The first round NFL draft is over with and there were some interesting picks and missed opportunities. Dalvin Cook, Joe Mixon and a few other fell to the second round, but there were plenty of future stars selected in the interesting first round. Of the 32 picks, we wanted to take a look at what we felt were the top 5 picks of the draft and who has the most potential of them. Let's get into it.
*The No. 1 Pick, Myles Garrett to Cleveland Browns
-The first pick in the draft was pretty obvious from the start and with Cleveland ending up with three picks in the first round alone, you knew the first choice that the Browns would make was one of the best defensive prospects in the drafts in the last few years honestly. This Texas A&M pass rusher has a lot of potential and on the defensive end, he could be exactly what the Browns need to move to that next level defensively. With linebacker Jamie Collins and new Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams, there is a huge possibility we see a new duo step up in Cleveland, as Collins and Garrett could become a tandem like the Browns haven't had in years defensively. Myles Garrett could be a possible game changer for the Browns franchise, who need a true franchise player *The No. 4 Pick, Leonard Fournette To The Jacksonville Jaguars
-The Jaguars needed some form of offensive help to push them further and they now have it. Blake Bortles is not the QB of the future for the Jaguars and the drafting of Fournette showcases that. Fournette will have luck against the weaker defenses of the AFC South, and could end up having a 1,000 yard season if the Jaguars trust him enough. It'll be interesting to see how he fares in his first season. The LSU running back should likely be a force and if the Jaguars select a QB in the later rounds, in 2 years, we could see a dynamic duo that includes Fournette (and doesn't include Bortles) leading the Jaguars offense. This move is really solid because it let Bortles know that the offense will have another shot and he will have another shot, while Fournette continues to expand his game, and it's almost like Bortles was put on notice: you have a really good RB now, work on improving and developing and learning together and growing as players..... or else.
*The No. 12 Pick, Deshaun Watson To The Houston Texans
-My favorite pick of the whole draft. The Texans got rid of Brock Osweiler and they were in need of a QB. The Browns passed up on Deshaun, the Bears passed up on him, and I think in the long run it will end up being a big mistake for both franchises. Deshaun has a 32-3 career record, a national championship, and big game experience. His life story is one that is beyond interesting, but the fact of the matter is that Deshaun was built for the major league. He was built for the big stage and he's destined to be the franchise quarterback for the Texans, which will have a solid offense and defense this season, and they could definitely make a run at winning the division once again. With Deshaun leading the ship, the Texans have a possibly bright future. Tom Savage is not the QB of the future for the Texans, Deshaun Watson is and when the Browns, Bears, Chiefs, and the other franchise who passed on him look back a few years from now, they will certainly be sorry they did.
*The No. 17 Pick, Jonathan Allen To The Washington Redskins
-The truth of the matter is that this draft is really puzzling with how some of these choices went. This Alabama standout seemed to be a possible top 5 pick, or at worst, top 10, but he ended up falling to no. 17 and he could be exactly what the Redskins need to overhaul their defensive line. The Redskins have struggled defensively over the last few seasons, and this could be the big change for them. The Redskins were shocked, just like I was, to see Allen still available by the 17th pick and I think this is the steal of the draft. By picking up Allen a bit later than he was expected to leave, the Redskins might have their defensive anchor for years to come.
*The No. 31 Pick, Reuben Foster To The San Francisco 49ers
-A number of Roll Tide players went in the first round, and this is another one that I was shocked to see so low. I expected Foster to be top 20 in the draft, but his off the field issues seemingly were too much for the rest of the teams to overlook and he felt to the end of the round, being selected with the 2nd to last pick by the 49ers. I would have thought the Broncos or the Giants would have taken Foster, but when they passed on him, I was concerned he would fall out of the first round. Luckily the 49ers used their common sense and selected him. He will be big for the team if he stays healthy and focused.
