John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in an “extreme rules” match is being advertised for the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules 2014 special event, which takes place on May 4th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
While the match has yet to be made official by WWE, it is being advertised on the official IZOD Center website.
We are a little over a quarter of the way through the year. With WrestleMania behind us, the WWE will now begin its summer programs and hope to build toward its second biggest pay-per-view of the year, SummerSlam.
With that said, I felt it would be interesting to look at the top five matches from the first quarter of 2014. I included full match videos and highlights where possible, but WWE licensing restrictions made it difficult at times. (I also apologize for the terrible music in a few of the videos.)
5. John Cena vs. Cesaro (February 17 Raw) – Say what you will about John Cena’s in-ring ability, but he has put on some great matches so far this year, with none better than this matchup with Cesaro. There were a number of amazing spots during the contest, with Cesaro’s counter of the AA certainly ranking near the top. It appears the WWE is going to push Cesaro hard, and this was the week where his push began after he defeated Randy Orton and pushed Cena to the limit.
4. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania) – After weeks of begging for a match with Triple H, Daniel Bryan finally got his wish at WrestleMania. He took full advantage of it during the opening contest of the night. Both superstars really shined during the match and it was, in my opinion, the highlight of the show. It also ranks as quite possibly the best opening match in WrestleMania history, with only Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart at WrestleMania X giving it a run for its money.
– WWE stars Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella are scheduled to officially get married today in Sedona, Arizona. Many WWE talents arrived in town for the big wedding on Thursday.
– John Cena cut a promo on Tuesday night at the WWE SmackDown tapings — prior to the news of Ultimate Warrior’s passing — where he joked about Warrior’s promos, mimmicking his style a bit. That promo was apparently edited out of respect, and will not make the air during tonight’s WWE SmackDown broadcast.
While nothing has been officially announced at this point, the plan for the main event angle heading into the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which takes place on May 4th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is The Shield vs. Evolution. The angle was shot for this rumored match during the post-WrestleMania edition of WWE RAW this past Monday night in New Orleans.
The actual match itself is unknown at this point, although it is expected that Ric Flair will not be involved in the Evolution side of things.
The only question coming out of the angle shot at RAW, is whether or not Kane or Triple H will be the third person on the Evolution side, or if both are part of the equation and Daniel Bryan will be added to The Shield team to make it an eight-man tag-team match. Based on the RAW angle, one would assume it is the latter.
Also rumored for Extreme Rules is a rematch between John Cena and Bray Wyatt.
This past week’s RAW could end up being a turning point in WWE history. Gone could be the days where the company relies upon the same tried-and-true superstars to draw money, instead turning to a new generation of up-and-comers. Indeed, this week’s episode felt more like a changing of the guard ceremony than a typical edition of the longest-running weekly episodic television program, as Michael Cole likes to affectionately refer to it as.
It was evident from the moment the program started, which was basically a coronation ceremony for Daniel Bryan. The place was simply electric, with nearly every fan in attendance participating in his signature “Yes!” chant.
What was interesting as the night progressed was that the WWE Universe turned on nearly every “old guard” superstar in favor of younger talent, whether heel or face. This was first seen during the Wyatt Family vs. John Cena, Sheamus, and Big E contest.
The WWE Universe has decided to follow the buzzards in recent weeks.
Cena was ripped a new one during his entrance and performance, as it seemed like not a single person in the crowd was cheering him. There is usually at least a vocal minority of supporters in even the most anti-Cena crowd, but the New Orleans crowd was completely against him, even singing, “John Cena sucks” to the tune of Cena’s theme song.
The Wyatt Family, on the other hand, were overwhelming crowd favorites even though they have been booked as nothing but heels since debuting. The crowd was singing Wyatt’s now-signature, “He’s got the whole world in his hands” while swaying back and forth. These guys are truly over and it was completely obvious which side the crowd was supporting during the Wyatt’s decimation of Team Cena.
