Raw 4/7/14 Where Do We Go From Here?

Not only is Wrestlemania a huge day on the WWE calender but the Raw after Wrestlemania is turning into a very large day as well.  Tonight is an odd combination of what seems like Opening Day in a sport like baseball as well as New Years Day.  There is a lot to review from last night's event as well as quite a bit to set up being that Extreme Rules is right around the corner.  The two biggest things are obviously Daniel Bryan winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and Brock Lesnar beating the streak.

Obviously Daniel Bryan deserves to kick off the show celebrating his WWE World Heavyweight Championship win.  Obviously it will be interrupted.  Randy Orton is still due a rematch and I'm sure that will be set up tonight on Raw.

One tradition that the WWE may go with is a few rematches the night after Wrestlemania.  If this direction is continued then it would be beneficial for The Usos to face off against the Real Americans.  This would be another big win for The Usos as well as continue the split between the Real Americans.  Obviously with Cesaro winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal he will be pushed as a singles superstar not as a part of a tag team.

There will obviously be some sort of aftermath between John Cena and Bray Wyatt.  I have a major issue with Cena winning at Wrestlemania.  Not because I have anything against Cena but I question where they go from here.  I thought it would be best to continue this feud since there are few options for Cena and after a huge loss where does Bray go from here?  I think both guys will pretty much be lost for the next month or so unless they continue the feud with the Wyatt Family somehow getting the upper hand.

I think one of the biggest missed opportunities leading up to Wrestlemania was the lack of a Intercontinental Championship match.  With some extra space on the card I think Big E should get a match at Extreme Rules.  Tonight is where the seeds need to be planted.  With some interesting competition a small tournament over the next week would be interesting.  If they had Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus and who ever eliminated Big E at Wrestlemania in a 4 man tournament over Raw and Smackdown I think that could be a good place to start.  Overall I think Alberto Del Rio is the best direction to go in but they should have him earn it in the ring.

Obviously The Authority angle is still looming large in the WWE.  Tonight will be no different.  The only thing out of the norm will be Triple H and Stephanie in the middle of the ring making excuses to how Triple H lost last night to Daniel Bryan.  Due to the loss Triple H will need to be taking an extended break from the ring.

The Divas action has picked up quite a bit over the last few months.  Due to this I think the division deserved better than they received last night.  I would book a match tonight showcasing their top talent like AJ, Tamina, Natalya and Emma.  I understand that the Divas from Total Divas are getting an extended push but it seems as though the WWE will not put the belt on one of those Divas just because they are on a reality show.

Last night The Undertaker's streak of 21 straight victories at Wrestlemania ended.  Tonight Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman will gloat about this.  The only issue is this leaves Brock without a worthy opponent.  They will most likely challenge Daniel Bryan but we all know Randy Orton will receive a rematch.  We know we won't see The Undertaker rematch.  We saw Brock vs John Cena two years ago.  Batista will be looking for a new opponent but with both Brock and Batista heels they won't face off.  Because of this I think the Beast should be attacked by a few of the biggest faces in the WWE...The Shield!  This would plant the seeds for a fresh feud between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.

There is other speculation and predictions that can be made about a few other guys.  Since The Undertaker lost there is speculation that he may retire from in ring competition.  There are also rumors that Sting will make his first ever appearance with the WWE.  Needless to say there is no proof to either of these things as WWE has not announced either.  I won't continue any sort of speculation but I would welcome an appearance by one or both guys.

WRESTLEMANIA XXX

The road to Wrestlemania comes to its end today in New Orleans.  Today is the biggest day in Pro Wrestling.  All the storylines have been set and its time to get the guys in the ring to settle their disputes.  I for one am ready.  Since its been about 6 weeks since Elimination Chamber, we've had a long enough build up.  Since there isn't much left to book I'm going to leave my predictions, put who I would book to win and put the matches in the order I would book them.

