WWE Mailbag: Answering Your Questions on John Cena, CM Punk and More

It's Friday, so you know what that means: It's time for the latest WWE Mailbag.

You know how it goes by now. You ask your wrestling-related questions, and I give my answers.

You can ask those questions either on Twitter or Formspring. I'll answer any and all of your questions (well, the ones that aren't ridiculous), but I'll pick the best ones to include right here in the mailbag.

In the latest edition, we tackle a number of big topics, including a look at whether John Cena will win the WWE Championship this year, ranking CM Punk's best WWE matches and ranking the top 10 matches of 2012 so far.

Alright, enough with the intros. Let's get right to the June 1st edition of the WWE Mailbag.

What's Next for Cody Rhodes?

What do you think is next for Cody Rhodes?

I don't think Cody Rhode is going to win back the Intercontinental Championship.

Unlike what happened with Big Show, it seems like Rhodes' loss to Christian was done to get the belt off of him and allow him to move up to the main event scene.

The next stop? Well, there are two options, in my opinion.

Option 1: Rhodes wins the Money in the Bank in July.

I think Rhodes will win SmackDown's MITB match if and only if Wade Barrett isn't back by then.

Option 2: Rhodes finds another way to become the No. 1 contender for either the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship.

The connection between both options? It's obviously that Rhodes steps up to the main event and challenges for a World title.

I think Rhodes' elevation up the card is long overdue now, and being that Sheamus and CM Punk are likely going to need fresh new challengers soon, Rhodes seems like a great option.

He's never really feuded with either guy, and the potential for a great series of matches between Rhodes and Sheamus or Rhodes and Punk is certainly there.

Since both Sheamus and Rhodes are technically on SmackDown, though, I think Rhodes will move on to feud with Sheamus by the end of the summer and could actually end his World title reign.

Least Surprising Money in the Bank Cash-In?

Least surprising money in the bank cash-in? (You can't say the RVD cash-in for obvious reasons)

Call it a copout if you want, but I'm gonna go with a tie here: Kane in 2010 and Alberto Del Rio in 2011.

While Daniel Bryan's cash-in at the 2011 WWE TLC pay-per-view was kind of predictable, I think that most expected him to cash in on Mark Henry rather than Big Show, which made things a little more interesting.

But once Kane won the MITB match at the inaugural Money in the Bank pay-per-view in 2010, it became pretty clear that he would cash in later that night on Rey Mysterio.

Mysterio has never really been anything more than a transitional champion, and he and Jack Swagger weren't exactly setting the world on fire with their feud at the time.

As soon as he won, I (and many others) almost expected Kane to cash in and end his World title reign, and that's exactly what happened.

I also thought that Del Rio's cash-in at last year's SummerSlam was pretty predictable, too—maybe not the exact way it happened (with Kevin Nash interfering), but the cash-in itself.

At that point, Del Rio had been groomed for a WWE Championship run, but never actually had one. So, it was just a matter of time before he got one, and the perfect opportunity presented itself.

CM Punk won a fantastic match against John Cena, he was on top of the world, and then ADR spoiled it by cashing in and beating the hottest act in the wrestling business at the time.

It was a great way to get Del Rio some heat, so I think that's what made it so predictable in the end.

A Conspiracy Behind Jericho's Flag Incident?

Chris probably did the stomping of the flag so he could leave and go on tour with his band; isn't that a possibility?

I've received a lot of questions about Chris Jericho and the Brazilian flag incident, so I'm going to sum up all of my thoughts on the situation here.

Is there a chance that some of what's been going on with Jericho is a work? Sure.

But I think that everything that has happened so far has been legitimate.

I believe that Jericho really did break the local law by desecrating the Brazilian flag, that he had no clue he could go to jail for it and that his suspension is legitimate rather than a work.

It's an unfortunate situation that wouldn't have been a big deal at all 20 or 30 years ago, but people are a lot more sensitive today, and the WWE had to save face by suspending Jericho.

Of course, the conspiracy theorists out there are going to think that the timing of the suspension is a little odd, but I think it was just a coincidence.

Otherwise, the WWE wouldn't have even bothered kicking off that Jericho/Orton feud on last week's Raw. Why start the feud if anyone in the WWE, including Y2J himself, planned on intentionally getting himself suspended the next day?

I think some people are looking into this situation a little too much and trying to find a way to "prove" that it's a work.

It's not.

Jericho likely had no idea he would have been suspended for doing it, so that kind of throws the "I'm going to stomp on the flag so I can get suspended and go tour with Fozzy" theory out the window.

Will Cena Be WWE Champ at All in 2012?

Will Cena be WWE champ at all in 2012?

I think so, but not until way later in the year.

When you look at the World title picture as it currently stands, the two World titleholders are baby faces who look poised to hold onto their belts for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, John Cena is very busy with Big Show and John Laurinaitis at the moment.

