Welcome back everyone, here's my review of everything and anything WWE from this past week:
-The obvous starting point is the Cena/Nexus storyline. It started off great, with Cena being forced to wear the armband and having to read a pre-written statement. Then it took a turn for the worse with the Cena/Tarver vs Bourne/Henry match. It looked like we were just going to get another Super Cena comeback, not laying down for anybody. Then the RAW GM stepped in, saying Cena had to obey Barrett or else he'd be fired. This lead to Cena being forced to eliminate himself during the battle royal, which allowed Wade Barrett to wim and become #1 Contender for the WWE Championship.
I liked the start of the angle. It'll be refreshing every week to Cena be so conflicted in having to do the dirtywork of the Nexus. It's always better, at least in my opinion, when the babyface is in peril and looks like he might not come out on top all of the time. Seeing Cena have to listen to someone else's orders and not overcoming the odds every week is refreshing TV, and should bring back some viewers. Of course, this is all dependent on the WWE being able to do enough to keep fans interested with the storyline every week. They can't stretch it out too long, but they need to not turn it into something lame, like Cena having to do Justin Gabriel's laundry and grocery shopping. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Nexus join the Raw vs Smackdown Bragging Rights match, and possibly even win it. At least the Cena/Nexus storyline is something new and refreshing, which has been lacking on WWE TV for months.
-I'm perfectly fine with Wade Barrett vs Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at Bragging Rights. Again, it's something new and different. I don't think Barrett should win the title quite yet, but it'll be interesting to see how he performs in a main event match again. If I were booking this match, this would be the first time I'd have Cena try to help Barrett, but have it backfire on him. Which would add the first wrinkle to the Cena/Nexus storyline. Plus I believe Randy Orton needs an extended run as WWE Champion to establish him as the top babyface in the company, IF they decide to turn John Cena fully heel.
-Perhaps the most bizzare thing coming from RAW was the squashing of Daniel Bryan by Sheamus. What was the point of that? Your U.S. Champion, who is establishing a good following with the fans, just gets squashed like that? Unless this is leading to a Bryan/Sheamus feud, there was absolutely no reason Bryan couldn't have been replaced by someone like Santino, or hell even Evan Bourne. The WWE better not hope that they just killed all of the momentum of one of their few rising stars in the company.
-The RAW GM, apparently fed up with dealing with Edge, traded him to Smackdown. Edge had a nice exchange with The Miz before he left for good. It should set up nicely with Edge and The Miz most likely on opposing teams in the RAW vs Smackdown Bragging Rights match. It'll be interesting to see how Edge is used on Smackdown. From the looks of it, he will continue to be a face, with his ongoing battle against stupidity. It just seems like Edge is someone who has no direction, mostly because there aren't too many new opponents for him to face in the company. Hopefully he stays healthy long enough, and maybe can have a reunion with Christian when he returns from injury. Until then, I see Edge just bouncing between opponents on Smackdown, with a World Title run most likely thrown in there at some point.
-Big Show being named the Team Captain of Smackdown was a good move. It switches it up from last year, where RAW was the face side and Smackdown was the heel side. Who Show picks for his team will be interesting. Of course there will still be some heels on the side, but expect Show's team to be filled with more faces than heels.
-It was nice to see the WWE actually allowing us to remember that Undertaker tried to "kill" Paul Bearer by burying him in cement. Usually the writers try not to let us remember the past. It's still weird seeing this storyline playout for so long. According to reports, Kane and Undertaker will square off in a "Buried Alive" Match at Bragging Rights. For those of you who don't know what that match is, the rules are as follow: There are no pinfalls, submissions, countouts, or disqualifications. The match ends when one man "buries" his opponent alive in a grave. For visual evidence, here is the end to A Buried Alive Match between Mankind and The Undertaker.
Undertaker vs Mankind- Buried Alive Match
I still think this match should be saved for Survivor Series, the 20th anniversary of The Undertaker's debut. It just doesn't seem like it's necessary for the Bragging Rights PPV. But this is easily the best Kane has been used in years, as he is finally being booked as the dominant monster he was pre taking off of the mask.
-I don't get Rey Mysterio beating Alberto del Rio, especially this soon. It's just the beginning of the feud, so I don't see why Rey gets the win, even with the mis-communication between del Rio and his announcer. There going to have to find a way to continue this feud and get some heat back on del Rio. He is clearly a future star in the company, and looks to be a main event caliber performer. Hopefully del Rio gets his win back sooner rather than later. He may even be in line to be the next person to compete for the World Title was Undertaker wins it, which we all know is happening eventually.
Random Minor Thoughts:
-It's nice to see Goldust finally being used in a regular, meaningful storyline. The guy has been a company man for years, so he deserves it. It also gives Ted DiBiase Jr. something to do while the WWE continues to decide if he is someone to build around in the future.
-Cody Rhodes grooming tips get funnier every week. This week, how to brush your teeth properly:
How to Properly Brush Your Teeth: by "Dashing" Cody Rhodes
-Dolph Ziggler continues to defend the IC Title on Smackdown. How come he didn't get squashed by somebody this week?
-If I were MVP, I'd worry about my job security. He didn't look good in his match against Dolph Ziggler, and he's sparingly been used by the WWE in recent weeks. If the WWE is serious about shaking things up, I would seriously consider a re-formation of the Nation of Domination on Smackdown. The group could consist of MVP, Kofi Kingston, and Shad Gaspard to start off with. In time maybe they could bring over Michael Tarver or Darren Young. Yeah I know it'd be a little edgy for the WWE in their PG era, but it would be, again, something different. It would also add freshness to the charcters of MVP and Kofi.
-Who thought it would be a good idea to give Laycool live mics on RAW?
-The rumor is CM Punk is coming to RAW in the trade for Edge. Now it is a GOOD idea to give CM Punk a live mic on RAW. And Punk's first feud needs to be with Daniel Bryan. Give them a good story and 20 minutes on a PPV, and I'll be satisfied.
-In close, I want to talk about last nights TNA Bound for Glory PPV. Now I don't regularly watch TNA, but I watched the Angle/Kennedy/Hardy match. It was a decent match, then the finish came. The "they" storyline, which caused me to tune in in the first place, was revealed as being Hogan and Eric Bischoff, with Jeff Jarrett, Abyss, and the new champ as heel Jeff Hardy as being "they". It's nothing more than the nWo version 4520920. It was probably a let down for most TNA fans, the ending ruined what was leading to be a pretty good match, and it turned one of their most over babyfaces in the company into a heel. Jeff doesn't have the mic skills to be a convincing heel. Seeing Hogan and Bischoff in charge again just reeks of what I've called TNA the last few years, WCW of the 21st century.
I'll be back either tomorrow or Wednesday with my NFL Week 5 Review
Until next time,
Justin C
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