It all starts with the Wrestlemania XXX pre-show on the WWE Network.  (Quick tangent, this network is without a doubt worth the $9.99 a month.  I've already gotten my moneys worth for the first month plus I would have spent more that $60 to get Wrestlemania in HD.)  Obviously its been announced that it will be the WWE Tag Team Championship match featuring The Usos, The Real Americans, Los Matadors and RybAxel.

Who should win: The Usos should pin a member of RybAxel.
Who will win: The Usos will pin Jack Swagger leading to a break up of the Real Americans.

I am a fan of having your opening bout be a relatvely big matchup.  I loved when they had Edge vs Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship to kick off Wrestlemania 27.  That being said I would book John Cena vs Bray Wyatt to kick off Wrestlemania XXX.

Who should win: Bray Wyatt with a clean victory over John Cena.  Only a little bit of help from the Wyatt Family.
Who will win: John Cena.  Five moves of doom, AAs to both Harper and Rowan then a second AA for Bray.

Next up I'd book The Shield vs Corporate Kane and the Corporate Outlaws.  Yes, I'm using their dumb names because that's what Michael Cole calls them.  As good as all these guys are its still a match that is early on the card.

Who should win: The Shield should dominate this match.
Who will win: Roman Reigns will win the match after having Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose turn on him.

Since I don't see the winner of the Daniel Bryan vs Triple H match going in back to back matches I think it would be best to stick this match towards the early part of the card.  That way there is a break for the winner.

Who should win: Daniel Bryan.  After the match Triple H should give Bryan a beating that leads to him being taken out with the doctors.  Leaving him questionable for the main event.
Who will win: Daniel Bryan.

Next up is the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.  There are three remaining spots open in this match.  I might as well make a few predictions that are sure to go wrong.  The three guys that I would have in the match are Rob Van Dam, Adrian Neville and The Ultimate Warrior.

Who should win: Dolph Ziggler.  He's a main event caliber talent, hopefully this will restart his push.
Who will win: Alexander Rusev.

One of the longest running traditions in Wrestlemania history is up next.  The Streak!  When you consider that The Undertaker is looking to go 22-0 in Wrestlemania XXX.  This is impressive not due to the amount of wins but just the fact that he is going to be involved in his 22nd Wrestlemania match.  Very few guys have been able to do that.  For example Hulk Hogan is only going to be involved in his 13th Wrestlemania and I'm including Wrestlemania 21 when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.  The Streak is very important to the WWE that being said Brock Lesnar is not the type of guy who they will have end the streak.  The streak if ever ended will have to be ended by a young superstar along the lines of Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Big E.

Who should win: The Undertaker
Who will win: 22-0

After what is sure to be an epic match there will need to be a buffer period before the main event.  After being at Metlife Stadium a year ago for Wrestlemania 29 I found it difficult to watch 3 consecutive huge matches.  Not to down play the Divas but they were set up to have a match in between two big battles.  I don't like this match, I think the Divas should have gotten a one on one, triple threat or fatal 4-way.  There are too many competitors in this match and it is very difficult for someone to stand out.

Who should win: AJ Lee should pin Tamina.  They could have a plan going into the match.  Everyone will begin to beat up on AJ.  After it turns into an all out brawl Tamina lays down for AJ similar to how Nash did for Hogan.  Then we get Tamina to turn on AJ leading to their eventual feud.
Who will win: Brie Bella.

Finally we have the main event.  Randy Orton vs Batista vs Daniel Bryan for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.  As I said earlier I think it would be best to leave Daniel Bryan questionable for the main event.  That being said I would have it announced that Daniel Bryan is still being evaluated by the medical team.  Then introduce Batista and Randy Orton.  Allow those two to begin the match.  The crowd will hate the beginning, boo both men and wait for Daniel Bryan.  The purpose of this would be to get the crowd extremely hot.  Then at some point about 10 minutes into the match have both guys take each other out.  With them laying on the mat have Bryan's music hit.  At this point the crowd will explode.  Allow the triple threat match to happen from there.

Who should win: Daniel Bryan
Who will win: Daniel Bryan.

The show closes with confetti, Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella leading a Yes cheer and the good guys in the locker room coming out to celebrate with the NEEEEWWWW  WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan.  YES! YES! YES!

