WHY LESNER ENDING STREAK WILL PAY OFF

First off, I am in the group that believes that the Undertaker's Undefeated Streak at Wrestlemania should never have ended. Now, it's happened, and it is past due that we all deal with it.
Now, I am in the group that thinks that there wasn't anyone else better suited to be "the 1 in 21-1" than Brock Lesner. Undertaker as a man, loves and respects the sport of MMA. He has said that if the sport was as big as it was when he started wrestling, he would've went a different route. Add the fact that the amateur wrestlers that have been in pro-wrestling have had a natural respect for being "legit" and for being legit tough guys too. Brock is one of the very few who could likely beat the Deadman in an actual fight. Add Taker's striking ability, it would make for a great one too possibly. Lesner is a former UFC Heavyweight Champ, amongst other accolades. Pretty legit.

A lot of people are in the group who believe it should have been an up and comer, or someone in the midst of a massive push. And you wouldn't be wrong in thinking this. However, the things I see wrong with this idea is that we don't know what the future holds. So many things could happen that could have turned the massive achievement a waste. Injuries (frequent or career ending), lack of interests from fans, real life situations (hate to say it but, Benoit). And who's to say who could handle that kind of heat? First, no matter the choice, the fans will be split on whether it was right or not. Secondly, breaking the Undertaker's streak at Mania would/could bring "Heel 4 Life" type of heat. Is that something an upcoming star needs? This is where Brock makes the better choice. He doesn't care. I am sure a part of the real Brock Lesner is honored, but knows professionally he is unaffected. He can be the heel and bask in the heat, and like he is soon to do, bath in Cena's blood and the cheers that will come with it.

Now, if Brock wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, it will add to the ending of the streak. How? Well, the fact that its justifies/makes sense what happened at Mania. Ending the Streak should translate into a title shot whomever ended it. So, take into consideration that the Undertaker is getting up there in age, and that his Wrestlemania matches were sooo good mainly due to the months of preparation that the old school professional put into his yearly appearances. So now, we would have a legit beast of a champ in Lesner who could "put over" an up and comer in the midst of a massive push. A push that would culminate in possibly an amazing match with not only the champ, but the man who conquered the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Which would now go "un-tarnished" regardless of the up and comers future. Imagine Daniel Bryan finally coming back and knocking Lesner out with a knee to the chin and the win? Or of course the rumored, Roman Reigns would work too despite the Spear reminding me of Wrestlemania 20.

Although I would love to see the Undertaker come back one more time to face Sting at Wrestlemania 31, I will understand if 30 was the last we see of him (until HOF time). Once again, enter Brock Lesner. Once the financials work themselves out, and the pay day is there, Lesner could be the new "premiere" part-timer to take 'Takers spot. Rock is busy doing movies, Sting is looking for his "one more match aka first WWE match". Batista...we'll see how his next return goes. The entire situation worked against him at the Royal Rumble. Admit I was in the group of "Bootista Haters". Revenge on Evolution should be proper and almost a throw back to when I last liked him. Back to the point, not really anyone else to fill this spot.

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DID VINCE RUSSO JUST KILL HIS 2ND WRESTLING COMPANY?

It is possible. Very possible. It is being reported that Spike TV informed Dixie Carter and TNA Wrestling that they not be renewing their contract come October. Supposed reason? Vince Russo's "under the table" involvement with TNA. Something Spike TV apparently was very clear about. No Russo.
If all of this is true, and let's say that Dixie can't find the company another television deal? And TNA folds? It will mean that Vince Russo has killed another wrestling promotion. What's impressive about this feat, is that this time around it was by pure association. That, is hilarious.

What is ironic, is that as of late TNA has been on a pretty good run. True, Impact has been "stacked" lately because of TNA Wrestling's attempt to woo the Spike TV execs. But, it has been good. And will admit, there are moments where Russo's work is good, or it appears to be for a moment, I think he just needs a McMahon to keep him inline. If anything, give him credit for helping Booker T get his first of 5x WCW titles.


