Greetings, figments of my overactive imagination! Let’s ignore the CM Punk and Brian Gewirtz trivialities and get straight to the point.
For the past three weeks, we’ve gotten a tease as to how far the WWE intends to push Ryback. Personally, I’d say it’s WAY too soon to throw him at Punk, but what the fuck do I know? In any case, I think it goes to show just how thin the roster has become when a guy like Ryback is considered a main eventer after just a few months of squash matches.
Initially, Raw three weeks ago ended with Ryback staring down Punk to gauge audience reaction. Rather ironically, that ending was not shown to the live crowd, so it had to have literally been a last second addition. News leaked that there didn’t seem to be any true intent to go forward with a Punk/Ryback feud, but we all knew we’d get more tension-filled moments between the two, especially when word broke that John Cena might not be medically cleared for Hell in a Cell. Last week Ryback came out to defend Jim Ross, and this week the Big Hungry actually got his mitts on the WWE Champion before he escaped into the crowd. The angle going forward is that Punk must now choose to face either Ryback or John Cena as his opponent for the PPV on next week’s Raw. Obviously we’ll know if Cena is fit to compete if he gets “chosen” instead of Ryback, but the possibility is still there for Ryback to get put into the match, whether in a one-on-one situation or a Triple Threat. I’m still not convinced that Mr. Reeves is ready for the top rung of the ladder, but I have a solution to that problem that would not only help push the big man, but also keep him out of the title picture.
Brock Lesnar.
One of “Paul Heyman’s Guys” might be WWE Champion, but another one is waiting in the wings with a few contracted dates left over. Lesnar kayfabe left because he said he had nothing left to do in the WWE. But along came Ryback, who is now threatening to take the title from Heyman’s current cash cow, and therein lies the reason for Lesnar’s scripted return to the company. Regardless of the situation Ryback is placed in come Hell in a Cell, I think the smart money is on having Lesnar attack him to assert his dominance as a true monster to be feared in the company. This could allow the fans to truly get behind Ryback, as Lesnar has been booked to be a selfish, egotistical bully since his return the night after Wrestlemania XXVIII. It could also backfire, but at this point what do they have to lose? Survivor Series, the last of the Big Four PPVs this year, is coming up in November and a Lesnar vs Ryback brawl could be a better match than the Lesnar vs Triple H bout we got in August. It could also be construed as the birth of a new Dangerous Alliance consisting of Punk, Lesnar, and Heyman. On the flip side we could be subjected to a terrible match akin to Lesnar/Goldberg, but I still say the risk needs to be taken. If it works, we might just have a brand new face main eventer to get behind.
Just as long as he doesn’t start making stupid puns like Sheamus.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
P.S. Sorry for the briefness of the column this week, but this was an idea I’ve had floating around for a while and I’m swamped at work these days.
P.P.S. Kelly Floyd will be handling Smackdown coverage this weekend, as I will be away for a wedding in Virginia. Show her some love! (She prefers varying speeds.)
