Who is the Next NXT Up and Comer?

From it's genesis, NXT was created to build the next generation of WWE Superstars. Over the last few months the line between the next generation and the current one has been blurred. We've began to see more and more faces from the developmental program appear on WWE's flagship shows Raw and Smackdown. In this year alone, we've seen the successful debuts of Paige, Adam Rose and Bo Dallas. With things looking up for the future of this company, the fans are doomed to live with the curse of always wondering... what's next? Who will be the next NXT superstar or diva to be called to the main roster? In this article I will touch on some superstars who have proved themselves worthy to be on live TV Monday nights, and who needs some more time down in Florida.

The Ascension: Connor O'Brian & Viktor

The team of Connor O'Brian and Viktor have brought nothing but destruction throughout the NXT tag team division during their very dominant NXT Tag Team title run. A run like that should be impressive, but it's hard to be seen that way when the division they were dominating was so thin. With that being said, they have done a good job of making their name a product in NXT. Their intense personalities and move set have gotten over with the fans. Now that they are no longer champions, The Ascension have an opportunity to prove that they are more than what people have seen from them in the last year. They have entered a fresh rivalry with the recently debuted Hideo Itami (KENTA), a man that could help bring the best out of these guys in the ring, and hopefully in their characters. This is a team that could be seen on Raw in the next few months, but they should stay a little longer to hone their craft.

Enzo Amore & "Big Cass" Colin Cassidy

Bada boom, realest guys in the room. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy are secretly the best part of NXT. Every promo they cut, any sketch they do and every match they have is pure entertainment. They've made strong connections with the NXT Universe with their tough guy catchphrases (like their S-A-W-F-T Sawft chant) and cartoony charisma. As a unit, they've mastered their act, and as singles competitors they have a lot of potential. A while back when Enzo Amore suffered an injury, Big Cass was left to hold down his act alone. To the surprise of many the "big heavy" of the duo proved to have life to his character as well. These are two guys you have to see for yourself to understand how good they really are. They are guys that are ready to be called up to the main roster today, and dare I say, could one day be top superstars in the WWE.

Charlotte

Since her debut, Charlotte has had to meet with high expectations due to being the daughter of Ric Flair. At the start, it seemed pretty rough for her to get comfortable, but all of that changed after an amazing match with Natalya for the vacant NXT Women's Championship. Since then, she's used the weight of her family name to her advantage, and it helped her build her character. She's the daughter trying to impress daddy. While impressing him, she's caught the attention of all the NXT fans, and has become a reason to tune in. Still, her act needs some more polishing before we could see her fighting for the Diva's Championship. Once she's ready, I'm sure she'll be over with the WWE Universe. Besides, she's the daughter of the Nature Boy.

Hideo Itami

He was one of the biggest stars in Japan, and influenced some of the moves of the likes of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. Hideo Itami (KENTA) is one of the greatest in ring performers alive, and he's all WWE's. A legacy like his should be a good enough reason to have him on the main roster already, right? Maybe, but his chances at success on the main roster probably won't be good. Even though he is well known in Japan, the WWE Universe still knows very little about him. NXT is the best way for Hideo Itami to introduce himself. His skills in the ring will make him well at home in NXT rather quickly, but the one barrier that stands strong between Hideo and the fans is the language. Hideo, who is fluent in Japanese, has been working hard to speak English, but it is still an issue. Until he can build his English to a level that thousands of fans can understand him when there's an arena full of fans screaming and conversating, then he should be given the push to the main roster. Until then, NXT has the opportunity to work with an incredible talent, and make the WWE fans more aquainted with him.

Adrian Neville

The Face of NXT, NXT Champion Adrian Neville has become a top star in WWE already. Just nobody realizes it yet. Over the year, he has done a tremendous job of adding more depth to his character, and become someone that the NXT fans can be proud to say "that's our champion". He may easily have one of the most unique move sets in the WWE, possibly the world. He has an incredible work ethic, and is hungry for some more. At the beginning of his title reign, I was afraid he would be a dull, one dimensional, fighting champion that we've seen time and time again. The beautiful thing about NXT is, you really get to see what these guys are made of once they get a title on them. His title run becomes more intriguing as it goes on. This makes him a guy that fans would pay to see, and because of that, Adrian Neville is probably the best guy to get the next call to the main roster. The only thing holding him back is ironically the thing that got him so close to Monday nights, he is still NXT champion.

