WWE News: Reviews, Analysis and Rumors for Week of April 29

Extreme Rules has come and gone, and while it seemed like we might get a little more clarity on where John Cena and Brock Lesnar currently stand, things are now more confusing than ever. Cena came out on top, but with Cena nursing a storyline injury and Lesnar snapping on Monday, it remains to be seen if they'll be around for the foreseeable future.

On top of that, both CM Punk and Sheamus defended their respective titles at Extreme Rules, so they are each getting ready to enter into new feuds. There wasn't just a ton of movement in terms of storylines over the past week, though, as some performers left WWE, others are rumored to be leaving soon and some are even being rumored to return in the coming weeks.

The weeks following WrestleMania are normally full of upheaval, and that appears to be the case this year as well. Plenty of roster movement has been taking the place with contracts not being renewed and new talent debuting, so there is plenty going on to hold the interest of all wrestling fans.

With all of that said, here are all the news pieces, rumors and other happenings from the WWE for the week beginning on April 29.

Brock Lesnar Loses to John Cena, 'Breaks' Triple H's Arm

Entering Extreme Rules, pretty much every wrestling fan figured that Brock Lesnar would defeat John Cena in order to justify his reported $5 million contract and send Cena into a further tailspin. That didn't happen, though, as Cena came out on top despite the fact that Lesnar controlled much of the match, which was one of the most intense in recent memory.

The next night on RAW, Triple H returned to television in order to nix the contract that John Laurinaitis and Lesnar had agreed to the previous week. When Triple H did this, Lesnar attacked him in a fit of rage and kayfabe broke the CEO's arm with a vicious Kimura lock. Perhaps this sets the stage for a feud between the two down the line. 

My Take

As somebody who isn't much of a Cena fan, I wasn't initially happy with the results at Extreme Rules, but after the events of Monday night, I get it. It's obvious that the plan all along was to have Lesnar and Cena to have a match before allowing Lesnar to disappear for a couple months. That was accomplished by having Lesnar break Triple H's arm, so now Lesnar will either be fired or suspended in a storyline sense.

Cena, on the other hand, is on the verge of a feud with John Laurinaitis, and in order to make that relevant, he had to beat Lesnar and preserve his spot atop the WWE. As for a potential Lesnar vs. Triple H feud, I believe it would be quite good. There aren't many guys who look like they can stand up to Lesnar physically, but Triple H can, so I fully expect him to call out Lesnar once he's "healed" in anticipation of a match at Money in the Bank or SummerSlam.

John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis at Over the Limit?

After addressing the audience following his win over Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules and suggesting that he might take some time off, John Cena was indeed on RAW and certainly looks like he will still be involved in a storyline for the foreseeable future. General manager John Laurinaitis was set to announce Cena's opponent for Over the Limit, but things went haywire from there.

Lord Tensai and Sakamoto entered the ring, so it looked like Tensai would face Cena, but Laurinaitis attacked him from behind and announced that he would be his opponent. The three men proceeded to attack Cena and target his "injured" arm as Laurinaitis smashed it with a chair on the steel steps. 

My Take

There already seems to be a lot of backlash over this match, but color me intrigued. I'm not even sure if the match will actually happen since Cena is likely to continue selling the arm injury, but if it does, it won't be as bad as many anticipate. Laurinaitis was a solid worker as Johnny Ace and gained great acclaim in Japan, so he's capable of working a short match if he has to.

I do believe that the match will happen because Cena will try to prove his toughness, but it won't be a serious match by any means. Laurinaitis is sure to add plenty of wild stipulations and there is no doubt that Tensai and Sakamoto will be involved. This match will be more about developing a feud and a hatred between each other than the match itself. I, like every wrestling fan, loved the feud between Vince McMahon and Steve Austin during the Attitude Era. This obviously won't reach that level, but it has similar elements that should make it interesting.

Bella Twins and WWE Officially Part Ways

It had been rumored for several weeks that the Bella Twins' WWE contracts were expiring the night after Extreme Rules, and that it didn't appear as though they would be renewed. It became quite apparent that that was indeed the case, as Nikki Bella lost her Divas Championship to a returning Layla, and then the Bellas were fired by Eve on RAW.

The firing was clearly kayfabe, as ProWrestling.net reported that their contracts had, in fact, run out, and that it was the Bellas' decision not to re-sign. 

My Take

The popular response is to call the Bellas useless and to say that nothing of value has been lost, but I personally believe that the Bella Twins leaving is a major blow to the Divas division. There is no doubt that they weren't the greatest in-ring performers out there, but they were renaissance women in a way, as they appeared on pretty much every show, made tons of public appearances and played whatever role they were called upon to play.

They did a very nice job as mean heels over the past several months, but they were equally capable of being faces as well. Plus, the most obvious loss is that they're gorgeous twins, which is something that can't just be replaced. The Divas division was already in pretty bad shape to begin with, so it won't be easy to make up for the loss of two versatile performers. The Bellas may not be appreciated by everybody, but for what they were, I feel like they did a great job.

Chris Jericho to Leave Prior to SummerSlam?

After losing to CM Punk for a second time  in his bid to capture the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules, it looks as though Chris Jericho will be moving on to something else. He was unsuccessful in winning the beat-the-clock challenge on RAW to get another shot at the title, so Jericho doesn't have much of a choice other than to feud with a different superstar.

That feud may not last too long either, however, as WrestlingInc.com is reporting that Jericho's band, Fozzy, will be going on tour from Aug. 15 through Sept. 30, and one of their dates is Aug. 19, which happens to be the date of SummerSlam. Since he may not be available for such a high-profile pay-per-view, he probably won't be doing anything groundbreaking until then. 

My Take

I can't say that I'm surprised by this development since it was well known that Jericho would be going back on tour this summer, but I had hoped that he might have a big feud heading into SummerSlam. I absolutely loved what he had going with Punk, and while some considered his return to be a disappointment considering the hype surrounding his promos, he was as good as he ever was in the ring and on the mic.

At least he appears to have a few months left, so we should still get some interesting matches, perhaps against guys like Randy Orton and Sheamus. There also seems to be a thought that Jericho will be back as a full-time performer once his tour concludes, so that is certainly a silver lining to the whole situation. Jericho may never be a champion or a top guy again, but he can be an important asset in terms of getting younger wrestlers over and putting on some great performances.

Sin Cara Set for Late May Return

Sin Cara has been out of action since November after suffering a knee injury at Survivor Series, but it appears as though he may be nearing a return. According to Andy Steven of WrestlingInc.com, the Spanish announce team revealed on RAW that Sin Cara would return to in-ring action during the WWE's Mexico tour from May 24 to May 26.

He didn't have the easiest transition from Mexico to the United States, as he was suspended for violating the company's wellness policy, had some problems in the ring and then got injured, but Sin Cara is a marketable superstar who figures to be a great asset. 

My Take

I was never particularly enthralled with Sin Cara, but his return can only be considered a good thing. Even if he did botch too often during his matches, he pulled out some incredible moves that most WWE fans have never seen, and that makes him a unique spectacle. He is also great for the company, as the Latin fanbase loves him—as do children—so he is a major seller of merchandise and a big-time draw.

There is no doubt that he was rushed into action and would have benefited from a little time in developmental in order to get used to the American style of wrestling, but he got some valuable experience before the injury and should be improved during his second run. There is no shortage of entertaining feuds for him to have, and he will definitely enhance the product.