WWE Weekly Wows/Duds for the Week of 5/15/2011

WWE Over the Limit is two days away, and this week was spent on putting together the final touches to matches for the event and further pushing whatever matches were already set up last week for the PPV.

The buildup for the PPV this week has been hit-or-miss with some decent buildups and questionable choices in the direction of rivalries pushed.

I present to you, fellow Bleachers, my wows and duds with the WWE for the week of May 15, 2011.

My Top 5 WWE Wows of the Week

Let us start things off with my top five highlights with the WWE this week.

5. Swagger Ditches Michael Cole

It looks like the WWE is finally deciding to give Jack Swagger a major push again considering the events of Monday. Not only did he ditch Michael Cole when the guy didn't watch what came out of his mouth; he was also Miz's appointed opponent to take on John Cena in the main event.

I've heard of some folks complaining it was inconsistent for WWE to paint a face turn for Swagger only to make him heel again with taking on Cena. But I could care less.

Jack's free from being a lackey in the stupid announcer war between Cole and Jerry Lawler. As long as he isn't put into another pathetic angle or reduced to a low carder/ jobber, I could care less if Swagger is face or heel, as he is a good technical wrestler who deserves better things.

4. Chavo Guerrero Gets Major Relevance

Glad to see Chavo's finally able to do something relevant besides being put in humiliating matches against Hornswoggle. His mentoring to Sin Cara behind the scenes appears to have truth to it since they are now engaged in an onscreen rivalry with one another on SmackDown.

Chavo did well at pushing heat on himself this week as he bragged about being able to beat Daniel Bryan in five minutes in contrast to Sin Cara's efforts last week, as well as his attack on Bryan after failing to beat him.

While the Chavo-Bryan match was short, it was an enjoyable five minutes with both men showcasing their aerial and technical abilities in the ring rather well.

The Sin Cara-Chavo match should be interesting to see this Sunday at Over the Limit.

3. R-Truth Heats Up Rivalry with Rey Mysterio

Making up for his subpar mic work on Raw last week, R-Truth did well to impress me this week during his run-in attack on Rey Mysterio this week which can be seen in the second half of the YouTube video above following the final minutes of Rey's match with Alberto Del Rio.

I liked him being dressed in street clothes, which meshed well with his new heel persona, and his dialogue on the mic was a major improvement over last week.

He sounded demented while responding to Rey's challenge for Over the Limit. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out at the PPV.

2. Christian vs. Sheamus

This opening match on SmackDown was a decent start to the program which showcased the chemistry and strengths of Christian and Sheamus in the ring with many moments of dominance between the two throughout the match.

Christian's speedy, high-risk maneuvers and Sheamus' powerhouse style were a great mesh, which I would like to see more of in the future.

1. Miz-John Cena Match Buildup

Whether you like John Cena or not, you do have to admit that the buildup for this match on Raw for Over the Limit was effective for the most part.

The Miz did enough at making his point on Monday to attempt proving he was a legitimate threat to Cena in their match this Sunday.

The vignette showed at the start of Raw highlighting Miz's beatings of Cena and Miz being allowed to select an opponent and the stipulation for a match Cena must wrestle did well at generating this feeling.

His promo at the conclusion of Cena's match also did well at making Miz seem menacing as he stated what he could do to his foe on Sunday.

Cena fiercely declaring that he would deliver just as much punishment to Miz following his foe's failed attempt at an attack did make for something a bit different from his normal easygoing, happy character.

The only setback with the whole angle is that the buildup of Miz being a threat was a bit marred with the usual buildup of Cena in fights where he gets battered yet somehow comes back and overcomes his foe by the skin of his teeth.

This especially looks weak when Miz had been battering Cena with a pipe and was assisted by Alex Riley in the assault.

The writing on the wall by most folks online is that Cena will be coming out of this match as champ because of both having prior history in "I Quit" matches which he has never quit in and of rumors circulating that Cena will be engaging in a rivalry with Alberto Del Rio into the summer for the WWE Title into Summerslam.

Much as I hate to say it, I will have to agree with those assessments. This match appears to be setting up the end of the Miz-Cena rivalry and Miz would be moving into something different after Sunday.

Considering that Miz had been racking in media appearances for the WWE and made vast improvements in his in-ring and mic work, I don't believe he will be out of the main event scene after Over the Limit just yet.

My Top 3 WWE Duds of the Week

And now let me show you the three worst moments I saw from the WWE this week.

3. Big Zeke Stiff on the Mic

Not meaning to burn on Vinnie Mac's recent push of big muscleman Ezekiel Jackson, but Zeke's mic work in explaining his reasons for ditching Corre on Smackdown this week sucked.

The big man just sounded flat on the mic and he didn't look too expressive in seriously meaning what he would do to Wade Barrett at Over the Limit.

It looked like he failed to connect with the audience in the arena, as there wasn't much fanfare over what Zeke had to say.

Wonder if Vince and WWE Creative grasp the concept of making sure whatever big men they want to push can be as charismatic on the mic before putting together an awkward segment such as this.

2. Great Khali Squash Match and More Jinder Mahal

Still can't believe the WWE is gonna use this angle to try pushing The Great Khali again and involve him with Jinder Mahal.

Khali's match with Jay Uso on SmackDown was essentially a squash match, which does nothing to elevate him in my book, since the Usos have apparently been reduced to low carder/ jobbers and Khali has as much wrestling ability and charisma as Giant Gonzales.

It's not too late for WWE to kill this angle, have Khali float around elsewhere and find something else to do with Jinder Mahal to prove his worth in the ring besides hanging around with the second coming of Gonzales.

Unfortunately, I am just one person ranting away on the Internet and Vinnie Mac continues to once again push a big man whose only worthwhile selling point is his huge size.

1. Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler Match Contract Signing

For a third week in a row, the Michael Cole/Jerry Lawler rivalry reeks its presence on my list of duds. Their match at Over the Limit tossed in a "Kiss my Foot" stipulation on Monday, which Lawler is no stranger of thanks to his rivalry with Bret Hart in the mid-1990s.

It's bad enough that WWE is risking its Hall of Fame to be just as irrelevant as its secondary titles with this ridiculous match.

But to also toss in a gimmick match from the New Generation era, the "memorable" place where ridiculous matches like Hog Pen and Crybaby matches were frequent, makes one just wonder what the WWE is thinking.

The rivalry even further rubbed in the exclamation point with a showing of Michael Cole's disgusting foot.

The only bright spot out of the spot was Jack Swagger finally deciding to jump ship from being Cole's lackey after the guy couldn't watch what came out of his mouth meaning Swagger is apparently not gonna be around to help Cole in his match on Sunday.

I just want this whole thing done and over with Sunday, though you likely shouldn't be surprised if the match makes my list of duds for next week.

R.I.P. "Macho Man" Randy Savage (1952-2011)

And to conclude this week's edition of WWE Weekly Wows/ Duds, I present an old video of a recently departed wrestler whose energetic promos and presence will be greatly missed.