Is Curtis Axel the Next US Champion?

[fouldsy91]

Curtis Axel has re-emerged recently with his new Axelmania gimmick and seems to have improved a lot on the mic.

He has been used as a jobber, but it seems he is heading for a match with Rusev, and it could happen this week on Raw.

It would be very strange if Axel hands Rusev his first loss, but this is how I see it happening. John Cena does something to distract Rusev, Axel rolls Rusev up and wins the title, similar to when The Rock lost to Hurricane because of Austin. This is what gets Rusev to agree to a rematch at Wrestlemania, the US title won't be won by Cena (I didn't expect him to win it) and Axel can use the title as a way to propel him back up the card.

Thoughts?

 

[Prince Vee]

The crowd went Bezerk when Steph said if they want a Wrestlemania without John Cena... But that doesn't seem like Axel is gonna beat Rusev's streak. It would've been cool if he does that.. but that doesn't seem like would elevate the standard of the US title. Everything that concerns with Curtis Axel seems like a delusion!!

 

[shafe_41]

Terrible idea and no he isn't.

Because what's Axelmania after Wrestlemania? Jobber Curtis Axel again.

 

[Prince Vee]

Terrible idea and no he isn't.

Because what's Axelmania after Wrestlemania? Jobber Curtis Axel again.

Wow, You're absolutely right. I forgot to note that point!! Where is Axelmania after Wrestlemania??

Cheers!!

 

[fouldsy91]

I've come to this conclusion for a few reasons:
John Cena is winning at Wrestlemania
John Cena most likely won't become US Champion
Axel has put himself into the feud without any warning
Rusev would be angry enough to accept a match if Cena screws him over

 

[Mustang Sally]

Because what's Axelmania after Wrestlemania? Jobber Curtis Axel again.

So it seems. I can't imagine why they're doing anything at all with Axel now, but agree if something special is planned for him, it won't last long past WM31 because I can't figure what management thinks he has to offer that he hasn't shown in the past.

Sensing a similarity with whatever they're doing with Wade Barrett; an IC title holder who's losing all his matches......and to what end? To have him win the IC Ladder Match, maybe?

Okay, but Axel holds no title belts but is also losing all his matches. That Creative might have in mind sudden, unexpected success for both of them at the biggest event of the year seems strange, no?

Now, it's being suggested Axel will step in for John Cena to face Rusev at WM31? Do you want to see that?

I don't. For one thing, seeing all the hard work that's gone into building Rusev's undefeated streak wind up in a loss to Curtis Axel is a sickening thought.

 

[Hem]

No no no... the thing with this Curtis Axel storyline is that it's something which will last till the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He has no chance of winning the US title, and that really says something.

As talented as the guy is WWE insists on having him be relegated to stupid gimmicks like this. They dropped the ball on him being a Paul Heyman guy as I feel had the storyline been given any legit continuity, he could have been the man to beat Team Authority at Survivor Series instead of Dolph Ziggler.

I don't know what it is that he lacks but WWE sees him as nothing other than a jobber.

I don't ever see the Rusev storyline taking place because of the above mentioned reasons. I could see Cena either doing something to the Russian Flag/Lana or attacking Rusev backstage.

 

[fouldsy91]

I never said Axel would step in at Wrestlemania 31. I said on an episode of Raw to set up the Mania match between Cena and Rusev.

 

[TheLoneCharles]

My thoughts are along the lines of Rusev needs a loss because the undefeated monster gimmick has been long played out since Goldberg. It seems nowadays when that first loss does come, it begins an avalanche of losses.

I'm in favor of Rusev dropping the U.S. title possibly to Axel, because Rusev needs the title dropped if he is to become a main eventer. Have the Rusev loss come at the hands of interference causing Axel to win the belt, destroy Axel after he wins....fans will grow sympathetic to Axel. Then let Rusev beat Cena at WM.

 

[mizowns]

Axelmania!

What are you gonna do Cena?

When Axelamnia runs wild on your ass!

 

[L@RISANO]

Axel is a getting a mini-midcard comedy push. IF he were to hand Rusev his first loss, in a cheap fashion, I wouldn't mind it, however, such happening would definitely mean that the US title would be a joke again for sure.


I'd rather John Cena won it at Mania, and Rusev look to bounce back from an inevitable first loss by breaking away from the Nationalistic schtick and becoming more of an intimidating Monster Heel, OR they could have Rusev do the unlikely and make Cena tap whilst staying undefeated for even longer which would do wonders in his elevation as a WWE Superstar and maybe whoever takes him down can be done in a more organic fashion than Brock-Roman is being done...

