raw is wary / cautious handling of John Cena

This edition of Monday night raw was the last episode before the return of NFL football, it also fell on labor day. Wwe raw was cautious to make any big moves creatively because labor day raw typically doesn't have the viewership of other raw television shows, because of this, wwe gave its fans a program that didn't offer much and fell short most of the show.  The show at its best times was flat and really poor at its worst but there was something to be noticed on this Raw that speaks volumes to me as a fan.  WWE has its largest crop of potential stars in probably 12 years right now.  Be it on Raw weekly, nxt on the wwe network or preparing at the performance center there are proven talents with the ability to work at a high level.  However, wwe will not pull the trigger on any of them to catapult someone to the top tier and continues to push old reliable.

John Cena has been the top guy in wwe for the last nine years after being drafted to Raw from Smackdown in the summer of 2005.  He was champion before that but I feel moving to the flagship show was the move that determined him the face of the wwe.  To put nine years as the top babyface in perspective Hulk Hogan's initial run in the wwf was from 1984 to 1990, six years, when wwe opted to put the title on the Ultimate Warrior.  Hogan was champion again in 1991 after beating Sgt. Slaughter at wrestlemania 7 but was out of WWF for good by 1993. (until his nWo return 10 years later) So, even if you include when WWF tried to use a new top babyface in the Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan was the top guy in the company for nine years and really during that time Hogan was not always the focus of the wwe.
Would anyone put John Cena on the same level as Hulk Hogan from a character stand point?  John Cena has earned his credibility as top babyface superhero by doing everything and then some that wwe has asked him be it make a wish, personal appearance, wrestling injured, you name it and the guy has done it to maintain his spot and perform for the fans; but during that nine years there was never anyone that got close to replacing John Cena.  No matter how you feel about John Cena it is a pretty remarkable run on top.
Now, it seems that wwe is ready to crown a new face of the empire.  There just seems to be something inside of John Cena that makes you feel he is ready to step down a notch and let someone else take the major bumps and bruises on the top of the card, Cena has a number of nagging injuries including his neck and he is approaching the age where wrestlers start to slow down.  Cena has also started to put other guys over more than he ever has with feuds like he had with Bray Wyatt, which really helped elevate Wyatt, giving the rub to the Uso Brothers, and using his shine to try to raise Roman Reigns stock.  All the signs are there for a new "superstar" to step up and take charge.

WWE, however, seems very reluctant to pass the reigns to the next chosen one just yet.  The obvious selection from wwe is Roman Reigns.  WWE has been grooming him since the shield was together and there is no question why, Reigns has everything wwe looks for in a top star; he has size, athleticism, the look but the only thing he lacks is experience.  Roman Reigns is not gaining experience fast enough and he is not improving at the pace he will need to in order to be the top guy.  I would assume his time line is wrestlemania, and his opponent is Brock Lesnar.  WWE has done everything right with Lesnar by giving him the streak, dominating Cena and becoming an unstoppable beast so if Reigns beats him on the grandest stage it would be a huge deal. 

However, if the fans don't buy it then it won't be nearly as big as it could be.  In my opinion, if the fans don't buy it then wwe should call an audible for that main event.  The problem is that audible would have to be called by Royal Rumble since the main event and crowning of a new face of the wwe would have to be a wwe world heavyweight championship match.  Ultimately that means Roman Reigns has 4 months to prove he is the right guy for the job. Unfortunately, on Raw last night when Roman Reigns announced he was adding his name to the title mix the crowd was very underwhelmed.  WWE had to hoping that when Reigns delivered that line, which he delivered awkwardly, the crowd would erupt in support and it just did not happen.  I do not believe Roman Reigns will be ready to be the top guy in the company in less than a year.
The biggest problem with Reigns not being ready by wrestlemania is that is squanders the amazing opportunity to have Brock Lesnar put him over.  The guy that beat the streak, dominated Cena and has become an attraction losing makes that person an instant mega star and wwe can't afford to miss that chance.  So, who, if not Reigns, can step up to be handed the torch?

