Lost in all the hoopla of last week’s article, something huge went unmentioned. It was the fact that The Shield pinned Cena clean in their match. Yes Cena got pinned clean. When was the last time that happened? Given how overprotective WWE has been of him in the past, this is shocking. Will he get pinned this week? Will Ryback walk out on another match? Will more matches for Extreme Rules be announced instead of teased? Will matches from the midcard be added? Does Creative even know they have a midcard?
Best
Fandango: DA DA, DA DA DA DADA, DUH DUH DUH DADA DA DA DA, DA DA DA DADA, DUH DUH DUH DADA DA DA DA, DA DA DA DADA
Ziggler: Seriously is it possible for Dolph not to have a match where he sells moves well? He and Del Rio put on a good match as expected, but Ziggler launching himself into the turnbuckle, missing ADR, and rebounding like he bounced off a trampoline was one of the highlights. Then again anytime Dolph sells a big move, it becomes a highlight. He can make even the lamest moves look impactful.
The Shield: They continue to dominate, beating back a bigger then expected challenge from Kofi and The Usos. They normally only face teams of the top stars, but this was just a tune up for their impending Tag Title match against Bryan and Kane. The commentators were keen to point out how The Shield thrives on the chaos that sometimes erupts during their matches. When things seem to break down, these guys know exactly what they’re doing and everyone is believing in The Shield. Well except for Jerry Lawler, who still thinks they’re only good cause they work as a group, but Jerry isn’t really known for his insights anymore.
Worst
Working Hurt: Just like Ryback’s new catchphrase is nowhere near as good as Feed Me More, his match with Cena at Extreme Rules won’t be as good now that The Champ is injured. We can be more or less sure as to how it’ll be booked, i.e. he won’t be flying off the top rope or any move that puts more stress on his injured right Achilles. Not that he and Ryback were going to put on a technical showcase anyways, but the injury now means we can lower whatever expectations we had for the match. Then again, it’s introduced a little more doubt as to whether Cena will retain.
Randall: Man how far has Orton fallen lately? He’s been in the cheerleader role, playing to the crowd more then usual, as well the peacekeeper one with Sheamus and Show in the buildup to Mania. Yeah there’s been alot of talk about him turning heel to refresh his character, but tonight has to be considered an extremely low point. Before his match against Damien Sandow he gets the jobber entrance treatment and when Sandow gets a full entrance he proceeds to mock Orton to the tune of The Viper’s own entrance music, which was pretty funny by the way. Plus the fact that the commentators casually throw out the fact that Orton is 9 time World Champion doesn’t help matters either. Neither does the camera being on Cole and Co instead of focusing Orton as Show sneak KOed him on the ramp. Is Creative purposefully trying to bury him or do they have no clue?
Rehash: Does anyone really care about the Hunter-Lesnar fued? With two huge stars, you’d expect there to be more interest in their upcoming match, but it sure doesn’t seem like it. Is it because fans want to see something fresh instead of two part-timers going at it? After HHH beat Lesnar at Mania and tied the series at 1, it was inevitable there would be a third match. Paul Heyman did the best he could to hype the reveal of the stipulation and as he was throwing out words like ‘extreme’ he announced a…steel cage match? Really? After a very physical No Holds Barred Match at Mania, one would think the blow off would up the ante even more, but Steel Cage? They could’ve gone with something like 3 Stages of Hell given that H has been in all 3 of them. It remains to be seen if Lesnar’s destruction of H’s corporate office does anything for the match build, though Heyman’s running commentary was incredibly hilarious.
