Six Things We Want to see the Week After Wrestlemania
Shinsuke Nakamura's Main Roster Debut
The first point we are going to be talking about is one I'm sure te majority of you were expecting to see feature in today's blog post; when talking about superstars we would like to see debut during the week after Wrestlemania the first name that comes out of the mouths of most wrestling fans is, of course, former NXT Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura. Fans have been waiting for the Japanese star to make his arrival on the main roster for several months now and after arriving on the scene a year ago we're more than ready to see him make the jump from NXT to the bigger stage. Over the past twelve months, Nakamura has made a huge impact over in "developmental" competing against some of the best names on the roster including Finn Balor, Tye Dillinger, Sami Zayn, and Samoa Joe to name a few and after making history by becoming the second man ever to become a two-time NXT champion. He has taken part in some of the best matches of the past year and has earned the right to be named one of NXT's biggest and best talents of all time. We have no however reached the point where we begin to wonder what more could possibly be left for Nakamura down in NXT and the discussion of his main roster debut has once again come about and as we have already touched on what better night to debut him than the first week after Wrestlemania. Of course, now we also have to talk about brands and which show he should be sent to, either Monday Night RAW or Smackdown LIVE. Now the obvious pick is Monday night RAW. It does seem more likely that he will be sent there looking at what the roster currently looks like and for the simple fact that the WWE seem to be keen on sending the big big NXT stars to RAW. However, if I was booking Nakamura's debut I would without a shadow of a doubt be sending him to Smackdown LIVE. The blue brand is desperate for a new name, a big star to come along and make an impact and what an impact Shinsuke would have. He could really shake things up over on Smackdown LIVE and give the brand that little something that it's missing. We need more babyfaces on Smackdown and we need bigger names there also and Shinsuke Nakamura fits the bill perfectly. He will, of course, be competing in the main event of NXT Takeover against Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship and with the chances of him regaining the title being so slim, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will make his way to the main roster (hopefully Smackdown LIVE) the week after.
Draft Swaps
If there is one thing I really want to see happen during the week after Wrestlemania is draft swaps. The week after Wrestlemania always feels like a fresh start, a new term in school if you will. It's the start of a new wrestling year and that fresh start means we see new general managers appointed, debuts, and returns and this year hopefully we can add draft swaps to the mix. Now, the chances are pretty slim considering they are likely to leave this until July to mark the one year point since the draft split happened however, it would make the RAW and Smackdown LIVE shows after Wrestlemania far more interesting and really give both brands the shake-up that they need. A change really is needed and that has shown through massively more recently. I did upload a blog post not too long ago listing five WWE Superstars I think should be re- drafted after Wrestlemania and I will, of course, be linking that bellow at the end; I do completely still stick to the names that I mentioned in that post. Everyone there most certainly needs to change brands as soon as possible but there are a few more names and certain names who need the changeup. Cesaro, Sheamus and Sami Zayn all spring to mind for the swap when it comes to Monday night RAW and moving over to Smackdown LIVE. To be fair both Cesaro and Zayn are two superstars I believe should have gone to Smackdown LIVE in the first place almost a year ago. I have mentioned time and time again that I feel as though they were always drafted to the wrong show and seeing them both where they currently are, just go to show how badly they do both need a change up. Now, I love seeing Cesaro and Sheamus work together, I'm still surprised at how much I did end up liking them teaming up but I really would love to see them go off and shine as individual singles competitors. The funny thing is is I genuinely believe they would both benefit from being a part of Smackdown LIVE however it's clear they need to be on separate shows. With Stephanie being Stephanie booking the two in a loser leaves RAW to match the night after Mania would go down very well with me however like I said, there are several swaps I would like to see and with the story we have seen with Zayn more recently he does appear to be the name more likely to swap brands.
The Official Re-debut of Emma
I hate the fact that I am still sitting here talking about the re-debut of Emma. It feels as though we have been sitting here having this discussion forever and I hate what they have done with the whole thing, however, her debut/return does need to happen as soon as possible and we have now reached the point where the best option really is the night after Wrestlemania. The night is all about fresh starts, new beginnings and debuts and returns are all a part of that. It does seem very very likely that she will make an appearance and make her way back into the ring the night after Wrestlemania. However, after getting it so wrong with her and pissing off the fans so much everyone has pretty much just grown completely bored and really doesn't care about her re-debut. A part of me would love it if they just debuted her on Smackdown LIVE instead but I know that won't happen and they really are going to have to pull something pretty impressive out of the bag if they want this to be a success. Whether that be a fantastic match, a feud with a top star on the roster, or simply a big spot or promo to really put her over. Whatever it is it's going to have to be big and she's going to have to make an impact.