The Raw before Wrestlemania!

With Wrestlemania only 6 days away there isn't much to do on tonight's Raw except to promote Wrestlemania.

Of course we need the generic promofest for the main event, obviously this will consist of  some combination of HHH, Daniel Bryan, Batista, and Randy Orton.  We need to feel the excitement (or lack there of) for this year's main event, maybe we'll even get a generic contract signing of some sort.  There isn't much left in this feud to book.  Its time for these guys to get in the ring.  That's exactly what Randy Orton and Batista will do tonight and in my opinion, this match doesn't even matter.  The main event surrounds Daniel Bryan, HHH and whoever Daniel Bryan will face at Extreme Rules.

Since there is a fatal four way for the WWE Tag Team Championships at Wrestlemania it would be best to put The Usos in a match against RybAxel and The Real Americans against Los Matadors.  That way The Usos (Champs) and The Real Americans (their biggest threats) can win matches and gain momentum going into Wrestlemania.

The IC Championship picture has been quite entertaining in my opinion.  Between Big E, Dolph, Sheamus and Christian I would like to see two or all of them in the ring tonight.  I don't really care how they book it, all these guys have been super entertaining.

Another big match is the Andre The Giant Memorial Over The Top Rope Battle Royal (which is the longest name for a match in WWE history).  To promote this I would schedule a 10 man over the top rope battle royal putting 10 of the competitors against each other only 6 days before Wrestlemania.  This would also be a great time to inform us of one of the surprise entrances.  So far 26 men have been announced.

Finally The Shield has been dominating since turning on Kane.  This needs to continue by having them beat up on some more mid card guys.  Maybe a 6 man tag match against all of 3MB.

Raw 3/24

The show needs to open with Triple H bragging about ending the Yes Movement.  This will get the crowd involved early.  After bragging that if its not quite over yet it will be at Wrestlemania.  At that point Randy Orton’s music hits.  Orton claims that even if Triple H ends Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania he will still walk out as the champion.  Triple H says, what do you mean IF?  Orton states that Triple H is an old man; he might not even be able to keep up with a B+ player anymore.  Triple H says that he proved last week that he is more than capable of handling Daniel Bryan and if old men can’t keep up anymore then he’ll have no problem with his match later on in the night.  Triple H’s music hits and he leaves the ring.  The announce team previews the night and throws it to commercial.

Next we have the Real Americans in tag team action against fellow #1 contenders RybAxel.  This would help transition the Real Americans as more of tweeners.  The Real Americans can win the match, giving Zeb all the more reason to claim they are the true #1 contenders.  RybAxel can continue to do bidding for Kane to keep their spot in the tag team division.

I’d have a backstage segment where Randy Orton seeks Batista.  They talk about their history and their differences.  Orton suggests they work together.  Team up against whoever wins Triple H vs Daniel Bryan then they can finally have the match they deserve.  Batista agrees.  Orton suggests that the teamwork starts tonight in his main event match.

I would have a triple threat involving a few key players in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.  It doesn’t really matter which guys.  The purpose is to preview the match.  I would also book a tag team match between Dolph and Sheamus vs Christian and ADR.  These two matches will grow excitement for the battle royal.

The Undertaker-Brock Lesnar feud is going in the right direction.  The only thing that I would make sure to book is something a bit physical.  Brock needs to be able to get the upper hand over the Undertaker at some point before Wrestlemania.

John Cena’s feud with the Wyatt’s needs to continue.  A one on one matchup with Erick Rowan would do the trick.  This match needs to show that Cena will have difficulty as long as it continues to be a 3 on 1.  They shouldn’t destroy Cena.  It would be interesting to have Hulk Hogan make a save for Cena.

Daniel Bryan cannot make an appearance on Raw.  He needs to stay away to sell the injuries. 

