TJR Q&A #50: Undertaker vs. Cena at WrestleMania – Who Wins?, Last Match at WrestleMania and More! (30 Questions!)
It’s time for another Question and Answer session here on TJRWrestling. Since it’s WrestleMania season, there were obviously a lot of questions centered around that. Some of them are about matches that we know are happening, others are about potential partners for Braun Strowman in the Raw Tag Team Title match and most of them were about John Cena’s expected (not yet official) WrestleMania match against The Undertaker.
The questions come from my Facebook page. I’ve chosen 30 of the best ones with my answers right underneath them. Thanks to those of you that asked the questions. Let’s get to it.
1. Mike Mifflin
Picks to win the WM battle royals?
I think Elias should win the men’s battle royal. Seems like they want to push him and it would give him a win worth bragging about. They need to figure out a prize for the winner. Another name is Big Cass if he’s cleared to return.
Women’s battle royal I think Bayley or Sasha Banks winning with the other one as the runner-up would be smart. So maybe Bayley wins and Banks turns heel the next night.
2. Josh Lerud
In your opinion is the build to Wrestlemania finally going to get Reigns over with the masses? I’m not a Roman fan or hater I prefer Styles or Rollins but I recognize his importance to brass.
He’s already over in terms of reactions, but fans don’t cheer like WWE wants because it’s tougher in today’s environment. I went to a live event on Sunday and the reaction to him was louder than anybody. It’s just that some people boo because they forget that WWE turned him face due to the fans reacting to him.
To me, they should have turned him heel for like 6-10 months at some point in the last three years and it would have helped him as a face.
3. Kevin Curtiss
Nia Jax strikes me as someone that can handle a WrestleMania moment and an average/passable wrestling match, but character and ability wise is not ready for a title run. Should Carmella cash in immediately after or the next night?
Carmella can’t cash in on Raw unless they change their own rules. The briefcase is for Smackdown’s title. Jax is fine, but I don’t think she can have a good match with Bliss. That match should be under five minutes with Jax winning.
4. Geoff Landtbom
Is Charlotte already the best women’s wrestler of the modern era?
I think Asuka is the best women’s wrestler in WWE since she walked in the door. In terms of all around, Mickie James and Natalya are right at the very top too – they just don’t get the opportunities and time that the others get. Sasha Banks is really good overall. Having experience certainly helps. Charlotte has more opportunities than any other woman to have long matches. I like her as a performer and she’s good, but she’s way better as a face. It’s awkward seeing her as a face when she towers over most women due to her height.
Long answer, but I think Asuka is the best women’s wrestler in WWE in terms of matches.
5. Alex Jackson
Which do you prefer? World champion like in WWE or World’s Champion like the NWA?
I always liked WWE World Heavyweight Champion as the official name. They used that a few years ago and then they changed it back to just WWE Champion. I like saying “world” in there for sure.
World’s Champion always sounded awkward to me. I get why they do it that way, but it’s just not as good.
6. Erin Somers
What would you say the odds are that WWE jumps to Fox & Fox Sports 1??
I think they will offer more than USA Network and the thought of Raw on Fox is better than USA Network (Smackdown on FS1 is similar to being on USA Network) because it will reach more people, which helps WWE overall. More people have regular Fox than USA Network and it would also be two hours instead of three because Fox primetime is two hours. Plus, Fox has the Disney money and they can offer a better deal right now.
If I had to put the percent on it I’d say 60% chance WWE goes to Fox or maybe even higher than that. We should know later this year.
7. Matt Livingstone
Why is Roman Reigns so amazing? And when will everyone stop being stubborn and recognize his greatness?
Reigns is a pretty good performer that has improved in the last few years in terms of promos. Matches are good, but also feel repetitive at times with similar two count spots. I’d like to see him change up the formula a bit because I’ve reviewed hundreds of his matches and I can tell you the spots that are coming before they happen a lot of the time. The best guys change it up once in a while. That’s all.
