Weeks after John Laurinaitis banned him from Raw SuperShow, the hard-hitting Brodus Clay will have a chance to take out his frustrations on the Raw and SmackDown General Manager’s right-hand man, David Otunga, at the free No Way Out Pre-Show Sunday.Despite the temptation to play up the humorous juxtaposition of Planet Funk vs. Harvard Law and boogie vs. the bowtie, the ill will between Clay and anybody associated with “People Power” is far from a laughing matter. On the May 28 Raw SuperShow, Laurinaitis’ “angry giant” ally, Big Show, demolished Clay before their scheduled match could get underway. During his rampage of destruction, Show speared The Funkasaurus outside the ring before repeatedly smashing his victim’s back with a piece of wood from the broadcast table.
It was with that scene in mind that Laurinaitis decided to move Clay to SmackDown and make him a permanent member of the blue brand’s roster. According to the GM, the move was intended to “protect” Clay from further attacks by The World’s Largest Athlete. The ban from Raw, however, has only served to infuriate The Funkasaurus, who vowed to treat all future opponents as though they are Big Show.
The once-jovial heavyweight in b-boy gear wasted no time showing his newfound mean streak, decimating an overmatched Derrick Bateman on last week’s SmackDown. As Clay tore through his opponent, announcer Michael Cole described Show’s May 28 attack as a “wakeup call” for The Funkasaurus.
Though Clay has already warned that he will be envisioning Big Show across the ring each time he enters the squared circle, one must wonder if Otunga is in for an even graver showdown, considering his close affiliation with Laurinaitis and Show. Clay’s upped intensity, however, does not necessarily mean that he will be able to cruise through the cagey Otunga.
The travel mug-carrying attorney has suffered several in-ring setbacks of late, but they’ve come against main event competition the likes of John Cena and World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus. While Otunga will clearly be outsized by Clay, the former Tag Team Champion has proven time and time again to be a cunning competitor.
Who will walk out of the No Way Out Pre-Show the victor? Will The Funkasaurus, in pursuit of a return to Raw and a match against Show, continue to chomp through opponents, or can Otunga use Clay’s inexperience and perhaps unfocused anger against him?
