MeeThinks 02.21.06: The Road to WrestleMania (Page I of II)
Posted by John Meehan on 02.21.2006
Is The ‘E on Cruise Control to a Dead End?
MeeThinks: The Road to WrestleMania Is The ‘E on Cruise Control to a Dead End?
"And you, my lords, methinks you do not well
To bear with their perverse objections;
Much less to take occasion from their mouths
To raise a mutiny betwixt yourselves:
Let me persuade you take a better course."
- Gloucester, King Henry VI, Part I
Act IV, scene iii
Greetings, one and all – and welcome back to The Most Positive Column in the IWC, now comin' right back at ‘cha in our regularly scheduled format.
Last week, I yielded the floor to you, my readers, and "MeeThinks" went "YouThinks" for an exclusive reader-feedback-only edition. Here's hoping this break from the norm let everyone say their peace and that by giving an extra week's worth of discussion to this important topic that we've helped to clear some things up regarding the Royal Rumble fallout.
This week –
We hop right back on that infamous "Road to WrestleMania" as we discuss some of the IWC's biggest concerns in the months approaching the WWE's biggest pay-per-view event of the year.
Should be good times.
As usual, reader mail and glossary entries can be found at the bottom of this week's debate, and with two weeks' columns spanning two web pages apiece (for a grand total of 20+ pages of text each, or over 50 Microsoft Word pages dedicated to the Royal Rumble in the last two week's time) I'm gonna try and give my carpal tunnel syndrome a breather as I do my very best to keep this bad boy under one page of web text (if possible ;-). This should pretty well limit this entire column (debate, glossary entries, reader feedback and discussion and all) to just about 15 pages of single-spaced text, so let's quit dilly-dallying and get right to it, yes?
Rock & roll.
MeeThinks: The Road to WrestleMania Is The ‘E on Cruise Control to a Dead End?
Though we're still some fifty plus days away from this year's WrestleMania, wrestling fans around the interwebs are already second-guessing the thing before it gets off the ground level. With main event programs being scrapped, title pictures rewriting themselves on a monthly (if not daily) basis, and key stars pulling out of the event and/or going down with injuries left and right, fans are seriously starting to doubt the quality of this "Big Time" pay per view well in advance of the show's opening bout.
There are even some, dare I say, who have been as bold as to suggest that this year's WrestleMania is shaping up to be the worst since (brace yourselves…) WrestleMania IX.
Needless to say, such comparisons are unsettling at best.
But getting back to what's brought us to this point –
Our Story So Far…
The WWE likes to tell us that the "Road to WrestleMania" officially kicks off at the Royal Rumble, but savvy long-time wrasslin' fans know better – as the groundwork for the "Grandaddy of Them All" is usually the product of the better part of a year's worth of booking decisions and angle convergences. WrestleMania traditionally marks the blowoff to virtually all of the ‘E's long-term programs, and it is the annual "be all and end all" to pretty much every major feud of the company's calendar year (well, except for the obligatory ‘Mania rematches here or there on RAW the night after the event, or - on rare occasion - at Backlash, if the money's right…).
Anyhow…
The point remains that the bulk of the effort, booking decisions, and long-term programs of the WWE calendar year all build toward a payoff in the matches, spectacle and pageantry that has long characterized this one-night supershow. If the PPV is a success, buyrates soar, stock prices go up, stars are born, merch flies off the stands in record numbers, Vinny Mac & Co. stay happy and everybody gets paid.
If the show fails?
Well, let-s just say that pretty much everybody from the top on down will be feeling the effects of a "bad" ‘Mania long after the final bell of the evening is rung.
So –
Since WrestleMania is the WWE's "flagship" pay per view, the only thing higher than the revenue that this show is expected to draw is the expectations of everyone - bookers, investors, performers, fans - everyone involved with it. This year is no different, as wrestling fans from around the world are just dying to see their favorites go at it once again on the grandest stage of them all.
Unfortunately for these fans – some of their favorites simply won't be making the show at all.
