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| photo courtesy: wwe.com |
It's not unusual to see in-ring action take a backseat in the final build to a pay-per-view, but as Money in the Bank approaches, there has certainly been a sense that much is being saved for the show on Sunday.
All that being said, there were a couple of excellent television matches this week that certainly stood out from the crowd.
Sheamus continued his lengthy streak of great television matches in an entertaining bout against Bray Wyatt on this week's edition of SmackDown.
His reign as United States champion hasn't put much focus on the belt itself thus far, but there's certainly plenty of scope for the Celtic Warrior to excel as a fighting champion.
Sheamus has faced a variety of opponents with different styles in recent weeks and has demonstrated how adept capable and adept he is at changing his own style to mesh well with others. This week's contest against Wyatt was yet more evidence of that.
He might not always get the credit he deserves for it, but Sheamus has spent much of this year showing just how versatile and consistent he is. Something needs to be done to reinvigorate the Irishman, but there's little doubt that if his character can be reworked, his chops in the ring will allow him to finally establish himself as a bona fide main eventer.
Match of the Week for June 28: Bad News Barrett vs. Dolph Ziggler on Monday Night Raw
With his "Bad News" persona starting to really take off with audiences, and matches like this excellent Intercontinental title defence against Dolph Ziggler confirming his talents in the ring, it seemed like Wade Barrett was on the cusp of great things.
However, it seems that the shoulder injury that Barrett sustained on SmackDown might once again damage his momentum just as he had begun to pick up steam.
It's a real shame for the very talented Barrett—and it could scarcely come at a worse time. This excellent bout against Ziggler was a thoroughly exciting television match that wouldn't have looked out of place at all on a pay-per-view.
You wouldn't think that Barrett's title run would end so suddenly as in a match on Raw with little prior hype, but the near-falls on Ziggler's part were about as engaging as it gets. There was a real sense that either man could walk away with the belt, and that's something that title matches can't claim quite as often as they should be able to.
The latest injury setback for Barrett is disappointing for his many fans who have been waiting for him to take his career to the next level—something that seemed as if it was just about to happen.
That said, the last time Barrett was sidelined for injury, his Bad News character was brought to television to maintain his stock with audiences. Barrett is now more popular than he ever was before as a result.
Hopefully, if Barrett is unable to wrestle for some time, he'll be able to keep audiences engaged in other ways. All being well, he'll be back in the ring and putting on great matches like this before too long.
source: bleacherreport.com
