return

Cody Rhodes’ wife on his return as Stardust

16th July 2015 by Scott Keith

Not sure if you saw this one..Cody’s wife responding to people criticizing him returning as Stardust, as well as relating a story about the worst kind of fan approaching them after RAW last week. Bravo to her for speaking out on this on both fronts.

" Last night my husband returned to RAW to finish what he started and some “fans” we’re peeved with him ANGRY because they wanted something else. They wanted him to use what happened to his father as a “stepping stone”. Not for Cody, but for themselves. Maybe that’s to feel better about everything or maybe they are just that selfish. But to publicly crap on the most courageous thing someone in this position could do which was pick up and carry on and do it brilliantly, shame on you. "

"Sometimes you have to take a stand and say something, like last night when my husband after being away grieving for a month was yelled to as we are loading our car “come take a picture with us, we pay your bills”. It didn’t get her a picture. It got her choice words from me because no one owns us. I like Garth Brooks, I’ve paid money to see him live, hear his music. But I would never dare say to Mr. Brooks “take a picture with me because I pay your bills”

Full blog link: http://www.beingbrandirunnels.com/?p=107

Geez, we’re internet wrestling fans, I THINK we know better than Cody how he should deal with grief and his gimmick.

Rants →

Liz’s Return in ’96

2nd January 2015 by Scott Keith
As we're getting to this point in your reviews – what's the story behind Liz returning to wrestling in '96? It never quite seemed like she was actually enjoying herself during her WCW run. Did they just offer her a ton of money because they thought it would add to the Flair-Savage angle? Did Savage not balk at having his ex-wife get involved this way? Just plays as really strange.
Yeah, she was working retail and they wanted to get all the mainstream attention they could at that point, so they offered her a shitload of money to come back.  Neither her nor Savage were particularly comfortable with the idea, but business is business.  Even when they were paired together again with the nWo they were still icy with each other, apparently.  I don't know if the Savage doc goes into detail about it, but I'm really curious to watch it and see what they say about it, actually.  ​
Rants →

Return of the Animal pt 2

16th September 2014 by Scott Keith


I know I'm way late to the party on this, but after finally watching Guardians of the Galaxy over the weekend and seeing Batista totally nail the Drax character, is there any way that he isn't mega over with the fans the moment he decides to return? I remember feeling compelled – and oddly proud – to tell everyone that Dwayne Johnson was a wrestler after his surprisingly great performance in Rundown, and I kind of felt the same way about Batista in Guardians. Like, he wasn't just good for a wrestler, but legitimately good, as in people were talking about about how funny Drax was while they were filing out of the theater.

Provided that they don't have him squashing Rollins while Ambrose feuds with Bo Dallas, wouldn't the fans be decidedly in his corner this time around?

Man, fans are so weird these days it's hard to say.  But the problem with Batista as well is that WWE basically got shut out of promoting the movie because Marvel didn't seem to want to be associated with them.  So I don't know how much people are going to associate Batista The Awesome Movie Star with Batista the Wrestler.  I think it's far more likely that people remember his douchbag heel departure and they pick up that thread again.  

Goddamn was Guardians a great movie, though.  
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TNA Wrestling’s Big Return to Japan

3rd September 2014 by Scott Keith

TNA’s Bound For Glory may draw just fine this year. It’s a 2000 seat building and they might just fill it. I’m not saying you should consider this match as much of an indicator as to how that show will turn out, but it is worth taking a look. The crowd was announced as 650, which it may be… in a world where Dino Bravo holds the bench press record.


Eddie Edwards & Tigre Uno (replacing Davey Richards) vs. Kaz Hayashi & Shuji Kondo

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The Return of the Professor

8th August 2014 by Scott Keith
After TNA lost their TV contract I went to Japan to find work as an announcer for NJPW. I stayed only for the expensive cocktail bars and hot babes. Please help to support Mike Tenay in his future endeavors by purchasing this album. 
Also: Wikipedia sez it's actually him! Um, it's not, right?

