Quick Takes on Randy Orton vs. Edge, HOF'er JBL, How WWE Ruined Ricochet, More

It's an incredibly busy time for WWE with Super ShowDown in the books and Elimination Chamber as well as WrestleMania 36 still on the horizon, not to mention all of the other exciting happenings going down on the road to WrestleMania weekend in Tampa.

WWE TV (sans SmackDown) was more newsworthy than usual than past week with both Raw and NXT producing excellent episodes. In addition to Drew McIntyre standing tall over Brock Lesnar and new Raw Tag Team champion being crowned, the flagship show also saw the story between Orton and Edge take center stage in the main event segment.

Raw wasn't entirely awesome, however, as the unceremonious burial of Ricochet in his match with Riddick Moss was tough for fans to watch. It's unknown if he'll be able to bounce back from failing to win the 24/7 Championship and where he'll wind up on the WrestleMania card if not in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Finally, AEW deserves praise for putting on a phenomenal pay-per-view event last Saturday in Revolution. Jon Moxley ended the evening as the new AEW World champion to a thunderous ovation from the crowd and now it becomes a question of who his first challenger will be.

Mere hours out from Elimination Chamber on Sunday night, this week's Quick Takes will shine some light on the exhilarating Edge vs. Randy Orton rivalry, JBL getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, potential opponents for Moxley, and more.

Randy Orton vs. Edge Is WWE's Hottest Story but Shouldn't Headline WrestleMania

There is something to be said for WWE's strongest story headlining the biggest event of the year, WrestleMania. The heated Edge vs. Randy Orton rivalry has been the best thing going on any brand for the past two months and is arguably the most anticipated match on the 'Mania card as of now.

Despite that, Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship should still go on last.

Orton vs. Edge could wind up being the best bout on the show, but considering there isn't any uncertainty surrounding the outcome, it would be the wrong choice for the main event slot. Furthermore, nothing is on line and neither man is being positioned as the future of the company.

It's simply a blood feud culminating after months of brilliant buildup, and while it deserves to be saved for later on in the night, it would take away from McIntyre's moment of becoming WWE champion for the first time in his career (assuming WWE does the right thing and puts the title on him).

WrestleMania 28 was the last installment to feature a main event that wasn't contested for a championship, but The Rock vs. John Cena was the definition of a dream match and was a major box office draw. That doesn't apply to Edge vs. Orton, even though it has made for tremendous television on the road to WrestleMania.

McIntyre vs. Lesnar, on the other hand, is much more unpredictable and has also been built up amazingly well over the last month. The 2020 Royal Rumble winner may never get the opportunity to headline the Show of Shows again, which is why his crowning achievement must close out the evening.

WWE Has Officially Ruined Ricochet with String of Embarrassing Losses

It doesn't get much worse than failing to win the 24/7 Championship from Riddick Moss.

Some fans tend to throw the term "buried" around too loosely, but it wouldn't be a stretch to say that is exactly what's happened to Ricochet recently on Raw. It was bad enough that he was suffering from a lack of direction on the show, but the events of the last week and a half hurt his credibility considerably.

First, he lost in a whopping 90 seconds to WWE champion Brock Lesnar at Super ShowDown after not getting in any offense whatsoever. Then, he came up short of becoming 24/7 champion in a match with Moss on Monday night.

Worse yet, he was defeated by Moss in clean fashion, clearly indicating that WWE has no plans to push him again any time soon. Cedric Alexander went through something similar following his failure to beat AJ Styles for the United States Championship last fall and he's been in undercard purgatory ever since.

Both men are too talented to be relegated to 24/7 Championship matches or Main Event every week. In Ricochet's case, he had a ton of momentum upon arriving on Raw a year ago and found success as United States champion before falling down the card for no apparent reason.

Although he has not yet reached the point of no return, it doesn't look good for him on Raw, at least for the foreseeable future. Expect The One and Only to be just another guy in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the WrestleMania Kickoff show this year.

