Wrestlemania Preview Part 3

UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan

This match could be an under the radar match if you like solid wrestling, and if you like John Cena, you probably don't.

Many have knocked Daniel Bryan for a "lack of charisma" during his WWE career. After all, the WWE knows best, right? Not exactly.

Looking at Daniel Bryan, I'm reminded of Mr. Kennedy (who is now Mr. Anderson in TNA Wrestling). Kennedy/Anderson was an elite talent in the WWE with mic skills and an ability to get things done in the ring. However, the WWE didn't know how to use him. That's how I feel with Bryan.

When superstars from organizations come into the WWE, Vince McMahon strips them of any former gimmick because Vinny Mac didn't create it. So, instead of Bryan going by his real name of Brian Danielson, they flipped it. Instead of bringing his "I HAVE TIL FIVE" bit (as in five seconds to break a hold) to the WWE, they tried Daniel Bryan as the Ladies Man. Gotta use the Bella Twins somehow I guess when there isn't a guest host.

So it's a bit frustrating to see a guy who can clearly entertain in the ring get watered down a bit. We'll see how it turns out as things progress.

In Shemus' case, the WWE brought him back to his Celtic Warrior gimmick, which I love.

When Sheamus first came to the WWE, he was the Celtic Warrior. He was a guy who wasn't afraid of a fight and will kick the snot out of you to prove that he is worthy of your respect. Then came his feud with John Cena.

We'll get to the invincibility of John Cena in a later post, but Sheamus suddenly became a quivering version of the Iron Shiek. Or, in other words, the champion who always cheated to win. We've already been down this road before...AND there are a ton of cheating champions.

The fact that they've brought Sheamus back to being the Celtic Warrior is a good thing. I'm actually entertained by him physically beating the hell out of the other guy in the ring and not being a sniveling coward.

Overall, the match should be a good one. I expect Sheamus to retain his title and hold onto the belt for a couple of months.

8 MAN TAG MATCH: The Big Show, Kane, Santino Marella, and Vladamir Kozlov vs. The Corre (Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, and Ezekiel Jackson)

Yawn. Simply...yawn. There are two wasted championships in this match that could be used during Wrestlemania, but this match also represents a problem.

In previous years, WM featured the Money In The Bank ladder match. This was a perfect opportunity to get 6-8 people into Wrestlemania, and keep people entertained. However, this will be the first Wrestlemania since 21 without the Money In The Bank match because they decided to turn it into a gimmick pay-per-view.

So that's how they came upon a 8 man tag match. They get a whole bunch of people involved and still keep enough room to have other pointless matches (Like the Snooki match). They want to thank everyone for their hard work over the year by putting them in Wrestlemania, but you have to ask at what cost?

It would be much better if they had the championships in the match on the line in two separate matchups. Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel are the Tag Team Champions. Only problem is that they are the only legit tag team in the WWE at the moment. The Hart Dynasty and the Usos were both scrapped and we're left with random main eventers that the booking committee can't find a feud for paired together to win a tag team championship.

Remember when there were a slew of tag teams? The Hardys, Edge and Christian, The Dudleys, New Age Outlaws, Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart, etc. Nothing is left in this division. A tag team match is a signal to go get a beer now. It's pretty sad. But if the WWE maybe created a rivalry between the Corre and Santino/Kozlov, it might jumpstart the division. But I highly doubt that.

Wade Barrett has the Intercontinental Championship. Couldn't they make a triple threat with him against Kane and Big Show. And why is Kane suddenly a happy-go-lucky guy. Wasn't this the guy who was so angry at his brother he buried him alive...again? I understand that pro wrestling doesn't have to make complete sense, but really?

Another thing that confuses me is the formation of the Corre, who is so bad ass they need two R's in their name? Tell me, what was wrong with the Nexus? Why couldn't we have this one group who was beating people up. Is Smackdown that much better with the Corre there? I don't think so. But, what's done is done, I guess.

The match should be like any other 8 man tag. I'm assuming this match will open Wrestlemania as people are settling into their seats at the Georgia Dome. It certainly will not be an instant classic.