Other Media[edit]

Tenay appeared as himself in the 2000 film Ready to Rumble. He has self-published several vaporwave albums on the website Bandcamp.
​Oh, it's him all right.  We've previously covered this monstrosity before.  ​
Rants →

QOTD #43: The Return

4th August 2014 by Scott Keith

The QOTD is back. After having so much fun reading some the insanity of the last couple of months or so, I – like I’m sure many of you – was sad to see the blog come to an end. With that in mind, Scott has given me the opportunity to bring back the QOTD, so I am basically picking up where Chris Fothergill-Brown left off on Saturday for the time being. I don’t plan on changing the format – unlike the WWE, I prefer not to screw with whats working. Some of the blogs will be wrestling related….and a few will be just random stuff with nothing to do with the business. With that in mind……

Today’s Question: I’ll keep it pretty simple. What do you as a wrestling fan consider to be the greatest gimmick/character in the history of Wrestling?

Rants →

Let’s talk about….the return (?) of Daniel Bryan

17th July 2014 by Scott Keith
Let’s talk about….the return (?) of Daniel Bryan
It was the loudest ovation I’ve ever heard.
Wrestlemania weekend was coming to its final act inside the
Smoothie King Center, and I’m sure that I have more than a little bias in my unabashed giddiness; after
more than 2 decades as a fan, I had finally made the pilgrimage to attend the
granddaddy of them all, and after a weekend of wrestling that had filled my
palate with nothing but the most delightful of tastes, after live ROH, Shimmer,
the Hall of Fame, and Wrestlemania 30, we had reached our final moment together
at Monday Night Raw. It was transcendent for me to be a part of something I had
watched for so many years, to gorge on wrestling all weekend without anyone
asking me why I ‘still watched that fake crap’; it was truly one of the finest moments
I’ve collectively had with any crowd for any reason.