Sami Zayn

Adrian Neville might be the face of NXT, but Sami Zayn is the heart and soul. The receiver of olé chants was welcomed to the NXT arena with open arms when he made his debut, and has had the fans behind him ever since. Win or lose, Sami's fighting spirit has kept his connection with the fans stronger than any NXT superstar before him. The question is, will that connection be the same on the main roster? No one can be sure if it will or won't, but he's worth taking the chance. His in ring ability, mic work and support from the fans make him a favorite to be the next called up, but there's one thing that bothers me. If Sami leaves soon, there's no closure. The fans have put in a lot of time getting behind Sami Zayn, anxiously waiting to see him as their NXT Champion. It wouldn't be fair to the fans to see him go without winning the title. For this reason, WWE should hold off on bringing Sami Zayn up, so that the fans that truly believe NXT is a revolution can experience a victory.

Royal Rumble Review

Last night had a lot of disappointment, especially around the booking of Daniel Bryan. Still, last night had a positive side, as we saw the rise of two new stars, Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns.

Daniel Bryan vs Bray Wyatt

This match was brutal. These guys easily stole the show last night, there were a lot of strong looking spots in this match, especially the finish where Bray caught Bryan in a suicide dive and hit a Sister Abigail onto the barricade. I've always known Daniel Bryan can have a killer move set when given the chance, but we've never been given the chance to see if Bray Wyatt had one. Tonight he proved it. He was pulling out head buts, he was dropping his weight on Bryan. He was looking really strong. I was surprised by the finish. Bray Wyatt won cleanly. There was no Wyatt Family, there was no low blow or anything like that, it was clean. At first, I thought it was because Daniel Bryan was going to be in the Royal Rumble, but he wasn't. I'm not against the outcome. I love that Bray is getting clean victories over top stars. WWE is proving that they think Bray is worth something, and he is.

Big Show vs Brock Lesnar

This match was short and to the point. I liked that. It made Brock Lesnar look like a merciless beast, just beating on the Show with no sign of stopping. I just wish there would have been one other spot where Brock speared Show over the barricade of clothesline over the barricade. Something strong like that, but they probably didn't do it since Brock already speared Mark Henry through the barricade a couple weeks ago on Raw. Anyway, I enjoyed this match. It was short, but just what Brock needed. If he wasn't before, Brock Lesnar is surely a threat to the WWE World Heavyweight championship now.

John Cena vs (c)Randy Orton WWE World Heavyweight Championship

This match flat out sucked. And this is coming from someone who was honestly looking forward to this match. When I first started watching wrestling, this rivalry from 2009 was just ending, so I didn't get to see much. So, since this rivalry had started back up I've been excited to watch it. This match was disappointing. It definitely doesn't live up to their match at TLC, and was just boring. The crowd wasn't into it, the match had way too many finishers. I think the Wyatt Family saved this match because nobody saw that coming, or at least I didn't. In that sense, I'm looking forward to where this rivalry is going, especially with the inclusion of the Wyatt Family. I just hope that John Cena doesn't bury the Wyatts.

30-Man Royal Rumble

Before we get to Batista and Daniel Bryan, let me just say this Royal Rumble was still fun to watch. We had the debut of Alexander Rusev, who was amazing in NXT. We finally got a Shield split and a Rhodes Brothers split. CM Punk lasted over 40 minutes as the number 1 entrant.Also, we got a new record of most eliminations in one Royal Rumble match with 12 eliminations. Roman Reigns not only did that, but he was the last man to be eliminated in the Rumble. This match was a lot of fun. Now, at the end Batista did win, but we all saw it coming. We were prepared for this outcome, and honestly it's not that bad. What everyone has been pissed off about, including me, is Daniel Bryan was not even put into the Royal Rumble match. Daniel Bryan is the most over person in wrestling, period. This is not a biased, Indy fan's opinion. This is an obvious fact that thousands of fans can agree with. Daniel Bryan didn't have to win, although I would have him win. Just having him part of the Rumble would have been good enough. Why wouldn't WWE put him in the Rumble? I think I have an idea. Months before Daniel Bryan's push Shawn Michaels tweeted about WWE not given an unidentified performer who was over with the fans a push. When asked if Daniel Bryan was the mystery person, he replied  saying Vince McMahon loves Daniel Bryan. People still didn't buy it, which leads me to believe that WWE is running with it, and keeping Bryan down because that is what's keeping him over. It reminds me of Tommy Dreamer in ECW. He had a lot of matches against Raven, and lost every one of them. When he finally beat Raben it meant so much. When Daniel Bryan finally wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship it will easily be one of the biggest moments in WWE history. We will get impacient, and pissed but it will happen.

