When it comes to the fifty stars and thirteen bars, no one is more proud of Old Glory than Zeb Colter. Jack Swagger’s “founding father” has transformed in recent weeks from a protectionist bigot into a proud veteran hell bent on defending his country and its freedoms.
Along the way, Swagger and Colter have battled the Russian duo of Rusev and Lana. Both groups have delivered passionate promos in recent weeks, with Lana belittling Americans for their supposed weakness, while Colter and Swagger have done everything in their power to rid the WWE of the foreign menaces.
Zeb Colter has refreshed his character during the program by turning face.
Swagger had his first chance to eliminate the Putin-praising Bulgarian last month at Battleground, but was ultimately unsuccessful after losing via countout. He will have another chance this Sunday at SummerSlam, as the two will again square off, this time in a flag match.
The program between Rusev and Swagger is the classic WWE feud between a monster foreign heel and an American savior. Programs such as this one are usually about as trite and cliché as a teenage romantic comedy, but this program has benefited both parties.
Swagger’s face turn helped add more depth to he and Colter’s characters, who were honestly becoming a bit stale prior to the program. More importantly, however, it has finally gotten Rusev and Lana over after weeks of lukewarm reactions.
During their last meeting, Swagger and Rusev worked surprisingly well together, putting on an entertaining contest that was full of impressive spots. However, those who have benefited most may in fact be the managers.
Last night’s Raw was held in Portland, Oregon and featured a crowd packed with hipsters, a few memorable contests, and the nWo reunion that had been teased on social media all week leading into the event.
The show was the “go-home” edition of Raw and was the final build for Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view. As always, a few questions were answered, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following Monday’s Raw.
5. Is Corporate Kane Back Permanently?
Kane was back in his suit and tie this week on Raw, having once again handed in his mask on last week’s episode. The Demon made a match between Roman Reigns and RybAxel before departing for the locker room.
My question is simple: Does Kane have anything left in the tank with his corporate character? It seems the company doesn’t know what to do with him, as he has shifted back and forth between demon and corporate Kane over the past few months. If Kane is going to become a permanent fixture in the Authority storyline, hopefully something worthwhile comes of it, because it otherwise simply results in a convoluted storyline.
4. Where Have the Usos Been?
The Usos were absent from Raw this past week (other than the announcers issuing an open challenge on their behalf for tonight’s Main Event), and with SummerSlam only a few days away, they are also noticeably absent from the pay-per-view card. There are rumors of a fatal four-way tag team contest being put together for the pre-show, but nothing has been confirmed thus far.
With the Usos having defeated basically every tag team on the roster and holding the titles for most of the year, I think it is time for the brothers to drop the titles. Nothing against the Usos, but they have fought everyone on the roster and their run is quickly becoming stale. It appeared the titles were going to be put on the Wyatt Family a few weeks back, but the Usos prevailed. Hopefully a title change can shake up an otherwise stagnant tag team division.
Kofi Kingston has been working as a baby face during the WWE tour of Australia, leading to some speculation that WWE may have dropped the potential new “Nation Of Domination” type faction.
Additionally, Big E. was flying solo on the latest edition of SmackDown in his loss to Rusev and has been tagging with Diego as a baby face at recent WWE live events.
WWE hasn’t made a mention of a faction with Big E., Kingston and Xavier Woods in over a week and according to some, the idea in general may have been dropped.
– The official WWE website has a new poll up asking fans who has the “most patriotic submission move,” with the options being Jack Swagger and Rusev. At last check, with just under 15,000 votes cast, Swagger was considerably ahead of Rusev with roughly 80-percent of the votes. You can vote on the poll by going to WWE.com.
– The following is a new WWE 2K15 teaser video from IGN, which features Sting, Paul Heyman, Daniel Bryan, Stephanie McMahon, Steve Austin and John Cena.
There has been some talk within WWE regarding the possibility of having Sheamus drop the United States Championship to Rusev as a way to enhance Rusev and Lana’s anti-American gimmick. The feeling is that the anti-American duo holding the “United States” championship would be good for getting Rusev and Lana some added heat with the fans.
