The script for last night’s edition of WWE RAW was said to be heavily changed late in the process leading up to the show. A number of planned matches and angles were either modified or scrapped altogether.
One of the original plans was for a Miz TV segment with Bo Dallas as the guest. Initially, one of the plans for SummerSlam was a triple-threat match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, with The Miz defending against both Dolph Ziggler and Bo Dallas. Based on the direction of last night’s show, however, it appears that WWE will be going with a straight one-on-one match between Miz and Ziggler at SummerSlam.
While it’s possible these plans have changed, as of yesterday, Chris Jericho vs. Luke Harper and a Miz TV segment with Bo Dallas was in the script for tonight’s edition of WWE RAW.
Additionally, tonight’s RAW is expected to advance the story line behind Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton for SummerSlam, as well as John Cena’s first “reaction interview” for his match at SummerSlam with Brock Lesnar.
WWE Superstar Bo Dallas spoke to ChicagoNow.com this week to promote the September 29th episode of RAW. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Fans Booing When He Tells Them To Bolieve: “I take every situation as a positive. Bolieving is definitely a positive. If you are having a rough day, sitting in traffic, late to work you have to take a step back and realize this day could be better. All you have to do is bolieve. It’s something that I take to heart and every time I’m out in the public, I get nothing but positive reactions.”
“Bolieve is something that is great to use and think about because it will make somebody’s day better.”
His Time As NXT Champion: “I can’t say anything but, it has helped me immensely. It really has helped me develop greatly into a professional wrestler and hone my craft. I wouldn’t be where I am today without being given the opportunity to be champion in NXT. I’m glad the powers to be gave me that chance to excel.”
His Brother Bray Wyatt: “We both came into this with the same mindset, that we are going to be our identities. We wanted our success to be for ourselves. As much as we respect and love our father, grandfather and uncles, we didn’t want to become molds of them. We wanted this path to be our own. So far I think we accomplished that. I don’t think you look at myself or my brother and say, ‘Oh, that’s the sons of former wrestler IRS’. To have the family on the road with you it’s great to have somebody bounce ideas off of and help you critique you. You can trust those people and you can’t buy that relationship; it’s a beautiful thing.”
“Right now I think Bray is [playing a heel] quite well and I have my own agenda. But you never know maybe one day down the road maybe Bo Dallas will cross paths with Bray Wyatt. Maybe our differences will come to a head in the future. With the WWE you just don’t know.”
As of the July 25th episode of WWE Smackdown, Bo Dallas is undefeated after 17 straight wins. This of course does not include the brief time Dallas spent on the main roster after appearing in the 2013 Royal Rumble match. Dallas had a successful run with his “BOlieve” gimmick in NXT and is off to a great start with it on the main roster. WWE is clearly building up Dallas’ winning streak, which makes one wonder. Who will be the one to end Dallas’ undefeated streak?
One possible scenario could see another newcomer be the ruiner of Dallas’ streak. If WWE decides to give Rusev an even bigger push, the Bulgarian Brute could defeat Dallas on his path to the main event scene. However, Rusev is already doing his own thing right now. He and Lana are gaining a lot of heat in their feud with Jack Swagger thanks largely to controversial promos given by Rusev’s manager.
However, another newcomer, perhaps one from NXT, would be more interesting to end Dallas’ undefeated streak. Sami Zayn is the most likely in this scenario. Zayn and Dallas had a great rivalry in NXT and would give the WWE Universe a Kurt Angle-Tazz like scenario. If you recall, Kurt Angle was on an undefeated streak when he first debuted in WWE. However, that streak would end by another debuting star in Tazz at the 2000 Royal Rumble. Zayn is a fan favorite in NXT and it seems like it is only a matter of time until he reaches the main roster.
While having a similarly new superstar be the one to end Dallas’ nice run, WWE can also look at current or past veterans to do the dirty work. One past star who is well known for having a lengthy undefeated streak is Goldberg. While his streak occurred in WCW, a Goldberg return would certainly be welcomed by the WWE Universe. In fact, Goldberg is open to the return as well. He’s just not so sure Triple H, Vince McMahon and WWE want to see the return.
