Will Big Show vs Cena be the main event of NWO?

[Savio]

I'm hoping that every main-event in 2012 is NOT a title match. Will No Way Out continue this trend?

[Keith]

I'm guessing it will be, regardless of whether it should or shouldn't.

[Mr. Pierre]

On paper, yes. It depends on the finish though.

[el bobbo]

If there is a stipulation, which I am guessing there will be, then yes it will.

With a strong Northeastern crowd I hope to god it won't be and we get some kind of Punk/Bryan match with a decent gimmick behind it.

[Emperor Smeat]

At this point its safe to say anything involving Cena will be guaranteed to be the main event of a ppv.

Did a quick check and only 2 ppvs didn't involve him either as a champion or in the actual main event the last year and a half. One was this year's Rumble and the other was last year's TLC where he wasn't even on the card.

After that you have to go as far back as 2 years ago of him vs Barrett when he joined the Nexus to find him not in a main event or in a title match on a ppv.

[Nicky Fives]

It will be, but it shouldn't.....

[el bobbo]

Cena wouldn't even be so bad to watch if he didn't just say the same damn thing every week, then continue to dominate everyone in his path.

They think that Cena is the only one with a character that deserves the spotlight, but his character is stale as dried up dog shit. Primarily because he is one of the only guys on the roster to actually get the mic week in and week out.

They need to give some guys on the roster a lot more mic time and character development in order to build them up to the "Cena" level. Ziggler, Kofi, Orton, even Reks and Hawkins could get over if given more time on the stick.

They just need to get the writers to work with the workers more instead of having "creative" dictate the entire programming schedule

[Mr. Nerfect]

Big Show vs. John Cena will be the main event, and that's probably a good thing, because again it means that CM Punk and Daniel Bryan can't be blamed for the shitty buyrate. I kind of hope that Show puts Cena on the shelf for a little bit. Give John some time off to deal with all his shit and rest up.

[Rammsteinmad]

Big Show vs. John Cena will be the main event, and that's probably a good thing, because again it means that CM Punk and Daniel Bryan can't be blamed for the shitty buyrate.

This is basically the only good thing to come from this being the main event.

[Mr. Nerfect]

To be fair, I do think a very solid case could be made for Big Show being the WWE Champion right now. If Cena and Show are going to be the main storyline going forward, wouldn't it make sense for at least one of them to carry one of the top belts?

John Laurinaitis should have rewarded Big Show with a WWE Title match on RAW. Daniel Bryan would assist Show in capturing the WWE Title -- a case of sour grapes. Show would then defend the WWE Title against Cena at No Way Out, where he would win before moving into a feud with a freshly turned babyface Dolph Ziggler; while Bryan would face Punk in a Submission Match at No Way Out, where AJ would throw in the towel for Punk (for whom she now cares about so strongly), leading to a Money in the Bank rematch between Bryan and Punk, where Bryan wins after AJ reveals that she's still a DB girl.

[blak23]

i like that noid

[K.Smoke]

I think Cena is going to be a punching bag for a little while b4 he regains momentum. I see a vacation in his future. I'm a Cena fan not hater. But when fueds become shorter so does ur air time. And Noid is right Cena does say the same damn thing every week. I Think we're building up to a Orton Push and that the Orton/Jericho wont be the mainevent but will carry just as much weight as the championship fights.

I think Cena / Show will surprisingly be a mid carder. Followed by or preceeding the Orton/Jericho match. The WWE and WHC titles will be main events. I'm thinking 2 triple threat mainevents.

[Ermaximus]

Cena on the undercard? Come on man. He's the top draw, therefore he's going to be billed as such. The Big Show/Cena match is going to tell a bigger story in the end so of course it's going to be the main event. While I'd love for Punk/Danielson in an I Quit Match/Submission match to headline, it just won't happen.

[Streamer]

Hulk Hogan was leader of nwo not Cena or big Show

[Ermaximus]

Ok? Flair was the leader of the Horsemen. What are you getting at?

[Streamer]

Yeah but hogan is better than Flair cuz he won the belt from him and retires him in havokween 94

[Mr. Nerfect]

But Ric Flair is still wrestling now, therefore he actually won that match at Havokween 94.

