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TJR Q&A #24: Cena’s Future in WWE, Royal Rumble, WrestleMania Potential Matches & More (50+ Questions!)

TJR Wrestling

The weekend is a good time for another question and answer session here on TJRWrestling. As usual, I ask for questions on my Facebook page and it’s up to the good people on there to come up with questions for me to think about to give the best answer possible. I want to do them every other week, but it’s been four weeks since the last one. I’ll try to be better at doing it every other week going forward.

The topics range from current things in wrestling to things from the past and of course predictions from the future. With the new year coming soon there are a lot of questions about Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. I honestly have no idea what WWE is planning for either of those events (other than Goldberg vs. Lesnar and Triple H vs. Rollins at WM), so it’s a random guessing game at times. But that’s fine for all of us to do and it’s why we love wrestling in the first place. Let’s get to it.

1. Andrew Schetter
Top 4 matches at Wrestlemania?

Four matches that disappoint people. Oh shit you want actual matches.

Lesnar vs. Goldberg
Undertaker vs. Cena
Rollins vs. Hunter Hearst McMahon Helsmley Levesque
Styles vs. Nakamura if I was allowed to pick
Owens vs. Balor

That’s five. I go above and beyond.

2. Rik Shaw
Who would be your “most likely” pick to win the 2017 Royal Rumble?

I don’t know to be perfectly honest. I think it always matters a lot less when the brand extension is in play. I doubt it’s going to be anybody that would be considered a new main event player.

A year ago at this time who would have said Triple H? LOL not many.

I’ll pick John Cena or Roman Reigns even though people will hate that answer.

If it was me I’d try to make a new main eventer and have a midcarder like Zayn, Cesaro or even Ziggler win it just for something different that people aren’t expecting.

3. Tad Johnson
Out of anything you’ve written for TJR, WhatCulture, or anyone else you’ve worked for, what is the writing that you’re most proud of?

Probably the Shawn Michaels bio I wrote the day after he retired in 2010. He was my favorite wrestler, so it meant a lot to write that and have it be so well received.

Here’s a link to that article on Rajah.com because the old TJRWrestling site doesn’t exist anymore.

4. Josh Ramey
What do you think of Broken Matt Hardy?

I think he’s got a great creative mind for wrestling and I hope he’s a part of TNA’s creative team. The character is very over the top and obviously gaining a lot of steam even though TNA’s audience is getting smaller. I give him credit for coming up with it. He was in a bad place mentally and physically a few years ago. Marriage and being a dad helped him a lot.

5. Erin Somers
Do you ever see a talent trade between shows??

I think that should happen. I’m not sure if it’s going to happen often, but at least there should be one or two trades. It spices things up and you can do angles off it pretty easily.

6. Kevin C Staed
Ok 3 parter. With Mickie James return will she go to the main roster? What are the realistic odds of either Trish or Lita returning? Finally do you think any of them would help or hurt the shows?

Yes. She’ll be on Smackdown on the main roster.

Trish is over 40, is several months preggo with baby #2 and I doubt she would ever return full time. Maybe for a match down the road. Lita is also in her 40s and also just has a legends deal now. Both of them retired in 2006. Mickie never retired, so it’s a different situation.

Of course Mickie will help. Amazing performer that will make others around her better.

7. Justin Irok
Why the hell isn’t Rusev universal champion yet? He’s my early Rumble pick. I think him and Seth headlining Wrestlemania would be pretty awesome.

I don’t think that’s going to happen, but I like him a lot. Losing to Roman Reigns 37 times certainly didn’t help his cause. I hope he can get to that main event level regularly.

8. Andrew Cunningham
Kurt Angle is there any chance he will be back in the WWE soon?

I sure as hell hope so! I think having him as a surprise in the Royal Rumble would generate one of the loudest ovations in years. If they can bring Shane McMahon and Goldberg back then they should bring Kurt Angle back. I know his health isn’t the greatest, but he can still do some high profile matches if given the chance.

9. Kimsan Song
Can you name something that truly surprised you in wrestling?

Brock Lesnar beating The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30. I was there and was absolutely shocked because I had no idea it was happening. Goldberg beating Lesnar so quickly at Survivor Series this year also surprised me a lot! Also, Scott Hall on Nitro in 1996 and Eric Bischoff appearing on Raw in July 2002.

