Showing posts with label Night of Champions 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Night of Champions 2014. Show all posts
Monday, September 22, 2014
Night of Wrestling and Questionable Booking for WWE
Night of Champions seems to have had some really mixed results in terms of reaction to it. While in ring, the show seemed to come off reasonably well, the booking of the show caused people some headaches. Those that just wanted to see some good in-ring action were able to ignore the lack of logic to the booking and enjoy the show. Those who could not ignore those mistakes were unable to see past it and enjoy some good wrestling overall.
A great example of this divide was in the match between Sheamus versus Cesaro. Everyone expected this to be a hard-hitting stiff affair. The end result with Cesaro losing left a bad taste in fans mouths that have been unhappy with how he has been booked since Wrestlemania.
If you looked at last night’s show in a vacuum not looking back or forward it is hard to debate, it was not a decent show at the very least. When you get into the long-term nature of these events is where issues arise. Like this feud with the Miz and Dolph Ziggler that has gone on to long with ridiculous side characters in Sandow and R-Truth. The commentary on the match was an infomercial for some hick country brand Florida Georgia Line that didn’t have the common business sense to know the name of the event they signed to appear at in December. This made the Intercontinental Championship match seemingly less important. The constant flip-flopping of the title also doesn’t help matters. This could be just getting the belt back on The Miz prior to losing to a returning Wade Barrett who was the champion prior to him being injured. This ultimately would be acceptable in the grand scheme of things.
This was one of three titles that changed hands as the Uso’s losing to the Dust Brothers. Which realistically seemed to be coming with the Uso’s having long title run. Does this change my interest level in the tag-team division at all? It does not have me more interested in the division in the slightest.
The Diva’s title swaps hands again as A.J gets the title back winning the three-way title match. The match was decent even Nikki Bella pulled her weight in the match. The booking about having Nikki in the match made zero sense as Brie was at Night of Champions, but only cut an interview and had zero involvement in the match. Again, another case of a decent match with flawed booking that does not make sense.
One match that for my money failed on both levels was Chris Jericho and Randy Orton. The build to this match including a useless segment on the pre-show on the “Peep Show” that was pointless. While many will say this was a good match between to vets, I am sorry but that finish to this match was so poor it wiped away anything that happened prior to it. We had Jericho waiting forever on the top rope only to get “RKOed” when he jumped off for the finishing spot to the match. The catch RKO when we first saw it was an amazing move. It was anything but in this case as you could see it coming a mile away
Roman Reigns was rushed to hospital over the weekend legitimately and the WWE did the expected but welcomed segment as a result. Rollins took a win by forfeit over Reign who could be out anywhere from 6-12 weeks based on his recovery. Rollins issues an open challenge and out of a cab in the back that he did not pay for comes Dean Ambrose returning to the WWE after a month. In storyline curb stomped through cement blocks, while in reality he was off filming a WWE films movie in which he plays a cop. Ambrose takes justice into his own hands and attacks Rollins all over the arena and security along with Triple H and Stephanie come out. Eventually security drags off Ambrose. One of the suits along with security was Jamie Noble who had quite the scuffle with Ambrose. There is irony in the one segment that was not pre-planned and came off as one of the best things on the show.
It is now time to move onto our main event with Brock Lesnar and John Cena in their re-match from Summerslam. We saw the predictable more aggressive Cena going after Brock but still not able to finish him whoever thought it was a good idea to have John Cena using the “STF” is headshaking. Cena has always made that hold look terrible and Brock breaking out of it only emphasized that.Steve Austin has also been a long time critic of Cena doing this hold badly. Rollins come up, breaks-up yet another “STF” attempt, and causes a DQ win by attacking Cena. He “Curb Stomped” the downed Lesnar and went to cash in his Money in the Bank contract only to be cut off by Cena negating his cash in as the bell never rang to start the match. Sadly, this is looking like we are heading to yet another Cena vs. Lesnar match. It seems clear the WWE has little confidence in booking Brock with anyone else. I have very little interest in seeing this match for a third time.
Perhaps Raw can sell me on this being interesting and this would have to put some strain between the relationship with Paul Heyman and Brock with the Authority and Seth Rollins.
In the end for me, this show taught me an example of why you need good booking to go along with good wrestling to make a show enjoyable. This was booked at times as an episode of Raw and at other times like it was a pay-per-view. It just did not get me excited for what is to come and the title changes that happened all seemed very flat and uneventful in nature for me.