At one point, the plan was for the Sheamus-Rusev title change to take place at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view. While that is no longer the direction they are headed, there is still talk of doing that angle at some point down the line.
The following are highlights from the latest Jim Ross blog:
On TNA’s TV deal with Spike TV: “It’s curious that Spike hasn’t renewed Impact Wrestling as of yet for the new, fall season. That’s not a great sign and I hope that they do renew their relationship. Spike doesn’t have an over abundance of shows that draw a million viewers in prime time each week. That number could be escalated easily over time.”
On Daniel Bryan: “Daniel Bryan has had a helluva, memorable year….main eventing WrestleMania, getting married, losing his Dad, undergoing neck surgery, subduing a home invader this week and now apparently needling an additional surgery to get him back in the ring. It’s not beyond the realm of comprehension that it could be 2015 until he’s back in a WWE ring. Nonetheless it gives his body a chance to heal and for Bryan and his bride to enjoy life off the road to some degree. The glass can’t always be looked upon as half empty even though DB will be missed by his fans.”
On Rusev and Lana: “The Lana & Rusev controversy is overblown in my view. They are fictional characters who are neither Russian. Could the writers have been smarter and more conservative in light of the recent tragedy? Absolutely. But is this a major travesty? Not even close. That’s my take.”
– 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.
Whether or not the weekend controversary played a part in the decision, it appears that plans for a follow-up Rusev vs. Jack Swagger match are off.
Originally, the plan was for the two to have a multi-pay-per-view run against each other, but for whatever reason, which most likely is the Lana controversary, the Rusev-Swagger program isn’t expected to continue.
– It was announced on Monday’s post-Battleground edition of RAW that on this week’s edition of WWE Main Event, which airs live on the WWE Network on Tuesday night, the United States Champion Sheamus will take on Rusev.
– The following is a video of the Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella segment from Monday’s RAW, which is expected to have been the beginning of the build to their one-on-one match at this year’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.
WWE held its annual Battleground pay-per-view last night. It was the second incarnation of the event and featured a total of six matches on the actual card and two additional matches on the pre-show.
On paper, the event looked more than solid and seemed like it would be one of the best shows of the year. Things quickly took a turn for the worse, however, and the WWE dropped a massive turd on its fans last night. The event was clearly slopped together and featured some of the laziest storytelling fans will ever encounter.
Lana and Rusev received some serious heat last night after referencing the recent Malaysia Airlines crash. It will be interesting to see if the WWE takes a step back after receiving criticism from multiple news outlets.
The company also pulled a total bait and switch on fans that paid to see the event. The most anticipated match of the night for many was Seth Rollins squaring off with former Shield partner Dean Ambrose. Prior to the event, the match had been heavily advertised and was clearly one of the main reasons fans were tuning in.
Instead of holding the match, however, Triple H cancelled the contest and threw Dean Ambrose out of the building, eventually awarding the victory to Seth Rollins due to forfeit. Fans were expecting an absolute classic of a matchup, but instead were treated to a few backstage brawl segments that were nothing special, and amounted to the same thing fans can see for free each week on Raw.
Last night, the WWE basically told the fans that this matchup was too good to take place at a crummy pay-per-view such as Battleground and will be saved for SummerSlam. Honestly, fans should feel cheated after what they saw with the Ambrose/Rollins program last night.
Last night’s Raw was the final episode before this Sunday’s Battleground pay-per-view. The Battleground card was finalized with the inclusion of Jack Swagger vs. Rusev and AJ Lee vs. Paige for the Divas Championship.
Overall, the go-home episode of Raw was fairly entertaining and featured a number of notable segments. However, although many questions were answered, a few still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following this week’s edition of Raw.
5. Can Swagger stay over as a face?
The most over superstar this week on Raw was definitely Jack Swagger. The crowd really ate up the USA-Russia détente segment, with thunderous “USA!” chants ringing throughout the arena.
It appears that Swagger’s face turn is proving to be a success, but can he maintain the momentum after ending his program with Rusev? It is a natural rivalry between Rusev and Swagger, so it will be interesting to see where he goes after his match at Battleground. One thing is certain, though: both superstars are getting over during this program, which makes me hope that it is prolonged for a bit longer following Battleground.
