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What you need to know
Pretty much everything you needed to know on Monday, since Raw was largely Survivor Series rematches.
World Heavyweight Champion (WHC) John Cena and WWE champion Randy Orton will face each other with both of their belts on the line at the TLC pay-per-view (PPV). As a result The Viper is feeling left in out in the cold by The Authority, while Cena is all, "come get some", etc, etc.
Daniel Bryan and CM Punk were just having some fun following their win over Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of The Wyatt Family this past Sunday. They went from joking around with Renee Young about a name for their pairing to chaos and horror, as The Beard was kidnapped by Bray Wyatt's clan while The Best was taken out by The Shield.
The Hounds of Justice have been on a roll, winning the elimination tag on Sunday and the straight-up three-on-three showdown with the tag champs and Rey Mysterio on Raw. Any money they're getting from the McMahons or other employers to take out Punk is just gravy.
New Intercontinental champ Big E Langston can trade strongman stories and tips with his new tag partner, the recently returned and smooth-domed Mark Henry. At least they have something in common beyond skin color, the latest NXT call-up, Xavier Woods, found himself paired with the Funkadactyls on Monday because of...their love of soul music?
What to look out for
The WWE crew hit Connecticut before heading home for the holidays, and taped Smackdown on Tuesday night. Previews are spoiler-free, but if you want tonight's show to feel like leftovers, read all about what went down here.
Friday nights have always been known for tag team matches, but tag title defenses are becoming a staple of the SyFy show these days. The Rhodes Brothers are scheduled for their second straight championship match on the B-show when they face long-time rivals Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns tonight.
The only other officially hyped tidbit for tonight is that El Torito will make his in-ring debut! Los Matadores have kind of slid off the radar after appearing on every show for the first few weeks after their debut. No telling if this means they're getting an honest-to-goodness feud, but, what better way to kick off the holiday season than with a little person in a bull costume?
What they should do
A lot of people have opinions on if WWE should have an offseason, and theories on ways they can do it. With the death of the brand split and a possible future with only one major title, the main players in the company are getting run ragged. Especially with an aging set of main eventers, injuries like the one that recently took down Cena, still have Sheamus on the shelf and continually befall Attitude Era vets like Christian, Henry and Big Show have to at least in part be tied to the schedule as it exists today.
Roughly every other thing I write about pro wrestling usually ends up talking about the need for compelling stories in the mid-card, and I believe that's the easiest answer to this problem, too. Keep the brand split alive, eliminate a strap or two, but commit to filling two-three hours per week of programming with building mid and under-card feuds. They do it with an hour a week on NXT, and the announcers routinely make up some reason why the guys or gals on Superstars are fighting while spitballing on commentary. Fans used to cheer for Barry Horowitz. Give us a reason to root for anyone, and we'll do it. If it keeps Cena or Punk out of three or four matches a month, too, why wouldn't you consider it?
Especially at this time of year, with football a huge distraction for Americans and folks worldwide more tied up with holiday preparations and plans, why not have a show a week be a retrospective. Would ratings drop that much if a random December Smackdown was suddenly, for instance, Daniel Bryan interviewing his favorite wrestlers and showing the matches that influenced him the most? The own the tape library, they're going to need this kind of material when the Network launches and a concentrated effort to market pro wrestling as a performance art form with a long history could gain some respect and convert a few casual or younger fans into lifelong followers of sports entertainment.
Anything that could generate good public relations, keep your money makers a little healthier and have even one or two ancillary benefits should be on the table.
What we're afraid they will do
John Cena, with his two world titles, one in his human arm and one in the cybernetic appendage they had installed when his elbow exploded in the Summer of '14.
WWE's killing time this holiday weekend, will you be killing it with them?
What do you Cagesiders think about a WWE "off-season"? What do you think we'll see on Smackdown tonight? Sound off below, and join your brothers and sisters in the open thread tonight!