RatedPG
04-07-2013, 06:23 AM
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Well hello there, LOP Columns Forums. It's been a while. A long while. Most of you probably won't recognize me, as my "heyday" of being a LOP CF writer lasted about 8-9 months back in 2008. And I've dropped the "13" from my user handle to better reflect the current WWE product, which is of course, more "kid-friendly" now. Kind of like me. But I digress.
In any event, I'll try to keep my introduction somewhat brief, as I like to get to the meat of the things I write without too much pop and circumstance. But since this is my re-debut of sorts, I feel it necessary to give a brief interlude as to who I am and my short, albeit quite awesome, history with LOP and a few of the characters that used to (and still do) populate its orifices. And I probably would still be sitting outside of a fairly nice Orlando hotel trying to figure out how to get to the train station if not for the man himself, who too pity on a green-as-goose-hockey youngin and footed me cab fare to catch my ride back home.
Back in late 2007/early 2008, I started posting at LOP quite a lot and became friends with a few of the regulars, who at that time were planning a get together around Mania 24 in Orlando, Florida. Having little by way of resources, I ended up hopping a 15-hour train ride down to the land of Disney and the good times immediately began. Though the pre-discussed "matches" never took place (at one point we were going to go in for a championship belt and declare the winner the LOP Wrestlemania Trip Champion, or something to that affect), it was a great time for the most part talking about the inner workings of LOP at that time and of course, all things wrestling. Despite nearly getting stranded at one hotel because of some poor coordination on my part (cYn still around? hehe), we all made it to Mania and even did a podcast the next night after watching Raw (think it hit about 8,000 views by the end of its run). It was great times, and the memories made the nearly 17-hour trip back easy to endure.
Since then, I've been keeping myself busy with my startup film production company and working full-time (now back to part-time) pushing shopping carts for the big worldwide chain Mr. Walton started up. But except for maybe a small period in late 2012, I've continued watching Raw every week and still consider myself as big a WWE fan now as I was then. Which leads into what this column will be all about...
My birthday is on April 3rd, so pretty much every year, I age right along with Wrestlemania. The kicker, though, is that we're the same age. Mania turns 29 this year, and I just celebrated my 29th as well. So, when Mania heads to the Big Easy next year for its 30th birthday, I will be there as well, celebrating the big 3-0 with the company I've been a fan of since the mid-90's.
The best part? I was born in New Orleans. If that's not destiny, I don't know what is.
So each column I write will be, in some form or fashion, a year-long countdown to this monumental occasion. I'll write about all things WWE; including RAW, pay-per-views, my fandom and history watching WWE, about my dreams to perhaps one day write for the top wrestling organization in the business, and lots more. So I hope you will enjoy these columns and hop on the train towards the event 30 years in the making - and maybe, I'll be seeing some of you there! ONWARD TO THE MEAT!
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#10 - The Izod Center crowd will be more amped than the post-Mania 28 crowd
Forget that it's New York or New Jersey. It's the night after Wrestlemania! And if last year was any indication, we should be in for an amazing three hours - if judging solely based on crowd participation. True - the post-Mania 28 crowd in Miami last year set the bar for crazy reactions, awesome chants, and during-the-match participation (remember Punk v Henry for the WWE Title?) and their deafening roar for the return of Brock Lesnar was probably the biggest pop of the past decade. But it's now one year later, and you're going to have the mix of a largely international, largely "smart" crowd mixing in with historically "homer" NY/NJ peeps. That right there is a recipe for pure awesomeness if you're watching at home. If you're going to be there - savor it and enjoy it. It's a rarer thing these days to be a part of such an experience, and with the continuing focus on making the product geared towards a younger audience, you might not have so many more opportunities to witness or be a part of a feeling that cannot be described. It's one thing to be among 75,000 people in an open-air stadium. It's actually quite another to be among 16-18,000 folks inside an arena who are all screaming at the top of their lungs. In any case, it should elevate the show as it did last year, and with WWE's propensity to add a little surprise or two on the show after Mania, who knows. Maybe there will be the opportunity for another Lesnar-type explosive reaction.
