With Wrestlemania fast approaching us (two days away) I figured it was time to get back in the saddle and talk about what's been going on in the world of wrestling (sports) entertainment. I think the last full post about the WWE I had came back around the Royal Rumble in January and a lot of has happened. I've restrained from commenting because in all honesty, I wanted to see where everything was headed before I tried to talk about it. I didn't know what was going to happen so I didn't want to present my opinions on an unfinished product. I feel the same way regarding how certain comic books are reviewed, which is probably the only real format that can even come close to be compared with professional wrestling. By not looking at the entirety of the story parts are missed, it is certainly important to critique things such as presentation and dialogue, the story itself shouldn't be judged until it is finished.
The entire lead up to 'Mania the specter of Roman Reigns versus Brock Lesnar has loomed over us all. We all know that Lesnar is talented, but we also know that he is a businessman. The match with Goldberg haunts each and everyone one of us, and we didn't want a repeat. I never once criticized Reigns for his in ring talent, while I do agree that I think it's too soon for him to win the belt at Mania, I do not think it is too soon for him to be main eventing. What I was worried about is that we wouldn't be getting Daniel Bryan versus Brock Lesnar ever. As some of you may know, Brock Lesnar is one of only four gaijin to hold the New Japan IWGP Heavyweight Title. New Japan is widely considered to be the best professional wrestling organization in the world, and what it takes to be the top guy there is incredible. Daniel Bryan is certainly in the debate for best wrestler in the world today, as is someone like Shinsuke Nakamura, but people don't necessarily advocate for Lesnar in that spot. How good was the match at the Royal Rumble with he, Rollins and Cena? It was so good it made up for the lackluster booking of the Rumble itself (once again, I was never upset over Reigns winning the Rumble) and while it was a triple threat, credit needs to be shared amongst all three of the men who put on that show. So what I was going to be upset about, was that if the WWE had two of the best wrestlers on the planet, and they never gave us a one on one, and it would probably never happen? That was something for me to get salty about, but then on Tuesday Lesnar announced on Sportscenter that he was coming back to the WWE.
At that moment, nothing else mattered to me w/r/t wrestling. The dream of seeing that match was still alive, and then I started thinking. What if Daniel Bryan wins the Intercontinental Title and Lesnar retains, and then at Summerslam we get a champ versus champ match between the two? That would be fantastic and would feel even better than if we got Bryan/Lesnar at Mania. I've bought into the show, as have we all, and I'm ready to see what these men and women can do come Sunday.
So let's get started with talking about the matches!
The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso) (with Naomi) vs. The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston) (with Xavier Woods) vs. Los Matadores (Diego and Fernando) (with El Torito) vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro (c) (with Natalya) in a Fatal 4-Way tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship.
I'm more excited for this match than I have any reason to be. I loved the fatal four way tag match at Wrestle Kingdom 9, and I think these guys absolutely want to put on a match as good as that. Each and every one of these dudes are hungry. Where things are going to get tied up is with all of the managers/mascots. If they are kept under control, this match has more potential that just about everyone is giving it on the internet. There isn't a real storyline in place for this match, the New Day beat Kidd and Cesaro on Smackdown so they looked ready for a shot, the Usos are perennial contenders for the title so duh, not quite sure how Los Matadores got involved, but I'm sure it doesn't matter -- The Ascension would have been a way more interesting addition if they were really committed to the fatal 4 way. One of the Usos is hurt right now so I wholly expect Kidd and Cesaro to come out on top. Even if this match isn't that great, I think there will certainly be some good spots to help warm up for the rest of the show.
The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, or ArMBaR
This match is essentially the Royal Rumble without the headliners, there are a few specific stories going into this match, and I sincerely hope they play out, but as this show was just relegated to the pre-show, I don't think this match will be fulfilling at all. Worst case scenario, in a year we have Stone Cold Steve Austin asking someone on a podcast why whomever the winner of this match is isn't meshing with the audience. Best case scenario: we get Finn Balor, NXT standout and greatest Irish entertainer since Liam Neeson, on the main roster immediately.
Update: Hideo Itami is the NXT competitor in the match, new best case scenario: He hits anyone with the GTS as one of the last two. While people are saying that he is having a harder time adapting to the WWE style, part of what I think is holding him back is the memory of CM Punk. I can agree with the sentiment that it is way too early for him to hit a GTS in his WWE career, but at the same time, it's what people want to see him do. What better time to take it back than at Wrestlemania?
Sting vs. Triple H
This might unofficially be the most important match on the card. If Sting goes out there and nails it, we have an incredibly exciting year ahead of us, especially if The Undertaker delivers in his match as well. We all know Triple H will be fine, and to the same extent we know that Sting will be fine. He's moving well in and around the ring, the stories been built well enough (considering that there isn't really a story -- Sting is a vigilante and he wants to bring law and order back to the WWE, and to do that the Authority must be brought to justice for their crimes against the locker room). Sting killed it on the mic this past Monday ("I'm not here as the lone soldier from a forgotten war") and the whole Bat versus Sledgehammer makes this feel like a comic book. Also of interest, Triple H will be having a Terminator themed entrance as part of a cross promotion with the new Terminator film, which I will not be seeing. Sting obviously wins this one, and hopefully we go on to get Sting/Taker at Summerslam or Money in the Bank (which I feel are way better shows for this match, you have such history with Taker at Mania that it makes it all feel so fucking heavy, and at the end of the day it's just The Crow versus a cross between Lobo and Solomon Grundy.
