The True World Championship

What is the true world championship in WWE? Raw and SmackDown are now separate brands under the WWE banner and each has their owner world championship. The WWE Championship is the biggest prize on SmackDown while the Universal Championship is the top title on Raw. Which is one is the true world championship though? Let’s dive into the details.

The WWE Championship has a long and historic lineage that dates back to “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers. Legends such as Bruno Samamrtino, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the Rock have all been crowned as WWE Champion. It was unified with the World Heavyweight Championship twice and has been fought for at every Wrestlemania event except for Wrestlemania 1. It has a classy design that truly illustrates what a championship title should look like. It has been the centerpiece of some of the biggest matches in history such as Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 12 and the SummerSlam 2000 main event between Triple H, Kurt Angle, and the Rock. It has long been considered not only the biggest championship in WWE but the entire professional wrestling industry.

The Universal Championship has been around for about a year and a half. Finn Balor was crowned as the inaugural Universal Champion when he defeated Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016. Since then, the title has been held by Kevin Owens, Goldberg, and Brock Lesnar at the time that this post was written. The design could definitely use an overhaul. While it is a near mirror image of the WWE Championship, the all red strap makes it look more like a toy as opposed to an actual championship. The Universal Championship has also been contested for in some of the biggest matches in WWE history. Brock Lesnar and Goldberg battled for it at Wrestlemania 33 and Kevin Owens won a very exciting fatal four-way elimination match to become the Universal Champion on an episode of Raw.

So which title is the true world championship? I am going to have to side with the WWE Championship. Its lineage, its design, and the fact that it is considered the top title in the entire professional wrestling industry make this one an easy decision. I am not saying that the Universal Championship cannot reach similar heights, but odds are WWE will keep the WWE Championship around should a unification match take place.

Return of the King

Every wrestling fans knows about WWE’s “big four” pay-per-views. Wrestlemania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble are WWE’s four crown jewels in terms of pay-per-view programming as they generally have the biggest buildup and a plethora of marquee matches. However, the “big four” used to be the “big five” as the King of the Ring pay-per-view was once viewed as another of WWE’s signature events. With WWE using the WWE Network to increase the amount of pay-per-views it produces, why not bring back the King of the Ring? In this post, I will explain what the King of the Ring is, why they should bring it back, and how I would organize the new tournament.

The King of the Ring was a single elimination tournament in which wrestlers competed for the prestigious title of “King of the Ring.” Tournament matches were held on Raw and SmackDown with the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals taking place at the King of the Ring pay-per-view. The winner of the tournament was perceived to be the next big breakout star in the WWE, and history backs up that perception. Previous winners included Triple H, Brock Lesnar, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Edge, and Kurt Angle. All these wrestlers went on to hold world championship gold and became staples in the main even scene. The tournament was kind of like a summer version of the Royal Rumble match and was easily one of the most anticipated wrestling events of the year.

Despite the event having such a rich history, the King of the Ring pay-per-view was last held in 2002. The King of the Ring tournament has been held sporadically since 2002 having taken place in 2006, 2008, 2010, and most recently in 2015. The tournament matches were usually held on Raw or SmackDown with the finals being held at a pay-per-view. The lone exception is the 2015 edition that had its finals take place on a Tuesday night WWE Network special.

It has been 15 years since WWE last held a King of the Ring pay-per-view, and I think that it is time that WWE brought it back. With WWE reviving the brand split to try and create new stars, the King of the Ring tournament and pay-per-view could be a tremendous boost to WWE’s efforts. Rivalries could stem from tournament matches allowing for more airtime for wrestlers as well as intriguing storylines that would have a logical beginning. It would also enable WWE to load its programming with less filler content. WWE fans generally complain about the amount of filler that is featured on SmackDown and especially Raw. The King of the Ring tournament would easily give WWE more content to air on Raw and SmackDown in place of filler.

So how would the new King of the Ring tournament work? If I were in charge, I would have the tournament take place in the summer and split the tournament bracket into a Raw division and a SmackDown division with 8 wrestlers per division. There would then be qualifying matches to determine what wrestlers would participate in the tournament. Once the qualification process is complete, the tournament matches would take place on Raw and SmackDown until the semifinal round. The semifinals and finals would take place at the King of the Ring pay-per-view with the finals consisting of the winner of the Raw division taking on the winner of the SmackDown division with the King of the Ring crown on the line. The victor of the match will not only be the new “King of the Ring” but also earn either a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match or a WWE Universal Championship match at SummerSlam depending on their brand.

