CM Punk & Wrestling's Best Storyline in Years...

[blastmaster]

No way he actually wrestles Taker. They will either find a way for him to have a surrogate, or someone will interfere in the match on his behalf (no DQ in hell in a cell). Vince would not waste what could be Taker's last match on a non-wrestler. Shane is probably a place-holder while they wait on Cena's health.

[battlecatmeowstab212]

Man, wrestling is fucking weird.

[battlecatmeowstab212]

Angle is the one I've seen people speculating about the most. I dunno about how great that would be tho

Would be interesting, but isn't angle retired or is retiring? It's hard to keep track on what's actually current in TNA because of all the episodes of impact they tape at once.

Angle's leaving TNA so he's doing a "TNA Farewell Tour." It's doubtful WWE clears him, so who knows where he'll end up. Stranger things have happened though, like Shane McMahon vs. Undertaker in Hell in a Cell being announced for Wrestlemania.

[907]

love Shane O Mac

have zero interest in him v Taker at WM tho

would much rather have seen Taker put over a talent like Balor

This X 1,000.

[battlecatmeowstab212]

I don't think Balor would be the best Taker opponent as "the guy who drove Taker out of Mania" is a bit too large of a way to debut a guy and is impossible to follow-up like a guy winning a title on their first night in the company.

If we're doing anyone against Taker, it'd have to be someone who can week-in week-out carry promos by themselves as Taker won't be there. Really, your only believable option at this juncture for it would be Kevin Owens, but all signs now are pointing to Owens-Styles.

[blastmaster]

Fuck it and go all in and have a bunch of peolple run-in on Shane's behalf and usher in a "new era". Zayn, Balor, Bullet Club Boyz, Enzo and Cass, maybe Joe etc. Make it a huge new wave and maybe a new brand split.

[GUCCI CONDOMS]

Fuck it and go all in and have a bunch of peolple run-in on Shane's behalf and usher in a "new era". Zayn, Balor, Bullet Club Boyz, Enzo and Cass, maybe Joe etc. Make it a huge new wave and maybe a new brand split.

Shane bringing in the bullet club tho...

[CarlosDelgothoes]

I don't think Balor would be the best Taker opponent as "the guy who drove Taker out of Mania" is a bit too large of a way to debut a guy and is impossible to follow-up like a guy winning a title on their first night in the company.

If we're doing anyone against Taker, it'd have to be someone who can week-in week-out carry promos by themselves as Taker won't be there. Really, your only believable option at this juncture for it would be Kevin Owens, but all signs now are pointing to Owens-Styles.

I agree, but it just point to the lack of planning. This could have been a program being built up since the Rumble with Balor coming in as his apprentice or something. Instead they're just gonna parachute Taker in at WM and give him some cornball angle to work.

fantasy booking: Cena and Reigns clique up and become 4th wall shattering anti-smark super heels. Imagine them insulting the fuck out of the fans every time they come out then beating the snot out of Styles, Ambrose et all. Then again Hall & Nash already did that, so...

[seagrams hotsauce]

love Shane O Mac

have zero interest in him v Taker at WM tho

would much rather have seen Taker put over a talent like Balor

I dunno, I kinda want the best NXT guys to stay as far away from the main roster for as long possible. Vince has no idea what to do with these guys

[battlecatmeowstab212]

The rumor now is that we're going to be getting a post-Wrestlemania brand split.

The Baltimore Raw this May is bring promoted as "WWE VS. Monday Night Raw," which could be an umbrella-man style coincidental typo, or a sign of a big shift in the company.

The whole situation is so strange, seeing the internet speculate on what the inter-workings of the McMahon family is really like. Shane's already been so successful on his own successfully bringing on-demand technology into China that he on-paper doesn't really need WWE, but who knows? Maybe this return idea is ultimately a really special storyline. I do wonder if we're in another Wrestlemania 19 situation where the booking leading up to the event is going to be super strange, and then the show itself is going to be so off-the-charts that it ultimately overcomes it.

[907]

Do they even have enough uninjured talent on the roster currently for a brand split?

[blastmaster]

Just a ton of guys who are way lower on the card than their talent should dictate.

[battlecatmeowstab212]

Finally watched the opening segment.

I have three predictions, first two I'm serious about, third is a longshot I'd just like to see. (spoilered, just cause why not)

1) Something that Shane has reveals, or at least heavily implies, that Vince isn't Stephanie's real father.

2) The "Deal" or whatever Shane has somehow gets tied back to the stage collapsing on Vince back during Million Dollar Mania in 2008 and/or the Mcmahon-Orton feud in 2009, both of which involved the last times we saw Shane on-screen, and the former was never really acknowledged or given any sort of closure.

3) Vince's real-life brother Rod McMahon will finally appear on-screen. He's been rumored to appear for years, dating back to the 1999 "Higher Power" angle. He was in-talks to appear at Vince's funeral during the aborted 2007 Vince-is-dead angle, and if Vince's career is truly winding down, he may want to give him some camera time.

[Brougham33]

Wait, Rod McMahon is a thing? I'm all in on that. Just googled, and no picture exists?

[battlecatmeowstab212]

Rod McMahon is in the steel industry in Texas. He's successful, he's just never been on-screen or involved with wrestling. Plenty of info about his businesses are available, just not much in the way of pictures.

He's very real though - http://www.northamericanmetals.net/Contactus.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Brougham33]

Oh shit, I got a machine shop, I'm totally gonna use north american metals to buy something. May I speak with ROD MCMAHON DAMMIT!!!

[seagrams hotsauce]

Holy shit, that rod mcmahon thing would be fucking hilarious

[battlecatmeowstab212]

Oh shit, I got a machine shop, I'm totally gonna use north american metals to buy something. May I speak with ROD MCMAHON DAMMIT!!!

Please do this. I'm serious. Record the conversation too. You'd be breaking internet-wrestling ground.

[battlecatmeowstab212]

Great AJ Styles interview. Cole really excels at these:

[alpha]

I didn't watch for a long time. How does this brand split work for ppv's?

[Pizon]

At one time they had brand specific PPVs, except WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, etc.

Then they dropped that and had matches from each brand on each PPV, sometimes doing brand vs. brand matches.

[GUCCI CONDOMS]

The former brand split had it's ups and downs, but I would mind another brand split now to freshen things up. However, I'm not so sure they have a deep enough roster anymore to spread across 2 brands.

[blastmaster]

I just hope they let Heyman run Smackdown again. His era was fucking great.

[Pizon]

I just watched the Shane McMahon segment, and am I right that they didn't stipulate Shane had to win his match to get control of Raw? Vince said he just needed to have the match with Undertaker?

[Pizon]

Nevermind, WWE.com edited the part out that said he had to win.

[zappy]

Knowing Vince it'll be Corbin

this makes way too much awful sense

[zappy]

BTW - Google translate "Sami Zayn" into arabic, and then back into English. Trust me, you'll be floored.

holy shit.

the floor dropped out

[blastmaster]

Decent Raw. It's crazy how over Ambrose is. Hopefully HHH drops the strap on Raw and Ambrose-Lesnar is for the title somehow.

[battlecatmeowstab212]

Please tell me we're not getting Owens-Big Show. Unless it's some sort of weapons-spree hardcore match (which both have always excelled in) I don't see it as utilizing either to their full potential.

[blastmaster]

Im sure we will get a multi-man gimmick match for the IC title. Its better than Big Show. I wish they would have built Owens-Ziggler into a potential show-stealing ladder match.