This week’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown opens up with another waste of time…I mean episode of MizTV. His guests are The Big Show and Randy Orton. Orton makes his way out first, followed by Show. Miz reminds them they’re competing in an Extreme Rules Match and says that, because of their issues at WrestleMania, this will be one of the most anticipated matches at ER. I beg to differ. Ambrose/Kofi and Shield/Hell No! will both be much, much better. Miz asks Show about being laid out by the RKO last week, asking if it’s a preview of ER. Show expected a weasel like Miz to make a statement like that. Orton hit the RKO from behind, like the snake in the grass he is. Orton attacked him at WM and last week. At ER, there are no rules. Show can use anything he wants to rip Orton apart. But he doesn’t need weapons like Orton does. In St. Louis, Orton’s hometown, the last thing anyone will remember will be a TKO instead of an RKO. Orton calls Show’s story interesting and entertaining, but the ending is inaccurate. ER does take place in Orton’s hometown, and he’s not letting Show beat him in front of his city. The reason why they’re at each other’s throats is because Orton made the mistake in trusting Show. The only thing anyone is going to remember at ER is how “The Viper” struck down “The Giant”, and if Show’s not careful, he may just not get back up.

Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter come out. Zeb says ER will be memorable, but only because Swagger will make Alberto Del Rio say “I quit”. Jack Swagger’s America will become a reality, and he will be the new #1 contender for the World title. Now, it’s ADR’s turn to come out, along with Ricardo Rodriguez. He tells Zeb to shut up. Everyone is tired of hearing Zeb talk, so ADR is making it clear that everyone will remember that he will be the new #1 contender when he makes Swagger quit. As for Zeb, ADR is going to send him back wherever he came from so he never sneaks into ADR’s business again.

Now Mark Henry comes out. I smell a 6-man main event. Henry’s heard all of this talking, and what’s going to be remembered is Henry setting world records by pulling semis. They’re going to remember him beating Sheamus like no one else ever has as well. What people will remember is that he’s the strongest man in the world because that’s what he does. Enter Sheamus. He says the Strap Match will be the most memorable when he leaves Henry’s giant carcass battered and bruised. But why wait until Sunday when they can preview the match right now? Sheamus reveals he’s carrying a strap, and he clears the ring of the heels, last whipping Henry.

After the commercials, lo and behold, Teddy Long comes out. He announces that he’s ready for Extreme Rules, and he’s making a 6-man main event. I, for one, am shocked.

MATCH 1: Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins (w/Dean Ambrose) vs. The Usos (Jey and Jimmy)
Rollins and Jimmy start the match with Jimmy on the attack. Jey tags in and throws Rollins into a boot from his brother. Jey hits a forearm off the ropes, but Rollins applies a side headlock. Reigns makes a blind tag, blocks a hip toss and hits a clothesline. Reigns stops Jey in the corner, then whips him. Jey blocks a charge and hits a running hip bump. Jimmy intercepts Rollins, and they brawl on the floor. Jey mule kicks Reigns, but he ducks a jumping side kick and hits a spear for the 3.

WINNERS: Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. After the match, The Shield gang-attacks Jey until Kofi Kingston hits the ring. They beat him down and throw him to the outside. Kofi comes back in and clears the ring with a chair.

We see Teddy Long with The Miz in the back, and he tells Miz he’s been missed. Damien Sandow enters the office and says they’d all be better off if Miz had never returned, so people could bask in the glory of a host instead of an ignoramus like Miz. Sandow offers his own talk show segment. Long says he’ll consider it, but right now, he needs to show Long what he can do in the ring tonight against The Miz. You’re welcome.

MATCH 2: Tons of Funk (Brodus Clay and Sweet T, w/The Funkadactyls) vs. The Prime-Time Players (Titus O’Neil and Darren Young)
Clay and Young start the match with Clay on offense. He assaults Young in the corner with right hands and forearms. T tags in, and he hits a combination sidewalk slam/inverted bulldog with Clay. Young rolls to the floor, and T follows, throwing him back in the ring. Titus comes off the apron with a clothesline on T, which allows Young to throw him back in the ring and begin an assault. Titus tags in, hurls Young into T, then nails a clothesline. Titus hits some shoulder thrusts in the corner, then taunts the crowd as he walks to the opposite one. He misses a 3-point stance, and T tags in Clay. Young tags in and runs into a pair of clotheslines, followed by an exploder suplex. Young lands near the corner, where he receives an avalanche. Clay hits a running powerslam for 2 as Titus breaks up the pin. T boots him, and the faces sandwich Young before hitting a double Ah, Funk It! for 3.

WINNERS: Tons of Funk.

MATCH 3: Chris Jericho vs. Antonio Cesaro
Lock-up, and Cesaro backs Jericho into the corner. Jericho shoves him off and applies a side headlock. Cesaro throws him into the ropes and hits a shoulderblock. Another lock-up, and Jericho turns it into a hammerlock before hitting some chops and a dropkick. We get a cut-away video of Fandango and Summer Rae, and she’s pretending she hurt her ankle again. The both of them laugh. Okay, then. A match is still going on, so let’s get back to it. Cesaro rolls to the floor off an Irish whip, avoiding a clothesline in the process. Cesaro fights Jericho through the ropes before hitting a European uppercut. Cesaro hits some knife-edge chops in the corner and sends Jericho into the opposite. Jericho blocks a charge and hits a middle rope missile dropkick before hitting a seated one to the back and a seated one to the side of the head. Cesaro rolls to the apron and tries to suplex Jericho to the floor. He nails a forearm to the face, but Jericho kicks him as he gets back in, then knocks him to the floor with an inside-out dropkick. Commercials.

Back from the break, Cesaro has Jericho in a rear chinlock. Jericho elbows out, ducks a clothesline and locks in a backslide for 2. Cesaro pops up with a clothesline for 2 of his own before applying another rear chinlock. Jericho gets back to his feet, but Cesaro keeps the hold locked in. Jericho eventually breaks out and shoulders Cesaro down twice before getting sent to the apron. Jericho lands on his feet, goes up top and hits a double axe handle. Cesaro ducks a clothesline and goes back to the chinlock. Jericho counters into a Walls, but Cesaro boots him off. Jericho boots him in the face and goes for the Lionsault, but Cesaro blocks it with his knees and hits a double stomp for 2. Cesaro pounds Jericho in the face with forearm shots, then pulls him up by his ears for a slap to the face. Jericho escapes a corner whip and hits a step-up enziguri for 2. Briefly Jericho’s finisher, BTW. Jericho punts Cesaro in the ribs before running into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for 2. Cesaro goes back to the rear chinlock, then releases it before calling for the Neutralizer. Jericho counters into the Walls, but Cesaro twists out. Jericho boots him in the corner, then goes up top, and jumps off right into a Very European Uppercut for 2. Cesaro slaps him in the back of the head a few times before going for the deadlift gutwrench suplex. Jericho grabs his leg on the way down and counters into the Walls of Jericho for the submission.

WINNER: Chris Jericho. Great match with a great finish. Poor Antonio Cesaro, though. He deserves so much better. Anyway, as Jericho is celebrating, Fandango’s music hits, and Summer Rae dances her way onto the stage. Fandango tries to attack from behind, but Jericho sees him coming and tackles him, hitting a few punches before Fandango bails. Cesaro gets back up and tries to go after Jericho, running right into a Codebreaker in the process.

