WWE announced Lensar’s victim for Summerslam, and it’s a viper. / credit: wwe.com
A Beast and a Viper: Thursday night, the announcement that fans had been predicting since Monday was made. It’s The One in 21-1 vs The Apex Predator at Summerslam, which seems to be the unofficial main event at this time, since anything involving the WWE championship will be named the main, as we all know.
It’s an interesting announcement when one considers the following:
- Lesnar hasn’t seen the inside of a WWE ring since Wrestlemania in the abomination that was his Street Fight against Dean Ambrose.
- Orton has officially been out on injury since last November, having been pulled from his HIAC match with Ambrose against Luke Harper and Braun Strowman.
- Lensar has a highly anticipated match against Mark Hunt at UFC 200 tonight.
Now, I’m not about to shit all over this and say it’s going to be a horrible match. There’s literally no way to tell at this point. But I seriously wonder how they’re going to handle the build for this. We’ve got over two months until Summerslam, haven’t even ripped through Battleground yet. Orton has been gone so long that they’re going to have to work hard to build him up as a credible threat to Lesnar, even if he’s coming back at 100%. Also, let’s take into consideration the potential results of the UFC fight.
As of this writing, the odds are still looking to be in Hunt’s favor. WWE has built Brock to be an unstoppable beast. If Brock were to lose tonight, could WWE afford to have him eat a loss to Orton? Conversely, can Orton physically afford to be taken to Suplex City and take the pin? It’s certainly gotten me intrigued just because of what all could be riding on this. Clearly, WWE is banking on this to plant asses in seats and bring up their ratings and revenue.
John Cena ain’t S-A-W-F-T: In an unexpected turn of events, another match has been booked for Battleground, The Club vs. John Cena, Enzo Amore and Big Cass. While we’re no longer fresh off Styles winning against Cena at MitB, it was anticipated that WWE was going to stick to their usual formula: three matches in a row, one, maybe two wins for AJ but Cena would get the final match and that Summerslam was going to be the one to end the feud. WWE has been pretty good with swerving this year though and giving us surprises, so it’s not entirely nonsensical that ‘Zo and Cass would step in to give Cena assistance and even the numbers.
Granted, one could view this as a filler match. But a few things can be accomplished with this. As we know, Anderson/Gallows have recent history with Enzo and Cass via the recent Fatal Four Way at MitB, plus the occasional shot taken at them during promos. We could use another good tag feud, so perhaps we’ll see the realest guys in the room split off and feud with Doc and Karl post Battleground, perhaps not. But one thing is for certain: they are arguably the most over face tag team since The New Day and their presence ensures that cheers and heat go in the directions they’re supposed to go.
Furthermore, this allows a bit of breathing room for Styles and Cena so their angle doesn’t burn out fast and we can save the next chapter for Summerslam. (Unless they plan on having more matches and in that case, totally not opposed to this concept!) Both are protected and outside of those two, either team can take a pin without credibility being damaged. In fact, it’d probably do them good to have the faces take the pin to further establish The Club as the dominant heel stable in the company. Sure to be a fun match, no matter how you slice it.
“Uh oh, they sent the Cruiserweight Division out to get me!”: The Cruiserweight Classic begins next week and already, people are placing their bets on who will advance to the second round and beyond. The Network ran a special this week on the Bracketology, with Daniel Bryan and Mauro Ranallo discussing what defines a cruiserweight, the different styles being brought into this tournament, a rather succinct definition of Strong Style, and focusing on a few of the 32 who are most favored in this series.
A considerable amount of time was devoted to discussing one of the first round matches: Tomasso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano. Anyone who is familiar with NXT knows that these two indy kings have been tag partners for a while and have phenomenal in-ring chemistry. With the amount of focus they placed on them, it makes me wonder if they have future plans for these two, maybe including a singles feud in NXT down the line.
Other talents they placed focus on were Zack Sabre Jr., Jack Gallagher, Harv and Gurv Sihra, TJ Perkins, Rich Swann, Tajiri, (THE) Brian Kendrick, and Kota Ibushi. Now, rumors have been flying since NXT Takeover: Dallas that Ibushi has been in talks with WWE and may or may not have signed. There is a long standing history with non-WWE talent showing up to Takeovers as spectators, only to appear in the ring a few months later. Swann and Kendrick already have history with the company – with Kendrick’s being rather extensive. I love how they allowed both plus Perkins to elaborate on their backstory a bit, it brought more depth to their characters and to the tournament. Also, this is just my speculation, but I’m honestly thinking that some of the aforementioned men are already in talks with WWE and that they’ve got Ibushi already, that they’ve had him and that both sides have been waiting for the opportune time to make the announcement. I also wonder if they’re gonna give Kendrick another go in the company as well. Then again, I’m probably talking out of my ass.
Not to make this a side note, but it has to be mentioned that Trips stated on the broadcast that he does not intend on this being a one time tournament. Can I get a hell yeah!?
The bracket is insane and rife with possibility. For a couple of these I screamed out “THAT’S NOT FAIR, YOU CAN’T MAKE ME CHOOSE LIKE THAT!” Either way, this is going to be nothing short of amazing. If you’re seeking more information, head over to WWE.com’s official page to check out bios and photos, hit up Youtube to get ideas of what these guys are bringing to the table, and then fill out your brackets and may the best Cruiserweight win!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for me to beat up John Cena.
The completed bracket for the Cruiserweight Classic / credit: wwe.com
