Questioning Authority

When The Authority was first formed at SummerSlam 2013 it had purpose. Triple H was following in that grand old McMahon tradition making "his guy" the champion at any cost. In the case of SummerSlam 2013 it was Randy Orton. The group was also very much about making sure the championship wasn't on alleged B-plus player Daniel Bryan. The initial Authority run was very much characterised by Bryan v Orton matches and Triple H putting down D-Bry in promos.

Things got samey pretty quickly. You can only see D-Bry shout "Yes!" before getting beaten up so many times before you start wanting something with a little more depth. For that matter the novelty of laughing at Randall Keith Orton wandering around in just a T-shirt, giving him the like of a fashionably-shaven sex pest, wears off pretty quickly too. But even though there wasn't much variety at least The Authority had a reason to exist and stay together. As far as wrestling storylines went it was A Good Thing.

This man likes trousers.

Contrast that with now. There's no one standing out as definitive opposition to the group. Randy Orton has been replaced as centrepiece by Seth Rollins¹. Fair enough, a decent story was told in 'The Future' replacing 'The Apex Predator' and it was a development that made sense in terms of long-term development. But The Authority of 2013 and '14 was all about doing whatever was necessary to ensure its selected wrestlers won. The modern day incarnation does not do this. The last several months have seen an eye-wateringly dull string of teases regarding Authority members walking out on WWE champion Rollins. The most prominent was the peculiar Rollins versus Kane rivalry in which it was implied several times that 'The Big Red Machine' would turn on Rollins and his McMahon paymasters in order to claim the championship for himself. Instead of quietly retiring like everyone wants him to.

J&J security, Rollins' stooges, have gotten in on the act too, which was possibly even more dull than the Kane teases because there was never any chance they'd be portrayed as serious threats to the title, rendering the entire scenario even more pointless. But the most recent development of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon bringing Brock Lesnar back to the company as "the ultimate test" for their boy makes no sense at all. The Authority, we've been shown and told, want to control the WWE championship because that helps them control how the company is presented to the outside world. Which doesn't tally with the decision to put their cowardly heel champion who relies heavily on assistance against the most dominant man the roster's seen in years. Why would they want to give Lesnar the chance to win the title when it's been established he's his own man and he won't play The Authority's game.

It's a decision that plays down Lesnar's actions the night after WrestleMania. Y'know, the night he F5ed Michael Cole out of his shoes and attacked a cameraman (well, an indy wrestler cosplaying as a cameraman). Yes he offered a storyline apology for these actions but that still doesn't adequately explain why The Authority would bring him back with an all-is-forgiven-and-forgotten edict. Look back at how irate Stephanie was when she initially suspended 'The Beast'. It makes no sense that a few months later she'd simply bring him back and award him a title match to test her crown jewel.

At this point the most sensible thing to do would be to dissolve The Authority. Tripper and Steph would be fine with a reduced presence. Kane would be fine retiring or playing a comedically overworked and stressed middle management matchmaker in place of the McMahons. Brad Maddox could be brought in as his chief of staff or assistant. There's fun to be had there. Noble and Mercury could simply be phased out as TV presences. Rollins, easily the most important member of the faction as he's the one who'll be main eventing pay-per-views for years to come, would be better off on his own right now. It's not that he can't benefit from being the main attraction of a dastardly heel stable. It's that The Authority just isn't that dastardly anymore.

***

¹ It's interesting to note that Rollins wrestles in trousers, making him a perfect contrast to the trouser averse Orty.

Daniel Bryan's Achilles' Neck

If you watched Extreme Rules you'll know that Daniel Bryan didn't defend the Intercontinental championship as planned. He was officially pulled from his match against Bad News Barrett hours before the show aired because he wasn't medically cleared to compete. The issue was with a concussion, nagging neck issues or a knee problem, depending on your source of choice (personally I think the neck thing seems likeliest). Almost the exact same thing happened to Bryan last year. After winning the WWE championship at WrestleMania XXX he made one pay-per-view defence (against Kane, of all people) before being pulled from action by WWE's medical staff. He eventually vacated the championship and took time off for neck surgery and rehab.

That history has repeated itself, and so soon, will surely prompt WWE to assess the way they use Bryan, which is a shame because he's a dedicated, talented man who worked hard for years to make it to WWE and gain acceptance with their audience (and management team). The more he's afflicted by health problems the more it seems that the wrestling style that initially got him signed is catching up to him. It's a sad, ironic twist worthy of the finest wrestling storyline.

This man has had no luck with
title reigns over the last two years.

Obviously the right thing has been done by Bryan in the short term. He's been taken off TV and will presumably return only when he's healthy. Ultimately though, a long term solution is required to this problem. The fact that Bryan has been having these issues, on and off, for well over a year and that they resurfaced so soon after his return from a lengthy layoff indicates that there's something serious that needs addressing. While part of the problem can probably be taken as Bryan pushing himself too hard and coming back earlier than he probably should have done the issue is very likely something that's going to keep cropping up regardless of how hard Bryan pushes himself.

There are several options open to WWE. They can send Bryan home for months, possibly even years, and not use him as a wrestler again until he's passed the strictest medical tests. They can stop using him as a wrestler and keep him on TV in an authority figure role. They can lighten his schedule, giving him more time off to rest his knackered body. Or they can take the incredibly extreme route and release him from his contract.

The first option would be best for Bryan. He'd be getting paid to get himself healthy. Were he to be released (an extreme option, as I'll discuss below) he'd almost certainly begin taking non-WWE bookings at the first opportunity, which would not help whatever his current medical problems are. But if he remained under WWE contract he wouldn't be able to do this. WWE would benefit from this too, keeping access to a popular performer for their various media efforts and looking like a benevolent outfit. They'd look like scumbags if they released him.

The lengthy layoff doesn't seem likely though, not least because Bryan will apparently be cleared within a few months and is keen to get back. Only the incredibly useless or the incredibly useful get paid to sit at home by WWE. Look no further than JTG for a useless example and Shawn Michaels for a useful one. Bryan is clearly closer to the HBK end of the spectrum but I don't think he's quite useful enough to earn an extended rest break. There's also the fact that he may not want one and request a release if WWE stopped booking him.

Keeping him on TV and recasting him as a commissioner, commentator or manager would encourage Bryan to rest and keep a bigger name on television but it wouldn't play to his strengths. Bryan can handle the occasional lengthy promo but he couldn't spout the plot points needed for an authority role. Plus that scene's flooded with better suited talent at present, most notably Triple H and Steph McMahon.

The idea of Bryan as a manager anywhere in wrestling is ridiculous. He could probably make a good colour commentator for a company like Ring of Honor (especially when you consider his status in that promotion) but he'd be lost in the role in WWE. And again there's the issue of there being no vacancies anyway.

