»Reported by Jon Minners of WrestleView.com

On Tuesday, April 12, 2005 at 12:06 AM EST

Hey yo! So, it has been a week since Wrestlemania 21 and the WWE will now make a move toward a better future with new storylines and a new era for both Raw and Smackdown. But before we move forward, I would like to take a look back at the big show and what I hope to see in the future for the WWE and its stars.

First, remember how Smackdown dominated last year’s Wrestlemania 20. Yes, Torrie and Sable won their interpromotional match, Undertaker won his battle with Kane and it took a Smackdown wrestler to move to Raw and take the World Title away from HHH. This year, Smackdown dominated once more. Booker T won the interpromotional battle royal, Kurt Angle beat HBK and Undertaker beat Randy Orton. So, while Smackdown seems to have the weaker show, it is has the better wrestlers.

Now, I enjoyed Wrestlemania 21. I think it could have been a lot better, but it was probably one of the best offerings from the WWE in some time and I walked away very happy with what I saw. It was money well spent, which is something that the WWE has been slipping with lately. Their PPV offerings have not been up to snuff, but Wrestlemania 21 could be the start of something big. Let’s take a look at it all match by match:

Big Show vs. Akebono: This match was not as bad as it appeared it was going to be. It was slightly surprising, because it was treated with respect, so it was cool to watch a sumo match, but the match served no purpose. Other than to watch Big Show reveal too much of his ass and Akebono reveal too much of his body, what purpose did this match serve when Big Show loses and can never get his heat back. What does the Big Show do from here? He has feuded with everyone on Smackdown. His great matches with Brock Lesnar are long removed and his decent feud with Kurt Angle is done. There is nothing left for the Big Show other than Luther Reigns and Heindereich. It is time for Big Show to move back to Raw and feud with Batista. The way Raw is now, Big Show would really have a lot more to offer there.

Christy Hemme vs. Trish Stratus: This match sucked. It didn’t belong, but at least Trish looked hot. I would like to see more women on Raw that can wrestle. We need to see some of the hot matches that put women’s wrestling back on the mat when Lita, Trish and Stephanie McMahon ruled. There are women in the developmental territories that could provide some spark to the Raw division and they look hot, too. It is time to bring them up and diversify what has become quite stale.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio: Rey Mysterio got a big victory here and it looks like the U.S. title is in his future. Sorry Orlando Jordan, but you were lucky to get the title in the first place. Mysterio should take the title and feud with Eddie Guerrero over it. This is Mysterio’s chance to show that he belongs in the big time and it is also a chance for Eddie Guerrero to reinvent himself as a heel with a mission. His matches with John Cena were intense back in the day and with the roles reversed, they could be quite interesting today. I don’t think Eddie Guerrero has done it all on Smackdown just yet. I actually believe he holds Smackdown together. Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle are what make Smackdown tick. Now, what happens with the Tag-Team Titles? It’s time to get more tag-teams on Smackdown and Raw. It is time that the WWE takes the wrestlers they are not using and form formidable teams that can earn the money they are being paid.

The Money in the Bank Ladder Match: This was a great match, but when you have seen tons and tons of ladder matches, they are not as special anymore. Memo to TNA: too many cage matches will make those matches very boring when you decide to use them again. I loved the Shelton Benjamin run up the ladder spot, but the best part of the match was the storytelling by Chris Benoit and his injured arm; not the ladder itself. Now, where do these wrestlers go from here? Kane does not belong on Smackdown. He just doesn’t fit. Feuds with Undertaker and Angle have been done to death. Kane could still do something on Raw for a little while. I don’t think Randy Orton is going anywhere. Look for Kane and Orton to have a meeting of the minds when Orton returns. What the hell happened to Snitsky? Chris Benoit is always a strong wrestler with a lot to offer the company. You could put him in any situation and he will deliver. I look forward to seeing him continue on Raw in matches with Edge, HHH and Shelton Benjamin; possibly Randy Orton and Batista, as well. Edge and Christian should be moved to Smackdown. Edge could get screwed out of his title match by being drafted to Smackdown, forcing him to use his contract for a match he did not have time to prepare for, giving him reason to carry his rage over to Smackdown against John Cena. Christian and John Cena had an interesting moment at the Royal Rumble that they could use as fuel for a feud between the two. Hell, can you see Christian tell Carlito Caribbean Cool that he reeks of coolness? Shelton Benjamin seems to be turning heel for a feud with Chris Jericho and it suits him. I think Charlie Haas needs to be drafted to Raw for a reuniting of the World’s Greatest Tag-Team, setting up for an awesome feud between them and the Rockers. I would also like to see Shelton Benjamin break the record for the IC title reign. We can’t allow the Honky Tonk Man to be the longest reigning IC champion in history. Shelton is the man. This man just needs some help with his mic skills and he could be the future of this company.

