The Rise of Daniel Bryan; Extreme Rules; and Predictions

The title reign of Daniel Bryan kicked off in a big way. He defeated Triple H at WrestleMania 30 to earn a spot in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match later in the evening. After Triple H attacked him post-match, Bryan was able to recover enough to enter the title match, where Batista and then-champion Randy Orton joined forces to beat him down for a bit. A plot device…err, stretcher, was brought to ringside after one of the nastier bumps anyone has taken in a while. Batista scooped up Bryan for a Batista-Bomb (powerbomb) on the announce table, and when he powerbombed the smaller wrestler, Randy Orton caught him in an RKO to take him through the table. Bryan lay unmoving for a while. Orton landed roughly on a TV monitor, leading to two fairly deep cuts on his back.

Bryan was placed on the stretcher and the medics made it about ten feet up the ramp with him before Bryan yanked the neckbrace off and ran back to the ring. He proceeded to knock Orton out of the ring and place Batista in the YES! Lock. Batista tapped out just as Orton was rising from the floor. Bryan was the new champion, the old champion was not weakened in the booking, and a feud that had dominated the story since SummerSlam was finally capped off.

The next night on Raw Daniel Bryan entered the ring to celebrate, but was confronted by an irate Triple H, who stated that he was challenging Bryan for the championship in the main event. Orton and Batista were understandably angered, but as Triple H laid out the plan for them, it became evident that an old stable was reuniting. Kane and Stephanie McMahon brought in the Shield, presumably to ensure that nothing went wrong. Unfortunately for them, Kane spilled the beans the Triple H had ordered an attack on the Shield that was the storyline genesis of the stable’s babyface turn.

Bryan came to the ring for the main event, at which time Orton and Batista came out. The former members of Evolution proceeded to beat down the champion, hitting another Batista Bomb and another RKO. Kane then came to the ring and hit Bryan with a heavy chokeslam. As the champion lay motionless in the ring, Triple H’s music hit and The Game made his way down. After ordering the referee to start the match, Triple H mocked Bryan’s fans with his own “Yes!” chant. Just as he moved to pick Bryan up, the Shield hit the ringside area. Triple H paused to watch them as Roman Reigns lead them to the ring apron. Kane, Orton, and Batista also climbed onto the ring apron. The two groups found themselves in the ring staring down each other as Triple H ordered them all to stand down, claiming that the situation would not break down into a war. As The Game turned back to the Shield Roman Reigns nailed him with a spear.

Reigns Spears Triple H

Ambrose and Rollins took out Orton and Batista while Kane attacked Reigns. Eventually the Shield cleared the ring of everyone except Triple H. As the COO staggered back to his feet, he shook his finger at Reigns, admonishing the Shield for their actions. The moment Triple H turned around, Daniel Bryan ran over him with a hard Busaiku knee kick (a running high knee to the face).

The next Monday on Raw, with Daniel Bryan absent (on his honeymoon), Triple H would turn the tables on the Shield. He booked them in the main event against an unknown opponent. Once the Shield was in the ring, the following wrestlers came out against them: Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger, Fandango, the members of 3MB, Titus O’Neil, Rybaxel, Alexander Rusev, and Wade Barrett (his character is Bad News Barrett, but he was actually announced as Wade Barrett for this match). The match began like any other 11-on-3 tag match. The teams traded blows until chaos took over and the Team of 11 tore down the Shield. As the Hounds of Justice were left writhing in the ring, Evolution’s theme music hit and Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista made their way out to continue the beat-down. Several finishers later Triple H stood over a crawling Roman Reigns, mocking him and telling him to “Believe in Evolution” before finally hitting him with a Pedigree.

Meanwhile, earlier in the night, Stephanie McMahon gave Director of Operations Kane a verbal lashing. She wanted to know where the monster was, since Corporate Kane has been a “shell” of what he once was. Kane, who surrendered his mask to Stephanie when he joined the Authority, removed the mask from its glass case and said he would “eviscerate” Daniel Bryan.

In other storyline news, the 14 April episode of Raw saw the first round of a tournament to determine the #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Championship, currently held by Big E (Langston). Sheamus, Cesaro, Bad News Barrett, and Rob Van Dam all winning the opening matches. Big E hasn’t had a true challenger for his title in a long time. Frankly, it seems as though WWE’s Creative team has forgotten that midcard championships even exist. Hopefully this is the first step toward rectifying that mistake. Cesaro, the newly minted King of Swing and Paul Heyman Guy, has unresolved issues with his former Real Americans teammate, Jack Swagger.

Paige locks Emma into
the Scorpion Cross Lock

Newly crowned Divas Champion Paige competed in her first non-title match on the main roster as she took on Alicia Fox in one of the better Divas matches WWE has put on in a long time. Paige has two solid finishing moves: the Paige Turner (a leg-sweep fireman’s carry slam) and the Scorpion Crosslock (a sort combination between Sting’s Scorpion Deathlock and a full nelson, applying loads of torque to the back and waist).