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#9 - Zack Ryder will appear to a decent reaction, only to be squashed by Bork Laser
The stage is set - some lower-card jobber will appear in the ring after a commercial break, and then it hits. WOO WOO WOO...YOU KNOW IT! A nice pop for the semi-hometown boy as Zack Ryder hits the ramp, fist pumping and getting the adoration from the masses. OMG! It looks like the WWE is going to give a little love to Ryder after "burying" their once-loved dog and pony show and not having him appear in a meaningful capacity at Mania 29. Just when it looks like the Rough Ryder is on its way, Lesnar's music hits (anyone get the "Laser" reference?) and he makes a bee-line for the ring. He puts Ryder down, F-5's the jobber, then gets Ryder up and plants him with a ferocious F-5. Heyman picks up a mic and reminds us all that just because Lesnar lost at Wrestlemania to the Game, he's not going away or fading off into the periphery. Perhaps this sets up a H/Lesnar rematch at Extreme Rules, where they could really plant some seeds for the rumored HBK/HHH retirement match at 30 (ie: blame HBK for Lesnar's loss, call out HBK, only to have H save his best friend, leading to HBK resenting him for not believing in Shawn's ability to fight his own battles). Either way, Ryder gets his TV time, at least.
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#8 - AJ Lee defeats Kaitlyn, becoming the new WWE Diva's Champion
Hometown girl makes good? What's not to like about that? Aside from Kaitlyn's somewhat auspicious run with the Diva's title (although honestly, who's really tuned in to the Diva's title picture these days?), this makes almost too much sense, especially if Ziggles and the E walk away from Mania 29 with the Tag Team championships. Not even factoring in the MITB option for Dolph, it paints a pretty good picture seeing a stable full of gold - not to mention AJ as champ would seem a lot more interesting in this day of generally bland Diva's content. The possibilities are endless here and gives the crowd another chance to be the smart marks they most likely will be, cheering on the victorious AJ and giving a hopeful breath of fresh air to the Diva's division.
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#7 - Antonio Cesaro proves why he should have been featured at Wrestlemania 29
Although late reports have surfaced that suggest a proposed Sin Cara vs Antonio Cesaro match at Mania 29 would have been featured if not for "botch" Cara's latest injury, it still doesn't make a ton of sense as to why this man is not going to be prominently featured in some way. That isn't to say that he assuredly won't be seen at all, as he may do something in the pre-show or in a segment during Mania itself. But I have to say that I've been more and more impressed with Cesaro over the past few months, and after watching a training video posted this week featuring his ridiculous workout regime, I'm coming around on why so many seem so high on this guy. He can flat out go in a crunch between the ropes and does well enough despite a few limitations based on his gimmick (how much longer will we be suffering from the "he's foreign so he must be a bad guy...those evil Swiss!" routine).
I can see him getting a US Title match on the Raw after Mania, and since I'm a betting man, I'm going to say no matter who he faces, if given a little more time than his usual Raw matches, Cesaro will show just why he's going to be a player for the foreseeable future.
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#6 - John Cena's reaction at the Izod Center will be beyond epic
Assuming that Cena's long awaited (yet never happening) heel turn doesn't take place at Mania 29, and assuming that Cena defeats The Rock for the WWE Championship, you can bet that the crowd on hand at the Izod Center is going to be foaming at the mouth in anticipation of Cena's appearance. Walking into that building with the new WWE Title will almost reckon back to the days of the ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view, in which Cena repeatedly was mocked, ridiculed, and verbally trashed. It will be interesting to see how bad it gets and how the production guys work around what could be a quite hostile and volatile bunch of New Yorkers and "smarts" from all over the world. Maybe I'm building this up a bit much, but on the surface at least, it has the makings of something highly memorable.
Remember when Lesnar returned last year and there wasn't even an effort to silence the "Holy Shit" chants? I wonder how well a few F-bombs will fit in should it occur. We might be hearing something recognizant of the days when Eric Bischoff edited out Kurt Angle's "You Suck" chants during his entrance. Either way...should be pretty epic.
