It was reported earlier that according to the Wrestling Observer, something “huge” will be taking place on Monday Night Raw following the 2015 SummerSlam event, but no information as to what this could possibly be has been confirmed.
Naturally, as wrestling fans, we’re all primed to let our imaginations run wild and start speculating about the different possibilities for this news.
As such, I had my own theories that popped into my mind when first thinking about this, and I think I’ve narrowed down the choices to three major candidates.
1. Victory Celebration for John Cena / Seth Rollins
Ric Flair is supposedly in town for this weekend of events, which means one of three things in its own right: 1) he’s there to support Charlotte, 2) he’s there to visit fans and be an ambassador and chat it up with the guys backstage and not much more on top of that, or 3) he will play some part in John Cena’s quest to obtain his 16th world championship.
The first and second options are self-explanatory, but the third requires more discussion. For those who aren’t aware, one of Ric Flair’s most prestigious legacies is his 16 world title reigns which have yet to be matched in the same capacity by anyone else (although, all things being equal, people have held more in other promotions, but WWE doesn’t recognize those as being on the same level). John Cena is currently at 15, so if he were to defeat Seth Rollins, he’d tie Flair’s record and be one step further to passing it down the line.
Maybe Flair shows up on Raw to participate in a big celebration to honor Cena for being on the same pedestal. Alternatively, what if Flair shows up to do the total opposite, helping Rollins win the match to prevent Cena from achieving the same record.
Then again, what if Seth Rollins wins? There’s no point in WWE keeping the United States Championship around if Rollins won’t be defending it, so it would seem like a good time to unify the belts in a big celebration that may or may not include that statue Rollins wants built of himself as alluded to on Raw this week.
Getting rid of a championship is big news and should be treated as such, especially after the fun John Cena’s put into the US title over the past few months. Having Cena face Rollins pretty much came out of the blue in the first place, so perhaps it was WWE’s intention to combine the belts for months now and that is the reason why Kevin Owens was not given his arguably rightful follow-up victory over Cena.
When you factor in the possibility that Triple H could turn on Seth Rollins at some point to set up a match at Night of Champions as well as the chance Sheamus cashes in the Money in the Bank briefcase, the easy target for this rumor seems to revolve around the title situation.
2. NXT Takes Over
SummerSlam is bigger than ever this year, but don’t forget about the other event happening with NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. Pretty much everyone in WWE should be around the Brooklyn area for either that event and/or SummerSlam, so when Monday Night Raw comes along, who’s to say some of the NXT people that are still in the vicinity don’t make an appearance of some sort?
What makes me doubt this to an extent is how we’ve just recently had three women from NXT come up to the main roster, so can NXT really afford to take more people off that show? If this were Survivor Series time, my anticipation for a Team WWE vs Team NXT match would spike significantly, but I don’t feel as though NXT will be represented at Night of Champions in some fashion.
Still, NXT is getting a ton of buzz and with that many of those stars being in the area, it’s tough to deny how tempting it would be for WWE to book something involving them on Raw.
3. A Legend Returns
The third option is a more random one, but also the most likely even if it could end up being the most bland, too. Simply put, any time a big enough legend shows up and does something that will lead to a match down the line, it’s a big deal. It doesn’t mean as much to have a backstage segment or cut a promo, but someone who can wrestle holds a lot of weight.
What if Sting pops up to set forth plans for a match against The Undertaker? What if The Rock comes into the fray to help Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose against The Wyatt Family, who could debut a third member (and how crazy would it be if that were Sting!) Hell, what if Stone Cold Steve Austin announces that he’s coming out of retirement to fight someone? Stranger things have happened…
Mixing a legend with an announcement, so long as it’s been enough, is a simple recipe for success to get the people talking. Even someone who isn’t an older “legend” could make a huge announcement, such as Daniel Bryan coming back to in-ring competition. There are too many variables and possibilities for something like this to be predicted, but that’s part of the fun of the surprise, too, so if WWE does have something planned in this regard, it’s better not to know ahead of time.
What do you think this will end up being? Do you agree with the theories above or do you have your own ideas? Is this going to turn out to just be random dirt sheet hyperbole that never comes to fruition?
Leave us your predictions in the comments below!