WWE Wrestlemania 28 - Team Laurinaitis vs Team Long

**Jim** · 03-13-2012, 12:36 AM

Desperate times, desperate measures. With tensions running increasingly high between SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long and Interim General Manager of Monday Night Raw John Laurinaitis, the WWE Board of Directors was forced to take a drastic step. The nine-member panel released a letter stating that sole control of both Raw and SmackDown would be decided in a 12-Man Tag Team Match – Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny – at WrestleMania.

Relations between the GMs began to deteriorate at Elimination Chamber when Laurinaitis announced his intention to govern both shows. Not surprisingly, Long took umbrage to the overt power grab and told Laurinaitis so in no uncertain terms, both in person and on Twitter, where @GMSmackDown and @WWERawGM have been strident in their criticism of each other.

In an attempt to determine who might perform better as dual GM, one week before the Board released the letter, it allowed Long to run Raw while Laurinaitis took control of SmackDown. The one-upmanship was fierce with Long and Laurinaitis even competing against one another in a match that saw Teddy roll up Laurinaitis, a ring veteran, for the win. The Board decided that both men had performed their duties above expectation and that, to determine control of both shows, Long and Laurinaitis must each choose a six-man squad to compete against one another.

On Raw SuperShow this past Monday, the rosters began to form, with Long naming U.S. Champion Santino Marella as his captain, while Laurinaitis selected David Otunga as his own captain. Before the night was out, Mark Henry had joined "Mr. Excitement's" troops as well. And with just three weeks until The Show of Shows in Miami, the struggle to add key Superstars to the rosters is sure to be intense. And the competition among Superstars to be selected to those teams promises to be just as ferocious.

And here's your match to get on all of the midcard stars. I can see the teams being:

Ace:
Henry, Christian, Otunga, Ziggler, Swagger and Alberto Del Rio

Long:
Santino, Truth, Kofi, Khali, Ryder and Brodus Clay

I don't imagine it'll be anything too good since it won't receive much time, but it should be passable.

**Battenzione** · 03-13-2012, 04:31 AM

It's not that i'm excited to see this match but i just like the storyline. As for teams I just don't see Ziggler and Ryder (guess he will have some storyline with Eve Torres for a mixed tag team match) in it. And I really don't want to see the Great Khali in it.

Here are my teams:

Team ACE:
Henry, Christian, Otunga, The Miz (i just see him getting in one way or another), Drew McIntyre (as for thanking Laurinaitis for giving him his job back) and Alberto Del Rio

Team Long:
Santino, Truth, Kofi, Mason Ryan (just need some muscles in it), Justin Gabriel and Brodus Clay

**Mr. White** · 03-13-2012, 08:45 AM

Heres who I think will be on each team not included currently injured stars. Not sure about Teddys last man.

Team Johnny: Otunga, Henry, Christian, Del Rio, Ziggler, Swagger
Team Teddy: Santino Kofi, Truth, Ryder, Khali, ?

**Battenzione** · 03-13-2012, 09:59 AM

here's also a possibillity.

The beginning of a face turn of the Miz. Maybe Long says that he believes in the Miz and that he deserves to be on the card. So he's in on team long and maybe be the sole survivor? Come on you gotta give this guy a place somewhere on the card or else you wouldn't let him be the longest in ring competitor in the RR or the final guy in the EC

**Eduardo** · 03-13-2012, 10:07 AM

I'd mark out so hard for a McIntyre run in to screw teddy out of his job - wishful thinking?

**Shock** · 03-13-2012, 10:09 AM

From a storyline perspective, here's what I hope would be the teams:
Otunga; Christian; Del Rio; Miz; Ziggler; Henry (no need for Swagger, he's nothing right now)
vs.
Santino; Ryder; Rey; Kofi; Truth; Morrison

If they could get Morrison in for Team Long somehow, that would help balance the match, because right now Team Laurinaitis looks overwhelmingly better.

I doubt that'll happen, although I do think that'll be team Laurinaitis though. The match should be given quite a bit of time since we haven't got that many more matches to be announced (something to do with Divas and Kane/Orton?)

**King Steventon** · 03-13-2012, 10:20 AM

Shame Henry is going to job to Cena next because this week he finally looked like a killer once again. Face team really needs a Rey Mysterio or Evan Bourne (or both!) to carry them, though.

**Mr. White** · 03-13-2012, 06:04 PM

They could feature Miz on Longs Team to start a turn. Like they did early in Cena's career at Mania. Miz could bitch about Johnny for his fall through the ranks.

**The Main Eventer** · 03-13-2012, 08:10 PM

Here is who I think will be the teams in the match.

Team Long: Santino, Kofi, Truth, Bourne, Khali, and Ryder.

Team Ace: Otunga, Henry, Christian, Del Rio, Drew Mcintyre, and Swagger.

**RaiZ-R** · 03-13-2012, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by Flex Kavana

They could feature Miz on Longs Team to start a turn. Like they did early in Cena's career at Mania. Miz could bitch about Johnny for his fall through the ranks.

After watching Raw, that's exactly what I was thinking.

Miz would be perfect for the last man in Teddy Long's team. The only real problem with it is that Long has literally no reason to trust Miz after the last several months with Miz sucking up to Ace. That and the fact that Miz has been on a losing streak for a long while now... Would Long want to risk his job on such a long shot?