MATCH 4: Damien Sandow vs. The Miz
Cody Rhodes is on color commentary, as he’s facing Miz in the dark match at ER. Lock-up to start, and Miz applies a side headlock. Sandow counters out, and Miz applies it once again, right into a hip throw. Sandow gets back up and backs Miz into a corner for some shoulder thrusts before he stomps Miz down. Miz escapes a corner whip and hits a clothesline. Miz sends Sandow into the corner, but runs into an elbow. He ducks a clothesline and goes for one of his own, but Sandow bails to the floor. Miz meets him outside with a double axe handle from the apron. Sandow is rolled back in, and he kicks Miz as he tries to climb back in. Rhodes leaves the announce desk, grabs a mic and tells the audience to show respect for Sandow. In the ring, Sandow hits a suplex, drops his kneepad and hits a jumping kneedrop for 2. We get a cut-away featuring Wade Barrett, who is apparently doing an interview in the back. In the ring, Miz fights back with punches before being triped into the ropes. Sandow hits a knee to the back, then follows up with some kneelifts and a side-Russian legsweep. The Cobito Aquiet connects for 2, and now Sandow is applying a rear chinlock. Miz fights out, ducks some rights and hits some lefts. Forearm off the ropes by Miz, followed by a running kneelift and a running boot. Hanging clothesline in the corner, and now Miz goes up top for a double axe handle. Why are so many wrestlers using that all of a sudden. Miz calls for the figure-4, but Rhodes distracts him on the apron. Miz knocks him down and Sandow goes for a back suplex. Miz flips out, takes Sandow down and applies the figure-4. Sandow taps.

WINNER: The Miz.

MATCH 5: Aksana vs. WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn (non-title)
Before the match, we see a video from earlier today featuring Kaitlyn and Natalya talking, and someone delivers some flowers to Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn starts the match with a waistlock takedown right into a front chancery. Kaitlyn turns it into a snap suplex for 2 before applying an arm wringer. Aksana fights out with forearms before Kaitlyn runs through her with a shoulderblock. She calls for the inverted DDT, but Aksana backs her into the corner before whipping her down to the mat. She catapults Kaitlyn into the top rope, then drives her knee into Kaitlyn’s back before applying a rear chinlock. Kaitlyn begins to fight out until Aksana whips her back down. Aksana lands some kicks to the ribs before hitting a side-Russian legsweep. She crawls around the ring for whatever reason, then kicks Kaitlyn in the face for 2. Aksana goes back to the rear chinlock, driving her knee into the back as well. Kaitlyn powers out, but runs into a kick. Aksana forearms her down, then applies an over-the-shoulder backbreaker. Kaitlyn escapes and runs through Aksana with a spear for 3.

WINNER: Kaitlyn. Decent for a divas match, especially considering one of the contestants was Aksana. Decent spear by Kaitlyn, too.

MATCH 6: Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus and Randy Orton (w/Ricardo Rodriguez) vs.
Jack Swagger, Mark Henry and The Big Show (w/Zeb Colter)
Swagger and ADR start the match with a lock-up. Swagger goes into a side headlock before shouldering ADR off the ropes. Crisscross ends in a hip toss by ADR. ADR lands a kick to the spine for 2. ADR kicks Swagger in the corner, then hits a step-up enziguri. Orton tags in and stomps Swagger’s hand before hitting a European uppercut. Orton with the corner punches, hitting all ten. Swagger comes back with a chopblock off an Irish whip, then DDTs the leg. Orton gets back up and hits a dropkick before tagging in ADR, who hits a drop toe-hold for 2. Swagger rolls to the apron, and ADR pulls him through the ropes for some forearms to the back and a Backstabber. Swagger rolls to the floor, and ADR hits a suicide dive. ADR rolls Swagger back into the ring and goes up top. Swagger meets him with a belly-to-belly suplex. Kurt Angle will accuse him of stealing on Twitter in no time. Show tags in stands on ADR’s back. He hits an open-hand chop in the corner before throwing ADR into the buckles. Swagger tags back in and hits some kneelifts. Henry in for the first time, and he headbutts ADR repeatedly. Swagger back in, and ADR blocks a charge before hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Show back in, and he stops a tag with an elbow drop. Bodyslam by Show as we go to commercials.

Back from the break, ADR boots Swagger away. Swagger misses a corner charge, going shoulder-first into the ring post. Show tags in, and he pulls ADR away from his corner, once again preventing a tag. Show goes for the Alley-Oop, but ADR counters with a hurricanrana. Sheamus tags in, hits a pair of Irish Hammers, a running shoulder thrust and a running kneelift. He goes up for the Battering Ram, but Show sees it coming. Sheamus rolls through and charges at Show, running into a goozle. Sheamus escapes the chokeslam and hits White Noise. He calls for the Brogue Kick, but gets distracted by Henry. He knocks Henry down and goes for the Kick, but Show blocks it and hits a chokeslam for 2. Swagger back in, and he drops a pair of elbows before hitting a bodyslam and a running legdrop for 1. Swagger applies a front chancery, but Sheamus fights out and hits a rolling fireman’s carry slam. Henry tags in, and he stomps Sheamus in the back, preventing a tag. He clubs Sheamus across the back of the neck before foot-choking him. Show back in, and Sheamus tries to fight back with rights before running into a shoulderblock. Show walks across Sheamus’ stomach, then ties him in the ropes for some open-hand chops and a body blow. Swagger in, and he hits a series of kneelifts in the corner before hitting a short-arm clothesline. Swagger Bomb connects for 2. Swagger goes for it again, but Sheamus gets back up and electric chairs Swagger. Orton tags in, and he hits the 3.0, followed by 3 of the 4 Moves of Boredom. Henry comes in and hits Orton with a standing avalanche as Show clotheslines Sheamus to the floor. ADR lands a step-up enziguri on Henry on the apron, and outside, Sheamus blasts Show with a Brogue Kick. In the ring, Swagger ducks another step-up from ADR and goes for the Patriot Lock. Orton comes back in and lands an RKO on Swagger for 3.

WINNERS: Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton and Sheamus.

End of show.

-Dustin

Dustin Nichols is a freelance writer, and you can keep track of all of his work on his Facebook page, which can be found at www.facebook.com/DustinNicholsWriter. Oh, and if you like bodybuilding, check out his mom’s official site by clicking the banner below:

WWE: Extreme Rules 2013 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com

Tonight, Jack Swagger takes on Big E. Langston. But, way more importantly, Daniel Bryan takes on Dean Ambrose. I am beside myself with glee at match.

The show opens with Chris Jericho in the ring for another edition of The Highlight Reel. His guest tonight will be challenging John Cena for the WWE Championship in a Last Man Standing Match at Extreme Rules, and that is Ryback. Ryback comes out, and Jericho says he’s made incredible waves over the last month, starting the night after Wrestlemania. On his show, Jericho likes to rile people up, but in the case of John Cena, Jericho knows where Ryback is coming from. Ryback says he doesn’t need Jericho’s approval. Jericho knows why Ryback did what he did, as what Ryback has wanted has always been taken out of his grasp. Jericho wants to know what Ryback’s rules are. He thinks they’re pretty simple: Ryback will do whatever it takes to win and be on top, and Jericho understands that. He’s been champion six times, and to do that, he grew a chip on his shoulder, and if people weren’t with him, they were against. Ryback says don’t judge him, and he takes care of himself. Jericho isn’t judging, but the fans are. The Jerichoholics here tonight are judging Ryback. They’re booing you, Ryback, because they know the difference between beating Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night to become Undisputed Champion, and beating a one-legged John Cena in a LMS match. Maybe Ryback will get what he wants, and wants to be a cowardly champion instead of the nice guy who always finishes 2nd. Ryback could win the title at Extreme Rules, but he will lose the respect of everyone in the WWE Universe. Ryback tells Jericho he talks way too much. What makes Jericho think Ryback won’t drop him right here and now? Jericho says he’s looking into Ryback’s eyes and doesn’t think he’ll do a damn thing.

Cue Teddy Long. He says that’s not the way it’s going to go down. If these two have some business to settle, then they will do it in tonight’s main event. As soon as Long finishes talking, Ryback drops Jericho with a cheap shot and heads to the back. Considering how awesome last week’s Bryan/Ryback match was, this main event has a ton of potential.

Later tonight, Mark Henry is apparently looking to set a world record.

