WWE No Way Out headlined by last minute changes and stipulations

Originally posted on Examiner.com on June 16, 2012.

Looking at World Wrestling Entertainment’s Pay-per-view offering on Father’s Day, you might be tempted to make a joke that WWE had “no way out” of presenting it, but maybe they should have looked for one. A combination of injuries, suspensions, contractual situations and in some cases just plain poor booking, have made this a less than stellar lineup. WWE obviously realizes it, and even tacked on a stipulation at the 11th hour that John Cena will be “fired” if he loses his main event steel cage match with the Big Show. Too bad Cena’s been fired before, and amazingly still appears on Raw every week, taking away any impact the stipulation will have. Here’s a look at the lineup for No Way Out, which will broadcast from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, right across the road from MetLife Stadium, home of the Superbowl Champion New York Giants.

John Cena vs. Big Show in a steel cage. If Show loses, John Laurinaitis will be fired as Raw and Smackdown General Manager. If Cena loses, he will be fired. Laurinaitis, and possibly Vince McMahon, will be at ringside. Even with his new bad attitude, it is hard to take Big Show seriously as a main event star in 2012. Vince McMahon even mockingly acknowledged this fact on Raw last week. The fact is, Show only got this spot because the planned push for (no longer Lord) Tensai bombed so badly. This feud is just a time-killer for Cena until Brock Lesnar, or Rock, or an opponent fans will care about, comes around to take on WWE’s top star. Win or lose, we all know Cena isn’t going anywhere.

WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane. Punk vs. Bryan is always enjoyable from a wrestling perspective, but by tossing Kane into the mix, we’re pretty much guaranteed one of those three way matches where one wrestler naps on the floor while the other two go at it, punctuated by an occasional three-way spot. Everything here is wrapped up in who AJ will help (or hurt), and you know that will play into the finish, which sort of kills the drama of the match before it even starts.

World Champion Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler. Originally Alberto Del Rio was scheduled to face Sheamus, but he went down to injury. With Randy Orton and Chris Jericho both suspended, and Miz off working on the next Marine sequel (yes, because the world needed that), Dolph Ziggler found the rocket strapped to his back (again) this past week. It is hard to take Ziggler seriously with the yo-yo push WWE gives him. Whenever he gets momentum, you expect WWE to pull the rug out from under him. Still, this should be a very good match, maybe even the best on the show from an in-ring perspective and WWE could pull out a title switch just to give the show some shock value.

Intercontinental Champion Christian vs. Cody Rhodes. These two work really well together, but being in a feud for a secondary title on the secondary show usually doesn’t mean a lot to the live crowd. Given they are in the Northeast, which tends to appreciate strong in-ring action a bit more than other areas, maybe these two will get the respect they deserve. Along with Sheamus and Ziggler, this looks to be the most “pure” wrestling bouts on the show, without the threat of a overbooked finish.

Divas Champion Layla vs. Beth Phoenix. I’m just amazed WWE bothered to even advertise a Divas match for a PPV. These are two of the better workers in the division, so I expect a solid bout. That said, it will still most likely be used as a buffer between the title matches and the main event.

Santino Marella vs. Ricardo Rodriquez in a Tuxedo match. Obviously, the comic relief of the show, but I fully expect it to be entertaining. Santino has his niche as a performer, and I’m sure he and Ricardo (who is woefully underrated at times) will put together something that will have a smile on everyone’s face (well, until they get the cable bill anyway).

Brodus Clay vs. David Otunga. This match will be broadcast on YouTube during the 7:30pm pre-show. With all the momentum Brodus has, it is hard to imagine Otunga beating him here.

WWE NXT and TNA Impact tomorrow, WWE No Way Out this Sunday

Originally posted on Examiner.com on June 13, 2012.

WWE NXT taping at Full Sail University tomorrow. World Wrestling Entertainment will tape their NXT series on Thursday, June 14th at Full Sail Live on the campus of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. In addition to the NXT regulars and stars from Florida Championship Wrestling (the official developmental organization for WWE), World Champion Sheamus, Hunico Camacho and Sin Cara are also scheduled to appear on the show. WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross will be on hand to call the action. Tickets are available to the general public for $10, with proceeds going to the Full Sail/WWE Scholarship Fund. Several episodes of NXT will be taped, which can be viewed on WWE.com.