In conclusion, the King of the Ring was a fun wrestling tournament that generally saw the elevation of wrestlers from the mid card to the main event scene. Bringing it back would be beneficial for both the participating wrestlers and the WWE as a whole as it would allow for more ample storytelling from the WWE and more screen time for wrestlers on the roster. My format would allow both brands to have competing wrestlers as well as grant the winner a world title bout in addition to being crowned as the new King of the Ring. Hopefully WWE brings the tournament back and utilizes the overabundance of talent it currently has on its roster.

Elimination Chamber 2017 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Elimination Chamber 2017.

Autograph Page Update

#Autograph Page Update @ https://t.co/ULDHSOUCJg With a New #Wwe Autograph#SDLive #RAW #nxt #WWENXT #205live #talkingsmack #Wrestlemania pic.twitter.com/64oq1JvrcY

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) January 11, 2017

Photo Page Update

Photo Page Update @ https://t.co/JzwEdxiFEu With New #Wwe Pics#sdlive #raw #nxt #205live #WWENXT #talkingsmack #Wrestlemania #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/LMBGPyWdMy

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) January 11, 2017

Too Many Titles

With the recent WWE brand extension, certain championships were made exclusive to certain brands. As I write this post, Raw is home to the WWE Women’s Championship, the WWE Tag Team Championship, the WWE United States Championship, and the soon to be crowned WWE Universal Championship (which has got to be one of the worst name for a championship I have ever heard). SmackDown on the other hand only hosts the WWE Intercontinental Championship and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. However, SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan recently announced that the blue brand would be getting its own tag team and women’s championships. Ugh….

I am not a fan of that decision, but when you consider how WWE is trying to make Raw and SmackDown seem like different wrestling promotions, it should not come as a surprise that they are going to introduce more belts for wrestlers to win. While it sounds like a great idea, it really devalues the championships as a whole. By having more belts, the value of the titles decreases. They become less special because more people have them.

With SmackDown gaining two new championships, WWE will now have a total of eight titles. That is absurd. I remember thinking during the first brand extension that having two of every championship seemed redundant. I wish WWE would have just had the champions battle on both brands. It gives every wrestler, regardless of what show they are on, something to fight for while making the titles seem more prestigious. Instead we will get championship inflation with an overabundance of belts for wrestlers to win, and it is all because of the brand extension.

My All Time Favorite Wrestling Moment

If you have been a frequent visitor of my website or follow me on Twitter, then you know that I am a diehard fan of professional wrestling. I have been a fan ever since I was kid when guys like Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock were the top guys of the industry. I have watched tons of episodes of Raw and Smackdown and have seen numerous pay-per-views. I have seen matches that were duds and others that were thrillers, and I have witnessed moments and segments that have blown the roof off arenas. However, Money in the Bank 2016 produced the moment that is easily my all time favorite in my nearly twenty years of being a wrestling fan. That moment of course was Dean Ambrose successfully cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Going into Money in the Bank, the two favorites to win the contract were Ambrose and Kevin Owens. I had predicted that Ambrose would win the contract after his feud with Jericho ended at Extreme Rules. However, Owens is the best heel in WWE today, and I began to think WWE would make him the winner. I like Owens and normally I would have been happy to see him win the contract, but Ambrose is my all time favorite wrestler so I was rooting for him to climb the ladder and grab the briefcase. Of course, the match came down to Owens and Ambrose battling atop the ladder and when Ambrose knocked off Owens and grabbed the briefcase, I was elated. I thought the night could not get any better...but WWE had a few more surprises.

The main event was a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. The match was a very entertaining bout, and I thought that Reigns was going to retain his title. After Rollins countered a spear by Reigns into a pedigree, he hit another pedigree to pin Reigns cleanly and capture his second WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Rollins was celebrating with the belt, and I thought that was how the show was going to end. Then Ambrose’s music hit.

The arena exploded. I stood up out of my chair. The cameras showed the entrance, but there was no sign of Ambrose. The camera showed Rollins again when from out of nowhere, Ambrose appeared and smashed his Money in the Bank briefcase into the face of Rollins. He exited the ring, handed the referee the briefcase, and it was official. Ambrose was cashing in his Money in the Bank contract. I was ecstatic. The bell rang, Ambrose picked up Rollins, hit him with a Dirty Deeds, and pinned him to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. I went crazy!

