Moving On: Preview of WWE Extreme Rules 2013

WrestleMania only comes once a year.  When the festivities of that one grand weekend come to an end, it is time for the WWE and the fans to get their heads out of the clouds and back to reality.  The show never stops, so we move onto the PPV that immediately follows WrestleMania, Extreme Rules. 

The one night of the year where the WWE packs some of their biggest gimmick matches all onto one show.  At its best, Extreme Rules can be one of the most entertaining PPVs of the year.  At its worst, Extreme Rules can be a complete mess of bland and boring gimmick matches.  Even with the loss of the Triple Threat Ladder Match (a match plenty of wrestling fans, myself included, were looking forward to), this year’s card looks solid.  Hopefully, the WWE can put on a good show with all the talent on the card.  There is only three hours to put on eight matches, a couple backstage promos, a few video packages and dozens of pre-match entrances; this writer is a little worried that a few matches will be rushed while others will given too much time.  Time constraints are always a factor, but when it comes to gimmick matches sometimes giving too much time to a boring gimmick or too little to an interesting gimmick can hurt the show.

Randy Orton vs. Big Show in an Extreme Rules Match

Big Show turned on Randy Orton and Sheamus at WrestleMania after Orton lost the match for their team, thanks to a blind tag.  Big Show was the man wronged by the distrust of Orton and Sheamus.  Funny enough, this match has been built around the idea that Orton should not have trusted the Largest Athlete in the World, a little backwards if I say so myself.  Who cares that much about the generic storyline when the wrestling is all that matters?  Big Show has been at his best this past year so hopefully he and Orton can put together an enjoyable brawl.  Considering Extreme Rules is in St. Louis, expect Randy Orton to get the win in front of his hometown crowd.

Prediction:  Randy Orton wins

Chris Jericho vs. Fandango

Ever since WrestleMania, Fandango’s popularity has been all over the place.  His popularity skyrocketed WrestleMania weekend with his win over Chris Jericho and the rise of the Fandangoing Internet dance craze.  After that faithful week, Fandango seems to all over the place.  Fandango has jumped between pandering to the crowd one week, to feuding with the Great Khali the next and finally coming back to feuding with Jericho the week after that.  Creative does not seem to know what exactly to do with Fandango as they try to push him as a heel while the crowd dances and hums along to his entrance theme.  Putting this young gun with a ring veteran like Jericho is the best direction to take Fandango at this present time, but it seems Extreme Rules will be the end of this little feud between Fandango and Jericho.  Since Jericho is being advertised to feud with Ryback in the coming months, it would be best for Y2J to win this Sunday.  As long as these two put on a competitive bout, one loss will not hurt Fandango.

Prediction:  Chris Jericho wins

Sheamus vs. Mark Henry in a Strap Match

This feud came straight out of left field.  There was perfect set-up for a Triple Threat Match between Big Show, Randy Orton and Sheamus for Extreme Rules considering the fallout from their match at WrestleMania.  The plans never seemed to materialize as WWE was set on a one-on-one match between Orton and Big Show.  Since being left out of that feud, Sheamus did not had much to do so enter random Mark Henry attacks and another big man trying to get Sheamus to be serious (honestly I will applaud the person that finally gets Sheamus to stop being funny man and back to being a no nonsense ass-kicker) and we got a match.  Sorry for the lack of excitement, I just do not care for a match where two big guys are going whip each other with a strap for ten minutes instead of actually wrestling. 

Prediction:  Sheamus wins

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Dean Ambrose for the U.S. Championship

Let the Shield’s stranglehold of championship gold begin.  Everything the Shield has touched since they debuted last November has turned to gold.  They are one of the best factions in years and to put the United States and Tag Team belts on them will hopefully bring prestige back to those divisions.  Creative will definitely not feed these stars to the dogs of the main event scene like they have been doing with mid-card champions for the past year now.  With the unorthodox style of Dean Ambrose and the high-flying fast-paced offence of Kofi Kingston, this match could be one to possibly steal the show.