Batista has won the Royal Rumble, and will more than likely win the title at Wrestlemania. There are a ton of reasons why I think this won't be a bad thing, which I'll get more into on another entry. Until then, as Ric Flair said, learn to love it.

How WWE Could Save The Diva's Division

As of late, the Diva's Division has been a complete joke. It's been boring, gone nowhere, and has lacked originality, and it can all be blamed on it's booking. The Diva's Champion, AJ Lee, has lost more matches than she has won in the last couple of months, yet continues to carry the title around her waist, and the division on her back. With all due respect to AJ Lee, she can't continue carrying the Diva's division while not being booked as a threatening champion. With the centerpiece out of whack, it sends a rippling effect throughout the whole division, and has left the division hard to watch. What looked like a promising new division less than a year ago with the Kaitlyn - AJ rivalry has led to disappointment so high that a former major role for the Divas, Kaitlyn, has packed her bags and left. Here are some things I would like to see WWE do to reignite the Divas flame.

Stop The Weekly Diva Tag Team Matches
Since nearly before Survivor Series we have seen more Diva tag team matches on Raw than we had one on one matches. Mainly, to push the Total Divas cast as somewhat of a stable against the Divas that turned down the show. As these matches continued we began to forget that 'Total Divas' was even playing a role on the show, or maybe we just didn't care about these matches. The reason simply was because the tag team matches were hardly thought out, and led to nothing. They never made a major difference to any story that was going on. Worse of all, a lot of those matches ended with AJ taking a loss and the person who got the win for their team would randomly get a title shot. These tag team matches happened too often and lowered the importance of the Divas title, and the relevancy of the division. If WWE were to simply eliminate these tag matches from their weekly Raw, and instead book matches that will help build characters there might be more people paying attention to the Divas division.

Stop Pushing The Bellas
For the past year WWE has been trying to get the WWE Universe behind the Bella Twins, and have still been unsuccessful. They brought them back, and made them the cover girls for their reality show 'Total Divas', turned them face, and put Brie Bella in the title scene. Still nothing from the crowd. Yes, they did win Diva of the Year award somehow, I still don't understand, but that hasn't proved that the fans are behind them at all. First of all, the Bellas aren't even believable as faces. They're just too bratty and annoying, which are heel characteristics. Honestly, the Bella Twins have done more damage to the Divas division than good. They yelled all stupid during AJ Lee's 'pipe bomb' promo on the 'Total Divas' cast, Nikki said she could take on an MMA fighter, and they've asked for Divas tag team titles (which is understandable since all the Divas get booked in tag matches anyway). These girls need to be taken away from the spotlight until they get themselves in order. They are pretty good in the ring, and definitely do have a place in the Divas division, but right now WWE is not sure what that place is and it's showing on the product, leading to rushed and sloppy stories. I could see a rivalry between AJ Lee and Tamina verses the Bella Twins over  AJ saying somthing like 'she was too good for Daniel Bryan' since Brie's getting married to him, or something. That could be down the line, once they've found a way to look like faces. Just take the rivalry slow like WWE did for AJ and Kaitlyn's rivalry, and it could be a success.

Push Natalya
Natalya's not perfect. She rushes through her promos so fast I can hardly understand what she says, and her finishing clothesline doesn't look devastating at all, but she's one of the most over Divas not named AJ. The internet fans are behind her like crazy, and her fans been waiting for her title run for a while. I think making Natalya look like a dominant fighter by beating Tamina a few times and not touching AJ until a title match could be a good thing. Once she and AJ get a good match together AJ can pick the win, making herself look like a strong champion once again. Natalya definitely deserves a title run, but right now AJ Lee is too over for anyone to take the belt from her yet. After a rivalry with the champ, Natalya can back off from the title scene, maybe match her up with a heel Alicia Fox, who has been impressive in the ring as of late.

