JC's Take: The WWE News of the Week: 4/11-4/17

JC's Take: The WWE News of the Week: 4/11-4/17

Hello everyone. Welcome back for a new week of news from the WWE.

-I’ve already shared my thoughts on Edge. I can’t really say too much more without getting repetitive. He has just been a class act all week. He didn’t look like someone who was not ready to give this up. He seemed very accepting of his fate, and not afraid of what his life will be like in the future. Edge is someone who has been ready for retirement for a while now. He is not like some of these older wrestlers (*cough*Ric Flair & Hulk Hogan*cough*) who need to keep wrestling just to stay in the spotlight, or because they need to pay money to their ex-wives. Edge is prepared for life after WWE, and that is a good thing.

-Much to my surprise, it will not be John Cena vs Miz at Extreme Rules for the WWE Championship. Those two are still wrestling in the title match, but there is a third person involved, making it a triple threat match. And yes, it is a new face in the WWE Title picture. Finally, someone new! And it’s….

R-TRUTH?????

That came out of nowhere. The guy wasn’t on Wrestlemania. Hadn’t been on RAW in two weeks, but then says he deserves a WWE Title shot because he has never had one before? At least Dolph Ziggler and John Morrison had decent arguments, but R-Truth had absolutely zero argument. I will give the WWE credit, at least they are taking the risk of putting someone new in the main event. I really believe this spot would have been John Morrison’s if not for the whole debacle with Trish Stratus. Morrison is a better worker than R-Truth, and I would say he is more over with the crowd as well. But that’s what Morrison gets for being whipped by his girlfriend, if you believe everything you read.

Obviously, I think the WWE will build up the tension between John Cena and R-Truth leading up to Extreme Rules. They need to make it seem like Miz is likely to walk out of the PPV with the WWE Title. I’m in the camp that believes this is all leading to an R-Truth heel turn, setting up a brief R-Truth/John Cena feud. I think the WWE will do fine with Cena out of the title picture for a bit. They could elevate John Morrison into the title picture, but they may want to punish him more for this Wrestlemania crap. There is always the possibility that Triple H will return and feud with Miz while Undertaker is still away. I think the two could have a good feud. HHH seems more willing than ever to put over younger talent, and a win for the Miz over HHH could do Miz wonders. Of course Miz’s new opponent could come as a result of the Draft.

-By the way, the WWE just released a statement saying that the Draft will take place next week. I’ll have a piece up on Thursday previewing who I think will end up where. I think the obvious no-brainer will be Randy Orton to Smackdown. Smackdown needs a new #1 babyface. Christian is good, but you know Vince has no faith in him. Rey Mysterio can’t stay healthy for an extended period of time. Orton seems like the logical choice.

Of course, since it makes so much sense, it probably won’t happen. Alberto del Rio, Rey Mysterio, and Undertaker will all be drafted to RAW while Smackdown gets Santino, the Usos, and Ted DiBiase Jr.

-I would probably give Sin Cara’s first match on RAW a thumbs in the middle, slightly pointing upwards. He had a decent match with Primo. He was able to show off his unique move set, but it just didn’t seem like the crowd was into it. Some people probably thought: If this guy is so good, why is he struggling with Primo? The answer? Because no matter how talented Sin Cara is, Vince McMahon still doesn’t completely trust smaller wrestlers, I mean entertainers. Other people saying that having Sin Cara’s mask cover his entire face hurts him because he people can’t see his facial expressions, like Rey Mysterio. I don’t think that is the case at all.

I do, however, think Sin Cara needs a mouth piece to talk for him. He could use a manager to help get him over. Then later in time, you can have the manager betray Sin Cara and then you have a ready made feud. But don’t expect to see Sin Cara’s entrance too much anymore. Vince was apparently furious that it was botched again this past week, as well as during his debut. Either way, I expect Sin Cara to get more over with the crowd in the coming weeks, especially in a feud with Sheamus.

