Monday, June 30, 2014

Summer is heating up!

Do I really need to talk about Money in the Bank? It was obvious who was winning both ladder matches. There were no surprises. There were no swerves. The projected winners won. The Money in the Bank contract ladder match was built around Seth Rollings and guess who won? Seth Rollings. The WWE World Title main event was built around Cena winning to build toward his match at SummerSlam with Lesnar. Guess who won the title? It was a great event though. I really enjoyed the contract ladder match, Rusev/Big E and the fantastic tag match that opened the show. The main event though, was kind of slow. I don't know, but it just never clicked for me. And it didn't help that it had an obvious finish. Anyway, after the event, we got a fantastic lead into what is to come for WWE.

At Battleground, new 15 time World Champion John Cena will defend against long time rival Randy Orton, Kane and new golden boy Roman Reigns. Reigns in the main event for the 3rd straight PPV! They're starting to shove him down our throats but for now, I don't mind. I like Reigns and it's definitely time for a change in the company. Hell, I would love to see Reigns/Cena at SummerSLam instead of Lesnar/Cena. Anyway, he gets another chance to start his reign atop WWE on July 20th. I can't seem to figure out if WWE are building toward Reigns/Orton or Reigns/HHH at SummerSlam. The obvious match IS HHH/Reigns but with WWE wanting to stack the Night of Champions card, they might push it back. Bad idea. Have the match at SummerSlam. Keep THAT card stacked. If SummerSlam is big, that will sell the network by itself.

Coming out of Raw, this what the Battleground card looks like:
Fatal Four for the WWE Title
IC Title Battle Royal (Dang Barrett. Not again.)
Swagger/Rusev
Wyatt/Jericho
AJ/Paige (Did they turn Paige heel? That's awesome!)
Rollings/Ambrose
Usos/Rowan and Harper

If Battleground shapes up like this, then we're in for a real treat! I feel like WWE will wait for some of these matches, especially Paige/AJ and Rollings/Ambrose. Those really feel like big matches. If they happen at both PPVs, I'm totally fine with that. In Ambrose/Rollings case, they could do a regular match at Battleground, then a match for the briefcase at SummerSlam. That way, it keeps it interesting. SummerSlam would then look like this:

Cena/Lesnar
Reigns/HHH
Paige/AJ 2 (well 4 I guess)
Rolling/Ambrose 2

What would Wyatt do after Jericho? They way they're pushing him, it looks like the sky's the limit for the guy. From Bryan, Cena now to Jericho. A title reign is going to happen for him but when? And what about this face turn?

The summer is definitely looking good for WWE. There's a lot of interesting feuds and the youth continue to shine through. I don't know what WWE has planned for Cesaro now but I'm sure they aren't forgetting him. Cesaro/Jericho maybe? Anyway, I can't wait to see how the Battleground card shapes up!

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Money in the Bank 2014 predictions

I know I probably say this about every WWE PPV, but this really could be a game changer for the company. With Daniel Bryan's unfortunate injury, it leaves WWE no choice but to crown a new champion with no timetable for his return. A bad situation for WWE could turn into the changing of the guard for the company. They have the future in their hands; with SummerSlam looming, will they turn to a new face or will they give it to their 12 year golden boy? Oh yeah, there are some other matches too!

While all the hype is likely on the main event, there IS another ladder match on the card that will be for the traditional MITB contract. 7 men will try to get the briefcase this year/ They are; Rob Van Dam, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Bad News Barrett, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollings.

RVD, Ziggler, and Swagger are all former Money in the Bank winners so I don't see them winning. Kofi, while full of talent, isn't being use by WWE properly AT ALL so a victory for him is out of the question. It comes down to the IC Champ and the two former members of The Shield. Of the three, I'm more leaning towards Barrett. I've been a fan of his since he won NXT. He has the size, the talent and the mic skills. Why HASN'T he become a World Champion yet? The only thing holding him back now is an injury. Apparently, Barrett was injured on Smackdown 5 DAYS before the PPV. Are you KIDDING ME? He's THIS CLOSE to the break out and he's injured again? The WWE gods do not want Barrett as a World Champion! It hasn't been confirmed if Barrett is out of the match or not just yet. I remain optimistic but I guess we'll soon find out. This match is built around Seth Rollings and Dean Ambrose. Since it's built AROUND those two, it's safe to assume one of those guys would the winner. And to be honest, I'm fine with either one winning.

