Last night’s Raw was held in the supposedly great state of Texas. Fans in attendance were treated to the return of Mark Henry, as well as an entertaining contest between Dean Ambrose and Alberto Del Rio.
Although John Cena and Brock Lesnar were both notably absent on Sunday, the WWE did their best to promote the SummerSlam main event. As always, a few questions were answered on Monday, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following Monday’s Raw.
5. Did Fans Witness the Burial of Cesaro?
It is no secret that the WWE has no idea what to do with Cesaro right now. Once one of the most over superstars in the company, Cesaro has been relegated to minor roles since the return of Brock Lesnar. After failing to join the Authority a few weeks back, Cesaro has been in a slump, once again losing to Dolph Ziggler in a short match on Monday.
There are rumors that Cesaro’s push is being limited because the company wants to focus on pushing Roman Reigns. It makes sense to want to promote a young superstar, but others who got over on their own should not be punished as a result. Let us hope that the company soon finds something for Cesaro instead of wasting his talent.
4. Which Stipulation Will Dean Ambrose Choose?
Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins competed in a beat the clock challenge last night, with the winner having the ability to choose the stipulation for their match at SummerSlam. Ambrose won after a long battle with Alberto Del Rio, and also assured Seth Rollins would not win his match with Heath Slater.
The Lunatic Fringe now gets to choose the stipulation at tonight’s SmackDown taping (check in tonight for spoilers if you’re too eager to wait until Friday). He will probably choose something typical like a no-holds barred match, but here’s to hoping he chooses a ladder match for the contract. Which stipulation do you think Ambrose will choose?
The following are highlights of a new Chad Dukes Wrestling Show interview with Batista:
On Roman Reigns and The Shield: “I thought they were pushing him a bit too soon. The guy’s obviously, he’s a huge star, he’s gonna be a huge star. I feel like if they push him out there before he’s ready, it’s gonna put a fizzle on everything, man, I’d just hate to see that. This is just my opinion, but I think they should have kept [the Shield] together a little bit longer. Let ’em have that babyface run just a little bit longer.”
On returning to WWE as a babyface: “I’ll be honest with you, I just don’t want it. I love being a heel, man, you know that. That’s what I love to do, man. I think I’m the guy that people love to boo and I’m okay with that and I love being heel.”
“I’m the worst babyface in the history of wrestling. [Laughs] I’m just not good at it. When you do promos sometimes you gotta say things that people wanna hear instead of telling them things they should hear. You know it’s hard for me to be that guy always saying the politically correct thing. I just don’t like it I’m not comfortable with it.”
During the “Last Man Standing” match between Roman Reigns and Kane that opened up Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW, the former Shield member suffered a bad gash on his head, a wound that would require six staples to close.
WWE.com is reporting the following regarding the injury:
“We brought Roman Reigns back to the trainer’s room after he sustained a laceration to his forehead when his forehead hit the ring post,” said WWE physician Dr. Chris Amann. “We cleaned him up real well and put in six staples to close the wound. He’s going to be cleared for SmackDown on Friday.”
The following are highlights from a recent Q&A update by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On the piledriver being banned: “I see no upside in keeping a potentially crippling hold in use. It almost ended Austin’s career and many of today’s talents don’t work on it so it wouldn’t be safe as it needs to be. So no I would not endorse using it in general.”
On if he’d book Roman Reigns vs. Undertaker: “Likely not. Face vs. Face with those two doesn’t interest me nor would it help either one.”
On WWE acquiring wrestling libraries: “Acquiring various wrestling libraries was a priority because of the concept of having a network some day. The St. Louis library was sold to a Canadian company and WWE never really got deeply in the negotiations for it as it was sold quickly. Many old territories did not maintain their own libraries which is why WWE doesn’t own them today.”
On if WWE’s cutbacks will result in more talent releases: “I don’t know. I do know that the talent roster needs to be evaluated weekly if not daily to see what ‘new’ is ready to be added and what talents need to go. That process never ends or at least it shouldn’t.”
Check out more JR Q&A updates at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
Part-time WWE Superstar Batista spoke to the The Huffington Post ‘s UK site this week to promote his new movie, Guardians of the Galaxy. He spoke about a number of topics, including the funniest rib ever played on him, Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling promotion, NXT and much more. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
If The Anti-Batista Chants Were Really Just Disgruntled Daniel Bryan Fans:
“You could have fooled the hell out of me! They channelled their rage right in my direction. I can’t put my finger on it, it was crazy. I don’t get wrestling now. I’ve kind of completely taken my finger off the pulse. It’s a different audience which I don’t understand. It’s strange though, it’s really just the TV audience because when we get into the live events it’s a completely different audience and they come just to watch the show. It’s weird, the TV crowd seems like they come to be the show rather than to watch and interact with the show. It’s like they want to steal the show, so I’m just totally confused.”
