Posted in: Mr. Tito
MR. TITO STRIKES BACK - Some WWE RAW Thoughts and Night of Champions Predictions
By Mr. Tito
Sep 15, 2014 - 11:45:36 PM

Follow Mr. Tito on Twitter.com: @titowrestling

Welcome, one and all, to the "Excellence in Column Writing"... And here I am, heading into my 16th year as Mr. Tito, delivering yet another set of Pay Per View predictions with some RAW thoughts. I'll keep churning these columns out there at LordsofPain.net / WrestlingHeadlines.com as long as everyone keeps returning to read them. Because why not?

Many readers perceive me to be "negative" as a wrestling fan. Meh, that's a bad perception. Problem is that I just care too much. I grew up with the Hulkamania Era, 1989 NWA/WCW, the NWO era, ECW in its prime, Attitude Era, and Paul Heyman's 2002-2003 Smackdown. I've seen the absolute best that the WWE has to offer which many of you might be enjoying on WWE Network. After seeing wrestling at its finest with those eras, my expectations are high for the WWE and the rest of the pro wrestling industry. I've seen how it works almost to perfection. Yet, in my opinion, both WWE and TNA are getting it wrong and its mostly caused by management blunders.

I always love when the emails, Tweets, or comments section tries to insist that "if you don't like it, stop watching it". Easier said than done... I can't because (a) I'm a pro wrestling fan and (b) I enjoy writing about wrestling to my many loyal readers.

It's like in the movie Office Space when a character named Michael Bolton is furious that he shares his name with a famous popstar. When asked if he should go by "Mike", the Michael Bolton character says "why should I change? He's the one who sucks!



So why should I (a) stop watching pro wrestling and (b) stop writing about pro wrestling when it's the WWE who, at times, sucks?

The amazing thing about my WWE criticisms is that I'm not asking for much...

(1) Make pro wrestling resemble more of a sport rather than a soap opera.
(2) Actually respect the Intercontinental, United States, and World Tag Titles with clear contenders announced and ranked.
(3) Don't instantly push developmental wrestlers like Main Eventers. Let them start from the bottom and organically grow into Main Eventers.
(4) Put Paul Heyman on the WWE Creative Team.
(5) Stop ignoring history but embrace it.

Simple stuff that just requires adding logic to your product. And as I keep saying, the WWE has access to the AWA, World Class, WCW, and ECW video libraries, among many others including the WWE's own video library. Watch your library and just re-use what works.

A good example of me seeking logic was the whole SummerSlam 2014 booking for the Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena match. I hated that match and I took a lot of heat for saying so in my SummerSlam review column. I even got into a heated debate with some of my close wrestling friends over the matter recently. While they were cheering on a John Cena beating, I was bored by a match completely dominated by Brock Lesnar that was just endless German Suplexes. Worse yet, the WWE delivered those suplexes on an injured John Cena with neck/shoulder problems. I have no problems putting Lesnar over, but to make Cena look weak at the expense of making Lesnar absurdly strong? That's after the WWE Creative Team booked John Cena strong for months heading into the event.

What happened to the RAW ratings after SummerSlam, even before the NFL took away some viewers? In the tank... Little did the WWE know that they had many John Cena fans. Hey, did you not see your merchandise sales and how John Cena is #1 by a freakin' mile? Fact is that younger Cena fans were probably turned off by the Lesnar beating of their hero. The WWE didn't realize this fact for Wrestlemania 28 when they booked the Rock to defeat John Cena in their 1st match. Sure, Cena won the rematch at Wrestlemania 29, but the damage had been done. Many of Cena's younger fans saw it as Cena losing to a movie star and not the top star of the Attitude Era. John Cena is your top draw and you have to make him look strong. SummerSlam 2014 diminished the John Cena brand and for what? Hype a rematch at a lesser known Pay Per View called Night of Champions?

Hopefully, we get an actual good back and forth wrestling match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar that will seriously challenge as 2014's "Match of the Year".

Some Monday Night RAW thoughts...

- First of all, can we never book Naomi vs. Cameron again on RAW? That may have been the most silent that I've ever heard a live WWE crowd in my life. Holy cow... Total Divas might have an audience on the E! Network, but that doesn't translate into WWE fans caring about who is on that show. If that were the case, the Bellas would be over.

- The other women's match between Paige/Nikki Bella vs. AJ Lee/Brie Bella was reasonable... Funny to hear Nikki retain the old Bellas theme while Brie has something new. I'm shocked that Brie doesn't come out to Daniel Bryan's theme but that could hurt Bryan's character...

- I liked the Kane vs. Chris Jericho match. Decent bout that helped give Jericho a serious clean win before he wrestles Randy Orton. Zero problems with that match.

- Jack Swagger vs. Bo Dallas was decent... Not sure if the WWE is wanting to continue Jack Swagger's sort-of-push or if they've given up on Bo? I'm confused...

- The rest of the matches, including Big Show vs. Bray Wyatt and the 6 man tag between Sheamus/Usos vs. Stardust/Goldust/Cesaro were decent, I guess.

