Previewing The Summerslam 2017 Main Events

Speaking of lackluster feud development, how about that Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura feud? This is the WWE Championship match. The two don't even look like they are really feuding. This is terrible. The WWE should have put a lot more work into Nakamura.

Let me go back to another Summerslam title change. In 2004, Randy Orton defeated Chris Benoit for his first World title. I was a big Orton fan back then. I watched that PPV and was glad he won. Thing is, looking back, the feud development was not that great. Most would also say that Orton's reign flopped. There are many reasons why it was not better, including Triple H still being the centerpiece back then. Point is, many might argue Orton was not ready to be Champion back then. Keep in mind, however, that he did have a good run with the Intercontinental Championship prior to his bigger push. He also had a memorable feud with Mick Foley that included a great match that some might say helped him to break out.

What does Shinsuke Nakamura have to say for himself? Let's ignore NXT. Too much attention is often put on the WWE's developmental brand, which the general audience does not even watch. What has Nakamura done since coming to the main roster? No title reigns. His PPV performances and booking have not been that spectacular. He just doesn't look like a big deal. You can say his match with Cena a few weeks ago was supposed to be where he broke out. Even ignoring the terrible botch in that match and whose fault it was, it just didn't feel like that match accomplished what it was supposed to do. And there is a chance this guy might actually win the title this Sunday? It would be an even worse decision than Randy Orton in 2004.

Speaking of bad decisions when it comes to title wins, the alternative to Nakamura winning the title is Jinder Mahal retaining the title. I have seen fans get upset with the WWE having Mahal lose cleanly recently, and I'm not even talking Indian fans or Canadians. Why shouldn't Jinder Mahal lose cleanly to faces that are above him? He's a heel. He's a non-monster heel. There is no excuse not to have him lose now and then, especially cleanly. If that hurts his appeal and WWE Network subscriptions with certain demographics, so be it. It would have to happen eventually. That makes these kind of pushes even more questionable. They won't be sustained. And what happens then? The WWE is going to hope that the Mahal fans might get interested in something else, but when the whole product is so terrible and stars are not built and featured right, the WWE is still underachieving. And while the WWE is so busy pleasing these demographics, they are making bad decisions that turn away other fans.

This match is pretty much about appealing to Japanese and Indian fans. Who will win? Jinder Mahal to sell tickets for an Indian tour? Or Shinsuke Nakamura to help his merchandise sales? That seems to be the WWE's driving mentality these days. It sure isn't proper feud development and building stars properly. Jinder Mahal should retain the title. It could be by DQ or something like that.

Four big men will go at it for the Universal Championship. There was a time when smarks hated big men getting pushed so much. I don't see too many complaints for this feud. These fans love Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman, especially when he's killing Roman Reigns. And this is just a ripe situation for Brock Lesnar to drop the title. There is a good chance he will leave. Multi-man match, which means he does not have to be pinned. Which of the three challengers should get it?

Let me start with Braun Strowman. Since Summerslam last year, five men have won their first top title in the WWE. Finn Balor and Kevin Owens won the Universal Championship. AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt, and Jinder Mahal won the WWE Championship. The WWE definitely needs to slow down. The only reason for Strowman to win the title would be to drop it to Reigns, which might make storyline sense. Reigns has gotten knocked around by Strowman for a while now. Not only can Reigns finally get a decisive win against him, but he might win the title in the process.

Samoa Joe is another guy that stands a chance to win his first top title in the WWE. I am not counting NXT. Once again, I will say the WWE needs to slow down. This guy just debuted a few months ago. I have heard the rumors that certain people in the WWE want Samoa Joe to get the title. Smarks would love it. It was one thing for AJ Styles to win the WWE Championship in his first year on the main roster, but not every smark favorite needs to do that. Samoa Joe could do it at Summerslam, as well as Nakamura. Bobby Roode might be rushed to a title reign when he debuts. It is all disgusting.

As I have pointed out before, Roman Reigns has not held a top title in over a year. All he has had is a midcard title run. Also take into account his PPV losing streak. Even before Wrestlemania, his year was not that great. He lost twice at the Royal Rumble, once to Kevin Owens and then losing the Royal Rumble. This guy does not look like a centerpiece at all. If you are going to hype him like he is the centerpiece, it would make sense to push him as the centerpiece. If not, move on to someone else. If this weak treatment is not working in shutting up his haters, many of whom seem ignorant to the fact that he hasn't been pushed that hard in the last few months and for most of the past year, then stop doing it.

I do feel like a title change will happen. I would say it should be Roman Reigns. I am not a fan of the guy. But if you are going to push him as the centerpiece, he needs to get back on track. They are just damaging him, even if it is unintentional. There are some fans, usually kids, who will buy into the hype, even if the booking does not match the hype. But there are a lot of other fans that will hear the WWE talk about how great Roman Reigns is, see Reigns put himself over, see other wrestlers put him over, and then see the guy just lose every big match he has had in the last few months and not hold a top title in over a year. What are they going to say? That this guy is overrated. I wouldn't be too surprised if the WWE gives the title to someone else in the match and Reigns wins it down the line, but the WWE should just stop the poor booking now and put the title back on him.

Samoa Joe Vs. Roman Reigns: Who Faces Lesnar At Summerslam?

What do Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns have in common? Both are on Raw. Both are Samoan. Both are in a match tonight to decide who faces Brock Lesnar at Summerslam for the Universal Championship. And both lost their respective matches at Great Balls Of Fire.

And yet, here we are. Wins and losses obviously do not matter. I have seen some fans say that it would make more sense for Bray Wyatt to get the title shot, or at least an opportunity to win the title shot. He didn't lose at the last PPV. What about Finn Balor? He surrendered the title due to injury and never got his rematch. And yet, this is the match they are going with.

I am not going to pretend to be excited for this match or either man potentially facing Brock Lesnar. Samoa Joe had a solid showing against Lesnar. Some say he looked impressive. Don't forget that Lesnar was protected in that match to some degree. And Roman Reigns has been in the ring with Lesnar before. He has not beaten him. You know it is coming sooner or later. But Roman Reigns has not won a PPV match since Wrestlemania. Unless this booking is to imply The Undertaker put a curse on him, it might make it hard for some fans to buy into Roman Reigns right now.

But what is likely to happen is that Braun Strowman comes out for revenge against Roman Reigns tonight. Instead of this leading to Strowman/Reigns and Lesnar/Joe for Summerslam, the same matches you just had at the last PPV, all four guys will fight at Summerslam for the title. Strowman was obviously being built for a match with Lesnar. Some fans might argue Joe deserves another match. Roman Reigns obviously needs something to do, even with his PPV losing streak. Fatal fourway just makes sense.

Previewing The Great Balls Of Fire 2017 Main Event Matches

If Brock Lesnar was not gracing us with his presence, Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman would be the main event of this PPV. This is an Ambulance match. This feud has been going on and off all year. It got started at the Royal Rumble in January when Strowman cost Roman Reigns the Universal Championship. It took a break for Reigns to face The Undertaker. It took another break when Strowman was injured. This should be where it ends.

If the WWE still wants Strowman to face Lesnar, you might think that they let him win this match to get momentum. That is not necessary. AJ Styles lost to Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania last year and went on to become #1 contender for the WWE Championship. A PPV loss would not hurt Braun Strowman. Moreover, this being a gimmick match might give some room for a finish that still keeps Strowman strong in a loss. Remember when he had that Dumpster match with Kalisto? Strowman lost that match. Did it matter? No. Reigns, who has not won a PPV match in a while, is likely winning here.

Brock Lesnar finally defends the Universal Championship. Samoa Joe was obviously not meant to have this push a couple weeks ago. He still had unfinished business with Seth Rollins. Due to injuries back then, this is the title feud we are getting.

How has the WWE done in developing this guy that the mainstream casual audience just saw debut a couple months ago? Wrestling fans know who Joe is. But a lot of people don't. And he has not had the greatest few months prior to this push. He debuted before Wrestlemania and didn't even get on the card. He lost to Seth Rollins. All of a sudden, big push against Brock Lesnar for Raw's top title.

