Near the end of last year, it appeared the WWE would once again focus on promoting its tag team division. After the championships were practically ignored and bounced around between random teams that were comprised of young talent for over a year, Team Hell No helped legitimize the titles once again.
Kane and Bryan held the titles for nearly a year before eventually dropping the straps to Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. The division picked up even more after the Shield got their hands on the titles and was straight up stacked for months. At one point the company was even relying a lot on six-man tag matches just to get as many guys as possible on the broadcast.
Team Hell No helped spark fan interest after a dull period in the tag division.
Near the end of last year, the Rhodes Brothers, the Shield (Rollins and Reigns), the Wyatt Family (Harper and Rowan), the Real Americans, the Usos, the Prime Time Players, and the New Age Outlaws were all in contention for the Tag Team titles at some point.
Since then, nearly every one of those teams has fallen off the face of the Earth, save the Usos who are now the champions. The Rhodes Brothers are barely competing together, the Shield is beyond competing for the championships at this point, the Wyatt Family has been involved in other affairs, both the Real Americans and Prime Time Players have split, and it appears the New Age Outlaws do not want to exercise that rematch clause after all.
The dissolution and promotion of various teams has resulted in the tag team division entering into a transitional state where the company needs to develop new teams or promote others from NXT. Think about the current teams on the roster. We have the Usos who are obviously champions, but who are their challengers? The only other teams even on the roster are Los Matadores, Ryback and Axel, and 3MB, unless I am forgetting someone.
We are a little over a quarter of the way through the year. With WrestleMania behind us, the WWE will now begin its summer programs and hope to build toward its second biggest pay-per-view of the year, SummerSlam.
With that said, I felt it would be interesting to look at the top five matches from the first quarter of 2014. I included full match videos and highlights where possible, but WWE licensing restrictions made it difficult at times. (I also apologize for the terrible music in a few of the videos.)
5. John Cena vs. Cesaro (February 17 Raw) – Say what you will about John Cena’s in-ring ability, but he has put on some great matches so far this year, with none better than this matchup with Cesaro. There were a number of amazing spots during the contest, with Cesaro’s counter of the AA certainly ranking near the top. It appears the WWE is going to push Cesaro hard, and this was the week where his push began after he defeated Randy Orton and pushed Cena to the limit.
4. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania) – After weeks of begging for a match with Triple H, Daniel Bryan finally got his wish at WrestleMania. He took full advantage of it during the opening contest of the night. Both superstars really shined during the match and it was, in my opinion, the highlight of the show. It also ranks as quite possibly the best opening match in WrestleMania history, with only Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart at WrestleMania X giving it a run for its money.
This past week’s RAW could end up being a turning point in WWE history. Gone could be the days where the company relies upon the same tried-and-true superstars to draw money, instead turning to a new generation of up-and-comers. Indeed, this week’s episode felt more like a changing of the guard ceremony than a typical edition of the longest-running weekly episodic television program, as Michael Cole likes to affectionately refer to it as.
It was evident from the moment the program started, which was basically a coronation ceremony for Daniel Bryan. The place was simply electric, with nearly every fan in attendance participating in his signature “Yes!” chant.
What was interesting as the night progressed was that the WWE Universe turned on nearly every “old guard” superstar in favor of younger talent, whether heel or face. This was first seen during the Wyatt Family vs. John Cena, Sheamus, and Big E contest.
The WWE Universe has decided to follow the buzzards in recent weeks.
Cena was ripped a new one during his entrance and performance, as it seemed like not a single person in the crowd was cheering him. There is usually at least a vocal minority of supporters in even the most anti-Cena crowd, but the New Orleans crowd was completely against him, even singing, “John Cena sucks” to the tune of Cena’s theme song.
The Wyatt Family, on the other hand, were overwhelming crowd favorites even though they have been booked as nothing but heels since debuting. The crowd was singing Wyatt’s now-signature, “He’s got the whole world in his hands” while swaying back and forth. These guys are truly over and it was completely obvious which side the crowd was supporting during the Wyatt’s decimation of Team Cena.
