WWE News: Reviews, Analysis and Rumors for Week of June 24
With one of the WWE's biggest pay-per-views of the year, a couple weeks away in the form of Money in the Bank, the top storylines are starting to take shape in anticipation of the show.
The Money in the Bank ladder matches for the WWE and world heavyweight championships, respectively, are at least partially set, and many of the qualifiers are quite surprising.
On top of that, the WWE championship match between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan is set, and the saga that is Sheamus and the world heavyweight championship continues.
Also, it was announced that a major superstar would make his on-screen return on Monday's RAW, although it is uncertain whether he will be there live or appear via satellite.
Although he isn't of the same magnitude as the superstar who is scheduled to appear on this coming RAW, a man who hasn't been seen in a WWE ring since 1997 wrestled this past Monday, as well.
Furthermore, a little-used diva quit the company this week, a move that surprised many.
There is never a dull week in the WWE, and with Money in the Bank quickly approaching, things promise to get even more hectic.
Here are are all the latest rumors and news updates, as well as analysis on the most important happenings in the WWE for the week beginning June 24.
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John Cena to Compete in WWE Championship Money in the Bank Match
1 of 5John Cena has accomplished a ton during his WWE career, as he has held both the WWE championship and world heavyweight championship on numerous occasions, won a Royal Rumble and main-evented WrestleMania several times.
One thing that he has never done, though, is compete in a Money in the Bank ladder match.
That will soon change, however, as Cena announced on RAW that he would take part in his first MITB match in an effort to stop Big Show from getting the contract for a guaranteed shot at the WWE championship.
It was announced that a returning Chris Jericho and Kane would be in the match, as well.
My Take
I'm no Cena fan, but I actually like the fact that he is going to be in a Money in the Bank match.
Many feel like earning the contract has lost its luster since it is essentially a guaranteed title win and it robs superstars of proper builds, but Cena's wanting to win it makes it important since he is the company's top guy.
What I don't like, however, is that RAW's ladder match is slated to have only four guys in it and all of them are veterans who don't really need to win the contract.
I like the chaos that an eight-man Money in the Bank match brings, so for there to be only four competitors is pretty disappointing.
Also, aside from Jericho, none of the participants are very good in ladder matches.
Kane and Big Show are big guys who can't do ladder spots, and Cena isn't passable in that regard, either.
Finally, it is too obvious that Cena is going to win.
Neither Kane nor Big Show should ever win another world title, and Jericho won't win the contract because he's going to tour with his band soon.
The concept of Cena's being in the match is good, but the execution looks mediocre at best.
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Brock Lesnar Will Address Triple H's SummerSlam Challenge on RAW
2 of 5On last week's edition of RAW, Brock Lesnar's business associate Paul Heyman addressed Triple H's challenging Lesnar to a match at SummerSlam.
Heyman declined, and Triple H ultimately punched him out.
Neither Triple H nor Heyman was on RAW this week, but it was announced that Lesnar would be on the upcoming edition of the show.
The promo stated that Lesnar would answer Triple H's challenge, but it wasn't made clear whether he would be there live or not.
If Lesnar was going to be there in the flesh, then I have to believe that the WWE would have made a bigger deal out of it.
Because of that, my best guess is that he will appear via satellite, with Heyman making an actual appearance.
My Take
As much as I couldn't care less about Lesnar, I'm interested to see where this angle goes, so I will be watching intently on Monday.
Like I said, the odds of Lesnar's actually being at the show seem pretty low, meaning a satellite appearance is the most obvious scenario. That probably wouldn't count as one of the limited number of appearances in his contract, so the WWE will be happy to do it that way.
I don't expect much to come from Monday's encounter, though.
Lesnar is likely to decline, just as Heyman did, and that will cause the saga to continue for a few more weeks.
The obvious time for Lesnar to finally accept the challenge would be on the 1,000th episode of RAW. It has already been announced that Triple H and Shawn Michaels will be there, and WrestlingInc.com is reporting that Lesnar is also being advertised for the show.
Hopefully, Lesnar attacks them both and makes his intentions to face Triple H at SummerSlam known.