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#5 - Mark Henry and Ryback will continue their feud, leading to #1 Contender match at Extreme Rules
Probably one of the more unheralded matchups on the Mania 29 card is Ryback v Mark Henry. A match pitting two huge behemoths is generally a staple at Wrestlemania and a lot of the time, that's where it ends. Not here, as both Henry and Ryback, especially, should have aims toward the WWE Championship. For Henry, it's a title he's never held and at this stage of his career, this might be his last real good shot at attaining the ultimate prize. Henry, when healthy, has been a workhorse for WWE and it seems that he's finally receiving the respect he deserves after being mostly a bit player in his 17-year career. He's a legitimate threat and would be a fresh matchup for John Cena, who is presumably going to be the champ again for the foreseeable future after Mania.
For Ryback, it's a tale of two directions. Storyline wise, he has a legitimate gripe over being screwed repeatedly in his quest to become WWE Champion. In losses to CM Punk, both The Shield and Brad Maddox have played their parts in thwarting the monstrous eating machine - and despite general prevailing thought that he's simply a carbon copy of another big muscular guy from the old WCW days, Ryback has done a pretty good job getting himself over with the live crowds. Personally, Ryback seems to be driven towards gold. In an interview with Peter Rosenberg recently (pretty enlightening interview - YouTube it) he described his goals and put it pretty succinctly that he feels he will be the #1 guy in WWE. As such, that means he's gunning for the WWE Title and could provide Cena a real threat in a potential face/face tilt similar to Cena/Lashley from 2007.
At any rate, these two guys seem to have the steam to make a feud go longer than a simple attraction match at Wrestlemania. Toss in a chase toward the WWE Championship, and you have a feud that could go at least another 6 weeks, if not longer.
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#4 - Jack Swagger will be "kicked to the curb" by Zeb Colter
Everyone knows it's coming, in one form or fashion. The only one hoping people forget is Jack Swagger, who unfortunately cost the WWE some bad publicity a couple months ago with an ill-timed run in with the law. The only question will be the severity of WWE's punishment after having invested so much into what most probably feel was to be a lengthy gimmick centered around the illegal immigration debate running wild through the country. But alas, creative didn't even really seem like they could get their teeth into what they wanted to content-wise, for fear of raising the profile of Swagger and gaining unwanted attention for his transgression.
I'm betting, though, that WWE isn't ready to pull the plug on Mr. Mantel himself, Zeb Colter. So why not have Zeb come out after Swags loses to Del Rio at Mania 29 and call out the All-American, slap him in the face, and tell him how disappointed "daddy" would be in his wayward son, who couldn't get the job done at Wrestlemania. Put down after put down, until the audience is almost a little piteous towards Jack. Until finally, Zeb demands that Swagger leave and instructs him not to come back until he "finds his way", or something to that affect. Hell - if they really want to go for the gusto, Zeb can introduce us all to a new man he's discovered that is more American than Swagger and has no problem doing the dirty work necessary to make our "country great again". My theory was always that Kofi Kingston would be perfect here - huge swerve, and would go exactly to the point that Colter is trying to make against the "evil aliens ruining our country" and clears him of any insinuations of "white supremacy". Bit of a reach on this last part, but look for some kind of indication here that Swags will be, at the very least, taking a 1-2 month vacation very soon.
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#3 - After losing the Tag Team Championships at Mania, Daniel Bryan finally turns on Kane
It's been oft discussed among the masses that it's only a matter of time before Daniel Bryan or Kane turn on each other and start what could be a hilarious, yet highly competitive feud - even moreso than their tag team run. The perfect time seems to be upon us, with Dolph and Big E taking on the dynamic duo at Mania 29. Regardless of the Dolph MITB briefcase (would be cool to see him as a Tag champ and World Champ), it would appear that this isn't just a random tossing together of a team to face Team Hell No. Big E seems to be in it for the long haul, and this would seem to put the early seeds into the eventual Ziggler face run that might be on the horizon. Now, using the Tag belts to simply sew discontent isn't necessarily the best way to cause a team to split. But it's been done countless times over the years, and to a man, what more can Team Hell No really hope to accomplish? A feud between Bryan and Kane has all the earmarks of something more than just a blowoff match, and could be a key upper mid-card battle for the ensuing months to come.