The Reveal of a new RAW General Manager
The next point is something that I really really do feel passionate about and something that despite not feeling confident about actually happening it's something that I really do hope to see happen and that's the reveal of a brand new RAW general manager. If there is anything the WWE really do need to do its finally get rid of the Authority. The story of Stephanie and Hunter being the big bad boss' of Monday night RAW has gone on for far too long and fans are desperate for something new. It's that Authority story that has allowed RAW to remain so boring and therefore effectively made Smackdown LIVE stand out far more. There's a such a different feel to both shows which to be fair is a good thing, we want them both to stand out for different reasons and feel like different shows to some degree but the general feedback in regards to Monday night RAW is so negative. One of the biggest problems is that of who is in charge of the show (kayfabe). Since the brand split up until recently we saw Mick Foley work as the active RAW general manager and he did a pretty decent job that saw Cesaro and Sheamus become a tag team, Bayley called up to RAW, and the rise of Sami Zayn and Braun Strowman while he was under control. However, just like the past four years, Stephanie was there week in and week out to spell misery and that same old same old feel is what has left me simply not even bothering to watch the show at times. Now, I highly doubt Stephanie will be leaving a TV role anytime soon and to be fair I do believe that there are still stories to be told involving both her and Triple H including work between Stephania and Sasha Banks around this time next year, however, a new name to take on the role of General Manager is needed and if the reveal could be made at some point during the RAW after mania then that new start feel will be amazing and completely in effect. As to who should take on the role there really are plenty of options and at this point, I feel as though I would settle for almost anything! In an ideal world, I would love for those little rumours to be true and for Kurt Angle to take on the role but either way a change is much needed and someone who can really play Stephanie at her own game and shake things up. This is a topic I'm going to be talking about in more detail so keep an eye out for that, you can expect a "Five potential RAW General Mangers post within the coming weeks.
Returns Returns Returns
No RAW (and in this case Smackdown LIVE) after Wrestlemania would be complete without returns and this year there are so many past superstars and injured superstars we could see make a surprise return. The first obvious name is, of course, Finn Balor. The first ever WWE Universal Champion has been out of action since the Summer of last year and after returning at a house show earlier in the month everyone has begun to speculate on when he will make his return to Monday night RAW. I was a little surprised to see that they didn't find a way to book him on the Wrestlemania card but I'm for sure expecting him to make a return the night after Wrestlemania. It will be easy to book him in a storyline and the reaction he will get from the live crowd will for sure be huge. Talking of returns there are rumours of both Kurt Angle and both Matt and Jeff Hardy making their return to the WWE and WWE TV. Of course I have already spoken about how badly I would love to see Kurt go on to become the new RAW general Manager for a little while and in previous posts I have mentioned that I believe there really is a place for Matt and Jeff over on Smackdown and of course there is nothing more I'd love to see than that Broken Hardys vs the Wyatts feud develope in time for the summer. One last return to consider is Shelton Benjamin. I do still believe its pretty likely
Triple H Debuts Brand new Faction
There is one thing that the wrestling community has not stopped talking and speculating about over the past month or so and that is the rumour of Triple H maybe creating a brand new faction. The obvious names joining that faction are of course Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe and after pictures were shown of the three taking part in a six-man tag team match at a live event. Now, to be honest, I wasn't sure about the idea at first but lets face it, Monday night RAW would seriously benefit from having a faction on the roster and one this strong will really shake things up and bring something a little different to the picture. In order for this to work, however, they really are going to have to push the boat out and give us something we haven't gotten in a while. I know it may not be a popular opinion but I'm not the biggest fan of Kevin Owens being a part of this faction. Of course, it makes sense and I get why they would do it but I don't know... maybe my opinions will change in the near future if this is a move they decide to make but for them to really win me over with this it's going to have to be amazing. I believe that adding women to the picture could help. Someone like Nia Jax, Charlotte or a heel Sasha Banks would be fantastic. To be fair, adding someone like Sasha to this particular faction could set up work between her and Stephanie later down the line perfectly. Another name to consider throwing into the mix is, of course, Roman Reigns. That's right, I still have not given up on a heel Roman Reigns. There is still time and I believe it could happen this year. The man is facing the Undertaker at Wrestlemania for god's sake, turn the guy heel! A heel Roman Reigns opens up soo many doors and so many amazing future storylines and allows him to do so much more. Turn him the night after Mania and debut this new faction and we're gonna get something extremely entertaining that puts Monday Night RAW back at the top.
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