Releasing him would be, as noted, extreme. WWE have released one prominent star in relatively recent memory: Kurt Angle was cut loose in 2006 when he refused to take time off or go to rehab to combat his neck and addiction problems. This is about the closest parallel I can think of but it's still not especially strong. Nothing indicates Bryan has turned down help and he's definitely not coping with the addictions Angle had. There's also the fact that even though his stock had fallen by the late summer of '06 Angle was still probably more highly regarded by the WWE office than D-Bry is now.

The biggest difference in the two situations is WWE itself. In 2006 WWE was only just getting into the swing of drug testing. It was years away from being as coma aware a company as it is now. In other words, it wasn't a company as concerned with presenting itself as caring and considerate as it is now. This may sound cynical and to be honest it probably is but I don't believe the majority of WWE's management team care overly about the health of their in-ring performers because so much of the way the company operates contradicts that claim. But they do care about being seen to care and a by-product of that is that working conditions have improved, for the appearance of the thing as much as anything else.

All of which is a bit of a tangent. The bottom line is that I think it would take some very serious and unpredictable exchanges for WWE to reach the point where they're releasing Daniel Bryan, freeing him up to head to New Japan to get kicked in the head by Shinsuke Nakamura.

Personally I think the best thing WWE could do with Daniel Bryan right now would be to put him in a tag team. This would have several benefits. Firstly it would cut down on his in-ring time without affecting his TV time or house show schedule. It would encourage him to work a safer, or at least less spot-heavy, style. It would give the tag division a boost, which could tie in nicely to the recent great work done by New Day and the Brass Ring Club. Finally teaming with Bryan would be a good way to elevate someone.

I think the ideal candidate for a D-Bry partner is Dolph Ziggler. He wrestles at a similarly swift pace, he's every bit as popular, he could take a beating to set up a hot tag to 'The People's Elixir', and there are entertaining (to me, if nobody else) team names in Team DBZ or The DB-DZ Connection waiting to be used. No, strictly speaking 'The Show Off' doesn't actually need elevating but together I think Bryan and Ziggler could make the tag team championship mean more than it has in years. That, along with the health benefits for Bryan, makes it worth trying, in my opinion.

WWE Extreme Rules 2015 preview

Last month WWE outdid themselves with WrestleMania 31. Despite a frustratingly mediocre build the show ended up a surprise hit, easily the best 'Mania of the last few years and arguably amongst the best ever. Having rewatched it a few times it's possible it's my second favourite WrestleMania ever, behind only the mighty X7.

Coming out of that show the company was set for success. 'Mania gave them momentum and more good will than they've had in a long time. They had what looked like a long-term plan in place with their three singles titles on three of their most established performers. They had a great story waiting to be told with Roman Reigns seeking retribution after being robbed of his destiny. This is without mentioning the white hot Brock Lesnar, who was (predictably) written out of storylines due to the nature of his contract.

But somehow, less than four weeks later, none of that matters. Extreme Rules looks like a shambles waiting to happen. Aspects of it actually look like a bad parody of a WWE pay-per-view. And the scope isn't there for surprise success as it was with 'Mania. 'The Grandest Stage of Them All' was able to dazzle us with elaborate entrances (Rusev ON A TANK, guys!), popular wrestlers winning, a well-paced show, a main event that wasn't the half hour bore everyone expected, and a Money in the Bank cash-in. Extreme Rules has access to few of these tricks and has a less inspiring card as its starting point.

Nothing highlights the limitations of Extreme Rules better than one of the stipulations placed on the main event. One month after hitting possibly the greatest RKO ever Randy Orton is in a match where the move is banned. The logic is baffling. The RKO is one of the most over moves in wrestling and WWE's giving us a pay-per-view match where we won't get to see it. I understand the effect it will have on match psychology and the story they'll tell but that doesn't stop it being a needless hindrance.

Adding to the peculiarity of this decision is that Orton and WWE champ Rollins will be duking it out in a cage, an environment that would lend itself to some particularly nice RKO opportunities. Of course it could be deployed after the match as a way of sending the punters home happy, which seems like it may be necessary because Orton is almost guaranteed to lose this match, but that will be a hollow effort: people will react more to it if it could win 'The Viper' his ninth WWE championship because it has more meaning in a match.

An alternative RKO scenario that shouldn't be ruled out is Orton hitting the move "on instinct" and getting disqualified. That would be cheap and disappointing but WWE don't care about things like that. They only care that it would protect Orty (always a priority) and play into Rollins' key character trait of being a little weasel who flukes his way to victories rather than earning them.

The only positive about the WWE title match is that everything before the finish and the RKO teases should be very good. Orton and Rollins work well together. Sadly, even they probably can't salvage a good match from the atrocious booking.

As bad as the title match stipulations are they aren't the worst on the show. No, no. That honour goes to Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler's "Kiss me arse!" match. Yes, Sheamus is being booked like 2006 Vince McMahon and demanding people kiss his backside. Ziggler versus Sheamus is a great addition to a wrestling show. 'The Show Off's' wild selling and Shaymo's all-too-convincing offense are a wonderful match. But it's going to be hard to enjoy their match knowing that ridiculous stip (or an angle excusing it) will play out afterwards.

Sheamus will very likely win because it's too early in his heel run for him to start losing. I really hope this doesn't become a regular part of his act. It's turn the channel heat more than it is the right kind of anti-Sheamus heat.

Speaking of the wrong kind of heat we have a Big Show versus Roman Reigns match. You can understand the logic here: the babyface who had the title won in the main event of the biggest show of the year gets rehabilitated by beating a big, bad heel in impressive fashion. The problem is that this is a very 80s approach. And we're not going to see the demolition job that would help Reigns out. Instead they'll have a mostly even match before Reigns snaps and rages out, Alex Riley style, on 'The Giant'.

What would be even better than Reigns making swift work of Show would be the match not happening to begin with. Big Show should not be a PPV regular in 2015. He should be working part time, at most. A mid-card guy could have benefited from being Reigns' rebound feud after 'Mania. Bray Wyatt's the obvious candidate and the likelihood is that he'll appear to set something up after Reigns has finished with Show. But someone else could have had Show's spot. Big E would have been good, especially considering the hatred crowds are showing for him and his New Day brethren. Stardust or Luke Harper could have worked too. These guys may not be as big as Big Show but they're more enjoyable to watch, and they'll be in a position to benefit the company in five years which Show almost certainly won't be.

Speaking of Luke Harper, he'll be in a street fight against Dean Ambrose. It's a feud that's come out of nowhere over the last few weeks with the two guys attacking one another for no real reason. It's sad that Ambrose, who was incredibly popular six months ago, has fallen this far down the priorities list. It's also sad that Luke Harper is just a guy who gets chucked into matches to lose to guys management have no other plans for. The match should be a lot of fun but both men deserve so much better.

