It seems that we are fast approaching a Pocket of Suck. Yes we avoided it last year after WrestleMania, but it would seem that this is more the exception to the rule than the rule itself. Not that there isn’t stuff to look forward to (we’ll get to that momentarily) but the first warning sign of an impending Pocket of Suck is the fact that after an episode of Raw, I realize that there is a genuine struggle trying to find something to dedicate an entire article to. So when that happens, we get two unrelated thoughts (and a bonus extra thought)
Punk is back so soon?: We had known, or at least suspected, for quite a while now, that after WrestleMania, Punk would be taking some time off, something that while we were unhappy about, could hardly blame the guy for. So the big question on most minds at that point was, “How soon do we get to see Punk again?” And while there was no official word, and rumors in the dirt sheets sounded more made up than usual, general consensus seemed to fall on or around SummerSlam. So I think we were all taken by surprise, a least a little bit, when he was not only mentioned on Raw, but it seems that he is now scheduled to return in the next PPV. A few things of note about this: 1. The guy is fighting Chris Jericho. Didn’t we just see this feud last year? Is there anybody who isn’t already throwing money at the screen? Moving on. 2. One of the reasons I was excited about Punk’s eventual SummerSlam return was that he would more than likely be coming back as a face. But with this return happening much sooner, and the fact that he will be going against Chris Jericho means that more than likely we’re going to see WWE continue to try and push the heel version of this character. And as impatient as I am to get Punk back on my TV, I really would have liked fur us all to cheer the guy again.
Shield Gold: At Extreme Rules, every member of The Shield won a belt. This should be a huge deal. And on many levels it is. But the nonstop disregarding both the US championship and the tag team titles has taken its toll. Yes the tag team titles were most recently held by what is unquestionably the best thing to happen to the tag tem division in years, but before that, joke tag teams were able to secure the titles, or they were given to two random wrestlers as placeholders until the WWE had a need for the titles again. I still remember the two final members of Nexus being the tag team champions for months simply because nobody could be bothered to go against them . The US title isn’t in any better shape. So though these three guys got gold last Sunday, it’s not the gold they should have been going after. That being said, I genuinely feel like these three guys can do something special with the titles they’ve been given. Maybe I put too much faith in The Shield because I want them to be successful, but we’ve all seen what kind of matches The Shield has the capability of pulling off. Imagine if you will that level of match for the tag team championship titles. Dean Ambrose has already had a fairly impressive (though short) defense of his title on Raw. These titles may not be great for The Shield, but I do think that The Shield can be great for the titles. Also, on Memorial Day, Dean Ambrose defended the United States Championship…in Canada. Perfect Heel.
And for the final thought of the day, this one is for fellow Classy Ring Attire host Chris, I really do despise the People’s Elbow.
