ZitatAlles anzeigenBackstage News On Why WWE Moved John Cena To Monday Night RAW
John Cena's move to Monday Night Raw reportedly has WWE officials salivating over potential marquee matches against the new era.
This week "The Franchise" made his first appearance on Raw in over a year, and many viewed the move as a business decision to draw bigger ratings for WWE's flagship show. But Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso reports that the move was made with an eye to the future as Cena will be counted on to elevate the up-and-coming superstars, namely Roman Reigns.
"Vince McMahon wants Cena to elevate and give the rub to Roman Reigns," Barasso wrote. "The prevailing factor behind Cena's move to Raw is all about his opponents. The decision was not made solely because Cena is going to draw ratings, but rather because of who Cena is going to draw ratings with."
McMahon is ready to pull the trigger on a Cena-Reigns matchup, as Monday's show already laid the groundwork for a showdown in the near future. By far the most polarizing figure in WWE since "Super Cena" himself, Reigns will benefit greatly from a program with the leader of Cenation.
Cena's move to Raw also presents the opportunity for the new crop of talent to get a shot at the company's top star. Cena vs. Samoa Joe has been a dream matchup since before Joe was even in the WWE. Young stars like Braun Stowman, Finn Balor and Elias can all create some magic with Cena in the ring.
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ZitatAlles anzeigenBackstage News On New Day Losing WWE Tag Team Championship
The New Day losing the SmackDown tag team titles at WWE SummerSlam was one of the more surprising booking decisions of the weekend. But it seems like it's all part of a much larger plan and just another step towards being an all-time great tag team.
In the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer notes that the WWE plans for New Day to go down as one of the greatest tag teams in the company's history. The trio of Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods already hold the record for the longest championship reign of any tag team, but company officials have eyes on New Day breaking another record.
Meltzer reported that WWE wants to establish the New Day as the "greatest tag team of all-time" by having them eventually hold the titles more times than any other team in history. The Hardyz and Edge & Christian each have had seven WWE tag title reigns, while the Dudley Boyz have had nine.
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ZitatAlles anzeigenBackstage News On Rusev Losing Quickly To Randy Orton At WWE SummerSlam
Rusev lost to Randy Orton in just nine seconds at WWE SummerSlam this past Sunday night. It continued Rusev's losing pay-per-view streak, as the Bulgarian brute hasn't won a pay-per-view main card match since defeating Zack Ryder at WWE Battleground in July of 2016.
The loss sparked a lot of rumors about Rusev's WWE future. However, Dave Meltzer reported in the latest issue of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the quick loss was just a way to kick off their program. The idea is that the first match was a fluke, and Orton winning was due to him needing a victory after his recent lackluster PPV losses to Bray Wyatt and Jinder Mahal.
While WWE didn't further the Orton - Rusev program on SmackDown Live this past Tuesday night, it is the plan going forward. Meltzer noted that the SummerSlam booking call wasn't really "anti-Rusev," but was rather "a major pro-Orton decision."
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ZitatAlles anzeigenTop WWE Star Responsible For Baron Corbin Losing His Push?
As noted, there is apparently backstage heat on Baron Corbin, which resulted in him cashing in the Money In The Bank contract and losing. That was followed by Corbin losing a basic match to John Cena at SummerSlam on Sunday night. When WWE uploaded a clip from the match on their YouTube channel, they only showed Cena's entrance.
It was rumored that Corbin may have had heat over some of the comments he's made on Twitter, including to a military veteran, which he apologized for. However, Justin Barraso of Sports Illustrated appeared on Wednesday's edition of the Wrestling Inc. podcast and said there was another reason for his heat.
"I heard the kiss of death was Cena," Barasso said, which you can watch at the 4:30 mark of the video. "[Cena said] that Corbin wasn't ready. I can't say anymore right now, that's kind of what I'm trying to work on as we speak.
"I haven't heard about the social media," Barasso continued. "I mean, he's a heel right? So he should play one on social media. I don't think that was the issue, but then again they kind of pick and choose who they defend in those cases, Raj. I don't know, but right now, I don't think that's [social media] the reason."
Dave Meltzer mentioned Barasso's comments in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter and said that the cash-in was a late decision. Meltzer added that Corbin had a lot of heat with talent backstage.
As seen on SmackDown Live this past Monday night, it appears as if Corbin may be feuding with AJ Styles for the U.S. title next.