The following are highlights of a new Seth Rollins interview with The Rack:

What it was like to be standing over both Cena and Lesnar at the end of RAW: “You know, it felt good; those big nights you were referring to are starting to pile up here and I’m starting to have them more and more and more. Last night on RAW, surely, standing over both John Cena and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, was a feat that, honestly, I don’t think there are any other men that can say they’ve done that; I might be the only one in the history of the WWE, so that’s quite monumental.”

On his championship Triple Threat match at the Royal Rumble: “My strategy for this match is to go in full boar, 100 percent, 110 percent, whatever you want to call it and try to win the match. If things don’t work out and I don’t end up winning, the odds are against me for sure, I have back-up plans. I always got a Plan B and that is my Money in the Bank briefcase. It’s an unprecedented situation; I don’t think it the history of the Money in the Bank briefcase contract scenario that you’ve had a challenger with two opportunities essentially to win the title, so it should be a very interesting Royal Rumble. I think the fans are going to be at the edge of their seats the whole time.”

What it’s like working with both Triple H and Stephanie McMahon on TV weekly: “Oh, they’re phenomenal; two of the greatest mind in the history of our industry. You’ve got one, born and bred a McMahon so she knows all there is to know about what we do and she knows all the little tricks of the trade. She sees things from a completely different perspective, so you have that. On the other hand, you have ‘The Cerebral Assassin’, a man who’s been WWE Champion multiple times, who is clearly the heir-apparent to the company itself and already running the ship for the most part. There are really no better mentors; if you’re not learning something every single day, every single time you go out there, then you’re really just making a mistake trying to progress yourself. If people have kept track over the past 6-8 months, they’ll have noticed a lot of improvements in my game, at least I have, and a lot of that is due to having Triple H and Stephanie on my side, nurturing me all the way through.”

On Triple H following his progress through NXT, The Shield and now: “Yeah, clearly, the man has an eye for talent, you know? It’s been good; NXT was a good experience for me. We were really the first group of guys who were involved in that project and if you look at what it’s become now, it’s pretty impressive to think about where it started and how it began, very humbly, in a warehouse in Tampa and now, basically, it’s its own brand. To have Triple H’s support, through and through the entire way, has meant more to me than people will ever understand. It’s really helped position me to where I want to be and helped me grow as a person and as a performer.”

Is there anyone in the new crop of NXT talent that he’s looking forward to facing in the future: “I have a lot of friends down there; a lot of people who I traveled the road with in my previous life and I think those guys, the Adrian Nevilles and Sami Zayns, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, Kevin Overs; these are the guys obviously making a name for themselves now in NXT. There’s also a lot of young guys too, who are pushing the envelope as well, really trying to make a name for themselves in the shadow, a little bit, of some of those bigger names.

You’ve got someone like CJ Parker, who’s been down in NXT for a while making waves. You’ve got Tyler Breeze, who is on the cusp of something big and stuff like that. So, there’s a lot of talent down there; I’m looking forward to seeing how the landscape up here in the WWE looks like in 2-5 years, with all of those names I mentioned, up here working with us. It’s going to be a very interesting period for the future of WWE.”

If the shift of Smackdown to Thursdays gives people like yourself a chance to be the one the show is built around, like Edge and Undertaker in the past: “I would like to assume that both RAW and Smackdown will be built around me from this day forward, or maybe from the Royal Rumble forward. I talk a lot about how the future is now, well I’m not the future anymore; the present is upon us and I am a major part of that. Smackdown moving back to Thursday nights, where it originally began, is really exciting for me just because that’s the night I used to watch it when I was younger; all the stuff with The Rock, Edge and Christian, Eddie Guerrero and my *ahem* security guard Joey Mercury also played a huge role on Smackdown during that time as well. It’s an awesome move; I’m looking forward to reaching into another night in the week and just seeing what that brings and what that holds for us as a company moving forward. It’s going to be good for everybody involved.”

On his favorite Smackdown Moment: “Man, there’s a lot of really good ones; I would be hard pressed not to say that one of my own personal favorite moments is me powerbombing the Undertaker through a table, that’s pretty iconic as far as a Smackdown Moment gets. If I’m going to reach back in the vault, I’m going probably to the very first Smackdown with the Shawn Michaels superkick on the Rock, that was pretty awesome and I’m a big Shawn Michaels fan, so when Rock is going for the People’s Elbow and Shawn just clocked him in the tooth, I thought that was pretty sweet.”

What was it like finding out he’d get to work with the Undertaker on Smackdown: “It’s one of those things where you don’t even really think that’s ever going to happen to you in your career and not because.. I expected the level of success I have but I expected Undertaker to be long gone by the time I came around and the fact that he’s still here is a testament to him and the fact that we were able to, we in The Shield, were able to ascend to that level so quickly and get a chance to be in the ring with him before he stepped away is pretty awesome. Obviously, you know, he could still be around and maybe there’s a WrestleMania match for me and him in the future, but for now, I’ll definitely I’ll cherish those moments I got to spend in the ring with him.”