 

[justinept]

Sure, why not? I'll admit, I'm a bit bias since I'm enjoying his bit about the Royal Rumble... but so long as the crowd is reacting to him, let him have it. Here's how I'd do it, though -

John Cena interrupts the Rusev/Axel match Monday night with a promo from the Titan Tron. He does something (perhaps to the Russian flag) that causes Rusev to chase after him and get counted out. Yes, I'm aware - technically this would be a loss, but undefeated streaks in wrestling are about the illusion of being unbeatable. Losing via count out would not break that illusion one bit. It would, however, allow Curtis Axel to claim to be the only man capable of defeating Rusev - which would play well off his Royal Rumble claims.

The win would also give him a stake to a re-match for the title, which he'll demand be at WrestleMania... But with Cena getting under Rusev's skin, the big Russian decides he wants to fight Cena at WrestleMania. So what happens? The Authority makes it a triple threat for the US Title.

Yes, I know it sounds a bit ridiculous to have John Cena vs Rusev vs Axel for the US Title at WrestleMania, but there's some logic to why they'd do this that I'll get to in a bit...

At WrestleMania, Rusev and Cena have a brawl. Axel continually tries to get involved in the action, but Cena and Rusev simply take him out for extended periods of time so that they can deal with each other. At the end of the match, with Axel knocked out on the outside of the ring (forgotten about), Cena and Rusev start brawling on the outside. They make their way up the ramp and out the arena as the ref is counting out all three men. Just before the ref hits 10, Axel slips back inside the ring and secures the victory. Again - this is just another way to heighten his Royal Rumble bit (which I find hilarious, btw)

So now we have three things going on... 1) Cena and Rusev have unfinished business. 2) Axel can claim to still being in the Royal Rumble, to having defeated Rusev on Raw, as well as both Cena and Rusev at WrestleMania. You can say that AxelMania would be running wild... 3) All of this is happening, and Rusev still looks unbeatable.

The count out ending gives all three participants a reason for a re-match at Extreme Rules. As every match at that pay-per view is gimmicked, I'd like to see a Flag Match. Rusev uses the Russian Flag. Cena uses the American Flag. And Axel creates the AxelMania Flag...

This match has similar results from the last one. Cena and Rusev brawl with each other while Axel is quickly disposed of each time he tries to enter the fray. Eventually, he's laying out cold on the outside of the ring when Cena and Rusev start to brawl on the outside. The brawl continues up the ramp and out the arena until Axel comes to his senses, rolls back into the ring and grabs the flag for the victory.

Again - we've kept the Cena/Rusev feud going while giving Axel more ridiculous accomplishments to boast about (yea, he won the match... but did he really 'win' the match as it's described?) ... Most importantly, we've gotten the title off Rusev in a way that keeps him looking strong - which is going to be essential if he's going to enter the WWE Title picture as an unstoppable monster.

 

[justinept]

Axel is a getting a mini-midcard comedy push. IF he were to hand Rusev his first loss, in a cheap fashion, I wouldn't mind it, however, such happening would definitely mean that the US title would be a joke again for sure..

The champion - with very very few exceptions - has almost no bearing on how a championship is perceived. It's the contenders that define the value of the belt. When Curtis Axel held the IC title, the belt had no value NOT because of Axel but because of CM Punk. Those two had a 3-month feud during Axel's title reign, and that Punk never once asked Axel to put the belt on the line said all we needed to know about how valuable Punk thought the belt was.

If Axel gets the belt, and wrestlers line up to challenge him for it, then the belt will have value. If no one challenges him for the belt, then it will have no value. It's pretty simple.

 

[Max Headroom]

I would be rather wasteful to have Rusev take his first pinfall via roll-up, no? It wouldn't make Axel seem more legitimate, considering it was a win via rolling up a distracted wrestler, and then Rusev loses the winning streak, which is essentially a pot full of credibility waiting to be handed to someone to really help put attention on them. Rusev spent a long while filling this "pot", and is continuing to fill it still, why spill it when it could be drank from instead?

That being said, I do enjoy the Axlemania gimmick he has going. But, like others have stated, where would it go after WM ends? The most I can see happening is he sticks around until next years WM to try to "revive Axlemania", but that would end up running dry rather quickly.

All-in-all, they seem to (hopefully) be trying to revive the credibility of both midcard titles. Doing this would really be doing nobody any favours.

 

[L@RISANO]

The champion - with very very few exceptions - has almost no bearing on how a championship is perceived. It's the contenders that define the value of the belt. When Curtis Axel held the IC title, the belt had no value NOT because of Axel but because of CM Punk. Those two had a 3-month feud during Axel's title reign, and that Punk never once asked Axel to put the belt on the line said all we needed to know about how valuable Punk thought the belt was.

If Axel gets the belt, and wrestlers line up to challenge him for it, then the belt will have value. If no one challenges him for the belt, then it will have no value. It's pretty simple.

Hence, why I say that Axel winning it would make it a joke, because I can't see the WWE being serious about putting him in any programmes whatsoever.

