This Week In WWE Biz: John Cena Heel Turn, Randy Orton Vs. AJ Styles?, Triple H Return Plans, More

This Week In WWE Biz: John Cena Heel Turn, Randy Orton Vs. AJ Styles?, Triple H Return Plans, More

SmackDown may have another dream match at WrestleMania 35.

According to Barnburner's No Holds Barred podcast (h/t Ringside News), "AJ Styles vs Randy Orton is currently penciled in for WrestleMania."

WHAT'S IT MEAN FOR WWE?

With neither Styles nor Orton likely to figure into the WWE Championship picture come WrestleMania 35, it would certainly make sense for the two stars to face each other at the pay-per-view instead.
Styles and Orton have been the two cornerstones of SmackDown since the brand split returned in 2016, and yet, they've had remarkably little interaction with one another, facing each other just once in early 2017 with a spot in a WrestleMania main event on the line. WWE reportedly had once planned on doing an Orton/Styles feud for the WWE title, but Orton's knee injury that sidelined him earlier this year prevented it from happening. Now, however, WWE has all the makings for a first-ever feud between two of SmackDown's biggest stars as Styles is likely to be done feuding with Daniel Bryan while Orton's rivalry with Rey Mysterio should be over with by the time WrestleMania 35 comes around.
Of course, Styles deserves a marquee match at WrestleMania after having carried the blue brand for more than two years now, and WWE often features Orton in high-profile Mania bouts as well. In an era in which not many feuds feel fresh or exciting, there is reason to think that "The Viper" vs. "The Phenomenal One" could be an exciting new rivalry that gives both stars a big-time rivalry that is not a bad consolation prize for being left out of the title picture.
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John Cena Reveals Why He Will Never Turn Heel, Addresses Part-Time Status

WHAT'S THE DEAL?

WWE fans can officially extinguish their hopes about a potential John Cena heel turn.

During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet (h/t Sportskeeda), "The Champ" said he wouldn't move to the dark side because that's not who he is and also confirmed that he is indeed a "part-timer:"

There are creative feelings inside me that would like to be a bad guy on WWE but that ain’t gonna happen because that’s not my job. My job is to be who I am and that comes from [Vince McMahon]...For any WWE person to say right now that you’re a part-timer and you’re going to Hollywood, they’re absolutely right. And if they can’t see why I’m making those moves, I don’t expect them to, I don’t expect to change their minds.

WHAT'S IT MEAN FOR WWE?

The question of whether or not Cena will ever turn heel has been asked for nearly a decade, but the answer has remained largely unchanged: No.

The only time a Cena heel turn ever appeared to be seriously considered was in 2011, when Cena was actually very close to making the improbable turn before the plug was pulled. Other than that, WWE has remained committed to pushing Cena as a top babyface, and truth be told, turning Cena wouldn't have near the impact now that it could have had several years ago. During the WWE Network era, the drawing power of individual stars means less than ever before, which means that babyface and heel turns have a minimal effect in comparison to previous eras when turning a star like Hulk Hogan revolutionized the pro wrestling business.

Nowadays, WWE's merchandise sales are down significantly and, at least theoretically, that should allow WWE to throw caution to the wind when booking a major heel turn because WWE wouldn't be losing out on a ton of merch money if Cena, who has been passed by Roman Reigns anyway, turned. However, Cena wants his character to be true to his real-life personality, and that will likely prevent him from making a heel turn in either the short or long-term future, meaning WWE will have to look elsewhere to create its next top villain as Cena remains a part-time babyface who is expected to miss a significant amount of time in 2019.

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Possible Dream Match For Daniel Bryan At WrestleMania 35

WHAT'S THE DEAL?

Daniel Bryan could be in line for a first-ever dream match at WrestleMania 35.

According to No Holds Barred (h/t Ringside News), WWE is considering doing Bryan vs. Shawn Michaels at the biggest pay-per-view of 2019.

WHAT'S IT MEAN FOR WWE?

Ever since his coming-out-of-retirement match at Crown Jewel, Michaels has indicated that he won't wrestle again, but he's still been linked to at least a handful of potential dream matches, including one with Bryan.



Although reports suggested that Michaels wrestled at Crown Jewel mainly for the hefty payday, Michaels himself has said he would make more money for working WrestleMania 35 than he did for Crown Jewel, which, ironically enough, is one reason why many fans think he'll be back in the ring at some point. Michaels was clearly the best performer in his star-studded tag team match at Crown Jewel, and with no obvious WrestleMania opponent lined up for Bryan, we could potentially see Bryan vs. Michaels in a battle between two of the greatest in-ring performers of all-time.

WWE isn't immune to using older part-time stars in title matches on the grandest stage of them all (see: Triple H, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, etc)., so it certainly wouldn't be a huge shocker if Michaels followed suit. Michaels still has plenty of gas left in the tank, and there's a built in "student vs. teacher" narrative there with these two stars, not to mention the simple fact that a match between the two would be a clash of two of the best pure wrestlers of their respective generations.

