WM 29: Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Jack Swagger [World Heavyweight Championship]

[Mitch Henessey]

Because of Swagger's fuck-up, I'm still predicting a Daniel Bryan VS Sheamus-esque WHC match Mania. I seriously expect Swagger to get humiliated by having Del Rio slap on his signature submission, followed by Swagger tapping in a matter of seconds.

Zeb Coulter is a great mouthpiece for Jack Swagger. In a lot of ways, Coulter reminds me of Edward Norton's character from American History X. At first glance, you see this skinhead with a giant swastika tattoo on his chest, and you think "oh well, he's just a racist idiot." But then Derek (Norton) started to talk, and you might not agree with what he's saying, but his words catch your attention, because he's articulate and shows intelligence, as he explains himself. You don't get the impression of a rambling bigot.

The same goes for Coulter. When I first saw him on Raw, I thought, "well, he's just going to be a dumb redneck." His appearance gives you that impression, but Coulter starts talking, and you actually want to hear him out.

Coulter is a fantastic masterpiece, but I just see the same old guy, when I look at Swagger. He can change the name of his finisher to the Patriot Act/Patriot Lock, and he can shout "WE THE PEOPLE!" until he's blue in the face, but I still see the same Jack Swagger. The rough look is a nice touch, because Swagger doesn't look like the goofy frat boy anymore. Still, I honestly don't see a different Jack Swagger personality wise.

So yeah, I'm picking Del Rio for the win. I'm expecting a fast finish, and who knows, we might get a Ziggler cash-in.

 

[smith2k13]

when this match was made official i was shocked!! jack Swagger the guy who was losing to santino marella and had a three-month losing streak before taking time off is back and in the title picture at wrestlemania . not only is it a shit on my face situation to the superstars who wrestles every week but i've always thought wrestlemania was where the best of the best matches happen.. deffo not looking forward to this match the only positive thing that i hope happens is ziggler cashs in mitb

 

[Diet Soda]

Out of all the confirmed/rumoured matches on the card so far, this is the one I'm having trouble with figuring out. Everything else seems obvious; Cena over Rock, HHH over Lesnar, Taker over Punk, Ryback over Henry, Shield over Sheamus/Orton/Show, but I can't quite get off the fence with Alberto and Jack.

There are 6 scenarios here and in my mind right now they all have equal weighting.

First two, unclean wins. After some dastardly distractions from Zeb Coulter and a bit of a scuffle with Ricardo, Alberto gets a cheeky roll-up on Swagger and walks out the champion. Alternatively, Swagger (the heel) uses Coulter's presence to his advantage and steals a win from Alberto. Both would, of course, facilitate a rematch at Extreme Rules.

Second two, clean wins. Both these guys have submission finishers, it could go either way. One of them will tap out, it's just the case of which is the most dangerous hold, the ankle lock or the cross armbreaker. This is where Alberto and Jack have the chance to shine and put on some great mat wrestling. Hopefully.

Final two, the Ziggler problem. Either of the four outcomes above could be suffixed by "I'M HERE TO SHOVEL WORMS" as the Show-Off shakes his booty and his briefcase and cashes in on the champion, whomever it may be, after a hard fought victory. Effective Money in the Bank strategy #101. This, however, would be better suited to Extreme Rules, since we as the audience would believe that Alberto and Jack would be more knackered after a gimmick match.

Alternatively, Ziggler could wiggle his way into the match before it begins, and make it a triple threat. Though if Ziggler is to face Jericho at Wrestlemania, this seems less likely. (Could Jericho challenge Ziggler to put his briefcase on the line at 'Mania? It's a thought, for now.)

There are probably many more ways this could work out. The fact that I really don't know which one to put my money makes the whole match much more intriguing and exciting, and at the end of the day that's what we as fans want from a Wrestlemania championship match: unpredictability.

 

[D_Feds]

I recall a wrestlezone article last year mentioning that Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger would probably be the most useful in a real fight out of the all the wwe superstars. Just thought I'd share that. I hope Jack Swagger goes over at WrestleMania because it would be somewhat of a waste of the whole revamp of his character.

 

[PsychoBlack]

I just don't get this feud. Both of these guys have excellent amateur backgrounds and neither are excellent brawlers this feud has been built on hatred and they can go two ways with it. The first and most sensible way would have both of them go out and roll around on the mat until one of them could get their submission finishers trying to snap the others limb off. The second way that would make for a much less entertaining match would be to have these two have a huge brawl until one of them ends up getting a pin.

Swagger smoking pot shouldn't get him exiled like I've seen some of you saying. Smoking weed is totally harmless and it doesn't hurt anyone.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Really no point in all this building of Swagger unless he wins. Even less point to continuing to push Del Rio. Couldnt get over as a heel, couldnt get over as a face, why is he still around then?

Much better chance of Swagger's America continuing to pick up steam, over continuing to shove Del Rio down people's throats.

 

[The Eighties]

The build for this has been like watching paint dry, the rhetoric coming out of Colter got old real quick and Del Rio is fucking awful on the mic, even worse as a face than he was as a heel, of course he's not helped by the cheesy, pandering crap that is written for him. If they'd paired Boyd Crowder with Swagger this might have been more interesting.

So we have a match between two guys that are barely over as one of the supposedly big matches on the card. Personally I think in the ring this will be quite good but I can see the collective NY/NJ crowd taking a shit on it. Del Rio wins and then Ziggler cashes in........hopefully.

 

[Shocky]

Agree with Mark Madden, blame Alboreto Del Rio for the lack of interest in this match. Good Ole Dutch Mantell has been a gem for this match. Dutch has made Jack Swagger one of the more interesting characters in the WWE currently.

Alberto sucks, and he sucks badly. He was a terrible heel, and he somehow has managed to suck more as a babyface. Is it the material, possibly. The smiling immigrant story is nauseating at best. Alberto is just someone you can't get behind. Ricardo is the real star of the Mexican Duo, but unfortunately he is not physically able to make this match interesting.

My Pick: Jack Swagger, hopefully. Dutch Mantell has been a Godsend for Jack Swagger. Being on the mic has always been Sthwaggers weakness, and he has the perfect mouth piece. Swagger's Aryan looks, and message he is preaching in this current political environment, along with Dutch's ability to talk, has a ton of upward potential. The only thing I worry about is the WWE wanting the Mexican marketplace, so keeping the belt on ADR is probably in play.

 

[MCMG]

My problem with this feud is that they have not stressed the world title enough. I like Swagger's gimmick but they should put more emphasis on the world title and Swagger trying to take it of a Mexican. I still think that Del Rio wins. The WWE are high on him and I expect he wins at Mania but drops the title to Ziggler in the near future.

 

[The Crock]

I've gotta go with Swagger here. I can't help but think that if WWE was going to punish him, they already would have -- they seem fully committed to pushing Swagger, at this point. It's a shame the build has been so lackluster, but I would hate for WWE to just treat this as a throwaway match and have Alberto retain. They keep trying to build Del Rio into the next great Latin star, in the vein of an Eddie Guerrero or a Rey Mysterio, but it's just not happening. It doesn't matter how many championships he wins or how many big names he beats, the crowd just isn't connecting with Alberto Del Rio. WWE needs to realize that and move on -- he's a fine hand to have around and to use as upper midcard/main event fodder, but he doesn't need to be the World Heavywight Champion and have his "WrestleMania moment." Not against Swagger, at least.

Swagger and Coulter have potential -- far more than Del Rio and Ricardo do. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure the only reason Del Rio is even remotely over is because of how entertaining Ricardo is. If they want to have Ricardo get his hands on Zeb during the match, that's fine, but let Swagger win the match and inject some interest into the World Heavyweight Championship again.

 

[rerun406]

My problem with this feud is that they have not stressed the world title enough. I like Swagger's gimmick but they should put more emphasis on the world title and Swagger trying to take it of a Mexican. I still think that Del Rio wins. The WWE are high on him and I expect he wins at Mania but drops the title to Ziggler in the near future.

now that you mention it, I don't recall in any of the promos by Swagger or Zeb where they talk about the World HW Title

it's always about fixing America by stopping illegal immigrants or something of that nature

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

I loved the build for this. Ballsy and political. I'm guessing a hot crowd and a good match. Swag maybe goes over.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

now that you mention it, I don't recall in any of the promos by Swagger or Zeb where they talk about the World HW Title

it's always about fixing America by stopping illegal immigrants or something of that nature

Stopping illegal immigrants from reaping the benefits of this country (the title). It's not rocket science, it just wasn't spelled out. This show is for kids you know.

 

[Bland]

I would prefer Swagger winning but I can see a mirror of the finish of WWE title match at WM XX between Eddie & Angle. Swagger will work on del rio ankle and then del rio will loosen his boot. When swagger try to "break" del rio ankle the boot will come off & del rio will win via a roll up.

Swagger will be so annoyed that he & Zeb will destroy del rio & maybe "break" his ankle which leads to Ziggler cashing in and winning. It would then make WHC title picture unpredictable as we could have Ziggler vs Swagger for title at Extrene Rules or a triple threat if Del rio is still around.

Although I see Del Rio not leaving with belt I can't see Swagger winning either. Plus a break for del rio would be benfiticial as he can then have a big return & then be a huge underdog against Ziggler later in the year as Ziggler will still have AJ & Big E.

 

[Dagger Dias]

If this goes on first, I will be extremely angry and disappointed. The last two years the World Heavyweight Championship has opened Wrestlemania and that is absolutely ridiculous. It should NEVER have happened in the first place, not to mention the "match" we got last year can hardly even be called a match and it did not deserve to be the opening match. This is a WORLD TITLE that we are talking about. Within kayfabe it is supposed to be viewed as being on the same tier as the WWE Championship. You don't treat a world title this way. They should NEVER open the biggest show of the year with a world title match. It is disrespectful to the wrestlers involved as well as the title. They need to be further up the card. If this match goes on second or third, that's fine although it does deserve to at the very least to be in the middle in terms of the order. WWE, do the right thing and don't EVER open a Wrestlemania with a world title match again. Do you honestly think they would put the WWE Championship match first? No? Then if the World Heavyweight Championship is meant to viewed as being on the same level (which it is, in kayfabe) then treat both titles with the same amount of respect. Flair even said so himself once, the world titles need to be last.

Ok, with that rant out of the way let's disuss the actual match!

I have enjoyed the feud and I'm glad WWE went in this direction. It's the best build I have seen for the World Heavyweight Championship in recent years and the inclusion of Zeb has done wonders for Swagger. This is the most interesting he has ever been and I am very much anticipating the match. Del Rio and Swagger are capable of putting on an excellent match here. The bigger question is will Dolph be cashing in? Maybe. Swagger's lucky that the match is still happening, WWE are probably still angry at him for getting in trouble with the law during such a huge push. Alberto will most likely be retaining, and a Ziggler cash in might follow.

I'm going to take a bit of a risk in my prediction here and say Ziggler walks out with the title. We have not had a Wrestlemania cash in yet and this is the perfect time for it, plus he could potentially walk out with his group holding three different titles. World Heavyweight if he cashes in successfully, Tag Team if he wins his other match, and Divas if the girls are added to the tag team match. Whether Ziggler cashes in or not, I expect this to be one of the better matches of the night due to the skills of both competitors. We could be in for a memorable match here as long as WWE give it enough time. Just please, for the sake of the title's prestige and importance DO NOT OPEN WITH IT AGAIN THIS YEAR, WWE!

DAGGER'S PREDICTION
Alberto Del Rio retains the World Heavyweight Championship.
Dolph Ziggler cashes in and wins the World Heavyweight Championship.

 

[rerun406]

Stopping illegal immigrants from reaping the benefits of this country (the title). It's not rocket science, it just wasn't spelled out. This show is for kids you know.

Well if it's for kids then why doesn't he (or in this case) Zeb tell the kiddie's that you want a REAL American as your World HW Champion and not some illegal alien/immigrant

that it downgrades the belt, and push why Swagger is a much more worthy Champion.

subtly does work in some cases, but spelling it out wouldn't hurt

"Jack Swagger's America starts at Wrestlemania when Swagger, a real American takes back the belt, and brings it some dignity."

something of that nature wouldn't hurt

 

[Carlito_Orton]

With the recent arrest along with Jack Swagger getting most of the offence/momentum going into the show it just seems like at Mania Del Rio gets his redemption for with Swagger did to him and Ricardo. I could Swagger possibly winning the title maybe in a rematch but not at Mania. I list a few other reasons and the possibility of Dolph cashing in in my prediction game vid.
[youtube]wA2eIazCRlU[/youtube]

 

[Elchicano15]

Regardless what happens in this match Ziggler's cashing in for that Wrestlemania Moment. I'm 99.9% sure. The other percent feels he'll cash in the next night on RAW. The mania fallout episode of RAW always seems to be one of the best RAWs of the year. This is another match I'm actually looking forward to. Both performers have got some serious in-ring talent. Their mic skills could use work, but in the late 20s they had silent movies that turned out great. Someone had mentioned Swagger could possibly win only for Ziggler to cash in, which would be pretty cool. The crowd would love it and you can't help but to turn Ziggler face after that. As far as I know I think Del Rio and Swagger will continue their feud post Mania with or without the title. Maybe a triple threat that sees Ziggler retaining at the next PPV.

 

[El Rev sXe]

It has been an interesting feud, an interesting build up (the videos were crap) with all the physicality between Swagger and ADR.

I don't have high hopes for this one, but I think ti will be a very interesting match, a technical match, submission versus submission. It can be really interesting.

As far the winner is concerned well, I thik this match is one of the most unpredictable out comes. either man could leave with the big gold around his waist. My personal choice, not logical is Alberto del Rio retaining.

 

[InsomniaMusic]

I'm happy to see new talents at Wrestlemania and this will be a great match but just a little question... AM I the only who find it very similar to Eddie Guerrero vs Kurt Angle ? And that's makes me very sad to think that because if I watch the match with that opinion in my head, I will not enjoy it

The difference is they are taking it MUCH farther with Swagger. And it's more inline of what is going now

 

[The Dragon Saga]

This is one of the matches I've high expectations for. Part of me hopes they get the time to tell an actual story, because it's there if they can get it. Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio have one thing in common, both are extremely good in-ring performers. With hope they'll mesh well together and make this a good one, if they have the time I'm hoping they'll get this could be a sleeper and steal the show, but a part of me feels that might not be what their going for.

The story is pretty interesting. In the early days when Swagger was getting the media attention for the persona WWE were probably reveling in how well the repackaging went, but not only has his momentum died down a bit but so has ADR's as a face, he literally had fifteen minutes of fame as a good guy and now hes just back to being Alberto, the rich Mexican with the big gold belt.

Hoping Swagger takes the World Heavyweight Championship here. And if Dolph Ziggler attempts to cash in I would like for nothing more than Swagger or whoever to stop him and defeat him, rendering his briefcase useless. Not only would it be highly entertaining but WWE trolling the smarks who like Ziggler would make the Internet explode.

 

[Puxakov007]

No Ziggler cash in then!?

So how about after Rock v Cena? Lol. Would certainly be unexpected!