WWE FastLane 2015 - Previews and Predictions.

I'm going to keep this relatively short and sweet with just a few days to go..
As we're just about getting over Royal Rumble and with Wrestlemania almost within touching distance, WWE have decided to throw a new PPV into the works. Finally giving Elimination Chamber the boot and in it's place giving us Fast Lane! I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, just going on the name and the whole advertising and marketing behind it, it feels a little bit dated. Like some kind of old school 'Fast and Furious' gimmick, not a basis for any annual PPV let alone the PPV before Wrestlemania.

I think there's probably only 2 matches that have currently been announced that I'm in anyway looking forward to. The IC title match, seeing Wade Barrett put his title on the line against Dean Ambrose. And Roman Reigns vs Daniel Bryan in the Number One Contenders match.
As for the Sting vs Triple H match, I've said this for a while but I really can't see them going ahead with this, not so close to Wrestlemania where they could put so much more heat on the rivalry, the match itself and even some crazy flamboyant entrances. I know that if I had a ticket for Fastlane and was expecting Sting, who didn't turn up, I would be pissed. But WWE have been teasing us with the prospect of Sting appearing since the RAW after Wrestlemania 30, I doubt another 4 weeks or so is going to mean anything to them. He could potentially turn up still, screwing over the Authority with mind games, just as we have seen him do over the past few months. But I just don't think there'll be a match.
I would really like to see John Cena beat Rusev, once and for all. But again, I don't know if WWE are as stupid to give everything away in one PPV before the biggest of the year. I can definitely see someone bigger coming in at Wrestlemania to face Rusev and finally destroying him for good. But could that mean a Wrestlemania without John Cena? 

The match I think I'm most excited for is the Intercontinental Championship match between Wade Barrett and Dean Ambrose. I'm a huge fan of both of these guys, and they've both had their slight pushes in recent months and then kind of fizzled out again. This is a chance to get a real good storyline going, and the fight at Fastlane is going to be slightly on the mental side. Without any interferences this could potentially be my match of the night. There's no reason why anyone should need to get involved, except maybe The Miz and Mizdow, which could definitely see the signing of their match at Wrestlemania against each other. A BIG crowd pleaser in my books!
As for the main event, I'm hoping to see a good match between Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan. It's true that Daniel Bryan deserves another shot at the title after never really loosing it in the first place. And I feel like we have another Batista situation on our hands with Reigns winning the Rumble and the fans turning on him. There could definitely be room for a triple threat at Wrestlemania, I could see that working, there needs to be room for Rollins to get back into the picture and that's something that would work if Reigns was Champion. I think the fans are still behind Bryan and they want to see him finally get what he deserves without it being taken again. But this could be the make or break moment for him.. If his injury is going to be a problem in the coming few weeks, it may be time that he thinks about ending it on a high. I know I don't want to see Daniel Bryan pushing himself to a limit that we know isn't his full potential. 

Summerslam 2014 - 17 August 2014.

I haven’t been this excited about a PPV in a while. There’s a few matches I’m not too bothered about and some that I have been waiting weeks to see and now it finally comes to it! The talent in both the main roster and Divas division is growing better than ever in recent years right now and it’s occasions like this when we get to see the best at it’s best all in one night!

Intercontinental Championship Match

The Miz v Dolph Ziggler

I’m still really liking this ‘Hollywood’ character that The Miz is portraying since his return, it’s still along the same lines as his previous character but vamped up and tweaked a little which really works better. The style of these two wrestlers really compliments each other, although I feel like Ziggler has been off of the mic a little more than usually and that’s a shame as there could be a great egotistic storyline with some longevity in it otherwise. 

The match was all about Miz at the start but I think Ziggler really came into his own after Miz tried to escape the match with a lot of close calls from both of them. While Dolph has been off of the mic though it’s allowed his wrestling to really shine through, and after the hugely exaggerated Zig Zag, Ziggler getting the pin was well and truly deserved! Looks like my prediction was completely wrong but I definitely think that it’s a well deserved win. Hopefully that means that this feud will continue a little further.

Dolph Ziggler wins. (c)

Divas Championship Match

AJ Lee v Paige

This is the first time that I can remember that I have ever been excited for a Divas match. Paige is an incredible talent and is only getting better and better every week, the feud with AJ has out her straight into the limelight and she definitely deserves the place she has within the company right now. The storyline between these two could have been a repeat of a lot of AJ’s previous ones but I think that with Paige as an opponent it brings something fresh and new to the ring that the Divas division has been waiting on for a while.

I felt like this match was great and as expected, but at time a little stop and start. It was good to see a lot more action around and outside the ring, more high risk and of course Paige reversing the Black Widow to beat AJ Lee. A well deserved win and a ‘frienermy’ship that will hopefully last a little longer.