TNA Impact broadcast from Universal Studios tomorrow. TNA will have their first Impact broadcast since this past Sunday’s Slammiversary Pay-per-view on Thursday, June 14th at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. As with all TNA events at Universal, admission is free, although park goers will be given first admittance for the show, which will air live on SpikeTV. World Champion Bobby Roode vs. Mr. Anderson is set for the show, and the annual “Bound For Glory” series will begin, with 12 competitors vying for a World Title match at the Bound For Glory Pay-per-view in October.

Advertisement

WWE No Way Out this Sunday. WWE presents their next Pay-per-view event this Sunday with No Way Out, taking place at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The lineup is hardly the strongest WWE has presented lately, hurt by injuries (Alberto Del Rio), suspensions (Randy Orton, Chris Jericho), and other circumstances (Brock Lesnar’s limited dates contract). The main event has John Cena vs. Big Show in a steel cage match, with the stipulation that if Show loses, Raw & Smackdown General Manager John Laurinaitis will be fired, while if Cena loses, he will be fired (the latter stip being added after Raw was broadcast). Of course, we all know that the last time Cena was “fired” he didn’t miss a single show, so it is hardly the most believable stipulation.

The top title matches on the show have WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Kane vs. Daniel Bryan (with the storyline being who AJ will help or hurt in the bout), World Champion Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler, Intercontinental Champion Christian vs. Cody Rhodes, Divas Champion Layal vs. Beth Phoenix and Brodus Clay vs. Santino Marella in a pre-show match that will air on YouTube. Triple H is also going to address the Brock Lesnar situation, which most expect will set up the two in a singles match for Summerslam in August.

While Sheamus vs. Ziggler and Christian vs. Rhodes should be strong matches, you have to wonder if the fans will have any emotional investment in Ziggler being rushed into a title program so quickly, while Christian-Rhodes suffers from being a secondary feud on the secondary show (Smackdown). Punk vs. Bryan is always a good match, but the addition of Kane and the AJ storyline practically guarantees the match won’t have the focus that their singles battles have had. You still get the feeling that Big Show is just a placeholder until Cena has someone better to feud with, and that’s the top draw for the show. This looks to be a tough sell for WWE.

WWE and TNA go head-to-head in Orlando this week, Learn from Bret Hart and more.

Originally posted on Examiner.com on June 12, 2012.

WWE vs. TNA in Orlando this Thursday. In what looks to become a semi-regular occurrence, wrestling fans will get to choose between attending WWE and TNA events in the Orlando area on the same night. This Thursday, June 14th, WWE NXT will be holding their next set of tapings in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail Live on the campus of Full Sail University with World Champion Sheamus, WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross, and Sin Cara appearing. Tickets are $10 at the Full Sail Live box office. That same night, TNA will be holding their live SpikeTV broadcast of Impact Wrestling at Universal Studios in Orlando, their first show following this past Sunday’s Slammiversary Pay-per-view. Admission is free, with park goers getting first admittance.

Who got the better end of this deal? TNA’s Slammiversary this Sunday was one of the company’s better recent PPV outings, thanks to several strong matches including a great AJ Styles & Kurt Angle vs. Christopher Daniels & Kazarian tag match. Also on the show was an unadvertised appearance by WWE Intercontinental Champion (and former TNA star) Christian, who came out to introduce an entry in TNA’s countdown of their greatest moments ever. This was the other side of the deal between TNA and WWE that allowed Ric Flair to appear at the WWE Hall Of Fame and Wrestlemania this year while under a TNA contract.

Yes, WWE got Ric Flair, who they advertised as part of the Four Horseman induction into the Hall Of Fame, which no doubt helped the ratings for the USA Network broadcast and will result in additional DVD sales for the Wrestlemania set (which includes the Hall Of Fame). TNA, in return, got Christian, who they had appear briefly in front of a live crowd on a PPV with no advance notice (save for some Twitter mentions) to introduce a video clip. If anyone believes this was a fair trade, I’d like to offer you a bridge I have for sale.

TNA announces first Hall Of Fame inductee. TNA announced this past Sunday that Sting will be the first entrant into their Hall Of Fame. A good choice, as Sting has been a pivotal part of many major TNA events over the past ten years (even if he has had some long absences between them at times). Not as good a choice as Jeff Jarrett, who arguably is the most deserving option given his role in creating the company, but given that Jarrett is not currently working with TNA, it isn’t a shock he wasn’t selected. However, it might be in TNA’s best interest to reach out to Jarrett if they want their Hall Of Fame to have a sense of legitimacy to it, something WWE’s version will always be lacking as long as Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund and Randy Savage are missing from it.

