– As of pretty recently, WWE officials were still looking at a potential John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins triple-threat TLC match for next month’s WWE TLC pay-per-view, however there has been some talk lately of holding off Orton’s first return appearance until at the actual PPV itself..
Also expected for the TLC PPV is a gimmick match of some sort between Big Show and Erick Rowan. What kind of gimmick match the two will have is not yet known, but it is believed that it will not be a straight singles contest.
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
– As noted recently, another stipulation was added to the main event of this Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view that would see all members of Team Cena, outside of John Cena himself, getting fired if Team Authority wins at the pay-per-view. Below is the segment from SmackDown where this was announced.
– Speaking of SmackDown, below is this week’s “SmackDown Fallout” video, which features “Team Authority” leaving with the upper-hand.
The following are highlights of a new Reno Gazette-Journal interview with Roman Reigns:
On those who call him a “mini-John Cena”: Last time I checked, I’m 6’3″ 265 pounds, which is bigger than John Cena. Last time I checked, my hair is long and jet black, and last time I checked John Cena’s isn’t. I’m way better looking and I’m way more athletic than he is so for anybody to compare me to him is completely asinine.”
On fans comparing the success of the former Shield members: “This is what everybody needs to understand, we’re all doing awesome. I mean, we’re all in that very top ring, we’re all top competitors and we’re all the future of the WWE. For any fan to complain that one of us is doing better than the other … is just complete B.S.”
As we wrote earlier this week, Triple H announced at the WWE SmackDown television taping on Tuesday night that all of the members of “Team Cena” would be fired if they lost the traditional elimination match at this Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view..
As it turns out, the stipulation is actually one that will see all of the “Team Cena” members get fired — except for John Cena himself — if the team loses to “Team Authority” at this Sunday’s pay-per-view main event.
Apparently Triple H said that Cena is still valuable to WWE, while his team members, Ryback, Big Show, Dolph Ziggler and Erick Rowan, are replaceable.
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.
As seen in recent ads for WrestleMania 31, the WWE Superstars that are most prominently featured in the majority of those ads are Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Mark Henry, Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose. Apparently the reason Henry is included among those guys is because the WWE advertising department were told to include an African-American in the main ads for the show.
Other ads for the show, such as those at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, where the show will take place next year, have Randy Orton and Bad News Barrett instead of Dean Ambrose and Daniel Bryan, and include Big E. as one of the big six.
FOOT LOCKER KICKS OFF HOLIDAY SEASON WITH ITS ‘WEEK OF GREATNESS’
The Greatness is Back with Manny Pacquiao, John Cena, James Harden, Tim Duncan and Derrick Rose as Foot Locker Presents Weeklong Releases of the Hottest Sneakers and Gear with Four New Commercials
NEW YORK, November 19, 2014 — Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE: FL), the New York-based specialty athletic retailer, is bringing the greatness back, unveiling four new, humorous commercials in support of the brand’s third annual “Week of Greatness.” The 30-second spots star boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, WWE Superstar John Cena and NBA Stars James Harden, Tim Duncan and Derrick Rose. Foot Locker’s “Week of Greatness” event—a week of the most anticipated sneaker and gear releases—kicks off at Foot Locker stores nationwide on Saturday, November 22.
“Last year’s ‘Week of Greatness’ was such a hit with our customers, we decided to go even bigger with our campaign this year,” said Stacy Cunningham, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Foot Locker. “We’re excited to introduce four new commercials featuring these outstanding athletes as we begin an incredible week dedicated to showcasing brand new premium sneakers, apparel, and gear. We enjoyed working with each of these athletes to showcase their unique personalities in the newest iteration of our ‘Week of Greatness.’”