Sticking with the theme of alternative Roman Reigns opponents for another paragraph, Big E will team with Kofi Kingston to challenge Cesaro and Tyson Kidd for the tag team championship. This could actually be one of the best matches of the night, so naturally it's been relegated to the pre-show. Cesaro and Kidd make a great team, Big E and Kofi have shown potential as a team, and the whole New Day act is, as touched on above, is really taking off as a heel act. A title change would be interesting to see and would allow Cesaro and Kidd to slip into the role of babyfaces, which I think would work better for them. New Day having the gold would also allow the Lucha Dragons to chase a team with some genuine heat to them.

Naomi versus Nikki Bella is perfectly sound on paper but confusing in terms of storyline. Naomi was a fun-lovin' valet a month ago. Now she's a narcissist who attacks people to steal their title shots. Meanwhile Nikki was Queen Mean Girl. The match has the potential to be fun because Naomi's very good and Nikki, as I seem to always write in previews and reviews, is underrated. I think they're going to suffer from not being quite as established in their flipped roles as they could be though. And I can see the Chicago crowd liking Naomi over Nikki because of the preconceptions linked to both women. A title change wouldn't be surprise me but I don't think it will come quite yet. It seems likelier for a three-way, also involving Paige, at Payback or Money in the Bank.

The final two matches both have something positive to offer. The first is the third instalment in the Cena v Rusev series. Truth be told it mostly looks promising in comparison to the rest of the card but we'll take what we can get at this point. They could do something with the Russian chain match gimmick they've got but it's not a sure thing. Personally, I'd have given Rusev and Cena the Last Man Standing stip and stuck Show and Reigns with the chain. That ways Reigns could have hammered Show at the opening to get his quick win and Cena would have been left to work the type of match he typically excels in.

Predicting a winner is tough, partly because we can't be sure of what the rules are. If there's a way for someone to lose without being pinned then I'd say the match heavily favours Cena as that would allow Rusev to take his second loss without taking another pin. I have an inkling that's what they'll be leaning towards. Cena's open challenges for the US championship have, surprisingly, been about the most consistently good thing on TV since 'Mania. With there being no obvious way for him to transition back into the world title picture just yet the challenge segment is likely to continue. To be fair there are worse uses of Cena, and not having the US title would free Rusev up to be shunted further up the card.

And no, I have no idea what sets a Russian chain match apart from any other kind of chain match. Maybe the chain's been blessed by Putin?

Finally there's the Intercontinental championship match, new champ Daniel Bryan defending against former five time champ Bad News Barrett. Being two good wrestlers unencumbered by poor booking this match should be the best of the night. They'll probably get a good bit of time and they have a good story behind them: BNB feels he has something to prove because Bryan didn't pin him for the strap and D-Bry wants to be a fighting champion who defends against anyone and everyone. If the commentary team do their job and emphasis this the match will be enhanced.

I'm leaning towards a Bryan win. The only reason I think Barrett would get win the title back right now would be is if Bryan is considered too much of a long term health risk, as was the case this time last year. That's possible, given his early return home from the European tour, but WWE are insisting he's fine (while remaining decidedly shady about why he went home early). It feels like this is the niche WWE want him in: holding what is traditionally the workers' title and making it mean something. If he's in a position they approve of I can imagine management being less inclined to send him home. Despite my declaration that Former World Champs Shouldn't Go Back To Mid-Card Belts I can't deny that this feels about right for Bryan. Away from the politics of the world title he can focus on his greatest strength, wrestling great matches, without worrying about being the best promo guy or carrying opening segments. I could really get into it if he hadn't won three world titles already. As it is I remain interested but frustrated.

I'd love to be wrong about Extreme Rules. I'd love it to be the best entry in the series or a contender with 'Mania 31 for best WWE show of the year. But it's not going to happen. This show will have things to enjoy but overall it will be a letdown. Which is annoying considering how promising the WWE landscape looked just a few weeks ago.

***

Predictions summary:

Seth Rollins to defeat Randy Orton
John Cena to defeat Rusev
Daniel Bryan to defeat Bad News Barrett
The New Day to defeat Cesaro and Tyson Kidd for the tag team championship
Sheamus to defeat Dolph Ziggler
Roman Reigns to defeat Big Show
Dean Ambrose to defeat Luke Harper
Nikki Bella to defeat Naomi

Last of the Mohicans

"Oi'm back!" declared Sheamus forty minutes into the March 30 episode of Monday Night RAW.

He'd last been seen losing the United States championship to Rusev in a Network exclusive match after the November 3 RAW. Days after that it was revealed via Twitter¹ he was headed into hospital for an undisclosed surgery. It's not clear whether or not this surgery was real. It probably was, but it could easily have been invented as a reason to get Sheamus off TV and add some legitimacy to Rusev's fearsome Beast Mode.

'Great White' had needed time off for a while so whether the surgery was real or not it came at a good time. As the happy, smiley babyface who was essentially a modern version of fightin' Irishman Finlay, Sheamus had become incredibly stale. Everything from his look to the guys he's was facing needed changing.

Oh, Sheamus. No.

The look is certainly something Shaymo has addressed. He's gone from a guy with spiked up hair and a daft beard to a guy with a spiked up Mohawk and a daft beard with tassels in it. The RAW and SmackDown audiences he's appeared in front of since returning have all chanted "You look stupid!" at him. They haven't been wrong. But at least they were chanting at him. The WWE mentality these days² is that any noise is good noise.

It's still too early to say whether or not 'The Celtic Warrior' has sufficiently changed up his wrestling style. We've yet to see any new moves from him but it's still early days. His match against old foe Daniel Bryan on the April 2 SmackDown was enjoyable but there was nothing new on offer. As far as the in-ring stuff goes this is the same old Sheamus. Stiff punches, the backbreaker and the Brogue kick still seem to be the order of the day.

But at least he's changed his look. It's nice to see Sheamus making the effort with his return. So few guys try to do something different when returning to WWE, which contributes to the overall stale feeling of their shows. Sheamus being thrust into a multi-way programme with Daniel Bryan, Bad News Barrett and Dolph Ziggler is promising. He can have good singles matches against D-Bry and 'The Show Off' and the climactic four-way tussle should be exciting. But beyond that I find myself with the same problem I always have with Sheamus: it's hard to get excited about anything he does. Once he wraps up with Bryan and Ziggler there's nobody left I'm interested in seeing him face. And all the silly haircuts in the world won't change that.

***

¹ That's how WWE seems to reveal most things these days. Imagine Steve Austin's surgery back in 1999 being revealed through a tweet.

