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Originally Posted by Loose Cannon
They needed to give the belt to HHH tonight because they need a babyface to win the Title at Mania. That's been the formula countless times.
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But it's not a requirement.
Hogan was World Champ going into WM2, 3, and 6 (although, granted, he was defending against a face).
Bret Hart went into WM9 with the belt. 12, too (again, though, against a face).
Diesel at WM11.
I can't remember if Rock or Austin was face at 17.
Granted, Hogan and Hart were...special. But that's six out of twenty WrestleManias headlined by a face defending the World Title.
Would it be so terrible to defy convention just
once...well...a seventh time? A Batista or Orton or Edge or Jericho or Benoit title win would give fans who watched tonight's PPV a reason to watch RAW in the coming weeks to see just how the hell the mighty Triple H managed to get beat.
Plus, it would add intrigue to the Royal Rumble. At this point, it's clearly going to be either Orton or Batista winning it. You put the belt on one of them tonight, stack the deck against Triple H (he wins the Rumble, natch), and you've got a fresh WrestleMania main event.
As it is, I have no reason to watch any RAW programming (other than the Rumble) until WrestleMania, because I know what's going to happen. At least I can still watch TNA and SmackDown and have a modicum of curiosity.