- John Cena and Paul Heyman/Brock Lesnar segments were excellent, of course. John Cena appears as though he's motivated for this feud it has led to nothing but quality from him. With Paul Heyman, it's always quality... I enjoyed that the WWE actually let Cena and Lesnar brawl at the show. Unexpected that we'd see any contact but it was a nice bonus for RAW to help hype Night of Champions. Looks like Brock Lesnar suffered an injury to his nose. Yeah, enjoy those stiff shots at Night of Champions, Cena.

- Cool to see Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns as the main event MATCH (not segment) of RAW, which is actually a booked match for Night of Champions. Normally, Old Man Tito would preach about giving away matches for free, but I don't really want to see Reigns vs. Rollins. However, Seth Rollins is an excellent in-ring performer and he can change my mind about any match-up. Easily, the best chemistry with Reigns on the roster. Reigns won which will make me briefly reconsider my predition below... Hmmmm... Would the WWE let Rollins lose twice in a row?

- But RAW really ended with Mark Henry and Rusev. Seriously. Nothing says "I want the WWE Network to watch Pay Per Views" like ending the show with this. In fairness to WWE, at least it's something new... I guess? Michael Cole was in the ring with red carpet and flags in every corner. He calls out Apollo Creed... I'm sorry, Mark Henry to the ring. And I'm not calling him Apollo because he's black but because Rusev (a Russian) is likely to mow over Henry at Night of Champions like Ivan Drago did to Apollo in Rocky 4. "I must break you", LOL! Fans with the "What?!?" chants for poor Henry's promo. Pretty inspiring promo, too, by Henry. Out comes hot-ass Lana and Rusev to respond... Apparently, Mark Henry lost to a Russian in the 1992 Olympics for weight lifting. Does anybody remember that? "You reek with inferiority compared to Russia's athletes". Ouch. Lana tries the Putin cheap heat and Mark Henry response with the Pledge of Allegiance but Rusev interrupts with an attack. However, Mark Henry fought off the attack to assure fans that he'll lose on Sunday.

LAST WORD: Just your typical RAW before the Pay Per View. I honestly had no problems with it, other than an oddly booked Naomi/Cameron match. Night of Champions, overall, looks pretty damn good. Nice to see that the WWE is taking their non-Big 3 Pay Per Views seriously lately. Hey, low WWE Network subscriptions will put your back to the wall, even at $9.99.

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Mr. Tito's PHAT NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS PREDICTIONS

I'm writing this as of 10:00pm while RAW is airing... Thus, whatever WWE.com gives me as the card is what I'm using for my predictions:

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Paige (c) vs. AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella

This match baffles me... Paige and AJ had some decent in-ring momentum building for the Divas Division and yet the Bella saga gets thrown into their division. The Brie vs. Nikki feud has made for some of the worst wrestling television ever and I have serious worries that if Nikki wins the title, we'll endure Bella vs. Bella matches over the Divas Title for the next few months. Meanwhile, ladies who can actually wrestle and get some reaction from the crowd are left out in the cold. I don't get it.

WHO SHOULD WIN: AJ Lee. Easily, the most marketable female in the WWE.

WHO WILL WIN: Nikki Bella to begin Bella vs. Bella for the Divas Title.

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Rusev vs. Mark Henry

Rusev has an undefeated streak to protect. All I need to say.

WHO SHOULD WIN / WHO WILL WIN: Rusev. Sorry, but Mark Henry is too injury prone at this stage in his game to merit any big wins on Pay Per Views. Thus, enhancement talent is what he should be.

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Sheamus (c) vs. Cesaro for the United States Title

I should be excited for this match... Overall, I'm a fan of Sheamus's in-ring work and I believe in the potential for Cesaro. But what has happened for much of 2014? Inconsistent booking for both guys. Sheamus returned but he has returned to being another "brick in the wall". His US Title run has been poorly booked and we're not sure who are actually defined contenders for that title. Cesaro won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 30 by bodyslamming Big Show over the top rope but he has been booked as a complete joke ever since. Instead of a babyface push, he was put with Paul Heyman and Heyman was booked to talk about Brock Lesnar only instead of hyping up Cesaro. Complete disaster. These guys will probably get 10 minutes when they could easily tear the house down with 20.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Cesaro and let's get this push started!

WHO WILL WIN: Sheamus. Just no hype for Cesaro to win this match. That, and Sheamus is a "Triple H Guy".

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Usos (c) vs. Goldust/Stardust for WWE Tag Titles

Read a recent insider news report that Vince McMahon is very high on the Stardust character for Cody Rhodes right now. That's all I need to know. Seems like ever since the WWE had the Usos help John Cena fend off the Wyatt Family, they've been lost on the roster. Then again, the Tag Team division lost several teams... We'll bet on the insiders who somehow get a publicly traded corporation's internal conversations. Could you imagine how much trouble Apple or Google would be in if they had an insider who reported all private conversations held at internal meetings?