The spots highlight a much-publicized and notable characteristic of each of the athletes that is well-known by their fans. In “It’s Happening,” boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao riffs on the ongoing attempts to schedule an oft-rumored mega fight. In another spot, James Harden pokes fun at being “Defensive.” In “It’s Real,” WWE Superstar John Cena shares his admiration for suspension of disbelief. The commercial featuring Derrick Rose and Tim Duncan, aptly titled “Excited,” embraces their reputation as stoic individuals. All four commercials debut tonight, November 19, on ESPN.
The spots were created by worldwide agency BBDO.
The “Week of Greatness” features premium releases from top brands such as Nike, Jordan, adidas, Under Armour, PUMA, Timberland and more.
After the cameras stopped rolling for last night’s WWE Survivor Series “go-home” edition of RAW, a post-show dark match main event took place.
In a special tag-team attraction, John Cena and Dean Ambrose teamed up to take on the duo of Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins.
Cena and Ambrose would go on to win the tag bout, with both men hitting their finishes on Rollins and Wyatt, sending the fans in Roanoke, Virginia home happy.
During a match between Big Show and Sheamus on Monday’s WWE Survivor Series “go-home” edition of RAW, which featured interference from Rusev and Mark Henry, Sheamus was “injured” and is now no longer part of “Team Cena” in the traditional elimination match main event for this Sunday’s pay-per-view.
This led to the main event “contract signing” between Team Cena and Team Authority. While no contracts were actually signed, all members of the now five-on-six elimination match for this Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view was announced.
Team Authority will feature Seth Rollins, Kane, Mark Henry, Rusev, Luke Harper and Cesaro.
Team Cena consists of John Cena, Big Show, Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback.
Make sure to join us here this Sunday night for the best WWE Survivor Series live results coverage on the web.
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.
As you might have picked up on, the top priority for WWE television this past week was to elevate Ryback back to the top-tier status he enjoyed prior to his lost to CM Punk at Hell in a Cell 2013.
Speaking of Ryback, he’s official for “Team Cena” at the upcoming WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view on November 23rd, as he joins team captain John Cena and team members Dolph Ziggler, Big Show and Sheamus.
On the other end of the match, which is a traditional ten-man elimination style match with the big Authority stipulation, is Seth Rollins, Kane, Mark Henry, Rusev and Luke Harper.
Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt and Nikki Bella vs. AJ Lee for the WWE Divas Championship are the only other two matches official for the show thus far.
As noted, Adam Rose vs. The Bunny in a Kickoff Show match and a WWE Tag-Team Championship four-way with Goldust & Stardust vs. The Usos vs. Los Matadores vs. The Miz and Damien Mizdow is also expected.
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 23rd 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.
John Cena spoke about the fact that Zack Ryder is having surgery during Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. Cena noted that Ryder will be out of action for six months.
In the storylines, Cena blamed Ryder’s injury on Rusev and The Authority, noting he suffered that fate because of a tweet he posted about “Team Cena.”
Ryder’s last match was against Rusev on last week’s edition of RAW.
During today’s edition of WWE RAW, which was taped this afternoon in Liverpool, England, most of the remaining members of both “Team Cena” and “Team Authority” were named for the upcoming WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view.
Official for “Team Cena” now are John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Jack Swagger and Sheamus.
Confirmed for “Team Authority” are Seth Rollins, Kane, Rusev and Mark Henry, leaving one spot remaining.
For complete spoilers for tonight’s RAW, click here.
Following this week’s edition of WWE RAW, which was taped this afternoon in Liverpool, England and will air in its’ normal time slot tonight, a six-man tag-team match took place as the post-show dark match.
The match featured John Cena, Sheamus and Big Show teaming up to take on the trio of Seth Rollins, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury.
As soon as the bell rung, Noble and Mercury bailed, leaving “Mr. Money In The Bank” by himself. This led to Sheamus hitting a Brogue Kick, Show hitting a WMD and Cena hitting an Attitude Adjustment on Rollins.
Also, as noted last week, WWE officials were worried about crowd reactions heading into television tapings in England as a result of the WWE Network launch issues. For those wondering, the popular anti-WWE chant throughout the taping this afternoon was “Where’s our Network?!”
