Posts tagged Jack Swagger

• Bad hashtag, but I guess they figured #WWEEliminationChamber was too wordy, #EliminationChamber didn’t have WWE in it, and #WWEEC was too confusing (and yes, I was affecting a voice there).
• Del Rio/Show: I liked their Last Man Standing match better; this was just mediocre. Really liked the finish, because if they’re trying to put over Del Rio as a big-time babyface, submitting the fucking Big Show is the way to do it.
• Has Big Show/The Giant ever tapped out before? I honestly can’t remember.
• Cesaro/Miz: Meh. I was happy that Cesaro retained. Mr. Hell of a babyface Miz dick-kicks Cesaro because HE IS THE GEWD GYYY
• Chamber match: This was honestly one of the more mediocre Chamber matches. There weren’t too many really memorable spots (save for Henry throwing Orton through the glass, which was done more notably by Drew McIntyre), and the finish was WAAAAYYY too fast. It was okay, but not particularly noteworthy.
• So…Jack Swagger is in your World title match at your biggest show of the year. On the one hand, this makes complete sense if your aim is to have Del Rio retain; that way, you have Racist vs. Racist Prover at Mania, and with these two, you could have a great Submission match at Extreme Rules. However…it’s Jack Swagger. The fact is, you spent all of 2012 having one-half of your “Smackdown Main Event” making sure everybody know he was a geek, an idiot, and a loser. He’s had two TV matches where he beat Zack Ryder, and now he’s suddenly a better choice than Mark Henry (who is immediately more believable in the heel challenger role)? From a story perspective, this makes sense; from a booking standpoint, this makes no sense.
• The Shield vs. The C-Men (credit to RBR for the name): Match of the night. I am very impressed by how much three main-eventers, especially Sheamus and Cena, were willing to show ass for The Shield, as the best-booked thing in wrestling today continues. Sheamus and Cena got beat the hell down, and Ryback didn’t even look bad taking the pinfall, as it was more the fault of the numbers game and Cena being inattentive rather than him being weak. I thought this worked wonders for keeping Shield strong, while not de-valuing any of your top guys.
• One thing I love about The Shield is how they are committed to being an invading pack of wolves, even to their in-ring work. I noticed that Rollins did not have terribly crisp offense, which struck me as odd since he is quite technically sound when he wants to be, but I think it’s because he’s trying to physically get over his outsider status. I like how The Shield don’t wrestle like wrestlers; they fight, and it’s not pretty, but it works. That said, I marked the fuck out for the “forward roll into poetry in motion into HOLY FUCK Roman Reigns just killed him with a clothesline!”
• Ziggler/Kofi: Happened. Whatever. Liked how when Big E beat down Kofi, people chanted “One More Time”, indicating to me that there were at least some NXT fans in the crowd. Was really hoping Shelton Benjamin would be Ziggler’s opponent; I got the wrong black guy.
• Kaitlyn/Tamina: I liked this. Hope this leads to Kaitlyn/AJ.
• Rock/Punk 2: Better than the Rumble match, but these two have really underperformed in-ring together. I think part of it is my fault, because my expectations were so high from their dynamite promos that I thought it would translate to gold in the ring. It did not, and I know exactly why:
• The fact is, The Rock can’t perform at his best anymore. Those years are behind him, and that is a fact. I don’t say that as smarky criticism of him or to inflate CM Punk, it’s just true. He is so big now that he blows up remarkably quickly in his matches (take note of how many rest spots his last three matches have had), and as a result, there is no crispness to what he does. You can’t count on Rock for a good TECHNICAL match anymore. CM Punk is a good wrestler, but has the blessing/curse of being a wrestling chameleon: He can fit his style to match anyone he’s in the ring with. Put him against Bryan, he can be technical and catch as all hell; put him in a plunder match, he’s hardcore; put him in a heavy storyline match, he can get across a great deal through his physicality. With Rock, he is obviously doing the very latter in focusing on the story of the match rather than the technical aspect, and as such, we get matches with great high-stakes drama, but that aren’t great in the ring. It is what it is, and I guess I wanted something different.

Bottom line: Mediocre. Glad I watched with friends, because I would have felt I wasted my time if I’d seen it on my own. Hope that Mania is better.

DENVER –Jack Swagger hit a milestone not every Superstar is fortunate enough to achieve in his career with WWE. The All-American American granted his first individual wish with Make-A-Wish to Brandi RedCloud-Owen when he met her for lunch at Hard Rock Café before Raw SuperShow at the Pepsi Center.

“Being able to be a part of a Make-A-Wish for Brandi was something that really hit home for me,” Swagger told WWE.com. “I know it made her day to have lunch with a WWE Superstar.

“At the same time, it made my day to be a part of something magical and realize that just the littlest things can make the biggest difference in people’s lives.”

The former World Heavyweight Champion admitted he was a bit surprised he was chosen by the 14-year-old New Yorker, but he was flattered.

“I know right now there are not a lot of Jack Swagger fans, so I was like, ‘Come on, stop. You’re making me blush.’ And she was like, ‘No, I chose you.’ That was pretty cool, I’ve got to say.”

He compared this milestone to other notable moments in his career, from getting an acceptance letter to play college football at Oklahoma University, to seeing his first action figure with his likeness, to winning the World Heavyweight Title, to his competing in his first WrestleMania.

“My first Make-A-Wish – you know, she chose me and she wanted to meet with me, out of anybody on the roster – I think that’s awesome. It just screams how good her tastes are,” he smugly said, in true Swagger style.

While The All-American American is never short on courage when he gets in the ring, he admitted he was a little nervous for his first Make-A-Wish meet-and-greet. So, he took a page from Brandi’s positive outlook on life.

“She’s half my age, but she has so much courage,” he said. “I think that really is the main thing to take away from this. That courage shines through. Her look at life isn’t any different. She looks up to me, but in a way, I look up to her.”

Swagger is a competitive Superstar, so while Brandi was his first wish granted, he’s hoping it won’t be his last as he wants to break John Cena’s record of granting 300 wishes. Until then, he’ll take away fond memories from the time he spent with the teen and her family.

“Make-A-Wish is something that really transcends across any culture. It’s so powerful. I’m just honored and humbled to be a part of it because like I said, it’s just the littlest things that make the biggest difference.”

For more information on Make-A-Wish, visit wish.org.

This is a fantastic story. As badly as Jack Swagger has fallen, this must have been such a blast for him. I feel really happy for both he and Brandi.