How would you book the biggest wrestling show in history?
 

WWE is supposedly trying to break the all time attendance record at WrestleMania 32 this year. What card would you have to bring in 100,000 people to Cowboys Stadium?

John Cena vs. The Undertaker

WWE Title Match- Seth Rollins (C) vs. Roman Reigns w/ The Authority

#1 Contender For WWE Title Match- Brock Lesnar vs. Cesaro

Both Making Their Returns: Daniel Bryan vs. Kurt Angle

Last Man Standing Match- Dean Ambrose vs. Triple H

The Rock vs. Kevin Owens

WWE Tag Team Title 6 Tag Team TLC Match- The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) (C) vs. The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) vs. The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso) vs. The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto & Sin Cara II) vs. The Wyatt Family (Braun Strowman & Luke Harper) vs. The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy)

12 Woman 4 Tag Triple Elimination Match- Team NCB (Natalya, Charlotte, & Becky Lynch) vs. Team Bella (Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, & Alicia Fox) vs. Team B.A.D. (Naomi, Sasha Banks, & Tamina Snuka) vs. Paige, Emma, & Bayley

Andre The Giant Memorial 32 Man Battle Royal- Alberto Del Rio vs. Batista vs. Big Show vs. Billy Gunn vs. Booker T vs. Carlito vs. Darren Young vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Goldust vs. Jack Swagger vs. Jerry Lawler vs. John Morrison vs. Kane vs. Kevin Nash vs. King Barrett vs. Mark Henry vs. The Miz vs. Neville vs. R-Truth vs. Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Rhyno vs. Road Dogg vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Rusev vs. Ryback vs. Stardust vs. Titus O'Neil vs. William Regal vs. X-Pac vs. Xavier Woods vs. Sami Zayn

WWE Intercontinental Title Match- Finn Balor (C) vs. Chris Jericho

Pre-Show Match- Bray Wyatt vs. Sting

Pre-Show Match- WWE United States Title Match- Sheamus (C) vs. Samoa Joe

Pre-Show Match- 20 Man Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal Qualifying Battle Royal- Adam Rose vs. Apollo Crews vs. Bo Dallas vs. Curtis Axel vs. Damien Sandow vs. Diego vs. Erick Rowan vs. Fandango vs. Fernando vs. Heath Slater vs. Hideo Itami vs. James Storm vs. Jamie Noble vs. Joey Mercury vs. Jushin Liger vs. Konnor vs. Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Viktor vs. Zack Ryder

All matches should be Judy Bagwell on a pole matches.

WWE WHC-Rumble winner Brock Lesnar v newly anointed Authority hand picked champion Roman Reigns

Intercontinental title- Kevin Owens v Dean Ambrose

Tag titles- New Day v Rock n Sock Connection

Bray Wyatt v Sting (assuming he's healthy)

Seth Rollins v Triple H

John Cena v the Undertaker- United States title match with Taker's career on the line

Sasha Banks v Charlotte v Paige- diva's title

Andre the Giant battle Royal- winner receives number one contender spot for WWE WHC down the line. Make it mean something. Good way to help a midcard talent get a quick feud in with the top guy.

WWE WHC: Brock Leaner(c) vs The Rock(rumble winner)

US Championship: John Cena(c) vs Roman Reigns

Seth Rollins vs HHH(30 minute iron man match)

Undertaker vs Kane

IC Championship: Kevin Owens(c) vs Cesaro vs Chris Jericho vs Dean Ambrose

Sting vs Stardust

Tag Team Championships: Dudley Boys(c) vs the Uso (tables match)

Wyatt Family vs New Day

Divas Championship: Paige(c) vs Sascha Banks (cage match)

Randy Orton vs Finn Balor( 2 out 3 falls)

Pre Show: Charlotte & Becky Lynch vs Bella Twins vs Naomi & Tamina

Nattie vs Bayley

Andre the Giant Battle Royal for a US title shot: Big Show, Neville, Sheamus, R Truth, The Mix, Curtis Axle, Sandow, Titus Oniel, Darren Young, Konnor, Viktor, Rusev, King Barrett, Adam Rose, Jack Swagger, Fandango, Tyler Breeze, Fernando, Diego, El Toronto, Hornswoggle, Mark Henry, Samoa Joe, Heath Slater, Zach Ryder, Ryback, Barron Corbin, Bo Dallas, Kevin Nash

1-Main Event
Double Retirement Match
The Undertaker Vs. Sting

2-Co-Main Event:
World Heavyweight Championship
Triple Threat Elimination Match
The Shield Explodes.

(C) Seth Rollins Vs. Dean Ambrose Vs. Roman Reigns.

3-Grudge Match:
John Cena Vs. Brock Lesnar

4-Long Shot Mixed Tag Team Match:
Triple H and Stephanie Vs. The Rock and Ronda Rousey

5-Control of the Family on the Line:
Bray Wyatt Vs. Cowboy James Storm.

James Storm joined the Wyatts but ends up more powerful a leader. He forces Bray out in this match to give Wyatt a chance to be a Mick Foley like character babyface. Allowing to capitlize on his popularity.

6-WWE Divas Championship:

(C) Sasha Banks Vs Bayley (winner of the Royal Rumble)

7-Tag Team Turmoil for the Tag Team Championship

The Usos, Blake/Murphy (w/Bliss) , The New Day (C), Prime Time Players, Dudley Boyz, The Mechanics (they win a spot on the NXT show the day before. Blake/Murphy would already be on the Raw/Smackdown Roster)

8-IC Championship
(C) Kevin Owens Vs. Sami Zayn.