 The long shot pick is Daniel Bryan.  Why it is a long shot is because no one knows his health status.  His second surgery has been postponed for more tests and the expected return, from what I understand is 3 months, which puts him close to the Royal Rumble.  It is an easy story for Bryan to win the Rumble and go on to wrestlemania to challenge Brock Lesnar as the unrelenting underdog who conquers the bully.  The issues are two fold, first, the comeback is uncertain because of the health and second, I don't believe wwe wants to have Daniel Bryan as their long term face of the company and beating Lesnar can't be a hot shot move to push a guy, it needs to be the dawning of the new top guy.

 My pick, and not likely choice, is Cesaro.  Cesaro is a technically spectacular wrestler with, what appears to be, superhuman strength.  He also has a presence in the ring and natural charisma.  He certainly doesn't have John Cena type charisma or natural charm but I believe he could get over with all demographics as well as do the appearance and be a respectable ambassador for sports entertainment.  Most importantly, he would have an international appeal that could bring more exposure from an audience that sees wrestling as a more legitimate form of sports and entertainment.  I don't know if wwe is ready or will be ready to put the hype train behind Cesaro so I do not see him being the selected top guy but he has a lot of tangible and intangible allure for that spot.

 The real top contender for the next big time babyface should be Dean Ambrose!  Ambrose and his never say die mentality and approach to wrestling would lend itself perfectly to challenging Brock Lesnar.  The lunatic fringe toppling the beast would surely elevate Ambrose and the crowd would completely rally behind him and his character.  If you could turn back time and remember the story that developed after Stone Cold Steve Austin won his first title from Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon tried to mold the texas rattlesnake into a corporate puppet; this story could be almost completely redone using Triple H and Dean Ambrose and it would work. 

Now, I am not saying Dean Ambrose is Steve Austin, he is Austin-like, and the closest thing to having the ability to catch fire with the crowd and they could live vicariously through him against the authority.  An added bonus to Ambrose becoming the top guy, and champion, is that Seth Rollins has the money in the bank briefcase so there is a ready made championship feud waiting for the next top heel and babyface.  This run would allow them to get comfortable with their new spots while putting on tremendous matches with each other.  Dean Ambrose can completely pull off the blue collar hero while Rollins is a completely believable sell out the corporation would get behind. 

Making Ambrose the face of the company, a kin to Austin, would begin the youth movement (which wwe is totally ready for, see nxt), shift the focus of the product back to a faster more athletic style and still offer compelling stories.  This move would also allow Roman Reigns to hone his skills and become the number two face in the company, which worked out well for Reigns cousin The Rock.
The style of wrestling pushed to the forefront buy Ambrose and Rollins being the two top guys is tailor made for the future roster wwe will boast with guys like ziggler, barrett, cesaro, sheamus, big e, kofi, sami zayne, tyler breeze, bo dallas, neville, kenta, prince devitt, kevin steen and daniel bryan.  This roster is so stacked with talent on the cusp of breaking out that if wwe pushed a wrestling style fit for all of the young talent they are stock piling sports entertainment would become a lot more sports and a lot more entertainment.

 I believe that wwe will make Roman Reigns "the guy" but if they ran an audible and made the leap of faith putting Dean Ambrose in that role wwe could domino into a really special time in professional wrestling and no one would suffer from it.  The next four months will be very telling as to who can handle the top spot and who may not be ready for the spotlight, either direction will be interesting and should be worth watching; something Monday Night Raw on labor day really wasn't.  That is just this marks remarks.

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WWE fantasy booking towards the new year

 WWE's product has been peaking my interest recently by turning out some intriguing story lines, developing the future talent and putting on quality shows.  Unfortunately, I am the type of fan that isn't going to leave the product; I have lived through way worse in wrestling and will probably live through it again.  However, WWE has progressively lost viewership in the millions since the boom period 15 years ago (holy cow 15 years ago?) and the ratings have seemed to plateau to about 4 million per week.  That number is half of what it was during the attitude era and the Monday night wars.  Which means WWE needs to figure out how to do something to rekindle the fire for over 4 million jaded wrestling fans in order to create another wrestling boom time.  The first question one has to ask is, can wrestling create another boom time and can it be done without direct competition?  If you believe it can, what needs to happen to bring the pseudo-casual fans back to sports entertainment?