[Ermaximus]

:lol: NOID FACTS! Now you know!

[Streamer]

Flair is a good but hogan is a better. That's a what my momma told me when I was a kid?

[Mr. Nerfect]

I would piss myself laughing if Reid Flair faced Nick Hogan in a PPV match in TNA. I would not watch it, but I would piss myself laughing.

[Savio]

Flair is a good but hogan is a better. That's a what my momma told me when I was a kid?
Are you asking us or telling us?

[Streamer]

Whos asking? I'm confused?

[jskinnyg]

At this point its safe to say anything involving Cena will be guaranteed to be the main event of a ppv.

Did a quick check and only 2 ppvs didn't involve him either as a champion or in the actual main event the last year and a half. One was this year's Rumble and the other was last year's TLC where he wasn't even on the card.

After that you have to go as far back as 2 years ago of him vs Barrett when he joined the Nexus to find him not in a main event or in a title match on a ppv.

What Meat says...

[St. Jimmy]

Probably, even though it'll be terrible.

[Fox]

Yes, but it shouldn't be. Just like Laurinaitis/Cena should NOT have been the main event at OTL. At least Big Show is a wrestler though, so putting him in the main event against Cena is slightly more acceptable and understanding. Putting Laurinaitis in the main event when he's not even an active wrestler, and all they did was have a 15 minute comedy match, was atrocious booking.

It's insulting to the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship to have this kind of thing happening PPV after PPV.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I actually agree, Fox. It's not that I don't think Big Show vs. John Cena is "worthy" enough to main event, but just why should the WWE Championship matter if it's not closing the shows? If Show and Cena are to close the shows, then one of them should be the WWE Champion.

[Fox]

I just feel like there are different levels for why the current main event situation in the WWE has been "wrong" for awhile now.

- Like you said, Noid, Big Show vs Cena is a worthy PPV main event. But Laurinaitis vs Cena is NOT. Any time that WWE closes a PPV with a non-championship match, that means something. It used to be a rarity - only on special occasions did a special attraction match trump a WWE or World Heavyweight Championship match (Orton vs HBK at Summerslam 2005 is a prime example - they ME'd over Cena/Christian/Jericho for the WWE Title). But CM Punk has not main evented a PPV since TLC, where Cena didn't even compete. CM Punk, like so many others before him, is not getting the spotlight when he so desperately needs it. He has cooled off so much since this past summer it's ridiculous, and WWE's treatment of him has been the primary contributing factor. But more than that, the WWE Championship is being mistreated and is not being given top billing when it rightfully should.

- John Cena is not "the guy." The past year or more has shown that Cena is slowing down, and now is the time to build new superstars. There is no one more over in the WWE right now than Daniel Bryan. He could probably slap AJ Lee in the face and put her in the Yes Lock for 15 minutes on Smackdown, and he'd still get freakish reactions for his entrance and "Yes!" chants throughout his match. WWE should be putting more stock in CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan, because these are the superstars of the new era, and they need to embrace that. Cena is not the guy. The Rock proved that, and Brock Lesnar proved it, too. Both of those guys, who have been away from the WWE for YEARS, were more over than Cena. His time is up, and having him ME PPV's against non-wrestlers like Laurinaitis is just kicking the fans in the face. When you've got fans in a place like Raleigh, NC going back and forth with "Let's Go Punk!" / "Let's Go Bryan!" chants, you know you're doing something right. There certainly weren't any "Let's go Cena!" chants at OTL, or at least nothing as passionate and attentive as the chants Bryan and Punk were getting.