Daniel Bryan vs. R-Truth vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Stardust vs. Bad News Barret (c) in a Ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship
This is your show-stealer folks, that is if you love spots. This is going to be some great entertainment, but arguably very low on the sport. That will come later, this match is all about having a top guy have a belt that means next to nothing in 2015. As I mentioned earlier, I would certainly love for Bryan to come out on top and face Lesnar in a champ v champ match. The set up for this match was certainly one of those elements where we had to wait and see what was going to happen. After the Rumble, we didn't know what most of the men in this match were going to do, and at Fast Lane the only two really in the title scene were BNB and Ambrose. While the WWE made the title feel lessened over the past few years, this match was certainly the climax of that descent. This isn't just about elevating the title, this is about elevating the careers of every single individual in this match. Ziggler is also another possibility to win the title, but it's been suggested that he be Bryan's first feud after Mania for the title. R-Truth doesn't stand a chance, but I'm glad he's in this match. When Truth is allowed to talk, he's fantastic, so why not get rid of the rap and just let him be? Because it's 2015 in the WWE. Stardust shouldn't be in the match, he should be in a one on one with his brother. Harper is the mandatory big guy to help catch the spots. I wouldn't be surprised if Ambrose and BNB continued to feud after this, but I'd certainly love to see them do something else.
The most important fact to remember about this match requires us to look at New Japan again. Recently, Bryan said that Nakamura was probably the best thing going in pro wrestling right now. He's the Intercontinental champ in New Japan, and that title is still regarded as being a new title. Some might even have described it as a garbage title when it was unveiled, but Nakamura has managed to somehow elevate this nothing of a title into something absolutely special. Imagine what Daniel Bryan can do with a title that has as much history as the WWE's Intercontinental championship?
AJ Lee & Paige vs. The Bella Twins (Brie and Nikki Bella)
Thoroughly excited for this one. I love a good women's match, and this should be a good one. Brie is probably the weakest link, and she had a pretty good match with Stephanie last year. This is certainly a sleep match for a lot of people because of their perception of the entire division. Stronger divisions lead to stronger titles, and right now the Diva's (I fucking hate that it's still called that) division is getting ready to blow up with potential call ups for either Charlotte or Sasha Banks around the corner. Hopefully time doesn't factor in to this and all of the ladies are given ample time to show what they are capable of.
The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt
This is an incredibly interesting match on the card. We aren't quite sure what's going to happen, so here are some things I'd like to happen: 1) This match steals the show 2)Undertaker looks great and 3)Bray Wyatt at least looks like the new face of fear. A lot of interest in this one is focusing on the entrances the guys are going to have, and while I agree that I do expect a lot from that, this is still WRESTLEmania and not ENTERTAINMENTmania (yet). As I stated earlier, one of the best possible outcomes of Wrestlemania is that Sting and Taker both look like they've found the fountain of youth, so if he wins against Bray Wyatt this year, hold on to hope that Sting/Taker is going to happen, and we might not be disappointed by it. Do I care that Taker wasn't around during the build? No, because look at what we've done instead? Every time a shot of him shows up it's like we've found a new shot of Big Foot or the Loch Ness monster. We are so interested to know if he is looking healthy after last year, and the WWE haven't spoiled this yet, they've left it out there in the wild waiting for us to speculate (and write pieces about, because what's better than free promotion?)
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins (With J&J Security)
While the ladder match will hopefully be exciting, this is your best bet for best wrestling match on the card. Seth Rollins is a stud, and I'm not saying that just because I've seen his dong. This dude just reeks talent, I picked up his first ROH DVD at the Nashville show two months ago, and while I haven't spent a lot of time with it, holy shit can this dude roll. One of the biggest complaints we've had about Randy Orton is how bored we are with what he's doing and the matches he's been having. The build could have been handled slightly better, but holy shit am I glad they waited to give us this match at Mania. Orton would be a fool to not come into this match disinterested, remember how good he was with Christian, Orton's last great feud? I think Rollins is better than Christian all around, and I think Christian is great, so expect a high four out of this match if Orton comes ready. Why am I putting so much pressure on Orton? Because Seth Rollins has put on the most interesting matches of the last year and what has Orton done? Made a movie I'm not going to watch.
John Cena vs. Rusev (c)(with the Ravishing Russian Lana) for the United States Championship
Cena wins and the US title becomes relevant, this feud isn't for me, but like all matches on the card I hope it's at least entertaining. Russia vs. the United States with our belt on the line. Cena does it for the kids. If Cena does lose, do we feel like we actually got anywhere?
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (c) (with Paul Heyman) for the WWE World Heavy Weight Championship
I already said quite a bit about this match earlier, so I won't waste your time by talking about what I already talked about. I want Lesnar to win plain and simple. He's coming back so he's at least invested in making sure that he still looks like a megastar. If Reigns win, expect a Rollins feud. If he loses, maybe Orton starts to feud with Lesnar, and maybe we still get Rollins/Reigns. Hope Reigns can keep up.
So, there you have it, the entire Wrestlemania 31 card. Feel free to ask questions, and hopefully I'll do better about keeping up with this whole thing. I might do a write up about the Raw after Wrestlemania, and I hope that I can get back on track with Lucha Underground so that I can start writing about how excited that product makes me.
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