Ever since Dave Batista wound up back on the same show as an injury-free Randy Orton, the "dream match" in the works for Smackdown's title picture was obviously one between "The Animal" and "The Legend Killer," with the former teammates looking to see who the better man was once and for all with the World Title on the line as the Evolution legacy was set to explode.
Sadly, this was not to be, as Big Dave wound up sidelined with a serious string of injuries (putting "The Animal" on the shelf indefinitely) and the Smackdown World Title picture was thrown into a serious flux as a result. WWE damage control did the best they could by hot-shotting their blue-brand's strap around the deserving (and highly talented) waist of one Kurt Angle in January, 2006 – but without a longstanding rivalry or a (recent) history of competition with the current Smackdown locker room in place, our Olympic Hero was pretty well stranded as a champion without a sensible challenger.
Enter The Undertaker – perpetual title-contender mainstay and a great opponent to help a champion build credibility as he spun his wheels. Not wanting to wait till ‘Mania for his shot at the gold, The Dead Man (quite literally) ended the Royal Rumble PPV with a "boom" as he imploded the ring and challenged the Olympic Gold Medalist to a title match at No Way Out. Since I'm writing this paragraph four days before the event, we'll just assume here that ‘Taker came up short in his chase for Angle's title (editor's note: ha! I was right), boxing him out of the title hunt and leaving the Dead Man opponent-less for this year's WrestleMania contest (a venue at which, as announcers are so frequent to point out – Undertaker has never been beaten).
But we'll get back to the Dead Man in just a bit.
Meanwhile –
Rey Mysterio pulled off the impossible and won the 2006 Royal Rumble match. Entering at the number two spot, Rey Rey outlasted Chris Benoit's record and earned the honor of being remembered as the sole competitor with the longest time in a Royal Rumble match. Thanks to his dramatic victory at the ‘Rumble, Rey Rey had secured himself a title shot at the Grandaddy of Them All.
BUT –
Randy Orton (remember him? The same guy who the ‘E had planned on feeding into a Orton/Batista ‘Mania program?) took umbrage to Rey's last-minute elimination of the self-proclaimed "Legend Killer," and so he challenged Mysterio (in a borderline distasteful fashion, I must say) to put up or shut up and defend his number one contendership honor at the No Way Out ppv.
Not surprisingly, Mysterio – being a tried and true "good guy" (and, as such, a "sucker" by his very nature) – accepted Orton's challenge, and we all know who wound up on top in THAT contest.
(note: again, I'm penning this thing on Thursday afternoon – so while the PPV is still four days away, I'm prit-tee sure that Mr. 619 just ain't walking out of No Way Out with his title shot in hand.) (second editor's note: ha! right again!)
Switching gears to the RAW end of things, for a moment then –
Without a Royal Rumble guaranteed title contender among their ranks, Vince McMahon (who we'll call the "interim RAW General Manager" until the ‘E decides to revisit that storyline some time down the line, yes?) decided to "shake up the RAW roster" and open a "Road to WrestleMania Tournament" with the winner going on to the "Big Time" to face the WWE Champ.
The tourney looked something like this:
Carlito vs. Rob Van Dam, with the winner going on to face the winner of Kane vs. Chris Masters.
Triple H vs. Ric Flair, with the winner going on to face the winner of HBK vs. The Big Show.
Critics of the tourney decried it as a blatantly transparent ruse to give a WrestleMania title shot to (booking committee-sweetheart) Triple H, whom they criticized as a "ego-hungry" politician simply out to add yet another title reign to his already-decorated résumé (Ric Flair, here HHHe comes!).
But elsewhere on RAW –
John Cena (fan favorite or web whipping boy, depending on the day) had just bested "Mr. Money in the Bank" Champion Edge to regain the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. But without a logical feud for either man whilst the remainder of the RAW main eventers palled around in the tourney, common sense dictated that "The Doctor of Thuganomics" and "The Rated R Supersar" would continue their beef in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania 22. And continue their beef these two did, with not one, but TWO rematches between them to help determine who the rightful champion should be (the second of which I actually haven't seen yet – it's coming on Thursday Night RAW tonight!). Though (I'll go out on a WILD guess here and say that) Cena ultimately emerged from the feud with the spinner belt proudly around his waist, let's just say that the situation got muddy somewhere along the way.
