WWE Over the Limit 2012: Whose Career Hits the Skids After the PPV?

It’s that magical time of year again!

That’s right, we’re in WWE Over the Limit season, that time in the WWE season where someone’s career/big push goes down in flames.  Don’t believe me?  Well, let’s review our history:

-          OTL 2010: John Cena vs. Batista, WWE Championship. Cena beat the holy hell out of Big Dave in an “I Quit” match.  The next night, Batista quits WWE. He has not been seen since.

-          OTL 2010: Jack Swagger vs. Big Show, World Heavyweight Championship. Big Show essentially squashes Swagger for five minutes (five minutes for a title match!) before Swagger gets himself DQ’ed and then gets squashed again post-match. A month later, Swagger drops the belt at Fatal 4-Way. He has barely sniffed the World title scene since.

-          OTL 2010: Eve vs. Maryse, Divas Championship. After being one of the most dominant Divas Champions ever, Maryse unsuccessfully challenged Eve at OTL 2010 and then again at Fatal 4-Way.  Soon after she was a valet on NXT, and then was released from her contract.

-          OTL 2011: Big Show & Kane vs. CM Punk & Mason Ryan, Tag Team Championship. Punk and Ryan would unsuccessfully challenge the tag champs at OTL, and Ryan would disappear soon afterwards due to the combination of an injury and not a single person caring about him. The rest of the New Nexus would fade out fairly quickly as well (McGillicutty and Otunga would hold the tag titles, but in today’s WWE that doesn’t mean a whole lot), though CM Punk would break from the group and go on to bigger and better things, to put it mildly, and Otunga has done OK for himself as John Laurinaitis’ lackey.

-          OTL 2011: John Cena vs. The Miz, WWE Title. Cena embarrasses The Miz in another “I Quit” match (Hulking Up at the end and locking Miz in the STF) to retain his WWE title.  Like Swagger, Miz has barely touched the main event scene since, despite a few flirtations while a part of the criminally underrated and short-lived Awesome Truth.

For an event that’s only in its third year, that’s five careers that have been pretty much either flushed down the drain or been severely damaged by one event.

So, in my article today, let’s keep the streak alive and look at whose career might hit the skids after OTL 2012…

John Laurinaitis

This would be the obvious choice, given that 1) there’s a stipulation in place that would cause Big Johnny to be fired if he loses, and 2) it would allow Cena to go 3-for-3 in destroying someone’s career at Over the Limit. 

However, I doubt that this is going to happen. WWE has already invested too much time in building up Laurinaitis as a heat-drawing heel authority figure to pull the plug already, unless they have a spot for him as the manager for a star heel (much like Paul Heyman returning in 2002 with Brock Lesnar).

I think it’s pretty obvious that Laurinaitis is going over at OTL with the aid of an “unemployed” superstar – whether it be Big Show (most likely), Brock Lesnar (less likely), or Batista (heard rumors, would be interested) – and possibly “suspending”/“firing” Cena for challenging his authority, which would give Cena some time off to heal up and deal with his personal issues. 

So, while WWE might pull a fast one on us and give us some convoluted scenario where Cena wins but Laurinaitis sticks around, I don’t think Big Johnny’s career is going anywhere but up after OTL 2012.

Chris Jericho

This would be the next most obvious choice for someone whose career will hit the wall.

I will fully cop to the fact that I am and have always been a huge Jericholic since the first time I heard “Will you PLEASE…shut…the hell…UP?!” all those years ago, but the fact remains that Jericho’s 2012 return has been a major disappointment (can’t call it a bust since he DID compete for the title at WrestleMania). 

It’s also been documented that Jericho is going to be leaving at some point in the near future to go back on tour with Fozzy, so having him take the loss and writing him off would make sense here. 

Admittedly, I have heard some rumblings on B/R and on other sites saying that Jericho is likely to win the title here and then drop it (and disappear) at SummerSlam, but I have to disagree. 

Jericho is a short-timer at this point in his career, and he’s clearly not the future of WWE (unlike Sheamus, Del Rio, and Orton) so it’s more likely that Jericho’s career with WWE comes to an end either at OTL 2012 or soon after.

But here’s a dark horse that we haven’t made enough of…

Alberto Del Rio

This may be a controversial pick, but if you wanted one of those 75-to-1 long shots that has a fighting chance of coming through, it’s this: at some point really soon, WWE is going to need to take a hard look at Alberto Del Rio, and when they do they are going to need to seriously think about whether they like what they see.

My vote is no.

True, Alberto Del Rio is an excellent in-ring performer, and he has an interesting character in that he is a heel that smiles more than he scowls (which, honestly, WWE/Del Rio himself hasn’t played up enough – the business needs more smiling heels).

But I’ll be honest: when I watch ADR, I don’t see anything resembling any real progress. His promos are still decent but unspectacular; his move set is very, very good but has never become great; and he never really seems like he “wants it” enough.

WWE took a shot with him and put the title on him early and it busted. Then he got hurt, was supposed to come back as a more vicious character, but all I’ve seen is the same Alberto Del Rio with the same moves and the same M.O.

Is this the kind of guy who can carry the company and can be trusted to consistently main-event PPV’s and draw in money? I don’t think he has it in him; more specifically, I think he has it but might not want it enough.

Conclusion, Thoughts?

So, while Chris Jericho might be the obvious pick for the guy who’s career goes in the toilet at Over the Limit 2012, I wouldn’t take my eye off of Alberto Del Rio. 

I hope I’m wrong, and I hope he figures it out soon, but if I had to put money on an underdog in this race, I’m putting it on Del Rio. 

Thoughts?