- The fact that CM Punk just goes along with all of this is absurd. His infamous shoot promo was all about CM Punk finally standing up against the ridiculous decisions that are made in the WWE on a daily basis. The wasting of talent, the pushing and "opportunity giving" of guys like John Cena over guys like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, the fact that wrestlers who aren't full-time get top billing on PPV's. These are all things are happening RIGHT NOW. Yes, CM Punk is the WWE Champion, but is he being treated like the WWE Champion? Or is John Cena being treated like the WWE Champion? Punk was pissed about The Rock getting the main event at WM, despite not being a regular WWE superstar, but this was understandable: Cena versus Rock was the biggest match since Hogan/Rock, and Mania is the grandest stage of them all. They deserved the spot. But Punk got shafted AGAIN the following month at Extreme Rules by yet another non-full time wrestler in Brock Lesnar, and then AGAIN at OTL to, of all people, John Laurinaitis. And now he might get bumped down the card again for Show versus Cena. The CM Punk who prides himself on being the Voice of the Voiceless should really have some strong feelings about all of this. Or has CM Punk lost sight of the big picture because he's carrying that big gold piece of shit around on his shoulder?

[Mr. Nerfect]

I agree that it is completely against the character of Punk to be OK with being so low on the card. I was going around all over the place here saying that Punk should have been picketing for his match with Chris Jericho to close the show at WrestleMania, given that he's the WWE Champion. And, personally, I think the WWE should be providing more scaffolding for the Punk vs. Bryan feud, so that people do see their feud as one that's in the "main event." I don't think it's too much of a problem yet, though, because there is no title more important than the WWE Title.

That being said -- how are people meant to take CM Punk headlining seriously when he never does? Gertner likes to point out that there are often ratings drops when Punk does close the show, and that's true. There have been a few instances where Punk has spiked ratings, though. The thing is: His character has not been given a chance to establish itself as a permanent main event fixture. You couldn't put even Ryback in the main event tomorrow and expect him to draw. So you put him in the opening match instead, but then he's not a main eventer -- he's an opener. Do you see the problem?

What it comes down to is that Punk is very lucky the WWE has been so behind his title reign, and have stuck with it this long, and given him the freedom to really tell great stories with Chris Jericho and Daniel Bryan. The difference between him and a John Cena, though, is that there has subliminally been the message of "Punk is not the guy."

Personally, I would have gone with Punk closing Extreme Rules and Over the Limit. People have paid for the PPV -- they are not going to turn it off. And if they do, fuck it, the WWE has already gotten the money for it. I think Punk should be closing more PPVs as WWE Champion than he closes television while he is establishing himself as a top babyface.

Also, put him in tag team matches with John Cena against whichever monster it is Cena is facing this week. Punk & Cena vs. Bryan & Show would make a perfectly acceptable RAW main event. If people get used to seeing Bryan and Punk in the same ring as your John Cenas and Big Shows, then they might get used to them as main event forces a bit quicker.

[Fox]

I pretty much agree with everything you said.

I also pretty much agree with myself that WWE will never do these things, or recognize them as faults.

I don't necessarily agree that Punk/Jericho should have main evented Extreme Rules. Lesnar/Cena was the draw and that was the match that needed to finish the show - no other follow up match would have been able to gain any ground after wearing out the fans during that battle. It was Lesnar's big return to the ring and Cena's attempt to redeem himself after getting beat by Rock at Mania.

Now, Laurinaitis and Cena main eventing over Punk/Bryan at OTL was incredibly stupid.

[Mr. Nerfect]

See, I agree with you that Lesnar vs. Cena was fucking huge and was a worthy main event. But the WWE was in Chicago. If it were anywhere else, I would have gone with Lesnar & Cena headlining, but I think it would have sent a major message to the fanbase if the WWE had Brock Lesnar and Cena do their thing, but then be like "Well, this is the WWE Championship match and the proper main event." I think the booking for Cena and Lesnar was a bit wacky, and that of course also warranted it going on last, but I think if Lesnar had beaten Cena, the same shit with Triple H happened, and Punk had beaten Jericho in the main event, everyone would be a lot better off.

As viewers of the WWE, we are used to their weird ways, and their often nonsensical ways of telling stories. But sometimes I like to put myself into the shoes of a casual fan just coming in. What are some of the thoughts that you'd think they have? Here are some that I know I would come up with:

1. Why is there a WWE Champion and a World Heavyweight Champion? Which one means more?

2. Oh, so there's a brand split? One is the champion of RAW and one is the champion of SmackDown!. Well, why don't they call them the "WWE RAW Champion" and "WWE SmackDown! Champion" so I could know that, and why does the SmackDown! Champion appear on RAW?