Still, the Thursday Night RAW broadcast made it clear that "The Rated R Superstar" had unfinished bid'ness with "The King of Hardcore" – and the former (transitional?) world champions seemed destined for a showdown at this year's WrestleMania at the time of this publication
(Editor's note: I'm writing this sentence at 5:15pm on Thursday, some six or so hours before the match is actually televised. Like the die-hard fan that I am, I always avoid spoilers whenever possible – but I'll just go ahead and assume that Edge will wind up leaving tonight's title match empty-handed and ticked off at Foley as a result). (editor's note 3.2: ha! right three times)
One last detail in setting the stage for "Our Story So Far…"
Shawn Michaels – future hall of famer and comeback kid in the truest sense of the word – seems to be looking to reduce his performance load in the near future. As such, he approached Vinny Mac and told The Chairman that he wants to become a "semi-regular" RAW superstar when needed, cutting back on the daily grind and its toll on his aging body, and limiting his appearance schedule to a series of "one-off" type performances, much like Hulk Hogan had done in the past few years. McMahon agreed, and the plan was made to remove HBK from regular rotation on the RAW roster after a big "blow off" match at this year's WrestleMania.
As such – HBK found himself in an onscreen rivalry that pitted him against the biggest (and one of the best) heel of them all – Vince McMahon, now donning his Evil Authority Figure version 14.0 persona. The long and short of their on-screen tiff was that Vinny Mac wanted to gloat about how he'd made a career out of screwing over his former employees, and that good old Heart Break – who of course was now a born-again Christian who'd seen the light and "changed his reckless ways" – simply wasn't having any of it. So while Shawn told Vince to get over it, Vince told Shawn to get over himself and *poof* – an instant rivalry was born.
Sure, the ‘E didn't have an actual "payoff" to the feud etched in stone, per se (there were even rumors of The Rock making a one-night-only return as Vinny Mac's hired gun to take out HBK at ‘Mania, but those quickly fell through when Rocky said "unh unh!" and put the kibosh on it before the angle got off the ground) – but no matter, it was McMahon/Michaels – and fans would surely tune in to see what the evil Chairman would do to screw his former golden boy, right!?
Well…
…
So yeah, that pretty much summed up the "Road to WrestleMania" as it stood on the afternoon of Thursday, February 16, 2006. Two sketchy title pictures, a screwjob Rumble outcome, an opponent-less Undertaker, a McMahon-laden HBK, and no Rock, Austin or Hogan in sight (though there were even rumors fueled by Hulkster himself that he and Austin might go at it at this year's ‘Mania – still no word from camp Austin on those, though).
So is this year's WrestleMania doomed to go down as one of the worst in history, then?
Let's see if we can't find some light at the end of this tunnel by breaking this thing down a bit more thoroughly in a little column I likes ta call…
MeeThinks
First things first, wrestling fans – let's start with the Hogan/Austin stuff right off the bat here. And kindly allow me to put this in the simplest terms possible just so we're clear.
There is absolutely no reason for two non-regular performers to main event the biggest show of the year, period.
Yes, it's Hogan – whom I will absolutely admit to being a HUGE mark for in a heartbeat. And yes, it's Austin – who was easily the biggest draw of the "Attitude Era" and a hugely popular superstar in his own right. But "the bottom line" here is that BOTH men demand INSANE paydays and are virtually assured top billing (because we all remember what happened when Jericho/Triple H tried to take the stage after Rock/Hogan had worked its magic, don't we?). Long story short, then – while WrestleMania is indeed the "grandest stage of them all" and an Austin/Hogan match (though hardly a technical classic) would undeniably be as close to a "dream match" as they come – the simple fact of the matter is that it does the WWE roster no favors to accept second-billing to two men who've already seen the peak of their respective careers.