In a carryover feud from WrestleMania, John Cena and Bray Wyatt are still going at it. Wyatt delivered a live promo for the first time in a long time. He typically does pre-taped promos, so editing can give it that extra air of creepiness. But Wyatt called out John Cena and Cena responded, cracking jokes, belittling the Wyatt Family, and showing cheesy photoshop pictures of the Wyatts in drag. It was juvenile at best. The laughter heard during the segment came from Cena’s toddler fan base, their soccer moms, and Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler. The third man on commentary, JBL, I’m sure was shaking his head at the giggling of his prepubescent co-presenters. Wyatt demanded Cena be serious, and Cena’s demeanor changed. He challenged Wyatt to a steel cage match at Extreme Rules. Wyatt laughed and accepted the challenge.

What does all of this mean? It means we’re getting a clear picture of what WWE has planned for the next pay-per-view event, Extreme Rules. So here’s an early prediction of the Extreme Rules card:

Pre-Show:

#1 Contenders Tag Team Title Match
Rybaxel vs Goldust/Rhodes vs Los Matadores vs Miz/Ziggler
I’m grasping at straws here because the other matches are, I think, too important to be dumped on the preshow.
Winner: Rybaxel

Extreme Rules (not necessarily in this order)

Divas Championship
Paige (c) vs AJ Lee – 2 out of 3 Falls
Rarely does a Divas match merit more than 5 minutes of TV time. But Paige and AJ are two of the better Divas competitors on the roster. Putting them in a 2 out of 3 falls match will showcase the division and showcase its two brightest stars.
Winner: Paige

Tag Team Championship
The Usos (c) vs Rybaxel
The Tag Team Division has taken a hit lately, with the Real Americans splitting up. Rybaxel has received a decent push lately, so seeing them claim gold might help further some story lines.
Winner: Rybaxel

Jack Swagger vs Cesaro – I Quit Match
This has to be an “I Quit” match, given the animosity between them. Cesaro is a fairly fresh babyface, even with Paul Heyman in his corner. Swagger has a devastating submission hold in the Patriot (ankle) Lock. But since Cesaro is the man on the move here, the logical finish is Swagger saying “I Quit” during the Big Swing.
Winner: Cesaro

Intercontinental Championship
Big E (c) vs Bad News Barrett
Barrett is in the middle of a push right now that has seen him back into the ring in action and he’s winning. I’m not saying he’ll beat Big E, but it wouldn’t surprise me, either. This match may get the stipulation of having the other participants in the tournament to act as lumberjacks or enforcers. Just something to get more big names on the PPV.
Winner: Big E

John Cena vs Bray Wyatt – Steel Cage Match
The mic work between these two has been very solid. Cena has resorted to some cheap jokes for the sake of the children, but I’m glad Creative is letting Bray Wyatt actually call out the kids during his promos. It adds a layer of intrigue to the feud. I can almost image this match leading to someone bleeding (rare for WWE in this PG Era). If Cena wins this match, then we’ll know that Creative is more concerned with protecting its superhero babyfaces than will truly building up new and threatening heels. But I don’t see Cena winning this time.
Winner: Bray Wyatt

Evolution mocks the Shield

Six Man Tag Team Street Fight

Evolution (Triple H, Orton, Batista) vs The Shield
I’m not sure on the stipulation here, but the combatants seem right. This will be the first of several matches between these groups, and eventually Kane and Daniel Bryan will be pulled into this feud as well. If the Shield win this encounter, which is possible, then expect Triple H to make life a living pile of crap for the Hounds of Justice going forward.
Winner: The Shield

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Daniel Bryan (c) vs Kane – Falls Count Anywhere
I have an alternative stipulation that I’ll detail in a minute, but this match will need something to drive home the notion that Kane is still a monster. He won’t beat Bryan, as there is no way WWE takes the titles off Bryan so soon after his dramatic win. In fact, this encounter may prove to be a one-time deal, much like Big Show vs Randy Orton at Survivor Series. Bryan will win, but Kane will get in more than a few good punches.
Winner: Daniel Bryan

Who is that face-painted blurry figure?

Alternative Stipulation

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Daniel Bryan (c) vs Kane – Ladder Match
The alternative idea for the title bout is a ladder match. The titles hang above the ring as Kane and Bryan go at it. Eventually Bryan will get the upper hand and climb the ladder to grab the belts. As he does, the cable holding the belts will rise, lifting the titles out of his reach. The camera will pan up to reveal someone like crooked referee Scott Anderson or one of the New Age Outlaws perched in the rafters controlling the cable winch. After a few more minutes of fighting, Bryan once again ascends the ladder and once again the titles lift out of reach. When the camera pans up again we see Sting standing behind the winch operator. He takes that person out and lowers the titles into Bryan’s reach. It introduces Sting to the audience without necessarily weakening Bryan.
Winner: Daniel Bryan

If WWE plays its cards right, the long term feud between the Shield and Evolution will be money. John Cena and Bray Wyatt have at least two more matches against each other before moving on to other things. If/When Wyatt wins at Extreme Rules, then look to Payback or Money in the Bank for the payoff match. Wyatt needs the win more than Cena, but Creative has shown a nasty penchant for protecting their superheroes. The Intercontinental Title is once again gaining prominence. Let’s just hope WWE follows through with making the belt mean more. The same goes for the US Title, which has basically been in hiding since last year.