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#2 - CM Punk will not appear on the show
We all know CM Punk is due to receive some well-deserved time off in the days after Wrestlemania 29, but this writer doesn't really see why it should wait beyond the Raw after Mania. It's not that I think a couple extra days will make Punk that much more refreshed - it's simply that after doing the job to the Undertaker, what purpose would it serve for Punk to appear? Unless you're going to have Taker come out and put Punk in a body bag, he has no feud to further and there really isn't a clear cut way for him to fade away for a while - other than a decisive ending to his Mania match. If that happens, then that should be all that is needed for Punk to go away for a bit. This is probably the least likely "lock" of the ten listed, but what is he going to do? Come out and cut a whiny promo about how he lost at Mania, lost to the Rock twice, and is leaving the company after holding it up for 434 days as champion?
There's an aura about losing to Taker at Mania, and an opportunity to do it in a way so that no one would expect to see Punk for some time afterward. It's clear that he's not going to win and that he's due for a break, so why not make Mania that much more memorable and have him get "killed" in some form or fashion in the final moments of their match? To me, it seems to be the way to go. The Raw after doesn't really need Punk given his impending departure for a while anyway. And with all of the other potential storylines kicking up, continuing, or starting anew, the show should be fine sans Punk. I hope he enjoys his time away, and hopefully, he comes back better than ever.
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#1 - The Rock will challenge John Cena to a rubber match at Extreme Rules...
In a story that would, at least in my opinion, pretty much write itself, The Rock, after losing in some form or fashion to John Cena at Mania 29, comes out to the ring and issues a rematch for the WWE Title at the next PPV, Extreme Rules. Of course, John Cena will obviously accept and the match will be set. However, this is where the potential exists to get the talk aimed toward Wrestlemania 30 in a big way, and create a buzz that was similarly present with Rock's announcement in April 2011 that he would face Cena a year later at Mania 28.
With Mr. Johnson presumably getting ready for a summer of movie making and promotion (dude's got at least a half-dozen movies coming out this year - guy's a machine), most people would easily assume that Rock would lose the rubber match and basically ride off into the sunset, giving Cena another push towards the stratosphere (stratusphere?) and cementing his legacy as "The Man" of the PG Era and beyond. However, Rock's subtle hints in interviews that he's working on a "three-year plan" with WWE, coupled with the fact that a clean loss to Cena at ER would likely damage his legacy after rebuilding it quite well over the past couple of years, leads this writer to believe that a simple "job" to Cena is not quite in the cards.
Enter...Brock Lesnar. Regardless of whether or not the Beast takes the fall for HHH or defeats him, "sending him off into retirement" (riiiight), Lesnar's character really isn't predicated on wins and losses. Paul Heyman has even said, referring to Brock, that it's all about big matchups and making the most money possible with the least amount of work. Well then, what bigger "money matchup" exists out there today than a one on one tilt featuring The Rock and Brock Lesnar? It's poetry, and simple storytelling. Brock enters at ER and takes Rock out, leaving Cena the only option of pinning Rock and walking out the WWE Champion. Brock impedes on Rock's comeback story and interjects himself forceably, leaving Rock no choice but to eventually demand a shot at Lesnar at the biggest stage of all. I'd almost let the act itself of Brock taking Rock out hang a bit (a few weeks?) before anything is said about it. Leave Rock to do his movie thing and Brock to maybe prance around the issue in his select spots during the year. Either way, at some point it leads to the challenge being laid out, and we have ourselves a huge main event for the 30th anniversary of Wrestlemania - where Rock will likely and truly ride off into the sunset.
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Well folks, that's it for this edition of "Countdown to 30". I know it's a list column and on top of that, features a lot of predictions to boot. Well, it's a good one to ease back into things, at least. I put some effort into this as I didn't want to come across as anything but somewhat at the top of my game, despite my time away from it. So hopefully, it's well received and decently entertaining, if nothing else. I look forward to getting back into this and contributing more and more as the weeks progress. I'm one to often comment on other columnists as well - so I look forward to meeting and getting to know you fine folks, and see you next time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI7a1-dUylo
Well hello there, LOP Columns Forums. It's been a while. A long while. Most of you probably won't recognize me, as my "heyday" of being a LOP CF writer lasted about 8-9 months back in 2008. And I've dropped the "13" from my user handle to better reflect the current WWE product, which is of course, more "kid-friendly" now. Kind of like me. But I digress.
