WWE: Cesaro and Colter - The unholy alliance

When Jack Swagger returned to the WWE after a long lay-off this past February, he returned with a new gimmick of a ‘True American’. Swagger is a former World Heavyweight champion, but the two things that always held him back were his mic skills and his inability to cut a decent promo. It was obvious for a while that Swagger needed someone who could compensate for those weaknesses, and with the return of Paul Heyman last year, WWE was in favor of bringing in more managers, veterans in this business who can teach a thing or two to the youngsters and make them look good in the ring.

Jack Swagger was always seen as someone who could be the complete package, if the promos were taken care of by someone else. Considering that, WWE brought in an old timer, someone who works with the creative and has been a manager in the past, and that is where Zeb Colter made all the difference. Within a couple of weeks, Swagger looked like a bonafide main-eventer, and got over with the fans as a major heel.

 

Although Swagger didn’t win the title at WrestleMania, it became obvious that his recent run’s success was due to the fact that Colter managed to take his weakness and turned it into his strength. Colter was always considered to be a good talker, and hence, he elevated Swagger to a different level, although Swagger was unable to capitalize on it. Swagger was charged with a DUI and his push and his momentum came to a screeching halt.

What once looked like a matter of time till he’d win the title turned out to jeopardize the WrestleMania match between Swagger and Alberto Del Rio. And as such, the WWE couldn’t afford to put the title on Swagger. After that, Swagger was involved in the title scene until he kicked Ziggler in the head, which resulted in Ziggler suffering a legitimate concussion, and then Swagger suffered a hand injury and was sidelined.

WWE were very much impressed with Colter’s work, and it was only a matter of time till they’d pair him up with someone who can be the next breakout star in the WWE, who’d benefit from Colter’s experience and ‘heel heat’. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago how I’d love to see Antonio Cesaro teaming up with Zeb Colter.

Antonio had a great 2012, as he held the WWE United States Championship for a long time before dropping it. Since then, Cesaro was relegated to Superstars and Main Event, and he lost a couple of matches on RAW. Cesaro is an exceptional worker and has all the tools to be the next ‘big thing’ in the WWE, along the likes of a heel CM Punk. Thus, it came as no surprise when this past week, Cesaro turned out to be the new ‘client’ of Zeb Colter.

 

‘Uncle Zeb’ can make all the difference to a youngster’s career. Like Paul Heyman, he can elevate and legitimize a superstar, giving him all the credentials to be a main eventer. The former Claudio Castagnoli was always known to be a work horse, and is one of the best performers on the roster at the moment. He also has the ‘build’ to be a main eventer, and thus, Colter’s presence would be of immense help to boost his career. With the charisma and in – ring talent that Antonio already has, it’s only a matter of time before Cesaro elevates himself to the next level, and all he needed was a catalyst who can speed up the process, and this is where the WWE management hit the nail on the head by making Zeb Colter his ‘manager’.

Now the question arises: Where will Cesaro go from here? Will it make sense for Cesaro to compete for a mid card title once again? Cesaro’s previous title run has already been forgotten by the WWE Universe, but with Swagger out of the way for a while, Cesaro can be pushed to compete for the World Heavyweight title in his absence.

Cesaro can have a good match with anyone, and he can fill the void left by Jack Swagger in the title picture. It’ll be interesting to see how WWE uses Colter’s services for Antonio Cesaro, and if the past is any indication, we can soon see Cesaro climbing the ranks and challenge the champion for a shot at the gold. I, for one, will be happy if that happens, being a huge fan of Cesaro since his indy days.