Wrestlemanias main event

Wrestlemania 28
by Chris Wilkerson

The WWE has hyped this Wrestlemania up like none other in its history. A day after, maybe even (considering The Rock’s show stealing moment) the night of, Wrestlemania 27 last April we had our ‘main event’, we had John Cena’s destination decided. He would face the one man his popularity never matched, not even at its height. Rocky was back for Wrestlemania 28.

Unsurprisingly, things went quiet from there. Survivor Series came and went with a couple of Rock Bottom’s, but we were left waiting for the usual turn in every WWE year. The road to Wrestlemania starts the same place every year. Welcome to the Royal Rumble.

Jericho may have returned weeks before the Rumble, but it was his performance here that confirmed it all for those used to the way the WWE works. Sheamus may have won, but the shot at the big prize, the shot at CM Punk for the WWE Championship, was going with Y2J.

The Celtic Warrior waited to announce his decision at who he would take on at WM 28, waited for the two Elimination Chamber matches to close at the last PPV before the big one, but we all knew he would be looking at becoming the face of Smackdown. Daniel Bryan, who worked his way to a heel turn with all the subtlety of a Big Show fist to the face, would become the snide little creep every Wrestlemania needs. Once the main man of Booker’s never ending fave five, the weasel has done his job perfectly and sets up a Heavyweight match with the Irish prince come April 1st.

The storyline I’ve yet to mention is the one the older fans probably care most about. The lights went low, the air cold, and Taker returned. Personally, I still got the chill of excitement that I got as a wee nipper in the early 90’s, watching recorded shows my father put in front of me. Whatever the era, whether I was watching avidly or not, The Undertaker has always been able to hold my attention. But another rematch at WM? Triple H again? The streak is incredible, and must surely be coming to an end, either in defeat or retirement, but does Hunter have to keep stamping his ego everywhere? Even the Shawn Michaels guest referee slot is tiresome. Hell in a Cell gives them the chance to showcase how last year was not the last of either of them at the top level, but this has to be top drawer of everyone is being short-changed. A feud between Triple H and Michaels after Wrestlemania is mooted. That could give them both a worthy return, but another Kevin Nash episode should consign HHH to retirement.

There’s Randy Orton vs Kane, the Big Show vs Cody Rhode, we’ll have some divas chucked in too, that nice toilet break we all need when watching live, and the Teddy Long vs John Laurinaitus 12 man tag-team match. It’s gonna be a big night.

Topping the Bill

But I am not writing this as a Wrestlemania preview. I’ll throw in some predictions at the end mind, just for fun.
One of the most intriguing elements as we run down the last few days countdown to Wrestlemania is what the main event will be.
We’ll all have our own personal main event, there’s a good few matches in there that could be PPV headliners at any time of year. But what match will end another historic Wrestlemania?

I hate to break it to you, but Kelly Kelly is not main eventing Wrestlemania. I know, I know, Eve’s heel turn has rocked my world in 2012, but the women’s movement has just not gathered enough pace.

Big Show and Cody Rhodes? Poor old Show, his better days have gone, and he is honourably fulfilling his duty now, grabbing a few high profile slots as the man to put people over. Cody Rhodes is a fascinating heel and a man with great potential. This is his chance to make a nice ‘Mania impact, but that’s about it.

Kane and Orton? The Big Red Machine had his moments with Cena, but the special face grapple move (it’s a choke I guess but who cares) is not exactly stellar viewing. Orton just needs to keep himself up there and fresh, if Kane can produce the goods still he will finally give Orton someone to wrestle. His feuds over the past year have been blunt.

The 12 man tag? Sadly, rumours of the return for Money In The Bank matches were just that, and this is what we get instead. Imagine this line-up with at least one MitB match. It adds high paced variation and eye catching moments. This will let us see how much the kids love Zack Ryder and Santino, whilst John Laurinaitus carries on his heel supremacy and Teddy Long is left never to falter his way through a promo again. Nothing about this excites me, and unless the Funkasaurus rolls into town I may use this as a good opportunity to join the queue at the bar.

So, onto the big guns.

Daniel Bryan (c) vs Sheamus

To give credit to the WWE, they have done superbly to make this a line-up with real stars. No Big Show/Mark Henry battles. To see Sheamus and my boy D Bryan battle it out for the kingdom of Smackdown may even make me interested in the lifeless sideshow to Raw. Bryan can wrestle, and hopefully his squeeze will be away from the ring to pull those games into play (although rumours he will soon have a screen romance with the Bella twin he dates in real life could mean that’s not the case). Can Sheamus bulldoze his way through the game playing of Bryan? There’s got to be an unpopular result somewhere along the lines.
However, the most unpopular move of all would be to end the night on this. Surely there’s not a fan in that building who cares more about Smackdown than Raw, let alone more about Smackdown than some of the legends of the industry we’ll see this night. A good move for the World Heavyweight Championship, this match has enough to keep us interested. But Main Event-ing Wrestlemania? I dread to think it ever crossed a sane man’s mind, let alone Vince McMahons.