² Championed by King of Mixed Reactions Jern Cena.

The Divisional Approach

At WrestleMania the one thing I didn't want to happen, happened. And it happened twice.

Daniel Bryan won the Intercontinental championship in the show-opening seven man ladder match. Later in the night John Cena won his first United States championship in over ten years when he defeated Foreign Menace™ Rusev. Both men are former multi-time world champions. For various reasons (see here for more) I think having these traditionally secondary titles is bad for Cena, Bryan and the titles themselves.

AMERICA!!

For Bryan a reign as the IC champ has made him look like a guy who knows he couldn't cut it competing against guys like Roman Reigns (whom he lost to clean at Fast Lane) and Brock Lesnar. Going after the white belt was a safer and easier option. Meanwhile the US title looks like a trinket Cena picked up because he happened to be feuding with the guy who held it, not because he wanted to win it. Cena was motivated more by national pride and showing a Russian how great America is than by winning a championship. It also looks like something he's doing to kill time before he decides he wants the world title back. That time will come and it will be a big story within WWE because it will see Cena trying to equal the much-hyped sixteen world titles record set and held by Ric Flair.

On the same night that Bryan and Cena won their belts Seth Rollins won the WWE world championship. The only title he'd held before that (on the main roster) was the tag team title alongside Roman Reigns. Instead of Seth spending years ploughing through the ranks and winning a secondary title or two to mark himself as a rising star his first singles title was the WWE championship. This makes the world championship look like it's on the same level as the mid-card titles. Which is possibly what WWE intended, but instead of the secondary titles being elevated by this the status of the world heavyweight title has been decreased. This isn't t say Rollins isn;t a worthy champions (he is), but his victory would have meant more if he'd spent time with mid-card singles belts that meant something first.

There's hope left though. WWE could, if they wanted, position the three championships as three separate divisions. Cena and the US title could head up an unofficial hoss-slash-big lad division consisting of guys like Rusev, Big E, Cesaro, Luke Harper and Ryback. D-Bry could be the standard bearer for an indy guys-slash-nippy fellas Intercontinental division of guys like Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, Stardust and Kalisto. The WWE championship could remain the alleged top prize, something the best on the roster won, with guys filtering in and out of competition for it and challenging for the other titles in the meantime.

I wouldn't go so far as to advocate them actually announcing these divisions (that would be a turn off to a lot of people) but if they just did it I think most people would follow along and understand what was happening. Personally I'd rather they took this approach and never had any former world champs regressing to other titles (except for obvious duds like The Miz, Big Show and Sheamus) but if they're going to present all of their singles titles as more or less equal they might as well do something interesting with it.

That RAW Recap 30.03.15

The more I think about it the more I think WrestleMania 31 (reviewed here) is one of my favourite instalments ever. There were things I disliked about it but the good far outweighed the bad and the quality of even the worst stuff (Big Show winning the battle royal, for example) was so high that as a show it deftly overshadowed the last several 'Mania cards. It's still too early to tell but it might even be that this show is my second favourite WrestleMania behind X7, a show I, like many others, hold in incredibly high regard.

The last few years have seen the RAW after WrestleMania more lauded than the big spectacle its followed. Whether it was The Shield saving Daniel Bryan from a beating at the hands of a reformed Evolution in 2014, Dolph Ziggler's electrifying cash-in in 2013, or Brock Lesnar returning to F5 John Cena in 2012, RAW has always had something to rival 'The Showcase of Immortals'. The excellence of WrestleMania 31 meant that for the first time in years RAW was going to struggle to be the more highly regarded of the two shows.

Rematch clause, bitch.

Things got off to a strong start when Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman marched out to the ring. Heyman introduced them, reminded everyone of what had happened the night before (because I'm sure there were loads of people watching RAW who'd chosen not to watch or read about WrestleMania), and announced that Brock Lesnar was enacting his rematch clause right then and there. Instead of new WWE champion Seth Rollins it was Stephanie McMahon who answered the pair. She informed them Rollins was still flying back from his early morning TV appearance on the east coast but that she felt certain he'd accept Lesnar's challenge upon arrival.

As an opening segment this was great. It gave the crowd Lesnar, the one person they really wanted to see, positioned him as an official babyface, and set something up for later in the programme. The writing team tries to do this fairly often but they usually have no idea what people want to see as a show's thread. I suspect this was more happy accident that considered insight, but the result's the same.

The first match saw new Intercontinental champion Daniel Bryan defend against Dolph Ziggler. Going with Ziggler versus Bryan in this spot was a clever move. It gave the crowd two more guys they cared about and the pair were awarded enough time to have a satisfying match. In storyline terms it did seem a bit off that 'The Show Off' got the first shot at D-Bry while the former IC champ Bad News Barrett was relegated to the commentary desk.

Oh, Sheamus. Who did this to you?

Bryan won after surviving a super kick and a Zig Zag and hitting the running knee. Bad News then attacked both Bryan and Ziggler before a returning Sheamus ran out to chase him off. He was sporting a ridiculous Mohawk and beard beads. In a move that shocked precisely no one 'Great White' attacked Bryan and Ziggles too, then cut a two word promo. "Oi'm back." He didn't even toss in a "fella".

An eight man tag match followed that. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd teamed with The Ascension to tangle with New Day representatives Big E and Kofi Kingston (Xavier Woods was again on standing-at-ringside duty) and the debuting Lucha Dragons. Kalisto proved incredibly popular with the live crowd. They immediately broke into an NXT chant and stayed invested in Kalisto throughout the match. The Cesaro v Kalisto exchanges were the easy highlight and made it clear that Kalisto could work as the company's new lead masked Latin star. 'The King of Flight' got the win for his team when he pinned Viktor off the Salida del Sol.

After a slow mo video of Adrian Neville performing the Red Arrow Brock Lesnar returned. Seth Rollins followed him. That the WWE world championship match was supposedly kicking off RAW's second hour set alarm bells ringing. The match clearly wasn't going to happen at this point because it was a natural main event. It was only going to happen here if an angle was planned.

The angle we got was something special. Rollins backed out of the ring at the beginning of the match and announced that he was jetlagged and his foot hurt a bit so he wasn't going to be defending the title against Lesnar. This triggered one of the most furious rampages in wrestling history from 'The Beast'. He grabbed Rollins from ringside and tossed him back into the ring. There he tried to German suplex him but Rollins landed on his feet and hit an enziguri, which Lesar no-sold.

Rollins again left the ring and tried to run through the crowd and was again caught by the former champion. Lesnar went for an F5 through the announce table but Noble and Mercury saved Rollins. Lesnar clotheslined the pair of them, giving the champ enough time to dive over the barricade and run backstage.

