WWE Mailbag: Answering Your Questions on Christian, WWE Hall of Fame and More

And I'm back...with another WWE Mailbag.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last couple of months, you should know the drill by now: You ask your wrestling-related questions, and I give you my answers.

You can do that either on Twitter or Formspring. I will answer all questions (well, at least ones that aren't offensive), but I'll pick the best ones to include right here in the mailbag.

In this week's edition, I tackle a number of topics, including what lies ahead for Christian, my thoughts on Ryback, an interesting question about the WWE Hall of Fame and a look at how Raw's move to three hours might affect the WWE's other shows.

All right, let's get to it: This is the May 25th edition of the WWE Mailbag.

What Did I Think of Over the Limit?

What did you think of Over The Limit?

Given that Over the Limit could have easily sucked, I was very surprised at how good it was.

It wasn't a fantastic pay-per-view, but I think it performed well on a number of levels.

For starters, we got a nice surprise with the return of Christian, who won the Intercontinental title and seemingly turned baby-face as well.

We also had a very good undercard, with the WWE Tag-Team Championship match and the Fatal 4-Way sticking out as great matches, while Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk was arguably the best match of the year so far.

Although, aside from Christian's return, the show was pretty predictable, it was still booked very well and was entertaining throughout.

The match between John Cena and John Laurinaitis was the most predictable bout on the card and a little too TV-caliber for me, but I understand why it was done.

Had that match been replaced with Cena taking on an actual WWE star, I think that Over the Limit would have been a lot better, but oh well.

We got three good-to-great matches (tag team, WHC and WWE title matches), a shocking return (Christian), a better-than-usual Divas match and the continuation of a main event angle (Show, Laurinaitis, Cena, etc.).

I'd rank Over the Limit as the third best WWE PPV of 2012 so far (behind Extreme Rules and WrestleMania), largely because of how good Punk vs. Bryan was.

My Thoughts on Ryback

I've been watching Ryback squash opponents for number of weeks and I've been feeling that he has a lot of potential to start up some good feuds and become bigger in the WWE. All in all, I see him being very dominant and successful. What do you think?

I'm torn on what to think about Ryback.

Like you, I think he has a lot of potential and appears to be a bit more athletic and agile than most wrestlers with his body type, but I don't necessarily think he's destined to have a great career.

While Ryback has been booked to be incredibly dominant so far, that might turn out to be a more of a curse than a blessing.

Why? Well, two reasons: Because he can't get rid of the Goldberg comparisons, and a Goldberg-like winning streak (which he's currently on) is already getting boring and will only continue to do so.

One of the main reasons that some fans can't stand John Cena is because he hardly ever loses and thus becomes stale. I think Ryback could find himself in danger of having that happen as well.

The appeal that WWE sees behind the Ryback character is that he's unstoppable and unbeatable. But the unbeatable thing gets really old really quickly (unless you're Undertaker), and on the flip side, Ryback is going to lose a lot of his appeal once he loses.

He's going to be a tough character to book because you don't want him to lose, but having him continue to win might hurt hurt him more than a loss would.

Ryback's success is going to depend largely on crowd reaction and the creative team, and although he's got creative behind him now, I think he's going to fizzle away sooner or later.

I don't think Ryback's going to be a bona-fide main eventer or a jobber, though. I think he'll spend most of his career somewhere in between, as a solid mid-carder. 

Obviously, I could be totally wrong on all of this, though.

Will Raw's Expansion to 3 Hours Spell the End of Other WWE Shows?

will the 3 hour raw spell the end for possibly superstars, nxt or even smackdown?

SmackDown isn't going anywhere, and neither is NXT.

The blue brand is responsible for one of SyFy's most watched shows, and unless ratings were to take a dramatic plunge, SmackDown has a pretty cozy spot on that network.

If anything, ratings will improve as SmackDown stars get more exposure on Raw each week.