A similar incident occurred later in the night during the Rey Mysterio/Bad News Barrett contest. Barrett has been booked as a heel in recent months, and unlike the Wyatt Family, he has not received any support from the fans. During his contest with Mysterio, however, Barrett had complete fan support and was even celebrating with the fans while Mysterio seemed a bit perplexed at times while he was mercilessly booed. It seemed obvious that the fans are in favor of change instead of the superstars of old.
The King of Swing is the newest Paul Heyman guy, much to the delight of the crowd.
You know things are a bit off when even Paul Heyman is cheered at one point in the broadcast. Cesaro announced his departure from the Real Americans and shocked everyone by claiming he is now a Paul Heyman guy, a move that set the place on fire. It set up an ironic situation where Heyman was practically booed out of building during his earlier promo with Lesnar but was later cheered after it was announced that he would now manage Cesaro.
The move highlights the popularity of Cesaro, as the crowd does not care who he is paired with as long as he is receiving a push, and the WWE does not usually pair Heyman with guys they are not planning to push. If you can get the crowd to cheer Paul Heyman, you must but doing something right, but after all, Cesaro is the guy who made a stable of immigrant-hating Tea Partiers popular with the crowd. In recent weeks, the crowd has even been chanting, “We the people.”
Following their debut at the 2012 Survivor Series, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns, collectively known as the Shield, quickly became one of the most dominant and influential stables in recent memory.
The group primarily acted as heels throughout their successful run, although they were frequently cheered as well. In particular, Roman Reigns would frequently receive huge pops from the crowd, as seen during his breakthrough performances at the 2013 Survivor Series and 2014 Royal Rumble.
After attacking Director of Operations Kane, the group officially turned babyface and the crowd has been eating it up in recent weeks, with their celebration following their beat down of Ryback and Curtis Axel on this past week’s RAW serving as evidence of the group’s popularity.
After a tumultuous few weeks, the Shield appears to be reunited, but for how long can the Hounds of Justice keep their respective egos in check?
The group now seems to be reunited and stronger than ever after there was serious tension between the Hounds of Justice. So why did the WWE decide to turn the Shield face after it seemed they would dissolve just a few weeks prior?
The Wyatt Effect
One of the primary reasons the Shield were forced to turn face was the emergence of the Wyatt Family. There is only so much room on the roster for stables, and the Wyatt Family are without a doubt the predominant heel group on the roster today.
With the Wyatt Family serving as the main heel stable on the roster and essentially adopting the same M.O. as the Shield (appearing out of nowhere to savagely destroy unsuspecting foes), it only makes sense that creative would not want two stables acting in a similar manner, even if their gimmicks are stark contrasts of one another.
Bray Wyatt refers to himself as “The Eater of Worlds.” After his first few months with the company, he could also easily refer to himself as “The King of the Promo” and not many would object.
No character in recent memory has used the promo to build up his character as well as Wyatt. Starting with a series of haunting videos preceding the stable’s debut, the Wyatt Family were able to build the foundation that would allow them to become one of the top heel groups in the company.
After a perfect debut (minus the Husky Harris chants) and successful feuds with Daniel Bryan and the Shield, it was revealed that Wyatt would be entering a program with John Cena during the WrestleMania season.
http://youtu.be/x7QJruEbKL4
Many cringed at the thought of Wyatt battling Cena at WrestleMania. I personally thought the match would result in nothing more than the WWE further elevating its biggest star while taking one of the hottest superstars in the company down a notch.
After all, Cena isn’t exactly notorious for putting over stars at WrestleMania, although he has put over the Miz and the Rock in the past. I am not here to make predictions regarding the matchup, but to instead discuss how the two have used masterful promos to build the fight into possibly the most anticipated match on the card.
The Rock is the only man to ever pin Cena clean at WrestleMania? Will Wyatt be able to defeat Superman?