However, give it to a Rusev/Cena and I would fully expect that programmes be built with either of them holding the title and defending it.



Personally, however, I'd just unify both Midcard titles and then really have some serious contenders coming forward for that title, whilst the True 'Elite' in the company go after the Main title.

 

[justinept]

However, give it to a Rusev/Cena and I would fully expect that programmes be built with either of them holding the title and defending it.
.

Why would you fully expect that with those two but not with Axel?

Yes, the company has done a nice job of actually including the US Title w/ Rusev's programs over the last several months, but now that he's in the main event picture, there's no guarantee that will last. Hell, we don't know even know if his WrestleMania match with Cena will be for the US Title. My guess is that it won't be...

But if it is, and Cena wins - then what? We know he'll continue to wrestle on every card, but why are you so confident that all those matches will be for the belt?

 

[L@RISANO]

Why would you fully expect that with those two but not with Axel?

Yes, the company has done a nice job of actually including the US Title w/ Rusev's programs over the last several months, but now that he's in the main event picture, there's no guarantee that will last. Hell, we don't know even know if his WrestleMania match with Cena will be for the US Title. My guess is that it won't be...

But if it is, and Cena wins - then what? We know he'll continue to wrestle on every card, but why are you so confident that all those matches will be for the belt?

Because I don't take this "AxelMania" gimmick seriously, and treat it as comedy filler more than anything, thus I can't see any reason why WWE would bother to feature him in storylines were he to win the belt.


Cena asked Rusev for a rematch for the US title on RAW last week. Then he referenced it also in his promo last RAW, and said he wants to be holding the US title up high at Mania. Rusev refused his request for a rematch and I am sure like the majority, that the match Will definitely be for the title.


I am a believer in the man making the belt, rather than the belt making the man. With a Cena/Rusev holding the US title coming out of Mania, there is almost a guarantee that they will be in some sort of storyline feud thereafter, and that means the belt will be featured through its association with either guy.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Axel as United States Champion is a horrible idea in my opinion. I think that Axel has ultimately peaked in WWE, he's not going any further. I know some would like to see him make it higher up the roster, some want it due to fond memories of his father. That's all well and good but the problem is that Axel isn't his father; he's nowhere near as good as his father was whether it be inside the ring, personality or charisma.

I have a feeling that Axel won't be United States Champion primarily because he came off looking like a complete joke on Raw. Cena decimated Axel at will, no challenge whatsoever. So Axel is supposed to beat Rusev, the guy that's taken Cena to his limit, has taken Cena's best shots and still come out the winner?

If anything, I think it more likely Curtis Axel is WWE's newest comedy jobber.

 

[Heartbreak_Kid_707]

I thought this was a smart wrestling forum?? you people actually think having Rusev loose his first match to Curtis Axel is a good idea?. any undefeated streak is 99.9% of the time to a big name., Not to an already peaked Axel. Instead I see him loosing it to the BIGGEST name in the companys history on the BIGGEST stage of the year.

Then maybe insterting a third party to pick a win over Cena at Extreme rules. Keeping both Rusev and Cena in the main event. A loss to the face of the company wont hurt Rusev (but it would to almost any other). And loss for the title to anybody (pick a name) wont hurt Cena, frankly cause nothing the WWE to cena can hurt him...you could put the US title on almost anyone instead of Axle...

 

[The Man Of 1004 Holds]

This. exactly this.
It keeps whatever axel has going forward and gives rusev reason to fight cena.

I don't get the argument of what he does after wrestlemania because it doesn't have to be just one event. like a certain hulkamania. Hogan could be used next to keep it going. (not suggesting a match)

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

John Cena interrupts the Rusev/Axel match Monday night with a promo from the Titan Tron. He does something (perhaps to the Russian flag) that causes Rusev to chase after him and get counted out. Yes, I'm aware - technically this would be a loss, but undefeated streaks in wrestling are about the illusion of being unbeatable. Losing via count out would not break that illusion one bit. It would, however, allow Curtis Axel to claim to be the only man capable of defeating Rusev - which would play well off his Royal Rumble claims.

You realize Rusev has lost by countout before, right? Apparently not.

And Curtis Axel winning the US Title right now is some straight up Vince Russo shit. Axel is merely a pawn inserted into this program for reasons beyond my understanding. Giving the US Title to him now would definitely make it a joke. It would make it seem like Cena beating Rusev for the US Title is a step down for Cena, so they had to get the title off Rusev before Cena beats him at WM31.

Literally the only way they could do it is to have the 3 way match at Raw. Rusev knocks out Cena somehow, Axel throws Rusev out of the ring and gets the pin. Rusev remains unpinned/submitted and he can be mad at Cena for costing him his title. It would work even better if Cena laid down for Axel, but I doubt they'd have his character do that.

 

[justinept]

You realize Rusev has lost by countout before, right? Apparently not.