NXT will stick around, too, because the WWE just made a major overhaul to that show and is now filming it at Full Sail University, which means Raw's expansion to three hours will have virtually no effect on it.

The only show that might be in jeopardy is Superstars because it doesn't have a TV home, and the extra hour of Raw is going to limit, if not completely eliminate, the amount of time that the WWE has to film Superstars matches prior to Raw.

Even then, though, the WWE will likely find time to film a Superstars match or two before Raw, or they will film all Superstars matches prior to taping SmackDown on Tuesdays.

I'm not saying that this is definitely the case, but there are ways to keep Superstars afloat even though Raw is now three hours.

I think Superstars will stick around (especially as the WWE looks for a TV home for it and looks to find ways to fill up time for the WWE Network), but it wouldn't be totally shocking if the move to Raw spelled the end of the show.

What's the Plan for Christian?

From @ItalianHabsMike: What are the long term plans for Christian? I feel he deserves better than the IC Title.

Obviously, that depends on the creative team, which means anything can happen, no matter how stupid it may be.

I think the short-term plan is for Christian to feud with Cody Rhodes, but I don't think that'll go much past No Way Out or Money in the Bank, and I see Christian hanging onto the Intercontinental Championship.

While some may feel that Christian deserves better, I don't think holding a mid-card title is all that bad, especially given how some other former main eventers (The Miz) have completely fallen off the map.

Christian's spot as Intercontinental Champion ensures that he'll at least be relevant, and I'd expect him to move into a role similar to what Big Show had been in on SmackDown prior to his heel turn (and likely move to Raw).

Captain Charisma should be an upper mid-card baby face who is used in the main event when needed. Basically, he'll be a borderline main eventer that the creative team uses as a reliable performer at the top of the SmackDown card.

I don't see him getting back to the World title picture for a while, but that's OK.

What's wrong with him feuding with upper mid-card heels like Dolph Ziggler, Rhodes and up-and-comers like Damien Sandow and Antonio Cesaro?

Christian can have a good match with just about anybody, and I think he could be the Randy Orton of 2012, a baby face who consistently delivers in the ring and helps younger heels get over.

Pick One Diva the WWE Dropped the Ball on

From @Phaed_Ra: a Diva that could have been a success, if she stayed with the company, I would've said Maria.

This one's easy: Serena Deeb.

You know her simply as "Serena," the only female member of CM Punk's Straight Edge Society.

She was reportedly released by the WWE because she failed to "live out" her Straight Edge lifestyle, which is borderline ridiculous because superstars break kayfabe all the time in public now.

The WWE really dropped the ball on this one because the Divas division was so thin at the time of Serena's release (and still is), and she could outwork any Diva not named Natalya or Beth Phoenix.

Serena is easy on the eyes (at least when she has hair), can actually wrestle and is still really young at just 25 years old.

I know that women's wrestling isn't a priority in the WWE, but it could be if the company had more Divas like Serena.

Oh, and if they didn't release Serena, either. 

Who Will Win the Money in the Bank Matches at the PPV?

whose gonna win the MITB matches this year?

Since the brand split means next to nothing these days, I'm not sure if we're going to get one or two Money in the Bank matches at the July pay-per-view.

But because we've traditionally had two matches at the PPV, I'm going to pick two winners.

On SmackDown, I think there are really only two logical choices: either Wade Barrett or Cody Rhodes.

If Barrett's healthy in time for MITB, I think he's a safe bet to win the briefcase because he's been teetering on the borderline of the main event for so long and deserves to be there.

If Barrett's not healthy, though, I think the only other realistic option is Rhodes.

Like Barrett, he's got all the tools to not only be a main eventer, but to be a World champion. Given that he just dropped the Intercontinental Championship as well, that could be a sign that he's headed for the World title scene.

So, to sum up, I've got Barrett if he's healthy and Rhodes if he isn't.

