WWE running dangerous line with Wrestlemania?
 

I have just been thinking about Wrestlemania these past few days, and I really think that WWE is running a dangerous line with potential match-ups. In most previous years there have been matches that were new and fresh, with real drawing power. I am having a hard time seeing that on this card.

Don't get me wrong, the card looks ok on paper, but for me, it could easily pass for a slightly longer normal PPV or RAW special card.

We have seen Orton vs HHH already and the whole 'not touching until the event' has made it a very ordinary repeated story. If they actually go with Edge vs Big Show for the title, it is very ordinary indeed, even if they do add Cena in.

Anyone with any knowledge will recognise that Michaels is not winning against Taker, and I think the whole streak takes away from the excitement of Taker's matches at Mania now.

The ladder match will include Kane and Mark Henry and other than throwing some lighter wrestlers about, they don't add value or make you want to see the match.

Finally, and most importantly, for me, is the Jericho match. This one has the potential to bring something different to the table. Names are flying about the net, like Piper, Hogan, Rourke, and Hogan vs Jericho has the potential to bring buys solely on the basis of it being different and special. Why then, do I get the impression that it will be Jericho vs Lawler?

No offense to Lawler, he is a legend in his own right, but he would be such a disappointment for this match. We have seen him come out of the chair to wrestle on RAW so many times...this would be a very poor finale to this story in my opinion.

All in all, nothing special is jumping off the page to me, and the card as it stands, does not impress me at all, and I fear wil not impress most casual fans.

Any thoughts? Anyone excited? Anyone not see at all where I am coming from?

Opinions please...

I will say this is one of the more lackluster Mania cards but Taker/Michaels will be worth the price of admission alone. I've been waiting for that one for years and the fact that the finish is 99.9% confirmed doesn't sway me.

Also, am I the only one who feels that they're waiting a bit too long to announced the majority of the card? It feels that in previous years the majority of the card was at least pretty much solid by the Rumble (if not by announced matches but by assumed matches) and pretty much done by No Way Out/mid-February. We hardly have half the card now with a month away.

Yeah, absolutely, good point.

I think the draft really stretches the rosters and star power, making it impossible to keep people away from each other while on the same brand (as witnessed by the current HHH no contact idea)

I think that this leads to a tendancy to very short term booking. In prior years there have been a few matchs which have had their seeds planted as much as a year prior...you get the impression that this year they are scrambling.

I doubt Lawler-Jericho will actually be at Wrestlemania. Lawler will probably just be one of Jericho's victims.

I really hope so. I think it would be a good chapter in the build-up, but more people will be disappointed than not if that turns out to be the culmination of the story.

yea, I do agree. Although honestly, I felt this about every Mania since 2006 and beyond. The Orton/HHH program has been good TV, but yea, they took the generic route with it. HBK/Taker should be the best match on the card, but not a match for the ages. It will sell all the newer fans who have not seen thier feud from 98. The Jericho storyline has also been very good TV. I hope he gets Hogan. But then again, maybe not, cause the result is obvious.

Seriously, I don't see a problem with the card. I think it's shaping up to be great in all honesty. Triple H and Orton had some great PPV matches after last year's Mania, but was abruptly cut short due to Orton's injury. I'm excited to see it continue and end at the grandest stage of them all, with this very personal storyline, one of the best I've seen in a long while.

Hopefully Edge vs Big Show will turn into a triple threat with Cena, which I think will be a fast, fun match, much like the triple threat WWE title match last year. HBK vs Taker speaks for itself, Hardy vs Hardy should be a great encounter, and then Jericho vs Hogan, if it happens, will definetely sell. The match itself might not be your cup of tea, but you can't deny the electricity it will bring to the occasion.

Seriously I don't understand why everyone is complaining so much, after all what was so incredible about last year's Mania? OK it had Flair's last match, but after that there was hardly anything incredible on paper. Batista vs Umaga in a throwaway match, just as an excuse to get Batista on the card as they had nothing else for him, and the main event being Undertaker vs Edge; doesn't exactly set the world alight (yes the match itself ended up being very good but before the show on paper it was hardly looked at as a show stealer).

I think this year's is shaping up to be the best in years. And let's face it, it's Wrestlemania. Very rarely are we dissapointed, even if it's just for the occasion of it. Most of last year was filled with entrances and pyro :lol:

Oh and if you guys are seriously that worried about MITB, read Jeritron's post in the Raw thread.

you're young. you've grown up on all the Manias on the past couple years. that's the differance really. it's all perception.

Will Adrian Adonis be there?

