Wrestling Rumblings #24
July 17, 2009
By: Jose Marrero of WrestleView.com
Mysteries?who doesn?t love them? Part of the reason we watch this crazy show called wrestling is because we enjoy a little mystery in our life. Who is going to win the match? Who will be the next champion? Who is next to be pushed? All are mysteries that we ache to solve each and every show. This week we have a new mystery and an interesting one at that. Who will be Chris Jericho’s tag team partner at Night of Champions? You?re reading ?Wrestling Rumblings?.
I think it goes without saying that we are all 100% certain that whomever is selected to be Y2J’s partner is definitely not going to be a short term champion and well being Chris Jericho’s partner definitely is a nice spot to be put into in WWE. So my question is who are the five men that would more than likely be Jericho’s partner and the pros and cons of doing so.
Dolph Ziggler- (PROS) all we have been hearing for weeks now is how WWE is in need of more superstars and that they have to find a way to elevate guys to that next level. Make them seem like they belong. Is there anyone more than Mr. Ziggler that this would really apply to. One could argue that a rub from Jericho would really help Dolph stand out as well as keep him relevant for months to come.
(CONS) Dolph has already made steps to stand out on his own with his angle with Maria as well as latest program with Rey Misterio being Chris Jericho’s little buddy can stunt his growth as a star rather than accelerate it.
Jack Swagger- (PROS) Forget the rub that one would get from teaming with Chris Jericho what about just having the capability to be seen on all 3 WWE brands? If that doesn?t help elevate your profile and increase your visibility what will?
(CONS) Didn?t Jack start off on Raw not wanting to agitate Randy Orton? I don?t think having him go against Orton’s two main guys would endear him to anyone in Legacy. I also think that Swagger on Raw has a great future ahead of him as a singles star with potential feuds with Kofi Kingston and HHH on the horizon. This could be a big mistake.
Cody Rhodes-(PROS) WWE hasn?t really had a good shocker in a while. Sure CM Punk cashing in his briefcase when he did may have surprised some people but at the same time it shouldn?t have surprised most considering he spent the previous month trying to cash it in and kept getting disrupted. Ted Dibiase Jr. is posed to make a babyface turn and with the Marine 2 due out in September you figure WWE would want to make it soon since it is a little known fact that babyfaces sell movies not heels. However what would happen to Legacy? Simple you have Cody Rhodes give Ted a taste of his own medicine and switch teams just like he did to Bob Holly and have Chris Jericho be the newest addition to Legacy and have Ted begin his babyface career.
(CONS) First off it has to be said I think Ted Dibiase is a tremendous talent but to push him this hard this soon could be a mistake and I wouldn?t recommend pulling the trigger on a face turn=2 0so soon in his development. Plus in my opinion usually once you start kicking guys out of a group the group is never really the same and Chris Jericho just wouldn?t be a good fit in Legacy.
Shelton Benjamin- (PROS) I think just getting Shelton Benjamin on a PPV in a meaningful match is a big con in itself. If anyone can benefit from a rub with Chris Jericho it just might be ?The Gold Standard? Benjamin has been struggling to find a identity throughout his whole stint with WWE and no one can argue that they would be offended to see Benjamin as Jericho’s partner or surprised.
(CONS) I hate to be a downer but it seems like everytime Shelton tries to get the ball rolling in a singles push he gets put right back into a tag team. The World’s Greatest Tag Team was split twice with the idea being Shelton Benjamin getting a singles push only to see them reunite as less than what they originally were. I hate to call teaming with Chris Jericho a step backwards for Shelton Benjamin but teaming with Chris Jericho is a step backwards for Shelton Benjamin.
Ken Kennedy-(PROS) isn?t it funny how Ken Kennedy gets released with the idea being that he is too injury prone and WWE loses Batista, Matt Hardy, and Edge immediately after? WWE could benefit from having Ken back if for nothing else it shows they listen to their fans. There is a lot of fanfare for Mr. Kennedy from fans and it might be advantageous for WWE not to let Kennedy go to TNA because well TNA might get lucky for once and be able to capitalize on that.
No Partner-(PROS) I said five guys but has anyone thought of the possibility of Jericho having no partner? You would have to assume that if that happened that Legacy would regain the ti tles and be Unified Champions and well how is that a bad thing. I am not a fan of the argument that Chris Jericho would be cheered as a babyface if he went solo. This is not his first rodeo and I am confident that he can shake enough heat from the situation to make fans happy that he is getting the crap kicked out of him. The fact of the matter is with two heel teams in this match someone is going to be a babyface in this situation anyway and if I was WWE the way I would book this one is to have Jericho challenge Ted Dibiase to a singles match for the titles. Cody of course wants his two on one advantage and Ted showing hints of a babyface in him says he can beat Jericho on his own and miraculously does to the amazement of everyone. Jericho is still a heel, Ted is another step in his babyface turn with a very fine singles win on his resume to boot and the seeds of dissension are planted for the eventual Dibiase vs. Orton feud.
(CONS) No matter what you do with Legacy they will still be nothing but cronies for Randy Orton but what happens if you pull the titles off of Jericho? With a heel CM Punk you really can?t put him in a one on one program for the title and he already has had his mid card feud with Rey. Plus having the capability to put a w restler like Chris Jericho on all 3 shows is great for WWE in the long term.
So there you have it?five men and one very interesting possibility but in the end we will all have to wait 2 weeks to have this mystery unraveled. However this column is at its end right now but rest assured you can hit me up at wrestlingrumblings@hotmail.com as I always look forward to your emails and well that’s it for this week. Next week I will try to do better and until then I am out.
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