WWE Plans For John Cena On The Road To WrestleMania 34
John Cena's move to SmackDown may be a short-lived one.
According to
WrestlingInc, Cena is not advertised for any more SmackDown TV tapings after Sunday's Fastlane pay-per-view:
Following this Sunday's Fastlane pay-per-view, Cena is not scheduled for any SmackDown Live tapings. He's not scheduled for tonight's SmackDown Live at the Resch Center in Green Bay, WI, and the only upcoming live events he's currently slated to appear at are for the RAW brand.
The last date on Cena's current WWE schedule is the post-WrestleMania episode of Monday Night RAW in New Orleans. Cena was not featured in recent advertising materials for SummerSlam in August or The Survivor Series in November, although he could be appearing at those shows if his schedule opens up during those periods.
WHAT'S IT MEAN FOR WWE?
Cena has
squashed rumors of asking for a potential WrestleMania match with Rey Mysterio, and it looks like his
expected match with The Undertaker is still on.
WrestleVotes (h/t
Cageside Seats) had previously reported that most of the build for Undertaker/Cena would happen on SmackDown, and there are many reasons why that would be a smart decision, including the use of that feud as a way to increase SmackDown's ratings at a time when
FOX has emerged as a serious suitor for WWE's next TV deal. One could certainly argue, after all, that Raw has more than enough star power on the road to WrestleMania 34, with the likes of Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Triple H, Ronda Rousey, Braun Strowman and Kurt Angle all featured heavily on the show.
Alas, WWE seems intent on building up Cena vs. Undertaker on the red brand, which means that it will be loaded up with most of WrestleMania's top feuds while SmackDown will be built heavily around AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (we think) and whatever Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will be doing. There is an obvious imbalance of power between the two brands there, but with SmackDown lasting only two hours in comparison to three for Raw, perhaps WWE does not want to overload the blue brand with too many feuds.
Still, news of Cena's lightning quick move back to Raw essentially gives away the outcome of the Fastlane main event (Styles retaining) while virtually guaranteeing that we will get Cena vs. The Undertaker. Raw viewership hasn't seemed to change much when Cena is around, but SmackDown does
benefit from the added presence of Cena, so perhaps WWE may still be considering which show will serve as the official home of the Taker/Cena build.
What's most notable here, however, is that Cena may be taking another lengthy hiatus after WrestleMania 34, which not only will be a big blow to the company but could also hint at a potential loss at WrestleMania 34.
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WWE Trying To Ensure Full-Fledged Heel Turn For Brock Lesnar During Feud With Roman Reigns
WHAT'S THE DEAL?
WWE is doing everything it can to guarantee that the very popular Brock Lesnar becomes a full-blown heel.
According to the Wrestling Observer (h/t Cageside Seats), Lesnar destroyed Kane in lopsided fashion at a recent live event as part of WWE's effort to ensure that "The Beast" becomes a villain in route to WrestleMania 34:
WWE did indeed book Brock Lesnar in a 35-second house show squash over Kane the way they did to help turn him heel leading up to WrestleMania 34. So even though it was a house show, it was still part of the storyline they’re running with him.
WHAT'S IT MEAN FOR WWE?
Though some reports indicate Lesnar wants to stay with WWE, there is mounting speculation that he will be gone from WWE shortly after WrestleMania 34 when his contract expires, and most fans can see that.
Especially with Dana White publicly remaining ever so confident that Lesnar will return to UFC, WWE officials seem to realize that Lesnar may be on his way out, too. As a result, WWE is doing just about all it can to ensure that Lesnar "looks bad," and whether that's a work, shoot or a little bit of both seems to be up in the air, though logic says that this is a case of art imitating life. In other words, Lesnar has a reputation as someone who really doesn't love pro wrestling and is just in it for the money, so WWE is using that in storyline to get more heat on Lesnar.
There is also another clear reason why WWE is trying to cement Lesnar as a full-blown heel, and that's because it will benefit Roman Reigns. With Lesnar "working" a 30-second live event match and being called out for his friendly part-time deal by Reigns in a scathing promo a couple of weeks ago, it's painfully obvious that WWE is trying to turn more fans against Lesnar in hopes that it will lead to more cheers for "The Big Dog."
Maybe that could work during a different era, but many fans can see that this is what WWE is trying to accomplish here, which has the unfortunate side effect of making some fans like Reigns even less. Now, with Lesnar appearing to be on his way out and Reigns still failing to win over WWE's most diehard fan base, it looks like the expected WrestleMania 34 main event between them could be one of those bouts that is unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.
The vast majority of fans at WrestleMania 34 will not cheer for Reigns, and if they know Lesnar has one foot out the door, then they won't want to cheer for him either. That will make for an interesting atmosphere at WrestleMania, which may accomplish WWE's ultimate goal of creating a buzz about this match, whether it's good or bad.
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Braun Strowman Not Wrestling At WrestleMania 34?
WHAT'S THE DEAL?
Many fans were disappointed when Braun Strowman was relegated to the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33, and we could be in for a repeat in 2018.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t SEScoops), Strowman may get the shaft at WrestleMania for the second straight year:
While Strowman has been booked to look strong, it may not even lead to a WrestleMania 34 match. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports a backup plan for Strowman is to involve him in a non-wrestling segment. There’s still a chance that Strowman could be added to the Intercontinental title match, making it a fatal four way
WHAT'S IT MEAN FOR WWE?
Strowman was once rumored to be facing The Miz at WrestleMania 34, but with WWE obviously going in a different direction there, the creative team had to change course for "The Monster Among Men."