10. Andre Jones
Do you think WWE should shift 205 Live to be shown live before Smackdown on Tuesday nights with the alleged issues of people leaving early?

Yes absolutely. That’s what they did with ECW ten years ago and with other things they’ve tried. It would make 205 Live not live, but so what. Better to do it before SD instead of after it.

11. Aj Giacobbe
Is there a reason Big Cass never has to bump?

Haha because he’s seven tall and you can’t teach that. I don’t think he’s been pinned on the main roster aside from that 4 way match he was a part of in August. He’s going to be a big part of their future, so they will keep him strong for years.

12. Octavio Fierros
Who headlines the Hall of Fame next spring?

Daniel Bryan is a good choice since he’s retired and unlikely to wrestle again. Goldberg could be although if he’s wrestling Lesnar there then maybe they save it. The Rock is always a possibility whenever he wants to do it.

I think they should put JBL and DDP this year as well in terms of guys who are pretty big names, but not headliners.

13. Roderick Walker
Who do you think will win their first championship in 2017?

If you mean World or Universal Championship I pick Bray Wyatt.

If you mean any Championship then I think Bayley.

14. David Vu
How tired are you of these terrible booking decisions regarding the Raw titles? The US title isn’t defended. The tag titles have gone a little tedious trying to break a record. They aren’t building the women enough to have anyone else challenge, and they keep switching the women’s title back and forth. Maybe Bayley will get a chance soon. And the universal title, a stupid name, is marred by constant interference. If they could just build feuds like NXT, that’d be great.

It’s been pretty frustrating and I think that’s what a lot of us feel about Raw. There’s a lot of talent there, but the booking is disappointing all the time. They make some titles seem like they are a big deal with really long reigns yet champions like Sasha and Charlotte can’t seem to have a successful title defense.

All of them could be booked better. You’re right about that.

15. Brian Coats
When will the James Ellsworth infatuation get old and WWE stop giving him so much TV time?

It’s probably getting close. I’m not sure about his long term value, but in the next month or two it’ll probably reach a point where people are really sick of him.

16. Dathan Massey
What are Bobby Roode’s chances of winning a World Title soon on the main roster??

I think he’ll win NXT Title perhaps in January and be in NXT for most of 2017. If he’s on main roster it will be later 2017 and I doubt he wins a major title right away.

17. John Harper
Thoughts on a 20-woman Royal Rumble to open the PPV?

Sure. I would have done it 10 years ago. I have said that for years and will always say it until they do it.

18. Andy Rif Sheriff
What was the bigger shock, Lex Luger & Scott Hall appearing on Nitro or Eric Bischoff appearing on Raw?

I think Hall on Nitro was probably the biggest to me because I had no idea. Bischoff on Raw is probably next. The Luger thing was pretty huge too, but I didn’t care about him much anyway.

19. Brett Beatty
Do you think the other three major events should be held at bigger venues like Wrestlemania? And do you have a Royal Rumble Favorite? And do you have any guesses for surprise entrants or predictions for the Rumble?

I hope Kurt Angle is a surprise entrant. It’s time for him to come back home.

I predict a lot of big guys like Strowman and Corbin will do well. I think Goldberg and Lesnar will take eachother out. I don’t know who might win but Reigns and Cena are where I’m thinking not that I want it to happen.

20. Rob Brown
Do you suspect that they’ll work the Linda McMahon appointment by Trump into a story? Or, will they ignore it considering the…ummm…conflict that Trump seems to be surrounded with.

I don’t think there’s a reason to work it into an angle. Sure it’s in the public eye, but I don’t think fans are clamoring for angles about the person in charge of small businesses in the US.

21. Josh Warner
Samoa Joe’s first feud on the main roster…how would you do it and against who?

Kevin Owens if he’s on Raw and AJ Styles if he’s on Smackdown. They need main eventers. Easy to do it since he’s so effective working as a heel or face.

22. Mike Cirilo
We’ve seen the WWE acquire great independent talent the last few years. As a whole, do you think they are being utilized fully on the main roster?

In some ways, but not totally. I think it’s the best roster in terms of depth, but they are lacking in terms of draws. There’s no Austin, Rock, Hogan type in terms of changing the game and bringing in new viewers. I want some people to be doing more like a Sami Zayn, but when you have so many people on the roster you can’t push everybody at once.