The first round of the playoffs is nearing the end. As of this writing, there are three teams that have already advanced to the Semifinals: Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, and the Houston Rockets in that order. While those three teams have moved on, there are still five teams playing, looking to close out their series in game 6. The San Antonio Spurs are looking to close out the Memphis Grizzlies, the Toronto Raptors are looking to close out the Milwaukee Bucks, the Utah Jazz are looking to finish the LA Clippers, the Boston Celtics are now looking to move on and defeat the Chicago Bulls, and the Washington Wizards are one game away from finishing the Atlanta Hawks. With that picture shaping up for the next round, what players have been the best so far this round? We take a look at the top 5 players this first round.
-The projected regular season MVP was absolutely amazing in the unfortunate 5 games he had when he was literally a one man show. While Harden played well in the series for the most part (he had two subpar games), it was clear, as we've all seen, that he has a good amount of help on his team. Russell on the other hand, was struggling to get his teammates involved and they relied heavily on him. A 50 point triple double that resulted in a loss, and a tendency to go cold in the 4th after carrying the load for the first three quarters is more of a testament to the lack of help he received from his teammates, and it should not be a shock that the man who pushed his team to the 6th seed, 47 wins, and played 81 of the 82 games on the season would be just as epic in the playoffs. I hated seeing Russ have his season end earlier, but seeing him average a triple double over those 5 games, and keep his team in the game when they looked out of it made him the star of that series even in a losing effort.
-The Klaw is really becoming one of the best players in the game. Truthfully, 3 of my top 5 players make this list and Kawhi is one of them. Kawhi is the 3rd best player in the NBA behind Bron and KD (and just ahead of Steph and Russ for his defense), and in my opinion, he's the most consistent and best two way player in the game. He isn't explosive offensively like Bron or KD, and his stats don't always show how he effects the game on both ends, but Kawhi gets the job done. He's been superb in this Grizzlies series, with his best showing coming in his 43 point performance against the Grizzlies in game 4, which went to OT and is honestly the best game of the playoff season so far. Kawhi put up 16 straight points of offense for the Spurs and willed his team back into the game. That's a new level we are not used to seeing Kawhi being on and he keeps growing as a player. If he keeps this up, he will be an all time great when it's all said and done, but through the 5 games so far, he's been amazing. I wonder what he does in game 6.
-The two time MVP is back. There are two big reasons for the Warriors success, and they are the heart and soul of this team: Steph and Draymond Green. It was tough not to put Draymond on this list given his amazing play and stats (13.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 4.3 BPG), but the main catalyst for their success when they needed it was Steph. He is the true soul of the team, while Draymond is the heart. Without KD for two of the four games, Steph stepped up, and when KD was there, Steph still did his thing. In game 1, Steph was extremely clutch, and while he wasn't hitting as many shots in game 2, he still helped to run the offense and come away with steals. His two best performances came in games 3 and 4, where he helped to lead a march back from 16 points down alongside Klay Thompson, and hit two dagger shots to put the Blazers away when it counted the most. Game 4, he was just superb, shooting 60% from the field, going 7-11 from three and putting up 37 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists. For the Warriors, Steph was one of the most vital components and the leader for that team.
-You know damn well that Bron would be on this list. The best player in the world got it done on both ends of the floor when it counted. After 14 seasons, there's no one quite like playoff Bron, and he showed why in the Pacers sweep. Make no mistake about it, the Cavs struggled and will likely have some struggles going forward, but Bron himself has nothing to worry about. He's getting steals, blocks, pulling down boards, finding his teammates, and scoring efficiently. His biggest moment of the first round came when the Pacers had the Cavs down by 25 at the half, and Bron willed the team back from that deficit by placing them on his back when it counted most. The Cavs leaned on Bron a lot and he played the most minutes of anyone I believe in the first round, and he didn't disappoint. He was a true star of the first round, as he is every round of the playoffs and every season.