His thoughts on the announcement of Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage for the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame Class: “Yeah, my only real thought is it’s about damn time; I know there were a lot of issue with getting him into the hall and stuff like that but I’m really glad, after all these years, people made the decision that it was the right thing to do and II think everybody knew that, it was dotting the I’s and crossing the t’s a little bit and I think they put their personal pride aside and made it well known that one of the greatest of all time, the Macho Man, deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and it’s about time. I’m glad to be involved in it in some way, shape or form; just to be part of the company while that happens is pretty cool.”

Check out the complete interview at WildTalkRadio.com.

• WWE Planning On Major JOHN CENA vs. RUSEV Feud & Match At WRESTLEMANIA 31

Seth Rollins joined The Rack this past Thursday night, where he discussed what it was like to be in the ring and curb stomping both Brock Lesnar and John Cena on RAW, his thoughts on Smackdown moving to Thursdays, who is he looking forward to working with from NXT in the future, his favorite Smackdown moment and what it was like working with The Undertaker, his reaction to Randy Savage going into the Hall of Fame in 2015, what he likes to do on his days off and so much more.

What it was like to be standing over both Cena and Lesnar at the end of RAW: “You know, it felt good; those big nights you were referring to are starting to pile up here and I’m starting to have them more and more and more. Last night on RAW, surely, standing over both John Cena and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, was a feat that, honestly, I don’t think there are any other men that can say they’ve done that; I might be the only one in the history of the WWE, so that’s quite monumental.”

On his championship Triple Threat match at the Royal Rumble: “My strategy for this match is to go in full boar, 100 percent, 110 percent, whatever you want to call it and try to win the match. If things don’t work out and I don’t end up winning, the odds are against me for sure, I have back-up plans. I always got a Plan B and that is my Money in the Bank briefcase. It’s an unprecedented situation; I don’t think it the history of the Money in the Bank briefcase contract scenario that you’ve had a challenger with two opportunities essentially to win the title, so it should be a very interesting Royal Rumble. I think the fans are going to be at the edge of their seats the whole time.”

What it’s like working with both Triple H and Stephanie McMahon on TV weekly: “Oh, they’re phenomenal; two of the greatest minds in the history of our industry. You’ve got one, born and bred a McMahon so she knows all there is to know about what we do and she knows all the little tricks of the trade. She sees things from a completely different perspective, so you have that. On the other hand, you have ‘The Cerebral Assassin’, a man who’s been WWE Champion multiple times, who is clearly the heir-apparent to the company itself and already running the ship for the most part. There are really no better mentors; if you’re not learning something every single day, every single time you go out there, then you’re really just making a mistake trying to progress yourself. If people have kept track over the past 6-8 months, they’ll have noticed a lot of improvements in my game, at least I have, and a lot of that is due to having Triple H and Stephanie on my side, nurturing me all the way through.”

On Triple H following his progress through NXT, The Shield and now: “Yeah, clearly, the man has an eye for talent, you know? It’s been good; NXT was a good experience for me. We were really the first group of guys who were involved in that project and if you look at what it’s become now, it’s pretty impressive to think about where it started and how it began, very humbly, in a warehouse in Tampa and now, basically, it’s its own brand. To have Triple H’s support, through and through the entire way, has meant more to me than people will ever understand. It’s really helped position me to where I want to be and helped me grow as a person and as a performer.”

Is there anyone in the new crop of NXT talent that he’s looking forward to facing in the future: “I have a lot of friends down there; a lot of people who I traveled the road with in my previous life and I think those guys, the Adrian Nevilles and Sami Zayns, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, Kevin Overs; these are the guys obviously making a name for themselves now in NXT. There’s also a lot of young guys too, who are pushing the envelope as well, really trying to make a name for themselves in the shadow, a little bit, of some of those bigger names.

You’ve got someone like CJ Parker, who’s been down in NXT for a while making waves. You’ve got Tyler Breeze, who is on the cusp of something big and stuff like that. So, there’s a lot of talent down there; I’m looking forward to seeing how the landscape up here in the WWE looks like in 2-5 years, with all of those names I mentioned, up here working with us. It’s going to be a very interesting period for the future of WWE.”

If the shift of Smackdown to Thursdays gives people like yourself a chance to be the one the show is built around, like Edge and Undertaker in the past: “I would like to assume that both RAW and Smackdown will be built around me from this day forward, or maybe from the Royal Rumble forward. I talk a lot about how the future is now, well I’m not the future anymore; the present is upon us and I am a major part of that. Smackdown moving back to Thursday nights, where it originally began, is really exciting for me just because that’s the night I used to watch it when I was younger; all the stuff with The Rock, Edge and Christian, Eddie Guerrero and my *ahem* security guard Joey Mercury also played a huge role on Smackdown during that time as well. It’s an awesome move; I’m looking forward to reaching into another night in the week and just seeing what that brings and what that holds for us as a company moving forward. It’s going to be good for everybody involved.”