I was cheering and clapping as if I was there in person. I finally saw a world championship come to Cincinnati. The Reds have not a World Series since before I was born, and the Bengals have never won the Super Bowl, but Cincinnati’s own Dean Ambrose won his first ever WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and for the first time since 1990, Cincinnati has a world champion. I have never been more excited for a wrestling event in my life, and Ambrose winning the title is easily my all time favorite moment in professional wrestling. Even though the initial excitement has worn off, I am still thrilled that Ambrose is the champ. He is one of the few guys in WWE that I think deserves to be in the main event as the champion, and I can honestly say that this is the most interested I have been in professional wrestling in a long time.

SmackDown vs Raw…Again Part 2

In my previous post on the WWE brand extension, I discussed its history from its inception until it was pashed out completely. In this post, I will talk about why I am not a fan of WWE’s decision to bring back the brand extension, and why I think not having separate rosters is the way to go.

The last time there was a brand extension in WWE, both shows started out as equal before more and more attention was given to Raw each week. Maybe it was because SmackDown is on tape delay and Raw is live or maybe it was because Monday nights attain better ratings than Thursday nights. Either way, with each passing year, more attention was given to Raw than SmackDown as Raw always had guest stars, special episodes, and the most popular wrestlers on the roster. I do not see that changing because Raw has more airtime than SmackDown since it is a three-hour show. Raw will need to retain viewers for an extra hour and a way to do that is by having guest stars, special episodes, and the most popular wrestlers on the roster.

Another reason I am not a fan of the brand extension is because of what happened to the championships. Every championship was essentially doubled during the last brand extension, and it took away the prestige of winning a title. I have no problem with their being two midcard championships. However, having two tag team champs, women’s champs, and world champs is ridiculous and defeats the purpose of having those belts as those titles are supposed to represent the best tag team, woman, and man in WWE. I really hope WWE decides to leave the championships alone and have the champions appear on both shows. That would keep the prestige of the titles in tact.

I think that having one roster is the way to go because it keeps things simple. The championships remain prestigious, you can catch your favorite wrestlers on both shows, and storylines are a lot easier to follow. With two separate rosters, you have two separate shows, which doubles the amount of storylines and rivalries to follow. Some of these feuds might be between two wrestlers that nobody cares for, and instead of having a better overall product with few quality storylines, you get a worse product with more storylines that do not capture the attention of the audience. Also, there might not even be a payoff match at a pay-per-view. WWE’s montly pay-per-views are only four hours long if you include the kickoff show and with WWE having two separate rosters with their own storylines spread across five hours of weekly television, it will be nearly impossible to have all those rivalries culminate with a payoff match.

That is why I am not a fan of the brand extension, and why I think the WWE should not separate the rosters. The last time WWE separated the rosters, it failed. It started out well, but it ultimately did not work and the quality of WWE programming suffered because of it. Hopefully this time WWE does the brand extension right or ends it fast.

Money in the Bank 2016 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Money in the Bank 2016.

The Money in the Bank Winner Is…

Money in the Bank is one of WWE’s best events of the year. It is usually filled with great matches, and its results set the tone for SummerSlam. The biggest and most influential match at Money in the Bank is the bout that the event was named after in that the results of it are what people care about the most. The winner of the match receives a contract for a WWE Championship match whenever and wherever the victor wants, and when the cash in happens, the crowd usually erupts in excitement. So who should win the event this year? I believe that Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens are the most deserving to win this match. Let’s start with why I think Owens should win.

Kevin Owens has been absolutely incredible ever since he was called up to the main roster from NXT. His rivalry with John Cena was one of the best of 2015, his matches are generally some of the best on the card, and his mic skills as a heel are fantastic. He is so good at being a heel that he gets face reactions. He is currently involved in a great feud with Sami Zayn, and if Owens wins the Money in the Bank ladder match and claims the briefcase for himself, then his rivalry with Zayn could be taken to the next level as the two could be battling it out for Money in the Bank contract. The crowd would also go crazy if Owens cashed in on Reigns, and the rivalry between these two could be epic.

Dean Ambrose also deserves to win the Money in the Bank ladder match in my opinion. He is one of the best talents in WWE today. He is solid in the ring, he is great on the mic, and despite WWE booking him in a questionable manner, he is still over with the fans, receives huge pops every time he enters the arena, and his rivalries with Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Bray Wyatt, and Brock Lesnar have been very entertaining. If he wins the Money in the Bank ladder match, then things in WWE could get very interesting. With Seth Rollins returning to the WWE after his injury and Roman Reigns in the middle of a WWE Championship reign, an Ambrose victory could finally mean that we get the long awaited Shield triple threat match. Also, Ambrose is my favorite wrestler, and I would love to see him win the match and hopefully the WWE Championship with a successful cash in on Reigns, Rollins, or whoever the champion may be.