I also think he’s going to be even better in the next five years than the last five years. A heel run would be fun and if he turned heel in the last three years it would have helped him more as a face. I think now is a good time to consider a heel turn because they have a lot of face options with Strowman, Styles, Rollins, Balor and of course Cena is still around too.
8. Joe Harris
So with Asuka winning the title at Mania, do you think they will just keep the title on her to break her own streak? And will the women’s division on Smackdown die a slow death due to it?
I can see her holding the SD Women’s Title for a year and set up some match with Ronda Rousey at next year’s WrestleMania. Maybe Rousey wins the women’s Rumble or something like that. I’m not sure if they can go a year without putting the Raw Women’s Title in the next year, though.
It could die a slow death as you put it. That’s a problem. Maybe Asuka loses it at one point, but I don’t know to who.
9. Aj Giacobbe
Is Rusev going to be the new Zack Ryder…super over with fans while creative just can’t get their finger out of their ass and come up with a good storyline?
Probably not because he’s a bigger guy. I think Rusev should be used better. It’s just tough around WrestleMania when they had a lot of things planned already. He’s not a monster sized guy, but he’s a bigger guy and because of that hopefully he’ll get another push one day. He certainly deserves it.
10. John Entwistle
Which match do you think will close Mania? Got a bad/weird feeling AJ and Nakamura will be the opener.
I think Reigns vs. Lesnar will go on last or maybe Cena vs. Taker, but I think more likely Reigns.
I think WWE will put AJ and Nakamura in the middle of the show. If it was me that would go on last, but I’m just answering based on what I think WWE and Vince McMahon will do.
11. Mark Newsome
Do you see CM Punk attending the 10,000 seat “All In” show in any capacity?
I don’t know. Up to him, I guess. He’s friendly with Cody and the Young Bucks so it might happen especially because it’s in Punk’s hometown of Chicago. It would be an easy payday for him if he wanted to do something.
If I had to guess I’d say no because Punk wants to separate himself from wrestling and focus on his MMA career.
12. Justin Irok
Do you think the Cena hate will go away, like, ever? At this point in his career he’s so fucking good and seems to be doing things effortlessly. It’s crazy that people are still booing him for things that are no longer true.
He really isn’t hated that much anymore as a part timer that has put over so many guys in the last few years. People sing the song “John Cena sucks” and they laugh about it, or the “Let’s go Cena/Cena sucks” chant is just part of the show. It just isn’t as vicious as it was a decade ago. The difference between today and his heavy push years 2005 to 2014 or so is because he was that top guy that won nearly every match. Now that’s Roman Reigns, so he gets the heat. In reality, it’s really just Vince McMahon picking one guy to push the hardest. I like Cena and have always liked Cena. I think Cena’s a great performer and I think most fans know that now.
13. Joe Sondag
Do you think Mickie James or Becky Lynch will get another title reigns during this year or next?
I think Mickie should have won it in the fall and if they wanted to put it back on Bliss do it at the Rumble PPV. I really hope Mickie gets one more run. I don’t know if it happens because I think WWE views her as more of a supporting character. Becky probably will get it later this year assuming she goes to Raw (I can see her moving) and they may want to push her hard on the new show.
14. Frank Shattuck
What has been the best name for a finisher?
I like Stone Cold Stunner and RKO is pretty cool considering it’s like a knockout and it’s Randy Keith Orton. Razor’s Edge was always one of my favorite names too. I can think of so many. Some other finishers I like in WWE right now are Lumbar Check by Cedric Alexander and Shatter Machine by The Revival.
15. Brad Christenson
More of a thought than a question, but I think if Strowman is going to have a partner they shouldn’t reveal who it is till they come down the ramp at Mania. Whoever it is might get a huge pop, especially if it’s a returning Samoa Joe. What are your thoughts John?