CM Punk (c) vs Chris Jericho

With Cena out of the title scene as his match with The Rock loomed, CM Punk had to find a new rival to play with. The so called voice of the voiceless came from a great position, one not many in this industry will ever find themselves in, the alternative face. He made Cena the heel in their feud of 2011, broke through to new heights, as a wrestler who knew his character, his audience and how to keep things fresh in the ring. The PG era Stone Cold, but with a little more thought and a lot less swearing, Punk needed someone clever to wrestle.
A return for one of the masters of the mic, the mind game specialist, Y2J Chris Jericho is a match made in heaven for the psychology of rivalry. Jericho did everything right. He made himself a heel as the public screamed his name. No fan who watched his rise will truly accept him as a real heel, and he’s put a spin on things. The ego is Jericho as he’s always been, but he’s yet to really prove he still cuts it in the ring. Brief cameos here and there, with the Rumble a free arena to get back into things in the hustle and bustle of the crowds, before his ‘injury’ in the chamber, Y2J still needs to show he’s just been rusty, and not washed up. A feud here, a real feud, with longevity, twists, turns and a raft of different matches could give the title something special again. Not something Alberto Del Rio.
A title match feels like it should top the card. This is the WWE Championship. Jericho is a legend of the trade, Punk the heir to his throne. But it’s just not the biggest match. It’s the biggest of CM Punk’s career, and could be the best it gets for this chapter of Y2J’s career. And if we are to find that Raw is Jericho, would anyone care if The Rock has been and gone?

The Undertaker vs Triple H (Shawn Michaels Guest Referee) Hell in a Cell

I’ll start this off by stating the obvious: this is the biggest match at Wrestlemania for me. Stone Cold and The Rock are legends, Hulk Hogan made the industry what it is, John Cena is the flagbearer of the PG patrol, but The Undertaker is the greatest wrestler in WWE history. What the WWE could do with a big man like him in this modern era. Nimble and vicious, Taker cut a promo without speaking, played a character like it was life and has never wavered, whatever the era.
Sadly for him, the industry offers few people he could realistically face. Cena/Rock was perfect, the two faces of the industry as days went by. Punk is yet to reach the levels required. No one else has it or even comes close.

With the Kevin Nash experiment failing, who really would the purists want to see a great like Undertaker take on? Sting is not an option, Goldberg and Batista gone and not good enough anyway. Come decision day, looking back at the match that made WM 27, Triple H had to take him on. No one believed he would continue to refuse. It would be an insult to see Hunter at anything below prime condition.

This match will shake every fan to the core. The scenes of last year were destructive. And now we have the cell. This is a place that brought both these men arguably their most memorable matches (Mick Foley take a bow). However, I cannot see anywhere near that type of carnage, as neither of these men can take a roof drop. But should Taker bow out here, expect it all to be left on in the ring.

There is clearly a twist to come, the WWE respects reputations, but the stars respect the industry needs stories. Shawn Michaels is not just there to watch my friends. I can see myself crying if the streak ends (I will be drinking). The Phenom owns Wrestlemania, the streak deserves to reach 20-0. But The Game does not care, and as a business man, he knows the drama of defeat will be talked of more than that of a victory.

My conclusion? Top of the bill, the big match, the main event. Where will it be? Probably three from the end. But Taker will steal the show, even if Hunter ends the streak.

The Rock vs John Cena

This has been hyped since the day after Wrestlemania 27. The clash of the titans. We’ll be in Miami, the hometown of The Rock on maybe the biggest night of his career. The Great One, The People’s Champ, the man who took WWE stardom, shined it up real nice and took it to new heights. Can he beat the new man of the fans, the pre-teen hero John Cena.

The fight is looking set to stay sacred. No stipulations, no special guest refs, just a fight to see which superstar owns the biggest stage. Some have asked “why do we care about Rock/Cena”, but even the pessimistic purists are getting a bit excited now.

That excitement has been helped by the push of The Rock. WWE have played a little too much on his popularity, and as such fans are turning back to Cena, the man who has faced derision all year, finding something in him again as he becomes the underdog for the first time in years.