23. Nate Kuhl
Do you think we could see Mick Foley or Daniel Bryan replaced as GM on their respective shows sometime in 2017? Who do you think would replace them?

I think it’s possible. This is WWE. They are always changing their mind. Pick a retired wrestler of the dozens that exist and they can put one of them in that spot for sure.

24. James Ferriman
Now that he’s finally made the big time, how do you see James Ellsworth’s WWE career turning out in the long run? We know he’s a very experienced wrestler *cough* sports entertainer *cough* (sorry Vince), with years of in ring expierience. Do you see the novelty wearing off at any point though? Having him turn against Ambrose was a bit of a headscratcher.

I don’t see him being in a main title picture for very long. He’s a comedy character. They can use him like Santino although he’s not as funny as Santino. Perhaps he can be in a tag team with a bigger wrestler where the bigger guy wins the matches for the team while he takes a beating. That kind of thing would work.

He’ll probably be in the Rumble match and get tossed out by Strowman or some other big guy.

25. Daniel Wilder
How did the ropes change to purple so fast during Cruiserweight matches?

They put tape over them. It’s not that fast. Usually takes 2-3 minutes, which is why you’ll see a commercial or a backstage segment before they get to the ring.

26. Ali Vaughan
Would going back to non PG solve all?

Nope. I don’t think it’s going to happen any time soon. An edgier product would help, but the world is a lot more sensitive today than it was 15-20 years ago.

27. Van Wilhoite
Who do you predict will be the next first time IC Champ?

Baron Corbin or Apollo Crews. If Sami Zayn was on Smackdown I would pick him.

28. Daniel Mount
What brand do you see Samoa Joe debuting on?

Either one is fine with me. I think Smackdown is more likely since Raw will have the likes of Lesnar, Goldberg and Triple H in the mix early next year while Smackdown will at least have Cena and Undertaker back.

29. Mark Tallentire
Do you think a Rusev face turn is coming? He is genuinely likeable if you watch him out of character (as you will know) and it won’t take much to get fans to cheer him.

Vince likes having his foreigners as heels and if he turns them face they become comedy guys. Remember Kozlov? So he’s better off as a heel.

30. Bob Stephen
If you could have anyone take on The Undertaker at Wrestlemania who would it be and why?

I’d like to see Cena vs. Taker at WM. I think it would have a good feel to it and come off like a big match.

31. PJ Campbell
This is kinda silly. But I had no idea Gavin Spears is Tye Dillenger. He’s 35. Do you see him going past IC/US title status at this point?

It would be nice. I think he certainly deserves it. If they don’t want to push him as a singles wrestler then find him a partner and get them a chance.

32. Ed Luis Valentin
How long do you think Cena’s got left before he decides to retire from wrestling, and who do you really wanna see him face before he leaves? I really wanna see Cena vs Samoa Joe and vs Shinsuke Nakamura.

He’ll probably be a part time wrestler for the next decade. When some guys retire for good it’s so they can stay home with their family and be around their kids. He has no kids and probably never will, so as long as he stays in shape he’ll be that legend that wrestles a few times every year until he’s 50 or so.

33. Matt Tome
How would you debut the Revival on the main roster, and which show would you debut them on?

I think it would be great if there’s a call up from NXT that earns a title match in their first match and wins a title in their next match. What if they get called up to main roster after the new year, beat New Day non-title and beat New Day at Rumble. That would really put them on the map.

With that said, I don’t think Vince will use them right since they are shorter than most.

34. Douglas Paul Gundlach Jr.
Do you see HBK making a one match comeback next year?

I doubt he wrestles again. If he was gonna do it then Dallas would have made the most sense with the biggest crowd ever. I’d love to be wrong on that since he’s my fave wrestler ever and would enjoy seeing him in a match again.

35. More-ice Short-Tall
Will Finn Balor win the Royal Rumble?

I don’t think he’ll be ready. He did a recent interview saying that WrestleMania was his target date. I think that’s more realistic because a major shoulder surgery is usually 6 months, so if you think end of August then end of January is about five months. I think early March is most likely. Then again he could have just bullshitting to throw people off.

