I’m saddened to hear about the passing of Nelson Frazier Jr. who many knew as Big Daddy V, or under prior gimmicks of Viscera and Mabel. The former King of the Ring winner had a long career with WWE, having held the Tag Team Championships and Hardcore Title. Few could forget seeing his massive frame having main event matches with the Undertaker. Yes. He did. He will be missed.
Christian! Christian! At last you’re on your ownnnnnnnn! Cue the music. Poor guy, mid-carding forever, then he gets one World Championship run as a nod to Edge who retires after WrestleMania 28, then he gets injured three times in two years, only to return to being a jobber yet again. Might be time to hang them up for good. I mean, Ted Dibiase Jr. took the smart road, and with a family, might be time to do the smart thing. The highlight of his career was not winning the World Title, but being tag-partner to Edge as part of one of the greatest tag teams during the Attitude Era and beyond. This past SmackDown, he loses to Sheamus.
Mark Henry! How does it feel to be reduced to fodder for Roman Reigns?
It makes me wonder why they are pushing the fact Randy Orton is 0-5 for Elimination Chambers, while John Cena has won three of them. During the exclusive WWE.com interview between Michael Cole and Triple H, they mention how Christian is getting older and his injuries are mounting, this might be his last chance at the WWE Championship. They talk about Cesaro being a possible champion and of course, Daniel Bryan whom the fans will follow into eternity for.
SmackDown was a relatively quiet show, with more not-so-subtle nods to the upcoming pay-per-view. Speaking of which, let’s get to it!
Pre-Show: Rhodes Brothers vs. Rybaxel – It sickens me to even type “Rybaxel” as a name. It is more ridiculous to see these two teams on the pre-show, but even more ridiculous to see the Rhodes on a pre-show again. Last time they were on the pre-show, they lost the Tag Team Titles. Guess it’s filler, for what… I don’t know. Don’t see the point… of Ryback existing anymore… or Axel… or… anything… Moving on…
Titus O’Neal vs. Darren Young – I’ve called this for months where the two would split up and it is fairly obvious who will wind up with the bigger push. Sure, Darren Young came out a while back and WWE is so very proud of him, but a mediocre wrestler is still a mediocre wrestler. Titus has both incredible wrestling ability and the required mic skills to be a standout in the coming year. Young has potential, and perhaps with the right gimmick he can see similar success. While I do predict Titus getting the bigger push in 2014, I actually see Darren Young winning the match, ending the feud, and both men going off on their separate ways. Shame though, I would have liked to see The Prime Time Players have one Tag Team Title reign.
Batista vs. Alberto del Rio – This will be a snoozer. Batista will win, unless Brock Lesnar or The Undertaker, or maybe Zack Ryder gets involved. If not, hopefully Del Rio gets a bonus for jobbing to a Rock-level wrestling celebrity. That was sarcasm folks. If you needed me to explain that then go call a doctor. If your prescription is called “Rybaxel” go get a second opinion.
The Usos vs. The New Age Outlaws – Tag Team Title Match – See, this could be really good. Billy Gunn and the Road Dogg have shown they still got it and they can perform with the young talent. Usos never fail to deliver and they are extremely over with the fans. If not at Elimination Chamber, then perhaps at WrestleMania we will see the Usos finally earn some well-deserved gold. Then again, I wouldn’t mind hearing more “Old Age” Outlaw jokes from the announce team.
Jack Swagger vs. Big E. Langston – Intercontinental Championship – A match which I think is perceived as underrated. Langston and Swagger could put on a collegiate wrestling clinic if they chose to. Swagger is a former World Champion (how often we forget), and Langston right now is a hot commodity with a strong fan following. It would be interesting to see how the Real Americans soldier on after the pay-per-view, should Cesaro not win the WWE Championship but Swagger come back with gold. If both men are given the proper time and no shenanigans, could put on a great match and possibly be a show stealer.
The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family – Spoke too soon about being a show stealer. It’s right here. This is the one. The feud, while short has been built to intense proportions. Even before they had set sights on each other, fans wondered if the two stables would ever collide. Both made huge impacts upon their debut into WWE and since they each trio has dominated without faltering. I have a hard time recalling another group in recent time who have been able to remain in the minds of fans on such a consistent basis. Granted, there may have been a month where the Shield came off as weak, but the constant tease of the break-up and the immanent push of Roman Reigns has kept them in the spotlight. You take a look at the creepy Wyatt Family and you see genius in Bray Wyatt and the sheer brute force and power of Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, making up a fearsome stable. I can’t wait to see these two teams collide.
The Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship – It would be strange to say I was not looking as forward to this match as I want to. On paper it looks exciting. But I believe because WWE has been playing the “let’s confuse fans” and/or “who knows what will happen next” card one-too-many times, and I think fans are getting sick of the games. Orton is the crybaby-spoiled-brat of a champion. Cena is the “Hey, I’m the new Hulk Hogan” and guys like Sheamus, Christian, and even the great Cesaro don’t have a chance of walking away with the title. Daniel Bryan. Welcome to confusedville. Will WWE push or not push? I have a feeling Kane will interfere yet again and cost Bryan the title. It’s what they are building. Kane constantly coming out to make Bryan’s life hell. Does that mean Bryan will not face Triple H at WrestleMania? Who knows. What I do know, I that no one will care if Orton wins, and no one will care if it comes down to Batista vs. Randy Orton at WrestleMania.
Where is Brock Lesnar? Where is the Undertaker?
Maybe Antonio Cesaro will win the WWE Championship?
Maybe Edge will beat up Christian, take his spot and win the Chamber and the title?! Sound familiar (replace Christian with Kofi Kingston and it might)?
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