MATCH 1: WWE United States Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Cody Rhodes (non-title)
Kofi goes right to the waistlock, and Rhodes knocks him down. They each block a hip toss, and Kofi hits a kneelift, followed by a flipping armdrag. Never seen an armdrag like that before. Kofi hits a standard one after that, right into an armbar until Rhodes elbows out. He chokes Kofi over the middle rope, then hits a kitchen sink for 1. Standing gourdbuster connects for 2. Rhodes stomps Kofi down, then applies a modified hammerlock. Kofi escapes and hits another armdrag, followed by a pair of chops and a dropkick. He misses the jumping clothesline, but hits a sunset flip. Rhodes rolls through and goes for a kick, but Kofi ducks and rolls Rhodes up for 2. Rhodes escapes and hits a punt to the ribs for 2. Kofi gets sent to the corner, blocks a charge, then springs to the top with the cross-body. Rhodes rolls through and gets 2. He goes for a Cross Rhodes, but Kofi escapes and goes for the SOS. Rhodes escapes and ducks TIP. He goes for the Disaster Kick, but Kofi ducks and nails Rhodes with Trouble in Paradise for 3.

WINNER: Kofi Kingston. Good closing sequence in that match. My compliments to both men. Good match overall, too.

Renee Young has an interview with Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter. Before she can ask her questions, Zeb cuts her off and spouts his usual crap. Zeb talks about ladder matches and Swagger’s statement this past Monday night. Blah, blah, blah.

MATCH 2: Big E. Langston (w/AJ Lee and Dolph Ziggler) vs. Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Colter)
I hope Ziggler’s doing alright since getting injured, and I also hope it’s nothing long-term. Amnesia, no matter the grade, is no joke. Anyway, Alberto Del Rio is on commentary for the match, and AJ looks amazing as well. Before the match starts, ADR pulls a ladder from under the ring and slides it into the ring, leaving it at that. Ziggler goes to grab it, and Swagger kicks him. Swagger and Langston tug-of-war at the ladder, and Swagger rams it into Langston’s gut off a Zeb Colter distraction.

WINNER: No contest. The match never even got started. Langston gets clotheslined to the floor, and Ziggler comes in and nails Swagger before dropkicking the ladder into Swagger. He then baseball slides it into Zeb. ADR is back in, and he hits a clothesline on Ziggler before nailing him with a thrust kick. ADR then swings the ladder into Ziggler’s face before pulling it outside, where he throws it into Swagger. The ladder gets slid back into the ring by ADR, and he sets it up, grabs the World title belt, then climbs the ladder and holds it over his head.

MATCH 3: Dean Ambrose (w/Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins) vs. WWE Tag Team Co-Champion Daniel Bryan (w/Kane)
Bryan immediately nails a running knee, then stomps Ambrose down in the corner. Ambrose comes back with forearms and punches before raking Bryan’s eyes across the top rope. Bryan counters an Irish whip with a kitchen sink, then drops some elbows to the shoulder and lands some kicks to the back. Bryan hits a jumping kneedrop, then follows up with European uppercuts in the corner. Ambrose fights back and nails some shots before throwing Bryan into the opposite corner. He headbutts Bryan down, then foot chokes him on the bottom rope. Chop to the chest by Ambrose, and Bryan backflips off a corner whip attempt before hitting a running clothesline. He fires up the No! Kicks, but misses the Buzzsaw when Ambrose rolls to the floor. Bryan capitalizes with a suicde dive, and we see a stand-off between Kane and Reigns/Rollins in the aftermath. Commercials.

Back from the break, Ambrose is in control with an elbow drop, getting 2. Ambrose applies a neck vice, then turns it into a straightjacket. Bryan starts to reverse, but gets hit with a short-arm clothesline. Ambrose then hits a low clothesline for 2 before applying a double trapezius claw. Ambrose breaks it to back to the neck vice, and Bryan elbows his way out. He hits some rights before getting hit with a vicious kneelift. Ambrose hits a couple rights against the ropes, then nails a running seated dropkick for 2. Ambrose applies a sleeper, but Bryan fights out once more. Ambrose headbutts him, then nails some forearms to the face in the corner. He misses a charge, going shoulder-first into the ring post. Bryan follows up with a running corner dropkick, then nails some more No! Kicks before tying Ambrose up in the tree of woe. More kicks, and now a baseball slide to the chest for 2. Bryan hits some European uppercuts until Ambrose counters into a backslide for 2. Bryan escapes and blasts Ambrose with a running kick to the chest. Bryan goes up top, and Kane steps in to make sure Rollins and Reigns don’t interfere. Bryan hits a seated missile dropkick on Ambrose for 2. Ambrose comes back with some palm strikes, ducks a roundhouse and hits a back suplex into a facebuster for 2. Ambrose has a nice shiner on his left eye, courtesy of Bryan’s corner dropkick. Ambrose hits some knees to the face, but Bryan blocks a short-arm clothesline and counters into the No! Lock. He cinches it in as Rollins tries to interfere. Kane pulls him out, and Reigns breaks up the hold. Reigns goes after Kane, and Kane takes them both on. Ambrose applies a side headlock when Kofi Kingston runs in and attacks him.

WINNER VIA DISQUALIFICATION: Dean Ambrose. Kofi and the tag champs then clean house, sending The Shield back through the crowd. Well, until the DQ finish, that match was awesome.

We see footage from earlier today of Mark Henry pulling a 27-ton tractor trailer behind him. Up next, Henry will try to break a world record by pulling two of them.

We see some footage of Henry whipping Sheamus this past Monday night. For those that say wrestling is completely fake, look at pics of Sheamus’ back later that night and get back to me.

We’re back outside the arena where Henry is prepping. Matt Striker interviews him beforehand. Henry says there has been a lot of strong men who have pulled trucks, boats, trolleys and buses. There’s no one on Earth that has pulled two tractor trailers. Tonight, this is a demonstration of how he’s going to pull Sheamus like a ragdoll. At Extreme Rules, all four corners are going to be touched. Now get out of his way while he makes history. Henry has to pull these twenty feet to break the record. Henry pulls a couple of times and doesn’t make any headway. He takes a breath for a minute, and Striker asks him if he’s struggling. Henry says no one thinks he can do it. That don’t matter. Get out of his way! Henry begins pulling, and the trucks do indeed move, and Henry eventually does it before collapsing on the ground. I’m not sure if the Guinness people were actually here or not, but if they were, it does appear Henry has broken a record. For whatever reason, The Prime-Time Players were acting as his cheerleaders during this segment. Regardless of what you think of Henry, what he did was pretty damn impressive.

Renee Young is standing by with Randy Orton. She reminds him of what happened on RAW when The Big Show nailed Orton with a KO Punch. She asks him what his message to Show is. Orton is not the most trusting type, but he trusted Show at ‘Mania, and it got him knocked out twice. You mess with “The Viper”, you’re going to get bit. At Extreme Rules, there will be no antidote for what he does to The Big Show.

MATCH 4: The Big Show vs. Sweet T (w/Brodus Clay and The Funkadactyls)
Show starts with some body blows. T fights back with rights to the face, then shoulders Show in the corner. Headbutts by T, and now more rights in the corner. He hits an avalanche, then goes for the Derailer. Show knocks his arms away and hits the KO Punch for the 3.

WINNER: The Big Show. After the match, Clay gets in the ring to check on T, and Show goes after him. Clay fights back until Show spears him. He calls for the KO Punch once more, but Randy Orton comes in out of nowhere and hits an RKO on Show.

We see Kaitlyn texting someone when AJ Lee approaches her, asking who the secret admirer. Kaitlyn says maybe it’s Dolph, as maybe Dolph is ready for a real woman. AJ makes fun of the fact that Kaitlyn is muscular, and Kaitlyn calls her a 10 year-old boy. Natalya interrupts, and AJ calls them, “gentlemen”. Nattie asks if she has figured out who it is yet, then says The Great Khali hasn’t found anything out yet. Khali approaches them wearing a Rey Mysterio mask, singing his entrance theme before walking off. Not sure what the point of that was. Kaitlyn tells Nattie he doesn’t have to wear a costume while working undercover before leaving. Nattie tells Khali doesn’t have to go undercover, or dress like Cody Rhodes. The camera pans up to show Khali wearing a mustache.

