TLC came and went last night, leaving behind a trail of broken tables, dented chairs, and fried television monitors. There were plenty of highlights last night, but the company certainly took a few missteps as well. Overall, here are the pros and cons from last night’s TLC pay-per-view.

Pros

The show got off to a hot start last night with the ladder match. Ziggler and Harper really gave everything they had, as both were men were bruised and bloodied by the end of the contest. There were a number of memorable spots (especially when Harper catapulted Ziggler into the ropes with the ladder), and overall, it ranked up there with some of the best ladder matches in company history. Amazing way to start the show, and unfortunately for WWE, the rest of the show paled in comparison.

Ambrose and Wyatt also put on an amazing show. This was about as brutal as it gets during the PG era, with Ambrose leaping from the top of a ladder to drive Wyatt through a table on multiple occasions. It was also nice to see the company have the confidence to let these guys close the show, although the ending was less than desirable (more on that later).

As expected, Damien Mizdow was over big time with the crowd, with the fans even booing Miz in his hometown of Cleveland in favor of Sandow. I couldn’t help but crack up when Mizdow started emulating the half crab on the apron. The guy has major star potential, and he and the Miz play perfectly off of one another.

Although the booking was atrocious, Rollins proved why he is a future star during his match with John Cena. Join me in the “Cons” section to read more about this one.

Finally, I thought it was a decent decision to have Nikki Bella retain the title, and honestly, it was far from being the worst match of the night. It seems like the company has being playing hot potato with the Divas Championship since AJ Lee’s long title reign ended so it’s nice to see the title stay around someone’s waist for more than a month.

The final pay-per-view of 2014 is only a few hours away, and there should be enough tables, ladders, and chairs to fill a large dining hall. (I’m not entirely sure that I’ve seen a ladder in a college dining hall, but whatever.) The card will feature a total of nine matches, including a main event featuring Seth Rollins and John Cena. With that said, here are my predictions for this Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view.

The New Day vs. Gold and Stardust

The New Day hasn’t done much since returning from a brief hiatus, as they’ve been largely relegated to SmackDown and other programs that aren’t worth watching. However, they’ve looked impressive the few times they’ve been on Raw and all three are above average workers. The New Day has more to gain from a win here, so I’m expecting Big E finish off Stardust after hitting the Big Ending.

Winners: The New Day by pinfall

Ryback vs. Kane (Chairs Match)

Each December, fans can usually look forward to a Chairs Match at TLC. It’s like receiving a Christmas gift you didn’t request or care to receive. You put a smile on your face, do your best to enjoy it, but nine times out of ten, it ends in disappointment. This year’s edition should be no different. Nobody would want to see these guys square off in a singles contest, and throwing a few chairs into the mix will do little to save it. Ryback will win after a “brutal” match where the two exchange chair shots to the back for ten minutes.

Winner: Ryback by pinfall

The Miz and Damien Mizdow (Tag Team Champions) vs. The Usos

This contest should be an entertaining way to fill ten to fifteen minutes of the midcard. Mizdow is perhaps the hottest thing in WWE right now, so I expect he and the Miz to go over. However, it likely won’t be without some dissension. Overall, this should be an entertaining contest with a lot of back and forth action. If booked correctly, it should advance the tension between Miz and Mizdow, hopefully leading to a payoff at WrestleMania.

Winners: The Miz and Damien Mizdow by pinfall

WWE will attempt to deliver an early Christmas present this Sunday during its annual TLC pay-per-view. It will be the last pay-per-view of 2014, and should also be the last special event before Brock Lesnar’s return to the ring. The card is set, but how will it play out? Here are 5 potential shockers for Sunday’s TLC.

5. Mizdow Turns on The Miz

It seems obvious that the Miz and his stunt double will be breaking up sooner rather than later, and for good reason, as Mizdow is perhaps the most over superstar in the WWE.

There was tension once again during Monday’s Slammy Awards after the Miz accepted his partner’s award on his behalf. Although their time together seems to be limited, I’d be shocked if the two break up on Sunday. It would make more sense to have the dissolution occur at the Royal Rumble, setting up a WrestleMania payoff that could be one of the top matches on the midcard.