I've been a Dean Ambrose fan since December 2011, when I saw him live before Raw started. He lost to Ted DiBiase but he cut an awesome promo and I was a fan. I told people, just watch when this guys finally makes his main roster debut. It took a year but when he finally debuted, I couldn't wait until he became a main star. His time is coming now, all he has to do is get the briefcase. Seth Rollings, on the other hand, wasn't really on my radar. I knew his name, because of his ROH past and the fact he was NXT Champion, but I didn't think he would amount to much in the company. How wrong I was. If we're talking favorites, Seth Rollings is it. He turned his back on his Shield brethren and aligned himself with The Authority. That's all it takes! He was the first one announced and like I said before, the match is basically built around him and Ambrose's feud. One of those guys HAVE to win.

I think it's safe to say that RVD, Kofi and Ziggler will be the spot monkeys this time around but I'm looking forward to what Ambrose will do and even more interested in Rollings, being his first MITB match and all. It should be the show starter and another fantastic MITB match.

As for the winner, IF he competes, Bad News Barrett has the most momentum. His gimmick is over, his ring style is intense and it's his time. Ambrose and Rollings will get their shots but in Barrett's 3rd MITB match, I think he'll finally get the briefcase. If not, Rollings all day. Can't go wrong with either 3 though.

FINALLY! A worthwhile tag team match! The Wyatts get a shot at The Usos. This should be a great match! Both are the hottest teams going in WWE and have had their feud start due to Wyatt/Cena. I don't think we've seen something like that in recent years. Anyway, with Wyatt in the main event, the dream of doing what The Shield did at Extreme Rules 2013 may be reality for The Wyatt Family. I think The Usos will drop the belts to The Wyatts, only for them to eventually lose to the most over team in WWE, Dust to Dust, Golddust and Star Dust. Wyatts wins the gold!

Paige VS Naomi? YES PLEASE! Naomi is probably the most athletic diva on the roster. Paige is probably the best wrestler. A MATCH made in Heaven! I don't think Paige will drop the title just yet. This should all be building to a AJ/Paige match but with ALL the recent rumors, who knows what the plans are. Paige wins.

Yes, I know there are three other matches, but I could care less, except for the Rusev/Big E match. That looks promising. They had an OK match at Payback BUT it didn't get enough time at all. Give them 10 minutes, this could be a sleeper hit! Anyway, Summer Rae wins, Rusev wins, and the Dust Brothers win.

The main event is a game changer. 8 superstars will vie for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Of the 8, 5 have already had the honor of being both WWE AND World Heavyweight Champion in their career. The other 3 are having amazing years and are looking for their breakout moment. This match has a lot of variables and can affect the long term course of the WWE forever. Well, it could be, if there wasn't a certain Beast looming...

While it's not confirmed, Brock Lesnar is pretty much guaranteed to be making his return soon and most likely in the main event of SummerSlam. Just look at the past two years for reference. Lesnar is the rightful #1 contender. I mean, this IS the guy who ended the most recognized streak in wrestling. He really should've got a title match against Bryan at Extreme Rules. Anyway, it's basic that whoever wins here will likely go onto face Lesnar for the title at the big event. This is what I like to call, The Elimination Chamber Syndrome. You know my biggest gripe with Elimination Chamber? It's predictability. It's basically foreshadowing to the main event of Wrestlemania. For example, look back to 2011. Miz was WWE Champion and EVERYONE knew Super Cena was going to be his opponent. Why? Because Miz eliminated Cena from the Rumble without even being in the match. Then Cena enters a #1 Contenders EC match and wins because his big match was already set up at Rumble. If Cena didn't win, there is no long term payoff. It's simple. This year, it happened again. Batista won the Rumble. There were already setting up for Orton/Batista, an all Evolution main event, so it was no surprise that Orton won. All I'm saying is this; because of the PPV's placement, it's too predictable and unfortunately, this MITB suffers from that same syndrome.

