WWE News: Reviews, Analysis and Rumors for Week of May 20
There were plenty of rumors regarding what might happen in the John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis match at Over the Limit this past Sunday, but in the end it was the obvious result that ended up coming to fruition when Big Show helped Laurinaitis pick up the victory.
Big Show's quick return and heel turn was certainly the biggest news in the WWE this week, but there were plenty of other interesting happenings as well. Big Show wasn't the only wrestler to come back at Over the Limit as another veteran was back in action after a long layoff and managed to win two matches in one night.
Also, a top star was suspended this week due to conduct detrimental to the WWE during a house show tour in South America. If that weren't enough, it was announced on SmackDown that a long-injured superstar would return to the ring next week.
Also, the WWE legal team will be putting in overtime as a rival company has filed a lawsuit against the wrestling entertainment giant.
There is never a dull moment in the WWE, and this past week was simply another example of that. Here are all the latest news pieces and rumors regarding WWE for the week beginning on May 20.
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Big Show Returns at Over the Limit, Helps John Laurinaitis Win
1 of 5With John Laurinaitis' chances against John Cena at Over the Limit being discounted at every turn, it became quite obvious that Laurinaitis would somehow find a way to come out on top. The popular thought was that Big Show, who Laurinaitis had fired the previous Monday, would show up at the event and help Laurinaitis in order to get his job back.
That is precisely what happened as Big Show knocked out Cena with the WMD punch. When Show brought Laurinaitis back to the ring after he tried to escape, it looked like he was going to aid Cena, but he shocked very few when he decided to take out Cena instead.
My Take
I had predicted that Batista would return to help Laurinaitis against Cena because I didn't want to believe that the WWE would go the blatantly obvious route, but obviously I was disappointed.
Bringing Batista back honestly would have made more sense because he had lost to Cena in his last WWE match two years earlier, and Laurinaitis could have made Batista his new star brought in to legitimize the WWE with Brock Lesnar "quitting."
Instead the writers went with the boring choice and brought back Big Show. Not only is it somewhat stupid because Big Show would have gotten his job back anyway had Laurinaitis lost and been fired, but it's going to lead to a lame feud as well.
We've already seen Cena and Big Show face off on a few occasions and it has never been particularly entertaining. It has already been determined that they'll wrestle at No Way Out and that is unlikely to draw in many interested viewers.
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Chris Jericho Suspended 30 Days for Kicking Brazilian Flag
2 of 5In news that was far more surprising than Big Show's return at Over the Limit, the WWE announced that it has suspended Chris Jericho for 30 days for an incident stemming from a house show in Brazil on Thursday, according to WWE.com.
During a match with WWE Champion CM Punk, a Brazilian flag was thrown into the crowd. Jericho kicked it in an effort to get heat from the crowd and the WWE press released deemed it an "irresponsible act."
Desecrating the flag is a punishable offense in Brazil, so police officers stopped the match and made Jericho apologize or else he would have faced incarceration.
Jericho apologized further on WWE.com and insisted that he got carried away in his efforts to entertain the fans.
"It was a bad move, Jericho said. I did it with [our] fans’ entertainment in mind and I’ll accept the consequences for that.
"
My Take
As a proud American I fully understand the importance of a flag as a symbol of a country, but this entire situation is absolutely ridiculous.
I'm sure there have been countless times in the history of wrestling where a heel has disrespected the flag of a certain nation in order to get a reaction from the crowd.
It has never been an issue before, but since we live in such an oversensitive society, Jericho kicking the flag was made into an international incident.
I'm sure Jericho had no idea that what he did was considered illegal, but he apologized to the crowd when he was informed and that should have been the end of it.
The WWE clearly felt the need to pander to Brazilian officials by suspending Jericho, though. It seems likely to me that WWE was handed down an ultimatum with regards to future shows in Brazil, so they made a business decision and suspended Jericho despite the fact that nothing more than a light slap on the wrist was warranted.
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Christian Returns and Wins Intercontinental Championship at Over the Limit
3 of 5There is no question that the card looked a bit thin heading into Over the Limit as there were just five advertised main-card matches, but a battle royal was added to start the show with the winner being granted a shot at either the Intercontinental or United States Championship. Christian made a surprise return and won the battle royal by last eliminating The Miz.
Christian appeared as though he would challenge Santino for the United State Championship, but when he caught Cody Rhodes badmouthing him backstage, he decided to go for the Intercontinental Championship instead. Christian defeated Rhodes in a well-wrestled match to take the title and turn face in the process.
My Take
There is certainly a lot to like when it comes to Christian's return. Christian is one of the most versatile performers in the company as he is great in the ring and on the mic, and he is capable of playing either a face or a heel equally well.
The way he turned face wasn't particularly good since he was a full-fledged face the last time he was seen and he simply turned at the drop of a hat, but the idea of having him become a face was certainly a good one.
The WWE's mid-card is somewhat of a wasteland right now, particularly when it comes to faces. All of the company's better faces like John Cena, CM Punk, Randy Orton and Sheamus are at the top of the card. That means that there is not really anyone to fill out the card with.
Christian is a main-event-level competitor, but he buoyed the mid-card for so many years that it makes sense for him to do it again. On top of that, it appears as though we're going to see an excellent feud between Christian and Rhodes over the Intercontinental Championship.
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Sin Cara Set to Return to SmackDown Next Week
4 of 5It had been rumored for several weeks that Sin Cara, who has been out of action since Survivor Series with a ruptured patella tendon, would be returning in late May. That was confirmed on SmackDown as a vignette aired to hype Sin Cara's return to action next week.
Sin Cara was extremely over with the crowd, and while his tenure with the company hasn't been perfect thus far thanks to a suspension for violating the wellness policy as well as the injury, the WWE brass will certainly be happy to have him back in action.
My Take
When Sin Cara debuted last year I, like many other WWE fans, was pretty excited. I don't follow Mexican wrestling so I was fairly unfamiliar with what Sin Cara brought to the table, but it was apparent quite early on that he possessed a moveset unlike any other ever seen in the WWE.
There is no question that he had trouble adapting to the WWE style of wrestling and made some mistakes, but his value stretches beyond in-ring work.
The WWE did a great job of hyping his debut, so Sin Cara already had a ton of fans before he even made an appearance. He is a major asset to the company because the mystery of his character tends to draw in the younger fans.
There are so many competitors who get little to no reaction, so the mere fact that Sin Cara gets cheered makes him an important performer. Also, with the mid-card scene awfully thin right now, Sin Cara will be a very welcomed addition.
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TNA Files Lawsuit Against WWE
5 of 5When it comes to the ratings battle, the WWE is in an entirely different league from TNA, but the underdog company is looking to strike a blow in the courtroom, as they have sued the WWE for obtaining secret contract information in an attempt to poach some of TNA's wrestlers, according to CBS News.
In the lawsuit, TNA states that it believes the WWE is trying to sign Ric Flair away from the company as he is on the verge of getting himself fired from TNA.
The lawsuit also claims that former TNA employee Brian Wittenstein leaked the information when he went to WWE, but Wittenstein was fired when he did disclose the information.
The WWE denies any wrongdoing.
My Take
If ever a desperate lawsuit were filed, this is certainly it. After looking like a legitimate wrestling company to some degree a few years ago, TNA has plummeted and the product may be worse than ever.
With nothing going right at the moment, TNA likely saw Flair's erratic behavior as a good excuse to go after the WWE in order to get some publicity for itself. In the end, though, TNA is just going to end up looking inferior like it always does.
The WWE likely has the best lawyers money can buy and I can't imagine TNA stands much of a chance. In fact, the WWE could probably have David Otunga represent them and still win the case.
This is nothing other than grasping at straws on TNA's part and it makes them look like even more of a joke. TNA is upset that its talent would rather work for a high-quality company like WWE, but it's time to face facts.
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