MATCH 5: Chris Jericho vs. Ryback
Lock-up, and Ryback throws Jericho back. They do this again, and Ryback then shoves Jericho. Jericho slaps him and hits a dropkick off the ropes. Jericho gets backdropped to the outside off a charge, but lands on the apron. Ryback nails him with a forearm, knocking him to the floor. Outside, Ryback continues the attack with rights to the head before rolling Jericho back in. Jericho cuts him off with a kick, then hits a chop in the corner. Jericho hits some kicks to the gut until Ryback shoves him down and continues the assault with stomps before foot-choking Jericho near the ropes. Ryback throws Jericho to the corner and hits a knife-edge before clubbing Jericho down and applying a rear chinlock. Jericho fights out, but gets hit with a knee. Jericho comes back with a kick, escapes a slam and hits a flying forearm, sending Ryback to the ropes. Jericho nails an inside-out dropkick, sending Ryback to the floor. Ryback immediately jumps back up on the apron, then jumps right back down. Commercials.

Back from the break, Ryback is once again in control, stomping Jericho on the mat. Ryback stomps Jericho in the midsection, then drops an elbow for 2. A waistlock is applied now, and Jericho fights out with forearms before running into a standing spinebuster for 2. Ryback headbutts Jericho a couple of times, then begins slamming his head into the mat by the ears. Ryback applies a neck vice now, and Jericho fights out once more. Ryback boots him and sends him to the corner, but Jericho misses a charge and hits a pair of shoulders before being sent outside. Jericho lands on his feet on the apron, goes up top and hits a double axe handle. Jericho hits some kicks to the face and goes for the bulldog, but Ryback counters into a tilt-a-whirl powerslam. He misses a Warrior Splash, and Jericho capitalizes with a Lionsault for 1. Jericho comes off the ropes and gets caught in a Warrior Press. He lands on his feet and goes for the Codebreaker, but Ryback just drops him before hitting the deadlift powerbomb. Ryback hits a bodyslam, then follows up with a corner clothesline. Jericho comes back with a dropkick to the knees, then looks for the Walls of Jericho. Listening to Josh Mathews making fun of Michael Cole for always hanging on John Cena’s nuts is funny. Anyway, Ryback kicks Jericho away and hits a fall-away slam. The Meat Hook connects, and Ryback calls for Shell Shocked. Jericho reverses into a schoolboy and turns it into the Walls, sitting down tight. Ryback powers his way to the ropes, getting the break. Jericho quickly hits the Codebreaker, but Ryback is too close to the ropes, and he falls through the ropes and to the floor. Outside, Jericho goes after Ryback, but Ryback throws him into the barricade. Ryback picks him into a back suplex, but instead sends him crotch-first into the ring post, apparently causing a DQ.

WINNER VIA DISQUALIFICATION: Chris Jericho. Ryback begins heading to the back as Jericho is helped up by referee Scott Armstrong. Ryback comes back after a minute and Meat Hooks Jericho over the announce table.

End of show.

Much like Bryan/Ambrose, the DQ finish to the main event sucked. However, the match was still good. That’s three good matches this week. I call it a win.

-Dustin

Dustin Nichols is a freelance writer, and you can keep track of all of his work on his Facebook page, which can be found at www.facebook.com/DustinNicholsWriter. Oh, and if you like bodybuilding, check out his mom’s official site by clicking the banner below:

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: The Best of In Your House

Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com

Welcome to another edition of WWE Wrestler of the Week! This week, the winner went 3-0 this week with victories on Smackdown, Raw and Main Event. However, two of those victories were over the same superstar. This shouldn’t come as a surprise due to WWE’s recent booking of repeated matches each week, but it is still a bit disappointing. This week’s winner is “The Viper” Randy Orton.

On the May 3^rd edition of SmackDown, Orton squared off against the Intellectual Savior of the Masses, Damien Sandow. Last week, Orton was facing Sandow’s partner and best friend in Cody Rhodes. Logic would say that Orton and some partner were feuding with Team Rhodes Scholars. However, Rhodes was nowhere to be seen as Orton defeated Sandow in typical fashion.

Orton and Sandow didn’t stop on Friday night. The two squared off again on the May 6^th edition of Raw. The outcome was not any different on Monday night, but there was a high point in this match. Or before the match I should say. In one of the most uneventful episodes of Raw in history, one of the best segments of the night came from Damien Sandow. Prior to his match with Orton, Sandow sang his own rendition of Orton’s theme song.

Sandow’s song made fun of a lot of the criticisms behind Randy Orton and his character. Perhaps this will be the start of a change to Orton. Many believed he was going to turn heel at WrestleMania and even possibly join The Shield. I was not one of those people. Orton is too popular among the younger audience for the WWE to turn him heel. Plus, CM Punk was the same kind of heel Orton would have been at the time.

In any case, Orton’s victorious week did not end with Monday night Raw. Orton was successful on the May 8^th edition of Main Event against former United States Champion Antonio Cesaro. Orton did not need to win this match as much as Cesaro did. Cesaro’s WWE career has been interesting to say the least. He was built up as the most legitimate United States Champion in years until he lost the belt to midcard mainstay Kofi Kingston.

Despite not receiving a main event push, Orton continues to win matches. In the past, he has lost number one contender matches cleanly to Alberto Del Rio and the Big Show. Nowadays, he is winning matches, but in less important situations.

With Dolph Ziggler as the new World Heavyweight Champion, a feud with Randy Orton is very possible. The two had a brief feud last year and provided fans with some very entertaining matches. A future Word Heavyweight title feud between the two will also depend on Ziggler’s status. The Champion recently suffered a concussion and his status for Extreme Rules is uncertain.

Who do you think deserves the WWE Wrester of the Week this time? What does the future hold for Randy Orton? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

And be sure to check out Camel Clutch Blog each and every Friday for a new WWE Wrestler of the Week!

Seth M. Guttenplan is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. To read more from Seth follow him on twitter (@sethgutt) and check out guttwrenchpowerblog.com. You can also like GWP on Facebook here.

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: The Best of In Your House

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This week’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown opens up with Ryback heading to the ring. Looks like we’re going straight into a match.

Before that starts, though, Ryback has a few things to say. Last Monday night, he knew John Cena was hurt when he was supposed to tag with him to take on The Shield. He’s not Cena’s keeper. Cena chose to put himself in the match and put himself at further risk. He was the one who lost to The Shield. Afterwards, Cena was hobbling like a weak, pathetic animal. In the laws of the jungle, the bigger, stronger and faster animals always eat the weak. Ryback rules.

MATCH 1: Ryback vs. WWE Tag Team Co-Champion Daniel Bryan
Bryan hits a kick to the left leg, ducks a clothesline and hits another kick. He ducks a corner attack, hitting more kicks to the legs. Ryback finally boots him in the stomach and clubs him with a forearm. Bryan blocks a back body drop by hitting more kicks, but gets rammed into the corner with shoulder thrusts. Ryback hits a knife-edge, then clubs Bryan down. Back up, Ryback hits a bodyslam. Bryan pops up with more kicks to the left leg, but it’s cut short by some forearm shots. Ryback throws Bryan outside, and Bryan lands on his feet, baiting Ryback to the floor. Bryan gets back in, hits a dropkick through the ropes and follows up with a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Ryback hits some kneelifts on Bryan in the corner and goes for a running powerslam. Bryan escapes and goes back to the kicks until Ryback catches a kick and just shoves him down. Ryback goes for a powerslam and turns Bryan vertical, but Bryan knees him in the head to counter. Back on his feet, Bryan hits more kicks to the leg before running into a gorilla press. Ryback holds him for a moment, then throws him to the floor. Commercials.