Night of Champions is rapidly becoming the show you skip and just wait for Hell in the Cell to get the blow offs to main event feuds. This was all similar to how the Bryan and Orton feud was dragged out last year to get it to Hell in the Cell and a blow-off cell match; this also might speak to the need of having so many gimmick themed pay-per-views. While ones like the Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank seem to work things like Hell in a Cell and Elimination Chamber clearly do not. The need for a long feud to end in these structures is likely part of the reason they don’t and making it predictable that feuds will peak at this event. Elimination Chamber is a dangerous match that always seems to be a holdover to Wrestlemania with little drama attached to it.
In the end a show that really seemed to have some mixed reaction from the WWE’s core audience while a Lesnar vs. Cena re-match, I would venture to guess did little to expand the WWE audience with casual fans. WWE had really gotten some attention with the initial Lesnar win only to fail badly in the follow-up to it.
Just like they have failed to sell a network to the mass population outside of it's hardcore audience.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Condo on the Moon Podcast #29
Back to play in my second podcast of the last 24 hours with Chris Walder. We talk about delayed video games, Dean Ambrose where he may rank in wrestling actors, Adam Cole and why he should STILL be ROH champ and TNA still not getting it even now at the end of the road. Oh yeah and Night of Champions is happening on Sunday too.
So that was it if you were unable to listen here head over to Podomatic and listen there. Hope you all get something to enjoy out of Night of Champions. Anyone that has watched this build to this show deserves something to be happy about.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Raw Has Issues After Another Terrible Effort
Once is an accident, twice is a trend and four times is one of the worst builds to a special event/pay-per-view I can recall. This was a pretty embarrassing effort going into Night of Champions. It is hard to imagine that a card once thought of as vital to the success of the WWE Network has become such an after thought. It really is amazing how little this show means coming up on Sunday. It is pretty much a one-match show with the re-match of Lesnar and Cena as the only match drawing any real interest and even that could have been done better.
I am not sure where to begin with all of this. I guess the start would be the WWE admitting that people would rather watch Monday Night Football than Raw. The constant referencing of halftime in which they timed out to have the pay off to the John Cena and Paul Heyman opening segment to halftime of the football game. This is not like when the WWE made up a one-match show between The Rock and Mankind to go on during the halftime of the Super Bowl. This is week two of the NFL not the Super Bowl and this is clearly nothing close to the "Attitude Era."
After Heyman, pulling out a great promo from John Cena last week it was too much to expect him to do it two weeks in a row. It was back to campy unrealistic John Cena whom Paul Heyman talked circles around tonight. I wonder how I would feel about this whole angle if I did not believe and know that John Cena is never going to turn. The idea of John Cena as a “Paul Heyman Guy” would be unbelievable television. Vince McMahon is never going to allow that to happen though.
Think of all the money spent of the building of Cena in having him face guys like The Rock and Brock Lesnar. It is rumored that with this re-working of Lesnar’s contract is going to cost up to 5 million dollars. This is a time keep in mind when the company is losing money and no longer attempting to be a pay-per-view company. This was why Lesnar was brought in initially to help draw some pay-per-view buys. If the WWE drops the ball with getting over someone else with this Brock title run, the company is flushing 5 million down the toilet.
The first match on this show was Jericho vs. Kane that was never a great feud back in 2000 or 2001. Why I am seeing it on possibly the last Raw with Jericho in this run is to say the least disappointing. In fact, this entire run for Chris Jericho has been fairly underwhelming. It wraps up with a match on Sunday with Randy Orton that has no real story attached too it. Orton beat up Jericho for the hell of it because it was the “Season Premiere” of Raw.
Bray Wyatt meanwhile seems lost in the woods and seems to be heading to a program of some sort with the Big Show. The Jericho feud really did not rehabilitate Wyatt after a feud with John Cena that did not really end in a way that helped keep Wyatt as a top tier talent. After this feud with Jericho, Wyatt seems to be taking a few back steps as a result. The one thing he still has his entrance that is over while his promos have lost a lot of steam.