Goldberg is not the only veteran WWE should consider. Consider Sami Zayn Plan A and Goldberg Plan B. There’s always Plan C.
Brock Lesnar is Plan C. If you think about it, Dallas is coming close to a special number. Four more wins until 21. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see Lesnar become the one in 21-1 yet again. Of course it would mean something very different when defeating Bo Dallas versus doing it to the Undertaker’s historic WrestleMania streak. If Cesaro was still a Paul Heyman guy and he became the one in 21-1 against Bo Dallas, it would help light the flame in his own feud with Lesnar.
If I had to make a prediction, I would say that another new superstar debuts and ends Dallas’ undefeated streak. Dallas has a lot of momentum and the end to his streak has to live up to the hype. Let’s hope WWE doesn’t ruin it with someone like Kofi Kingston. No offense Kofi, but it was pretty disappointing when you ended Cesaro’s long reign as U.S. Champion. Dallas’ streak can be used to build up and give momentum to someone else. Use it wisely.
Who do you think will end Bo Dallas’ undefeated streak? Sami Zayn, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar or someone else? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Seth Guttenplan is a math and computer technology teacher for special education students in New Jersey. In his free time, Seth writes about wrestling. Follow Seth on twitter @sethgutt
– As of right now, the plan is for a build to a flag match between Rusev and Jack Swagger at the upcoming WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.
– There is a chance that the WWE Intercontinental Championship match at SummerSlam becomes a triple-threat match, with The Miz defending the title against both Dolph Ziggler and Bo Dallas.
The following are highlights of a new Ring Rust Radio interview with Bo Dallas:
On the back story of creating his character: “There was no one moment that I could look at that says, ‘this is what happened.’ It was just a series of events. I got the opportunity to become NXT Champion down in the NXT developmental, and luckily I got 8 months as the champion and it just sort of developed. Things started happening and everything was clicking on all cylinders and working and it developed and morphed into its own monster. I just rolled with the punches, kept my eyes open and my ears sharp to everything that was coming in and took it and ran with it.”
On the differences between performing in WWE and NXT: “The way the developmental system is these days is different than it has ever been. They do so much to prepare us for making that jump from NXT to the big stage that there’s not many differences. NXT is its own brand and has become bigger than I think ever thought was possible. But if I can give any inspirational advice to anyone coming up, really look at what you do and know that what works, works. It doesn’t matter the size of the stage, if it works at a smaller stage, it will work at a bigger stage and stay true to what you are and Bo-lieve in yourself.”
On whether his brief stint on the main roster inspired him: “Yes, absolutely. I got the taste which lit a fire under me. In this industry, you have to evolve to stay relevant, what I wanted, I felt. So I had that eight months to know that that’s what I wanted and just worked as hard as I could, nonstop, to get where I needed to be, develop this character and develop who I am today. So yes, it absolutely lit a fire under me.”
On whether he watches WWE Network: “Oh yeah, constantly. I’m on the WWE Network all the time. If I have free time, if I wasn’t on the radio right now, I would be on the WWE Network. There’s tons. A lot of what I watch is Mr. Perfect. I am a diehard fan of Mr. Perfect and Curt Hennig and his work. If I could go back in time and be in the ring with him, I would do anything for it. But I watch a lot of Curt Hennig’s old matches.”
This week’s Raw took place in Miami, Florida in the home of the Miami Heat. LeBron James and Flo Rida both made appearances, and Triple H crowned a new number one contender.
Overall, it was a rather exciting episode of Raw, with the build to SummerSlam officially underway. As always, a few questions were answer, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following Monday’s Raw.
5. Is Poor Booking Hurting the Wyatt Family?
Bray Wyatt attacked Chris Jericho backstage at Raw last night and commandeered the Highlight Reel. Wyatt of course lost to Jericho clean at Battleground, while Luke Harper and Erick Rowan also failed to capture the Tag Team Titles once again.
A few weeks back, fans were chanting “boring” during Wyatt’s promo, leading me to wonder if poor booking is hurting he and his family. Ultimately, I think they will be fine, as they are some of the best talents in the business, but better booking could help make them appear stronger and increase their popularity. Here’s to hoping for a clean Wyatt victory at SummerSlam.