In conclusion, that is why I think Owens and Ambrose each have equal claim to the Money in the Bank contract. They are both great in the ring, on the mic, and get really good crowd reactions. If either of these guys wins the match, the crowd will cheer and the arena will definitely explode whenever they decide to cash in their contract. While I am a fan of Owens and would really like to see him win, I will be pulling for Ambrose and hope he climbs the ladder, grabs the briefcase, and takes his first step to becoming WWE Champion.

Let’s go Ambrose!

SmackDown vs. Raw…Again Part 1

In 2001, World Wrestling Entertainment had established itself as the undisputed wrestling promotion champion in the world. It had defeated Extreme Championship Wrestling and squeezed the life out of World Championship Wrestling, putting an end to the epic “Monday Night Wars.”

As the dust settled and the smoke cleared, many former ECW and WCW wrestlers signed with WWE, creating a huge surge in talent on the WWE roster. In order to give these new wrestlers airtime while keeping the established WWE stars on television, WWE came up with the brand extension. The idea was to make Raw and SmackDown two separate promotions that would “compete” against each other. There was a draft between Raw and SmackDown and wrestlers were exclusive to only the show that drafted them. The only exceptions were champions who appeared on both shows. The only times fans saw wrestlers from both Raw and SmackDown appear on the same show were pay-per-views.

Eventually, champions became exclusive to either Raw or SmackDown with each brand having a total of four titles each. For midcard  championships, this was not really a problem as Raw had the Intercontinental Championship and SmackDown had the United States Championship. There was also a Cruiserweight division with its own title that was exclusive to the SmackDown brand. However, each show had its own world champion, pair of tag team champions, and eventually a women’s champion as SmackDown retired the Cruiserweight Championship and created the Divas Championship while Raw already had the Women’s Championship

The brand extension continued until 2011 when SmackDown wrestlers began to appear regularly on Raw. It was officially phased out by 2012, and titles merged as the Raw and SmackDown tag team titles and women’s titles were unified. The unification process was complete in 2013 as the WWE Championship of Raw and the World Heavyweight Championship of SmackDown were merged by Randy Orton when he defeated John Cena and became the first Undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Champion since 2002. With that, the brand extension had officially come to an end.

Wrestlers were no longer exclusive to certain shows, titles could be defended on both Raw and SmackDown, and the championships regained their prestige as there were fewer belts to compete for between the wrestlers. It was nice to have the WWE go back to a simpler way, and I was and still am a fan of ending the brand extension.

In theory, the brand extension was a good idea, but in reality, it failed. While it did allow a few wrestlers to emerge like John Cena, Batista, and Randy Orton, it ultimately turned SmackDown into the “B” show as more attention was given to Raw each and every week. SmackDown did have great success and was an overall better show than Raw when the brand extension began, however it slowly spiraled downward and essentially became a recap of Raw with some filler. If it was executed better, then perhaps the brand extension could have worked. Maybe there could have been more than a handful of guys who had careers launched during the brand extension, and Raw and SmackDown could have been treated as equal shows. That was not the case, and I do not really see that happening with the new brand extension.

Stayed tuned for part two of this post in which I explain why I do not like WWE’s choice to bring back the brand extension.

Payback 2016 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Payback 2016.

Thank You, Daniel Bryan

No! No! No! While that was the sentiment of wrestling fans around the world on Monday night, the reality of the matter is that the “American Dragon” has hung up his boots for good. Daniel Bryan, one of the best in ring performers and one of the most popular wrestlers in WWE history confirmed his retirement during the final segment of Monday Night Raw due to medical reasons.

This news shocked me, and I am still stunned that the professional wrestling career of the greatest Cinderella story in WWE history has come to an end. I knew that he had a history of injuries and that he endured a lot of wear and tear during his days on the “Indy” scene, but he was so good in the ring that it looked like the pain had no effect on him at all. He was one of the most skilled in ring performers in WWE, and despite lacking charisma when he first arrived on the scene; he managed to capture the hearts of wrestling fans around the world by popularizing the word “yes” and growing a beard.