Put Layla Back on TV
Seriously, where has Layla gone? The last time we saw her she had turned on her friend, Kaitlyn, building up to Kaitlyn's rematch against AJ Lee at  Money In The Bank. Layla was a blast to see on tv. Her facial reactions to devastating moves were funny to see, and she was believable as a heel. Then, she was gone. I really think they had something with her as a heel, and WWE needs to bring her back on tv to work with some face Divas. I think Layla might have a good chance of making the Bella Twins look like actual faces since she could be much more bratty. This would be something more entertaining than these tag matches.

Begin Building Future Top Divas
WWE has two potential top Divas on their main roster already; Naomi and Summer Rae. Unfortunately, they're both stuck in gimmicks that keep them from shining. That's okay. If WWE were to push Natalya, they'd have a top face for the divas division, and if they could find some way to make the Bellas look more like faces there would be a good amount of competition for the champion. This could take less focus on Summer Rae and Naomi where they could possibly do mixed tag matches with Fandango and Xavier Woods. This could go on until it's just Summer Rae vs Naomi, where they'd have a chance to build up their own characters. The fans can get behind Naomi when Summer Rae is dancing over her defeated body, or saying bratty things about her dance moves. This could lead to Summer using heel tactics to pull off wins, injuring Cameron to piss off Naomi. I really think those two could pull off a good rivalry if given the chance, and build themselves as top stars without even facing Natalya or AJ Lee.

WWE Logic: The Shield

I've decided to start a new segment titled "WWE Logic" where I will try not to rant about the WWE's mistakes, and keep a steady mind. No promises. For the inaugural article of this segment I will try to explain the WWE logic of The Hounds of Justice, The Shield.

The Shield isn't the same destructive trio we saw debut at Survivor Series last year. When they showed up the whole WWE Universe was altered. No one was safe from these guys. They were wild animals attacking any prey of their choosing. They weren't hired muscle, or Corporate security, they were just three unstoppable guys who showed the WWE Universe what justice looked like. They were on top of the world. Guys like The Undertaker, John Cena, The Rock, Ryback, and Randy Orton were taken down by these guys. Anyone who stepped up to them fell short. The Shield won in their Wrestlemania debut, which led to their well deserved tag titles, and US title shots at Extreme Rules. These were all great accomplishments, but it was all taken away in a short amount of time.

 On the June 6, 2013 edition of Smackdoen The Shield took a tough loss to Christian and The Usos. The loss made sense, setting The Usos up as a threat to the tag team titles, but WWE never did anything with Christian and Dean Ambrose. This was the start of a very bad pattern for Dean. After that episode, Dean cut a great promo on Christian that was put on wwe.com. He seemed to want Christian, but WWE never gave him to Dean. It showed low confidence in the United States champion on WWE's part. Dean wouldn't defent his title again until a rushed match against Rob Van Dam for Summerslam Kickoff. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns got quite a run with the tag team titles. They defended their titles relatively often, but very few of their matches had much of a rivalry behind them. Their rivalry with Team Hell No, and The Usos were the best to stand out, and their current few feud with Cody Rhodes and Goldust... I'll get back to that.

Besides that, Triple H made The Shield their corporate security guards. Their job was to hurt anyone that did whatever was "bad for business" when in reality their job was to simply job. Any match that wasn't for the titles or a three on one handicap match they've lost. It seems as though The Shield was no longer a threat like they used to. They were now just a stable with some gold. Any unique meaning they had was thrown out of the window, but is it all as bad as it seems?

Here's where WWE logic steps in, sometimes in order to push someone, you've got to bury them a little bit. The Shield is not in the dog house. They are just being knocked down a bunch of tabs. I think the guys backstage thinks it's time for Seth, Roman and Dean to go their separate ways. In order to do that, they may have to lose their titles. With Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns looking weak, after losing their titles, Dean stands out. Will his ego turn his friends against him? Or will he walk away from The Shield in disgust? If it is truly time for this team to go, I can't say their run was entirely bad, it was actually far from that.