Lesnar is a leading draw in WWE, which means he'll have to be put with another leading draw because IT'S SUMMERSLAM. They need to have a big match feel to it. The last three years show that in Punk/Cena, HHH/Lesnar and Bryan/Cena. A leading draw that's a face. That doesn't leave much for predictability. Now granted, there is ONE PPV in between MITB and SummerSlam so there is a chance to no a quick title change but still, it hurts the events somewhat. Anyway, let's break down the competitors.

Kane and Del Rio aren't winning. They're just fillers. Sorry, but Kane being entered in at the last moment just proves that. Del Rio hasn't done anything interesting this year, except feuding with Batista and even that wasn't as entertaining as it should've been. It just doesn't seem right for either of these guys RIGHT NOW to hold the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Sheamus hasn't been World Champion in two years. That's shocking to me, especially since he's a Triple H guy. US Champion is awesome and all but where's his World Title reign at? I know not a lot of people like Sheamus, but his in ring style is awesome. Could you imagine the hard hitting title defenses he'll have against people like Wyatt, Cesaro and a returning Brock Lesnar? I would much rather watch a Sheamus/Lesnar match. I'd actually welcome it. It's a match made in brutal Heaven. If Sheamus was to win, I would be alright with it. Are his chances good? Maybe. I'd like to see a heel Sheamus team with his buddy HHH, but that doesn't help with my earlier want for Lesnar/Sheamus so nevermind.

The wildcard, Cesaro. Cesaro has been rumored to enter a program with Lesnar ala CM Punk last year. A Lesnar/Cesaro feud would let the WWE Universe know that Cesaro is ready. That he's the next big star. I could see a victory for him but he has the least momentum of the youth. I'm all for it but right now, I don't see him walking out as champion. Hope I'm wrong...

Randy Orton is the former champion, losing it without even getting pinned. Orton NEVER got his one on one rematch for the title, since he was immediately entered into a program with The Shield. Orton is the uncrowned champion in my eyes and if he won, eh, I wouldn't bee TOO upset. I mean, if Orton wins, I can only assume Reigns will get a shot at Battleground in some fashion and they could even give Reigns the belt so he can defend against Triple H at SummerSlam. Pipe dreams I know...Orton's got a good chance though regardless.

Bray Wyatt has had an amazing first year on the main roster as the sinister character. He went from feuding with Kane, to The Best and the Beard, to Bryan, to Cena. The next thing for him is the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Wyatt can only go up from here so why not give him the title? The only thing that's stopping him is who he would feud with. I guess they could do Wyatt/Cena IV then give Cena the belt but that's a pointless first reign for him. Wyatt has a lot of momentum but due to the Elimination Chamber Syndrome, I don't think he's time it just yet.

Roman Reigns has the most momentum of any competitor in the match, which makes me believe he's NOT going to win at MITB, even though that would be flipping amazing. Could you imagine Reigns defending against Orton and HHH? That's a changing of the guard there! Reigns is easily the crowd favorite but I don't think The Authority will let him win, storyline wise. I see Reigns right at the top, about to win, only to be screwed by Triple H. Reigns can't go over the Authority for 3 PPVs, I'm sorry, 4 PPVs, in a row. It's time for him to finally get his unfortunately. I'm rooting for him, I'm a fan of his, but I don't know if HHH will take another loss here.

John Cena is easily the favorite. He's John Cena. He hasn't held the WWE Title since August. It's his time. He's the WWE's go to guy. In times of need, Super Cena will be there!

Cena wins! No, I could see them giving it to someone else but I still think they're going to do Cena/Lesnar at SummerSlam. I'm going with Bray Wyatt. I think WWE would squeeze one more match out of the feud, let Cena win, and get Cena/Lesnar at SummerSlam. Pipe dreams of course but that's what I'm going with. Bray Wyatt walks out of Money in the Bank as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

There we go! WWE Money in the Bank 2014 is tomorrow!

Friday, June 13, 2014

A lot going on...