4. Has Bo Dallas Actually Won Me Over?
When Bo Dallas first appeared in the WWE, I thought his character was destined for failure. He seemed to be nothing more than a troll hell-bent on annoying anyone within a thousand-mile radius. He was once again victorious last night, extending his undefeated streak.
I must admit though, Dallas has really won me over in recent weeks. His promos have been hilarious and his in-ring work has seemingly improved on a weekly basis. I still feel that he needs a new finisher before he can be taken too seriously, but I’m sure that will come with time. I never thought I’d say this, but I believe Dallas could be one of the better midcard superstars and a run with either the US or IC title could restore some interest in the midcard championships.
The following are highlights of a new This Is Infamous interview with Bo Dallas:
How different was his first main roster experience? “Very different. What happened in the 2013 Royal Rumble and what happened in the follow up on Monday Night RAW… And then I got the opportunity to go down to NXT and I won an NXT championship. At that time in my career, I spent around eight months to completely develop this character that had become so much more of a full, rounded superstar. I learned so much in that time and I’m a completely different performer than I was before.”
How WWE developmental is now: “I feel the difference these days… It’s definitely positive. I mean they’ve taken WWE developmental to a whole other level. The NXT platform is its own brand. The way that they pair us these days is amazing, because something from NXT to RAW or Smackdown, there are very little differences, because there were so well prepared for the next phase of the game.”
Are their other personalities he’s used for inspiration? “Yes, Kurt Angle is the #1 when it comes to who is most similar to what I’m doing and that’s who I’ve looked up to a lot, and learned many things from. Honestly the other WWE Superstar that I can say I’ve learned from was John Cena, taking his messages and taking them to the fullest with complete positivity. Never back down, never give up, and Bo-lieving in that and not straying from that and believing John Cena’s messages to the fullest.”
Possibly winning the Intercontinental Title: “I grew up watching, I grew up a huge man. If you look back at the Intercontinental Championship, you’ve got Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Mr. Perfect. This title is a legacy and I believe it needs to be brought back to that. It needs to be put back on its pedestal, and if I can obtain this title it would be a major life and career achievement and I would do anything in my power to bring it back to the prestige that it deserves.”
On Sunday July 20th, WWE will hold a 20 man over the top rope battle royal to crown a new Intercontinental Champion. Bad News Barrett was on track for the best run of his career until an injury forced him to vacate the title. Now, WWE’s entire mid card will compete and a new champion will emerge.
But who has the best chance of winning? What is the most likely outcome for the battle royal at WWE Battleground?
There are a number of jobbers we can immediately assume won’t win. Those jobbers include Diego, Sin Cara, Titus O’Neil, Zack Ryder, Heath Slater, R-Truth, Xavier Woods, Fandango, RybAxel and the Great Khali. Although they have a slight chance, it would be extremely surprising to see Rob Van Dam, Alberto Del Rio, Big E or Kofi Kingston become the new Intercontinental Champion.
Dolph Ziggler is an interesting choice who has been winning more often lately. However, those matches have been mainly against Fandango and the focus has been on Summer Rae and Layla. Sorry Ziggler, but chances are you won’t win either.
The remaining four superstars all have a legitimate chance at becoming the new Intercontinental Champion at Battleground and here is why.
The Miz made his return from filming WWE Studios’ The Marine 4 on the June 30th edition of Raw. There has been a great deal of hype given to the Miz’s new multi-platform, Money Maker faced character since his return. Although at first Miz was booked as weak with the surprise return of Chris Jericho on the same night, the most must see WWE superstar of all time recently defeated United States Champion and fellow battle royal participant Sheamus on Raw. Having Miz win the Intercontinental Championship yet again would certainly align with his new character push, but there are others who could do more with the title.
Bo Dallas has been impressive since redebuting on the main roster. When Dallas first arrived on the main roster for the 2013 Royal Rumble, he didn’t have a character. He was a weird smiled guy with long hair. Dallas made huge strides in NXT in developing his unBOlieveable gimmick. After seeing it be so successful in NXT, I had concern over whether it would work as well on the main roster. Dallas has a ton of BOlievers and has a good chance of winning the Intercontinental title if WWE feels he is ready.