9-NXT Championship
(C) Finn Balor Vs. Samoa Joe (the Winner of Tournament/Battle Royal on the NXT TakeOver before WM if there is one)

10-US Championship:
Dolph Ziggler Vs. Tyler Breeze.

Pre-Show:

1- Divas Royal Rumble:
Open to any Divas past or present. 30 second ring entries. That is 14 minutes for enteries. In a Pre-show that is nothing. Winner-Bayley.

2- Andre the Giant with the rest-Winner Mark Henry who retires.

Pre-Show
Andre the Giant Battle Royal (winner... I dunno, who the fuck really cares?)

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
Kevin Owens (C) vs Chris Jericho vs (if possible) Daniel Bryan

US Championship/Retirement Match
John Cena (C) vs The Undertaker

Divas Championship Submission Match
Charlotte (C) vs Paige

Tag-Team Championship TLC Match
Dudley Boyz (C) vs New Day vs The Wyatt Family (Harper and Strowman)

NXT Championship Match
Finn Balor (C) vs Samoa Joe

Big Draw Match
Brock Lesnar vs The Rock

Divas #1 Contenders Fatal Four-Way Match
Becky Lynch vs Naomi vs an imploding Team Bella (just Nikki and Brie)

Main Event: World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat Match
Seth Rolling (C) vs Roman Reigns vs Dean Ambrose

Obligatory Celebrity Match (if possible)
Triple H and Stephanie vs (insert someone here... Maybe Kane) and Ronda Ronda Rousey

At first I thought STD had Bayley winning "the" Royal Romble. Don't think fans would boo that as much as Batista and Reigns the last two years though.

Oh, and I'd likely have the show end with whichever Shield member wins celebrating only for the lights to go out and then some creepy ass entrance that leads to Bray Wyatt revealing himself in the ring and laughing maniacally before disappearing into the shadows again.

I'd be down for that ending a little while down th line. With Ambrose and Reigns being in this two year feud I'd rather they be held off each other.

Brock lesnar in every match, winning every match

NormanSmiley vs #1-WWF-FAN this time try to show up Normy

0-2.

Fights in headgear don't put asses in the seats.

Neither do fights where one guy bitches out.

:nono:

Neither do fights where one guy hides on the Pacific time zone at fight time

Video evidence doesn't even bring this poor guy out of denial. What a sad, sad, defeated man.

To quote some vacaville pussy " you know my internet admin friends can find out where your ip is" yawn. Its cool fag, you convinced your geek friends here you made the trip out east

YAWN!

I believe Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton or Finn Balor would be a splendid match for WWE WrestleMania 32. What say you, TPWW?

He'd be in the battle royal in my card. Trying to win for his childhood idol or something.

<img src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/31/78/28/317828691c7fa67cc634e3236a88d931.jpg" class="mainImage" data-bm="12">

Yeah, add Fan's idea to my card. Bray beats Orton clean and then appears to scare the piss out of whichever Shield guy becomes the very best that no one ever was.

WWE Title - Shield 3 Way
Austin vs Lesnar
HHH vs Rock (with Rousey involvement)
US title - Cena vs Xavier Woods
Taker vs Sting
IC Title Ladder Match - Owens and others
Divas Title - Sasha vs Charlotte
ATG Battle Royal

LOL, no way that is happening @ match highlighted in bold. Sting/'Taker looks highly improbable, too, as I still haven't seen or heard any updates on Sting's possibly career-ending injury.

Hope they put Sting in the ATG Battle Royal, he wins it and then retires the next night.

None of these matches really appeal to me, except the idea of a Shield triple threat for the WWE title.

Have no desire to see another old, crippled Undertaker match, and Lesnar being a face makes it pretty difficult to book him against anyone to try and elevate, ie. Cesaro.

Thread was how would I book. Trying to weave some realism based on where storylines are and also wishful thinking.

I do think there's a chance Austin-Lesnar happens. I can't think of a bigger fight to book. Austin hasn't had a match in over 10 years. I just don't know if medically he can be taken to Suplex City. If he can it would make for a helluva story.

I agree on Taker. I'm hoping this is his last dance.

As for Lesnar, I don't think he needs to be in a position to put over talent yet. He's still got 5-10 more years in him as a draw. I would try to keep him strong.

He's also over 10 years older now, though. It's no secret his knee and neck injuries won't allow him to wrestle again, let alone in a 15 or 20 minute WM match. Let's just say there's a reason why he reffed a Lesnar WM match (XX, v. Goldberg) as opposed to straight up wrestling him. He couldn't do it then, and he can't now. All he's good for anymore is Arrive -> Stunner -> Repeat if necessary -> Leave.

Sorry to bust your bubble.

So you've consulted with Austin's doctors?

You CLEARLY either never watched the segment on the RAW after WM XIX where Bischoff read Austin's legit medical reasons why he could never wrestle again. Frustratingly enough, I've done TONS of searching all over the Internet for that vid, but haven't been able to find it, but anyway, yeah that was over 12 1/2 years ago, and I'm sure nothing has changed.

I get it. I feel your frustration. I remember how devastated I was watching the piece on DDP on Confidential after his April, 2002 injury on SD! that would never allow him to wrestle again. But then again, he, like Austin, has nothing left to prove, which is why it's ok if they only pop up when needed as comic relief or whatever.

Its amazing what time does to wounds.

I don't claim to know Austin's health. My understanding is its very unlikely, but I also don't think there is 0% chance it happens.

Personally I won't sleep either way. I just stated its the biggest fight the industry can put on right now.