If it was "Hogan vs. Cena" (just for example here, go with Mee on this one) – at the very least you'd be looking at a "legend" versus an active (and "regular") competitor. No matter who wins, then – the active competitor walks away from the thing looking like a million bucks just for having stepped into the ring (and held his own) against the "returning legend." With a "returner" vs. "a regular" – both men go over regardless of the outcome (Rocky beat Hogan in Toronto, but HBK totally jobbed to him in DC), and your regular competitor gets all kinds of respect win, lose or draw.
But that's simply not the case with a returning Hogan facing a returning Austin. True, both men WERE legends in their own time, but neither man has made a regular appearance on either of the WWE's major broadcasts in the past six months. To inject them into a program (against each other, no less) would demand a complete restructuring of current storylines and feuds – devaluing already muddied title programs and further "burying" non-title angles and performers (think Flair, Edge, Shelton, Taker and Rey Rey) down the card to second or third-billed honors (because if you even THINK Hogan v. Austin would get anything less than top billing honors, you seriously need to get your head checked).
Long story short?
As "dreamy" as an Austin / Hogan matchup might be – wrestling fans simply need to accept that such a match (under these current non-active conditions) would absolutely prove devastating to the credibility and upward mobility of the bulk of the company's active roster. Throwing a fly-by-night "legends showdown" contest in at the top of the biggest card of the year just for the sake of hedging the company's bets in the short-term would be a clear-cut (and potentially disastrous) case of shortsightedness on the part of WWE.
As much as it pains me to say it, then, it's pretty clear that this year's WrestleMania is just not the place for Austin vs. Hogan – and on behalf of the remainder of the company's active roster, I for one applaud WWE for recognizing as much before it was too late.
Now as far as The Rock goes – his return (against an ACTIVE competitor in HBK) would be quite another story altogether… and a promising one at that.
But –
Rumor has it that the man simply doesn't want to work a program against Shawn Michaels because (back in his "demon days") it would appear that old ‘Heartbreak was a bit of a d-i-c-k to the up-and-coming People's Champion. If this is true (and I'm not saying that it is, but IF it is…), you can't really blame Rocky for saying "thanks but no thanks" to Vince & Co. on this one – as the guy has made it clear that Hollywood is his new home and that he'll only come back to a wrestling ring if he's being used for a program that's mutually agreeable to both himself and his opponent.
Putting Randy Orton and Dave Batista over at WrestleMania XX (and again, I was there so I should know)? Helped Vinny Mac prime (who everybody involved thought would be) the company's next torchbearer (and that other guy who eventually caught the world by surprise) for an upcoming main event push. Here, Rocky helped to hide his old pal Mick's limited in-ring abilities, and in return he did a HUGE favor to Vince by helping put the company's next "it" guys some much-needed credibility (Randy was on a roll going into ‘Mania XX, but Rock's rub most certainly didn't hurt).
But now? That's simply just not the case.
Rocky's been approached to come in to square off against (and likely job to) a guy who's looking to cut back on his schedule – so its not like the guy's appearance would be used as a launching pad for the next big thing. Instead – while the payday would undoubtedly be nice for all parties involved – this sort of one-off encounter would ultimately just be a big old favor from The People's Champion to Shawn Michaels. And frankly, The Rock doesn't owe Shawn Michaels anything (heck, he might not even owe anything to Vince McMahon, when you think about it).
So yeah, long story short is that Rocky doesn't owe Shawn anything, and if his appearance won't be used to launch a new slew of storylines or superstars, then he really doesn't owe anything to WWE either.
But lets' cut the jibber jabber on The Rock and get to what's really at issue behind HBK and Vinny Mac's long-simmering feud.
Let's look back to the history books and ask ourselves…what (or who) was the starting point behind the "Vince McMahon, Evil Owner" heel character? What (or who) was the on-screen impetus for Shawn Michaels morphing from the token, overconfident, cocky-cutter heel (get it? "cocky-cutter"?) into THE single greatest screwjobber in wrestling history?
Simply stated on both counts – Bret the Hitman Hart.