I'd expect both Punk and Sheamus to hold onto their respective titles for a while, and I'd also expect Cena's storyline with Show and Laurinaitis to play out over the course of the next few months.

The WWE's recent booking philosophy for Cena has been for Laurinaitis to throw anything and everything he can at him, meaning that Cena hasn't been around the WWE Championship picture for a while.

I'd expect that to continue until the early fall, but once that storyline fizzles away, Cena might have the chance to regain the WWE title.

We could see some new heels like Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan holding World titles by then, and being that Cena has never feuded with them, I could see Cena (unfortunately) ending the title reign of either of those guys in October or somewhere around there.

I wouldn't be totally shocked if Cena didn't win the WWE title all year long, but we still have seven months left in 2012. 

Time is on Cena's side to eventually win another WWE Championship by the end of the year. 

Will Any Former WWE and Current TNA Stars Return to the WWE?

Do you think that any former WWE superstars turned TNA superstars will come back for one more run in WWE (i.e. Kurt Angle, Dudley Boyz, Jeff Hardy, RVD, Mr. Kennedy, Mickie James and maybe even Tazz or Hulk Hogan in non-wrestling roles)?

I always thought that Kurt Angle would return for a "retirement tour" of sorts, but he doesn't particularly get along with Triple H and has been very critical of the WWE at times in the past.

Meanwhile, plenty of other names have admitted that they'd always leave open the possibility of returning to the WWE, including Mickie James. Plus, names like RVD have been linked to the WWE recently as well.

I don't think the Dudley Boyz will come back to the WWE (they're up there in age), ditto for Mr. Kennedy (he's developed a reputation as an unsafe worker in WWE), and there's no real reason for the WWE to bring back Tazz or Hogan.

The likeliest to return on your list? I'd say Jeff Hardy, because he's still reasonably young in wrestling terms (he's 34) and is probably the biggest name in TNA at the moment (as far as active wrestlers are concerned).

Hardy is the one guy who could return to the WWE and make an extended impact in the company for the next five years or so, while most of the others on this list wouldn't really be able to do that.

That being said, I think the former WWE star who is most likely to return to the company is actually Matt Morgan.

TNA has used up all of his contracted dates, and he should be able to return to the WWE later this year. And I think he will.

Morgan is one of the better overall big men in the business, and he'd fit very well in the WWE.

Ranking CM Punk's Best WWE Matches

Best matches of Punk so far.....

Sticking strictly to CM Punk's time in the WWE (and no MITB matches included), here is what I think are his top five matches with the company.

5. WWE Championship: Punk vs. John Cena (SummerSlam 2011)

This wasn't as good as the match they had the month prior, but really, nothing would have topped that.

It was still a fantastic match that took place at the pinnacle of Punk's rise to the top of the WWE.

4. Chicago Street Fight for the WWE Championship: Punk vs. Jericho (Extreme Rules 2012)

A great mix of technical wrestling with a lot of brawling, Punk and Jericho blew their WrestleMania match out of the water here.

Of course, the fact that the match took place in front of Punk's hot hometown crowd certainly helped.

3. TLC Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Punk vs. Jeff Hardy (SummerSlam 2009)

Punk vs. Hardy was my favorite feud of the year in 2009, and this was really the first time that Punk had been given a chance to main event a major PPV.

He didn't disappoint, as he and Hardy put on what was probably the best TLC match since Edge vs. John Cena in 2006. 

2. WWE Championship: Punk vs. Daniel Bryan (Over the Limit 2012)

Based purely on the actual wrestling involved, this was probably the best match of Punk's career.

The only reason it isn't No. 1, though, is because the finish wasn't great and the buildup to it didn't give it the incredibly electric feel it should have had.

1. WWE Championship: Punk vs. John Cena (Money in the Bank 2011)

Nothing tops this.

Punk walked into his hometown of Chicago with so much on the line and walked out as WWE Champion.

What a phenomenal match that told such a great history, featured some awesome wrestling and had the best crowd in recent WWE history. 

Looking Ahead to The Rock's Upcoming Return

When do you think The Rock will be back in 2013 and what do you think he'll do when he returns?

As predictable as this may seem, I think The Rock is going to return as a "surprise" entrant in the 2012 Royal Rumble match.

There are only a few must-see feuds/matches for The Rock waiting for him when he does come back, and the two at the top of my list are The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar and The Rock vs. CM Punk.

This, of course, depends on what happens with the WWE Championship between now and then, but I wouldn't be remotely surprised to see The Rock win the Royal Rumble and go on to face either Punk or Lesnar for the WWE title at WrestleMania 29.