Last night on Raw, the WWE handed out some shiny plastic hardware, and more importantly, finalized the card for this Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view. With CM Punk badmouthing WWE before signing with UFC, and Brock Lesnar sitting at home while the title collects dust, it seems like the most exciting WWE-related action these days is taking place outside of the squared circle.

With that said, TLC actually looks like a solid pay-per-view on paper, especially considering it’s another event without a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match.

Ziggler has performed well in ladder matches during his career. Will the Show Off steal the show on Sunday?

In general, gimmick pay-per-views can be pretty lame. With events such as Elimination Chamber, Hell in a Cell, TLC, and Extreme Rules, the stipulations often seem forced and predictable (Money in the Bank is the only exception). However, it seems like the gimmick could be highly beneficial this time around.

This is due to the fact that most of the matchups would be forgettable without a special stipulation. Take Ryback vs. Kane for example. Nobody wants to see a washed-up Libertarian and supposed steroid user battle in a regular singles contest; that’s the same garbage fans are served up every week on Raw. However, if the two are going to beat the hell out of each other with chairs, it increases the possibility (albeit slightly) that fans will remain interested.

The same holds true for Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper. They are two of the better workers in the company, and they’d undoubtedly put on a great show without any gimmick at all, but the ladder match stipulation gives them the opportunity to completely steal the show.

Not only will the midcard benefit from the TLC gimmick, hardcore stipulations were necessary at the top of the card to get this event over with the fans. In particular, the tables match between John Cena and Seth Rollins should be one of the highlights of the night, as Cena will attempt to remain number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Next Sunday, the WWE will dust off the tables, ladders, chairs, and apparently stairs for its annual hardcore spectacular. This year’s event will be held in Cleveland, Ohio and will be the sixth incarnation of the pay-per-view.

This will be only the second TLC pay-per-view to not feature a WWE Championship match, as Brock Lesnar is still sitting at home collecting a paycheck. In the past, the WWE has used this event to lay the groundwork for the Road to WrestleMania while providing a sense of finality to various feuds with the hardcore element. With that said, here is a look back at the first five TLC pay-per-view events.

$9.99 a month.

We’ve heard it to death, but what do we actually get for that ten bucks?

Thus far, we’ve had a couple of cool shows — The Monday Night War and WWE Rivalries series, a couple of decent shows — WWE Countdown and WrestleMania Rewind, the pay-per-view events and NXT programming, as well as access to a bunch of old crap we’ve seen — and for the most part, can still see — 1,000 times on YouTube.

It sounds like a decent amount of programming when you list it out like that, but let’s be honest, the WWE Network isn’t what it could be.

Perfect example, last night’s live broadcast of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast with special guest, WWE Chairman — Vince McMahon.

Now THAT is how you get WWE Network subscriptions.

That was one of the first true examples of “must-see” programming on the WWE Network. Going in, you couldn’t know that ahead of time, although many expected it to be compelling programming, and luckily in this case, that’s exactly what it turned out to be.

Personally speaking, I think WWE should take notice of the feedback to the show, which has been universally positive and enthusiastic in nature, and offer similar content on as a consistent basis as possible.

We hear a lot about production costs and things of that nature making it hard to churn out content on the WWE Network, but for shows like last night’s Austin-McMahon special and the recent “ECW Exposed” specials, all you need is a room, two human beings, a microphone, a camera and some lights.

That can’t be that expensive.

I’m of the opinion that WWE should make the Austin-McMahon live podcast a regular staple on the WWE Network. Once every quarter, the WWE boss man checks in with “The Texas Rattlesnake” for somewhat of a “WWE State of the Union Address” type of deal, but produced and aired in similar fashion to last night’s special.

It’s inexpensive, basic and simple, but most importantly — effective.

If you offer that up every few months when there will no doubt be a plethora of items within the “WWE Universe” world to speak of, I believe fans will come in droves to tune in and make sure they’re watching it live, especially those who watched live — or even after the fact — last night.

Anyone who saw the Austin-McMahon live podcast had to of enjoyed at least some, if not all of it. I’m in the latter category, as I was glued to my monitor for the entire 70 minutes.

I was so into the program, in fact, that I’m not ashamed to admit I literally popped — out-loud — when Austin was telling McMahon that they were being wrapped up off-camera, only for McMahon to inform him that he owns this Network, and it’s going to continue for another ten or 15 minutes.