The Undertaker’s Streak Ending at WrestleMania:
“It sucked! Honestly, I thought it sucked. I haven’t really talked much about it but I think it was a bad decision, a horrible decision. I don’t have any say in the matter but to me, watching as a fan, it made me sick. Brock Lesnar beating him didn’t seem to work and it really wasn’t good that Brock left the day after. I just don’t see how that made sense at all. I don’t think anyone wanted to see the streak broken and it just didn’t make sense to me.”
The Shield Breaking Up & Which Member Has The Most Potential:
“It’s similar to my take on the Undertaker. I guess there comes a point where you have to send them their separate ways but – and it’s just my opinion – I don’t think they were ready. I don’t think they’re ready to fly solo. I realise where they’re going and that WWE will push Roman Reigns straight to the top. However for me, Dean Ambrose is by far the most talented in that group and I think eventually if they just give him the spotlight then he’s going to shine. As soon as he touches a mic everyone else can just sit down as he’s magic on it. So It remains to be seen, I think they’re all talented but to me Dean was the star of that group. I think Roman looks like the star of that group but I don’t think he’s nearly as talented as Dean.”
While it’s possible these plans have changed, as of yesterday, Chris Jericho vs. Luke Harper and a Miz TV segment with Bo Dallas was in the script for tonight’s edition of WWE RAW.
Additionally, tonight’s RAW is expected to advance the story line behind Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton for SummerSlam, as well as John Cena’s first “reaction interview” for his match at SummerSlam with Brock Lesnar.
Batista recently spoke to Digital Spy as part of his promotional tour for the upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie. During their discussion, Batista offered his comments on a potential return to WWE for CM Punk.
“I know for a fact that he loves professional wrestling. I couldn’t see him taking a step down and wrestling for a lesser organization. Unless he spent some time in Japan, I just don’t see it. I think eventually he’ll come back. I think he belongs there. I think the fans really love him and miss him. I think he loves it and misses it just as much. I’m really not sure why he left. He’ll be back, I would think that he would be back. I think it would be kind of crazy if he didn’t go back.”
Batista also predicted that Roman Reigns will be the first member of The Shield to capture a major title, and said he expects WWE to “push him to the sky.”
– After last night’s RAW went off the air, a dark match main-event took place which featured Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns defeating Seth Rollins and Kane via disqualification.
– The following are the RAW Fallout videos for last night’s show.
– It was announced on the post-Battleground edition of WWE RAW that on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which airs this Friday night on the SyFy Network, that one of the main events will be Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio.
– The following is Flo Rida’s performance from Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW.
Seth Rollins is Mr. Money in the Bank after grabbing the briefcase this past June, but the talk among WWE fans has more to do with another former Shield member in Roman Reigns.
According to reports, the plan for WrestleMania’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship match will be between Reigns and Brock Lesnar. This would occur after Lesnar defeats John Cena for the title at SummerSlam. That means that Lesnar will hold the main gold for over seven months.
However, one must wonder what this means for the Authority’s Plan B – Seth Rollins. Mr. Money in the Bank has a guaranteed title shot that he can cash in anytime before June 29th, 2015. Usually, when someone is holding the briefcase, the entire WWE Universe can’t help, but try to predict when the cash in will occur.
Since the focus seems to be on Reigns for WrestleMania 31, perhaps Rollins doesn’t cash in until spring 2015. He does have until late June so he doesn’t need to cash in before the show of shows. In fact, it would make more sense for him to do so.
Rollins isn’t going to cash in on Lesnar. The Best Incarnate is handpicked by Triple H to defeat Cena for the title. Rollins is another Authority guy so unless he is turning babyface, it’s not going to happen. Also, Lesnar has to have a long title reign. He ended Undertaker’s streak. WWE needs to give him an equally credible run as champion. Six to eight months would do the job.
Let’s also not forget what would happen if Rollins cashed in at or after WrestleMania. If Reigns does become WWE World Heavyweight Champion, you are seeing a former Shield member cash in on another former Shield member. Right now, Rollins is feuding with the third Shield member in Dean Ambrose. By June 2015, we would be seeing Rollins feud with both former friends he turned on.