Triple H calls on his old friends the New Age Outlaws in the main event against Randy Orton and Batista.  This shows that Triple H is cutting the ties with Orton and Batista and eyeing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.    During the match the music of The Shield hits.  They enter the ring and destroy the New Age Outlaws.  Thinking that there is an identity among former allies of The Authority, Randy Orton and Batista stick around.  The Shield lays out Orton as Batista escapes.  Solidifying the Shield as face characters with no alliance to anyone but themselves.

First Guest Blog

Here we go.  The first guest blog.  If you'd like to write your own send an email to FantasyBooker30@gmail.com  Without further ado...

Fandango wins the Andre The Giant Battle Royal and earns IC title shot later in the night.
Daniel Bryan beats Triple H
The Shield beats Kane and the New Age Outlaws
Bray Wyatt beats John Cena
Fandango wins the IC title from Big E
The Real Americans beat The Usos for the tag titles.
AJ beats Nattie and Nikki Bella to retain the Divas title.
Undertaker keeps the streak alive against Brock Lesnar
Daniel Bryan wins the triple threat and is NEEEWWWW WWE World Heavyweight Champion!

Raw 3/17/14

There isn't much of a direction that can be set for tonight's Raw.  The main focus should be and will be the Main Event for Wrestlemania XXX.  One thing that I would announce tonight is a stipulation for a potential triple threat.  If it were to be a triple threat then it will be an elimination match.  The stipulation for this match would be the first man eliminated would be ineligible to compete for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules.  If Orton is the first man eliminated he loses the rights to his rematch clause.  This would make Orton and Batista think about teaming up against Daniel Bryan and continue to stack the odds against him.  Leaving the impression if he somehow gets past Triple H at Wrestlemania then he will practically have to win a handicap match in the main event.

The Shield defied their orders on Friday Night Smackdown.  That leaves a few questions to be answered this coming Raw.  I would continue to book a distention among The Shield.  I would have Ambrose tell the others it was a mistake, while Reigns say they did the right thing and of course Rollins is stuck in the middle.

The New Age Outlaws are still owed a Tag Team Championship rematch against The Usos but I don't think that this is the time to do it.  I think its best to continue the injury angle and let some other teams establish themselves.  It would also be nice to see the Rhodes brothers compete together in hopes of reclaiming the Tag Team Championships.

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal seems like a cool idea as long as A. there are major superstars involved and B. there is a desire for superstars to be involved.  That being said I would have some sort of qualifying matchup.  It doesn't really matter who is in the match as long as the winner is guaranteed a spot in the Battle Royal.  It would create the impression that this is a major event on the show and just as important as having a singles match.

The Undertaker spoke last week on Raw now its Brock Lesnar's turn or Paul Heyman's turn.  I think its best to have Paul Heyman speak then have Brock Lesnar destroy someone.  Which leads me to a future idea that I will write about in depth this coming week.

Guest Bloggers

I was thinking of a new idea for the last week or so.  With Wrestlemania 30 rapidly approaching I think it could be fun to come up with a new concept for this blog.  I'd like a few guest bloggers to put together their own Wrestlemania 30 card.  So far there are only 3 matches announced so there is plenty of space for the rest of the show.

All submissions can be sent to FantasyBooker30@gmail.com

Please put include your twitter handle or name with all submissions.  Also any other promo information you'd like to include like your own personal blog.

Why its important to watch Main Event Live

Even though its relatively new it is important to watch WWE Main Event live on the WWE Network.  I have two basic reasons for this thought process.

1. The WWE Network is still new.  Within the next month they will be showing the biggest show of the year Wrestlemania on the WWE Network.  The biggest reason to get the WWE Network is to watch Wrestlemania online.  Since it is new the viewer wants to ensure that there won't be any problems with the streaming.  The more people that watch shows like Main Event and NXT live the more the live streaming will be tested.  If there are technical difficulties during Main Event no one is too upset.  If there are live streaming issues during Wrestlemania there will be millions of unhappy customers.  Test out the live stream now with WWE Network.