For complete spoilers for tonight’s RAW, click here.
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.
WWE has announced that Nikki Bella will challenge WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee for the title in a singles match at the upcoming WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view.
With that now known, below is the latest official lineup for the show:
Traditional Elimination Match: Authority’s Power On The Line
– Team Cena (John Cena, Dolph Ziggler & TBA) vs. Team Authority (Seth Rollins, Kane & TBA)
Divas Championship Match: – AJ Lee (c) vs. Nikki Bella
I’ve read a lot of feedback online over the past few weeks regarding WWE’s plans for Brock Lesnar at next year’s WrestleMania 31 event in Santa Clara, California.
For those who missed it, check out this article, which is a detailed update on WWE possibly making major changes to their original plans for Lesnar.
Back to the internet feedback.
Many, including WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross, have spoken out recently about how if WWE stays on track and has Lesnar stay untouchable leading up to WrestleMania 31, with Roman Reigns being the guy to finally end his reign of dominance and become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion at the “show of shows,” that “everyone will see it coming.” Especially due to the belief that fans will know it’s Lesnar’s final match on his WWE contract.
So what?
Who didn’t see Daniel Bryan ending last year’s show by leading the fans inside the “Superdome” in one giant “Yes!” chant as the pay-per-view goes off the air with him finally “having his moment” and becoming WWE World Heavyweight Champion?
The answer: no one. Everyone saw that coming and guess what? It was still awesome. It still felt special, and had Bryan not gotten injured, it still would have been an effective way to start his push as a legitimate WWE main event performer.
So my question is, how is next year’s WrestleMania any different?
Once again — it isn’t.
A good idea is a good idea, whether people see it coming or not. This isn’t 1998, we’re not in the midst of a vicious “Monday Night War” where you’ve got to use the “Attitude Era” formula of “shock television.”
Surprises are great, don’t get me wrong. They keep you on the edge of your seat and give you a reason to continue tuning into the product because you “never know what could happen.” But again, I say a good idea is a good idea, whether it’s a surprise or not.
The key factor, however, is that it has to be a good idea.
And that’s exactly what the rumored plans for WrestleMania 31 are — they’re a good idea.
Lesnar breaks The Undertaker’s legendary streak. He squashes WWE’s top Superstar in John Cena at a major pay-per-view event. He wreaks havoc on the entire WWE roster, with seemingly no end in sight. That is, however, until he meets that bad son of a bitch Roman Reigns.
No one can beat Lesnar. Hell, no one can touch him. And then comes the showdown with the “untouchable” bad ass on the other side of the fence. The “good guy” version of Lesnar. A beast of a different breed.
Here comes Roman Reigns.
Unfortunately for Reigns, an injury has put him on the sidelines, which hurt his momentum as a guy rising through the ranks. However, if he comes back in time for the Royal Rumble in January, where he arguably made his name earlier this year as an individual player, instead of just being “The Enforcer” of The Shield, then all the cards fall perfectly into place.
First off, fans can get their precious “surprise moment,” when the ten-count clock counts down and out comes Reigns for the first time in several months. From there, much like last year, he can eliminate Superstar after Superstar, possibly breaking his own record in the process. The only difference? This time he’s the last man standing. This time he wins the Royal Rumble, which of course sets him up for a title shot at WrestleMania 31.
On the same show, Lesnar destroys John Cena for the third straight time, remaining WWE World Heavyweight Champion in the process.
The stage is set.
Heading into WrestleMania 31, we have Brock Lesnar as an unbeatable monster on the heel side. We have Roman Reigns as an unbeatable monster on the babyface side.
We have our WrestleMania 31 main event is what we have.
During the build up to WrestleMania, we make sure to point out the streak of dominance both men are currently riding and we ponder which immovable force budges first at the biggest show of the year.