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AND JUST LIKE THAT, THE TIDE CHANGED

The beginning of 2014 was looking to be amazing, despite the backlash of Batista winning the Royal Rumble. Even with the walk-out by CM Punk, everything was looking to be on the upswing. Things looked so bright, some were claiming this was the second coming of the Attitude Era. There were signs showing that they weren't wrong. Daniel Bryan was white hot, and receiving the same build-up as Stone Cold did when he first caught fire back in the day. The Shield and Wyatts, although not D-X, were definitely giving that same faction vibe that was occurring during the Monday Night Wars. There was even a slight Attitude Era resurgence with stars like Goldust, The New Age Outlaws, and others making appearances and in some cases performing well (most notably Goldie).
Fast forward to now. Daniel Bryan required neck surgery, was striped of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and now appears to need more surgery. The "YES!" chants still exist, but only when his name is rarely mentioned. The Shield broke up. So far, things are going very well for each former member. Only downside, is Roman Reigns is getting his push, while he's still finding his groove. Will he be ready for his rumored culmination at Wrestlemania 31 remains to be seen. After Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose finish their feud with each other, it will be interesting to see how both do on their own. Undertaker's Wrestlemania Streak was ended, and it is possible that we've seen the last of the Deadman, but Bray Wyatt is filling that void quite nicely. In his own unique way at that. Speaking of which, the man who conquered The Undertakers Undefeated Streak at Wrestlemania, Brock Lesner is likely about to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Summerslam. Which will help those still in shock over the events of Wrestlemania 30, as it "makes sense" having Brock get a title shot for accomplishing what he did.

There are positives, as noted with former Shield members, and The Wyatts. Goldust is still here, and given us Cody Rhodes in a role he seems very comfortable in with Stardust. There's even a possible new faction very reminisant of The Nation Of Domination. But, the negatives just keep piling up. Daniel Bryan, will he be as over as he was before whenever he returns? CM Punk is officially finished with the WWE. Rey Mysterio seems to in process of being finished as well. There were quite a few cuts, and rumors of more coming to cover the WWE's losses this year. And although Reigns is rumored to be the guy come Wrestlemania 31, with Brock as Champ, who is he going to face? We've already seen him run through the roster, or at least the main event performers. Will we see Rusev, Big E, or Cesaro get a chance to shine with the Beast? Can they?
Always the hopeful fan, hoping that things will start to look like they did at the start of the year, and we see a new epic era in wrestling. With the recent Sting "activity" within the WWE, that hope is amplified.

ARE WE APPROACHING A BRAND SPLIT IN WWE?

Flashback to 2002. Vince McMahon and the WWE was just a year removed from the purchasing of rival WCW in 2001. The WWE and the World titles were unified and "The Next Big Thing" Brock Lesner was fresh on the scene and wrecking havoc through the WWE roster. Vinnie Mac decided it was time to "shake things up", proceeded to split the roster into Raw and Smackdown!, with the two brands almost competing with each other. First it was 50/50 owners Vince McMahon and Ric Flair, with later, General Managers being named. Stephanie McMahon being in charge of Smackdown!, and the newly hired and former rival, Eric Bischoff being the GM of Raw. In the beginning, the WWE Undisputed Champion was to appear on both brands, until Brock Lesner beat The Rock for the belt. Then, Stephanie McMahon proceeded to sign Lesner to a contract making him exclusive to Smackdown!, which led to Bischoff handing Triple H the WWE World Championship so Raw would have a champion. For awhile, both brands were equal, and in some cases Smackdown! was considered the superior brand based on some opinions. With stars like Brock Lesner, Kurt Angle, Big Show (with Paul Heyman), amongst others helped with that. Of course, every year Vince McMahon would appear to announce that it was "time to shake things up again!", and we would see a draft lottery. At times it was pretty boring, but there were moments when there was some shock value, and meant good things for your preferred brand. Remember when Michael Cole was drafted to Raw, and Jim Ross to Smackdown!? Or like he referenced recently, when John Cena was drafted to Raw and unveiled the new WWE title? He was right, we were all pretty stoked about it all. Which also signaled the beginning of Raw becoming the "stacked" roster, and then later the brands coming back together.

What is the point of all of this? Look at the current WWE landscape. The titles are unified, making the holder the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. They haven't even opted to make them into one belt yet, which could mean they are looking to split them in the future. Include the overall size of the current WWE rosters, both the main roster as well as the NXT roster containing the rookies who will be looking for a place to land. Although it has been nice having the story lines carry over, and Smackdown! leading into a PPV, it is understandable that they would split the brands. Gives a platform to "push" more guys without displacing the current main event or mid-carders. Would we have ever seen guys like the late Eddie Guerrero or Bradshaw win the title if the brands weren't split? Who's to say if the JBL gimmick would have even worked as well as it did if not for being a Smackdown! product. Could help guys like Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler and many others find their way (gimmick or simply a place to shine) with a brand split. Could even help Roman Reigns move away from Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose if they decide to split up The Shield (which has been rumored since before Wrestlemania XXX). Oh, and then there is Brock Lesner. This isn't the rookie from 2002, this is the new Brock Lesner. Thanks to the popularity of MMA, we all now have an appreciation for just how legit this guy is. Plus, in case you haven't been listening to Paul Heyman's constant reminders, he's the guy who ended The Undertaker's undefeated streak at Wrestlemania. Brock may be in part time mode nowadays, but very few argue that he will be winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at some point. Perhaps he goes Raw exclusive this time around.