On his favorite Smackdown Moment: “Man, there’s a lot of really good ones; I would be hard pressed not to say that one of my own personal favorite moments is me powerbombing the Undertaker through a table, that’s pretty iconic as far as a Smackdown Moment gets. If I’m going to reach back in the vault, I’m going probably to the very first Smackdown with the Shawn Michaels superkick on the Rock, that was pretty awesome and I’m a big Shawn Michaels fan, so when Rock is going for the People’s Elbow and Shawn just clocked him in the tooth, I thought that was pretty sweet.”

What was it like finding out he’d get to work with the Undertaker on Smackdown: “It’s one of those things where you don’t even really think that’s ever going to happen to you in your career and not because.. I expected the level of success I have but I expected Undertaker to be long gone by the time I came around and the fact that he’s still here is a testament to him and the fact that we were able to, we in The Shield, were able to ascend to that level so quickly and get a chance to be in the ring with him before he stepped away is pretty awesome. Obviously, you know, he could still be around and maybe there’s a WrestleMania match for me and him in the future, but for now, I’ll definitely I’ll cherish those moments I got to spend in the ring with him.”

His thoughts on the announcement of Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage for the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame Class: “Yeah, my only real thought is it’s about damn time; I know there were a lot of issue with getting him into the hall and stuff like that but I’m really glad, after all these years, people made the decision that it was the right thing to do and II think everybody knew that, it was dotting the I’s and crossing the t’s a little bit and I think they put their personal pride aside and made it well known that one of the greatest of all time, the Macho Man, deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and it’s about time. I’m glad to be involved in it in some way, shape or form; just to be part of the company while that happens is pretty cool.”

• Vince McMahon wants to stop pushing two WWE stars

It was reported a while back that WWE officials were contemplating doing a John Cena vs. Rusev feud for WrestleMania 31. The idea at that time was to have Rusev cost Cena his chance at recapturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

As of right now, WWE is advertising a tag-team main event of John Cena and Randy Orton vs. Rusev and Seth Rollins for the live event in Madison Square Garden on February 27th. Some view this as a possible sign that WWE is going forward with their original plans for Cena vs. Rusev at WrestleMania.

Thus far, there has been no interaction between Cena and Rusev that would indicate that match being booked. Some are of the opinion that Cena and Rusev is simply a live event program for WrestleMania season, possibly because Brock Lesnar doesn’t work non-televised events.

In related news, other matches advertised for the aforementioned 2/27 live event at MSG include Daniel Bryan vs. Kane, Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro and an appearance by Chris Jericho.

• MUST-SEE VIDEO: UFC Star ANDERSON SILVA KOs Training Partner With Flying Knee, CONTINUES To Punch Him While He’s Out

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

As things stand right now, aside from the 30-man over-the-top Royal Rumble match itself, there are only two matches that have been officially announced for the 2015 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, those being Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and The Usos vs. The Miz & Damien Mizdow for the WWE Tag-Team Championship.

It appears that Nikki Bella vs. Natalya for the WWE Divas Championship will be added, and with the Rumble match itself being such a lengthy match, and one with so many competitors involved, there’s a good possibility that only one or two additional matches will end up being added to the card.

Matches such as Roman Reigns vs. Big Show and Ryback vs. Rusev were being pushed, however three of those four are announced as Rumble participants, and nothing can be officially booked for Ryback until WWE wraps up the “firing” angle from last week’s RAW.

• Former WWE Divas SUNNY & ASHLEY MASSARO Engage In *EPIC* Twitter War — BOTH Excuse The Other Of Being A PROSTITUTE! (No B.S.!)

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The latest edition of Michael Cole’s weekly WWE.com sit-down video interview, which features Triple H this week, is now online.

In this week’s interview, “The Game” talks to the WWE announcer about WWE SmackDown moving to Thursday night’s beginning this week on the SyFy Network, as well as the Daniel Bryan vs. Kane match scheduled for the show.

HHH also discusses Monday’s RAW, noting that Seth Rollins proved he belongs in the ring with the likes of John Cena and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, as his Curb Stomp of both men showed why he is referred to as the “undisputed future of the WWE.”

While HHH gave credit to Cena and Lesnar as two of WWE’s key players in the present day, he claimed that Rollins is “something different altogether.”

Triple H concluded the interview by reminding fans that Rollins is still in possession of the “Money in the Bank” briefcase, which ensures him a WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity at any time of his choosing.

“If you don’t skin a cat one way, you’ve always got a briefcase in your hand that says you can skin them any time you want,” said Triple H.

You can check out the complete Michael Cole sit-down video interview with Triple H above.

