theFRANCHISE

As much as I want Jericho back, I actually want Shane & Steph as the big reveal now since no one would expect Shane to return to WWE after having left to take the helm of a communications company in China. There's so many storyline possibilities that would arise from this new power struggle, especially now that Triple H's real-life marriage to Steph and ascension up the corporate ladder are both being acknowledged on TV.

See, with the presented scenarios, I actually don't mind Cena's involvement at the PPV at all -- as long as it doesn't end with a predictable Cena WWE Title victory. This is all I've wanted from the creative team in handling Cena. If they weren't turning him heel, they at least needed to do something different with his character. This moral dilemma is a drastic departure from his goody-good, Superman/boy-scout gimmick. All the creative team needs to do to make this a viable face-vs-face encounter at WrestleMania is to make Cena into a vulnerable guy. They need him to lose at a string of PPV events before he faces Rock, just to make it plausible that Rock could go over. That way, if Cena beats Rock, he won't be booed out of Miami. It's similar to the dichotomy of the Rock-Hogan matchup in Toronto. The difference is, no one believed that Hogan would put Rock over, so they had to make it look as if Hogan's comeuppance was due.

One theory (and this is strictly a theory from me) is that he might be having problems with his marital life. Considering that he does more promotional appearances than any other top name in the company and he's on the road most of the year, there's a good chance that he has a strained marriage. Most wrestlers end up divorced at one point or another. Top wrestlers today have luxuries that other guys don't have like the ability to take their spouses on the road with them in a personal tour bus. However, I've read nothing about Cena having a tour bus like Orton and CM Punk, and I don't believe that Cena's wife has ever traveled on the road with him for an extended time. Again, just a theory from me. No real basis of fact or source.

This has been a horrible episode so far and there hasn't been nearly enough in-ring action. Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes had far too little screen time. Other than Road Dogg and Lita, there wasn't much that made this show worth watching for me. If anything, this show has made my headache worse.

This whole "via satellite" argument is getting weak. ROCK ISN'T A FULL-TIME WRESTLER. My gosh...what is so hard for people to understand about that?? Why didn't people get on Stone Cold for not being on RAW every week when he was filming Tough Enough and said he was "back in the WWE" as well? These two aren't full-time employees! Not a hard concept to understand! They're legends; they can come and go as they please!

Of all of the great Diva-related moments within those nominees, they pick the least-deserving moment. Really??? Kharma's debut, Nattie's double-Sharpshooter, and Beth Phoenix's top-rope Glam Slam were infinitely more deserving than that.

Well, hellooooo there, Lita... ...and yes, we remember you.

As stupid as the stuff has been that they've had J.R. do, at least he looks like he's having fun with it. I'd still much rather see him behind a headset, though.

RE: Morrison: interesting that he didn't say he'd be wrestling elsewhere, even though he's named specific places recently. Sounds like the dirt sheet rumors might be true that he just needs some time away from wrestling. Since his contract expired, I don't believe there's a no-compete clause associated with it(case-in-point: Jeff Hardy showing up in TNA weeks after his WWE contract expired). Even if there is, the no-compete clause allows for independent bookings at non-televised shows. Therefore, I'm under the assumption that Morrison will try to return to WWE in a couple of months, hopefully with a clean slate. RE: Jericho: I think he's playing everyone again. Y2J is rarely one to address rumors, so there's a good chance that he's trying to throw everyone off. This is similar to his 2007 return, where he addressed fans on his site's message board and said that he was happy with what he was doing and had no interest in wrestling. Also, it's interesting to note that the Second Coming viral marketing began two months prior to his return. The Y2J countdown also began two months before his debut, and this current marketing campaign began in November, two months prior to 1/2/12.

As MC stated, WWE has no official disability program. However, WWE does offer aid to wrestlers who seek it. They often offer backstage jobs to retired wrestlers, regardless of the terms on which they left the company. Most of these jobs entail mentoring young wrestlers and helping them script matches. Darren "Droz" Drozdov has remained a WWE employee since his injury and regularly earns a paycheck from them. WWE also foots the bill for most of his medical expenses. Droz was a long-time columnist for WWE's website after his injury. After the website phased out blogs and columns for a period, Droz became an unofficial spokesman and also helped script occasional storylines. Lately, he hasn't done much with the company but still earns a paycheck. It's been reported that some level of feeling has returned to his extremities and he may be able to walk again, though the chances are still slim.