Not surprisingly, they have booked him as a beast. They have to if they want people to buy into this match. Some fans are loving it. It is not hard to please these kind of fans. It's just booking. It helps that Lesnar has also looked weak to put over Joe. I am not saying Samoa Joe does not have a "tough guy" presence, but how the WWE has presented him has really helped.

On the other side of that, I have seen fans say that Lesnar looks like a wussy. Some have used more colorful language than that. That is obviously a side effect of how the WWE has booked this feud. But could this hurt some of Lesnar's luster? I think it is possible to create a feud without one side having to look weak for the benefit of the other. Just have Lesnar and Joe spend a few weeks attacking anyone but each other. Joe can go after Heyman, like he has. Joe can also wrestle regularly and pick up wins against top guys, like he has. Lesnar can come in and F5 someone that tries to confront him, like Big Show. Joe and Lesnar can then have a face off, but not actually get physical yet. On the last Raw before the PPV, they finally brawl and have to be pulled apart or brawl to the back, leaving no clear winner to the fight. This way, Lesnar does not have to look too weak.

Should Samoa Joe win? I am not talking about whether he is likely to win. Does he deserve to win the title from Brock Lesnar here? No. All those fans in love with how he looks need to realize it is mainly thanks to booking. If I felt like Samoa Joe was really breaking into his own here as something special, I would say he does deserve to be the guy that beats Brock Lesnar. Unlike the last time Lesnar lost the title, there is no briefcase that is going to come into play here to save him from taking the pin or submission himself. The guy that ends this title reign might just get a big rub. Samoa Joe does not look like he deserves that.

Will Joe win? Probably not. This is not a main PPV. This is Lesnar's first title defense. Samoa Joe was just filling in for Strowman. Signs just point to Lesnar retaining.

Last thing to consider, the story of this match. Some fans are dreading that Samoa Joe will get squashed. Considering that Lesnar has helped Joe look strong in this feud, I don't think it will be the worst thing in the world. This should not be a match where Samoa Joe dominates for 99% of the match and Lesnar hits a desperation F5 for the win. That would just kill Lesnar's mystique. He's not exactly a grand draw for the WWE, but if they make him look that bad in this match, he just becomes like Ronda Rousey. He just won't be that big of a deal anymore. The match should last about 5 minutes. Let Joe look good to start out, but then have Lesnar bounce back with his usual stuff and win it.  

Samoa Joe Gets Shot Against Brock Lesnar

Samoa Joe ended up winning the title shot last Sunday. I did not even bring him up. When you think about it, though, it does make sense for him to face Brock Lesnar.

Braun Stowman was the guy they were grooming to face Lesnar. What is Braun Strowman? He was a destructive monster. He was tossing people around and looking extreme. He even beat Roman Reigns. The injury killed what they were building him up for.

Of the 5 men in that #1 contender's match on Sunday, who matches Strowman the best? Who was that destructive monster? Obviously not Finn Balor. Not Seth Rollins. Bray Wyatt is more of a heel that plays mind games. Roman Reigns may be a powerhouse, but he is not really a destructive monster. Besides, the WWE wouldn't waste this match so soon. Samoa Joe is that destructive force. They sell him as a destroyer. They sell him as the guy that took out Seth Rollins. They portray him as this intimidating force that beats people up. He is the best replacement for Braun Strowman, if the WWE wants to sell that same kind of story.

There were obviously other stories they could have gone with. I would have gone with Finn Balor finally getting his rematch for the title he never lost. Bray Wyatt and Lesnar have unfinished business. You can talk about the rest. But this is the story they are going with.

Samoa Joe will have to be protected in the weeks to come and made to look very strong. He will likely beat Roman Reigns in the weeks to come. It might even be a clean win. The same kind of push Strowman was getting, that is what you might expect for Samoa Joe. They have to sell him as a huge threat to Brock Lesnar.

Does this all mean that Samoa Joe will stand a fighting chance against Brock Lesnar? The WWE loves having Lesnar just mow people over. Rarely does Lesnar look bad, like when he faced Goldberg. Strowman was obviously someone they were building to feed to Lesnar. And Samoa Joe is just filling in for the injured Strowman. It would be easy to say Samoa Joe will be on the receiving end of a whole bunch of suplexes and an F5. Let's see how the WWE builds things.

Previewing The Extreme Rules 2017 Main Event

Let's start by talking about the elephant that's not in the room. That would be Brock Lesnar, the Universal Champion. I had high hopes when Lesnar won the WWE Championship a few years ago. That did not work out like I would have hoped. Lesnar winning the title again was not something I was too eager for. Right now, moreover, the WWE has the brand split back and in full force. That limits their overall roster for Raw. If that isn't bad enough, it only takes one bad injury to really mess things up. That is what the WWE got when Braun Strowman got injured. Life would just be a little bit easier if the top titleholder of the brand was someone that can show up regularly to help take up some time with feuds revolving around the title. This just seems like the dumbest situation for the WWE to have given Lesnar Raw's top title.

I noticed someone point out on a message board recently that there has been only one successful title defense of a World Championship in the WWE all year. That would be Kevin Owens retaining the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble. Hard to be believe, but true. We are now in the sixth month of the year and the belts have been going all over the place all year. We will have to wait a few more weeks for another successful title defense of a World Championship. That will likely be Jinder Mahal. Who would ever have believed that?

With no Universal Champion around, the main event is a 5-way Extreme Rules match for the #1 contendership. Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt. As I have brought up before, this match is in response to Braun Strowman getting injured. The WWE essentially combined Joe/Rollins and Balor/Wyatt, then tossed in Reigns.

I am still not impressed with the match type. Triple threat matches are no disqualification by default. Imagine if the WWE hyped a triple threat match as a "No DQ" triple threat match. Redundant. This multi-man match is already no disqualification. How "extreme" will it really get? And just in terms of drawing interest with a unique match type, this match isn't that unique. Could they have made it a ladder match? Too similar to Money in the Bank? I think this PPV would be an okay place for a ladder match. Elimination Tables Match? I'm sure there were things that were more interesting.

As for the winner, I see some wanting Roman Reigns to win just so the WWE can get Reigns vs. Lesnar out of the way. It doesn't work like that. Even if they wanted Reigns to win this and face Lesnar now, that will not stop them from doing a rematch down the road. But I don't think Reigns wins here.

Rumors are saying Finn Balor and I'm going Finn Balor. It just seems fitting for the guy that never lost the title to get the first title shot. Does that ruin the feud between Balor and Wyatt? Considering their gimmicks, that could have been an interesting feud. But the WWE can always get back to it after Balor/Lesnar.

On Braun Strowman's Injury

Another injury to talk about. This time, it's Braun Strowman. It seems his injury is legit and he could miss up to two months.

Braun Strowman was getting a monster push for the last few months. Some fans have said he was the best part of Raw, although ratings haven't exactly been rising these last few weeks. But was all that work to build him to put over Roman Reigns? Or Brock Lesnar?

Before looking down the road, what is lost right now? Braun Strowman is someone I would consider an upper-midcarder. Yes, he was main-eventing a bit in recent weeks, but he doesn't feel like a long-term main-eventer, so I call him an upper-midcarder. Whatever you want to call him, I don't think his loss for a few months would hurt the depth too badly. Raw has a ton of guys they can push as main-eventers, and raiding Smackdown of some of their stars last month helped. They have Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Miz, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, and a few other guys that can be promoted to a bigger push rather easily, like Sheamus or one of The Hardys. It probably won't even come to pushing Sheamus as a top heel prior to Strowman coming back. This is not an emergency situation right now.

Now, look down the road. A collision between Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman just seemed likely. It can still happen down the line, but what does Lesnar do for his first title defense in a few months? Strowman will likely not be back in time for it to make it a proper feud. This seems like a bigger issue than the main-event depth losing Strowman. It is too soon for Reigns to once again go against Lesnar. The WWE would save that for a bigger PPV. Of course, since this is a throwaway PPV, the WWE might just get lazy with it and do whatever. Pick any of the other guys I recently mentioned and toss them against Lesnar. Dean Ambrose? Finn Balor? Bray Wyatt and Lesnar have unfinished business. Still a few options to go with and lots of time to plan. It will be interesting to see what the WWE chooses to do.

