With the final PPV of 2011 now over, we officially start the Road to Wrestlemania, which will take us through the Royal Rumble, the Elimination Chamber, and end at Wrestlemania 28. I look forward to these next three months like most sane people look forward to the football season. As such, I’ll be resuming my episodic recaps of the main shows, in order to see how things develop.
Now, having stopped my regular episode reviews immediately after Money in the Bank, there has been a great many things and developments which have occurred that barely seem to make sense if the last time you watched the WWE was in August. As such, before beginning the episode reviews again, I’m going to do what I did when I first started this blog, and provide a helpful glossary telling you who is still important, what they’ve been up to, and where they’re going.
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Alberto Del Rio: Everyone’s favorite smug millionaire had the best of times, and the worst of times. The best of times include him winning the Royal Rumble, highlighting Wrestlemania with his match against Edge, winning Raw’s Money in the Bank, and cashing it in on CM Punk to become the WWE Champion. The worst of times, oddly, was his reign as champion. It was a bit of a weak run, as the crowd couldn’t really Del Rio’s fault: he fell victim to the same thing that happened with Sheamus and Jack Swagger. They all got put in the driver’s seat too soon, without having the support or interest of the audience, and kind of floundered once they were there. But, Del Rio is still in the thick of things, and still a fantastically conceited, arrogant, self-promoting jerk. I love Del Rio.
Alex Riley: I’m only including Alex here because he was still important when I last blogged. Since then, he has oddly disappeared from the show, in spite of being over with the crowd.
Big Show: Big Show has been something of the main good guy for Smackdown for the last few months. Mark Henry broke his ankle at Money in the Bank, and though he was sidelined for a few months, he returned to exact his vengeance on the World’s Strongest Man, in a feud that lasted about two months. Show did finally beat Mark Henry at TLC, and became the World Heavyweight Champion for the first time in nearly a decade, but only seconds later, Daniel Bryan cashed in the Smackdown Money in the Bank briefcase to pin a worn out Show and steal the title. One of these two has to turn heel, and my money is going to be on Show, but we’ll see.
Christian: After spending most of this year feuding with Orton, Christian finally looked like he was going to be able to expand his horizons, but has wound up getting injured. He was last seen at the Slammy Award show in a neck brace and a crutch, doing his great whiny heel thing about how the mere fact he was even present meant that he should not only be Superstar of the Year, but still deserves one more chance. Hopefully, he’ll be back in action before Wrestlemania.
CM Punk: Oh, man. If the last time you saw Punk was at the time I stopped blogging, then you will be incredibly lost and confused as to where Punk is now. So Punk wound up making good on his pledge to win the WWE Championship on the night where his contract expired, and dashed out of the arena with the belt, with much applause from the crowd. For a few weeks after, you could see Punk on the indy circuit, or on internet shows, until finally, he asked to be signed back on to the show, the reason being that if he truly wanted to change the WWE, he would have to still be part of it. And in a rare piece of awareness as to what the crowd wanted, the WWE made Punk into a protagonist almost on the same promotional level as Cena, only with more of an attitude and a bit edgier (really, his kind of heroism is similar to what Cena’s was earlier in his career, only with less rapping and more wrestling). Since then, he’s fought Cena in a hero vs. anti hero story arc, rebelled against Triple H’s authority, won his title back from Alberto Del Rio, all while having an anti-authority issue with Raw’s GM, John Laurinitis.
Cody Rhodes: My, Cody has to be confused by now. He’s gone from being dashing, to not dashing, to insane, to passive aggressive. After a feud with Orton through the fall, Cody lost his mask, and now claims to be more mentally stable, though his sporadic acts of violence and maniacal laughing fits would indicate otherwise. He’s still the Intercontinental Champion.
Daniel Bryan: The six months in between winning Money in the Bank and becoming the World Heavyweight Championship have been kind of “meh” with Mr. Bryan. He hasn’t really been at the forefront of too much, and still hasn’t developed much of a personality. They were building a David and Goliath thing between him and Mark Henry, which I thought would carry to Wrestlemania, but that’s apparently nixed as Bryan cashed in his briefcase against Big Show instead. As I said with Show, I think one of these guys has to have a heel turn as a result of these events (no face can attack a face without some kind of repercussion), and I’ll be curious to see how that goes. Also curious to see how they try and actually write a show around a guy who’s still kind of bland.
