It’s been a few weeks since the last Four-Sided Ring, so we have a ton to cover. Let’s start with Extreme Rules. We had an amazing Pay-Per-View (or whatever we’re calling them now in the WWE Network era) highlighted by the Shield vs Evolution brawling throughout the arena, a hardcore fight between Daniel Bryan and Kane, and the surprisingly good WeeLC. Almost all of the story lines going into Extreme Rules are now continuing into Payback, which is a good thing. It’s been a long time since WWE has stuck with multiple long feuds, and the stories are benefitting from it. The Shield will be battling Evolution in an elimination match, Wyatt and Cena will be competing in a Last Man Standing match, and as for Daniel Bryan…well….
All signs were pointing to a rematch between Bryan and Kane for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, when we found out the unfortunate news that Daniel Bryan required neck surgery. As of now, we still don’t have a timeline of his return. It’s almost certain that he’ll be out for Payback, and the best case scenario is that he’s ready for Money in the Bank. This was a punch in the gut to the IWC. It seems like all of our “internet darlings” are sidelined by injury at the worst possible time. Ziggler was white hot when he won the World Heavyweight Championship last year, and after being forced out of action with a severe concussion, all of his momentum was lost. He shortly thereafter lost the title and was relegated to the mid-card. This almost certainly won’t be the case for Bryan. A majority of his momentum was due to the fact that he always played the underdog. This setback will just help the fans get behind him again when he comes back.
Stephanie came out Monday night and addressed the situation and teased stripping Daniel of the titles unless he comes out next week on Raw. The fact that they’re playing this out and not just outright stripping Bryan is a good sign that they won’t take the belts away. This is just a way to keep the storyline between Steph and Bryan going while he heals up. There seems to be signs of a Stephanie/Brie match, which I would be completely up for. Stephanie plays an amazing heel.
Monday Night Raw came to us from across the Atlantic last night from London. The British crowds are always extra rowdy. There’s almost the same feel you get from a post-Wrestlemania crowd every time WWE tapes a show there, and this crowd didn’t disappoint. Wade Barrett, Cesaro, and the Wyatts were cheered harder than the top faces. We also saw a good series of Beat the Clock matches to determine the new #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship, and it looks like we’ll see Rob Van Dam against Barrett at Payback. Signs are also pointing to a US title match between Sheamus and Cesaro, which isn’t what I was hoping to see Cesaro doing after a huge Wrestlemania, but at least we’re still seeing a push.
Over on Impact Wrestling, we’re seeing the formation of TNA’s version of the Authority. MVP has turned on Eric Young and announced himself as the #1 contender for the TNA Heavyweight Championship at Slammiversary. We’ve now also seen Kenny King and Bobby Lashley aligned with him. I’m not sure where this booking makes any sense at all. I try to defend TNA’s creative decisions, but it almost seems like they’re outright copying WWE at this point. Add to this that TNA doesn’t have anywhere to tape their shows through Fall of this year as Universal Studios is booked up and traveling to tape the show actually costs them more money than they’re making. The ratings are low, and the losses are high. Things don’t look good for TNA getting renewed this Fall with Spike. It appears that we’re seeing the last months of the only televised alternative to WWE to rise up after the fall of WCW.
In the Rumor Mill right now, it looks like we’ve got some great talent coming to WWE soon. Pro Wrestling Noah star KENTA, former ROH champion Kevin Steen, and NJPW talent Prince Devitt are all rumored to have signed WWE developmental contracts. All three of these guys are tremendous talents that I would have never thought we would see in a WWE ring. It’s nice to see that WWE hasn’t given up on raiding the indies for talent.
Speaking of indie talent, last Saturday Ring of Honor held it’s War of the Worlds iPPV event with New Japan Pro Wrestling. If you have been interested in New Japan or ROH, I would highly recommend you check this out. These are the two best alternatives to WWE out there right now, and you’ll be seeing some of these guys in WWE very soon. It’s time to get familiar with their work.
That’s all I’ve got for this week. Don’t be a lemon, and keep checking back for more wrestling! See you all next time Rosebuds!
