U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. The Miz (Pre-Show) | January 27, 2013 WWE Royal Rumble 27/01/2013

U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. The Miz (Pre-Show) | January 27, 2013 WWE Royal Rumble27/01/2013

Newly equipped with a Figure-Four Leglock bestowed upon him by a WWE Hall of Famer, The Miz will look to become a three-time United States Champion when he battles titleholder Antonio Cesaro on the free Royal Rumble Pre-Show event this Sunday. The Pre-Show will stream live on WWE.com, YouTube.com/WWE and Facebook.com/WWE at 7:30 ET/4:30 PT, a half-hour before the pay-per-view gets under way.

The arrogant Swiss Superman, who insists his problem is less with America and more with the “lazy” Americans who don’t make use of the opportunities they’re afforded, caught The Awesome One’s ire when he interrupted a very special edition of “Miz TV” on Jan. 14. Bringing to a halt The Miz’s joyously nostalgic interview with two-time Hall of Famer “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, Cesaro dampened the mood by portraying the two suited former World Champions as emblematic of all that is wrong with the United States.

The U.S. Champion’s insults did nothing to endear himself to either Superstar; Flair unleashed chops and whipped the titleholder directly into a Skull Crushing Finale by The Miz. The “Nature Boy” then began to set up for his famed Figure-Four Leglock, only to stop midway and hand it off to The Miz, who finished the spinning toe hold and locked in the grapevine in a symbolic passing of the torch.

Two nights later on WWE Main Event, Cesaro delivered a receipt. While wrestling Randy Orton, the Swiss Superstar first mocked The Miz by using moves from his arsenal against The Viper. The match came to an abrupt end when The Shield attacked Orton, prompting The Awesome One to leave the commentary desk and enter the fray, where a numbers disadvantage resulted in an unprovoked Neutralizer to The Miz.

With so much bad blood between them already and championship gold on the line, it is safe to say The Miz will be in attack mode this Sunday. Can The Swiss Superman, who’s looked otherworldly at times during his five-month title reign, muster victory against a peeved Miz, a former U.S. Title holder himself? Don’t miss out on all the action when the free Royal Rumble Pre-Show streams live this Sunday at 7:30 ET/4:30 PT.

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Full story & photo & result / Sunday, September 16, 2012 United States Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. Zack Ryder WWE Night of Champions 2012 - 16/09/2012

Full story & photo & result WWE Night of Champions 2012 Sunday, September 16, 2012

United States Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. Zack Ryder

16/09/2012

Before Night of Champions went live on pay-per-view on Sunday night, Zack Ryder shockingly outlasted 15 other Superstars to woo-woo-win an Over-the-Top-Rope Battle Royal on the live-streaming Pre-Show. The bout was shown exclusively on YouTube.com/WWE, Facebook and WWE.com, and the victory earned Ryder an opportunity at Antonio Cesaro’s United States Championship. It was another notch in the belt of the Superstar who always seems to have success on YouTube.

The usually overly confident Cesaro had little time to prepare for his opponent, and voiced his frustration in the ring prior to the encounter, calling the bout “unfair” in five languages with the sultry Aksana by his side. The Beantown faithful were firmly in the corner of the “Internet Champion,” but the Swiss Superstar was too powerful for Ryder, especially with Aksana as his championship insurance policy.

At Night of Champions, Cesaro showed his challenger exactly why he was banned from his former rugby league due to excessive violence. It was one power maneuver after another from the champion during the matchup, with Cesaro executing a series of devastating stomps, suplexes and strikes to the fan-favorite. In the battle’s most vicious moment, the versatile champion tossed his opponent in the air and nailed Ryder with a wicked European forearm uppercut to the jaw.

But true to his Swiss heritage, Cesaro’s game had some holes. Ryder was able to briefly take control, landing an impressive hurricanrana off the top rope. With the former rugby player prone on the mat, Ryder began to prepare for his patented Broski Boot. However, the x-factor of Aksana at ringside pulled Cesaro out of the way.

That was all that the champion needed to capitalize. Back in the ring, Cesaro snatched Ryder into the vulnerable position he often uses to capture his opponents. An instant later, the dangerous Swissman landed The Neutralizer and pinned Ryder to retain the United States Championship. With so many skills, both physical and intellectual, in Cesaro’s arsenal, there is no question that Cesaro is a dominant part of WWE’s future.

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