More than any Rock, Shane-o or forced retirement angle that the ‘E might try and throw into the mix – The Hitman lies more firmly than anyone as the driving force behind two of the most timeless heels in WWF/E history. It's only fitting, then, that when Michaels and McMahon's egos got the best of them and these two men eventually found themselves going head to head – that their beef over The Hitman would still prove to be the core of their rivalry.
Now as far as The Hitman goes –
It's no secret or surprise that every year around WrestleMania, Bret's name starts getting kicked around as fans second-guess what coulda been as they pull for The Hitman to make one final appearance in a WWE ring. Now sure, Hart really hasn't fit into a single WrestleMania-culminating storyline in the better part of the past decade, but that certainly hasn't stopped fans from speculating that The Hitman might just make a surprise run-in onto The Grandest Stage of Them All. But – and perhaps equally unsurprisingly – year after year, fans are left to grunt "maybe next year" as they find themselves disappointed when the Pink and Black Attack repeatedly proves to be ominously conspicuous by his absence come the Big Night.
But THIS year...
For the first time in almost ten years, it actually makes perfect sense to say the words "WrestleMania" and "Bret ‘The Hitman' Hart" in the same breath. More than perfect sense, actually – as not only are Hart's longtime rivals in Michaels and McMahon penciled in to square off (we'll assume) on the night of WrestleMania 22, but The Hitman himself is also scheduled to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on the evening before the Big Time pay per view. This means that Hart will undoubtedly be in Chicago on the night before WrestleMania, and – with any luck – fans have every right to believe that the business-savvy WWE chairman might just try to sway The Hitman into one more payday on the night to follow.
Now true, Hart has said that he wants nothing to do with the event and is only in attendance for the Hall of Fame ceremony and that's that… but his very presence in and around the WrestleMania environment is still an undeniable "what if" factor in determining the outcome of the Michaels/McMahon feud. Now sure, as wrestling fans we "fantasy book" and "dream match" scenarios all the time – but for the first time in a LONG time here, there's actually a reasonable chance that we might just see Vinny Mac, Heart Break, and Hitman bury their hatchet to give the fans that one unforgettable WrestleMania moment we've all been dying to see.
"Never say never," right?
Which brings me to the point of people's criticism of the HBK/Vince program in the first place:
Long story short is that we simply don't know whether or not Bret will or won't agree to appear at the actual WrestleMania PPV. Sure he's gone on record a number of times as saying that he'd never appear in a WWE ring again – but then again, we also thought that we'd never see him shaking hands with Vince McMahon so long as we all lived… and we all know how that one turned out.
So don't be so quick to write off a WrestleMania miracle here just yet, folks. Hart or no, all of the parties involved are busting their humps to make the program as compelling as possible along the way (Shawn's "should I sign or not" hesitation bit on RAW was money)… and the "dangling carrot" that is the Hitman factor definitely gives the entire feud an added layer of some serious intrigue to boot.
Sure, if it doesn't come to pass I'll be the first to admit that the ‘E deserves some slack for getting our hopes up for nothing… but if it *does* - you can't honestly tell me that you wouldn't just mark out like a little bitch ;-)
You so know you would.
Heck, so would I.
But that loose end not withstanding –
Let's switch gears and talk about the rest of the RAW-stleMania picture as it stands so far, eh?
The Road to WrestleMania Tournament has, believe it or not – been nothing short of brilliant thus far. Not only does it actually lend some credibility to the WWE Title challenger (rather than a simple "hey, I want a title shot at WrestleMania"… "well, ok" scenario), but it's also done a phenomenal job breaking from the "paint by numbers" tourney booking fans have come to expect and showcasing some of the ‘E's upper-midcard talent along the way.
Allow Mee to elaborate…
Round I:
Carlito vs. RVD was another example of "yeah, we all know who's going to win" (read: just back from an injury? You ALWAYS win), but Mr. Monday Night and (especially) CCC really brought their "A" game to help kick this thing off on the right foot.