Anyone who is familiar with Austin’s weekly “Steve Austin Show” podcast at PodcastOne.com is aware of the fact that ole’ “Stone Cold” has some pretty superior skills in the interviewing department.

With that being said, I think it’s safe to assume that Austin doing a similar show to that in which we witnessed with McMahon last night, with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, would be just as intriguing and entertaining.

It’s cheap, it’s simple, it’s effective.

Key word — effective.

You can cut as many “for only $9.99 a month” promos you want. You can offer as many free months as you want. You can give us access to as much old crap you have laying around that you want, but stuff like last night is what is going to up your subscription count.

To date, I’d put last night’s Austin-McMahon show right up there with the Ultimate Warrior documentary as the single most compelling program to air on the WWE Network thus far. Unlike the Warrior documentary, there’s no reason why WWE can’t do something like last night on a consistent basis.

It’s times like last night that makes “the norm” so frustrating. Every once in a while, WWE will prove that “they still got it” (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) only to turn around the next week and go back to the “same old sh*t” (same old sh*t! same old sh*t! same old sh*t!) and make me as a fan want to chant in their face “you f*cked up! you f*cked up! you f*cked up!”

It’s not rocket science, folks. Last night proved it. You want subscribers? You want the WWE Network to be a success? Start offering content that the people dig instead of lame, B-level “junk” that you have laying around.

“If you build it, they will come.”

Last night, WWE built a foundation and laid out a blueprint on how to make use out of this “over-the-top” digital service. And the fans came (I’ll spare the attempt at spinning that last line into a sexual-related, lame-ass joke).

Ryback wants to be “fed more,” and so do the WWE fans. Give them more stuff like last night’s show, and our collective appetites will be full.

THAT, for $9.99 a month? That’s a steal, my friends. I’ll gladly open up the billfold every 30 days for that type of programming.

Unfortunately, and I hate to be a glass-is-half-empty kind of guy on this one, but I’m afraid we’ll probably go back to our “regularly scheduled (lame) program” from here on out, and have to wait quite a while before we see something as cool as the live broadcast of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast on the WWE Network again.

But hey, that’s just one man’s opinion. What do you think? We’d like to know, and you can let us know by posting your feedback in the “Comments” section below. You can also follow me on social media for more news and views at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR, and/or on Twitter @MBoone420.

Last night’s Survivor Series was full of surprises. From title changes to a devastating Scorpion Death Drop, the event pretty much had it all. However, it left many questions regarding the future of the storyline, especially now that the Authority is no longer in power. Here are five paths I believe the company will take in the coming weeks.

5. Ryback Fades to the Midcard

Let me start by saying that last night’s main event was impeccably booked. From Cena exiting early to Ziggler selling to hell out of his beating to Sting’s entertaining debut, they did pretty much everything right.

However, their one mistake was having Ryback eliminated minutes into the contest. He was the biggest story in the weeks leading up to the event, but played essentially no role in the actual match. Unfortunately for Ryback, it looks like he was simply being used as a crutch while the company waits for others to return. After Reigns, Lesnar, and Barrett return to television, the Big Guy will once again be an afterthought.

In 1987, WWE presented their first ever “Survivor Series” event, the first non-WrestleMania pay-per-view event, originally designed to steal viewers away from their main competition at the time, NWA’s “Starrcade,” which was the south’s version of “WrestleMania” (even though Starrcade came first) and was WWE’s attempt to throw down the gauntlet to the pay-per-view industry.

Basically put, if you were a pay-per-view provider and you decided to carry Starrcade, you would not be able to carry WrestleMania, a proven success in the pay-per-view industry.

That was the beginning.

From there, throughout the years, a number of historical events would take place at a Survivor Series event.

In no particular order, you can point to single Superstar debuts such as The Undertaker in 1990, which was also the debut of the infamous Gobbeldy Gooker. Which was the more famous of the two, well, I’ll let you decide.

1996 saw the debut of “Rocky Maivia,” to this day arguably the biggest cross-over name to ever emanate from the world of sports entertainment. At the time, while he was touted as being the first-ever third generation performer, and as “Good Ole’ JR” would say, “that’s gonna be the man, right there! That’s blue-chipper, right there!” with all of the enthusiasm the only Jim Ross could muster, oh how true those words would come to be as time went on.

