Can quitters prosper?
It was decision time for Daniel Bryan at WWE Payback, where he would be forced to either surrender his hard-won WWE World Heavyweight Championship or see his wife, Brie Bella, fired by The Authority’s Stephanie McMahon. It was a difficult choice to be sure, but it was ultimately Brie who would do the deciding when she selflessly quit WWE, nullifying the threat presented by one of WWE’s Principal Owners. With a slap that reverberated throughout Chicago’s Allstate Arena, the “Total Divas” star delivered a stinging parting shot to Stephanie before sparking a “Yes!” chant with her husband.
Now that Stephanie’s plan to force Bryan to surrender the WWE World Heavyweight Title has backfired, what obstacles lie ahead for the leader of the “Yes!” Movement? Also, what’s next for Brie, now no longer part of the WWE roster?
Razing Kane
Kofi Kingston spoke his mind on Twitter about Stephanie McMahon forcing Daniel Bryan to choose between his family and his career at WWE Payback, and Kofi’s candid honesty was “rewarded” with a savage beat down at the hands of Kane moments before The Dreadlocked Dynamo was to face Bo Dallas.
This startling show of force — seemingly ordered by The Authority — was a shocking reminder of what The Devil’s Favorite Demon is capable of. Should Kane re-emerge on Raw, disaster will soon follow.
Moral victory
In what no doubt ranks among his most grueling battles to date, John Cena defeated the calculating Bray Wyatt in a savage Last Man Standing Match that had it all: chairs, stairs, tables and even some surprise pyrotechnics. But in the end, it was a well-executed Attitude Adjustment through an equipment case that felled The Eater of Worlds — at least for now.
When we last saw Wyatt Sunday night, he was incapacitated within a makeshift tomb, courtesy of the Cenation leader. Now that Cena has put the exclamation point on his months-long rivalry with the self-professed “necessary evil,” is the WWE Universe free of The Wyatt Family’s evil allure?
Brotherhood no more?
After being defeated by Ryback & Curtis Axel at WWE Payback, Cody Rhodes offered the following words to sibling and tag team partner, Goldust: “Brother to brother, you need a better tag team partner than me.”
Clearly disappointed by a less-than-stellar win/loss record as of late, the former WWE Tag Team Champions have seemingly gone their separate ways. Might Goldust and Cody regain their luster as solo competitors?
Swept away
We knew The Shield was good, but no one could have predicted that The Hounds of Justice would wind up going 3-0 in a No Holds Barred Elimination Match against Evolution — one of the most decorated factions in all of sports-entertainment history. And, yet, for all of Triple H, Randy Orton & Batista’s underhanded tactics and a seemingly endless supply of “equalizers,” justice ultimately prevailed at WWE Payback as all three black-clad warriors asserted their dominance as a unit.
Having twice vanquished Evolution in six-man encounters, The Shield strides into Monday Night Raw with some well-earned swagger. Whatever they do next will be must-see. Believe that.