WHO SHOULD WIN: Usos. Just no "sense of urgency" for the Rhodes brothers to win the titles, barely any hype.

WHO WILL WIN: Goldust and Stardust, possibly by turning heel in order to CHEAT TO WIN.

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Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. the Miz for the Intercontinental Title

Two former world champions and two wrestlers who cashed in their Money in the Bank briefcases to do so. How did their careers end up again? I seriously don't care about this match. I cannot stand the Miz. WWE keeps trying and trying with the guy, yet nothing sticks. Meanwhile, you have Dolph Ziggler with an incredible in-ring ability yet he doesn't care for the rest of what works in a pro wrestling business (personality, mic skills, psychology, etc.). Oddly enough, Miz and Ziggler have actually had a decent feud over the Intercontinental Title which is what I've been demanding for years now. Yet, both are so damaged and I don't care at this point.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Dolph Ziggler. Intercontinental Title needs a consistent champion.

WHO WILL WIN: The Miz. Push attempt #19585483939 for him. Yay... But I think we'll see more of Miz and Damien Sandow together after this win.

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Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins

Roman Reigns needs a collection of big show victories to build towards his rumored WWE Title crowning at Wrestlemania 31. Even though Seth Rollins is legitimately showing better in-ring ability and speaking skills than Reigns, the Roman Empire is being built like it or not.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Seth Rollins. Far more ready for the big spotlight than Roman Reigns.

WHO WILL WIN: Roman Reigns. He's "the guy" to be put over at Wrestlemania 31 and he needs to collect many big wins to get there.

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Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho

Serious potential for "Match of the Year" here, as Randy Orton respects Chris Jericho as a veteran and will give him more leeway than he does other opponents. Orton is a very controlling wrestler and tends to really dominate newer wrestlers, such as Roman Reigns. I believe that both Orton and Jericho are approaching this match with "nothing to lose" as Randy Orton needs a career boost while Chris Jericho will be going out with a bang until he probably returns at Royal Rumble 2015. With Chris Jericho leaving after this show, he thus earns the loss. But this match has full potential to be a "Match of the Year" candidate, look out!

WHO SHOULD WIN / WHO WILL WIN: Randy Orton

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Brock Lesnar (c) vs. John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Title

Something is off regarding this match... I figure that John Cena will put up a better fighting effort than he did at SummerSlam because that's what is "best for business". Something is just not right... For one, there is a good chance that we won't see Brock Lesnar again until Royal Rumble 2015. That being said, WWE would go roughly 4 months without any WWE Title defense. Unless the WWE has serious plans to hype up the United States or Intercontinental Titles in its absence, I don't see the WWE keeping the big belt off of WWE Network shows. Just don't see it... Something is going to happen and I sense that WWE would rather protect its loyal investment in John Cena than their $5 million per year hired guy in Brock Lesnar.

The way Paul Heyman has been baiting John Cena makes me wonder if something is up... Then, you have Nikki Bella as a heel who is probably dying to be the heel valet for her real life man, John Cena. It would NOT surprise me that the WWE finally pulls the trigger on a John Cena heel turn, particularly since his time is now limited with injuries (reportedly to his neck and shoulder). If Cena turns heel, he can actually protect his injuries better by controlling the matches while the babyface takes the bumps (like Cena does now). Furthermore, he can wrestle less as a heel. The WWE needs a major "shock" to the system to help salvage a dying WWE. That, and getting John Cena out of the way as the #1 babyface opens the door for someone like Roman Reigns or even Dean Ambrose to step in. Damage the John Cena brand to let the fans move onto someone else...

It wouldn't surprise me that John Cena becomes a "Paul Heyman Guy". After all, Paul Heyman has turned on Brock Lesnar before. Go watch Survivor Series 2002 if you don't believe me. Heyman turned on Lesnar to let Big Show become a "Paul Heyman Guy". If not a Heyman guy, a corporate guy for the Authority. Either way, I'm smelling a possible heel turn.

But what I'm truly smelling is the WWE's refusal to let Brock Lesnar win the 3 match series against John Cena, nor do I see John Cena losing TWO Pay Per Views in a row to Brock Lesnar. Whether Cena gives Lesnar the Attitude Adjustment on the steel stairs again or needs a heel turn to win, I just don't see John Cena losing the 3 match series to Brock. And I don't see the WWE running 3 straight Pay Per Views without the WWE Title featured on them. Unless they are willing to pay Brock millions more to wrestle a few more events. With the WWE's inability to make WWE Network profitable, paying him millions more isn't cost effective. Therefore, WWE protects its cash cow who has always been loyal to them.

WHO SHOULD WIN / WHO WILL WIN: John Cena all the way and becomes NEW WWE Champion. By hook or by crook, Cena will win.

And Cena could also barely scrape by a victory to win the WWE Title and then have a Seth Rollins Money in the Bank briefcase cash-in attempt...

Who knows? Captivate us, please, WWE!

SO JUST CHILL... 'TIL THE NEXT EPISODE!

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