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5 Superstars Qualify for SmackDown Money in the Bank Match
3 of 5While the WWE championship Money in the Bank ladder match is slated to have only four participants, with all of them being former WWE Champions, the world heavyweight championship version has a decidedly different flavor.
Five superstars qualified for the match on Friday, and it would seem likely that between one and three more will do the same over the next couple weeks.
Damien Sandow, Tyson Kidd, Christian, Santino and Tensai will all compete for a chance to earn a shot at the world heavyweight championship down the line.
This ensures that the two ladder matches will be quite different in terms of star power and the overall styles of the bouts.
My Take
As lukewarm as I am about the WWE championship Money in the Bank match, I'm equally excited about the world heavyweight championship ladder match.
Money in the Bank is supposed to be about young and/or overlooked superstars getting chances to win title shots and become future world champions.
Of the guys who have qualified for the SmackDown match thus far, only Christian has ever been a world champion in the WWE.
The only issue is that none of the five wrestlers currently in the match have a real shot at winning, so I'm expecting three more competitors to be added.
The most likely additions are Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes, while the third could possibly be someone like a returning Wade Barrett, if he is back in time.
Each of those guys is on the brink of greatness and would be pushed over the top by a Money in the Bank win, so I'm hoping to see them with the other participants.
If it turns out that way, it could be one of the most entertaining Money in the Bank matches ever.
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Sycho Sid Returns to RAW in Win over Heath Slater
4 of 5A couple weeks ago, it was announced that a superstar from the past would be returning to wrestle in a match every week ahead of RAW's 1,000th episode.
It started with Vader, and although they strayed from it the next week by bringing back Mick Foley, Roddy Piper, Wendi Richter and Cyndi Lauper in non-wrestling capacities, the original concept was utilized once again this week.
Sycho Sid returned to the WWE for the first time since 1997 and defeated Heath Slater in a squash match.
Sid is a former two-time WWE Champion and two-time WCW Champion, and it certainly came as a shock to see him back where he first became a major star.
My Take
I don't consider Sid to be one of my favorite wrestlers by any stretch of the imagination, but I can't help but have respect for the guys that I grew up watching.
Sid always had his shortcomings in the ring and on the mic, but he was a big-time player on a couple of occasions in the WWE and even main-evented WrestleMania twice. He was a believable big man and was extremely over with the crowd, so it was really nice to see him get a chance to wrestle one last WWE match.
Sid suffered a horrific leg injury in 2001 while attempting a move off the top rope. WCW was bought by WWE while he was rehabilitating the injury, so he never got a chance to return.
He has been toiling on the independent scene ever since, but he finally got the big payoff he has been fighting for.
Sid certainly looked a little older on Monday and he didn't move as well in the ring, but he delivered a gorgeous power bomb and reminded wrestling fans of the Sid of old.
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Diva Maxine Quits WWE
5 of 5Most wrestling fans consider working for the WWE to be a dream job, so it comes as a bit of a shock when someone leaves the company willingly.
That was the case this week with diva Maxine, as she has quit the WWE, according to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com.
Maxine was reportedly unhappy about her standing in the company and her contract.
Maxine had primarily been appearing on NXT since being called up from FCW, although she did participate in some television matches, including a battle royal on Monday.
Maxine clearly had a lot of potential, but perhaps she didn't allow enough time for herself to develop.
My Take
It's hard for me to be too broken up over someone leaving the company when he or she is hardly utilized, but I thought Maxine was pretty talented and had a bright future.
A lot of people are going to try to blame the WWE machine in this instance, but she wasn't fired, so this is all on Maxine.
I understand her feelings when it comes to wanting to move up and be involved in meaningful angles, but she is still fairly inexperienced in the business and can't expect things to happen overnight.
The WWE doesn't really use its divas division in any capacity, so Maxine was probably expecting a little too much if she thought she deserved a push or was going to get one.
The organization is actually losing divas at a pretty large rate right now, and that will only encourage the WWE to spend less time promoting the division.
Maxine could have been good, but I suppose we'll never know now.
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