Total Divas is back and it is invading Monday Night Raw at the same time Raw has been horrible is not just coincidence. Cameron on Total Divas talked about going back to NXT and last night on Raw validated why she should after trying to pin Naomi while she was laid out on her stomach. Seriously, how is this girl employed and taking up time on you major show in a week of wrestling programming? She is clueless and terrible and I do not have any sympathy for people like her and Eva Marie who clearly have no talent at all in terms of wrestling. Trish Stratus was a beautiful woman and still is, she learned the craft of wrestling something that clearly seems beyond a number of the cast members of Total Divas. Keep your show and make the girls managers on Raw, whatever you have to do. Having them go in a ring is insulting to fans, makes them a laughing stock, and serves no purpose.
This leads nicely into the Bella’s feud that is another pointless project with the Divas. While I will say, the Bella Twins have learned how to wrestle to the point they are not a complete embarrassment. On the microphone that is not the case where there is a clear difference in the Bella Twins that does not involve having breast enhancement. Nikki is not only is packing the bigger boobs, but also is better on the microphone. The material has been pretty awfully though. This week the Bella feud hit the ring as part of a tag-team match and at least they didn’t give this classic one on one match away. Something they might have wanted to do with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns but will get there eventually.
Adding the Paige and A.J feud to the mix of all of this has only added to the mess that this has all become. I would think Brie gets involved and screws her sister from winning the title. That is the logical answer so they will probably go the opposite and have Brie help Nikki so she can take the title away from her. The obvious babyface move to do. Sadly, this feud marches on with no end in sight.
Seth Rollins wins the most questionable promo of the night award. He compared Roman Reigns to an ape which he acted out which was something that many will view as racist. It might well be that but I will leave that debate for others to have. What it was is a ridiculous promo that does Seth Rollins no favors in getting over. In addition, why is this match even happening at all with both booked to face each other on Night of Champions?
Dean Ambrose as I wrote yesterday (for Between the Ropes) has been the big winner by being written off the show during this terrible stretch. He has not been tied to all of the terrible stuff that has been going on during Raw for the last month.
The Miz and Ziggler having stunt doubles thing is so dumb it is insulting. Some may find it hilarious that R-Truth is the double of Dolph, but I find it was stupid and insulting. In any case, this feud while not horrible in the ring the story elements attached to it have sucked.
Usos and the Combo of Gold and Stardust feud is what it is. I am not sure why we needed to keep Cody as Stardust let alone turn this team heel. They are certainly booking this in a way I could see Uso’s dropping the titles. This is not to say that I want to see the Dust Brothers as champions.
How or why exactly we ended the show with Mark Henry and Rusev makes no sense at all. This is and has been presented as a mid-card angle and suddenly is rocketed to the main event spot? That makes little sense at all for what has been a decently booked campy mid-card angle.
When we come off a week in which NXT had a special event and it was booked fairly well it makes you wonder if the answer to all of the problems is simple. Vince McMahon has no say in NXT and leaves it completely in the hands of Paul Lévesque while Vince continues to be the final word on Raw and he clearly is not doing a good job of late. Perhaps the most shocking was the basic admission with in the script that fans watching Raw would likely bail out and watch the NFL. Never in my life would I have expected Vince McMahon to allow such a statement to be made even if it was just implied and not a direct one.
The WWE is not looking good these days and while people remain very optimistic about the future you have to wonder what kind of a future it will be at some point. The decline in people invested in the product has become fairly clear. Once people are gone, there is no guarantee you will get them back in the fold. The numbers keep shrinking and as good as the future might be who will have the faith and patience to be here for it. The answer is only the very hardcore base of the WWE audience that is usually the ones that are treated the worst by this company in terms of what they want to see as opposed to what they get.
There really is the reason to be concerned at the lack of quality in the product right now even if the ratings have yet to see a dropping off a cliff moment you can sense one coming if they product remains so poor. The other issue is obviously the focus and attention being paid to The WWE Network that has been taken off the core product and it shows. When Vince Russo is sounding like a voice of reason in the wrestling landscape that speaks volumes to where we have gone.
Bottom line if the build to Hell in a Cell is anything like the one to Night of Champions it will be time to ring the alarm or press the panic button whatever needs to be done.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Raw Preview: Brock Is Back On Raw
Can the WWE do anything at all to convince us John Cena is not going to get his ass kicked as he did last time is the biggest question going into the final show before Night of Champions. I really remain unconvinced and think the build for this re-match has been done wrong 100% from the start and should have focused around Cena never quitting. If this were, being built as an “I Quit Match” this Sunday far more people would have mixed feelings about the result of the match. As it stands and with news of Lesnar re-working his contract it is a foregone conclusion he will win. An "I Quit Match," would have been fantastic just as it was with Mick Foley and The Rock back in the day. The reason was that no one believed anyone could make Mick Foley quit not even The Rock. It is likely true of Superman John Cena in terms of even his detractors admitting he has never quit in a match. So, it would have been compelling.