Only time will tell I guess. It does seem to be heading that way, and like mentioned above there are good things that could stem from this. There are some bad as well, but as long as they stay true to the original brand extension and keep the shows equal, it will be less likely to be so one-sided. The drafts were often better then not, and made for better shows then some of those celebrity guest Raw's with only a few exceptions.

WWE HALL OF FAME: THE ECW WING

Even if you weren't a direct fan of Paul Heyman's extreme vision, you should respect it enough to realize how crucial ECW was to the industry, most notably, during the infamous Monday Night Wars. It was ECW that truly planted the seeds for WWE's "Attitude Era". Both WCW and WWE ripped ECW off of both direction/story lines as well as its stars. Only difference was, Vince McMahon compensated Paul Heyman by putting him on his payroll before eventually one day buying the hardcore company. Vince also tried and succeeded in making Heyman's guys into stars, where Eric Bischoff did things like buying out ECW Champion Mike Awesome to jump ship, only to then bury the late superstar with lame character and story lines.
That's the past, and many have enjoyed what Paul Heyman has done within the WWE with his various stints with WWE. Superstars like Rob Van Dam, Tazz, and others are future WWE Hall Of Famers just based on their runs in the WWE alone. Some didn't really have much of a career within the WWE, for various reasons didn't quite make it in WWE, but were superstars in the original ECW. However, as great as some have been, they tend to get lost in the sea that is the WWE roster over the years, so to bring them back to the forefront, we'll imagine that there is an ECW Wing in the WWE Hall Of Fame. Here are a list of ECW Legends who deserve to be a part of the WWE Hall Of Fame: ECW Wing;

Rob Van Dam

Mr. Monday Night is probably the one wrestler who made the best transition from ECW to WWE. After years of seemingly being stuck at mid-card winning countless WWE Intercontinental Championships, RVD became the first person to hold both the WWE and ECW Championships at the same time. In a business where we never say never, who knows, perhaps The Whole F'n Show will be hitting a Five-Star Frog Splash for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship before he closes out his career.

Tazz

The Human Suplex Machine may be sitting behind the announce booth, and currently doing so in TNA, there is no doubt that Tazz deserves to be in the WWE Hall Of Fame. Especially if we were to see an ECW Wing. His in ring career may be over, but Tazz still has some value in the world of wrestling outside of commentary. Who better to manage or simply endorse a new age version of himself? He did so with Samoa Joe, and although made sense, Joe was already an established name in TNA. WWE has loads of new guys who could use this to propel themselves. Alexander Rusev looks like a giant version of Tazz.

The Dudley Boys

"Devon! Get the tables!" are words the crowd would still scream along with Bubba Ray (now Bully) and Devon if they re-entered a WWE ring. And of course would be followed by a massive pop from the crowd as someone went through the table. Bubba is doing his own thing in TNA right now, but a Dudley Boys reunion in the WWE could happen one day. If only briefly like the New Age Outlaws did recently. Other than RVD, the Dudley's transitioned from ECW to WWE very nicely. Even being one of the three teams to pioneer Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (TLC) match, and being synonymous with both Tables and Tag-Team wrestling in pro-wrestling. And that screams Hall Of Fame worthy.

Sabu

Sabu was never really cut out to make it in the WWE, and that isn't a knock on him. It is the constraints of the WWE tend to hinder some performers from doing what they do in the ring. It is out of safety that they do this of course, but this is the Houdini Of Hardcore, and his legend was built on leaving safety in the dressing room. Plus, remember how Chris Benoit's nickname was The Crippler? It was Sabu's neck that broke to create that one. So if there is to be an ECW Wing or even just an ECW Class within WWE's Hall Of Fame, The Modern Day Kamikaze known as Sabu is a front runner in being the top of that class.

Tommy Dreamer

The one ECW Original who made the best out of WWE's attempt at relaunching ECW. It was there, which Tommy Dreamer dropped the WWE mid-card status and returned to mirroring his glory days in the original ECW, being at the top. If ever a resurgence of hardcore or within the WWE, don't be surprised to see Dreamer leading a new group of extreme talent into the forefront. Also, wouldn't be surprised to hear he became a trainer at the new WWE Developmental Facility preparing the next generation of talent. May only be a Dream, but Tommy is Hall Of Fame worthy.