Bryan was one of the current crop of wrestlers in WWE that made it fun again. He changed the way people think of what a “WWE Superstar” is supposed to be by establishing one of the most genuine connections with an audience that I have ever seen. While he did not have the build of a stereotypical wrestler, he had that intangible “it” factor that demanded people’s attention. Fans around the world supported him by mimicking his “yes” cheer, booing the roofs off arenas when he was not being featured in certain matches and segments such as in the 2014 and 2015 Royal Rumbles, and by chanting “you deserve it” the night after he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 30.

Bryan is easily one of my most favorite wrestlers of all time. I first came across him in a 2007 issue of “Pro Wrestling Illustrated” that documented his Ring of Honor Championship loss to Homicide. Three years later, I saw him on WWE NXT. While I thought it was strange that WWE made him switch his name from Bryan Danielson to Daniel Bryan, I was still happy to see him in WWE and watched as his popularity skyrocketed during his time with the biggest wrestling promotion on the planet. I was thrilled when he captured the United States Championship, and laughed as he and Kane joined forces to create the highly entertaining Team Hell No. I was one of his supporters during the “Yes Movement” and was ecstatic when he made Batista submit at Wrestlemania 30. I watched as he won an exciting ladder match at Wrestlemania 31 to claim the Intercontinental Championship, and I was at the shocking episode of Monday Night Raw when he vacated the title due to injury. I said that I hoped he would return to the ring soon. Unfortunately that will not be happening.

I am not happy about Bryan’s retirement, but I support it 100 percent. He has a life outside the ring that he needs to live and a family to start. I wish him nothing but the best as he starts a new chapter of his life. Thank you for entertaining me for nine years and taking the wrestling world on an unforgettable ride. Thank you, Daniel Bryan.

Royal Rumble 2016 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on the 2016 Royal Rumble event.

The Atlanta Screwjob - Take 2

Please note that this was written immediately after news broke that Seth Rollins injured his knee. Therefore, the results of Monday Night Raw were not taken into account in the writing of this post.

Attempting to predict anything is often difficult as there are always things outside the predictor’s control that will ultimately influence the outcome. A prime example of this happening is the knee injury that Seth Rollins suffered in a wrestling match. Last Wednesday night, it was reported that Rollins had hurt his right knee while attempting a top rope sunset flip.  I saw the video, and it was obvious that the prognosis for his knee would not be good. The next day, minutes after I posted “The Atlanta Screwjob” to this website, it was reported that Rollins suffered ACL/MCL/medial meniscus tears in his right knee and will be out for 6-9 months. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Roman Reigns and Rollins was cancelled and a tournament was announced that would be held at Survivor Series 2015 to determine the new champ. While the belt will be up for grabs in a new format than what was originally advertised, I still believe that a screwjob will take place with Dean Ambrose being screwed by his former Shield brother, Roman Reigns.

In my new prediction, I believe that Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns will battle it out in the finals of the tournament for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Before the final match, the Authority heads to the ring saying that they will present the belt to the winner of the match. Cue the entrances of Reigns and Ambrose.

After a prematch sign of respect through their trademark fist bump, the bout begins. It is a back and forth brawl with neither man being able to get the decisive fall. Reigns later begins to take control of the match but Ambrose repeatedly kicks out of pins, and Reigns becomes more visibly frustrated. This is when the screwjob goes into motion.

Ambrose begins to mount a comeback and nails Reigns with the dirty deeds before going for the pin. The Authority then makes their move as Stephanie McMahon jumps on the ring apron and distracts the referee. Ambrose gets up and tires to get the referee’s attention but Triple H enters the ring and hits Ambrose with the pedigree. The Game then leaves the ring as Stephanie lets the referee get back to the match. Reigns gets up and goes to one corner of the ring while Ambrose staggers to his feet in the opposite corner. Ambrose turns around, Reigns spears and pins him, and the referee counts to three. Your winner and new WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Roman Reigns. The Authority then enters the ring and celebrates with their new champion and face of the company while standing over Ambrose as the show goes off the air.

To me, this makes perfect sense as this scenario allows WWE to push both Ambrose and Reigns while Rollins is injured. With Rollins out, WWE is in major need of a new top heel, and Reigns is a prime candidate. While he is being cheered as of late, his reaction from the crowd in the past was negative. It is also well known that Vince McMahon is grooming Reigns to be the next face of the company. With the past negative reactions he received along with the obvious want of WWE to make him the biggest star in the company, it makes perfect sense to have Reigns be a monster heel. He could say he was tired of the negative crowd reactions and that he deserves to be the face of the WWE nay, the Authority. WWE should capitalize on this and use it as the reason why he joined the Authority.