In any event, I'll try to keep my introduction somewhat brief, as I like to get to the meat of the things I write without too much pop and circumstance. But since this is my re-debut of sorts, I feel it necessary to give a brief interlude as to who I am and my short, albeit quite awesome, history with LOP and a few of the characters that used to (and still do) populate its orifices. And I probably would still be sitting outside of a fairly nice Orlando hotel trying to figure out how to get to the train station if not for the man himself, who too pity on a green-as-goose-hockey youngin and footed me cab fare to catch my ride back home.
Back in late 2007/early 2008, I started posting at LOP quite a lot and became friends with a few of the regulars, who at that time were planning a get together around Mania 24 in Orlando, Florida. Having little by way of resources, I ended up hopping a 15-hour train ride down to the land of Disney and the good times immediately began. Though the pre-discussed "matches" never took place (at one point we were going to go in for a championship belt and declare the winner the LOP Wrestlemania Trip Champion, or something to that affect), it was a great time for the most part talking about the inner workings of LOP at that time and of course, all things wrestling. Despite nearly getting stranded at one hotel because of some poor coordination on my part (cYn still around? hehe), we all made it to Mania and even did a podcast the next night after watching Raw (think it hit about 8,000 views by the end of its run). It was great times, and the memories made the nearly 17-hour trip back easy to endure.
Since then, I've been keeping myself busy with my startup film production company and working full-time (now back to part-time) pushing shopping carts for the big worldwide chain Mr. Walton started up. But except for maybe a small period in late 2012, I've continued watching Raw every week and still consider myself as big a WWE fan now as I was then. Which leads into what this column will be all about...
My birthday is on April 3rd, so pretty much every year, I age right along with Wrestlemania. The kicker, though, is that we're the same age. Mania turns 29 this year, and I just celebrated my 29th as well. So, when Mania heads to the Big Easy next year for its 30th birthday, I will be there as well, celebrating the big 3-0 with the company I've been a fan of since the mid-90's.
The best part? I was born in New Orleans. If that's not destiny, I don't know what is.
So each column I write will be, in some form or fashion, a year-long countdown to this monumental occasion. I'll write about all things WWE; including RAW, pay-per-views, my fandom and history watching WWE, about my dreams to perhaps one day write for the top wrestling organization in the business, and lots more. So I hope you will enjoy these columns and hop on the train towards the event 30 years in the making - and maybe, I'll be seeing some of you there! ONWARD TO THE MEAT!
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#10 - The Izod Center crowd will be more amped than the post-Mania 28 crowd
Forget that it's New York or New Jersey. It's the night after Wrestlemania! And if last year was any indication, we should be in for an amazing three hours - if judging solely based on crowd participation. True - the post-Mania 28 crowd in Miami last year set the bar for crazy reactions, awesome chants, and during-the-match participation (remember Punk v Henry for the WWE Title?) and their deafening roar for the return of Brock Lesnar was probably the biggest pop of the past decade. But it's now one year later, and you're going to have the mix of a largely international, largely "smart" crowd mixing in with historically "homer" NY/NJ peeps. That right there is a recipe for pure awesomeness if you're watching at home. If you're going to be there - savor it and enjoy it. It's a rarer thing these days to be a part of such an experience, and with the continuing focus on making the product geared towards a younger audience, you might not have so many more opportunities to witness or be a part of a feeling that cannot be described. It's one thing to be among 75,000 people in an open-air stadium. It's actually quite another to be among 16-18,000 folks inside an arena who are all screaming at the top of their lungs. In any case, it should elevate the show as it did last year, and with WWE's propensity to add a little surprise or two on the show after Mania, who knows. Maybe there will be the opportunity for another Lesnar-type explosive reaction.
