Sunday, September 29, 2013

Wrestling: The Kayfabe Countdown - 09/29

#1 Randy Orton [--] (51-20-6)
The cliché of slightly pointless multi-man tag matches has reached a level even Teddy Long would have to blush at. I didn't imagine the 11-on-3 handicap match would be revisited, let alone followed through upon, but I suppose it's the penance The Shield must pay. While Bryan Danielson occupies himself with this long running, soft hitting feud -- Randy Orton remains at arms length. The Miz' occupation as Orton's B-feud chills me to the bone for being at such close proximity to the WWE Championship, but I'm comforted by the fact he's here to be destroyed, and will hopefully never again sully the record of the once prestigious belt.

#2 [--] Bryan Danielson (46-24-2)
#3 [--] Alberto Del Rio (45-15-5) [World Champion]
#4 [--] Sheamus (36-14-2)
#5 [--] Roman Reigns (28-11-3) [Tag Team Champion]
#6 [--] Seth Rollins (28-15-2) [Tag Team Champion]
#7 [+1] Dean Ambrose (27-19-2) [United States Champion]
#8 [-1] Kane (27-21-0)
#9 [--] The Miz (26-12-2)
#10 [--] Ryback (25-16-1)

#1 [--] Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins (27-10-2) [Tag Team Champions]
#2 [--] Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns (21-9-1)
#3 [--] Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins (21-9-1)
#4 [--] Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso (20-13-1)
#5 [--] Kane & Bryan Danielson (14-9-0)
#6 [--] Sheamus & Randy Orton (11-3-0)
#7 [--] Brodus Clay & Sweet Tea Tensai (9-11-1)
#8 [+1] Naomi & Cameron (7-3-0)
#9 [-1] Titus O'Neil & Darren Young (7-17-0)
#10 [--] Luke Harper & Erick Rowan (6-0-0)

Superstar Spotlight:
#12 Dolph Ziggler (23-33-2)
These days it's a given that when there's a glimmer of hope in WWE, there's an equally dark shadow cast elsewhere on the card. None is more engulfed by obscuring darkness than former World Heavyweight Champion: Dolph Ziggler.

It's almost unfathomable to think Ziggler was a World Champion as recently as June. Alberto Del Rio may not be setting the world on fire with his time killing nostalgia feuds [Christian, Rob Van Dam] -- but I'll gladly recognize his weight as a legitimate contender. Ziggler -- now competing for the United States Championship -- seems to have lost any of that top tier lustre he briefly had on the back of a babyface concussion and face turn.

Ziggler seems at home competing for the US title. I don't for a second believe he's there to win the belt, but the second tier title feels awfully like the position he really belongs in. A pet favourite for a certain type of fan -- I don't think he's ever been completely convincing a "future of the industry" that will ever eventuate. His workrate is genuine, but his presence in-ring is fundamentally lacking something more than his unwillingness to engage in hardcore chain wrestling. Something is missing and I'm not sure it's something Ziggler can acquire -- even if that's more about the product around him than his own willingness to develop. I suppose time will tell.

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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