Forbes
WWE could be doing a major feud for Brock Lesnar after WrestleMania 34.
According to Wrestling Observer (h/t WrestlingInc), Lesnar is expected to feud with Bobby Lashley, who is apparently WWE bound, after the pay-per-view:
Bobby Lashley is reportedly expected to sign with WWE imminently, according to Dave Meltzer...Meltzer noted that Lashley was negotiating with both NJPW and WWE, and is no longer negotiating with NJPW...Meltzer also noted that Lashley may start a program with Brock Lesnar after WrestleMania or later this year.
WHAT'S IT MEAN FOR WWE?
Recent reports indicate that Lashley's contract with Impact expired as of February 1st, meaning that he'd now be free to sign with WWE, where a dream match with Lesnar awaits.
If there is a big money-making match for Lashley in WWE, it's one with Lesnar. Both stars have had a ton of success in both pro wrestling and MMA, so it would be remarkably easy to book a Lashley/Lesnar feud around the idea of it being a "fight" between two legitimate fighters who also happen to be pro wrestlers. Truth be told, Lesnar has already faced most of WWE's biggest stars, and that has limited the number of remaining dream matches for him, which is a problem that could be remedied if Lashley is brought in.
WWE reportedly would have to extend Lesnar's contract and could do so by activating a clause that would stretch it out to August in order to make this bout happen, and one would think WWE would be more than willing to do that. It seems unlikely that Lesnar would leave WWE after his contract expires post-WrestleMania given that he's its highest paid star, according to FORBES, and would be leaving a lot of money on the table if he did.
A Lashley/Lesnar rivalry could be a major attraction for WWE during the summer, when its programming tends to struggle, and after Lashley improved so much while working in Impact Wrestling in recent years, this could be one of Lesnar's best feuds to date. Lashley actually has a history of drawing well too as he participated in one of the marquee matches at WrestleMania 23, a PPV that generated the second highest PPV buyrate in WWE history behind only WrestleMania 28.
Perhaps Lashley can continue that trend after a very successful Impact/MMA career that has made him a much more viable foe for Lesnar.
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When Brock Lesnar & Ronda Rousey Are Expected To Return To WWE TV https://t.co/Qv0d9UK9fP (ICYMI) pic.twitter.com/XfrJ4vKpOj — SEScoops (@sescoops) January 31, 2018
John Cena Working Mostly Raw Shows Going Forward
Credit: WWE.com
WHAT'S THE DEAL?
John Cena may be considered a "free agent," but he'll essentially be just a Raw star for the foreseeable future.
According to SEScoops.com, Cena "is working mostly RAW events with the exception of SmackDown Live’s exclusive Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) event." Below is Cena's upcoming schedule, courtesy of SEScoops:
February 5th in Des Moines, IA (RAW)
February 11th in Fresno, CA (RAW live event)
February 12th in San Jose, CA (RAW)February 18th in Prescott, AZ (RAW live event)
February 19th in Phoenix, AZ (RAW)
February 25th in Las Vegas, NV (Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View)
February 26th in Anaheim, CA (RAW)
March 3rd in Chicago, IL (RAW live event)
March 5th in Milwaukee, WI (RAW)
March 11th in Columbus, OH (Fastlane Pay-Per-View)
March 12th in Detroit, MI (RAW)
March 17th in Tulsa, OK (RAW live event)
March 18th in Oklahoma City, OK (RAW live event)
March 26th in Cleveland, OH (RAW)
April 8th in New Orleans (WrestleMania 34)
WHAT'S IT MEAN FOR WWE?
Though Cena is considered to be a part-timer these days, he will be working what essentially amounts to a full-time schedule on the road to WrestleMania 34.
What's notable here is that Cena will basically be exclusive to Raw, which indicates that reported plans to do Cena vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34 are probably still in place, and that feud will take place solely on the red brand. One could argue, though, that SmackDown desperately needs Cena on the road to WrestleMania as the blue brand has struggled mightily in the star power department, a problem that Cena's absence certainly hasn't helped.
SmackDown's roster is much weaker than Raw's, and the show would have benefited tremendously from having Cena work a WrestleMania program with someone like Bobby Roode as the return of "The Champ" helped SmackDown beat Raw in viewership on the road to last year's Royal Rumble PPV. Alas, WWE seems intent on doing The Undertaker vs. Cena in order to add a major dream match to WrestleMania 34, and the red brand will now have Cena at Elimination Chamber as well.
WWE gave away another dream match for Cena on the latest edition of Raw as Cena faced Finn Balor without any build whatsoever, so it looks like WWE is running through those Cena dream matches in case he's not around enough to make them happen on a bigger stage. Although Cena will be working much more frequently in the upcoming months, perhaps that is a sign that WWE knows he may not be around much longer due to his budding acting career.
