Choke's WWE Holiday Week Fantasy Rant: Khali Khillin it.
Posted by: choke Dec 27, 2012 | 1610 views | 5 comments
A recap of the last week and a half of action and the fantasy implications from those shows (Smackdown 12/18, Main Event 12/19, RAW 12/24, Main Event 12/26)
Some pretty ho-hum wrestling shows lately, but we should just be grateful we're getting any during the holiday season, and you have to expect a lot of silliness with the WWE targeting kids as much as they do. Here's hoping next week gets us some surprises and better storylines than this week has provided.
Rising:
1. Khali - I've been hyping him up in the last few fantasy articles I've written, and with him picking up a win against Maddox, winning the battle royal on Main Event yesterday and earning a US title shot against Cesaro, he's certainly lived up to my doing so. Look, I don't give him any real chance of beating Cesaro, but even being in the hunt, plus again with the Rumble coming up and WWE seemingly trying to target India more and more, I think he's a solid pickup. I only wish I'd followed my own advice and picked him up during the last trade window. Yes, sometimes I don't even follow my own advice.
2. Kaitlyn - Continuing her charge towards winning the Divas belt by beating Eve via DQ in a title match, then getting the pin in an 8 divas tag match. More importantly, the WWE doesn't really seem to have any other challengers for Eve anywhere involved in the storyline. With Kaitlyn you have Eve for a rematch, Aksana for the whole wig/backstage attack fiasco, and of course her history with AJ. Bank on it
3. The Usos/Kidd/Gabriel - Not that any of these 4 are worth rushing out to pick up, but you've got to admit they're being used far more often than anyone probably expected pre-season. Hell the Usos right now have more points combined than Mysterio/Sin Cara do combined. Ask anyone who has Sin Cara on their team how they're feeling about that.
Also, Brodus Clay is back and starting to put up some impressive points. Cesaro still in beast mode, and almost every face reigned supreme during the holiday shows. I look for that to change a little in the upcoming weeks. Balance!
Falling:
1. PTP/Sin Cara - Conversely, with the Usos/Kidd and Gabriel getting more shine, and with the tag team titles seemingly just being between Hell No and Rhodes Scholars for the time being, these three have been getting the shaft in opportunities and points. Am I saying to drop them and pick up the other 4? No. Just that you might start considering other options if the disappointing seasons continue. I left Mysterio off because I still think he's solid as a single competitor should they write off that team (and with the Sin Cara surgery, it's very possible. With the Del Rio tease as a face, the WWE could be hurting for a mexican heel, and perhaps Sin Cara upon returning can fill that void)
2. Brad Maddox - I'm calling it OFFICIALLY now, he's Otunga 2.0. Maybe next season, but for the near future I think he'll just get dominated by stars keeping him from a roster spot. Even when he wins the roster spot (probably with help from the Shield?), I don't see him picking up many wins for a while.
3. Tamina Snuka - Yikes. I really thought they were going to have her be a major player when Vickie brought her back against AJ. Now that AJ is heel, she seems like a lost cause. Eventually I like her to go against Kaitlyn, but that's far enough down the road that I don't know if she's worth holding.
Also: Wade Barrett continues his disappointing season thus far, WHERE IS FANDANGOOOOOO, David Otunga still worthless, and Lord Tensai is on every show but has zero points. Not a good look.