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#9 - Zack Ryder will appear to a decent reaction, only to be squashed by Bork Laser
The stage is set - some lower-card jobber will appear in the ring after a commercial break, and then it hits. WOO WOO WOO...YOU KNOW IT! A nice pop for the semi-hometown boy as Zack Ryder hits the ramp, fist pumping and getting the adoration from the masses. OMG! It looks like the WWE is going to give a little love to Ryder after "burying" their once-loved dog and pony show and not having him appear in a meaningful capacity at Mania 29. Just when it looks like the Rough Ryder is on its way, Lesnar's music hits (anyone get the "Laser" reference?) and he makes a bee-line for the ring. He puts Ryder down, F-5's the jobber, then gets Ryder up and plants him with a ferocious F-5. Heyman picks up a mic and reminds us all that just because Lesnar lost at Wrestlemania to the Game, he's not going away or fading off into the periphery. Perhaps this sets up a H/Lesnar rematch at Extreme Rules, where they could really plant some seeds for the rumored HBK/HHH retirement match at 30 (ie: blame HBK for Lesnar's loss, call out HBK, only to have H save his best friend, leading to HBK resenting him for not believing in Shawn's ability to fight his own battles). Either way, Ryder gets his TV time, at least.
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#8 - AJ Lee defeats Kaitlyn, becoming the new WWE Diva's Champion
Hometown girl makes good? What's not to like about that? Aside from Kaitlyn's somewhat auspicious run with the Diva's title (although honestly, who's really tuned in to the Diva's title picture these days?), this makes almost too much sense, especially if Ziggles and the E walk away from Mania 29 with the Tag Team championships. Not even factoring in the MITB option for Dolph, it paints a pretty good picture seeing a stable full of gold - not to mention AJ as champ would seem a lot more interesting in this day of generally bland Diva's content. The possibilities are endless here and gives the crowd another chance to be the smart marks they most likely will be, cheering on the victorious AJ and giving a hopeful breath of fresh air to the Diva's division.
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#7 - Antonio Cesaro proves why he should have been featured at Wrestlemania 29
Although late reports have surfaced that suggest a proposed Sin Cara vs Antonio Cesaro match at Mania 29 would have been featured if not for "botch" Cara's latest injury, it still doesn't make a ton of sense as to why this man is not going to be prominently featured in some way. That isn't to say that he assuredly won't be seen at all, as he may do something in the pre-show or in a segment during Mania itself. But I have to say that I've been more and more impressed with Cesaro over the past few months, and after watching a training video posted this week featuring his ridiculous workout regime, I'm coming around on why so many seem so high on this guy. He can flat out go in a crunch between the ropes and does well enough despite a few limitations based on his gimmick (how much longer will we be suffering from the "he's foreign so he must be a bad guy...those evil Swiss!" routine).
I can see him getting a US Title match on the Raw after Mania, and since I'm a betting man, I'm going to say no matter who he faces, if given a little more time than his usual Raw matches, Cesaro will show just why he's going to be a player for the foreseeable future.
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#6 - John Cena's reaction at the Izod Center will be beyond epic
Assuming that Cena's long awaited (yet never happening) heel turn doesn't take place at Mania 29, and assuming that Cena defeats The Rock for the WWE Championship, you can bet that the crowd on hand at the Izod Center is going to be foaming at the mouth in anticipation of Cena's appearance. Walking into that building with the new WWE Title will almost reckon back to the days of the ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view, in which Cena repeatedly was mocked, ridiculed, and verbally trashed. It will be interesting to see how bad it gets and how the production guys work around what could be a quite hostile and volatile bunch of New Yorkers and "smarts" from all over the world. Maybe I'm building this up a bit much, but on the surface at least, it has the makings of something highly memorable.
Remember when Lesnar returned last year and there wasn't even an effort to silence the "Holy Shit" chants? I wonder how well a few F-bombs will fit in should it occur. We might be hearing something recognizant of the days when Eric Bischoff edited out Kurt Angle's "You Suck" chants during his entrance. Either way...should be pretty epic.
