Read on for my segment-by-segment thoughts on Money In The Bank.
Standard collection of insane bumps for the opening MITB. Everyone put on a hell of a show. Glad Ziggler won.
I liked Miz's promo and hope WWE doesn't keep burying him.
Sheamus vs. Del Rio was solid as expected. They told a good story.
Good post-match. I like that they did the logical thing for Ziggler, but didn't have him lose the match.
Fine tag match. Primo and Epico had some nice fire working as babyfaces. I kind of wonder where they're going with the PTP.
I guess that was an ok post-match.
Solid promo as always by AJ. She's a better promo than any Diva in recent memory.
Punk vs. Bryan was a really intense, physical match. I wish they would have done more with AJ in the ending, but what they did was done well. I wouldn't mind another match down the line.
Ryback's handicap match went well enough. I continue to wonder where they're going with him.
The Divas match was fine for the amount of time it was given. The division is underrated.
Raw's MITB was better than expected, despite the ending.
I am also very confused as to where the WWE is taking the Primetime Players. I'm going to stick to me theory in that they don't want it to seem axiomatic that the team will definitely win the tag titles. I have no problem with that; however, my problem is that the growing pains have been by a tag team in Primo and Epico that isn't even a No. 1 contender or title holder. I have no problems with Primo and Epico's wrestling ability, but why them? I can understand the feud part in why AW turned on them, but I cannot understand why Young and O'Neil continue to get booked to lose when they're No. 1 contenders.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wouldn't mind is if they lost once or twice to Kofi and Truth. That is sort of reminiscent of the Benoit vs. MVP fued in which it took MVP a number of times to win the U.S. Title, but along with those losses came experience and respect in Benoit and the crowd's mind before he won the title.
I'm probably in the minority on this one, but I'm not seeing the hype of Dolph Ziggler. When I think of "World Champion", I think of someone who has that "entertainer" value like a Cena or Sheamus. I see Dolph as missing something and not ready, and may never be ready to carry that load. Not saying he will definitely win the title, but I'm missing the boat. To me, he lacks the size, personality and "entertainer" mold. Vickie ALWAYS doing promos for him doesn't help, either.
When are you predicting Punk to lose his title to and to whom? The only reason I felt Bryan MAY be victorious last night was due to Punk having that title for so long.
I personally kind of view Ziggler as I viewed Daniel Bryan before he turned heel. Now that Bryan's a heel, I see more of an "entertainer" and someone people can hate. I don't see that in Ziggler. Where do you see Bryan going from here now that he's lost to both champions?
I'd be a little surprised if WWE cared whether a story had a predictable outcome, given how the main event guys are generally booked. They might be trying to rebuild Primo and Epico as faces as well. Maybe they're setting the seeds for them to be the first #1 Contenders to PTP as champs? Something like PTP are champs, but are they really the best team when Primo and Epico have beat them so much.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think Dolph has personality and is an entertainer as the Show Off. He might not be AS ready as Cena or Sheamus, but he's shown that he's willing to work very hard both on the mic and in the ring and I'm glad WWE recognizes that. Cena and Sheamus didn't become stars and show all of their potential until they were given the chance to break out. I think Ziggler will end up the same way as hard as he works.
I think Punk will lose the title to either Cena, Lesnar, or Rock. The plan at one point was Rock vs. Lesnar at Mania, and Rock wants the WWE Title so I think it will all fall into place because of that. When he loses it will depend on a number of factors including the schedules of Rock and Lesnar if he loses to one of them.
I thought there was at least a chance they'd have AJ run off with Bryan and give him the title (since she's basically crazy, they have free reign for her to do something irrational relationship-wise). I was kind of hoping that would happen since Bryan can't really go anywhere but down now. I think a lot of things will be shaken up on the 1000th Raw, so he could end up facing a number of people.