Breaking News: Bray Wyatt Injured

At a WWE Live event yesterday, Bray Wyatt was seen in pain during a 6-Man Tag Team match. After crawling into the ring the match ended quickly for Bray's sake. Bray Wyatt has been rumored to be getting a push into the World Heavyweight title scene soon. Will this injury have a major affect on that push? Or is this injury not that big of a deal? As of right now, The Wyatt Family has no actual role or in a storyline in the WWE. I don't think this injury will do too much damage to Bray. If he cannot perform in the ring for a while due to this injury I'm pretty sure he will still be on television, cheering his brothers (Rowan and Harper) on from his rocking chair.

Will John Cena Bring Prestige Back To The WHC?

John Cena is set to make his in-ring return after a two month long break for injury recovery in a title match against World Heavyweight Champion, Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio has been pushed very strongly by the WWE, as the company has been trying since Del Rio's debut to make him a major player in the company. The only problem is, he isn't over with the fans, and never has been. The closest he ever got to having the fans behind him was in his rivalry against The Big Show in the beginning of the year, and he has Ricardo Rodriguez to thank a lot for that. By the way, I wonder what he's doing since Rob Van Dam is taking time off.

Anyway, back to the main focus of this article. We have to wonder, is WWE going to finally give up on Del Rio? There's no doubt that he will stay around, but will they finally take him out of a main event picture? He has been given a lot of opportunities, and has been unable to get a reaction out of the fans every time. It's time to move on, and finally start rebuilding the importance of the World Heavyweight title. There's no doubt in my mind that John Cena is the perfect guy for that.

When John Cena holds any championship, he shows a passion for that title like no one else. This passion hasn't been spent on the World Title by anyone in a long time. If John Cena wins at Hell In A Cell, and becomes the World Heavyweight Champion, not only will he bring back life to the title, but Smackdown as well. Smackdown is a very underrated show. There's good booking, and good matches nearly every night while Raw is a 3 hours long, but still can't book a decent divas match. Smackdown also gives more time to superstars and divas who don't get much tv time on Raw. Imagine John Cena in rivalries with guys who desperately need and deserve the push. People like Dolph Ziggler, or Cody Rhodes, or the Money In the Bank winner Damien Sandow.

Yes! Damien Sandow. I think John Cena being champion will do wonders for "The Intellectual Savior of the Masses". I can just imagine John Cena saying a cheesy joke, or even a rap, and Damien Sandow saying a smart comeback. That would be an entertaining rivalry, but I don't think it'll put the World Heavyweight title back on the map.

There are two ways I can see WWE try to build the title back into importance. First, they can have Damien Sandow win via a cash-in, and use his wits to retain over Cena, and have Sandow join the Corporation and reboot his rivalry with Cody Rhodes. Second, Sandow can lose his World Heavyweight Title to Cena after a short reign, and Cena finds a bigger rival for the title picture. As much as I hate to say it, I think the second one is the way they will go. It'll keep John Cena relevant, and bring prestige to the title, but the first one may lead to the push of Cody Rhodes to the top, which they should deeply consider. I just don't think Damien Sandow is ready to be a top champion.

Anyway, this is only IF John Cena wins at Hell In A Cell.

Raw Review: 9/30/2013

It looks like I was incorrect. Last week I said it was the Go Home show, but it looks like that would be this week. With more time to build than I expected, I am happy to say that Battleground looks to be very good! That's Sunday, this is about last night. Tonight's show was surrounded around the build for the match at Battleground between the PPV's poster boy, Ryback, and CM Punk.

Opening Segment
CM Punk started the show talking about his encounter with Paul Heyman and his stable last week. He calls that segment predictable, saying that coming out to his hometown was predictable, and getting beat up in his hometown was predictable as well. Punk goes on by saying he's not leaving the ring until Ryback comes out. Instead, he gets Brad Maddox. Brad tells Punk that he only wants to get his hands on Ryback so the WWE Universe can forget about the outcome of the last time he was face to face with him. Punk insists that he gets an outlet for his aggression, and Big E Langston's music hits. He tells Punk "You want aggression, well, you got it."

