In the wake of WWE John Cena's injury, questions now surround the WWE landscape heading into the May 19th Extreme Rules PPV-questions that could be answered this Monday on Raw.
WWE.com teased The Shield as being scheduled for Monday, fresh after the trio put the Undertaker through a table last week on Smackdown. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins have been gaining a swell of momentum as breakout stars in the WWE lately. What there next step will be is anyone's guess.
AJ Lee's Battle Royal win last week is also being teased, as a precursor to a possible feud between AJ, one of the most talked-about Divas in years, and her rival/ex-friend WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn for Extreme Rules. World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger could also be in action as the three head on a collision course for a triple threat match at Extreme Rules for the world title.
Fandango is also being advertised, but the main question surrounding Raw and Extreme Rules is the condition of Cena. The WWE Champion suffered an Achilles injury overseas on tour. With the severity of the injury not yet known, Cena tweeted that he would indeed be on Raw Monday night to address the injury.
"Finally home from a great European tour. I'm banged up, but I'm not going to miss Monday Night #Raw," Cena tweeted Sunday.
Cena is scheduled to defend the WWE title against Ryback, but depending on the severity of the injury, Cena could miss significant time if rehab and surgery is required. Fresh off his victory over Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson at WrestleMania 29, the potential loss of Cena for the long term throws not only the PPV up in the air, but potentially the future of WWE's major storylines. With CM Punk, one of the company's top stars, also out on leave to heal injuries, it leaves the matter of who could step up in the company as a big question mark hanging over the WWE's landscape.
However, in the past other stars have stepped up when Cena last had major injuries in 2007 and 2008. Randy Orton elevated himself to main event status, former WWE talent Jeff Hardy got his first real crack at the WWE title picture and Chris Jericho put together an impressive run as World Heavyweight Champion on Raw. Ziggler, the Miz, Wade Barrett, Ryback, Orton and Sheamus stand out as possible candidates to take the next step upwards and fill in the gap left by Cena until he returns.
In other news, the Undertaker could be in line to work a match at Extreme Rules. According to Wrestling Inc.com, the Dead Man could be wrestling at Extreme Rules due to the fact that Punk and, possibly, Cena will miss the PPV; the status of The Rock, who was reportedly scheduled to appear at the May PPV, is also up in the air due to his recent surgery. With the absence of big name stars, the WWE could look to get a few more buys by having the Undertaker, a part-timer now who rarely wrestles except at WrestleMania, appear at Extreme Rules.
TV Schedule
WWE Raw will air at 8 p.m. EST Monday, April 29, 2013 on USA Network.