It actually seems in DDP's case as though he felt he could recover and return, but I vividly recall the moment in that Confidential piece he mentioned that his insurance company threatened to drop him if he went back to the ring so he was spinning it, at least, as though he was forced into retirement. Either way it was one of the saddest stories I ever watched on that show.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Seth Rollins |VS| Roman Reigns |VS| Dean Ambrose

The Rock |VS| Triple H

Brock Lesnar |VS| Stone Cold Steve Austin

John Cena |VS| The Undertaker

WWF |VS| WCW |VS| ECW
Shawn Michaels |VS| Sting |VS| Rob Van Dam

Chris Jericho |VS| Daniel Bryan

Women's Championship
Charlotte |VS| Paige

Casket Match
Kane |VS| Bray Wyatt

WWE Tag Team Championship
TLC 5 or
New Day |VS| The Dudley Boyz |VS| The Uso's |VS| Harlem Heat |VS| Lucha |VS| Neville & Cesaro

#1 Contender's Match for Next PPV
Elimination Chamber Match
Randy Orton |VS| Dolph Ziggler |VS| Sheamus |VS| Ric Flair |VS| Big Show |VS| Mark Henry

Key word is that I said "elevate", not "put over".

But still, with Lesnar as a face, I can't think of who would be a good fit for him.

I've said this so many times now, especially the last few months, Wrestlemania 32 really needs to be the event where WWE take a big risk and stop using the same main event guys.

Triple H doesn't wrestle all year, and then magically finds himself in a feud during March of every year that requires him to lace up his boots? No.

Undertaker is old and crippled and his Wrestlemania matches have been the same for the last five years, and have lost their appeal since the streak ended. No.

The Rock? No.

Shawn Michaels? No.

Sting? Had his Wrestlemania match. If he wants more, perhaps he should have considered coming to WWE ten years ago. His time has past.

All we ever keep hearing about is how Raw's ratings are getting lower and lower. Wrestlemania will sell itself! Any casual fans that tune in or catch the event will watch it, enjoy it, and then not tune in for another year because when they watch Raw the next night, all of the above names are absent.

It resonates with what CM Punk said about how he needed that Wrestlemania main event to elevate himself and get better. There's so many guys on the roster with enough talent to carry this show. But they all need some Wrestlemania exposure to elevate their games. Being constantly thrown into Andre the Giant Battle Royals (which has already run it's course, I hope we don't get another one), so that Triple H or Undertaker can hog half of the show, won't help the roster or the product of today.

If there are any doubts, remember that Wrestlemania 17 is often regarded as one of the greatest Wrestlemania's, and that event didn't rely on any "legends" or part-timers. (Yes I know there was the gimmick Battle Royal, but that wasn't a big selling point of the PPV, and was obviously just something fun between main event matches).

And in regards to my post above, Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins NEEDS to headline this show. There is nothing else that will interest me.

Rollins and Ambrose have both been shit hot since the SHIELD split. They're two of the best in-ring talents, two of the best talkers, and they're both fucking over! Reigns will get the "What?" treatment, but he's no slouch, and will certainly deliver the goods in this match.

Besides that, this match is fresh! It's about time some new faces close the biggest show of the year. These guys will put on a great match, the feud will be great. All three guys are as over and as established as they'll ever be. It's time for WWE to pull the trigger and let them show the world what they can do.

Or... we can look forward to John Cena in the main event AGAIN. "Dwayne" coming back again. Or the Undertaker.

Same. Old. Shit.

Also, as much as I know we'd all love to see NXT guys at Wrestlemania, none of them should be on the main show. NXT is the "developmental" brand of WWE so to speak. How bad will it make the main roster look when Finn Balor gets an NXT title match on the biggest show of the year, and Bad News Barrett is in the clusterfuck Battle Royal match?

My scientific formula to maintain order between all facets of fan labels:

//Hulk Hogan/Ric Flair cold open equipped with Limo entrance and holograms of wrestling legends holding the door open for them.

Holographic Ultimate Warrior and Macho Man coming out to challenge them to a match//

1.) Finn Balor v.s. Samoa Joe v.s. Baron Corbin- NXT Championship

//Holographic Roddy Piper slapping the piss out of The Miz, leading to the return of John Morrison. Morrison does special move off top rope//

2.) HHH v.s. William Regal for sole ownership of NXT

//Big Show backstage vignette of him chokeslamming catering staff, he has kayfabe heart attack, instant pan back to the ring//

3.) The New Day/Enzo and Cass/Dudleys/Hardy Boyz TLC for the Tag Championship

//Fandango shown backstage beating the piss out of Alex Wright and Disco Inferno//

4.) Cesaro v.s. Kevin Owens for the IC Championship

//Sami Zayn backstage segment with him jumping Kevin Owens and peeing in his mouth//

5.) Paige v.s. Becky Lynch v.s. Charlotte v.s. Sasha Banks Fatal Femme 4 Way for the Women's Belt

//Stacy Keibler-Scott Steiner segment where they talk about hashtags and Test//

6.) Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns and Orton v.s. The Wyatt Family

//Erick Rowan cosplay segment as Zangief, ending with Mean Gene clotheslining him into scaffolding//

7.) Brock Lesnar v.s. Poop Dempsey

//Kurt Angle return with a 30 second staredown with Brock, with both turning their attention to Poop, decimating him with mind bullets//

8.)The Undertaker v.s. Sting w/ Special Guest Referee Jim Cornette

//Kane sets Sting on fire//

Main Event) Dean Ambrose v.s. Seth Rollins for the WWE WH Championship




I know right, tight card. Cena is nowhere to be found until........


Cole: "Seth and Dean are in the ring just trading shots like opponents do! This is incredible!! The Dallas crowd is totally erupting, JOhn!!"


JBL: "This is awesome, Maggal! 9.99 for this spectacle while you throw away a few duckets into the Draft Kings machine!! This is the greatest, friend!"


