Still An Animal - What Could WWE do with the Returning Batista?

I'm guessing we've all seen the above video by now, 4 Time WWE World Heavyweight Champion and 2 Time WWE Champion, Batista is returning to WWE on 20th January episode of Raw. This was, of course, only announced after an error led to Batista being advertised for a number of house shows in February, so WWE had no choice to announce it a few weeks ago. But that's not what this piece is going to focus on, this is about speculating about what WWE could potential do with The Animal and whether this run will be successful almost three years after Batista's last wrestling match. 

There are a number of variables that are going to be involved in how this latest run plays out. The biggest one of these is the length of time Batista is going around for. It's been rumoured that this is more than "Road to Wrestlemania" type deal that we've seen The Rock work over the last couple of years, and that Batista is, in fact, here to stay, at least for a while anyway. If that is the case, then WWE has a lot more time to build up his persona again, with a number of interesting match ups possible along the way. BUT which Batista will we see? 

Inevitably, the former Leviathan will receive a face reaction up on his return on 20th January and most likely will be kept face for the Royal Rumble match at least, that would be the logical thing to do anyway. But arguably his most critically acclaimed performances came from his Heel run at the tail end of his first run with the company in 2010, opposite the likes of Rey Mysterio and John Cena. To get the most out of Batista, I imagine we'll see both sides of The Animal in this next run, as the heel Batista is just too good a character to pass on. 

The other variable that will effect Batista's run is his age. Currently at the age of 44, the same age as the semi-retired Triple H, and without having wrestled a match  in three years, will Batista be able to keep himself from getting injured? There's no doubt that Batista is still looks the part, and training for his October 2012 MMA fight with Vince Lucero, as well as demanding move roles in The Man With Iron Fists and Riddick, would have helped to keep the big man psyhically fit, that doesn't always translate to a successful time in the wrestling ring, especially on the schedule that WWE hands out to it's wrestlers. It would seem Batista will be working a number of house shows, and with high profile injuries to both his right tricep and hamstring in both 2006 and 2008 respectively, it would surely be in WWE's interest to have Batista on a reduced schedule for the majority of his run, saving him for money matches at the companies highest profile events.

So, let's look at who at who we could see Batista facing off against over the next couple of years and which matches or programs look the most appealing. Let's start off with some The Animals old enemies.

Randy Orton

These two have a long and storied history with each other, going back to Evolution, the stable that dominated WWE's television product in from 2002. Their first televised one-on-one contest came on 27th September 2004 episode of Raw, in a No Disqualification contest during the build to Orton's Taboo Tuesday bout with Ric Flair. After trading a couple of wins in 2005 on Raw and Smackdown, as well as featuring the opposing end of tag team bouts in 2005 and 2007, this rivalry came into full effect in 2008. 

Begining with some strange WWE booking meaning John Cena got a World Heavyweight Title shot against Chris Jericho at Survivor Series 2008, instead of Batista who was still owed a rematch, Orton quickly dredged up some old history and two led teams in a Traditional Survivor Series match, with Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes coming out as the survivors. The two then faced off in a Singles bout at Armageddon, with Batista getting his win back, however the feud was cut short by Batista's injured hamstring and he was written out of storyline, as Orton moved onto a Wrestlemania XXV encounter with Triple H. 

Upon The Animal's return the feud was reignited with a bizarre six man tag between Orton's faction The Legacy and the team of Batista, Triple H & Shane McMahon at Backlash 2009. The feud continued with Batista gaining Number One Contendership to Orton's WWE Championship, and after Orton intententionally got himself disqualified at Judgment Day, Batista would win the title from Orton inside a Steel Cage at Extreme Rules. Unfortunately, injury struck again for Batista, who would be stripped of the championship, whilst getting injured his arm broken by Orton in storyline. 

The two would never reignite their feud, although a few more singles matches would take place on Raw in 2009 and 2010. Their final battle being a 26th April 2010 WWE Championship Number One Contender's Triple Threat that also involved Sheamus. 

These days Orton is running around as the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, having unified the titles in TLC bout with John Cena at last year's Tables, Ladders and Chairs event, as well as having a strained relationship with, the pairs former Evolution stable mate, Triple H, in the Authority. It would seem logical that Batista will be crossing paths with Orton in some way or another over the coming months, whether this leads to a full blown rivalry, a partnership or simply a few glancing moments on Raw, is still to be seen, although a storyline that plays on Orton's insecurities as The Face of the Company could lead to some entertaining moments. 

Triple H

I spoke a little about Triple H above, and this is another rivalry that finds it's roots in the Evolution stable. From 2003-2004 the two would often team up in tag team action, against duos like Kane & Rob Van Dam, Booker T & Scott Steiner and Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho, but it wasn't until New Year's Revolution 2005 that they would have their first bout on opposite sides, in a Elimination Chamber bout that also featured Benoit. Jericho, Edge and Randy Orton, with the story being that Batista was there to help Triple H gain the World Heavyweight Championship, eliminating Benoit and Jericho along the way, before succumbing to RKO from Orton. 

With Batista winning the 2005 Royal Rumble match, the course was set for a Wrestlemania 21 bout with his old buddy Triple H, in a well crafted storyline that made Batista into a main event player. The rivalry would continue The Animal retaining the title against The Game at both Backlash and Vengeance, the latter inside Hell in a Cell, to bring the feud to a close. The two would be shown to have reconciled their differences in later years, teaming up on a number of occassions, firstly on the 15th Anniversary episode of Raw in 2007, before joining forces in their feud against Randy Orton in 2009. Minus the Royal Rumble matches of 2008 and 2010, the two haven't been on opposing sides in a match since the aforementioned Hell in a Cell match at Vengeance 2005.

Personally, while I think we will see some interaction between Batista and Triple H in the coming months, I'd suspect that a match between the two is unlikely, with neither man having much to gain from facing each other and Triple H only working a handful matches a year, it would be difficult to rekindle the magic that their feud had back in 2005. 

John Cena

Both Batista and Cena were in Ohio Valley Wrestling at the same time, with promotion hosting the pairs first ever encounter (with Cena as The Prototype and Batista as Leviathan) with Cena winning the OVW Heavyweight Championship from Batista on the 23rd February 2002 edition of OVW TV. Apart from 2003 and 2005 Royal Rumbles, the two wouldn't be involved in the same bout until September 2006, when they teamed with Bobby Lashley against King Booker, Finlay & William Regal on Friday Night Smackdown, with the pair continue to team in late 2006 and into early 2007, against King Booker and different partners. In the build up to their respective Wrestlemania 23 title defenses against The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, the pair would find themselves on opposite sides for the first time since 2002 at No Way Out, with Cena & Michaels picking up the victory, before Batista & Undertaker got a return victory on 26th March edition of Monday Night Raw. 

After Batista won a Fatal Four Way bout that also included Kane and JBL to become Number One Contender to CM Punk's World Heavyweight Championship on Raw in July 2008, the wheels where set in moton for SummerSlam 2008 bout between the pair. In Batista's World Heavyweight Championship rematch with Punk on Raw, Cena ended up hitting Batista thanks to John Bradshaw Layfield's interference, in a typically overbooked finish. The two would end up brawling and having to be pulled apart. With the two pretending that nothing was wrong, they would team on numerous occasions in the build up to their contest, even winning the World Tag Team Championships from Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase on Raw, before dropping the belts back the week after. Their SummerSlam bout was one of the strongest on the show, with Batista eventually coming out on top. The bout would prove damaging for both men however, with both ending up having to take time off shortly after. 