Someone who is definitely ready for a championship is the newest Paul Heyman guy in the Swiss Superman Cesaro. The King of Swing’s stock has been flying through the roof since he joined forces with Heyman one night after winning the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. However, other than winning meaningless mid card matches against the likes of Kofi Kingston and Rob Van Dam, Cesaro hasn’t reached any new heights. Winning the Intercontinental title would be another step in the right direction for Cesaro.
That leaves the current United States Champion Sheamus. The Celtic Warrior is a very intriguing pick since he already holds a mid card title. While Sheamus is not an up and coming star like Dallas or Cesaro, WWE may have been hinting at a possible unification happening at WWE Battleground. Michael Cole referenced the idea on Raw recently. If Sheamus does win the battle royal, he will unify the Intercontinental and United States titles. WWE fans have spent a great deal of time and effort complaining (as they normally do) about the terrible booking mid card titles have had over the last few years. There really is no need for two mid card titles.
If you think about it, WWE recently unified the two world titles. Shortly thereafter, WWE began the discussion on whether or not the United States and Intercontinental Championships would be unified as well.
While I think Dallas or Cesaro would benefit most from winning the Intercontinental Championship, Sheamus winning would benefit the entire WWE Universe.
Who do you think is the most likely winner of the battle royal at WWE Battleground to crown a new Intercontinental Champion? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Seth Guttenplan is a math and computer technology teacher for special education students in New Jersey. In his free time, Seth writes about wrestling for Camel Clutch Blog and SEScoops. Follow Seth on twitter @sethgutt
Following Monday’s RAW, here is an updated look at the official WWE Battleground pay-per-view lineup:
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
– Kane vs. Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena
Battle Royal for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Cesaro, Kofi Kingston, Damien Sandow, The Great Khali, Rob Van Dam, Dolph Ziggler, Big E., Ryback, Curtis Axel, Alberto Del RIo, Bo Dallas, Sheamus and Fandango
– Following Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Montreal, here is the updated list of official participants confirmed for the Intercontinental Championship Battle Royal at the upcoming WWE Battleground pay-per-view: Cesaro, Kofi Kingston, Damien Sandow, The Great Khali, Rob Van Dam, Dolph Ziggler, Big E., Ryback, Curtis Axel, Alberto Del RIo, Bo Dallas, Sheamus and Fandango.
– The following is the Bret Hart and “Bret Sandhart” segment from Monday’s RAW:
Tonight’s episode of Raw took place in Montreal, Canada and featured a total of eleven matches, including a first ever one-on-one meeting between the WWE World Heavyweight champion John Cena and Money in the Bank briefcase holder Seth Rollins.
Canadian icon and WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart graced the WWE Universe with his presence and cut a promo. Of course, he brought up the Montreal Screw Job, but it was a nice moment. Also, WWE continued to promote current on-going storylines leading up to Battleground.
Last week’s episode of Raw was one of the best and most exciting in recent history. Did this edition live up to last week’s high standards? Without further ado, here are highlights, lowlights and my random thoughts on the 7/7/2014 edition of Monday Night Raw:
BEST MATCH: The opening bout between the Usos and the Wyatt Family was the best match of the night. There were two other matches that could have stolen the show, but they failed to do so for a couple of reasons. First, Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose gave it their best effort, but it was clear to see that the two didn’t have very much chemistry, at least when it comes to singles action. Also, the Dean Ambrose botch wasn’t a crowd-pleasing moment.
Chris Jericho vs. the Miz could have been special, but the match didn’t last as long as I hoped. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins had the most promise, but they weren’t given enough time to do anything memorable and the obvious interference by Kane and Randy Orton ruined the match for me.
What was your favorite match of the night?
WORST MATCH: AJ Lee/Paige vs. Naomi/Cameron was the worst match of the night. Aside from the main event and the tag team match between the Usos and the Wyatt Family, there weren’t any real standout matches. However, this bout stood out for all the wrong reasons and it was a poor showing amongst the four Divas involved. Bo Dallas vs. El Torito was a close second for the worst match of the night award because at least the crowd was somewhat into it.
