams in the tag division to make a six team match feasible and the company's spoilt for choice when it comes to potential IC champions (which, to be honest, makes the inclusion of R-Truth even more puzzling. Ambrose and Rollins never have a bad match together and Cena v Owens, while unlikely to be a classic encounter, feels like a genuinely important moment: the NXT champ meeting the face of the company.

John Cena's Mid-Card Excursion

Four weeks ago John Cena won his first United States championship in over ten years, his fourth overall. I initially thought this was WWE's way of keeping him occupied while Seth Rollins enjoyed his inaugural reign as world champ. You know, before the trigger is pulled on Cena's journey to world title number sixteen, the reign which will tie him with Ric Flair for most world championship reigns ever (even though Flair has had a number of secret and unacknowledged reigns that take him above that official tally). 

This hasn't been the case. What I assumed was going to be nothing more than a bit of placeholder action has had meaning and purpose. Instead of running through the usual array of mediocre brawls and contracts signings opposite his rival (in this case the former US champ, Rusev) Cena has taken the weekly open challenge route.

John Cena: doing it for America!

This is a simple thing but it's worked wonders. It's opened Cena up to working with a wider variety of guys than he usually does. What are the chances of Stardust or Bad News Barrett getting to work with Cena if the open challenge wasn't on the books? Slim to none is my opinion. It's also meant we get a Cena match every week. He may not be the greatest wrestler ever, or even amongst the best in WWE, but he's not awful in small doses and his matches always get a reaction, which counts for a lot. Plus it keeps him away from lengthy promo segments. Those are a strength of his but he doesn't really keep them varied.

Basically, what's currently being done with Cena is what should have been done years ago. He's in a position to wrestle competitive matches with fresh opponents and newer names. The opponents get some exposure by working with the top boy and Cena gets to do something new. It's WWE finally doing something to prepare for the future.

No, nobody's beating Cena yet but that's not the purpose of the task. Cena isn't going to start losing every week. He's the company's top babyface. As a rule top babyfaces don't lose that often. They certainly don't lose to mid-carders on TV as a regular thing, even by count out or DQ. It's enough that Cena's in a position to wrestle these guys for now. The time will come where someone does beat him for the United States strap. It could happen on pay-per-view in a feature feud (like tonight against Rusev, although I really, really doubt that will happen) but it would be best if someone less established got an upset victory. It would be unexpected, give someone a huge boost, and contribute to making the US title mean something.

That last point hasn't been accomplished yet. Simply sticking the title on Cena was never going to be enough on its own. But it does mean more than it did on Rusev or Sheamus or Ambrose or anybody else who's held it over the last few years. The process of making the title mean something has been started. That in itself is an accomplishment.

The Divisional Approach

At WrestleMania the one thing I didn't want to happen, happened. And it happened twice.

Daniel Bryan won the Intercontinental championship in the show-opening seven man ladder match. Later in the night John Cena won his first United States championship in over ten years when he defeated Foreign Menace™ Rusev. Both men are former multi-time world champions. For various reasons (see here for more) I think having these traditionally secondary titles is bad for Cena, Bryan and the titles themselves.

AMERICA!!

For Bryan a reign as the IC champ has made him look like a guy who knows he couldn't cut it competing against guys like Roman Reigns (whom he lost to clean at Fast Lane) and Brock Lesnar. Going after the white belt was a safer and easier option. Meanwhile the US title looks like a trinket Cena picked up because he happened to be feuding with the guy who held it, not because he wanted to win it. Cena was motivated more by national pride and showing a Russian how great America is than by winning a championship. It also looks like something he's doing to kill time before he decides he wants the world title back. That time will come and it will be a big story within WWE because it will see Cena trying to equal the much-hyped sixteen world titles record set and held by Ric Flair.

On the same night that Bryan and Cena won their belts Seth Rollins won the WWE world championship. The only title he'd held before that (on the main roster) was the tag team title alongside Roman Reigns. Instead of Seth spending years ploughing through the ranks and winning a secondary title or two to mark himself as a rising star his first singles title was the WWE championship. This makes the world championship look like it's on the same level as the mid-card titles. Which is possibly what WWE intended, but instead of the secondary titles being elevated by this the status of the world heavyweight title has been decreased. This isn't t say Rollins isn;t a worthy champions (he is), but his victory would have meant more if he'd spent time with mid-card singles belts that meant something first.

