As we head into SummerSlam this weekend, its more than a little obvious that the main event is going to overshadow every other match on the card. And not in a “it’s the main event so of course it’s going to be a big deal†kind of way. In a “I might get mad at every other match for taking to long, because I want to see Cena vs. Punk†kind of way. With only four matches “officially†announced so far, nothing on the card comes close to the buildup that Punk and Cena have. Or that’s the gut reaction that I’ve been having to this match so far.
But the closer it gets to SummerSlam, the more concerned I get about the whole feud. When MiTB ended, we weren’t sure how long Punk was going to be gone (I don’t think I was even sure he was ever coming back at all until that three count was completed.) and that helped cement the MiTB match to be the best match of the year. (Chicago also helped.) I don’t expect the SummerSlam match to completely measure up to the one from last month. In any feud, rematches rarely tend to live up to the first one. But my fear is that a great match isn’t going to be good enough for WWE. And WWE is going to try and fix things, WWE style, which can only lead to problems.
Punk and Cena have already proven that they can carry a feud together. Punk is at the top of his game right now, and there is a strong argument that he is currently the best in the word both on mic and in the ring. Even Cena is doing some of his best work, though I credit that to Punk as well, since Punk tends to bring out the best in his opponents. So why then does this feud need Triple H crammed in there as well? Monday’s contract signing was a perfect example of how unnecessary it is for Triple H to be sticking his nose into this feud. Here we have Cena and Punk moving along merrily, exchanging witty banter and put downs on the mic with one another until the whole segment comes to a screeching, awkward halt as Triple H tries to join in on the trash talk. Is this really the best use of Triple H? It’s not like we need him involved to get invested, we’re already invested, and more invested in anything that WWE has given us in the past year. But there he is. WWE even managed to cram the Rock into this feud this past Monday when Punk showed his Facebook video cutting down Cena.
Every big name in the company is invested in this story and where does that leave the rest of the roster? The “contract signing took about twenty plus minutes last night and add on the first ten of the show for Triple H to announce himself as special guest ref, and you’ve got thirty minutes dedicated to this story. Even accounting for things such as commercials and the SummerSlam rewind, there’s still easily an hour left of show if it ended on time, which it didn’t. So, WWE is putting everything in their “two champions†storyline, how is the rest of the product doing?
We’ve got R-Truth feuding with a newly returned Morrison, but while Truth’s backstage promo was one of the most enjoyable parts of the evening, the actual match was very forgettable as it felt like we were just waiting until Sunday to watch it again. (Side complaint: It’s fine for commentary to say Morrison landed on his neck, especially when we’re supposed to be concerned about his recent neck injury, but if you do that, don’t show the whole thing in replay three times so that we can all see that he in fact landed on his back.)
Miz meanwhile seems to be floundering for a rival to fight. Without any claim to the belt, Miz seems to be stuck in a murky no man’s land in between the main-eventers and the mid-carders. Maybe this is a guy that could get a boost from Triple H spending some time in his storyline. I know it’s not the main event Trips, but you’ve got a whole company to run now, not just one match. In fact the only other interesting match of the night (in what may be the most shocking development of all) was the Diva’s match. (If this column were an episode of Raw, King would be telling you right now, not to adjust your set, because I’m actually saying something good about the divas)
I want to state for the record, right now, that as far as I’m concerned, Beth Phoenix is the face, not the heel, of the current Diva’s storyline. Everything said by Beth on Raw, was 100% spot on exactly what is wrong with the whole Diva’s division. People like Beth, those who can perform on a consistent basis in the ring, those are who I want to cheer for, while Kelly Squared and friends still make the Diva segment the best time to have a bathroom break. In all honesty, I know that Beth is supposed to be a heel, but if that is the case WWE, I beg of you, do not merely lump her in with the rest of your Diva heels. A Beth Phoenix and Bella Twins team up will undermine everything that has made the Divas watchable in a long while.
Unrelated Random Thought: I was reading Mick Foley’s autobiography the other day (the first one) when he got to the part where he mentioned Socko, saying that it was thought up on a whim, and that it wasn’t until the next show when he saw all of the Socko signs did he know what a big deal his little sock puppet was. I wonder if in a similar vein, did R-Truth pick the name Jimmy randomly just to have something to say, now to have “little Jimmy†be the main cry of his conspiracy complaint.