Cena has discussed how his legacy is at stake at WrestleMania, while Wyatt has criticized Cena for being primarily concerned with selling merchandise and achieving fame. This is certainly not a new line of criticism directed at Cena.
In fact, Daniel Bryan levied the same insults at Cena during their build-up to SummerSlam, where he said Cena was in the WWE for fame, while he (Bryan) was there because he loves to wrestle.
Bryan’s rebukes never really felt personal though, largely due to the fact that he had to hold back because he was a face. Wyatt, on the other hand, has not held back one bit, criticizing Cena for living in a castle with his plastic girlfriend during his latest promo (seen above), which is also quite possibly his best yet.
WWE legend The Undertaker has reportedly been added to Monday’s WWE RAW, which emanates from All State Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
Also scheduled for Monday’s RAW is a main event featuring The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield, Brock Lesnar’s reaction to last week’s attack by The Undertaker, celebrity guest host Aaron Paul and more.
As previously reported, CM Punk has also been rumored to make his return on the show. That, however, is not confirmed at this point.
John Cena suffered a legitimate injury during the attack he suffered from The Wyatt Family at Monday’s post-Elimination Chamber edition of WWE RAW.
The injury took place when Erick Rowan took him down as soon as The Wyatt Family hit the ring to start their attack. There is early fear that Cena either dislocated or hyper-extended his knee.
As seen on RAW, Cena was taken out of the ring on a stretcher. Michael Cole informed fans that he had a lot of swelling around his knee and was being checked on by WWE trainers backstage.
Triple H posted a tweet on Sunday night after The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. He wrote the following about the match:
Incredible….. Was that the beginning of the end? Or the end of the beginning? pic.twitter.com/tQGsJsZD4o
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog with some thoughts about Monday’s RAW, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:
Rising Stars Getting Exposure “For many it was a good night of exposure: Daniel Bryan, who just a few weeks ago was being eulogized by many of his fans, the Shield, who had multiple ‘moments’ throughout the broadcast, Cesaro, who is so good just ring the bell and watch him demonstrate the art form of in ring wrestling, The Wyatt’s, who are rapidly evolving as stars and who, along with the Shield, have the opportunity to turn even more heads coming up on PPV.”
Roman Reigns: “Roman Reigns winning with his spear over Mark Henry was big…no pun intended. If I had to pick an early favorite to either be the WWE World Champion at WM31 or to win the title there, it would be Reigns. How Roman Reigns is ‘built’ going forward is imperative to the long term success of WWE as it relates to constructing the next, major, WWE superstar.”
Cesaro vs. John Cena: “Loved the Cena vs. Cesaro match. One of the best matches that Cena has had in a while. Cesaro is on the cusp of breaking through. Got lots of feedback on why Cesaro did not win and certainly, as it is almost always, an argument can be made on the topic of who wins and who loses. With great commentary, the loser can come out of a great presentation better than when going into the match. I thought Cesaro was made whole after Cena pulled one out in the bottom of the 9th that could have gone either way.”
– During a commercial break of Monday’s WWE RAW, Shield member Seth Rollins grabbed a microphone and responded to fans chanting “CM Punk” by asking them, “CM Who?”
He continued, “That’s Dean Ambrose the United States champion. The man every guy wants to be and every woman wants to be with.”
The Shield did a similar routine over the weekend, running down CM Punk at live events.
– The dark match main event that took place after RAW went off the air saw John Cena, Daniel Bryan and Batista defeat the Wyatt Family by disqualification. The finish came when Bray Wyatt and Eric Rowan attacked Batista, who had given Luke Harper a spear and was about to give him a Batista Bomb.
Cena and Bryan then chased Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper out of the ring, leaving Rowan alone with the babyfaces. Cena hit him with the AA, Batista hit him with the spear, and Bryan hit him with a running knee to end the show.
On Friday’s WWE Smackdown, it was announced that The Shield will square off against The Wyatt Family at the upcoming Elimination Chamber PPV.
