The Pay Window 7.14.2013: #Downwiththemachine

We’re just hours away from the Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View, so what better way to lead into it than with the column that’s ALL about the money! Welcome to your pre-pre show to Money in the Bank… this is The Pay Window!

This was an exciting week, with the much-anticipated debut of the Wyatt Family, and the go-home shows leading up to Money in the Bank. All of the big storylines for the summer are starting to take shape, but which ones make me want to reach for my wallet? Only one way to find out…

Backstage/In-Ring Segment of the Week

The Wyatt Family debuts/Attacks Kane (RAW 7.7.2013)

Obey! Obey! Obey! Obey! …creepy.

I decided to combine the first two segments this week, since it was all basically one big deal. There was a lot going on on RAW this week, with the in-ring job evaluation (and eventual firing) of Vickie Guerrero, and the final push towards Money in the Bank. But the prevailing undercurrent of the evening was the long-awaited arrival of the Wyatt Family. The first few vignettes were top notch as usual, and the look inside the Wyatt compound was really cool. I hope that even those they’ve debuted on TV now, they continue the vignettes from in and around the house. The ‘obey’ guy was super-creepy, and it makes me wonder if it was a one-off thing just to weird people out, or if he’ll eventually come into play as another member of the Family. Time will tell on that, but where I really want to get to is here:

For some people, this fell flat. I don’t know if it was because they’d just let their expectations run wild after the debut of the Shield, or if they were underwhelmed because they don’t view Kane as a big enough target… but for me, this segment more than delivered. I’ve watched it several times over the course of the week, and I still find myself getting goosebumps every time when the lights go out and the music begins to play. Some of you might think that’s hokey, but I like the fact that there’s still moments I can enjoy to that level, even though the curtain’s been pulled back, so to speak.

As for the attack itself, it was fairly standard, but the fact that they eliminated Kane from the Money in the Bank All Stars match magnifies it ten-fold in my opinion. Thinking back to similar debuts like the Shield or Nexus, their attacks came off as more vicious than the Wyatt Family’s in the moment, but the guys they attacked (with the exception of non-wrestlers like Ricky Steamboat or Bret Hart) were always back the next show, ready to try and get retribution. And obviously we’ve not seen the end to the issue with Kane; but just the mere fact that they were able to “take him out” for any length of time, especially just before a PPV match the magnitude of Money in the Bank, that instantly makes them a credible threat to anyone and everyone on the roster.

Where do they go, now that they’re here? Word is they’re heading towards a six-man clash at Summerslam against Kane. No word on who his partners might be, but you know me, I love to speculate!

Possible Summerslam partners for Kane: The main candidates

Daniel Bryan: The most obvious choice, but also one of the least likely. Team Hell No were the tag team champs for the better part of the past year, but they’ve gone their separate ways, and D-Bryan has his sights set on the WWE Title. The favorite to win the Money in the Bank All-Stars match, he’ll probably be occupied with bigger and better things. But on the off-chance he doesn’t win the Money in the Bank contract, he’s a shoe-in for this match come Summerslam.

The Undertaker: The other obvious choice is the man who definitely won’t be one of Kane’s partners. He was originally penciled in to team with Kane at Summerslam against the Shield, but his body isn’t ready, and the Wyatt match is actually rumored to be the replacement since the Shield match can’t go down as scheduled. Bray Wyatt seems like the classic Undertaker opponent though, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see some kind of interaction there whenever Taker’s able to go.

Rob Van Dam: Past history with Kane? Check. Big enough name for a marquee match at Summerslam? Check. Can afford to absorb a loss to the Wyatt Family? Check. I think we’ve got ourselves a winner here. Pencil in RVD as partner number one.

As for partner number two, I’d imagine it would be one from this group of four: Randy Orton, Sheamus, Chris Jericho, and Christian. Orton and Sheamus would provide the most recognition, and the most in the way of a rub if they put the Family over. And they’ve both gone against the Shield numerous times, so they’re familiar faces in the six-man dream teams. But it almost seems like the WWE would want them in a higher profile match-up at a show like Summerslam, maybe challenging the Shield again for the tag team titles. And that’s not even mentioning the persistent rumor of a Randy Orton heel turn. Jericho would be another big name that’s a good fit, but I’m not sure if he’ll even be around come Summerslam, and if he is, recent events suggest he might be getting a shot at Curtis Axel for his tenth Intercontinental Championship. That leaves us with Christian. He’s not as much of a headliner as the other choices, but he’s a former World Champion, and perfectly suitable as the third man on a super-team. He’s really got no realistic chance to win at Money in the Bank anyway, so maybe the Wyatt’s take him out backstage Sunday to give he and Kane a bit of common ground.

What say you guys? Is Kane/RVD/Christian vs. the Wyatt’s at Summerslam a money match? I’d say so. Not big bucks, maybe, but definitely a strong addition to any card.