It remains to be seen when exactly Rollins will cash in. He can repeat Dolph Ziggler from the night after WrestleMania 29 when he cashed in on Alberto Del Rio to become World Heavyweight Champion. Or perhaps Rollins will become the first WWE Superstar to ever cash in at the show of shows.
Regardless when, if the reports are true, Rollins won’t be cashing in Money in the Bank anytime soon and that would be best for business.
How do you think Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins will play in WWE’s plans for Roman Reigns? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Seth Guttenplan is a math and computer technology teacher for special education students in New Jersey. In his free time, Seth writes about wrestling for Camel Clutch Blog and SEScoops. Follow Seth on twitter @sethgutt
– Unless plans change, which they always could and often do, the working plan coming out of last night’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view is for Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose to finally have their big match at SummerSlam, while Roman Reigns and Randy Orton are scheduled to break off into a singles program at the big summer event.
– The following is a post-Battleground backstage interview with the reigning WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena.
The following are highlights of a new CBS-19 Cleveland interview with The Rock:
Does he think Sting will be in WWE? “I do, yeah. And I know a guy or two so we’ll just put it like that. I do think he’s going to come back and I think it’s going to be great.”
If The Rock returns to WWE will it be for one match or a series of matches? “It’s all of the above. The one match three or four years ago that I started talking about with Vince then turned into a three year run. So who knows? I would love to go back and figure it out. After last year’s WrestleMania the idea was I was going to set up a great match with myself and Brock Lesnar but then I got hurt so that plan got cancelled. He is now in plans to do something with ba da da da which I’m not going to say (laughs) but it should be a cool match. So whenever I do go back, if it is a match it’s just got to be right in terms of who is the marquee value player that really makes sense and at that time when I went back John Cena was the number one guy in the world so we have to see.”
Would a match against Roman Reigns make sense? “I don’t know if that match makes sense now because he’s not their top heel right now, so you would look at that. Unless I went in as a heel and he was a babyface.”
How he kept his appearance at WrestleMania XXX a secret: “By me not posting anything (laughs). I came in literally hours before and it’s one of those things where it was a very last minute decision. It was an amazing night and there’s no greater feeling as a performer than that connection with an audience.”
John Cena has been pulled from the listing for this Monday’s post-Battleground edition of WWE RAW because he will be busy filming the new “Trainwreck” movie that he is appearing in.
Some are speculating that as a result of Cena not being at Monday’s RAW, where Brock Lesnar is scheduled to return, that it is a sign that the WWE World Heavyweight Championship may change hands at tonight’s Battleground show.
Additionally, there are a lot of people within WWE pushing for the company to “pull the trigger” on Roman Reigns because they feel that now is the right time.
The top superstars in the WWE will compete at this Sunday’s Battleground pay-per-view. Headlining the event is a fatal four-way matchup for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
In all, there are eight matches scheduled for the event, and nearly all of the company’s titles will be up for grabs. Here are my predictions for Sunday’s Battleground.
Cameron vs. Naomi (Pre-Show Match)
These two have been at each other’s throats since the breakup of the Funkadactyls. Cameron has become increasingly problematic for Naomi, as she continues to rack up wins and have success in the Divas division. I think Naomi will finally put the Funkadactyls by hitting the Rear View for the win.
Winner: Naomi by pinfall
Intercontinental Championship Battle Royal
This should be one of the most exciting matches of the night, as a number of viable contenders will be battling to become the new Intercontinental Champion. Bad News Barrett will also be on hand to present the title to the new champ.
It would appear that only a few of the entrants have a legitimate chance at winning the title, including Sheamus, Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler and Bo Dallas. I think it comes down to Dallas and Cesaro at the end, with Cesaro ultimately coming out on top. An attack or provocation by Barrett could also turn Cesaro face once again and start a feud, as it appears his days as a Heyman guy are nearly over.
Winner: Cesaro
The Usos (Tag Team Champions) vs. The Wyatt Family (2-Out-Of-3 Falls Match)
These two teams have been battling one another for what seems like forever at this point. I think this is the point where the Wyatt Family finally breaks through and strikes gold. The teams will split the first two falls before the Wyatt Family becomes the new Tag Team Champions after Luke Harper hits a clothesline to win the third fall.