Back from the break, Ryback drops Bryan with a kneelift, then beals him out of the corner. Bryan rolls to the apron and Ryback charges in. Bryan counters with a shoulder and goes for a sunset flip, but Ryback blocks him and slams him into the mat by his head several times. Ryback sets Bryan in the corner, where Bryan blocks a charge and goes for a middle rope dive. Ryback catches him and turns the move into a swinging powerslam for 2. Bryan comes back with kicks to the leg, dropping Ryback to a knee. Ryback goes for a Thesz Press, but Bryan somehow counters into a half-Boston crab. That was a damn good spot right there. Ryback eventually kicks Bryan off, so Bryan goes back to the kicks, ducks a clothesline and hits one of his own, followed by a running corner dropkick and more kicks. Bryan ties the left leg in the ropes and hits another dropkick before following up with a third. Up top, Bryan hits a sit-out missile dropkick for 2. Bryan begins hitting the No! Kicks, but Ryback blocks the Buzzsaw and goes for a powerbomb. Bryan uses momentum to pull Ryback over the top rope, sending them both to the floor. Bryan gets on the apron, but gets caught. Ryback rams him back-first into the ring post and rolls him back in the ring. Ryback picks him up in a deadlift and hits a powerbomb. Bryan kicks off a second attempt, but it’s all for naught as Ryback hits the powerbomb once more. He calls for the Meat Hook, which connects. Shell Shocked hits, and it’s over.

WINNER: Ryback. Awesome way to start the show this week. If Smackdown could start every week with matches that good, I’d be very happy.

Renee Young is in the back with Ricardo Rodriguez. She asks about his match with Zeb Colter tonight. He’s very excited, and then rambles in Spanish before kissing her. Alberto Del Rio walks in and tells him to get a hold of himself and come get ready.

MATCH 2: Zack Ryder vs. Fandango (w/Summer Rae)
Crowd’s not so much into Fandango’s entrance theme this week, it seems. Fandango hits a couple of kneelifts. Ryder blocks a hip toss, hits his own, and then hits a drop toehold for 2. Fandango comes back with stomps and kicks to the head before tying Ryder into the ropes, where he hits some forearms shots to the back of the head. He follows up with an apron kick, getting 2. Ryder comes back with a facebuster, blocks a corner charge, then hits a missile dropkick from the middle rope. Ryder hits a running forearm and the Broski Boot for 2. Fandango counters the Rough Ryder into a stun gun and follows up with a side-Russian legsweep. He connects with the guillotine legdrop and gets the 3.

WINNER: Fandango.

Kaitlyn is in the back, holding a dozen roses. Natalya and The Great Khali stop to ask her what that’s about. Kaitlyn reads a text from her secret admirer to them, but doesn’t know who it is, as it’s from a blocked number. Natalya says Khali has the best advice when she’s confused, and tells him to give her some. All I can understand is, “If you need advice, come to me.”

Later tonight, Kane faces Dean Ambrose one-on-one.

Renee Young is now standing by with Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger. She reminds Zeb he can redeem his loss on Monday night by beating Ricardo one-on-one tonight. Zeb immediately loses my attention with the phrase “lamestream media”. He then rambles on about being brave, supposedly being violently ill on Monday night. He still went to work, though, because that’s what real Americans do. Okay, I can’t do this. I cannot stand listening to Zeb or his promos. This is the worst kind of cheap heat there is in pro wrestling.

MATCH 3: Ricardo Rodriguez (w/Alberto Del Rio) vs. Zeb Colter (w/Jack Swagger)
I’m glad Ricardo gets more ring time. He’s actually a very good in-ring performer overall. He may be doing a comedy gimmick, but the man can work and is professionally trained to do so. Anyway, Dolph Ziggler (w/AJ Lee and Big E. Langston) is doing color commentary for this match. Zeb pushes Ricardo before slapping him. Ricardo grabs him by the beard, then kicks him in the knee. Ricardo stomps his hand, then “rides the pony”. Zeb gets up and rakes the eyes before punching Ricardo several times. Ricardo comes back with a hard right and a pair of thrust kicks, sending Zeb to the corner. He goes to charge in, and Jack Swagger hits the ring with a clothesline.

WINNER VIA DISQUALIFICATION: Ricardo Rodriguez. ADR hits the ring and clotheslines Swagger to the floor. Teddy Long comes out and says that, if that’s how these four want to play it, he’s turning this into a tag team match right now. I laugh when Ziggler refers to this as “Classic Teddy”.

MATCH 4: Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger
Swagger and Ricardo apparently start the match during the commercials, and Swagger is in control with a hard corner whip. Ricardo dodges a charge, causing Swagger to go shoulder-first into the ring post. ADR tags in, hits a pair of clotheslines and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Swagger rolls to the apron, where ADR pulls him through the ropes, hits a few forearms to the back and goes for the Backstabber, but Swagger elbows him off. ADR comes back with a double-knee armbreaker and applies the jujigatame. Big E. Langston and Dolph Ziggler hit the ring and attack both men, causing a double DQ.

WINNER: No contest. Langston throws Swagger to the floor, then drops the straps. Before he can continue the attack. Teddy Long comes out and says he knew this would happen, and makes this into a triple threat tag team match. That’s right. Teddy Long just pulled some kind of Inception bullsh*t and made a tag team match within a tag team match. Sigh.

MATCH 5-Triple Threat Tag Team Match: Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger vs. Big E. Langston and World Champion Dolph Ziggler (w/AJ Lee)
ADR starts off by attacking Ziggler with kicks and punches. Snapmare out of the corner, followed by a spinal tap by ADR for 2. Ricardo tags in and hits a running knee to the face for 2. Low dropkick by Ricardo, and ADR tags back in, hitting a quick kick to the head for 2. Ziggler kicks him in the knee and hits a beautiful dropkick. Langston in, who hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Langston rams ADR into the corner and hits a running shoulder thrust. Ziggler back in, and he hits some body blows, followed by an avalanche for 2. Ziggler applies a mounted rear chinlock now, and ADR fights out with strikes. Ziggler blocks a back body drop, but still gets pancaked. Ziggler comes back with a kick to the knee and hits a neckbreaker. Langston tags in and walks into a mule kick by ADR. He shakes it off and drops ADR with a forearm shot before hitting some body blows. Standing back body drop by Langston before he rams ADR into the corner and hits a running shoulder thrust. Ziggler tags back in and misses a corner charge. ADR hits a thrust kick to the face, and then follows up with a Backstabber on an incoming Swagger. Langston comes back in and gets low-bridged to the floor, and Ziggler goes out next, courtesy of a clothesline. Zeb is in the ring, and ADR looks at him, calling for the jujigatame. Ziggler comes back in and hits a nice jumping DDT for 2. Ricardo tags in and goes after Langston, but Langston drops him with a standing avalanche. Swagger takes Langston out with an elevated belly-to-belly suplex, but is quickly hit with a step-up enziguri by ADR. Ziggler comes in with a schoolboy on ADR but only gets 2. ADR applies the rolling jujigatame and Ziggler taps out.

WINNERS: Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez.

We see some darkened area in the back, and what sounds like someone getting assaulted. The camera pans up to show The Shield. Dean Ambrose says it breaks your heart when “the champ” becomes “the chump”. They broke Cena, they broke The Undertaker, and they’ll break Kane next. Justice is what they dispense every day, and that’s what they’ll do to Kane tonight. They put ‘Taker down, but it could have been worse. Don’t believe them? By the end of the night, you will believe. Believe in The Shield. The camera pans back down, and we see that it was Daniel Bryan who was assaulted.

After the commercials, we see the referees and trainers checking on Bryan.

MATCH 6: Randy Orton vs. Damien Sandow
Orton starts with a side headlock before shouldering Sandow off the ropes. Lock-up, and Sandow goes to the headlock this time. Orton counters into his own, then hits another shoulderblock. Sandow suckers him into the corner, then stomps him down to the mat before choking Orton with his knee. Back up, Sandow hits the Venis kneelift, follows up with a snapmare and hits a jumping kneedrop for 2. Sandow applies a rear chinlock, then sends Orton to the corner. Orton reverses and hits the Four Moves of Boredom. Sandow blocks the fourth, though (the DDT), hotshots Orton, then sends him to the floor with a running knee strike. Commercials.

Back from the break, Orton counters a side headlock with a back suplex. Sandow comes back with a dropkick to the knee and hits a DDT for 2. Sandow picks Orton up for some kneelifts and follows up with a side-Russian legsweep before hitting the Cobito Aquiet, then hits a second one for 2. Sandow goes back to the rear chinlock, but Orton headbutts his way out. Sandow comes back with a boot before running into a dropkick. Back body drop connects, and Sandow rolls to the apron. Orton hits the suspended DDT from here and now calls for the RKO. The RKO connects and Orton gets the 3.

