Hello to all wrestling fans. What a great week it’s been for the WWE Universe. Daniel Bryan is finally in the main event at WrestleMania if he can beat Triple H. Some fans are still not happy and are insisting that the WWE Authority are trying to take credit for a story that they collectively pushed. My answer to that is who cares? To me it’s a positive thing that the WWE has stepped into the twenty first century and have realised the benefit of incorporating the idea of the internet fans into the show. I also believe there has to be a limit to how much they are willing to listen to the fans and remain in control of the stories that they want to tell. Most of the greatest storylines of past have happened by accident and the WWE have had the initiative to turn it into something even bigger.
Another big announcement by Hulk Hogan this week on Raw was the inclusion of a thirty man Battle Royal in honour of the late great Andre the Giant.
Triple H kicks things off with an in ring promo. Triple H explains how Daniel Bryan has no chance of beating him at Wrestle Mania. He also wanted to punish Damien Sandow for not obeying him on Monday night when he told him to enter the ring despite the fact that it was filled with people during the Daniel Bryan Occupy Raw Movement. Triple H tells Sandow that he will have to face a member of the shield.
Seth Rollins vs. Damien Sandow
Very quick match, Sandow does a job for Seth Rollins and puts him over within a couple of minutes. Seth Rollins pins Sandow cleanly after a stamp to the back of the head. After the match all three members of The Shield beat down on Sandow.
Very sad to see Sandow reduced to being a jobber I don’t know why he is not being used to do anything else. He is not even given the chance to speak on the microphone anymore which is totally killing his character. Sandow looks dumb and weak instead f strong and intelligent this is ruining the gimmick completely.
Big E Langston vs. Fandango
Another quick squash match Big E picks up the win with the Big Ending after a couple of minutes.
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Bray Wyatt vs. Kofi Kingston
Kofi does manage to get in a little offence in this match but the outcome is no different from the previous two matches. Kofi is essentially in there to make Bray look good. Bray puts on an impressive show and eventually makes light work of Kofi after delivering Abigail’s Kiss for the win.
The Real Americans vs. The Rhodes
The Rhodes brothers seem to have lost a little heat since losing the tag titles but that’s not to say they are failing to perform in the ring. I blame the lack of story lines in the last couple of months not the talent in the ring. I thought the intention was to get the Rhodes to split after losing the titles but that has not seemed to materialise as of yet. Instead it’s looking more likely that we will see a split between the Real Americans before we see a split between the Rhodes.
This was a pretty good match it had some decent spots, the majority of them gave Cesaro the opportunity to showcase his incredible strength. After some confusion between the Real Americans, Cody manages to get the win after pinning Jack Swagger with a Backslide. After the match the Real Americans take Goldust out on the outside by throwing him into the barricades’ before returning to the ring to punish Cody. The Usos make their way to the ring to defend The Rhodes brothers.
Nikki Bella vs. Tamina Snuka
Again I thought this match was an improvement for a diva’s match. Nikki really looks like she is trying these days and impresses me more and more as the weeks go on. Tamina managed to keep her botches down to a minimum this week and it definitely helped the match flow a lot better. After a failed attempt at a Big Splash off the top rope Nikki picks up the victory after delivering the Rack Attack to Tamina.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio
We have seen these two guys have some good matches in 2013 and I thought this one was no different. Lots of high impact moves and near falls to keep the crowd engaged and excited. Not any real major differences from any of their previous matches but I was happy to watch it either way. What made me even happier was when Dolph picked up the win with the Zig Zag. I am hoping this is a sign that Dolph might be back on the rise after his career being in the toilet over the last six months.
After the match Renee Young does a post match interview in the ring with an excited Dolph who is clearly happy about his two wins in a row. Dolph tells Renee that he is going to go to Wrestle Mania 30 and win the thirty man Battle Royal.
Kane vs. The Big Show
As the match begins The Shield make their way to the ring and surround the ring. The match is quite sluggish and slow but that can be expected when two big guys are in the ring. Kane dominates the majority of the match and The Big Show begins to fight back but looses momentum again when he stupidly climbs his way to the top rope and gets caught by Kane who brings him back to the mat with a huge Choke Slam. Kane orders The Shield to enter the ring and finish The Big Show off but The Shield refuse and step away. This incenses Kane who becomes distracted by all of this and turns around into a Choke Slam from The Big Show. The Big Show wins. After the match an angered Kane grabs Rollins and attempts to Choke Slam him but Roman Reigns comes to his defence and Spears The Big Show. The Shield walks away and leaves Kane lying in the middle of the ring.
There were seven matches this week but at least three of them were quick squash matches. It wasn’t a bad show; I still thought it had enough to keep everybody entertained despite the absence of Daniel Bryan and other big stars. It was interesting to see the Shield defying the Authority and remaining united, I am not sure where this is going but I am enjoying watching it. Over the next couple of weeks we will start to see the Wrestle Mania 30 card fill up and the excitement will continue to grow. The Yes movement is in full effect and at this point it would seem that most fans are going to get the fairy tale ending that they want. I have often wondered though is the best story for Bryan all about the chase for the title, what will happen once Bryan wins the belt? What story will they continue to tell? I do fear that the hype may die down once we get the climax and Bryan is our champion, and the WWE may struggle to keep the Yes Movement relevant.
– By Sebastian Bowen