Aside from Lesnar, you have to wonder what Roman Reigns will do. He was feuding with Strowman right now. That feud was certainly not over. Maybe the WWE should have just had him stay away for a little while longer and come back to start a fresh feud. Instead, the WWE had Reigns and Strowman go at it again on Raw this week. Strowman should probably not try to work through the injury for a hardcore-style match that this feud was obviously leading to, likely an Ambulance Match. You have to wonder if all the stunts they are having him do might be a little responsible for his injury issues. In any case, Roman Reigns is in an even worse position than Brock Lesnar. The WWE has less time to react for him before the next Raw PPV he will likely be performing at.

Looking Back At Goldberg's Title Run

Goldberg did indeed lose the Universal Championship to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania. Now that it is over, was the push really worth it?

Goldberg returned last year for Survivor Series to squash Brock Lesnar. After that, he announced his intentions to be Champion again and entered the Royal Rumble to get a title shot. He lost that. He then showed up on Raw to accept another match with Lesnar, and also get a title shot from Kevin Owens. Wins and losses obviously don't matter. Goldberg lost the Royal Rumble match and just gets a title shot. Anyway, he did win the title. His continued feud with Lesnar now became a title feud. We all know what happened at Wrestlemania.

First thing to look at, ratings. Ratings were terribly flat this Wrestlemania season. Can you put all the blame on Goldberg? No, but what is the point of putting the belt on this part-timer, not to mention everything else they did with him, if you don't expect him to draw. I know some reports want to claim ratings were bad because the WWE did not advertise The Undertaker being there on Raw a few weeks. No, that is not an excuse. This is Wrestlemania season. Fans are supposed to expect surprises and legends popping up. Big things happen. Big storyline development happens. And that is the issue. The WWE has done a terrible job creating that kind of atmosphere, especially for Raw. Is it a surprise if the WWE tells you exactly when The Undertaker or The Rock will show up every time? No. I don't blame them for not advertising when legends will show up all the time. I blame them for not doing a better job making things fun and exciting.

The other thing to consider is WWE Network subscriptions. I haven't seen any numbers yet. But you can at least look at numbers for the prior few months with Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble. Those few months obviously featured Goldberg. Once again, I would say numbers were a little flat. The subscription pattern has already entered a seasonal roller coaster, much like you see with ratings. It is no longer steady growth every quarter. Goldberg's return has not been a massive success to draw big in this regard, either.

What are some of the reasons why Goldberg's return underachieved? I would say having him continue to feud with Brock Lesnar so much didn't help. Lesnar is another big part-timer that has lost his luster. Beyond that, people just want fresh feuds. This feud should have ended for good at Survivor Series. Create something fresh for Goldberg after that.

I remember watching the closing segment last week between Goldberg and Lesnar. The crowd reactions were weak. Yes, there were "Goldberg!" and "Suplex City!" chants, but they were not as huge as it should have been. Just because something is getting a reaction does not mean it is getting a great reaction. You would expect better for guys treated like Lesnar and Goldberg are.

Aside from having to work with Lesnar all this time, another issue is Goldberg just not showing up for a number of weeks. That is what you expect from a part-timer, but I would say it might have contributed to the poor ratings. What is the point of making him Universal Champion if his reign isn't going to be long and fans won't see him regularly on the show during that short reign? There were just some nights where it seemed like Raw didn't have a main-event Champion. The WWE did not create a draw here.

Was it worth it? Considering all the other sloppiness that went on this Wrestlemania season, I don't think so. The WWE just failed to create something with Goldberg that was a legitimate draw. They might have been better off creating another feud for the Universal Championship. Keep both Goldberg and Lesnar out. You now have another part-timer getting a title reign he does not need. One bad situation may have led to an even worse situation.

Wrestlemania 33 Preview: Part 4

It is Wrestlemania season and one of the World title matches I am talking about is Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt. I was a fan of this feud when it first started last year, but I never thought this would be a WWE Championship feud back then. Needless to say, this feud has had some issues.

Let me start with issues I have seen other fans bring up recently. First, Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton have not really interacted physically in the last few weeks with each other. It is obviously nothing wrong in terms of injury. Both men have had matches. The WWE has just kept them apart. Personally, it does not bother me. There are some feuds where you want to keep the guys away from each other to make their PPV encounter feel more special. I don't think this is the kind of feud that needs that, but there is that idea. Nevertheless, I can understand if some fans are irked by this. This whole feud has strayed from the norm these days, and people tend to have mixed feelings when that kind of thing happens.

Another issue I have seen some fans bring up is that the feud has become too much about Sister Abigail and not enough about the WWE Championship. And that goes back to a point I have made before, this feud did not need the WWE Championship and Royal Rumble victory involved. There was enough there to make it good. Even with the questionable storyline development it has gotten, it was still a good elaborate storyline. This is the stuff elaborate storylines are made of. Unique segments. Character development. Use of supporting players. And it has obviously been given a lot of time to develop. Again, the development could have been handled better, but it was good enough to not need a title.

Don't get me wrong, there are some good feuds that can also involve a title even when not necessary. Look at Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens. There is a good feud. Jericho and Owens were friends. Jericho helped Owens retain his title numerous times. But Owens turns on Jericho. Solid betrayal storyline. The United States Championship was not needed in this feud, but I am not complaining that it's there.

Go to TNA last year. Look at the feud between Matt & Jeff Hardy. I wouldn't have hated it if the TNA Championship was involved in that feud. It was the biggest thing TNA had going. The characters and segments were a success. TNA didn't really have anything else that great going on. But they chose to spread things around by letting other guys fight for the top title, and I can respect that decision. Matt vs. Jeff did not absolutely need the title.

Why do I not respect the WWE's decision to include the WWE Championship in Smackdown's most elaborate feud going right now? Because, unlike TNA last  year, there are other men and other feuds that could have used that title that the Wyatt/Orton feud does not need that badly. John Cena is stuck in a position that is beneath him. AJ Styles is stuck in a position many fans dislike. Dean Ambrose is in a midcard feud. These are all guys that were WWE Champion in the last few months that Bray/Orton has been building. They now find themselves in feuds that were thrown together in the last two months or less. Dolph Ziggler looked like he was on fire a few months ago, and is now in a battle royal on the pre-show. Miz looked like he regained his main-event form, only to be put in this feud with Cena that looks like it will do more for Nikki Bella than anyone else. The WWE very much could have put together better feuds for the Smackdown roster.

Regardless of all the issues, here we are. Who wins? The Royal Rumble winner has not been successful at Wrestlemania in recent years. Triple H won the Royal Rumble, and the title, last year and lost at Wrestlemania. Roman Reigns won the Royal Rumble and lost at Wrestlemania the year before that. The year before that was the Batista fiasco. I think the tradition continues. I don't feel Orton wins this match, even if it is so close to his birthday. Bray Wyatt retains.

Speaking of feuds that don't need a title, Goldberg defends the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar. Letting Goldberg win the title is one thing. But did they really need to continue this feud? The guy is old and obviously cannot go like he used to. With what few matches they could get out of him, they should have built a fresh feud for him. His feud with Kevin Owens was hardly even a real feud. It was overshadowed by Goldberg/Lesnar and Owens/Jericho. The feud was really just used to develop these other feuds. Goldberg/Lesnar should have just ended for good at Survivor Series last year.

Unless some change of heart happens, it seems Brock Lesnar is winning the title. Even disregarding reports, what's the point of continuing this feud if Goldberg keeps beating Lesnar? But what has Brock Lesnar done since his last title win to deserve another? Get caught using illegal substances? Give Randy Orton a concussion? Nothing? Yeah, that's the one. And this will be the first time since the WWE started embracing part-timers so much that a top title will go from one part-timer to another. That is a terrible thing. Is this going to become a habit? I would probably be less against it if it was The Undertaker winning the title from Goldberg. I do not consider myself a fan of Taker, but it would be nice if he had gotten one more title run. But Lesnar? Not this again.

The story of this match is also an issue. Reports are claiming this will be a squash match. It seems kind of ridiculous for Lesnar to just squash Goldberg and end things there, but given that Goldberg doesn't look like he can handle a long match, I am not doubting the possibility this happens. Still, I feel like the WWE might pull some swerve to protect Goldberg. He won't just walk into an F5 and lose.