Over on the Raw side, things are a little more tricky because most of the mid-carders on that show are booked like crap, and I don't think an already established main eventer is going to win it.

So, my top two choices are Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston.

Both guys haven't been booked all that great for a while now, but Ziggler's so damn good in the ring that I think it's just a matter of time before he's back in the main event scene. Once he drops Vickie Guerrero and Jack Swagger, he should be there.

As for Kingston, the WWE has teased elevating him to the main event in the past, and it's never actually happened for more than like a few weeks.

However, I'll go with Kingston as my pick because the WWE shocked us by having Daniel Bryan win it last year and could do so again by giving Kingston the victory.

He deserves it, and giving him the briefcase could lead to a fantastic heel turn or his first legitimate main-event run.

Which Stars Have TNA and WWE Dropped the Ball On?

From @georgec1982: which stars have WWE and TNA dropped the ball with and why?

I would try and come up with every name possible, but I have to work and have family/social obligations to attend to, so I'll try to keep it relatively short.

I'll come up with three for TNA (because I watch it far less often) and five for WWE (sticking with current stars for both):

TNA:

3. Alex Shelley

He recently "quit" TNA, which is a shame because that effectively splits up the Motor Machine Guns.

He's incredibly talented (just saw him live), and someone who should be an X-division and tag-team mainstay.

2. Matt Morgan

It looks like Morgan could be WWE bound now, so TNA will be losing one of the best all-around big men in the business.

1. Samoa Joe

He should be the face of the company, but he's not. Hell of a talent.

WWE:

5. Kofi Kingston

He's not in a bad spot on the roster whatsoever, but he can't get past the mid-card despite the fact that the fans love him. They're begging to see Kofi in a more high-profile spot, yet he's been in his same position for like four years now.

4. Drew McIntyre

He started off with a great gimmick as "The Chosen One," but backstage problems prevented him from reaching the main event. Now, he's hardly ever on TV, and when he is, he jobs.

I really like McIntyre and think he's a good all-around talent, one that's being wasted week by week.

3. Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger

What a horribly booked duo.

They're basically glorified jobbers at this point, and it sucks to see that because both are tremendous talents, especially Ziggler.

I think Ziggler's got a much better chance to get back to the main event, while Swagger's probably going to be where he is for most of the rest of his career.

2. Tyson Kidd

Did you watch Over the Limit?

Kidd was arguably the best performer in the battle royal, and he constantly tears the house down on NXT. I truly believe that he could be one of the top stars in WWE if given the chance.

1. Zack Ryder

What the hell is creative doing to Zack Ryder?

Late last year, he was a borderline main eventer. Now? He can't even get on TV.

Ryder still gets decent pops, but it's almost as if the creative team doesn't want to see him succeed.

Who Will Have the Next Major Heel or Face Turn?

Which major star is gonna turn face or heel next?

In 2011, we got a number of memorable face/heel turns, including Christian, CM Punk, R-Truth and Sheamus.

Heck, just this week we saw two major ones when Christian turned face and Big Show turned heel.

Therefore, I think it's safe to say that it won't be very long until we see another big-name star switch from one side to the other.

With the up-and-down booking of the creative team, there are a ton of options, but I'm going to stick with someone who I've though would be turning for a while now: The Miz.

I know that The Miz has been booked like crap lately, but it's probably not because he has backstage heat. I mean, would the WWE give The Miz a movie if he had some serious heat?

I doubt it. 

So, I actually think The Miz is being booked like a loser simply because he's set to film The Marine 3 next month, and it's not really going to benefit creative to push him before he goes away for a while.

When The Miz comes back, however, and especially when the WWE is promoting his movie, I think he's primed for a baby-face turn.

The WWE had The Miz do that ridiculous dancing segment at Over the Limit. I think it could have been a test to see if he can get the fans behind him, and he did to an extent.

The Miz is so stale as a heel right now that I think that the only thing that can save him is a face turn, and given the way everything is shaping up, it wouldn't be surprising to see him in that role once he comes back.

