WWE Title Match: R-Truth vs. John Cena
Steven Gepp: I’ll give them this – it’s some one new in the main event scene. People have been complaining for so long it’s the same old faces doing the same old things. Well, R-truth’s there and as a heel he seems to have really found his straps. Now, if we go by Cena Formula Matches 101, he should get a load of offence before the superhuman comeback by Cena for the win. Shame the match will be a standard Cena cookie cutter one, but at least it is some one else in there with him.
Winner: John Cena
CB: Simply put, R-Truth has been a true REVELATION during this first long stretch of a heel run that has been perfectly executed, technical difficulties notwithstanding. From creating the persona of a “Little Jimmy” to ridicule to seceding from the WWE Universe while wearing a Confederate Uniform to engaging with / mocking Cena’s fans and even turning the horrible fake Obama press conferences into something actually funny and worth watching, Truth has just been amazing. And while he will never be a great in-ring technician, he just might have found his niche that could put him all the way at the top of the card — something none of us ever expected — if he beats John Cena on Sunday. Here’s to wishful thinking, mainly because Cena is just so freakin’ boring as THE CHAMP and also because I don’t want to be a Little Jimmy…
Winner and NEW Champion: R-Truth
Jonah Kue: I’ve been beating this dead horse for the past few weeks, but redundancy is necessary at this point. R-Truth has been the most intriguing character we’ve had on ‘E in a long time. And though one can argue that Del Rio should be the one chasing the Champ at this point, the fact that Truth’s character centers around his conspiracy theory against the company. Who better for him to face than the ultimate company man himself, John Cena? All that catering to “little Jimmies” in their red shirts and hats, and you’ve got the perfect foil to Truth’s character, and vice versa. To be honest, the vendetta Truth has against a company who’s done him wrong is very reminiscent of a certain bald rattlesnake.
Given Truth has yet to prove himself on a main event level in the ring, but this is his chance. The obvious outcome here is a Cena victory, probably due to a Morrison run-in. But one’s got to wonder how much validity Truth’s character may gain if ‘E threw us a curveball. Simply based on that blind optimism….
Winner and NEW Champ: The Truth
Rhett Davis: This is one of the few feuds I’ve been able to follow throughout, but the end should be no surprise. Does anyone really see R-Truth win this match? Especially since he has one-upped Cena at every corner and hasn’t wrestled a match since Over the Limit? Oh well, as long as R-Truth talks about Little Jimmy this match will be worth it. Cena should win to move onto Alberto del Rio which would be an even more interesting feud. Or this feud could just be moved to the next PPV since that is only in a few weeks right?
Winner (and STILL WWE Champion): John SuperCena
Patrick Spohr: is it…is it possible that I actually LIKE R-Truth now? The goofy dude with one-too-many facial piercings who dances to the ring? Impossible. But his heel turn has been a breath of fresh air amidst so much stale programming on the ‘E. Unfortunately, I don’t see Cena dropping the title until Summerslam at the earliest. Expect another infuriating Super-Cena comeback here (PLUG: check out Caught in the Ropes on Monday when I talk about the Super-Cena character).
Winner: Cena
John Cena: 3Â Â R-Truth: 2
World Heavyweight Title Match: Christian vs. Randy Orton
Steven Gepp: Yeah, sure, another rematch between them. Two things stand out here. 1, what other heels are there to go against Orton on Smackdown, and 2, will they learn from successful wrestling history and realise the money is in the chase? I am going to give everyone the benefit of the doubt here and pray and hope beyond all hope that they do what would make a more intriguing storyline (in my opinion!).
