Who is bankrolling the ban on the Brogue?

BY Alex Giannini September 14, 2012

It’s a well-known fact that Alberto Del Rio’s financial portfolio isn’t exactly hurting. Ricardo Rodriguez, on the other hand, is surely not what you would call a wealthy man. In the employ of Del Rio for many years, The Mexican Aristocrat’s personal ring announcer is a man of modest means. With that in mind, interesting questions arise when one thinks about Rodriguez’s current situation concerning his ongoing legal case against WWE and World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus. Bringing a lawsuit to trial can be incredibly expensive, which begs the question — just who is supplying the money for Ricardo’s crusade to ban the Brogue Kick, led by recently hired legal counsel David Otunga?

The obvious answer is that Del Rio is the not-so-silent partner in the lawsuit, as the results of such a lawsuit serve to directly benefit the No. 1 contender to The Great White’s title if the Brogue remains banned from competition. But, as members of the WWE Universe are well aware, things aren’t always as they seem when it comes to the squared circle.

Let’s for a moment assume that Del Rio’s is not the money behind his friend’s lawsuit. If that scenario is, indeed, the truth of the matter, the prism through which the lawsuit is viewed changes completely. One would need to ask: “Who else benefits from the results of the pending legal action?” In other words, who else serves to gain from the banning of The Great White’s devastating finishing move?

Compiling such a list of names might take quite a long time, actually.

Sheamus has put down countless Superstars with the Brogue over the course of his dominant reign as champion and even long before he claimed the World Title at WrestleMania. With the Brogue Kick as the crown jewel of his arsenal, a “lights out at any moment” maneuver akin to Shawn Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s Stunner, The Celtic Warrior has appeared to be unstoppable.

Just ask Dolph Ziggler, who, no matter how hard he might try, cannot even attempt to cash in his Money in the Bank contract for fear of finding the business end of Sheamus’ boot. Or Daniel Bryan, whose reign as World Heavyweight Champion came crashing down in a don’t-blink-or-you’ll-miss-it 18 seconds on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Bryan, who has been vocal about his feelings concerning Sheamus’ WrestleMania victory, once again pleaded his case alongside Del Rio, Rodriguez and Otunga Friday night on SmackDown. Both Bryan and Ziggler potentially have a horse in the race, as it were, and a reason to seek out as much money as they could get their hands on to help get the move banned.

Also on SmackDown, another Superstar came forward with some interesting testimony about the Brogue Kick. Chrisitan, who was adamant about the fact that he’ll be rooting for Sheamus when The Great White faces Del Rio on Sunday, spoke honestly about “not being the same” since Sheamus leveled him one year ago with a Brogue Kick. As a result, Christian had to admit that the move should remain banned. Though it seemed that Christian had nothing but good intentions, looking out for the well-being of his fellow Superstars in the locker room, is it possible that the former World Heavyweight Champion is actually the man with the money behind the lawsuit?

And what about Ricardo’s legal counsel, David Otunga? He, too, has some qualms with The Great White. Sheamus has beaten up on Otunga this year, especially lately, and perhaps the Harvard-educated attorney sees benefit — or revenge — in Ricardo’s lawsuit. It’s well known that Otunga has often taken on cases pro bono, so perhaps he’s representing Ricardo free of charge to settle an old grudge with the champion?

Then again, wherever there is major money changing hands, one cannot ignore the possibility of the unknown. Could someone with money to burn and a true affinity for shaking things up be pulling the strings from the shadows? Perhaps the WWE Universe can think of one or two names that would fit this description?

As The Great White and his challenger prepare for their collision at Night of Champions Sunday, these questions will likely still remain. But, really, the only question that matters is: Can The Great White overcome Del Rio, Brogue Kick or not? Tune in Sunday night at 8 ET/5 PT, only on pay-per-view, to find out!

http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/who-is-bankrolling-the-ban-on-the-brogue-26051772