I’ll let you in on a little secret, TATfans; I think we will have a new WWE Champion by the time the Great American Bash finishes on Sunday night. It wasn’t always meant to be this way, but JBL’s notoriously bad week may just have its silver lining.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard that John Bradshaw Layfield has been fired by CNBC; this is due to his controversial actions performed to German fans while on a WWE tour. Naturally, after someone brings attention to himself because of his tardiness and ignorance, CNBC may rightly feel they should distance themselves from old JBL.
Despite his critics, JBL is the only genuine title worry for Eddie Guerrero. JBL is fabulous on the mic, highlighted by his in-ring promo “in his words”. I haven’t seen a more sparkling performance, and a convincing performance, since the days of The Rock in his prime. His performance at Judgement Day also proved a lot of people wrong; JBL was involved in a truly unforgettable match.
So what do the WWE do with him now? It’s a sticky situation. If JBL loses the match in which he sets the bleedin’ stipulations (no pun intended) then that’s it, surely? No more credentials. Upper-Mid Card from now on. If he wins then he would have embodied the essence of his entire JBL gimmick. If he beats Eddie in the bull-rope match then he would stick one in the eye of CNBC, overcome adversity, and would have lived up to his own hype.
Generally I don’t think the fans would doubt the credibility of JBL too much, his fabby mic work and Clothesline From Hell can see him through for a short while. There’s nothing more the fans love to boo than a pompous villain who does what he said he was going to do – and then smugly gives it right back in their faces. There’s nothing they’ll cheer louder when he’s beaten again.
In the short term I think a brief, dubiously attained title run for JBL would do no harm. And let’s not forget that JBL is Vince’s pet project, after all. Yep, I’m going with JBL to win.
Morbid fascination brings me to Paul Heyman’s oddly stipulated “Live Free Or Die” match. The Undertaker vs The Dudleys. Now, I just don’t get this, I really don’t. Heyman kidnaps Paul Bearer, attains the urn and now controls the Underaker’s conscience, right? So that’s it, Heyman controls the Undertaker and his conscience, why have the Dudleys beat him up, too?
What is this “right choice”, too? I don’t know. Is Heyman starting a faction and the right choice is to join this faction? Is the right choice to beat up the Dudleys? To watch as Paul Bearer gets vamoosed in the glass cage above?
And what’s with attempting to kill Paul Bearer? Why would he need to if he already controls the Undertaker? From my understanding, the “right choice” would be along the lines of allowing Paul Bearer to be submerged in cement, therefore “clearing his conscience”. So why the handicap match? Odd.
Then there’s the 4-Way for the US belt: Cena vs Booker vs Dupree vs RVD. I hope Dupree wins it, I really do. He would bring a touch of pizazz to the belt. But I can only see Cena retaining it, if I’m honest. At least, until SummerSlam comes along anyway…
Look out for the Divas, by the way – and count the combined costume changes!
Boyo