3. OK, so Daniel Bryan is a SmackDown! wrestler and Chris Jericho is a RAW wrestler? Why is Daniel Bryan challenging for the RAW Championship and Chris Jericho challenging for the SmackDown! Championship?

It might just seem like semantics to us, as guys who have been around for the entirety of the brand split, or are already fans of wrestling and don't need to be sold. But sometimes I wonder if the WWE has trouble expanding its audience just because it doesn't make sense that there are two World Champions peacefully coexisting on the same show.

The reason I feel that is relevant is because we're sort of discussing treatment of the World Championships. "Why is CM Punk not main eventing if he's the WWE Champion?" is a perfectly reasonable question that a new fan of wrestling could ask the WWE, and I wonder what their response would be?

CM Punk isn't worthy, because he hasn't drawn a dime since July? Let's disregard that this is meant to be a "sport" that suspends disbelief, and that ratings and buyrates aren't trotted out on WWE television, and that each week is sold as being bigger than the last by them.

CM Punk isn't as good as John Cena? Well, why isn't John Cena the WWE Champion then? Give that man a WWE Title match and let's find out if Punk really is good enough. Truth be told (and don't get me wrong, I am NOT complaining that we got Punk vs. Bryan over the WWE Title on PPV), Punk vs. Cena was the logical main event for Over the Limit. Well, either that or Punk vs. Tensai. But that should have been the story heading into OTL, instead of Bryan being a random challenger who did not really make sense in the role (as damn good as the match was).

A guy who should really be ranked #3 at best beating up an old man is something that the WWE endorses more than a WWE Championship match or World Heavyweight Championship match? Are we meant to take this seriously?

In my opinion, if CM Punk is not the guy, then he shouldn't be the guy. It's really quite as simple as that. I'm of the opinion that Punk has the ability and talent to be "the guy," as he proved last year when he stole the show from essentially everybody else on the active WWE roster, but if you're too concerned that he's not drawing or can't convince people to buy into his next venture, then put the WWE Championship on someone who can. Yeah, it's a really shallow list, isn't it?

[Mr. Nerfect]

That being said, if this were a United States Title reign, CM Punk would probably be recognised as the greatest US Champion in the WWE's history, and possibly in the title's entire history, as well.

[Fox]

You raise interesting questions, Noid, and I gotta agree with you yet again. The creatives in the WWE are so locked in their own little world that they don't realize that some of the things they do don't make any sense to people outside of the "WWE Universe."

[Mr. Nerfect]

Often it's the guys the smarks love that get the blame from guys like Gertner, but having Sheamus and John Cena essentially act like bullies and yet have the "Be a Star" campaign going has got to be the sort of thing that makes your average person's head hurt.

[Nark Order]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/bodaciousbob2755/NARCKOTF.jpg

[Fox]

Often it's the guys the smarks love that get the blame from guys like Gertner, but having Sheamus and John Cena essentially act like bullies and yet have the "Be a Star" campaign going has got to be the sort of thing that makes your average person's head hurt.

Please tell me you don't actually pay attention to Gertner's posts.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Nah, not usually. I mean, the guy isn't dumb, but it's obvious that he's just trying to get a rile out of people. He is actually really knowledgeable, he just likes to dress it up in fool's clothing. Plus, Heath Slater and Curt Hawkins fans are in definite shortage around here.

[Fox]

One is too many. Especially for Heath Slater.

[Shisen Kopf]

They should just let big guys be HEAVYweight champs and have the little dudes fight over the IC belt or bring back a cruiserweight belt. I like Punk and Bryan but they have no business being world champ.

[Fox]

Totally, Shisen.

I know I'd rather see Mark Henry vs John Cena than Daniel Bryan vs CM Punk.

