WWE Brewing Thoughts: Warrior vs. Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and Alex Riley

**WARNING: This article contains potential spoilers**

As the weather here in Wisconsin heats up (and subsequently cools WAY back down), the landscape of professional wrestling follows suit.

It's been an interesting couple of weeks since the last edition of Brewing Thoughts. A new star was potentially born, an established one turned heel, and the feud that piqued my interest in pro wrestling 21 years ago has been renewed...virally.

There's no better place to start than an Internet war between two men in their 50s.

YouTube Main Event: Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan

The world of professional wrestling would be a lot less entertaining if it weren't for Warrior.

Thanks to some recent teaser videos produced by the man who portrayed The Ultimate Warrior back in the late 80s and early 90s, the Internet Wrestling Community has been not-so-eagerly awaiting Warrior's proof of "karma" coming back to haunt The Immortal One.

God only knows what Warrior is talking about. The guy was lucid enough to legally change his name from Jim Hellwig to Warrior, so anything that comes from his mouth has to be taken with a tablespoon full of salt.

There were plenty of personal issues between Hogan and Warrior, so the upcoming videos—which, by the way, will run a cumulative hour long—ought to be interesting for interest's sake. It may get some people buzzing, but it likely won't be but another flash-in-the-pan phenomenon that Warrior uses to get his name back in the public eye.

If Hogan is a smart man, he'll let these videos go public without a rebuttal. Hogan is the one holding the cards. If he wants this to become a massive ordeal, he can play the proverbial game with Warrior. If he has better things to do (which I surely hope he does), Hogan will go about his business without batting an eye at Warrior's videos.

Eric Bischoff Hates You

Yes, you. The Internet Wrestling Community's biggest detractor is now Eric Bischoff.

Thanks to few posts on Facebook and Twitter, as well as a recent radio interview, Bischoff has essentially waged battle against the IWC. Bischoff blasted the IWC in this tweet from last week:

"Seems like 90% of the audience loves what the loudest 10% hates. So who really matters?  The 10%er's can't get over the fact that they are irrelevant. Ratings don't lie. Research doesn't lie. IWC smarks need to get over it."

Very strong words from a man who buried one promotion, and is apparently doing his best to repeat history.

Nobody can deny Bischoff's creative ability. He made WCW into a ratings giant in the late 1990s. He was the brainchild of the most famous storyline in professional wrestling, the nWo.

But he, along side Vince Russo, put the nails in WCW's coffin. He was brought in to TNA to help, and all he's done is recreate WCW.

Research doesn't lie, Mr. Bischoff.

The Miz's Shadow is Vacant—Finally

When Alex Riley returned to WWE programming after being eliminated from Season Two of NXT, I celebrated. Riley had all the tools to become a top WWE star, and he was back in the game.

Then, he spent most of the next year as the personal assistant to The Miz. Stuck in the shadow.

Now, he's out of that shadow, which should allow Riley to flourish as a WWE superstar.

Guys like John Morrison and Ted DiBiase haven't been able to reach their full potential because of their lack of impact on the mic. That isn't a problem for Riley, who stood head and shoulders above the competition on NXT.

Riley has the look Vince McMahon desires in his superstars. If McMahon likes the way you look, the chances are good that you'll end up with a shot.

And Riley's shot may come at Capitol Punishment, when he faces his former mentor, The Miz. Riley has plenty to gain from his feud with the former WWE Champion. This may well be the launch point of Riley's run at the top of WWE.

A Really Early Look at WrestleMania 28

It's never too early to look ahead to the Granddaddy of Them All, right?

Wrestlezone.com recently published a report, citing a WWE source familiar with creative plans, outlining a potential card for the big event next April. Here's what the rumored card looks like, along with some thoughts on each potential clash.

WWE Championship: John Cena vs. The Rock: We know Cena and Rock will clash in Miami on April 1, 2012, and the current plan is for the WWE Title to be on the line. That has been the plan all along, and it would only be a surprise if it doesn't go down this way.

Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho: The biggest surprise, to me, of the listed matches. According to the report, Undertaker-Triple H II will take place at SummerSlam, where I would expect Triple H to go over. If Y2J returns to battle The Phenom in Miami, it appears Jericho would become the final victim of The Streak. Most within WWE expect Undertaker to retire after next year's WrestleMania.

Triple H vs. The Miz: A very interesting battle, no doubt. It would be nice to see Triple H return to a full-time schedule after his rumored battle with Undertaker at SummerSlam, but with his new role behind the scenes, that appears unlikely.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton: Will Del Rio compete for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania for the second consecutive year? It would certainly be a strong bout, and a stronger feud, but with Orton's new role in the company, it would be hard to imagine Del Rio walking out with the win.

Sin Cara v. Rey Mysterio: This is certainly the natural feud for Cara. It appears Cara is set to become the next Mysterio, and there would be few better ways to pass the proverbial torch than for Mysterio to give the rub to Cara in Miami.

Big Show v. Shaquille O'Neal: This one is contingent on Shaq's willingness to do the match, but it isn't exactly out of the realm of possibility. Shaq has a history with pro wrestling, and more recently, with WWE. The draw for this bout would be enormous, and the buzz would spread across multiple media.

There would certainly be plenty of drawing power for a card such as this, but the lack of new talent is a bit unnerving. Will the youth movement be abandoned? Let's hope not.

As with everything in the WWE Universe, things are subject to rapid change. But this may be a sneak peak into what would be a very entertaining WrestleMania XXVIII.