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#5 - Mark Henry and Ryback will continue their feud, leading to #1 Contender match at Extreme Rules
Probably one of the more unheralded matchups on the Mania 29 card is Ryback v Mark Henry. A match pitting two huge behemoths is generally a staple at Wrestlemania and a lot of the time, that's where it ends. Not here, as both Henry and Ryback, especially, should have aims toward the WWE Championship. For Henry, it's a title he's never held and at this stage of his career, this might be his last real good shot at attaining the ultimate prize. Henry, when healthy, has been a workhorse for WWE and it seems that he's finally receiving the respect he deserves after being mostly a bit player in his 17-year career. He's a legitimate threat and would be a fresh matchup for John Cena, who is presumably going to be the champ again for the foreseeable future after Mania.
For Ryback, it's a tale of two directions. Storyline wise, he has a legitimate gripe over being screwed repeatedly in his quest to become WWE Champion. In losses to CM Punk, both The Shield and Brad Maddox have played their parts in thwarting the monstrous eating machine - and despite general prevailing thought that he's simply a carbon copy of another big muscular guy from the old WCW days, Ryback has done a pretty good job getting himself over with the live crowds. Personally, Ryback seems to be driven towards gold. In an interview with Peter Rosenberg recently (pretty enlightening interview - YouTube it) he described his goals and put it pretty succinctly that he feels he will be the #1 guy in WWE. As such, that means he's gunning for the WWE Title and could provide Cena a real threat in a potential face/face tilt similar to Cena/Lashley from 2007.
At any rate, these two guys seem to have the steam to make a feud go longer than a simple attraction match at Wrestlemania. Toss in a chase toward the WWE Championship, and you have a feud that could go at least another 6 weeks, if not longer.
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#4 - Jack Swagger will be "kicked to the curb" by Zeb Colter
Everyone knows it's coming, in one form or fashion. The only one hoping people forget is Jack Swagger, who unfortunately cost the WWE some bad publicity a couple months ago with an ill-timed run in with the law. The only question will be the severity of WWE's punishment after having invested so much into what most probably feel was to be a lengthy gimmick centered around the illegal immigration debate running wild through the country. But alas, creative didn't even really seem like they could get their teeth into what they wanted to content-wise, for fear of raising the profile of Swagger and gaining unwanted attention for his transgression.
I'm betting, though, that WWE isn't ready to pull the plug on Mr. Mantel himself, Zeb Colter. So why not have Zeb come out after Swags loses to Del Rio at Mania 29 and call out the All-American, slap him in the face, and tell him how disappointed "daddy" would be in his wayward son, who couldn't get the job done at Wrestlemania. Put down after put down, until the audience is almost a little piteous towards Jack. Until finally, Zeb demands that Swagger leave and instructs him not to come back until he "finds his way", or something to that affect. Hell - if they really want to go for the gusto, Zeb can introduce us all to a new man he's discovered that is more American than Swagger and has no problem doing the dirty work necessary to make our "country great again". My theory was always that Kofi Kingston would be perfect here - huge swerve, and would go exactly to the point that Colter is trying to make against the "evil aliens ruining our country" and clears him of any insinuations of "white supremacy". Bit of a reach on this last part, but look for some kind of indication here that Swags will be, at the very least, taking a 1-2 month vacation very soon.
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#3 - After losing the Tag Team Championships at Mania, Daniel Bryan finally turns on Kane
It's been oft discussed among the masses that it's only a matter of time before Daniel Bryan or Kane turn on each other and start what could be a hilarious, yet highly competitive feud - even moreso than their tag team run. The perfect time seems to be upon us, with Dolph and Big E taking on the dynamic duo at Mania 29. Regardless of the Dolph MITB briefcase (would be cool to see him as a Tag champ and World Champ), it would appear that this isn't just a random tossing together of a team to face Team Hell No. Big E seems to be in it for the long haul, and this would seem to put the early seeds into the eventual Ziggler face run that might be on the horizon. Now, using the Tag belts to simply sew discontent isn't necessarily the best way to cause a team to split. But it's been done countless times over the years, and to a man, what more can Team Hell No really hope to accomplish? A feud between Bryan and Kane has all the earmarks of something more than just a blowoff match, and could be a key upper mid-card battle for the ensuing months to come.
