If you ask me, this is a critical Wrestlemania season for the WWE. The Rock and Brock Lesnar, two stars known outside of just the world of wrestling, will be back and should bring in some more viewers. With ratings down, that could be huge. That also means it is a time for the WWE to try and make some new stars that appeal to the viewers who come back during Wrestlemania season. Make guys like Kofi Kingston, Wade Barrett and Dolph Ziggler more appealing to the casual viewer. Make them seem like interesting guys that you want to watch. That's something the WWE has never done well during Wrestlemania season. Ok, you want your top stars in the big matches. I get it. But make the undercard seem important as well.
Once again, I want to stress this is MY final Wrestlemania card. I think it is completely opposite from what the WWE will do. The WWE likes to keep it safe for the majority of the time. I don't. I, like many other fans, want to see different things from time to time. So here is what I would do at Wrestlemania. To me, it's the card I would want to see.
United States Championship: Antonio Cesaro (c) vs Christian
There are only so many ways I can tell you how much I have high hopes for Antonio Cesaro. If brought along the right way, Cesaro could be big for the WWE. I honestly don't see anybody beating Cesaro for the U.S. Title in the near future. When he does lose it, it should be because he is ready for a big time push up the card. But Cesaro should get a program heading into Wrestlemania and be able to get a program with a veteran guy on the roster willing to put him over. That is where Christian would come in. Christian has been out with a shoulder injury for a long time now. I also believe he was never fully recovered from his previous ankle issue. There's no doubt Christian could get a good match out of Cesaro and would expect these guys to put on a good 12 minute match.
Intercontinental Championship: Wade Barrett (c) vs Miz
Again, just like with Antonio Cesaro, Barrett is someone that should be a main eventer in 2013. I think he is ahead of Cesaro right now in the pecking order. Barrett can cut a better promo and I think he is a tad bit better in the ring than Cesaro. I think Barrett will take the IC Title from Kofi at some point. Kofi doesn't need it and I have other plans for Kofi moving when I get to his match on the card. And unless the WWE does something quick with Miz, he will become just another bland face on the roster. Miz is another example of how bad the WWE is at making faces.
Tag Team Championship: Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs Alberto del Rio & Damien Sandow
I don't know how bad the injury is to Cody Rhodes. Rhodes isn't back yet. I don't know if he will be back in time for Wrestlemania, so I am giving Sandow a new tag team partner. Del Rio fits into the type of tag team partner Sandow would be looking for. A high class man who is well rounded as a person. Del Rio is so lost as a singles wrestler that I think putting him in a tag team with Sandow would be the only way to even remotely save his career in the WWE. I know that the WWE has always had thoughts of doing Sin Cara vs Rey Mysterio in a singles match, but do you really think the WWE has enough faith in those two guys to put on a match and not screw it up or not get injured? That match doesn't have the appeal that it might have had in the beginning of the year. They work better as a tag team than they do as singles competitors.
Ryback vs Big Show
The WWE still has high hopes for Ryback. Despite how terrible Ryback has been booked in recent weeks, they still see something in him because of his look. The fact is, no matter how it happened, Ryback still has lost two straight PPV main events. The ovation he used to get a couple of months ago is now gone. So what can Ryback do at Wrestlemania? I considered putting him here against a heel Randy Orton, but that wouldn't work if you are attempting to get him over as a heel. Ryback has to win at Wrestlemania to give him some semblance of a career at Wrestlemania. That is where the Big Show steps into the picture. Show is a veteran guy who would be willing to do the job for Ryback. Plus, if Ryback can actually hit Shell Shocked on Big Show, that would probably look rather impressive.
Sheamus vs Randy Orton
No. This match is not for the World Title. I understand it is a big match that could use the World Title, but there is a better option for that if you ask me. I think Randy Orton is on his way to turning heel. There just isn't much left for him as a face. Granted, there aren't a lot of top faces left in the WWE if you turn Orton. But Orton is much better as a heel than he is as a face. If you really want to get Randy Orton over as a heel, then there is no better way to do it than have him turn on Sheamus. How do you do it? Simple. After Sheamus successfully defends the World Title at the Elimination Chamber PPV by pinning Orton in a Chamber Match, you have Orton go ahead and offer a handshake. Orton then pulls Sheamus in for an RKO. Immediately after, Ziggler comes out and cashes in his Money in the Bank contract and becomes World Champion. Sheamus comes out the next night and says while he wants his World Title back, he wants revenge on Randy Orton first. You have an under card match that involves two of your bigger names in the company that has some meaning to it.
John Cena vs Triple H
OK. Here me out on this one. I'm sure you are all looking at this one and saying the same thing: WTF??? I know the WWE will go with HHH/Lesnar, because HUNTER HAS TO GET HIS WIN BACK. But that feud was so terrible in the build to SummerSlam, and then the match was just so dull and boring. At this point I would consider selling a kidney to not see that match again. And for some reason, the WWE wants to do Rock/Cena again even though it was billed as a ONCE IN A LIFETIME match last year. See, when I use CAPS everywhere it means I'm angry and don't agree with something. If the WWE goes with those two matches at Wrestlemania, then I don't see how Wrestlemania will mean anything when two top matches are REMATCHES from last year and over the summer.