• MUST-SEE VIDEO: UFC Star ANDERSON SILVA KOs Training Partner With Flying Knee, CONTINUES To Punch Him While He’s Out

Last night’s episode of Raw was held in the Big Easy, and it’s obvious that the company knew they were going up against the CFP Championship because they seemed to be holding something back all night. Anyway, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Raw.

Pros

The best thing to come out of last night’s show was the announcement that the “Macho Man” Randy Savage will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. It’s about time one of the most talented and influential superstars of all-time takes his rightful place amongst fellow legends. Some will probably complain about the choice to have Hogan induct Savage, but as someone who loved the Mega Powers as a child, I think it’s a good choice and has the potential to be a touching and heartfelt tribute to one of the company’s most iconic figures.

I wasn’t expecting a ton out of the New Day vs. Kidd/Cesaro matchup, but it turned out to be one of the better contests of the night. Kidd and Cesaro worked well together, with the Cesaro Swing into a dropkick spot being particularly impressive. It would have been nice to see Kidd and Cesaro pick up the win, but I guess it’s a minor victory just to see them on television.

The recurring promos featuring Dean Ambrose and the doctor were certainly humorous. Ambrose seems like a natural actor and really at ease on camera, so it’s nice to see him get a chance to show off his talent. The promos were entertaining and it was an original way to have Ambrose gain entry into the Royal Rumble.

Finally, it was nice to see Daniel Bryan back in the city where he captured the title at last year’s WrestleMania. The interactions between Bryan and Stephanie were on point, especially when she tried to present Bryan with her crappy workout DVD. It was finally announced that Bryan would make his return to the ring against Kane on SmackDown this Thursday. As Kane approached the ring, Bryan dove threw the ropes and took out the Devil’s Favorite Demon before celebrating with the crowd.

Take this for whatever it’s worth, but local advertisements for the first ever WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view are listing a tag-team main event, which features Roman Reigns and John Cena vs. Big Show and Seth Rollins.

As noted in the past, Reigns is featured on the official WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view promotional poster, and considering the fact that Reigns and Show, and Cena and Rollins are all currently working in singles programs, it would make sense.

WWE Fast Lane 2015 is scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 22nd at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee.

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee In Their Private Time, Hanging w/ Celebrities, Partying & MORE! [View Here >>]

– Within WWE, there has been a lot of talk in regards to the manner in which Roman Reigns’ promos have been scripted as of late. Dave Meltzer reported Wednesday in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that many people in the company are under the impression that Reigns’ promos have put him in ‘quicksand’ and aren’t helping him reach the next level at all.

After comparing himself to Superman on Raw, Reigns delivered another cartoon-inspired promo on SmackDown while speaking face-to-face with Seth Rollins. Take a line from Looney Tunes character Sylvester, Reigns said “Sufferin’ succotash.” Regarding this, Meltzer mentioned on Twitter that Reigns’ promos are being scripted by Vince McMahon.

@WWMoan Vince is writing his promos. Vince is really out of touch. I hate to say it but the promos speak for themselves.

— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) January 10, 2015

– In the latest edition of “The Rose Garden,” Adam Rose addresses the actions of Cesaro and Tyson Kidd on Raw. To watch the segment, click here.

– New additions to the WWE Network include four episodes of Raw from 1996 (April 15, April 22, April 29 and May 6), the documentary portion of the The History of the World Heavyweight Championship DVD from 2009, Tuesday Night Titans (October 1, 1984) and Prime Time Wrestling (May 26, 1986).

WWE considering another major change for Raw and SmackDown – details ->

– The Sunday, January 4th edition of WWE Total Divas drew 1.411 million viewers for the E! network this past weekend. That number marks an increase as compared to the 1.133 million viewers who tuned in for its’ last episode on October 26, 2014.

– WWE Superstar Seth Rollins recently spoke to the MTV U.K. website and revealed his top ten favorite tracks. Rollins’ list included Johnny Cash, Paramore, Killswitch Engage and PVRIS. You can check out his full list at MTV.co.uk.

– The latest edition of Steve Austin’s “Steve Austin Show” podcast is now online. On this week’s show, “Stone Cold” answers questions from fans about a number of topics related to his career. The official description for the show reads as follows:

SASu – EP184 – F You! I’m a Heel!

“Steve’s talking wrestling, and wait till you hear what he WAS gonna do IF Paul E. hadn’t called him right after Bischoff fired him from WCW! Find out which matches were the toughest to work, how he really feels about the War Games PPV, the secret to calling matches in the ring, and Steve shares an in-ring moment with Chris Benoit. Plus, Arn Anderson, favorite finishes, and in-ring attire!”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

• MMA Fighter Who TRASHED CM Punk Talks About Training Him Now + PHOTOS Of CM Punk In The Gym With His MMA Team

– The decision to add Seth Rollins into the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view main event with Brock Lesnar and John Cena was made at some point in the past two weeks.

