So we're 4 months out from Summerslam, we got some new debuts and some new angles with last night's Raw, plus the added bonus of the crowd telling the WWE they want Bryan in the main event, so where are we going with this guys?
We have 4 PPVs to come in that time, including the Money in the Bank PPV. Gonna try and look at a few of the main event players in the WWE and see where they could be heading in the coming months.
Brock Lesnar and John Cena: These two look like they'll be tied together from now until Summerslam. I would assume we'll see them face off at at least two of the four upcoming pre-Summerslam PPVs, possibly trading wins so that we get Summerslam as the rubber match. Here's the thing with this feud. Lesnar is just back, he's a former UFC Champion, one of the most recognised sports athletes in the world today and dominated the WWE up until he left originally. He needs to win this feud. But here's the other thing, Cena needs to win this just as badly. He just laid his top of the mountain spot on the line against the Rock, and lost. Now it's on the line against Lesnar, two feuds lost in a row could make him look subpar. So a lot is riding on this, who is king of the WWE basically.
Honestly I see this feud swallowing another superstars path whole, that superstar is....
CM Punk: He has done well as the Champion, but he's not the top guy that he says he is. Cena has got the feud with Rock, Cena has got the feud with Brock and by doing so I assume he will get the main event at Summerslam too. That leaves Punk to complete his mediocre feud with Jericho before he needs to move on to something else. I could see that being a three way match with Cena and Lesnar at one of the 4 pre-SummerSlam PPVs and I could see him dropping the title to one of the two, purely to set their Summerslam main event up as a title match between the two top dogs in the company. Where would that leave Punk though? I'm not sure to be honest.
Chris Jericho: Let's face up to a few things. The feud with Punk has been good, but good isn't good enough for these two. We expected greatness, what we got as a decent build, a good match and Jericho falling on his ass last night. Yesterday's Raw segment kinda summed this entire feud up, it was interesting, had some mistakes mixed with some good parts, but ultimately was only about the 4th most interesting thing on the show. I don't know how long Jericho is staying for, but if he stays he may need to move to Smackdown to work a program with either Sheamus or a returning Rey Mysterio (as a heel) or Bryan or Del Rio (as a face). He needs to do something to light a spark under this return though, but if anyone can do it he can. (see the heel turn after his poor face return last time).
Lord Tensai: It looks like the WWE might be high on A Train this time, but he'll need time to build himself up as a monster heel. They'll have to feed him someone with a view to a post-Summerslam push, honestly I think that person could Kane after a face turn.
The Miz: Needs a face turn, quite badly. I'd switch him to Smackdown and have Johnny Ace run him down for a few weeks, basically tell him he'll be on Superstars pretty soon. Run a program where Miz turns on Laurinaitis and put him up against Del Rio or Christian. There's a feud still waiting with Daniel Bryan too.
Undertaker: I know he's broken down and that he is a Wrestlemania attraction now. But going away for a year and coming back for one match will get old pretty fast I think. That said I'm not sure there's a feud outside of Lesnar or Cena that is waiting for him.
Randy Orton, Kane & Mark Henry: Three wrestlers who are in a kind of limbo right now. Do you switch them? Do you make them work more programs with each other? How long before Henry and Kane decide to retire, or Orton gets bored of being a bit part player? No easy answers here but Kane will probably switch face again, if only to work with Tensai, Henry I honestly don't know, and Orton needs to freshen up. There still is a feud for Orton with Daniel Bryan on Smackdown, but going into Summerslam I could see him switching heel and returning to Raw to work with Punk. Creative needs to figure something out for the guy though, I could see him growing disillusioned with wrestling pretty soon otherwise.
Daniel Bryan: If the Yes chants keep coming, if he remains as over as he is coming out of Miami, then the only option is to put the title back on him at one of the next two PPVs, as soon as possible really, and to keep him building the angle with AJ. Feed him a face turned Christian to set him up for a feud with Miz for the World Heavyweight title at Summerslam? They need to capitalise on how Miami treated him though, we'll see what the ratings were like for Raw, but if they were high than the majority of the people tuning in for Lesnar would also have figured out that Daniel Bryan is massively over right now, and they'll want to find out why.
Sheamus and ADR: They seem like odd men out now, Sheamus especially, and not really through any fault of their own. If those Bryan chants keep coming the WWE will have no chance but to interject him into the Sheamus - Del Rio feud and have him go over. But that leaves Sheamus with yet another listless title reign, and Del Rio looking like he can't cut it at the top again. I'd be most worried about these two.