Antonio Cesaro and Christian won qualifying matches to earn the final two spots in next month’s Elimination Chamber match.
Here is the updated card for the show:
Elimination Chamber for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena vs. Sheamus vs. Antonio Cesaro vs. Christian
It was announced during Old School RAW in Baltimore on Monday during a backstage segment that Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt will be teaming up to compete in a tag-team match on next week’s edition of WWE RAW.
Also on RAW, two Royal Rumble participants have been confirmed. As we previously reported, Michael Cole announced on commentary that Batista has officially entered himself into the 2014 Royal Rumble match. Additionally, Alberto Del Rio officially entered the match. Del Rio announced his participation in the Rumble during an in-ring interview he did after defeating Sin Cara in singles action.
The following are highlights from a new online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On Batista’s WWE return: “Good to hear WWE talk of Batista’s return on January 20. Dave is a major player and WWE has the opportunity to capitalize on his established reputation and accomplishments. Hopefully, there is a long term, strategic plan for ‘The Animal’ that has been established.”
On Daniel Bryan, Goldust, Cody Rhodes and The Wyatt Family: “6 man tag with Rhodes Brothers and Daniel Bryan vs. the Wyatt Family seemingly did what it was supposed to do. Reasons the match worked…there is an established story and the talents had the ring time to tell said story. No fan favorites are executing better in WWE, IMO, than the Rhodes boys and Bryan.”
On TNA and three-man announce teams: “On a recent interview, I mentioned that one of the reasons that I had no interest in going to TNA was that I had no desire in affecting the chemistry of broadcasters Mike Tenay and Taz. Yes, a three man booth would obviously be possible but I’m not a big fan of three man announce teams in pro wrestling, as a rule. Mike and Taz do a great job especially when they are on point calling holds, near falls, etc and keeping a ‘sports feel’ on the in ring action. They certainly don’t need me. I did enjoy the three man announce team of McMahon, King, and me back in the day. It’s good having the boss sitting right next to you as it helps greatly with communication and creative direction. In those days, a quick huddle, so to speak, during commercial breaks was timely and efficient. With that said and as I’ve mentioned here before, I see my broadcasting days in pro wrestling aka sports entertainment as history. It’s time to do other things that interest me and my style of play by play really doesn’t fit in today’s genre.”
On Wade Barrett: “I’d still like to see William Regal associated with “Bad News” Barrett, in some manner, of whose new, TV persona I haven’t quite understood as of yet. I applaud Barrett getting some TV time because that’s where it all starts and am anxious to see where his creative journey takes him. The talented Brit has a marketable upside, IMO.”
Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.
In pro wrestling, the mindset of a fan is: “what’s next?” A great match or moment happens at a pay-per-view and immediately afterwards the question becomes, “how do they follow this up on RAW tomorrow?” So while 2013 had its’ share of good moments and bad, as we near the end of the year, the question inevitably becomes, “what’s next?”
If you read the headlines here on the website on a regular basis, when it comes to WWE, it appears as if 2014 will be a year where some new blood breaks through at the top level. Where guys who are just getting started in WWE break through to that next level and become legitimate WWE Superstars. Where guys who aren’t quite there just yet, but are so close, finally reach that level. They become main event players. Who will these people be? Well, in WWE, you never really know, but let’s take a look at five guys who seem to be well on their way.
As Santa Claus fills up the gas tank in his mighty sleigh, as the New Year looms right around the corner, we’re going to take a look at three Superstars currently in WWE that will likely come into their own and reach the top of the profession within the year. It’s time to take a look at the “Top 5 Superstars To Look Out For In 2014.”