David Otunga: Otunga has redefined himself since the collapse of Nexus as a lawyer lackey to John Laurinaitis. Like most lackies, he spends most of his time jobbing, but at least he has a personality and a character now.
Dolph Ziggler: Ziggler has constantly improved as this year has gone on. He no longer relies on Vickie to talk for him, and has really fit into his Mr. Perfect-esque role. He keeps putting on great matches while developing his show-off, cocky, snarky character. He’s been pushing towards the top for a while, and I expect him to have a more important match come Wrestlemania than he did last year. He also just lost the U.S. Title to Zack Ryder, and surely revenge or advancement will be in his cards.
Evan Bourne: Evan is still just gosh darn loveable, and is part of the Tag Team Champions with Kofi Kingston. That’s all, but when you’re Evan Bourne, that’s all you need.
Jack Swagger: Swagger has been making a slow but steady comeback in his standings. He joined Vickie’s mini-stable (which only consists of Ziggler and Swagger), but it definitely helped him get more screen time and momentum. He’s spent most of the fall kind of being the number two guy to Dolph, but never as an official sidekick. In fact, they’ve made it plain that they don’t like one another, which has led to a few fun moments of one-upmanship.
John Cena: Everyone’s favorite ultimate good guy has had something of a rough year, character wise. He lost the WWE Championship to CM Punk, failed again against in his match against Del Rio, and wound up giving up a title match at TLC in order to give Zack Ryder a chance. However, personally, I think this all helps Cena in the long run, and especially leading up to his match with the Rock at Wrestlemania. For the first time in a long time, Cena seems fallible, which makes him more human and more identifiable. His friendship with the up and coming Zack Ryder has made him more endearing to the smarks, and with CM Punk now more or less being the main protagonist of the show, Cena is free to be himself and not be shoved into the main event of everything, thus giving him a much needed break. All of this gives us a fresh Cena to watch, with his current shortcomings giving him motivation to do better, and with the audience more inclined to see him do so.
John Morrison: Morrison is actually no longer with the WWE, opting out of renewing his contract. I’m bummed about that: the guy had the flash, moves, and charisma needed to be a star, but the WWE kept misusing him and didn’t get his full potential. But, he left on relatively good terms, so hopefully he’ll be back some day.
Kane: Kane was injured the night after Money in the Bank by Mark Henry, and has only just returned. In true Kane fashion, however, he returns more insane and twisted than ever, once again donning a mask over his face, just as he did when he was supposed to have been burned. The mask, however, is not his old one, instead being a flat read color and more rusty in color. The only thing he’s done since his return has been to Chokeslam Cena at the Slammy Awards, so we might expect things happening there.
Kofi Kingston: Kofi hasn’t had much of a singles push as of late, but has instead teamed with Evan Bourne to form the Tag Team Champions, Air Boom. The name is admittedly a little silly, but how can you go wrong when you stick two of the best high fliers together, as well as the two who bring the most energy and action into a match?
Mark Henry: The World’s Strongest Man has had a renaissance year since turning heel, once again having the WWE prove me wrong about whether or not I would like something. After injuring Big Show and Kane, he developed a catch phrase known as inducting people into his “Hall of Pain” and has rolled with being the monster heel better than most of the monsters we’ve had in recent memory. His dialogue is snappier and more clever, and his TV matches are surprisingly good (his cage match with Daniel Bryan was a pleasant surprise). He beat Randy Orton to become WWE Champion at Hell in a Cell, but lost it to Show at TLC. Still, Henry is more relevant now than he has been in years, and I hope he can keep it up.
R-Truth: Truth’s stock has been on the rise since turning crazy. Teaming with the Miz for a few months, the pair of them attacked Triple H and CM Punk, and then main evented Survivor Series against Cena and the Rock. Sadly, Truth is currently suspended for drug usage, but hopefully he’ll be back in time for the Royal Rumble.