One year later, the most infamous moment perhaps in all of WWE would take place. A moment that certainly began the shift in the WWE vs. WCW “Monday Night Wars” would take place, as not only did Bret Hart get “screwed” in what would become known as “The Montreal Screwjob,” but in many ways, that became the birth of the “Mr. McMahon” character, one that without he, the “Stone Cold” Steve Austin character may have never reached the heights that he would go on to achieve throughout his illustrious career.

In 1999, WWE’s first ever Olympic gold medalist, Kurt Angle, made his official in-ring pay-per-view debut, defeating Shawn Stasiak in the second match on the card.

In 2002, the Survivor Series featured another “first,” as this would be the first time that we were treated to a new gimmick match known as the “Elimination Chamber.” A man notorious among the wrestlers within the profession, just a few months ago the match concept was thrown out, large in part — according to various rumors — because of how unforgiving the structure was for those who had to actually compete inside it.

Most recently, the big “debut” of a match, concept or character took place at the November 18, 2012 edition of the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view, which took place in Indianapolis, Indiana, as three men who would become known as “The Shield” made their official WWE main roster debut. Those three men would become known as Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.

Just to show how important those three men are, one is involved (as a Team Captain, no less) in the main event of this year’s Survivor Series, which takes place tonight from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

That man is Seth Rollins.

Another one of the former Shield members, Dean Ambrose, is in what is being billed as arguably the legitimate co-main event of the evening, as he collides with another rising up-and-comer, Bray Wyatt.

And that leaves Roman Reigns.

Well, while he’s not officially booked on the actual card for tonight’s show, let’s just say there are a lot of rumors going around that claim we just may see him involved on the show tonight in some form or fashion after all.

Finally, that leaves two other names.

First up, the hometown boy. St. Louis’ own “The Viper” Randy Orton is rumored to make his return to WWE, after taking a brief hiatus to film a WWE Studios project, “The Condemned 2.”

Last, and absolutely not least, is “The Icon.”

While yours truly is not holding his breath and is going to take a “wait and see” approach before getting overly excited, rumors on the internet over the past few days insist that a certain Crow-painted style performer will make his very, very highly-anticipated WWE pay-per-view debut tonight at the Scottrade Center.

That’s right, folks. “The man they call Sting” is rumored to make his WWE debut, after all these years, at the same show that has produced so many memorable debuts, characters, matches and moments. If, in fact, “The Stinger” does make his WWE debut on tonight’s show, this writer has his new favorite Survivor Series moment of all-time.

We’re just hours away! Make sure to keep it locked right here at SEScoops.com for the most extensive, in-depth, live results coverage of tonight’s WWE Survivor Series 2014 pay-per-view!

Until then, leave your feedback in the “Comments” section below, and don’t forget to add me as a friend on Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR and/or follow me on Twitter @MBoone420.

Enjoy the show, everybody!

Survivor Series is mere hours away at this point. This baby is totally free, so anyone paying for this pay-per-view is doing it all wrong. In total, there are five matches on the main card, including a traditional Survivor Series tag team main event. Without further ado, here are my predictions for tonight’s Survivor Series pay-per-view.

Fandango (with Rosa Mendes) vs. TBA

Although Fandango’s opponent has yet to be announced, I’d put my money on Adam Rose serving as the punching bag. The match will likely be used to further tension between Adam Rose and the Bunny, while also allowing Fandango to pick up a victory in his return to action.

Winner: Fandango by pinfall

Alicia Fox, Emma, Naomi, and Natalya vs. Paige, Cameron, Layla, and Summer Rae (Divas Elimination Match)

This will be similar to last year’s Divas elimination match in that it will be total waste of ten minutes (and if we’re really lucky, we might get to see it again on Raw tomorrow!). This could go in many directions, but my guess is that Paige’s team wins after last eliminating Natalya.

Winners: Paige, Cameron, Layla, and Summer Rae by pinfall

The stakes have been raised at this year’s Survivor Series, as the Authority will attempt to retain power, while members of Team Cena fight to retain their jobs. The card appears to be set and will feature a total of six matches, with two championships on the line.

This event has been marketed as free, so it’s unclear whether the company will play it safe and phone in the results. If they decide to surprise fans, however, here are five ways they could potentially do so.