I don’t want Joe in a face role, so I don’t like that. I love Joe as a heel too much. But if they want to save the partner for WM day that’s fine. Could even be like Rey Mysterio in that spot. Some people have mentioned Elias as well although I wouldn’t want him to be in a face role.
16. Daniel Mount
Do you think CM Punk should have main evented a Wrestlemania? If so, which one?
It didn’t work out. They should have pushed him more to start 2011 and been in that spot against Miz. That booking helped fuel his speech in June 2011. Watch his DVD he explained it. I think WM28 made sense that he didn’t main event, but they could have made the WM29 main event a triple threat with Rock vs. Cena vs. Punk. Singles matches tend to do better, though.
I wish Punk got to main event a WrestleMania. He certainly earned that right.
17. Andrew Harlall
Do you think a men’s and women’s battle royal two months after a men’s and women Royal Rumble is somewhat overkill? I understand they’re technically different matches, but I feel like it takes away from the novelty of the battle royal matches a little.
It is overkill, but that’s current WWE. They overkill the multi-person matches so much and wanting to get people on the show.
18. Shay Smithers
I’ve been seeing a lot of things of people saying they want to see Undertaker bring back the biker gimmick for the WrestleMania match against John Cena. Do you think this trending because fans just really want to see the gimmick one more time before he officially retires? What are the chances you think it actually happens?
I don’t think Taker should ever do the biker gimmick again. That’s dumb to me. It was a long time ago and he should do the traditional Taker gimmick that we know him for. I doubt he goes with the biker gimmick.
Could I be wrong on that? Sure. I don’t know what they are going to do. I just think it’s better for Taker to be the usual Taker we have known for the majority of his career.
19. Joel J-money Wood
Hey John Canton if they bring Neville back and put guys like Ricochet and Lio in 205 Live, do you think the cruiserweight division can finally live up to the potential it had when it first started?
Maybe, but they need to move 205 Live to before Smackdown and the crowds may care more that way. Right now they don’t care enough because it’s nearly 3 hours into a long night. With that said, I doubt 205 Live ever becomes a massive success. It may continue to exist for years, but doubt it’s ever going to be that big of a deal due to Raw, Smackdown and NXT already existing as bigger shows.
20. Matt Wayne Breeding
Do you think Undertaker vs Cena will be any good?
I know you have experience so you know how it is where guys are at that level. They don’t need to do that much lol. Just stand there and the crowd will chant “this is awesome” for them. I’m sure the match will feel like a Greatest Hits show for both guys doing their signature nearfall spots to draw big reactions. I think it will be an average match because of Taker’s age and health, but it will feel special for some people. Others will hate it. Welcome to the internet wrestling community!
21. David Harnick
Who is the most gifted wrestler in the WWE today?
I think AJ Styles is, but he’s also 40 and not that many years left as a full timer. Seth Rollins is pretty awesome all around. Finn Balor too.
22. Brandon Willis
For the Shane vs KO and Sami angle, obviously Shane comes back, but then what? If it’s a tag match at WrestleMania, who do you think his partner will be?
There’s a lot of that with this WM about who should team up with Shane and Strowman in their matches. I don’t know what the best answer is, but just hope it makes sense. I mean maybe they can turn Baron Corbin face and put him in that spot. Maybe Dolph Ziggler turns face. The Smackdown roster doesn’t have a lot of options now, so maybe that’s how they bring back Bobby Lashley. Another name is Rusev. That’s who would fit as a face turn, but I don’t know if WWE wants to do that.
The other obvious name is Daniel Bryan, but we don’t know if he’s cleared. It sounds like it is a possibility, though.
23. Shon Wheeler
Why are they not pulling the trigger of Rusev?
It would be nice if they did, but if it’s not in their long-term plans then they are reluctant to do it. I hope it happens post WM, but really should have happened leading up to WM because the “Rusev Day” chants have been going strong for about four months now.