This idea of John Cena embracing the dark side has been done to death. Even with the greatness of Paul Heyman delivering the message, no one believes Cena will ever turn heel. Vince McMahon is said to be heavily involved in the booking of Cena means it is not happening at all. It is an old tired angle that we have seen far too many times and with Cena being so public about never turning heel, it takes away from any belief that he will.
The Bella’s train wreck feud continues full steam ahead despite the two not being in a match at night of Champions as of yet. Nikki currently is in a triple threat with Paige and A.J Lee with Brie on the sidelines for this match. Safe bet if she remains there after tonight she will still be involved in the match and likely cost her sister the Diva’s Championship or worse help her win it as some form of trying to bring them back together.
You have to wonder seriously if these girls were not dating two of the top stars in the company would they be where they are now. Maybe based on the success of Total Divas that is underway for its third season, but that said it all just does not seem right with Nikki and Brie being involved in a semi-main event angle. It feels flat out wrong to be honest. Trish and Lita at one time earned the way to main event status and you felt happy for them. In this case it seems like something that was handed to them on a silver platter.
As for the rest of the night of Champions card we have the Rusev and Henry feud heating up off Smackdown where Lana through powder in the face of Henry during the dreaded arm wrestling segment. So expect Mark to be looking for some payback heading into Sunday. Dolph and The Miz continue their feud with extras and all for the I-C Title.
Really for all the talk of Night of Champions having to be this big show to help secure renewals for the WWE Network it has really come off as just another boring WWE special event that is lacking any real sizzle. Rollin vs. Reigns will be on this card likely. It was confirmed that Randy Orton and Jericho would have a match on Sunday prior to Jericho going back to be a rock star with Fozzy.
It just is not a compelling card in the slightest and the WWE really seems to be heading down a terrible path right now. Nothing seems to be capturing the attention of the audience at all right now.
The one WWE Superstar that seems to be gaining the most from all of this is Dean Ambrose as he is disconnected from the product while off shooting a movie for WWE Films. When he comes back I expect there will be a monstrous response for him. Right now he seems to have even gained some steam with fans by being away for this time period. Guess John Cena is wrong you really do not have to be there every single week at least not to get over with fans.
I do feel we need to see John Cena get some licks in on Brock Lesnar prior to Sunday for any of us believe that he will have a snowball’s chance of winning. Will see how it all goes down tonight during Monday Night Raw.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Lesnar vs Cena Re-Match: Change Or Back To More Of The Same?
Summerslam at least gave the illusion that things have changed with Brock Lesnar’s domination of John Cena. Last night it was announced on Main Event and on WWE.com that John Cena is invoking his re-match clause to get his re-match for the title at Night of Champions.
I firmly believe the only way you can make this match compelling and make people believe Cena stands a chance at all is to make this match an “I Quit Match,” that has yet to have been stipulated but this is the only thing that makes any sense after the complete domination of Cena at Summerslam. There are seeds planted to make this match as well with during the match having Brock tell the referee Charles Robinson to ask Cena if he quits on several occasions. In addition, in Paul Heyman’s speech he talked about John Cena’s not quitting during the match along with how he refused to die.
So, in the end if this is the match, have we actually turned that corner to change? Will the WWE allow Brock Lesnar to take away the one thing John Cena has left in his ability to never give up and build up Brock even stronger to be the most dominate champion the WWE has seen since perhaps Hulk Hogan? For two very different reasons mind you, but that same unbeatable nature.
Alternatively, will the WWE go back to good old Johnny, as Brock is likely under his current deal going to be off television for some time after Night of Champions? If Cena wins back the championship, it would be significant, not just for what it will mean for the direction of the company, but for wrestling history. Cena would tie the mythological number of 16 times, as a World Champion held by Ric Flair. While Flair would not be upset by this in the least, fans might not share his opinion. The reality is Flair may be an 18-21 time champion according to someone like Dave Meltzer who has covered the sport since back in the 70’s.