We are just days away from the WWE’s latest pay-per-view, Survivor Series. At last year’s event, Randy Orton defended his championship against the Big Show in a highly criticized main event. This time around, it will be John Cena risking his job in an attempt to slay the Authority.

The shelf life of a WWE superstar can be short, so it’s always important for competitors to make the most of their time in the ring, especially at pay-per-views. Here is a look at the superstars who have progressed, regressed, or remained stagnant over the past year.

Progression:

Luke Harper

Harper has made tremendous strides over the past year. He and former partner Erick Rowan were destroyed by Daniel Bryan and CM Punk at last year’s Survivor Series. He walks into this year’s event as a surprise Intercontinental Champion, and is booked into the main event with Team Authority. Harper’s stock is definitely on the rise.

Ryback

It appears the company is once again fond of Ryback. The Big Guy was basically buried in the midcard after his feud with John Cena last year, including a quick defeat at the hands of Mark Henry last year at Survivor Series. He has been the focal point of WWE television over the past few weeks, so it will be interesting to see where they go from here. One can hope that this isn’t simply a stopgap measure until guys like Reigns and Lesnar get back on television.

Honorable Mention: Ambrose/Rollins

It’s difficult to talk about progression without mentioning the former Shield brothers. These two were destroyed last year in a match whose only purpose was to get Roman Reigns over as a singles competitor. (Dean Ambrose was eliminated 2 minutes into this match and Rollins eventually stepped aside so the Spear party could commence.) What difference a year makes, however. Rollins is the leader of Team Authority and arguably the star of the main event, while Ambrose has elevated himself and will attempt to solidify the midcard on Sunday.

Momentum is everything in the WWE, as even a main event superstar is only a few bad losses away from being relegated to the midcard. Inspired by pound-for-pound boxing rankings, we will track the biggest winners and losers each week in the WWE. With Survivor Series fast approaching, here are this week’s power rankings.

10. Bray Wyatt (Last Week: Not Ranked)

The Eater of Worlds picked up a win over Sin Cara on SmackDown this week. Wyatt cracks the top ten this week after an entertaining segment with Dean Ambrose, as the top continue to hype their match at Survivor Series.

9. Ryback (LW: 10)

Ryback continued his dominance this week, destroying members of the Authority to close both Raw and SmackDown. It appears the company has faith in the Big Guy once again, considering he’s been booked as an unstopped monster over the past few weeks.

When Rusev first appeared in the WWE, he resembled a cookie-cutter foreign heel. From the ominous entrance featuring images of Vladimir Putin to the valet with a suspect foreign accent, Rusev met every requirement on the “Generic Foreign Heel” checklist.

Despite the lack of originality in his character, the company continued to push him to the top, booking the Bulgarian in a number of squash matches, often featuring multiple opponents. Along the way, Rusev was able to elevate his status during a feud with Jack Swagger, and eventually captured the United States Championship from Sheamus.

During Rusev’s push to win the title, the unthinkable occurred: I actually started to enjoy this generic heel’s presence. At first, it was assumed that the interest was due to a lack of build for other programs on the card. After all, the WWE title had essentially vanished, the feuds at the top of the card were becoming a bit stale, and the Rusev/Swagger program was one of the few to receive significant attention.

Rusev struck gold after defeating Sheamus a few weeks back.

However, even after the Swagger feud ended, his work continued to interest me. So what is it about Rusev that generates interest? Perhaps most importantly, he is an admirable worker for a man of his size.

It was difficult to show off during his early matches, but he has excelled in recent weeks. His matches with Swagger a few months back were solid, and although he didn’t have a ton of chemistry with either Big Show or Mark Henry, his recent feud with Sheamus proved he can hold his own in the ring.

In addition to his agility in the ring, Rusev and Lana can actually cut a decent promo. Lana is of course going to be Rusev’s mouthpiece in most instances, but I don’t see many complaining, as she is articulate, charming, and knows how to get a heel over with the audience. In fact, I’ve even enjoyed Rusev’s promos in recent weeks, as it’s somewhat humorous to see him pick up the mic and talk a little smack.