-On the Smackdown side, Christian is taking Edge’s spot in the Ladder Match against Alberto del Rio for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. First off, it is finally nice to see Christian in a singles match for a World Title on PPV. I’m sure it is not the circumstances he would have liked it under, but he’s there. He was originally suppose to fight John Cena for the WWE Championship in 2005 in a one-on-one match, but Chris Jericho was added to the mix in the end.

Christian is the guy the “internet marks” have been clamoring for years to get a title reign. If there was ever a time Christian was going to win the World Title, it’d be now. It’s now or never for him. Even if he does win the World Title at Extreme Rules, I doubt it would last past the next PPV. Vince just doesn’t see Christian as a guy that can be the face of the company for the long term. Plus, the WWE has big plans for Alberto del Rio. There were plans for him to win the Title as early as the Royal Rumble, but they kept getting delayed. As much as I’d love to see Christian win the Title, I think del Rio is taking it here. Although I also think the Miz is winning, and the WWE rarely has two heels winning their respective WWE and World Title matches on the same PPV.

-So is the Corre coming to an end? Last week I wondered who they pissed off to get jobbed out like they did. But it appears they could be building towards a dissention angle with the Corre. I’d be ok with that. Wade Barrett needs to establish himself as someone who can get over by himself, and not without the help of others to be a true main eventer. The guy can be a big $$$ draw down the line, so he needs to show he can do stuff on his own. I think Justin Gabriel could be a decent mid-card face. People would pop big for his 450 splash if he was a face now. I think the Corre will get broken up in the Draft, with maybe Barrett moving back over to RAW and enter a feud with C.M. Punk, turning him face in the process.

-A list leaked this week showing terms that are banned for use by people in the WWE. All of this is part of a rebranding effort by them. The list says:

Wrestling, sport, and catch are banned. Catch is used internationally. Must be used: entertainment or action soap opera.

Athlete and sportsman are banned, superstars must be used.

Fight or Fighting is banned. Match, bout, or clash must be used.

OK, I get where they are coming from with this as far as “rebranding’ goes. But part of me also thinks: Why be ashamed to admit what you are. Sure, there are a lot of people who look down on pro wrestling. But you know what, who cares? Changing the wording of what you say won’t change what you are. No matter how you try to spin it, people will always look at the WWE as a WRESTLING company. Hell, you could change the name to WE, World Entertainment, and people will still just call you the WWE and say you’re a wrestling company. Changing the wording won’t change who you are.

Random Thoughts

-Brie Bella won the Divas Title. Big whoop. The bigger story is the vignette that aired for Awesome Kong before the match. It showed her flicking the head off a barbie doll. Basically, Kong is coming to fuck some bitches up. Hopefully she gets to actually wrestle good matches too with the likes of Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim, and Natalya. Apparently that vignette is all part of Triple H’s idea, as head of talent development, to build up the debut of talent rather than just putting them on TV with no build. If that is true, I can’t wait for HHH to take over the company.

-On the Tough Enough front, I was very surprised to see Matt go. I thought for sure “Skidmarks” Ryan was gone after his horrible show. But Matt was given an opportunity by Trish Stratus to prove himself in the ring, and he showed nothing. He showed no charisma in the ring. He’s been on the Indy scene for years. He’s a high-flyer, and from what I’ve read, he lets that do his talking. But he had an opportunity and blew it. I think it will be tough to beat Luke. I see it coming down to Luke, Andy, and Ivelisse. She’s really shown me something for being a small girl. And no, I don’t think the show is fixed and Miss USA will win.

-So we’re getting Jack Swagger/Michael Cole vs Jerry Lawler/Jim Ross at Extreme Rules. This program has gone downhill quickly. Hopefully it comes to an end at the PPV, with Ross/Lawler winning and Cole becoming a manager. I think it would be good for him if he had his own little “Cole Family,” similar to the Heenan family. Have it include Miz, Jack Swagger, Alex Riley, and Michelle McCool. Then, if the rumors of turning Miz face are true, you can easily do it by turning Miz on Cole. Instant face right there.

That’s all I have for this week. I have Game 3 of the Flyers/Sabres series to get ready for. I’ll have a post for the WWE Draft on Thursday.



Until next time,
Justin C