Prediction:  Dean Ambrose wins the U.S. Championship

Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger in an “I Quit” Match for the No. 1 Contendership for the World Heavyweight Championship

As much as it hurts to see such an amazing match taken away due to an injury, the world of wrestling is definitely unpredictable.  Hopefully Dolph Ziggler has a speedy recovery, but we are left in good hands, Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio.  While a ladder match may not play to the strengths of Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio, an “I Quit” Match certainly does.  The story just might not be there, but these two can and have put on some great wrestling matches.  This “I Quit” Match will be no different as I personally expect a grueling submission clinic on display at Extreme Rules.  There are rumours floating around that the WWE wants to have the Triple Threat Ladder Match for Summerslam.  If that is the plan, there are definitely plans to keep both Swagger and Del Rio in the World Title picture for the time being.

Prediction:  Jack Swagger becomes the No. 1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Championship

Team Hell No (c) vs. The Shield in a Tornado Tag Team Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship

A 6-Man Tag between the Shield and Team Hell No and the Undertaker would have easily blown the roof off the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.  Sadly, not everything we dream becomes reality, but this match should be very good as well.  In one corner, you got the Tag Team Champions Team Hell No, one of the best pairings the WWE has made since Jeri-Show back in 2009.  In the other, you got Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns of the Shield, the best thing to happen to the WWE in what seems like ages.  Expect some great action to result from this Tornado Tag Team match, a stipulation that is more akin to a Fatal 4 Way than a traditional tag team match.  When the dust settles, the Shield will prevail and leave Extreme Rules with gold around their waists.

Prediction:  The Shield wins the WWE Tag Team Championship

Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H in a Steel Cage Match

The one feud nobody wanted to see more after their main event match from Summerslam.  Having Triple H and Brock Lesnar on Extreme Rules definitely adds enough star power to garner some buys from casual wrestling fans.  Setting their third and hopefully final match in the Steel Cage will provide a brutal canvas for Triple H and Lesnar to paint their final masterpiece or disasterpiece.  Steel Cage matches have been hit or miss in the WWE the last few years.  As long as Lesnar emerges from the cage as the victor of this match and feud, this writer will be happy.

Prediction:  Brock Lesnar wins

John Cena (c) vs. Ryback in a Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship

There is no doubt in this writer’s mind that it is time for John Cena to step aside as Ryback’s time is now.  You can debate all day whether Ryback is ready to hold the WWE Championship or not.  The fact of the matter is Ryback has lost so much on PPV the last few months that a loss against Cena at Extreme Rules just might be the tipping point for fans.  It is hard to believe in a monster that cannot win a big match on PPV.  With how Cena has buried Ryback verbally the last few weeks, there is no way Ryback can leave Extreme Rules with loss without serious damage done to his image with the audience.  Also dropping the title to Ryback will allow Cena to properly heal for his Achilles tendon injury.  It is time to take this Ryback experiment to the next level and see if he can succeed as the WWE Champion. 

Prediction:  Ryback wins the WWE Championship

The month long build for Extreme Rules went a long way in creating a solid card with some well put together feuds.  Now WWE needs to combine the longer build with actual PPV hype and the interest and buy rates in PPVs will definitely improve.  It is a good start and WWE can make steps forward from here.  Top to bottom, Extreme Rules looks like a good card with no filler except for the Strap Match, but that is more my personal opinion.  If you are looking for some wrestling to watch this Victoria Day weekend, look no further than Extreme Rules.

The Silver Report: April 7-13

One year ago, The Silver Report debuted here on the Silverdome in the unbelievable aftermath of WrestleMania 28.  Here we are a year later, looking at the aftermath of WrestleMania 29.  While the quality of WrestleMania continues to waver, it is the Monday night after WrestleMania that has become an event just as big as The Show of Shows itself.  As WrestleMania becomes more focused on catering to the casual wrestling fans, the Raw immediately following WrestleMania is a treat for the hardcore wrestling fanatics like yours truly.  Explosive promos, great matches, hot crowd and an electric atmosphere make for easily one of the best Raws of the year.  Personally, I did not find this year’s Raw to be as good as the Raw that followed WrestleMania 28, but it was still one hell of a show.  Even when things were getting a little boring, the unbelievably hot crowd at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey kept you entertained.  In the last few years, the Raw following WrestleMania has become such an integral part of the WrestleMania experience that nobody should skip out on it if they ever get a chance to go to the Show of Shows.

