John Cena

The theme of Wrestlemania 29 might boil down to one word - predictable. The build up was certainly that for many fans. John Cena and The Rock were always destined to face off again at Wrestlemania 29, one year after they had their "Once in a Lifetime" matchup. Brock Lesnar and Triple H were always foreshadowed to clash on April 7, a rematch from Summerslam 2012 with unfinished business. Fantasy bookers early in "Wrestlemania season" were calling for CM Punk vs. The Undertaker, which also happened.

Yes, you read that headline correctly. Kofi Kingston, a WWE Superstar who was hard-pressed to find a win on television in 2013, defeated a man in Antonio Cesaro who, weeks earlier, was taking on several challengers, showing impressive feats of strength. Then, Cesaro seemed to fall off the face of the earth around WrestleMania time. He didn't appear at WrestleMania. He didn't appear on Raw the next night. Then, he starts yodeling and loses the U.S. title. Is Antonio Cesaro in the dog house?

Yes, you read that headline correctly. Kofi Kingston, a WWE Superstar who was hard-pressed to find a win on television in 2013, defeated a man in Antonio Cesaro who, weeks earlier, was taking on several challengers, showing impressive feats of strength. Then, Cesaro seemed to fall off the face of the earth around WrestleMania time. He didn't appear at WrestleMania. He didn't appear on Raw the next night. Then, he starts yodeling and loses the U.S. title. Is Antonio Cesaro in the dog house?

Everything that Wrestlemania wasn't, for the hardcore WWE fan, Raw was. It had twists, it had turns, and most of all, it had chants. Lots of chants. Chants never heard at a WWE event before. In fact, for much of Raw, the fans hijacked the show. It started with Dolph Ziggler. Fans were chanting for him throughout the show, until he appeared to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, and the place went wild. Nobody sat down during the 2-3 minute match where Ziggler finally won the World Heavyweight title, with most fans in the audience having the opinion that he more than deserved it. It was a surreal moment ... a "WrestleMania moment," just the following day. Once fans got what they asked for with Ziggler, they turned their attention elsewhere.

  WWE wasted no time in allowing John Cena and Brock Lesnar to get physical -- and the result was magic. For the past year, Cena and The Rock were kept apart, competing on the microphone rather than in the ring. WWE appears set to go a completely different direction with Cena's newest foe. After General Manager John Laurinaitis introduced Lesnar with a glowing welcome, the former UFC champion took to the mic. But before long, Cena would emerge. And in uncharacteristic fashion, Cena let his actions speak louder than his words, slapping Lesnar.

Arda Ocal (@arda_ocal) of The Score Television Network and The Baltimore Sun spoke with WWE superstar Ryback (@Ryback22) about the release of his new character for the WWE '13 video game, his frustrations playing the character Skip Sheffield, the 'Feed Me More' chant, comparisons to Goldberg, working with John Cena and CM Punk, and much more.

It looks like Wrestlemania-quality matches have come six weeks early. In a stellar half-hour main event match, John Cena defeated CM Punk and will (still) go to Wrestlemania and face The Rock in a rematch, this time with the WWE title on the line. The match had everything -- great storytelling, athleticism, the crowd was loud and invested, both men painted a great picture with false finishes. We even saw John Cena deliver what was once known as a "Batista Bomb" and CM Punk deliver a pile driver (a move thought to be banned by WWE but smartly used in the match in the place of a "signature" move)

Roughly three times a year, John Cena changes colors. Typically we see his "kit" in a predominant black, green, orange, black again, red, purple, black again, etc. This time, the CeNation will wear a color their leader has never donned before - and it brings a charitable twist . Tonight at the Night of Champions pay-per-view event, for his main event match with CM Punk, John Cena will wear pink. Pink hat, pink arm band, black shirt with pink logo. The message? Rise Above Cancer.

As Sheamus walked down the RAW ramp to follow John Cena, he called Cena's promo "bizarre. " That it was. It did seem like Cena was at his most loose and comfortable, being goofy and interacting with the fans, talking about people's Sunday mornings and afternoons. What confused me was that this was among the very last images we saw six days before the Royal Rumble -- though the segment was saved by a locker room brawl in the ring, setting up the Royal Rumble match. I can't help but think of John Cena the campy, goofy joker vs. John Cena, the serious Superstar with a point to make.

There are still many unanswered questions following Raw, 24 hours removed from the Survivor Series pay-per-view event. Once again, the 3 NXT alums dressed in black attacked Ryback and put him through a table, with no explanation of who, what or why. At this point, building intrigue through mystery is a great strategy, which is why I'm looking forward to the eventual "explanation" even more. CM Punk celebrated one full fiscal year as WWE champion with great work on the microphone. It was preceded with a mini "pipe bomb" by Paul Heyman, who called out members of the WWE Universe who criticized his and CM Punk's mocking of Jerry Lawler's heart attack, essentially saying that the same fans who clamor for the "good ol' days" of the Attitude Era, complain and are offended when an event that was inspired by that era is seen in WWE today.