Previewing The Fastlane 2017 Main Event

I was going to title this "Should Kevin Owens Get Squashed?" What else was there to really talk about with this match? It just seemed obvious what the outcome would be. Kevin Owens does not need the Universal Championship for his feud with Chris Jericho, who still holds the United States Championship. The WWE loves giving big names that are coming back as part-timers title reigns. Goldberg vs. Lesnar might be better if something more was on the line than just Lesnar trying to finally beat Goldberg. Fans were just anticipating Goldberg getting the title. Even without bringing up dirtsheet reports, it just seemed obvious that Goldberg wins. Now that there is more speculation about a possible finish that might lead to Owens retaining, I have to bring that up.

But let me start with the original question I brought up. Should Owens get squashed? Why even ask such a thing? Because Goldberg's last singles match was him squashing Brock Lesnar, a guy that no one expects to get squashed. After something like that, you just expect to see Goldberg run over basically anyone else, and that includes Kevin Owens. It would just look weird to see a competitive match between Goldberg and Owens.

Of course, they could give Owens some time to put up a fight. Maybe not for his own benefit. They might expose some weakness in Goldberg to make him look more human for his rematch with Lesnar. Fans have already seen Goldberg get the best of Lesnar multiple times, including the squash I brought up. Maybe the WWE might feel fans won't be as interested as they were the last time these two wrestled each other at Survivor Series. Adding the title is one thing, but they might lower Goldberg's power level a bit to make people think Lesnar vs. Goldberg III will be competitive.

Looking at both arguments, I say the former option is the best. Let Goldberg squash Owens. Keep him strong. Make it look like Lesnar has a real challenge in front of him. Too many of Lesnar's matches since he came back as a part-timer have been him just dominating. A lot of fans want to see something else. This could be the best singles match Lesnar has had in a while. And it would help the feel of this feud even more if Goldberg was kept strong heading into it.

Or will Goldberg even have the Universal Championship? There is speculation and rumors that the WWE might officially make Triple H, Kevin Owens, and Samoa Joe a stable at Fastlane. I brought up the possibility of this stable recently. The group could screw Goldberg out of the title. I just think now is not the time to do that.

So many of the feuds for this Wrestlemania season have just been developed poorly. I could just run down the list, but it would take me an hour. You have Triple H not showing up for months and Seth Rollins getting injured hurting that feud. You have the WWE getting way too fancy in the feud between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt. You have John Cena stuck in a feud with Miz that was just thrown together a month before Wrestlemania.

Even this feud with Goldberg and Lesnar is not something I would have done. Even then, it could have been handled better. Goldberg comes out after beating Lesnar at Survivor Series and says he's coming after the Universal Championship and entering the Royal Rumble to get there. The WWE once again proves that wins and losses don't matter. Goldberg loses the Rumble, shows up on Raw to accept Lesnar's challenge, and then gets a title shot against Owens, anyway. He doesn't even need to win a #1 contender's match. The WWE could have done better to build an epic feud. And if the title is not involved in Goldberg vs. Lesnar, that might hurt this feud even more.

Of course, there is a counterargument. If Goldberg wins the title and loses it to Lesnar, does Goldberg get a rematch? The Rock didn't get a rematch at the WWE Championship after losing it to Cena a few years ago. And if Goldberg does get a rematch, and likely loses, guess what? They're tied! Both Goldberg and Lesnar would have beaten each other twice. Doesn't that call for another match? Enough is enough with this feud. Both of these guys should be having fresh feuds with new people. They are still in a rivalry that started over ten years ago.

All that out of the way, who wins and how? I will say Goldberg wins and it is a squash. Save the shenanigans for after Fastlane. What about Jericho? What about Triple H? What about Owens getting a rematch? If the WWE does do some stupid booking, well, they boxed themselves into that corner.

Lesnar Still Wants Goldberg

Neither Goldberg nor Lesnar won the Royal Rumble this year. But Goldberg did once again make Lesnar look bad during the Royal Rumble match. That led to Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman showing up on Raw to challenge Goldberg for another match at Wrestlemania.

I am going to repeat one of my criticisms for continuing this feud. I have seen other fans bring it up now in response to the WWE still going with this. So what if Lesnar finally beats Goldberg? Goldberg still has a winning record over Lesnar. Wouldn't that still irritate Lesnar? Shouldn't it irritate Lesnar? This isn't a rubber match, which are usually more intriguing.

The dirtsheet rumored plans involved Goldberg winning the Universal Championship at Fastlane and dropping it to Lesnar at Wrestlemania. I don't know how that looks now. Kevin Owens still looks involved with Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. Strowman had a title match on Raw this week. That ended by disqualification when Reigns interfered, paying him back for costing him the title the previous night. Reigns then speared Owens. Strowman still has an argument for deserving a title shot. Reigns left his mark on Owens. A triple threat just makes sense right now. If the WWE does go in the direction of Owens vs. Goldberg, I'll talk about that.

I will say one good thing about what they are doing. They are actually developing a storyline for a Lesnar feud. A lot of Lesnar's feuds have just been an opponent popping up and Lesnar having a feud with him. That's how his feud with Randy Orton went. That's how his feud with Goldberg even started. The challenge was laid down and the feud just started. But now there is an actual storyline to prolong the feud. Can Lesnar beat Goldberg?

Overall, however, this Wrestlemania season is shaping up to be pretty flat. I already talked about the Royal Rumble this year not being that great. You have the saga between Triple H and Seth Rollins, which I will talk about next time. Does the Undertaker really have an epic opponent in front of him this year? You don't have anyone as hot as Daniel Bryan has sometimes been at this time of year. The WWE might need to raise the heat somehow.

Next week on Raw, Goldberg will respond to Lesnar. Is that where they might raise the heat? Don't just let Goldberg come out there and just say that he accepts Lesnar's challenge. No need to set up a feud with Kevin Owens. But find some way to add something more to this feud with Brock Lesnar. I would rather Goldberg feud with someone new, but if this feud has to continue, so be it. Why not have Goldberg say that Lesnar and Heyman have to make it worth his while to face Lesnar again? Lesnar can then put his career on the line. Yes, it is only a part-time career, but the WWE has done this kind of thing before. How about making this match a #1 contender's match? Can The Undertaker be thrown in? These three were in the ring together on Raw last week. That got a lot of fans excited. I hate triple threats where nothing is on the line. Again, how about a title shot being on the line? Whatever they do, this cannot just be a typical continuation of this feud. It can lose steam real fast.

Previewing The 2017 Royal Rumble Match

This is one of the most unpredictable Royal Rumble matches in a while. Last year, Roman Reigns had to defend the WWE Championship in the Royal Rumble match. He had destroyed Triple H a while before that. It was obvious what feud was coming. And the WWE went the predictable route of Triple H winning the 2016 Royal Rumble. The year before that, the WWE was showing signs of giving Roman Reigns the big push. People could see it coming, and the WWE did what they expected. Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble. And in 2014, Batista made his triumphant return. We all know how that turned out.

One of the reasons the 2017 Royal Rumble match is more unpredictable than the last three years is that the WWE is back to having two top titles. Even if you want to argue that the WWE is telegraphing what the Wrestlemania title match will be for one brand, what about the other brand? There are now two Wrestlemania title matches to build, and which one will involve the Royal Rumble winner this Sunday?

Even before Raw ended this week with Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, and The Undertaker in the ring, I was going to say that these three look like the "Big 3" right now. I am not just talking about their size. These are the top part-timers being featured right now that will be in the Royal Rumble match. These were three names I just had to look at.

I'll start with Lesnar. He is probably the least likely to win the Royal Rumble match of the three. Do they really want to do Reigns vs. Lesnar again? That sounds like something they might want to do, but I don't see them doing it here.

Goldberg is pretty likely to get a title match. He just returned to the WWE a few months ago. Promotions typically like to give titles to people that have some hype around them. TNA (Impact Wrestling) usually gives former WWE guys title reigns when they come over. Even independent promotions have been known to put titles on former WWE guys. They have that notoriety. While Goldberg is still hot and the WWE doesn't look interested in booking him as poorly as they did Sting, I wouldn't be surprised if he wins the Royal Rumble and headlines Wrestlemania.