My prediction was wrong, but I didn’t think that they would take the title from AJ so soon after winning it back again. But really, I don’t think it mattered who won or not as this feud will be going on a little longer yet.

Paige wins. (c)

Rusev v Jack Swagger

I guess the only thing I wanted to see out of this match is for Jack Swagger to get a good push as a babyface and show off some good wrestling. I think the feud between these two has been good and a little different as it would have been easy to just carry on booking Rusev against giants like Mark Henry and Ryback. 

Swagger looked like he was completely ready for this before the bell even rang. The fact that Lana tried to call the match off only pumped him up even more and he was ready to defend his flag and his country within those four ropes. Swagger dominated a lot more throughout the whole match but as expected there was a lot of submission elements of this match and maybe this took its toll on the American. Of course Rusev would win, even with an injured ankle, but I still think that Swagger deserved a little more recognition, which it looks like he’s getting.

So this was a flag match.. The ending was a little anti-climatic don’t you think!

Rusev wins.

Lumberjack Match

Dean Ambrose v Seth Rollins

Last time we saw these two together, Dean Ambrose graced us with the surprise and delight of popping out of one of Hogan’s birthday presents. And now it’s here, the match I’ve been waiting for week in, week out with the added lumberjack twist! (Did everyone see Sandow dressed as an actual lumberjack..) It seems as though the Universe were completely against Rollins at the beginning too, but to be honest, he split The Shield and sided with The Authority.. And then there was a ‘standing ovation for the nutcase‘ (favourite quote of the night) Dean Ambrose.

It seems as though Rollins has been running for too long now and Ambrose completely took charge from the beginning, although both men will be given equal credit for pulling of not just a great match, but a great lumberjack match! Using the lumberjacks on the outside to their advantage and benefit rather than a pointless addition.   

It’s always so promising when these two guys start to fight outside and far away from the ring, you always know there’s going to be some high risk involved and the excitement was well and truly in the air for this one!

For the first time in a long time I was excited throughout this whole match. Twists and turns and two of the biggest names in the WWE at the moment. These two will continue going far. The use of the lumberjacks at the end to distract from the big finish was a little pointless though. I was waiting for the big finish, something as mental and exciting as the match and the opponents. They’ll keep on proving themselves time and time again and Rollins taking the win only gives Ambrose a reason to get even more crazy in revenge. But please, no more lumberjack matches. Stick these two in a freaking STELL CAGE! I CAN’T BLOODY WAIT!!

Seth Rollins wins.

Chris Jericho v Bray Wyatt

Although there has been some lead up and a great interview where the two opponents of this match have come face to face, I don’t think there has been enough to get too excited about. They were thrown together a little on the night of Jericho’s return to RAW and have been feuding since, but I’m not quite sure what it’s all about.. And I think even the fans, although trying to love and go along with the Wyatt gimmick, they’re really not getting what the motivation behind this is anymore.

The match was a little slow and boring. Wyatt doesn’t connect with the crowd in the ring as well as he does outside, and this makes for a match that is probably the best time to have a toilet break and grab a quick cuppa. Even JBL was still talking about the previous lumberjack match rather than what was happening in the ring.. It’s a shame because I do and always have been a Jericho fan. But this partnership just isn’t really going anywhere, It’s definitely too slow for a typical Y2J match.

Wyatt wins, there’s not much else to say. And everyone had a good old sing-a-long at the end.

Bray Wyatt wins.

Stephanie McMahon v Brie Bella

Err, I can’t be the only one who noticed this.. But did Stephanie and Seth Rollins go to the same designer when getting thier ring outfits made? Definitely some kind of weird ‘His and Hers’ thing going on here HA!

After seeing this match, I’ll admit it wasn’t as much as a car crash as I’d imagined, although I still can’t believe it was so high up on the card. But then Stephanie and Triple H are involved, of course I can understand! No matter what happened Triple H was always going to get involved and Stephanie was always going to win. And that’s what happened really, although I have to give her some credit, Ms McMahon held her own pretty well. I think I’m just bitter that we never see Vince anymore.

But despite the obvious win from The Authority the biggest shock of the match came from Nikki Bella. From what looked like her support for her sister and the chance to finish off Stephanie in the ring. She turns on her twin! Nikki doesn’t seem too happy or smug about it at the end though. She’s either hiding it well or this is like a ‘Big Show’ type thing happening again. Either way, someone’s in for a pay rise..

Stephanie McMahon wins.

Randy Orton v Roman Reigns

I’m looking forward to this match purely because of the outcome pretty much pushing the winner straight into the next title shot or even just feud. As Roman Reigns has been going up in the WWE I think that Orton has slipped down. They’re both good talents, but Reigns is better in my opinion and this match would be a fight of strength and mind games until the end. Nothing to push it over the edge, but a good strong match all the same.