#5. Damien Sandow
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross wrote about this guy recently. WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley talks about him on a regular basis. WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has said if this guy shows a little bit more of a mean streak, he’ll be well on his way, and Damien Sandow has been doing exactly that in recent weeks. He’s a talented performer who is stuck in a pretty lame gimmick, yet he somehow makes it work. He’s entertaining, period. If the guy gets some real opportunities in 2014, which I feel he will, he could legitimately break through to the next level. Will he become the face of WWE in 2014? Doubtful. Will he ever be the face of WWE? Probably not. But will he be stuck on pay-per-view Kickoff Show matches that serve little to no purpose? I don’t think so. I think by this time next year, Damien Sandow will be a legitimate Superstar. He may not headline many shows, but I think this is one of the few guys on the current WWE roster with the talent and potential to perform at a higher level than that in which he currently resides. I think Damien Sandow is somebody to look out for in 2014.
#4. Big E. Langston
Big E. Langston is a different situation altogether. While he may not shock and awe wrestling fans with his match quality, or his promo ability for that matter, he has that certain something that WWE looks for. I wouldn’t necessarily call it an “it factor” as much as I would the ability to lift a lot of heavy weights. Vince McMahon, and to a lesser extent Triple H, both of whom have a strong passion for bodybuilding, (remember the WBF, everybody?) seem to have set their sights on Langston as a future Superstar in WWE. There may be a whole heap of performers on the current WWE roster that are more deserving of some big opportunities, but from all accounts, it appears as if 2014 will be a big year for the muscled-up Tampa native. Big E. Langston is somebody to look out for in 2014.
According to reports, WWE is planning on putting the WWE Tag-Team Championships on Luke Harper and Erick Rowan at some point before the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in January.
Harper and Rowan were already expected to become the WWE Tag-Team Champions before the WrestleMania XXX event in April, however it appears now as though WWE has moved those plans up and will do the title change earlier than originally planned.
– WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee noted during her interview on the WWE App that she has held the Divas Championship for 174 days. Lee dropped the stat announcement during a promo she did about how she’s a lock to win the “Total Diva Of The Year” award at the Slammy’s on Monday. Lee said if she doesn’t win, the awards are fixed.
– WWE Superstars The Wyatt Family, The Miz and The Bella Twins have officially been added to the WWE NXT television taping from Full Sail University in Winter, Park, Florida on December 9th.
The build-up to the WWE TLC pay-per-view in two weeks continues on Monday night as WWE RAW returns live from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
No matches or segments have been announced in advance, however the focus will remain on the Randy Orton vs. John Cena match at TLC, which is being billed as a “unification match.”
Included on RAW will be The Authority, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, who along with Vince McMahon, is being advertised locally for the show.
WWE will also begin setting up the undercard for the WWE TLC pay-per-view, which is likely going to revolve around The Wyatt Family kidnapping Daniel Bryan and The Shield targeting CM Punk last week.
Additional talent advertised for RAW this week include Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Ryback, Goldust, Cody Rhodes, AJ Lee and even Paul Heyman, who has not appeared on RAW in a few weeks.
For the live crowd in Oklahoma City on Monday night two post-show dark matches are benig advertised. John Cena is scheduled to defend his WWE Championship against Alberto Del Rio, while Randy Orton is slated to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Big Show.
– The official Forbes website has again written about the current Wyatt Family faction in WWE. The following is an excerpt from the article, which was written by Cedric Muhammad:
“The WWE’s political center appeals to Left and Right; urbane and rural; Black and White; aristocrat and poor; entrepreneur and socialist and domestic and foreign – as evidenced by its back-to-back hosting of RAW shows in Manchester, England and Nashville, Tennessee. The only character on scene right now capable of serving as pole to attract, alienate or contrast all of these themes, creeds and constituents is Bray Wyatt.”
You can read the complete article online at Forbes.com.
– The following is a new tweet from the official Twitter account of WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio. In the tweet, Mysterio thanks fans for being patient in waiting for his WWE return. Mysterio tweeted:
1 luv to all my fans for patiently waiting for my return, Im blessed to feel all the luv & support From all of You! U R my inspiration! 619
– As seen on Monday’s Raw in Manchester, England, the show concluded with The Shield battling The Wyatt Family in a short-lived brawl before both parties turned their attention to the babyfaces. Despite what we saw on Monday, they are not expected to begin a full program together yet.