And Curtis Axel winning the US Title right now is some straight up Vince Russo shit. Axel is merely a pawn inserted into this program for reasons beyond my understanding. Giving the US Title to him now would definitely make it a joke. It would make it seem like Cena beating Rusev for the US Title is a step down for Cena, so they had to get the title off Rusev before Cena beats him at WM31.

Literally the only way they could do it is to have the 3 way match at Raw. Rusev knocks out Cena somehow, Axel throws Rusev out of the ring and gets the pin. Rusev remains unpinned/submitted and he can be mad at Cena for costing him his title. It would work even better if Cena laid down for Axel, but I doubt they'd have his character do that.

A couple things

1) Didn't know he's lost by countout before (with exception to Survivor Series.) And it doesn't really matter. That he's lost by countout before only proves the point I was making --- it won't hurt his invincibility factor to lose in this fashion.

2) Axel being inserted to the program is beyond your understanding yet you're commenting on it... Most people stay quiet about things they can't understand. You've chosen the opposite route. (I bet you negative rep me for this comment...)

3) It would be a terrible idea if Cena laid down for Axel as a way of costing Rusev the title. The same basic concept, even moreso than the Arquette title reign, is what crushed the value of the WCW Heavyweight Title. Hell, the European Title never regained its value after Michaels did it for Triple H in '97... The reason is simple - and it's the same reason I've given all along:

The value of the championship is directly tied to how badly people want to hold that title. If John Cena merely lays down for Axel so as to cost Rusev the title, Cena is basically saying that he doesn't want the title for himself. If he did want the title for himself, then he'd actually try to win it for himself.

So again, Axel holding the title would not hurt the value of the belt. The WWE booking Axel in non-title programs while he held the belt would hurt the belt. The WWE not booking Axel at all while he held the belt would hurt the belt. But Axel holding the belt and defending it consistently would actually improve the value of the belt because it would show that people covet it.

4) You think Axel is a comedy jobber. That's fine... I'm not here to change someone's mind. He doesn't win often - so he must suck! I mean, it's not like the WWE is scripted or anything. If it was, then the people booking the matches could just book it so he could win... Wait -

But the comedy thing - that's just unforgivable. You can't give a championship to a guy with a comedic gimmick. Sure, Mick Foley was mostly a comedy guy by the time he won his first WWE Title in 1998... and Kurt Angle had a mostly comedic gimmick throughout his WWE run... and Edge and Christian held the tag team titles while serving in the comedy role ... and even Austin had a comedy gimmick throughout 2001 ... but - wait. Never mind. That's enough. Comedy guys can't be taken seriously as champions - especially in the mid-card. I mean, mid-card champions have to maintain the prestige given to the title by the likes of the Honky Tonk Man, an Elvin impersonator who many consider to be the great Intercontinental Champion of all time.

5) You clearly didnt finish reading my initial post. Had you, then you'd see that I never once said they should get the belt off Rusev before WrestleMania 31. In fact, I'm quite convinced that a potential 1-on-1 match at WrestleMania 31 match wouldn't be the for the belt BECAUSE John Cena is above holding it - not because Rusev won't have the belt at that point.

Instead, I drew up a month-long program that escalated the Rusev/Cena feud... that escalated Axel's current gimmick... and that eventually got the belt off Rusev without actually losing - something I think is necessary so he can maintain his invincibility while moving from the mid-card into the main event.

 

[TempestH]

Axel shouldn't win the U.S. Title. It would make the title look like a joke. Not just because Axel is a joke character, but because if Rusev loses the belt via a Cena distraction, it would send the message that Cena and Rusev can't be bothered to fight for the U.S. belt and makes it look meaningless.

Honestly, Cena should win the belt at WM. He should have won it at Fast Lane really. Let Cena have the belt and then build towards a unification match with the IC Title against someone like Bryan. The IC and US belts are on the same level in kayfabe, so having both of them is redundant.

If WWE wants Axel to be a champion, the best course of action would be to introduce a new title that he, and other wrestlers on his level of the card can realistically fight for and win. But Axel has no chance at the IC or US Title now that main eventers and former main venters are fighting for them now.

 

[yourdamnluck]

That's not how you end a streak. I hope vince is sane enough to not even consider it. Shoving axel may be their way of protecting the streak while taking the belt off rusev. His streak would probably ended by ambrose in a world championship match next mania (wishful thinking). Axel will never big enough, ain't no way he ends anything.

 

[MrTDG]

Terrible idea and no he isn't.

Because what's Axelmania after Wrestlemania? Jobber Curtis Axel again.

This. He's been more entertaining, but I have to see more. Basically, can he be entertaining after this Axelmania thing has run his course? They could make a gimmick of him seeking his first legitimate win of the year as well as having some heel screw him out of winning the AtG Battle Royal which could lead to a feud.