But still, even keeping that in mind, this crowd was LOUD.
We knew who we wanted from the opening jump – the ‘Yes!’
chants that had permeated Bourbon Street all weekend were fired up 20 minutes
before showtime with no signs that this crowd was going to slow down at any
point. Perhaps it was the less cavernous confines of the smaller arena, perhaps
it was the fans that had said ‘hey, we can take that extra day off work before
we go home’, perhaps it was the high from getting exactly what we wanted the night
before, I don’t know; all I do know is that when Raw started and Justin Roberts
began to introduce “The NEW World Heavyweight Champion….”, we became a force
unrivaled in my life of attending live events.
And there he was, the man of the hour. Daniel Bryan stood
tall, and for a little while, it sure felt like everything was going to be
all right. There was no time to let him talk; to do so would force us to stop
showering him with the much-deserved affection for the moments he had given us
the previous night, and the moments he had given us on the road to that final
coronation. And so we cheered on, cheered through his promo, cheered when he
thanked us, cheered when he smiled, we just….cheered. It was the truest magic
of professional wrestling, that moment of connection between wrestler and fans.
Less than 3 months later, it was all gone. He promised to
return, promised us he wouldn’t let this be his legacy, he wouldn’t let this
beat him. He held out as long as he could, and he had given all that he could.
And we saluted him as he left, scanning every dirt sheet, looking for any clue
to his return, any chance that it couldn’t be true, that he would be back
sooner than later.
But should he?
I try not to pretend to know what these wrestlers are like
in real life. After Benoit, I promised myself that I never would – it just hurt
too goddamn much. When the facts of what had truly happened began to emerge,
what he had put himself through and what it had cost his family above all, I
began to truly question my fandom in ways I never have before, and I have yet
to resolve those questions.
I am torn about Daniel Bryan in ways that I never thought I
would be. I am torn about how much he should have to give for me, for any of
us.
Let’s make one thing clear: Daniel Bryan will do what he
wants. If he wants to wrestle again, he will. He is a big boy who can make his
own choices, and if he decides to lace up the boots again, it’s between him and
his family. I somehow doubt that most of the online fans enter into the
equation for him. We honestly know very little at this point except what we can
reasonably ascertain; the fact that he is sidelined at the time that he
should be making more money than ever before means that what has happened is
far more serious than something as simple as ‘he’ll be back any day now’. After
watching enough wrestler shoot interviews, I am sure enough that no one would
turn down a run in the main event unless they truly had no other options.
Clearly, this injury is career-altering.
But I want Daniel Bryan to return, triumphantly, to regain
what was taken from him. Not just in the storyline sense, but in the sense that
I want to see him beat this thing, I want him to get the chance to decide on
his own terms when he wants to stop wrestling. I want him to get those moments
at the top that have been denied so many, I want him to continue to put on 4*-
5* matches with Reigns, Rollins, Ambrose, Cesaro, and more.
I want. I want. I. WANT.
Thinking about it in those terms made me feel like the most
selfish son of a bitch on the planet. Like a leech, someone who wants his
entertainment, consequences be damned to
whoever is providing it. Broken neck? Who cares, put some tape on it and work
through it. I need my wrestling, so fuck you, get out there and dance, monkey!
And then I got over myself for a few minutes; I’m just a guy
who wants to see his favorite performer of the last several years come back,
not a monster. How can I punish myself for that? How does that square with the
wrestlers as characters, not men; how can I reconcile with the person I
resolved to make myself post-Benoit? That’s what makes this so difficult – I want
Bryan to return so BADLY, to give me more great matches, to give me more great
moments. It reminds me, in some ways, of my friend Rhianna’s reaction after her
favorite, Edge, was forced to give up the ghost in the ring; no matter what
happened next, she was never going to be the same fan. She would always think
about how her favorite had his career cut shorter than it should have been.
Wrestling is one of the cruelest endeavors one can imagine
in so many ways, I cannot deny. These guys bust their asses day in, day out, to
try to make it to the top. Not even the main event per se, but the chance to
entertain all of us. Whenever I hear now about a wrestler who has health
problems, I go back to Bret Hart in ‘Wrestling with Shadows’, where he compares the life of wrestler to that of a circus animal, and we all know what
happens when that animal heads behind the barn when their use has dried up. The barbarism of that simple explanation makes it much clearer why Bret has nothing to do with wrestling these days….oh. Right. 
But we’re talking about Daniel Bryan.
Daniel Bryan, newlywed.
Daniel Bryan, one of the best wrestlers in the world.
I don’t know how I would feel about Bryan returning. I know
that I would be screaming along with the rest of the crowd when he made his
return. I would rush to Twitter, I would be glued to the screen to see what happened next. But the first time he took a flatback bump off a dropkick, the first
time he went up for that headbutt, I would cringe. And it’s not because I’m a
good person. It’s because, deep down, I would be afraid that his career would
be cut even shorter and deny me more matches, and that’s actually a hard admission
for me to make. It’s the acknowledgement of my love of the performer over the
man, and it’s admitting that I have the ability to divorce their well-being from
my entertainment. And I wonder why that is. I wonder why I can’t look back at
his WWE career and have that be enough, I wonder why I can’t look back at his ROH
career and have that be enough. I wonder why nothing can be enough for me. Why is it so hard to satisfied with what I already have from this man?
The answer, I suspect, is the fact that I will never set
foot in a ring, take a bump. I’m the observer, the critic, the fan; I sit in
the seats and judge with the dollars that put me inside the arena. They are
actors, after all, and when was the last time that you worried about an actor
in a film being injured beyond repair while doing a stunt? Wrestlers are merely
a resource, right? Just another moving part in the overall show, albeit the
most necessary one. And thinking of them as people is dangerous, because that’s when you put your heart on the line and risk it getting broken. Better to just think of them as merely a piece of the puzzle.
Yet, I think of Daniel Bryan.
I think of him, and what he has left to give.
I think of him, and what he might have left to lose.
I think of him, and what could await him in the future, good
or bad.
I think of him.
Or do I just think of myself?
Damnit.
Rick Poehling
@MrSoze on Twitter
Rants →

the return of the ‘Supercard’ WrestleMania?