He hasn't been a face since he was the WWE's version of Ryan Seacrest, and I think he could actually pull it off pretty well.

The WWE definitely needs another top baby face. Don't be surprised if they try to get Miz into that role.

Who Will Be the Next Five Hall of Fame Headliners?

Pick the next 5 WWE hall of fame headliners.

This is always hard to predict because you never which major stars are going to have to wait a while (Ted DiBiase), which ones are never going to get in (Randy Savage?) or which stars might retire early and change things up a bit (Edge).

But I'll try anyway, so here it goes:

2013: Mick Foley

WrestleMania 29 takes place in the NY/NJ area, and Foley has as much history there as any other big-name star.

It makes sense to induct him there, and given that he's largely done as a wrestler and has accomplished so much in the business, he deserves to go in.

2014: The Undertaker

This depends largely on when Undertaker retires, but I think that at most he has two WrestleMania matches left in him.

It wouldn't be surprising to see him go in one year after he calls it quits (like Edge) or be inducted the night before his last match ever (like Ric Flair, until he went to TNA).

I also wouldn't be shocked that if all the dominoes fell right, Kane and Undertaker were inducted together.

2015: Chris Jericho

I have no idea how much longer Jericho actually has left as a wrestler, but I would expect him to be done for good three years from now.

If that's the case, he'll likely headline a class right away, and he should because he's one of the biggest stars the business has ever seen.

2016: Big Show

Big Show is now 40 years old, and like all of the other guys on this list, his days as an in-ring performer are likely numbered.

That being said, he's arguably the greatest big man ever, so—make no mistake about it—his retirement will be a big deal, and he'll likely headline his own class.

2017: Triple H

Triple H recently revealed that he had signed a new performer's contract that will keep him in the ring until 2016 on a part-time basis, but that should be it for The Game.

He's accomplished anything and everything there is to accomplish in the wrestling business, and his Hall of Fame induction will be an immediate one.

The Best Three Feuds in the Last 10 Years?

From @NYnick87: What are your top three feuds from the past ten years?

It's really hard to pick just three because there were a ton of good ones, but here goes nothing:

3. John Cena vs. Edge (2005-2006)

When Edge returned to Raw a few weeks back and said that Cena was his greatest rival ever, he truly meant it.

These two had some great battles throughout their career, but the best came in 2006 when both were relatively new to the main event and just starting to become the WWE's bona-fide top superstars.

This rivalry started at New Year's Resolution (2006) when Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to beat an already battered Cena for the WWE title and continued throughout most of the year.

The highlight of this rivalry was their TLC Match at Unforgiven, but perhaps the greatest part of it was that it lasted for roughly eight months.

2. Randy Orton vs. Christian (2011)

What a great rivalry this was.

Christian finally won a World title at Extreme Rules but was forced to defend it just five days later against Randy Orton and lost it in a fantastic match with "The Viper."

Just like that, Christian's dream ended, and this, of course, led to his awesome heel turn and the best series of matches in recent WWE history.

Orton and Christian delivered a handful of four-star (or higher) PPV matches over a four-month span, ultimately catapulting both guys to the best wrestling year of their careers.

1. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (2008)

For me, this is probably the greatest rivalry of this millennium.

It was so well done because Chris Jericho was extremely stale as a baby face, and this feud led him to turn heel in epic fashion by throwing Shawn Michaels through the Jeritron on Raw.

Jericho's heel turn would result in a number of matches between the two, the climax of which was their Ladder Match at No Mercy, which I think was the best match of 2008.

Jericho/HBK told such a great story. Jericho went bad because the fans didn't turn on HBK when he faked an injury against Batista to win a match, and Jericho was fed up with HBK being able to do whatever he wants without getting criticized by the fans.

Drake Oz is the WWE Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions (to be answered in the B/R Mailbag) on Formspring.