Pan back to the match and Dean has it in the dooker, ready to pin a fallen Rollins. Then...you won't berieve what happens next.


*oooooOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH AVENUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*




John Cena comes out on the ramp and shimmies down to the ring, takes off his shorts and grabs Ambrose for the Attitude Adjustment. PLOW! BAM! ScOOP!!! The referee acts like nothing happened as he was distracted by the cool entrance video that Cena has, then turns around after it's too late to see Ambrose, a man who has been booked to perfection and ready for his time, laying there motionless. A victim to Cena and his quest to promote Total Divas. Rollins gets the victory and piggybacks up the ramp with Cena, Triple H welcomes them on the ramp and they tell everyone to suck it.


John Cena proclaims next night on RAW that he will destroy any and everything the Internet loves, all in the name of love for his Bella, the Nikki Bella. TOTAL Divas and Make-A-Wishes all day brah.


Enter in Dolph Ziggler as the hot face to feud with Cena over Nikki.

On the active roster I can't think of a great choice. To me Austin is the only interesting fight. If it's not Austin, makes me wonder why they didn't just hold off the third fight with Taker. Even though I'm not a huge fan of that match.

Well all the Manias between 15 and 17 didn't rely on outside help. 17 was literally the peak of the Attitude Era. Unfortunately they don't have the mainstream appeal they did then. Beyond that, even though 17 was critically acclaimed, it isn't the most purchased show in history.

I like the way Mania is set up right now. It's the only stadium show of the year, so it should have special features. If you don't include part timers then Mania becomes Summerslam. That doesn't seem like a smart strategy. Even more important with The Network where Mania anchors your subscription base. You need as many bells and whistles to keep people entertained.

To me as long as the guys like Hunter, Rock, Taker, etc can have good matches, they help being part of the show. Taker putting over Brock to this day helps Brocks gimmick. Rock working with Cena was huge business. Triple H putting over Bryan clean created a special moment. Triple H vs Sting with the NWO and DX involvement created a special moment. Mania needs those special moments to elevate it from the other shows on the calendar.

No offense to CM Punk, but he's a delusional character. He's only concerned about himself, doesn't see the bigger picture.

I can think of some good choices, but the timing's not right. Face Orton vs. heel Lesnar wouldn't be too bad, but with Lesnar as a face it wouldn't make sense, and I have no desire to see Orton turn heel again already.

Would love to see Cesaro get the rub of working with Lesnar, but again, face vs. face in this scenario doesn't work, and I don't want to see Cesaro turn heel.

Austin doesn't interest me though, pretty much for the reasons I stated above. I don't feel the need to constantly see the big names of today facing the big names of yesterday. We got Hogan vs. Rock in 2002 and we got Rock vs. Cena in 2012 & 2013, that's enough for now. :y:

WWE usually has the big title match go on last. So you can still have the big stars in other matches and have The Shield boys go last.

If HHH vs Rock is on this show, I don't think it goes on last. If Austin vs Lesnar happens, I could see that going on last.

I don't mind having one or two part timers, but how does it help the product throughout the rest of the year? The context in which I used CM Punk's quotes weren't related to Punk himself, but to the product. Why would a casual fan who tunes in for Wrestlemania give a shit about a guy like Dolph Ziggler if he only appears in clusterfuck throwaway matches on the biggest stage of the year? Guys like Triple H, Undertaker, Rock etc have had countless Wrestlemania moments. They need to start giving the spotlight to today's superstars, so that they can use that Wrestlemania exposure to elevate themselves.

Triple H, Undertaker, The Rock, John Cena, Sting, Brock Lesnar etc will not be able to carry Wrestlemania events for the rest of their lives. What happens when they hang up the boots for good? Who'll carry the show then? Cody Rhodes?

To me Lesnar v Austin is different.

They have the backstory of Austin walking out on a fight with Lesnar.

You have Austin returning after more than 10 years in a city that is very special to him.

You have Austin's health as a sympathetic factor going against a living breathing monster.

It's not just some random fight. It could be one of the greatest stories in WWE history.

Don't see Austin/Lesnar happening and don't know why anyone would want it to. Austin couldn't have a good match with Lesnar for his neck. You think Austin could take multiple suplexes on his neck. The match would suck and probably get Austin hurt.

Id like to see Sting work a match with Stardust at Mania if he can.

Don't want to see a Shield triple threat either as it would probably be used to put Reigns over.

Nah, Austin is 52 and is not gonna be anyway near the condition he use to be in. Plus, I have no desire to see his beer gut in spandex trunks at Wrestlemania. The backstory of Austin walking out on Lesnar ten years ago won't even be mentioned, considering that WWE hasn't even acknowledged that this isn't the first time Lesnar and Undertaker have met at Hell in a Cell. Austin's had his run. It was fantastic. But I have no desire to see that now. Next.

I wouldn't mind whatever the outcome is. I think Reigns winning will get shit all over like the Royal Rumble this year, but I think the main thing is that the main event status will elevate all three men anyway, regardless of who wins.

Ambrose winning would get an unbelievable pop so that'd be cool though.

Similar reason to why the Super Bowl has an elaborate half time show and when you watch a week 7 game its a bunch of geeks yacking. More people tune into the Super Bowl because you are using a bigger net and you hope that translates to more long term fans.

Taker is a loss that is likely around the corner although I believe his value has drastically decreased after the streak.

Cena is still a full timer. He can probably go as a full timer for another 10 years if he wants to. At the very least he can do years of work as a part time. Rock and Hunter are in great shape, they could be doing one off matches for ten years plus.

Randy Orton can transition to that role, Batista can do it, Punk when he comes back. And you just keep cycling guys through.

Besides, you're advocating for no part timers, so if you think Mania will fall off a cliff without them, why suggest that?