And then there is The Undertaker. He doesn't have many years left and one more title reign before he does retire would be fitting. I could see him facing John Cena at Wrestlemania for the WWE Championship. But does he need the Royal Rumble victory to get this match?

The problem with these three guys is that they are all part-timers. What about the guys on the full-time roster? I should at least mention a few names. I'll go with Seth Rollins for Raw and Miz for Smackdown.

I have seen some fans say that the WWE will pull some kind of swerve and Seth Rollins will find himself in the Royal Rumble match and win it. He has shown an obsession with title matches. Even more than being worried about Triple H. More than likely, Seth Rollins will find some way to get into the Royal Rumble match, but then Triple H will screw him out of it. Or maybe Stephanie will screw Rollins, cause him to go crazy, and Triple H will have to come back to protect his wife. Either way, I don't see Seth Rollins winning this Royal Rumble.

Why bring up The Miz? After that promo he gave against Daniel Bryan a few months ago, his value rose. People were expecting big things with him. Nothing really happened. The time just wasn't right. Is the time right now? A Royal Rumble victory would be huge for him. If AJ Styles ends up turning face in the near future, the WWE will need a top heel. Miz could be groomed to take that place.

Of the names I brought up, I am going to go with The Undertaker winning the Royal Rumble. He should get one more title win before he retires and a Royal Rumble win would just be a classic way to set up his final title win at Wrestlemania. As for Goldberg, he could find some other way into the title picture on Raw. The Undertaker will go after Smackdown's title.

Let me go back to that segment on Raw I mentioned. I noticed the fans were pretty flat for most of it. Maybe they were wondering why Goldberg's head was bleeding. The Undertaker appearing got a nice pop.

Point is, the ring contained the WWE's top 3 part-timers that will be in the Royal Rumble. They are not paid what they are paid and pushed and hyped the way they are pushed and hyped just to get a great reaction from the crowd. These guys are counted on to be draws. Short of putting The Rock in the Royal Rumble, the WWE has put together a big Royal Rumble match this year. Looking at certain indicators, I would say they are underachieving.

Start with ratings. It is bad enough that Raw has not seen a great ratings boost. This week's Raw, the last Raw heading into a big PPV, only say about 20,000 more viewers from the previous week, averaging 3,292,000. With so many big guns being pulled out, you should expect better.

Look at the Royal Rumble itself. It is still not sold out. I remember a time when WWE PPVs would sell out so quickly it would leave me shocked. These days, WWE PPVs, even the big ones, can't get sold out two days before the event, and that is leaving me shocked. The Royal Rumble is one of the WWE's biggest PPVs. It features 3 big part-timers. It also features guys like John Cena and AJ Styles. And it still has a lot of floor seats available. It isn't like they have 100,000 seats to fill.

I am not saying they should fire Goldberg, Lesnar, and Taker. But relying on them obviously is not getting the job done. Ratings are not great. The WWE is struggling to sell tickets. You can't say no one goes to any events anymore. I mentioned in the past that ratings for the NFL were down this past season. Looking at a chart, I noticed attendance actually improved this same past season, so it isn't that people stopped caring. What does the WWE do when they're draws stop being draws?

Should Goldberg Vs. Lesnar Happen Again At Wrestlemania This Year?

Goldberg and Brock Lesnar have faced each other twice over the years. Goldberg won both of those matches, including a squash match at Survivor Series last year. Goldberg is sticking around for a few more matches. I see a lot of fans booking what they would like to see at Wrestlemania this year, or expect to see, and Goldberg vs. Lesnar is popping up a lot on their cards.

Why should the WWE do this match again? That is not a rhetorical question. I do love busting out rhetorical questions. But why should they do it? Even if Lesnar wins this encounter, Goldberg still beat him more times. Wouldn't Lesnar still be upset about that, which would warrant even more matches just between these two? If the WWE had let Lesnar win at Survivor Series, then the rubber match would have been so obvious. The WWE would have to do it. That is not the situation you have here. Why do fans still want to see these two again? And especially so soon?

The WWE should take the opportunity to create some fresh matches for Goldberg. One of the problems with Brock Lesnar since he came back as a part-timer is that it took him a while to feud with any fresh full-time talent. He feuded with John Cena, someone he had faced before during his first run. He faced Triple H a few times. Triple H was a part-timer by this point. He finally then went to CM Punk. And when the WWE has let him go against fresh talent he had never faced before, they often let him look too strong. They protected him too much. They even protected him in matches against people like The Undertaker. That loss to Goldberg was the worst loss he has taken in a long while. Point is, Brock Lesnar matches just no longer became something for me to get excited over. I think a lot of other viewers feel the same way.

Why make that mistake with Goldberg? While he is still fresh and booking hasn't ruined him, put him against someone he has never faced yet. There is potential for a lot of fresh exchanges with him in the Royal Rumble, but when you talk about Wrestlemania this year, create a fresh feud for him. A title does not have to be on the line. Or it could. It can go either way. As far as opponents go, Goldberg has never feuded against John Cena, Roman Reigns, The Undertaker, Braun Strowman, and a ton of other guys that have momentum right now. Some of these matches are obviously not likely, but there is potential for a fresh feud against someone that could put up a fight against Goldberg.

The argument for Lesnar vs. Goldberg III would be that Lesnar needs momentum back. First of all, he can get his momentum back by crushing anyone else. As I said, that loss to Goldberg was the worst he has had in a long while, but avenging it won't make a difference. And that is the other reason I feel he doesn't need the win back. It won't make a difference. What has Lesnar being so protected really done for the WWE? Ratings are going down. There have been some quarters where the subscription count for the WWE Network has dropped. The WWE has paced Lesnar out during that time and the count is still not consistently growing every quarter. Why the need to protect him so much? I would just move on to fresh feuds.

Goldberg Still Dominant

When I previewed Bill Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar for Survivor Series recently, I said a poor performance would hurt Goldberg more than a loss. Well, he won. And he also didn't have a poor performance. He dominated.

For the last few years, Brock Lesnar has never taken a decisive loss. He has not been pinned or made to submit. He lost some triple-threat matches where he was not pinned. He lost the Royal Rumble. He had that loss to The Undertaker last year with that crappy ending. He had been very protected. And the rationale for keeping him so strong for so long has always been that the person that finally gets that decisive win against him would get a great rub. Even I probably bought into that idea. I can't remember. Point is, starting with when he ended The Undertaker's Wrestlemania streak and dominated Cena to win the WWE Championship, Lesnar just started to get annoying with how he was booked. Obviously, the WWE deserves the blame for that.

But having Goldberg be the guy to crush Lesnar? I am not talking about just beating Lesnar. That's one thing. Goldberg was made to look like he truly is now the guy to beat. Lesnar passed the torch onto a part-timer that's even older than he is. I would have rather the rub go to a full-timer. And possibly a guy a little younger than Lesnar, who is nearing 40.

Does this hurt Lesnar's own mystique? Not a lot of guys can say they have beaten Brock Lesnar. Goldberg was one of them even before Survivor Series. It's not like Lesnar lost to someone beneath him. Lesnar can look dominant again very easily, but I would say that he does lose something from how he was beaten at Survivor Series.

But the man that gained from that rub is still around. Goldberg will be in the Royal Rumble. Still another 2 months before I get around to previewing that. Until then, does this win add to Goldberg's mystique? Definitely. As I said, he is now being made to look like he is the guy to beat. Will the WWE let someone truly deserving get that big win against Goldberg? Or will they make the kind of mistake they just made with Lesnar and hand it off to another old part-timer? What's wrong with that? How about using these guys to actually build the younger guys to be big stars that may one day be looked at to be draws, even part-time draws? The WWE is relying on guys that were big deals over a decade ago to still carry them today. And they are doing a poor job creating new stars. Let's see how Goldberg is used.

Survivor Series 2016 Preview: Part 4

Goldberg vs. Lesnar is the big match of this year's Survivor Series. The return of Goldberg has given Raw's ratings a bit of a boost. It will surely have some kind of impact on WWE Network subscriptions. But will it be what some people expect it to be? These two went at it over a decade ago. Goldberg won. What can people expect this time?

