Seth Rollins is “Mr Money in the Bank” for now, but how much longer will Rollins have the briefcase?
A spate of retirements has hit WWE in recent weeks, and even more over the past few years. If we could have one retiree back for the fabled “one more match”, who would it be?
And, WWE is expected to announce its signing of KENTA tomorrow. Will the Japanese star be a good fit for the WWE roster, or could his career go the same way as the original Sin Cara’s?
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1. Seth Rollins continues to tease cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase, but has been thwarted by Dean Ambrose in recent weeks. Will Rollins offload the briefcase sooner rather than later, or still be known as “Mr Money in the Bank” in 2015?
Dion:
The “cash in teases” are always fun. I do like the idea of someone cashing in at WrestleMania. Especially if the likes of Cena reclaimed (or retained) the title in front of that anti-Cena crowd, then Rollins cashes in and walks out with the title.
Stevie:
It’ll probably continue into 2015. If they want to have a Rollins-Reigns clash at WrestleMania, I’d imagine we’ll see Rollins cash in just before the Rumble.
Craig:
It’s a brilliant angle having Ambrose promising to be on his tail if he attempts to cash in. I think this is going to go for months and may not be resolved until WrestleMania next year. The word is that Reigns will be the main event at WrestleMania next year so imagine if he won and then lost it to Reigns the next day on Raw. After all, Swagger and Ziggler have cashed in the day after WrestleMania before so it’s not unprecedented.
Luke:
I like the direction they’re going with. It’s making everyone excited as to when it could happen. Ideally, the feud would be cool to end in a ladder match for the case. Just saying!
Blake:
This tends to happen every year, but I think Rollins will begin focusing on other feuds before creating the typical “shock moment” sometime in 2015.
David:
I think we’re in for a long, understated stint as Mr Money in the Bank from Rollins. Once he moves his attention to Dean Ambrose, and their feud plays out over the next few months, I think Rollins will stop the teasing and steer well clear of the WWE World Heavyweight Champion until he actually pulls the trigger and officially cashes in. I don’t expect to see Rollins hand in his briefcase until after WrestleMania 31.
2. Petey Williams, Santino Marella, and Vickie Guerrero have all stepped away from wrestling in the last couple of weeks, with many more doing the same over the last few years. Of all wrestling’s recent retirements, who would you most like to see back in the ring for that fabled “one more match”?
Dion:
Shawn Michaels, hands down.
Stevie:
Austin, against the other recent retiree CM Punk.
Craig:
CM Punk. I don’t think any explanation is necessary!
Luke:
Easy! Stone Cold Steve Austin! It’s been 11 years since he had his final match with The Rock. Though I think that ship has sailed forever it would be cool to see the Texas Rattlesnake back in the ring. He would have been great against CM Punk.
Blake:
If we are going by the assumption that “one more match” would see them fighting at their peak, then I’d probably have to say Shawn Michaels. He is one of the greatest wrestlers and entertainers of all time and has had, arguably, the greatest match in WrestleMania history.
David:
Nigel McGuinness’ retirement is quite the sad story. After WWE didn’t want to sign him due to an old bicep injury, McGuinness decided there was no point continuing if he couldn’t achieve his childhood dream of being a WWE Superstar and wrestled his last match in December 2011. He’s a colour commentator and on-air matchmaker for Ring of Honor at present, and does some great work to raise awareness about blood-borne illnesses in wrestling, but McGuinness could easily lace up his boots for one more match and tear the house down if he wanted. It’s just that, unless that match is in WWE, he doesn’t.
3. Ustream, the video streaming service responsible for broadcasting NJPW and ROH events over the internet, has announced it is getting out of the iPPV game from October this year. Does this development affect you? And, more importantly, will it have negative effects on NJPW and ROH?
Dion:
It does not affect me at all. I’m sure there will be another service capable of delivering content in this format. It would appear to be a key strategy in the rise of NJPW and ROH, so here’s hoping they can find a new home for iPPV.
Stevie:
Doesn’t affect me but certainly seems like it’ll affect those other promotions. I hope they have other avenues to get their product out there.
Craig:
It doesn’t affect me in the slightest but I have no idea whether it will have an effect on NJPW or ROH.
Luke:
It affects me as I won’t be able to see Bad Luck Fale! I don’t think it will hurt their business but it does suck as their reach becomes limited again.
Blake:
Firstly, it doesn’t affect me; as much as I respect the two promotions, I never have enough time to really watch them. Secondly, it won’t have any negative effects on NJPW or ROH; there are dozens of services which I’m sure the two promotions will have the sense to utilise.
David:
It’s probably going to save me a lot of money, to be honest. This is an unfortunate blow to fans of both companies outside of Japan and the United States though. While both will be putting focus on their domestic pay-per-view deals, having the option to be able to watch the events from anywhere in the world must have helped raise both companies’ profiles and potential for international tours down the line. I hope they can get something worked out.
4. WWE is expected to hold a press conference in Osaka tomorrow to announce the signing of Japanese star KENTA. Will KENTA fit into the WWE landscape, or could his American career go the way of the last international star to receive a WWE press conference, Sin Cara?
Dion:
I do get the feeling that KENTA could achieve a higher level of success than Sin Cara, especially if his “character” is kept true to what he’s currently known for and as. Whether Sin Cara would’ve achieved a higher level of success if he was Mistico is debatable, however.
Stevie:
It’d be hard to have as many issues as Sin Cara did. That said, I wouldn’t put it past them to hype him then drop him.
Craig:
All bets are off. You would’ve thought Sin Cara was a lock for a long run. The character is obviously still about but the performer is well gone. If they couldn’t find something worthy for Jinder Mahal (who technically should have a billion Indians supporting him) there are no guarantees for KENTA. Yoshi Tatsu got no traction.
Luke:
I hope KENTA works out in WWE. His work in Japan and ROH was classic! If he can gel in a WWE ring, the fans will love him. Let’s just hope he doesn’t have the Sin Cara curse.
Blake:
I feel KENTA will fit in a lot better to WWE, especially considering the stars currently on the roster. The current roster features wrestlers who often utilise puroresu techniques and manoeuvres, and many of them have been to Japan as well. I feel, perhaps unknowingly, WWE has begun to incorporate a more Japanese flavour to its product.
David:
Blake’s bang-on when it comes to KENTA’s similarities to the current WWE roster. Sin Cara struggled to adapt because he was used to working a completely different style, but KENTA’s probably wrestled half the guys he’d be working with in Ring of Honor already.
5. Total Divas stars Cameron and Naomi have both released singles this year, and it seems like more and more wrestlers are venturing into the world of music at some stage in their careers. Are you a fan of any wrestlers-turned-musicians, or does your interest only extend to what takes place between the ropes?
Dion:
I’m not particularly interested, though if they’re able to crossover and gain a new audience for WWE, then great!
Stevie:
My interests extend to wherever talent is. But there hasn’t been too much true musical talent spawned from the world of wrestling, with probably Fozzy excepted. Multi-platform stars can only be good things for everyone though.
Craig:
It’s a feeble attempt to cross mediums. They struck gold with Total Divas. That’s enough but good try.
Luke:
My only interest is between the ropes but I do enjoy Chris Jericho in Fozzy from time to time.
Blake:
I think the best thing I can say here is that I don’t dislike Fozzy…
David:
Fozzy is one of my favourite bands! I have a massive appreciation for the wrestlers who wind up at the other end of the musical-talent scale too. A Jingle With Jillian has been played more than half of the stuff in my iTunes library. The same goes for Zack Ryder’s “Hoeski”, and Hulk Hogan’s “Beach Patrol”.
