|
|
Random card:
* AJ Styles (c) vs. The Undertaker for the WWE World Title
* Roman Reigns (c) vs. Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor for the WWE Universal Title
* John Cena vs. Samoa Joe
* Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar III
* Triple H, Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho vs. Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn & Shinsuke Nakamura
* Street Fight: Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
* Charlotte (c) vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax for the RAW Women's Title
* Andre Battle Royal featuring Big Show, Shaq, Baron Corbin, Sheamus, Cesaro, Rusev, The New Day, Luke Harper, Kane, Dolph Ziggler, Kalisto, Apollo Crews, Gallows & Anderson, Enzo & Cass, Mark Henry, Mojo Rawley, Heath Slater, Rhyno, etc.
* Scramble Match: Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James vs. Nikki Bella vs. Natalya for the SmackDown Women's Championship
* Dean Ambrose & Renee Young vs. The Miz & Maryse
* Neville (c) vs. Kota Ibushi for the Cruiserweight Title
* American Alpha (c) vs. The Revival for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles
This gets WrestleMania down to a 12 match main card. Kickoff will probably be a UK Title match, a cruiserweight cluster maybe a RAW Tag Team Championship match with the teams all appearing in the Battle Royal later anyway, which they try to make a big deal. Maybe they add a stipulation that the winner of the Battle Royal, since it is all about dominance and presence, gets a spot on the WWE 2K18 video game cover and SummerSlam poster. Maybe they can get a title shot too.
For those thinking that I have given The New Day little to do, I can see them interacting with The Rock later on in the show and I'd give Big E the Battle Royal with Kofi & Xavier counting themselves as winners too. It'd really be a Big E earmarking moment.
The Triple Threat for the Universal Title seems weird, but if you lock in Brock vs. Goldberg, assuming Vince wants to do it, and if you have Taker challenge Styles for one last Taker classic before he puts over Cena next year, then your remainder is really Strowman. He could be the runner-up in the Rumble (foreshadowed by Strowman watching The Undertaker segment) and after losing just starts attacking Roman Reigns wherever he goes. He takes his destiny into his own hands and inserts himself into the title picture. Finn Balor returns from his injury and injects some color into the proceedings. The Usos jump from SmackDown to RAW and there is the possibility of Bloodline/Balor Club involvement.
Between the Women's Championship matches and mixed tag, you are highlighting 11 different female performers. You could possibly add Lita to the SmackDown Scramble, but I think that's already pretty full and Mickie James is sort of filling the legend role in there.
Neville could easily defend against Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander, Kalisto or Gran Metalik, but I think the "dream" match is him versus Ibushi. It would turn a lot of heads and get people buzzing about the division. Ibushi could win the belt and be a traveling champion, but if he refuses to sign with the WWE full-time, you can easily just put Neville over and make him look like a world-beater. Politically it might seem uncouth to jam Ibushi into a major singles match at Mania over guys who did sign, but he's a bigger star, frankly, and I think most of the boys would spend more time marking out than complaining.
The Revival getting the SmackDown Tag Team Title match is a bit of fan service. Alpha currently have the belts because Vince wants them to stand out and be something, I imagine. Why not book their greatest rivals as their Mania opponents. Alpha can retain the belts against The Usos at Elimination Chamber and then get attacked by The Revival who kick down the door and set the table for Mania. If there is legitimate heat on them, just let that be pressure for them to live up to their own hype. Plus, you don't have to put the belts on them. Alpha can defeat Dash & Dawson soundly and then get their arms raised by Hulk Hogan or something, who makes sure not to wipe his palm on his pants after raising Jordan's. They can even come out with Hogan at the start to "Real American" as a way to pump the crowd up wearing red and yellow singlets.
I did have an IC Title Ladder Match on the show, with Dolph defending against Kalisto, Crews, Corbin, Kane and Harper (you can always add a seventh guy like Rawley, Slater or even Ellsworth to kill him off), but the show is pretty stacked and by pushing those guys into the Battle Royal you might help its importance. You would probably keep the IC Title on Ambrose until Mania then, and maybe have a stipulation that the title can change hands in the event of a decision involving the women. It does appear that the Renee Young stuff has been dropped, but that might be to just put it on ice until closer to Mania. But if you don't do the Mixed Tag, then Ambrose vs. Miz vs. Ziggler vs. Kalisto vs. Crews vs. Kane vs. Harper would be fine with me. Corbin can try and win the Battle Royal and be the only two-time winner in history and be the last guy eliminated after getting rid of Shaq, Big Show and Cesaro (the celebrity and the two former winners).
Another slight tweak, for continuity reasons, could be to have Sasha Banks out of the RAW Women's Title match because she was supposed to have received her last shot. I doubt that is the plan though. Emmalina could be inserted in Banks' place and Sasha could face either Stephanie McMahon or jump to SmackDown as an ally to Becky Lynch and find herself in the Scramble, which could just become a Six-Pack Challenge or something. Or maybe it's s six-woman tag with Sasha, Becky & Nikki facing Alexa, Mickie & Nattie. I guess it just depends what sort of mood you are in.
|