The two would team up again on a few occasions in 2008 and 2009 against teams like Legacy, but it was Batista's 2010 heel turn that would lead to a fully fledged feud between the two. Batista would be Mr. McMahon's hand picked opponent for Cena, after Cena had defended his WWE Championship inside the Elimination Chamber at Elimination Chamber 2010, with Batista picking up the WWE Championship in thirty seconds.  In the build up to Wrestlemania 26, the pair would bicker over who was the true "Face of The WWE" (sound familiar?) with Cena winning the WWE Championship back at the Shows of Shows. After the two had failed in attempt at Show-Miz's Unified Tag Team Championship on 5th April episode of Raw, they had two more rematches, first at Extreme Rules in Last Man Standing match, followed by the feud blow-off, a "I Quit" match at the inaugural Over the Limit pay-per-view, both of which saw Batista come up short against the Cenation Leader. With Batista "quitting" the WWE the day after their "I Quit" match, this ended up being The Animals last match for the promotion.

So, if Batista wants to prove himself again in WWE, he's surely going to have to go through the man who defeated him three times in succession, right? Cena is currently attempting to get his WWE World Heavyweight Championship back from Randy Orton, so it's very possible that we'll see at least some interaction between Cena and Batista in the first few weeks of The Animal's return, possibly making up their past differences to team up against The Authority, with a potential rematch later down the line. Whilst a rematch doesn't quite have a Wrestlemania feel about it, it could easily headline a PPV like SummerSlam, or, if Batista is busy promoting his new film, Guardians of the Galaxy over the summer, help an ailing Survivor Series event garner a few extra buys. 

The Undertaker

This rivalry was personal favourite of mine, and began shortly after The Undertaker won the 2007 Royal Rumble match. 'Taker would eventually to challenge for Batista's World Heavyweight Championship, over John Cena's WWE Championship and Bobby Lashley's ECW Championship, and their rivalry began to fall into place. As they were both faces at the time, they spent a lot of their time teaming up in February and March of 2007, against the likes of Rated-RKO and King Booker & Finlay on Friday Night Smackdown, whilst also trading victories with John Cena & Shawn Michaels at No Way Out and then Raw, all the time teasing a competitive rivalry bubbling underneath the surface. Of course, 'Taker came out of their 'Mania bout as World Heavyweight Champion, keeping The Streak intact, in an impressive contest.

The rivalry would continue, with the pair teaming up twice against Finlay & Mr. Kennedy in the build up to a brutal Last Man Standing bout at Backlash, which disapointingly ended in a draw after Batista speared The Deadman off the stage, meaning Undertaker retained his title. After a Steel Cage match on 8th May edition of Friday Night Smackdown also ended in a draw, the rivalry was cut short by an injury to Undertaker, with Edge cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase to take the Championship. 

With The Undertaker returning in September, it wasn't long before their paths would cross once again, with Batista defending his World Heavyweight Championship against 'Taker at Cyber Sunday, with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin being voted Special Guest Referee ahead of Mick Foley and JBL with 79% of the vote. This time Batista came out the victor, after a pair of Batista Bombs, to retain his title in another stellar encounter. After teaming up on Smackdown and Raw in October and November against The Great Khali & Mark Henry and Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, the Survivor Series would host what looked to be the blow off of their feud, in side Hell in a Cell. Thanks to returning Edge disguised a camera man, Batista picked up the victory in a brutal bout. 

However, their feud would not end quietly, with the pair being involved in Triple Threat encounter with Edge at Armaggeddon that would see The Rated R Superstar take The Animal's World Heavyweight Championship. The duo would cross paths again in 2008 Royal Rumble, as well as inside the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out 2008 with Big Daddy V, Finlay, MVP and The Great Khali also involved. It reignited rivalry was teased as the two had back to back main events on Smackdown in April 2008, with the first ending in a No Contest, before Undertaker retained the World Heavyweight Championship in a No Disqualification bout. 

'Taker was involved in the bout where Batista turned heel at Bragging Rights 2009, a Fatal Fourway that also included CM Punk and Rey Mysterio, and it wasn't long before the heel Batista would set his sights on The Deadman once more. With a new attitude, Batista challenged The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, and after defeating Kane in a Number One Contender's bout on Smackdown was granted a Chairs Match at the PPV. After initially winning the bout with a low blow, pesky Smackdown General Manager Teddy Long had the bout restarted with Undertaker picking up the victory with a Tombstone Piledriver and retaining the World Heavyweight Championship. This bout was the last between the two, with Batista moving into a feud with John Cena for Wrestlemania 26.

These days The Undertaker works an extremely reduced schedule for WWE, with appearances on Raw and Smackdown in London (I was there!) in April this year being extremely rare, with Taker usually only showing up for the run up to Wrestlemania and only wrestling on The Grandest Stage of Them all. Could Batista be a potential challenger for The Streak over the next few years? I'd say it's doubtful with so many worthy challengers waiting in the wings for a shot at immortality to give Batista another chance would be a wasting the rub that any competitor gets when facing The Demon From Death Valley.

Rey Mysterio

This rivalry stemmed from a real-life friendship, with the pair beginning to team together in August 2005, firstly in Six Man Tag action with Chris Benoit, and then as part of Team Smackdown alongside JBL, Lashley and Randy Orton at Survivor Series 2005. After a victory over JBL & Orlando Jordan on 4th December episode of Smackdown, they earned WWE Tag Team Championship shot against MNM on 13th December and picked up the victory in a solid tag team encounter. This was essentially to give then World Tag Team Champions Big Show & Kane, a big name tandem to go over at Armageddon, as they quickly dropped the belts back to MNM on the 27th December Smackdown, with MNM retaining the belts inside a Steel Cage the week after, because Batista had slept with Melina, yeah, that happened.

After a couple of six man tag team matches on Saturday Night's Main Event and Raw in July and October of 2006 with Bobby Lashley as their partner, the pair had their first one on one bout on Smackdown in August 2008 in the Semi Final of the Championship Competition Tournament, with Mysterio winning by Disqualification and going to defeat Finlay in the final on the same show. After Batista saved Mysterio from an attack from The Great Khali on 7th September, he was somehow added to the bout at Unforgiven for the World Heavyweight Championship, which of course, Batista won in about five minutes to win back the title.

It was a whole year until Batista and Rey Mysterio would be involved with each other again, with both being involved in a Championship Scramble for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship, with Chris Jericho picking up the win, in a bout that also included Kane and JBL at Unforgiven 2008. The team was back in September and December, in multi-man tag bout on Smackdown - All Star Kick Off and Tribute to the Troops, coming out the victors on both shows. 

They were somehow granted a Unified WWE Tag Team Championship bout with Chris Jericho & The Big Show at Hell in a Cell 2009, in a time when WWE was chucking any random team together and breaking up solid teams like Cryme Tyme for no particular reason, with Batista and Mysterio coming out on the losing side. In the build up to Bragging Rights, Batista and Mysterio had their second singles encounter on 13th October episode of Smackdown, with Batista picking up the victory this time round. The week after they teamed up to defeat Kane & Chris Jericho, which would prove to be their final match as a tag team. 