Me? Every year of Cena’s supremacy has been a year of wrestling that I’ve had little time for. But he’s won me over a little lately, the company finally giving him a little fight and a lot less of the family friendly John Cena. But I’m rooting for Rocky.

The Rock still has the charisma unmatched by any, the words, the intensity and one of the most ridiculous brilliant characters of all time. Funny and fiery, no one compares to The Rock.

And considering the hype, it is hard to see how this could be anything but a main event. Most of the fans are there for this. The Cenation will arrive in its many, and the millions (and millions) of The Rock’s fans will tune in, maybe for the first time in years, to witness the People’s Champion put this jabroni in his place.
As little as I enjoy Cena being to top card every PPV, The Rock demands centre stage. Welcome to the main event.

Predictions

The billing looks to be set. It’s hard to say how things will go, the fun is in the drama. But here goes...

· Big Show vs Cody Rhodes – Cody Rhodes, probably in a dastardly manner, but enough to keep him in the minds of the fans.

· Kane vs Randy Orton – It’s hard to see the Big Red Machine losing again on his comeback trail, but Orton really needs a heavy push to keep him flying. Randy Orton for me.

· Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos (yeah, her) vs Beth Phoenix and Eve – I imagine I’ll rush to the toilet as the announcements begin, beat enough of the queue not to have to see the start, and then meet the queue at the bar, order two pints and a rum and coke to spice things up, as one of the girls wins and nobody reacts. Who cares?

· 12 man tag, Team Teddy Long vs Team John Laurinaitus – Teddy Long’s time is up. Regardless of who enters the ring, Johnny boy is a great heel, John Laurinaitus for the win.

· Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus – I want to see a ginger Champions with the soft tones only the Irish can bring, and both are on very good winning runs at the moment. Bryan has been too sneaky, and something has got to backfire for him eventually. Sheamus, but both are set for a fall really.

· Undertaker vs Triple H – The streak. The streak cannot end. The streak will never be matched, and stays in folklore if it stays intact. The Phenom vs The Game. Shawn Michaels causing mischief. My heart says Taker, my head says my heart is always wrong, but I won’t predict against The Undertaker. Just watch out the Heartbreak Kid and that right boot.

· CM Punk vs Chris Jericho – A champion will win, a champion will fall, and I think keeping Jericho around and interesting needs a title round his waist. Watch out for John Laurinaitus, he needs to make his presence felt and a win for Jericho at his hands keeps the heel spinning.

· The Rock v John Cena – The Rock is everything every star wants to be, and everything this industry needs to keep fans of all ages hooked, but Cena is the face of today, and could regain so much support if he wins here, support through respect, respect he has never gained in the eyes of many. I won’t like it, but maybe The Rock will do the WWE some favours at his own loss, letting John Cena crown his era.

Let me know what you think, and how wrong I am. I’ll be up all night and morning with you, with no work the next day and a lot to drink. Enjoy people, this could be as good as it ever gets, and may end more than one era.

A big thank you to Chris for writing this

I personally feel that the order you have is slightly wrong - I think that the show might open with Bryan vs Sheamus or Punk vs Y2J, as the WWE will not want to lost the titles in the mayhem of the other matches.

Great article by the way - going up on the journal shortly.

Brilliant write up.

I dont think either World title match will open the show. I think it'll be Kane and Orton. The crowd will be hot right at the start and the introduction of fan favourite Orton could be the pop of the night, until The Rock comes out.

Theres no question in my mind that The Rock and Cena should be the main event. But hopefully after this Mania if the Undertaker retires, then Mania can become all about the Rumble winner again, something it hasnt been since Wrestlemania 25.

I'm in the middle of rewatching Wrestlemania 26, and the last four matches go thusly: World Heavyweight title match (Jericho vs Edge), 10 Diva tag match, WWE Championship title match (Cena vs Batista) and finally Taker vs Shawn Michaels.

I'm convinced in my mind that if Taker was to finish the night then it would be his last match and the streak would end.

It is interesting to note how unimportant winning the Rumble was in the make up of this WM. I agree with Samo, it would be nice to have a real story build up from there.

I think Big Show/Rhodes will open, then maybe the Orton/Kane match, Tags, Bryan/Sheamus, Divas, Taker/HHH, Punk/Y2J, Rock/Cena.

I'm still surprised to see Brodus Clay nowhere near the bill, although I have only just found out his latest period of down time was apparently due to concerns his ring work was "unsafe".

While we're at it, Mick Foley better pop up somewhere. I love that man

There is a heavy rumour that Mick will be on Teddys team at Mania with Miz replacing ADR in Johnny Aces

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