– WWE is scheduled to hold another tryout camp three weeks from now at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The word going around is that there will be a lot of women trying out for the company during this latest camp.

• MMA Fighter Who TRASHED CM Punk Talks About Training Him Now + PHOTOS Of CM Punk In The Gym With His MMA Team

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The latest edition of Michael Cole’s weekly sit-down interview, which features the return of Triple H, is now available.

On this week’s interview, Triple H talks in-depth about the return of The Authority and the angles from RAW, namely the “firing” storyline involving Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan.

HHH also brought up Sting, noting that “he has had his 15 seconds of fame.”

As noted earlier today, Seth Rollins did not appear on “Miz TV” at the SmackDown tapings on Tuesday night as was advertised on Monday’s RAW. HHH revealed during the interview that Rollins wouldn’t be appearing on the talk show segment, because “he doesn’t need to be.”

You can check out the complete Michael Cole sit-down interview with “The Game” above.

• UFC Champ JON JONES Fails Drug Test For COCAINE & Enters Rehab! Jones, UFC, Dana White & Daniel Cormier Comment …

– The latest episode of Monday Night War on the WWE Network featuring Vince Russo is getting rave reviews from fans, with many calling it the best installment of the series thus far. If you haven’t seen it yet, definitely check it out.

– RollingStone.com has published a feature looking at former WWE “enhancement talent” Barry Horowitz, who spoke about his runs in WWE and WCW as well as his beef with rapper Action Bronson.

– Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins will be appering at the Adventureland Store in Philadelphia, PA on Sunday, January 25th, the day of the Royal Rumble. The event takes place from 10am-12pm. For more information, click here.

– WWE Superstar Seth Rollins will be appearing at the Adventureland Store at the Voorhees Town Center in Voorhees, New Jersey for a “meet and greet” from 10am-12pm on Sunday, January 25th. For more information, visit AdventurelandStore.com.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan is the special guest on today’s edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk is Jericho” podcast. The official description for the show, which features part one of the Hogan interview (part two will be available on Friday’s edition of the show) reads as follows:

TIJ – EP106 – Hulk Hogan Pt1 & the infamous Speewee

“Hulkamania is taking over “Talk Is Jericho”! One of the most iconic wrestlers in history sits down with Y2J & talks about his own wrestling heroes, why he loved working in Japan, his role in the Rocky movie, his first meeting with Vince McMahon Sr, working for Verne Gagne, and taking a chance with WWF and his hot & cold relationship with Vince Jr. Plus, Chris’ friend Speewee, one of the masterminds behind the greatest rib ever pulled on Y2J, joins the show to explain how he put one over on Jericho!”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

• UFC Champ JON JONES Fails Drug Test For COCAINE & Enters Rehab! Jones, UFC, Dana White & Daniel Cormier Comment …

WWE ended up cutting one of the main segments planned for this coming Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which was taped on Tuesday night at the Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Texas.

On Monday’s WWE RAW, the first episode of the show in 2015, a “Miz TV” segment with Seth Rollins was advertised and promoted for Friday’s show. For whatever reason, WWE ended up not doing the segment.

Both The Miz and Seth Rollins still worked the SmackDown tapings, but for some reason, they decided against the advertised talk-show segment.

You can read a complete spoiler report for this Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown by clicking here.

• UFC Champ JON JONES Fails Drug Test For COCAINE & Enters Rehab! Jones, UFC, Dana White & Daniel Cormier Comment …

On Monday’s RAW, Seth Rollins was added to the Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble.

WWE officials had been talking about adding Rollins to the match for several weeks prior to the announcement and went back and forth a few times before officially changing the match.

A storyline point that’s been discussed is for Brock Lesnar to be upset that Rollins is being added to the match, since he could lose the WWE Championship without being pinned or submitting.

Additionally, Heyman’s loyalty to Lesnar has been discussed as a major storyline as we head into WrestleMania season.

After Monday’s edition of WWE RAW went off the air, Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan all looked dejected after being “fired” by The Authority. Eventually the three left with their heads hanging and headed to the back while John Cena remained in the ring looking upset.

Cena got on the microphone and said that there was no way he was going to leave “Whataburger’s Hometown” without a fight, which led to him calling out Seth Rollins.

Rollins came out, but ultimately decided to walk off. This led to Cena calling him out again and getting the fans to chant “You Sold Out” at him. Rollins returned to the ring with Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble and the dark match main event of the evening was set.

Mercury and Noble attacked Cena before the match officially got underway. Finally, things settled down and the actual match began. The match lasted approximately ten minutes, with the finish seeing Big Show come out to interfere. Rollins tried to hit Cena with his Money In The Bank briefcase, but Cena moved and Rollins hit Big Show by accident. This led to Cena hitting Rollins with the Attitude Adjustment for the pin.

• DIRECT LINK: Photos From This Weekend — CM Punk & AJ Lee At Dinner, Hanging With SHAQ At UFC & More!

