John’s Jargon
From
Professional Wrestling to Baseball and Everything In-Between
Welcome to the inaugural edition of
John’s Jargon. First and foremost, I would like to introduce myself. I am an
avid professional wrestling fanatic and frequent viewer of both WWE and TNA
programming. I began watching pro-wrestling in April 2006, and I have not
missed an episode of Monday Night Raw or Friday Night Smackdown since. Do not
let the brevity of my tenure as a wrestling fan deceive you, I have spent
countless hours absorbing as much information as I can through books, DVDs and
online resources.
My passion for sports stretches beyond
professional wrestling, as I am a huge New York Yankees and New York Rangers
fan. I am going to use “John’s Jargon” as a canvas to share all of my thoughts,
analysis and predictions for whatever form of entertainment I so choose. And
for this particular blog post, I choose to dive into the risky realm of
Summerslam predictions.
Debuting in 1988, Summerslam has always
been regarded as the sister pay-per-view to the WWE’s biggest show of the year,
WrestleMania. The hottest party of the summer can act as an epicenter for epic
rivalries, the boundary for blow-off bouts and an avenue for awe-inspiring
action. Historically, Summerslam fails to disappoint, having provided the WWE
Universe with a smorgasbord of memorable moments, and this year is set to be no
different.
This year’s Summerslam event presents one
of the boldest cards to date with an impressive eight confirmed matches. Even
more impressive is that each matchup is the product of a well-booked storyline
with legitimate heat and a good deal of television exposure. There is not a
single match on the card in which I do not have some type of vested interest.
Personally, this entire summer and the weeks leading up to Summerslam have felt
very organic and made me especially proud to be a professional wrestling fan.
Chronologically speaking, the first bout
of the night appears to be the new Intercontinental Champion, The Miz, versus
the “Showoff” Dolph Ziggler. The Miz, just having had his character revamped
this summer is in no position to have any of his momentum derailed. I project
that The Miz will successfully defend his Intercontinental Championship in a
fun and exciting 10-minute opener.
I predict AJ Lee and Paige will follow
the opening match in a tangle for the Divas Championship. This has easily been
one of the most engaging rivalries the Divas division has seen in a long time.
These two Divas have gained massive followings and the Staples Center will
definitely be split as to whom they would like to see come out on top. For the
sake of the rivalry’s continuation, I can see Paige regaining the gold in Los
Angeles only to be vanquished at Night of Champions by the ever-resilient AJ
Lee.
As far as the “Real American” Jack
Swagger and the “Bulgarian Brute” Rusev, there is no doubt in my mind that we
will see Jack Swagger achieving victory on behalf of the United States in the
Flag on a Pole match. I have enjoyed every second of this feud because it has
provided legitimacy to Swagger’s face turn. After having lost at Battleground
to Rusev, Jack Swagger is due to even the odds and the beauty of this match is
that he can win and look strong in victory without pinning or submitting Rusev
and detracting from his credibility.
The “Eater of Worlds” Bray Wyatt is set
to go one on one with (due to CM Punk’s absence) the “Best in the World at What
He Does” Chris Jericho. It is no secret that Jericho’s role within the company
is to put over the younger talent and make them look great while doing it. The
rivalry between these two entities has not reached its full potential in my
opinion, but in order for it to shift into fourth gear, Bray Wyatt has to
defeat Chris Jericho on Sunday, August 17th. I am not quite sold on
the in-ring chemistry between these superstars, but I believe they will have a
solid 15-minute matchup and tell a great story while doing so.
Once “Dirty” Dean Ambrose and Seth
Rollins hit the stage, I bet that the WWE Universe will reach a frenzied
crescendo, as this is one of the most personal rivalries in recent memory. I
know I have been salivating just thinking about these two young bucks locking
horns. Ambrose has hit his stride as of late and is bringing a great new
dynamic to his “Lunatic-Fringe” character. Seth Rollins is easily the hottest
worker, talker and entertainer in the locker room right now and these two superb
athletes can potentially steal the show. When the dust settles I predict that
“Mr. Money in the Bank” Seth Rollins will fire the first shot in what should be
a historic rivalry.
Things have gotten extremely physical
between Randy Orton and Roman Reigns, and I do not see their standard one-on-one
match at Summerslam as being an effective means of containment for these two
combustible elements. In order to prolong this storyline and keep both Orton
and Reigns occupied, I predict that this bout will end in disqualification in
what will be brutal brawl from bell to bell.
Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella have set
the stage for one of the most anticipated Divas matches in WWE history. The
dramatic story that these two characters have nurtured has twice closed out
Monday Night Raw and captured the amazement of the entire WWE Universe. It is
great to see a Divas arc take such precedence in the build of a major
pay-per-view and it has not disappointed thus far. I foresee the “Billion Dollar
Princess” taking control of a majority of the matchup and losing to Brie Bella via
rollup.
Last, but certainly not least, we have
the “Biggest Fight of the Summer.” The 15-time World Champion John Cena looks
to survive his biggest challenge to date, the “Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar.
Both of these megastars are at the pinnacle of their respective careers as Cena
has cemented his legacy as the greatest WWE Champion of all time and Brock
Lesnar caught lightning in a bottle when he conquered the Undertaker’s
undefeated streak at WrestleMania 30. Not only will this match tell a story, but
it will also be a first-rate vitriolic clash of titans. As history tells us,
John Cena has great difficulty claiming victory at Summerslam, and I predict
this year will be no different. Brock Lesnar has a greater amount of momentum
going into Los Angeles on August 17th, and he will parlay that into
his fourth WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Summerslam is looking to be one of the
biggest cards of the year, and you will not want to miss what happens on August
17th at the Los Angeles Staples Center. For more of my wresting-related
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