WrestleMania 28: What's Next for Teddy Long After Loss to John Laurinaitis?

At WrestleMania, Team Teddy fought bravely to win Teddy Long control over both Raw and SmackDown.

Alas due to interference from Zack Ryder's scheming love interest, Eve Torres, who distracted Ryder and allowed Miz to perform the match-ending Skull Crush Finale, Team Teddy lost and everyone's favourite tag match-making GM is now out of a job.

Oh, and Zack Ryder looks like even more of a geek than he did before, if such a thing is even possible.

Per the match stipulations, dastardly heel boss John Laurinaitis will now wield considerable power over both shows, which has to be bad news for the babyfaces on SmackDown.

So what now for Long?

Well, the first option is that he will simply be taken off television and not be seen again for a while.

Certainly, Long has been over-exposed as an on-screen character and fans could probably use a break from him. He was appointed SmackDdown GM in 2004 and, sans the odd sabbatical here and there, has been in that role ever since.

At a time when the entire WWE brand is stale and desperately needs freshening up, taking Teddy out and placing the newer Laurinaitis in the SD role may be an astute move on the part of the writers.

However, as his long tenure on television attests to, WWE brass seem to be fond of Long. Maybe it's his on-screen charisma or ability to get a crowd behind him (this current power struggle storyline has been notable for just how over Long is with the crowd and how much the fans seem to adore him). We don't know. But the promotion seem to like him tremendously, as thus a swift return to TV seems likely.    

So how could Teddy return?

Well, who's to say his battle with John Laurinaitis is over?

Maybe, in the storyline, Long could argue strongly to the all-powerful WWE Board of Directors that Eve's interference was grossly unfair and he should be given another chance to win back his old role. This could lead to a whole new match at Extreme Rules, with similar stipulations.

Or maybe Laurinaitis could prove to be so woefully incompetent and unfair as Raw and SmackDown GM the Board of Directors will feel they have no choice but to try and bring Long back for another run?

Another option is that Long stays away from the authority figure role and returns to being a manger (this was something he did on SmackDown before being promoted to GM). Certainly, his considerable promo skills and charisma could be of great use to some up-and-comer and help them get over. 

If WWE can think of nothing else to do with the star, there could also be a role for Long as an authority figure on NXT, WWE's popular internet-only show, which is where a lot of talented veterans, like William Regal, have ended up.

Summarily, after his team's disenchanting loss to John Laurinaitis at WM, things may ostensibly look very uncertain for Long, a veteran of WWE TV. But we have no doubt that, with his skills and support in the back, he'll end up somewhere notable and high-profile. 

I mean, come on: Someone has to come out and make tag matches all the time!