Most Austin fights are brawl style, kick punch mostly. Part of the storyline could be Austin can't take suplexes like other guys. You need maybe 3 in the whole fight to tell an effective story.

Hogan was well past his prime when he worked Rock at 18. If I recall correctly I think that got over.

I'm not saying Wrestlemania will fail without them, but if WWE don't do something with their talent now, when these guys finally do retire, they won't have any "big names" to carry the product.

I don't even know why we're arguing this. It's my opinion vs. yours. I won't change your mind and you're not gonna change mine. I'm just sick and tired of the same part timers every year. If you think it's a winning formula then great, enjoy Wrestlemania 32. :y: It's not going to help the ratings throughout the rest of the year though, just like it hasn't done the last four or five years.

Its been done before but just do a tie at Rumble between Ambrose and Reigns

I don't see Lesnar being as safe to work with as The Rock.

And if I recall, Hogan never broke his neck. Quite a serious injury, that.

Still don't want to see it. Would rather Brock face the Rock at Mania. Austin can host the show or be a special guest referee in a match, just dont think the guy can do a match.

I'm exactly with Simple Fan. The Rock, at least, is still in fantastic physical shape, would be a huge draw outside of wrestling, and, let's face it, is fucking huge. Austin has put on weight and is probably nowhere near the shape he use to be in, and, let's be honest here, hasn't really done much outside of wrestling that non-wrestling fans care about.

I'm not trying to change your mind, just pointing out the fallacy in your logic.

WWE used guys like HBK, Hogan, and Flair at Manias. They are all gone. Mania is still wildly successful. Brock, Rock and Hunter can be special attractions for another 10 years. So what's the concern?

New guys are still getting over like Bryan, Reigns, Rollins, etc. A lot of those guys got rubs from the part timers you hate.

But I'd rather not see the Rock either. I'd rather Brock face someone on the roster he hasn't faced yet. Just can't think of who'd fit right now.

Of course. All of this is predicated in Austin being medically cleared for ONE fight.

The match would be in like 6 months not tomorrow. I'm sure Austin would do a couple sit ups

It's not so much "my concern" as it is that I'm fucking bored of seeing the same people over and over. I want to see guys like Dolph Ziggler finally get a decent Wrestlemania moment, and actually get elevated to a level where he can be seen as a legit main-eventer.

It's just become very formulaic every year now.

That would be fine.

Rollins or Reigns is the most logical

Brock Lesnar vs. Bruno Sammartino

Maybe dig out Chris Benoit and book him too. The ultimate heel.

I know Reigns didn't win the match, but I liked Reigns vs Lesnar from this years Wrestlemania. Even though Reigns took as ass-whooping pretty much the entire match, the fact he kept fighting on, and even smiled about it all, really endeared him to the fans.

The same could work, in theory, for anyone. I don't wanna see Lesnar get wasted on a guy like Austin, who'll be gone the next night.

That would be good, it just obviously not as big of an event.

Owens is the other potentially interesting option to me

That's where WWE needs to consider what's more important. The one-off event, or the rest of the year.

Austin vs. Lesnar will garner more interest than Owens vs. Lesnar, no doubt. But Austin will be gone the next night, and the product will be left to flounder for the rest of the year. They'll have to sacrifice one for the other.

No doubt, but it's a balance.

Lesnar will be around going forward. If beating Austin elevates his profile like beating Taker did, then you've helped the product for the rest of the year.

Maybe at the next Mania a guy like Reigns or Owens goes over a super strong Brock.

Shield 3 way for Title
Cena vs. Taker
Triple H vs. Rock
Sami Zayn vs. Owens for IC Title
US Title Ladder Match
Sasha Banks v. Nikki for Women's Championship (If Sasha wins, title is renamed)
ATG Battle Royal
Bray vs. Cesaro
Legends Battle Royal

Don't think a win over Austin would elevate him like Taker did. Nonoe thought Lesnar would win that match. Everyone knows Brock would go over Austin.

Lesnar ended the streak and beat the face of the company twice in a row in a complete squash match. He's a former UFC heavyweight champion. There is nothing more that WWE can do to elevate Lesnar or make him look strong. Beating a 52-year-old who's well past his prime and hasn't wrestled in 12 years certainly won't do that.

On the other hand, in 10, or 15 years time, when Undertaker, Triple H, Sting and Lesnar have retired for good and aren't the "special attraction" matches anymore, who's gonna fill that spot? Sheamus? Dolph Ziggler? (and that's rhetorical, please don't give me any shite about "Triple H could still have another 15 years in him" because I'm being hypothetical).

Cena, he's definitely going to be the ultra-super-mega part timer

Yea Cena and Orton are about to switch to part time before long. Orton's got a dislocated shoulder and Cena taking time off so we could see WWE trying to elevate guys while their out.

You only need a few of those guys. Most likely the guys who are top guys today and have 10+ year runs on top will become the new generation of part time acts who come in to help Mania seem special.

The WWE hasnt stopped creating stars nor will they between now and Mania 47 which you seem so concerned about.

Soooooooo if they're creating new "stars"... then why do we need the same handful of guys to come back every Wrestlemania? Why not at other PPV's also?

There is literally two top guys right now; Cena and Lesnar. Neither are going to be wrestling or carrying the company over the next ten years, seeing as they're both creeping up on 40 years of age. Especially Cena. He's a fucking workhorse but how much can that body take as it enters the second half of its life span?