WINNER: Randy Orton. As Orton is celebrating, The Big Show comes out. He tells Orton he is amazing, but the problem is he’s not a team player. It’s all about Randy Orton. If Orton hadn’t had such a big ego at Wrestlemania and made the tag, they might have beaten The Shield, and Orton wouldn’t have gotten knocked out. All of a sudden, Sandow attacks Orton from behind and lays him out with the Terminus. Show laughs and says that is so funny. But, understand him: at Extreme Rules, there will be nothing funny about what Show does to him.

We see Kane leaving the trainer’s office when he’s stopped by Matt Striker, wanting to know Daniel Bryan’s condition. Kane says he’ll make The Shield pay for what they did to Bryan and his brother. He knows what he’s getting into and what’s going to happen to him. Sooner or later, they’ll get him down and make sure he’s stay down. But, he’s going to take down as many as he can. We’re going on a little journey to a place called Hell.

MATCH 7-Arm Wrestling Contest: Mark Henry vs. Sheamus
Henry stalls and tells the ref to make sure Sheamus’ hands and arms are dry. Is that a required spot in every arm wrestling contest in pro wrestling history? Henry takes his t-shirt off for whatever reason, and now the contest starts. Chris Jericho once said Scott Norton taught him a trick to winning any arm wrestling contest, no matter how strong or big you are. I’d love to know what it is. Anyway, Henry starts to win, but Sheamus begins taking control. He’s close to winning, but Henry takes control once more and beats him.

WINNER: Mark Henry. Wow. I’m surprised this didn’t end with Henry knocking the table over and attacking Sheamus. Like always. Sheamus congratulates Henry and says he has the stronger right arm, but he doesn’t believe Henry has the strongest left. He challenges Henry to a rematch, and Henry shrugs it off. Sheamus continues to egg him on, calling him scared. Of course, Henry gets back in the ring at this point. Henry agrees to the rematch, and Sheamus toys with him for a minute or two. Before it can start, Sheamus just punches Henry, then drops him with a Brogue Kick.

MATCH 8: Dean Ambrose (w/Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins) vs. WWE Tag Team Co-Champion
Reigns is carrying Daniel Bryan’s WWE Tag Team title with him. Based on the fact that Ambrose is the only one who has gotten singles matches thus far, I think it’s obvious to everyone that even those within WWE know he’s going to be the breakout star of the group. Kane clears the ring before the match even starts by swinging his title belt. He boots Ambrose, then goes outside and throws Rollins into the barricade and throws Reigns over the announce desk. Rollins then gets clotheslined into the crowd. The match starts, and Kane throws Ambrose into the corner for some body blows and an uppercut. He boots Ambrose in the head, then throws him to the floor. Outside, Kane hotshots Ambrose onto the barricade before rolling him to the apron for a right hand to the jaw and a boot to the side of the face. Reigns is still out behind the desk. Back in the ring, Kane ties Ambrose up in the corner and hits a straight right, followed by a short-arm clothesline. Ambrose blocks a charge and mounts the middle rope, but gets an uppercut that sends him to the floor. Commercials.

Back from the break, Ambrose has taken control and is working over Kane’s left leg. During the break, Ambrose snapped Kane’s leg over his shoulder, hence the focus of his attack. Reigns and Rollins are both back up now. Ambrose hits a rolling leg snap on Kane. Kane tries to fight back, but Ambrose continues to assault Kane, who is now in the corner. Ambrose with some mounted corner punches, followed by a forearm shot to the face. Ambrose rolls outside and wraps Kane’s leg around the ring post twice, then applies a modified figure-4 before getting back in the ring, courtesy of the top rope. Kane has enough time to recover, and he launches Ambrose from the top. Kane hits a couple rights and a pair of corner clotheslines, followed by a sidewalk slam for 2. Kane goes up top for the flying clothesline, which connects. Kane is smiling as Rollins & Reigns are barking orders at Ambrose. Kane goes for the chokeslam, but Ambrose escapes and goes for a DDT. Kane escapes and goes for the chokeslam once more, which hits. Kane doesn’t capitalize with a pin, however, and Ambrose begins to stir. Kane calls for the tombstone and hoists Ambrose up, but lets him go when he see Rollins on the apron. Kane boots Rollins to the floor, and Ambrose clotheslines him over the top. Kane lands on his feet, drags Ambrose outside and slams him face-first into the announce desk. He then attacks Reigns and throws him into the steps. Ambrose rolls back in the ring, and Kane follows. Ambrose dropkicks him in the bad knee, then hits a headlock driver, getting the 3.

WINNER: Dean Ambrose. Major victory here, all things considering. At this rate, Ambrose is going to be HUGE in WWE somewhere down the road. Kane gets back up and challenges The Shield to get back in the ring. He fights them off for a moment until they surround the ring. The numbers are too much, and they completely dominate him. He eventually begins to fight back and grabs Rollins & Ambrose in a double goozle, but Reigns comes out of nowhere with a spear. Kane is then dropped with a triple powerbomb. Ambrose rolls to the floor and grabs the tag belts and hands one to Rollins. The trio stand over Kane with the belts held over their heads.

End of show.

The opening match was good. The main event was good. Even the “Teddy Long Tag Team Extravaganza, Playa” was good. Episodes like this make my job so much easier. Oh, and in case I haven’t said it before, The Shield is the best idea WWE has had in ages, and thus far, it has been executed to perfection.

-Dustin

Dustin Nichols is a freelance writer, and you can keep track of all of his work on his Facebook page, which can be found at www.facebook.com/DustinNicholsWriter. Oh, and if you like bodybuilding, check out his mom’s official site by clicking the banner below:

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: The Best of In Your House

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WWE Wrestler of the Week is back as we make the transition from April to May and are just a few weeks away from the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. This week’s winner is a previous recipient of the award and is making a great case for his match on May 19th. He will be involved in the triple threat ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship. This week’s winner is the “Real American” Jack Swagger.

Swagger began his successful week with a victory over former World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio on the April 26th edition of Smackdown. This was a no disqualification match that saw a ladder get involved, but this was prior to the announced stipulation for Extreme Rules. This was a very important win for Swagger as he now holds recent victories over both of his Extreme Rules opponents. Swagger defeated Ziggler on the April 15th edition of Raw and now was victorious over Del Rio.

Swagger’s win on the April 29th edition of Raw came at the expense of Zack Ryder. The Woo Woo Woo kid entered with his new long haired look and reminded Swagger and his manager Zeb Colter how Ricardo Rodriguez won the manager match earlier in the night. Regardless, the outcome was never in doubt as Ryder hasn’t won a match in ages.

Most WWE fans, including myself, are surprised to see Swagger gaining so much momentum heading into Extreme Rules 2013. After Swagger’s DUI arrest, it was expected for him to be fired or punished in some way. However, Swagger’s WrestleMania match still went on, even though Swagger was on the losing end. Then, after Ziggler cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Del Rio, many probably expected Swagger to leave the title picture again.

I believe the Extreme Rules match will be the end for Swagger’s time in the title picture. One big reason why he hasn’t been punished yet is because of the success of his character alongside manager Zeb Colter. Swagger is also the least likely to win the title at Extreme Rules so WWE had to give him momentum this week. Del Rio is the former champion and will most likely continue a one on one feud with Ziggler following the pay-per-view. Ziggler needs to win this match though. He held the Money in the Bank briefcase for nine months. WWE would be making a huge mistake if he only held the title for a month or two.

It remains to be seen what WWE chooses to do with Swagger following the pay-per-view this month. His time challenging for the World Heavyweight title may be over, but he could take the United States title from Kofi Kingston. It would work well with his “Real American” gimmick. It doesn’t appear as though Swagger will be suspended or fired at this point. WWE would also be wise to keep Colter around to help Swagger’s relevancy.