Winner: Christian
CB: While R-Truth has had the most buzzworthy heel turn, Christian has done a fine job himself after turning on Randy Orton. My problem with Christian as a heel though is that I find myself still on his side because I think he actually does have valid claims against Teddy Long, who for some reason has annoyed me more than usual lately. Or maybe I just can’t bring it upon myself to rally behing Orton over Christian because after 17 years of waiting, Christian lost the Big Gold Belt 5 days later to a guy who has had a little too much time — and many, many chances — to run with the title. Here’s to more wishful thinking…
Winner and new champion: Christian
Kue: This feud has been damn near flawless. Well-put together promos, logical storyline progression, and stellar matches; what else could you ask for? And because of Christian’s turn, this rematch will defintiely feel fresh. Either man winning would be fine, but with all these rumors of Orton’s physical health circulating, I must say….
Winner and NEW Champ: Christian
Rhett Davis: This is actually another compelling storyline and this will likely be the MOTN. I could see this one going either way, but Randy Orton can’t win can he? I mean… there is no way that this feud is over. Who would Christian fight if he lost? Daniel Bryan? Sin Cara? It wouldn’t work and would kill Christian’s momentum that SmackDown has worked so hard to maintain.
Winner (and NEW World Heavyweight Champion): Christian
Patrick Spohr: I have to admit, when Sheamus and “Sexual Chocolate†Mark Henry (I’ll never let him live that down) got involved in the SD main event, I started to worry that the ‘E was just going to bury Christian again. Luckily, with a big win over Sheamus going into this PPV, the dude is looking strong. I’m torn, though; SD needs to shake things up in order to get people interested, but Randal is the #1 guy on the show. I’ll go with Christian getting some sweet, sweet revenge in DC.
Winner: Christian
Christian: 5Â Â Randy Orton: 0
Intercontinental Title Match: Ezekiel Jackson vs. Wade Barrett
Steven Gepp: No Corre? So Barrett’s now a total idiot? Hmm, they’re not on the show elsewhere… so I’ll go out on a limb and say they do interfere… and cost their former mentor his title, leading to some sort of bizarre feud between heels.
Winner: EJ
CB: Thankfully, The CORRE has been put out of its misery. Hopefully Nexus is next. I like Wade Barrett but could care less about this match. Maybe Wade can hold onto the IC belt and make it worth something as a straight singles competitor, but they probably give it to Zeke in this spot and wipe the page blank with Wade.
Winner and new champion: Ezekiel Jackson
Kue: I’m a bit sad at the developement of this feud. I know this is simply to get Zeke over, and I’m all for that, but Wade’s been buried in the process. Just one year ago, he was seen as so tactical, he could give Jericho a run for his money. Now….sigh. Zeke’s been denied the title long enough, so, with that in mind….
Winner and NEW Champ: Big Zeke aka Lex Luger with a tan
Rhett Davis: Yawn. I like Ezekiel Jackson, and I like Wade Barrett. This feud has been treacherous and nothing is interesting when every match ends with DQ or Countout. Now that The Corre is finite, Ezekiel can win cleanly and move on to better competition.
Winner (and NEW Intercontinental Champion): Ezekiel Jackson
Patrick Spohr: Poor Wade Barrett. I thought the SD move might be good for him, but he’s been dropped down to mid-card hell. And, let’s be honest here, he hasn’t looked strong in this feud. I’m going with Big Zeke for the win and the IC title here. I will, however, take this over a Bella Twins match any day. I didn’t even notice that there wasn’t a Diva’s match on the card until just a moment ago.
Winner: Zeke
Ezekiel Jackson: 5Â Â Wade Barrett: 0
WWE United States Title Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston
Steven Gepp: Sorry, but this whole thing doesn’t excite me. There is a chance the match will be more than watchable, and there is a chance the match will pop the crowd, but, I don’t know. Both these guys seem mired in the morass that is midcard purgatory.
Winner: Dolph
CB: Haven’t we seen this match A MILLION TIMES already? The same could be said for Punk and Rey, too, but Punk and Rey are BRILLIANT together and they could wrestle every day for a full year and make it work. Ziggler and Kofi, not so much. I have kind of been waiting for a mid card shakeup of sorts, but it seems like we’ve hit holding pattern season. Kofi wins so that the gazillion generic mid card heels on Raw have something to strive for.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Kue: You know, I consider myself environmentally active. But this is the type of recycling that’s considered hazardous. The biggest problem that ‘E has now is how boring and stale their overall product has become. Reliving a Smackdown feud on Raw for another mid card title isn’t solving that problem. It would be different if there was any type of build to this feud, but besides the mediocre commentary from Mr. Ziggles, there really hasn’t been anything to make people care about this match. Toss a coin, folks.
