Paul Heyman claims that The Undertaker isn't, or at least isn't any longer, the Spectral Phantasm that we've all come to know and fear. Rather, he's simply a man who is desperate to maintain his position atop the only profession he's ever known... professional wrestling.
I am not willing to take such a strong position in this space, but I must admit that the Undertaker does seem a lot less... Undertakery. Whether his powers faded with the passing of Paul Bearer, the passing of time, or the passing of anything else, the fact remains that he just isn't the same force that reigned over WWE for the last 25 years.
As Undertaker steps back, so has Sting stepped up, at least in terms of phenomenal cosmic power. I don't pretend to understand the supernatural, but here's what we saw with our own eyes on RAW:
- A covered structure was carried to the ring by a bunch of guys who thought they were carrying a bronze statue and were reacting as such. Therefore, the statue must have been present at that time.
- When the curtain was lifted on the statue booth, Sting was there to attack Seth Rollins.
Now if both Sting and the statue were in the booth, then it would be conceivable that he somehow snuck under the curtain either before the statue was carried down the aisle or at some point during Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Rollins' lengthy speeches. But the statue was GONE!
This means one of two things happened.
- Sting teleported into the booth as the statue teleported away, essentially swapping places. This would make sense, except for the fact that teleportation is still decades away from being reliably deployed by humans and therefore this whole concept is ridiculous.
- Sting transubstantiated himself into the actual molten bronze out of which the statue was cast. That would explain why we didn't see hide nor hair of Sting in the lead up to Summerslam. He was... not himself. Then at some point during The Authority's pontification he simply transformed back into flesh and blood.
Seth Rollins, by rite of his Jon Stewart assisted victory at Summerslam, must not face this man. The WWE and United States Champion will put on a brave face, as he always does. Yet deep inside, underneath all the blond streaks and white latex, even he must be wondering if he stands a chance of retaining his position at the top of WWE.
The Undertaker's lengthy span of paranormal dominance is dead. Long live the reign of Sting!
***
OFFICIAL WRESTLER WRANKINGS FORMULA
ANY WIN = 2 POINTS
US OR INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE BOUT = 1 POINT
WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE BOUT = 3 POINTS
NON "BIG 4" PPV BONUS = 1.5X
SUMMERSLAM, SURVIVOR SERIES, ROYAL RUMBLE = 2X BONUS
WRESTLEMANIA = 3X BONUS
The WWE season begins on the day after WrestleMania 31 and culminates with WrestleMania 32. The wrestler who accumulates the most points over the course of the season, wins the coveted Wrankings Championship!
Summerslam-- 8/23/15
Monday Night Raw-- 8/24/15
Main Event-- 8/25/15
Smackdown-- 8/27/15
-----------------------------------
WRESTLER WRANKINGS, WEEK 22 *TOP TEN*
1. Seth Rollins -- 68.5 points
2. Neville -- 55
3. John Cena -- 51.5
4. Ryback -- 47
5. Dean Ambrose -- 36.5
6. Roman Reigns -- 35.5
7. Randy Orton -- 35
8. King Barrett -- 33.5
9. Sheamus -- 33.5
10. Stardust -- 30
notable:
T37: Sting -- 0
Thanks for reading, Cagesiders. We'll see you back here next week!