Looking Ahead to New AEW World Champion Jon Moxley's Next Several Challengers

Although Cody comes close, Jon Moxley cemented himself as AEW's most popular babyface with his AEW World Championship victory at Revolution. The company has done an excellent job of building him up to be the face of the promotion for the past year and he's more than held up his end of the bargain with a string of stellar matches.

He cut a passionate promo at the beginning of on Wednesday's Dynamite welcoming all comers to his prestigious prize. Two people who immediately threw their name into the hat were ex-champion Chris Jericho and MJF, who is fresh off a big win over Cody last Saturday night.

Based off how Jericho and the rest of Inner Circle stood tall over Moxley by the stage to end the evening, it looks like a rematch between Jericho and Moxley will be happening sooner rather than later. Seeing as how there's no reason for that to be saved for Double or Nothing in May, AEW should begin to look ahead to other possible challengers, such as MJF.

It's clear that the bad blood between Cody and MJF is far from over, but MJF taking a quick detour into the AEW World Championship picture would make sense. Plus, Moxley vs. MJF is fresh and the promos leading up to the match could be spectacular.

Let's not forget Pac is waiting in the wings as well for a shot at the strap. Despite losing to Kenny Omega in a grueling Iron Man match last week, he bounced back with wins against Orange Cassidy at Revolution and Chuck Taylor on Dynamite.

Of those three options, Moxley vs. Pac would be the most appealing title match for Double or Nothing, but that doesn't mean Moxley won't have his work cut out for him with everyone else on the roster in the meantime.

JBL to Take Rightful Place Among the Immortals in the WWE Hall of Fame

As seen on WWE Backstage, John "Bradshaw" Layfield is the latest legend announced for the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020 and it's a well-deserved induction.

The self-proclaimed "Wrestling God" retired from the ring over a decade ago at WrestleMania 25 and subsequently served as a color commentator for the company shortly thereafter. It's strange WWE hadn't already inducted him into the Hall of Fame prior to now, but he is worthy of the honor, nonetheless.

JBL made his name as a tag team competitor with Barry Windham in The New Blackjacks and later alongside Ron Simmons in The APA. He had a decorated career in the tag team ranks alone before breaking out as a singles star at a time when WWE desperately needed one in 2004.

Within months of branching out on his own, JBL captured the WWE Championship from Eddie Guerrero and went on to become the longest-reigning champ in SmackDown history up to that point. He continued to reinvent himself in the years that followed and enjoyed reigns as United States and Intercontinental champion.

JBL never turned face in the remainder of his career because he was simply too good at being a bad guy. Even behind the booth as an announcer, he favored all the heels and had a reputation for irritating viewers with his boisterous commentary (for better or for worse).

Much like he had the honor of inducting Simmons into the Hall of Fame in 2012, Simmons is bound to return the favor for JBL this year over WrestleMania weekend.

Elimination Chamber Would Be Better Positioned Later on in the WWE Calendar

The tenth annual Elimination Chamber pay-per-view will emanate from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia this Sunday night, yet it doesn't feel like there's another event coming up so soon after Super ShowDown.

Elimination Chamber has received minimal build in recent weeks and there isn't a single must-see match on the entire card. It doesn't help that a vast amount of the matches announced are extremely predictable, further proving the point that it's a pointless pay-per-view on the road to WrestleMania.

Unlike Hell in a Cell, there isn't anything wrong with Elimination Chamber having its own event every year, though bringing it back only when its necessary would be ideal. Rather, it would be more fitting later on in the WWE pay-per-view schedule, specifically in the summertime or the fall.

By the Royal Rumble, WWE usually has their plans set in stone for WrestleMania. Unless last-minute title changes need to be booked (like what we saw at Super ShowDown with Goldberg beating Bray Wyatt), it's rare championships change hands so close to the Show of Shows, thus rendering Elimination Chamber irrelevant.

It's entirely the possible the pay-per-view on Sunday exceeds expectations and will be an entertaining event. Aside from the "Big Four" (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series), however, WWE has put very little effort in making their monthly events matter over the last year.

Sadly, Elimination Chamber looks to be no exception.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.