If The Rock returns at the Royal Rumble (and he's said he's returning in early 2013, so it's a definite possibility), he's not going to lose the Rumble match. And when you combine that with his dream of one day winning the WWE title again, the stage is set for either Rock vs. Brock or Rock vs. Punk at WrestleMania.

I think Rock vs. Punk is better because it actually features a full-time superstar, but I wouldn't be shocked if it's Brock vs. Rock instead.

Either way, though, I think having The Rock return and win the Royal Rumble is incredibly likely right now.

Is It Impossible for Some Heels to Turn Face?

Can guys like Wade Barrett, Tensai, Otunga, maybe even Michael Cole ever possibly turn face, considering what they have done as a heel?

There's a popular cliche that applies to pro wrestling perhaps more so than any other business: Never say never.

With the crazy way pro wrestling works, there's really not much that is out of the realm of possibility, and that includes an incredibly hated heel (like the ones you mentioned) turning face and being successful at it.

I always point to Sheamus as an example of this, because I didn't think he would turn baby face, much less so soon, and yet, just three years after he debuted, he's one of the biggest baby faces in the company.

As weird as it sounds, I think it often takes being a good heel to make a good baby face. If you understand what it takes to make a crowd hate you, it's easier to understand what it takes to make them like you.

Almost every wrestler that starts off as a face will be a heel at some point, unless you're Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. The question is: Can they succeed at it?

That answer is usually yes.

If you look at all of the WWE's top baby faces, they were once heels: Sheamus, CM Punk, Randy Orton, John Cena, etc.

If anything, I think that working as a heel—even if you are one of the most hated heels in the business—can actually work in your favor when you eventually do turn face.

Were someone like wade Barrett to turn face, too, I definitely think he could pull it off, much like Sheamus has done.

Ranking All of the Pay-Per-Views of 2012 and Their Best Matches

There have been 3 very good PPVs—OTL, ER and Wreslemania 28... What will you rate all of the PPVs and the best matches of the respective nights?

I'll rate all five WWE PPVs of 2012 so far, and then take a look at the best match of each show:

 

5. Royal Rumble (4/10): The WWE title match between CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler focused far too much on John Laurinaitis, which made this bout slightly disappointing. Meanwhile, the Triple Threat Cage match for the World Heavyweight title wasn't great, Kane vs. John Cena was pretty bad and the Royal Rumble match was one of the weaker ones in recent memory.

Nothing really stood out about this pay-per-view, except maybe the end of the Royal Rumble match with that sequence between Chris Jericho and Sheamus.

Best Match: Ziggler vs. Punk

 

4. Elimination Chamber (5.5/10): Both of the Elimination Chamber matches were pretty damn good, and we also got a surprisingly solid Divas match between Beth Phoenix and Tamina Snuka.

Kane vs. Cena once again dragged this PPV down, though.

Best Match: Raw's Elimination Chamber Match

 

3. Over the Limit (6/10): This could have easily been a forgettable pay-per-view, but it featured arguably the best match of the year (Punk vs. Daniel Bryan), a really good WWE Tag Team Championship Match and a great Fatal 4-Way for the World Heavyweight title.

The main event with Cena vs. John Laurinaitis once again really hurt the show, though.

Best Match: Punk vs. Bryan (Second-best match of the year so far)

 

2. WrestleMania 28 (8/10): This featured the Match of the Year (Triple H vs. Undertaker), a great bout between The Rock and John Cena and a really good match between Chris Jericho and CM Punk.

The rest of the card wasn't all that great, but it's hard to complain about a PPV that had three incredibly entertaining matches.

Best Match: Taker vs. HHH (Match of the Year)

 

1. Extreme Rules (8.5/10): Brock Lesnar vs. Cena was one of the weirdest matches I've ever seen, but it told a great story and really delivered in the entertainment department.

Meanwhile, Randy Orton vs. Kane was much better here than at Mania, and the same goes for Punk vs. Bryan.

Throw in a fantastic 2-out-of-3 Falls Match between Sheamus and Bryan, and you have the best PPV of 2012.

Best Match: Sheamus vs. Bryan and Punk vs. Jericho (tie)

Ranking the 10 Best Matches of 2012 so Far

Top 10 matches of this year.....

There's a good chance that I''ll leave out some really good TV matches that I forgot about, so be sure to comment with your thoughts in the comment section below:

10. SmackDown's Elimination Chamber Match

9. Raw's Elimination Chamber Match

8. Extreme Rules Match: Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena (Extreme Rules)

7. WWE Championship: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho (WrestleMania)

6. Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk (Pick one of their TV matches because they were all great)

5. The Rock vs. John Cena (WrestleMania 28)

4. 2-out-of-3 Falls Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus (Extreme Rules)

3. Chicago Street Fight for the WWE Championship: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho (Extreme Rules)

2. WWE Championship: CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan (Over the Limit)

1. Hell in a Cell Match: Triple H vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania 28)