A similar incident occurred later in the night during the Rey Mysterio/Bad News Barrett contest. Barrett has been booked as a heel in recent months, and unlike the Wyatt Family, he has not received any support from the fans. During his contest with Mysterio, however, Barrett had complete fan support and was even celebrating with the fans while Mysterio seemed a bit perplexed at times while he was mercilessly booed. It seemed obvious that the fans are in favor of change instead of the superstars of old.
The King of Swing is the newest Paul Heyman guy, much to the delight of the crowd.
You know things are a bit off when even Paul Heyman is cheered at one point in the broadcast. Cesaro announced his departure from the Real Americans and shocked everyone by claiming he is now a Paul Heyman guy, a move that set the place on fire. It set up an ironic situation where Heyman was practically booed out of building during his earlier promo with Lesnar but was later cheered after it was announced that he would now manage Cesaro.
The move highlights the popularity of Cesaro, as the crowd does not care who he is paired with as long as he is receiving a push, and the WWE does not usually pair Heyman with guys they are not planning to push. If you can get the crowd to cheer Paul Heyman, you must but doing something right, but after all, Cesaro is the guy who made a stable of immigrant-hating Tea Partiers popular with the crowd. In recent weeks, the crowd has even been chanting, “We the people.”
– The Friday, April 4th WrestleMania XXX “go-home” edition of WWE SmackDown, which was mostly a pre-taped highlight show, averaged 2.71 million viewers. That marks a pretty healthy decrease compared to the 3.057 million viewers who tuned into the show the previous week.
– WWE added the following preview of an upcoming WWE Network show to their official YouTube channel. The show is called “Beyond The Ring: The John Cena Experience,” and will feature the documentary on Cena’s life that WWE released a few years ago. Check out the preview below:
– WWE is auctioning off a WWE Championship belt signed by Hulk Hogan, John Cena, The Undertaker and Triple H at CharityBuzz.com. Proceeds go towards the Superstars For Kids charity. The auction ends at 12pm EST on Tuesday, with the current bid listed at $1,425.
– As you can imagine, the atmosphere was very positive backstage at WrestleMania XXX. Everybody was in great spirits and it felt like the celebratory landmark show that it was.
– One of the big wildcard issues heading into WrestleMania was how the WWE Network stream would hold up. Aside from some very minor skipping, the stream was considered a huge success.
– Billy Gunn tweeted the following after reports that he suffered from internal bleeding after his match against The Shield at WrestleMania:
Ok thanks everyone I am fine just a miner hiccup. Just busted some blood vessels in my lungs
– The reason Christian was not involved in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXX on Sunday night was du to the fact that he is still recovering from a concussion that he suffered during a match on WWE RAW several weeks ago.
– The following is a photo of Bray Wyatt and John Cena rehearsing their WrestleMania XXX match this weekend.
– According to a recent draft, the matches that WWE is planning on giving ample time at WrestleMania XXX on Sunday are Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan, John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship main event. The Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker match will also likely receive a decent amount of time. According to the draft, Bryan vs. HHH is scheduled to go longer than any match on the show.
– The following is a photo of WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley in the ring at the WWE NXT event at WrestleMania Axxess in New Orleans this weekend:
– John Cena posted the following message on his official Twitter account talking about the energy in New Orleans this weekend and hyping the big WrestleMania XXX event on Sunday.
New Orleans is ALIVE! #Wrestlemania30 is here! The energy on the streets of this city is an inspiration! Do NOT miss this event tomorrow!
WrestleMania XXX host Hulk Hogan spoke to SportsIllustrated.com this week and commented on the possibility of John Cena turning heel and questioned whether Daniel Bryan will able to be the face of WWE for years to come. Here are the highlights of what he said about:
John Cena Turning Heel: “He’s at the perfect time to pull a ‘Hollywood’ Hulk Hogan on everybody. If he was to switch and take that hustle, loyalty, and respect and tell everybody how he was running game on everybody the whole time, he’d have another ten years wide open without even looking back,. So maybe in five years, it’s John Cena running the game on everybody.”