I, for one, believe wrestling can have another boom period and I think it can happen now.  I believe there are enough key players on the wwe roster and being developed on the roster to appeal to everything wrestling needs catch fire.  I believe that this boom period and take place without any major competition to the wwe reign over sports entertainment.  WCW and Monday Nitro played a huge role in lighting the fuse for the wrestling explosion with the creation of the nWo.  However, wwe maintained its popularity when wcw was taken over by wwe for a period of time.  I also believe that this boom period can take place with the current product the way it is being presented currently; meaning the "pg style" that raw is being delivered.  Everyone loved the attitude era but i don't believe it was because of the blood and guts style of wrestling, profane language or racy stories; those things may have not hurt but they were not the catalyst of the rise in popularity.  WWE struck gold by pushing a blue collar tough guy giving his boss the treatment every blue collar guy wishes he could, fresh hip characters, compelling story and athletic wrestling matches.  Steve Austin led the way of a roster that included The Rock, Undertaker, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, Hardy's, Dudley's, Edge, Christian, Eddy Guerrero, and a myriad of secondary talent that made up a very talented roster of talent.  All the while, The McMahon family played super villains and were able to turn the wrestling world upside down.

 So, what needs to happen now to relight that fuse?  Can the wwe recreate an atmosphere that didn't allow its universe of fans to miss an episode of Raw?  I believe that they can, but it is going to take some risks being taken to build that one defining moment that will get current fans talking and catch the eye of the fans that have left the wrestling world.  Below is my fantasy booking, I do not expect it to happen, that may be some direction that would bring fans interest to wrestling back.

 I fully expect Brock Lesnar to beat John Cena at night of champions, not like the manner he did at SummerSlam, but I still think Lesnar will win.  I think that after Cena loses to Lesnar for a second straight time he should be off television for awhile, do a little soul searching before he makes another return.  I also believe that this is the last pay per view that Lesnar will be on for a few months because wwe believes that the Hell in a Cell match can sell the next show and a title match is not necessary.  So let's say at Hell in a Cell the main event resembles something like Seth Rollins and Randy Orton versus Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns in a Hell in a Cell match.  It is an extreme battle that Reigns and Ambrose begin to get the advantage in and this leads to the Authority and Kane coming down to the ring and inserting themselves into the match.  Kane, Orton and Rollins begin to get the advantage and they eliminate Ambrose from the match leaving a three on one situation with Reigns.  As all three men have him cornered John Cena's music would hit and Cena triumphantly returns to help Reigns out and take out the bad guys.  Cena and Reigns stand in the middle of the ring, back to back, challenging the Authority to attack.  At which point Triple H would stand up on the apron and give his famous thumbs down motion and John Cena would turn around and lay out Roman Reigns with an attitude adjustment. 

 Cue the jaws dropping and the authority would pounce on Roman Reigns leaving him laying while Triple H stands tall raising the hands of Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Kane and John Cena!  No one would believe that wwe was finally going to turn Cena bad and that moment would create a "wrestling moment" that would have the wrestling world a buzz.  This would also create another gauntlet of wrestlers Roman Reigns would have to go through before getting to his new target of John Cena, allowing Reigns to hone his skills before he gets to the biggest stage of them all, wrestlemania.  Cena could go on Raw and deliver a promo about how he wrestled for the people and they all turned on him now he is wrestling for himself and for the money.  He could be arm in arm with his girlfriend Nikki Bella who is already with the Authority. 
 He essentially would become Hollywood Hogan and could revitalize his career as a heel and he would become the top heel immediately.  Dean Ambrose would still have his feud with Seth Rollins going that could lead them into the royal rumble and while he doesn't have to team with Roman Reigns they would have common enemies.  I think after Ambrose has finished with Rollins he could set his sights on The Authority as a whole because he is so anti establishment and the rivalry he has with the Authority might look very similar to an Austin versus McMahon feud with Ambrose ultimately going after Triple H, who would hold him down because of his instability and non-corporate attitude.  Triple H would clearly not think Dean Ambrose is best for business. 

 Survivor Series would lead to the perfect set up of Authority versus Reigns, Ambrose, and say, the Uso's in a traditional Survivor Series elimination match where after Ambrose and Rollins eliminated themselves it would come down to John Cena versus Roman Reigns as the last two men where John Cena would simply walk away, like a coward.  This would cement him as the top heel in the business and would only make the fans want to see Roman Reigns get his hands on John Cena even more.  While this is going on I would pair Brock Lesnar up against someone like Sheamus, who can afford to get the tar beat out of him and still make Lesnar look like a beast. 