The worst segment of the night was the Nikki Bella/Alicia Fox disaster, but I don’t think there was an opening bell and nobody was declared the winner. Therefore, Idon’t consider this to be a match; otherwise, it would have won the award.
UPSET OF THE NIGHT: Kofi Kingston defeating Cesaro was the upset of the night. I know that Kofi defeated Cesaro last week on Raw, but I didn’t expect him to do it again and I don’t think the fans/crowd did either. I see Cesaro winning the Intercontinental Title at Battleground and Kingston falling into obscurity once again, but at least Kofi is living in the moment now.
To quote the great Mike Adamle, Kofi be Jamaican me crazy.
MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: I expected Randy Orton to defeat Dean Ambrose in their match tonight, but I was anticipating Seth Rollins to screw Ambrose over, resulting in Ambrose losing cleanly. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Ambrose has been really hot as of late and Rollins costing him the match would have protected Ambrose a bit more. Also, it would have spiced things up and furthered the Ambrose/Rollins feud.
Following Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown, here is the updated list of official participants in the WWE Intercontinental Championship Battle Royal at the upcoming WWE Battleground pay-per-view:
– Cesaro
– Kofi Kingston
– Damien Sandow
– The Great Khali
– Rob Van Dam
– Dolph Ziggler
– Big E
– Ryback
– Curtis Axel
– Alberto Del Rio
– Bo Dallas
Below is the latest edition of “SmackDown Fallout,” which features WWE United States Champion Sheamus:
As noted earlier today, Bo Dallas was the latest WWE Superstar to tie the knot, as his sister Mika Rotunda confirmed the news via social media. Mika had the following to say about her brother’s marriage:
“I am blessed, honored, joyed, FREAKING ecstatic to announce Mr and Mrs. Taylor Michael Rotunda! I have a beautiful new sister in law and can’t wait to watch these two shine through life together and take this world by storm!”
Dallas married former NXT Diva Sarah Backman. You can check out a photo of the two together on their wedding day below.
Dallas’ sister Mika announced the following recently via social media:
“I am blessed, honored, joyed, FREAKING ecstatic to announce Mr and Mrs. Taylor Michael Rotunda! I have a beautiful new sister in law and can’t wait to watch these two shine through life together and take this world by storm!”
As previously reported, WWE announced a second Money In The Bank ladder match for the upcoming June 29th pay-per-view, one that will be for the usual Money In The Bank briefcase, which earns the winner a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at a time of his choosing.
We noted that this coming Monday’s RAW, which is the Money In The Bank “go-home” edition of the show, will feature a segment where the participants in the second ladder match will be revealed. As things stand now, Seth Rollins is the only confirmed participant, however the rest will be revealed on RAW, and it is believed that there will be six participants added in addition to Rollins.
As noted recently, names rumored to be included in the second ladder match are Dean Ambrose, Big E., Rob Van Dam, Bo Dallas, as well as Bad News Barrett and Dolph Ziggler, the latter two of which will either be part of that match or in an Intercontinental Championship match with each other.
The main event for the June 29th WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view will be the ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, which features John Cena, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Cesaro, Bray Wyatt and Alberto Del Rio. As noted recently, Cena or Reigns (and Cesaro as a long-shot) will likely come out on top, as the winner is the likely candidate for Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.
Also confirmed for the 6/29 PPV is a WWE Tag-Team Championship match with The Usos defending against Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of The Wyatt Family.
The second ladder match, which was made official recently and will be for the usual Money In The Bank briefcase, as of right now only features Seth Rollins. Additional names rumored for the match include Dean Ambrose, Big E., Rob Van Dam, Bo Dallas, as well as Bad News Barrett and Dolph Ziggler, the latter two of which will either be part of that match or in an Intercontinental Championship match with each other.
Additionally, the direction for the WWE Divas Championship match at Money In The Bank seems to be Paige defending against Naomi of The Funkadactyls.
– A new WWE World Heavyweight champion will be crowned in less than two week at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view. With 5 competitors already announced for the Money in the Bank ladder match, the general feeling in WWE is that a heel will be walking out as champion. So far, the villains who have qualified for the match include Cesaro, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt and Alberto Del Rio.