It also would be giving fans the double bird in some respect by giving the title back to Cena on several levels. Not to mention the title of beating the man that took Undertaker’s streak and being the guy to beat that man going to John Cena. Why on earth would you do that? Cena goes on to be billed as the greatest World Champion of all-time. It would just be an Anti-Cena fan nightmare.
Factor in the WWE Network and people looking to re-subscribe for another six months may not know whom the company is going with between Cena and Lesnar. It like makes those people sit back and wait to see who actually wins at Night of Champions before they decide? If the WWE is going all in for Brock and hoping that will save the Network are they willing to make Cena the sacrificial lamb.
Let us look at this objectively even if you can’t stand Cena. He does sell a lot of merchandise and it is on foundation of his credo of hustle, loyalty and respect. Like the Hogan mantra of train, say your prayers and take your vitamins a fourth was added. In the case of Hogan, it was “believe in yourself.” For Cena that fourth has been “Never Give Up.” While we may scoff at it all, there is no question that never give up mantra has been adopted by children fighting life threatening diseases and this goes to the core of John Cena’s ties to “Make-A-Wish” children. While it will be part of a script, can we honestly see John Cena give up? It is a problem but one wrestling has given us an answer for in history. To have Cena be completely knocked out and unable to say the words would allow Brock to get a dominating win, but Cena still able to save face for all the people that support him and believe in his credos.
Still as much as we thought, Summerslam marked a change as we did last year with Daniel Bryan being placed as the top “babyface” in the company. It would not be the rise that people had hoped for him. It had stops & starts and Daniel never giving the chance to take advantage of a time without Cena around due to injury. Here we sit again thinking we could have had a real cosmic change to the WWE, but it can all be taken away at Night of Champions and lead to more of the same.
It is quite brilliant in a way to have some real interest in a match that was so one sided in the first match. Anything other than going in this, “I Quit’ direction makes no sense to me at all. It is the only way to me you can justify this re-match at this point.
Cena vs. Lesnar in the legit rubber match with both has a win. It is Brock vs. Cena III for all the marbles and the future of the WWE on the line.
A little much…..maybe but maybe not.
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Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Brock vs Cena III Set For Night of Champions
Brock vs Cena III is on for Night of Champions as WWE.Com is reporting as breaking news. Cena will take his shot at tying the record of Ric Flair in being a 16-time World Champion. The re-match will go down on September 21st. I had speculated in podcast on Between the Ropes that I expected this re-match between the two. I had speculated this will be some form of "I Quit" match which has yet to be announced. Cena is expected to appear on Raw next Monday while Brock is not booked to appear until the Monday prior to Night of Champions.
Will see what happens with the making of this match but the match is set and as it is spelled out with Cena using his re-match clause that makes the idea of Lesnar rejected the match not really an option. After his domination of Cena it would be highly unlikely he would want to though. This is why I expect Cena to drop the bombshell of the stipulation on Raw next week. Paul Heyman in his epic promo in praising Cena mention his undying spirit and unwillingness to quit. It all makes sense and gives you reason to believe either man could win after that epic one-sided beat-down.
For now we know we have a re-match and will see if it can draw the same interest as the original match that seemed to have a real buzz attached to it.
Will see what happens with the making of this match but the match is set and as it is spelled out with Cena using his re-match clause that makes the idea of Lesnar rejected the match not really an option. After his domination of Cena it would be highly unlikely he would want to though. This is why I expect Cena to drop the bombshell of the stipulation on Raw next week. Paul Heyman in his epic promo in praising Cena mention his undying spirit and unwillingness to quit. It all makes sense and gives you reason to believe either man could win after that epic one-sided beat-down.
For now we know we have a re-match and will see if it can draw the same interest as the original match that seemed to have a real buzz attached to it.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Brock As Champion: The Next Big Problem For WWE?
The WWE World Heavyweight Title seems in a state of flux based on the injury to Daniel Bryan. It was not, or should not, have been a shock that the WWE turned to John Cena in a crisis. He is their go to guy like it or not and makes the most sensible choice to headline Summerslam for WWE. It has been the worst kept secret in wrestling that Brock Lesnar is expected to challenge for the title at Summerslam and is on a collision course with Cena.
