In the wake of Wrestlemania 28, WWE begins its push toward next year's event, which will be at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, home of the Super Bowl Champion NY Giants and the Jets. I'll go on record right now, on April 5, as predicting that Giants legend Lawrence Taylor, who was on 2 Super Bowl teams, will be the next celebrity to go into the Hall of Fame. This is virtually a mortal lock. Like, after all, Mike Tyson went in last weekend, and the common thread between him & Taylor is that both have had legal issues through the years that have tarnished their athletic accomplishments.
Like I said, a no-brainer. Just like the Undertaker's likely 2013 opponent.
10 years ago, Brock Lesnar was called up from OVW to the main roster, and 4 months later, was crowned WWE champion by beating the Rock at Summerslam. 8 years after his last WWE match, Lesnar returned Monday at the end of Raw, much to the surprise of John Cena, who was expecting to close the books on his issue with Rock. Instead, he was hit with the F-5, and a largely pro-heel crowd in Miami went bananas.
In this writer's opinion, Cena is just a warm-up act. Just wait 12 months. Lesnar's real focus will come into play by then.
It is well known, of course, that the Undertaker and wife Michelle McCool were in attendance for one of Lesnar's UFC fights, and the internet was abuzz with speculation immediately that Lesnar would return to face Undertaker. That was in 2010. Of course, Undertaker would spend the next 2 Wrestlemanias fighting Triple H and running his record at Mania to 20-0, 3-0 vs. HHH during that span, but think for a second. What if Vince McMahon was able to work out a deal with Dana White at the time, and bring Lesnar in for a 1-shot in 2011? The buyrate for Mania 27 would've been off the charts easily.
Now, however, with UT having spent 4 straight years beating the founders of DX, it's past time for a fresh challenge. The last time he faced Lesnar was in October 2003 at No Mercy, when Lesnar was WWE champion. Lesnar handled the Dead Man at the October PPV 2 years in a row, so there's a storyline right there.
Think about it. The build can begin with the Hell in a Cell PPV, which has moved to a late October spot this year, and with Lesnar booked for up to 40 dates according to reports on his 1 year deal with WWE, UT can take care of some unfinished business.
Lesnar will be busy with Cena for a few weeks, and maybe even play with some new foes, like CM Punk or Sheamus or even another old friend from his OVW days, Randy Orton, before he gets to Undertaker.
There is no way Vince can avoid this. If he tries to say it isn't happening, he's lying, to himself and to everyone else. It's inevitable.
Lesnar wasn't the only one returning on Monday.
The worst kept secret on the internet was unwrapped with the arrival of Lord Tensai, the former A-Train (Matt Bloom), who was last in WWE in 2004 as well, cut while on the DL. It was said he was to be a henchman for GM John Laurinaitis. Like, really? Does he need that? I don't think so. 8 years and some titles in Japan have not exactly improved Tensai's product in the ring, although he scored a TKO and not a pin vs. Alex Riley on Monday in his first American match back. The sheets are already thinking he too will be matched vs. Punk or Cena. Is a title run in Tensai's future? Maybe. Consider that as Albert he was a IC champ for about a month in 2001, and might've also had a hardcore title run before that. I wouldn't put it past McMahon to look past the fact that Tensai succeeded elsewhere while he was away. The fact that it was in Japan, a la Laurinaitis, might be a positive.
But, wait. It gets better.
Raw is in Washington on Monday. For Cena, that means another nightmare from his past is waiting. Namely, Dave Batista, who quit the company 2 years ago. Washington is Batista's hometown. Enough said.
Lesnar. Tensai. Batista. The monsters are ascending from under John Cena's bed, shall we say, and the haters are loving it. The thrill ride is just beginning.