WWE World Heavyweight Title Match (Guest Referee/Enforcer: Steve Austin)
Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins (c)

WWE United States Title vs Career Match
John Cena vs Samoa Joe (c)

The Rock and Johnny "Motherfucking" Curtis vs Triple H and Batista

Retirement Match
The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels

WWE Intercontinental Title Match
Daniel Bryan vs Kevin Owens (c)

WWE World Tag Team Title Match
Sheamus and Rusev vs The Usos

Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton

Chris Jericho vs Dean Ambrose

WWE Divas Title Match
Asuka vs Paige (c)

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

I think he's got at least 5 years left as a full timer. Another 5-10 as a part time. Depending how his body holds up

Triple Threat Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose

The Undertaker vs. John Cena

Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Evolution vs. The Wyatt Family

Divas Championship
Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks

WWE Tag Team Championship
The New Day (c) vs. The Usos

Intercontinental Championship
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Daniel Bryan

10-Diva Tag Team Match
The Bella Twins, Paige, Emma & Asuka vs. Trish Stratus, Lita, Becky Lynch, Natalya & Bayley

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Everyone else, baby!

United States Championship
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Cesaro

* I had Ziggler winning the US Title at Hell in a Cell, but now my dream booking is to have Samoa Joe win the title and get a proper run with it. That would have logically extended under WrestleMania, but I just like the idea of slimeball Ziggler defending the US Title against Cesaro with his new manager, Lana, so much. It could be a tremendous opening match for WrestleMania. So I have Joe eliminate Brock in the Royal Rumble (Joe is undefeated at this point). Brock tears up the place and screams at Joe, who gets out of the ring and gets in Brock's face basically asking Brock what is he going to do about it. Brock and Joe fight, and in the chaos, Joe is eliminated officially. Brock then costs Joe the US Title to Ziggler at Fastlane and their match at WrestleMania is set. It might not *seem* special right now, but I think if they go balls-in with Joe, they can make a fair bit of money out of him over the next year or so.

* I bring back the Battle Royal, and this is where all your other guys get a spot. Big Show is returning to try and defend his victory, Damien Sandow has got something to prove in the match, as does Hideo Itami who got to compete in the previous installment. Sheamus is in there, as is Mark Henry, The Dudley Boyz...you get the drill.

* The women's tag is basically there to showcase some of the stronger workers and bigger stars in the division. Ideally, I'd like to have a tournament for some women's tag belts, but I think that *for Mania*, showing these stars all bouncing off each other might put a better spotlight and less pressure on the division. You'd have Alicia Fox and Dana Brooke at ringside with the heels, and maybe Sara Lee at ringside with the faces.

* Owens vs. Bryan could have such a great story behind it. I'd be careful with him, but there is the story of his WrestleMania comeback to tell. He never lost the World Title, he never lost the IC Title, he wants to prove he can still be champion. Owens is the right sort of guy to put against Bryan too. They could milk concern that Owens is going to end Bryan's career. I'd keep the Owens vs. Zayn match in my back-pocket, as the main roster story between them hasn't been told yet.

* The New Day vs. The Usos is basically your top heel tag team defending against the guys you want your top face team to be. It's not really rocket science. This would be another good choice for an opener.

* Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks seems like the most obvious choice for a Women's Title program at WrestleMania as there could be. I switch the title from Charlotte to Sasha at the Royal Rumble, with some shenanigans involved, and Banks successfully beats a strong face at Fastlane whilst Charlotte trains for her rematch. I think having the title switch hands gives Charlotte a traditional story of redemption, and having the match at the Royal Rumble is going to create a stir around those two, which can be used to mine out the Mania match.

* Triple H has to be on the card, realistically. I don't really see a big money match they can do with him that doesn't involve The Rock. By the way, I'm working under the assumption that I don't have access to The Rock or Ronda Rousey due to scheduling. At this point, Triple H's heel heat has died down, so maybe he finds himself crossed by Bray Wyatt, who decides he wants to "burn WWE to the ground." Or maybe Bray and his misfists turn face and rebel against Authority. Either way, I see Triple H giving a call to his buddies -- Randy Orton and Batista -- and reminding them that their resentment for each other was what drove them to be such big success stories.

* I talked about Lesnar vs. Joe. It's the biggest "smark match" on my card (well, except for maybe Ziggler vs. Cesaro, but I gave that the Lana attraction), but I still defend it as something for Brock to do. Who else is he going to face? Undertaker? Rollins? Cena? Triple H? They've either been done or have the same problem of people not buying into Brock's opponent. A clean win over Cena, an undefeated streak heading into the Royal Rumble, eliminating Brock, getting screwed out of his title, wanting to fight Brock -- I think there's enough of a throughline there where people might get on board.

* The Undertaker vs. John Cena is me going into "huge match, huge match, what's our biggest match for the casual fan?" mode. They've kept Undertaker and Cena apart for a very long time, and there is a story of two very different franchises clashing at WrestleMania. Cena can return at the Royal Rumble, he can make it right up until the end, then he gets tossed out by Reigns. Cena needs to prove himself at WrestleMania. "I need to beat you, Taker."

* Roman Reigns eliminates John Cena last to win the 2016 Royal Rumble. Dean Ambrose defeats Sheamus in a Money in the Bank Ladder Match at Fastlane. "You know what happens now, boys." They've protected this exact presentation of their issues, and there's no better time to let them slug it out than at WrestleMania. The crowd reactions for each man will be interesting. There's drama in Rollins' past coming back to bite him, but he gets to come out and stand tall and proud of being WWE World Champion for the entire year at this point.

Fun card but you realize Batista is a big deal in Hollywood right now? I doubt he's coming back to be put in a random 6 man tag.

Also tough to imagine Brock being up for a match with an indy guy. Like where's the heat? Yes i get 500 of the 12k in the building will be loudly chanting this is awesome, but for the masses is a gross waste of Brock name value.