After both coming up short in the Bragging Rights Fatal Four-Way that also involved CM Punk and was won by The Undertaker, Batista turned heel on Mysterio, with a vicious attack on Mysterio, blaming Mysterio for the defeat and claiming that The Master of the 619 had been holding him back. The two would go on to have a number of contests between November 2009 and January 2010, starting off with Batista winning by referee stoppage at Survivor Series. The two would then trade victories on Smackdown, whilst both receiving title shots against The Undertaker at TLC and Royal Rumble, respectively. Mysterio came out with the victory in their final contest inside a Steel Cage on 12th January 2010 edition of Smackdown.

Rey Mysterio has been floating around doing nothing over the last couple of months, an after a short-lived partnership with Big Show, it would seem that WWE once again have nothing for Mysterio. So could a rehash of his programme with Batista prove fruitful for The World's Biggest Little Man, of course it could. I suspect that Mysterio probably doesn't have much left in his tank, and that retirement is probably just around the corner, usually this would lead to a "Farewell Tour" kind of programme as seen by a lot of WWE's top stars over the last few years (including Batista himself) and if that were the case, surely if that were the case then Batista would be high on the list of potential opponents. If both men can stay fit for long enough, I imagine we'll see them either clash or team together over the course of Batista's next run.

Honourable Mentions

Some of Batista's other old rivals are still knocking around WWE, as well. Kane is currently working for The Authority, so if Batista were to get involved in that angle, then the potential for another show down would be high, but with Kane rarely wrestling these days, a bout could be unlikely. Another of Batista's old rivals The Great Khali is currently dancing and prancing in a bizarre programme with Damien Sandow, if Batista needs someone to squash on Raw, Khali could be a good candidate (No, I don't want to see that match!) Mark Henry has been fed to Brock Lesnar over recent weeks, we could potentially see a similar thing happen with Batista, although Henry would need building back up which could take time. Big Show is booked to face Lesnar at Royal Rumble, although I'd imagine Lesnar is going to come out victorious, so whether Show will still be knocking around at the time Batista is free for a programme is debatable. Rob Van Dam is expected to return at some point in the near future and could offer a different kind of opponent for Batista, with the two familiar of each others work, whether they'll both be in the company at the same time will be a key to whether they collide on screen.

Fresh Opponents

Brock Lesnar

Considering that both were involved in WWE around the same time, these two had relatively little interaction with each other. Both came through Ohio Valley Wrestling at the same time, facing off against each other at NWA OVW on 28th July 2001, with Lesnar coming out victorious over the then Leviathan. The two were then on opposite sides of a Six Man Tag with Lesnar teaming with Mark Jindrak & Shelton Benjamin to defeat Batista, Damien and Payne at OVW on 16th October. In February 2002, the two formed a short lived team working a House Show and a dark match before an episode of Jakked, firstly defeating Randy Orton & Shelton Benjamin, before coming out on the losing side against Spike Dudley & Tazz. The pairs only one on one contest for WWE would come on Raw House Show, on 2nd February 2003, with Lesnar once again coming out victorious. 

Lesnar is currently being booked like a beast, after recent victories over Triple H & CM Punk at Extreme Rules and SummerSlam, and with a Royal Rumble encounter with Big Show on the way, could we see Lesnar move on to contest with Batista at Wrestlemania 30? It is becoming increasingly likely that this could be the case, it would give WWE the chance to advertise a "First Time Ever" (sort of) contest which was lacking from last year's 'Mania, whilst also allowing them to use the delectable "The Beast vs. The Animal" tag line. Surely, this collision will be two big an oppurtunity for WWE to pass up on?

Daniel Bryan

Bryan was just coming onto WWE's main roster as Batista was heading out of the door. The pair did however have one encounter on the 3rd May 2010 edition of Raw, with Batista picking up a quick victory in a Beat the Clock Challenge bout. 

Since then however, Bryan's star has sky rocketed, with the former American Dragon proving that he is one of WWE's most over stars in 2013. Unfortunately for Bryan this popularity didn't relate to much success, as after a blistering SummerSlam encounter with John Cena, his subsequent feud with Randy Orton, whilst producing some decent in ring action, was let down by lack lustre direction and Bryan ended up slipping down the card and being placed in a feud with Bray Wyatt and The Wyatt Family. Bryan continues however to prove that he is one of the best proffesional wrestlers today when allowed to show what he can do in lengthy contests on both Raw and Smackdown, and has shown that he can get the most out of even the most technically challenged opponents, Ryback's name springs to mind. So could Bryan do the same for The Animal? It's likely that Bryan could hand Batista some of the best matches of his career, and a programme with Demon from the Deep could help Bryan prove his worth to WWE, but would WWE simply feed Bryan to Batista to keep their star investment looking strong? Quite possibly and the internet will EXPLODE! 

CM Punk

Punk and Batista did have a number of encounters, so this one is kind of cheating, I guess, but Punk was no way near the level that is he is today within the company, so I'm gonna say it anyway! Their first interaction came in 15 Man Tag Team battle royal, as they teamed up as part of Team Raw alongside John Cena, Triple H and Kane, on the losing side to Team Smackdown on Raw - Draft 2008. The first one on one contest between the two came at The Great American Bash in 2008, with Punk defending his World Heavyweight Championship in a poor bout that ended in a Double Disqualification, after Kane attacked both men, the two would have a rematch on Raw the night after which also ended in a No Contest. Both would feature in a Battle Royal on the 31st August edition of Raw, which was won by Kane and also featured JBL.

Punk would then be part of Batista's Survivor Series team to take on Team Randy Orton, alongside Kofi Kingston, Matt Hardy and R-Truth, with Punk being eliminated by Cody Rhodes and Batista being taken out by Orton. The pair would have another singles contest on the 6th October 2010 edition of Smackdown, with Punk coming out victorious via count out, to build to the Bragging Rights Fatal Fourway bout with The Undertaker and Rey Mysterio. Their final encounter would on the 2nd February 2010 edition of Smackdown with Punk once again picking up the victory this time by countout.

So, we've never really seen a definitive winner between The Animal and The Best in the World, with the majority of their previous bouts ending in No Contest or Countout. Punk was also no where near the level that is on today's card, so a contest with Batista could prove fruitful for WWE. A heel Punk going against a face Batista could prove interesting with Punk having plenty of ammo to drop a couple of pipebombs on The Animal, which would make for some entertaining television. Whether the two would be able to click inside the ring could prove difficult, as we've seen Punk have difficulty working with bigger opponents in the past, so maybe this one would be better off a little further down the line once Batista has gotten back into the swing of things.

Roman Reigns

One group that rose to promince after Batista left WWE is The Shield. The Shield have been running through some of the top names in WWE for the last year, with Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns putting on some of the most entertaining matches on WWE television in 2013. It would seem that the group will be coming to an end soon, with tension being teased between the members of the group and jealousy looking to set in over who is the real "star" of the group. Many have said that Reigns is going to end up as the Breakout star of the group, and Reigns even won ATPW One to Watch 2014 (alongside three other awards!). 

It's undeniable that their are similiarities between Reigns and Batista, with both looking physically impressive and being protected by WWE in their roles in dominant factions. If WWE continue to go the way they are with Reigns I would imagine that he will become a major player for the promotion in the later half of 2014, heading into 2015. By this time Batista will be looking to wind down his time with the company, so could we see a programme between Reigns and Batista heading into Wrestlemania 31? If Batista is wanting to give something back to the industry then allowing Reigns to go over in close thought feud could be just the ticket. 