[K.Smoke]

I think that the writters are working towards pushing back Cena. I agree that putting him in the main event against big Johnnie makes that looks iffy and that Show/Cena is a better match. I just think that Punk and Bryan are gaining enough momentum or has more than enough momentum to carry. Cena has gotten over for a long time and he wont turn heel. U gotta switch things up or lose some fan base. The WWE has signed a lot of new talent and is going on to be a 3 hour weekly event(would like to know if any other show stayed 3 hours as a weekly event. and Cena is in desperate need of a rest.

[Big Vic]

I think after this next PPV we will have HHH vs Brock as the main event.

[Gertner]

See, I agree with you that Lesnar vs. Cena was fucking huge and was a worthy main event. But the WWE was in Chicago. If it were anywhere else, I would have gone with Lesnar & Cena headlining, but I think it would have sent a major message to the fanbase if the WWE had Brock Lesnar and Cena do their thing, but then be like "Well, this is the WWE Championship match and the proper main event." I think the booking for Cena and Lesnar was a bit wacky, and that of course also warranted it going on last, but I think if Lesnar had beaten Cena, the same shit with Triple H happened, and Punk had beaten Jericho in the main event, everyone would be a lot better off.

As viewers of the WWE, we are used to their weird ways, and their often nonsensical ways of telling stories. But sometimes I like to put myself into the shoes of a casual fan just coming in. What are some of the thoughts that you'd think they have? Here are some that I know I would come up with:

1. Why is there a WWE Champion and a World Heavyweight Champion? Which one means more?

2. Oh, so there's a brand split? One is the champion of RAW and one is the champion of SmackDown!. Well, why don't they call them the "WWE RAW Champion" and "WWE SmackDown! Champion" so I could know that, and why does the SmackDown! Champion appear on RAW?

3. OK, so Daniel Bryan is a SmackDown! wrestler and Chris Jericho is a RAW wrestler? Why is Daniel Bryan challenging for the RAW Championship and Chris Jericho challenging for the SmackDown! Championship?

It might just seem like semantics to us, as guys who have been around for the entirety of the brand split, or are already fans of wrestling and don't need to be sold. But sometimes I wonder if the WWE has trouble expanding its audience just because it doesn't make sense that there are two World Champions peacefully coexisting on the same show.

The reason I feel that is relevant is because we're sort of discussing treatment of the World Championships. "Why is CM Punk not main eventing if he's the WWE Champion?" is a perfectly reasonable question that a new fan of wrestling could ask the WWE, and I wonder what their response would be?

CM Punk isn't worthy, because he hasn't drawn a dime since July? Let's disregard that this is meant to be a "sport" that suspends disbelief, and that ratings and buyrates aren't trotted out on WWE television, and that each week is sold as being bigger than the last by them.

CM Punk isn't as good as John Cena? Well, why isn't John Cena the WWE Champion then? Give that man a WWE Title match and let's find out if Punk really is good enough. Truth be told (and don't get me wrong, I am NOT complaining that we got Punk vs. Bryan over the WWE Title on PPV), Punk vs. Cena was the logical main event for Over the Limit. Well, either that or Punk vs. Tensai. But that should have been the story heading into OTL, instead of Bryan being a random challenger who did not really make sense in the role (as damn good as the match was).

A guy who should really be ranked #3 at best beating up an old man is something that the WWE endorses more than a WWE Championship match or World Heavyweight Championship match? Are we meant to take this seriously?

In my opinion, if CM Punk is not the guy, then he shouldn't be the guy. It's really quite as simple as that. I'm of the opinion that Punk has the ability and talent to be "the guy," as he proved last year when he stole the show from essentially everybody else on the active WWE roster, but if you're too concerned that he's not drawing or can't convince people to buy into his next venture, then put the WWE Championship on someone who can. Yeah, it's a really shallow list, isn't it?

John Cena isn't the champ because he doesn't need the belt to draw or get over.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I agree that John Cena doesn't need to be champ, but it would still make logical sense for him to be the champ if they are going to call him "The Face of WWE." Also, in the current climate, I would go with Big Show over Cena as champ, anyway. It's arguable that at his age, Big Show should not be the WWE Champion, either, but I think it would make sense and give his current storyline with Cena some gravity, and allow Show to go even more over as a bad guy.