Match of the Week

Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus (RAW 7.7.2013)

I went with DB/Sheamus here, but you could just as easily make an argument for Bryan/Christian from Smackdown in this spot as well. At this point, anytime Daniel Bryan wrestles on TV you know it’s going to be pretty phenomenal, and a likely candidate for inclusion in this column. A part of me wishes that somebody else would step up a little bit so I could write about someone else and stop repeating myself, but with the way Daniel Bryan keeps raising the bar from week to week, other guys could step there game up exponentially and it STILL wouldn’t be enough. It shows just what kind of wave the bearded one is riding when he opens and closes both shows heading into the Money in the Bank PPV. General WWE logic would say that the guy who looks the strongest heading into the Pay Per View hardly ever wins, but I think that trend gets bucked and bucked HARD in this situation. If getting in HHH’s face backstage and screaming expletives at him wasn’t enough to derail Bryan’s momentum (and kudos to HHH for putting business first and not throwing him in the doghouse over it), then I don’t know what is. Honestly (and I know I keep comparing it to this, but it really is the closest parallel I can think of), this reminds me of Punk heading into Money in the Bank 2011. It’s to the point now where Bryan is just so over, I think they’re going to put the title on him, even at the expense of Cena. It might just be a month long thing like Punk’s initial run, but that didn’t kill him as a draw. Just look where he is now. He got the second reign, he was Champ for 400-and how many ever days, and is clearly the number-two guy. I think they’ve got an almost identical situation on their hands here with Daniel Bryan, and I think when you’ve got a chance to make a guy like that, you’ve gotta strike while the iron’s hot. Daniel Bryan is only a few hours away from the cusp of legit super-stardom. Forget Money in the Bank, it’s a given. At this point, I’d be legit shocked if Daniel Bryan doesn’t win the WWE Title at Summerslam.

Bryan/Christian, just ’cause I’m a nice guy.

Stock Watch for the Week of July 7th-13th, 2013

CM Punk: Continues on his roll since his return with a huge pinfall victory over Randy Orton on RAW. Booking logic dictates he won’t win on Sunday, but if you’re going strictly by wins and losses, he’s been as hot as anyone over the last month, and it’s hard to completely count him out.

Christian: He’s been losing to everyone in sight leading up to Money in the Bank, from Randy Orton, to Daniel Bryan, and even Kane, who’s not even in the MITB match anymore. With Kane gone, Christian’s now officially in the basement. He’s got no shot to win on Sunday.

Magnus: Had another huge night on Thursday, winning his Joker’s Wild tag match in what was essentially a handicap situation, then followed it up by winning the gauntlet match by pinning Bobby Roode for a second time. He opens up an enormous thirty-point lead over his Main Event Mafia mate Samoa Joe, and pretty much assures that he’ll be there at the end with a chance to win it no matter what.

Bobby Roode: On the flip side of that, Bobby Roode finds himself bringing up the rear with a big fat goose egg. Only Joe Park is behind him in the standings on negative points, and it’s starting to feel like the longest reigning champion in TNA history is going to be a bit of an afterthought down the stretch this summer.

Gail Kim: She became the new #1 contender for the Knockouts title with her win over Taryn Terrell in a fantastic ladder match on Impact. I didn’t think it was quite up to the standard of their Last Knockout Standing match, but it wasn’t far off at all, and the ladder-assisted figure four was one of the coolest spots I’ve seen in a while.

Curtis Axel: Dropped his first two falls since becoming a Heyman guy to Chris Jericho. But it’s not all bad. Even though he picked up two L’s, he had two really good showings, and is looking more and more like he belongs with the big names every week. Definitely a glass half-full kind of situation.

Kaitlyn: Finally got her hands on AJ (and Big E) this week, and now she doesn’t look completely toothless heading into her rematch for the Diva’s Championship. It should be a good one, and this feud just goes to show that the Diva’s can deliver if you give them a little time on the shows.

Dean Ambrose: Kinda conspicuous by his absence this week. He made a couple of cameos during the entrances for Rollins and Reigns, but other than that he was nowhere to be found on the go home shows. Maybe that plays into his whole “lurking in the shadows” deal, I don’t know. I’ve actually changed my thinking on the World Title MITB a little bit, and I think Ambrose may just win the whole thing. But at least on the surface, it was weird for him not to make his presence felt when all six of his opponents were featured prominently.

Kazarian: Picked up the win over his partner Daniels in what I thought was a really entertaining Joker’s Wild tag match on Impact. All four guys were on top of their game, everything was crisp, and everyone played their roles to perfection. It’s an example of how to do a perfect quick TV match, and since Kaz got the W, he gets the spotlight here.

Vickie Guerrero: Unceremoniously dumped as Managing Supervisor of RAW, then escorted from the building by security on Smackdown, Vickie had a tough week. And what’s worse, (almost) nobody seemed to care. It’ll be interesting to see where this thing with Ryback is headed, but I’m not sure what’s worse, Vickie’s screeching, or Ryback’s food puns?

And now-

Money in the Bank PPV Roundtable Preview

411’s WWE RPI Rankings 7.13.13

Smart Mark 7.13.13 (You need to check this out)

The Ten Count 7.12.13

411 Fact or Fiction 7.11.13

The Heel Report 7.11.13

That’s it for this week. As always, if you want more, you can follow me on Twitter. Be back here next week, and enjoy Money in the Bank!