RIP Michael Cole.

Lesnar hurled the announced desk onto its side in frustration, crushing JBL and Booker T. Then he grabbed Michael Cole (to thunderous cheers) and took him into the ring to hit him with an F5. Not satisfied with killing WWE's former lead heel Brock grabbed an indy guy who was cosplaying as a cameraman at ringside. This brought out Steph again, demanding 'The Pain' put the man down. Lesnar did so with an F5.

Steph screeched about Lesnar' actions being unacceptable and suspended him. Lesnar paced back and forth in the ring, Heyman trying to reason with him. For a moment it felt like they were trying to tease Lesnar hoisting Heyman up for an F5 but that didn't happen. Instead the crowd chanted "One more time!" so Heyman called an audible and told Lesnar to F5 the camera lad again. Lesnar obliged and then stormed backstage with the crowd chanting his name.

This was another great sequence. It kept Lesnar as the unstoppable monster, made Rollins look like a complete coward, and created a logical reason for Lesnar's next sabbatical (necessitated by his light contract). This was the best thing on the show.

Sadly things went downhill from there. Damien Mizdow's win over Stardust was enjoyable because the audience was so into Mizdow. The Miz's post-match attack went down well for the same reason. Curtis Axel versus the debuting 'Don't Call Me Adrian' Neville was also warmly received although the match was too short to be anything particularly special.

Does the United States title mean more after this match? Not really.

Surprisingly, it was John Cena's open challenge that stopped the audience's buzz. Cena himself was greeted with a strong mixed reaction, as is always the case the night after 'Mania. Dean Ambrose got a loud response when he came out to face him. But once the match started the audience just died. They weren't as into the match as they had been the rest of the show, presumably because people would have rather seen Ambrose do something less obviously designed to simply get him on the show and seen Cena confronted by Russian killdozer Rusev. Cena won with an AA, the inevitability of which may also have harmed the crowd's response to the match as a whole.

Backstage, Renee Young asked Seth Rollins for his views on Brock Lesnar. Before he could give much of an answer Randy Orton showed up to remind us of his existence and to declare that he was going after 'The Future's' title. Rollins booked a six man tag main event with Kane and Big Show as his partners. This left Orton approximately half an hour to find two partners, the idea being that this would be hard as he's not a popular guy.

AJ Lee, Paige and Naomi defeated the Bellas and Natalya when Naomi pinned Divas champion Nikki with the Rear View. In a locker room Ryback approached Orton and talked to him about eating. This seemed to signify that he was going to help Orty out and team with him. Rusev returned to his winning ways in a match against Goldust. This match felt like what it was: an excuse to have Rusev on the show without getting him involved with Cena.

Gold piping. Gold belt. Rollins has started liking gold.

The main event saw Randy Orton, Ryback and Roman Reigns defeat Rollins, Show and Kane when Reigns speared 'The Big Red Machine'. When you stop and think about it Reigns being in this match was odd. It was a last minute addition to the show, meaning that had Rollins not made the match Reigns wouldn't have been booked but Curtis Axel an Goldust would. The crowd clearly weren't interested in the match. They amused themselves by performing a Mexican wave and performing chants for various NXT stars, including Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Hideo Itami and Enzo Amore. I don't blame them. This was an uninspired main event. Things should have been reworked so that the Lesnar angle closed the show.

For the first time in years WrestleMania was easily better than the RAW that proceeded it. Everything that happened with Lesnar was great, and the less-is-more approach taken with Reigns is what should have been done all along. But there wasn't enough on offer to come anywhere close to competing with 'The Granddaddy of Them All'. 2015 was the year WrestleMania took back its crown.

WWE WrestleMania 31 review

WrestleMania 31. The main event of the WWE pay-per-view calendar. It would be stretching things to say that the company has been diligently building all of its major storylines towards this for the last year but it's certainly the culmination of several months of work. Sting and Triple H's feud started in November. Miz and Mizdow have been together since around then. Orton got wiped out by The Authority, setting up his grudge match with Rollins, as long ago as October. There were clearly plans in pieces for this show a long time ago.

Of course, one of the key pieces was the WWE's new chosen one. The man chosen to lead the company into the future as one of the stars of the current generation of wrestlers. For the first time in quite a while someone was positioned to experience their first world title victory in the main event of the show. Someone was positioned to be anointed as the company's new lead star.

It just wasn't the man we were expecting.

Including the pre-show WrestleMania was six hours long. Six hours. That's a lot of WrestleMania. The first hour mostly consisted of hype videos for the show's matches and natter from the panel of Booker T, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton and host Renee Young. The highlight was a backstage meeting between Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury and The Stooges in which Noble searched for sugar and Brisco revaled he'd used it all getting coffee for Mr MackMan.

The pre-show's second hour, exclusive to the WWE Network even though the idea of a pre-show is to get some last minute buys (and, in this case, Network subscriptions), featured two matches. The first was a very good tag team title match which saw champions Cesaro and Tyson Kidd retain against, Los Matadores, the New Day combo of Big E and Kofi Kingston, and, technically, the Usos. I say technically because Jey took an early spill to the outside at the hands of Cesaro (to write him out of the match due to a pre-existing injury) which left Jimmy to fight alone.

What a pair. And the tag champs.

It was a well-constructed succession of spots, the ideal opener for a show like this as it gave people chance to cheer and cheer and cheer. Each team hit at least doubles move and there was a sequence where all the seconds fought one another, ending with Natalya taking a Rear View form Naomi. The match ended when everyone except Jimmy was involved in a double superple off the shoulders spot. Everyone but Jimmy was wiped out by it and he took the opportunity to splash Big E. Cesaro appeared from nowhere to lob Rikishi's lad out of the ring and steal the pin.

The second match was the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. It was not such a roaring success. Curtis Axel, who'd managed to become genuinely popular in the weeks leading up to the show based on being a guy creative overlooks, found himself overlooked by creative and eliminate first. This was likely done to stop him overshadowing the match's designated stars. This left me feeling that WWE still has no idea how to embrace organic popularity. When Hidoe Itami was KO punched off the apron by Big Show I felt the same, although he at least got to get in some kicks and eliminate Bo Dallas before he went.

My feelings changed slightly when Cesaro got to eliminate Kane with a scoop slam, the same thing he'd done to Big Show to win the previous year's battle royal. He attempted the same thing with 'The Giant' but his back gave out and he was sent over the top rope by Show. This didn't bother me as much as the treatment of Itami and Axel. There was a logical sequence which led to 'The Swiss Superman's' elimination.