I didn't even get a chance to post my Payback predictions! Sorry about that but what a good little PPV that turned out to be! Sheamus and Cesaro was hard hitting, Wyatt and Cena ended their feud on a strong but expected outcome note and The Shield and Evolution shined in the main event. The Shield even eliminated all of Evolution without losing a member! That's impressive! As impressive as that was, the next night, the moment that's been teased since February finally came to fruition as Seth Rollings, after walking out on The Shield during their rematch with The Wyatts 3 months ago, attacked both Reigns and Ambrose and sided with Triple H and Randy Orton. It was shocking to see because many of us forgot that there was tension earlier this year between the group and I personally thought the split was coming very soon as a way to push the inevitable golden boy of the company, Roman Reigns. It didn't happen as The Shield got it together, destroyed the Attitude Era at Mania and feuded with the returning Evolution for the last two months. It was a fantasic turn for Rollings and unexpected, just because Ambrose was probablly the one everyone was expecting to turn. It's going to be interesting to see.

Well, it's all still leading up to the big clash between Roman Reigns VS Triple H but we still have two more events to go to get there.

The dream is over. Daniel Bryan is no longer the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It sucks but it's out of his control. I think it's safe for him to wait until his neck heals. The man is going to be champion again someday, but for now, the show will go on with out him. This unfortunate situation for Bryan now turns into a golden opportunity for someone else because now instead of a briefcase for a future title shot, whoever wins the ladder match will BECOME World Champion. I think that should be a tradition they keep. Have one massive ladder match for a briefcase and one for the title.

Right now, there are 5 of 7 particpants announced; Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Cesaro and Bray Wyatt. I fully expect one slot to be filled by Cena (MITB is in his hometown and it's Cena) and maybe Reigns. Ambrose competed in a MITB qualifier, why can't Reigns? Then have Ambrose and Rollings tear the house down and have another ladder match for a briefcase. That would be a great card. Put Ziggler, Barrett, RVD, maybe Bo Dallas, Kofi, and two others in that and there's your card.

Cesaro and Wyatt are getting big chances here and both could legitimately walk out as champion and it would make sense. Cesaro is managed by the guy whose client broke the streak. Whoever is riding his coat tails is going to succeed. And they could even set up Cesaro/Lesnar for the title at SummerSlam! Wyatt is coming off a successful feud with John Cena. Successful not by winning, but by being noticed. Wyatt became a star thanks to the feud. I could see him winning and eventually dropping the title to his nemesis Cena. If Reigns was in the match, I could make an argument for him as well. As it looks, he's still facing HHH at SummerSlam. What if it was for the titles? Have Reigns win, defend against Orton at Battleground then have the main event be Reigns/HHH? It's risky but it's different. Does anyone really want to see Cena or Orton win again? No! I'd take a heel Evolution Sheamus winning though. I just think the time is now to put the belt on someone up and coming, especially since it will work to a top star's advantage. Cesaro or Reigns winning means Lesnar or HHH could become champion and Lesnar deserves a reign. I could see Orton winning thanks to Rollings distracting Reigns, setting up for that match at Battleground as well, but I just don't want to see this Randy Orton as champion. The field is wide open right now and it's WWE's job to fill it. Will they use one of their top guys to fill that void or will they take a chance and give it to one of their future stars?

Personally, I'm pulling for Wyatt. He's already feuded against Bryan and Cena this year. What else is there left besides win the WWE Title? Only things going against Wyatt are his experience and draw. I mean, who would he face at SummerSlam for the title? Cena? While I'm pulling for Wyatt, I see Cesaro winning more likely just because it could give Lesnar the championship. And if they indeed do have a second MITB for the briefcase, the only guy who should win who isn't in the title ladder match already is Barrett. He's having some kind of resurgence. Just give him the briefcase and continue on with his awesome gimmick!

WWE Money in the Bank is going to be a history making event. And it's only two weeks away!

Last thing, WOW, WWE got rid of a lot of talent! Pesonally, I'm surprised they released 2/3 of 3MB. They were on TV regularly and were involved in back to back events pre show matches. I'm more or so mad they released Drew McIntyre because I think he really could've been a future star but I don't know what happened. He went from IC Champion to jobber. He was once hand picked by Vince to be the next top guy. What the heck happened? I'm also upset they released Evan Bourne. He hasn't even been on the active roster. They didn't even give him a chance before they gave him the ax. I think that was the worst one. Anybody who could put on a good match with Chris Jericho and beat him deserves to stay with the company for a bit longer. They could've done amazing things with Bourne and Neville but now that's just a pipe dream...So long to those 11 superstars. Hope you do amazing things in the other promotions!

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