Last night’s Raw was the first of 2015 and the company started the year not with a bang but with a whimper. The show was held in Corpus Christi, TX, and it’s unclear whether the audience was drugged prior to filming, because it was probably the most silent crowd I’ve ever heard at a WWE event. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

Pros

The clear highlight of the night was the Ambulance Match between Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt. As always, the two worked pretty well together and delivered a few memorable spots. The ending felt just a bit sloppy, but the rest of the match more than made up for it. In all, it was good to see Wyatt come out on top, as he needed the win more than Ambrose. This program has been one of the only good things going over the past few weeks, so it’s kind of sad to see it come to an end.

Another clear highlight was the Intercontinental Championship match. It was a good way for the Authority to exact revenge against Ziggler, and the 2-out-of-3 falls swerve was decent. It’s also nice to see that the company still has confidence in Bad News Barrett, and this hopefully means that Ziggler will move into the main event picture permanently.

It was nice to see the program actually have an intro and pryo again. This is a minor complaint, but the intro-less format felt really cheap, with it simply going to a lifeless Michael Cole saying, “Welcome to Raw” while panning over the crowd. Unfortunately, the intro and pyro will probably be gone next week due to budget cuts.

Adding Seth Rollins to the main event at the Royal Rumble was brilliant. With Rollins essentially having two chances to win the title in a few weeks, it provides many booking possibilities. My interest level in the main event went from nonexistent to moderately intrigued in a matter of seconds.

Booker T on commentary was a nice change of pace. Hopefully King is well soon, but they really need to shake up the commentary team. I wouldn’t mind seeing Booker become a regular at the table again.

The Kane/Rollins vs. Ryback match was somewhat entertaining but nothing to write home about. The double Curb Stomp was at least a decent finish.

Finally, it was nice to see the company giving guys more time to cut backstage promos. Rusev, Reigns, Ambrose, Wyatt, and possibly a few superstars whom I’m forgetting all received promo time last night. Good to see the company letting the talent speak instead of filling that time with ads or plugs for the Network.

As noted earlier today, Seth Rollins was advertised as being “in action” on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, although it wasn’t revealed who he would be working against.

Whether or not Rollins will be competing in a match remains to be seen, however it was announced on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW that Rollins would be taking part in a promo segment.

This Friday’s edition of SmackDown, which is the final time the show will air in its’ usual Friday time slot before the move to Thursdays, will feature the return of MizTV, as Rollins will join Miz and Damien Mizdow on the talk show segment.

• DIRECT LINK: MORE Photos — CM Punk & AJ Lee At Dinner, Hanging With SHAQ At UFC & More!

– It was announced on Monday that Seth Rollins will be in action on this coming Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown. It was not mentioned who Rollins would be competing against.

– As noted earlier tonight, NXT Diva Eden handled the ring announcing for this week’s edition of WWE RAW in Corpus Christi, Texas. Lilian Garcia revealed on Twitter that the reason she missed the show was because she was with her father in the hospital.

• DIRECT LINK: MORE Photos — CM Punk & AJ Lee At Dinner, Hanging With SHAQ At UFC & More!

During this week’s edition of WWE RAW in Corpus Christi, Texas, the first episode of the show in 2015, The Authority made their return and immediately made an impact.

During the beginning of this week’s RAW, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon announce that at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, there will be a change to the main event. The new main event will now be a triple-threat match, with Brock Lesnar defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena and Seth Rollins.

WWE Royal Rumble 2015 takes place on January 25th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

• DIRECT LINK: MORE Photos — CM Punk & AJ Lee At Dinner, Hanging With SHAQ At UFC & More!

The WWE is always harping on about the Attitude Era. If they’re not plugging their “critically acclaimed” Monday Night War series, they are gloating about past successes while subtly bashing a long-dead company. However, despite the company’s love of the Attitude Era, there’s a considerable lack of attitude anywhere within the company.

When the company first announced the WWE Network, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to cash in on nostalgic fans eager to relive the glory days. After all, those kids that grew up in the 90s watching Austin and the Rock were now adults with college degrees and full-time jobs, so it seemed like a no brainer to try to reel in old fans that departed over the past decade.

Cena is still the top guy in the company, but at age 37, it’s obvious his days are numbered.

During the lead-up to the Network launch, it was promised that every pay-per-view and episode of Raw would be available within a few months of launch. Nearly a year later, the Attitude Era is practically nonexistent. Sure, the pay-per-views are all there, but the most controversial and memorable moments of that era typically occurred on Raw.

By even the most conservative estimates, the Attitude Era started in 1997 (some would say it started at the 1996 King of the Ring, but I won’t go back that far). As of today, there are 20 episodes in total from the years 1997 through 2001, including the episode where Vince McMahon purchased WCW, which essentially marked the end of the era. A lot of the most controversial and memorable moments are also conveniently missing, such as Brian Pillman pulling a gun on Austin, the infamous Bret screwed Bret promo, and Bret Hart’s profanity-laced tirade in March of 1997.