Learn from the Excellence Of Execution. Many veteran wrestlers offer seminars for up-and-coming talent (for a nominal fee), but few have the resume of Bret Hart, one of the greatest in-ring talents of all time. Hart will be conducting a four hour seminar on August 4th at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in conjunction with a Crossfire Wrestling event. For those on the independent scene, it is an incredible opportunity to work with and learn from one of the most incredible talents the industry as seen. For more information, click here.

TNA goes live tonight, Randy Orton suspended, and an idea for WWE.

Originally posted on Examiner.com on May 31, 2012.

TNA Impact goes live tonight. TNA Impact Wrestling will switch to live broadcasts on SpikeTV starting tonight, May 31st, at 8pm (one hour earlier than their previous timeslot). The shows will broadcast from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida and admission is free (although Universal park attendees will have the opportunity to enter the building first). The show is scheduled to broadcast live every Thursday from now until August 23rd, although TNA has given the impression the new format will continue past the summer.

For tonight’s show, they have announce the return of Sting for a lumberjack match against TNA World Champion Bobby Roode, and World Television Champion Devon defending against the winner of a fan vote that will take place on Impactwrestling.com starting at noon today. The choices are Rob Van Dam, Mr. Anderson or Robbie E. The show will also see the debut of Brooke Hogan as the new Director of the Knockouts division. TNA head honcho Dixie Carter is promising more “reality based” storylines, and more opportunities for fan interaction in the shows.

Advertisement

The big question, from a business perspective, is whether any of this will make a difference. TNA has essentially had the same audience numbers since they moved to a prime time spot on SpikeTV, and no talent acquisitions, philosophy changes or publicity stunts have managed to result in any kind of permanent positive change. The earlier timeslot and going live might result in a few more viewers, and if it does cause a ratings change, it will be interesting to see if TNA can maintain it, or if any newcomers switch away after a few weeks.

As for the Brooke Hogan debut, let’s be realistic. Her time on the “reality star clock” has long since expired. If her father, you know, the most well known professional wrestler in the history of the industry, Hulk Hogan, couldn’t help bring more viewers to TNA, what can his daughter do for the company? Well, she can take up television time that should be spent on deserving talent. Other than that, it is hard to see an upside to her being a part of the show.

Randy Orton suspended. WWE announced the following yesterday: “In accordance with its Talent Wellness Program, WWE has suspended Randy Orton for 60 days effective today for his second violation of the company’s policy.” This puts the popular Smackdown star on the shelf for the summer, making his return just before the Summerslam Pay-per-view on August 19th. Without going into speculation on what Orton did, the bottom line is that he has now failed a drug test for a second time, which means if he has a failure in the future, he will be terminated and WWE will lose one of their top talents.

For now, WWE has to look at a summer without Orton, and the list of acceptable main event talent for the company grows even smaller. I guess we’ll see if they can strap a rocket on Dolph Ziggler one more time, but after so many yo-yo pushes, will fans even believe he can be a top guy, or just wait for him to be squashed and relegated to the mid-card again?

Armchair booking. WWE has apparently decided to pull back on the Lord Tensai push and make some changes (including dropping the “Lord” from his name) before giving it another shot. The fans obviously were not buying into the wannabe-Great Muta act from the former Albert, causing WWE to curb the plans for his feud with John Cena. How about totally ditching the gimmick and just bringing him in as a monster who is bitter that he got held back during his initial WWE run? Have him do a sit-down interview (NOT with Michael Cole, you want this to be taken seriously) where he talks about being given silly personas in WWE, how he went to Japan and rebuilt his career, only to be made into a cartoon again when he returned to the company. Have him take that anger and just maul some opponents, not using green mist or the claw, and allow him to be the kind of “realistic” big man that you believe can do some damage to the top stars in the company.

WWE silences CM Punk’s “pipe bomb” in favor of John Cena

Originally posted on Examiner.com on May 16, 2012.

In January of this year, all signs pointed to WWE Champion CM Punk having a match with Vice President Of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis. It seemed so obvious, there was even an article in this very space talking about how the potential match quality of the bout. Punk had been firmly established over the past year as an anti-authority rebel, and the stiff Laurinaitis seemed to be the perfect adversary for what looked to be a minor recreation of the Steve Austin-Vince McMahon rivalry that brought WWE one of their greatest successes. Flash forward to today, and it is John Cena, the “company man” who is going to be facing off with Laurinaitis at the Over The Limit Pay-per-view this Sunday. If you stopped watching WWE in January and tuned in now (not that you would, because that means missing Wrestlemania, and who would do that?) you’d wonder, what happened? Heck, even if you have been watching, you might wonder how this occurred.