36. Jonathan McCauley
If you had two brand related trades (NXT included), four pushes between the four superstars traded…..what would you do and why?!

Zayn to Smackdown to elevate him into a feud with AJ Styles.

Samoa Joe to Raw and he feuds with Roman Reigns right away, taking the US Title from him.

Gallows & Anderson to Smackdown to be with AJ again.

Becky Lynch for Sasha Banks to freshen things up.

37. Ciaran Victory
If you could pick five matches in history where a title change should have happened but didn’t what would they be and why?

Dibiase over Hogan at some point.

Mr. Perfect over Hogan at some point.

Bret Hart beating Hogan for the WWE Title at King of the Ring 1993.

Also Lex Luger over Yokozuna at SummerSlam 1993. Why was he celebrating a countout win so much?

Booker T beating HHH WM19 would have been cool. I think they wanted to keep it on Hunter since he was feuding with Goldberg in the summer, but it would have been huge for Booker.

I can probably think of more, but those come to mind.

38. Shaun Russell
What is the worst Wrestlemania match of all time?

One of these ones: Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez WM9, Cole vs. Lawler WM27, Women’s Battle Royal WM25. There’s probably more. I reviewed them all and try to block them out of our mind.

39. Nick Wood
Would you say James Ellsworth’s character has hurt Dean Ambrose way more than it can be beneficial?

It depends where it goes. If this is the story that sets off Ambrose to be a lunatic heel then I’m all for it, but if it makes him a face that is wandering in the midcard then it sucks. Time will tell on this one.

40. Manish K Nair
What’s your fav Non Rumble match ever in a Royal Rumble Pay Per View?

I can give you two: HHH/Cactus Jack Rumble 2000 and Angle/Benoit Rumble 2003 both amazing.

41. Jeroukoc Vasilis
Just want your opinion on which return and debut you think was the best of 2016? (Best debut is very difficult to guess lol.)

Best debut is obviously AJ Styles. Best return I like Mickie James the most, so I pick that. Obviously Shane McMahon and Goldberg are good ones too. Goldberg is the best answer because I didn’t think he would come back.

42. Emiliano Z Quevedo Jr.
Have you ever been in a wrestling ring and taken a bump?

Nope. When I was at my most athletic in my early 20s I’d probably give it a try. Not going to try it now in my mid-30s.

43. Jason Tomlinson
Who do you think the suprise Rumble entrants will be?

I hope it’s Kurt Angle. Maybe some NXT people like Tye Dillinger (at 10) and Samoa Joe.

44. Nathan Davies
What has been the best all round weekly show this year? RAW, Smackdown or NXT? I’m thinking Smackdown.

I think Smackdown has been the best. I still like NXT, but a lot less great matches on their regular show.

45. David Harnick
I would love to see AJ Styles vs Finn Balor. What is a dream match that you want to see that can come true in 2017?

I’d love a Styles vs. Lesnar match. That would be really cool. I know some don’t like Brock, but if it was similar to Lesnar vs. Punk it would be amazing.

46. Jesse Ornelas
Should The New Day drop their titles at Roadblock or at WM and really put over a new team?

Roadblock sounds fine to me for a title change. Maybe it goes into 2017, though. I don’t know what the plan is going to be.

47. Kevin Michael Jendrowski
Does Mickie James coming to Smackdown make you happy or would you rather see her on Raw? If Smackdown do you think going heel shortly after debuting and going into a program with becky would be the best?

I think she’ll be a face for the majority of her run in WWE as a veteran that is well liked.

I think Smackdown is the better spot because they are better at coming up with stories for more women on the show. Raw seems to be about two women all the time and has been for like six months.

48. How should Samoa Joe or Nakamura be introduced on the main roster?

Best way I can answer that is just push them hard right away. Go on a long winning streak. Main event level right off the bat. Why wait for it. The company needs “new” names at the top and both are ready for that.

49. Giles Hart
What’s your overall opinion on Baron Corbin? I’ve always loved his look and really started to warm to him as a wrestler recently, especially after the first ever decent chairs match with Kalisto and want him to do well, but I know many think he’s a bit plain with not much dimension apart from his signature moves. What needs to be done in order to make him more popular and that bit more better as an all round performer?