The match was an outright brawl really, with a lot of good elements outside of the ring. I think there was an equally good split between the dominance from Orton and Reigns all the way through (and a really really creepy smile from Randy Orton near the beginning.) A little slow in the middle due to the submission elements but it was clear that Randy and Reigns were both pretty PO’d and this wasn’t going to end until there was a clear winner.

The spear always wins in the end and I’m pretty glad it did. All three members of The Shield are being pushed incredibly well as singles competitors and it’s making Monday nights so much more enjoyable again! 

I know who I want to win the main event now, just because of how great their match would be, whether I agree with it or not.

Roman Reigns wins.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match.

John Cena v Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman)

There’s two things I just want to mention before this match has even started, in regards to the promo package before Brock Lesnar emerges. Firstly, seeing that moment and reaction again from Wrestlemania 30 when The Undertaker was defeated still sends chills down my spine. I was fortunate enough to be there and it’s was so flipping weird! Secondly, did Lesnar just say he’s going to leave Cena in a puddle of blood, urine and vomit?.. Gross.

Lesnar always was and always is ready for a fight and you could see that in his eyes as he looked down the ramp before Cena had even come out. This is going to be a fight to the death (or near enough) with a start as fast paced and exciting as that! As soon as Cena goes down after that first F5 I think it was pretty clear that he wasn’t going to really be getting back up from it. I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this match as much as I did mainly because I’m really not a fan of Lesnar and the whole part-time wrestler thing. But he pulled it out of the bag for me here and I enjoyed watching him for once. Brock just stalked Cena over and over again, teasing him before hitting another German Suplex, no matter how much Cena tried to fight back over and over again he was physically and mentally broken down, something that Lesnar is always very good at. John Cena was hurt bad, but I think the referee made a good call not cutting the match short. Cena always has that little bit of fight left him saved right for the end no matter how hurt and beaten he is. He is fighting as the champion after all and it would have been a huge disappointment for everyone had this not been fought out to the end. 

The glimmer of hope for Cena at the end was his best chance of the night and when the AA wasn’t enough I think it’s safe to say there was only one champion now. 

Hopefully this now leads up to an amazing feud between Lesnar and Reigns, he could be a champion for a long time now with Paul Heyman by his side and I think that, if possible, the Brock Lesnar/Roman Reigns feud could be something that takes an exploding end at Wrestlemania 31.

Brock Lesnar wins. (c)

Summerslam 2014 - Previews and Predictions.

After a bit of a hiatus I'm back and ready for Summerslam 2014! I'm expecting big things out of tonight whether they go for or against what I've predicted I'm just really hoping for a great PPV full of stings and suprises! (HA!)
Suprisingly the main match I've been waiting for all month has not been the main event, and by the looks of things isn't anywhere near it, so I'm hoping the rest of the card is going to give me enough reason to stay awake for the rest of the night!
 
Pre Show: Cesaro v RVD
After a short stint alongside Paul Heyman I think it's time Cesaro moved back up the roster! An amazing worker and character, I think he works well as a singles wrestler. It feels as though RVD hasn't really had much of a chance since his debut but then again he didn't really need much of a push, his reputation did all the pushing.
I'd like to see this match start the new chapter in Cesaro's career and get him back into a strong and consistent character. This guys one hell of an athlete and a complete entertainer!
 
Cesaro to win.
 
Lumberjack match
Seth Rollins v Dean Ambrose
Now THIS is the match I've been waiting for! These 2 are amongst my favourite wrestlers at the moment and hopefully all hell will break loose in the Lumberjack match. And by all hell, I definitely mean Dean Ambrose! Both of these wrestlers have really made it out on their own, in fact all of The Shield members have but we always knew Reigns was going to have a successful singles career. Ambrose and Rollins were sometimes left in the dark, but now they're ready to kick each other's butts! I'm not gonna lie, I have a complete soft spot for Ambrose and can't wait too see some of that hardcore background shine through in this match.
No matter what the result is I'm expecting this to be one of my matches of the night and will be pretty gutted if it isn't. And with The Authority elsewhere I think we can expect the rest of the roster to be, not necessarily on the side of Dean Ambrose, but maybe against Rollins and what he stands for within the company.
 
Dean Ambrose to win.
 
Rusev v Jack Swagger
This story line seems to have been going on a while and to be honest it's about time it stops. I don't think WWE need another strong man character as they just seem to slip down the roster until they're hardly seen. Rusev is good, and I get the whole Lana thing, but give him something else to do.. Despite this, I do like Jack Swagger as a baby face and think this will be a good opportunity to really put him over and win the fans respect and loyalty again. He's good when he puts his heart in it and him and Zeb make a good team together.
There's not much else to say about that really.. WE THE PEOPLE!
 
Jack Swagger to win.
 