As WWE Champion, CM Punk took a back seat to the hype for John Cena vs. The Rock at Wrestlemania, which is understandable. His issue with Laurinaitis was brewing, and saw Punk dispatching of the WWE Raw upper midcarders such as Dolph Ziggler and The Miz. He then entered his feud with Chris Jericho, which he dominated in the won-loss column. Meanwhile, Laurinaitis, who was controlling Raw, went into a rivalry with Smackdown Genera Manager Teddy Long, ending with Laurinaitis being in charge of both shows. Post-Wrestlemania, it seemed the perfect time to get back to Punk vs. Laurinaitis. Rock was leaving, freeing up TV time, and with Laurinaitis in charge of both shows, he was an even more powerful force for the rebel Punk to take on.

Then Brock Lesnar showed up, and was thrust into an incredibly short feud with John Cena, based around the idea that Laurinaitis had brought him in to take out Cena. This resulted in Cena defeating Lesnar at last month’s Extreme Rules Pay-per-view, while Punk polished off his feud with Jericho. The next night on Raw, we have Cena-Laurinatis being set up for Over The Limit, a long-term build starting for Brock Lesnar and Triple H (yes, another wrestler vs. company executive feud) and CM Punk… well, he gets to feud with Daniel Bryan. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, as the Punk-Bryan matches should be excellent, but Bryan just came out on the losing end of a World Title feud with Sheamus. CM Punk, Raw’s top champion, who defeated John Cena for the title, is rewarded for defeating all the top contenders on Raw by getting a program with the guy who couldn’t win back the top title on Smackdown. Doesn’t exactly seem like upward progress for Punk.

In 2011, CM Punk made his mark as a top star for WWE. His “pipe bomb” interviews injected a nice sense of reality into the storylines, and did so in a way that enhanced his character and made WWE television more intriguing (as opposed to other instances where “shooting” is done just for the sake of doing it, and accomplishes nothing… you know, like in TNA). The reaction made his move from heel to “tweener” to babyface something WWE had to do, just because of the momentum it created for Punk with the audience. It would have been a natural progression for him to eventually take on Laurinaitis in a match.

Instead, we have John Cena, the loyal company man, taking on Laurinaitis, the “evil executive” who is now fighting for his job at Over The Limit this Sunday because the WWE Board Of Directors will fire him if he loses to Cena. Yes, the WWE Board Of Directors essentially is backing Cena in the storyline. Not exactly a rebel battling authority, more like the company hero battling the least liked employee on the staff. If CM Punk were still being allowed to cut “pipe bomb” promos, maybe he could get on the mic and point out how WWE took what should have been his spot, handed it to Cena, and watered it down to boot.

WWE moves NXT to Winter Park. WWE announced this week that they will be moving tapings of their NXT program, featuring up-and-coming WWE talent to Full Sail Live, the entertainment venue located on the campus of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida following a successful “try-out” show several months ago. WWE’s partnership with the university will also extend to a student scholarship fund that is being created. The first show will be taped on Thursday, May 17th, with tickets (which were made available to students of Full Sail University first) already sold out.

Christian comes to Orlando. Former World Champion Christian will be appearing on the Florida Championship Wrestling (the official developmental company of WWE) event this Friday, May 18th at the Orlando Armory in Orlando, Florida. Christian will be available for autographs and photos starting at 6pm, followed by a full card of FCW action starting at 7pm. Tickets start at $10 for children ($20 for adults) and they are also offering a VIP package which includes first access to the autograph section and a commemorative laminated pass. For more information visit www.fcwwrestling.com.

WWE Extreme Rules PPV Elevator; How did Lesnar, Cena, Punk and others do?

Originally posted on Examiner.com on May 5, 2012.

By popular request, here is the PPV Elevator for WWE Extreme Rules, where we look at how things worked out for the talent on the show. As I did with the Wrestlemania edition of the Elevator, I am including what occurred on Raw and Smackdown following the big event, to give a better overall picture of where these stars currently stand (or more accurately, where their elevator is heading).