2. If ratings increase for Main Event because it is live there is a better chance they will add more live programming.  I personally believe (I have no inside knowledge) they are testing Main Event live on Tuesday nights just to see if fans will tune in the night after Raw.  If people tune in there could be consideration to air Smackdown live on Tuesday or at least a trial period.  There is also the potential that Smackdown airs live on the WWE Network and is replayed on cable.  Again no inside knowledge but I think if Main Event gets great ratings there is a better chance for more live shows and live shows are much better than those on tape delay.

Those are the two reasons why every WWE fan should be tuned into Main Event as it airs live on the WWE Network.

Divas Title Tonight

Quick thought.  I love how the dirt sheets are reporting that AJ Lee is being punished for the actions of real life boyfriend CM Punk.  I don't believe the WWE is so shallow as to punish one person for the actions of others.  They're looking for the best entertainers.  That being said Natalya's title match and the Bellas winning their tag team match has less to do with CM Punk and much, much more to do with Total Divas coming back on Sunday.  They want to push the Divas on the E! Network show.  AJ Lee is not on that show, the Bellas are, Natalya is, the Funkadacytles are.  That's who they will push.  It has less to do with CM Punk.

Monday Night Raw 3/10/14

I hate to say it but I think we're in for an uneventful Raw.  I also hate to mention that uneventful shows happen for a reason.  What's needed is to continue to build in the direction each feud is heading for at Wrestlemania.  Tonight needs to be one of those shows that heads in the direction for Wrestlemania.

The opening bout should be The Usos against the New Age Outlaws.  I think its best to continue the injury angle.  This could continue to get the NAO over as heels but keep The Usos in the ring.  There are a variety of heel tag teams they could face like AxelBack or 3MB.  The important thing is to use this match to build The Usos as strong champs and the NAO as heels.

Another direction that needs to be continued is with The Real Americans.  I think the jealousy angle is going to eventually lead to a match between Cesaro and Jack Swagger.  For some reason they seem to be sticking around Big E.  Not too long ago Big E was friendly with Mark Henry.  This would be the perfect team to bring back but Henry was wasted to put over Lesnar last week on Raw.  That being said maybe the attention should focus on a different competitor(s).  I see it as a waste to use Big E in that feud unless they plan on having a triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship.

We're awaiting an announcement from Wrestlemania XXX host Hulk Hogan.  And they will tell you that its going to be huge!  It won't be.  He'll book a match for Wrestlemania.  Not sure which match but it will be a midcard type of match.  I'm not going to attempt to guess it but it won't be adding Daniel Bryan to the main event.  It may have something to do with John Cena vs Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania.  Or at least that's what I would book.

Speaking of John Cena.  I heard a rumor he's going to be facing Luke Harper (maybe it was Rowan) tonight on Raw.  I can't confirm anything because I haven't looked at WWE.com or anything.  I think they need to continue this feud to lead to a Wrestlemania match (I wrote some specifics yesterday http://wwefantasybooker.blogspot.com/2014/03/john-cena-vs-bray-wyatt.html).

The Wrestlemania main event is still bothering the fan base.  The WWE will continue to tease the idea that Daniel Bryan will be added to the main event so what better way to do that then have him in a match with Batista and Randy Orton.  Of course this will be the typical pre-Wrestlemania tag team match that puts the Champion and challenger on the same team.  I would book this pre-Wrestlemania staple tonight by having Batista and Randy Orton vs Daniel Bryan and Big Show.  You can have some typical sloppy finish including Corporate Kane and Triple H attacking Daniel Bryan while Batista and Orton double team Big Show to get the victory.

Finally The Undertaker returns tonight!  Obviously he will not be in a match.  Most likely we won't even see Brock Lesnar in the building.  But who we do need to see on screen with The Undertaker is Paul Heyman.  All that needs to be booked is an appearance by those two and let them handle the rest.  Close the show with The Undertaker getting the upper hand.

John Cena vs Bray Wyatt

Its pretty clear that John Cena is headed for a big time match against Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania.  Being that Wyatt has his two followers it makes you wonder how exactly they will have a match between Cena and Wyatt.  History has shown the WWE likes to book a match or two featuring multiple superstars.  I think this is a perfect opportunity for one of those matches.  A 6 man tag team match works perfectly here.  You can surround the match around the feud of John Cena not only against Bray Wyatt but the entire Wyatt Family.  Being that Cena cannot and would not face all three men alone he must find a few partners.  I have a few ideas on some teammates for Cena to take on the Wyatt family.