They might be running a dangerous line in that the two World title matches are match-ups that we've seen before, and the MITB has some interesting entrants to say the least, but I don't think it's going to be that bad.

Yeah, we all know Undertaker is going to beat Shawn Michaels, but they're two of the best Wrestlemania performers of all time, so you know that they're going to be delivering the goods as far as their match goes (at least within the limitations of Taker's knees and Michaels' back). The match-up itself is pretty fresh, since I don't think they've faced each other on PPV since Royal Rumble '98. A lot has changed since then. The only thing I'm disappointed about with this match is that they wasted so much time with the horrible JBL angle that they're really not doing the match much justice. This should be billed as a huge deal, a third "main event", a meeting between two of the most legendary wrestlers to step into a ring at WrestleMania. I guess there's still a few weeks to do that, but I would've loved a two month build up.

Hopefully they put more effort into the Hardy vs. Hardy thing than the stuff they did during Matt's first solo heel run, and it seems to be alright so far. Sure, it's pretty much following the "brother vs. brother" storylines from the past by the book, but I think the two will put on a good match. If there's anyone that can get Jeff to straighten up and really focus on a match, it's probably Matt.

I'm still thinking Jericho ends up against Austin at Mania, considering how he's supposed to appear on Raw in the week or two leading up to the show. I'm not expecting the match to be great, but at least the crowd should be hot for it. It'd be a nice break in between the MITB and HBM/Taker or one of the World title matches.

Edge/Cena/Big Show looks kinda meh for me, because it doesn't really look like a WrestleMania world title match to me -- it looks like the kind of main event you'd piece together for a mid-summer PPV no one really cares about. It doesn't really help that no one really thinks Big Show has a chance in hell of winning a world title at WrestleMania. I'd really only watch just to see how Edge can weasel his way out of this one. But spoiler: Cena wins probably applies here.

The Orton/HHH will probably headline the card, and while we've seen it like 23 times already, I get the feeling the two will cook up something original for such a landmark event. HHH is the kind of guy who wants to be regarded as The Best once he's gone (it won't happen), so I doubt he'll let Orton mail anything in. Make it No DQ, let them go 25 minutes and beat the hell out of each other, and maybe have some kind of screwjob finish (Legacy helping Orton cheat or something) to prolong the feud a bit.

On Taker/Michales, the feud has been brewing for three years now, technically. They finished off the Rumble two years ago and started it last year.

I wish there was some more build along the way (tag match here or there or something) but it's the closest we've come to long term booking in years.

Okay, that would be true if they were actually using their Rumble encounters as some sort of basis for the feud. But they're not. It's being thrown together without any real feeling or animosity behind it past "I want to be the first to beat you at WrestleMania" and "I don't want to let you beat me at WrestleMania." There's no conflict besides the match itself, so what's truly interesting about that?

Well there's still 4 weeks left to sort that out.

I agree that the storyline itself is just lazy booking, but there is recent history between the two. That's what I was getting at.

I agree with this and I'm looking at a different side now. Imagine how many peeps may just not be expecting to see as u said like a normal PPV. Their little hearts weeping.

OK, so I'd like to focus on the one point.

Does anyone actually think Taker could lose his streak? Seriously?

I could see it. It's been rumored that Taker's time is coming up and WWE could book Michaels in his last years as the true legend killer.

If this is Taker's last Mania I'd say there's a 25% chance Michaels will go over. Otherwise absolutely not.

to the casual fans, you really don't even need to do anything to sell Taker/HBK. it sells itself, so I can see why they really haven't done much. it's going to be sold as yet another respect match and I can't stand those storylines. The match will be epic though and will probably steal the show.

if they wanted to be interesting, you have HBK beat Taker and kind of turn him back into the cocky HBK who ended Flair's career last year and now ended Taker's streak. The problem is he would have to be the headline of Raw and then Orton is pushed to the side.

If I was booking the Taker loss, I would totally book the pin out of nowhere where the fans are shocked. I wouldn't set it up like Flair's loss to HBK where you saw the kick coming. I would make it look like Taker had it wrapped up and then he makes that one quick mistake that costs him.

If HBM beats Taker, look for Michaels' last run to be against a revived Legend Killer Randy Orton. Calling it now.

The streak doesn't take away from the excitement. If anything it adds to it. His matches in the past few years have been far superior to his usual matches with Mark Henry and A Train

There was talk about building up Ted Dibiase jr. in a couple years. Then have him talk about how his dad brought Undertaker into the WWE and made him who he is. Then have Dibiase jr. beat Taker at wrestlemania to end the streak. This is for when Undertaker feels that he wants to retire in a year or two they'll use this.