*John Wall (27.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 10.8 APG, 5 Games)
-The Wizards are one win away from advancing to the 2nd round. John Wall is a big reason for that. There's no denying that Wall has turned all attention to him this season, showing he can lead the Wizards to playoff prominence. The Wizards have struggled a bit against the Hawks, but the one player who hasn't seemed to have a problem is Wall. He's assisting and scoring at will, and his infamous dunks have been followed with trash talk, perhaps none better than his "Fuck Wrong With You Boy" statement to Dennis Schroder. Over the first 6 games of this season, Wall has averaged a double double and has managed to be the true leader and the most vital part of the Wizards to lead them to their 3-2 advantage in the series.
As the brand split continues on, and the Superstar Shakeup is over, we reach the first PPV following Wrestlemania. The first PPV after Mania, Payback is an all RAW (well technically) PPV, and it will be interesting. There's not much on the card that's really enticing, but we're here to take a look at each match and what could be brought to the table, and what might happen at this event. The show will feature Finn Balor on the kickoff show on MizTV, which already is an issue, plus there's no Dean Ambrose match, as he's also a new RAW star after being sent over in the Shakeup. So far, we're off to an interesting yet odd start for the night. Let's get into the rest of the event.
*Kickoff Match Enzo and Cass vs Gallows and Anderson
-Gallows and Anderson were just tag team champions and everyone suspected that Enzo and Cass would be the champions before the Hardys returned, but here we are. This match has been done to death and this will be no different than the other 45 times that it has happened. I expect Enzo and Cass to get the win and likely feud with the winners of the tag title match next.
*US Championship Match Kevin Owens vs Chris Jericho
-This match is confusing. Whoever wins goes to Smackdown. Jericho is nearing the end of his year plus run and Owens is currently getting into a feud with AJ Styles. With that being said, this is likely a match of the night candidate, and the best way to finish off a feud that carried RAW for the majority of the new year. Jericho and Owens could go 20 minutes and steal the show with Owens getting the win to send Jericho away for however long this time.
*Tag Team Title Match The Hardy Boyz vs Cesaro & Sheamus
-This match could be really good. With Broken Matt Hardy clearly on the way, this could actually be a match that the Hardys lose. The new Hardy Boyz gear is just getting out there, but it could be time to let the nostalgia trip end so we can move on to the next step in the Hardy journey. WWE sees potential in Jeff as a singles participant for the future, and with feuds against Seth, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt, and more, and the inevitable Matt and Bray clash destined to happen, one has to wonder if Cesaro and Sheamus will pick up the win after they've lost each of the singles matches respectively against the brothers. There is a tease of a heel turn for Cesaro and Sheamus and I could see them turning heel to win the match and the titles and moving on to face Enzo and Cass next. I can also see the Hardys retaining and then Cesaro and Sheamus turning heel to continue the feud. Knowing WWE, the latter is more likely.
*WWE RAW Women's Championship Match Bayley vs Alexa Bliss
-The WWE is dragging their feet to have a Bayley vs Sasha feud. Truthfully, WWE doesn't know what they're doing. They built up Nia Jax and it's done nothing, and Sasha hasn't been relevant as much since losing to Charlotte the final time. Alexa Bliss is here and I think she might actually be the one to defeat Bayley. Alexa is already engaging the audience and filling that super heel role very well for RAW without Charlotte there. Alexa will either win, or just lose this match by a roll up, leaving the door open for another match, in which I think Alexa will win. WWE could go the right route and let Alexa defeat the bland Bayley, but knowing WWE, Bayley retains and the feud continues because Extreme Rules is coming soon within the next 5 weeks or so.
*Cruiserweight Championship Match Austin Aries vs Neville
-As great as Neville has been as the champion, it's time to move on and give the belt to Austin Aries. Aries is the most over guy in the division, and he's poised to be champion soon. There's an angle now being built around TJ Perkins and Neville as a team, and Aries teaming up with Jack Gallagher, and that could play a role here. Could TJP help Neville retain? Or will that interference backfire and cost Neville the title? That's a question that we will find out the answer to Sunday, but I think it's time to give Aries the title. He's helped make the division seem bigger since he joined, and this feud could continue on for another month or so. The only way to really do that however is to let Aries win the title. This is another match of the night candidate.
