theFRANCHISE

Well...just because Cena's not in the title match, doesn't mean he's not in the main event. The last card on the match could still feature Cena.

There's a report hinting at a huge surprise tonight on RAW. This is based on a Tweet by Jim Ross and remarks made by Wade Barrett last night. If it's not The Rock coming back or Cena turning heel or Triple H making a miraculous recovery or Kurt Angle defecting back to WWE while still under contract with TNA or Paul Heyman making a surprise return (after saying he wanted nothing to do with WWE), I'm not buying into it.

I really wish Shane would come back. I understand he wants nothing much to do with WWE now and wants to get into MMA, but the business is in his blood. He'd be perfect as RAW GM since he's been an authority figure before but had never filled that GM capacity; the closest time was when he took over RAW in his father's absence in the build to Triple H's match against Randy Orton at WrestleMania. Ever since the GM concept, they've always hinted at Shane filling a vacancy on either show throughout the years but never followed through despite fan reaction being enormous.

He's not on the company payroll and is said to be enjoying retirement, so I doubt he'd come back to be the RAW GM. TNA is also trying to lure JBL into their fold, but that's highly unlikely given that he's already refused them once or twice in the past. He sounds like a man of his word when he says he'll stay retired; he only came out of semi-retirement the first time because he was waiting to see if his back would fully recover and was biding his time doing commentary.

I just thought of a scenario that would not only get Cena over further as a heel, but also shake things up: What if Cena was the one who put Undertaker in a vegetative state? His explanation could've been that he simply wanted the respect that he never got from the fans, and that the only way he felt he could be respected was if he took out the top dog in WWE. Not only that, but they could reference the first feud they had back in 2003, when Cena was last heel and challenged Taker for respect. This would not only cement Cena's heel status and completely erase all the good he's done, but also give Kane a temporary program until Taker comes back, keep Kane face until Mysterio comes back to try to reclaim his title, and give Taker an excuse to face Cena at WrestleMania. In the meantime, Nexus would serve as a temporary diversion for Taker, having him take on all the members over time before eventually facing Cena last.

Reports are further indicating that John Cena may be turning heel and aligning himself with Nexus. Triple H is still the top candidate to be the mastermind, but injuries have continually hampered him and he may not return in time to become the leader before the angle cools off. I still think that, despite the lapses in logic, Cena turning heel to become the leader would work simply by virtue of the new catchphrase, "If you're not Nexus, you're against us." Cena would be sick of being booed despite having been beaten down and sympathetic, and he would be sick of getting beat up every week -- so instead of being bullied, he would become the bully. That explanation would completely erase all the lapses in logic while also leaving the door open for Triple H to either be the savior OR the mastermind behind Nexus, if he so chose.

See, I like seeing this intense side of Cena, not the corny, smiling paper champion. I hope that this is the catalyst for an eventual heel turn, even though the Nexus are supposed to be the heels in this case.

I wanna vomit from how mediocre this match is. I am not only further convinced that Sheamus is horrible in the ring, but Cena's moveset may be more limited than Hulk Hogan's. And to think, Cena used to be a promising young star back in 2003...when he actually wrestled.

This cage match is horrible. It's been so long since I've seen a main event with so many rest holds. The flow of the match is crap. And there's so much posturing and brawling than actual wrestling, I'm almost convinced that both guys have no semblance of a story going on in the ring right now.

It dawned on me that it's been 7 years since Cena was a heel. It's high time that they make it happen. Sure, he sells the most merchandise, but it'd be such a shocking move (even if the logic is lacking in the storyline), that it'd bring in massive ratings and would cut into TNA's audience temporarily because of the curiosity behind the move.

I will slap you for saying that.

Justin Roberts is growing on me as a ring announcer. That said, I'm gonna take his job and do it even better.

I think that this promo was Miz's latest star-making turn. Similar to how The Rock and Triple H's ladder match at SummerSlam 1998 was what propelled them to the main event, the result of this match may have done the same for Miz.

That win was AWESOME!!!!

That was a SICK RKO to Jericho off the ladder!

I'm calling The Miz to win, too. DiBiase just isn't ready to be built up as a contender yet, and you know that the winner will cash in their briefcase wayyyy before WrestleMania given the audience's short attention span. DiBiase isn't over enough yet to be built up as a threat to the championship in a short span. Miz is ready. On another note, I marked out big time when Orton did his pose on the turnbuckle. Can't get enough of it -- I do the pose all the time myself. It's my signature now. lol.

Jericho and Edge talking actively about cashing in the briefcase after the Cena-Sheamus match means: 1) neither man will win the briefcase; and 2) the winner won't be cashing it in after the cage match because of Nexus hitting the ring.

The Baltimore Sun's Kevin Eck technically called it first. LINK

We have a new Big Red Champion!!! :)

If they make Mysterio retain, I'm gonna be PISSED...

This would be a perfect way of writing Mysterio off TV; does an injury angle while also losing the belt. Then he can finally get the surgery that he's been postponing.

I like the finish because it took a fluke maneuver by Mysterio to retain. Swagger keeps his heat because he dominated the match and looked strong in defeat.

I think this match might've been Swagger's breakthrough match. He's never looked better as a heel on the attack since his main event push began. He's pretty much carried this match since Mysterio hasn't done much in the way of anything on the offensive.

Booking 101 is always to devise ways to get heat back on a guy even after a loss. It's concepts like that, that allow a guy like Chris Jericho to lose match after match and still be the top heel in the company. No one noticed that he had a massive losing streak until the commentators pointed it out for storyline purposes. Y2J can lose cleanly to anyone, even the Brooklyn Brawler, and still be perceived as a main eventer. That's not only a testament to his ability as a performer, but to the writing staff for at least sticking to basic booking concepts to keep heat on Jericho weekly.

Kane cashes in the briefcase after this match. So if someone's to get squashed in 2 minutes or less, let it be Rey Mysterio. However, the only way I would approve of Swagger getting pinned so quickly is if it leads to a program between him and Kane, with Swagger being revealed as the attacker after all and having had an empty alibi. This puts heat on Swagger and elevates him as a true upper-card talent if he can continue this mean streak. It would explain why he's started to be more sadistic since losing his belt. This would also make him a more credible threat to the World Title than when he had first won the belt. It also keeps Kane in the World Title picture, gives Swagger a sustained push by eventually facing Taker himself, and allows Kane to stay face temporarily only to turn heel again by turning on his brother later, claiming that his brother wasn't appreciative enough of all he did for him. Kane just wanted to be loved back by his brother, and never felt the love, so he'll beat it out of him. Sets up a blood feud match between the two to close the chapter on that rivalry, allowing Kane to retire while also giving Taker a chance to retire if he doesn't have much longer in his career. Both "brothers," exiting the company together would be appropriate.