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Current WrestleMania 34 Plans For Ronda Rousey
Credit: WWE.com
WHAT'S THE DEAL?
What's next for Ronda Rousey after she made her WWE debut after The Royal Rumble?
Well, according to F4WOnline.com, WWE is hoping to bring in The Rock to team with Rousey for a massive mixed tag team match at WrestleMania 34:
The current plan for Ronda Rousey's WWE debut at WrestleMania looks to be a tag team match against Stephanie McMahon & Triple H. There had been rumors all week regarding the match the company had tried to put together for WrestleMania 31 with Rousey & Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson against Stephanie & Triple H. It is unknown whether that match can be put together. Johnson hasn't' been able to wrestle a significant match due to insurance reasons regarding movies he has agreed to do that have kept him from wrestling at last few WrestleMania shows.
WHAT'S IT MEAN FOR WWE?
Rousey has long been rumored for a potential WrestleMania showdown with Asuka or Charlotte Flair, but it looks like WWE may hold off on either of those rivalries for the time being.
Although Rousey/Asuka or Rousey/Flair could both be huge draws for the women's division, neither of those matches would be as a big as a potential mixed tag team match involving Stephanie McMahon, Triple H and The Rock, particularly if the latter is involved. While it seems unlikely that The Rock would be able to take part in a WrestleMania program, it's certainly not impossible if the dominoes fall the right way.
Rousey teaming up with The Rock would garner a ton of mainstream media coverage for WWE, which is one of the main reasons why Rousey was brought to the company in the first place. By putting Rousey in a mixed tag team match, that would also protect her in what would likely be her first pro wrestling match ever. Although it's widely believed that Rousey will develop into a quality pro wrestler, it could be a bit risky to put her in a singles match with an elite in-ring talent like Asuka or Flair before she's truly ready for such a big match.
Since Rousey had such a successful MMA career and signed a full-time deal with WWE, she will be held to a much higher standard than other celebrities, like Maria Menounous and Floyd Mayweather, who have wrestled on the grand stage of WrestleMania. While a bout with Asuka or Flair would certainly be quite the spectacle, perhaps WWE will choose to hold off on those bouts until later on when Rousey has had more experience in the ring.
In that case, Rousey vs. Flair or Asuka at a pay-per-view like SummerSlam or even WrestleMania 35 could be the right call.
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From UFC to WWE: let the resurrection of Rowdy Ronda Rousey begin https://t.co/X3MRZAez8j pic.twitter.com/IDAskvjqsF — Bleacher Report WWE (@BR_WWE) January 30, 2018
Finn Balor Vs. The Miz At WrestleMania 34?
Credit: WWE.com
WHAT'S THE DEAL?
WWE could be building toward a huge Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 34.
According to BodySlam.net (h/t Cageside Seats), The Miz may defend his title against Finn Balor on the grandest stage of them all:
A Balor Club vs. Miztourage feud could be in the works, possibly leading to a WrestleMania Intercontinental title match between Finn Balor and The Miz.
WHAT'S IT MEAN FOR WWE?
Reports that The Miz will face Balor at WrestleMania 34 conflict with a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, which stated that The Miz would instead face Braun Strowman at 'Mania.
Truth be told, both feuds sound like great options for The Miz, who deserves to have one of the most heavily promoted matches on the WrestleMania card after the great work he's done in recent years. However, it seems more likely that Balor vs. Miz will be a placeholder feud that culminates with a match at this month's Fastlane PPV, which would explain why Strowman is in the Elimination Chamber match but Balor isn't (so that he can face The Miz instead).
Balor, Miz and Strowman all should be in big matches at WrestleMania 34, but we all know that there is not enough room for every star to get a high-profile match on the show. Even though Google Shopping search data indicates Balor is one of WWE's best merchandise sellers, he has easily been the least pushed superstar of the three, so perhaps he will serve as a short-term feud for The Miz before Miz takes on Strowman at WWE's biggest PPV of the year.
In an ideal world, all three stars would be Universal title contenders, but that isn't happening this year. Therefore, it's a safe bet that Miz will face one of these two stars and that his opponent ultimately hinges upon whether or not Strowman teams up with Rousey if WWE can't get The Rock for that mixed tag team match.
The fact that WWE is struggling to decide what to do with these three stars is a bit of a shame, though, given that they've recently ranked among WWE's best performers, especially over the last few months.
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The current rumored card for #WWE #Wrestlemania 34 https://t.co/yfFlsCkoVH How does the rumored card look so far? What matches would you add/remove/change? pic.twitter.com/H9pK4Dl5yG — NoDQ.com - WWE News (@nodqdotcom) February 1, 2018
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Blake Oestriecher is an elementary school teacher by day and a sports writer by night. He’s a contributor to the Forbes @SportsMoneyBlog, where he primarily covers WWE. You can follow him on Twitter @BOestriecher.