*House Of Horrors Match Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt
-I have no idea what to expect from this. Truthfully, my expectations are extremely low. As they should be. With Bray now on RAW and Jinder Mahal (terrible) going against Orton, this feud is just there to be there. It makes no sense and they killed it after their horrible Mania bout. I expect that without the title on the line, the WWE somehow gives the win to Bray as he enters into his late spring-summer feud with Finn Balor, as a win here gives him his usual bit of momentum before it is killed. Bray stood tall at the end of RAW and if they have big plans for him, then there's only one way to go about this, and that's have Bray go over and send Orton back to Smackdown to feud with...... Jinder.... Mahal... for the WWE Title. I can't believe I just wrote that. Wow.
*Samoa Joe vs Seth Rollins
-This match has no momentum behind it. It feels like a mid card battle and has the importance of one. The issue with Brock Lesnar being champion is that the other matches don't seem to feel big because there's no title implications involved. Joe vs Rollins is a main event level match, and I expect Rollins to somehow get the victory in this one. Joe will come up short, and likely attack Rollins after the match, or it is possible that we see Triple H return or Stephanie return to help cost Seth the match (it would make no sense though since the feud seemingly ended at Mania). Seth vs Joe could really be a match of the night candidate as well, but I don't expect it to get much more than 15-17 minutes, and it will likely end in some sort of screwed finish to make this feud continue on to Extreme Rules. *Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman
-In many ways, I think this is a No. 1 contender's match. At least it should be. All signs point to Braun needing a victory here. Reigns sucks and is getting forced so much that the WWE really is ruining their product to keep him face. The awful video package to force him as face again shows how idiotic Vince and the top brass are, and I expect the crowd to be behind Braun, as PPV crowds usually are against Reigns completely. Regardless, the narrative of Reigns getting brutally injured then coming back to defend Braun cleanly in a one on one match will only fuel more hatred (rightfully so) against Reigns and throw away all the hard work that has gone into making Braun into a star and getting him over big time. Knowing this, and knowing how dumb the WWE is, Reigns will win with like 3 spears in a row and we fall back into that painful, soul crushing status quo that WWE has dwelled in for the last 7 years off and on.
Will Payback be a great event? Probably not. Will it be a good event? There's a chance. I say it ends up as a middle of the road PPV, with some bad results that kills momentum as the show rolls on. So basically, I predict this will be like any other WWE PPV. The same old shit. Unfortunately.
As soon as the opening hit of their theme graces an arena, you instantly know what's coming next: "Oh You Didn't Know.... YOUR ASS BETTA CALLLLL SOMEBODYYYY". From the inception of the New Age Outlaws, I don't think any of us would have thought that they would become one of the greatest tag teams of the Attitude Era. As 1997 was nearing the end, the official formation of the New Age Outlaws was already underway. Jesse James and Rockabilly were feuding with each other when they all of a sudden decided to team up with each other. It was an interesting move that was honestly seen as insignificant because both these wrestlers were seen as jobbers for the most part. They would begin to work together and start attacking opponents at random and you could slowly see things start to come together a bit.
Calling themselves Bad Ass Billy Gunn and Road Dogg Jesse James, the New Age Outlaws were born. They would win the tag team titles almost instantly in November 1997, defeating the Legion of Doom. After their title win, the Outlaws would go on a rampage, taking on every team in their path and from time to time, aligning with Triple H and Shawn Michaels, hinting at them possibly joining D-Generation X. With that in the wings, and more challengers arising, the Outlaws seemed focused to hold onto their titles. They would feud with Mankind/Mick Foley, who would transform back into Cactus Jack to push against the Outlaws. He would team up with Terry Funk and they would challenge the Outlaws for the titles as Chainsaw Charlie and Cactus Jack. Chainsaw and Cactus would win the titles in a Dumpster match at Wrestlemania 14, but the Outlaws would regain the titles once again the next night in a Steel Cage match on RAW with help from Triple H and X-Pac to form the new edition of DX.