CM Punk vs Big E Langston
After a short brawl Brad Maddox calls for a referee to make this match official. Big E hit powerful moves throughout the match, and showed that he can keep up with Punk speed wise. For example, Big E was able to stop a shining wizard with a deadly STO. After reversing the GTS, Big E hit a strong clothesline, I was surprised JBL didn't mark out. At the end, CM Punk finished off Big E old fashioned, with a comeback, signature and finisher combination.
This was a great way to open up the show. Big E Langston has been off of television ever since finishing his rivalry with Dolph Ziggler, other than a few appearances on Main Event. I was expecting him to return as a face since he did so well as one on NXT.  It seems as though he will stay a heel for a while, paying his dues until the time comes for his push.

Fandango vs Kofi Kingston
The match started off fast and technical, then turned into a brawl as the match deepened. Kofi Kingston hit a wonderful ddt off of a unique reversal. I've seen him perform this move, and expect to become a permanent move in his move set. The match finished with Kofi rolling out of the way of Fandango's diving leg drop. Fandango went to grab Kofi, and Kofi hit his finisher, the SOS. After a short celebration the Wyatt Family came out and Bray Wyatt shot a promo. Bray said that he used to ask himself why terrible things would happen to him. He continued by saying that he has to take "them" all down one by one. The whole time Kofi is in the ring with a chair, ready to defend himself.
I don't really understand what he's talking about, but I know he's scary as hell. I also don't understand why he had to interrupt Kofi's celebration to do this, but we'll more than likely find out some time down the line.

3MB vs Los Matadores
In their debuting match Diego (Primo) and Fernando (Epico) of the Los Matadores faced Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal of the 3MB. Their entrance was incredible by itself. Accompanied by El Torito, a little person in a bull costume, the tag team partners made their way to the ring in style, dodging the bull using their capes. Their in ring work is not unfamiliar, but it isn't bad. At one point, one of them hit a spinning hurricanrana, and Diego has a good looking comeback. Their tag finisher was a double samoan drop.
It was a good debut. I expect a lot from these guys. They are very passionate about the tag team division, and a fine with their roles. I don't like that WWE is trying to plant Sami Zayn's "Ole!" chants on these guys, though.

Corporation and Rhodes Family Segment
Triple H asked for the Rhodes Family to come out, insisting they were safe. Goldust came out in a suit, and his makeup on, which was very funny. Stephanie tells Cody Rhodes that she sent a Bed, Bath & Beyond gift card as a wedding gift to him. She tells the Rhodes family that they were given many opportunities to get their jobs back, and that this will be their last offer. They proposed a tag team match between Goldust and Cody Rhodes versus Shield members and tag team champions Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.  Dusty Rhodes tells Triple H that he will be in his children's corner for the match. Then, before she left, Stephanie told Dusty "You look like you want a fight. Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it." After Triple H and his wife leave the ring The Shield attacked the Rhodes Family, evening hurting Dusty, and finishing off with a triple powerbomb on Cody Rhodes.
This was a good set up for their match at Battleground, but I think it could have been better. I still can't wait for the match, and see where this goes. Without a doubt, Cody's future looks bright.

R-Truth vs Curtis Axel
This match was completely boring. I can't fins anything good to say about the Intercontinental Champion, Curtis Axel accept that he is the son of a  great Intercontental Champion, Mr. Perfect. The only part interesting about this show down was that during the match CM Punk's music played, and distracted Axel enough to allow R-Truth to get the pin. Punk never showed up, though, tricking Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel.

Brie Bella vs Alicia Fox
Apparently, Brie Bella is the #1 Contender for the Diva's Championship after pinning AJ Lee in that pathetic divas tag team match last week. Anyways, I was actually surprised not only by how well Brie did in this match, but Alicia Fox as well. Brie won the match after hitting her finisher, the Edge-o-matic. Brie Bella seems to be getting over, and her chance of actually winning the title looks good. Maybe not Sunday, but soon.

Big Show Segment
Big Show was being interviewed by Renee Young. In the interview he said that he can't do the right thing because he must take care of his family, but then continues by saying he can't take being forced to do bad things by Triple H and Stephanie anymore, and says he is going to knock Triple H "the hell out". After a commercial break Big Show enters the GM office and grabs up Brad Maddox telling him to get Triple H.