– One of the main reasons that Dolph Ziggler isn’t getting pushed is because his history of injuries and concussions. Shortly after capturing the World Heavyweight championship the night after WrestleMania 29, Ziggler suffered a concussion and has been in career limbo ever since.
Even if talent is over with fans and are solid in-ring workers, WWE is very hesitant to get behind them if they are injury prone and have taken extended time off.
– WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley is questioning whether Bo Dallas’ character has the ability to get over with fans. He wrote on Facebook:
“As I mentioned a few days ago, I’m STARTING to become a #BoLiever – but I still have some questions about the Bo Dallas character. For example, how does it get REAL heat.”
The following are highlights from the latest Jim Ross blog:
On his upcoming Hall Of Fame MC gig: “Excited to head to Waterloo, Iowa July 18-19 for the annual National Wrestling Hall of Fame weekend at the Dan Gable Museum. All wrestling fans no matter amateur or pro should see the museum once in their life as it is truly fascinating and one of the bucket list days of my entire year. Randy Couture, The Steiner Brothers, DDP, Larry Hennig, Larry Matysik, For info on tickets to attend this weekend that includes a banquet, live, pro wrestling event, pro tryouts and the chance to meet the greats of the game you can call 319-233-0745 or visit them on Facebook. I will MC the banquet on Saturday July 19 and will also attend the pro wrestling event with WWE HOFer Jerry Brisco on Friday night July 18.”
On a Bray Wyatt face turn: “What do you think of Bray Wyatt being a character baby face after being turned on by Harper and Rowan who then become managed by Jake Roberts who builds his own faction?”
“Harper is a star in the waiting and the key to Rowan achieving a high level of success is him showing more animation and personality in the ring and being able to master a promo.”
On Bo Dallas: “Bo Dallas was the consummate, ivory snow baby face in NXT for a long, long time until the fans organically turned on him for being too goody-goody. The current incarnation of Bo Dallas isn’t as organic as what made him an antagonist in NXT but I hope it will eventually work for the young man’s sake. He’s a good kid who works hard and is a natural athlete. Only time will tell if this presentation clicks and the timing inasmuch as how long the persona is left to evolve and/or to tweak is critical.”
On Brodus Clay: “Brodus Clay always reminded me of the UWF version or the One Man Gang. Perhaps some day Brodus can see if my premonition actually is accurate. If Brodus can maintain a healthy, athletic weight so he can feed the comebacks approiately he has a shot at becoming a main event level heel IMO.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
WWE Superstar Batista appeared at Thursday night’s NXT tapings from Full Sail University in Winter Park Florida. After the final show was taped, Batista came out and addressed the live audience. Contrary to his recent role on WWE television, Batista was in full-on babyface mode, playing to the crowd, joking about how bad his promos are and thanking everybody for showing up. He was then interrupted by Bo Dallas and – well, you can probably guess where things went from there.
It’s being said that Vince McMahon, who is still responsible for all of the key decisions in WWE, is still not sold on Bo Dallas, Adam Rose and Paige – three NXT talents that recently moved up to the main roster.
McMahon has a reputation of not being the easiest person to accept new talent as top stars.
The fact that Adam Rose was kept off of RAW this past Monday night is considered a sign that the company is starting to cool off on his character. Additionally, WWE producer Kevin Dunn reportedly buried Rose backstage in recent weeks.
This week’s edition of WWE Raw took place in Indianapolis, IN and was the post-Payback episode of the longest running weekly episodic television show in history. The card featured a total of nine matches, including a contest between John Cena and Kane, as well as a Money in the Bank qualifying match between Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio.
The show also featured two incidents that will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the storyline for weeks to come. A lot of questions were answered, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following this week’s edition of Raw.
5. Is Cesaro Going to Challenge for the Intercontinental Championship?
On this week’s Raw, Cesaro abandoned his partner Bad News Barrett, leaving him helpless against the team of RVD and Sheamus. After the match, Cesaro stood on the stage staring at Bad News Barrett, perhaps alluding to an upcoming feud between the two for the IC strap.
This feud could help both parties, as it would provide Barrett with a worthy opponent to work with, while also allowing Cesaro to challenge for the company’s second most important title. With rumors of Cesaro being the top contender to win the Money in the Bank briefcase, there are a few directions they could take with the King of Swing, and fans would likely welcome any push.