With the newfound popularity in DX, the Outlaws would be more tweeners than heels and they helped to make DX the most popular faction in wrestling at the time. They would have the crowds singing along with them through their entrance, and as the Outlaws remained popular, DX began to lose steam. Eventually, the Outlaws would lose their titles and the split of DX and the Outlaws would occur. After the split, Billy and Road Dogg would feud briefly, but it didn't work. They would reunite to bring DX back from the dead in the McMahon-Helmsey era, but it was a short lived run after an injury put Gunn on the sideline and eventually Road Dogg would be fired as well.
After their departure from WWF, the Outlaws would reunite in TNA, but that period is insignificant in a major way because they weren't the actual Outlaws anymore (they were for about a few months, but that would soon change). They would then be called James Gang before going to the Voodoo Kin Mafia name and that was honestly just a terrible ripoff and a weird play on the VKM initials of Vince K. McMahon. During the TNA run, it seemed as if the Outlaws or VKM were hellbent on pissing off the WWE brass and making them angry. They would taunt and target the WWE, including their former friends, DX, when they reunited in 2006. In 2008, the VKM was disbanded when Billy turned on Road Dogg once again, and they were pretty quiet from there.
That was until 2012.
Raw 1000 saw the return of the New Age Outlaws for a huge DX reunion and from there, it seems like the Outlaws had rebuilt their relationship with WWE and they would soon be working with the company again regularly doing house shows and teaming against Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. In March 2013, their reunion was made official as they would end up fighting on RAW for the first time in years against Primo and Epico in a victory. After that victory, they would be used as pawns so to speak in the Triple H vs Brock Lesnar feud, getting attacked by Brock on RAW and going away for awhile.
The last hurrah for the Outlaws came in 2014, as they would turn heel and end up defeating Cody Rhodes and Goldust for the tag team titles, for their final run with the belts. After a solid rematch with Cody and Goldust, the Outlaws were now the "Corporate Outlaws" and heels who would drop the belts to the Usos before Wrestlemania. As Wrestlemania 30 approached, the Outlaws would team with Kane to stop the Shield, but the Outlaws and Kane would get squashed by the Shield and go away yet again. They would not wrestle again except once more against the Ascension at the Royal Rumble 2015, losing rather quickly. The final run for them came at Wrestlemania 31 in the form of an appearance during the Triple H vs Sting match. The Outlaws haven't made any appearances since and don't seem likely to return.
Regardless if they come back or not, the New Age Outlaws are one of the best teams from the Attitude Era and will always be remembered as such.
When the WWF was in a very dark period, we watched them lean on Shawn Michaels to lead the charge. After losing Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to WCW, and the start of the NWO with Hulk Hogan back in prominence and the hiatus of Bret Hart, the WWF turned to Shawn Michaels to be the star and the guy. Going into the 2nd biggest event of the year, Shawn needed a challenger. Enter Vader. A former WCW main eventer, Vader was on a rampage and this would lead to a huge clash against HBK on the biggest stage of the summer. In addition to HBK vs Vader, Summerslam featured a plethora of interesting matchups, kicking off with a hilarious 2 minute contest between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Yokozuna on the Free For All. Today, we wanted to take a rewind back to Summerslam 1996, and reflect on the PPV. Was it solid? Was it a good event? That's what I'm here to find out. Let's get into it.
*Owen Hart vs Savio Vega
-This opening match was actually pretty good. Going a solid 14 minutes, Owen was a ring general to the fullest, helping to lead Savio to one of his best matches in the WWF. Owen was wearing the cast for his injury, and would utilize it to help him get the victory over Savio. The finish was Owen locking Savio in the sharpshooter after hitting him with the cast, and though Owen was the heel in this match, he would receive a number of cheers for walking out with the win. A solid opening match.