Alberto Del Rio vs Zack Ryder
Not too much to say about this match. Del Rio looked tough beating on Zack Ryder, but once Zack hit the Broski Boot it was over, and he tapped quickly to Del Rio's armbar.
At this point it would be better for Zack to reunite with Curt Hawkins and join the tag team division.

Paul Heyman and Ryback Segment
This was the segment of the night. After going over the beating Ryback gave CM Punk last week on Raw, Paul Heyman was given some kind words by Ryback. He told Paul that he couldn't let CM Punk use the knowledge he gained from Paul to hurt him. Paul responded by telling Ryback that since Ryback saved him, he's been a very happy man. Pretty intimate. Then, Paul got on one knee and proposed to Ryback to be a Paul Heyman Guy. Before Ryback can repond,, CM Punk's music played, and he ran through the crowd and seemed to hurt himself. It was just a trick to get close to Paul, and Punk proceeded to beat Paul and his stable. Punk particularly picked on Curtis, and I think it's about time that Curtis Axel leave Paul because he is getting more buried than ever by Paul.

Dolph Ziggler & The Usos vs The Shield
When it comes to a match with The Shield it's all about the finish, so let's just skip to that. Dolph Ziggler was tagged in, and performed a cool hot tag consisting of  two dropkicks, headshots in the corner, multiple elbow drops, and preventing a springboard attack from Seth Rollins by dropkicking him mid air. Dolph then hit Dean with a fame-ass-er and went for the pin on Dean Ambrose. Roman Reigns stopped the pin, and one of the Usos super kicked Roman and pushed him out of the ring. While going for a suicide dive, the Uso was stopped by Dean. He tagged in Seth, who was tagged out by Roman. Seth Rollins hit the Uso with a pele, and Ziggler hit Seth with a zig-zag. Then, Roman did what Roman does, and speared Dolph to death for the victory.
This was a spectacular finish. The Shield's matches are always great.

Big Show Segment (continued)
The cops showed up in the GM office that Big Show was waiting in for Triple H. They told him to come with them, but Stephanie McMahon showed up and told the cops that he was just frustrated with house payments. Then, she continued to  take out Big Show's dirty laundry by telling Big Show that his wife called and said that she said he hasn't been measuring up to her expectations. Big Show, mad and emotional, punched in Triple H's "Thy Kingdom Come" poster after everyone had left.
Stephanie McMahon is definitely the best heel in the company right, just being the biggest bitch she can be, and it is quite enjoyable.

Antonio Cesaro vs Santino Marella
Yes! The WWE has brought back my favorite match. Santino and Cesaro entertained me once again with Santino's silliness, and Antonio's giant spin. Santino was able to get the victory over Antonio by failing to perform an armdrag, and kind of falling on Cesaro for the pin.
This is great and should continue. I want to see more of this!

Bryan, Orton Segment
To close off the show, the two competitors for Battleground's main event, Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton were face to face. Randy Orton said that when he wasn't given back the WWE Championship it encouraged him to turn back into the Apex Predator. Bryan responded by saying that Triple H didn't give him the title because Randy needs help reaching his potentential, but that Bryan himself doesn't need any help. Randy Orton, then said that there must be something wrong with Brie Bella for her to want to marry Daniel Bryan. Daniel had enough and attacked Orton. Randy gained the upper hand fast, and slammed Bryan into the pole multiple times, and suplexing him onto the barricade. While setting Bryan up for a ddt off of the ringside, Brie came out to talk Orton out. That didn't stop him, and Orton followed the ddt with an RKO through the announce table. Brie got to the side of Daniel Bryan when Orton had left to close the show.
This was the exact way I wanted the show to end, with Randy Orton looking badder than ever. I think he may just win cleanly at Battleground. I kind of want to see Randy kiss Brie the same way he did Stephanie McMahon during his rivalry with Triple H, but it was used already.

Final Thoughts
This episode wasn't bad, but I wish it was better. The match with Alberto Del Rio was weak, and bray Wyatt's promo was kind of oddly placed. On the other side, we got a deccent divas match, and Santino Marella vs Antonio Cesaro. My final grade is 2.5/5.