Undertaker vs. Randy Orton: I think this was a great match and much better than people anticipated. With Orton needing surgery, it did not make sense for him to be the guy who beats the Undertaker and ends his streak. Now, they say he will move to Smackdown, but that doesn’t seem to be the case after he promised to get revenge on Batista. Plus, with Kane mocking Orton, it seems natural for these two to enter a program together. Undertaker really does not have much to do on Smackdown anymore. But with him being the major star of the brand, he really can’t be moved. They are going to have to figure out something for the Deadman. I like the idea of Edge fighting Undertaker at next year’s Wrestlemania in a battle between two guys who have gone undefeated at the big show.

HBK vs. Kurt Angle: This was indeed the best match of the show. I was so happy when Kurt Angle won cleanly and forced HBK to quit. The fans seemed to be behind Angle as well. That is so weird, considering how HBK is Mr. Wrestlemania. I was cheering Angle on as well. He is the man. He is the best wrestler of this generation. I am very surprised that HBK took the loss and will not get his heat back. HBK could move over to Smackdown to fight Kurt Angle some more, but it looks like they are going with him teaming with Hogan against the Arab Americans. There is also a possibility that HBK could team with Marty Jannety and reform the Rockers for one last shot at greatness as a team; a perfect bookend to his career. Kurt Angle will have a feud with John Cena for the title and then maybe he could feud with the Undertaker one more time. Another run at the title somewhere down the line does not seem that far off. Angle would deserve it.

Cena vs. Bradshaw: This match was satisfying for what it was. I was happy to see Cena win, but I think he did it way too fast. They should have had this match well before the Batista vs. HHH match. Then it could have had more meaning. Still, it was nice to see Cena take home the top prize. It was a far cry from when he first started with the WWE and lost to Kurt Angle, beat Chris Jericho and then almost faded from the spotlight until he dressed up as Vanilla Ice for a skit and his career took off. Cena should have the title for some time. It is time for a new era and Cena is the man who could heat things up for Smackdown. He’s the kind of guy that needs to lose the title, chase after it, win it back and so on. The everyday man needs to have the odds stacked against him. Bradshaw and his whole group should move over to Raw and start a program with HHH that seemed to have been taking shape since the Royal Rumble. The possibilities would be really interesting.

Batista vs. HHH: This was a good big man fight. I enjoyed it and was so happy to see Batista take the title. I just want to see him keep it. Now, I have an idea. I think that they played up Batista as being like a brother to HHH, at least in Hunter’s comments, but maybe they could work with it. At Backlash, Batista should win again, but this time, the two should shake hands. Similar to HBK and Diesel, despite being at odds, the two could form an alliance when JBL comes in with his squad and unleashes havoc on the Raw roster. HHH needs to go face for a bit. He has done the heel bit to death and how many times do I have to hear that a wrestler who beat him is on borrowed time. Next, he is going to put a bounty on Batista’s head or something. A face turn is needed. Let Batista take a run with the title for a little while before HHH gets it back.

Austin on Piper’s Pit: This was a great segment, but it lacked something. I was anticipating this for some time and I was surprised to see Piper not mind being stunned by Austin. I loved the whole slapping the face bit, but then it kind of got awkward. Carlito was needed at this point. I enjoyed his interplay with the legends and it gave him a good rub. Can’t wait to see Carlito do his thing on Smackdown. I am enjoying Austin’s bits on Raw, but I would like to see him show up on both shows whenever he felt like. His star power could be used on Smackdown.

Now, before I end this segment, I am worried that with the USA deal, the roster split will end. I mean, if you notice, they haven’t discussed the draft at all and it was supposedly going to happen on Raw next week with the two brands being together as it is. Now, fans may not have liked the roster split, but with no plans for Smackdown once the contract with UPN ends, we could be faced with only one show, or we could be faced with the possibility that USA network wants all its stars on both shows. This would mean the end of Batista and Cena reigning on top. Only one could remain. With HHH, HBK, Undertaker, Angle, Batista and Cena vying for the top, what would that do for stars like Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Big Show, JBL, RVD, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho and Shelton Benjamin, wrestlers who have benefited from the split most of all.

Now, let us discuss the release of Rhyno and Matt Hardy. What are you stupid? With the ECW PPV right around the corner, it was a perfect time to showcase Rhyno’s abilities. He was the last champion and he should have been allowed to wrestle on the show. Maybe they will allow him one more shot, but WWE’s loss is TNA’s gain. TNA could do so much with Rhyno by pairing him or having him feud with Abyss. His gore could do battle with Monty Brown’s pounce. There are a number of possibilities here. Rhyno could finally be unleashed in the right environment and the WWE could have lost what could have been one of their biggest assets. Now, if TNA scored big with the signing of Jeff Hardy, do you not think that they will go out of their way to sign Matt Hardy, too? Just the idea of a feud between the Hardies and America’s Most Wanted is enough to increase PPV buyrates. This is a no-brainer. The WWE may have opened the doors up for TNA to make a big name for themselves. Trouble may be on the horizon for a company that thought it was untouchable.

Well, that is all for now. I will write again this weekend with my idea for how the ECW PPV will take shape. Until then, keep reading and enjoy. Later…