Randy Orton: In reverse from Truth, Orton’s stock has gradually fallen. The WWE finally realized that it was difficult to sell Smackdown with Orton has champ, and he lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Mark Henry. Since then, he’s been stuck in a sort of strange limbo, where he’s still considered main even status, but he only fights mid carders. Yet, like Cena, I think this respite from Orton at the top can only help him. He’s been over exposed for a good while, and his character simply isn’t strong enough to write the show around him. He’s been feuding with Wade Barrett lately, and even though he won at TLC, it’s hard to say whether he’s going up the ladder again, or staying put.
Rey Mysterio: Rey’s been oddly absent for a good while with an injury, but wasn’t written out of the show in anyway. He made a cameo at the Slammys, so hopefully he’ll be back soon.
Sheamus: Despite earning a nickname I despise (“The Great White.” What was wrong with “Celtic Warrior?”), Sheamus has made himself into a true fan favorite. People really just enjoy watching him beat up bad guys, partly because he’s one of the few brawlers who can have a really good match without using technical moves, but also because he’s got a great personality. He can be charming and funny one moment, stern and serious the next, so you wind up both liking and fearing the man, and I think that’s what a good wrestling good guy needs to be.
Sin Cara: Poor Sin Cara. He got injured at Money in the Bank, came back, and got injured again at Survivor Series, and is going to be out until the middle of 2012.
Ted Dibiase: Ted’s slate has been wiped clean. That is to say, he’s still Ted Dibiase, son of the Million Dollar Man, but he’s not only a face now, but apparently is no longer a millionaire (though it’s never explained how) and is more of a man for the fans, preferring to hold tail gate parties prior to shows. It should be noted that having connections with the fans doesn’t mean he has a personality.
The Miz: In a sea of Cena, Rock, Punk, and Triple H montages, Miz has managed to keep himself surprisingly relevant, in spite of not being in many title matches. His team with R-Truth was a great plot, as Truth’s insane ramblings about conspiracies mixed with Miz’s ego and the hatred that there were other people getting more screen time than him. And it’s hard to say he hasn’t done much when he’s fighting Triple H and the Rock in PPV matches. After Truth’s suspension (and the plot point of Miz betraying Truth and taking him out of the show), Miz has returned to singles storylines, recently tangling with Punk and Del Rio at TLC.
Triple H: Hunter Hearst Helmsly has found himself in an interesting place. He finally took over for Vince McMahon as Chairman of the Board for the WWE (both in real life, and in the plotline), but apparently didn’t really feel like retiring from in ring action. As such, a good chunk of the major plot lines of the last few months have been centered around him, in spite of the fact that he’s not a day to day wrestler. First there was a matter of Punk getting in his face about being in charge, then the whole locker room walked out on him in a vote of no confidence (which was a cheap way to make Hunter look like an abandoned hero of sorts), and then had the need to fight Miz and R-Truth. Most of all, though, is his bromance fall out with old buddy Kevin Nash, who has turned on him, and the two of them have been dragging on a storyline that no one cares about for the last four months. I wouldn’t mind this so much if either of them were on the show and performing, but they just kind of wait backstage and run montages to let people know they’re important. It’s Triple H’s world, and we only live in it.
The Undertaker: Still missing in action.
Wade Barrett: Barrett has thrived since the dissolution of the Corre. Though still primarily at a mid card level, he has been earning screen time and providing good matches with his usual smug, bullying Britishness. Being able to hold his own with Orton is a good sign, and I’m personally hoping for him to fight Bryan at Wrestlemania, but that’s just me.
Zack Ryder: Boy, if the last few months of inactivity from my blog missed anything, it was the rise of Zack Ryder. Ryder’s character is something of a Jersey Shore-esque club-goer, only a little more goofy and self aware. A former jobber about to lose his job, Ryder started a youtube show which highlighted his misadventures and shortcomings, and slowly garned the mass support of the internet. With this fan base behind him, the WWE was finally forced to put him on the regular shows, and he has since taken off with this push, finally beating Dolph Ziggler for the US Championship.
And thus, with everyone up to speed, we can safely begin the Road to Wrestlemania.
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