Survivor Series is less than two weeks away, and while three matches on the card are essentially set, much of the program is still unannounced. So, will the WWE work to build a pay-per-view that is solid from top to bottom, or are they simply throwing in the towel because this is a “free” event? Here is the card is expect to see on November 23^rd in St. Louis.

Adam Rose vs. The Bunny

After attacking the Bunny last week on Raw, it appears these two legends of the squared circle will square off sooner rather than later. This pairing has kickoff show written all over it, as the company tries to get the crowd going with a “humorous” contest.

Gold & Stardust (Tag Team Champions) vs. The Miz & Damien Mizdow vs. Los Matadores vs. The Usos

Los Matadores have picked up a few victories over Gold & Stardust over the past few weeks, and the Miz and his stunt double have also feuded with the champs. Throw in the Usos to make an even number of teams, and you’ve got yourself an elimination tag team match for the straps.

Momentum is everything in the WWE, as even a main event superstar is only a few bad losses away from being relegated to the midcard. Inspired by pound-for-pound boxing rankings, we will track the biggest winners and losers each week in the WWE. Here are this week’s power rankings.

10. Ryback

The Big Guy is back in a big way. Since returning to action, Ryback has squashed his competition. He took out Titus O’Neil on Raw and Cesaro on SmackDown to secure his spot in the top ten. It will be interesting to see how his matchup with John Cena plays out tonight on Raw.

9. Damien Mizdow

The crowd continues to eat up Sandow’s work on a weekly basis. He helped the Miz pick up a win on Raw against Jimmy Uso as his stock continues to rise.

Fans are only days away from the annual Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. Emanating from Dallas, TX, this year’s event will feature a total of eight matches, including a WWE World Heavyweight Championship-less double main event.

With the title being noticeably absent, the company will hopefully try to pull out something to make this a memorable pay-per-view. Here are five potential Hell in a Cell shockers.

We are less than one week away from the WWE’s latest pay-per-view, Hell in a Cell. At last year’s event, Shawn Michaels betrayed Daniel Bryan in a championship match against Randy Orton.

A lot has changed over the past year, evidenced by the fact that Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose will be headlining half of the double main event. The shelf life of a WWE superstar can be short, so it’s always important for superstars to make the most of their time in the ring, especially at pay-per-views. Here is a look at the superstars who have progressed, regressed, or remained stagnant over the past year.

Progression:

1. Dean Ambrose

Nobody had made more progress since last year than Dean Ambrose. At last year’s event, Ambrose was an invisible US Champion and lost his undercard contest to Big E by countout.

This year, he will be headlining the event in a Hell in a Cell match with Seth Rollins. He continues to receive as much airtime as anyone on Raw each week and has been getting great reactions from the crowds. What a difference a year makes.

 2. Seth Rollins

Although Dean Ambrose has progressed the most over the past year, his former partner Seth Rollins is a close second. Rollins will be joining Ambrose inside of a Hell in a Cell for half of the main event, and also holds the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Over the past year, Rollins has improved every aspect of his game. He is stronger on the mic, he developed a convincing and unique finisher, and has adopted a heel personality that has gotten over with the fans. Rollins is a star on the rise and without a doubt a future world champion.

Every Hollywood star needs a stunt double at some point (unless your name is The Rock, apparently). But what happens when the stunt double becomes more popular than the main attraction? This is could be the case with the WWE’s Hollywood A-lister, The Miz, and his stunt double, Damien Mizdow.

It seemed like the WWE had big plans last year for Damien Sandow. He had just recently won the Money in the Bank briefcase, was featured prominently on most of the company’s programs, and ultimately represented the future of the company.

Sandow has shined since adopting his new Damien “Mizdow” gimmick.

However, in a move that was nothing more than a cheap attempt to increase ratings, Sandow was forced to unsuccessfully cash in his briefcase last fall against John Cena. Since that night, Sandow has been relegated to comedic duty, where he was squashed nearly every night while putting up with awful gimmicks.

However, despite the awfulness of the gimmicks, Sandow made the most of it and was actually entertaining, much like he has done in his current role with The Miz.

In fact, it’s easy to see that Sandow is now more over than The Miz, evidenced this week on Raw, where the crowd was chanting, “We want Sandow” during The Miz’s contest. As most fans have already figured out, Damien Sandow is too entertaining to be stuck as a midcarder’s sidekick, and he is without a doubt deserving of a push.