Kane vs. Masters? A nice change of pace here, too – because while The Masterpiece seems to be Vinny Mac's latest musclebound meathead on the rise, the Big Red Machine is always a good pick to beat some guy up when duty calls. Now true, Masters winning the thing probably left fans with a bad taste in their mouth – but putting the newer guy over the Big Red Machine prevented the ‘E from having to pit RVD against Kane in Round II – which is a very good thing when you consider the fact that fans would have probably been reluctant to boo for either man, and with RVD (obviously) being bound for the finals from the get-go – there's no need to hamstring the dude's momentum by pitting him against another face before he's completely shaken his ring rust.
Trips vs. Flair was pretty obvious to see who'd be winning that contest (and it was definitely not to the level as their PPV bouts from 2005), but for a free TV bout – it certainly wasn't that bad (though the ending was a bit rushed, I'll grant you). Still, the ‘E did a very smart thing here by front-loading Trips' tournament path with not one but TWO of his established rivalries, because it basically said that in order to earn his way to compete at ‘Mania, The Game still had to get by two men (Flair and Show) with whom he still had plenty of unfinished business.
Big Show vs. Shawn Michaels – AWESOME swerve to advance Vince vs. HBK before this bout even got underway, and all the more effective because fans were actually eager to see how this match would play out because there was no way to predict ahead of time who the winner would be. (Sure, we all knew the winner would be facing Triple H – but BOTH HBK and Show have scores to settle with The Cerebral Assassin, so either man winning in Round I only to lose to Der Game in Round II would have made for equally good television). Bonus props to the ‘E for throwing in Shelton as HBK's last-minute replacement, which not only paid homage to the teased Shelton/Michaels feud from some months back, but also gave fans a replacement challenger that actually had a shot at beating The Giant (because remember, folks – Shelton got the best of Show last month). Just a solidly-booked match here on all points.
Round II:
RVD vs. Masters was exactly what it needed to be, so no complaints there. Mr. Monday Night got a chance to keep his hot streak alive and beat up on the fan's latest "human heat vacuum" that is Chris Masters, so the match kept RVD going strong and looking good going into the finals of the tourney. And given the ending of the Trips/Show contest, even if (when) RVD comes up short in Round III – he doesn't have to do so by being the one to take a clean pinfall.
Show vs. Triple H was a great way to keep both men strong and to continue their rivalry without simply sweeping their history under the ring just for the sake of keeping a tournament all neat and tidy like. The double countout would have been enough in and of itself to justify including or eliminating both guys from the final round of the competition, but the fact that Vinny Mac noted that Trips and Show continued to go at it long after the match was over really helped to "hammer" home the point that both men definitely had unfinished business that needed squaring up before they could rightfully move along on their respective roads to WrestleMania. Good for WWE for shirking the conventional route in order to give this one an extra week.
And yeah, even if we all knew that Triple H was going to be the one winning the thing from the get-go, there's something to be said for the fact that the tournament actually lent some credibility to his challenge and gave the guy a perfectly legit kayfabe claim to co-main event this year's WrestleMania.
So if you're still sippin' on that HHHatorade and ragging on the Road to WrestleMania tourney as being a cheap kangaroo court to put The King of Kings back on his thone, might I kindly suggest you get over yourself and appreciate this program for all the good things that it has offered, each of which have been thoroughly entertaining in their own right.
/RAW discussion. Now let's hop on over to Smackdown, eh?
First things first here – The "Undertaker doesn't have a WrestleMania" opponent situation. While a fair point (and a worrisome one at that), I think it's a safe bet that No Way Out will really help to set the wheels in motion for exactly who the Dead Man will be facing at this year's "Big Time" ppv. Heck, I'm still writing this sentence a few days before the event itself, and I think it's pretty fair to say that Mark Henry will probably find himself involved with the Dark Side by the end of the next seven calendar days. And like I said on the heels of the Royal :
Here's your spoonful of fantasy booking (and one that I think the ‘E will likely pick up) to justify what all went down at the ‘Rumble (and again at No Way Out).
