Mr. Nerfect
12-14-2008, 04:42 AM
It seems very likely that we'll get Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXV next year, and that we'll also be having a RAW main event of John Cena vs. Batista (perhaps with Randy Orton in there somewhere); but this match idea popped into my head a while ago, and while it's not actually my preference for a WrestleMania main event, I just felt like I'd share it to see whether people would mind seeing it or not.
That match is: Chris Jericho vs. The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship
The idea behind it is that Jericho is probably the best heel the WWE has right now (some may say Edge, and some may say Orton, but Edge has his own separate show, and Orton just wouldn't be as good Jericho right now, in my opinion). He's the Superstar of the Year, and he's done so well re-inventing his character and giving some really chilling promos and fantastic in-ring performances.
One could very easily make a logical case as to why Chris Jericho should be allowed to carry the big gold belt into WrestleMania Silver. Some of the best stories in professional wrestling are when the bad guy finally gets dethroned by the fans' hero. Who a better hero to the fans than arguably the most over man on the WWE roster? When you add The Undertaker's general popularity to the atmosphere of WrestleMania, and the fact that it is in The Undertaker's hometown -- this sort of match gains a whole new level of appeal.
I'm nowhere near The Undertaker's biggest fan, but I would have some interest in seeing the match. Granted, The Undertaker has a very cheesy character, but let's face it -- it isn't going anywhere until The Deadman retires. The realism of Chris Jericho's performances might actually create an effective dynamic for The Undertaker's smoke and mirrors act.
Taker's ring work has been getting better and better with age, and Jericho has always been admired for being able to ply his craft in the ring. A match between the two would be fun to watch, quite possibly a classic (with both men on their best), and weirdly enough, quite fresh. I cannot remember these two ever really working together...at least not in a big match sort of way. Looking back to May 2000, to when both guys were first active on the WWE roster for the first time (I believe), they were both faces. This lasted until late 2001, where both men underwent a character change, and became heels. They would each remain heel until the roster split separated them (The Undertaker to RAW and Chris Jericho to SmackDown!, at first, I believe). The two would then swap over brands, and would remain on them until the present day (well, not including Jericho's hiatus from the company -- after which he immediately returned to RAW).
All that would need to be done to trigger this feud, is to have The Undertaker win the 2009 Royal Rumble, joining Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin as a multiple-time winner of the Royal Rumble Match, which is an accolade The Undertaker truly deserves to have, and doesn't seem out of place holding. He'd also be the first multi-time winner in eight years, the third man from Texas to do it, and the first surprising Royal Rumble Winner in ages (Cena may count as somewhat surprising, but as soon as his music hit, you knew who was winning the match). Jericho wins back the World Heavyweight Title at either Armageddon or the Royal Rumble, keeping his "I always get it back" streak going, and then having Taker show up on RAW and imply that he will be challenging Jericho for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania.
Other elements of drama in the feud would include: Taker being on RAW for the first time in years, Taker choosing to go after Jericho instead of his rival in Edge, the submission move tension that could be developed between the Walls of Jericho and the Hell's Gate, etc. I've already mentioned the dramatic differences in character being potentially captivating, too. While Taker would almost definitely win the match, and capture like his third World Heavyweight Championship and seventh World Title overall, the visual of Jericho hitting The Codebreaker out of nowhere and pinning The Undertaker at WrestleMania is an unforgettable and epic, if unlikely, one. Taker leaving WrestleMania's Quarter-Century as World Heavyweight Champion seems as fitting as anything, though.
I was just wondering what everyone thought about the idea of the match. Would you like to see it, or are there much better routes to take for the WrestleMania main event?
That match is: Chris Jericho vs. The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship
The idea behind it is that Jericho is probably the best heel the WWE has right now (some may say Edge, and some may say Orton, but Edge has his own separate show, and Orton just wouldn't be as good Jericho right now, in my opinion). He's the Superstar of the Year, and he's done so well re-inventing his character and giving some really chilling promos and fantastic in-ring performances.
One could very easily make a logical case as to why Chris Jericho should be allowed to carry the big gold belt into WrestleMania Silver. Some of the best stories in professional wrestling are when the bad guy finally gets dethroned by the fans' hero. Who a better hero to the fans than arguably the most over man on the WWE roster? When you add The Undertaker's general popularity to the atmosphere of WrestleMania, and the fact that it is in The Undertaker's hometown -- this sort of match gains a whole new level of appeal.
I'm nowhere near The Undertaker's biggest fan, but I would have some interest in seeing the match. Granted, The Undertaker has a very cheesy character, but let's face it -- it isn't going anywhere until The Deadman retires. The realism of Chris Jericho's performances might actually create an effective dynamic for The Undertaker's smoke and mirrors act.
Taker's ring work has been getting better and better with age, and Jericho has always been admired for being able to ply his craft in the ring. A match between the two would be fun to watch, quite possibly a classic (with both men on their best), and weirdly enough, quite fresh. I cannot remember these two ever really working together...at least not in a big match sort of way. Looking back to May 2000, to when both guys were first active on the WWE roster for the first time (I believe), they were both faces. This lasted until late 2001, where both men underwent a character change, and became heels. They would each remain heel until the roster split separated them (The Undertaker to RAW and Chris Jericho to SmackDown!, at first, I believe). The two would then swap over brands, and would remain on them until the present day (well, not including Jericho's hiatus from the company -- after which he immediately returned to RAW).
All that would need to be done to trigger this feud, is to have The Undertaker win the 2009 Royal Rumble, joining Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin as a multiple-time winner of the Royal Rumble Match, which is an accolade The Undertaker truly deserves to have, and doesn't seem out of place holding. He'd also be the first multi-time winner in eight years, the third man from Texas to do it, and the first surprising Royal Rumble Winner in ages (Cena may count as somewhat surprising, but as soon as his music hit, you knew who was winning the match). Jericho wins back the World Heavyweight Title at either Armageddon or the Royal Rumble, keeping his "I always get it back" streak going, and then having Taker show up on RAW and imply that he will be challenging Jericho for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania.
Other elements of drama in the feud would include: Taker being on RAW for the first time in years, Taker choosing to go after Jericho instead of his rival in Edge, the submission move tension that could be developed between the Walls of Jericho and the Hell's Gate, etc. I've already mentioned the dramatic differences in character being potentially captivating, too. While Taker would almost definitely win the match, and capture like his third World Heavyweight Championship and seventh World Title overall, the visual of Jericho hitting The Codebreaker out of nowhere and pinning The Undertaker at WrestleMania is an unforgettable and epic, if unlikely, one. Taker leaving WrestleMania's Quarter-Century as World Heavyweight Champion seems as fitting as anything, though.
I was just wondering what everyone thought about the idea of the match. Would you like to see it, or are there much better routes to take for the WrestleMania main event?