*WWF Tag Team Championship The Smoking Gunns vs The New Rockers vs The Godwinns vs The Bodydonnas
-This was an interesting match. It was a fatal four way elimination match for the tag titles, but for some reason, it just felt extremely rushed. There was a weird element in this match, as Sunny had left the Bodydonnas and ended up turning heel by managing the Smoking Gunns, who came into this match as the defending champions. The Bodydonnas replaced Sunny with.... with.... a man in woman's attire named Cloudy. While today's society might enjoy this angle, it was disturbing and still is regardless. The Smoking Gunns would retain in this match and hold onto their titles however, leaving these three teams in the dust.
*Sycho Sid vs British Bulldog
-Despite what Phranchize wants you to believe, Sycho Sid sucks. He always has. He was never a good wrestler to watch, and this match was short and sweet because he wasn't a great worker. Bulldog was a solid worker, but what more can be done to help Sid? Nothing. He picks the win in a slightly glorified squash that saw Sid look pretty dominant in the match. Bulldog deserved better than this to be honest. *Goldust vs Marc Mero
-This match was pretty standard, but was still fun. I think Goldust was on a role of sorts in 1996, and Marc Mero was still trying to find his footing. Both men were solid workers, and this match doesn't necessarily disappoint, especially with Marlena and Sable at ringside. Goldust picks up the win in a 12 minute contest, which I personally think Mero should have won.
*Jerry Lawler vs Jake Roberts
-I hated this feud. I hated this match. Lawler wins, when he shouldn't have, and this was essentially the beginning of the end of the 2nd run for Jake Roberts. I really didn't like how the WWF exploited his return from his demons, because I feel like this should have ended with him beating Lawler.... instead Lawler wins in 4 minutes. The less said about this the better.
*Boiler Room Brawl The Undertaker vs Mankind
-This match is one of a kind. It was interesting because the Mankind vs Undertaker feud was one of the best that I witnessed during the 90's. These two odd personalities kept clashing for months and after everything they had been through in 1996, this seemed to be the culmination of it. The first ever Boiler Room Brawl saw Taker and Mankind bring their best before the crazy ending that saw Paul Bearer turn on Undertaker at the end of the match leading to Mankind getting a victory. The 5 year partnership between Bearer and Taker came to an end, and Mankind seemingly got even stronger as a result. This is the best match of the night IMO, as it had enough drama and fun in it to make it work.
*WWF Championship Shawn Michaels vs Vader
-This match was weird. One, it was far too long. Two, it had a bunch of finishes and restarts that didn't make much sense. First, Vader wins by countout. Cornette asks for the match to be restarted. Then Vader wins by DQ. Then they restart it again. It was really odd to watch and at the end of the match, HBK stood tall. I think the restarts and finishes were just to stretch out the match and try to make Vader look slightly strong, but it killed his entire credibility afterwards. Vader was a monster and to lose cleanly to HBK just felt as if his whole push was gone, and basically that was the case. He never got another big time shot at the WWF Title and after HBK won this match, he just sort of jumped from random feud to feud until Vader eventually became a glorified monster jobber until his departure.
Truthfully, Summerslam 1996 is a fairly weak event by WWF standards. Sure, there were a few decent matches, but overall, this PPV shows exactly why the WWF was losing the ratings war. Where does Summerslam 1996 rank on a scale of 1 to 10? I'd give it a 5 overall, meaning it's not horrible, but it definitely falls short of being a good event.
John Cena, love him or hate him (I mostly hate him), is a legend in professional wrestling. He's been at the top of his game for the last few years, and despite missing a prime opportunity to have a Wrestlemania classic with The Undertaker this year, Cena has virtually done it all in the WWE. With that being said, as he enjoys his current part time role in WWE while earning more Hollywood fame, what is left for him to do? He won title no. 16, and has recently just got engaged to his girlfriend Nikki Bella, so what else is next? Let's take a look at a few things that could possibly be next for Cena.