Do you agree with this week’s WWE Wrestler of the Week winner? Why or why not? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Be sure to check out Camel Clutch Blog each and every Friday for a new WWE Wrestler of the Week!

Seth M. Guttenplan is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and host of OH YOU DIDN’T KNOW!? PWPRadio’s weekly radio show covering all wrestling news and rumors. To read more from Seth follow him on twitter (@sethgutt) and check out guttwrenchpowerblog.com. You can also like GWP on Facebook here.

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: The Best of in Your House

Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com

WWE creative have been on the money with The Shield. They have been booked better than any newcomers in recent memory yet at the end of the day I am starting to wonder what the end game here is for Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns.

Like many of you I went out of my way last week to watch WWE Friday Night SmackDown after hearing about the main-event taped featuring The Undertaker vs. Dean Ambrose. The match was great and even with Ambrose losing, the trio still left SmackDown strong. This is the one act that the WWE has protected and yet I can’t figure out what the payoff is going to be with the group.

What do you do with The Shield? As a trio I have to think they are very limited. That isn’t a knock on their wrestling because thus far they have been fantastic in the ring. But what do you do with a three-man unit like this? This isn’t a Von Erichs vs. Freebirds situation where you have two strong trios. I just can’t see in the big picture where The Shield wind up over the next few months.

In just a matter of several months the group has already feuded with the two top dogs in the WWE. Feuds with John Cena and The Undertaker have been fun, but what is left? How can you go from Cena and Undertaker to anyone else at this point? How do you capitalize on this ray of gold that WWE Creative has protected since their debut?

I took a look at the big picture a few weeks back and tried to predict the WrestleMania 30 card. A lot of things will change from now until then so anything not announced is purely guess work. Once I got into the nitty gritty of the card I couldn’t find a spot for The Shield. Sure you can book them against just any three guys and have a solid match. But there wasn’t a logical progression or program that I could envision for these guys 12 months from now.

I threw this question out on Twitter after SmackDown on Friday night. I expected to get the usual arguments you get whenever you pontificate on Twitter but I didn’t get any. Every tweet in response agreed with the question, “What do you do with The Shield?” Nobody had an answer and I think that could be a real problem moving forward.

One person suggested they add a veteran leader and make it a four-man group. I don’t think so. The Shield has been booked so strong that I think a leader at this point wouldn’t make sense. It is obvious from day one that Ambrose is the natural leader of the group. I think a fourth, unless it is a new guy on the roster, would also cheapen the gimmick.

The obvious answer is a three-way split with a Triple Threat Match at WrestleMania. That just seems like a cop out to me. I think these guys have a lot of legs and a long shelf life. Sure I can see that scenario evolving at WrestleMania 31 but not 30. What is the point of this strong build as a unit anyway if they are just going to split? Ambrose lost to The Undertaker why? Because it was a singles match. To me I see this as the WWE establishing that these guys are unbeatable as a unit yet beatable apart.

A WWE tag team championship seems inevitable but at this point that is almost like a step backwards when you are having matches with Cena and Undertaker. I’d love to see a longer feud with Team Hell No but who do you have after that? The tag team division is weak unless a new “super team” pops up.

I could easily see CM Punk turning babyface at some point and feuding with The Shield. Punk could grab two partners, Cena and Undertaker making the most sense, and have a couple of trios matches with the group. Unfortunately I think we have seen the last of The Undertaker for awhile so that is probably off the table. Even at that point you wouldn’t book this on WrestleMania.

So this brings me back to the question I asked at the start of the blog. What do you do with The Shield? Quite frankly I have no idea.

WWE: WrestleMania XXIX DVD

WWE: For All Mankind- The Life and Career of Mick Foley- with Mr. Socko Sock Puppet (Limited Edition)

This week on WWE Friday Night SmackDown, we get a rare televised Undertaker match, as he goes one-on-one with Dean Ambrose in Ambrose’s singles debut. And hey, we’re immediately starting the show with a match.

MATCH 1-No Disqualification Match: Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Colter) vs. Alberto Del Rio (w/Ricardo Rodriguez)
ADR fires off some rights, knees Swagger in the gut, and clotheslines him to the floor. He follows up with a suicide dive, landing on his feet in the process. ADR grabs Swagger’s bad arm and rams it into the steps, then goes under the ring for a kendo stick. As he gets in the ring, Swagger cuts him off, grabs the stick and begins attacking ADR’s bad knee with it. More strikes to the upper body with the stick by Swagger until ADR blocks one to the chest and gets back to his feet as they fight over the stick. ADR mule kicks Swagger in the gut, sending him to the corner. He charges in, but Swagger backdrops him to the floor. Outside, Swagger talks some trash and goes under the ring for a ladder. ADR gets back up and kicks Swagger in the face before he can get it, and now they’re trading punches up the ramp. Suplex on the ramp by ADR, and now he goes back for the ladder. He angles it on the apron as Cole calls it a “10-foot ladder” despite the fact that it’s clearly about the same height as ADR, if not a bit shorter. Swagger charges in, and ADR pancakes him into the ladder. Commercials.

Back from the break, Swagger is in control in the ring, with ADR locked in a front chancery. During the break, Swagger nailed ADR repeatedly with the kendo stick. Back to the match, ADR fights out of the chancery, but runs right into an elevated belly-to-belly for 2. Swagger goes outside and grabs the timekeeper’s chair. JBL calling the weapons in these matches “toys” pisses me off. Swagger gets on the apron, and ADR nails him with a step-up enziguri. Swagger rolls back into the ring and kicks ADR in the bad knee and hits a clothesline for 2. He goes back outside for the chair and wedges it in between the middle and top rope in the corner. ADR pops up with a double-knee armbreaker, and now both men are down. ADR is up first, and he hits a pair of clotheslines, ducks one and follows up with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Swagger rolls to the apron, so ADR pulls him through the middle and top rope, grabs the kendo stick and begins striking Swagger in the back with it. He hits nine strikes and follows up with a suspended Backstabber for 2. ADR calls for the rolling jujigatame and goes for it, but Swagger shoves him into the corner. ADR puts the breaks on and hits a thrust kick to the face for 2. ADR needs to not slap his thigh so obviously when he does that move. Anyway, he walks over to Swagger, and Swagger grabs him in the Patriot Lock. ADR counters into the jujigatame, and Swagger gets back to his feet, pinning ADR while still in the hold, only getting 2. He immediately sends ADR shoulder-first into the chair in the corner, getting 2 once more. Swagger rolls to the floor and grabs another ladder, putting it in the ring through the ropes. ADR see-saws it into Swagger’s face, and Swagger’s lip is busted open. ADR rolls outside, where Zeb has grabbed the stick. He distracts ADR, which allows Swagger to run the ladder into ADR’s face. Back in the ring, Swagger goes for the pin, getting 2. Swagger goes for the Swagger Bomb, but ADR gets his knees up and immediately goes for the jujigatame. Swagger starts to block it, but ADR manages to lock it in. Zeb hands the stick to Swagger, and he breaks the hold by nailing ADR in the head repeatedly. He gets up, hits ADR a few more times, then throws a ladder on top of him. Swagger hits the falling Doctor Bomb and manages to get the 3.

WINNER: Jack Swagger. Decent match, but honestly, I liked last week’s match better.

Later tonight, Sheamus faces The Big Show, and Randy Orton takes on Mark Henry.

MATCH 2: Aksana vs. Layla
It’s funny how, even pandering to the hometown crowd with her Union Jack-themed outfit, the fans don’t give a cat’s ass about her. Layla starts by kicking Aksana in the gut, then shoving her ass into Aksana’s face. Aksana counters a corner whip, blocks a headscissors and sends Layla to the floor with a kick through the ropes after dropping her over the top. Aksana throws Layla into the ring and, as she’s attempting to be sexy on the apron (not buying it), Layla kicks her. Back in the ring, Layla rolls her up in a schoolgirl for 1. Jackknife gets 2 for Layla. Hair whip by Layla, but as she goes for it again, Aksana counters into a stun gun and follows up with a running knee to the face for 2. Aksana stomps on Layla’s hand, then applies a wristlock. She sends Layla into the corner, and Layla collapses to the mat. Aksana continues to work on the arm before hitting a snapmare and a kick to the back. Layla comes back with some kicks, and Aksana blocks the Bombshell and sends Layla to the mat for an elbow, getting 2. Layla counters an Irish whip into a roll-through pin, then continues rolling into a crucifix for the 3.