The first idea is Cena should team up with a current tag team.  A perfect team to join Cena would be The Rhodes Dynasty.  Right now they are not involved in the Tag Team Championship picture so they need some sort of direction.  They are still a hot tag team that many people enjoy watching.  They could be elevated by having a big Wrestlemania match with not only John Cena but Bray Wyatt.  This could be the match that pushes Cody Rhodes to the upper mid card and even towards the main event.  I think this could be the start of a push that ends up with Cody Rhodes winning the Money In The Bank this summer.

The second idea included Cena teaming up with a few mid card guys.  Currently guys like Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry and Big Show seem involved so it leaves guys like Kofi Kingston, Miz and Rey Mysterio.  I think Kofi and Miz make the most sense.  Even though they seemed to be Friendamies a few months ago it could be time for them to "bury the hatchet" and team up.  Both guys need some momentum and teaming with John Cena could be that momentum.  Having Cena away from the title picture is the perfect way to elevate other superstars.  Miz is obviously the type of guy who the fans buy as a top level type of superstar.  He did main event Wrestlemania only 3 years ago.  Kofi is also another guy who the fans would buy as a top level superstar due to his athletic ability.  Plus Kofi could help provide a "Wrestlemania moment" that every match is looking for.  This team also creates the ability for a post-Wrestlemania feud.  It would be easy to book the Wyatt's to win the match by pinning Kofi.  Miz could blame Kofi for costing him a big Wrestlemania win, this could lead to some sort of match at Extreme Rules.

The third and final option includes Cena teaming up with a few guys that equal John in star power.  I'd start it by having Cena in the ring talking about his leg injury.  He can claim "I won't be medically cleared to compete until...Wrestlemania 30!  At that point I will take on all three members of the Wyatt Family!"  Then Hulk Hogan's music hits.  He walks down to the ring and tell Cena "you can't take on all three guys, brother.  You'll need some backup to face those bad guys!  Give me a week and I'll find a few guys to help you out."  Hogan and Cena shake hands and we're teased with waiting a week to see who Hogan can come up with.

The next week on Raw Hogan comes out.  "I'd like to invite John Cena to the ring."  Cena's music hits and we comes out.  "I told you a week ago I'd find you a few teammates and let me tell you something brother, I think I found two great ones for you."  Then the Ultimate Warriors' music hits!  He runs to the ring and grabs the mic.  "I'm doing this for all the little warriors who have grown up to be big warriors and now have their own little warriors of their own.  We're going to the top of the mountain at Wrestlemania 30 and you, me and my tag partner are brining the Wyatt's all the way down to PARTS UNKNOWN!"  To which Cena has a confused look on his face and says "Ok, thanks Hulk.  Who is our third guy?"  Hulk says "well brother, I looked through my phone book and found an old friend from Atlanta..."  The lights go out and Sting's music hits!  He walks down to the ring greeted by Cena, Warrior and Hogan.  As the four men pose for the crowd they're interrupted by the Wyatt Family.  All three members walk towards the ring to size up their Wrestlemania opponents.

Overall I think the direction the WWE should go is with the younger guys.  With Cena being out of the title picture it would be best to use him to elevate the Wyatt Family and two other superstars.  That being said Wrestlemania has turned into the event that they bring back old wrestlers.  It would surprise me if the Utlimate Warrior gets some sort of send off to finish his career.  Also the rumors of Sting coming to the WWE have been there for years and it looks like they might have finally brought him in.  It would be cool to have the Ultimate Warrior team up with Sting.  It could lead to a year long run for Sting in the WWE.

Smackdown Review

Alright here's what I thought about the Raw Recap Show ummmm I mean Friday Night Smackdown.