Questioning Daniel Bryan’s Longevity: “When I look around the roster, Daniel Bryan is on one hell of a roll right now, but he gets beat to death every night he goes out there. The big guys just go out and stomp on him. Can he handle that for five more years? I don’t know. It’s anybody’s game at this point.”
– The Daily Mirror in the U.K. published an article today called “13 Things You Need To Know About The Undertaker At WrestleMania,” which as the headline states, reveals 13 different things about Undertaker and WrestleMania. It’s a good read, which you can check out at Mirror.co.uk.
– John Cena posted a photo of himself front-squatting 450-pounds during one of his workouts for this Sunday’s WrestleMania XXX pay-per-view in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he squares off one-on-one against Bray Wyatt. You can check that photo out below:
WWE issued the following press release on Thursday:
WWE® Superstar John Cena® to Serve as Grand Marshal at 25th Annual Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure®
WWE and Susan G. Komen Kick Off Partnership in Honor of National Women’s Health Week
WWE Superstar John Cena will serve as the official Grand Marshal for the 2014 Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure(R)
WASHINGTON — Susan G. Komen on Wednesday announced WWE Superstar John Cena will serve as the official Grand Marshal for the 2014 Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure®, taking place on Saturday, May 10th in Washington, D.C. on the National Mall. Cena will help the world’s largest nonprofit funder of breast cancer research mark its 25th anniversary of the Global Race for the Cure in the nation’s capital.
Komen President and CEO, Dr. Judy Salerno, made the announcement during the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure® Media Kickoff Event and Survivor Roundtable yesterday. Dr. Salerno praised Cena for bringing attention to the breast cancer problem in Washington, D.C., a city that has the highest incidence and mortality rate from breast cancer in the country.
“We are thrilled to have John Cena join us as Grand Marshal as I know his reach will undoubtedly bring attention to the great need in the National Capital Region,” said Dr. Salerno. “He’s a tough competitor in the ring, but he has a special place in his heart for this cause and for our work.”
In addition to serving as Grand Marshal, Cena and WWE have set up “Team WWE” to walk at the Global Race. Fans can join the team by registering for the Race by visiting GlobalRacefortheCure.org and search “Team WWE” under the “Join a Team” page. Or clicking the link here.
Cena’s participation at the Race kicks off a weeklong partnership between Cena, Komen and WWE’s Divas in honor of National Women’s Health Week that begins on May 11. The partnership is intended to remind women how a healthy lifestyle is critical in the fight against breast cancer.
Susan G. Komen and WWE have a history of success in raising awareness for the fight against breast cancer. In 2013, the two organizations partnered for “Make Mom Proud,” a campaign that coincided with Mother’s Day and called on supporters to do something meaningful for their moms and other important women in the their life.
The partnership launched in 2012 with the successful “Rise Above Cancer” campaign that raised over $1 million for Susan G. Komen. During October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Cena wore co-branded pink and black ring gear that fans were able to purchase. In 2013, WWE and Susan G. Komen expanded their joint “Rise Above Cancer” campaign to include all WWE Superstars and Divas wearing customized “Rise Above Cancer” t-shirts to help raise awareness and funds for Komen.
“It is a privilege to serve as Grand Marshal of Komen’s Global Race and help raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer,” said John Cena. “We are committed to using WWE’s global platforms to further the great work that Komen does every day to help turn breast cancer patients into breast cancer survivors.”
Since its inception in 1990, funds raised from the Global Race for the Cure® have provided more than $35 million for over 300 community grants to local programs in the National Capital Region, aimed at low-income, minority and uninsured women in areas where breast cancer rates are the highest. Currently, Komen has 22 active grants for community education and treatment centers helping to provide breast health services, treatment assistance and patient support services in the National Capital Region – which includes northern Virginia, the District and Prince George’s and Montgomery counties in Maryland.
There are multiple ways to participate in and fundraise for the Global Race, including the 5K or one-mile walk/run. Children ages five to 12 can register for Kids for the Cure®, a special kid-friendly race. To learn more, visit www.GlobalRacefortheCure.org. Share content and engage online with the official event hashtag #KomenGlobalRace, @SusanGKomen and/or www.facebook.com/GlobalRace.
