After reading James Carlucci’s article about WWE’s intent to have Batista win this year’s Royal Rumble and pass over Daniel Bryan, I started doing some thinking about where everyone would end up come April 6. Of course this allowed the armchair booker in me to bubble to the surface and start thinking creatively about how I imagine the grand daddy of ’em all playing out. Below are the musings and ideas that came to mind.
WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Batista: If WWE decides to move forward with Big Dave winning the Royal Rumble, it doesn’t necessarily mean Daniel Bryan will be passed over. It just means Bryan may not take the obvious path to the main event in New Orleans. The best incarnation of Batista (in my opinion) was his last run with the company as the spotlight hogging heel, and with the WWE Universe’s tepid reaction to The Animal, they may want to revisit that side of his personality by having him go after the most popular star in the company. Batista has made it clear that his goal is the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, no matter who is wearing the belts. Daniel Bryan’s capture of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship could happen at Elimination Chamber, another place where his underdog status would create a lot of drama and emotion for his victory. Maybe not the place some fans want to see him win the title, but still a way to set up Bryan vs Batista. Bryan would play his underdog role while Batista plays the bullying animal that picks on his smaller opponent. It’s a classic story that could have a real Wrestlemania moment with Bryan tapping out Big Dave and overcoming the odds while thousands chant “Yes! Yes! Yes!” in unison. They could also play up Bryan’s early days in WWE when he wrestled Batista during NXT.
Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton: So what of the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion? What to do with Randy Orton once he loses the belts? I have found the saga of Randy Orton to be a strange one since turning heel and becoming the Authority’s “face” of WWE. It seems like he’s constantly trying to prove himself to them, all the while screwing up and making them mad, almost like a problem child and parent relationship. One thing I think that has been missing from Randy Orton’s character has been his intense aggressive side. They’ve started to show glimpses of it so far, but mostly he’s been cowardly. Once Randy loses the belts at Elimination Chamber, he could throw one of his now seemingly trademark hissy fits the night after on Raw, only to have Triple H and Stephanie McMahon once again chastise him, telling him he needs to step his game up because they’ve been thinking about making someone else the “face” of the company. Later that night while Orton is wrestling, he’s attacked by the Beast himself Brock Lesnar. Lesnar puts a hurting on Orton and it is later explained by Paul Heyman that Brock Lesnar is just the man who deserves to be the “face” of WWE and we now have what has essentially become a #1 contenders match between Lesnar and Orton. It has an almost tragic undertone as we have two men battling it out for the favour of an emperor that cares little for either of them, like gladiators in the coliseum. I think this match would allow Randy’s aggressive side to come out, which I think would be needed to have him be taken seriously in the future, plus, it’s a fresh match up that we haven’t seen yet with both men having something to prove.
Triple H vs. CM Punk: I think most fans believe this match to be a lock come April, and I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t. We essentially have two of the hardest working personalities in WWE currently, and with CM Punk’s anti-authority attitude, who better for him to face than the Authority themselves? It was as if they came up with that name having Punk in mind as an eventual opponent. But how do we get there? Well, the seeds have already been planted nicely with Punk getting attacked and screwed over by the Authority’s henchmen the Shield, and Triple H’s friends, the New Age Outlaws. The next step will have to see Punk fight back in a way that infuriates Triple H enough to get him in the ring. With Punk drawing so much attention from fans who long for the days of the attitude era, what better way to anger Triple H than to take a page right out of his own book? Imagine if CM Punk began messing with Triple H the way DX used to mess with authority back in the day? His ploys could start out by embarrassing Triple H and increase in frustration until The Game can take no more and demands a fight with Punk. I think it would be a nice way to show how much Triple H has changed. How he IS now the corporate suit he used to rebel against and has become everything he used to hate, while a guy like Punk picked up the flag of insubordination and now waves it proudly for the people. It’s guaranteed that these two will work hard to give us a memorable match, as both men want to have the best match every time they perform.
John Cena, The Undertaker, and Hulk Hogan vs. The Wyatt Family: For the longest time, fans and insiders have been asking what to do about Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania XXX. Most feel like as a huge icon of WWE’s past, he should be a part of the show somehow, and many thought that another dream match of Hogan vs. Cena was the way to go. I myself loved the idea, but the truth of the matter is, it probably isn’t the smartest move, and with news of Hogan not doing as well as hoped on his WWE physical, the need to keep his role at Mania limited regarding wrestling is essential. Thus, a tag team match does seem to be the best way to hide Hogan’s limitations while still having him involved. So how do we get him there? Well, in my mind Hogan needs a reason to not only get involved physically, but have back up. And that’s where we put WWE’s version of the Charlie Manson family. The Wyatt’s…haven’t had a good 2014 so far. They’ve been made to look like fools and need to establish themselves as a greater threat than ever before. What better way to send that message than by going after an “Immortal”? The idea of Bray Wyatt using this imagery for promos leading up to Wrestlemania has me salivating. Bring The Hulkster back on Raw and have his celebration interrupted by the Wyatts, who attack him and hurt him, only to be run off by a man who has proven his loyalty and respect to WWE Hall of Famers in the past: John Cena. With Hogan “out of the picture”, The Wyatt’s then concentrate their attacks on Cena… and any other superstar who tries to get in their way. They go on a vicious tear, threatening to end John Cena one night on Raw…until the lights go out and the gong sounds. With the Undertaker behind Cena, Hogan announces he’s on the road to recovery, wants revenge on The Wyatts, and we’re off to the races. Although not able to do much, Hogan can still be involved. One only need look at Bret Hart’s involvement in WWE since 2010 to prove it can be done. The Undertaker still gets an important part of the show and can even play off the fact that he’s not the only person in charge of keeping the streak alive. The Wyatts get to work with three of the biggest superstars of all time, and even John Cena gets a bit of a rub from teaming with these legends. The dynamic of the babyface team is intriguing as we have top stars from each era of WWE on one team, facing three men who represent the next wave of talent in the company. You literally have WWE’s past, present, and future colliding in one match. If that doesn’t say Wresltemania XXX I don’t know what does!
UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns: It would appear as though The Shield is headed their separate ways, with Roman Reigns poised to be the breakout star. But to shrug off the talents of all three men in the faction is just ignorant. Having things progress the way they have been, jealousy and ego will eventually lead to a break up between the three men, and one would assume the logical conclusion to their story is a confrontation with all three talents vying for the United States Championship. I don’t have to write much about this match because I think these three would do their best to steal the show and show the world watching them that they are the future of WWE. Something tells me they’d have a good shot at doing so.
INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Big E. Langston (c) vs. The Big Show: It’s obvious that Big E. Langston has a bright future with WWE. He has an impressive physique, a charismatic personality, and a great work ethic according to those behind the scenes. Fans are genuinely behind the guy, and I think a big match at the biggest show of the year would put him over in a big way. And who is bigger than The Big Show? I thought about squaring off Big E. against guys like Kofi Kingston, Ryback, or even Mark Henry but the fact is, The Big Show is a bigger name than those three, and Show has worked hard to give young talent a chance and make them look good. I have a feeling that would be no different when it comes to Langston. With Show acting a bit more intense lately, he could even show some heel tendencies, just to put Big E. over the top. While I don’t think these two would pull off a technical masterpiece, I do believe they could tell us a very good story, and if Langston could pull off a feat of strength in this match to rival what we’ve seen in the past, it could very well create his own Wrestlemania moment and cement his place in the future of WWE.
WWE UNIFIED TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
The Brotherhood (c) vs. Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara: Although some are still hoping to see a brother vs. brother showdown at Mania between Cody Rhodes and Goldust, I think they’re just too damn good a tag team to split up just yet. Their team has still got some serious steam behind them, as does the WWE tag team division as a whole. So why give the title shot to Rey and Sin Cara? Rey is a big star and deserved a match on the main card, but his recent pairing of himself and The Big Show (Mysteri-Show as LWOS contributing writer Jeff DeHaan called them, or Big Dog/Little Dog as I dubbed them) had already faced The Brotherhood and failed to capture the title. Before he was hurt, Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio made a pretty impressive duo, and that was while Mistico was under the mask. With Hunico now donning the hood, the reunion of these two masked superstars could bring about an even better pairing and give Hunico a chance to shine under the bright lights of the biggest show of the year. A chance that he deserves after so much hard work and perseverance. Putting these four in the ring together could be magic. All four men can still go and have something to prove. This would be a great match to represent the best of the WWE tag team division. And speaking of the WWE tag team division…
TAG TEAM MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH
The Usos vs. The Prime Time Players vs. Los Matadors vs. The Real Americans v.s Rybaxel: Originally, the concept of the Money In The Bank Ladder Match was a very good one. It allowed for an exciting encounter and gave the opportunity for a number of superstars to get on the card for Wrestlemania all at the same time. Since then, the concept has been moved to it’s own event, which I’m in favour of. It is quickly becoming one of the most anticipated matches each year not unlike The Royal Rumble. So, although I love the concept, as in years past when it was rumoured for a return at Wrestlemania, I thought having it would diminish the value of the match itself. In 2014 the future of the WWE tag team division looks bright, and we have many of the men in this match to thank for it. They deserve their own showcase match, and I thought it might be fun to play with the conventions of the MITB by giving it a tag team edition, which would also keep the singles contest MITB from being watered down. To those who say there would be too many men out there to follow the action, I would remind you that there have been as many as 10 wrestlers in past MITB matches, and there are 10 men here. 10 men all deserving of a chance to represent what they have helped build at Wrestlemania.
KICK-OFF MATCH
Bad News Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, Fandango and Damien Sandow vs. Mark Henry, Kofi Kingston, The Miz and Dolph Ziggler: Although I think all eight of these men deserve a spot on the main card, there is only so much room to go around. I explained why another Money In The Bank Ladder Match with singles competitors would water down the gimmick, and I think the tag team ladder match concept is something different and would seem out of place on the kick off. A match with this much talent would be a great way to entice anyone on the fence or just being exposed to the WWE product. With the Wrestlemania kick off show also being a bit longer than their usual pre show, they could give this match a little more time to let these talents show off their stuff.
So that’s how I would handle Wrestlemania XXX if given the unenviable task of booking the biggest event of the year. Of course I’m just one man, with only one man’s opinion. You might love some of these ideas, you may hate all of them. No matter how you feel, I encourage you to tell us what match or matches you want to see at Wrestlemania XXX in the comments or on twitter with the hash tag #dreammaniaxxx.
photo credit: mjpeacecorps via photopin cc
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