Winner and STILL Champ: Kofi Kingston
Rhett Davis: I’m okay with this match, but it’s time these guys moved up into the Heavyweight Title scene. They’ve been in this same predicament for years. They need to change something… get in a tag team, move up, or turn face/heel. Something to change it up. It looks like the winner will be Kofi Kingston just because I can’t see there being three title changes on one show. Well I hope not anyways.
Winner (and STILL United States Champion): Kofi Kingston
Patrick Spohr: has anyone’s star fallen further faster in recent memory than Dolph Ziggler’s? Man, moving him to Raw was like fitting him with concrete shoes and dumping him into the East River. I guess Kofi is just used to being stuck in the mid-card at this point. Both of these guys are too talented to be utilized the way they are, but since they’re not 260-pound shaved gorillas, Vince doesn’t want to use them. Too bad, because this could very well be the match of the night along with Randal vs. Christian.
Winner: Dolph, why not?
Kofi Kingston: 3 Dolph Ziggler: 2
The Miz vs. Alex Riley
Steven Gepp: This has to be the most effective face turn in years. The crowd so wants Riley to be the new “oneâ€. And, you know, if they do go that route, why not have a R-Truth win, and then A-Ri chase him? Hmmm… Overthinking again?
Winner: The Miz
CB: Miz-Riley is one of my three favorite matches on the card, along with Truth-Cena (because Truth deserves it) and Punk-Mysterio (because they are genuinely amazing against each other). Riley hasn’t just turned face by beating on Miz lately, he has turned SUPER-FACE thanks to some really supportive live crowds that just may have turned some heads in WWE Creative. While I always liked Riley since NXT and thought he could break out, I didn’t know if he’d ever really be able to pull it off as a face. At the same time, there are two huge reasons the fans are rallying for Riley, and those reasons are: 1. The Miz; and 2. The STORY between he and The Miz. There are rare moments — especially in these days — where WWE actually lets a story be told in the type of honest and organic fashion that makes the fans buy into the entire program — and this is one of those moments. You have two guys that helped each other get to the top of the WrestleMania card — one as champion and the other as protege — and NOW you have the perfect timing for their fallout now that things have gone south after they peaked together. The moral of this story is that sometimes it’s better to tell a basic story like this brilliantly rather than to try too hard to break new ground. That is why this is one of my favorite feuds of the year, and I hope WWE, The Miz, and Alex Riley are as invested in this as I am and give this angle some time to really become something special. Riley should score the upset win here, and, much like Jericho when he first snapped way back when after losing a couple of matches early in his WWE career, I hope this opens up new doors and new layers to Miz’ character that we can truly enjoy as they unfold and he unravels.
Winner: Alex Riley
Kue: Why push a face turn for Riley when he not only has no established character, but has been jobbing to every person (sans Evan Bourne) on the freaking roster? My latest shout out, Mr. Gojira, pointed this out. Lack of faces. So, the trigger has been pulled. And the crowd actually has gotten behind Riley. Still, I think that’s more a testament to the Miz’s heat then anything else. Of course, Riley will lose, but through some sort of trickery from Miz, I’m sure. That way, they both come out looking somewhat credible, and everybody go home a-happy!
Winner: The Miz
Rhett Davis: I’m so torn about this match. Miz needs the win to not lose all of his momentum of being WWE Champion for so long, but A-Ry needs the win not to fade into obscurity. However, if A-Ry can beat Miz down until he can barely compete and then Miz cheat somehow then Miz will keep his momentum and A-Ry will look like a force to be reckoned with. Therefore, Win-Win.
