Greetings, all. We had quite a turn-around this week in the world of wrestling, eh? So much has happened that I can’t really pinpoint one particular event, so I’ll just throw in my two cents and see where the discussion takes us.
1. The McMahon-Helmsley Power Trip
This angle started as some sort of retirement storyline for Triple H but has quickly devolved into a power struggle between Vince and The Game. As per the norm in the WWE, this sudden shift came without explanation and will probably remain as such until Creative finally figures out where they’re going with this. My guess? The long-awaited return of Ric Flair in some sort of management role to broker the peace between Vinnie Mac and Hunter. One thing worth noting: didn’t Triple H force McMahon to retire quite publicly a couple of years ago? Has that bit of trivia been completely swept under the rug?
2. The Double Turn
I gotta say I did NOT see the ending of Ziggler/del Rio coming at all. Despite Dolph having yet another weak title reign, I suppose the money is in the chase, as they say. I wholeheartedly agree with Alberto del Rio’s reasoning behind his heel turn. The fans cheered for Ziggler when he cashed in on an injured del Rio, and yet they booed Alberto for doing the same? THIS is how storylines and character development should be dictated: through fan response and logic. We’ve yet to really see any semblance of a face turn for Ziggler, so it will be interesting to follow how his relationship with AJ and Big E will evolve.
3. The Wyatt Family
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m going to reserve judgment on the Wyatts until I see what they can do in the ring on Raw. To me, having two dominant heel stables at the same time feels like the company will wind up diluting the impact that one stable (or even both) will have on either Raw or Smackdown. I now patiently wait for my troll to respond with his “YOU DON’T KNOW THE NXT ROSTER” rant.
4. Mark Henry’s Swerve
It was hinted at when he asked John Cena to remain at ringside and said he’d never held the WWE Championship, but I was slightly suckered in by Henry’s retirement speech and thought it was a good, heart-felt promo from a guy known for breathing heavily at the sound of the ring bell to start a match. I’m not at all excited at the prospect of Cena/Henry at Money in the Bank, but I am intrigued on how the crowd reactions will play into the build and the match itself.
5. Zeb Colter: Hypocrite
I didn’t think Antonio Cesaro needed a manager/valet (hence why he so quickly and unceremoniously dumped Aksana) but apparently there is some truth to the rumor that Cesaro is seen as “boring” by those who run the show backstage. Why they felt the need to get him additional heat in the form of Zeb Colter, I’ll never know; the former Claudio Castagnoli can handle his own on the mic. Maybe Colter’s role is more of a mentor backstage to help him put his matches together in the WWE-style?
6. CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar
I’m super excited at the prospect of this match, most likely happening at Summerslam, and can’t wait to see how it’s built from here on out. I thought it would have been better for Punk to dump Paul Heyman over time instead of immediately after Payback and THEN have Lesnar show up to defend Paul’s honor sometime down the road. Two steps forward in the logic department, one step back, right?
7. Daniel Bryan
It has been said that Bryan would get a strong singles push at Money in the Bank and it looks like that is still the case. I suspect he’ll get a definitive victory over Randy Orton either at the PPV or some time before it to facilitate the jump start of his push back into the title scene. Summerslam is shaping up to be a great card already with Punk/Lesnar and possibly Bryan/Cena and I’m jealous that I got shafted with a lackluster ‘Mania show here in the Tri-State Area.
Discuss!
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