With The Dead Man challenging Angle for the strap at No Way Out (and with Taker still left without a WrestleMania opponent at this point in time) having him come up just *that* short (but get another rematch shot down the line – say, Smackdown, perhaps?) throwing Henry into the mix to cost ‘Taker his next shot at the title will totally give the guy a credible ‘Mania "big man" opponent to tackle at this year's big show.
Now true, Mark Henry is hardly a threat to ‘Taker's "unbeaten streak" at ‘Mania, but this is the win-win-win, when you think about it.
WIN 1: Angle gets a credible challenger for No Way Out.(check)
WIN 2: ‘Taker gets a "big man" opponent for ‘Mania.(shaping up to be a check)
WIN 3: ‘Taker's unbeaten streak stays intact, and the IWC's least favorite son quietly fades off into the sunset – ever the company man to the last, giving the Dead Man even more of a rub on Henry's way out. .(because if you're seriously doubting whether or not Undertaker can beat a guy of Mark Henry's caliber at WrestleMania, I'm going to kindly suggest you turn in your internet access now).
Now that that's all squared away, let's take a brief moment here to focus on the Smackdown title picture and the WrestleMania (blue brand) main event.
(Disclaimer – I'm writing this paragraph on the Friday before the No Way Out ppv, so things are obviously subject to change. That said, though – I'm pretty sure that we all can see how this thing will be going down)
Ok, so Rey Rey won the Rumble for his fallen amigo Eddie Guerrero. A noble and "realistic" victory, too (if not a particularly impressive one, as some readers have pointed out that the "realism" of Rey's win was only accomplished by the fact that he laid in the corner for the better part of an hour before doling out a few rapid-fire eliminations at the end – fair point, I suppose).
But –
On the heels of the Rey win, the ‘E took it upon themselves to milk the Guerrero name and its "storyline" implications for all it was worth, so the E's latest dick-du-jour, Randy Orton quickly found himself trading cheap heat off of Guerrero's name (though, again, to be fair – Rey's appeal to the pro-Eddie fan sympathies are probably just as "cheap," when you stop and think about it).
In any case –
Orton challenged Rey Rey to the No Way Out match for the number one contendership, and Rey (why Rey, why?!) foolishly accepted. And – to the collective surprise of a total of like five people – Mysterio wound up on the losing end of the contest, leaving the master of the RKO to walk out of the ppv with a WrestleMania title shot in hand.
Now then –
While I can understand the criticism that diehard fans are miffed that this year's Royal Rumble winner will not be challenging for the title at WrestleMania, I've said it before (but it totally bears repeating) that I have absolutely zero problem with this eleventh-hour switcheroo.
Here's why:
1) Rumble Winners for the past five years have all gone on to compete for a world title AND WIN in the main event of WrestleMania. In other words, fans with an attention to history have long been able to predict the winner of the WrestleMania main event some three months before the match is even ANNOUNCED! As tried and true as this practice has been, giving away the ending to the biggest show of the year months in advance is a surefire way to turn off all sorts of fans left and right.
2) I know watching Rey "come so close only to be so far" is a heartbreaker, but the only other option, of course – was to have Rey go on to WrestleMania and compete for the title. But if the ‘E was trying to hedge their bets so as to avoid pitfall #1 (and to pay attention to the fact that there are still more than a number of fans who simply will have a hard time buying Rey Rey as a World Champion – especially one who is crowned on the company's biggest night of the year), then the only logical alternative was to have Mysterio job in the main event at WrestleMania. And honestly, readers – if you think fans are upset at the way things have worked out for poor Rey Rey thus far, I shudder to even think about just how pissed off they'd be once the guy lost in the main event of the biggest ppv of the year. Screwjob, disappointing or sad ‘Mania ending = fans don't go home happy (think Trips retaining in the fatal four-way, Austin aligning with McMahon, and Bret jobbing to Yoko only to have Hogan win the belt right back). And fans don't go home happy = nobody is happy in the long run.