Randy Orton v Roman Reigns
Without sounding too bitter, I'm glad that Orton is starting to get screwed by The Authority a little. After he was almost promised a title shot if he was able to get rid of Reigns for good, this is the moment of truth for the Viper.
Although I'm still not too excited despite the fact that whoever wins this match will have a great effect on who the winner of the main event will be. I think Reigns is great and has been on a high ever since the split of The Shield. His in ring ability is something that's been missing from the company for a while but there's something about his promo ability that isn't all there yet, all the while Orton is slowly edging his way out of the main picture intentionally or not, I think it's for the best right now. It's gone on for too long and to be quite honest his persistent moaning is getting a little tiring.
So this could go to ways in my opinion (obviously..) If Orton wins and Triple H is going to honour his promise then there's going to be a re re re match (or however many times it is) of Orton v Cena for the title. I definitely don't think Orton v Lesnar would work at all, but then there are always a few unwelcome curveballs in any PPV. On the other hand I am really feeling Reigns winning this tonight and going up against Lesnar at the next PPV. With Leanar's style and Reigns complete athletic ability there's nothing stopping these beasts!
 
Roman Reigns to win.
 
Chris Jericho v Bray Wyatt
I may be amoungst the minority, but I don't really 'get' the Bray Wyatt thing. I mean I understand what he's trying to do and I think he's coming across well to the fans, especially since the Daniel Bryan feud, but I just personally don't understand it and it quite frankly creeps me out a little (which I guess means he's doing his job right..)
This match has had a much better lead up than the previous match between these two at Batlleground and there have been some great matches from both Jericho and Wyatt leading up until now. Wyatt has been let free with his promos again and I feel as though his back in the swing of things. I'm glad that Rowan and Harper have been taken away from this match as I've always prefered Wyatt's matches when he has been solely focused on himself and his charcter rather than trying to include all three of them. 
To be honest though, I'm just really glad Y2J is back and want to see him climb back to the top without leaving whilst he's half way there.. My predition is probably incorrect but my interest for this match doesn't really go further than Jericho's light up jacket really.

Chris Jericho to win.

AJ Lee v Paige
Two of the best female wrestlers that the WWE have had in a long time in my opinion and I'm hoping that this match shows how great they both are in the ring as performers and altheletes. I felt as though AJ was just getting away with not much in ring involvment before she dissapeared for a while, but now she's back and there's no better opponent for her than Paige. I'd like to see Paige really hold her own in this bout, fight until the end and not allow herself to get into a complete beating before snatching the victory right at the end.. I really want to be excited by the Diva's division again and feel as though the upcoming talent mixed with a few veterens in the main shows, along with the great girls in NXT is such a promising highlight for the company at the moment.
I would really love to see Paige win and do it for the British girls but I think that would cut the current storyline a little short, there's still a bit of life still in it and especially with these two great wrestlers.

AJ Lee to win.

Stephanie McMahon v Brie Bella
After a long and trying storyline, hopefully this brings it all to a close. The life ran out of this a long time ago and I'm now hoping they're just using it as a way to bring back Daniel Bryan sometime soon after his recovery. And that's probably exactly what this match is going to need to have an form of relavence throughout the night. I'm a big fan of Brie and think that she's a great performer, but they're asking alot from her to carry Stephanie through this match, whether it's cut short or not. Obviously there will be some form of involvment from Triple H as there always is. And to be honest I wouldn't expect anything else. This match is just there to irritate really.. HA!
I think this will probably be the time that the coffee will need to be made halfway through the night.

Brie Bella to win.

Intercontinental Championship match.
Miz v Dolph Ziggler
Miz's new persona since his return has been a great success in my opinion. I feel as though this could be a great match from a night full of ups and downs.. The new 'Hollywood' Miz really carries is own and the self obsession works well to make people really start to dislike him. Ziggler on the other hand has really been up and down recently and I think that this rivalry is doing good for him. 
These two wrestlers work well and compliment each other in and out of the ring. A great match all round really.

The Miz to win.

John Cena v Brock Lesnar
So last time these two met in a big PPV I'm pretty sure Cena came out as the winner. Maybe it hasn't been as many times as I previously stated but Cena v Lesnar just feels like one of those match ups that has been repeated over and over with nothing else left to come out of it really. 
There's been a build up of course, mainly to promote Paul Heyman's new DVD, but this has already happened before and myself and a lot of other fans I have spoken to have all been pretty disappointed by this match up no matter how hard they've tries to get into the spirit of things. 
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a total negative Nelly, and I've decided to give this match as much of my attention as humanly possible at half 3 in the morning.. It will be good to see a good fight between to giants of the business and see how they can fair up againsts each other this time around. 
As I've said, this match will probably have a direct effect from the Rollins v Orton match and because of that there's only one outcome I want to see from this main event, despite being an avid hater of part-time wrestlers and especially part-time champions!

Brock Lesnar to win.

Always Believe - The Legacy of The Ultimate Warrior

As I start the last part of my journey back to London from New Orleans, I had originally allowed this 8 hour flight to give me time to write my Wrestlemania 30 review and maybe even get started on my reflection on Monday's episode of RAW. That was until I woke up this morning and my plans for the day changed. 

Last night The Ultimate Warrior, a man who I had seen on all 3 days of my Wrestlemania weekend, sadly passed away.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and talk about how much of a hero he was to me as a child, so on and so forth, because honestly I wasn't watching WWE at this time. But what I do want to say is how much he inspired me and touched my heart over the 3 days that I was honoured enough to spend in the presence of Ultimate Warrior. 

Warrior was passionate about life and his role within it as the Ultimate Warrior. He showed forgiveness and love towards those who had previously betrayed and cheated to get ahead and portrayed him in a way that he would never have chosen himself. But deep down, Ultimate Warrior knew that there was only one group of people he cared about pleasing, and these were his fans. At the Hall of Fame 2014, during his acceptance speech, he spoke so much about the people who had stood by him. And it was easy to see that he was grateful to every person who had supported him, and never doubted him.

He was a great man with a philosophy of life that should be admired. And despite personal opinions of the man, there are two great words that we can all live by.. 

Always Believe.

WWE Royal Rumble - 26 January 2014.

 

So, I was unable to watch the Rumble live on the Sunday night due to a 4am wake up call for work. When this happens I usually end up finding out what happened via the WWE app, Bleacher Report or someone on Facebook/Twitter. But this time I promised myself I wouldn't.
I turned all push notifications off and stayed off Facebook for a whole day just to avoid any spoilers of who was in and who ultimately won the Royal Rumble. Needless to say, it was clear I'd wasted a whole lot of time and energy doing this after finally catching up on the Monday night..
I'm not going to go on with a match by match review for this PPV as I know that this post is being uploaded a lot later than it should have been, but I just felt that I should air my views before Elimination Chamber comes along this month.
So, there was a lot of faith put into the 2014 Royal Rumble from the WWE Universe due to, quite frankly, Triple H controlling the creative team in not a great way. This PPV was finally WWE's chance to restore the fans faith in the company and their decisions on storylines and talent, and I just felt as though they had let everyone down again.
The being said, there were good, and maybe great moments that came from thr Rumble, mostly coming from Danile Bryan, Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns. The first match, Daniel Bryan vs Bray Wyatt completely sucked me into the show, and I genuinely thought this was going to be an amazing Royal Rumble based on this match alone. I didn't think I'd like this storyline when it first started and there were a lot of moments when I feel they were just dragging it out to keep Bryan on TV every week. But this match was incredible and these two wrestlers completely compliment each other in the ring. The momentum worked well and, although this was quite a long match for an opener, the crowd backed Bryan until the end. With Bray Wyatt taking the win, this must be the start of something new for the Wyatt family. An end with Daniel Bryan, setting their eyes on John Cena?

Now onto the Royal Rumble itself. There was a lot of good about this match, much like the rest rest of the show, but it will always be the awful, mind numbing actions of the creative and booking teams that people, including myself, will always remember.
Roman Reigns had a GREAT Rumble, breaking the record previously held by Kane and eliminating the most contestants of the match. And with there being no main competitors in terms of being names (Bryan, Cena, Orton ect.) I felt as though people were finally taking his side and appreciating him as an individual wrestler rather than part of The Shield. I'm looking forward to see what happens with him from here, and the lead up to what must be the inevitable break up of The Shield. I've always appreciated, but never been a great fan of them as a group. It'll be interesting what they will do with them on the run up to Wrestlemania, and although reigns didn't win the Rumble, I think he earned a lot of respect and support from the Universe with his performance. 
Other things to note; Sheamus came back, which was nice. Sometimes I can;t decide if I'm much of a fan of his but I am glad that he's back as I think that he could cause an impact on the current deadpan storylines, obviously if he's going to be used in the right way. But that's debateable..
Goldust eliminated Cody Rhodes. Such a shame, I really liked the Rhodes Brotherhood and felt like they were a strong team to hold the Tag Team Title for a little while longer. Definitelt more deserving than the New Age Outlaws who were obviously getting a little low on cash recently and needed a favour from their good pal HHH. Looks like the end of the Brotherhood is upon us, leading up to Wrestlemania, it will probably be best to conclude this on the main stage.

*edited out CM Punk and Kane feud, I'm still pretty emotional about the Punk issue..

I don't have much to say on the ending of the Rumble and Batista winning. I'll just repeat what I've been saying for the last week or so. I feel as though bringing Batista back was obviously another one of Triple H's bigger favours, them being friends and what not. Although everyone seemed happy about it at the time, I don't actually know a single person who is a fan of Batista and think that the only reason he got the response he did when he returned is because people love seeing wrestlers again after them being absent for a long period of time. This was evident at the Rumble itself with the less exciting reception he recieved. He shouldn't have won, full stop. Roman Reigns deserved it a lot more. And I hope to God that the match is changed or Orton looses the belt before Wrestlemania as I don't think I could possible force myself to sit through that match.

WWE Hell in a Cell 2013 - Preview and Predictions.

It’s October and it’s Pay Per View time! Which can only mean one thing, Hell in a Cell 2013 is upon us! After a shocking PPV last month, things can only get better right?

With a card that isn’t really either here nor there, I’m hoping that the WWE can pull something out of the bag for this, one of the most anticipated events in the wrestling calendar. There’s one thing we’re hoping for though. As the sun rises on Monday morning, Randy Orton or Daniel Bryan will have lifted the WWE Championship once and for all.

Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel vs Big E Langston

2013’s Hell in a Cell PPV starts with a championship match against current Intercontinental Champion, Curtis Axel and Big E Langston. With this relatively new feud coming off the back of the CM Punk and ‘Heyman Guys’ ranting, this is the biggest push Langston has had since entering the main roster and becoming Dolph Ziggler’s right hand man. 

As Langston has gradually been pushed alongside the Straightedge Superstar, Heyman has taken to belittling Big E, taunting him as a “marginally talented rookie barely out of the NXT division.” And after Langston took it upon himself to come to Punk’s defence during a beating from the current Paul Heymen Guys, Axel is now in his sights and next in line to destroy. i think that it’s still too early in Big E’s career for him to gain his first championship and he has a little while to go, despite wanting to see the smile wiped off of the Paulrus’ face. Axel will probably keep his belt for now, but only through some help or interference from, well we all know who.

Prediction: Curtis Axel win.

Divas Champion AJ Lee vs Brie Bella

With 2 wins now behind her over the current Divas Champion, Brie Bella looks strong going into this title match. 

In true AJ Lee style, she has bagged herself a new ‘bodyguard’ in Tamina Snuka who has done all she can in recent weeks to keep the Divas belt around AJ’s waist. Her recent interference has caused nothing but bother to, not only Brie, but both the Bella twins. But as the playing field is now leveled, hopefully the best woman will win and walk away with the victory. 

A romantic at heart, there’s nothing I would like to see more than newly engaged Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan walk away with the biggest titles in the WWE women’s and men’s divisions to place on their mantlepiece.

Prediction: Brie Bella win.

WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Goldust vs Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins vs The Usos

The tag team division has been a little stale over the past few months, with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins holding the belts without any real or threatening competition from anyone else in the WWE roster. There was always one team, in form of The Usos, that were always going to be next in line for their championship chance. 

This was until 2 weeks ago, when newly re-signed Cody Rhodes and Goldust went up against The Hounds of Justice and, with the help of a pretty hilarious appearance from the Big Show, were crowned the new WWE Tag Team Champions. 

So, of course, like all title matches, there is always going to be that re-match. But this time it’s slightly different. With Rollins and Reigns the former champions they have obviously earned their place, but with The Usos being ‘Number 1 Contenders’ for the title before the belts were snatched away from under their noses, it seems only fair to add them into a whirlwind triple threat match.

The Rhodes brothers will be given as good as they’ve got by the opposing teams, but there is a passion and drive behind their eyes that we saw the day they won their jobs back at the WWE, despite best efforts from the authority. Evidently, from this, I think that the Rhodes’ can keep hold of their gold. That is, if there is no interference from these high and mighty ‘authoritative’ figures or maybe Big Show will rise his head ready for another bought of havoc.

Prediction: Cody Rhodes & Goldust win.

CM Punk vs Ryback and Paul Heyman (Handicap Hell in a Cell Match)

This is a storyline that should have been over a long time ago, but if it were, where would CM Punk fit into this mismatch that Triple H has created in the company. Therefore there is only one thing to do. Give Punk another chance to get his hands on former manager and best friend Paul Heyman, only this time he needs to finish the job good and proper. 

With CM Punk winning the right to choose his own stipulation, he now faces a 2 on 1 handicap match against Ryback and Paul Heyman (yes, we have been here before.) Something great needs to happen in order to entertain the crowd and the fans at home, but to be fair, this probably won’t be the end. Even with Big E Langston behind Punk and no doubt a great match being put on if last year’s Punk vs Ryback Hell in a Cell meeting is anything to go by, I just think that there is no way they can let this go without leaving Punk in limbo for a few weeks, if not months.

Prediction: Ryback and Paul Heyman win.

World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio vs John Cena

So, Cena is back. After 2 months recovering from surgery on his tricep, the 2 time World Heavyweight Champion his back in action 4 months prior to professional advice. 

There had to be something really that was going to spice the World Heavyweight Championship storyline up a bit. With Alberto Del Rio sailing through each week and past PPV’s with no real competition, it will take someone like John Cena to unsettle things and exceed expectations from the locker room, management and WWE Universe.

All in all I think that it’s time that Del Rio ended his title run and Cena seems like the person to bring forward to do this. Although I have recently heard rumors regarding Damien Sandow’s involvement in this match up, and to be honest, they make sense. Thinking back to Battleground there was a huge open opportunity for Sandow to cash in his MITB contract after Del Rio beat RVD, which was ruined before the PPV even started by an injury he sustained in the Pre-Show match.So what better was for him to get another chance, cashing in on John Cena moments after the championship has changed hands. 

Del Rio’s run ends, Cena makes his early return without having to strain himself post-op with the Heavyweight Champion duties and Damien Sandow cashes in his contract.

Prediction: John Cena win.

Randy Orton vs Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship Hell in a Cell Match)

This is the match we’ve all been waiting for, and probably the match we were waiting for during Battleground too.. But with the special guests referee chosen by the WWE Universe, HBK Shawn Michaels has promised that at the end of Hell in a Cell 2013, there will be a new WWE Champion! But how much can we trust him? This storyline has cleverly been cut right down the middle so that no one can really guess for sure which way the title will go with Michaels interference. As Daniel Bryan’s former trainer, Triple H’s best friend and a hatred for Randy Orton, will the Heartbreak Kid let his personal relationships influence his choices? Well it wouldn’t be a WWE PPV if he didn’t!

This storyline definitely needs to come to an end now, and I think this is the best way to do it whether the end result is a popular one or not. After a disappointing end to Battleground (and a quite frankly disappointing PPV as a whole) Big Show took it upon himself to lash out against the ‘Authority’ and knock out both Bryan and Orton, as well as the referee, resulting in a rematch inside the steel cage at Hell in a Cell. But with this being Daniel Bryan’s first time inside the cage, will this do Randy Orton any favours? I think that Bryan will surprise us. Despite his lack of experience inside the cage, this is an added element that can only make him stronger. And without the interference from The Shield, Big Show or any of the other ‘big names’ who will try and sabotage this match, both of these men will fight ‘til the very end to ensure they get their hands on that belt. That is, if the third man in the ring plays by the rules.

Although the old Randy is back with his vicious and sadistic determination and will completely thrive in the cell environment, I still think in the back of my mind that it’s Daniel Bryan’s time to shine. 

Prediction: Daniel Bryan wins.

WWE Battleground - 6 October 2013.

This months PPV, Battleground, was one that stood on the fence. With a mix of highly anticipated matches alongside a few that were a little give or take, I was a little unsure going into it whether it was really going to capture my attention or if I would be fast forwarding to the main matches I had mainly tuned in to see. 

One thing to point out before anything else, if you woke up this morning waiting to see who the new WWE Champion was going to be. There isn’t one. Another pat on the back to WWE for absolutely nothing. But all shall be revealed below.

Starting off with a match for the World Heavyweight Championship was Mr. PPV himself, 

Rob Van Dam, against the current champion, Alberto Del Rio. This hardcore match fell nicely into RVD’s favor and had me thinking that maybe now the time had come that Del Rio would loose the title. Despite the silly gimmicks and Ricardo Rodriguez controversially switching employers, the Del Rio story line has run dry and, since returning to the WWE at Money in the Bank this year after a highly anticipated comeback, the company hasn’t done much for Van Dam.

As expected, the chairs, ladders and trash cans flew throughout this match and both RVD and Del Rio looked stronger than ever at times. But even with an interference from Rodriguez, RVD was unable to end the streak of the current World Heavyweight Champion, Albertooooo Del Riooooo.

With both men pushing each other to the limit, Del Rio was struggling to even get out of the ring and back to the locker room. In my eyes, and many others, this would have been the perfect opportunity for Mr. Money in the Bank, Damien Sandow to strike, cash in, and gain that Heavyweight Championship. For a brief moment it was expected, but an injury gained during the Pre-Show match against Dolph Ziggler ment that it was probably a wise choice to save it for another day.

This match was followed by one that I’m guessing was thrown in last minute due to someone being ill, or an unexpected injury? Quite honestly, I’m not really sure what they’re trying to achieve with The Great Khali and Marella team apart from a bit of light hearted comedy and the chance to go and make a cup of tea. The only worthwhile part of this 7 minute match was seeing Antonio Cesaro perform the Cesaro Swing on the Great Khali, leading to a win for The Real Americans.

The next two matches consisted of Champions who retained their titles. With Curtis Axel defeating R. Truth for the Intercontinental Championship and AJ Lee defeating newly engaged Brie Bella. 

The Axel/R. Truth match came about after a rematch was granted due to an interference on last weeks Monday Night RAW where CM Punk’s mind games cost Curtis Axel the match. Axel may have been distracted by Punk’s entrance music last week but he was completely focused on the matter at hand tonight and got the job done. Obviously we saw interference of some sort during the match for the Divas Championship when Tamina appeared, grabbing Brie’s sister Nikki, causing a distraction that lead to AJ keeping her beloved belt.

Next was a match that I hadn’t initially been too bothered about, but ended up being one of, if not the best, match of the night. After a few weeks of appearances from different members of the Rhodes family on RAW it was finally time to conclude the story of their fate. In a match against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins of The Shield, if Cody Rhodes and Goldust were to loose, both these brothers and their father, Dusty Rhodes would be banned from the WWE forever. 

This was a great match with such a mix of old and new coming from the two generations of Rhodes brothers. Putting aside their differences they worked together to break down The Shield who used every trick in the book to win. With ‘The American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes even getting in on the action, the Rhodes family defeated The Shield and secured their place back on the WWE roster, and Dusty in the NXT training school. As Cody hit the CrossRhodes on Seth Rollins, it was an emotional ending to a storyline that had definitely captured a lot of peoples hearts, and all three generations earned their place back where they truly belong. 

After weeks of taunting, Kofi Kingston was finally able to get his hands on Bray Wyatt. Obviously Wyatt took the victory, but I’m still not sure what is going on with this concept. There’s a lot of cryptic messages, weird goings on, I get that, but maybe they have dragged it out too long to find out what it is and why it’s happening. There seems to be something about the WWE at the moment where they are spending so much time and effort on the promotion of the build up of a new wrestler, but when they finally arrive they’re not really used for anything or, in this case, strung out until nothing better can be done.

Next up was a match that I had been waiting for since it had been announced. After defeating Curtis Axel last week on RAW, Ryback was next in line for the 'Best in the World' on his mission to get his hands on former manager and friend, Paul Heyman. The match started with both men showing promising signs of finishing the match early, but in the end it was Ryback who was on the brink of finishing. But with a turn of events, Heyman interfered in favour of the monster, taking the mic to distract Punk from the match. The referee clocked on early though and whilst his back was turned, Punk took a leaf out of his former managers book of cheats and shot a low blow into Ryback, knocking him out cold. At this moment the ref turned back around and counted 1,2,3 and giving Punk the win he so desperately wanted.
Although the match was entertaining, I feel it was a little anti climatic. There is always going to be a great show of wrestling when CM Punk is on the card, but there was something missing in this match. I just hope that Punk will finally get his hands on Heyman and claim back his 'Best in the World' title that was snatched from him last month by a loss against Paul Heyman at Night of Champions. If Punk can successfully end the third chapter of this saga and shut the Paulrus up once and for all, the world will be a better place.

Now the match that I had been waiting for the most all night, the main event for the WWE Championship between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton. After Triple H had stripped the belt from Bryan after Night of Champions because of an apparent 'cheating' incident with the assistance of a rouge referee, both Orton and Bryan had been furiously battling it out for 3 weeks seeing the return of, what 'The King' would describe as Vintage Orton. There was so much hype already going into this match alone, more so than the whole PPV put together, so we were all anxiously waiting on the crowning of the new champion.
As expected the match was good, seeing both men go to their limits and giving all they had to show just who truly deserved that title belt in, hopefully, the last match in this war orchestrated by Triple H and the McMahon's. Personally, I think that there is no one more deserving of the title than Daniel Bryan who has fought long and hard, time and time again to prove just how much he craves it. There was always going to be a hurdle to just though and this is where WWE definitely let the fans and the wrestlers themselves down with another turn in this storyline that quite frankly had gone stale a while ago.
With Bryan looking favourite to win the match after a long and exhausting fight, of course the Big Show makes an appearance. Obviously under the orders of Stephanie and Triple H, who had left the arena earlier in the evening and left Brad Maddox in control of the night, he approaches the ring and knocks out Daniel Bryan in one swift blow. Thankfully, Big Show has seen the light and despite being under the thumb of the WWE management decides to carry on and do the right thing. With there being no referee now present, shady referee Scott Armstrong from the match at Night of Champions appears to count the one fall of Daniel Bryan and no doubt crown Randy Orton the new WWE Champion once again. Big Show sees the light and not only knocks out Armstrong but also Randy Orton leaving both men out cold in the ring and the Championship belt, still, up in the air and unclaimed.

There seemed to be a lack of excitement going into this PPV compared to the previous build up to Night of Champions and the highly anticipated November event, Hell in a Cell. With the general morale being quite low going into tomorrows episode of Monday Night RAW, hopefully someone will pull something out of the bag and give the fans what they’ve been waiting for. There’s no point in having a monthly PPV, if some are going to be better than others. Granted, there will always be your Wrestlemania and Money in the Bank, but fans shouldn’t have to sit through 3 hours of mediocre matches for the sake of 2 or 3 good ones. But hey, here’s to Hell in a Cell!