PTP's situation is bringing back memories of last year when Daniel Bryan won Money in the Bank. He lost matches to mid-card stars and because of it, it threw a curveball at many of us when he won the World Championship. Though I like surprises, I thought that was a less-pleasant one, because it wasn't believable in losing to the I.C. Champion two days before winning the World Title. This is the case with the No. 1 contenders in PTP losing to a seemingly less talented tag team.
ReplyDeleteI guess we'll have to agree to disagree with Ziggler. I would just keep him at the mid-card level. I definitely don't seem him at the World Title level already. Maybe he may do more with more promo opportunities, but like you said, it's more than just in-ring talent to be a sustainable star here. I've seen his promos and have seen enough of his persona to have the judgment that he's not "High-card" ready. I just don't see the personality, size and whole "entertainer" thing working for him at even half of the level of a Cena or Punk.
I personally would have preferred Rhodes to win that match. I've seen more pure "hateability" from him and a better combination of in-ring talent along with that hateability and personality that I think Ziggler lacks.
I'm also curious to see who, where and how Punk loses that title. He's lost SO many non-title matches (Kane, Ziggler, Bryan, Mark Henry) but wins the title matches that it's getting a little stale. I think he has a lot to offer, but he can't hold that title forever! lol.
By the way, I can't help but continue to crack up at this. I wish this happened more regularly, but I know the WWE has been a bit inconsistent like we mentioned.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxJcE-EDmik
When you say a less talented tag team, do you mean in storylines or in reality? WWE isn't solely concerned with how talented someone is (at least not in the same ways a lot of online fans are).
ReplyDeleteI don't think Ziggler's World Title level yet, but definitely think there's potential for him to be there, given how well he's performed when feuding with main eventers (both in the ring and on the mic). Part of WWE is taking risks with talents at the top level who you normally wouldn't put there. It's worked for most people they've done it with. I trust that it will work with Dolph.
I wouldn't have had an issue with Rhodes winning. I loved the Dashing and masked character. I just think Dolph's been "on" for longer.
Once again, wins and losses are just ways to move the story along. It's good that they put the champ in peril sometimes and make it look like he can be beat at the PPV. I generally prefer that to "the champ can beat just about anyone", but see why they go with that to build a strong champion.
As for the link, I keep thinking of Timon from Lion King with Young's dancing.
With Epico and Primo, in regards to the comment I made about not being as talented, I meant in terms of the "complete package" compared to PTP. Primo and Epico are great inside the ring and work well together, but they lack the "entertainer" value and charisma PTP has shown. I think, like you said, Young and Titus make up for eachother's differences well to conceal Titus' in-ring ability. I guess it's just growing pains the WWE is making PTP go through in that you can't just join the roster and win the titles right away, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI really have grown to like Rhodes, too. He's come A LONG way. I remember when he was in Legacy, he wasn't half as good of a promo as he is now. In every feud he's had, he's shown that "fire" and charisma to supplement his good in-ring ability and "hateability". I see him as a step ahead of Ziggler right now in many areas.
Good comparison on that link with Timon lol. His dance he always does was actually from a song and video from like 2006 called "It's Going Down" by Yung Joc; it's a rap video if you weren't sure. I actually thought it was pretty hilarious in itself and would love to see more of that from PTP (if the WWE allows).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90HUOD5b8EI
By the way, you mentioned landing a new job? Congrats. Which job and is it just for summer or for the forseeable future?
I can see what you're saying about them not having the charisma PTP have. I still argue Titus isn't bad in the ring, since he can get by with doing big guy stuff.
ReplyDeleteRhodes from Dashing up until losing the mask was one of my favorite characters in wrestling. It's a shame he hasn't gotten that kind of mic time since losing the IC Title, because he was really good. That lost momentum works in Ziggler's favor I think.
Yeah, rap isn't something I'm an expert in, so I associated it with Lion King.
And I'll be fulfilling orders for things like jerseys and soccer balls from a warehouse. Not really my dream job, but it's something to do. It's only until September unless they really like me. They could sign me back for November or so as well. Either way, I'll be looking for something regular in the future so the blog will likely stay a day behind.