I would love for that to happen. At the rate Ziggler is going, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up winning the Royal Rumble and getting a title shot at WrestleMania. He could be ready for the big-time by then, even if it's a losing effort. Same with Cody Rhodes. Hell, Mania 28 could end up being the "Night of the Smarks," as smark favorites like Ziggler, Rhodes, and Daniel Bryan could all end up going over in their respective matches. Even The Rock could conceivably beat Cena if there's an endgame that immediately follows like a Cena heel turn or a natural continuation of their feud.

A few developments: - Kane has vignettes touting his return in masked form - Cryptic viral promos have ran for 1/2/12, hinting towards either Y2J or Undertaker, among other possibilities - Cena's boos are being incorporated in a storyline where everyone openly wonders whether the negativity is getting to Cena, hinting towards a future heel turn; Cena, meanwhile, is attempting to rebuild his face character by doing less of the hokey stuff - Zack Ryder is the #1 contender for the U.S. Title at TLC - HHH will return to action against Kevin Nash in a ladder match at TLC - Daniel Bryan is being gradually built up as a legitimate #1 contender with regular encounters with main eventers Other than that, nothing much has changed since you last watched. CM Punk is still being built as the face of the company in 2012, Orton is still helping elevate younger guys, Cody Rhodes' star is still rising, and Dolph Ziggler is still flip-flopping between the upper-mid-card and the main event.

I wouldn't mind a Cena-Clay feud if it means Clay goes over as the monster heel. It would also make Cena a sympathetic character again, as long as he plays his role the same as last night. I woke up this morning, surprised that I actually had no qualms with Cena last night, save for the hokey start to his opening promo. He did absolutely nothing to irk me, and even his match with Ryder was decent for what it was and made Ryder look strong in defeat with the post-match segment. I want more of this Cena, heel or face.

At this rate, they're better off just saving him for the Royal Rumble and having him do his best Rumble impersonation of Rikishi or Kane by eliminating 50 billion people and lasting almost the entire match before finally being eliminated by a ring full of guys.

The Fozzy lyrics in the one video still have me convinced that it's Jericho, just as the rumors point to. Of course, this could all easily fit Undertaker, as we've said.

MVP would be a huge swerve -- but also a realistic possibility, given that he left WWE on good terms and he's been retooling his craft in Japan. In keeping with the religious undertones, MVP has also been using a variation of the Crucifix as his finishing move, accordng to Wikipedia. Otherwise, I think the 305 and basketballs could be a swerve, possibly alluding to Miami, the location of WrestleMania and home of the Heat.

I took a couple of chops to my bare chest before. They definitely hurt, so you can imagine how much those bashes to the chest from Sheamus to Ziggler hurt.

Cena suddenly bought himself some goodwill with the fans by helping Ryder get the title shot... ...but you have to believe that there'll be some sort of swerve where Cena's involvement gets Ryder's shot revoked.

I'm hoping Ryder faces Nash and then Nash gets screwed over by a returning HHH.

Kane's putting the mask back on! YES!

Wow. Loved Cena's intensity when he stormed into Johnny Ace's office and pleaded his case for Ryder. More importantly, Cena's delivery of his lines felt genuine. That's all I really want out of Cena's promo style. He doesn't have to rap or use catchphrases or do any of the stuff he used to do. He just has to be genuine and deliver his lines convincingly. No yelling or overacting all the time. Just do it exactly like he did just then.

They did a wonderful job with that post-match segment. Ryder did a great job of selling Cena's "betrayal." I'm sure a lot of casual fans suddenly became more sympathetic to Ryder, which puts him over even in defeat. Furthermore, Cena is suddenly painted the bad guy by circumstance, even though he didn't mean to screw over his friend. As long as this keeps building towards a natural heel turn, I'm happy with maintaining this slow build.

Well, the prophet thing could be either Jericho to play off his Second Coming gimmick, or Undertaker to contrast his macabre undertones. Shane and Stephanie would be a nice swerve, but I'm still holding out for Jericho. I'd rather not have it be Undertaker but that also seems to be the more realistic option.

David Otunga: "Aren't you worried about who your opponent is?" Kevin Nash: "Is it Triple H?" Otunga: "No. Nash: "No worries then."

While I would've had the Bryan-Del Rio match go on for a little bit longer, they booked that match properly. ADR took advantage of Bryan's injury and they keep ADR in the main event picture by rebuilding him as a threat. That said, too soon to put the belt back on Del Rio. I give him until next summer before they should flirt with the idea of putting the belt back on him.