Santino Marella. The ever-popular United States Champion scored a clean win over the Miz on WWE’s YouTube match prior to the PPV going on the air. He lost to the Miz the next night on Raw, with a bigger audience watching, but because it was a “Beat The Clock” challenge, the title was not on the line. So, Santino remains the unlikely, but likeable, champion. Elevator: On the same floor.

The Miz. He lost to Santino before the PPV went on the air, but it’s okay, he beat him the next night on Raw. Actually, it isn’t okay. Miz’ whole gimmick of complaining how far his star has fallen isn’t a gimmick if beating Santino is the highlight of his week… and comes the day after he lost to him. Hopefully there’s a big turn in Miz’ future, because right now, it is hard to imagine him in a main event. Elevator: Down a floor.

Randy Orton. With his win over Kane at the PPV, along with his win on Smackdown right after Wrestlemania, the Legend Killer has made up for any momentum he lost with the clean win to Kane last month. He chalked up a win over Jack Swagger on Raw as well. The question becomes, will Orton continue to play with Kane while fellow babyface Sheamus holds the World Title? Hard to imagine him staying on the Smackdown brand all year. Elevator: Up a floor.

Kane. Another loss to Randy Orton at Extreme Rules, then a no-contest with the Great Khali on Raw… yeah, Kane’s Wrestlemania momentum has definitely slowed down. When your future includes a probably feud with Zack Ryder, that’s not really a good thing. Hopefully WWE doesn’t decide to turn him babyface for the 435th time to get him going again. Elevator: Down a floor.

Brodus Clay. A win over Dolph Ziggler at the PPV, another squash win on Raw (over JTG) and a countout win on Jack Swagger. Brodus’ push continues, and while he will probably get the better of Swagger & Ziggler in the end (hey, everyone else does) it is hard to imagine this gimmick going much farther up the card. Elevator: Up a floor.

Dolph Ziggler. Another loss, this one to Brodus Clay. No matter how much talent Ziggler has, no one will take him seriously the way WWE books him. It’s just that simple (and sad). Elevator: WWE might as well cut the cables on his car, because it isn’t going anywhere.

Big Show. How liked it Big Show by WWE? Well, he lost a title no one really cared about by not really losing a Tables match, then got to lay out the new champion and beat him in a tag match later that week as well. Oh well. Elevator: On the same floor.

Cody Rhodes. Cody gets back the Intercontinental title with a total fluke, and is left staring at the lights by Big Show at the PPV, and again on Smackdown. The message is clear: The I-C belt doesn’t matter, and little Cody isn’t as good as Big Show. Elevator: I guess the belt is weighing down his car, because it just went down a floor.

Sheamus. The World Champion continues to build momentum, this time winning a very good match over Daniel Bryan. The feud concluded later in the week on Smackdown, and now the Celtic Warrior moves on to Alberto Del Rio. This babyface run looks to be giving Sheamus the chance to fulfill the potential he showed two years ago. Elevator: Up a floor.

Daniel Bryan. His PPV strategy of getting disqualified in the first fall of his match with Sheamus in order to weaken him for the remaining two falls backfired. He went on to lose again to Sheamus later in the week on Smackdown. Bryan’s only positive was beating semi-retired Jerry Lawler on Raw. However, that win is all it took to put Bryan in the main event of Over The Limit against CM Punk for the WWE Title. Bryan continues to defy all logic, being booked to lose, yet gaining more support every week. Elevator: Yes (yes, yes) it is going up.

Ryback. The former Skip Sheffield continues to rack up the squash wins. The question is, what happens when he finally gets elevated to face regular members of the roster. And no, Aaron Relic & Jay Hatton are not getting on the elevator. Elevator: Up a floor.

CM Punk. When Brock Lesnar came back, many people wondered if Punk’s title reign was on borrowed time. Well, Brock isn’t even sniffing around the title yet, and Punk just keeps on having great matches and chalking up clean wins over Chris Jericho, with the one at Extreme Rules coming in front of his hometown crowd in Chicago. Next up for Punk, a bout with Daniel Bryan that should make wrestling purists gladly part with a few bucks. Elevator: Up a floor.

Chris Jericho. Jericho lost for the second straight Pay-per-view to CM Punk, and a no-contest with the Big Show the next night in the Beat The Clock challenge has essentially put Jericho out of the title picture. Obviously, Jericho has been all about putting over younger talent during his more recent WWE runs, and this is no exception. I’d love to see him bring his talent to Smackdown and help Sheamus, but summer is coming… Elevator: Might be stopping on the floor where Fozzy plays summer music festivals in Europe.