WINNER: Layla. According to Josh Mathews, Layla calls her new move Infinity. Yay.

We get a promo from The Shield. Ambrose says they stood face-to-face with the tag champs and The Undertaker, and what happened? Justice prevailed, and The Shield were victorious. They were unbreakable. It’s an injustice Team Hell No! are still champs, but not for long. The Undertaker escaped with his soul intact, but not for long. ‘Taker is still walking and breathing, and that isn’t right. Tonight, Ambrose is going to beat ‘Taker, if it’s the last thing he does. Justice, not ‘Taker, will be immortal. At the hands of The Shield, ‘Taker will not rest in peace, but he will believe in The Shield.

MATCH 3: Fandango (w/Summer Rae) vs. Justin Gabriel
Rae hasn’t been formally introduced, but that’s who she works as in NXT, so that’s what I’m calling her until further notice. The whole crowd is chanting “ChaChaLaLa”, despite the fact that the music has stopped. Fandango boots Gabriel to the head, but Gabriel escapes a suplex, sweeps Fandango and rolls him up for 2. Fandango slides to the floor, then shoulders Gabriel on the way back into the ring before getting hit with an armdrag into an armbar. Fandango shoves Gabriel to the corner and breaks the hold with some punches before hitting a knee to the side of the head. Gabriel is tied up through the ropes, and Fandango nails some forearms to the back of the head, then jumps outside and nails Gabriel with Dolph Ziggler’s old apron kick for 2. Gabriel comes back with a jumping roundhouse and a standard one. In the corner, he floats over Fandango off a forearm shot and goes for a springboard cross-body, but gets nailed with a kick to the gut. Fandango hits a side-Russian legsweep and then goes up top and hits the guillotine legdrop for 3.

WINNER: Fandango.

MATCH 4: Sheamus vs. The Big Show
Show immediately throws Sheamus to the mat out of a lockup. Another lockup, and Sheamus manages to throw Show into the corner. Sheamus fires off some rights and kicks, but is immediately stopped by a headbutt from Show. Show ties Sheamus in the ropes and hits a series of open-hand chops. Sheamus comes back with rights until Show just shoves him over the top rope and to the floor. Show follows and continues attacking Sheamus on the outside before rolling him back in. Sheamus cuts Show off at the apron, then ties him up for some forearms to the chest. Show shakes them off and headbutts Sheamus. Sheamus blocks a corner charge, but gets hit with a sidewalk slam. Running elbow connects, and Show gets 2. Show chokes Sheamus over the middle rope, then hits another headbutt. Final Cut connects, and Show gets another 2. Sheamus starts to fight back with right hands and goes for a bodyslam, but Show falls on top of Sheamus for 2. He then walks across Sheamus’ stomach before hitting another headbutt. Sheamus collapses against the ropes, and Show boots him. Sheamus’ upper half winds up underneath the bottom rope, so Show goes outside and hits an open-hand chop to the chest. Commercials.

Back from the break, Show is still in control, and he throws Sheamus shoulder-first into the ring post, sending Sheamus crashing to the floor. Outside, Show throws Sheamus into the ring steps, breaking them apart in the process. Show rolls back into the ring to start the count over and Sheamus makes it in at 9. Show throws Sheamus shoulder-first into the top turnbuckle, then drops his weight across Sheamus’ arm. Sheamus swings wildly and Show clubs him down with a forearm before applying a top wristlock. Sheamus fights out, knocking Show to his knees. Sheamus follows up with a snap DDT, then begins nailing Show with right hands. Show comes back with body blows. Both men are back up, and Sheamus hits a pair of clotheslines, a running shoulder thrust in the corner, a running kneelift, and the Battering Ram from the top rope. Sheamus goes for White Noise, but Show blocks it and goes for the chokeslam. Sheamus escapes and hits White Noise. Sheamus calls for the Brogue Kick, but Show sees it coming and rolls to the floor. Sheamus hits a running double axe handle to the back from the apron, but Show comes back with rights and crawls back in the ring. Sheamus hotshots Show’s left arm from the floor and goes back up top. Mark Henry appears out of nowhere and knocks the ring steps over, distracting Show. This allows Show to hit Sheamus with the WMD while he’s still on the top rope. Sheamus falls to the mat, and Show gets the 3.

WINNER: The Big Show.

MATCH 5: William Regal vs. Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett (non-title)
I realize that Regal is only out here because we’re in England, but I don’t care. Regal is one of my all-time favorite workers, and the fact that he’s taking on Barrett, one of my current favorites, makes me very happy. Before the match, Barrett says that he realizes we’re in England, and the country is infamous for grave robberies. He never would have believed the story until today, when he found out there was a body missing from a crypt, and that body is standing in the ring. But don’t worry Regal-you’re about to get sent back from whence you came at the hands of the great Barrett Barrage. Bell sounds, and Barrett hits some knees. Regal comes back with a clothesline and hits some kneelifts in the corner. Barrett lands a mule kick out of the corner and Barrett goes for the Bull Hammer. Regal ducks and hits a carousel suplex. He goes for the knee trembler, but Barrett moves and blasts Regal with the Hammer for 3.

WINNER: Wade Barrett. I was really hoping for more here, so I’m pretty disappointed. Still, I got to see Regal, which is always a good thing.

MATCH 6: Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry
Henry backs Orton into the corner, hits a clothesline and goes for the WSS. Orton escapes and hits some rights, knocking Henry to the floor. Orton follows and forearms Henry in the back of the head. Henry fights back with punches and headbutts and goes to lawn dart Orton into the post. Orton escapes and shoves Henry face-first into it. Back in the ring, Orton attacks Henry as he’s rolling in, then goes for the Garvin Stomp. Henry pops back up and hits a running clothesline before choking Orton over the middle rope. Henry hits some shoulder thrusts in the corner, but Orton manages to fight back with rights. Henry stays on his feet after receiving a clothesline, but gets knocked down on the second attempt. Orton hits a DDT and gets 2. Henry rolls to the apron, and Orton goes for the suspended DDT, which connects. Orton calls for the RKO, but Henry rolls to the floor. Orton follows, and ends up getting rammed back-first into the ring post. Back in the ring, Henry goes after Orton, but Sheamus runs down and hits a Brogue Kick to cause the DQ.

WINNER VIA DISQUALIFICATION: Mark Henry. Orton hits an RKO on Henry shortly thereafter.

MATCH 7: The Undertaker vs. Dean Ambrose (w/Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins)
Rollins and Reigns distract ‘Taker, and Ambrose capitalizes with rights. ‘Taker mostly shakes it off and counters with his own punches, sending Ambrose to the floor where he gets rammed into the barricade. ‘Taker rolls Ambrose onto the apron, hitting a legdrop. Back in the ring, ‘Taker misses a running boot in the corner and falls to the apron. Ambrose baseball slides him to the floor, then follows out for some mounted punches before ramming ‘Taker into the barricade and throwing him back in the ring. Ambrose continues the attack, grinding his forearm against ‘Taker’s face in the corner before tying him up in the ropes and hitting a running seated dropkick for 2. Ambrose applies a cravat and eventually turns it into a neckbreaker for 2. Ambrose hits some rights, then mocks ‘Taker’s throat cut. ‘Taker goozles him and gets to his feet, but Ambrose fights out, and now the two trade punches. Ambrose hits a running kneelift, but then runs into a chokeslam. ‘Taker knocks Rollins off the apron, and as Reigns distracts the ref, Ambrose hits a low blow on ‘Taker and a modified DDT gets 2. As Ambrose goes to capitalize, ‘Taker traps him in Hell’s Gate and gets the tapout victory.

WINNER: The Undertaker. After the match, The Shield swarm ‘Taker and eventually triple powerbomb him through the table.

End of show.

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