Big E Langston

Similar to Roman Reigns, Big E Langston is expected to have a succesful 2014 and the current Intercontinental Champion is going strong on television at the moment, going over the likes of Dean Ambrose, Fandango and Curtis Axel. Langston was runner up in the ATPW One to Watch 2014 category, and continues to impress with his combination of strength and agility, as well as strong mic work when given the opportunity. (Anyone who watches NXT knows that Langston can cut an entertaining promo) 

There's no doubt that a programme with Batista could do wonders for Langston, in terms of exposure, however I'm sure if Big E is quite ready for such a major spotlight to be put on him. Langston is still relatively young for WWE's main roster at 27 years old, and personally I'd like to see WWE do a nice slow burning push to the top for Big E, and rushing him into a programme with Batista could potentially damage his future, especially if WWE does what WWE does best, panic and have Batista steamroller the upstart.

Honourable Mentions

It looks like Batista will have some interaction with Alberto Del Rio in and around the Royal Rumble, although I'd expect to see Batista simply feed on Del Rio before moving onto to better things. Other Shield members Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins could get involved with The Animal at some point, although it's yet to be seen how WWE will be dealing with either man once The Shield folds. Antonio Cesaro could prove an interesting opponent for The Animal if WWE ever decides to give the former US Champion a well deserved push. Sheamus is another name that was coming to prominence when Batista was heading out the door, and beyond a Triple Threat bout with Randy Orton the two have never met. Depending on how Sheamus is handled upon his return from injury he could have an intriguing programme with The Animal. Looking at the current NXT roster guys like Alexander Rusev or Corey Graves could potentially have solid matches with Batista, but WWE would most likely just have them job to The Animal, which would be a real shame.

In Closing...

I'm probably more optimistic than most about Batista's return, he could potentially do a lot of good for the company, especially with some extra exposure from his film in the Summer, whilst helping a lot of the younger competitors to get over with the audience. I think we'll definitely see some interaction between Batista and The Authority, as well as the ever-present John Cena, before Batista moves in a Wrestlemania programme with Brock Lesnar. The potential of rekindling a partnership with Rey Mysterio is high, in my opinion, with new feuds with Daniel Bryan, CM Punk or Roman Reigns also looking to be on the cards over the next two years. 

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WWE Main Event 25th September 2013 Review

This week's Main Event was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Whilst the action in the ring was solid throughout the show, there wasn't really anything that made me sit up and take notice, and on paper there wasn't anything that anyone would particularly go out of their way to see.

Justin Gabriel 

vs. 

Intercontinental Champion 

Curtis Axel 

with Paul Heyman

This bout went on last and was by far the most interesting of any of the matches on the show. Justin Gabriel has been getting some what of a push recently, as part of the group of wrestlers standing up for Daniel Bryan. Even if that push has been mainly so he can used as fodder for The Shield he has been featured in main event slots on both Raw and Smackdown and has become prominent on both shows, a lot more than what he was getting a few months ago. Therefore, I was intrigued to see how competitive he was in this bout with Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel and how long the match got, as the show, has generally been used to test out talent before giving them a stronger role on the two main television show.

The match started slowly, with Axel dominating, I found it really hard to get into at this point. Whilst Axel's technical skills are sound, and it did make storyline sense for him to work over Gabriel, there was no interaction with the audience. Whilst Paul Heyman generates heat from just being at ringside, Axel himself really needs to start stepping things up with his crowd interaction, if he really wants to get taken seriously. The strongest part of the earlier part of the match was a nice series of roll ups and pin variations from Gabriel, which were well executed with Gabriel even managing to correct an earlier botch at one point, but it still wasn't enough to make me think Gabriel was going to pick up the win.

There was, however a really nice near fall for Gabriel heading towards the conclusion of the match. Axel attempted the Running One-Armed Swinging Neckbreaker, which Gabriel slipped out of delivering a swift Roundhouse Kick to the head, before hitting a springboard Moonsault off the top rope for a two count, the swiftness of the delivery felt like it could easily have finished off the match and was the first moment that really got me interested in what I was watching, with Paul Heyman's reaction on the outside really selling the moment for me. The finish saw Gabriel closing in on victory, attempting to get Axel to re-enter the ring, only for Axel to pull Gabriel into the ring ropes allowing the Intercontinental Champion to slide into the ring and hit the Hangman's Facebuster to pick up the pinfall victory. It was a decent enough finish, it wasn't anything special but it did it's job here, in allowing Axel to look credible in the ring.

So, how did Justin Gabriel do in this one? Given as this match was of a decent length, in fact if it's longest he's had on WWE television, with only a couple of NXT battles with Tyson Kidd coming close, so it's the best look we and WWE have had at Gabriel when the lights are on bright. I really like Gabriel in the ring, I think he's capable of putting on some really watchable and exciting matches, and at times we saw flashes off it in this one, with the false finish being really well worked by the Cape Town Werewolf. He could potentially be moved into a spot higher up on the card, possibly even have runs with the United States Championship (we've seen him get a couple of shots at that title on PPV), but I just can't see him moving further up than that, or past the “good little hand” stereotype. Maybe it's because he hasn't been in real feud since his day's in Nexus, but he just doesn't seem to have enough about him, the It Factor if you will, that would capapult him into a more important role for the company.

Best of the Rest (In The World)

Elsewhere on the show, the number one contenders to the Tag Team Championships The Usos were put up against the bizarre pairing of Fandango and Big E Langston, who were accompanied by Summer Rae. On paper, the team of Fandango and Big E Langston sounds atrocious, but for this one match they were fairly entertaining. The story running throughout the match, was the way the two teams operated, with The Usos sticking to the team work that they have become known for, whilst Fandango & Langston would use blind tags with Langston doing the majority of the work on one of The Usos, before Fandango would tag back in. There was some nice spots, such as Langston catching an Usos in mid air on the outside, only to be taken out by another flying for inside the ring. At times, Fandango didn't look particularly interested in this one, and never really got going in the way we've come to expect of him, with a dodgy looking suplex that could have easily injured Uso.

The finish saw The Usos begin to get rolling, with Fandango feigning a leg injury on the outside of the ring, The Usos managed to get a tag before, Langston could gain any momentum from the distraction and the Superkick/Superfly Splash combination got them the win. I'm not too sure about this ending, whilst The Usos worked it well, seeing Langston go down in such a situation doesn't exactly help his monster character that has barely even got going, whilst Fandango's continued cowardly nature, isn't exactly making him look like a threat to anyone, so what is the reason we are supposed to care about him? It was the right decision to give The Usos the win and they are looking really good at the moment, after a strong showing on Raw in the Eleven-on-Three main event, I wouldn't be surprised to see The Usos snatching that tag team gold from around the waist of The Shield's Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns some time soon.

The other match on the show saw an angry Big Show take on World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Winner Damien Sandow. This was essentially a squash match, with Show pulling apart Sandow within a few minutes. Sandow did get some offence in, in terms of a David vs. Goliath style fight back, but seeing as Sandow was playing the heel it didn't really work. Big Show went on to win the match with a Knockout Punch for a pinfall victory. After the bout, Show removed Sandow's briefcase that was handcuffed to the ringpost and placed on Sandow's chest. I thought this was a nice touch to show how Big Show is being effected by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, but apart from that this match didn't really impress. 

Finally...

My final thoughts on this week's Main Event.