Matt vs Jeff hasn't gotten any mention.

HHH vs Orton and Edge vs Cena vs Big Show are no worse than the title matches of the past few years.
Taker vs Michaels and Matt vs Jeff are big matches.

I think what is causing you to feel that something is missing is the lack of a 3rd main event, which invovles either returning legends or celbrity involvement. I think you'll be getting Hogan or Austin against Jericho, with Rourke as the special enforcer, or something to that effect.

I wouldn't worry about the card. In fact, most years either have a dream match like HBM vs Taker, or a celeb/novelty event like Hogan or Austin/Rourke taking on Jericho.
You usually only get one of the two, if that.
This card seems like it will have both.

I somewhat agree, but that won't stop me from enjoying the shit out of Wrestlemania 25. I wasn't too thrilled about last years, but I loved it. The main event of Edge vs Undertaker was one of my favorite main events of all time.

JERICHO will be Facing THE ROCK!

And THAT will be a MAKE IT OR BREAK IT match!

I'm looking forward to it. I think the storylines have been done better than anything they have done in the last couple years. I'm not even bothered by a repeat of Orton/HHH. It's a new context for the match, so the match itself will be different than previous incarnations of it. I would much prefer this than nine Wrestlemanias of Hogan in the main event.

The MitB looks weird on paper, but I kind of like Henry and Kane in there. They were gonna be on the card somewhere, and this gets them both out of the way in one fell swoop. It also provides a chance for a few "less spotty spots" if you read me.

I have every confidence that Edge/Big Show or Edge/Big Show/Cena will deliver the goods. From a storyline perspective this is suddenly just as good as Orton, I'm just not sure as many people are watching it. It will be interesting to see if there is an Edge/Show double turn, or a temporary Edge/Cena alliance to overcome Show, who has been pushed pretty big lately. I would love for Show to walk out with the belt.

Hardy v. Hardy should tear it down. As should Christian v. Swagger, if that ends up happening.

Maryse v. Melina, eh. It would be great if Beth went to SD and took the Divas' title from Maryse after Michelle McCool did a little inteferring. Not that Beth would need it, but it would continue the Maryse/McCool feud, and then we get Beth v. Melina at Mania.

Jericho v. ? This match is more about the legend cameo than anything. Depending on who it is, the match could be watchable to surprising.

Taker/Michaels - Will probably be Taker's best Mania match to date. I am calling for a ref bump.

Dunno, I think it's shaping up well. I can see what you mean about how on paper some things look to be repeats or just aren't exciting. I think the guys will really turn it on. 25th anniversary of Wrestlemania. You can't hold anything back.

I agree with every word of that post.

I think who Jericho faces is important though. I will not be upset if it's Hogan. Normally I would, but given how good the storyline has been I would be fine with it.
Like everyone, I would obviously prefer Austin, but if it's between Hogan and Piper or Lawler, I'll take Hogan.
In my opinion it just has to be someone big. It's been building for quite some time, and whoever comes to the rescue of the legends has to be a huge legend, that will make the crowd mark out. If it's someone on par with the guys he's been beating up, it's somewhat anticlimactic.

I still feel there's a chance it's Rourke. Everyone has completely dismissed that.

My money would be between Hogan and Flair, though.

It's a shame Bret can't physically compete, because it'd actually be a great angle for his return.
He has said that he would entertain the idea of working in a storyline that he finds interesting and fun, as long as it didn't involve Vince, Shawn or HHH. This would be perfect.
Unfortunately, it requires a wrestling capacity and that's just not in the cards.

Hogan then. It's not going to be Flair, and I never thought I'd say this, but given the circumstances of last years events...I'd also prefer Hogan

You are all missing something.

Morrison and The Miz vs The Colons in a Tag Team Unification match. They been building is up over the past weeks, with each team successfully defending their belts.

Also, The ECW match will be good. Christian and Jack Swagger are amazing together. Hopefully Finley does not get added in. Tommy Dreamer would not take away from it, seeing his storyline going on.

This is what I suggested but I was dismissed as crazy. I highly doubt both of these teams are getting left off the card. If they weren't slated for a match, I think Carlito and Morrison would be in the MITB already.

I think that match will happen, but I hope it ends inconclusively. I don't think it will get the time they've been having on SD, so if you're gonna end it quickly, why not have an inconclusive ending and then give them more time at Backlash?

Unless something happens with physical ability to do it, Shawn Michaels will wrestle his last match against Triple H. Period.

I agree, and really, since the rosters aren't as rock-solid as they used to be, they should really combine the tag titles and let them roam shows. Fuck, these two teams ahve been all over each others' shows lately anyways.