3) Face it, y'all – having Randy Orton win the title shot (cheaply, no less) undeniably helps to put more heat onto the guy going into his WrestleMania showdown against Kurt Angle. And seeing as how Orton came up on the losing end of his Undertaker program, the bottom line here is that the guy could really use whatever heat he can get to help re-establish his credibility as a legitimate threat to the World Title picture. Even if Randy's heat at this point is "real life" fan hatred for taking the title shot away from our boy Rey, the fact remains that it will do wonders to help shape the "Kick His Ass, Kurt" dynamic that should characterize fan's attitudes toward their WrestleMania showdown. And if we're willing to pay to see Orton get his ass handed to him, then it's not a far cry to say that we're likely to plunk down $40 bucks and tune into the show to watch Our Olympic Hero get the job done.
4) Who's to say that Mysterio won't somehow find a way to re-inject himself into the title picture in the next month or so? Rumors (SPOILERS) have it that the post-‘Mania plans will see Angle involved in a series of three-way-matches with BOTH Orton and Rey Rey, so don't be so quick to rule out the notion that the little guy might *still* finagle his way into the main event at WrestleMania in yet another Eddie-like tribute… "lie, cheat and steal" your way into a title match by any means necessary, after all.
So, to reiterate, then –
With all of the recent happenings on BOTH brands main event pictures, this year's WrestleMania is anything but "interest-free." Even if WWE was forced to cut some corners and rearrange things at the last minute, wrestling fans have got to give credit to all parties involved for thinking "bigger picture" rather than "one night only."
Looking at the bigger picture then -
There are some who'll claim that this year's ‘Mania simply seems to lack the "spectacle" and "larger than life" feeling that so many other WrestleManias before it had. To this point, I'll simply encourage those who feel this way to withhold comment until the ‘E actually starts announcing matches for the card. While I'll openly admit that things here are not as immediately "sensational" on paper as some recent cards have been (Dave/Trips, for one – Hogan/Rock for another) – there are certainly more than a number of feuds that – if booked correctly – will most certainly be "hot" by the time WrestleMania rolls around (remember, folks – we've still got over a month to go!).
Does this year's ‘Mania lack the "spectacle" or "sensation" of some other ‘Manias that have come before it?
Perhaps… but
a) it's still quite early yet and you can totally expect the ‘E to roll out the surprises in the weeks to come (Bret Hart in the Hall, for one). Let's give the company a chance to roll out the red carpet before we skip the Big Time ppv altogether, eh?
and
b) a ppv that's short-on-spectacle can still be solid in terms of in-ring action. Looking at the outcome of Taker/Angle at No Way Out, for example - nobody thought that old UT had a chance of winning let alone a solid match in him – but look how the Dead Man (and Kurt) proved us wrong. A "lame duck" ppv and a transparent outcome if there ever was one, the No Way Out contest was still one hell of a match that more than lived up to the hype. So ask yourselves, fans… would you rather have:
a) a PPV that's short on hype but big on quality of in-ring action? or
b) a PPV that's big on hype but short on quality of in-ring action? (see: WrestleMania IX).
Of course the ideal answer is both a and b – but we all know that the ‘E will pull out as many stops as possible in the weeks to come to make sure that the "spectacle" factor is there (so put a "check" next to the "hype" category), and (if history is any indicator) I think it'll be fair to assume that nobody will be phoning in their performance for the biggest PPV of the company's calendar year, so rest assured that there (should) be plenty of solid in-ring-action to make up for (and perhaps even exceed) all of the hype that undoubtedly be thrown at this "Big Time" pay per view.
In other words –
Don't be so quick to write the show off yet, folks.
After all – it is WrestleMania, ya' know.
Agree? Disagree?
"Methinks it sounds a parley to provocation!"
- Iago, Othello
Act II, scene iii
Shoot Mee YourThinks and we'll continue our debate next week!
In the meantime…
Looks like we've got a boatload of reader feedback once again, so we'll be hopping onto a two-page post after all. Fair enough, I suppose – so click the link below for this week's glossary entries and another healthy dose of "YourThinks!!!"