1. Curtis Axel needs to up his game and start bringing the crowd into his matches.

2. Fandango & Big E Langston worked as a one off tag team, but I wouldn't want to see them team up on a regular basis.

3. When Big Show finally flips on Triple H it should be an epic standout moment.

WWE Main Event 11th September 2013 Review

This week's main event seemed like a return to form for the show, with a strong card of matches, with enough variety to keep me interested throughout the hour. Antonio Cesaro continues to leave WWE fans scratching their heads wondering why the organisation doesn't seem to notice the talent they have, with a top notch bout with Kofi Kingston, but I've chosen to focus this week's review on another match, and I'll explain why...

R-Truth 

vs. 

Big E Langston

The reason this match is in the main slot for this review, is because I was really intrigued by Big E Langston appearance on the show. We haven't seen Langston for a fair amount of time on television after Langston lost to Dolph Ziggler in the blow off match of their feud on the 20^th August edition of Smackdown, and I was half expecting for Langston to take some time off television, before returning as a face, with a couple of matches against Damien Sandow at house shows recently, pointing towards that. So I was quite surprised to see him lined up to face R-Truth here. Truth has really been struggling to hold my attention with a stale gimmick and some so-so performance.

The match itself was decent enough to keep my attention and entertain me to some degree, but really lacked any proper structure or flow which let it down. Langston looked impressive when incontrol of Truth and his signature moves such as the Big Splash he did, looked very impressive. R-Truth's offense were mainly limited to strikes, but they came at such random moments, that when Truth launched into what should have been his comeback, it didn't really have much of an impact as Langston had spent to much time on top. What could have been the big spot that helped this match, was unfortunately botched, with Truth cannon-balling over the top rope on Langston on the outside and landing awkwardly on his, this was mainly down to Langston being in the wrong position and not being able to properly catch Truth, so the fault has to lie with the big man on this one.

The finish saw R-Truth miss his Corkscrew Scissors Kick, allowing Langston to hit a clothesline, before pulling down the straps and hitting The Big Ending to pick up the pinfall victory. The finish was simple, but effective using both men's signature moves well, it's just a shame that what preceded it hadn't quite flowed so well. It makes sense to give Langston the win here, as he is someone WWE does seem to have some sort of plan for, even if they aren't quite sure what it is yet, but it does make Truth's victory over World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank holder Damien Sandow even more random and perplexing. It certainly wasn't the strongest performance I've seen from either man in a WWE ring.

So, what should WWE do with Big E Langston? I've been saying this for quite some time...turn him face! Simply do replays of what Langston did in NXT, running over heels opponents, whilst asking for a five count instead of a three count. It got him over on NXT, and I'm pretty certain it would get him over on Raw. He's certainly most comfortable as a face, and is entertain enough on the mic to really get some fan support behind him. From there give the guy a run with the United States Championship with an entertaining rivalry, with any of a number of WWE's heels, and then see how it goes. As for R-Truth, I'm struggling to see what he offers WWE in 2013, although I'm beginning to wonder if they could partner him up with someone and give him a run in the tag team division, which could be an interesting move for Truth, maybe someone like NXT's Xavier Woods could work with Truth.

Best of the Rest

Elsewhere on the show, Kofi Kingston and The Real American's Antonio Cesaro particpated in the match of the night, and arguably the best match to ever grave and episode of Main Event. Cesaro spent much of the match in control, which is a role that suits him down to the ground, as we saw in his battles with Sami Zayn from NXT. Kingston worked well fighting underneath and the two built a good foundation of solid technical wrestling, with a few highflying moves from Kingston thrown in as well. There were also a number of exciting spots that really lifted the match and got the fans to sit up and take notice, including Kingston using the steel steps in a similar spot from this week's Raw, although the cannonball certainly looked by than the forearm strike used on Monday, and of course Cesaro's extra long Giant Swing, which would seem to be becoming a regular part of his offence going forward.

The finish saw Cesaro go for a Neutralizer, with Kingston reversing in a roll up for a near fall, that saw Cesaro show off his strength once again bridging out of the pin and going for a backslide, Kingston slipped free and hit Trouble in Paradise to the pinfall victory. I thought this was a strong finish that allowed both me to continue looking good, with Cesaro bridge out of Kingston's pin being an outstanding show of strength, and Kingston's finisher happening so quickly that you could easily make a case for a rematch. It's baffling that either of these competitors has never been pushed strongly by WWE, whilst many have argued that Kingston lacks the mic skills to move past the mid card, Cesaro certainly does.

There was also tag team action on the show, with Prime Time Players taking on Heath Slater & Jinder Mahal of 3MB. Darren Young & Titus O'Neil were in control for most of the match, with O'Neil's power keeping Mahal & Slater in check in the early going. The best section of the match for me was a nice series of reversal between Young and Slater, with the two former Nexus stablemates showing a familiarity, with their section flowing nicely. The finish saw Slater break up a pinfall by O'Neil, with Young and Slater going on to battle on the outside, ending with Slater sending Young crashing hard into the announce table. With O'Neil taking out Slater with a shoulder barge, Mahal attempted a roll up for a near fall, with O'Neil escaping and finishing Mahal off with Clash of the Titus for the pinfall victory. I thought the finish had some good ideas, but a lot of it didn't flow particularly well, but it was good to see The Prime Time Players back on top after last week's defeat to The Wyatt Family.

Finally...

My final thoughts on this week's Main Event.

1. Big E Langston probably still isn't ready for a big push, but seeing him in more matches on television will get him ready quickly.

2. Antonio Cesaro deserves to be higher up the card in WWE. 

3. The Tag Team Turmoil bout on Night of Champions could be a very interesting contest indeed. 

WWE NXT 14th August 2013 Review

This week's edition of NXT was another strong outing for WWE's developmental facility, with a number of top WWE stars appearing on the show each week seemingly becoming a regular occurrence, the opportunity to face off against wrestlers with main roster experience can surely only be a good thing for the NXT wrestlers.

Six Man Tag Team Match:

NXT Tag Team Champions

 Corey Graves & Adrian Neville & Xavier Woods

vs.

The Shield

After last week's disappointing United States Championship match between Dean Ambrose and Adrian Neville, where Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns saved Ambrose's United States Championship reign, before Corey Graves and Xavier Woods made the save for Neville, this bout was set for this week's main event. I felt like after last week's Neville vs. Ambrose bout, this match really had to deliver in a number of areas, whilst the technical skills of Neville and Ambrose is certainly not in doubt the pacing of last week's contest didn't feel right to me at all, so that was the main thing for me heading into this one, we've seen The Shield can have fantastic six man tag team matches on Raw, Smackdown and Main Event against the likes of WWE Champion John Cena, Daniel Bryan, WWE Championship Money in the Bank Winner Randy Orton, Mark Henry and The Usos, but how would that translate to NXT?

Luckily, it translated very well, with the six men putting on some very strong six man tag team, that was captivating from the kick off. Corey Graves spent most of the bout being dominated by Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns, as we built to the hot tag. Graves is beginning to grow into his new face role on NXT, with his selling of his Shield beatdown really drawing me into the match, in a section that needs good selling to keep the attention of the viewer. The interesting thing for this match was the dynamic that it presented, we're used to seeing on hot tag during a Shield six man tag, which Daniel Bryan made an artform a couple of months ago, but here we had two wrestler capable of playing that role in the shape of Adrian Neville and Xavier Woods. So whilst Neville did get the first hot tag, it didn't take long for The Shield to get the upperhand and build for another hot tag to Woods, which worked very well.