On this week’s SmackDown, video package aired highlighting the heated conclusion of Raw and the brawl is not shown. According to F4WOnline.com today, people within WWE feel it was a seed being planted that that will be touched again early next year. Meanwhile, Dave Meltzer stated in this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that creative had suggested they fight at WrestleMania XXX.
– As reported earlier today, WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee collapsed during her match at tonight’s WWE live event in London, England. The official WWE website has published a brief article on the unfortunate event, which at this time solely mentions the company’s official statement to the media on her status:
“Tonight in London, WWE Diva AJ Lee briefly fainted during a match with Brie Bella due to dehydration. She is currently being evaluated by WWE medical staff.”
TMZ.com is also covering the story, which adds that Lee walked to the backstage area on her own power.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. This blog featured JR’s thoughts on Monday’s RAW and the difficult task that WWE has each week filling a 3-hour show with compelling content. Jim Ross appears to be one of the many people who feel 3 hours is simply too much programming from WWE each and every Monday night:
“RAW had its moments from Manchester but 15 commercial breaks is a major issue unless the content has 16 segments of red hot content which is impossible to create. Trust me, it is impossible to produce 16 really good to great segments of TV wrestling in todays market with today’s talents performing under today’s rules of engagement.”
The main event segment, which featured CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, The Shield, the Wyatt Family and eventually the Usos and Rhodes brothers, showcased several talents that are on track to be the future of WWE:
“The closing segment of the show was compelling in my eyes. Several new ‘players’ got to make it to the magical last segment of Raw which has served many of the biggest manes in the business well.”
“So, I liked that some new bodies were involved in what is generally perceived as the money segment of the broadcast.”
“Now let’s see who takes the ball and does more than they are asked to do and pushes and shoves to the front of the line.”
Many fans were excited to see The Shield and the Wyatt Family cross paths, with Jim Ross being one of them:
“Have said all along that the Wyatt Family vs The Shield are lighting in a bottle and I’m hoping that there might be a significant match between the two entities at WM30.”
“There are 6 men involved in the Wyatt-Shield business and at least one or two need to separate from their peers and elevate up the cards. Who will it be?”
“These guys have been polished up in the WWE Performance Center and are being heavily counted on to be main event level stars much sooner than later.”
As always, you can check out Jim Ross’ amazing line of BBQ products at WWEShop.com.
– While still unofficial, it appears as though the six-on-six confrontation featuring The Wyatt Family and The Shield vs. CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Goldust, Cody Rhodes and The Usos on Monday’s RAW was the beginning of the build towards a traditional elimination match with all twelve men at the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view on Sunday, November 24th.
– According to reports, WWE Superstar Damien Sandow is currently being groomed for a top position in the company. Sandow, who was given a win over Kofi Kingston on RAW on Monday, recently cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase unsuccessfully against current World Heavyweight Champion John Cena. Since then, company officials within WWE are starting to work Sandow into a top-tier position.
– WWE announced 13,614 fans in attendance at Monday’s taped edition of WWE RAW at the Phones 4u Arena in Manchester, England.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley posted a tweet on his official Twitter account on Monday night addressing the tease of a Wyatt Family vs. Shield program on RAW. Foley tweeted the following:
So how cool was that ending to #RAW? From the inception of the @WWEBrayWyatt family, I've seen BIG $ in a match-up with @TheShieldWWE
– WWE Superstar Luke Harper became the first man in 2013 to wrestle on WWE RAW, WWE SmackDown, WWE Main Event and WWE NXT in the same week. Harper lost to CM Punk on RAW this past Monday, lost to Daniel Bryan by disqualification on SmackDown this past Friday, teamed with Erick Rowan and defeated The Prime Time Players on Main Event on Wednesday and defeated Kassius Ohno on this week’s edition of WWE NXT.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat will be making an appearance at the Tampa Bay International Auto Show on November 23rd from 1pm until 3pm at the Tampa Convention Center on Saturday, November 23rd.