15th December 2013 by Scott Keith
With the ambivalence surrounding XXX and everyone going bananas throwing out different combinations of guys as potential match-ups, one thing's for sure: the WWE has enough talent for a card more than just 8 matches. 

So, considering that and the fact that XXX is a huge milestone, is there any chance of a return to the 12-14 match supercard not seen since, I guess, XX?  Or is it fucking suicide in this day and age to produce a bloated 4 and 1/2 hour wrestling pay-pay-view? Because with all these rumored match-ups and returns floating around, it's seems unavoidable. 
Oh my god, man, I can't get through a 3 hour RAW, let alone a bloated 4.5 hour Wrestlemania.  They have enough trouble keeping crowds alive through RAWs as it is, that would be suicide for them if they tried it.  
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Jesse Clarifies Vince’s Return

28th November 2013 by Scott Keith

Jesse Baker sez…

Three scenarios: 1. he comes back pissed off that HHH and Steph aligned themselves with Randy fucking Orton, as far as Vince not forgiving Orton for all of the crap he pulled on the McMahons ages ago. Have Vince reveal that he was willing to accept say, Punk as HHH’s corporate champion when he greenlighted HHH’s plan but HHH secretly made his pact with Orton behind Vince’s back, angering him mightily 2. they acknowledge how full of shit HHH is and how Orton is just a puppet for HHH to hide behind as he steals the spotlight from everyone AGAIN and we get Vince FINALLY acknowledging that HHH was never a “superstar” but some talentless hack who road the coattails of Shawn Micheals and who only has any standing in the company of note or value, because he fucked Steph and Steph begged daddy dearest to do his damnest to make HHH the face of the company even though he was a complete and total hack failure (which BTW might be the only way to turn Vince face, if he fucking says what we’ve all been saying about HHH to HHH’s face on camera) and that he’s fucking scorched earth everything (AGAIN) with his egomania and now Vince has to stop it for the sake of saving the WWE from HHH 3. the whole bullshit of him being against Bryan was a test to see how Bryan would react to facing down Vince and his unholy brood. However, HHH betrayed Vince by way of actually costing Bryan the belt and installing his own talentless handpuppet as champion and fucked over all of Vince’s schemes. The third scenario would also allow them to explain the Wyatts (they are working with Vince as his secret henchmen) AND fucking fix the bullshit they did with Kane, who is also working for Vince and will do unspeakable violence against HHH, Steph, and Orton to avenge Bryan and Vince when the time is right. As for Brock and Undertaker; fuck both of them. Brock doesn’t deserve a wrestlemania match and at this rate, they might as well give Undertaker a year off since the streak’s been run into the ground and they might as well let the guy have a year off so it doesn’t overshadow anyone else on the show this year.

I’m glad you remembered to have someone working as someone else’s secret henchmen, but points deducted for not having Cena turn heel somewhere here.

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“What If.” “IT DOESNT MATTER, if I return…???”

11th November 2013 by Scott Keith

Morning BoD. Shout out and props to all our veterans and current military
personnel on Veterans Day here in the states. Regardless of your view on war,
our obligations or lack thereof as a “superpower”, etc., I think we
can all agree that our military personnel and veterans have made great
sacrifices for the greater good of the country. Hope everyone had a fun and
refreshing weekend. Mine was a clusterfuck of doing boyfriend duties, house
work, and trying to get a water pipe fixed so I could get running water again
to my house. Ugh.

I’ve had a week of doing these, and am still trying to gauge what type of
post will “draw” the most and generate the most discussion here on
the blog. Today I’m gonna venture a little more into fantasy booking land then I had originally ever planned to do, just to see how it works.

