Summerslam 2012: Sheamus (c) VS Alberto Del Rio [World Heavyweight Championship]

[Mitch Henessey]

If World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus thought his successful title defense against Alberto Del Rio at Money in the Bank meant the end of The Mexican Aristocrat’s title contention, The Celtic Warrior has another thing coming. Thanks to a conniving win in a SmackDown Fatal 4-Way Match to determine the World Heavyweight Championship’s No. 1 contender, Del Rio has scored himself another crack at The Great White's title gold, this time at WWE's biggest event of the season, SummerSlam.

By all appearances, however, tying up again with Del Rio is exactly what the eager-to-fight Sheamus desires. The same might not be said of the calculating Del Rio, who vowed on the July 30 edition of Raw to not compete until his championship opportunity comes on Aug. 19. Del Rio has stoked Sheamus’ fiery temper with repeat attacks — a two-month-long campaign that saw Del Rio slam Sheamus with the hood of one of his vintage rides, not to mention twice lock in his dreaded Cross Armbreaker while Sheamus’ body draped over the entrance ramp.

By perpetrating these acts, has the lucha libre prodigy made a grave mistake? Is Del Rio simultaneously weakening Sheamus physically and mentally, or is he only ensuring that he’ll be on the receiving end of the most evil-intentioned Brogue Kick of all time?

The WWE Universe has already witnessed several closely contested bouts between SmackDown’s two premier heavyweights, and with each passing opportunity, Del Rio has seemingly inched closer to strapping the World Heavyweight Title around his chiseled waist, without ever doing so. Though he has not yet dodged the ultimate weapon in Sheamus' powerful arsenal, the aforementioned Brogue Kick, the silver-spoon Superstar could have Sheamus' number come SummerSlam.

In addition to his overwhelming confidence and mastery of the more technical elements of the mat game, Del Rio is endlessly resourceful, especially when one factors in his mischievous personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez. Engaged in battle against Kane, Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan during the Fatal 4-Way Match on the July 27 edition of SmackDown, Del Rio stole the pinfall on Bryan after Mysterio connected with the 619 and a top rope splash. The difference maker, however, was Rodriguez, who broke up Mysterio’s pin attempt by pulling The Ultimate Underdog out of the ring and all but serving up the pinfall victory on Bryan to his master on a silver platter. Could the oft-derided Rodriguez play as crucial a role at SummerSlam?

Sheamus, on the other hand, has quietly amassed one of WWE’s most impressive, and most exciting, winning streaks of the year. Even without the added motivation of retribution, the World Heavyweight Champion has demolished one top-caliber Superstar after another. Given his increasing familiarity with Sheamus , might Del Rio finally be the exception? Or will no degree of resourcefulness, underhandedness and technical superiority be enough to put a halt to The Celtic Warrior?

At SummerSlam, Sheamus will be out to finally silence Del Rio, while The Mexican Aristocrat continues to chase his “destiny.” Only one Superstar will succeed in his objective.

Well, I guess the outcome of this match is a foregone conclusion. Unless, WWE decides to pull off some sort of jaw-dropping, shock style ending, Sheamus should retain here. Orton and Mysterio are just coming off suspensions, so you can't expect either man to join the WHC picture so soon. Del Rio is a passable chaser for the title, but Sheamus should pick up the win here.

Del Rio VS Sheamus might feel like a Smackdown main event, but these two should deliver a solid match. I don't expect Dolph to cash in the briefcase at Summerslam, but you never know.

Who's your pick to win?

 

[pepentorresHHH]

I agree that Sheamus retains here, because, Sheamus already beat Del Rio clean at Money In the Bank...... so unless we see some fishy finish alberto will not beat sheamus at summerslam, also you gotta remember sheamus is still on good graces with the compnay which is more than I can say about del rio

 

[HBsam31]

Going to agree with the rest here and say Sheamus retains here. The only way I could see Del Rio winning is if they decide to throw us a shocker and it is a fluky finish. Should be a solid match with Sheamus retaining.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

I think Del Rio COULD & SHOULD win the World Heavyweight Championship!

But This is the least important match - WWE Championship/HHH vs. Lesnar

And the worst in terms of wrestling ability (so far) - Kane vs .Bryan/Zigglerv s. Jericho

So i expect no suprises or real investment here. Not to mention HHH wants longer title reigns and has a hard on for "Mr. Arse".

Honestly this match & Big Slow being in the title match are the only things dragging Summerslam behind for me from being a top PPV in years.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Sheamus probably retains here but look for some kind of involvement by Randy Orton to bring him back into the title picture. He could come out and RKO Sheamus at the end or something. I think there's no way this match ends without Orton somehow making an appearance.

As for Ziggler, I wouldn't be totally shocked if he cashed it in here but I really doubt it. The only way I see it happening is if he's humiliated by Jericho. If he beats Jericho, he won't cash it in at this event. Probably cash it in at like Hell in a Cell or something.

 

[Radical]

Well, if they have the Jericho v Ziggler match before this match (which Ziggler will, of course, win) then since it is Sheamus v Del Rio Round 2 I think we will still see Sheamus win again but it might be because Del Rio is furious about losing and hits him with a chair or does the cross arm breaker through a chair and Ziggler comes in to cash in MITB and win the title.

It IS SummerSlam afterall... the second biggest WWE PPV of the year!

Although I think they want to keep Ziggler with the briefcase for longer to develop his character more.

In that case, still will be a Sheamus win.

Not interested in seeing Sheamus vs Del Rio Round 2, by the way.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I don't see where Del Rio can go unless he wins. Two PPV title matches losses would basically bury him as a contender for the next couple of months at least. And it isn't like Sheamus hasn't had a lenghty title reign.

WWE will want to do Del Rio vs. Orton and that'll mean more if it's for a world title.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I don't see where Del Rio can go unless he wins. Two PPV title matches losses would basically bury him as a contender for the next couple of months at least. And it isn't like Sheamus hasn't had a lenghty title reign.

WWE will want to do Del Rio vs. Orton and that'll mean more if it's for a world title.

I actually think they probably want to ultimately go with Orton vs. Ziggler so maybe Del Rio wins the belt at some point in the future but Ziggler cashes it in right away on him.

 

[Radio GaGa]

I think Del Rio wins here. They're billing it as Del Rio vs. The Great White part 2, but it actually feels like part 4 - ziggler got the title match when Del Rio went out (so that would be 1), then they had ziggler in the triple threat w/ Berty (2) and one 1-1 match (3). Honestly, I think they wanted to have Del Rio go into summerslam the World Heavyweight champion, winning it at money in the bank (adding value to his win one year ago), but Orton being suspended and del rio's injury got in the way. Anyhow, I don't know where to go with both of the characters if Sheamus stays champ. Del Rio can't be in a major title feud and I don't think they want Berty vs Mysterio in a non title feud for the 100th time. If Alberto wins, he can have a feud with orton, mysterio and Sheamus, holding the title for 2-3 months (I know it's a short time, but come on, even you don't want to see him hold the title for any longer than that.)

If sheamus is the winner, I can see Barrett returning at this time. Honestly, I really don't see the booking with Barrett and Ziggler at the same time, as both of them should be Champions for a long period of time and Ziggler will cash in some time this year - they won't hold him off till Rumble or Mania, he's already too good. I don't think Ziggler should Cash in on Sheamus though... so either the title changes go: Alberto (summerslam) - Orton (Hell in a Cell-Survivour Series)- Ziggler (Last Raw of 2012/TLC/First RAW of 2013)

OR

Sheamus retains (Summerslam) - Barrett (Night of Champions-Vengeance) - Orton (Elimination Chamber)-Ziggler(Elimination Chamber). Boom, you've got your title match.

 

[Infinity]

Orton and Mysterio are just coming off suspensions, so you can't expect either man to join the WHC picture so soon. Del Rio is a passable chaser for the title, but Sheamus should pick up the win here.

Technically only Orton came back from a suspension, Rey was injured... but honest mistake. We all understood. My thing is, I see no reason why Orton wouldn't be plugged right into the title picture. I would actually welcome Del Rio winning and going on the feud against Randy Orton. I'd much rather an Orton/Del Rio feud than Orton/Sheamus.

I'm not a big fan of Sheamus' title reign. The World Heavyweight Championship has never been more irrelevant in my opinion... and the fact that Daniel Bryan became ridiculously over after dropping the title in seconds is a detriment to both Sheamus' ability to get over and the relevance of the title he holds.

 

[XXJJ]

The only reason this match is happening again is because Orton got suspended. They were slowly building towards Orton vs Sheamus at SS. Their probably saving that for NOC now.

This match is the easiest to predict on the Summerslam card. IMO their is no way Sheamus is not beating ADR.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I'm going with Del Rio. If he loses, I don't know where he is going to go storyline-wise. I can see Wade returning at Summerslam and costing Sheamus the match since they have feuded in the past. Orton can take the title off of Del Rio later on and Ziggler can do what he does.

 

[SickJames]

NO LONGER WILL THE WORLD TITLE MATCH BE DEL RIO VS SHEAMUS as per WWE.com Exclusive by WWE Smackdown! General Manager, Booker T!

Now, with Sheamus left with no opponent, the only logical answer is...



THE VIPER, Randy Orton!

Randy Orton WILL be working after all, and will be inserted into the match, as WrestleZone initially reported, plans called for Orton/Sheamus at SummerSlam again.


OR, the comment about HIS match being off could just mean his and only his sole title shot is off and will be shared by adding Orton, the wild card and not having a SummerSlam repeat as Raw didnt by adding Bigshow.

So, there you have it


Orton/Sheamus or a Triple Threat world title match for both brands!

 

[HBKistheHOF]

HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

This is shaping up to be such a better PPV then it oiginally looked like.
-Ziggler/Jericho one on one
-Kane/Bryan can be another amazing bell to bell
-I personally love the HHH/HBK vs. Lesnar/Heyman Angle
-Rumor has it Damien Sandow should make his PPV debut in one on one competition.

And now NO MORE STUPID Del Rio/Sheamus one on one.

I think they will make it a fatal four way and add Cody & Orton.

Even a triple threat or Orton vs Sheamus from Summerslam two years ago, just anything besides the same boring Del Rio/Sheamus.

 

[Irig]

Now Booker T in Exclusive WWE Video stated Del Rio won't be having Summerslam match! I don't know where they are going with this feud but Shemus stole the car and broke it which is wise and good but Del Rio attacking Shemus will some ppl is bad and is punished for it. WWE has no good reasoning for it.

How can people cheer babyface for stealing car and making out a fake apology. Anyway i was least interested in Shemus, Del Rio feud anyway.

Shemus must lose the title soon he can't get a good feud and title is losing its charm in wwe nowadays.

 

[XXJJ]

I dont really understand what the hell they are doing. I figure Booker will change his mind or they add somebody and make it a triple threat match.

 

[TheTruNoLimit]

Why don't they give Del Rio a new gimmick or just end this experiment... I would only assume this was done because AGAIN WWE just doesn't trust Del Rio's drawing power in any big match situations. The match he was supposed to have against Sheamus at Over the Limit was reportedly changed because WWE felt they needed more star power in the match and again a one on one shot for Del Rio is likely being altered because he just isn't getting over.

I am not bashing Del Rio. He's just been the same one dimensional character since his debut 2 years ago. He seems to be fine for mid-card matches, but he doesn't have the heat to be a main eventer.

I am thinking this is going to turn into Sheamus against Orton or a triple threat with Del Rio still included.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

The match he was supposed to have against Sheamus at Over the Limit was reportedly changed because WWE felt they needed more star power in the match and again a one on one shot for Del Rio is likely being altered because he just isn't getting over.

It was said to actually be changed because of a concussion Del Rio suffered prior to the PPV. And while some think it was fishy Del Rio "all of a sudden" didn't have a concussion the next night on RAW, patients with conussions are meant to be monitered and not fall asleep for 24 hrs. A PPV Main Event is alot different than a quick RAW match. He may have checked out and WWE was just playing it safe, testing Ziggler and giving him a world title or "main event" shot before they put the briefcase on him.

I think most agree this will become Orton vs. Sheamus vs. Del Rio now. With no Rhodes on the card and no fatal four way PPV, I don't see why they wouldn't make it
Sheamus(c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio w/Ricardo vs. Cody Rhodes

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

This is just a wierd situation all around. The only logical explanation is that Del Rio got his championship match bumped up to Smackdown and has thus lost it since he used it to attack Sheamus and not have a match. However, I'm pretty sure the bell never rang and thus the match never happened. And I also don't remember Booker saying something to the effect of by moving the title match up to Smackdown, would wipe out the WHC match at SS between Del Rio and Sheamus.

 

[The Brain]

I really hope this goes back to Sheamus vs. Del Rio one on one. That's what was announced and that's what they have been building to so that's the way it should stay. I hate it when WWE changes a scheduled match right before a ppv. I know a lot of people think anything involving ADR is automatically boring without even giving him a chance. The build for this match has actually been pretty good. Hopefully Sheamus demands the match be put back on the card to get his revenge.

 

[JWGunslinger]

I'm really not looking forward to this one, it feels very underwhelming and like we've seen enough of these two facing each other lately. Normally I would say Sheamus by a mile but if Del Rio loses here where the hell does he go and what does he do? I have to say I'm thinking Alberto wins, but I'm hoping he does that and Ziggler comes in for the cash in. I really couldn't stand to watch a ADR World Heavyweight Championship reign and I really hope I'm wrong or he loses it fast.

 

[Carlito_Orton]

I'm a tiny bit more interested in there second 1 on 1 encounter on ppv but still I'm not really all that interested in this match up lol.Not really a fan of Del Rio and I don't think he's winning this either.

I go into more detail on why I think Sheamus is going to retain here though in a video I just uploaded
[youtube]debzwhtzqgY[/youtube]

 

[Dagger Dias]

I'm honestly not that excited for this match. It's not going to suck but I dunno.... It feels like something is missing. Sheamus will surely retain. Alberto winning would be a huge mistake because he has never fully recovered from his lackluster WWE Championship run as well as everyone listening when Punk called Alberto's promos boring. He needs to re-establish himself as World Championship material. Sheamus' reign has been alright and I would not mind seeing it continue.

This match itself? I'm going in with low expectations. It will probably go on earlier im the evening with Sheamus retaining. He moves on to his next challenger, Barrett or Ziggler. Alberto moves on to some random filler feud. It won't be the worst of the night, definitely won't steal the show either. If Alberto wins then they better do a MUCH better job with his booking as champion. I fully expect him to lose though. If anything, Sheamus needs to win due to how he would make more than sense than Albero as the champion for Dolph to cash in against, so.... Sheamus wins.

DAGGER'S PREDICTION
Sheamus will retain the World Championship

 

[nightmare]

I see Ziggler losing to Y2J and then cashing in for the belt later in the night. I just dont see Sheamus or ADR coming away from SS with the title. Sheamus has been so vanilla as champ its not memorable and ADR will just never be what WWE hoped he would. The world title needs a new face and taking the 2 of them out of the picture will be a big help.


DZ cashing in would be a nice change of pace. I dont really see him keeping the breifcase for much longer bc people are just bored with ADR\Sheamus. This way Ziggler gets a chance to show if he can hack it as champ. Plus if it fails, we have Barrett right there to step in and we know he can get it done and make that belt worth something again.