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#2 - CM Punk will not appear on the show
We all know CM Punk is due to receive some well-deserved time off in the days after Wrestlemania 29, but this writer doesn't really see why it should wait beyond the Raw after Mania. It's not that I think a couple extra days will make Punk that much more refreshed - it's simply that after doing the job to the Undertaker, what purpose would it serve for Punk to appear? Unless you're going to have Taker come out and put Punk in a body bag, he has no feud to further and there really isn't a clear cut way for him to fade away for a while - other than a decisive ending to his Mania match. If that happens, then that should be all that is needed for Punk to go away for a bit. This is probably the least likely "lock" of the ten listed, but what is he going to do? Come out and cut a whiny promo about how he lost at Mania, lost to the Rock twice, and is leaving the company after holding it up for 434 days as champion?
There's an aura about losing to Taker at Mania, and an opportunity to do it in a way so that no one would expect to see Punk for some time afterward. It's clear that he's not going to win and that he's due for a break, so why not make Mania that much more memorable and have him get "killed" in some form or fashion in the final moments of their match? To me, it seems to be the way to go. The Raw after doesn't really need Punk given his impending departure for a while anyway. And with all of the other potential storylines kicking up, continuing, or starting anew, the show should be fine sans Punk. I hope he enjoys his time away, and hopefully, he comes back better than ever.
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#1 - The Rock will challenge John Cena to a rubber match at Extreme Rules...
In a story that would, at least in my opinion, pretty much write itself, The Rock, after losing in some form or fashion to John Cena at Mania 29, comes out to the ring and issues a rematch for the WWE Title at the next PPV, Extreme Rules. Of course, John Cena will obviously accept and the match will be set. However, this is where the potential exists to get the talk aimed toward Wrestlemania 30 in a big way, and create a buzz that was similarly present with Rock's announcement in April 2011 that he would face Cena a year later at Mania 28.
With Mr. Johnson presumably getting ready for a summer of movie making and promotion (dude's got at least a half-dozen movies coming out this year - guy's a machine), most people would easily assume that Rock would lose the rubber match and basically ride off into the sunset, giving Cena another push towards the stratosphere (stratusphere?) and cementing his legacy as "The Man" of the PG Era and beyond. However, Rock's subtle hints in interviews that he's working on a "three-year plan" with WWE, coupled with the fact that a clean loss to Cena at ER would likely damage his legacy after rebuilding it quite well over the past couple of years, leads this writer to believe that a simple "job" to Cena is not quite in the cards.
Enter...Brock Lesnar. Regardless of whether or not the Beast takes the fall for HHH or defeats him, "sending him off into retirement" (riiiight), Lesnar's character really isn't predicated on wins and losses. Paul Heyman has even said, referring to Brock, that it's all about big matchups and making the most money possible with the least amount of work. Well then, what bigger "money matchup" exists out there today than a one on one tilt featuring The Rock and Brock Lesnar? It's poetry, and simple storytelling. Brock enters at ER and takes Rock out, leaving Cena the only option of pinning Rock and walking out the WWE Champion. Brock impedes on Rock's comeback story and interjects himself forceably, leaving Rock no choice but to eventually demand a shot at Lesnar at the biggest stage of all. I'd almost let the act itself of Brock taking Rock out hang a bit (a few weeks?) before anything is said about it. Leave Rock to do his movie thing and Brock to maybe prance around the issue in his select spots during the year. Either way, at some point it leads to the challenge being laid out, and we have ourselves a huge main event for the 30th anniversary of Wrestlemania - where Rock will likely and truly ride off into the sunset.
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Well folks, that's it for this edition of "Countdown to 30". I know it's a list column and on top of that, features a lot of predictions to boot. Well, it's a good one to ease back into things, at least. I put some effort into this as I didn't want to come across as anything but somewhat at the top of my game, despite my time away from it. So hopefully, it's well received and decently entertaining, if nothing else. I look forward to getting back into this and contributing more and more as the weeks progress. I'm one to often comment on other columnists as well - so I look forward to meeting and getting to know you fine folks, and see you next time!
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