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GUEST EDITORIAL
By Justin James, Torch reader

Since Summerslam, WWE has been desperately trying to hype the upcoming Breaking Point PPV, a new PPV which features only submission matches of one variety or another. While it is a good thing in general that WWE is willing to try something new and fresh, I believe that this particular PPV format is a dud and lacks suspense.

For the most part, I think that the recent "theme" PPVs have not been a good idea in general. Simply put, the TV storylines have been wildly and unnaturally adjusted to align with the theme of the PPV. The audience has been trained to expect a particular "progression" in a rivalry between wrestlers where the match types start with normal matches and escalate through various stipulations until they boil over and culminate in some sort of extra brutal match, whether it be a TLC match, no DQ, "Extreme Rules," a submission match, and so on.

The "theme" PPVs break this formula badly by making a number of feuds simultaneously reach "critical mass" at precisely the same time (which makes them feel rushed and artificial), or they lack real juice. For example, the MVP/Henry-Jericho/Big Show match feels very hurried (just a few weeks ago MVP was in a semi-feud with Jack Swagger), and the C.M. Punk-Undertaker match has little emotional connection to it, other than Punk's overall heel heat and Undertaker's strong fan base.

Even so, the Breaking Point has a particular weakness, which makes it even less interesting than the other "theme" PPVs. And that is predictability. Who can doubt that "Super Cena" will prevail over Randy Orton in an "I Quit" match? The only conceivable booking that makes it possible for John Cena to give up in that match is interference from Legacy. And even then, expect to see Cena pass out rather than actually quit. We've seen Orton tap put to Cena so many times already, but when was the last time Cena submitted to anyone?

Putting MVP/Henry against Jericho/Big Show in a submission match is ridiculous. Both Jericho and Big Show have submission finishers that are used on a regular basis. However, Other than basic "coming back from break headlocks," do either MVP or Mark Henry have signature submission moves, let alone true finishers? Nope. Hard to believe that they can win that match.

C.M. Punk-Undertaker suffers from the exact same problem. We've seen Taker win countless matches via submission. When was the last time anyone tapped out to Punk? In fact, when was the last time we saw him attempt to use his "Anaconda Vice" at all? It's been so long, that not only did C.M. Punk devote a significant portion of last week's Smackdown reminding us that he actually has a submission finisher (in a very clumsy way, I may add), but Jim Ross had to remind the audience of it later on in the show. Again, it is tough to believe that Punk has any possibility of a win under the circumstances (although a victory over Undertaker would elevate him to unbelievable heights).

The rest of the matches on the current card lack heat, period, but that is not the fault of the Breaking Point format. Well, not entirely. The fact is, none of the remaining matches feature performers with any kind of submission repertoire. And to be honest, who even knows what a "Singapore Cane Match" entails, other than Khali and Kane beating each other with sticks? Even the WWE website does not list the details of a "Singapore Can Match." It feels like this feud in particular is being rushed to its end (hopefully) by putting these two together in a "match to end it all."

No matter who is booked or how the storylines go, there is no getting past the fact that, without substantially bulking up the moveset of a number of performers (which takes careful planning and booking), there is just no way to have the Breaking Point PPV feel unpredictable, without totally random events, outside interference, and other booking shortcuts to make it work.

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