After a near fall for Woods on Rollins was broken up by Reigns, the match headed for conclusion. Unfortunately, two awkward looking spots took a way some of the shine of the bout, with Neville and Reigns suffering from some miscomunication, before Ambrose botched the suplex to the outside on Neville, that should have seen both men fall to the floor, but didn't. Luckily, some nice work from Rollins and Woods kept the match going, with The Shield eventually picking up the victory, with a Buckle Bomb/Spear combination that saw Roman Reigns pick up the victory for his team. It was disappointing to see some of the spots not quite pay off, as that closing sequence could have been even more exciting, but the ideas were good, and the finish was creative, which is good to see from The Shield after months of teaming together.

It's been great to see The Shield on NXT over the last three weeks, after they've sort of been put on the back burner in main WWE storylines, as of late. They've certainly done a lot to help the fledgling team of Neville and Graves who are beginning to look like a solid tag team unit, even if they are a bit of an odd couple. However, I think the person who has gained the most of their presence is Xavier Woods. Whilst Woods has been impressive in numerous contests on NXT over the last few months, they've been few and far between and he hasn't really had a story to get involved in. Therefore, placing him here, not only shows that NXT sees him as a top name talent, but gave him the oppurtunity to show what he can do when there is a true purpose to his matches. He looked very good throughout the match, going toe to toe with Seth Rollins, and hopefully Woods will continue to show NXT why he deserves to be in this kind of position in the future.

Best of the Rest (In The World)

Elsewhere this week on NXT, Paul Heyman made his first appearance on the show, with a strong promo putting over the NXT locker room, as he was apparently scouting talent to be the next Paul Heyman guy. Having someone of the calibre of Heyman, not only put over the NXT talent so strongly, but essentially break character to do so, it elevates the entire NXT roster instantly and was a classy move by Heyman. With Heyman bringing out Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel, Heyman went on to say that no one in Florida would be man enough to challenge Axel for his Intercontinental Championship on the show. With former NXT Champion Big E Langston's music hitting the NXT Arena jumped to it's feet, with Langston cutting a solid promo challenging Axel. Langston's delivery is different to most in WWE, he seems to take his time and really think about what it is he is actually saying, but most of all he's entertaining whilst doing so.

The bout between Axel and Langston was an entertaining contest, that saw Langston dominate for the most part. Axel did get some offence in but only manage to gain the upperhand for a short period after some sneaky tactics. The face role certainly suits Big E better than his current heel role on regular WWE television, as he looks far more comfortable playing to the crowd, and seeing him lay into some like the undesirable Axel is gives the WWE fans something to get behind, it would great to see this translated to Raw and Smackdown soon. The end saw Langston steamrolling Axel, and we all know that when a wrestler takes the straps of singlet down it's all over, and so did Paul Heyman as he entered the ring for the interference and to give Langston a disqualification victory, meaning Axel retained the title. Langston delivered a post-match beat down on Axel, finishing him off with the Big Ending, before the return of the crowd please five count. WWE don't have a lot of talent that is better suited to being face rather than heel, but in Big E Langston they might have just that.

The Intercontinental Championship wasn't the only title on the line this week, as Paige defended her NXT Women's Championship against long time rival Summer Rae. It was a little disappointing that after rivalry that had built up so well over the last few months, that this bout only went for about four minutes. Whilst Paige's victory over Emma was a fantastic match, I'm not sure if WWE should have gone for Paige vs. Rae and given the match the same amount of time. Summer Rae works well as a heel, working the crowd well and looked pretty good in the ring in this one. The bout ended with Paige dominating and hitting the Paige Turner to pick up a pinfall victory and retain her NXT Women's Championship. What happened in the ring was sound and a good watch, but the rivalry desreved more. With Emma attacking Summer Rae post-match, it would seem that Paige vs. Summer Rae is over for now, who will step up to face Paige for the title next?

The Sami Zayn and Antonio Cesaro feud contiued this week with both men being interviewed backstage by Renee Young. Firsty, Zayn spoke to Young, putting over the competitive rivalry well, before challenging Cesaro to a two out of three falls match for next week's main event. Despite years working under the El Generico gimmick, Zayn has taken to this role well, his relaxed promo style is a refreshing change to the often shouty world of WWE. With Cesaro accepting Zayn's challenge with a slightly cartoonish promo which closed the show, Zayn took the momentum by attacking Cesaro, having to be pulled away by officials. The Two out of three falls match next week, could quite possibly be the most anticipated match on NXT, the rivalry has benefited by some simple old-school style booking, and I'm for one am certainly very excited for next week.

Mason Ryan was also in action this week, with the former New Nexus member taking on Sylvester LeFort's protege Scott Dawson. With Ryan working over Dawson for the majority of the match, Ryan's rivals Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady came down to ringside to try and cause a distraction. It didn't work particularly well with Ryan sending Dawson crashing onto Amore and Cassady with a gorilla press. Unfortunately, it didn't look great, with Dawson landing awkwardly due to Ryan not getting enough on the throw. Ryan went on to pick up the victory after a Cobra Clutch Slam. I'm still not convinced with Ryan and this match didn't really change that, he seems to be more style than substance, with the other four men involved in the match being a lot more entertaining to watch.

Divas Champion AJ Lee was also on the show, as she was interviewed by Renee Young about her Divas Championship defence on the show next week. With AJ saying she hadn't chosen her opponent yet, she ended up in a tight embrace with Bayley. With Bayley talking about it being her dream to challenge for the Divas Championship. AJ was clearly uneased by the situation, she agreed to give Bayley a shot at the title next week. There was a clear chemistry between AJ and Bayley and it made for an entertaining segment, hopefully their match next week will be as entertaining.

Finally...

What did I learn from this week's NXT?

1.   Xavier Woods got the most out The Shield's return to NXT.

2. Big E Langston needs to be turned face!

3. Paige and Summer Rae had an exciting rivalry for months, but the pay off was dissapointing. I doubt the same will be true of Sami Zayn and Antonio Cesaro next week!

WWE Main Event 14th August 2013 Review

It’s been a good few weeks since I’ve enjoyed an episode of Main Event, after a series of unimaginative or uninspiring main event contests, this week’s show returned to the pattern that had made me a fan of the show to start with. With established main eventer World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio, taking on future main eventer Cody Rhodes, there was a lot of get excited about this week.

Cody Rhodes 

vs. 

World Heavyweight Champion

 Alberto Del Rio

Going into this match there were a few things that needed to happen. Firstly, Alberto Del Rio needed to pick up the victory. After weeks of the World Heavyweight Champion coming up short against the likes of Randy Orton, Rob Van Dam and Christian, his victory over Kofi Kingston on Raw felt like a step in the right direction for the Mexican Aristocrat. Cody Rhodes also needed to have a strong, competitive outing to continue his new face run and keep him looking strong heading into his bout with Damien Sandow at this weekend’s SummerSlam.

As has been a trend during Del Rio’s matches as of late, the face got in a hell of a lot of offense in on the World Heavyweight Champion. Cody Rhodes’ move set alone is capable of getting him over as a face, as he pulled off a string of exciting and crowd pleasing moves, really putting his body on the line, the highlight for me would have to be the top rope moonsault, with Cody performs beautifully. It’s clear Cody is still getting use to his face role though, and he needs to remember to work the crowd more often to get them on his side, especially during this transition period. What little offense Del Rio was getting in however was focused on Cody’s arm as he attempted to soften it up for the Cross Arm Breaker. It was an interesting dynamic between the two and a refreshing change from your average WWE bout.