Winner: Wyatt Family by pinfall
AJ Lee (Divas Champion) vs. Paige
I’m not really sure what the plan is with this one. It appeared that they were trying hard for a double turn on the night of AJ Lee’s return, but the crowd wasn’t really having it. The two have now developed into so-called “frenemies.”
This should be a close matchup that will hopefully receive at least five to ten minutes. AJ Lee will struggle throughout, but will ultimately come out on top after locking in the Black Widow and forcing Paige to tap out. Don’t be surprised if Paige attacks AJ after the match in an attempt to turn her heel.
The following are highlights of a new interview with Roman Reigns:
Returning home in the main event: “It’s a little bit nerve wracking to be honest. Fortunately, the last time we were in Pensacola, we were in The Shield. It felt like a pay-per-view out there. It means so much to me being home. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in that Civic Center — watching Disney on Ice, the Ice Pilots, Arena Football. To get in there, especially as a singles competitor, to be in the main event is unbelievable. No matter what, you want to close the show properly. Being in my hometown of Pensacola, it puts even more weight on my shoulder to go out there and perform at the highest level.”
Following in the footsteps of family members in wrestling: “I don’t look at it as being tough. I take it as more of a responsibility. I feel like I’ve always been in that position in my family, to raise the bar, to keep our legacy strong. It’s more of a challenge. It’s not something that I let stress me out. I stay within myself and never forget where I came from.”
Putting on the best show possible: “I always feel I need to have my best performance possible. You never know when it’s the last time in the ring. I was extremely tough on myself the last time I was in Pensacola. I think I’m a smarter performer now. For me, it’s about doing what I do at the highest level and putting on the best show possible. And that’s what I plan on doing.”
WWE announced Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair as “co-hosts” for an upcoming non-televised live event in San Jose, California.
The show, which takes place on August 16th, will feature the kick-off of ticket sales for WrestleMania 31.
Already scheduled for the card are the following matches:
– John Cena vs. Kane [Street Fight]
– Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns
– Chris Jericho vs. Bray Wyatt [Ric Flair as Special Referee[
– Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
The following are highlights from the latest Jim Ross blog:
On WWE’s depth issues: “WWE’s depth issues are easily identified when so many top, top stars are seen on the show in front of the live audience multiple times. We live in unique times as it relates to being not only a wrestling fan but a talent as well. Never in my recollection has the landscape been more conducive for someone to break though and soar to the top of a card than now. That speaks to the overall depth issues within the business in general. Secondly, it’s never been more challenging to be in the biz as there are simply too few places that one can work full time and earn a good living. It’s the old, double edge sword conundrum as in damn if you do and damn if you don’t.”
On the dynamic between John Cena and Roman Reigns on RAW: “I enjoyed the Cena-Reigns dynamic throughout the broadcast as both men walked a fine line but one can easily see that a personal issue could develop between the two quite easily although I somewhat doubt that it would be a long term one considering that WWE needs both men to be fan favorites. Nonetheless they have noticeable chemistry together which interests me.”
On Dean Ambrose: “Dean Ambrose took a fine, restaurant quality ass whipping early in the show. Heroes who don’t quit and show no fear while selling thoroughly usually get themselves over. Ambrose is.”
On CM Punk commercials during RAW: “The CM Punk promotional material for the WWE Network is a good way to create interest and sell subscriptions for the Network and I don’t think it means any thing more than that which is merely my speculation and not based on any ‘inside’ knowledge.”
On the Sting/WWE 2K15 commercial: “Great video done by 2K Sports to promote @Sting as a player on their upcoming, WWE video game. Sting will be available if one pre orders the game as I understand it. Does this mean that Sting will be wrestling in WWE? It’s not a lock whatsoever and I’d suggest it is a long shot but things can always change. I’d love to see Sting have a WrestleMania moment in his career but I’ll admit that I’m biased.
“Sting will be a guest on my podcast on July 29 of which we’ve already taped and it’s a great conversation.”
The main event for this coming Monday’s RAW will be a six-man tag-team match, as John Cena, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose will team up to take on the trio of Seth Rollins, Randy Orton and Kane.
Also scheduled for Monday’s RAW are Sami Zayn, Charlotte and Adrian Neville, who are expected to work dark matches, as well as the return of Ric Flair.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Sting’s 7-4-14 Tweet: “Lots of @Sting speculation as to what 7-14-14 means but to spill the beans, if I knew, would be to spoil a cool surprise. Needless to say, I’d suggest, without leading anyone astray, that watching RAW Monday night would be judicious.”