He’s got a good look, but needs a better gimmick than the “Lone Wolf” thing. The crowd doesn’t give a shit. He’s yet to have a match where he really got a crowd interested in what he’s doing and that’s one of the most important things in wrestling. He sells well, his offense looks great and in terms of promos he’s good enough. I just want him to find something to get over more.

He’s the perfect guy that would benefit from Paul Heyman as a manager. Sadly, Heyman seems content with just being Lesnar’s guy.

50. Mike Durst
Currently all heels hold all the belts over on SD Live, when was the last time a show had all heel champions?

I think the all heel thing has happened before, but I’m not going to be able to remember it. It tends to be this time of year with WWE setting up face wins heading into the WrestleMania season.

51. Kevin O’Brien
Thoughts on multiple Rumble matches? Either the regular 30 man and a women’s match or one for each brand so each title is defended against a Rumble winner.

One for the men and one for the women sounds fine to me. I don’t think they should do two men’s Rumble matches. Since Smackdown has Elimination Chamber two weeks after Rumble you can do a #1 contender match in the Chamber pretty easily, so that’s why a Raw guy could win the Rumble.

52. Tim Scoleri
Since the draft WWE has had a live special every 2 or 3 weeks. Do you think the amount of specials they’re putting out hurts the quality of Raw and Smackdown? With major events or title changes taking place on the specials it makes Raw and Smackdown seem not so must see.

It doesn’t bother me because the cost of the network is only $9.99 so it’s not like we are getting ripped off. They should be providing us with a lot of live content and they are. Kudos to WWE for that. I guess it hurts the quality of television a lot, but it’s good for the performers.

I’m not sure if there’s a right answer for this because I can see a case being made for both sides.

53. Geoff Landtbom
My favorite thing on the WWE Network right now are the Collections. What’s your favorite one and do you see yourself reviewing them one day? I know you write a ton already.

I haven’t really watched that many of them to be honest. I watched some of them about Daniel Bryan, Eddie Guerrero and the Greatest Matches ones. I don’t watch that much wrestling when I’m not writing about it because I try to watch other things.

54. John L Henegar
I still wish Vince would have kept the belt on Savage at WM5. They could have gotten at least 2 more PPVs out of the feud (Summer Slam, Survivor Series). What do you think?

That’s just the way it was back then. Face goes over and that was Hogan. Savage had a year long reign, but he didn’t have that many significant feuds, so I see what you mean. Even when Hogan wasn’t the champion he was still the top face.

55. Ruffin Harris
What career path would you rather take and which way do you believe is the best, independent scene to the WWE or come up through WWE development?

I think gaining experience working in front of different crowds and working in different countries is the best way. Obviously being signed by WWE when you’re straight out of college after being an amateur wrestler (like Jordan and Gable) is a fine way too, but it’s nice to experience things elsewhere.

56. Marc Madison
Do you think we’ll ever see a pay per view outside of North America again or will that effect time zones? Taxes for the company to pay coming in? Viewership?

They did that NXT Takeover special from England last December and did a live event airing from Japan that aired in the wee hours of the morning. I assume those were tests to see what the market was like. They must not have liked the numbers or else they would do it again. Personally, I’d love a 8pm in England, 3pmET Sunday PPV and if people don’t want to watch it live they can watch it at their own convenience.

I think they should do it. The fans in the UK certainly deserve a major PPV there in the near future.

57. Anthony Fees
What do you think will happen with new day? Will any of them break out on their own like Seth Rollins did with the shield do you think they will break demolition record I think they are going to turn heel what do you think?

I think Big E is most likely to break out as a singles star as a heel although I think he’s got a good personality as a face. Kofi will probably be back in his midcard role as a face that can have good matches with everybody. Hopefully the last couple of years will mean he gets to show his personality more. Woods is a bit of a wildcard because I think he’s got so much potential, but he’s smaller than the others. Perhaps they use him in the cruiser division or as just a midcard wrestler, but he comes off as a face to me.

58. John Finnie
Askua where would she fit better Raw or SD & how would you book her debut & who would be the first superstar to get a pin on her??

I think Ember Moon will be the first one to beat her for the NXT Women’s Title at the Takeover in Orlando during WrestleMania weekend. As for what show should she be on, I think she’d be an asset anywhere. Flip a coin and that’s fine with me.

That’s all for now. We’ll do it again soon.