Goldberg's health has to be an issue. He is not as young as he used to be. He had surgery this year. For whatever his word is worth, he said he was banged up just from what happened on Raw this week. He can get really hurt in this match with Brock Lesnar.

That would obviously influence match quality. Fans shredded the match these two had years ago. Part of that was obviously due to both being on their way out. This time around, both are more beloved. But if the match turns sloppy, for whatever reason, fans might dump on this match again. If these guys don't put some effort in it, this match will once again get shredded. Fans have to realize that Goldberg might not be able to be that guy he was in WCW and when he first came to the WWE. Don't expect too much. This will likely not be the best match of the night.

As for who wins, I would go with Lesnar. Yes, Goldberg just returned. I would like to see him remain undefeated against Lesnar. But I don't think he is what he once was. A guy like him beating Lesnar would just make Lesnar look bad. And the WWE loves protecting Lesnar these days.

There is talk that Goldberg might work another match after Survivor Series. I don't think a loss would hurt his worth as much as a terrible performance might. If he looks sloppy or very human out there, that might ruin his mystique. He won't continue to be the draw he could be.

Does Smackdown Need More Authority Drama?

The Authority was a stable that many fans felt ran its course years ago. It just kept going. You had Triple H and his long speeches. You had Stephanie McMahon slapping everyone around and never getting her true comeuppance. Even though the stable is dead, Stephanie and Triple H are still very much involved in Raw storylines.

Smackdown has been a little different. There is no authority stable. The only storylines Daniel Bryan has been involved in, beyond just making matches, have involved him getting knocked verbally by other wrestlers, mainly The Miz. But that never really led to anything. It is a little refreshing to have that change compared to The Authority being involved so much in the big storylines like they were for years.

But could the WWE do more? There is definitely potential. Shane McMahon got attacked by Brock Lesnar at Summerslam. That looked like it might lead to something. Shane McMahon, obviously, is not afraid to still get in the ring. Even if he was not going to wrestle Lesnar just yet, or ever, they still could have used this for a storyline. How about Shane decides to bring in Goldberg to handle Lesnar for him? The way the WWE handled the creation of the feud between and Goldberg and Lesnar was a little mediocre. They just took advantage of their ESPN connection to start a storyline. What I do like is that Goldberg made himself sound like he was the good guy, the superhero, out to stop Lesnar. It is better than making this match feel like it was just thrown together, like Lesnar vs. Orton. Nevertheless, the WWE could have unlocked a lot more storyline potential that might have helped Smackdown to get some of the rub from Goldberg vs. Lesnar II.

Should the WWE do more with Smackdown's authority figures? It can help create more drama. The WWE just has to not make the mistake of going too far with it. They have to know when to cut it off and just ease up. They might get Shane and Danial Bryan more involved in storylines around Wrestlemania next year. Since Smackdown is only two hours, it might be a bad decision to really have authority figures take up too much time. If Smackdown does get an extra hour, however, utilizing the authority figures more might be a good idea.

Goldberg Returns

Goldberg returned to Raw last night. He will be facing Brock Lesnar. It is no real shocker. The WWE had been teasing it for the last few weeks. These two, of course, had an infamous match at Wrestlemania in 2004.

Let me start by talking about the potential quality of this match. Match quality obviously doesn't matter too much. The WWE is just relying on hype for this match to sell tickets and get more subscribers. Nevertheless, it could be interesting to see what happens here. Brock Lesnar has been pushed as too much of an unstoppable force for a while now. Some of his matches have just become stupid due to the WWE either trying to protect him or trying to sell him as so dominant. Goldberg, on the other hand, is not the man he used to be. He just had surgery this year. He might not be able to do some of the things fans might like to see. Does that mean the WWE just has Lesnar dominate like he usually does? Goldberg beat Lesnar already. To just have Lesnar dominate here would be disappointing. Nevertheless, they can't do the same thing they did at Wrestlemania over a decade ago. Fans did not appreciate it too much, to say the least.

How about the WWE once again relying on part-timers to sell big PPVs and help them make money? This time, it's part-timer vs. part-timer. The WWE doesn't have faith in their full-time roster. And they shouldn't. The WWE has just done a terrible job with them. I once said that the only former talent the WWE should bring back are big names that could give them a boost. The WWE has obviously not done that, bringing back the likes of Jinder Mahal. But Goldberg does fit the profile. Nevertheless, the WWE should stop looking for easy answers and start doing a better job building new stars. Goldberg is almost 50. How many guys currently used full-time can you imagine coming back when they are 50 and really drawing for the WWE? These guys have enough trouble drawing in a consistent audience now. Shift focus to the talent under 40.

Previewing The Summerslam 2016 Main Event Matches

Dean Ambrose defends the WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler. This is face vs. face, but with some heelish tension involved. Who wins the title? Will anyone turn heel?

It is a little sad to see Dolph Ziggler like this. This guy used to be pretty popular at one time. I wouldn't say A+ overness. It wouldn't go away that easily if he was that over. But it does feel like some fans have just gotten tired of him. Moreover, this feud doesn't feel as great as it could have. The WWE might have overestimated Ziggler's appeal right now. Yes, the guy used to be hot, but treating him with such mediocrity over the last year or two has hurt his appeal. The WWE might have expected this feud to be something more. I have seen some fans compare it to Orton/Christian. Fans were really into Christian and people were upset when he was treated so poorly on Smackdown in that title feud. In this title feud, Ziggler is somewhat in the role of Christian. Solid worker that has never gotten a proper main-event push. Feuding against a popular face that has the title. But I don't see as many fans being as into it in the same way they were Orton/Christian. Nevertheless, that is the comparison I saw brought up elsewhere that I wanted to bring up.

Will anyone turn heel? If anyone turns, it will likely be Ziggler. If he does turn heel, like Christian did in that example I brought up, the WWE might also make this an extended feud, much like they did Christian/Orton. I don't think most wrestling fans would be excited for that. You have heel AJ Styles right there on Smackdown. I am sure fans would love to see him move on to a feud with Dean Ambrose for the WWE Championship. But the WWE might not end Cena vs. Styles at Summerslam. Bray Wyatt might feud with Orton. Alberto Del Rio won't be seen for a while. I doubt Kane gets a title shot. When you run through the likely possibilities, it just seems like the WWE will continue the feud between Ziggler and Ambrose. And if that happens, someone will pretty much eventually be turning heel. And that would be Ziggler.

Who wins at Summerslam? Dean Ambrose's title reign is still young. The fact that he is still holding it surprises me. I doubt he loses it to Ziggler here, unless they have Ziggler cheat to win to sell the heel turn and Ambrose eventually gets it back. More than likely, Ambrose wins and Ziggler snaps and turns heel. I will say Ambrose retains.

Raw created their own title, the Universal Championship, and Seth Rollins and Finn Balor will be fighting for it. To make things more interesting here, the WWE introduced the "Demon King" gimmick for Balor this week.

This gimmick for Balor is supposed to be nearly unstoppable. It has a creepy vibe to it. Can this be an attempt by the WWE to create another Undertaker? That was supposedly going to be Bray Wyatt, but he is just a jobber to the stars. He is looking like Mick Foley, not like The Undertaker. The only problem with Balor is that he is not a young guy. He might not last decades in the WWE like The Undertaker did. To me, that only means you have to get going with pushing him well now. Build him up to be an attraction.

The worst thing they could do for Balor is go through the motions with him like I have seen them do other workers recently. They shouldn't feature Demon Balor for just a few months, then move on to a "Bullet Club" angle for another few months. The WWE should think about what has the most worth and get the most out of that. And I would say the "Demon King" gimmick has the most worth.

The outcome of this match will come down to which Balor shows up. If mild-mannered Clark Kent shows up, Seth Rollins will likely win. If he changes to his alter ego, which has been treated as tough as Superman, Balor will win the Universal Championship. Why would they debut this new gimmick and just have it job right away? Moreover, why would they debut it on the Raw before Summerslam and not use it for Summerslam? I will say Demon Balor wins the title at Summerslam. That might go against the momentum rule, but it just seems like the best decision and the most logical decision. Take advantage of the potential of this gimmick.