So how do we get to this point? Triple H comes out after Vickie is fired and wants to be GM of RAW again. Vince McMahon says that Hunter has already had his try and failed, and he places himself in charge of RAW. While Vince struggles to maintain control, HHH continues to make a plea to become GM. Finally, the WWE "Board of Directors" makes a decision to have Vince and Hunter have a match where whoever is on the winning side gets to control RAW. Each man can pick someone to represent him. Hunter picks himself, while Vince chooses Cena to represent him. I know that doesn't sound good. But with ratings down, you can expect a heavy dose of HHH, Cena and Vince the next few months. Plus you can get Hunter to turn heel, which he is better at, by attacking Vince and Cena. It may not sound good or come off well on TV, but I will take this over HHH/Lesnar any day.
World Heavyweight Championship: Dolph Ziggler (c) vs Daniel Bryan vs Kofi Kingston
Well well well, what do we have here? First of all: Yes, I do have a Triple Threat Match as a Title match on the biggest PPV of the year. But if there are three guys that I think can put on an entertaining match in a triple threat style format, it would be these three guys. When it comes to the World Title, I always think it is the match that you can take a chance on at Wrestlemania. You'll have the WWE Title Match, the Undertaker match, and usually one more big main event on the show. That means the World Title Match is at best the third or fourth biggest match on the show. The WWE took a chance on it last year with Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus, but they botched that badly. This one has three guys that can definitely work, and possibly even put on the match of the show.
I already mentioned how I would have Dolph Ziggler win the World Title. How do you get Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston here? Its simple to me. Have a Battle Royal on Smackdown and both men simultaneously eliminate each other to end it. Smackdown GM Booker T makes it a Triple Threat Match at Wrestlemania. I think Daniel Bryan has a lot of potential as a face in the WWE. As soon as they break up his team with Kane, I think he should be pushed strong as a face. People thought he lacked charisma as a character, but he has shown that he has tons of it while doing this comedy act tag team with Kane.
Then there's Kofi Kingston. I guy who at times has seemed to be on the cusp of a main event push, but either gets the rug pulled out from underneath him or just stays exactly where he is on the card. Again, with the World Title Match being at best the third or fourth top match on the card, why not give Kofi a chance to sign here. The guy can usually put on a good *** match. With Ziggler, Kofi, and Bryan in the mix? I would expect a **** match if they are given 15 minutes. Introduce the returning WWE fan to these guys and make them care about them.
Brock Lesnar vs The Rock
Again, no WWE Title on the line here. Does this match main event? No if you ask me. I understand it is possibly the two biggest stars in the biggest match that you can have at the biggest show of the year. I know that the last time the WWE didn't have a match like this main event, Triple H and Chris Jericho barely had any heat to their match. But I still think that had a lot to do with how poorly Chris Jericho was booked as World Champion. But I think my WWE Title Match is big enough that you can stick this match halfway through the show and not worry about any heat being lost for your main event.
When Brock Lesnar came back after last year's Wrestlemania, many people assumed that Lesnar/Rock was a given for Wrestlemania. Then when Rock announced that he was going to get a WWE Title Match at the Royal Rumble, most assumed that he would defend the Title against either Lesnar or Cena at Wrestlemania. But you can't have your WWE Champion only working part time. I don't care about the house show aspect like the WWE does. I don't think people care if the WWE Title is defended at a house show or not. This isn't the mid-90s. But you have to have your WWE Champion on RAW all the time. That's my opinion. Especially with RAW being three hours. If it was only two you could MAYBE get away with it. But not on a three hour show.
Again, how you get to this point is pretty simple. When Rock and Punk fight at the Royal Rumble, you have Lesnar run in and take out Punk, allowing him to retain the WWE Title. And if you can't have both of these guys around every show, it isn't too big of a deal. But you still get your big money match out of these guys that will probably pull people into the show that don't normally watch.
WWE Championship: C.M. Punk (c) vs The Undertaker
There had been talk recently about building to Wrestlemania with the thought of putting C.M. Punk in the main event. If you ask me, the guy deserves it. He's held the WWE Title for over a year and doesn't deserve to be pushed aside come Wrestlemania time. The guy has been the best thing going in the WWE all year. He kept going and going despite not main eventing a single PPV while WWE Champion until Night of Champions in September. Punk has been great since his heel turn and deserves to main event the biggest show of the year if you ask me.
This match would have a lot at stake. You have the undefeated Wrestlemania streak of the Undertaker against what would by then be the 400+ day WWE Title reign of C.M. Punk. That's a pretty easy sell. Punk can go on and continue to talk about how no one is still showing him respect, even after he beat The Rock at Wrestlemania. The Undertaker, who many people wonder how many more Wrestlemania matches he has in him, could win the Royal Rumble. You can then either have Taker make his choice the night after the Rumble. Then maybe have a tag match at Elimination Chamber: Rock/Taker vs Punk/Lesnar. Or you could have C.M. Punk successfully defend the WWE Title at Elimination Chamber, then have Taker appear at the end and chokeslam Punk to close the show.
So, who wins this match is the question. Do you have C.M. Punk solidify his status as the man in the WWE and end Taker's undefeated streak? Or do yo u have this be the Undertaker's swan song. Win the WWE Title at Mania. Then the next night on RAW you have him go down on one knee, have the lights go out, and when they come back on the WWE Title and Taker's boots are in the ring with the Title, signifying the end of his career. (I really like this idea but must give credit to someone else on a wrestling message board I visit frequently for coming up with that idea.) There's about as much on the line as you could possibly imagine with this match, and would probably get a lot of people to order to show based off the fact that you have no idea what would happen going in.
Once again, this is MY Wrestlemania. I guarantee the WWE would not book 75% of the show I came up with. I would enjoy my Wrestlemania. Would you? If not, what would you book?
Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka
No comments:
Post a Comment