What If Rock never makes his 2011-2013 WWE return? His
return changed the entire paradigm of the WWE for that 3 year stretch.
Everything at the top of the card was booked long term around monetizing every
appearance he made during that run, especially his WM matches. Im convinced his
entire 3 year run was meticulously planned out almost appearance for appearance before he
returned to WWE TV. A quick recap of the current landscape during his 3 year run:

Rock returned before the Elimination Chamber 2011 ppv, to hype his role as
the upcoming WM 27 host. He immediately cut a GREAT vintage Rock promo, calling
out John Cena and The Miz, the two acts penciled in to as the main event of WM
27. A night after laying the smackdown on Cena and Miz at WM 27, Rock and Cena
come to a gentlemen’s agreement to face off in the main event of WM 28. During
the year long build to WM 28, an interesting thing happens…CM Punk
organically gains steam from the pipe bomb and his feud with John Cena. He
becomes one of the hotter acts WWE has seen in awhile. Rock eventually returns
for a one off match at Survivor Series, teaming with Cena, to take on Awesome
Truth. WM eventually rolls around, and the card shapes up as expected: Rock vs
Cena at the top, a HHH/UT rematch, and CM Punk vs a returning Chris Jericho.
Rock surprisingly goes over Cena at WM 28, setting up the rematch we are all
familiar with. Since this was pretty recent, Im gonna skip recapping how we got
there.

Now that we are caught up, how does the landscape of WWE change from
2011-2013 if he never comes back.

Thing to consider:

– How does WM 27 look without Rock? Is WWE confident enough in Cena/Miz at
the top of the card? Do they panic and hot shot one of their established guys
(HHH, Orton, etc.) into the main event vs Cena?

– Most interestingly to me, how is CM Punk handled in 2011? Is WWE more
protective of him since they dont have the Rock to fall back on for WM 28?

– What does WM 28 look like? Does WWE hotshot UT/Cena? Does Vince ride the
momentum of CM Punks rise to prominence and go with Cena/Punk as the main
event?

– Same question for WM 29. What does WWE do for WM 29 in the absence of a
Rock/Cena rematch?

Plausible Scenarios, in random order…

– Without a clear cut WM 28 main event, Vince stretches out the CM Punk return
a little, and goes with a Cena/Punk main event along HHH/UT at WM 28. Vince also
keeps Miz hanging around the top of the card for a little while longer.

– We never get the Extreme Rules Brock Lesnar/John Cena match. Lesnar is
booked a little more creatively and is saved for WM 29, where he headlines
against John Cena.

This is just a jumpoff point. Go in any direction you choose.

Rants →

Question Of The Day: The Return

7th September 2013 by Scott Keith

Howdy folks, I figured since we lost our unofficial community organizer, I’d take a run at doing the QOTD, which will hopefully be more successful than my video game reviews. Of course that pro-wrestling show with Xpac and Vampiro on MTV was more successful than my video game reviews, but hey, who’s counting (besides me).

So, here’s the question for this lovely Saturday Afternoon:

What’s your favorite comeback? 

  
To get the ball rolling, I have a few:

Wrestling: Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H at Summerslam 2002.

When I first heard this match was happening, I had never seen Shawn Michaels wrestle, having only known him as ‘the guy’ from a previous generation I never watched.  So I was expecting his ‘match’ against Triple H to be, well, essentially what we got a bunch of years later when Bret squared off against Vince.

But instead I was absolutely blown away, and it was probably the first sense I got for great story-telling in a match at a young age – and how they worked real life issues (Shawn’s back, the HHH/HBK Bromance) into a worked angle that came off like gangbusters.

Movies: RDJ is Iron Man, baby.

RDJ was sort of a punchline up until the whole ‘Iron Man’ thing for people born in the 80s. Sure, you had heard of him, he popped up in a few roles here and there and was mostly good, but unfortunately he was most known as the guy who did the drugs and got caught – so like a less personable Charlie Sheen.

Then he kind of cleaned himself up (he actually just hired a driver) and got cast as Tony Stark, which is about as perfect as you could get for that role – up there with Patrick Stewart as Professor X and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.  It was great!

Misc: “I know what you are, but what am I?”

A playground classic, popularized by Pee-Wee Herman.  