The success of the WWE Network for this period is going to rest on Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton. All the other feuds don't have mass appeal. Ziggler/Ambrose definitely isn't going to draw. Cena/Styles will appeal more to smarks, who are likely already subscribing for other things, like NXT. Finn Balor has potential to be something big, but he just debuted on the main roster a few weeks ago and his "Demon King" gimmick just debuted on the main roster this week. The WWE has built the most hype around Lesnar vs. Orton. Aside from that, the only thing that can help the WWE meet their high subscriber estimates is Mick Foley's hot daughter.

Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar was a feud I would have loved to see a few years ago. Right now? Not so much. They just push Brock to be too dominant. And the story of this match has just been so obvious for weeks now. It has been all about the RKO. They are talking like all Orton has to do is hit the RKO. Many people have kicked out of the RKO over years. Lesnar is definitely one of those guys capable of doing it. And then there will be a whole bunch of shock when he does kick out, Orton won't believe it, eventually get F5ed, and the match will be over. People are also anticipating Lesnar going for the F5 and it getting countered into the RKO. Outside of these big spots and a bunch of suplexes, this match is not interesting.

Throw in a wild card? The WWE teased that Orton and Bray Wyatt might be feuding next. Does that mean Bray interferes here? He also has a history with Lesnar that never got put to rest, so he could attack either guy in this match. I would rather he attacked nobody. This match already looks like it will be pretty predictable, but throwing in Bray Wyatt will just kill the feel of this match just being between Orton and Lesnar. Save starting the feud between Orton and Wyatt for Smackdown next week.

As for the winner of this match, Lesnar.

Brock Lesnar Vs. Randy Orton For Summerslam 2016

There was a time I would have said Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton would be a dream match. They faced each other during Brock's first run in the company, but that was before Randy Orton broke out as a top guy. The match has been made for Summerslam next month. Is it everything I hoped for?

So far, it doesn't feel right. The WWE just made the match and it is going to happen. Randy Orton has been out with an injury for months now. I am not even wondering about Lesnar possibly injuring him again. I just don't like that there was really no proper reason given for this match.

You see this kind of thing in MMA all the time. An opponent is named for someone and they just do some interviews and trash talk to build up to the match. You sometimes spend a whole bunch of time talking about a match and getting hyped for it, and then it only lasts about a minute.

You have seen the WWE do this kind of thing for special events for Brock Lesnar. They would just name an opponent for him and Brock would go on to beat the guy. This is a PPV. Summerslam is one of the WWE's biggest PPVs of the year. I don't have a problem with them doing this for WWE Network special events, but when you are trying to sell a major PPV, you have to do better than just that.

What is the feud I would go for with Brock Lesnar? Lesnar vs. Wyatt. It was the feud they were going for earlier in the year. It got ruined. Bray Wyatt is back from his injury. Just have him finish goofing around with New Day at Battleground and have him face Brock Lesnar for Summerslam. There is already a story there. There is unfinished business there. I would feel more hyped for this match than I currently do for Lesnar vs. Orton.

Speaking of Orton, he will be back at Battleground for an interview segment with Chris Jericho. Someone likely has an RKO coming in their future. Orton and Jericho can then have a mini-feud, since Brock is a part-timer and Orton will need something to do when he is not there.

Let's get to the news concerning Brock Lesnar that everyone is talking about. He is being investigated for possibly doping. For the sake of discussion, let's do the worst-case scenario and say he is guilty.

I have brought up a few times this year the hypocrisy and double standards when it came to people getting suspended. Titus O'Neil gets a heavy suspension for something he did without any malicious intent and that didn't make the company look bad. Roman Reigns, the new centerpiece of the company, gets suspended for violating the wellness policy. People are now wondering whether his top spot should be on the line.

Brock Lesnar, being a part-timer, is sort of above the law when it comes to the WWE's wellness policy. This isn't like Hulk Hogan making racist comments and the WWE firing him. The WWE will not fire Brock Lesnar over this. But should the WWE hold Brock accountable in some way? Suspend him for 30 days? Lesnar would probably laugh that off. It is no punishment at all for a part-timer like him. He would still make it for Summerslam. Paul Heyman could just carry the feud with Randy Orton until then on Brock's behalf. And don't forget Chris Jericho.

The WWE might just look like hypocrites if they don't do anything to Brock. Their wellness policy does not force them to, but they would still look like hypocrites if they let Brock off without any repercussions. You shouldn't have this policy just for the sake of having it. You should have it to protect your workers from something that can have a negative impact on them and to protect your company's image. If Brock Lesnar was to be found guilty, it would just make the WWE look bad to do nothing to him, especially when Roman Reigns is currently suspended for drug use. Is there a double standard? Is it okay for Brock Lesnar to do it and only get a slap on the wrist, if he even gets that?

Some say this will hurt Lesnar's ability to draw for the WWE. I would question his ability to draw even before this scandal. It certainly doesn't show in the ratings. Does it show in PPV buyrates and subscriptions to the WWE Network? I think more people were interested in the drama between Shane McMahon and The Undertaker this past Wrestlemania than Lesnar vs. Ambrose. I think more wrestling fans buy into the hype of Brock Lesnar than the general audience. In himself, Lesnar will not draw. The WWE needs to create a big situation to draw, like they did with Taker/Shane. Having Lesnar definitely helps the WWE get more media coverage, but if it doesn't translate to many more people being interested in the product, what's the point? Moreover, when Lesnar gets caught in something negative, the WWE is going to have to deal with that baggage.

I would say the WWE should hold Brock Lesnar accountable, if he is found guilty. The WWE might just face negative attention if they let him off without any penalty, while other workers have to face suspension for drug use. Billy Gunn got let go not that long ago after failing a drug test. He wasn't even an active wrestler for the WWE anymore. Brock Lesnar does wrestle for the WWE. Again, they won't fire him, but he should be punished to send a message on accountability. Fine him? Take away his Summerslam match? As I said, a simple suspension wouldn't do. If one of your workers does something to hurt the image of your company, you should do something. And if you don't, that might hurt you even more.

Previewing Wrestlemania 2016: The Undercard

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal has never led to a serious push for either of the first two winners. Big Show, last year's winner, certainly already has his career made. He's going to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. Cesaro, the first winner, has had his career go up and down. He has gotten a number of titles and accolades in between depushes. I know about the rumors about Braun Strowman winning and getting a big push later on. Since that might hinge on what the WWE does with Roman Reigns and injury issues, I am not picking him to win. I could imagine someone in The Social Outcasts winning. Would that be an insult to Andre? A jobber winning this? Well, is putting this match on the pre-show insulting? The WWE might do some funny things with someone from the group winning. And I do not think anyone else currently in the match can really benefit from this. I'll go with Heath Slater.

The Dudley Boys face The Usos. This match does not feel big enough for Wrestlemania, but at least there are some feuds going on in the tag division that go beyond the tag titles. Since The Dudleys turned heel just a few weeks ago, logic might say they win this match and continue their push. I am going to go against logic and say The Usos win. The WWE has not pushed The Dudleys well since they returned. At the same time, The Usos have not won anything major since they reunited. I'll go with them.

Kalisto defends the United States Championship against Ryback. Ryback went a few years without ever winning a title. There was a time when he seemed credible enough to win the WWE Championship. That never happened, bu he did win the Intercontinental Championship last year. I would say he does not really need another title reign again so soon. On the other hand, how serious is the WWE in pushing Kalisto as the new Mysterio? Having him bring this up in interviews and talking about him like he is the next Mysterio doesn't mean as much as booking him consistently. If his title reign ends this Sunday and he gets sent back to the tag division with Sin Cara, I doubt he will end up as the new Mysterio. I will say he retains the title.

Another multi-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. Kevin Owens faces Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder, Sin Cara, Miz, and Stardust. Some of these guys are just extra bodies. This match should have just been between Owens and Zayn. I would say those are the two favorites to win. I would have Owens retain and lose the title later to Zayn in a singles feud.