Unless WWE decides to elevate another SmackDown star to the WWE title scene, Michaels could be a strong candidate to face Bryan, no matter how unlikely it may seem.
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Triple H Vs. Batista Reportedly Still Planned For WrestleMania 35

 

 

WHAT'S THE DEAL?

Despite Triple H suffering a torn pectoral muscle that required surgery, he's still slated for a huge WrestleMania 35 match.

According to Joe Peisich of Barnburner's No Holds Barred podcast (h/t Bodyslam.net), Triple H vs. Batista is still in the cards for WWE's biggest pay-per-view of the year:

I have talked to a couple sources of course, this could change, but penciled in everybody wants to know what’s going on with Triple H. Is Triple H going to face Batista. As everyone knows, he suffered a torn pec. Triple H is the Cerebral Assassin, but he’s also Superman. There is still penciled in Triple H vs Batista if Triple H can come back.

WHAT'S IT MEAN FOR WWE?

Triple H vs. Batista was once virtually a shoo-in for WrestleMania 35, but with Triple H undergoing major pectoral surgery in early November, there was speculation that WWE would pivot to a feud between Batista and Randy Orton instead.

Though it's certainly possible that Triple H, a notoriously hard worker, could be back in time for a match at WrestleMania 35 in early April, it would be extremely difficult for him to be both 100% healthy and in good in-ring shape just five months removed from a serious surgery. One would assume that if Triple H isn't going to be on the WrestleMania 35 card, then neither will Batista because a bout with Triple H is what Batista wants and is likely one of just a few dream matches that he would come back for.

Of course, there are other big matches Batista could have, like bouts against Brock Lesnar or Braun Strowman, but those stars likely will be involved in other big matches while Vince McMahon reportedly doesn't view Batista as a huge legend anyway. That likely means that Triple H's injury, barring a minor miracle that sees him get cleared in lightning quick fashion, would leave Batista off the WrestleMania card altogether.

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WHAT ELSE IS NEW?

This week's Raw once again generated the show's lowest viewership in its 25-year history, averaging a measly 2.193 million viewers after dropping by nearly 100,000 viewers from the previous week's all-time low. At this rate, Raw could be trending toward dipping below two million viewers.

SmackDown viewership increased ever so slightly, averaging 1.977 million viewers after averaging 1.948 million the previous week, which was the lowest number the show had donce since 2015. Needless to say, the blue brand is on the wrong side of two million.

Cody Rhodes said he recently turned down a contract offer from WWE, and though it's always possible he's "working" the fans, he will likely be headed elsewhere in 2019. Another report indicates that Rhodes isn't being offered nearly as much money as he claims.

The Rock was originally slated to win the 2019 Royal Rumble and face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 35, but with Reigns unlikely to work WWE's No. 1 pay-per-view, there's no word if WWE still plans on using The Rock at Royal Rumble.
Rey Mysterio could be headed for a United States title match at WrestleMania 35, and though it's not clear who his opponent will be, it will likely be Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura or Andrade "Cien" Almas.

WWE will reportedly re-sign a number of legends to one-year non-wrestling contracts essentially as a means of preventing them from working elsewhere.

Braun Strowman is slated to be at TLC, and though it's not clear if he is healthy enough to have a full-length match, he is indeed still expected to take on Baron Corbin. Another report refutes that he will wrestle at TLC, however, and notes that Cena has replaced him at some future house shows.

Cena was removed from multiple upcoming live event matches and is now advertised simply to appear on those shows, likely to avoid injury. He also said he will not be appearing on TV for any of those shows, even though one of them is a Raw TV taping.

WWE may be trying to land both Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier for WrestleMania 35, with the idea being that McGregor would be in Becky Lynch's corner while Cormier would back up Ronda Rousey.

Kevin Owens is expected to be cleared to wrestle again by early March at the latest, but WWE may choose to hold off on his return until after WrestleMania 35.

AJ Styles, whose contract expires in April, is likely to re-sign with WWE, but there is less certainty regarding his former stablemates in The Club, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, who are on New Japan Pro-Wrestling's radar.

Despite being removed from the Mixed Match Challenge, Finn Balor is not injured. He is actually dealing with some sort of illness but is expected to be well enough to face Drew McIntyre at TLC, though he has interestingly been pulled from multiple future dates as well. A number of other WWE stars were also ill this week, though it's unclear if their illness is related to Balor's.

Jason Jordan, who has been sidelined with a neck injury for nearly a year, recently had his neck evaluated, and though there is no word on whether or not he will be cleared, he is listed as "to be determined" on WWE's roster.
Despite teasing retirement earlier this year, Matt Hardy said he expects to return to the ring soon.

Kurt Angle will be at the upcoming edition of Raw, suggesting he will make his televised return either at TLC or on Raw that night.

In spite of her seemingly skyrocketing popularity, Becky Lynch merchandise is reportedly selling just "okay," although it is worth noting that she doesn't have nearly as much merchandise available as some other top stars.

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