4. Is Heyman planning to ditch Cesaro?
Cesaro competed against Big E last night on Raw. Notably absent during the match was Cesaro’s advocate, Paul Heyman. Brock Lesnar is scheduled to return to television within the next few weeks and will definitely be competing at SummerSlam, leading some to believe that the Heyman-Cesaro partnership will soon be dissolved.
This could go a number of ways. The best-case scenario would be for Heyman to continue to represent both superstars, sparking jealousy between the two before starting a feud. This seems rather unlikely though, considering Lesnar will almost certainly challenge for the title at SummerSlam. My hope is that the two are not separated without a legitimate backstory being provided, similar to the Ryback-Axel-Heyman breakup last fall, as it would amount to a pointless alliance for Cesaro.
– Rusev vs. Jack Swagger at the WWE Battleground pay-per-view is expected to be made official on tonight’s RAW. Swagger will be returning to television this week after missing last week’s tapings in Canada.
– Anthony Bourdain, who is the star of a show on The Food Network, appeared at a WWE live event with his family this past weekend and wrote the following on his official Instagram account about his experience:
“I went because my daughter and her friend think WWE is awesome. But, God help me, I had a rollicking good time. That was some hilariously awesome, cheesy, over the top, campy, physically impressive showboating. And the initially scary looking audience are so in to it you can’t help but be … well … charmed. Here, the amazing, often airborne Uso Brothers do what they do so well.”
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
– On Monday’s RAW, Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger challenged Rusev to a match at Battleground, so it looks like that match will be taking place at the pay-per-view.
– Recently retired WWE Superstar Santino was backstage at Monday night’s RAW in Montreal.
– WWE returns to the Bell Centre in Montreal on October 17th for a live event. Tickets are now on sale.
– Here are this week’s RAW fallout videos, featuring backstage interviews with The Usos Bret Hart and Chris Jericho.
The Usos and referee Dan Engler speak about the confusion that happened during Jimmy & Jey’s match against The Wyatt Family.
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.
– It was announced on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW that on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, one of the main events of the show will feature Roman Reigns vs. Rusev.
– Triple H posted the following interesting story line related tweet on his official Twitter account during RAW on Monday night:
Today is the all-important day where Americans celebrate their independence by consuming large amounts of alcohol and grilled fare. No WWE superstar claims to have America’s best interests in mind more than Jack Swagger.
The so-called Real American, accompanied by his founding father Zeb Colter, has advocated an isolationist domestic policy that is free of illegal immigrants. Along the way, Swagger has made national headlines by entering into a feud with conservative radio host Glenn Beck.
It appeared that Swagger was in the midst of a massive push while bickering with Beck, having just defeated accomplished stars such as Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and Daniel Bryan to earn a chance to compete against Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 29.
Swagger and Colter made national news in 2013 after attracting the attention of Glenn Beck.
Unfortunately for Swagger, he was arrested for DUI and possession of marijuana, ending what could have been a classic feud between a border-protecting nationalist and an immigrant Mexican. Del Rio defeated Swagger at WrestleMania and the Real American was quickly shifted out of the main event scene.
Since aligning himself with Zeb Colter, Swagger has always acted as a heel, often using cheap heat as a way to get his character over. However, it seems as if a face turn could be just around the corner.
In recent months, Rusev has been dominating the WWE roster, taking out superstars such as Big E, Kofi Kingston, and R-Truth. Much like Swagger, Rusev has also used cheap heat as a way to build his character, praising Vladimir Putin and Russia along the way.
Rusev was up to his usual antics this past week when the crowd actually started chanting for Jack Swagger. Colter and Swagger defended America by taking out Rusev and acting as faces for the first time since joining one another. Unsurprisingly, Colter cut an amazing promo on Rusev and Lana, perfectly setting up what could be an entertaining feud.
The following is the final card for tonight’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view:
Money In The Bank Ladder Match (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
– John Cena vs. Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton vs. Cesaro vs. Kane vs. Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio
Money In The Bank Ladder Match (Briefcase For Title Shot Up To One Year)
– Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Bad News Barrett*
WWE Tag-Team Championship
– The Usos (c) vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
WWE Divas Championship
Paige (c) vs. Naomi
Divas Match (Special Guest Referee: Fandango)
– Summer Rae vs. Layla
Tag-Team Match
– Goldust & Stardust vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel
Singles Match
– Rusev vs. Big E.