– The latest edition of Steve Austin’s podcast, “The Steve Austin Show,” is now available. In this edition of the show, Austin shares some of his fondest WrestleMania memories, including his victory over The Rock at WrestleMania X-7. The official description for the show reads as follows:
SASu – EP104 – Spanish Medallions Like A Mother F’er!
This is the last show before Wrestlemania 30 gang… and Steve’s sharing some of his own Wrestlemania memories – like when he defeated The Rock at 17! Plus… edible insects, the Steve Austin Submarine, treasure hunting, and lame-ass suitcases! Look out… Steve’s NOLA-bound!
– WWE has added a new video to their official YouTube channel that features The Orleans Brass Band playing John Cena’s theme song at the Louis Armstrong International Airport. You can watch that one below:
Upon glancing at this year’s WrestleMania card, fans may notice a glaring omission: championship title matches. After unifying the titles at last year’s TLC, there are a total of five championships in the WWE. Of the five, only two are being defended on the actual telecast and the tag team titles will be relegated to the pre-show.
Ignoring championship titles is nothing new in the WWE, as it has become pretty much standard in recent years, especially at WrestleMania. The previous two WrestleManias featured three championship matches on the actual telecast, and the twenty-seventh edition was even worse, with only two championship matches on the entire four-hour program.
This is a far cry from a decade ago at WrestleMania XX, where there were a whopping seven title matches and the belts were used to build up superstars and did not simply remain stagnant for months at a time.
Steve Austin and The Rock were both elevated to the main event scene after battling for the Intercontinental Title.
The perfect example of the diminished value of titles is the United States Championship. A decade ago at WrestleMania XX, John Cena won his first championship by defeating Big Show for the United States Championship. His win helped launch Cena into the main event by putting gold around his waist and making the title seem important.
Fast forward a decade and the United States Championship is completely irrelevant, with Dean Ambrose only defending the title a handful of times since October of last year.
The same holds true for the Intercontinental Title as well. During the Attitude Era, the Intercontinental Title was one of the most important ways to elevate a superstar from the midcard to the main event, with Steve Austin and The Rock’s epic battles for the IC strap serving as an illustration of how to use a midcard title to put an up-and-coming superstar over with the crowd.
Now the title is thrown around the waist of whichever flavor of the week the WWE is trying to make seem important. It was Curtis Axel for a while after he was repacked and paired with Paul Heyman. After they realized he was not getting over with the crowd, they decided to give the belt to Big E and he has done next to nothing.
– According to one report, WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler has nearly straightened out all of the issues regarding the Memphis video library, and is looking to finally sell it off to WWE.
– Rapper Machine Gun Kelly posted the following tweet on Wednesday, talking about his performance at WrestleMania 28:
Sam Roberts interviewed John Cena, Hulk Hogan and Daniel Bryan after Tuesday’s WrestleMania XXX press conference in New York City. During his conversation with Cena, Roberts asked him for his thoughts on being in the mid-card of WrestleMania, instead of the main event.
“Why wouldn’t I be? I have a match at WrestleMania 30,” Cena answered. “I like to think that any match I’m in is the match.”
More Like Radio with Andrew Goldstein Host: Gary Cantrell Available at Morelikeradio.org
Bray Wyatt’s promos getting better: “My big frustration in the beginning was Bray Wyatt was saying a lot of things but none of it mattered. None of it made sense. None of it meant anything. He put Kane on the shelf and no one really cared because they never explained why. We weren’t getting the why to the Wyatt Family. We were just getting these bizarre promos and bizarre sort of black out moments. We just weren’t getting a reason why they were terrorizing who they were terrorizing and now finally their promos are starting to make sense now because they’re sort of raging against this 10 year fan favorite John Cena establishment. They’re making themselves anti-establishment in their own way.”
