@TheBenjamin posted a rumor in the AEW vs NXT thread that I think fits more into a discussion about wrestlemania.
So the rumored card right now seems like:
Lesnar vs McIntyre
Fiend vs Reigns
Edge vs Orton
Becky vs Shayna Baszler
Charlotte vs Rhea Ripley
So that’s five matches even before you include two battle royals, a Triple H match, a potential Cena or Taker match, any tag-team matches. It already looks like we are in for another 8 hour marathon.
What do you think of Charlotte challenging Rhea?
Who should Bayley face?
What should Triple H, Cena or Undertaker do this year?
I actually texted Davie this yesterday morning before those rumors hit as I thought it was a way better program for her than Bayley who I just think is dead in the water atm.
They built Bianca up so well in that Rumble and had the showdown between her and Charlotte, I could see them flipping the title or making it a 3 way to highlight another future Woman Superstar.
Bayley and Sasha if she’s healthy? Or Bayley and Naomi after Naomi felt like a real big deal coming back.
I’d do Black in a singles match and really build the entrance ala Demon Balor.
A tag with a bunch of teams for Raw that get a lot of upper-mid guys on the show.
Riddle vs. Hunter is a realistic dream match for me for Tampa right now and here is why: I don’t see them putting Riddle over Goldberg even though that is the obvious match they should do before it is too late. That said, Uncle Paul is the NXT godfather. Well lately he’s got an NXT guy causing issues with legends like Goldberg and Brock. So have him chastise Riddle only for Riddle to start going after Hunter online and set that up as a way to present Riddle as a big deal. Time for Hunter to put somebody over.
I feel that Cena may have a better chance of having an angle on the show than Triple H having a match. Looking at it this way, is there any need or any potential interesting match which could be done?
Knowing my luck, 2 weeks from now they’ll try to do something to set up a Trips match, in which I can look back and laugh at this post.
Not that it would be surprising in the grand scheme, if any of those guys have a match, it’d be coming out of nowhere as far as I know. At least Cena or Taker can have a “one-off” with somebody with very little build. But given his position in the company, I don’t think it’s possible to have somebody work with Triple H without it being treated like a huge program. And I don’t even know who you would get for that… closest thing I can think of (which I am not advocating) would be to run back the Seth/Triple H program but with Seth as the heel and HHH as the babyface.
Yeah I dont want a HHH match at all but you know he will not turn down the chance to play dress-up in a stadium. The Riddle idea would be fine, but I doubt that will happen. Maybe some sort of challenge match with Aleistar Black where he gets squashed - try to erase the memory of the Warrior squash.
Another guy who hasn’t been mentioned at all is Bryan. He will also have something for Mania
This WM lacks a dream match - I feel like they know that so they are trying to do the best they can.
The last WM ther has that feel was two years ago. You had AJ vs Nakamura, Charlotte vs Asuka, debut of Ronda and return of DB, and UT vs Cena. It had a big dream match to it.
This year is more like last year - no huge dream matches so they will try to push guys and give us new stars. SHayna and Drew look poised for title matches. Edge vs Randy is more of an easing in and less of a dream match (like Bataista vs HHH). Edge could have dream matches vs AJ or DB but they are holding off and giving it to us slower as Edge works himself back in. Closest may be Riddle vs Goldberg
So it won’t have the hook that will get people super excited and make it must see. It’s okay. As long as they deliver a reasonable card it will be passable and hopefully some new stars are made.
Is there anywhere to go with Miz vs. Bryan now? classic, too little too late?
if I’m grading the matches we are aware of thus far (Dream Match = A+) I’d say:
Becky v Baszler - solid A
Charlotte v Rhea - solid A
Randy v Edge - B+, but A+ for casual nostalgia fans (better than Hunter/Batista or Batista/Orton)
Drew v Brock - B (somewhere below Seth and Roman but above Dean)
Roman v Fiend - has potential to feel like an A- if you forget it is Roman for a second. Super Roman coming to beat unbeatable Fiend has potential and its way better than Bray’s last title program at Mania, as well as Roman’s last Mania feud with Drew
Yeah I like the lineup so far, a lot better than last year.
I just think the Roman/Fiend match is going to be shit on. I see the fans cheering for Wyatt and completing turning on Roman (again). If all the Fiend stuff turned Seth then it’ll probably happen to Roman too. Reigns has got to bloody the Fiend, rip off the mask or do something extreme if he wants to get cheered at Mania.
I know it seems like Riddle has been campaigning for a match against Goldberg by trying to create an online feud. But I hope WWE doesn’t go down that path. Riddle is nowhere near a big enough star to be facing Goldberg in a Wrestlemania match. If it did happen it would only be to showcase a Goldberg squash match and only hurt Riddle.
Gotta make stars sometime. Spent most of Sunday debating this with my Raw/D-only friend.
At some point start putting NXT talent in big spots. They aren’t going to be less over than mid carders and maybe they’ll break out. At the very least you get a vocal minority behind them and they feel important to the fan who doesn’t know them. It’s better than the same luke warm acts over and over who aren’t going to get more over in the same contrived ways (Kofi being an exception but that took massive fan support for a guy who has been kept down for years and now he’s right back to being a luke warm mid card act because that’s how WWE perceives him).
Yup, some call ups need to come in and beat the big name guys straight off. Especially when those guys aren’t young themselves, Riddle cannot really spend 3-4 years working his way up the card, and squashing little guys doesn’t make you a star otherwise Rowan and Black would be stars right now.
Totally agree but what do you do with stale mid card main roster guys like Ziggler, Anderson, Gallows, Roode, Shelton, No Way Jose - etc?
A lot of those guys signed big money deals. Paying people to sit at home was one of the many contributing factors that led to WCW dying. Hell, there’s tons of people that they never use as is (EC3, Eric Young, Slater, Dallas, Axel, etc).
Just feels like the roster is already too bloated to use NXT guys without making some cuts.