——————————————

Other bloggy business:

1. Would anyone be interested in a Madden 25 league on Xbox 360?
2. Would anyone be interested in a “Golf Star” league on iPad? It’s a great little golf game, it’s free, and fun.
3. Lemme know if you think this is a good idea, be sure to send any questions *you* may have to [email protected],

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MSG Return Pop

4th August 2013 by Scott Keith
Who do you think would get a bigger return pop during a WWE Raw in MSG: Batista, Jeff Hardy or Kurt Angle? Lets hypothetically assume as well that no dirtsheet gets wind of it.

(And yes, I know any of those three comebacks are somewhat unlikely, I just picked who IIRC are the three most over ex-WWE guys that can still do in-ring stuff.)

I think that Batista is the one that people are assuming will happen again at some point, and he's also the one who's on the best terms with WWE, plus he's gonna be a bigger star by way of his movie stuff, so I'd go with him.  Kurt Angle would get a pretty big reaction, but the chances of that happening are lessening by the minute.  
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24 to return for another season?

11th May 2013 by Scott Keith
Hey Scott,

Since Kiefer's show 'Touch' just got cancelled, rumours are going around that 24 might come back. 
I liked the show, so I'm excited to hear it may come back. But on the other hand, it did come to an end.  
Often bringing stuff back just doesn't have the momentum it did, and maybe that's why it ended to begin with. Like in wrestling, lots of stables, gimmicks, feuds, get recycled and a lot of the time, they feel more like parodies of themselves, rather than fresh new ground.

What do you think about the '24' rumours? 



It was definitely time for the show to end when it did, although a heavily serialized show like that lends itself much better to Netflix than syndication, much like Lost.  So I can see where people who are just getting into it after streaming through all the seasons would be excited for more.  I dunno, I was pretty burned out on the show and the repetitive tropes and couldn't even get though the last season, but Kiefer will always be Jack Bauer to me and many others, so I understand why they'd want to go back to that well again.  Really though, how many times can Jack torture someone or prevent the kidnapping of the President or whatever?  They pretty much raised the stakes to the point where there's nothing more to be done with the characters.  
Rants →

Bret’s WWE Return

7th May 2013 by Scott Keith
Hey Scott.

Wondering what you think would have happened if Bret was healthy and willing for an in ring return – the Goldberg kick never happened. Let's not talk about the "match" against Vince at Wrestlemania. How would have WWE used him, and how should they have used him?
I don't know how they would have used him, but he would have been awesome in the Shane McMahon role in the Invasion.  
Rants →

Fwd: Brock Lesnar’s Return

4th November 2012 by Scott Keith
I was recently watching the '94 Royal Rumble for no logical reason and had forgotten that Jim Cornette brought in Genichiro Tenryu and The Great Kabuki not to try and win but to try and make sure Lex Luger didn't.  And – while I've blocked as much of the '99 Rumble as possible out of my head – I'm sure the Corporation's M.O. was to eliminate Austin, not to help McMahon win. 

Since Brock Lesnar "quit" a few months ago, wouldn't a logical way to bring him back be to have Paul Heyman bring him in at the Royal Rumble just to make sure Ryback and/or other faces don't win?  I'm assuming Punk-Rock would headline the show, since a Kurt Angle vs. Mark Henry title match has gotten top billing over the Rumble in the past.  Heyman protecting Punk right after Punk drops the title would look stupid.  And we all know that WWE doesn't do stupid.

This seems like it would be a sensible way bring Lesnar back – since it would be believable that he would come back for money and not the title – and set up a fresh feud with someone like Ryback.

All that said, when do you think Lesnar will come back for no logical reason and job to HHH?
They seem to be saving up his dates, so I'm thinking he'll work Rumble, Chamber and then Wrestlemania to lose to HHH.  Which, by the way, I find it mind-boggling that HHH would even care about winning or losing anymore, since he OWNS THE COMPANY.  Perhaps he'll prove us wrong again and do the job at Wrestlemania, who knows.  But at any rate, they can easily do a three-PPV "telling stories" arc with Brock entering the Rumble and HHH running in to cost him that, then Brock costing HHH the Chamber win, and then finally their blowoff at Wrestlemania.  Easy peasy.  
Rants →

Because nobody is talking about Brock’s return…

16th April 2012 by Scott Keith

Scott,
 
I thought I would join in on the Brock Madness and wrote my synopsis for how I would like to see him booked this year.
 
