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Powell's Blog: A big celebrity free to finally work for WWE, TNA Destination X idea, R-Truth, Alberto Del Rio, Anonymous General Manager, The Nexus

Posted in: Powell's Blog, MUST-READ LISTING
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Jun 2, 2011 - 04:40 PM

By Jason Powell

Thursday, June 2 – 4:40 P.M. (CT)

-The announcement of Shaquile O'Neal's retirement from the NBA instantly left me wondering if we'll see him end up in a WWE ring, perhaps as early as SummerSlam. That's pure speculation and nothing I've heard, but he's a longtime fan, took part in an angle with Big Show while serving as the Raw guest host, and it would be fun to see him return to Staples Center in Los Angeles.

-TNA's Destination X is expected to focus heavily on the X Division. Rather than just have some random matches to go along with the Ultimate X match, I'd love to see the company hold an eight-man tournament featuring some of the top names of the division past and present.

The first call I'd make would be to Jerry Lynn, who is one of the true pioneers of the division. I'd also reach out to Low-Ki to gauge his interest in returning for the night. Include the TNA regulars A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, Douglas Williams, and Alex Shelley, and the company could have one hell of a tournament.

-Although I don't think it will happen, I think it would be hilarious if R-Truth refuses to apologize for his antics on Monday's WWE Raw and thus gives up the WWE Championship match at Capitol Punishment. I think it's more likely that he delivers an insincere apology on Monday, and then goes on to challenge John Cena at the pay-per-view.

I'd actually like to see them hold off. John Morrison is due back shortly from his neck surgery, and all signs point to a Truth vs. Morrison feud. I'd rather see WWE tease the Truth vs. Cena program for a few months, which would make it feel much more meaningful than if they just go right to that match at Capitol Punishment. Yet with Cena vs. R-Truth listed as the house show main event matches this weekend, it looks like we're going to see that match on pay-per-view sooner rather than later.

-I can't say the Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show feud does much for me on paper. However, WWE creative could give Del Rio a huge boost by having him force Show to tap out to the cross arm breaker. If they're grooming Del Rio for an eventual showdown with Cena, then he has to start winning meaningful matches to make viewers see him as more than just the latest loud mouth heel that can't beat Cena without cheating. I'd love to see WWE shake up the Cena challenger formula by actually building up a heel as a legitimate in-ring threat to the WWE Champion.

-Does WWE ever intend to pay off the Anonymous General Manager storyline? The Anonymous General Manager gimmick generated a lot of interest when it was launched, but it seems like people are bored or just accepting of the gimmick. It will be interesting to see whether the company can heat this up again when they finally get around to revealing the identity of the mystery person.

-Whatever happened to the master plan that The Nexus supposedly had? Wade Barrett piqued my interest early on when he made it seem like they had a much bigger purpose than just messing with John Cena. New Nexus has bombed despite C.M. Punk's best efforts, and The Corre is absolutely meaningless. It really is stunning to think that Nexus was the hot act that carried WWE through last summer, yet neither of the heel factions that stemmed from Nexus mean much of anything at this point.

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