Ryback fired himself up and got tossed out by Big Show befoe the match came down to Miz, Mizdow and Show. Miz pleaded with Mizdow to work with him against Big Show so the match could come down to the two of them. Mizdow didn't allow himself to be fooled. He threw 'The Awesome One' over the top rope and took his chances with 'The World's Largest Athlete'. It didn't work out well for him. He managed to survive for a minute or two but the match eventually went to Show after he simply dunked Mizdow over the top rope.

"Pull my finger."

I don't have a problem with Big Show winning. There was nothing on the line besides a trophy that looks like it's made from chocolate and tinfoil. The creative team deserve credit for embracing the Miz and Mizdow rivalry and having it come to a head here. Although I can't help but feel the crowd would have gone wild had the match come down to Mizdow and Curtis Axel. The two underdog favourites getting to close out the match could have been really suspenseful. And the Miz and Mizdow split still could have worked.

The Intercontinental championship ladder match opened the official WrestleMania show. It was preceded by a really good video that started out highlighting the importance of the championship before switching to focus on the legacy of ladder matches at WretleMania. This allowed it to cleverly gloss over how the IC title has been pretty much meaninglessness for the last fifteen years.

While the match didn't feature as many crazy bumps as I'd expected it still had plenty to choose from. A series of dives to the outside at the start of the match culminated with Ziggler getting back dropped over the top rope and Luke Harper diving onto everyone, before Dean Ambrose scaled a ladder to hit his cross body elbow. Stardust introduced a diamanté ladder, only for Barrett to kick a step off it and smack people with it. Harper did the Terry Funk ladder spot before dropping it and getting scissor kicked onto it by R-Truth. Barrett suplexed Stardust off the top of a ladder. Ambrose was Awesome bombed from the ring through a ladder by Harper. Barrett went on a Bullhammer rampage, pulling Ziggler off a ladder into the move, battering Stardust with it as he leapt off the top rope into the ring, and then smashing Truth off the ladder.

I didn't want this but I'm willing to give it a try.

Daniel Bryan nearly got the belt during this but was pulled off the ladder by Barrett. He avoided the Bullhammer and felled the defending champion with the running knee. Bryan scaled the ladder again only for Ziggler to sprint up and offer some last minute resistance at the top. They traded forearms and headbutts, D-Bry getting the last word when he knocked Ziggler to the mat with a head butt and reached up to pull down the title belt and win his first Intercontinenta championship. I'd been against Bryan winning but it went down well with the 'Mania crowd. They were happy to see Bryan triumph.

Orton v Rollins was match number two. Orton dominated the first several minutes, smacking Rollins about and no-selling buckle bomb before flooring 'The Future' with a clothesline. J&J interfered and were dropped off the apron with a double draping DDT. But that was enough of a distraction for Rollins to get in a suicide dive and take over the pace of the match. After a brief rest hold Orton comes back with clotheslines and turned a Curb Stomp attempt into a power slam.

'The Viper' hit a rough-looking T-bone suplex. Rollins escaped a draping DDT and got in an enziguri then an Asai moonsault to the outside. Back in the ring Orton got his draping DDT. Orton went for the RKO but Rollins countered into a schoolboy roll-up. Orty kicked out and then took an super kick but managed to stay on his feet to hit Rollins with an RKO.

Orton reacted to the kick out that followed with absolute shock. That seemed a bit much. Yes it normally wins him a match but people have kicked out of the move before, and this was WrestleMania, where we told that everyone goes that little bit further to make an impression. Anyway, he went for his back-up finish, the Deadly Punt™. Noble got in way and took an RKO. Mercury tried a cross body and took an RKO in mid-air. This allowed provided enough of a distraction for Rollins to recover and this time he hit Orton with a Curb Stomp.

An unspectacular photo from a really very good match.

Randy kicked out of that and Seth pulled him into position for the phoenix splash. Orton slipped out of the way as Rollins left the top rope. Rollins landed on his feet and rolled across the ring. Orton went for an RKO, got pushed off and stumbled to his knees. The match ended on a beuatifully performed exchange as Rollins went for the Curb Stomp and Orton slipped out from under him to catch him coming down with an RKO. The match could not have been better.

In a bold (or possibly stupid) move Sting and Triple H followed. They even went without the benefit of a pop song or a filler match. They did get the grand entrance treatment though. Sting came out to a Stomp-style group playing metal drums and wearing his face paint. Triple H had something themed around the Terminator. There was a headpiece themed around his tried and tested skull and crown motifs along with a red "laser" eye, four classic Terminator robots stood motionless on the stage, extras dressed up as less spectacular robots, a target-acquiring POV shot, and a cameo from Arnold Schwarzenegger in which he said "It's time to play the game!". It was weird but also nicely done. Triple H's cosplay fantasies are the closest thing to The Streak we have left at WrestleMania.

The opening few minutes were all about making Sting look like a top guy. He overpowered Trips. Then he outwrestled him. He no-sold the knee buster and went for the Scorpion deathlock. Trips wriggled out of the ring, returning to get whipped back outside via Sting's immense power. Sting followed him out and went for a splash against the barricade. Triple H moved and threw him into the steel steps.

Paul versus Steve: The Epic Collision.

Back in the ring H3 muscled Sting up for a stalling suplex then worked Sting over with knees and powerful whips into the corner before slapping on a sleeper so that 'The Vigilante' could loudly call some spots. Sting fought back and applied the deathlock. Billy Gunn, Road and X Pac ran to the DX music. Sting made short work of them with chops. The he threw Tripper out of the ring onto them for good measure. That set up a nice human crash mat for Sting to leap off the top rope onto. It looked like 'The Stinger' was finally going to put 'The Game' but a distraction from Billy Gunn allowed Trips to get in a Pedigree.

Sting kicked out so Triple H grabbed his sledgehammer. Before he could use it he was distracted by the music of the nWo and Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Hulk Hogan swaggering down to the ring. Had he thought about it the so-called 'Cerebral Assassin' could have lamped Sting with the hammer and won the match before the nWo fellas had arrived at ringside. He was clearly awed by their shock tactics.

When they arrived the nWo dispatched DX and Sting recovered to hit a Scorpion Death Drop on Tripper. When Trips kicked out Sting put him in the deathlock. Triple H went for the sledgehammer that lay tantalisingly close. Luckily for Sting that bastion of fairness Hulk Hogan was on hand to grab it from the evil COO's clutches. That triggered a flurry of activity on the outside and DX and the nWo wiped each other. Trips sat in the hold as this went on, only managing to make it to the ropes after everything had simmered down and the camera was back on him. Funny that. It was almost like the match was staged.