Serious Cena vs Comedian Cena, does it hurt the Bray Wyatt build: “In general i think that Cena shtick is so damaging to most storylines he’s in. I like that last week, that go home week to the PPV where they make Cena be serious. I thought the build to both Rock matches were really frustrating to see them both take it in a joking manner as opposed to serious. My big critique of the Cena/Rock build in those promos were like that’s just not how men talk to each other when they have a personal conflict. It was all jokes, quippy one liners and pop culture references when they could have gotten a really intense personal conflict story out there. In terms of Cena with Bray, i don’t think we needed the jokes but it didn’t affect me as much this time because we haven’t anybody approach Bray Wyatt like that yet. It was kinda cool to have Cena verbalize what a lot people sitting at home watching are sort of joking about with Bray Wyatt. I don’t think it hurt the story because he came out last week and was more serious in tone.”
Adding Triple H to the Triple Threat and “trolling” Internet Fans: “Super smart move. Especially if Triple H actually wins which i don’t think is going to happen but lets just play out that scenario. Let’s say Triple H beats Daniel Bryan. It’s the most epic trolling of wrestling nerds of all time. They would be dangling a carrot in front of every smart wrestling fan and pulling it away. I would like it just for that reason. The other thing, playing that scenario out. Triple H wins, he gets put in the match. How cool is the 3 guys from Evolution in one match? As triple threats go, i wouldn’t mind seeing that match.”
Here we are the Raw before WrestleMania XXX. The go home show of all go home shows. Did Raw deliver? Check out our YES! and NO!
Brock Lesnar Finally F5’s after circling the ring 10 times. NO!
The Undertaker & Brock Lesnar The Undertaker comes out and cuts seeming the same promo he has each week he’s had a mic. Out pops Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, eventually Brock circles the ring seemingly a dozen times, before the obligatory Paul Heyman distraction where he slips in with a chair, to distract The Undertaker enough so that Brock can “sneak” in and get his hands on The Dead Man.
I had such high hopes for this program, but I must tell you, I’ve been less than impressed. Paul Heyman cut an amazing promo a few weeks back simultaneously putting over The Streak, and why Brock Lesnar would break it (Undertakers age, wear and tear). Since then this has been a lackluster build for me. Am I really to believe that a huge man like Brock Lesnar is THAT afraid to get into the ring? I can buy into some trepidation, but this was ridiculous. NO!
Alberto Del Rio takes it to Big E. Good Match YES!
Big E. vs. Alberto Del Rio I thought Big E and Alberto Del Rio put on a great match, with several near falls and a clean Del Rio win. Of course why they constantly beat a champion, I’ll never understand. Does anyone remember when they actually had in-ring introductions for a Big E intercontinental championship match? That being said, YES!
Summer Rae vs. Natalya I liked how a clip was shown from this past weeks Total Diva’s and there was a match to tie things in. I suppose that’s the one thing we lack when it is seemingly all the Total Divas ganging up on AJ who didn’t want to be on the show. However, the conflict was clearly 100% manufactured, and if there was any ounce of reality to Total Divas before this, there isn’t now. YES!
The Authority implying that Daniel Bryan is a “Flavor Of The Day” like Fandango was last year.
The Authority’s Farewell To The “Yes!” Movement, Batista, Randy Orton Triple H and Stephanie come out and cut a brutally honest promo that blurts the lines between story line and reality. They made some interesting arguments about people wanting to be on a bandwagon, and support a cause. This brought out chants of CM Punk, Yes, and others including boring. After a Stephanie McMahon narrated promo about Triple H always beating the “Flavor of the Day” including Booker T, Chris Jericho, RVD, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy, Out comes BOOtista, and Orton. Pretty much the same song and dance. Objectively I think this was a good Heel Triple H Promo. But I’m exhausted from these Authority promos, and Batista and Orton coming out in succession. I’m tired from Daniel Bryan not getting anywhere in the stratosphere of equal mic time. By itself this was good, but after weeks of this, I’m over it. So I say NO!