The bout built up well towards the end, with a number of reversals from both men before Cody managed to hit Cross Rhodes and it looked like he might pull of an upset victory. However, with Cody taking too long to make the cover, Del Rio ended up sending him into the second turnbuckle, before, after some struggle, locking in the Cross Armbreaker for the submission victory. In terms of an ending for the bout, I couldn’t have really asked for much more here, as it kept Cody looking super strong as he fought the Cross Armbreaker and really should have got the victory, whilst Del Rio’s underhanded tactics gave him the victory.

Personally, I think the match could have been given an extra five minutes that was given over to highlight packages of what happened on Raw. It felt like the ending with Cody too exhausted to get the cover, would have benefitted from having seen a longer match, as it was only just over ten minutes of television time. Either way, each goes into SummerSlam with a solid performance under their belts, which can only be a good thing come Sunday. With Cody currently feuding with World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank winner Damien Sandow, could we be seeing these two face off against each other with World Heavyweight Championship on the line within the next couple of months? If given enough time it’s certainly a bout I’d like to see. 

Best of the Rest (In The World)

Big E Langston was also in action on Main Event as he took on Justin Gabriel. Now this bout went a lot longer than I had expected with Gabriel getting in a surprising amount of offence in on the bigger Langston. Whilst this did make the match an enjoyable bout, with Gabriel’s quick kicks and exciting offence, I’m not sure if a quicker victory for Big E would have given him more momentum heading into his SummerSlam mixed tag team bout against Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn. Langston’s moveset seemed limited as he twice attempted his Big Splash (a move that is already overused in WWE), hitting it first time and missing it the second, which is strange because during his run as NXT Champion Langston was capable of having much longer matches than this one without the need to repeat moves. With Big E’s power had eventually overcame Gabriel’s speed, hitting the Big Ending for the pinfall victory, Big E was at least back on track after a disappointing saw that saw him dominated by The Great Khali.

WWE has been fairly hit and miss with Langston since bringing him up to the main roster. His matches have been few and far between, which has made it difficult for the WWE fans to really understand what he brings to the table. Personally, I don’t think he suits the heel role, and seemed much more comfortable as the top face in NXT. WWE has teased that he may turn face in the future, as it’s clear at times he is frustrated with friend Divas Champion AJ Lee. I could see Big E possibly turning face at SummerSlam, after AJ loses her cool once more. Big E could make a good opponent for Dean Ambrose over the United States Championship, if turned face, and I could see the two doing some good work together.

Elsewhere, The Usos built on their victory over The Real Americans on Raw, as they took on 3MB’s Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre, who were accompanied by Jinder Mahal. It was a solid tag team bout, with Slater and McIntyre doing a good job of working over Jimmy Uso, working quick tags, it seemed to be over pretty quickly with the hot tag being made. However, that wasn’t to be the case, as in a nice use of the numbers game, Mahal’s distraction allowed McIntyre to hit a big boot sending Jey off the apron. The action for the most part was quick and exciting, and when Jey finally made that second hot tag and took out Mahal and McIntyre on the outside with suicide dive, allowing Jimmy to hit the Superfly Splash on Slater, it felt like we’d seen some quality tag team action. We’ve seen what the Usos can do in recent weeks and months, but it was nice to see 3MB get a bit of the spotlight here, with Slater and McIntyre looking good as a pairing, personally I prefer these two to Mahal, but Mahal could work in a managerial role if they choose to push Slater & McIntyre as a duo. 

Finally...

What did I learn from this week's Main Event?

1. Cody Rhodes still has some work to do on his face character, but his in ring talent is undeniable.

2. WWE doesn't seem to know what they're doing with Big E Langston.

3. Josh Matthews is my least favourite commentator in professional wrestling today. 

WWE Smackdown 26th July 2013 Review

Smackdown this week was one of the strongest episodes of the show for a long time. This was for a number of reasons, there were a number of intriguing contests, such as Alberto Del Rio vs. Rob Van Dam, some significant storyline progression with Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow and some top notch promo work from CM Punk, AJ Lee and Dolph Ziggler.

Rob Van Dam 

vs. 

World Heavyweight Champion 

Alberto Del Rio

This match had been announced on Monday’s Raw and I was intrigued from the moment it was announced. Firstly, I’d put Rob Van Dam as one of my picks for a possible opponent for Alberto Del Rio at SummerSlam and felt that this match would provide a lot of the answers heading into the pay-per-view. Secondly, we were yet to see Van Dam lose since returning to WWE, after victories over Chris Jericho, Darren Young and Wade Barrett over the last week and a half, and WWE would clearly want to keep their newest acquisition looking strong for the time being, however Alberto Del Rio is the World Heavyweight Champion and him loosing matches will only help to devalue the Championship around his waste, and after a loss to Randy Orton on last week’s Smackdown, Del Rio couldn’t really afford to lose for the second week running.

We got a glimpse of what was to come in a backstage segment, with Alberto Del Rio meeting with new Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero. Del Rio was attempting to get Guerrero to give him the same chance that Brad Maddox gave John Cena on Raw, allowing him to pick his opponent for Summerslam. Vickie agreed to give him one week to think about it. It was nice to keep the authority on the show very simple, with few shenanigans it allowed the real talent to shine through. Rob Van Dam then turned up, to put his case forward for why Del Rio should choose him as his Summerslam opponent. It was a nice set up for the match later on, that gave an extra reason for Van Dam to pick up a victory.

The match, unfortunately, didn’t really get going, with Van Dam using his strong kicks to beat down the World Heavyweight Champion, with Del Rio running to the outside. It didn’t take long for the match to go for a finish, as after Del Rio came back into the ring, Van Dam once again gained the upperhand, with the referee keeping Van Dam away from Del Rio who was in the corner, Del Rio used the opportunity to hit a Superkick for the pinfall victory. Whilst I felt this match could have been a really good contest given some extra time, it did a good job of keeping both men looking strong and developing Del Rio’s role as heel role, whilst also setting up for a potential rematch later down the line.

Whilst Van Dam’s loss here doesn’t totally rule him out of facing Del Rio at SummerSlam, I’d be surprised if WWE ran with it now. It’s a match up with a lot of potential, if done correctly, but there are more interesting match ups to include Van Dam in on the pay-per-view and I couldn’t believably seeing him winning the World Heavyweight Championship, not at this point anyway. I also wouldn’t expect Del Rio to be allowed to pick his opponent, as his character would surely choose someone he could easily beat, like Zack Ryder or Yoshi Tatsu. So, I’m interested to see how the decision will be made and who will get the nod, hopefully we’ll find out next week on Smackdown, rather than on Raw. 

WWE Championship Money in the Bank Winner 

Randy Orton 

vs. 

World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank 

Damien Sandow

We kicked off Smackdown this week with the two Money in the Bank winners facing off. Whilst the action in the ring was solid, for the most part, I wasn’t really given any reason to care about the outcome of the match. There was no prior explanation as to why these two were facing off on Smackdown and it really could have done with a bit of a build up, similar to what they did with Van Dam and Del Rio, for me to fully invest in the action I was seeing in ring. Orton did his usual going through the motions, something we’ve also seen out of Sandow as of late, and it felt pretty flat throughout as the two basically trod water as they waited for the finish to take place.