Sting went to reapply the Scorpion deathlock but got lamped with Sweet Chin Music (outta nowhere!) by Shawn Michaels. Helmsley crawled into a cover and Sting kicked out. Billy handed Trips the sledgehammer. Hall handed Sting the bat. Sting dropped Triple H with a tap to the midsection then broke the hammer's staff in half. 'The Game' backed into a corner and got pummelled with fists and a Stinger Splash. 'The Vigilante' got greedy and went for a second, which gave Triple H the chance to grab hold of the top half of the sledgehammer and lamp him with it. That was enough to finally put 'The Stinger' down for three.

After the match Triple H pushed DX off and offered a handshake to Sting. Sting accepted. The entire match was far, far better than I'd expected it to be. Sting was protected, Triple H didn't try anything too fancy, and they made excellent use of run-ins. It's probably a bit odd that Sting was saved by the nWo, a group he experienced the biggest match of his career fighting against, but we can take that as the four having put aside their differences since WCW went under. Or you could go really wild and see it as acknowledgment that Sting really was with the nWo all along as they claimed in the nineties.

Backstage Maria Menounos interviewed new IC champ Daniel Bryan, asking how he felt about his win. He tried to answer and was interrupted by Pat Patterson, Roddy Piper, Ricky Stramboat, Ric Flair, and Bret Hart. They all but Bryan over (Flair got himself over too, naturally) and did a "Yes!" chant. Then Ron Simmons showed up and said "Damn!". I presume this was hilarious for those into that sort of thing.

Following a musical performance so uninspiring I can't even be bothered to look up who it was by Paige and AJ Lee teamed up to tangle with the Bellas. Paige was isolated by the twins for a while before finally managing to tag out to AJ. She worked over Nikki, Paige eliminated Brie, and then AJ made Nikki submit to the Black Widow. This was the most time I can remember Divas getting at 'Mania in years. They made the most of it and told a story in a good match.

After the audience had been given the chance to gape at the Hall of Famers it was time for Cena v Rusev II: The Russian Federation Strikes Back. Rusev entered on a tank. An actual, honest to goodness tank. There was other stuff going on with a Russian flag and troops and Lana but it was nowhere near as impressive as RUSEV RIDING A TANK. John Cena got a video of American symbolism intercut with Reagan jingoism. His actual entrance was the standard Cena entrance.

Flag-related taunts set to become wrestling's next craze.

They had another surprisingly energetic, enjoyable match. The match they gave us at Fast Lane had raised my expectations for the quality of this match. They again surpassed them. Cena pulled out his top rope leg drop, multiple AAs and the STF. Rusev busted out his regular assortment of big lad moves and  athletic kicks. He was on top of his game with his selling, ring placement, and facial expressions, perfectly getting across his increasing desperation with wild eyes and an uncharacteristic trip to the top rope.

Not to be outdone with new material Cena hit a springboard Ace crusher. Then he powered to his feet and almost casually become the first man to break out of the Accolade. Lana tried a distraction from the apron and got knocked off by Rusev. Cena then scooped him up and hit him with an AA. Just like that Cena won. It felt like Rusev should've been able to withstand more with a year-long winning streak to his name. Going down to the second AA of the night seemed very anti-climactic.

Then the stalling kicked in. You see, WWE likes to present certain wrestlers in certain ways. One such wrestler is Undertaker. He always enters to darkness because he's a spooky character and darkness is spooky. At this point it was about quarter to seven. They needed to kill time so that it was as dark as possible for 'The Dead Man's' entrance. They also needed to give the crowd time to cool down and hit the toilets before the final two matches of the card.

The expert panel and the commentary split the task of recapping the show up until that point. Then Triple H (now wearing a suit) and Stephanie  were introduced. They announced that a new attendance record of 76,976 had been set for the stadium. Steph put herself and Tripper over as the reason for this and WWE's success in general. Trips took over and said they owned everyone there and everyone watching. I thought this was leading to an appearance from Vince McMahon but instead we got The Rock. He goaded Triple H into taking his jacket off before Steph stepped in and told Rock her family had made his family then gave him a slap. She teased The Rock about ot being able to hit her because she's a woman and ordered him to the back.

Luckily Rock avoided inappropriate talk of pies.

Rock left the ring but he didn't go to the back. Instead he went over to Ronda Rousey (sporting a memetastic "It's over 9000!" T-shirt) in the front row and brought her into the ring. Steph said she and Ronda were pals. When Ronda didn't exactly go along with this Steph demanded she leave. Rock and Tripe H ended up getting into it, with Ronda giving Triple H a hip toss and then grabbing Steph. She released her and the heels hobbled backstage as Rock's music played and he declared the sequence the greatest WrestleMania moment of the night. It was good but this self-aggrandizement put me off it a bit.

With all the time that could be killed killed it was time for Undertaker versus Bray Wyatt. 'The New Face of Fear' entered first, accompanied by a gang of scarecrows, some of whom he brought to life as he walked past. This could not compare with Rusev's tank entrance. Nor, for that matter, could Undertaker's entrance. There was still plenty of light in the sky and, for the first time in a few years, there were no special props on the stage. It was just 'Taker, his jacket and hat, and the funereal music. Very much a back to basics approach.

The match was fine but not the special attraction I think many expected. The crowd didn't seemed as invested in Undertaker as they have been at recent WrestleManias and I suspect this was because of the lack of The Streak. Not having that to fight for and defend makes 'The Phenom' a bit pointless, drifting character. The Streak was tied strongly to his legacy. Without it there's very little point in him sticking around unless he's going to have a stronger presence on TV across the year, which he's obviously not.

Who'd have guessed Sting v Triple H would be more enjoyable
than Wyatt v Undertaker?

They did most, but not all, of the spots that could have been asked of them. Wyatt did his flying forearm and threw out a handful of Sister Abigails. 'Taker gave us Old School, choke slams, and Tombstone piledrivers but omitted the Hell's Gate and the Last Ride. It seemed peculiar. When a guy who only wrestles once a year has this many recognisable moves to call on you expect him to pul them all out, especially in what was possibly his penultimate match. Wyatt survived one Tombstone but fell to a second just after the fifteen minute mark.

That just left the main event: Roman Reigns challenging Brock Lesnar for the WWE world heavyweight championship.

Reigns' entrance was heavy on boos. Lesnar got a thunderous initial pop and extended cheers once he was in the ring. He also received a personal ring introduction from his advocate, Paul Heyman. I liked that. It was a good use of Heyman on a show that didn't really have any other opportunity for him to talk.

Within thirty seconds of the match starting Lesnar had hit Reigns with a German suplex and an F5. He didn't go for a cover. Instead he started with the throws and suplexes. Reigns made sporadic attempts to fight back, clotheslining and pie-facing the champion as well as chuckling, to show us that he can take a beating, but he was quickly shut down each time.

The scene before the match.