Recent reports indicate that Strowman is currently directionless because he is the "backup plan" in the event that something happens with Brock Lesnar and/or Roman Reigns amidst the uncertainty surrounding recent steroid use allegations. In a sense, it's smart to have that plan in place because those within WWE are "very worried" about the possibility of legitimate evidence against Reigns leaking out and the problem it would create for WrestleMania 34.
However, the one who suffers the most here is Strowman, who is currently stuck in limbo without a real feud less than a month out from the pay-per-view, which doesn't bode well for his chances of getting a major match on the show. If Lesnar vs. Reigns happens as has been planned, Strowman could be left out in the cold because he may not have a match on the card at all. But even if he does, it may be a very short lower card match as opposed to a world title or upper midcard match, which likely means he'll be making significantly less money than he would if he was challenging for the Universal title at the top of the card.
That's a shame because Strowman has been one of WWE's hottest acts for more than a year now, and after he was left off the main show last year, it would be quite the head-scratcher to see it happen again. Especially when you consider that Strowman seems to be developing into arguably WWE's biggest draw among full-timers, why WWE wouldn't push him at its biggest pay-per-view of the year is baffling to say the least.
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Possible WrestleMania 34 Plans For Kevin Owens And Sami Zayn
WHAT'S THE DEAL?
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn may not get a big WrestleMania match, after all.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc), "The current plan is for both Superstars to be featured in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal."
WHAT'S IT MEAN FOR WWE?
There has yet to be a single mention on WWE TV about the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which at one point was rumored to be getting the ax from WrestleMania.
If the bout does take place, it would be nothing short of a shocker to see Owens and Zayn relegated to a match that likely won't even take place on the main card. Last year's battle royal was relegated to the WrestleMania pre-show, which has a significantly smaller audience than the main show does, and one would think that, especially given the massive push Owens and Zayn have received over the last six months or so, putting them on the pre-show wouldn't even be considered as a possible option.
Owens and Zayn have been rumored to have a major tag team match involving Shane McMahon or possibly even face each other, and with the way they've dominated SmackDown's top storylines for so long, the assumption has been that they'd be in one of the top two WrestleMania matches for the blue brand. Then again, SmackDown viewership has really struggled in recent months with Owens and Zayn taking up far too much TV time on the show while those within the company are reportedly even aware of how bad the show is.
However, WWE has used so much TV time on Owens and Zayn, with apparently very little return, that maybe the company is finally giving up on the duo as a top act and is ready to renew its focus on other rising stars. That, of course, is just speculation because it's incredibly difficult to believe that a duo that's been pushed as much as they have been over much of the last year would be largely forgotten about at WWE's biggest show of 2018.
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WHAT ELSE IS NEW?
- This week's Raw viewership dropped by roughly 100,000 viewers. While that's not a massive dip, it is disappointing considering how close we are to WrestleMania 34 and how star-studded the show was, with the likes of Cena and Rousey both appearing.
- SmackDown viewership was also down by roughly 100,000 viewers, and there are two explanations for the drop. One, the show hasn't been good for a while now, and two, there was no Cena after he appeared on last week's episode.
- The latest episode of the Mixed Match Challenge, featuring Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi and Jimmy Uso had a peak viewership of 88,500 viewers. That was a massive leap from last week's 62,200 and is perhaps a strong sign of the growing drawing power of both Strowman and Bliss.
- Although Rey Mysterio recently injured his biceps, he could still sign with WWE soon as his injury reportedly isn't very serious. Might he be added to the revamped Cruiserweight division later this year?
- WWE announced the "Greatest Royal Rumble" event will be held in Saudi Arabia this April while announcer Michael Cole confirmed also confirmed on Raw that we'll soon get that major event in Australia, which may hold up to 100,000 fans. Clearly, WWE is looking to make more of a mark internationally in 2018.
- "WWE is considering opening a second Performance Center there [Abu Dhabi]. This facility would be used to cultivate talent from both the Middle East as well as India," according to the Wrestling Observer (h/t SEScoops). It wouldn't be a surprise to see WWE open other similar centers around the world.
- Ronda Rousey is booked for every Raw between now and WrestleMania, and she may be added to WWE's upcoming Madison Square Garden live event. Though it doesn't appear as if Rousey will be working a full-time house show loop, it does look like she'll be appearing at more shows than your typical part-timer.
- Jeff Hardy has been cleared to wrestle again, and his return could be imminent. Hardy has the potential to be a top guy and an elite merchandise mover as a single stars, so it'll be interesting to see whether he reunites with Matt or receives a sizable singles push.
- Vince McMahon is reportedly interested in bringing back Alberto Del Rio, a very controversial figure in pro wrestling who has already been released by WWE twice in the past. The belief is that McMahon wants Del Rio back in order to push him as WWE's top Hispanic superstar, and reports state McMahon recently met with him, presumably to discuss a potential return.
- Speaking of McMahon, FORBES named him to its 2018 Billionaires List as the WWE boss is worth an estimated $1.8 billion.
- Chris Jericho indicated that he is done working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, so let the speculation about a WWE return begin.
- Sheamus and Cesaro are expected to face a new tag team that hasn't yet formed at WrestleMania 34, and speculation across the Internet is that a bizarre duo of either Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt or Elias and Braun Strowman could step up as those challengers. However, another report indicates The Bar may not wrestle at WrestleMania 34 at all.
- Money in the Bank will feature dual-brand MITB matches, with superstars from both Raw and SmackDown competing in the same match. Interest in WWE increases along with dual-brand PPVs, so perhaps this will drive up WWE Network subscriber numbers.
- Big Show essentially squashed rumors that he is retired or will do so anytime soon, indicating that his contract may have been "frozen" during his ongoing hiatus due to injury.
- Dolph Ziggler says he actually asked to be taken off TV last year, a bold move that may have hurt his bank account but could benefit him in the long run.