The big reset button...

[The Punisher]

Just like the end of most episodes of Star Trek, WWE to me has hit that big ol' reset button to how they wanted things to be before Mania.

1) Cena's much hinted at heel turn has been completely ignored. The "Never Before, Never Again" match feels like it never happened. Cena, while taking time off (so he says), left WWE as strongly as possible. The reason I have a problem with this is that it would be far more dramatic to have a degree of doubt if he was ever coming back - like Punk did in the run up to Money in the Bank - only now it looks like "Yeah, I lost to The Rock, but the guy you have only done two weeks of build up with I've now beaten." You know he'll come back. You know he'll come back stronger. You know now that he's superior to Lesnar, so we're back to square one: Who can beat Cena, and why should we care about his next opponent when he'll either beat the odds again, or lose and then have the whole thing expunged from memory?

2. Cody Rhodes is Intercontinental Champion again. I admit being a Big Show mark has prejudiced me against him in his feud with Big Show, but the guy does nothing for me as a heel. He is not a good promo guy, in my opinion, because that whole "I speak in a monotone" has been done before, and better (by Chris Jericho), and bar the disaster kick, doesn't have a move that makes him stand out from the rest of the roster. My own sympathy for Big Show extends to wanting him to have at least one good title run before he retires. It wouldn't hurt Rhodes not to be Intercontinental Champion for another month, would it?

3. Jericho is a paper threat to Punk. His chance to win the title was at Mania, but when he had a rematch at Extreme Rules it would have still worked, but WWE didn't take the chance. If Jericho is disappearing, fair enough, but with Rock winning in the headline spot at Mania, there was an opportunity for Jericho to take the title and turn Punk into a title chaser before he leaves. Now that chance has gone. Instead they are both in the same roles.

Sorry if this ruffles a few feathers, but I was really hyped up before Mania, and before Extreme Rules, but now, I just feel like anytime something changes, or is likely to change, that will upset the status quo, it'll be changed back as soon as possible.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

Isn't this how it has been since the Attitude era? Remember Nexus? Punk?

We're not going to get significant changes until the current top guys retire. Unless some young hotshot really takes off, but in the WWE safe world of pre-scripted promos, that seems unlikely.

[The Doctor]

1 and 3 I don't particularly agree with but I can understand. However 2 makes no sense to me at all. Especially as Cody very much represents the future. He isn't the 'status quo' yet. If anything Big Show is.
Having Big Show go over Cody Rhodes AGAIN would have been an utter nonsense. In fact I'd say Cody should have gotten a straight up clean win over Big Show.

[Slingshot Suplay]

May 1, 2012 14:18:24 GMT -5 The Doctor said:

1 and 3 I don't particularly agree with but I can understand. However 2 makes no sense to me at all. Especially as Cody very much represents the future. He isn't the 'status quo' yet. If anything Big Show is.
Having Big Show go over Cody Rhodes AGAIN would have been an utter nonsense. In fact I'd say Cody should have gotten a straight up clean win over Big Show.

I don't know anything about 1&3, but all I know is 2 is greater than 1!!!

[That Mickie Fan]

I have a feeling they only put the IC Title on Show is for him to have his Big Wrestlemania Moment.

[Deleted]

1 - The Brock conversation has been done a lot but nah, Cena won't turn heel, but his character has had some changes and they aren't subtle. Being forced by an old enemy to use his old heel weapon to beat someone who was beating him to death for a lucky victory isn't status quo Cena. Plus he's not been near the title since last winter. That is incredible booking, he's more of a special attraction than a title contender now which is perfect for him.

2 - It hurts me to say it but the IC title is pretty worthless again. The Show/Cody feud for the title wasn't about the title, it was about Show's Wrestlemania moment (which he got with his decisive victory) and Cody being upset about losing and being embarrased (which was remedied by his Extreme Rules victory). At this point Show is going to be cheered forever given how long he's been over in the company, so putting over Cody a bit more to make him more relevant is a good thing. Show had his 'Mania moment and is always on Raw and Smackdowns cards, he's fine. Plus if he won the feud completely that'd be status quo from a year - three years back (Straight Edge Society destroyed single handedly for example).

3 - Jericho has stuff to do outside of wrestling, he's come back to feud with Punk and cement him as a fighting champion. There's no point in Jericho winning at any stage because his whole schtick was that he believed he was the best, got beat fairly, then went mad about the fact he wasn't the best, then lost the follow up brilliant 'end to the feud' match. Punk holding onto the title seems better than chasing Jericho, especially when he'll be leaving relatively soon to pursue his music.

I don't know, I know you said it feels like it's back to the status quo but Show as champion crushing a midcarder, urging Cena to turn heel in a cliche way (he's actually somewhat of a main event underdog for now having been destroyed by Lesnar, beaten by Tensai, beaten clean by the Rock), and wanting Jericho to win the title to be dethroned by the deserving champion (done somewhat by the 2008 shot feud with Cena/Jericho) is all pretty much status quo.

They are actually trying to put over the new blood now in a strong way, D-Bry as champion, CM Punk as a relatively long time title holder, creating interesting main event stories, multiple debuts of new/repackaged talent, clearing out the old guard, making Raw must see again (in my opinion) etc.

Jericho/Big Show are two of the old guard, great talents as well but them putting over people in fair ways is fine, it's not like Punk beat Jericho in a squash fashion and Show only lost his title in a foolish way, so both guys still look great, it just made their opponents look great too.

[thecrusherwi]

May 1, 2012 14:10:38 GMT -5 YAKMAN is ICHIBAN said:

Isn't this how it has been since the Attitude era? Remember Nexus? Punk?

We're not going to get significant changes until the current top guys retire. Unless some young hotshot really takes off, but in the WWE safe world of pre-scripted promos, that seems unlikely.

Yeah. If this was the Attitude Era, Cena would've turned heel the night after WrestleMania and Brock would attack him, making him babyface. Until Brock cut a heel promo a week later turning him heel and Cena a lesser heel. Then Brock would kick Cena in the nuts the next week turning him face again and Cena into a bigger heel. Then at Extreme Rules, Johnny Ace would come out and turn babyface, by attacking Cena giving Brock the win, BUT they BOTH turn heel, making Cena a babyface again.

Then when Cena comes out the next night to explain himself, he's intrupted by drunk CM Punk doing a keg stand on the stage.

[Jonathan Michaels]

It makes me depressed that he hasn't sniffed the title in a long time, but he STILL main events PPV's.

How many times has he kept a title match from being the main event?

Four?

[bob]

May 1, 2012 15:53:37 GMT -5 Jonathan Michaels said:

It makes me depressed that he hasn't sniffed the title in a long time, but he STILL main events PPV's.

How many times has he kept a title match from being the main event?

Four?

Wrestlemania, Extreme Rules, Elimination Chamber, Survivor Series so yes 4

[Jonathan Michaels]

May 1, 2012 16:04:15 GMT -5 bob said:

May 1, 2012 15:53:37 GMT -5 Jonathan Michaels said:

It makes me depressed that he hasn't sniffed the title in a long time, but he STILL main events PPV's.

How many times has he kept a title match from being the main event?

Four?

Wrestlemania, Extreme Rules, Elimination Chamber, Survivor Series so yes 4

In other words, four of the last SIX.

Even the Cena fans must think this is not a good sign.

Yes, I know the last two had reasons, but there was no good reason for Cena/Kane to main event EC.

If Cena/Ace main events OTL instead of Punk/Bryan...

I expect the internet to explode.