In contrast, there are 45 episodes from 1993 alone, and it’s not like the company is uploading the episodes in order because they also uploaded the entire year of 2012 and random episodes from various years. It undoubtedly takes time to convert old episodes of Raw into a format that is suitable for widescreen televisions, but it seems like there is really no rush to upload the content.

Instead of creating the same episode of Monday Night War 20 times, they should instead show the stories that inspired the mind-numbingly boring series. While uploading the content, the company should also take a moment to revisit the past, because there are a lot of similarities between today’s product and the era that immediately preceded the Attitude Era, which I refer to as the In Your House Era.

Bad News Barrett noted prior to the main event at the WWE live event on Sunday night in Hidalgo, Texas that Seth Rollins was unable to make it and would not be performing on the show. Barrett would go on to lose to John Cena in a replacement main event “Street Fight” on the show.

Rollins later apologized to the fans in Hidalgo for his absence, noting that travel issues prevented him from appearing as advertised.

Apologies to the fans in Hidalgo, TX tonight. Travel circumstances outside my control caused me to miss the show. Really bums me out.

— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) January 5, 2015

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee Together In Las Vegas This Past Weekend

For better or worse, it’s a new year. Everyone starts with a fresh slate, New Year’s resolutions are in effect, and generally speaking, people try to better themselves for the first week of the year before giving up the futile expedition.

Things are no different in the WWE, as every superstar will be trying to reach the next level in 2015. Here are ten superstars who will strike gold in 2015 by capturing a title that was previously unattainable.

10. Charlotte

Although her debut on the main roster was less than memorable, Charlotte has the potential to revolutionize the Divas division. As seen in NXT, the daughter of the Nature Boy can easily put on entertaining 15+ minute matches any night of the week. It’s now up to the WWE to let the talented women of NXT show what they can do on a regular basis. Charlotte will help to legitimize the Divas division a bit in 2015 by capturing the Divas Championship.

9. Sasha Banks

Charlotte and Sasha Banks put on one of the best Divas matches in the history of WWE a few weeks back at R Evolution. It appears “The Boss” is next in line for the throne in the NXT Women’s division, meaning she will capture the title after Charlotte leaves NXT in 2015.

– Despite the fact that he hasn’t appeared on television recently, The Bunny is expected to return soon to continue his storyline with Adam Rose.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Edge (Adam Copeland) tweeted Seth Rollins recently, noting that he is “passing the torch” to him. Below is the tweet he sent.

There's the torch kid, don't let it go out @WWERollins @Christian4Peeps @WWE

— Adam Copeland (@RatedRCope) December 30, 2014

The following are highlights of a new WNS Podcast interview with Roman Reigns:

ON RETURNING TO IN-RING ACTION: “Man, I’m happy to do a lot of things. Having that hernia surgery and the first couple of weeks of recovery was something I had never experienced before. I’ve had some injuries in my day and I’ve been able to work through the rehab process but I mean the requirements for hernia surgery is sit on the couch and do nothing. Which you know, it sounds like what’s he complaining about? But for the first couple of weeks it was pretty cool. I’m not going to lie I did some pretty good couch work. Til about two and a half, three weeks oh man. You start getting so antsy you just want to get out. I want to get in the gym and I want to work ad sweat and I just couldn’t do anything like that. It’s nice to be able to move around. run, jump, wrestle, everything man. I’m very fortunate.”

ON WETHER OR NOT 2015 WILL BE HIS YEAR: “I think so. I think everyone’s thinking that. I think everybody goes into these type of matches thinking they’re going to be the guy. It can happen. Whether it’s 30, 40, 100 people in this match. Everybody should be going in with that mindset. “I’m the guy. I can change my whole career. I can change my whole life if I just dominate tonight and that’s what I’m going to do. Fortunately for me I have some experience with this match. I have a record of eliminations and I’m taking last year making it all the way to the end and coming up short as a mistake I can learn from. As a good experience. Hopefully, I can capitalize on it this year and correct that wrong and go onto the big one.”

ON BEING COMPARED TO JOHN CENA: “When I first started wrestling, I got a lot of comparisons to a lot of different people. Razor Ramon, The Rock. I had a bunch of different qualities and characteristics of former guys. I’m not trying to be the next anybody. I’m trying to be the very first Roman Reigns that’s all I can do. I’m not out to be somebody that I’m not. I know who I am and I know where I come from and I know where I want to go. It’s very flattering to be compared to someone who’s worked so hard and been so successful. I don’t want what he has, I want what I’m going to get.”