Maybe if Joe comes to the WWE and dominates for a year, sure. But out of the blue, kinda wreak IMO.

Taker v Cena seems like a lose lose. If you have Cena lose to Taker it continues to make Cena look weak, which is a bad idea. If Cena wins it makes Taker look sad.

To me if Bryan can go, he has to be fighting for the title. Anything else and the crowd will crap on it. Nothing would kick off 2016 better than if Bryan was a surprise entry at the Rumble and won.

That would actually play perfectly into the Hunter-Rollins storyline. If Rollins dropped the title to Bryan, HHH could go off, and you got the Rollins babyface turn.

Further, Sheamus a couple months after Mania beating Bryan by cashing in MITB would be perfect because you would have multiple instances where Sheamus beat him in quick matches.

Assuming no Bryan. Another option I wouldn't mind seeing is a Shield Triple Threat. Reigns cheats to win and at the end opens his vest to reveal his I'm a Paul Heyman guy tshirt.

I wouldn't call Joe an Indy guy. Sure he was in ROH but a majority of his career was spent in TNA. Joe vs Brock would be a hell of a fight and I believe more than 500 would think its awesome. Yea it be better if Joe was on the roster prior to WM but Joe answering a Brock Lesnar WM open challenge would get quite a pop.

There is absolutely no chance of Lesnar having an open challenge at Mania, that would be a complete waste of their most marketable asset.

I would have Lesnar going in as a dominant champ again if someone else was ready to make the step up. It was obvious they were trying it with Reigns until they were forced to change course.

Bryan would be ideal but it has to be a surefire thing this time around which makes it difficult.

I would say a face Rollins but I think that him and HHH is a lock for Mania given the build.

I would go for something like this...

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
The Rock vs Brock Lesnar (c)

Seth Rollins vs HHH

John Cena vs Roman Reigns

Intercontinental Title
Cesaro vs Kevin Owens (c)

US Title
Rusev (c) vs Daniel Bryan

The Undertaker vs Dolph Ziggler

Dean Ambrose vs Chris Jericho

Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt

Divas Title
Charlotte (c) vs Sasha Banks

TLC match
New Day vs The Dudleyz vs Samoa Joe/Usos

Pre-Show

Andre the Giant Battle Royal
Sheamus winning

Tag Titles
The Miz/Tyler Breeze vs New Age Outlaws


Obviously some of this is just fantasy and some of it wouldn't work but it is what I would like to see.

A fun tag match on the pre-show that gets fans into the event. Maybe some comedy thrown in. Would like to see Miz and Breeze together, think it is a natural fit and there could be a stable of sorts with lackeys getting involved. They should retain here.

Sheamus winning the battle royal keeps the case in view and keeps him strong for what may happen after Mania.

Instead of having tag team turmoil, I would like to see something different, so Dudleyz bringing in Spike and Samoa Joe being recruited by the returning Usos can give a match to all 3 members of New Day. Could be very memorable and help them sell numerous DVDs with recaps of past TLC stuff with Dudleyz involved .

Sascha Banks is a star. Should build up Charlotte as an unstoppable wrestler with her father's backing before then and have Banks topple her at Mania.

Wyatt and Orton has seeds planted seemingly and Wyatt needs a big Mania win over an established star.

Ziggler has a bit of HBK about him and a match with the Undertaker gives him some spotlight and a different challenge to Taker. I would have Ziggler take him to the absolute limit and look like a warrior, but Taker will get the win in his own state.

If Bryan is fit, I would build Rusev up (doesn't looke likely now), with Lana back at his side and have him go after the US title. Have him hold the title captive, in need of a hero to salvage it and Bryan returns to challenge him at Mania (perhaps against medical advice). Could be a fantastic story and great Mania moment.

Ambrose and Jericho has seeds planted from recently and makes sense.

Cesaro and Owens also has seeds planted and makes sense, and gives both a chance to shine, maybe after so much failure, this could be Cesaros chance to win.

Cena/Reigns could have a great narrative of Cena telling him what is needed to be the best and Reigns jealously lashing out and attacking Cena. A Reigns turn and win against Cena at Mania could be a big moment for him.

HHH/Rollins is the longest built story they have, and a face Rollins could use a win against the Game as a springboard to great heights. He is fantastic and don't think he gets the credit he deserves.

Lesnar/Rock is the biggest money match they could have IMO and give them something to hang the PPV on so to speak. Make it for the title and while others might see it as a waste, I think it would increase media interest and intrigue going into the event.

TNA is a glorified indy promotion.

Trust me Brock vs Joe MASSIVELY devalues Brock. I'm not someone who thinks Joe has it to be a WWE superstar, but say he does get over on the main roster. A match at 32 is pissing money away. A match like that would mean more if Joe was established for a year. And with Brock's part time status, it would be easy to keep them apart until 33.

The idea of Taker cutting a promo on Ziggler makes me laugh

For Ziggler, its now of never, needs to start to make an impact in some way. I have to admit, my initial card didn't even have him on it, which maybe shows where he is right now.

Initial card was booking 101, Taker against Strowman in his back yard. Atrocious match in all likelihood, but Taker against a built up monster in his home state.

Alternatively, you could do Rusev against Taker and have Ziggler and Bryan wrestler over US title...

Actually agree with CyNick. I'd give Joe a year long build then push him to Lesnar. At least try to create the fan desire to see them clash.

If anybody, I'd rather Joe debutagainst Owens or Cena.

I think CyNick missed the part where I addressed the problems with Brock/Joe in my original post. And I completely disagree with the Batista point -- I think he's actually gone on record saying that he wants to work with Triple H again.

