HBK vs Taker at Mania has to be happening right?
 

And if so, who is stretching HBK out? We wont see him in any dark match or Raw match, but someone has to be working with him to stretch him back into shape. I dont believe it's HHH. For some reason i think it needs to be someone else. I actually believe Cena is the guy to stretch HBK out for a Taker match at WM.

No it doesn't. They've teased stuff like this around this time of the year before to no avil. Rock vs HHH is probably the most recent I can remember.

Curtis Axel is the go to as far as getting guys back in ring shape though.

I'm not sure it is happening at Mania. I can see it happening in Saudi Arabia or somewhere like that. HBK will beat Taker to earn the right to wrestle again or something. I'm curious as to who his WrestleMania opponent will be though. There's the dream match with AJ Styles, and HBK himself has said he wants to work Samoa Joe. I just can't shake the feeling that Triple H is going to want to give himself something huge if The Rock is coming back and going to be working with Roman. Trips needs himself to be in that discussion as a difference maker, even if he's not.

Really not excited about another HBK/Taker Match. If he comes out of retirement it needs to be to mix it up with the current guys. Vs. AJ, Rollins, Balor, hold more interest for me.

Hawkins as well

Hawkins would seem to be the guy for that spot since Axel is actually being somewhat used these days. But maybe that is why they had him lose the belts?

Training with The Rock is what got Axel his push in 2013. Apparently Rock must have liked him a lot better than Hawkins.

The Shield vs. The Rock & The B-Team in 2019. Book it.

I've never seen an act get so tired so fast as the B Team

Ryback should come back as The B-Team's manager

It seems very much an ironic/novelty thing, as is everything that gets "over" for a moment. I'm glad it got Axel some TV time. Lol, Axel has been main roster for about 8 years now. I'm pretty sure that's longer than Mr. Perfect actually spent wrestling for them.

During his last run HBK spent 8 years as the best performer in the company yet he was mostly just used to put everyone else over because he was "old". Never taking into account that he never lost a step and should have had a long run right along Cena as the top guys in the company.

I have no desire to see him come back just to job to a bunch of guys just to lazily try to make this era seem on par with the last.

Meltzer said on wrestling observer radio it's probably happening at the November Saudi Arabia show...

HBK returns for bored rich people to sit on their hands the whole show and not react, great.

I don't really care about who wins. I want to see them because they'd be great matches.

My first instinct with that promo Monday was triple threat, HHH/HBK/Taker. It has to be. As much as HBK/Taker in a singles at WM sounds great with storyline, I really don't have much interest in seeing that singles match again. 25 was tremendous. 26 was good, but sucked in comparison. HBK should have never used the term "retire." He could have went away for a couple of years to be with his family & do other projects, comeback, get the Taker treatment and nobody would have blinked because the dude earned it. If HBK is in a singles match at WM, I would rather see him against Styles, DB, or Angle. Please, for the love of God, no Roman Reigns.

They'd be great technical matches. I could care less though if there's no real substance to what's going on. I never understood how people can care about a 5-star match that is happening for the sole purpose of putting on a good fake fight with no thought put toward the story or the characters fighting. I think HBK is the greatest performer of all time but at this point nothing good can come from him returning in the current WWE climate.

There’s a person story they could tell with Bryan.

Because some people just love the wrestling itself. I certainly appreciate what a good story and characters bring, but at the end of the day its just window dressing for what I really care about.

I could be wrong, but I would assume Shawn bumps some while training at NXT. At least enough to have a bout with Taker.

Johnny Gargano has been brought as a potential opponent .

Source?

Would you watch a show with no character development, promos, stories, stakes in the match outcomes, etc.? Just a series of matches where guys try to put on technical masterpieces?

I watch wrestling with no context all the time

I do that every time I watch old shows.

Yup! I watch old 1970/1980 house shows all the time. They only did like 3-4 storylines a year tops. 1984 is my favourite year and I can rattle off all the storylines/feuds without thinking

Piper vs Snuka
Tito vs Valentine
Hogan vs Piper
Richter/Lauper vs Albano/Moolah
Slaughter vs Sheik.
Andre vs Studd

That's it. Hogan won the title on January 23rd, 1984 and his first feud didn't begin until late December

Adonis and Murdoch never really feuded with anyone as tag champs. They just fought random challengers like the Briscoes, Wild Samoans.

On a 10 match house show card, maybe 2 of the matches involved a storyline or feud

let him warm up against taker there for arab money then hbk can wrestle aj at mania, when I watched table for 3 nash tell him he needs to wrestle aj.

This. Ideally Michaels vs DB or Styles. Not a broken down Taker.

When you watch old shows, you know the characters. Assuming you mean major old shows, even if you didn't live through the build you know Savage or Hogan or Flair or Steamboat, etc. And there are stories that you know even if you know them based solely on what has been told during the show/match. It's not John Doe vs John Doe fighting for nothing other than trying to put on a 5 star match. That's what I was asking about. If that would be appealing to you.

Also not what I mean. No storylines isn't the same as no characters/stakes in the matches. Just from knowing your taste, I KNOW you wouldn't watch a show with two nameless, character-less guys only wrestling to try to get 5 stars.

The chances of me ever watching any wrestling where I don't know the two characters is slim to none because of technology. When your immersed in the IWC you learn about different wrestlers whether you intend to or not. I don't watch ROH, New Japan or pretty much current wrestling in general, but I can tell you who the wrestlers are and what their gimmick is.

The shows I'm referring to are shows with matches like Tony Garea and Steve Travis vs Johnny Rodz and Jose Estrada at the Philly Spectrum in 1982 that had no build up, no history but they put on one of the best two out of three falls matches I've ever seen from that era. That's what shows from that era are filled with

Gertner answered for me for the most part, but there are times where I don't know who is fighting and I enjoy it just fine.

Way back in 04' when I bought the DVD for the first ROH show, I didn't know anyone on the show. I had heard about a few of them, but hadn't ever seen them before. Didn't matter. I loved it because the matches were great.

I have always valued the actual work in the ring over character and story stuff. Not saying that to be a snob. If you're the opposite that's totally cool.That's what's great about wrestling. It's a multifaceted business which people can enjoy for different reasons.

All that said, we're not talking about two nobodies fighting, we would be talking about an icon taking on one of the best wrestlers in the world. I'm sure you'd still have a story there. The difference is it would lead to a far better match.

I'm okay with the context being two guys are fighting and both want to win.

Me too, there were matches like that at ALL IN, and I still enjoyed them. MJF vs Matt Cross for example.

I didn't know most people in the Cruiserweight Classic when I first watched it, and it was dope.

God, how long was it before we ever heard Rey Mysterio Jr talk?

Shawn Michaels is one of the only wrestlers ever to have a proper retirement match, get a perfect send off, and actually stay retired.

And now they're gonna throw it all away for a pointless tag team match in cunting Saudia Arabia. Awful.

:-\

While everyone is interested in the idea of HBK vs Taker, seems WWE has the opposite feeling since they are planning for more Taker vs Triple H matches after the Australian show.

If the rumor is true, safe bet on Mania 35 being Taker vs Triple H again.

Its not a safe bet at all. Giving away mania matches multiple times in the build up prior? Chop that up to dumb internet rumor #4,099,824,556

I mean, that absolutely makes sense but...WWE.

It would be funny to see Michaels wrestling with his current hairstyle, no way to cover up the old bald spot. :lol: