Sunday, July 21, 2013

Wrestling: The Kayfabe Countdown - 07/21

#1 Randy Orton [--] (40-17-4)
[Money in the Bank Contract]
There's something distasteful about a WWE Champion choosing his next contender from a roster lined up like boys and girls waiting to be picked for a dance. I don't disagree with John Cena's choice -- the white hot man of the moment: Bryan Danielson. I just don't like that he's gone from wanting to prove himself as more than a mere weak link -- to not competing in a good old fashioned contenders match! It makes it all the more unpalatable when there are Money in the Bank contracts looming, as well. Randy Orton could very well spoil Bryan Danielson's party, even if he manages to shock the world with a title win over John Cena. I hope not, but he could.

#2 [--] Sheamus (35-13-2)
#3 [--] Alberto Del Rio (33-10-5) [World Champion]
#4 [--] Bryan Danielson (28-22-1)
#5 [--] Kane (26-19-0)
#6 [--] Ryback (22-10-1)
#7 [--] Roman Reigns (19-4-2) [Tag Team Champion]
#8 [--] Seth Rollins (19-8-1) [Tag Team Champion]
#9 [+1] The Miz (19-9-1)
#10 [-1] Jack Swagger (19-11-2)

#1 [--] Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins (18-4-1) [Tag Team Champions]
#2 [--] Kane & Bryan Danielson (14-9-0)
#3 [--] Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns (13-3-0)
#4 [--] Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins (13-3-0)
#5 [+1] Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso (12-6-1)
#6 [-1] Sheamus & Randy Orton (11-3-0)
#7 [--] Brodus Clay & Sweet Tea Tensai (9-7-1)
#8 [--] Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow (5-11-1)
#9 [--] Brie Bella & Nikki Bella (4-3-0)
#10 [--] Naomi & Cameron (4-3-0)

Superstar Spotlight:
#50 Rob Van Dam (2-1-0)
He's "one of a kind" and I think I probably never expected to see him competing in WWE again. Rob Van Dam made his return at Money in the Bank, where Randy Orton got the better of everyone to claim the WWE Championship contract. It's a shame. It might've been nice to see RVD face-off with Cena in a scene reminiscent of his 2006 cash-in, playing up his success, which resulted in the resurrection of the ECW Championship. There aren't many obstacles Cena hasn't overcome, and Rob Van Dam could've very easily been pitched as another demon coming back to haunt him in the same way The Rock did at Wrestlemania [04/07/2013].

In the absence of immediate title aspirations, RVD got back down to business as usual. I'm not really sure I expected him to slide back into things so quickly, but he did, earning solid wins over Chris Jericho (RAW; 7/15) and Alberto Del Rio (Smackdown; 7/19). It'll be interesting to see if he can keep the momentum going, or if it's all for naught, as is so often the  case.

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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