BANG! Yo, it’s me, it’s me. It’s AOB!
Alright, before Diamond Dallas Page sues me for gimmick infringement, let me just say that it’s good to be back here on SLTD’s homepage! I know it’s only been 4 weeks, but it’s been two fortnights of stress and hard work, and it’s always good to get back into that wrestling mentality.
Keeping in line with WrestleMania season here at SLTD, today I want to discuss the rocky road we’ve been on to the thirtieth anniversary of the ‘Showcase of the Immortals’, which will take place in a mere 3 weeks! I’m going to briefly run through my thoughts on each of the confirmed and some of the rumoured matches that could take place at ‘Mania.
The last few months in the WWE have seen their fair share of speed bumps, but it looks like all of our patience will pay off when the lights are on bright in New Orleans on April 6th. While we’ve had to put up with Batista’s victory at the Royal Rumble in January, CM Punk’s unfortunate departure from the company and many more questionable occurrences, I personally feel like the card at WrestleMania is starting to fill up in a good way! I’m sure a lot of people are still on the fence about even watching the show this April, I can even think of a few people I know who won’t be buying it, but I can tell that many people (like myself) are starting to get pumped up for ‘Mania.
Perhaps it’s because this past Friday, I re-watched WrestleMania XX (the show that made me fall head over heels for professional wrestling) on its tenth anniversary. Seeing some special moments like Eddie Guerrero lying, cheating and stealing his way to retaining the title, as well as an epic triple threat main event and the return of The Undertaker all took me back to the age of seven years old when I watched that show for the first time, and it made me think about just how significant WrestleMania is.
It was WrestleMania XX that made me love wrestling, and it’s the reason why I was able to attend my very own first WrestleMania eight years later. The excitement and electricity in the air is unparalleled in any other sport, and whether in the arena itself or sitting at home, every WWE fan gets caught up in the spectacle of WrestleMania.
Beat Triple H and win the Championship? Yes! Yes! Yes!
A couple of weeks ago it looked like we were going to have to sit through Batista vs. Randy Orton in the main event in the Superdome, but it appears that WWE have tossed us the proverbial bone with the likely inclusion of Daniel Bryan in the match. I’ll be touching on this match much more in the coming weeks, but allow me to say that placing Daniel Bryan in two separate matches at ‘Mania seems genius to me.
Not only do we get to see Bryan finally lay waste to his arch nemesis, Triple H, but if he defeats the COO of the WWE, Bryan gets the opportunity to walk out of WrestleMania with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship over his shoulders. I feel like this is somewhat of a reward for us fans having tuned in to watch our hero, Daniel Bryan get chances taken away from him time and time again, and also WWE’s way of compensating for the noticeable absence of CM Punk from the ‘Mania line-up. Having Daniel Bryan pull double duty at WrestleMania will not only be met with an astounding crowd reaction, but his performance will undoubtedly solidify him as the present and future of the WWE. And there are several other potentially brilliant matches to make this year’s Road to WrestleMania worthwhile.
Here Comes the Streak
I think we’re all on the edge of our seats to see Brock Lesnar try his hand at ending the streak, and even though not many of us actually believe he can pull it off, the match will hold its own as a brutal, barbaric brawl to end all brawls.
The Undertaker has a reputation for not only putting on the match of the night at WrestleMania, but for putting on candidates for ‘match of the year’ when he steps into that ring. While this match will be vastly different from many of his previous bouts at the big one, I firmly believe that storytelling and pure ruthless aggression will be the selling point of both this match and the continuation of this rivalry.
These men are no strangers, hell, my first ever experience as a wrestling fan came watching the build-up to No Mercy 2002, where Brock Lesnar defeated Undertaker inside the Hell in a Cell structure. Fast forward 12 years and these men will square off presumably for the last time ever, and I’m sure they will want the story of Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker to go out with a bang.
Will Cena Follow the Buzzards?
John Cena is taking a break from fighting for Championships or bragging rights over legends at WrestleMania, by taking on one of the fastest rising behemoths in the WWE right now, Bray Wyatt. It will be only the second time that Cena wrestles on the grandest stage without a Title on the line, and I find it of huge importance for Bray to have a tremendous showing here.
I won’t rule out an appearance from WrestleMania’s host, Hulk Hogan in this match, but regardless of a winner I think that just wrestling John Cena in your ‘Mania debut is one of the best things a guy could ask for. And it really is a deserving opportunity. Bray Wyatt, in my books, is the best talker in the WWE right now, and his talent on the mic wouldn’t be far from passing out that of CM Punk either. The guy can talk like Daniel Bryan can wrestle, and it doesn’t stop there. Wyatt’s in-ring ability is fantastic, and the guy makes for the perfect Lex Luthor to take on SuperCena at WrestleMania XXX.
Hulk Still Rules
Now let me tell you somethin’, Brother! I’ll admit, I have slightly changed my mind regarding Hulk Hogan’s return. By no means am I in love with it, but I’m willing to listen to a few short promos and the butchering of the word ‘brother’ just to hear that theme song play in front of thousands of screaming fans. There is an unquestionable atmosphere behind Hogan’s WWE return, and while I may not be the biggest fan, he is perhaps the most recognisable name in the world of wrestling, and I can respect the decision to bring him back.