After a while Reigns was punched off the apron down to the ringside mats. He got a brief moment of hope as he headed back into the ring, kneeing Lesnar in the face as he tried to grab him. 'The Pain' shrugged that off and sent Reigns off the apron back down to the mats with a lariat. When he returned to the ring he was given more suplexes, Heyman counting along with each one. The eighth was a particularly impressive belly-to-belly from the apron, over the top rope, back into the ring. 

'The Conqueror' hit an F5 and went for the first cover of the match. Reigns kicked out. Lesnar punched away at Reigns. Reigns laughed, earning himself two more German suplexes and a third F5. Reigns kicked out again, technically breaking WWE's unwritten rule that people don't kick out of more than three finishers in a match.

Lesnar tried to shove Reigns into a ring post outside the ring but Reigns managed to reverse the attempt. Lesnar would roll back into the ring bleeding heavily. Reigns hit him with a Superman punch but the champ stayed on his feet. A second Superman punch sent 'The Beast', briefly, down to a knee. Reigns went for the move a third time but Lesnar sidestepped it and went for a German suplex. Reigns fought out and blasted Lesnar with a third Superman punch and two spears. Lesnar managed to kick out. Reigns went for another Superman punch but Lesnar caught him in mid-air and F5ed him.

With both men down Seth Rollins sprinted out to the ring and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, sending the crowd crazy (in a positive way, obvs). The match was restarted as a triple threat and Rollins immediately booted 'The Big Dog' out of the ring and Curb Stomped Lesnar. He went for the move a second time but Lesnar snatched him up into position for the F5. Reigns thrust himself back into the action with a spear. Lesnar rolled out of the ring. Rollins hit Reigns with a Curb Stomp and pinned him to become the new WWE world heavyweight champion.

The scene  after the match.

The main event was superb. Reigns stood up to a vicious beating from Lesnar and kept coming back for more. Lesnar delivered the suplexes and F5s he's adored for. The finish was designed to accomplish several things and did so. Lesnar was kept strong by not being pinned. Reigns was presented as the wronged victim who had his moment stolen away by someone else's selfishness. Rollins was presented as an opportunistic chancer who selected the perfect moment, making a name for himself at the expense of someone who'd earned their way to the top. Which, in kayfabe terms, Reigns had with his Rumble victory and win over Daniel Bryan at Fast Lane.

WrestleMania 31 was a far better show than I'd thought. I hadn't really expected much from many of the matches. Too many of them seemed like odd choices for a big show. But there wasn't a bad match on the card. The main event was everything I wanted it to be.

What's nice is that it feels like WWE has a plan coming out of this show. I don't like Bryan and Cena having the mid-card titles but it's clearly been done for a purpose. The world title picture has Rollins on top with Lesnar, Reigns and Orton in a position to argue they deserve a championship match against him. On the night the show was a surprising success. I think it will prove to have been a success in the long term too.

***

Results summary:

Cesaro and Tyson Kidd retain the tag team championship
Big Show won the Andre Battle Royal, last eliminating Damien Mizdow
Daniel Bryan won the Intercontinental championship in a ladder match
Randy Orton defeated Seth Rollins
Triple H defeated Sting
AJ Lee and Paige defeated the Bellas
John Cena defeated Rusev to win the United States championship
Undertaker defeated Bray Wyatt
Seth Rollins defeated Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar to win the WWE championship

The Re-Signing Heard Around the World

"I was born to be an entertainer" - Brock Lesnar

Yesterday evening Brock Lesnar revealed during an interview with Michelle Beadle on ESPN that he had re-signed a fresh WWE contract. This happened sometime on Monday while he was in LA for RAW and the WWE champion confirmed that the decision officially draws his MMA career to a close. He will presumably continue to work a similarly light schedule and has confirmed that the new agreement will see him with the company for a number of years.

A man done with MMA.

This is, obviously good news for WWE. They've retained the services of a significant ratings force and the outcome of the WrestleMania 31 main event is now about as far from obvious as it can get. With Lesnar staying put there's every chance he'll retain the world championship against Roman Reigns on Sunday.

The news does raise questions about the closing moments of the Monday 23 RAW though. The show went off the air with Lesnar and Reigns playing tug-o'-war with the championship belt, looking like a pair toddlers squabbling in the playground as they did so. It was an unimpressive finish that will remain memorable for all the wrong reasons. As Lesnar had almost inked his new deal by this point you have to wonder why this was what closed one of the most important RAWs of the year. The suggestion that WWE didn't want to commit to making one man looking overly strong in case he left doesn't cut it with this news.

But that's by the by. With the re-signing WWE has been given an opportunity to do something spcial with Brock Lesnar. They can make him the most dominant world heavyweight champion the company's ever seen.

This doesn't have to mean he's the longest reigning or has the most defences. Neither of those things would hurt but they're unlikely. Bruno Sammartino's eight year run seems insurmountable in the modern era and Lesnar's light as a feather schedule means it would take him decades to rack up as many televised defences as other champions. The way WWE should make him dominant is by having him beat anyone and everyone of note. Pick a successor (Danie Bryan, for example) and keep him away from 'The Beast' until the build-up to the title change is going to begin.

In the meantime have Lesnar go over everyone. A page could be taken from the more real-sports approach taken by New Japan and Ring of Honor with a story being told across Lesnar's reign. In ROH it's been common in the past (less so in recent years) for world champions to become worn down over time until when they finally drop the belt they're completely knackered (something which works so well because it's usually true). The inverse of that should be true for Lesnar. He should get stronger as time goes on, wrestling shorter matches and winning them more decisively.

Would this make the roster look weak? No, not necessarily. They'd still be having competitive matches amongst themselves and could be booked as strong as was liked going into their title challenges against 'The Pain'. The idea would be to emphasise how Lesnar's on top of his game and is at the peak of professional wrestling ability, not to make people look weak for the sake of it. If someone's been built up as a juggernaut it doesn't make people look weak to lose to them. It simply affirms that juggernaut status.

Of course this approach would make Lesnar a popular guy. But that's nothing new. He's more popular than supposed hot young babyface Roman Reigns as we trundle into WrestleMania 31. This is because people know they're not getting an act with Lesnar, he essentially plays himself on-screen. That believability makes him relatable on a roster of childish, wafer-thin gimmicks and overly rehearsed acts. In fact believability itself gives Lesnar an appeal. Lack of it is what's giving Reigns problems: people know his lines are scripted and they don't like it. For a company happy to say they're giving us the Reality Era WWE really don't seem to understand what reality on a modern wrestling show needs to be.

The alternative is to have Reigns or Rollins take the title from Lesnar. Either of them would benefit from that victory, but they or someone else could benefit more if accolades and victories continued being heaped on 'The One' for another year or more. The longer Lesnar's reign lasts the more it's going to mean when the time finally comes for it to end.