Terry Funk

Yes, he is already in the WWE Hall Of Fame, but Flair has two rings, and we are talking about an ECW wing here. He should have pehaps walked away from the business or found a different way to be a part of it all, but regardless, Funk had some of his greatest matches under extreme rules. Both in ECW and even WWE as Chainsaw Charlie. Pretty sure guys like Mick Foley and even the next guy on this list would agree that Terry Funk is very much worthy on being inducted a second time based on his Hardcore accomplishments, which include winning the ECW Championship.

Paul Heyman

His client, Brock Lesner, is the 1 in 21-1. His client, Brock Lesner, conquered The Streak. Oh, and he was the brains behind ECW. Was Paul the greatest business man? No, but he was so good that the Top 2 companies copied and stole from him. Both ideas and talent. Only difference is that Bischoff had no respect for Heyman, where as Vince put Paul on his payroll before buying ECW from him. And then has has Paul Heyman working for the WWE on multiple occasions both on and off screen roles. Promoter, Manager/Agent, behind the scenes stuff which all add up to a Hall Of Fame induction for Heyman. Preferably with the men who truly gave their all for him and ECW.

Of course there are countless others who would deserve a WWE Hall Of Fame induction, especially if there were to an ECW Wing or classes. Guys like Sandman, Lance Storm, Justin Credible, among several others. Even guys who had runs in WWE before going to the land of extreme in ECW, like the late Bam Bam Bigelow who had legendary moments in ECW, and was also in the Wrestlemania XI (11) main event against L.T. Taylor, deserves to be in the WWE Hall Of Fame.

THE DEADMAN WILL RISE AGAIN!

Was Wrestlemania XXX the last we will see of The Undertaker? It could have been. However, there is a good chance that we haven't seen the last of The Phenom. The Streak may have ended, and he only returned the last few years to perform at Wrestlemania, but isn't he "more" than just The Streak? A character, and more importantly, a man who deserves a better send off as well? Even if we were to say that he is too banged up to go on his own anymore, there are ways to work around this. One would think an Undertaker after a broken streak would be a dangerous Undertaker. His level of respect with both the fans and boys in the back is high enough for him to go on a rampage through the roster without taking any bumps, or light ones if need be. Culminating with a worthy send off at the event in which The Undertaker was born, Survivor Series.
With Kane dropping the corporate gimmick and returning to the mask, included with the recent Attitude Era resurgence, even a Brothers Of Destruction reunion could help Taker get to again, Survivor Series. Personally, would start this reunion/farewell tour off with The Brothers Of Destruction double choke slamming Brock Lesner through the ring. Either that, or the imploding ring gimmick, which occurred when Brock superplexed Big Show back in the day. Would Kane also not make sense to be the one to send Undertaker off? Lesner may have been most worthy to end The Streak, then perhaps his "brother" is most worthy to turn and send him off in style. Buried Alive. Lightening and smoke effects. Black light. Classic Undertaker stuff.

Or this was it. The Undertaker's career ended with The Streak. With the shock of Brock Lesner conquering The Streak, the crowd response at Wrestlemania 30 wasn't at the level it could, and should have been. Something which again could be corrected with at least something similar to what was mentioned above, or anything really. It would be nice to see, but am okay being content anticipating the obvious WWE Hall Of Fame induction, but hearing Mark Calloway's speech could be epic. Simple but has impact in his words. Typical Undertaker.

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WWE GANG WARFARE

Factions are beginning to pick up some steam in the WWE again. The Shield and The Wyatt Family are white hot, and just getting started. There were rumors of The Shield splitting up, and could still happen in the future or the WWE has seen an opportunity to add a little gang warfare to the mix of things for awhile. With the short lived Corporate Attitude (Corporate Kane and the Corporate Outlaws) and now the rebirth of Evolution (minus Ric Flair seemingly) it seems they are, at least until Extreme Rules. Can't blame them really given the success of The Wyatt's squaring off against The Shield. An angle that was over with the crowd, with them all slowly getting into the ring, and not even throwing a punch until they squared off a few weeks later.

With quite a full roster, that now includes a NXT roster as well as the developmental/training facility recently established, it wouldn't be far fetched to see other factions or trios emerge. A new group, or a returning group, or a mixture of the two, not too hard to envision. Even the recent resurgence of the "Attitude Era" adds to the wonder (despite of The Streak ending). Here's some example of possible choices...