And besides, apart from a potential 25-minute walk down the ramp at WrestleMania, all Hogan will be doing on the show is coming out and hosting it. If that’s anything like The Rock in 2011, he’ll show up at the start, hang around backstage and maybe get involved in a match. The way it looks right now, that match will be John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt, and while one could argue that Hogan and Cena kicking the crap out of Wyatt at WrestleMania would be unfair to the self-professed ‘Eater of Worlds’, I think he’d be happy to martyr himself in this instance to create one of the most historic moments in WrestleMania history.
Hulk Hogan and John Cena are two of wrestling’s biggest icons in their respective eras, so to see them run wild on someone at the thirtieth anniversary of WrestleMania? I think the fans in all of us would find that pretty damn awesome, as two generations align themselves to fight for the greater good. It may be cheesy, but hey, so is telling people to take their vitamins and say their prayers, but look where that got the Hulkster.
Honouring the Giant
Hogan didn’t come alone, either. He came with the grand idea to get nearly everyone on the roster involved in some way or form at WrestleMania. The 30-Man Over-The-Top-Rope ‘Andre the Giant Memorial’ Battle Royal presents itself as an exciting means of getting people on the line-up, as well as honouring one of the industry’s most iconic individuals. Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan were involved in the WrestleMania match that made the event what it is today back in 1987, when Hogan slammed Andre and defeated his own personal Goliath, creating one of wrestling’s most memorable moments of all time.
And now, with the unfortunate but evident possibility of it happening on the pre-show, guys like Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, Curtis Axel and Big E can battle it out to give the winner the WrestleMania moment that everyone dreams of. And a statue to commemorate the big man won’t go amiss either. You can’t exactly lug it around everywhere like a Title or a Slammy Award, but you’ll have it nonetheless.
Believe in the Shield
Then there’s a match that potentially goes against all expectations with The Shield facing Kane and two other men, likely Erick Rowan and Luke Harper. While I wouldn’t have said no to a triple threat match between Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, turning them face and having them tough it out for another WrestleMania is fine by me. It’s different, and I certainly wouldn’t have predicted it, so kudos to WWE for this clever decision.
Hopefully this face run lasts longer than a few weeks, because I love The Shield as a faction, and it’ll be interesting to see them and their unique personalities as babyfaces on a weekly basis. Obviously, the long term plan is for Roman Reigns to get a singles push, but considering names like Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton and Batista are at the top of the ladder right now, I think Roman’s push can wait for a few months. He’s got the style and substance to last him a long time, and the only way is up for Roman Reigns. Believe that, and believe in The Shield.
Possible Championship Changes
Finally, we’ve got some potential matches such as AJ Lee putting the Divas Championship on the line against the Bella twins and Natalya, as well as Big E possibly defending the Intercontinental Championship against Cesaro and Jack Swagger, whose relationship has been cracking more and more as the weeks go by.
Regarding the Divas, I’d actually like to see the women get some time to shine at WrestleMania, especially considering all of their hard work with the Total Divas stuff and the fact that their mixed tag-team match was pulled last year. The show returns tonight (yay!… don’t judge me…), so although I love AJ Lee, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Natalya or a Bella twin win the strap. Regardless, I’ll be happy as long as Paige makes her debut the next night on Raw to issue a challenge to the Champion. The Raw after WrestleMania always has an amazing crowd, so imagine the love for Paige if she finally introduced herself the night after ‘Mania.
As for the Intercontinental Title, I’d love to see Cesaro turn face and run with the Championship. The company realises they have a gem in Cesaro, and investing time in a singles run with him and a mid-card rivalry with Jack Swagger for the gold would be a good way to build him up for a well-deserves spot at the top of the card in years to come.
Boom! Done. There’s WrestleMania, everyone. The card looks fantastic in my view, and with three weeks left to build everything up it’s bound to be a fun last stretch on the road to wrestling’s most anticipated event of the year. If you’re anything like me, you probably get wrapped up in the excitement that WrestleMania has to offer every year as well. Hell, it’s not happening until three weeks from now and I just previewed basically every match on the line-up.
On the Friday before ‘Mania itself, I’ll be uploading my predictions for the event, so it’ll be interesting to see how different I feel about some of the matches on the card by then. All I know is that I’m really starting to get in the mood for WrestleMania, and look forward to the weeks to come in the WWE.
That about wraps us up here today, folks. Like I said, it’s good to be back, and if you enjoyed this article please feel free to leave a like on Facebook, tweet and retweet the link and leave your comments down below! They’re always read and appreciated, so don’t hesitate if you’ve got something to say. You can also follow me on Twitter @AdamOB_SLTD to talk to me about wrestling, my writing, ‘Under the Spotlight’ or anything at all!
Also, do yourself a big favour and check out some of the other work here on SLTD Wrestling! We’ve got a lot of excellent writers here, many of whom will be working hard to put out some quality content on WrestleMania in the weeks to come, so check them out. While you’re at it, check out SLTD’s partners in crime, with the MFX Podcast! Listen to their latest podcast if you’re a person who likes wrestling and/or enjoys a good laugh.
Thanks for reading, everybody!
Self-Professed Conversational Wizard.
Admin, Editor and Writer for SLTD Wrestling.
Creator of 'Under the Spotlight'.
Studying Computing in Games Development.
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