Winner: The Miz
Patrick Spohr: A-Ri’s freak rise to baby-face stardom has been something to see. The Miz has really given this guy the rub. And with a roster lacking in main-event faces, he has come along at a really fortuitous time. A lot of people are picking The Miz to win this one, but I’m not so sure. With the pop Riley’s been getting from the crowd, they might speed up his development and get him into the main-event, or at least the upper-mid-card. I’ll be conservative and say that this feud lasts until MITB or Summerslam.
Winner: The Miz
The Miz: 4Â Â Alex Riley: 1
Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show
Steven Gepp: What’s the deal with Del Rio? Who did he refuse to blow back stage? Winner of the Rumble to fighting Big Show in a nothing match? Oh well.
Winner: Del Rrrrrrrrrrio
CB: Del Rio should win here mainly because Big Show is teflon these days when it comes to wins and losses. I sense the opposite will happen, though, so Show can get his REVENGE —— FISTPUMP! (credit: FDSwayze)
Winner: Big Show
Kue: Filler feud cannot be opitimized by anything more than this one, kids. But hey, it got Mark Henry doing a stretcher job, which gives us hope for a Henry hiatus, right?
Winner: Alberto del rrrrrrrrrrrRIO!!!!!
Rhett Davis: I just haven’t been able to get into this feud despite loving del Rio. Del Rio has won every week in this feud with the exception of last week, but now there is no Ricardo Rodriguez to interfere. If Alberto moves on to Cena next month then he will win, but there is the off-chance that they will just extend both this feud and the Cena/Truth feud until the next PPV and then do Cena/del Rio at SummerSlam. So… I think Big Show will lose this one by DQ when he gets carried away beating del Rio to a bloodless pulp. This way del Rio can move on to Cena by winning a #1 Contender’s match and Big Show could possibly get involved and make a triple threat.
Winner: Alberto del Rio (DQ)
Patrick Spohr: Why, why, WHY?! Why are the putting Del Rio in a program with the Big Show? It’s like the kiss of death; this was the same feud that killed CM Punk’s Straight Edge Society and weakened the already largely irrelevant Corre. Del Rio has done the best that he could here, but I just don’t see how they’re going to put him over the Giant. I can hope, right?
Winner: Big Show
Alberto del Rio: 3Â Â Big Show: 2
CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
Steven Gepp: Again!? What, is it “these guys have nothing to do, set them on each other†time? Okay, so it’s not TNA bad where they have the same match for 6 months, but it’s verging on it.
Winner: Punk
CB: As I said above, I don’t care how many times CM Punk and Rey Mysterio go at it, mainly because they are just magic in the ring together. They are two of the best in the ring in terms of both performance and psychology, and one is the ultimate heel while the other is the penultimate face. I would love this to be 25 minutes of genuine back and forth, but we’ll probably get 12 minutes instead. As for who wins, I honestly have no clue, so here’s to coin-flip thinking…
Winner: Heads Rey, Tails Punk … it’s ……….. Heads, so Rey wins.
Kue: See my description of Kingston/Ziggler. No back story. Just a recycled feud between two supposedly bitter rivals. The match will be great. And forgettable. Thanks, Vince.
Winner: ummm, Punk?
Rhett Davis: My comments on this match should only be as relevant as this feud is. Since the feud isn’t, the winner shouldn’t really matter. If Punk wins, then he looks more like a dominant leader. If Rey wins, then the fans will have one of their favorites win and they can go home happy. Oh and WWE loves to screw over Punk, hence the non-inclusion of an actual storyline.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Patrick Spohr: Haven’t we seen this feud before? Like, a few times before? I was complaining about the length of the Angle/Double J feud before Slammiversary, but this Punk/Mysterio feud has been running just about as long, with a few breaks here and there. With Punk leaving some time soon, unless the ‘E is willing to make some real concessions to the guy, I just don’t see him picking up the win here. It’s a shame.
Winner: Mysterio
CM Punk: 3Â Â Rey Mysterio: 2
