Though it is not one of the most anticipated matches on the WrestleMania card, the 12-man tag match features several of the WWE’s most promising and impressive players (who, frankly, deserve singles matches, but that’s not my point). Below, I breakdown the teams member by member to determine which team has the edge going into Sunday’s big match.
Team Johnny:
David Otunga: 4/10 – The legal counsel for Laurinaitis hasn’t been too successful in the ring, but he has been making slow, steady progress. I don’t expect Otunga to be one of main players in this match, but I am excited to see my favorite lawyer get in some offense against Team Teddy captain and jokester, Santino Marella.
Dolph Ziggler: 7.5/10 – It is clear that Ziggler is destined for better things after WrestleMania, but, for now, he has to settle with being one of the strongest members of Team Johnny. He has been losing quite a bit since dropping his US title, but these loses are easily forgettable due to his show-off gimmick and overall charisma. I expect Ziggler to have some impressive spots in this match.
Jack Swagger: 2/10 – Though he had a brief and transitional stint as US Champion, Swagger is one of the weakest members of this team. I can only hope he hits one Swagger Bomb before he gets beat up.
Mark Henry: 9/10 – As of late, Henry has been systematically destroying members of Team Teddy in singles matches. As the most recent World Heavyweight Champion in the match, Henry is the most dominant and destructive member of Team Johnny. The only reason he didn't receive a perfect 10 is because poorly booking he recently received due to injury. And the Rock Bottom and Attitude Adjustment he ate last week on Raw.
The Miz: 4/10 – Miz has been booked poorly as of late, but I am hoping that it is all part of a larger storyline for him. Though he did eventually get a spot on Team Johnny and the appearance at Wrestlemania he desired, he did it by hitting an unsuspecting Marella with the Skull Crushing Final rather than winning a match. He certainly has fallen since headlining Wrestlemania last year, and I hope that we see Miz take this opportunity to redeem himself.
Drew McIntyre: 2/10 – Ideally, McIntyre’s participation in this match will be an opportunity for him to further his storyline struggle with Long and quit embarrassing himself. However, I doubt that WWE will take this opportunity. Because of his long absence from television and his ensuing losing streak, McIntyre is the least impressive member of his team.
Team Teddy:
Santino Marella: 5/10 – Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t expect much from Marella here. However, he’s come into prominence lately due to his position as Long’s assistant and his reign as US Champion. Marella will inevitably be used for comedic relief during the match, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get some early, light offense in.
Zack Ryder: 5/10- We haven’t seen much of Ryder since he’s been back from his “injury”. He will do well during the match, but it will be more interesting to see if his relationship with Eve affects his position on the team or the match itself.
The Great Khali: 1/10- I hope Khali never gets tagged into this match. He scored a 1/10 only because WWE occasionally books him as a formidable opponent instead of a big goof. I hope he walks to the ring in his Ryder gear.
R-Truth: 2/10- I expect Little Jimmy pantomiming and some misplaced dance moves to be Truth’s largest contribution to this match.
Kofi Kingston: 7/10- Kingston is Team Teddy’s greatest hope. He is the most exciting wrestler on the team, and he has the best recent track record. Additionally, he works as well independently as he does on a team. Without a doubt, Kingston will have some impressive spots in this match, and, hopefully, he walks away with the momentum that his singles career needs.
Booker T: 4/10 – For nostalgia’s sake, Booker will likely get in some offense and hit his signature moves. However, due to his underwhelming feud with Cody Rhodes, I am not expecting much else from Booker in the ring.
The more impressive team in this match-up is clearly Johnny’s. I can only hope that this match ends with Henry delivering the World’s Strongest Slam to one of the member’s of Long’s rag-tag team of goons.
@VioletButtle | #FTLOW