4. Will WWE Listen to the Fans and Push Dolph Ziggler?
One of the biggest injustices of the past year has been Dolph Ziggler’s demotion to the midcard. After finally cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase, Ziggler won the World Heavyweight Championship from Alberto Del Rio on the Raw after WrestleMania last year.
His reign would ultimately be cut short following a concussion, and after a few harsh words directed at John Cena, Ziggler’s burial was a certainty. He hasn’t been able to claw his way out of the doghouse since, despite calls from fans to give him a push.
There were chants for Ziggler during the match between Big E and Rusev at Payback, and it seemed like he might finally get back on track during a Money in the Bank qualifying match against Alberto Del Rio on this week’s Raw. The hopes of Ziggler fans around the world were quickly dashed, however, as he was forced to tap out to the Cross Armbreaker and it looks like Dolph has become a permanent fixture at the bottom of the card.
3. Who Benefited More from Their Feud: John Cena or Bray Wyatt?
During their last man standing match at Payback, John Cena literally buried Bray Wyatt after slamming him through a crate that was conveniently placed at the foot of a table.
Now that it appears their feud is over, one has to wonder which superstar benefited more from the program. It is hard to argue that any victory could put Cena over more. Wyatt used the program to get himself over with the audience, but he ultimately looked weak in each of their contests.
Wyatt lost two of the three matches, and his one victory came with the help of Harper, Rowan, and a child. Ultimately, Cena did not gain anything from the feud, and Wyatt is just as over as he was before and looked weak throughout, so I would say that neither guy really benefited.
WWE Hall Of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham recently posted the following blog on his official Facebook page, claiming he’s done watching WWE programming after this past Friday night’s edition of WWE SmackDown:
“Hello Facebook friends,
This message will be my last as I have decided after watching the entire Smackdown show that aired Friday night May 30th, that I am wasting my time viewing the WWE shows. There are of course many very good matches and hard-working top guys out there performing for you fans. To quote 2 lines from Bob Dylan’s ” Wedding Song ” tune, sum’s up my position perfectly, ” It’s never been my duty to remake the world at large…. Nor is it my intention to lead a battle charge. “
It is not my job and I have no business to critique or pass along any negative judgment on the WWE. Believe me there are plenty of critics around to opine on the state of the WWE.
Last night when I saw Bo Dallas running around the ring acting like an idiot and hugging his opponent Xavier Woods when the match was over I wanted to vomit. Then here come the effeminate Pete Rose sucking on a lollipop, followed by maybe 15 of his circus troupe of freaks and geek’s, he gives me the creeps. Then came the dwarf El Torito dressed in a children’s bull costume who proceeds to pin a normal size wrestler. By then I did indeed vomit.
I get intelligent responses from my Facebook friends and then I get ignorant ones like this one from from Dan Pedreyra who wrote about Cesaro and I quote ” Give Cesaro time to develop, he’s learning, he’s hanging out with Cena.” Who the F is Cena ? God ? I will tell you who got it right in her response and that is Jaynie Mullins Mullins, who said and I quote, ” The WWE is now the WWZZZZZZZZZZ. “
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include Bo Dallas (24), Roman Reigns (29) and Alberto Del Rio (37).
– Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown saw a huge drop in social media activity from the previous week. SmackDown had 416,000 Twitter users tweeting about the show (down 50%) and 1.273 million social impressions (down 45%). Despite the drop, it still ranked #2 for the night Twitter activity.
– Next Saturday night’s Beyond The Ring special on the WWE Network will feature Chris Jericho.
– Every RAW and SmackDown of 2014 through the beginning of April have been added to the WWE Network, so it appears WWE is able to add shows to the Network a month after they air under the new NBCUniversal deal.
Bo Dallas made his re-debut on Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown from London.
Dallas, who actually made his WWE television debut at the 2013 Royal Rumble, had a short program with Wade Barrett before returning to NXT and eventually becoming the longest-reigning NXT Champion in history.
Bo Dallas also appeared on SmackDown Fallout and spoke to Renee Young about his “unBOlievable” debut:
