"Yes! No!"

For this new format, I'll cover what I loved and hated about a particular story or moment.
The first subject of "Yes! No!"?

Damien Sandow vs. John Cena for the World Heavyweight Championship

This past Monday on RAW, Sandow cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, opening the show with a title match against John Cena. Cena won, making Sandow only the second person to cash in Money in the Bank and lose -- the other person being Cena himself. My thoughts?

No!
Damien Sandow isn't John Cena. That's obvious, but what do I mean by that? Well, when Cena cashed in his contract and lost his title match to CM Punk, he was perfectly fine afterward because John Cena is John Cena. No matter who he loses to, or how, he'll always get title shots, main event matches and championships. But Damien Sandow, not being John Cena, doesn't have that luxury. He just lost what might be his only title opportunity for a very long time.

Yes!
Although Sandow lost, he had a terrific match with Cena, showcasing his talent and proving why he's main event material. While he's not a main event guy right now, he certainly could be, and probably will be, in the not-too-distant-(I-hope) future.

No!
Unfortunately, even though Cena just came back from elbow surgery, just fought at Hell in a Cell, and was brutally attacked by Sandow just before their match, Sandow still lost! I understand that this was meant to make Cena look like a superhero -- and in fact the announcers referred to him as Superman about five times during the match -- it also made Sandow look pathetic. It made Sandow look like he could never beat John Cena. Hopefully Cena is the first person Sandow beats when he finally gets the push he deserves.

Yes!
Cena can bring credibility back to the World Heavyweight Championship. Because he now seems like a superhero, and because John Cena is John Cena, he can take what is considered a secondary belt and make it relevant again. As much as I like Sandow as a wrestler, he could never do for the World Heavyweight Championship what Cena can do today. I don't like Cena as a wrestler, comedian, performer or entertainer of any sort, but with the right feuds, writing and #1 contenders, this could be the best thing to happen to the World Heavyweight Championship in years.

Another Pay-Per-View?

The Hell in a Cell PPV is this Sunday, so let's look at the three Hell in a Cell matches.

Match #1: CM Punk vs. Ryback and Paul Heyman

Here we've got a handicap match. For some reason, despite Heyman frequently interfering in Punk's past matches with Ryback and costing him many victories, Punk actually wants to face him and Ryback at the same time.

...Makes sense to me.

For Battleground I predicted that Ryback would win, and I'm doing so again -- even though he lost last time. If Ryback, who's supposed to be this monstrous bodyguard, not only fails to protect Heyman but loses again, he'll be buried and his stock will plummet. He needs this victory, especially considering the match type.

Winner: Ryback

Match #2: Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena

I kind of talked about this in my last post, so I'll keep it brief. I fully expect Cena to win this one. WWE has promoted the hell out of Cena for the last week or so, and while I'll be pleasantly shocked if ADR is still champion after Sunday, all roads are leading toward Cena vs. Orton.

Winner: John Cena

Match #3: Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan w/Special Guest Referee Shawn Michaels

As I said, all roads are leading toward Cena vs. Orton. So, here's my far-reaching prediction:

Cena and Orton become World Heavyweight Champion and WWE Champion (thanks to Shawn Michaels screwing Daniel Bryan). Cena and Orton fight to decide who is the real face of the WWE, and who is the Undisputed WWE Champion. Orton defeats Cena. Daniel Bryan defeats Orton.

This just makes sense! Daniel Bryan is carrying the most hype in the WWE right now, and he's positioned for a huge title run. This Hell in a Cell match is only setting up something much bigger, something that could alter the WWE for the rest of 2013 and through to Wrestlemania.

Winner: Randy Orton. Phase 1 Complete...

Top 3 New Gimmicks

#3 - The Real Americans

 
Patriotism isn't new to the WWE. Hulk Hogan's theme song actually claims, repeatedly, "I am a real American!" But the Real Americans have made themselves a relevant team by tackling relevant social issues, such as anti-immigration, prejudice and bigotry. In this PG-era of professional wrestling, these xenophobic zealots aren't afraid to exercise their First Amendment right, and while their words may offend some viewers, they are undeniably talented. Those who recognize that talent continue to place their hands over their hearts and say with them in a loud, clear voice: "We the people!"

#2 - Los Matadores

 
Primo and Epico were decent wrestlers with an awful gimmick, but when they "debuted" in late September as flamboyant bullfighters, their stock instantly skyrocketed. Los Matadores is a perfect example of how the right gimmick can make boring wrestlers entertaining. Even as Tag Team Champions, Primo and Epico weren't generating any hype, but as Diego and Fernando, they suddenly appear amazing. With new moves, a new look and a masked mascot (El Torito, a little person in a bull costume), Los Matadores are primed to make an epic impact in the Tag Team Division.

#1 - The Wyatt Family

 
Another tag team. Noticing a pattern? For years the Tag Team Division in the WWE was terrible, but out of nowhere teams have emerged to revitalize it. Here's another great example of a gimmick reviving a stale superstar. The leader of this backwoods hillbilly cult, Bray Wyatt, was the forgettable Husky Harris not too long ago. And now look at him: he's making a rocking chair look intimidating. Fresh out of NXT, the Wyatt Family has only been on Raw and Smackdown for a few months, but with the proper timing they could instantly rise to become the biggest tag team in the business - literally. I for one am excited for their future in the WWE.

Until next time, have a nice day, and don't be a jabroni.

(Photos: bleacherreport.com, wwe.com)

Cena returns at Hell in a Cell PPV

There are some major Superstars injured in the WWE, one of them being John Cena.

John Cena, arguably the most popular and polarizing Superstar in the business, was sidelined due to elbow surgery about two months ago. He was supposed to be out for 4-6 months -- but Cena likes to fight hurt, and rise above hate, and never give up, and all that crap, so he's returning earlier than he should. And by that I mean he shouldn't come back.

Since Cena left, I haven't missed him for a single minute. The events are just as good without him, if not better, and I fear that when he comes back, deserving guys who are getting pushes will be pushed aside. There are a lot of up-and-coming wrestlers who need more air time, and Cena generally takes up at least 30 minutes of every Monday Night RAW he's on. That's 1/6 of the show.

Now, I'd be fine if Cena helped push some younger guys up the ladder. Ryback and Curtis Axel are benefiting greatly from feuding with CM Punk, and Cena works best when he's giving legitimacy to new Superstars. Cena needs to feud with guys like Ryback (which he has before) and stay out of the title picture. Unfortunately, when Cena returns at Hell in a Cell, he'll be doing so against Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship. All I have to say about that is: Nooooooooooo!

I'm sure there are people who miss Cena and can't wait for him to return, but I'm not one of them. I'll be happy if Cena sticks to helping rising stars...rise...but I'm sick of seeing him with gold around his waist. And if CM Punk doesn't need a championship belt to be relevant, neither should John Cena.

Until next time, have a nice day, and don't be a jabroni.

Battleground!

Battleground is a new WWE pay-per-view debuting this Sunday night.

Most WWE PPVs have themes.
TLC has Table, Ladder and Chair matches. Royal Rumble has the Royal Rumble. Night of Champions has championship matches for every belt. Battleground has...matches? It's kind of unclear what exactly the theme is for this one. There is a "Battleground Hardcore Rules Match", whatever that means, but it seems to be the same as every other No DQ match. They like to give No DQ matches fancy names -- Chicago Street Fight, No Holds Barred, Extreme Rules -- but they're all the same match, with the same rules, with the same weapons. So if that's the draw of this PPV...it's kind of lame, but there are some noteworthy matches, despite the short lead up to this one.

Like with Night of Champions, I'll look at three matches and make my predictions

Match 1: Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins

As I may have mentioned in an earlier post, Cody Rhodes was on his honeymoo--I mean, was fired, and here we have his return. If Cody and his brother Dustin defeat the two Shield members, they'll get their jobs back! I have to think Cody will be rehired -- but I think Goldust will stay retired after this. SoTeam Rhodes will win, but the Shield, being sore losers, will promptly injure Goldust. This will give Cody incentive to continue his feud with the Shield (perhaps taking the US Title from Dean Ambrose?) and allow Dustin to go back to his couch back in...wherever it is he lives exactly.
 
Winners: Cody Rhodes and Goldust

Match 2: CM Punk vs. Ryback

Another non-title match. This feud is basically pointless, since the "Heyman Guy" stable just formed, Ryback will likely start having tag match with Curtis Axel, and this Punk/Heyman story isn't over just yet -- but CM Punk is involved, so it'll probably be a great match. Ryback isn't the best wrestling in the world, but he'll be able to do what he does, and Punk will be able to sell whatever semi-power moves Ryback will be performing. Ryback will squander what little momentum he has going into this if he loses cleanly to Punk, so I expect Ryback will cheat, win, claim Punk is a bully and hug Paul Heyman or something, but this whole thing just seems like a scheme to sell Battleground.
This feud will continue.

Winner: Ryback (Pictured above. I'd post another pic of him, but they all look the same.)

See?

Match 3: Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan

Last PPV, the Orton/Bryan match had a twist ending that I doubt this PPV will match, but as usual, these two should put on an awesome...match. Anyway, I'm liking Daniel Bryan in this one, but he probably won't hold the title for long. Orton has recently been terrorizing Bryan's fiance, Brie Bella (perhaps the next Divas' Champion?), and Orton has started going back to his twisted, sadistic roots. I expect Bryan will win, Orton will be pushed over the edge, and he'll begin to stalk Brie, ambush Bryan, and generally make their lives hell -- which I really want to see. There hasn't been a similar storyline for a while now, and I'm interested to see where they'll take this real-life romantic relationship and apply it to the show. Whatever they have planned for this ongoing feud, I have the feeling it's going to be damn good.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

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Photos: wwebulletin.blogspot.com, smackdown-wwe-wrestling.blogspot.com, whattalking.com, bleacherreport.net