Looking at the main event for this year’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view one might view Cesaro as not just a dark horse but the odd man out. Of the six men in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, he’s the only one who isn’t a former WWE or World Heavyweight Champion. But for many that view changed on Smackdown from February 14 when Cesaro pinned Randy Orton in the centre of the ring.
One could argue that the main reason for the loss is to cast doubt on Orton heading into the pay-per-view, and you’d probably be right. As of this writing Orton has faced four of his five opponents in one on one matches in the last couple weeks and only has one victory, that being against Christian. But it was the build, the story that was told in the match that hooked me. There was a point after one near fall that, when Cesaro didn’t get the win, I was sure it wasn’t going to happen. But WWE surprised me.
This victory came off as pretty big. Cesaro is a guy who has been a hovering around the mid card and to get a win over the WWE World Heavyweight Champion,without any kind of shenanigans is a big deal. It came off like a babyface win, but is that all it was? A single victory? A fluke? Or is this finally the chance that the Swiss Superman deserves?
Going into the Chamber match I still don’t expect Cesaro to win. Sadly with the predictability of WWE lately, I’d be surprised if anyone but Orton walked out as champion. But this victory on Smackdown, and the reaction to it by the fans, could be the start of a big push, or it could be just another reason to cast doubt on Orton. He’s had clean losses to both Cena and Bryan in the past. So those two losses don’t hold as much weight as losing to a man whose biggest success in the company was a stretch as United States Champion. And no one can doubt the abilities of Cesaro. The guy can go, and has a great style. He uses a lot of power moves, but with a finesse that’s not often seen nowadays. Has that finesse given him the chance he deserves?
Daniel Bryan is one of the most popular guys on the roster right now, and he and Cesaro have similar backgrounds. It’s quite possible that WWE are looking at their talent pool, or seeing names like CM Punk leave, and realizing that they need to make new stars. Yes there’s the Shield and the Wyatts, but you don’t want to shotgun them too quickly. Cesaro has been with WWE and their developmental territories for roughly the same amount of time as the members of The Shield, has been on the main roster for longer, and is more familiar to the public eye.
Some might say that Roman Reigns should be in the match, but I for one have enjoyed the slow build that has been ongoing with the cracks in The Shield. Throwing Reigns into the Elimination Chamber match may have disrupted that flow. However, one could say the same about the Real Americans and it wouldn’t be untrue, but the tag team division will survive being without this one team for a while. In the meantime Cesaro can get the start of a big push, which may lead to more and has me really curious where he will be come Wrestlemania. Especially with his tag team partner fighting for the Intercontinental title.
Part of me does worry though, that this could just be another ball that WWE will drop. That this is all simply to make Orton look bad heading into the pay-per-view. Maybe after Elimination Chamber we’ll see the Real Americans go back to the tag team ranks and continue business as usual. Maybe this isn’t the start of a big push for Cesaro. Although, if it’s not, I think WWE is really missing the boat. I’m not saying strap a rocket to his back, but this Chamber match is a chance to let him shine. To showcase some of the young talent on the roster. While it’s nice to see part timers once in a while, the general reactions to Batista’s Rumble win and the New Age Outlaws tag title victory tells that fans want current stars to be at the top. Cena is only a few years from 40 and Orton only a couple years younger than him. They have both been in WWE for over 10 years and, aside from Daniel Bryan or CM Punk (if he returns) who is poised to take their thrones? Cesaro has the ability to do so, and I think the Elimination Chamber is his chance to shine. The real question is, does WWE believe this man can steal the show?
Photo via WWE.com
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