Ambrose on the other hand is the perfect guy to challenge the Authority. He has challenged them in the past such as when he battled Rollins throughout the summer, and his character has taken on the trait of being a resilient brawler. He endures a ton of pain and can never seem to be put away in a match. Matches such as his bout against Rollins at Money in the Bank 2015 and most recently the 5 on 5 Survivor Series Elimination match on last week’s Raw showcase this characteristic. He also has that intangible “it” factor that causes audiences to naturally gravitate towards him. He radiates charisma and routinely garners fantastic reactions from the crowd. He got over with the fans without a massive push from WWE, which is the total opposite of Reigns. He is the perfect hero to battle a villain Reigns.

That is what I think WWE should do at Survivor Series 2015. It would be an exciting twist and an excellent way to push Reigns and Ambrose in a massive way. Reigns’ character would be refreshed as a dominating heel, and Ambrose would be the perfect choice to serve as the biggest threat to Reigns and the Authority. Make this happen WWE. The reaction will be nothing short of amazing, and it will be a twist that is talked about for years to come.

The Atlanta Screwjob

Please note that this was written and published before WWE announced that Seth Rollins would vacate the WWE World Heavyweight Championship due to injury.

Survivor Series is one of WWE’s signature events of the year. It is considered to be part of the “Big Four” pay-per-views along with the Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, and SummerSlam, and it has a long and rich history in the professional wrestling world. It is also a notorious scene for controversy and swerves. Infamous incidents such as the “Montreal Screwjob” at Survivor Series 1997 and the way that the Rock won the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 1998 are arguably two of the most well known examples of the chaotic nature of the event. With the 2015 edition of Survivor Series marking the 25^th anniversary of the debut of the Undertaker, I would expect a huge surprise that will leave the jaws of the Atlanta crowd on the floor. The surprise has nothing to do with the Undertaker though, as I believe it will involve Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and the Authority. I predict that the Authority will turn on Rollins and align themselves with Reigns in route to helping Reigns win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

It’s a bold prediction as Reigns has been touted as the next face of the company. That is what makes it such a huge and shocking twist as it is something that nobody will see coming. A heel Reigns would be awesome in my opinion. He will no longer have to go through the typical good guy act and can instead be a monstrous and dominant heel much like he was in the Shield. Rollins on the other hand has been heel for a long time and is starting to get stale. While he is one of the best in ring talents WWE has to offer, his bad guy antics of constantly worming his way to victory through underhanded tactics are getting old. Having the Authority screw Rollins would breathe fresh life into his character as well as that of Reigns, and it would definitely make Raw must see television.

If I were in charge of booking the match, here is what I would do. I would have the Authority come to the ring first and ban every wrestler backstage from interfering in the match. They could say they have invested a lot in Rollins and do not want guys like Dean Ambrose, the guy Reigns had been teaming up with all summer, to get involved with the outcome of the bout. The Authority then remains at ringside for the match as Reigns makes his way to the ring. He walks by the Authority, has a stare down with them, and enters the ring and waits for Rollins. The champ then makes his entrance, gives a prematch hug to the Authority, and gets in the ring to face Reigns. The referee signals for the bell, and the bout begins.

Towards the end of the match, Rollins reverses a move by Reigns and shoves Reigns into the referee knocking out both the referee and Reigns. This allows the Authority makes their move. Triple H enters the ring acting as if he will assist Rollins but betrays his former pupil by delivering a pedigree to him. Reigns gets up and sees what Triple H has done and smiles. The Game smiles back, lifts up the body of Rollins, and holds him so that Reigns can spear the champ. Reigns hits the spear and pins Rollins while Stephanie revives the referee who then makes the 3-count. Your winner and new WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Roman Reigns. The show ends with Reigns standing above Rollins with the championship belt held above his head and the Authority next to him as the “Atlanta Screwjob” is etched into Survivor Series lore.

That is how I would book Survivor Series 2015. Reigns would be the new face of the Authority and Rollins would go from villain to hero. This would allow these two wrestlers to continue feuding while at the same time shaking up the WWE landscape. This could also lead to a potential triple threat main event WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestlemania 32 between all three former members of the Shield. That is something I would love to see, and it would all start with the “Atlanta Screwjob.”