There's hope left though. WWE could, if they wanted, position the three championships as three separate divisions. Cena and the US title could head up an unofficial hoss-slash-big lad division consisting of guys like Rusev, Big E, Cesaro, Luke Harper and Ryback. D-Bry could be the standard bearer for an indy guys-slash-nippy fellas Intercontinental division of guys like Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, Stardust and Kalisto. The WWE championship could remain the alleged top prize, something the best on the roster won, with guys filtering in and out of competition for it and challenging for the other titles in the meantime.

I wouldn't go so far as to advocate them actually announcing these divisions (that would be a turn off to a lot of people) but if they just did it I think most people would follow along and understand what was happening. Personally I'd rather they took this approach and never had any former world champs regressing to other titles (except for obvious duds like The Miz, Big Show and Sheamus) but if they're going to present all of their singles titles as more or less equal they might as well do something interesting with it.

Incoming Irishman

We haven’t seen Sheamus for a while. The reason for this is that he’s been off healing up from surgery he received in November. It’s possible you haven’t missed him. It would be understandable. Sheamus did nothing of note in 2014. The closest he came to being interesting was winning the United States championship and teasing a heel turn against dean Ambrose, but even that wasn’t especially memorable. His reign was just as innocuous as every other reign has been with that belt in the last three years.

The likelihood is that Sheamus will soon be back on TV. From a character perspective the natural thing for him to do upon his return would be to target Rusev, the man who defeated him for the US title on November 3. Or possibly Mark Henry, who, along with Rusev, gave him the kicking that was credited with causing his absence in storylines.

In reality Sheamus will probably not do this. He’s been due a heel turn since 2013 and gunning for Rusev or Henry would only postpone that further. I think WWE will be keen to pull the trigger on ‘Great White’ going bad. They’re short on credible heels at the moment and Sheamus needs to turn. It’s an obvious thing to do and do quickly.

Even Sheamus looks bored by the idea of his comeback.

I’m not a fan of Sheamus. I don’t find him interesting to listen to or fun to watch. His signature moves are bland. The ten punch in the ropes spot is dull. White Noise is clunky to pull off. The Brogue kick is one of the most unspectacular finishes ever, although that it has least has been built up as a credible finish within WWE. The best thing you can say about Sheamus is that he does his best work against other hossy lads like Cesaro. But everyone does good work with Cesaro.

The heel turn is unlikely to change how I feel about ‘The Celtic Warrior’ but it might make him more bearable. It will allow him to make some much needed changes to his character and present him with a fresh list of opponents. A change in allegiance will also ensure he’s a priority of the creative team, meaning he’ll be given things to do and we’ll be given reasons to be interested in him. That should last at least a few weeks.

I’d be most interested in Sheamus taking a mid-card role and working with guys like Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper, and the also soon-to-return Bad News Barrett to continue reinvigorating the Intercontinental championship. Failing that a team-up with fellow big boys The Ascension for a series of singles and tag matches with The New Day, leading to a climactic six man exchange, would play to Sheamus’s strengths.

Realistically I think ‘Great White’ will be closer to the top of the card, because he’s apparently popular with the right people in decision-making circles. Couple that with the fact that he’s one of the bigger names on the roster these days and you have a lethal combination that means he’s usually positioned pretty well in and around the Rumble to WrestleMania period.

A WrestleMania 31 match with Dean Ambrose or Dolph Ziggler doesn’t seem out of the question. The latter wouldn’t be too bad if ‘The Show Off’ won. The former would be terribly disheartening. After a year turning himself into one of the most interesting guys in WWE the last thing ‘The Lunatic Fringe’ needs is to be saddled with Sheamus for his first ‘Mania singles match.

Perhaps worse is the potential for a Sheamus versus Roman Reigns or Sheamus versus Daniel Bryan match at ‘The Granddaddy of Them All’. Reigns is not to everyone’s taste but he’s one of WWE’s best chances to make a new star. For that to happen he needs a lot of care an attention. A feud with Sheamus does not fall into that category after his poor 2014. And while Bryan and Sheamus have had very good matches in the past (like Cesaro, nobody has a bad match with D-Bry) the last thing the most popular man in the company needs right now is to be saddled with the returning ‘Irish Curse’.

A best case scenario would actually be for Sheamus’s return to be held off until after WrestleMania. That way he could be brought in to fill the void left by Brock Lesnar and any other departing part-timers, and he could be placed into a brand new feud with someone on one of the most watched RAWs of the year. But just you watch: he’ll return at the Royal Rumble and be booked strong to set up a WrestleMania match which is top of nobodies’ wish list.