24. Timothy Mercer
Do you think it will hurt the WWE in the long run in terms of house show ticket sales or revenue in general if they keep advertising matches and people to be in attendance like Lesnar and Rousey? Neither of them were at last week’s Raw even though they were advertised and then they didn’t do the dark match they advertised.
It won’t hurt that much, but I would advise against doing it regularly. It’s a bad practice for sure. In Lesnar’s case it is now part of his gimmick to no show and get heat on him for it. With Rousey, they made a mistake. I think the dark match main event should have happened as advertised because you should do stuff like that for the fans that have to sit there for nearly four hours (counting Main Event before Raw).
25. Daniel Hill
Do you see Carmella cashing in her MITB at Wrestlemania? I don’t think WWE thinks highly enough of her to cash in on Auska even though it would be controversial if that’s how the ‘streak’ ended. I always said Orton should have done that to a champion Undertaker back in his legend killing days (never thinking the actual streak would ever end). Or maybe pin Charlotte like Rollins did as everyone is presuming Auska wins? Take care John.
I don’t see it happening. It would be nice if she did win because it gives the first women’s MITB winner credibility, but I can see her failing to cash in successfully. I like her, but I don’t view Carmella as a big star and I don’t think WWE does either.
Like I mentioned earlier, I don’t think she can cash in on the Raw Title. That doesn’t make sense to me since it was a Smackdown show. I guess the way to get around that is by moving her to Raw post WrestleMania and saying that she’s able to cash in there.
26. Lee Johnson
Who do you think wins the Taker/Cena match? Experience says Cena, but I think it would be a great way to let Taker go out with a win, considering Cena would gain nothing from the win and won’t be hurt by the loss the way an up-and-comer would be.
I would love to see Taker win and really retire after the match to have him go out on top. It would be a nice change to have a guy win a match and then walk away from the business. With that said, it’s The Undertaker and a lot of us (including me) thought last year was it, so people won’t believe he’s retired even if WWE tries to tell us that.
You could make a case for Cena winning since he’s the younger guy (by 12 years), but I really don’t think Cena should win because he’s a part timer too. He doesn’t need it. You can do the respect handshake post match either way.
27. Brandan Kelly
Will Reigns vs Lesnar match go longer than 10 minutes?
Yes. I think Reigns vs. Lesnar will probably go about 17 minutes. Their match at WM31 was very good. The Lesnar match with Styles at Survivor Series 2017 was great and went 15:25. It’s possible that WWE may really want to put over Reigns huge by having him beat Lesnar in less than five minutes (like Goldberg at Survivor Series 2016), but I think having more of a competitive “fight” type of match is a better idea. I expect a lot of finishing moves and guys kicking out at two. Reigns wins, of course.
28. Nate Kuhl
Do you see any lower mid card guy/jobber getting a Jinder Mahal like push in 2018?
It’s hard to predict that sort of thing because who really knows? I guess we have to examine what guys have really improved their bodies because that’s what got Jinder the big push he received.
My answer is no because those kinds of pushes are rare even though it happened last year. It’s not like it is an every year thing.
29. Jeroukoc Vasilis
Do you think the ultimate deletion will be successful or not fare any better than House of Horrors?
I’m optimistic about it and think it will be pretty good. There are going to be some fans that hate it because it will look different than everything else in wrestling, but I’m open minded and think that Matt will do a great job with it.
30. Jake Pumfleet
What makes NXT more enjoyable and the superstars more ‘over’ than Raw & Smackdown?
They are not more over in terms of the overall comapny. NXT is a money loser for WWE and they don’t draw the same audience that the other shows do. What makes it more enjoyable is being in a smaller venue and having a hotter crowd. It’s also simple booking with more of a focus on in-ring, less backstage segments, the promos are usually more basic and it’s more of a simplistic approach.
As much as I love NXT, the fact is if they were more “over” they would sell more tickets than the main roster and that doesn’t happen.
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That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!