Layla. Back in the thick of the Divas division and totally outclassing the Bella Twins to become the champion. Welcome back, Layla. Hopefully WWE actually does something with the division now. Elevator: Up a floor.

Nikki & Brie Bella. Why did they suddenly drop the strap? Well, if you go over to WWE.com, you’ll see the video of Eve Torres giving them their walking papers, which is a case of art imitating life, as the Bellas contract has expired. Elevator: Heading to a wrestling convention near you.

John Cena. After taking a pounding at the hands of Brock Lesnar, and seemingly heading to his second straight PPV loss to a less-than-active opponent, a bloody Cena came back to score the win at Extreme Rules. This was followed by the somewhat shocking news that Cena would apparently be taking time off… at least, that seemed to be the case, until he showed up on Raw the next night to set up a match with John Laurinaitis at Over The Limit. I could try to figure out the booking decisions here, but this column is long enough as it is. Tune in next week. Elevator: Up a floor.

Brock Lesnar. The good news is that Lesnar showed no signs of ring rust during an impressive performance against John Cena at Extreme Rules. The bad news is he lost his big return match, came off like a spoiled baby on Raw when his contract demands weren’t met, and appears to be headed for a break from television after attacking Triple H. Just like that, his momentum seems to have been killed. Hopefully, the build to Lesnar vs. Triple H (they have to be going there, right?) will get things going again. Elevator: Back in service.

WWE Extreme Rules: How will Lesnar vs. Cena end?

Originally posted on Examiner.com on April 27, 2012.

WWE presents their Extreme Rules pay-per-view this Sunday from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Attempting to avoid the post-Wrestlemania letdown that usually comes with the first PPV following the biggest event of the year, WWE has rushed a match that many would expect to get a much longer buildup: John Cena vs. the returning Brock Lesnar, as the former WWE and UFC Champion makes his return to the company after an eight-year absence. While it remains to be seen if this strategy will result in a higher-than-normal buyrate for the show, it has certainly created a lot of discussion regarding how WWE is going to book Lesnar, who abruptly left the company in 2004, against Cena, who is still seen by many as the flag bearer for the company despite not holding the WWE Championship since October of last year. There are arguments to be made on both sides for which star should come out on top.

WWE is paying Lesnar a lot of money for this run, and it would seem insane to have their latest investment staring at the lights at the end of his first match. Nothing would kill off Lesnar’s heat faster than a pinfall or submission loss on Sunday. That finish is probably the least likely of the options WWE can consider. Lesnar, having already gotten the better of Cena during their physical confrontations on Raw, could score the clean win. However, does WWE really want to have their top star losing on two PPV events in a row? Besides, what message does it send if both Rock and Brock Lesnar are able to return after such long layoffs and defeat Cena, something it took “regular” performers months to do (if at all)? It pretty much reinforces the idea that the current WWE stars can’t measure up to the big names of the past.

Of course, WWE could go with a disqualification finish, keeping either man from having to do the job (loss) in the bout, except that this is an “Extreme Rules” match, which in theory means there should be no disqualifications and “anything goes” as the wrestlers look to score a pin or submission. So, if Cena decides to use the chain he was brandishing this past Monday night, or if Lesnar puts Cena through a table before pinning him, it would actually be a “clean” ending by the rules of the match.

However, WWE could go with a total “schmazz” ending, with the action getting “out of control” and a slew of bodies (officials, security, undercard wrestlers) hitting the ring in a vain attempt to restore order. A sort of double-disqualification or no-contest ending, with no actual finish, which again protects both wrestlers… but most likely leaves a lot of fans feeling cheated after laying out their money to see a winner and a loser in this “epic confrontation” between the stars.

I would expect the finish of the match between Lesnar and Cena to be the big story coming out of the Pay-per-view, and not the action itself. With WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho in a Chicago Street Fight and World Champion Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan in a Best Of Three Falls match, there will be plenty of good in-ring action on the show. Lesnar-Cena will be all about the drama of how it ends, who comes out looking strong (or weak) … and how WWE manages to keep the feud going after the bell rings.

Also scheduled for this Sunday’s show: Randy Orton vs. Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere match, Intercontinental Champion Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes, Divas Champion Nikki Bella vs. Beth Phoenix (still scheduled despite Phoenix having an ankle injury) and U.S. Champion Santino Marella vs. The Miz in a match that will be streamed on WWE’s YouTube Channel prior to the start of the PPV broadcast.