So a lot has happened in recent weeks including the Elimination Chamber PPV. Rumors have been swirling, names have been dropped, and the location of WrestleMania 30 has been revealed. Yes, a lot has happened, but also a lot hasn't happened. Dolph is still holding the MITB briefcase, Del Rio is still World Heavyweight Champion, and the Undertaker hasn't made his annual return which has left us speculating as to what the final card will look like.
The original matches that were scheduled for Mania were Sheamus vs Orton, Brock vs Triple H, CM Punk vs Taker, and Cena vs Rock II. It's definitely a very solid card and one that I am very excited to see since I am going! BUT, in recent weeks these matches have either fallen apart or haven't begun with a feud yet. Last year we got a year long hype for Cena/Rock, we got two solid months of Taker/Triple H, and a good month long feud with Jericho and CM Punk. But with all the moving pieces back stage, WrestleMania 29 is stumbling towards MetLife stadium.
First off - this is as close to reporting as I'll get - Jack Swagger was arrested two days ago for speeding, a DUI, and possession of marijuana. Now his return and subsequent massive push was a strange thing to WWE fans. After an 8 month absence, the lackluster All-American American was given a rocket to shove up his ass to shoot him to the top of the company. When he left he was nothing more than a jobber and when he came back he was revamped and on his way to Mania for the WHB. When the rumors of Orton vs Sheamus started I wondered how they would get the belt away from Del Rio and Big Show, but now throwing Jack Swagger and his racist counter part Zeb Colter into the mix just seemed to dirty waters. But now that Jack has been arrested, it will be interesting to see how the WWE responds. Del Rio is scheduled to give his State of the Union address but if they are going to fire or suspend Swagger, it will be a waste of air time. And if they don't suspend Swagger I would be stunned. They have kept Orton on a midcard level for the last two years because of drug violations, and Randy is head and shoulders above Swagger when it comes to being a WWE superstar.
Then it comes to Undertaker vs CM Punk. Every WWE fan's fantasy matchup would be CM Punk's "Unbeaten" Streak vs Undertakers WrestleMania streak. If CM Punk is bigger than the title, as he says, than what is bigger than the title if not Taker's streak? The problem that has come up in recent months is that Undertaker isn't healthy enough to be cleared by doctors to perform. This has truly thrown a curve ball at the WWE. Yes, if Taker isn't healthy enough to wrastle, you could put Punk in a 3-way match with Cena and the Rock, but that is basically throwing away money. It's like selling a BMW and throwing in a free Corvette. This leaves Punk in a very strange place. Does he go for the other title? Do we revisit the Ryback feud? Or the Jericho feud? There is speculation that Taker is holding out since the WWE wants him to lose to Punk, but with Mania 30 coming up, the WWE is planning on having that be Undertaker's sendoff.
And like I said, this also throws a wrench into Cena/ Rock II. WWE fans are always fast to complain about things, and the Rock winning the title was equivalent to the WWE killing their parents. But lets face it, The Rock is an international movie star with 4 movies coming out just this year. Cena is the biggest draw in the company no matter how you look at it. The two of them together sell more than anything the WWE has right now. No, the match might not be the EXACT one we want to see, but it is definitely the one that makes the most MONEY. But because Taker hasn't returned it has pushed this feud back even further. And it if results in Punk vs Cena vs Rock, the WWE and the fans will be the ones losing out from this. Plus it would essentially be a wasted Royal Rumble as well. It just stinks all around.
WrestleMania 29 is all up in the air right now which isn't a comforting or exciting thing. It feels like the WWE is at a loss at what to do with their biggest players and the fans are the ones paying for it both figuratively and monetarily. If this were a perfect world, Cena will beat Punk on Raw next week and Punk will go on one of his tirades about being the champ, then the lights go out and Taker challenges him. And then the Great Khali head falls off. But this probably won't happen.
What do you think will be the finally WrestleMania card?
I would LOVE for antonio cesaro to come out and swing swagger at the barricade just like he did to miz and say that HE's the real united states superhero !
ReplyDeletethen, in his match with del rio, when del rio tries for his enziguri at the corner, cesaro dodges and hits his most powerful uppercut (which he calls swiss death ! but micheale cole never wants to call it that) to end the match !!!