Dolph Ziggler, New World Heavyweight Champion!!

Everybody was hoping to see Dolph Ziggler cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania to win the World Heavyweight Championship because it would have been an insane WrestleMania moment.  Leaving that moment until Raw, where a much bigger audience than WrestleMania is watching, was even better.  Pitting Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter against Alberto Del Rio in a Handicap Match seemed like the perfect set-up for Dolph to cash-in.  Jack worked over Del Rio’s ankle before Alberto hooked in the Cross Arm Breaker to win the match.  Immediately following the Handicap Match, Ziggler would come to the cheers of the crowd and many fans sitting at home.  It was a short match that saw Dolph and Del Rio go back-and-forth.  There was one point where Del Rio hooked Ziggler in the Cross Arm Breaker that made me yell at the top of my lungs, “Don’t you dare tap, Dolph!”  Ziggler escaped the hold by twisting Del Rio’s injured ankle, which set up Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag for the win.  The crowd at the Izod Center exploded in cheers while I jumped out of my seat in pure excitement.  It was easily one of the best Money in the Bank cash-ins I had the honour of watching.  In the span of two minutes, the emotions everybody watching this match went from excitement to frustration then ultimately happiness.  It was emotionally draining to say the least, but the best moments in professional wrestling are.  Easily the best moment of 2013 so far and it will definitely be pretty hard to beat.  Now that Dolph Ziggler is the World Heavyweight Champion, it is time for the WWE to show the world that Ziggler is main event player.

Fandango Becomes a Star

Last year, WrestleMania week changed the career of Daniel Bryan.  In the span of a week, Daniel Bryan went from having the most crushing defeat in his career to being the most over wrestler in the WWE.  The birth of the Yes chants a year ago launched Daniel Bryan’s career into the stratosphere.  No matter where Bryan is on the card, he gets one of the loudest responses of the night.  It is all thanks to the fans in Miami that chose to stand their ground and show WWE who they want to be pushed.  Fandango seems to be this year’s WrestleMania success story.  While the enigmatic dancer did get a huge win over Chris Jericho at WrestleMania, it was the crowd at the Izod Center that got Fandango over.  From humming and dancing along to Fandango’s theme song throughout the night to saying his name in unison, this crowd did everything in their power to get Fandango over to the point that I believe we will not be hearing any “You can’t wrestle” chants directed towards Fandango in the future.  While Fandango has truly made his mark on the WWE and the WWE Universe, Fandangoing seems to be sweeping the inter-webs much like Gangnam Style did last year and the Harlem Shake did earlier this year.  The internet loves the weirdest things, but the rising popularity of Fandangoing will bring good publicity to the professional wrestling and the WWE and further push Fandango as a star in the squared circle.

Best Raw Crowd Ever

Most nights the wrestlers are the stars of the show, but there are a few nights when the crowd is the star of the show.  This past Monday on Raw was one of those nights.  The crowd at the Izod Center was just phenomenal.  The excitement and enthusiasm that they brought to Raw made it that much more enjoyable to watch at home.  Personally, I cannot account for how it was like to be in a rabid crowd like the one at the Izod Center, but I hope to one day experience it for myself.  Apart from Ziggler’s World Title win, the best moment from Raw was when the crowd decided to hijack the show, which began during the boring Randy Orton vs. Sheamus match.  The crowd chanted for the announcers, wrestlers, old wrestling promotions and everything in between.  It was a so surreal that you stopped paying attention to what was happening on  the screen and concentrated on intently listening to whatever crazy chant the crowd decided to start.  It would be awesome to have a crowd like the one at the Izod Center at every show as it would make the three hour marathons the WWE calls Monday Night Raw fly by.  Sadly that is not possible as a crowd like this one only results from the international crowd that comes from all corners of the world to see WrestleMania live.  We will just have wait until next year in New Orleans to see a crowd as rabid as this one, but it will be worth the wait.