One of the most exciting things about this year's road to WrestleMania is that, aside from a couple of matches, it's unpredictable.

Many upper-mid-card and main event-caliber guys are in limbo to some degree, including Big Show, but recent events suggest he will have a very unlikely 'Mania opponent.

Big Show has been involved in the World Heavyweight Championship scene since he beat Sheamus for the title at Hell in a Cell. Big Show dropped the belt to Alberto Del Rio several weeks ago and was unsuccessful in his bids to recapture it at Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber.

He now appears to be moving on to something else, but it isn't immediately clear to most what the next step is.

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The professional wrestling world has been taken by storm with the news of Jack Swagger's arrest in Biloxi, Miss. His WWE future is suddenly very much in question, and the creative team could be in a position where it needs to scramble and develop a new WrestleMania feud for World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio.

According to TMZ.com, Swagger was pulled over and arrested on Tuesday night following the WWE SmackDown taping. It is alleged that Swagger was driving under the influence and that he was in possession of marijuana.

All of the particulars are unclear at this point, but alcohol reportedly was not a factor; Swagger was ultimately released on his own recognizance.

There is no doubt that this entire situation looks bad for Swagger, but we still don't know how the WWE will decide to handle it.

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As great as The Shield has been since debuting at Survivor Series as a merciless force that is intent on delivering justice to the WWE, they can only sustain momentum for so long with that as their only driving force. The Shield will eventually need something else to sustain credibility, and that can very easily be done at WrestleMania XXIX in April.

In a previous article, I discussed the notion of The Shield chasing the Tag Team Championships and winning them from Team Hell No at WrestleMania. That is certainly the first step, but the WWE might as well knock it out of the park when it comes to The Shield.

Winning the tag titles would be great, since championship gold would legitimize the stable. But the more they win, the better it will be for them moving forward.

Rather than instituting the Freebird Rule, perhaps two Shield members should be designated as a tag team.

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One of the biggest criticisms that fans seem to have concerning the current WWE product is that it isn't edgy or realistic enough.

Many point to the shenanigans of Hornswoggle or John Cena's PG jocularity, but now that the WWE is providing a feud based on reality in the form of Jack Swagger vs. Alberto Del Rio, it's time to step up to the plate and embrace it.

Swagger has undergone quite the character transformation since returning about a month ago as he has gone from a cocky and comedic "All-American American" to a vicious and driven "Real American." The addition of manager Zeb Colter has a lot of people talking as well and could be the key to Swagger's success moving forward.

Better known as Southern wrestling legend Dutch Mantel, Colter has adopted the gimmick of a Vietnam War veteran who has grown disillusioned with the current state of the United States. His promos thus far have been xenophobic in nature and focused largely on illegal immigrants "stealing benefits from the American people and looking for handouts."

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It has been several weeks since Wade Barrett defeated Kofi Kingston for the Intercontinental Championship, and while it's no secret that the IC title doesn't possess the same prestige that it once did, most believed that Barrett was due for a push.

It's now blatantly clear that isn't the case.

Prior to beating Kofi for the title, Barrett was essentially used as a midcard rover. He was coming off an injury that kept him out for several months, and the creative team wasn't sure what to do with him. He had numerous matches with Sheamus, Randy Orton and other comparable superstars, but he never engaged in a true feud that led to anything bigger.

When Barrett won the Intercontinental Championship, the main positive was that he had a built-in reason to start some meaningful feuds. Aside from beating Kingston in a rematch, however, nothing much has happened.

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There is no denying that Ryback's meteoric rise to the top over the past several months has been sudden and impressive, but he has fallen on some hard times as of late. Ryback has lost at five consecutive pay-per-views, and the crowd reaction has cooled to some degree, so a heel turn in the near future could pay big dividends.

Although there are definitely arguments to be made against a Ryback heel turn, I feel like it makes a ton of sense. There is a sentiment out there that main-event faces outnumber main-event heels, but that isn't the case.

In fact, with the likes of John Cena, Sheamus, Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio ahead of Ryback or equal to him on the depth chart, many avenues to the main-event scene as a face are closed off to him right now.

The heel picture is much less muddled as CM Punk is really the only established top heel in the company. There are other heels with a ton of promise such as Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and Wade Barrett, along with veterans like Big Show and Mark Henry, but all of them would easily be surpassed by Ryback if he jumped over to the dark side.

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After beating the all-star team of John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus at Elimination Chamber, The Shield's stock is now higher than ever. The only issue, though, is that it's tough for the group to go up from here. In the effort of remaining purposeful and relevant, however, the destructive trio should go after the Tag Team Championships.

The Shield hasn't been particularly interested in titles or winning matches over its first few months in the WWE, but the time has come for them to get involved with something more substantial. As much as I enjoy their constant attacks on the WWE's top stars and their quest to provide justice within the WWE, they have to move on to something else at some point.

I was shocked when The Shield scored a clean victory over Cena, Ryback and Sheamus because you simply don't see those guys lose very often, particularly as a unit. I figured The Shield would lose via disqualification in order to protect everyone and the only scenario I envisioned them winning with involved somebody like Brock Lesnar or Brad Maddox interfering on their behalf.

Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns were made to look equal to three of the WWE's biggest stars, though, and that says a lot about the WWE's future plans for them. Since Cena is set to face The Rock at WrestleMania, The Shield will have a hard time building upon what they accomplished at Elimination Chamber. I suppose they could face Ryback, Sheamus and a new partner like Randy Orton, but it would be repetitive and wouldn't resonate much after The Shield already beat a team with Cena on it.

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Winning a championship in the WWE is something that takes years of dedication to the craft of professional wrestling, as well as a little bit of luck. Texas A&M head football coach Kevin Sumlin doesn't have to worry about that, however, as he will be named an honorary World Heavyweight Champion on Sunday.

According to a press release on AggieAthletics.com, Sumlin will be presented with a championship belt on Feb. 24, when the WWE live tour stops at Reed Arena on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. The ceremony will take place prior to the scheduled main event between Big Show and the real World Heavyweight Champion, Alberto Del Rio.

Perhaps Sumlin doesn't deserve an actual WWE title, but what he accomplished in his first season as head coach at Texas A&M certainly warrants some lofty accolades. One season after leading the Houston Cougars to a 12-1 record and a near BCS berth, Sumlin did the unthinkable at A&M, as the Aggies went 11-2 in their first season as a member of the SEC.

Expectations were tempered for Texas A&M this past season as they entered the best conference in all of college football. Despite that and the fact that Sumlin's starting quarterback was a freshman, the Aggies were among the best teams in the nation and even upset the eventual National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide in regular-season play. Sumlin even developed quarterback Johnny Manziel into the most dynamic player in the nation as he won the Heisman Trophy.

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