Brock returned to the WWE laying out Cena the night after Wrestlemania when Cena had suffered a loss to the Rock. It would lead to a match that honestly is likely one of the best on the resumes of both Cena and Lesnar in which many loved the match but hated the finish. Cena would go over on Brock Lesnar despite taking a tremendous beating throughout the match. While some will say this was just the typical WWE protecting the “Golden Boy” Cena from having consecutive loses it may have been more about Brock. Seeing if the former UFC Champion was willing to “do business” in wrestling and put over the WWE’s top attraction in Cena.
Many have had lots of issues with how Brock has been booked in terms of the several years since his return. What has been clear is Brock is only really concerned with is pay and very limited schedule. He had a wins trading feud with Triple H and most recently, as Paul Heyman reminds us frequently, ended the Undertaker’s undefeated streak at this past Wrestlemania. This match with Cena that is all but a certainty will be the first time we have seen Lesnar since.
Under normal circumstances you would have thought the man that ended the Undertaker’s legendary streak would be the biggest “heel” in pro wrestling. In a match against John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Title is likely to see him as a huge “babyface” instead. On this alone it seems like an opportunity lost. Most feel that Lesnar will be successful in his attempt to win the championship for a couple of reasons.
One, it would make little sense to have Lesnar coming off ending the streak losing to John Cena who really doesn’t need the win. Brock also has a win coming back to him if you believe in even booking among top stars that tends to be the unwritten rule in wrestling. Secondly, the WWE seems hell bound on making John Cena the “Greatest Champion in the History of WWE,” by defeating the 16-time mythical number that Ric Flair is known for being champion. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer that actual number is no lower than 18 if you go back and look at the actual history. Regardless the number that fans know is 16 and that is the number the WWE seems determined to have Cena beat eventually.
So if Lesnar wins the title what happens next becomes the question. This is where the undetermined status of Daniel Bryan comes into play. There is one school of thought that if Bryan is ready he would face Lesnar at Night of Champions. Which has become a very important pay-per-view as it will be the mark where majority of WWE Network subscriber’s renewal date will come up between Summerslam and Night of Champions. This would allow Bryan to “go over” and regain his title and continue on the path WWE had originally planned on coming out of Wrestlemania. Lesnar because of the importance of this pay-per-view is scheduled to appear on it.
The other theory that does not require Bryan necessarily sees Lesnar to continue to hold the championship. Which if the WWE has not changed the deal with Lesnar would mean he and the WWE World Championship would not re-appear until the Royal Rumble his next scheduled appearance based on his past schedule.
How the WWE would be able to sell that based on the storyline around Daniel Bryan’s real injury would be interesting. The Authority in their rationalization of stripping Bryan claimed it was unfair to fans and the roster to not have an active WWE World Heavyweight Champion. So if they do not want the appearance of being hypocritical how could they justify Brock’s absence? They could in theory strip Lesnar of the title but given all the storyline and injury based stripping of titles that would not do them any favors.
Some feel that Lesnar should hold the title till Wrestlemania 31 and face in the main event the WWE’s “Next Big Thing” Roman Reigns against the man that made that moniker famous in Brock. The challenge seems to be in how you get from point A to point B at this point.
In the old days back in the 80’s it was rare we saw Hulk Hogan the WWE Champion of the day on television. So it is not unprecedented that we have a WWE Champion with little presence on television. This was counter acted however by Hogan being booked on all the house shows as the main event in a majority of all the WWF’s (at the time) major markets. Lesnar is not coming to your local house show we can bet the bank on that.
An argument is made that you make the title and champion more important this way. It would be a thin line between making it more important and people losing interest in titles in general. It could, if fans were willing be re-educated on the presence of WWE Champion, help elevate the Intercontinental title and U.S title. This re-education process would be a major risk though as the WWE Champion for decades has been a fixture on Monday Night Raw.
While fans will be for the most part very excited most likely to see Lesnar defeat Cena for the title will that be a short term thing that ends up in long term problems. Not to mention has the WWE missed a massive opportunity to make Lesnar not only a monster but the most hated heel in the business. In an era where it is very hard to create a legitimate “heel” are they throwing that away for fear over making sure the WWE Network remains strong and viable.
It is not easy choices that lie ahead for the WWE. Although the ultimate destination to a Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns title match at Wrestlemania 31 seems like an exciting and fresh match to "Main Event" for the biggest show of the year.