Dolph vs Christian was entertaining.  Looks like they're going to continue to go in the direction of Dolph vs ADR and Christian vs Sheamus.  Most likely next week on Raw or Smackdown we'll see Sheamus and Dolph vs Christian and ADR.  For the most part all four guys are good workers, its good to see midcard programs.  I happy to see these guys have some direction leading into Wrestlemania.

I'm loving The Usos.  I think they are the perfect tag team for this era of the WWE.  In ring I think they're great and as a tag team I think they have great charisma.  They are the guys that need to carry this division for the time being.  Unfortunately I think the second best tag team is Cody and Goldust.  Ideally these two teams would face off at Wrestlemania.

The Axelback team or whatever they're calling themselves is growing on me.  I thought it was a mistake to take Heyman away from Axel but it looks like his future might be in a tag team.  These two guys are starting to work really well together as a midcard heel tag team.  I don't know if they have the potential to carry the belts but maybe they can be transitional champions.

AJ taps out to the Sharpshooter.  We need to see Natalya take the belt off AJ at Wrestlemania.  After Wrestlemania we can see AJ and Tamina feud over becoming the #1 Contender.  Between those three they can put on great matches, great programs and continue to elevate the Divas division.

The Shield situation is the most unique breakup I've ever seen.  I still believe and think they need the huge breakup leading to a triple threat match at Wrestlemania.  I'm enjoying Seth Rollins' work here.  He is the guy that is trying to keep The Shield together.  He seems to be the only guy in the group that sees the big picture.  Dean Ambrose is most likely going to end up being the heel and breaking them up.  While Roman is the big, strong, quite, face.

They're letting Luke Harper speak more.  I don't forsee the Wyatts breaking up anytime soon but when they do it could eventually be Harper leading Rowand away from Bray Wyatt.  I do see Bray being the cult leader for a while.  I don't know if they'd find new followers for him or not.

It looks like they're bringing Big Show back into The Authority angle.  This is interesting, they might use Big Show to help out Daniel Bryan or they might use him to distract Kane freeing up Daniel Bryan to focus on Triple H.  Overall what I found most interesting about this match is the lack of screen time for Batista.  It seemed like it was more of a handicap match than anything else.  Also Batista's promo to start the show was lacking.  He clearly is not a main even caliber performer.  He couldn't play an entertaining heel with the most over face in the company.  I think the WWE needs to seriously reconsider the Wrestlemania main event.

The biggest thing that Smackdown lacked was the presence of the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton.  Had I not known better I might think there was no Champion associated with Smackdown.

Overall I think there are fewer reasons to continue to watch Smackdown.  Nothing big ever happens.  Half of it is a Raw recap.  The other half is the feuds from Raw treading water.

My Raw Thoughts 3/3

Of course the show started with CM Punk's music.  Obviously the CM Punk situation needed to be addressed.  The rumors were all over the dirtsheets and the speculation was running wild.  I was quite shocked to see Paul Heyman.  I thought we'd see Punk, then I thought we'd see Triple H or Vince.  Never did I think we'd see Heyman.  This was the best thing they could have done without Punk.  Obviously CM Punk will not comeback to the WWE for a very long time if at all.  If I were a betting man, I'd say we've seen the last of CM Punk.  I think he's done.  At this point the WWE needs to continue to get Heyman and Brock over as heels.  Overall I thought the segment was okay, they got the most out of it.

I don't understand what is going on with The Usos and the New Age Outlaws.  I thought they'd blow off the feud tonight on Main Event.  SPOILER ALERT: they didn't.  That being said it might last til Wrestlemania XXX.  If that is the case I thought the payoff would be bigger for fans of The Usos if they won the Tag Titles for the first time at Wrestlemania.  I would have either booked that or the feud to blow off on Main Event to make room for another young tag team.

I like what is going on with The Real Americans.  Clearly these two are headed for a breakup that could end in a match at Wrestlemania.  I think its about time for that.  Cesaro is clearly headed for a main event type of push and the team with Swagger is running its course.  I enjoy Zeb but he just doesn't fit with Cesaro.  I'd continue to book this jealousy thing and eventually blow up this team.

