The WHC title fued for mania..

[Sparkybob]

While I am a big fan of swagger and Zeb and starting to warm up to face Del Rio, this feud has little heat on it at all. I mean swagger comes out to mostly crickets which is terrible for a man who is getting a top billing match at mania. Del Rio is starting to get better reactions but he is still behind faces like Y2J,Orton,Fella,Ryback,and in some places the Miz, in terms of pops but is still getting top billing over them for mania.

While I don't always believe that crowd reactions should be the end all be all, for wrestlers, I still think it has to be concerning for the WWE that their world title feud isn't getting that much heat.

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

I think the Shield match is getting top billing over the WHC at this point.

[lemonyellowson]

[Shaun2k5]

Without the mainstream controversy this feud was obviously supposed to run off, it comes across very mid-cardy.

Then again Swagger's not even in the feud properly. It's Zeb vs Del Rio with Swagger acting as muscle for Zeb. They've really done a bad job of making Swagger seem like a legit threat.

[Sparkybob]

Mar 11, 2013 22:34:00 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

I think the Shield match is getting top billing over the WHC at this point.

If you want to argue via TV time they seem pretty close in terms of exposure so at best you can say they are close in terms of billing.

[hargh]

Try to imagine how this fued would go if they hadn't brought in Dutch.

[froggyfrog]

It could be a lot worse and should result in a decent match. I'd like if they established Swagger more by beating people with higher regard than Sin Cara though. A clean win over Jericho or someone would be cool

[mizerable]

Very uneventful.

I've been pretty vocal in my criticisms of Swagger. Even outside of the arrest, the man has hardly been of any significance, despite push after push after push. I do think having Zeb is an improvement, but at this point, I'm starting to believe that Zeb could manage a turnip and get the same kind of reaction. Sure, Jack is a decent wrestler, but that doesn't mean a lot when you continually fail to get the audience to give a damn whether you win or lose.

And while Del Rio has been an improvement as a face, I still think the turning of a new leaf was very miscalculated and hasn't given the crowd enough time to fully embrace him the way they should. He's over, but we could have gotten better if they executed his turn better.

I'm hoping that Del Rio retains, only for Ziggler to cash in and steal the show.

[xCompackx]

Mar 11, 2013 22:38:39 GMT -5 Shaun2k5 said:

Without the mainstream controversy this feud was obviously supposed to run off, it comes across very mid-cardy.

Then again Swagger's not even in the feud properly. It's Zeb vs Del Rio with Swagger acting as muscle for Zeb. They've really done a bad job of making Swagger seem like a legit threat.

Came here to post this. WWE seems to forget that they're not nearly as "mainstream" as they like to pretend, and the whole "Glenn Beck" stuff proved it. And yeah, it really may as well be Zeb vs. Del Rio.

[rnrk supports BLM]

Mar 11, 2013 22:34:00 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

I think the Shield match is getting top billing over the WHC at this point.

It pretty much already is. Last couple Smackdowns have ended with the Giant White Vipers fighting off a Shield beatdown as the main event, with del Rio/Swagger doing their stuff earlier in the night.

[Richard]

I'm just hoping the dirtsheet about this feud lasting past 'Mania isn't true.

[Starshine]

The whole booking of Swagger into this match has been terrible. Zeb and Del Rio are the guys who are carrying this whole feud. Why the hell did they suddenly shove Swagger back down our throats again. It could be anyone in his position, yet they went with a guy who prior to his mega push was a literal jobber.

I hate this feud, and it isn't even the political nature of it that's getting under my skin.

[MolotovMocktail]

Rey's looking to be out for an extended period again (a combination of his injury and family problems), so why not have Swagger "cripple" him to build heat? They could even bring back Tito Santana for an appearance with a Swagger beatdown; he keeps going through these Mexican heroes and legends until he runs up against Del Rio at Mania.

[Mozenrath]

Mar 11, 2013 23:14:33 GMT -5 MolotovMocktail said:

Rey's looking to be out for an extended period again (a combination of his injury and family problems), so why not have Swagger "cripple" him to build heat? They could even bring back Tito Santana for an appearance with a Swagger beatdown; he keeps going through these Mexican heroes and legends until he runs up against Del Rio at Mania.

This would actually make a lot of sense.

That said, I also agree with the idea of having him get some profile wins on people of Jericho caliber. There is time to build him some.

[KingPopper]

Mar 11, 2013 23:21:33 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Mar 11, 2013 23:14:33 GMT -5 MolotovMocktail said:

Rey's looking to be out for an extended period again (a combination of his injury and family problems), so why not have Swagger "cripple" him to build heat? They could even bring back Tito Santana for an appearance with a Swagger beatdown; he keeps going through these Mexican heroes and legends until he runs up against Del Rio at Mania.

This would actually make a lot of sense.

That said, I also agree with the idea of having him get some profile wins on people of Jericho caliber. There is time to build him some.

I'm all for a Mysterio beat down. I would also have him in a match vs. Cena, where both Mania challengers fight, actually make him look good in the match, until Zeb interferes then even have a post match beat down, till Del Rio makes the save, and a of course a win over Jericho never hurts, or Ryback with Mark Hery help.

[KofiMania]

I was a fan of the feud a few weeks ago but at this point I'm starting to hope they switch gears and give the title match to someone else.

[Deleted]

I think the Swagger/Del Rio angle would be better if it wasn't a title match. I still think Ryback should be champ going against either Big Show or Henry. There would have been much more interesting things out of it than what is being presented in this bland angle.

[Deleted]

It's just the new midcard belt that they call a world title. I mean it curtain jerks even on filler PPVs.

The real belt, the multiple returns/part time wrestler matches, and a few matches that haven't even been booked yet, all will be more important than what happens to the Smackdown belt.

Beyond the belt, Swagger has been terrible since being back. Or rather, he just hasn't done anything. As dreadful as the ADR/Ricardo parody bit was, it was pretty spot on in simulating Swagger's involvement since he's been back.

[KingPopper]

I thought this was one of the best Raws in ages till Del Rio cane out. Del Rio just sucks as a face. I was never a big fan of him as heel either, but its the case of having a heel with a new gimmick vs a guy that's only been a face for two months. It just seems like a bland Eddie rip off vs. a bad Angle rip off, and I saw that match the World Title at Mania nine years ago. All the America stuff just seems forced, Show vs. Ryback would been a lot better then this.

[Mozenrath]

Mar 11, 2013 23:29:10 GMT -5 KofiMania said:

I was a fan of the feud a few weeks ago but at this point I'm starting to hope they switch gears and give the title match to someone else.

At most, they might make it a 3 Way, but even that would be a maybe.