The storyline going into royal rumble would be that the Authority is going to set up the match so that John Cena wins the rumble match so that he can recapture the wwe world heavyweight title at Wrestlemania with the help of the Authority, because John Cena can beat Lesnar if he is with the Authority and become the corporate champion.  Fast forward to the end of the Royal Rumble match itself; final four men could be Randy Orton, John Cena, Roman Reigns and Cesaro and Triple H finds his way to ringside.  Like every year the four men stand in separate corners as the match resets, Orton and Cena are clearly working together toward the same goal until the sheep mask appears and the lights go out.  Lights return on and the Wyatt family appears in the ring and they attack Randy Orton.  As the three Wyatts are beating on Orton; Cena, Reigns and Cesaro attack each other.  Triple H is livid at ringside because he doesn't know why the Wyatt's appeared and what is going on and he gets attacked from out of no where by Dean Ambrose.  The Wyatt's could eliminate Orton totally screwing up the plans of the Authority which gives Roman Reigns the opportunity to eliminate John Cena from the rumble.  The crowd would go nuts for the elimination and certainly think Reigns is going on to wrestlemania to win the title he is being groomed to win.  However, after a major Cena distraction Cesaro eliminates Roman Reigns and achieves the ability to challenge the champion at wrestlemania. 
Cesaro winning would get a huge reaction for two reasons, first, it would be a huge royal rumble upset and second, the crowd can easily get behind Cesaro; but most importantly, Paul Heyman would be shocked because Cesaro was a "Heyman Guy" so why would he want to challenge another "Heyman guy" for the championship.  Paul Heyman will have the ability to make Cesaro a huge babyface with his promos and Cesaro could do some spectacular power moves against someone the size of Brock Lesnar.

 The top of my Wrestlemania card would look something like this:

Brock Lesnar (champion) vs. Cesaro

Roman Reigns vs. John Cena

Dean Ambrose vs. Triple H

Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton or Wyatt Family vs. Orton, Rollins and Kane

In these four matches you would be creating a new and refreshing world heavyweight champion in Cesaro who would get a huge rub from beating the unbeatable Brock Lesnar.  Roman Reigns is made as top star of the company when he defeats the dastardly John Cena.  Dean Ambrose becomes "the peoples champion" as he challenges the head of the Authority and his boss Triple H.  The Wyatt family is officially turned good, which I believe is what wwe wants, but officially going after the Authority.  So coming out of wrestlemania you have established four major babyfaces of wwe for the foreseeable future and still maintain three top heels (i don't count Kane).  

While all these main story lines are taking place I am building the next tier ready to propel into the main events.  I would focus on the wrestling talent of a lot of these guys to help get them over.  I would turn Dolph Ziggler back to being a bad guy and utilize the return of Daniel Bryan to solidify this switch and simply have them feud over who is the best wrestler in the business.  Continue to showcase the tag team division wwe is so afraid to focus on and allow the middle of the card guys to position themselves.  Mix that in with the expected Undertaker return and a few other surprises my wrestlemania looks pretty good and really features the next wave of wwe and could build a real boom period in wrestling using the extremely talented roster of personalities they have.  My full wrestlemania card, as of now would be:

John Cena of the Authority vs. Roman Reigns

Brock Lesnar vs. Cesaro

Triple H vs. Dean Ambrose

Wyatt Family vs. The Authority

The Undertaker vs. Sting

Rusev vs. Hulk Hogan (or Kurt Angle)

Dolph Ziggler vs. Daniel Bryan

The Uso's vs. Big E and Kofi Kingston

Sheamus vs. Bad News Barrett

Rhodes Brothers vs. Big Show & Mark Henry vs. Rybaxel 

Paige vs. Natalya

some match involving nxt.

 At least in my opinion, this is a pretty effective card and could bring fans back to a product on the verge of breaking out.  I don't expect any of this stuff to happen but I think it could work, fortunately, I believe there are many ways wwe can bring the fans back in droves, ways wwe may actual do.  But for now the fans can only wait patiently, and blog their opinions, until wwe plans the next direction of its product and where they take the fans next.  Based on the current product I think all fans should be optimistic about the future and prepare for wwe's next boom period.  That is just this marks remarks.
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