The fans have really been eating up Sandow’s shtick of imitating the action going on in the ring, often leading to the former Intellectual Savior of the Masses lying on the floor, seemingly applying a headlock to a ghost.

The Seth Rollins/John Cena/Dean Ambrose hate triangle continued last night on Raw, with Dean Ambrose prevailing over John Cena to secure his spot in the main event at Hell in a Cell.

It was also announced that John Cena would square off against Randy Orton in the other half of the double main event. However, did the company make the right call by going with Ambrose over Cena? Here are the pros and cons of each main event, allowing for you to make the decision.

John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Pros: These guys have faced each other too many times to count, including a multi-month program earlier in the year, so the two veterans should have excellent chemistry together.

Adding the Hell in a Cell stipulation should also help spice up the contest, as fans grew tired during their last meeting at the Royal Rumble. In all, by having two Hell in a Cell contests, it should perfectly juxtapose the talent of yesterday (Cena and Orton) with the talent of tomorrow (Rollins and Ambrose).

Cons: As previously mentioned, fans practically booed Cena and Orton out of the building in January. It seems like this has the chance of being a filler main event, as there is essentially no build to the matchup and fans have already seen the two square off more times than they can remember. Additionally, a double main event that features two Hell in a Cell matches could be a bit overkill.

Since capturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Brock Lesnar has been virtually invisible. Aside from a few pre-taped interviews, Lesnar has yet to appear since retaining his title last month at Night of Champions.

The latest reports indicate that Lesnar will continue to wear his invisibility cloak, as he is not scheduled to appear again on television until January, meaning the title will likely not be defended for the next three pay-per-views.

It appears that Lesnar and Heyman will not return to television until next year.

With an absent champion and a highly dissatisfied fan base, my question is simple: Is Brock Lesnar’s title run the worst of all-time? In my opinion, it has all the ingredients to take home the honor.

Not only has Lesnar’s title run not been memorable thus far, it doesn’t make sense from either a business or storyline perspective.

On the business front, Raw has gone off a cliff over the past few months. Fans have expressed their displeasure online, crowds are chanting “This is stupid,” and the rating for last week’s episode of Raw was the lowest since 2012.

Although the company wasn’t exactly serving up filet mignon over the summer, there’s no denying that it was a bit tastier than the rump roast they’ve been dishing out over the past few weeks. I also think it is no coincidence that the downturn in the quality of Raw directly coincided with Brock Lesnar becoming champion.

Once an occasional treat for the WWE Universe, the Hell in a Cell match has become a yearly event since the introduction of the eponymous pay-per-view in 2009. Since its inception, the company has yet to truly knock it out of the park with Hell in a Cell, although fans have witnessed some memorable moments.

This year, it will be either John Cena or Dean Ambrose headlining the event against Seth Rollins inside the most ominous structure in sports entertainment. As the company builds up its next pay-per-view, here is a look back at the first five Hell in a Cell events.

5. 2012

This event really didn’t have a pay-per-view feel to it. The undercard was primarily filled with forgettable matches that had little impact on future storylines. The main event was also lacking due to injury.

It was clear that the company had no idea what to do after John Cena went down to injury, leading to Ryback receiving a premature main event push. From top to bottom, this event was lacking and easily locks up the honor of being the worst Hell in a Cell pay-per-view to date.

Main Event: CM Punk vs. Ryback (Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship)

Best Match: Big Show vs. Sheamus

Worst Match: Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs. The Prime Time Players

Over the past few weeks, the WWE has gone all out in promoting Stone Cold Steve Austin. The company has promoted Austin’s podcast on a weekly basis, and reports indicate that the company is ramping up production on all Stone Cold merchandise.

When coupled with recent statements from Austin claiming he still has a final run left and reports alleging that he has been training for one final match, it seems like the Texas Rattlesnake will soon make his return to the squared circle. The only problem, however, would be choosing Austin’s opponent. Here are five potential opponents for Stone Cold Steve Austin if he decides to make his return.

5. Brock Lesnar

It appears that Lesnar is being saved for WrestleMania, where he will undoubtedly be fed to Roman Reigns. However, there is always a chance for a setback in Roman’s recovery. Most believe that it will be at least another month or two before Reigns returns, so the slightest setback could derail the company’s WrestleMania plans.

