Sheamus

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?

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)

What a difference a week makes. It's not like the members of The Shield weren't already on an upward trajectory to main event status. But, when you get to interact with The Undertaker to the degree the trio did last week in WWE, that's a game changer. On Raw last week, The Shield beat The Undertaker, Kane and Daniel Bryan. On Smackdown, The Undertaker beat Dean Ambrose, but then The Shield left the Dead Man laying and vulnerable. This week, The Shield was victorious again, against the team of Team Hell No and John Cena.

The fact a commercial for Animal Planet's new series "Tanked" aired during tonight's live Smackdown seems oddly appropriate. With much of the WWE roster already en route to Europe for an upcoming tour, the company tried to make the best of the show by using a "Blast from the Past" theme and filling the void with Hall of Famers and legends. The fact of the matter is that it didn't work. Live editions of Smackdown are usually special occasions and frequently produce must-see TV. This week's episode felt pieced together and hard to believe.

By this point, it seems like beating a dead horse to say there's a lack of depth at the top of the card in WWE. But it's a statement that remains true and was evidenced by tonight's Smackdown, in which a new No. 1 contender for Sheamus' World Heavyweight title was named. Four superstars -- Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio, Kane and Daniel Bryan -- competed in a fatal four-way match to determine The Great White's top challenger. That's a lot of talent in the ring, and it paid off with a good match that Del Rio won, but there's a deeper-seated problem.

A recent development in WWE's storytelling seems more like lyrics from a early 1990s hip hop song than anything we've seen in recent years: tag teams, back again. WWE fans have been clamoring for the revitalization of a tag team division for months, if not years, and their wish finally seems to be coming true. While Kofi Kingston and R-Truth did a good job alongside Primo and Epico and the Prime Time Players to rebuild a solid foundation, it has been since Kane and Daniel Bryan won the titles that the focus has become clear.

WWE returns to pay-per-view Sunday with No Way Out. The show has undergone a number of changes to the announced and predicted card because of injuries and suspensions, creating an opportunity for at least one young star to step up to the plate. Ring Posts contributors Arda Ocal and Adam Testa weighed in with their predictions for the PPV: Pre-Show Match Brodus Clay vs. David Otunga Adam: This is a match that doesn't appeal to me in the least.

WWE Championship defenses are a rarity on Smackdown. In the promotional build to CM Punk defending the title against Kane in the main event, WWE advertised it has been four years since it last happened. That alone made tonight's Smackdown feel special. Add to that the well-hyped return of Sin Cara, and it seemed apparent WWE actually cared about getting people to watch the blue brand this week. The result of that main event, though, will be a source of consternation among wrestling fans and Internet-writing purists.

Be a star. Those three words radiate from the television every week during WWE programming, generally in reference to the company's anti-bullying campaign. The problem is that while WWE promotes all these positive messages, its top heroes aren't exactly living the lifestyle they're pushing. World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus has been known to bully his opponents, WWE Champion CM Punk isn't always the most respectful man on the microphone and, tonight, WWE's poster child John Cena -- with the ability to pick his opponent for the evening -- chose an announcer.