The Calgary Kid
Pre-Show Stalwart
Smackdown Creative seems to have found a way to work a number of angles into various storylines and give us a number of possibilities to think about. We have seen the Kelly Kelly/Drew McIntyre angle developing for the past month or so; Edge/Dolph Ziggler has taken a number of twists and turns; Kelly randomly inserted herself into the latter program, which has us wondering where that will go, and if this has anything to do with the Drew story; Del Rio has been all over the place and could seemingly initiate a feud with anyone.
I like most of all that they have found a way to keep us guessing about the outcome of Edge's title matches lately. Vickie as the backdrop makes her beef with Edge seem real, and her motivation for putting the title on Ziggler more apparent. They have sold the screwjob angle well, and where everyone would basically just assume that Ziggler wouldn't have a chance, he has seemed like a bigger threat. No spear? Kelly can get pinned instead in a 3-on-2 match? Vickie as the guest referee? It's accomplishing two things: Edge continuing to win makes his title reign legit and gains tremendous heat for Ziggler, while also putting him over as someone people HAVE to give a shit about and cements the idea of him holding a world title at some point being inevitable. In the process, Vickie "fired" Kelly, gaining more heat for her and Dolph, and allowing for additional possibilities.
Looking ahead, we've got Edge vs. Ziggler for the WHC on Smackdown, with Vickie as guest referee. Nine days later, we have the Elimination Chamber. There are a few different ways that this can go:
Ziggler wins the title from Edge due to Vickie's presence as referee in some sort of screwjob fashion. On the flip-side, Edge retains next week. This could be due to interference from McIntyre, who takes exception to the "firing" of Kelly and results in a face turn. One would probably assume that Vickie would get knocked out and be replaced by another official in order to secure the pinfall for Edge, as I can't see her making the three count in his favor.
From there, we get the EC scenarios. If Ziggler wins next week, it's likely that he would enter the EC and drop the title. If the title changes hands there, one would assume two things: Edge wins and goes on to feud with Del Rio and properly build their match at WM. Alternately, Mysterio wins and we get yet another match between him and Del Rio, for the title at 'Mania. This is obviously the situation that no one wants to see, but I wouldn't rule it out.
While I feel that Ziggler holding the title for a mere nine days is a disservice to what he's capable of doing as a champion, it could be good for him in the long-run, as having a world title on his resume gives him the ability to boast and also makes people question his presence in main event level matches less. Winning in a screwjob finish gains him heat, and any heat that a heel can gain is a good thing.
Keeping Del Rio and Edge separate on Smackdown this week was, I think, a good move, as a feud for 'Mania is best built when actually leading up to the PPV. That is, of course, assuming that Edge would be the champion after EC. If the EC result is the one we don't want, he was also kept separate from Mysterio. He had plenty of interaction with Kofi, though, so it makes me wonder if he would fail to win the WHC at 'Mania and end up in an IC title program with him.
Depending on McIntyre's involvement next week, if he assists Edge in retaining (or attempts to) and turns face, depending on who leaves the EC as champion, it could give Drew a feud with Ziggler, as I don't see him walking out of the PPV as champion, whether he enters with it or not. Ziggler has the potential to make Drew look good in the ring, and with the recent heat that Dolph has gained, it could do well to gain support for Drew and put him over as a face.
On the other hand, there also exists the possibility that the Drew/Kelly angle has been dropped. It was brought up in commentary during Drew's match and Kelly referenced it as well, so I'm guessing that's doubtful. If we get a Drew face turn, I'd assume that he or Ziggler would eliminate the other in the chamber, and a subsequent feud could be initiated there. Conversely, if we get the Mysterio/Del Rio pairing, we could see a continuation of Ziggler/Edge, which becomes more likely if Dolph screws Edge next week and McIntyre stays out of it. If McIntyre turned face, it could make some sense, as the EC match is heel heavy, currently at 4-2, which I found somewhat surprising, as the heel/face scenario is usually 3-3. Ignoring that I dislike McIntyre and don't see a face turn doing much for him, at least it's SOMETHING that could make him relevant and earn him a reaction from the crowd.
Finally, we get the added element of "surprise" match interference in the future (beyond possibly Drew next week). Could Kelly "unofficially" return next week to help Edge? If McIntyre seeks revenge on Vickie for Kelly's "firing", would Kelly eventually assist him at some point when she returns? Could Dolph cost Edge the title at Mania? Could Kofi seek revenge on Del Rio and cost him the match at 'Mania? Totally out of left field and unrelated to recent events, there is also the possibility of Christian interfering at 'Mania, but I'd like to have the discussion focused on the events of the past few weeks.
I think that Creative is doing a nice job of keeping us involved in multiple storylines at the same time and creating a number of possibilities to think about. Of course, given that Creative often drops the ball, this could end up being nothing more than a number of coincidences, or even a sign that they are still working out where any of this is going. I'd like to be an optimist here though, and give them some credit. What are some scenarios that you consider likely? Who wins next week, and at the Elimination Chamber? Which feuds do you think will develop from there? Do you see McIntyre turning face? What is the ultimate goal of his angle with Kelly, and/or where do you see her fitting into the big picture? Lastly, depending on what happens in the next two weeks, what do you consider likely for WrestleMania programs? Lots to think about, and hopefully it's actually going somewhere.
I like most of all that they have found a way to keep us guessing about the outcome of Edge's title matches lately. Vickie as the backdrop makes her beef with Edge seem real, and her motivation for putting the title on Ziggler more apparent. They have sold the screwjob angle well, and where everyone would basically just assume that Ziggler wouldn't have a chance, he has seemed like a bigger threat. No spear? Kelly can get pinned instead in a 3-on-2 match? Vickie as the guest referee? It's accomplishing two things: Edge continuing to win makes his title reign legit and gains tremendous heat for Ziggler, while also putting him over as someone people HAVE to give a shit about and cements the idea of him holding a world title at some point being inevitable. In the process, Vickie "fired" Kelly, gaining more heat for her and Dolph, and allowing for additional possibilities.
Looking ahead, we've got Edge vs. Ziggler for the WHC on Smackdown, with Vickie as guest referee. Nine days later, we have the Elimination Chamber. There are a few different ways that this can go:
Ziggler wins the title from Edge due to Vickie's presence as referee in some sort of screwjob fashion. On the flip-side, Edge retains next week. This could be due to interference from McIntyre, who takes exception to the "firing" of Kelly and results in a face turn. One would probably assume that Vickie would get knocked out and be replaced by another official in order to secure the pinfall for Edge, as I can't see her making the three count in his favor.
From there, we get the EC scenarios. If Ziggler wins next week, it's likely that he would enter the EC and drop the title. If the title changes hands there, one would assume two things: Edge wins and goes on to feud with Del Rio and properly build their match at WM. Alternately, Mysterio wins and we get yet another match between him and Del Rio, for the title at 'Mania. This is obviously the situation that no one wants to see, but I wouldn't rule it out.
While I feel that Ziggler holding the title for a mere nine days is a disservice to what he's capable of doing as a champion, it could be good for him in the long-run, as having a world title on his resume gives him the ability to boast and also makes people question his presence in main event level matches less. Winning in a screwjob finish gains him heat, and any heat that a heel can gain is a good thing.
Keeping Del Rio and Edge separate on Smackdown this week was, I think, a good move, as a feud for 'Mania is best built when actually leading up to the PPV. That is, of course, assuming that Edge would be the champion after EC. If the EC result is the one we don't want, he was also kept separate from Mysterio. He had plenty of interaction with Kofi, though, so it makes me wonder if he would fail to win the WHC at 'Mania and end up in an IC title program with him.
Depending on McIntyre's involvement next week, if he assists Edge in retaining (or attempts to) and turns face, depending on who leaves the EC as champion, it could give Drew a feud with Ziggler, as I don't see him walking out of the PPV as champion, whether he enters with it or not. Ziggler has the potential to make Drew look good in the ring, and with the recent heat that Dolph has gained, it could do well to gain support for Drew and put him over as a face.
On the other hand, there also exists the possibility that the Drew/Kelly angle has been dropped. It was brought up in commentary during Drew's match and Kelly referenced it as well, so I'm guessing that's doubtful. If we get a Drew face turn, I'd assume that he or Ziggler would eliminate the other in the chamber, and a subsequent feud could be initiated there. Conversely, if we get the Mysterio/Del Rio pairing, we could see a continuation of Ziggler/Edge, which becomes more likely if Dolph screws Edge next week and McIntyre stays out of it. If McIntyre turned face, it could make some sense, as the EC match is heel heavy, currently at 4-2, which I found somewhat surprising, as the heel/face scenario is usually 3-3. Ignoring that I dislike McIntyre and don't see a face turn doing much for him, at least it's SOMETHING that could make him relevant and earn him a reaction from the crowd.
Finally, we get the added element of "surprise" match interference in the future (beyond possibly Drew next week). Could Kelly "unofficially" return next week to help Edge? If McIntyre seeks revenge on Vickie for Kelly's "firing", would Kelly eventually assist him at some point when she returns? Could Dolph cost Edge the title at Mania? Could Kofi seek revenge on Del Rio and cost him the match at 'Mania? Totally out of left field and unrelated to recent events, there is also the possibility of Christian interfering at 'Mania, but I'd like to have the discussion focused on the events of the past few weeks.
I think that Creative is doing a nice job of keeping us involved in multiple storylines at the same time and creating a number of possibilities to think about. Of course, given that Creative often drops the ball, this could end up being nothing more than a number of coincidences, or even a sign that they are still working out where any of this is going. I'd like to be an optimist here though, and give them some credit. What are some scenarios that you consider likely? Who wins next week, and at the Elimination Chamber? Which feuds do you think will develop from there? Do you see McIntyre turning face? What is the ultimate goal of his angle with Kelly, and/or where do you see her fitting into the big picture? Lastly, depending on what happens in the next two weeks, what do you consider likely for WrestleMania programs? Lots to think about, and hopefully it's actually going somewhere.
It's good to see all that angles, that creative SD! put in people.