Why Survivor Series Needs to be Great

Late last week tweaks were announced for the WWE Network subscription process. Subscribers will no longer need to commit to a six month deal with the Network when signing up. Instead they will be able to cancel their subscription at any time. More importantly a free trial period was announced for November.

These are changes for the better, obviously. The six month commitment WWE wanted was off-putting. It could also be skirted by cancelling PayPal payments, prompting WWE to cancel your access to the Network. It was a setup that made WWE look both draconian, for expecting such a commitment from punters, and foolish, because there was such a clear and simple loophole.

Allowing people to sample a streaming service for a month has worked out very well for Netflix. The idea is that people will see how beneficial the service is to them and not opt out before their free trial ends. It’s something WWE should keep going after November, although I suspect they’ll cancel it at least for a while in order to make November a particularly successful month.

Rusev versus Sheamus at Survivor Series? Probs.

The implications of this free trial should be obvious for Survivor Series. Basically people can get that show without paying anything. Theoretically this could result in a scenario where nobody buys Survivor Series, opting to get a Network subscription instead. In fact this may be WWE’s ideal scenario as they’re likely hoping for a dip in PPV sales as people choose to watch the show for free via the Network (except for those poor unfortunates who have already paid, natch). They want subscribers more than they want pay-per-view customers at the moment because that’s the only way the Network is going to become a success.

WWE really needs to ensure that Survivor Series is a cracking show. If they can make it one of their best supercard offerings of the year they might be able to convince people to stay signed up to the Network for another month to see the next pay-per-view for a cheap price. If it’s a poor effort it’s giving people one more reason to cancel their Network membership. Poor special events are not appealing. Well, modern ones aren’t. Personally I’m looking forward to watching some Russo era WCW.

So far there’s no evidence that WWE sees the use of pay-per-view quality as an enticement to sign up to the Network. They seem to be operating on the logic that the Network, at $9.99 a month, is a significantly better deal than the $50-plus you’d pay just for a PPV. They’re right that it’s a better deal, but that doesn’t bother some people. Many will only buy select PPVs that carry a certain level of hype. In order to convert them into Network subcribers WWE has to make its supershows consistently excellent and appealing, so that they find themselves tempted to purchase them more often and end up seeing that a Network subscription would be beneficial.

This is not revolutionary stuff. But the fact that WWE has not gone out of their way to make pay-per-views any better since WrestleMania makes me think that they’re not interested in attracting Network subscriptions in this fashion. Or at least they haven’t been until now. Essentially giving away Survivor Series for free indicates that WWE may have changed their minds on this.

Right now the card does not look sufficiently exhilarating. The Team Cena versus Team Authority match is something that could be good in terms of quality but it’s still a tough sell because it will feature interactions we’ve seen so many times before (and, generally speaking, people get less excited about tag matches than they do singles). The likely Sheamus versus Rusev and confirmed Ambrose versus Wyatt matches seem far more intriguing. Both of those are fresh and feature guys who have been presented as big deals this year (well, except Shaymo, but he’s inexplicably popular anyway). The company could do a lot worse than concentrating its promotional powers more on Ambrose and Wyatt than the clash of the Teams, and giving the US championship match build-up more TV time than it would receive under usual circumstances. Basically, highlight the more interesting aspects of the card. And put together four or five other genuinely interesting matches with reasons for happening too. Give people a reason to care about product.

The United States of Alexander Rusev

I think we can all agree a large part of Rusev's success as a heel stems from taking the anti-America approach. Lana’s pro-Putin rhetoric has riled audiences across the United States. I imagine it will prove effective anywhere, especially in The West, and make Rusev a hero should WWE ever run a live event in Russia. Not that that's likely.

But I mentioned the United States specifically and I did that for a reason. WWE has the US championship knocking about and putting it on Rusev would be A Good Idea™. A foreign heel doing an anti-America gimmick winning the country's very own championship? That's been a tried and tested approach in pro wrestling for as long as there’s been pro wrestling. It’s also something WWE hasn't done in some time.

That's unless you count Cesaro's reign a couple of years ago, of course. Which I don't. Because it was a half-hearted thing WWE did to keep Cesaro busy and because he never really clicked in the foreign menace role. Certainly not like Rusev has anyway. Cesaro has his strengths but riling up feelings of national pride on the level Rusev and Lana operate on is not one of them.

The only man who could benefit from the United States championship.

Making Rusev the US champ would also make the title relevant, something it's not truly been for years. Sheamus has had the gold since May 5. I can’t remember a single one of his defences. With 'The Celtic Warrior' the title it meaningless and it will almost certainly continue to be meaningless for as long as he holds it. With Rusev it could gain meaning and enhance the Russian's already impressive 1980s cheap heat act.