The New Day take on The League of Nations in a handicap match. Just a few weeks ago, The League of Nations destroyed New Day and actually looked like great heels. They actually looked like a group the WWE was serious in pushing again. Since then, it feels like they have lost some of that intensity. I still hope the group ends up winning the tag titles. Until then, I will say they beat New Day. They should. 

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho is a match that I do not think needed to happen again. This is the fourth match in a rivalry that is only two months old. This is a rivalry that featured them teaming up and eventually becoming contenders for the tag titles. This is a rivalry that featured the team splitting and one guy turning on the other. All in two months. You would think this kind of story takes a lot longer than this to develop. And yet, here we are.

I want to say a few things about how this feud has been developed since Chris Jericho turned heel. I have seen some fans criticize the WWE for taking so long to make this match official. They waited until the final Raw before Wrestlemania. I do not have a problem with that. The story is that Jericho was trying to avoid facing Styles again. Styles had to get Jericho to agree to it. This isn't bad storyline development.

The other part of this storyline that I want to bring up is the WWE bringing up "AJ Styles" chants. That supposedly annoyed Jericho. The issue I have isn't really the fact that Jericho is pretty over in his own right, even as a heel.This is about Styles. They obviously want the guy over. They are not burying his popularity. But how about they stop pointing out that fans like him and actually take advantage of what makes him phenomenal and develop his character better. Push him better. Fact is, I am not impressed by those chants. Maybe my memory is going bad, but I am sure I remember times when fans have reacted to wrestlers better. Those "AJ Styles" chants can be better. The WWE needs to put more work into AJ Styles. Smarks will cheer for him because he is great wrestler. Marks will cheer for him because he is pushed as a face. Beyond those fans that are either always criticizing the product or buying into it rather easily, how about the general audience? AJ needs to win those fans over. The WWE needs to do more than run a storyline about people chanting for him. He's not Daniel Bryan.

As far as the winner, it has to be Styles. Jericho is a jobber to the stars.

Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar is a big match, but not one of the likely two candidates to close the show, despite the presence of Brock Lesnar. Not to knock Ambrose, but this feels like the weakest Wrestlemania opponent Lesnar has had yet. It is a great push for Ambrose and will help elevate him, but Lesnar has faced guys with more star power or where there was something on the line in his other Wrestlemania matches. This is still a match many wrestling fans will look forward to.

And it is going to be a street fight. On the one hand, I like that the WWE has really made a storyline out of the match type. Hardcore legends have been utilized to push this feud. On the other hand, I think the WWE could have told a better story. Brock got mad at Ambrose for getting in the way of Brock getting a title shot. He attacked Ambrose in the parking lot the night after that. Just build on that intensity that was there. I feel how the WWE has handled the story these last few weeks has highlighted the match type more than the intense emotion that was there. Either way, should be a fun match.

The wildcard in this match will be The Wyatts. Dean Ambrose obviously has a history with Bray Wyatt. Brock Lesnar, moreover, was supposed to have a mini-feud with Bray. Bray was injured and that match got ruined. I doubt the WWE will have it end like that. They will go at it down the road. Will the WWE use this match at Wrestlemania to build up to that future match? The Wyatts don't have anything else going for them right now. Because there will be no disqualifications in this match, you can definitely imagine The Wyatts getting involved. Will it be a poor way for Dean Ambrose's feud with Brock Lesnar to end to just use this match as a stepping stone for another feud for Lesnar? That's another issue. Let's see how the WWE actually handles the match and what comes after.

Who wins? How often does Lesnar lose? Network specials aside, Brock Lesnar has not had a PPV win in a while. He lost at Fast Lane. He lost at the Royal Rumble. Is Vince McMahon going to be worried about Lesnar possibly starting to look weak? Some fans say that they cannot imagine Ambrose beating Lesnar cleanly. Well, can you imagine it with weapons involved? An extreme spot? It could happen. Of course, as I said, interference is likely. Cleanly or not, Lesnar has not won a big match in a while and I think he will win one here.

Previewing Roadblock's Two Main Matches

The WWE is having a special event this Saturday. These are the things they need to do to help sell the WWE Network. A few mini-feuds will be featured at Roadblock. Some might wonder if doing this takes away from the main feuds heading into Wrestlemania. Maybe, but a little change might help to freshen things up at times. I will only look at the top two matches of the event.

First, Brock Lesnar takes on Bray Wyatt. Lesnar faces a heel, Bray Wyatt, at Roadblock, then faces a face, Dean Ambrose, for Wrestlemania a few weeks after. Lesnar is a tweener. Does that hurt his ability to connect with the audience? I sometimes say that switching alignments of divas frequently might hurt their ability to connect with the audience. Are fans supposed to cheer them? Boo them? What? Brock Lesnar does not face that problem. People just want to see him be that destructive force. It doesn't matter whether he's going against heels or faces. What is more likely to hurt him is showing up and not doing anything. He can't destroy people all the time, but that is what helps him to be valuable.

The feud between Bray Wyatt and Lesnar looked like something they could have developed for Wrestlemania. Lesnar was starting to have issues with The Wyatts around the Royal Rumble. Putting that on hold so Lesnar can face Reigns and Ambrose for Fastlane kind of ruined the momentum of that feud. While that got ruined, the potential for a better feud between Lesnar and Ambrose grew. It is a good thing the WWE is going in that direction.

I cannot imagine how the WWE could build a proper feud between Lesnar and Bray Wyatt for Wrestlemania. Lesnar is a part-timer. Bray faced a part-timer, The Undertaker, last year. He pretty much had to carry the feud through promos. Lesnar would obviously show up more than Taker did last year, but I don't think the WWE could drag this out well. Would Roadblock feature Lesnar facing one of the other Wyatts? Or would he have a mini-feud against someone else, which definitely would have ruined the feel of his feud with Bray? The story with Ambrose and Lesnar just feels better.

Who wins? If this match was happening at Wrestlemania, some fans might be hopeful that Bray Wyatt would win so he could finally accomplish something big. At a special event, however, there is pretty much no chance Lesnar loses. The WWE has been putting Lesnar in matches at these kind of events just so he could destroy people. He's going to have a lot of bodies to destroy at Roadblock, but he will likely win and move on to Dean Ambrose.

Speaking of Ambrose, he faces Triple H for the WWE Championship. This mini-feud has been getting some solid build in the last two weeks. Roman Reigns not being around probably helps that. Dean Ambrose is allowed to be the interim centerpiece. Roman Reigns still has a title shot coming, but Triple H getting in a title defense before that is a good move.

I had said a while ago that there were no reports of Reigns being legitimately injured. Not too long after I said it, reports popped up that he was dealing with a slight injury that required him to take time off. Some fans are still complaining about Reigns taking time off. He could still have shown up to be a part of the show in a non-wrestling capacity. Rusev was in crutches and still showing up last year. I still say it is a good idea for him to not be around, mainly because it allows Ambrose to get his push without looking too much like a sidekick to Reigns.

Roman Reigns has two issues, if the injury reports are true. Aside from the injury, he still has that overness issue. Negative fan reactions have seemed to impact the WWE's Wrestlemania plans these last two years. The plan for this year's Wrestlemania just seems obvious. Reigns beats Triple H to regain the title. Will issues change that plan? How can you have a centerpiece of the company that never gets any big Wrestlemania moments? Last year was supposed to be the first big Wrestlemania for Roman Reigns. The moment ended up going to Seth Rollins. If the WWE is once again planning to take the moment away, whether because of injury issues or overness issues, Roadblock could be their last chance to change things. There is no Money in the Bank briefcase to use this time.

It just seems unlikely that Dean Ambrose would win. That would mess up the Wrestlemania card. What would happen to his match with Lesnar? What about Reigns and his title shot? What about Triple H's rematch? The easy answer might be to make a four-way match. Problem is, that takes away one match from the card. What do you do? The roster is already limited due to injuries. It is doubtful the WWE just starts tossing together random filler matches for a PPV as big as Wrestlemania. How long can you really drag out the matches they do have planned? Will The Undertaker's entrance have to last 30 minutes alone? Not to mention the personal feel being ruined in the feud between Roman Reigns and Triple H. Dean Ambrose will one day win the WWE Championship. I just do not think it will be right now.