* – Barrett suffered a separated shoulder during the SmackDown taping this past Tuesday, however WWE has yet to announce whether or not he has been pulled from his match.
Make sure to join us here later tonight for the absolute best live play-by-play results coverage of the fifth annual WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view!
The WWE’s brightest stars will attempt to cash in at this Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Two ladder matches will main event the program, with one being held to declare a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. In addition, former champion Daniel Bryan will address the WWE Universe during the pre-show.
Here are my predictions for this Sunday’s event.
Summer Rae vs. Layla (Fandango Guest Referee)
I was never the biggest Fandango supporter, but I definitely thought he would be doing something bigger than referring a divas match a year ago. He has regressed over the past year and lost a lot of momentum. This will likely be the bathroom break match of the night, and Fandango will play a major role in the outcome, of course. Summer Rae will win this one by either rejoining Fandango or using him to influence the outcome of the contest before abandoning him.
Winner: Summer Rae by pinfall
Rusev vs. Big E
These guys performed well together at last month’s Payback, even though they were given less than four minutes total. They will hopefully get a little more time during this one, allowing both superstars to showcase their strengths.
I think Rusev will ultimately win this one, but Big E will also look strong during the match. Big E cut a passionate promo on last week’s Raw, so it appears the WWE wants to showcase him a bit more. Both guys will look good, but Rusev will force Big E to tap out in the end.
Winner: Rusev by submission
Stardust and Goldust vs. Ryback and Curtis Axel
The Rhodes Brothers storyline has been moving slowly over the past few months. It first looked as if the two brothers were going to feud with one another, with Cody searching for an adequate replacement because he felt Goldust deserved better.
He eventually rebranded himself as Stardust and the two have been on a winning streak ever since. They will continue to look strong on Sunday, picking up the win after Cody hits his Diamond Dust finisher on Curtis Axel.
– It was announced during the WWE Money In The Bank “go-home” edition of RAW on Monday night in Washington, D.C. that Paige will be defending her WWE Divas Championship against Naomi this Sunday night.
– The following is the Rusev and Lana segment from last night’s RAW:
One week from today, WWE’s annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view will be held in Boston, Massachusetts. The event has quickly become one of the most anticipated programs of the year, as it provides exciting action and sets up the storyline for months by allowing a WWE superstar to stalk his prey while holding a contract for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match.
There will be two Money in the Bank ladder matches this year. One will be held for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and the other will be a traditional contest for a shot at the title. The first contest will feature perennial title contenders such as John Cena, Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Alberto Del Rio, as well as up-and-coming stars such as Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, and Cesaro.
It seems like John Cena is once again the favorite to leave Boston as the champ.
The second ladder match will feature Seth Rollins, with the rest of the lineup to be determined in a series of qualifying matches. Thus far, only three matches have been announced for the entire pay-per-view, and with only one week left before the event, one has to wonder how the WWE will tie everything together in such a brief period.
Other than the two ladder matches, a matchup between the Usos and Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of the Wyatt family is the only confirmed contest on the card. It seems apparent that Dean Ambrose will be one of the participants in the traditional ladder match. Potential options also include those who did not qualify for the championship ladder match, including Bad News Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, and Rob Van Dam.
The two ladder matches will soak up a large portion of the roster, meaning the midcard will have to pick up some slack in order to fill up the three hours of airtime. Rumored contests include Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. RybAxel, Rusev vs. Big E, and a Divas Championship match involving Paige and all or part of the Funkadactyls.
– There is a feeling among many within WWE that as a way to downplay controversy and negative feelings when talent leaves the company, that instead of announcing releases, they will simply let their contracts expire.
– There has been some talk in WWE about a possible Mark Henry vs. Rusev match at the upcoming Money In The Bank pay-per-view.
– The next edition of WrestleMania Rewind, which airs next Tuesday on the WWE Network, will look back at the WrestleMania 23 match between Shawn Michaels and John Cena.