Ideally WWE would book an interim champ to do title drop honours for 'The Super Athlete'. I'm not the world's biggest Shaymo fan but I think he and Rusev could churn out a good Big Lad encounter. But quality's not the concern. The concern is nationality. Sheamus is a perfectly functional WWE babyface but he was not born in America. While fans could rally behind him in a valiant defence against the evil foreigner it would be more sensible to place an American in a position to lose to Rusev. Someone who can talk about how the title means they’re defending the Statue of Liberty and apple pie and Barack Obama and the stars and stripes against the communist hive mind and convince us that they mean it. Sheamus talking about how the title represents a boyhood dream of the land of the free just wouldn’t be the same.

I think it's this or retire the US championship. The title’s been a pointless trinket for so long that beyond adding heat to the Rusev fire it has no use. Why not let it go out in a blaze of glory being won by Rusev and put into retirement? The heat Lana would get announcing that Rusev will not give any American the chance to regain the gold would be blistering. For a third tier championship it's not going to get much better than that.

Irish Intercontinental

WWE currently has a great opportunity to declutter their title scene a little bit. Knowing the way the company works I don’t think they’ll have realised it or that they’ll care about it if they have. But the opportunity’s there regardless.

The Intercontinental championship was vacated a few weeks ago after champion Bad News Barrett suffered an arm injury. A new champion will be crowned at the Battleground pay-per-view in a thirty man battle royal. Yeah, thirty. That number seems a bit high considering how few legitimately over wrestlers are on the roster and that (apparently) nobody involved will wrestle in a second match on the show. But that’s what they’re going for.

One of the thirty men in the match is current United States champion Sheamus. That’s a championship that means even less than the Intercontinental title. If either the IC or the US belt was dropped then the remaining one would mean more. The fewer prizes there are on offer the greater an accomplishment it is to win one.

Give Sheamus the Intercontinental championship.

I’m not a fan of former world champions winning mid-card titles. Nor am I a fan of Sheamus. But even so I wouldn’t mind seeing ‘The Celtic Warrior’ leave Battleground as a double champion. It would allow him to appear on RAW the next night and officially combine the two titles, quietly dropping the US belt after a few weeks (or then and there on RAW). Or he could knock the US strap and the country it represents and cast it aside, providing the spark for a heel turn.

Naturally I’d much rather see the uber-talented Cesaro or Dolph Ziggler win the Intercontinental title. Or the recently revived Fandango. Or the slowly catching on Bo Dallas. Any of them would be a great choice to construct meaningful mid-card storylines around. But in Sheamus WWE has the option to finish the tidy-up started last December with the world title unification, and that’s something I’ve wanted to see them do for years.

Of course for the Intercontinental championship to truly become the star-making tool it used to be more needs to be done than unifying it with or keeping it in favour of the United States championship. It needs to be presented as a title worth winning and wrestled for in lively matches featuring performers people care about. But getting rid of the US title isn’t a bad first step.

Intercontinental Versus United States: More Unification

On May 19 2013 Dean Ambrose defeated Kofi Kingston to win the WWE United States championship. On November 8 2013 Big E (then a Langston) defeated Curtis Axel to win the WWE Intercontinental championship. Both are mid-card championships designed to enhance the status of the stars wearing them and mark them out as names on the rise.

Are the titles doing this? I don’t think so. Ambrose and Big E are both over but that has more to do with their own abilities: Ambrose’s peculiar mannerisms and promo skills and Big E’s cool, understated self-assuredness are more noteworthy than their hardware. In Ambrose’s case it’s also a result of the fantastic booking he and his Shield teammates have enjoyed over the last year and a half.

Big E with his not-so-big belt

Twenty years ago the Intercontinental championship was a valuable prize in the WWF. It was protected by being placed (mostly) on good wrestlers and being presented as something that people wanted to win. People cared about it, or at least didn’t think of it in disparaging terms, because the wrestlers cared about it and because it was linked to enjoyable matches.

I’ve written before that the introduction of the World Heavyweight championship dealt the status of the IC gold a blow, one from which it’s never recovered. The WHC gradually usurped the Intercontinental title’s spot of being the number two strap, the prize the workers won, the title that was used as a reward for veterans who’d never get the WWE title, and the title which rising stars won. It became the company’s second most important prize.

When the World title was folded into the WWE championship last year I thought this state of affairs might change, that the Intercontinental championship may slowly regain some prominence. It didn’t seem unreasonable to assume that Big E, as the number two champion in the company (and more to the point someone WWE were and are keen to groom for the top) could get more microphone time and more opportunities to defend his title on RAW in an effort to highlight that he and his title had been moved up a notch.

He didn’t get that. Neither did Dean Ambrose get similar chances to defend his belt. He notably went three and a half months, from the post-Hell in a Cell RAW on October 28 2013 to the February 10 2014 RAW, without defending his championship at a televised event. Big E went two months, not defending his title (on TV) between the December 30 RAW and Elimination Chamber in February. More worryingly no other wrestler has shown any real interest in relieving either champion of their title.

 

Do you care about this championship?

If the wrestlers don’t want to defend their titles and nobody’s interested in beating them for them then why should viewers care about them? And if viewers don’t care about them what’s the purpose of keeping them around? WWE has demonstrated that they’re not interested in, or are incapable of, giving meaning to two mid-card championships at the moment. Part of the problem stems from the fact that they concern themselves almost exclusively with the main event players and treat mid-card men like Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, Bad News Barrett, Damien Sandow, and Fandango as afterthoughts. There are enough guys on the roster to sustain two mid-card championships, but WWE doesn’t have the interest to.

The best thing that could be done right now would be to have Big E and Ambrose face off in a unification match, with whoever wins quietly getting rid of the US title after a few weeks or a month. That would leave the remaining Intercontinental title looking more prestigious even if it was booked exactly as it is now: it wouldn’t be sharing its level with the US strap.

I wouldn’t like to see it happen at WrestleMania though. Extreme Rules looks like the better option to me. It could, if presented in a dynamic fashion, be used as a reason for people to buy the show. It wouldn’t add anything extra to WrestleMania. In fact it might actually look out of place presented on ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All’ because it could raise the question of why two mid-card titles were being unified there while the company’s two world titles were chucked together at the last minute in a match at TLC.

If WWE had a mind to they could make great use of the Intercontinental championship. It could be used as a tool to highlight rising stars, start feuds, and add good matches with meaning to TV shows and pay-per-views, just like it used to. But I think we’re a long way from seeing that happen. Which is another hurdle for the non-established roster members to overcome.

The State of WWE: The Belts

It doesn't matter that Dolph Ziggler is in every conceivable way a superior wrestler to John Cena, his world title still doesn't mean as much. It’s the result of years of booking the World Heavyweight championship as a second tier prize. It may be referred to as a world title, and it may be held by some big names and talented wrestlers, but everyone knows the WWE championship is the number one belt in the company.

It's a situation that has harmed the credibility of the Intercontinental championship (as well as the WHC itself of course). Had WWE unified their world belts a few years ago they could have been booking the IC title as they've booked the WHC, restoring it to its place as the promotion's second most prestigious belt and clearing up the trouble of having a secondary award that sounds more meaningful than the top one.

Matters haven't been helped by the stop-start nature of some of the pushes WWE's handed out. Jack Swagger won the World Heavyweight championship in 2010. It came as a surprise at the time but WWE followed through and gave him if not a stellar run then at least a decent one. Once he dropped the title he ended up as glorified enhancement talent, with commentary teams happily remarking practically every time he wrestled that he was a former world champ. Which did nobody any favours. It emphasised just how far Swagger had fallen and made the big gold belt seem less important because had been attained by someone at Swagger's level.

The booking of 'The All American American' by itself did not harm the status of the title. Years of instances of a comparable nature have taken their toll though.

It's not just the titles that have been tarnished by this frustrating booking. Anyone holding the title has come across as a second rate world champion because they're holding a second rate world title. Had the IC title had the spot things would have been different. That's meant to be seen as the prize of the rising stars and the guys who won’t necessarily become the WWE champion. By not being referred to as a world belt it is clearly intended to perform a different function. There's a reason John Cena's only held the WHC twice, and at time when it meant more than it does today.

It's harmed guys holding the Intercontinental and United States belts too. Both have had flourishes of significance when held by performers who care about using them as an opportunity to advance their standing but that's not happened often enough. WWE's swarm of writers have lavished too much of their time on the two world titles, resulting in the mid-card belts becoming trinkets with practically no meaning. If that's how they're viewed then they’ll obviously do nobody holding them any good. If you win something that means nothing then you've ultimately achieved nothing.

The entire scenario has stifled the advancement of several men on the roster. Antonio Cesaro, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus and others have been harmed by WWE's approach to the booking of titles since 2009 or so. A change is clearly needed otherwise the problems are only going to become worse as the titles mean less and less.

You won't catch this guy slumming it with the World Heavyweight title

Championships are a necessity in wrestling. They drive storylines and denote who's better than who. Secondary or mid-card titles allow fans to see who's on the rise and provide non-headliners with something meaningful to feud over. World titles show who's the best the company has to offer, with those in contention being top players themselves.  

Two world titles means two "bests". Obviously that can't be the case and so the importance of both is diminished. It's a state of affairs held over from the separate roster era. I understand why it came about and I supported it when it worked but now there's one WWE roster again (albeit one that sees several important names sit out SmackDown each week) there's no need for a second world title.

Which brings us back to the idea of WWE needing change. The obvious thing to do is unify the world titles. It could be rushed into. I mean, there's nothing to stop Ziggler cutting a promo about being a better champion than Cena on Monday's RAW and challenging him to a unification match in the main event. It would come out of the blue and be strange but it could be done.

That would be a wasted opportunity though. Obviously a unification match should be happening on a pay-per-view. Even though one of the titles is clearly inferior it's a way of making money and more money will be made if the belts and their holders are presented as equals. The best PPVs to put such an event on would be one of WWE's big four. SummerSlam and Survivor Series no longer feel particularly important but they could suffice. Better would be WrestleMania of Royal Rumble.

Of them the Rumble is the better option. It would allow WWE to offer a unique and important match on what has become their second biggest event of the year. It would also provide a great chance to kick off WrestleMania world title feud. No matter what order they run in the unification bout and the Rumble match itself would provide a clear picture of who's facing who at WrestleMania. With the right winners and the right build that could be great.

There are plenty of answers as to who "the right guys" are to be in this match. There's not one match that would clearly be better than others (not that I can see anyway). Personally I don't think guys like John Cena, Randy Orton or CM Punk need to be involved in the title picture at next year's WrestleMania. They can do more for WWE working against returning part timers like The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Undertaker and, dare I say it, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin.

Putting guys like Ryback, Ziggler, Rhodes, Bryan, Cesaro, Sheamus or even Mark Henry in the world title programme at WrestleMania would be a better option. At this stage none of them could credibly work against any of the part time gang, and there wouldn't be much interest in many of the possible bouts anyway (nobody will convince me that Sheamus v The Rock would thrill anyone). Placing them in the WWE title scene gives them something important to do and boost their profile while not forcing them into a match they'd look out of place in.

There wouldn't be as much of a rush to unify the Intercontinental and United States titles. With the WHC out of the way WWE could gradually resume booking the Intercontinental gold as the secondary prize, starting with giving it a spot on the WrestleMania card. The United States title could be left alone to function as a third tier belt, booked for cheap pop title switches and trying out guys who the company are unsure about giving a larger role to. Even that would give the US belt a boost, because it would be the only title booked in that fashion, rather than sharing the spotlight with the IC strap.

WWE needs to make its belts mean something. Right now the only title they have with any value to it is the WWE championship. Putting the World Heavyweight championship on Dolph Ziggler is a nice gesture but it’s a very different story to putting the top prize on him. That he’s still clearly below the status of credible WWE championship contender illustrates my points regarding the title situation perfectly.

The Saddening Regression of Antonio Cesaro

United States champion Antonio Cesaro was conspicuous by his absence from WrestleMania XXIX and its pre-show. It was the same on the following night’s RAW. A lot of people were (and are) upset by this. Not because they were desperate to see the US title defended over ‘Mania weekend but because Cesaro is considered a hard-working guy who had earned a spot performing in front of WWE’s biggest crowd of the year.

While I’m not as irate as some by the supposed snub I can see why people would be annoyed. Since he debuted this time last year Cesaro has proven to be a capable member of the roster and entered numerous compelling performances against lesser wrestlers. He looks, acts, and wrestles like he belongs in a WWE ring. He had earned a spot at WrestleMania or the April 8^th RAW.

Cesaro not getting onto WrestleMania is hard to accept as a deliberate snub. The card was too full as it was, which is why the Rhodes Scholars and Bella twins v Tons of Funk and Funkadactyls match got pulled from the broadcast. WWE know what they’re doing when putting these events together. Cesaro has been portrayed as an important guy for the future and would have had a match if there was time.

That said he’s not going to be an important guy to the future if this lacklustre approach continues. The healthy push he’d been enjoying last year abated throughout WrestleMania Season as he lost televised matches to a seemingly endless stream of babyfaces who needed a win going into the big event. That’s acceptable to a certain extent, but if we’re to continue taking him seriously he has to be shown to be a winner.

 

He's Swiss you know...

 

More concerning is the way in which he’s been presented since the big show. He lost the US gold clean to Kofi Kingston and failed to take it back in a rematch. That move robs him of his faux pro-America gimmick, which had been a significant step forward. He’s left instead with the yodelling entrance shtick. That’s not something that’s going to rocket him to the top.

I’ve written before that once someone’s made it in WWE they can lose as often as is required. When you’re established in WWE fans are going to accept you as a star no matter what. Chris Jericho and The Rock are two guys in such a position. ‘The Swiss Superman’ is a long way from joining them.

That he wasn’t on RAW is a far more troubling sign than him being left off of WrestleMania. Time was found on the flagship broadcast for 3MB losing to the babyface trio of Santino, R-Truth and Zack Ryder. I mean… c’mon! If those six guys could appear on RAW there’s no logical reason Cesaro should have been skipped.

It would be easy enough to get Cesaro back on his roll. It’s not as though he’s fallen that far down the card or suffered an insurmountable number of losses. The next two months should see the very European superstar picking up wins on TV, including taking in a successful mid-card bout at Extreme Rules (or Backlash, as it used to be known). If he has to go back on job duty for a bigger star the smart thing to do would be to book the match for SmackDown. Fewer people will see it that way.

Long term Cesaro could be massive star for WWE. As I say, he’s got the look and wrestling ability and carries himself like he belongs. All he needs is time and some wins to establish himself.

How’s this for a booking idea? Have Cesaro get back to winning matches and have him lose to a headliner at Payback, then enter him into a Money in the Bank match in July. Have him come really close to winning but just miss out. He doesn’t need to get a world title this year. There’s no rush.

 
Come SummerSlam give him a feud with another established babyface like Sheamus or Alberto Del Rio and allow him a victory, proving that he’s on his way to the top. If it goes well enough he could be tested out against John Cena at TLC in December. That show’s been something of a test centre for the last two years. The trend should continue this year and Cesaro should be the man getting the tryout for the top.

Victim of Circumstance

I watched the opening two matches of WrestleMania XX a week or two ago (I was bored while waiting for My Big Fat Gypsy Fortune to start). The second match is an instantly forgettable four team tag match. The opening bout is far more noteworthy, seeing John Cena take on the Big Show for the US championship. There are two firsts there: Cena's in-ring 'Mania debut (he had cut a promo at WrestleMania XIX) and his first title win.

The match is also noteworthy for the incredibly positive reaction Cena receives. He'd been on TV for around eighteen months by this point. He’d spent majority of that time doing his 'Doctor of Thuganomics' gimmick, a heavily modified version of which he still plays today.

It was peculiar viewing. Cena did the routine he still performs today and the audience lapped it up. He powered up Big Show for an FU (or the AA as it’s called now) and the crowd roared with a mixture of astonishment and approval. Moments later that same audience was stunned when 'The World's Largest Athlete' kicked out of the move, the first man to ever do so. Perhaps most interestingly the event was held in Madison Square Garden, a state away from but catering to the same market as 'Mania XXIX.

Cena got a very different reception back in 2004. I'd rhetorically ask what's changed but we all know the answer: nothing has.

In 2003 WWE was mostly directionless, flailing in the wake of The Rock's move to Hollywood and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin's retirement. Brock Lesnar had become a decent draw but not as big as expected or needed. By the time 'Mania XX rolled around it didn't matter anyway, the show would be 'The Pain's' final WWE appearance for eight years.

Happier times for John Cena

In 2003 Cena was fresh and hungry to make it to the top. Fans appreciated his character because it was different to everything else being presented. That he clearly wanted to succeed and had a knack for effective mic work helped too. New top acts were needed and fans selected Cena to be one of them. He was a limited wrestler but he wasn’t a bad wrestler. Besides, there were guys like Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle on the roster. One sub-par headliner wasn’t going to hurt.

Over the years Cena’s inability or unwillingness to change or progress has caused fans to turn on him. He trots out the same routine that helped him rise to the top nine years ago.

The key to staying on the right side of wrestling fans (as told to CM Punk by Raven) is knowing how to tweak your character every so often. Introducing a new move or altered looked are good ways of doing that. Cena has done nothing new in years. The latest move he added to his regular repertoire was the STFU in 2005. New merch every four months and the occasional switch from jorts to camouflage gear isn’t enough.

That he's not changed while fans' tastes have isn't Cena's only problem. Since 2005 he has been the undisputed star of the company. He has outlasted the two other most financially successful headliners WWE has ever had: Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin. 'The Hulkster' did around six years before going part time and eventually leaving the WWF altogether. 'The Rattlesnake' had a surprisingly short four years as the company's top act.

Hogan wasn't hearing jeers by the time he left, but he wasn't as big a deal as he had been when Hulkamania kicked off. The same is true of Austin. Both men got out, for various reasons, before fans got bored and turned on them.

Cena has been at the top for so long that it goes beyond disliking his moves or his promo style or his merch or the fact that he's marketed at kids. People are just bored of the status quo. When fans express a desire for WWE to change or progress or try something new the obvious first suggestion to make is to de-push or get rid of Cena. He's faced everyone and won everything. His continued status as top dog ensures that not only do guys not get a fair crack at making it to the top but that they look worse whenever they interact with the company’s biggest star.

Guys can get away with having foibles when headlining WWE. Hogan was just as limited as Cena. Austin wasn't far off by the time he became a star because of various injuries he'd suffered. Fans will tolerate shortcomings, just not for this long.

 
Cena could be said to be a victim of his own success. Fans wanted him to make it to the top because WWE was stale. But he’s now been on top for so long that the product has become stale again and it’s largely seen as his fault.

There's no obvious answer for me to point to here. WWE won't make Cena part time until 'The Franchise' himself requests it. Why would they? Working a full schedule means he’s on house shows, TV, pay-per-views, and international tours. WWE can make more money if Cena's full time.

Sending him home for a while to allow others some spotlight would be a good idea as it would create fresh opponents for Cena (and other people) and allow him to rest and recuperate. But that would mean risking a dip in ticket sales, PPV buys, and TV ratings. It's a less radical solution to a part time schedule but carrying the same problems.

Turning Cena heel isn't going to solve things. That would alienate his existing fanbase but encourage people who boo him to cheer him, because it would be the change that the character hass been needing for several years.

WWE's best option is the one they're taking. That is trying to create new megastars while Cena's still working full time. I think they've more or less accomplished it over the last two years with CM Punk. Ryback was doing pretty well before his heel turn, which demonstrates that fans will react to alternative babyfaces. If he can make it to the top and prove a success in headline situations where he isn't supported by Cena that will be a good sign.

But, to borrow a sentiment from 'Big Hungry', they'll need more. By WWE's own criteria John Cena is a success. Whoever takes over from him is going to have some big shoes to fill.

Real American

Anyone who's watched WWE over the last twelve months will be able to tell you that Antonio Cesaro has been a great success story. He's carved out a niche for himself as a rising star and enjoyed ring time with several of the company's top acts. Nobody gets to have competitive matches with Randy Orton, Sheamus and The Ryback unless they're being presented as something of worth.
 
The crowning achievement of Cesaro's WWE run so far is arguably his United States title reign. He won the strap on the SummerSlam pre-show, broadcast on YouTube, from comedy act Santino. Since then he's been presented as a fighting champion, working surprisingly enjoyable matches with the likes of R-Truth, Zack Ryder and Justin Gabriel.
 
He has proven himself to be a reliable wrestler and a reliable promo. Practically anyone on the roster could be put in a match with him and be made to look at least decent. He got something passable out of The Great Khali. Twice! If that doesn't prove his talent I don't know what does.

Zips are cool

 
Over the last few months Cesaro has dropped the anti-America shtick that characterised the early weeks and months of his US title run and instead started embracing the country. Coming to the ring waving Old Glory and wearing trunks patterned with stars and stripes while disingenuously endorsing the US has proven a far more effective way of having fans turn on him than merely proclaiming himself (and Switzerland) better would in 2013. It's been a smart, enjoyable move.
 
I'd like to see Cesaro take things even further and begin emulating Hulk Hogan. Throughout the 80s 'The Hulkster's' chief gimmick was that of the uber-patriot. It was a clever move back then. The Cold War was still an ongoing thing and the US fans were generally happier to cheer a guy wrestling in a singlet interpretation of the national flag than they are today. It was cheap but it didn't matter. It worked.
 
Have Cesaro wrestle decked out in red and yellow tye dye trunks with a Swiss Cross or the Stars and Stripes on them. Let him keep the flag and the championship he's restored credibility to and add the Hogan pose routine to the act. Even if just for one night, say WrestleMania, I think it would be great. The heel European rubbing the embarrassing, overly-patriotic image of Hogan, a man who has since become somewhat of an embarrassment to the wrestling business in general, into the faces of fans. I can hear the boos (and ironic cheers) now.