What’s wrong with that? Do we really need some kind of big elaborate “surprise” to make WrestleMania feel special? To have a satisfying climax to the biggest show of the year?
Of course not.
Good is good, whether you see it coming a mile away or it creeps up on you out of the blue. If the story is solid enough, which I feel Lesnar vs. Reigns is — or has the potential to be I should say (you never know how WWE will handle the booking) then you’ve got all the ingredients for a “Superstar-making performance” for Reigns, which unless I’m confused, is supposed to be the goal in all of this.
Check it out — I didn’t mean a word I just said! Are you surprised?! You shouldn’t be …because of course I’m joking.
The point?
I shouldn’t have to surprise you to entertain you with a solid editorial, I just need to tell a good story. Whether or not I accomplished that remains to be seen. You can let me know if I achieved my goal by posting your feedback in the “Comments” section below. You can also connect with me on Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR and/or on Twitter @MBoone420.
– John Cena continues to grant wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation while on the current WWE European tour. You can check out photos of Cena meeting some Make-A-Wish kids on the WWE Community website at Community.WWE.com.
– As noted, Roman Reigns is taking acting classes with coach Howard Fine. According to one source, WWE feels that Reigns needs to improve on being a more well-rounded character for television.
– It looks like WWE has dropped the “We’re here” part of the ring entrance for Bray Wyatt.
– The Big Show vs. Randy Orton match scheduled for WWE’s return to Madison Square Garden on December 26th has been changed to Big Show vs. Mark Henry. Also scheduled for the 12/26 MSG live event is Rusev vs. Sheamus for the WWE United States Championship and John Cena vs. Seth Rollins as the main event.
– Another name who was at the most recent WWE tryout camp was Mark Ptasnik, who is Midwest independent wrestler Mark Sterling. He was recommended by Gerald Brisco. The negative on Ptasnik is that he is already 35 years old, which is expected to hurt his chances of getting a deal.
– On this week’s WWE SmackDown (which has already aired in the UK), WWE will announce John Cena vs. Ryback has been scheduled for Monday’s RAW from Liverpool, England. With Ryback’s renewed push, it will be very interesting to see how he’s booked against WWE’s top babyface. Ryback is rumored to be a member of Team Cena at Survivor Series, so this match could be a way to set that up.
The Brock Lesnar situation with WWE continues to become an interesting story as his contract gets closer to winding down. There is a lot of talk that Lesnar’s price tag might not be enough to justify using him for shows outside of WWE Royal Rumble and WrestleMania.
The WWE Battleground event in July did 31,000 buys on pay-per-view in North America without Lesnar on the show. By comparison, the WWE Night of Champions show in September did 30,000 buys in North America with a Lesnar vs. John Cena main event. Additionally, the worldwide numbers in recent months for shows without Lesnar actually sold more than those with him as part of the card.
The key factor with Lesnar is his price tag. The original plan, which could still be in the works, is for Lesnar to finally lose at WrestleMania 31 to Roman Reigns, making Reigns’ the new face of the company. Part of the issue with that is the concern that it won’t be as meaningful if everyone knows it’s Lesnar’s final match.
There was an expectation at one point in time that WWE would sign Lesnar to a new deal and possibly give him a big babyface run. While it could still happen, it really seems to boil down to whether or not WWE considers his price tag something that’s worth it financially in the end.
As far as Lesnar’s next match, the plan was for him to beat John Cena in January so that the win by Reigns at WrestleMania would look even more impressive. However, if WWE decides that they can’t afford to re-sign Lesnar, then the plans for the Lesnar-Cena match could be changed. The alternative as things stand now would appear to be Cena beating Lesnar, setting up a Cena vs. Reigns match at WrestleMania, which Reigns would win. They could also put the title on Seth Rollins and have Reigns beat him at WrestleMania, however the feeling is that wouldn’t be as meaningful as Reigns beating Lesnar or Cena.