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Brock returned to the WWE laying out Cena the night after Wrestlemania when Cena had suffered a loss to the Rock. It would lead to a match that honestly is likely one of the best on the resumes of both Cena and Lesnar in which many loved the match but hated the finish. Cena would go over on Brock Lesnar despite taking a tremendous beating throughout the match. While some will say this was just the typical WWE protecting the “Golden Boy” Cena from having consecutive loses it may have been more about Brock. Seeing if the former UFC Champion was willing to “do business” in wrestling and put over the WWE’s top attraction in Cena.
Many have had lots of issues with how Brock has been booked in terms of the several years since his return. What has been clear is Brock is only really concerned with is pay and very limited schedule. He had a wins trading feud with Triple H and most recently, as Paul Heyman reminds us frequently, ended the Undertaker’s undefeated streak at this past Wrestlemania. This match with Cena that is all but a certainty will be the first time we have seen Lesnar since.
Under normal circumstances you would have thought the man that ended the Undertaker’s legendary streak would be the biggest “heel” in pro wrestling. In a match against John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Title is likely to see him as a huge “babyface” instead. On this alone it seems like an opportunity lost. Most feel that Lesnar will be successful in his attempt to win the championship for a couple of reasons.
One, it would make little sense to have Lesnar coming off ending the streak losing to John Cena who really doesn’t need the win. Brock also has a win coming back to him if you believe in even booking among top stars that tends to be the unwritten rule in wrestling. Secondly, the WWE seems hell bound on making John Cena the “Greatest Champion in the History of WWE,” by defeating the 16-time mythical number that Ric Flair is known for being champion. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer that actual number is no lower than 18 if you go back and look at the actual history. Regardless the number that fans know is 16 and that is the number the WWE seems determined to have Cena beat eventually.
So if Lesnar wins the title what happens next becomes the question. This is where the undetermined status of Daniel Bryan comes into play. There is one school of thought that if Bryan is ready he would face Lesnar at Night of Champions. Which has become a very important pay-per-view as it will be the mark where majority of WWE Network subscriber’s renewal date will come up between Summerslam and Night of Champions. This would allow Bryan to “go over” and regain his title and continue on the path WWE had originally planned on coming out of Wrestlemania. Lesnar because of the importance of this pay-per-view is scheduled to appear on it.
The other theory that does not require Bryan necessarily sees Lesnar to continue to hold the championship. Which if the WWE has not changed the deal with Lesnar would mean he and the WWE World Championship would not re-appear until the Royal Rumble his next scheduled appearance based on his past schedule.
How the WWE would be able to sell that based on the storyline around Daniel Bryan’s real injury would be interesting. The Authority in their rationalization of stripping Bryan claimed it was unfair to fans and the roster to not have an active WWE World Heavyweight Champion. So if they do not want the appearance of being hypocritical how could they justify Brock’s absence? They could in theory strip Lesnar of the title but given all the storyline and injury based stripping of titles that would not do them any favors.
Some feel that Lesnar should hold the title till Wrestlemania 31 and face in the main event the WWE’s “Next Big Thing” Roman Reigns against the man that made that moniker famous in Brock. The challenge seems to be in how you get from point A to point B at this point.
In the old days back in the 80’s it was rare we saw Hulk Hogan the WWE Champion of the day on television. So it is not unprecedented that we have a WWE Champion with little presence on television. This was counter acted however by Hogan being booked on all the house shows as the main event in a majority of all the WWF’s (at the time) major markets. Lesnar is not coming to your local house show we can bet the bank on that.
An argument is made that you make the title and champion more important this way. It would be a thin line between making it more important and people losing interest in titles in general. It could, if fans were willing be re-educated on the presence of WWE Champion, help elevate the Intercontinental title and U.S title. This re-education process would be a major risk though as the WWE Champion for decades has been a fixture on Monday Night Raw.
While fans will be for the most part very excited most likely to see Lesnar defeat Cena for the title will that be a short term thing that ends up in long term problems. Not to mention has the WWE missed a massive opportunity to make Lesnar not only a monster but the most hated heel in the business. In an era where it is very hard to create a legitimate “heel” are they throwing that away for fear over making sure the WWE Network remains strong and viable.
It is not easy choices that lie ahead for the WWE. Although the ultimate destination to a Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns title match at Wrestlemania 31 seems like an exciting and fresh match to "Main Event" for the biggest show of the year.
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