*Match With Roman Reigns
-This is likely going to happen between Summerslam and Wrestlemania 34 in some form of Smackdown vs RAW match. The smartest thing to do for WWE would be having this match at Wrestlemania 34, and keeping both men out of the title picture. I'd hope Cena wins this one, but this would be another forcing of Reigns and another victory in a row. Still, this has to happen. It's the old vs the new superman essentially. The ultimate clash.
*Feud With Finn Balor
-I would like to see Finn turn heel and somehow end up in a feud with Cena. You could bring the Club into it or not, but Cena needs to feud or have a match with Balor at some point before walking away. Now that he's part time, there are limited opportunities for Cena matches and feuds, but this is one that needs to happen. I feel like the crowd would be electric for this and the match, at a Summerslam or Survivor Series or Mania, would be a huge draw.
*Putting Shinsuke Nakamura Over
-Nakamura is reportedly in the role of Cena now in terms of dark matches to keep people around for 205 Live after Smackdown ends. With that being said, the ultimate showman in Nakamura against the biggest name in the WWE over the last 10 years or so is a match that we need. Preferably at Summerslam, I think this match would be huge and honestly draw attention not just here in the US, but especially overseas. Imagine Cena vs Nakamura in Brooklyn for Summerslam or in front of 80,000 strong at Wrestlemania. That energy, the crowd, and most of all, that match would be electric. If there's one thing that Cena definitely should do before 2018 ends, it is put Nakamura over, which he probably wouldn't have an issue doing. Cena vs Nakamura. Just imagine how big that could be.
*Giving Baron Corbin His Biggest Feud
-Truthfully, there's no other match or feud for Cena on Smackdown that we haven't seen before minus perhaps a possible Sami Zayn feud. However, Cena vs Sami doesn't have that much of an appeal to it. We've seen AJ vs Cena plenty of times, and Cena vs Owens a few times, so the only feud that would appeal in terms of putting a young heel over on the brand is this match/feud. Corbin is improving and is due for a big push, so what better way to elevate him than to have him take on the veteran that is Cena. Cena vs Corbin probably wouldn't spawn a classic match, but the feud itself is enough to spark interest for just about any fan of the product. This is likely to happen anyways before 2017 closes out.
*Long Awaited Samoa Joe Feud
-If there's one feud that we have all wanted, it's this one. Samoa Joe. John Cena. One on one. This could very well be his Wrestlemania bout on a RAW vs Smackdown deal, similar to how he could end up battling Finn or Reigns. Regardless, this is the most intriguing match of them all for him, besides Nakamura. Joe is a tough fighter, a submission guy, and they have their own history with each other from years ago. The story built in this would easily work and the promos could be good as well. The match would be a lot of fun to witness as well, and if this feud were to spread out over a few months due to a brand change for either man, this could end up as a feud of the year candidate in WWE. Samoa Joe vs John Cena, Wrestlemania 34. Book it WWE.
*Win WWE Title No. 17
-This doesn't really need to happen, but knowing WWE, it just might. This would elevate Cena beyond Flair in the record books, and while I don't want that... it might be possible and I could see it happening. This might be the feud that WWE does when they go with Cena vs Corbin and let Cena put Corbin over for the belt. This could be something we see at Mania 34 after Corbin wins the Rumble (just a thought). Whatever the case, knowing WWE, this could be a reality sooner than later.
There's not much left for Cena to do, but these 6 possibilities all seem like they could very be a reality within the next year or two. At that point, it might be time for Cena to hang up the boots completely and move onto Hollywood. Will he? Who knows, but there aren't many new challenges for Cena at this point. What's next for Cena? I guess we have to stay tuned to find out.