The Shield needs to break up.  We need to finally get the payoff of the slow break of The Shield.  I would book the triple threat at Wrestlemania XXX.  That might steal the show too.  I enjoyed how Seth Rollins was the one who walked out.  That will be the final straw with The Shield.  He was the glue.  He will let the other two destroy The Shield.  I think they've run their course as a unit.  Its time for them to go onto singles careers.

Sheamus and Christian are another two that are on a collision course for Wrestlemania.  Both guys need and deserve a match, they just need someone to fight.  They should do fine fighting each other but we've already seen it on free TV a few to many times to get excited to see it at Wrestlemania.

The Wyatts are clearly going to face John Cena at Wrestlemania XXX.  I don't want to see a 3 on 1.  I'll end up writing a blog specifically about this match.

Finally the main event.  Triple H/Daniel Bryan/Randy Orton/Batista.  We have more evidence that a Randy Orton vs Batista match will not work out.  I wrote how I would fix it, it looks like the best option would be to add Daniel Bryan to the match.  I wrote about this in depth therefore I won't get into this too much.  I think its time to give Daniel Bryan a more definitive direction.

Monday Night Raw 3/3

I have two different ideas for Monday Night Raw on March 3rd, obviously the main event of Batista vs Randy Orton must be changed.  The ideas depend on if CM Punk makes a long awaited comeback to the WWE.  The first will be without CM Punk, the second with.

In both scenarios the show starts with Michael Cole advertising the main event being the contract signing for the main event of Wrestlemania XXX being overseen by The Authority.

Scenario 1

Finally we hit the main event.  The Authority enters the ring, followed by the challenger Batista accompanied by a loud "Bootista" chant, then finally the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton to a chorus of boos.  We start with Triple H reviewing how we got to this point and how this is what is "best for business" to which the Chicago crowd disagrees.  Before either competitor can speak or sign the contract the music of the Chairman of the WWE Vince McMahon hits!  He walks down to the ring and states "unfortunately the main event for Wrestlemania XXX is NOT what is best for business."  The crowd erupts!  Vince continues "what we need is a superstar!  The type of guy who is worthy of a main event so large.  A man who the fans have gotten behind, in fact he's the man who gets the largest reaction from the crowd...that man is...TRIPLE H!!!"  At this point the crowd is ready to riot.  Triple H humbly accepts the challenge while both Batista and Randy Orton argue with Vince.  Then Hulk Hogan's music hits to a mostly positive reaction.  Hogan begins "As the host of Wrestlemania XXX I have already scheduled Triple H as an in ring competitor but that's no big deal.  The WWE Universe would rather see Triple H in the main event anyway...they'd also rather see his competitor in the main event as well..."  Daniel Bryan's music hits.  The crowd goes right into their normal "YES!" chant.  We're left with a cliffhanger as far as Wreslemania XXX's main event as the screen goes black...

Scenario 2

Finally we hit the main event.  The Authority enters the ring, followed by the challenger Batista accompanied by a loud "Bootista" chant, then finally the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton to a chorus of boos.  We start with Triple H reviewing how we got to this point and how this is what is "best for business" to which the Chicago crowd disagrees.  Before either competitor can speak or sign the contract the music of the Chairman of the WWE Vince McMahon hits!  He walks down to the ring and states "unfortunately the main event for Wrestlemania XXX is NOT what is best for business."  The crowd erupts!  "What we need is a proven competitor that the fans can get behind.  The fans are unhappy with Batista, the fans are bored with Randy Orton.  The fans chant for guys who aren't in the main event and aren't even in the company!  What's 'best for business' is to give the fans a competitor they want to see, that's why I'm adding to the main event of Wrestlemania XXX.  I've chosen the greatest WWE Champion of this generation!"  CM Punk's music hits to which the crowd erupts!  He walks into the ring, signs the contract looks at Batista and says "I'm the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion...DEAL WITH IT!"  We're left with Batista and Orton staring down Punk and Triple H staring down Vince...