Choke's WWE Raw Rant and Smackdown Preview 7/7/2014 - 7/11/2014
Posted by: choke Jul 9, 2014 | 1559 views | 0 comments
RAW Rant
I walked away from RAW feeling like not much happened and that overall it wasn't a noteworthy show, and yet conversely I feel that the buildup to Battleground has been solid and that it already seems like a good show on paper. Not sure how that works. So far we have the 4 way dance for the unified(??!) titles, a best of 3 falls match Usos vs Harper/Rowan which should be spectacular, AJ vs Paige in what hopefully will be their first legitimate chance to show us what should be the best divas match we've seen in years, Jericho vs Bray Wyatt aka a smark's wet dream (I'll stick with AJ vs Paige as mine though), and Cesaro vs all the black WWE wrestlers in a battle royal for the Barrett Beltage. I'm sure we'll also see some Ambrose/Rollins case cashing tease action, Rusev vs Swagger and maybe something with Cameron and Naomi as well. I'm sold.
Smackdown Preview
1. AJ Lee vs Cameron: Hey this match makes sense! Newly heel Cameron vs newly face AJ. Lots of ways this can go: Paige could be out at ringside and somehow cause AJ the loss giving Cameron a future shot at the belt when she goes full-fledged heel. I think it's too early to play that card though. I think AJ gets the clean win, then Cameron displays some heelish antics after which causes Naomi to come out and chase her off.
2. Fandango vs Adam Rose: Still too early for Rose to lose, especially against Fandango. Layla/Summer probably cause him the loss.
3. The Uso Brothers vs Heath Slater and Titus O'Neil (non title): Enhancement squash match for the Usos before they probably lose the belts in two weeks :(. I only frown because I have them both on my main league roster.
4. Chris Jericho vs Randy Orton: Hard to see either taking a loss, but Wyatt causing Y2J a loss is less damaging than Orton taking one now. I'll say he appears at ringside and the distraction leads to an RKO and victory for Orton.
5. Summer Rae vs Layla with Fandango as Special Guest Referee: The match we all wanted to see again! This time I'm guessing Dolph gets involved somehow and Summer gets the win (causing more Fandango/Layla strife)
6. Goldust vs Curtis Axel: How many times do the Dusts have to beat Rybaxel? Guessing Axel gets the win here to set up yet another tag match.
7. Bo Dallas vs Diego and El Torito in a handicap match: Dallas has been a monster this season, and this handicap match will only add to that. It's perfect though because him tormenting Torito has done the best job of establishing his character perfectly. By the way I think this all results in Torito eliminating him somehow from the IC Battle Royal next Sunday. You heard it here first! But yeah, Bo wins this.
8. Rusev vs Roman Reigns I like this. Obviously it won't go clean, but this could definitely be a future main event for the World Title. Kane and/or Orton are likely to come out along with Cena. Schmozz wins!
OVERALL: 8 matches, but quite a bit of it seems like a waste. Where are Cesaro and Sheamus? Where's Rey Mysterio? No seriously where is Rey Mysterio. I'll stick with the 3 shots of jameson for this one because I have to see Adam Rose, and I hate Adam Rose.
RISING
1. Kofi Kingston: I mentioned him last week, and I don't really believe in him long term, but at least in the meantime they're definitely giving him a bit of a push. He has more points than Cody Rhodes or Goldust right now and 1 less point than Kane, and yet everyone would be clamoring for them if they were available in a deep league.
2. Cameron/Naomi: They've been picking up solid points lately and are probably available in most leagues. Naomi has more points this season than Ziggler/RVD/Del Rio and Cameron isn't too far behind that group. You know they're going to get some singles matches out of this feud and potentially trade victories. If you know me, you know I love to play the Diva swap game (not literally unfortunately). Sometimes I get mixed results. This season, I'm nailing it.
3. Nikki/Brie Bella: This one is tough. The Authority is stacking the deck against Nikki and the results have naturally been disastrous for her. At some point that's going to change right? You've got to think at one point she'll either pull out an improbable win or start going against Stephanie and the Authority. My concern with picking her up though is that maybe this is all leading up to the return of Brie to be Nikki's savior and get her job back at the same time. Plus when will this all happen? I'm gonna hold off for now, but be ready to strike when the time is ready.
FALLING
1. RVD: Lately he's become a guy they use just to enhance the top talent. In his last 5 matches he's notched one win and that was a 6 man tag. He's one of those guys on your roster that it's almost impossible to drop, but you fear his time might be up for this season at least. I'm not saying I'd do it, but I'd think about it.
2. Layla: She's put together a better season than I think anyone could have predicted, but it's hard to see her coming out on top on this Summer Rae love rectangle.
3. Adam Rose: Obviously worth holding onto, but it's no surprise that of the newcomers, Rusev and Dallas are still coming out almost every show and winning, while Rose has been getting a lighter and lighter workload. First of all the crowd doesn't give him any sort of reaction, and second of all the WWE is probably tired of feeding all those Rosebuds. God this gimmick is awful.