The Usos & Los Matadores vs. The Real Americans & Ryback and Curtis Axel
This is basically the Pre-Show match with two teams combined. Less reason to get excited about the match itself. After an incredible year of tag-teams in the WWE in 2013, everything that I have enjoyed up to this point has vanished. Cody Rhodes and GoldDust were the hottest Tag Team attraction in WWE last year, they should have been in the tag-team titles mix, or facing each other, in a brother vs brother match that has been rumored for two years. The USO’s have been in line to win the Tag Titles since July of 13. What better way to elevate those titles then have them win it at WrestleMania XXX against the Outlaws? So another match, similar to what we will see on the small big stage, and I fear that The Uso’s who should retain this, may not possibly, so that a title change gets a reaction, or creates some sort of moment. NO!
Backstage Segment: The Shield & Roman Reigns vs. Kane I enjoyed this backstage segment from The Shield, they seemed like a cohesive unit here, and I hope to see more of this at WrestleMania. Could The Shield stay together for a while longer? Many thought the match would be all three members of The Shield in a triple thread at this years WrestleMania. I would dislike it to see someone like Dean Ambrose accidentally or deliberately cause a loss for the team. I’d like to see The Shield show their dominance over the last two years. YES!
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW
– NXT star Sami Zayn will be wrestling on WWE’s upcoming tour of Saudi Arabia later this month (4/17-19). is being advertised for WWE’s tour of Saudi Arabia on April 17th, 18th and 19th. He is scheduled to face Alberto Del Rio.
Other advertised matches include John Cena, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins vs. The Wyatt Family and Dean Amborse defending the US title against Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes in triple threat matches.
– Brie Bella has been teasing a physical altercation with Stephanie McMahon on Twitter, calling the Authority “completely annoying” and saying she’d love to “slap the crap out of them!”
I find Triple H and Stephanie completely annoying. I would LOVE to slap the crap out of them! Who else!!???? -B #RAW
WWE recently issued a survey to fans regarding new potential WWE video games that could be released online in the future. Details on those games are as follows:
1. Trouble always seems to find a way to the WWE Universe! Play as either John Cena or Daniel Bryan and go off on an adventure to rescue the Bella Twins, who have been kidnapped by the evil Mr. McMahon. Venture through 50 stages to rescue the Twins, grabbing extra powers and goodies over land, water, air, and fire along the way!
2.A turn-based combat role-playing game where you can assemble and lead teams of Superstars and Divas-your mission is to protect the WWE Universe from the clutches of evil wrestlers from another dimension!
3. You’re the boss! Manage the ultimate team of WWE Superstars. Pick your wrestlers, train them, and have them fight your friends and other opponents in the ring!
4. The WWE Universe is way too big for just one Superstar! Collect a series of WWE Superstar action figures, each with unique abilities that unlock certain challenges and portals, and bring them to life on the big screen via your game console. Only you can put the right Superstar against the right challenge to save the WWE Universe. Put the action figures “in the ring” and let the adventures begin!
5. Join an epic adventure with the Angry Birds in the WWE Universe! Use your favorite wrestling moves and slingshot your way through an action-packed journey from WrestleMania to Royal Rumble, facing the biggest WWE Superstars of all time! Can you become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion with the help of the Angry Birds?
The Rock lost to Robert Downey Jr. in the “Favorite Male Buttkicker” category at last night’s Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards. The presenters for the award were actually John Cena and The Bella Twins.
Here are some photos of Cena and The Bella’s at the awards show:
– WWE Network cameras are scheduled to follow several WWE Superstars during WrestleMania XXX weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana. One of the guys who will be followed, Daniel Bryan, noted in a recent interview that the camera crew will be filming what he does to get be prepared for WrestleMania.
Generally this type of footage is shot for the “WrestleMania Diary” features, which used to air on WWE.com, however this year they will be airing on the WWE Network.
– John Cena missed the WWE live event in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday evening because he was scheduled for the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.
Cena referenced his scheduled awards show appearance earlier in the day on Saturday by writing the following on Twitter:
Fun day planned with @nicoleandbri quite an unorthodox 'date' as we head to the slime filled @NickelodeonTV#KCA lets have some FUN!!!