The theme of Wrestlemania 29 might boil down to one word - predictable. The build up was certainly that for many fans. John Cena and The Rock were always destined to face off again at Wrestlemania 29, one year after they had their "Once in a Lifetime" matchup. Brock Lesnar and Triple H were always foreshadowed to clash on April 7, a rematch from Summerslam 2012 with unfinished business. Fantasy bookers early in "Wrestlemania season" were calling for CM Punk vs. The Undertaker, which also happened.

It looks like Wrestlemania-quality matches have come six weeks early. In a stellar half-hour main event match, John Cena defeated CM Punk and will (still) go to Wrestlemania and face The Rock in a rematch, this time with the WWE title on the line. The match had everything -- great storytelling, athleticism, the crowd was loud and invested, both men painted a great picture with false finishes. We even saw John Cena deliver what was once known as a "Batista Bomb" and CM Punk deliver a pile driver (a move thought to be banned by WWE but smartly used in the match in the place of a "signature" move)

For those who watch WWE on a regular basis, this headline might be confusing. After all, John Cena won the Royal Rumble and earned the right to face the top champion of his choice at WrestleMania. He chose the WWE champion, who is The Rock. At TLC, it was Cena who benefitted from a one-sided stipulation match against Dolph Ziggler, but next week on Raw it will be Cena who will put up a one-sided stake. It will be Cena vs. CM Punk, and the winner goes to WrestleMania to face The Rock.

I'll be the first to admit that I was definitely lukewarm about the main event match between CM Punk and The Rock at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. It wasn't a terrible match by any means. It wasn't terrific, either. Both men have had far more entertaining matches in WWE, but it must be said that both men did well given their limitations. What I mean by that is that The Rock, WWE champion, is a part-time worker of matches, so naturally, his "work rate" (as is the commonly used buzz word among the internet wrestling community)

After the Royal Rumble concluded I received a direct message on Twitter from a good friend who used to work in the wrestling industry. To me, he summed up the 2013 Royal Rumble best with this quote: "A fun show that is 100% predictable is still a fun show. " As soon as John Cena eliminated Ryback to win the Royal Rumble match, it seemed as though the main event of WrestleMania ("Twice in a Lifetime") was already set, even though the WWE title had yet to be defended. Hardcore fans and "armchair bookers" everywhere were collectively clanking on their keyboards, lamenting this “predictable” outcome and complaining about the lack of surprise.

As Sheamus walked down the RAW ramp to follow John Cena, he called Cena's promo "bizarre. " That it was. It did seem like Cena was at his most loose and comfortable, being goofy and interacting with the fans, talking about people's Sunday mornings and afternoons. What confused me was that this was among the very last images we saw six days before the Royal Rumble -- though the segment was saved by a locker room brawl in the ring, setting up the Royal Rumble match. I can't help but think of John Cena the campy, goofy joker vs. John Cena, the serious Superstar with a point to make.

One of the most debated topics throughout the WWE Universe is John Cena's character and the notion that many want him to turn heel. I think the term “heel” -- when talking about change that many want from John Cena -- is misleading. Before we explore the idea, let's first clearly define the term "heel. " At the very core, as many of you surely already know, a “heel” is someone the fans hate, a "bad guy. " JJ Dillon once told me in an interview a definition that I like to use -- someone that is not as good and/or talented as the “babyface” in the ring, so he needs to cheat to get the upper hand in a match.

It was the perfect final tableau for all players involved in the WWE championship triple threat match at Survivor Series.  CM Punk retained the title over Ryback and John Cena. Ryback, the massive monster on the rise, isn't hurt by not winning this match. The fact that he wasn't pinned preserves him as a credible threat. The NXT trio of Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and current champion Seth Rollins, all dressed in black, attacked Ryback and sent him through a table. This is beneficial because it adds an element of mystery (Why did they attack?

This one wasn't even close. CM Punk delivered another "pipe bomb" in the final segment on Monday Night Raw -- another blend of honesty and little lines that put smiles on hardcore fans' faces. This one had a more heel-ish twist, as expected given CM Punk's character on TV for the past several months. Then, after CM Punk got the crowd in a frenzy for several minutes, out came The Rock ... and again we saw that familiar Rock "Big Mac Formula" -- Catchphrase (bun), plot point (meat)

This week's episode of WWE Raw seemed ... crowded. I don't just mean in personnel, though there were many -- aside from the regular plethora of WWE superstars (including some still on the roster you don't regularly see), Raw saw returns from "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, the New Age Outlaws and the trio of "Mean" Gene Okerlund, Ricky Steamboat and Jim Ross (who all presented Slammy Awards), Tommy Dreamer (who competed in a match) and The Boogeyman (who seemed like he was there just to provide a random "tell me I didn't just see that" moment before a commercial break)