WWE Tag Team Championship
Kof Kingston & R-Truth (c) vs. Kane & Daniel Bryan
I joined the brilliant minds over at Wrestle Reaction earlier this week to talk tag team wrestling, and the Kane/Bryan duo came up several times. The chemistry between the Big Red Monster and Goatface is undeniable; the big-man, little-man archetypes a recipe for success. WWE must smell the money behind this partnership, and I personally think the creative minds behind the product would be moronic not to allow this proper time to develop.
This right here – this one tag team – is what should fuel Triple H's rumored initiative to jump-start the tag team division in the WWE. There may be no more over, more easily available talent than Daniel Bryan and Kane to pair together. Take the star power JeriShow, coupled with recipe for implosion that was Angle/Benoit, mix in the oddity of Yokozuna/Owen and you arrive at Kane/Bryan, more or less. I can't tell if "Anger Management" or "Hell No" is a more appropriate branding. I mean, Kane picking up the win by chokeslamming Bryan on top of their opponent? Genius!
Tonight's the night. Many suspect this union to be nothing more than a catalyst for another singles match at Hell in a Cell; sounds like more wasted potential to me. Why build towards one more match in six weeks, when you can add necessary life to a dead division? There is so much more gold to be dug out of this angle than simply one more match… And I'm sorry for the pain and anguish suffered by the Prime Time Player fans (all ten of you). I'm sure they'll be next in line, right after Kingston and R-Truth envoke their re-match clause…
Prediction: Winners, and NEW Tag Champions…Kane and Daniel Bryan!
World Heavyweight Championship
Sheamus (c) vs. Alberto del Rio
This is currently my favorite running storyline in the WWE. Cena/Punk has a lot more momentum going into their match tonight, and it will undoubtedly be a must-see event, but they've only just picked up steam. Again. Sheamus and Alberto del Rio have been entertaining me for months! Two guys who, on their own, I generally couldn't care less about. But together they have such great chemistry as opponents; they just "click" in the ring together.
One is an arrogant aristocrat who drives fancy cars, has his own ring announcer and wins all his matches by technical excellence. The other is a knock-your-teeth-out Irish brawler, who steals cars and wins all his matches by kicking his opponent in the face. They're both such classic gimmicks, that are perhaps individually quite over-done. But I've loved their dynamic the past few months, and I doubt for much that tonight is they're final encounter.
Tonight could be the night Del Rio finally takes the World Heavyweight Championship home. With the Brogue Kick banned and the submission edge going quite obviously to 'Berty, I think it's possible we see a swap. But I don't give either guy more than a 50/50 shot; if there's going to be a final end to this summer feud, it should be inside Hell in a Cell next month.
Prediction: …Sheamus retains. But I'm not confident in that prediction.