A less fantastic, more realistic card:

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
The Rock (c) vs. Brock Lesnar

The Undertaker vs. John Cena

Triple H vs. Seth Rollins

Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns

Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt

Intercontinental Championship/United States Championship Unification Match
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Daniel Bryan (c)

Divas Championship
Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Everyone else

10-Diva Tag Team Match
The Bella Twins, Alicia Fox, Paige & Naomi vs. Trish Stratus, Lita, Becky Lynch, Natalya & Bayley

Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
The New Day (c) vs. The Usos vs. The Wyatt Family vs. The Dudley Boyz

This kinda nonsense kills the fun of wrestling. Some times you just need to enjoy the match/moment, and not fuss about things like "people looking strong". Cena losing to the Undertaker won't suddenly hurt Cena's status as the face of the company.

(I don't wanna see this match anyway, but that's just coz I don't care about Undertaker matches any more).

Actually swap the belt around in the Rock/Brock match. Brock wins the title at Survivor Series or something, leaving Rock to win the Royal Rumble in Orlando.

Reigns looks good and like he's on his way to winning, and he tosses his good pal Dean Ambrose out, which Ambrose retorts to by tossing Reigns out post-elimination. That sets up that match. It could be for the US Title, but that's only if Bryan doesn't win the title at Hell in a Cell or something.

I think the Rumble could come down to Rock and Cena quite comfortably. Rock wins it, Cena looks dejected and makes the big challenge to Undertaker soon afterwards.

Rollins gets another title shot at the Rumble, having defeated Roman Reigns at TLC for it. Triple H screws Rollins or something, or maybe the turn happens on RAW, and that sets up Rollins vs. Triple H.

Wyatt vs. Orton already had existing heat, and seems like the sort of match the WWE would throw on a WrestleMania card. I think Wyatt would finally get a WrestleMania win there.

I'd swap the belts in the Tag Title match too. The New Day probably do lose them to The Dudleys at some point. They might slip them through until WrestleMania as champs.

Continues? When hashe Cena ever looked weak for more than a match? Other than jobbing out to Lesnar at Summer Slam last year, to which he immediately bounced back from and had a competitive match to point where it looked as if he'd pull it out in the end, I don't recall him ever looking weak. It's a fairly silly statement.

Also, if losing to the top star of the company is a good thing, how is said top star losing to the franchise star of the company bad? That makes no sense.

As for who wins in Cena vs. Undertaker? It doesn't really matter which way you go. Cena would be gracious enough to get pinned by Taker, and I'm sure Taker doesn't mind putting Cena over at this point. Biggest business would be the Cena heel turn, but I don't see them doing that.

I could see them taking a few guys out of the Battle Royal and doing a WrestleMania Money in the Bank too, so that there's some sort of Ladder Match on the card. Sheamus vs. Barrett vs. Neville vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Rusev vs. Cesaro vs. Ziggler vs. Breeze would be my bet if they went forward with that. Maybe Kane.

<font color=goldenrod>Pretty sure the only feasible way WWE ever could have turned Cena heel and had it get the desired reaction would have been to do Taker vs. Cena at WM 30, both guys going in faces...and then Cena cheats to win the match and end the streak. Would have drawn stunned silence followed by boos. Crying kids in the audience. And it's basically the only way the smarks in the crowd would have booed a Cena heel turn, because it was paired with the one thing most smarks never wanted to see happen (Taker losing at Mania).

At this point, I've just accepted that a Cena heel turn will never happen and frankly it's probably better at this point. Doing it now would just feel forced.</font>

Unless it is absolutely incredible. I still want to see Cena as the leader of the WWE-style Bullet Club.

John Cena
Samoa Joe
Nikki Bella
Mojo Rawley
Zack Ryder

Something like that for a line-up.

<font color=goldenrod>As long as his schedule allows I would be pretty surprised if they don't find something for Batista to do. When he came back in 2014 he actually signed a deal that ran through WM 32 and had every intention of being back for the long run. He was always going to take some time off to promote Guardians, but I don't know if he anticipated that he himself would have wound up becoming as big of a deal after it was over.

In his podcast with Jericho he struck me as a very loyal guy who loves the business. WWE are supposedly going to try to bring back every able-bodied legend they can to wrestle at this thing. I think Dave would be glad to participate as long as he's not booked into another film before then. Probably would be his final match.</font>

<font color=goldenrod>Speaking of Jericho...he's one of the on-again/off-again legends I have a tough time figuring out a "spot" for. To his credit he turned down offers to be on WM 30 and WM 31 because they just wanted to randomly stick him into clusterfuck matches.

If Bryan somehow comes back and wins back the IC Title, I could definitely see Jericho accepting a program with Bryan. He's said numerous times that being the guy with the most IC Title reigns ever is what he considers to be his proudest accomplishment in the business. It would be a sensible program and, frankly, it would be a great match to end Jericho's career with because he'll be 45 years old and I have to imagine eventually he's just going to be ready to stop wrestling for good.

So many guys I'd rather see Bryan work against though...Cesaro, Owens, etc. Nothing against Jericho (who is my all-time fav) but I'm just not sure he's a fit anywhere.</font>

Death r
WWE Bulletclub would be Sheamus, Rusev, Barrett type stable considering Bullet club is a group of foreigners.

I'd actually like to see suit and tie Jericho going against Ambrose. It's something pretty fresh and gives Ambrose a good feud to get his momentum going again.

I saw it and didn't like it.

You have Joe debut beat a star and already lose within 4 months. The way you laid out Brock and Joe it didn't make either guy seem special.

As for Dave, i'm not disputing he will come back. I just don't see it in a random 6 man tag. If it was one on one with someone, sure.

You said nothing I didn't say, bro.

A random 6-man... it's the Triple H match at WrestleMania, bro.