This could open the door for Austin to come in and challenge Lesnar. There is a decent story in place if the company decides to discuss Austin walking out in the early 2000s because he was not on board with putting Lesnar over. In all, this could be a blockbuster main event between two of the biggest stars in WWE history.

This week on Raw, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and John Cena continued their three-way feud, as Seth Rollins ended the night by retrieving his briefcase and decimating his two foes.

Earlier in the evening, Cena and Ambrose once again hinted that there was tension between the two, with both claiming that they deserve the right to exact revenge from Mr. Money in the Bank, Seth Rollins.

Ambrose embarrassed his former partner earlier in the night, but Rollins got the last laugh.

Based on this week’s episode, it seems apparent that the reports released earlier in the week were true. In case you missed the news, the current plan seems to be that Dean Ambrose and John Cena will face one another at Hell in a Cell. The winner will be given the opportunity to face Rollins later in the evening, while the loser will be relegated to squaring off with Randy Orton.

The company is obviously hoping to develop a storyline that will reel viewers in for next month’s pay-per-view, and with Brock Lesnar apparently missing the event, it will take a lot more than a few singles matches to attract viewers, especially with the quality of Raw over the past few weeks. With that said, last night’s episode was admittedly a considerable upgrade over the previous few weeks.

So, how does the company attract viewers with no championship match and a card filled with contests that fans have seen over the past few months? The answer is clearly the briefcase.

Seth Rollins has become a main event player since winning the Money in the Bank briefcase back in June. He has teased cash-ins on multiple occasions, and attempted to slay the Beast at Night of Champions following the main event between John Cena and Brock Lesnar.

For the past year, the Authority has dominated WWE storylines. They have been involved in every WWE World Heavyweight Championship feud along the way, often influencing the outcomes of important matches.

Along the way, Triple H started using the phrase, “Adapt or Perish” to describe his stable Evolution. However, over the past few months, it appears that the Game should apply that same philosophy to the Authority.

Rollins has been one of the bright spots in the Authority storyline over the past few months.

Indeed, it has been much of the same as of late with the Authority. Other than adding Seth Rollins as a member a few months ago, the group has done literally nothing to change over the past year. This has resulted in too much Corporate Kane, a reliance on six-man tag matches nearly every week on Raw, and an almost identical storyline for any face attempting to challenge the Authority’s, well, authority.

In my opinion, the Authority has gone stale and needs to do something quickly in order to minimize the risk of losing fan interest. One possible solution would be to add new members. This could easily be accomplished by having one of the current members defect from the stable.

The most logical option would be Randy Orton, as they have teased tension between Orton and the Authority, and he’s a far more marketable star than Kane, the other stooge doing the group’s bidding. By having Orton leave the Authority, it could open the door for another young star as well.

Seth Rollins has benefited immensely since joining forces with Triple H and company. He captured the Money in the Bank briefcase, seems to be more confident on the mic with each passing week, and is way over with the fans. The stable could add another future star (perhaps someone from NXT) in an attempt to inject more life into the program.

In all, adding new talent to the Authority could only help, as the current storyline is extremely repetitive and formulaic, with most programs ending after Kane interferes in a match and the Authority beats down an opponent.

Sunday’s Night of Champions pay-per-view marked the end of the third quarter of the WWE calendar. With only three pay-per-views left in 2014, fans have almost reached the end of another exciting year of rasslin’.

With that said, it is now time to review the top matches from the third quarter. Feel free to compare these contests with the best matches from the first and second quarters:

2014 First Quarter Matches of the Year

2014 Second Quarter Matches of the Year

Without further ado, here are the top five matches from the third quarter of 2014.

5. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar (Night of Champions)

Some might disagree with this choice, but I feel that it warrants inclusion. The contest perfectly juxtaposed the first contest between Cena and Lesnar at SummerSlam. Instead of Lesnar dominating from the opening bell, it was Cena who quickly hit an Attitude Adjustment and controlled the pace throughout much of the contest. The match was booked well enough that the outcome seemed in doubt, and the no-finish ending was the perfect way to keep the title on Lesnar, not make Cena look too weak, and inject Seth Rollins into the storyline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpcBR75c5WY