From UFC to WWE: Booking Brock Lesnar
 
http://www.ultimatesportstalk.com/theultimatefightshow/2012/04/15/from-ufc-to-wwe-booking-brock-lesnar/
I hope you and the Blog enjoy it!
Chris Bragg
The Ultimate Fight Show

Thanks!  And what about that UFC Sweden show?  Thankfully here in Canada all the UFC stuff is on Sportsnet so we don't have to worry about no one getting Fuel and it was a pretty good free show even if I didn't know anyone on the card aside from the multiple people named Thiago who I always mix up.  If it was WWE one of them would have their name changed to "Garrison", I'll tell you that much.   
Rants →

Brock Return

10th April 2012 by Scott Keith

Is WWE blowing the proverbial wad by having the Cena-Lesnar match already?  Having the confrontation makes sense: Brock returning by interrupting and calling out the 'top guy' in the company.  Honestly, I think they should have Brock put Cena on the shelf for a few months, so Lesnar can dominate in his absence and ol' John can return as 'last man standing'.  Character-wise, it seems sensible to have Brock tear through everyone until Cena was the last guy to represent WWE.  Brock can win both world titles and claim complete dominance.  Then, when Cena returns, but fails too, The Rock can come back and be The Guy who redeems the WWE lockeroom.  If they are slow-burning toward a Cena-Rock rematch, and/or a Cena heel-turn, that could be a pretty sweet catalyst: not only did he lose clean to Rocky at this year's Wrestlemania, but the part-time Rocky had to return to pick up John's slack.
I understand that Brock is only signed for a certain number of shows and they want to keep the momentum/money going (in this case, but not in Daniel Bryan's?  That is another topic), but where do you go from here?  Cena can't win at 'Extreme Rulez' because why would you have Brock lose his first PPV match back?  That leaves only a Lesnar win or some kind of schmozz ending.  Cena doing a very high-profile job a month after his highest profile loss to a part-timer makes sense if the losing streak is building toward Cena's heel turn I guess, but as a one-off job, John is on quite a losing trend to part-time guys.  Also, shouldn't Cena be the LAST guy Brock destroys, not the first?  (Basically, what Austin said back in 2002). I only say this because, once Lesnar has beaten Super-Cena in his first match, what makes it as appealing to see him beat Sheamus, Punk, Orton, et al?  In storyline terms, it seems like Cena should be the last hurdle for Lesnar and the 'last hope' for the WWE roster.
The ONLY way I can see them going is if The Rock returns at 'Extreme Rulez' to lay out Lesnar and allow a cheap Cena win.  That could lead to Brock going recruiting (Batista?) and setting up a Lesnar/??? vs. Rock/Cena tag match at the next PPV.  It just seems curious that Brock-Cena would make the most sense right now, unless it is for John to get obliterated clean again and have him go on the shelf to do 'soul-searching' and come back as a more edgy bad-ass babyface.

I think that they are going way too early with Brock-Cena.  Punk-Jericho and Sheamus-Bryan would have been enough to carry Extreme Rematches to its usual 100K buys, and Brock isn't moving the needle on a C-level PPV.  It's insanity to think he will.  

That being said, I think they do the shmozziest shmozz that ever shmozzed there, big double DQ, both guys give the ref their finisher, they brawl into the crowd and into a city bus and end up in the baseball stadium or something hitting each other with bats, whatever.  The worst thing they can do is have Brock just be another guy doing worked pro wrestling matches with a pro wrestler, because they'll kill him off faster than you can say "Lord Tensai".  The buildup to Brock-Cena has been enjoyable thus far, but every week Brock is on the show is another week where he just becomes another guy, like what happened with the Rock before Wrestlemania.  
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