That finish involved Sandow’s former tag team partner Cody Rhodes, who came down to ringside and took possession of the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank briefcase, with the distraction allowing Randy Orton to get in the ring and hit an RKO for a pinfall victory. It was the only way they could end this match, without making one of the Money in the Bank holders look weak, so I was just glad that Sandow didn’t lose to Orton clean. If I’m being honest the finish was the only thing that really caught my interest during the match, and I’m hoping Orton and Sandow both pick up their games big time once they get their pushes with the respective championships.

What followed however was pretty interesting and enjoyable, with Damien Sandow attempting to locate Cody Rhodes, who had absconded with the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank briefcase. We saw humourous exchanges between Sandow and other wrestlers and personalities, like Sin Cara, Mark Henry and Hall of Famer Booker T, which ran throughout the show. Sandow did a good job of treading the line between comedy and serious here, as while I’m not of the “Funny ain’t Money” school, I certainly think if you over play those moments, people will become disengaged with the angle.

Finally, in the final segment of the show, Sandow went back to the ring in attempt to find out where Cody Rhodes had got to. Rhodes turned up on the big screen, standing by the Gulf of Mexico. Of course it’s some kind of unwritten rule, that whenever WWE is in Corpus Christi there has to be an angle involving the Gulf of Mexico, we’ve seen CM Punk and Chavo Guerrero battle it out in a Gulf of Mexico match on ECW, as well as Kane chokeslam Rey Mysterio into the sea on Smackdown. Sandow, of course, went after Rhodes and apologised for everything he had done in a grovelling attempt to get his briefcase back. I really enjoyed this moment, as it showed Sandow as a really spineless character, which is certainly a role that suits him well. Rhodes threw the briefcase into the Gulf anyway, and Sandow attempted to jump after it, but it was revealed he couldn’t swim! We ended the show with Sandow lying exhausted on the pavement, whilst the briefcase sunk under water. I actually really enjoyed this angle throughout the show, it was a little goofy at points and maybe a little clichéd, but I felt genuinely invested in the feud and wanted to know what will happen next.

Best of the Rest (In The World)

Elsewhere, CM Punk also made a rare appearance on Smackdown, and this time did a much better job than a few weeks ago. Punk delivered a well-structured promo on his upcoming SummerSlam match with Brock Lesnar. Punk once again put over Brock well, before moving onto Paul Heyman. Punk said he would exploit Lesnar’s only weakness and that would be his trust of Heyman. It added a nice extra layer to match at SummerSlam and where Heyman’s involvement will surely be key to the outcome of the match. WWE need to be careful not to have Punk and Heyman repeat themselves in these promos we’ve seen from them in the last few weeks, as we still have three more weeks until SummerSlam, if we see the same thing for the next few weeks, the angle will lose its current red hot momentum. 

With Punk hitting his stride, surprisingly he was interrupted by Fandango, who got seemed to get real heel heat for the first time since the post Wrestlemania Raw, there wasn’t a lot of Fandangoing going on here. After Fandango’s theatrics on the way down to the ring, with valet Summer Rae, Punk quickly took down Fandango attacking him as he entered the ring and finishing him off swiftly with a GTS. I liked this moment, because it showed off Punk’s emotional state and also made him look like an arse kicker, which is something that WWE needs to do, with Punk heading into a match with the much bigger Brock Lesnar. I’d like to see Punk in a number of matches on Raw and Smackdown in the next few weeks, ploughing through mid-card opponents, to help demonstrate his state of minding heading into the pay-per-view.

The AJ Lee and Dolph Ziggler angle continued this week, with AJ Lee giving her “State of my Mind” address. AJ cut one of the best promos I’ve ever seen from a woman on WWE television, bringing a lot of intricacies in to her performances, as she revealed she still had the keys to Dolph Ziggler’s house but wouldn’t use them. Dolph then came out and continued to wind up AJ, talking about new lovers, with some content that didn’t feel very PG. AJ moved onto plan b, as she destroyed items from Ziggler’s wallet and suitcase, with Ziggler batting off the attack on his belonging further frustrating AJ. I think what works well for me here, is that whilst the things Ziggler are saying aren’t exactly face comments, we’ve all had that one crazy girlfriend and it’s good to see Ziggler getting one over on her for us! With AJ angered she attempted to get at Dolph, but ran straight into a spear from Kaitlyn. With Big E attempting to help AJ, he got a Fame Asser from Ziggler for his troubles. With Kaitlyn being added to the mix, I’m wondering if WWE will go with a mixed tag for SummerSlam instead of the rumoured one on one match between Ziggler and Big E.

In what was essentially a squash match, Mark Henry teamed with The Usos to take on Wade Barrett and The Prime Time Players. After Barrett and The Prime Time Players had took control of The Usos, it built to a hot tag to Mark Henry, who quickly ploughed through his opponents picking up a pinfall victory on Titus O’Neil after a World’s Strongest Slam. The match was enjoyable, but it was pretty clear who was going to pick up the win and how the match would unfurl from the outset, as Henry and The Usos sent a message to The Shield. It really is a shame to see Wade Barrett fall even further down the card, WWE really seem to have soured on the Preston man. The Prime Time Players are currently in limbo at the moment, it seems that WWE is going to split them up soon, but if they keep putting them in position’s like this, no one will care when it happens and Young and O’Neil’s singles careers will be no different to their tag team one.

Christian was also in action this week, against Jack Swagger. Of course, Zeb Colter cut a promo before the match again, but I’ve already said all that needs to be said about that in this week’s Main Event review. Anyone who watched WWE’s revival of ECW will know the history between these two and I was actually pretty excited to see them in action again. The bout was a fairly good technical battle that was well paced, and given just enough time to allow Christian to look good. After Swagger’s poor match with Sheamus on Main Event, I was glad to see Swagger could still go, I just think he needs the right opponent to go against, he isn’t someone who can have a good match with a broomstick. Christian picked up the victory, in a nice closing section, after rolling out of a Patriot Lock and sending Swagger shoulder first into the ringpost, Christian hit a Killswitch for the pinfall. Christian has picked up a number of victories following Money in the Bank over the likes of Damien Sandow, Fandango and Titus O’Neil, and therefore I think he is a strong candidate to get the nod to face Alberto Del Rio at SummerSlam.

The Wyatt Family’s Luke Harper and Erick Rowan made their in-ring debut this week, as they took on Tons of Funk. It was quickly over with The Wyatt’s dominating and Erick Rowan picking up the victory with a running splash on Tensai. It was a disappointing generic big guy finish that I think most of WWE’s bigger stars use, including Tons of Funk, so hopefully it doesn’t stick and they get a better finish. After the bout, Bray Wyatt came into the ring and took out Tensai with Sister Abigail, before cutting another disturbing promo on Kane. With Kane in action against Daniel Bryan on Raw this week, could we see The Wyatt Family get involved? I sure hope so. 

Finally...

What did I learn from Smackdown this week?

1. Sometimes, like with RVD and Alberto Del Rio, less is more. As I know want to see a rematch more than I wanted to see the original.

2. Damien Sandow can't swim.

3. Michael Cole reads the same damn facts on every show. I know John Cena is the only person not to cash in Money in the Bank successfully. At least, JBL seems to do some research!