ON THE TRANSITION FROM BEING PART OF THE SHIELD TO SINGLES COMPETITION: “I was fine with it. People don’t realize that I was wrestling singles towards the end of The Shield’s run. I main evented a whole year of fighting Randy Orton while I was still in The Shield. I had multiple matches without the boys. It’s just one of those things, I’m a sports entertainer. I’m a wrestler. I’m a worker. I can wrestle in a team situation. Before I got in The Shield I was wrestling singles so you gie me a squared circle, ropes and someone to beat up and I can do it.”

ON ANY COUNTRY HE’S NOT YET GOT TO PERFORM IN BUT WOULD LIKE TO: “There’s quite a few places I’d like to go. I’ve been so lucky to go to so many different cool places all over the world. Places I never would have thought of going or even knew about. But I think the one continent that I haven’t been to would be South America. So, I would love to get down there and just do antour and go country to country and tear it up for the South American WWE Universe.”

ON THE MOST BIZARRE THING THAT’S HAPPENED WHEN HE’S WALKED OUT THROUGH THE CROWD: “There’s been a couple of situations. There’s one time a few months ago this little girl came out and wave slapped me. Just a big bear hug on me and I didn’t even notice. She was on me before I even knew so when I looked down this 7-8 year old little girl who was as cute as can be. Not too long ago, I think last week i saw those little short films they do on the internet some girl just feeling my arm up and holding my hand. There’s so many people and I’m trying to take in the crowd and see what I’m working with with the people that sometimes I don’t even notice things like that. We have an awesome job, they’re so fiesty and emotional and outspoken. But they’ve been awesome with me. They haven’t done anything too crazy to where we put the entrance in jeopardy.”

ON POSSIBLY BEING A COMIC BOOK FAN AND SOME OF HIS FAVOURITES: “As a younger kid, I’ve read comic books. I was really into the Spiderman vs Venom and the Superman comics and things like that. But I’m not one of those grown men comic book guys like a few people I know. I got a kid, I don’t do little kid stuff. I like to think I emulate a comic book character with the things that I do. My look, my gear, the moveset that I have. Try to emulate that of a Superman-Spiderman mix or something like that.”

ON FACING RUSEV IN BEAUMONT, TEXAS: “I think it’s a great opportunity. What better place to win the U.S Title then right there in Beaumont, Texas. I think he’s been on a bit of a hot streak. I don’t even think anyone’s beaten him thus far.”

ON THE EMOTIONS GOING THROUGH HIS DAY OF WRESTLEMANIA: “It’s unlike anything else in the world. Our first one one was in New York/New Jersey and last year down in N.O. and it was awesome and just the whole tour, the whole week we get to do a lot of different things at Axxess and do a lot of meet and greet and signings with the fans. So, to have. To be able to interact and hang out and have a lottle time not only with the fans but your family it’s almost like a bit of a vacation up until it’s time tomkind of get your game face on and remember why you’re there. To perform on the grandest stage of them all. For us it was cool because you can feel all those people and you know they’re out there. Fortunately for us, going through the crowd we legitimately got to walk through them.”

ON HIS FAVOURITE MATCH AND FANTASY OPPONENT HE’D LIKE TO FACE: “Yea, i’d have to say my favourite match wzas the first Wyatt match we had on pay per view. I still haven’t watched ot back. I want to leave it to what I remember. The vibe and the emotion we had out there. The reponse. The manipulation of the crowd just going in and out of stuff. All the different chants and things like that. It was an unbelievable match. Also, I gotta say for me personally. I really dig my match I had with Randy Orton at Summerslam. I thought we did some pretty cool stuff especially down towards the end of the match. Incredible exchanges, signature moves and stuff like that. He had an RKO caught me out of the Superman Punch no one’s ever done that and that just speaks to the type of competitor that guy is and not only that I had enough in me to beat a guy like that.”

ON FEELING PRESSURE BEING THE AMBASSADORS FOR NXT ALONG WITH DEAN AMBROSE AND SETH ROLLINS: “I don’t know if it was extra pressure. There’s always pressure. Pressure almost becomes like another emotion. Most people are happy, sad, angry just all the different emotions you can feel and pressure is just one of them. That time I’m alive. If i’m not nervous or feeling butterflies then like what am I doing. For me, it was a cool responsibility to be given, to take on. I think that’s just part of the process. Being the first few to come out of NXT, we felt it but everyone behind us all the way from The Wyatts to Rusev and the list is just going to continue to go on. You’ve got great talent down there that are going to come up and make a big name for themselves. The Ascension, sami Zayn, Adrian Neville. There’s even newer guys,international stars from the independant scene so it’s a good time to be a wrestling fan.”

ON HIS REACTION TO BEING NAMED SUPERSTAR OF THE YEAR: “To be honest I was shocked. I didn’t even look at it like I was going to win. I was in The Shield for a little bit of the year. When I came out of there, I came out with a rocket on me and I was able to do some cool stuff with the Rumble and Survivor Series. What you saw on live TV, was what I was going through at the time.”

Check out the complete interview above.