Daniel Bryan’s Status: “Not sure what to believe or not to believe regarding the physical status of Daniel Bryan but most of what I’m reading isn’t positive. Often times a surgery will reveal other issues and it seems that may have been the case here. The bottom line to this entire matter is to get Bryan healthy and, above all else, not to rush him back into the ring. I feel confident that WWE would never allow this to occur but certainly in the territory days of years gone by promoters would want the talents to get back in the ring ASAP. Plus, the talents themselves would push the envelope because most of them did not have guaranteed contracts and if they did not work they did not get paid notwithstanding they paid their own medical bills. Times have changed much for the better in those areas.”
How Bryan’s Absence Affects Roman Reigns: “With Bryan out TFN, it’s also imperative that WWE be cautious in how they market, promote and build Roman Reigns. Overexposure can result in a backlash neither of which the WWE or Reigns needs at this point in his development. Does Roman Reigns or any other WWE talent need to be on virtually every TV show that is produced such as RAW and Smackdown? Absolutely, not.”
Gail Kim vs. Angelina Love: “Wanted to mention last week that I really enjoyed the @GailKimITSME vs. Angela Love match last Thursday on @ImpactWrestlilng on @SpikeTV. The ladies worked hard, I knew who the villain and the heroine were, and they had the time to tell a viable story. This stuff isn’t rocket science folks. However, we seem to be living in an age where pro wrestling is more ‘over thought’ these days than ever before and we can all see the results of that mindset.”
It’s no secret that former Shield member Roman Reigns is being groomed to be the eventual “Face of WWE.”
WWE is currently plotting Reigns’ rise to the top of the mountain, with Daniel Bryan’s current hiatus playing a factor. While Reigns is still being protected and is being built up slowly, his push is now being accelerated faster than originally planned.
Following the recent breakup of The Shield, Reigns will continue working with former Evolution members Randy Orton and TripleH. As we reported last month, Reigns is scheduled to face Randy Orton at SummerSlam before moving on to a program with Triple H.
It’s possible we’ll see Reigns feud with Seth Rollins this fall and he’s already an early favorite to win the 2015 Royal Rumble.
The following are highlights from the latest blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On general thoughts on Monday’s RAW in Montreal: Congrats to the live audience in Montreal who had a nice night and made the show better, without question. Now I will get hammered on twitter @JRsBBQ as to when WWE will have another PPV in Montreal or elsewhere in Canada. For the record, it’s the same answer as for Oklahoma, I don’t know. Just stay tuned is all I can tell you.
Excellent first hour of RAW or so I thought. It went by quickly which is always a nice sign.
No Authority Figures and the show sailed along well. HHH and Steph do a great job but the roles themselves is tired in my view. Everyone has been playing catch up to Vince McMahon as it relates to the authority role on any wrestling TV show. Mr. McMahon can’t be topped because he’s too easy to dislike, a natural. Mr. McMahon is a true heel that resonates throughout multiple generations.
Short promos starting RAW work best and get a restless audience that’s just worked all day in many instances involved in the show without having to mentally break down an interview.
On Roman Reigns’ verbal skills: Reigns was good in his verbal role and simply needs to keep working to “find his voice” and his cadence. Next year at this time, we shouldn’t even recognize the verbal skills of Roman Reigns.
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
– For those unaware, the agents used in the RAW segment with Roman Reigns and Kane on Monday night were Jamie Noble, Fit Finlay, Dean Malenko, Joey Mercury and Mike Rotunda. Reigns shoved Noble across the ring and speared Finlay. Finlay was actually trending on Twitter after the segment, as several fans noticed who he was.
– Also at RAW last night was former WWE Tag-Team Champion Sylvain Grenier.
– The following are the extras for WWE’s 2014 Money In The Bank DVD, which is scheduled for a July 29th release:
Daniel Bryan Interview (Money In the Bank Kickoff)
Fandango & Layla Interview
Money In The Bank Moment 1: Jack Swagger
Money In The Bank Moment 2: Daniel Bryan
Money In The Bank Moment 3: Dolph Ziggler
Money In The Bank Moment 4: Randy Orton
Following Monday’s RAW, here is an updated look at the official WWE Battleground pay-per-view lineup:
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
– Kane vs. Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena
Battle Royal for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Cesaro, Kofi Kingston, Damien Sandow, The Great Khali, Rob Van Dam, Dolph Ziggler, Big E., Ryback, Curtis Axel, Alberto Del RIo, Bo Dallas, Sheamus and Fandango