ironworks
07-15-2012, 06:44 PM
Feed Source: Bleacher Report
It is fair to say that there have been some differing opinions with regards to AJ's involvement in the WWE Championship feud between incumbent titleholder CM Punk and challenger Daniel Bryan.
While it's possible that AJ being the special guest referee at Money in the Bank could detract a bit from the in-ring work, the overall package will be better because of it.
Punk and Bryan are unquestionably two of the best pure wrestlers in the WWE today and they have been two of the best workers in the business as a whole for the past several years. With that in mind, it is always a special treat for the fans when Punk and Bryan lock horns.
They'll do so again on Sunday, but there will be an obvious X-factor.
It has been a very long time since a diva has been involved in as big of an angle as AJ is right now.
Punk and Bryan are supposed to be two of the most serious competitors in the world and should only care about the WWE Championship, but she has diverted the attention of both of them and has made them look silly over the past couple weeks.
I can understand why hardcore wrestling fans who place a great deal of emphasis on actual wrestling are a bit disillusioned by AJ's huge role, but in terms of the big picture, AJ has to play a part.
We have already seen Punk and Bryan do battle a few times—most notably at Over The Limit—and while the matches have been great, they can't stand alone forever.
What sets the WWE apart from other wrestling companies is the attention to detail and the commitment to developing great storylines in addition to great matches. Obviously not every angle is going to land, but this particular one has come into its own recently. When Kane was involved, things were a bit too sloppy, but everything is rounding into form.
The legions of Internet-based fans would be perfectly happy with a series of matches between Punk and Bryan without any outside distractions whatsoever, but the average fan is inevitably going to get bored with something like that. Not all fans are created equal, and there are certainly plenty of them that prefer the entertainment aspect over the actual wrestling.
AJ is a part of the match for a reason, so she is obviously going to get involved in some capacity, but that doesn't mean it can't still be a well-wrestled bout. In fact, I expect the match to play out like any normal tilt between Punk and Bryan normally would, except for the ending being influenced by AJ in some way.
Since this is the WWE's hottest storyline—and truthfully its only storyline right now—it is likely to run through SummerSlam at the very least. That means that there will be some sort of unresolved ending that keeps things going.
My best guess is that Bryan will pull AJ in front of him and Punk will accidentally kick her, which knocks her unconscious.
That will result in both Punk and Bryan tending to AJ, but once a replacement referee shows up, Punk will hit Bryan with a GTS to retain the title. AJ will get carted off and then the next couple weeks can involve Punk and Bryan pointing the finger at each other with regards to whose fault it was that the injury occurred.
It still won't be apparent who AJ favors, and the big blow off can then happen at WWE's No. 2 pay-per-view of the year in the form of SummerSlam. Of course, there are plenty of other possibilities as well, but there is absolutely no question that AJ makes things more compelling, more interesting and simply better when it comes to this angle.
A regular match between Punk and Bryan would be great in its own right, but without any type of interference, Punk would just retain cleanly. I still feel like Punk is going to come out on top Sunday, but at least AJ's presence creates some doubt and adds plenty of intrigue.
It is fair to say that there have been some differing opinions with regards to AJ's involvement in the WWE Championship feud between incumbent titleholder CM Punk and challenger Daniel Bryan.
While it's possible that AJ being the special guest referee at Money in the Bank could detract a bit from the in-ring work, the overall package will be better because of it.
Punk and Bryan are unquestionably two of the best pure wrestlers in the WWE today and they have been two of the best workers in the business as a whole for the past several years. With that in mind, it is always a special treat for the fans when Punk and Bryan lock horns.
They'll do so again on Sunday, but there will be an obvious X-factor.
It has been a very long time since a diva has been involved in as big of an angle as AJ is right now.
Punk and Bryan are supposed to be two of the most serious competitors in the world and should only care about the WWE Championship, but she has diverted the attention of both of them and has made them look silly over the past couple weeks.
I can understand why hardcore wrestling fans who place a great deal of emphasis on actual wrestling are a bit disillusioned by AJ's huge role, but in terms of the big picture, AJ has to play a part.
We have already seen Punk and Bryan do battle a few times—most notably at Over The Limit—and while the matches have been great, they can't stand alone forever.
What sets the WWE apart from other wrestling companies is the attention to detail and the commitment to developing great storylines in addition to great matches. Obviously not every angle is going to land, but this particular one has come into its own recently. When Kane was involved, things were a bit too sloppy, but everything is rounding into form.
The legions of Internet-based fans would be perfectly happy with a series of matches between Punk and Bryan without any outside distractions whatsoever, but the average fan is inevitably going to get bored with something like that. Not all fans are created equal, and there are certainly plenty of them that prefer the entertainment aspect over the actual wrestling.
AJ is a part of the match for a reason, so she is obviously going to get involved in some capacity, but that doesn't mean it can't still be a well-wrestled bout. In fact, I expect the match to play out like any normal tilt between Punk and Bryan normally would, except for the ending being influenced by AJ in some way.
Since this is the WWE's hottest storyline—and truthfully its only storyline right now—it is likely to run through SummerSlam at the very least. That means that there will be some sort of unresolved ending that keeps things going.
My best guess is that Bryan will pull AJ in front of him and Punk will accidentally kick her, which knocks her unconscious.
That will result in both Punk and Bryan tending to AJ, but once a replacement referee shows up, Punk will hit Bryan with a GTS to retain the title. AJ will get carted off and then the next couple weeks can involve Punk and Bryan pointing the finger at each other with regards to whose fault it was that the injury occurred.
It still won't be apparent who AJ favors, and the big blow off can then happen at WWE's No. 2 pay-per-view of the year in the form of SummerSlam. Of course, there are plenty of other possibilities as well, but there is absolutely no question that AJ makes things more compelling, more interesting and simply better when it comes to this angle.
A regular match between Punk and Bryan would be great in its own right, but without any type of interference, Punk would just retain cleanly. I still feel like Punk is going to come out on top Sunday, but at least AJ's presence creates some doubt and adds plenty of intrigue.