Legacy

Triple H is eventually returning to a part-time in ring career while Batista returns to Hollywood for a bit. This leaves Randy Orton all alone. True he could venture back into a solo run, but again with the current success of trios and factions, why not bring back Legacy? Or an updated version with Orton as the usual center piece, Cody Rhodes after turning on his brother, and then possibly Curtis Axel after he gets out of that ridiculous tag-team with Ryback. Even Bo Dallas could join Legacy if the current Bo-lieve gimmick tanks.

L.W.O. (Latino World Order)

Okay perhaps a better name than the n.W.o. spin-off from the good old WCW days. Alberto Del Rio of course would be the leader of this squad being the man with the money. Who to surround him with is a bit harder to decide. Would love to see a Rey Mysterio heel turn, but likely not going to ever happen. So, perhaps a heel turn for Los Matadores (also perhaps matching lucha libre masks). Del Rio has done everything else so far as a heel, and is limited as it seems to be able to go face, so perhaps building a group around him would add a freshness to the character.

The Job Squad

Although unaware of the outcome of house show matches, on television however, certain wrestlers are coming across as a new age jabroni or enhancement wrestler. Nothing against them, it is just that the WWE has presented them this way as of late. Even top guys like The Miz and Dolph Ziggler find themselves sliding down the proverbial ladder. Strong work ethics and fan bases have stopped them from falling off the radar completely. So why not group them together and have not only great matches, but also possibly some great promos that are in a worked shoot type manner. The Miz, Zack Ryder and Dolph Ziggler. Or any of your favorite wrestlers who've received the jobber treatment as of late or whole WWE careers. There is another key name that could fit here but he's being saved for this...

The Nation Of Domination

Kofi Kingston needs this. Or something in the ballpark of this idea. Kofi is an unbelievably talented performer, but has been relegated to being the dreadlocks version of Shelton Benjamin. Why choose The Nation or something similar? Remember what this format did for Rocky Maivia, or The Rock as we now know him thanks to that. With Kofi Kingston we will include Big E as he still needs more mic work, and this could provide a platform to allow him to find his niche. Plus his singlet very reminiscent of The Nation wardrobe. Then we add the Worlds Strongest Man, Mark Henry. Similar to giving us The Rock, The Nation introduced us more to Henry. And at the tail end of his career, what better way to go out then to help launch the next generation of The Nation Of Domination.

Nexus

Perhaps not a direct rip-off of the sudden impact squad that had consisted of WWE rookies that included Daniel Bryan, Wade Barrett, and Husky Harris (aka Bray Wyatt), and others. With NXT being relatively successful, as well as the launching pad to the main roster, why not have a NXT trio or faction enter the gang warfare brewing in WWE.

3MB

Don't laugh, this could have worked, and still can. Heath Slater was a part of Nexus and wasn't the "weak link" in the crew. Plus, he likely couldn't fit any other role, plus he is quite capable in the ring. As is the very talents, but under utilizes Drew McIntyre. He has been pretty much buried since being Vince McMahon's handpicked "guy". He truly looks the part and makes a perfect fit into this group and their gimmick. That is also why he would move to the front man position in the trio, while Slater takes lead guitar so to speak. Jinder Mahal would either need to make himself a better fit as he stands out. It is easy to tell he's not believing in the role, and his mic work comes off as very awkward. Perhaps a chance for someone like Curt Hawkins to make his presence known. regardless, a more serious tone and this group could enter the war and come out looking like Rock Stars. If Y2J wasn't at the part-time phase of his career, this would have been the perfect faction platform for the Ayatollah Of Rock And Rollah!

Add Divas

Slow down, don't get ahead of yourself. Only select ladies, and only for short times. Tamina Snuka looks like she could a perfect member of The Shield if the WWE went this route. Natalya Neidhart often mentions her families Legacy. Come on, the division could use something big, plus it is better than the possible couples war that is available. Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella, John Cena & Nikki Bella, Jimmy Uso & Naomi, amongst others. Even CM Punk & AJ Lee are together. All those big names, it wouldn't be to hard to envision happening at some point.


Why possibly expand or keep factions around? Can you say War Games? Vince McMahon may have shot down the idea all of these years, but Triple H is almost a mark in sense that he watched the same wrestling we did, and also keeps his eyes and ears on social media. So it could happen in the future. There is of course a spin-off of The Heenan Family with The Heyman Family, but who the heck could beat a team with Cesaro, CM Punk and Brock Lesner? Okay, other than Super-Cena, who could?

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