#1 Sheamus [--] (22-8-1)The unlikely alliance of Sheamus & Randy Orton rolls along, keeping both at the top with no convincing signs of that much rumoured Orton heel turn. In one of the stranger twists for 2013, it appears as if Smackdown was booked by reusing a call sheet from January, with a few minor adjustments. This time Orton & Sheamus were on the losing end of a Big Show tag team, which included Mark Henry instead of the almost irrelevant Antonio Cesaro [who teamed with show during the week of 01/06/2013].
There were plenty of other similarities, but I'll let you look those up for yourself, to enjoy the same shock I had. Instead, lets just ponder the disappointment of a world where the second most storied tag team of the year doesn't appear to be in line for a Tag Team Championship. Their chemistry has never struck me as anything more than a card filler, even though some so-called experts have pegged Sheamus & Orton's claim to a title shot without the aid of the stats. With the benefit of stats, I have to say I wish there was more to it. It just doesn't seem right that an opportunity like this should be overlooked. That's World Wrestling Entertainment, folks.
#2 [--] Randy Orton (22-9-1)
#3 [--] Alberto Del Rio (21-3-1)
#4 [--] Kane (17-9-0) [Tag Team Champion]
#5 [--] Bryan Danielson (17-10-0) [Tag Team Champion]
#6 [--] Jack Swagger (15-3-1)
#7 [+1] Mark Henry (14-3-0)
#8 [-1] Ryback (14-5-0)
#9 [--] Big Show (13-12-1)
#10 [RE] Wade Barrett (12-14-1) [Intercontinental Champion]
#1 [--] Kane & Bryan Danielson (12-3-0) [Tag Team Champions]
#2 [--] Sheamus & Randy Orton (9-2-0)
#3 [--] Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns (5-0-0)
#4 [--] Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins (5-0-0)
#5 [--] Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins (5-0-0)
#6 [--] Brodus Clay & Tensai (5-2-1)
#7 [RE] Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow (4-6-1)
#8 [-1] Sheamus & Big Show (3-1-0)
#9 [-1] Randy Orton & Big Show (3-1-0)
#10 [-1] Brie Bella & Nikki Bella (3-1-0)
Superstar Spotlight:#29 Kofi Kingston (4-14-0)
[United States Champion]
Say what?!? The utter deconstruction of Antonio Cesaro continues as the United States Championship changes hands in one of the worst possible ways conceivable. I'll grant that time was lending itself to a title change, but for Kofi Kingston to come out of nowhere on the back of a dozen jobber squashes and a one match build? You've really got to wonder what the hell these clowns are thinking, sometimes.
For my money, the guy to take the strap was Ryback. The once rising star has been completely obliterated by what I would call mismanagement. He was tracking wonderfully on the Goldberg plan for making a superstar, making in roads by progressing from no-name local jobbers, to bottom tier WWE talent. That gradual curve should've continued and the US Championship was the logical first port of call. Instead, he was prematurely pushed into a program of rock-and-hard-place against a CM Punk sitting neatly in a WWE Championship run. It was all downhill from there.
A US title win would've been the perfect way for Ryback to get back on track -- doing away with a competitive Cesaro, before stomping his way past other second tier challengers. It would've been good for the strap, good for Cesaro, and best for Ryback. Instead, we're booked into what has the potential to be yet another forgettable title reign, meandering its way through irrelevance. God bless Kofi Kingston, whose work is dependable, and quality of character is worthy of rewards. Rewards much better and more legitimate than this. A bitter pill in a month that's given us equally sickening results for the IC Championship (including a pointless 24 hour Wrestlemania reign by The Miz, of all people), and the ever-despicable hardcore 24/7 diminishment of the MITB World Championship contract. A sorry state of affairs for championship credibility. Here's hoping something good comes of it.
The Kayfabe Countdown is based on the cumulative tally of wrestler win/loss records. Tallied results only include matches broadcast during WWE 2013 programming. At present, this includes RAW (Mondays), Main Event (Wednesdays), Smackdown (Friday), and monthly Pay-Per-View events.
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