Somehow I missed it, but last week Christian decided he had been in the ring too long without an injury. So this time he went and found himself a concussion, taking him out of action. It is alright, because this coming Monday night, live on RAW we get a special appearance by: EDGE.
We also get another huge return, in the form of Goldust, taking on WWE Champion Randy Orton. Not making this up. Dustin Rhodes returns to avenge his younger brother Cody Rhodes.
Ya damn right. About time we saw The Rated-R Superstar back on WWE TV.
SmackDown confused the hell out of me. Triple H holds a “town hall” so wrestlers can speak freely, except no one talks. Well, Kofi Kingston states the obvious no one is talking because of what happened to Cody Rhodes. Hunter does the whole “Cody fired Cody” bit. Ryback complains people call him a bully. Huh? RVD says things aren’t cool, dude, and Triple H makes fun of him. Heath Slater speaks, and Triple H makes fun of him too. So, those who spoke, got matches. I see… So everyone else gets to sit back and watch?
Ziggler gets mauled by Ryback again, therefore because Dean Ambrose beats him up before each match, Ziggler is awarded a United States Championship match at Night of Champions.
Big Show then destroys 3MB. Kofi Kingston defeats Curtis Axel.
So, if Ziggler is in the storyline doghouse with Triple H, why give him a title match? What was the point of 3MB vs. Big Show? Lastly, if Curtis Axel is supposed to be a future main eventer, why is he LOSING so many mid-card matches? The guy is going up against CM Punk, how can anyone even believe Axel has a scripted chance of winning at all?
Maybe the Intercontinental Championship is cursed. Ask Wade Barrett.
Here is what shocks me. AJ Lee, a scripted heel, is now suddenly going face by attacking and verbally bashing the Divas who are on, Total Divas. One might think AJ is still the heel, yet when she points out the obvious un-reality of the show and its glorified true nature of showcasing The Bellas in underwear, you suddenly get praised. Combined with AJ bringing “real Divas” to interrupt a match on SmackDown, and you suddenly have interesting TV where, obviously scripted storyline, their own Divas smack down the reality TV show (which already has terrible ratings and reviews, yet higher than TNA, go figure). Sad to see an actual wrestler like Natalya get lumped with the talentless Bellas, and stereotyped Funkadactyls.
Night of Champions will also feature Rob Van Dam challenging Alberto del Rio for the World Title. For a pay-per-view called Night of Champions I see championship matches being pushed to show-filler. RVD vs. Del Rio should be majorly pushed, yet Punk vs. Axel has more focus. Likely because this is Punk vs. Heyman, and Axel is the third wheel. Seems like the Divas have more attention than RVD/Del Rio.
Something which made me smile, The Real Americans defeating The Usos. Reminds me of Money Inc. vs. The Steiner Brothers. They would go at it every week on Prime Time Wrestling on USA, trading victories with each great match.
RAW was a great show, yet SmackDown seemed to have brought it down a bit. One thing I did not like about Triple H on RAW, he made fun of Cruiserweights. This was a staple of the 90’s, and part of the reason WCW beat WWE in ratings. Cruiserweight matches were great, even after being incorporated in WWE, up until debacles with Chavo Sr. and Hornswoggle. With enough time to show case tag teams and Divas, there could be enough time for Cruiserweights. Have you seen NXT? There are guys who could be the modern-day Billy Kidman and Lizmark Jr. (Editor’s Note: Keep a sharp eye out of Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn).
Cody Rhodes being a face was likely a long time coming, and we only saw just a little bit of this different side. As he departed RAW, he left stating how the McMahons have hated the Rhodes for years, and ranted about how Vince ruined both his father and his older brother. One might have thought this to be a shoot, but since WWE.com posted an interview with said relatives, makes you wonder if there is a bigger plan for young Cody. Clearly Triple H is mad with power, and starting a family feud of sorts could take this angle to epic levels. Imagine the Rhodes Family up against The Shield. Whether Dusty still has it is debatable, but put Cody with brother Dustin together and you have one hell of a team. Interestingly enough, Cody Rhodes eliminated his brother from the 2013 Royal Rumble. A just a few years before the two had a short feud on WWE television. Family squabbles aside, this could be the big breakout for Cody Rhodes to launch himself to main event status. We have big brother Dustin coming to RAW to face Orton in a match where if the gold-painted character can win, Cody has a chance of being re-hired. I expect many dreams to be shattered here.
With Cena gone, there leaves a lot of room for multiple young stars to shine in his stead. Sad to think, Cena dominated WWE for so long, once he left for surgery, we got to see a massive shift towards showcasing younger talent. Not looking to knock Cena here, but maybe one man can become bigger than the company he represents.
For anyone expecting Daniel Bryan to beat Orton for the WWE Championship at Night of Champions, you will be disappointed. I expect this to go all the way to WrestleMania 30. Bryan will be held back at every turn, and it will take winning the Royal Rumble to get to the top. If you think about it, time-line, makes sense. Survivor Series will have Bryan leading his version of the Union against Triple H and his Corporation. Next PPV, Bryan will get a shot at Elimination Chamber, and lose. Triple H tells Bryan no more title shots unless he wins the Royal Rumble. Bryan wins the Rumble. Epic encounter at WrestleMania 30. Bryan wins, signaling the official dawn of a new-era in World Wrestling Entertainment.
