FanPost

Booking WrestleMania XXX: Too Hot to Handle

With the recent changes for WrestleMania XXX's potential booking plans (Orton winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Batista returning, potentially having a returning HBK for a one night only match with Daniel Bryan), there isn't a set design for the card compared to years past. Here's how I would book potentially the biggest show in the company's history...

WrestleMania Pre-Show

  • Battle Royal (for United States Championship match on following Raw)

List includes the likes of Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, Damien Sandow, Miz, Curtis Axel, The Primetime Players, Brodus Clay, and Tensai among others.

  • Divas Match (Total Divas? AJ Lee? Whatever...?)

My gut says that Michelle Beadle is involved in this....my interest though? That is another story.

  • Sheamus vs Ryback (Grudge Match)

I really don't have anything big for either of these guys, as Sheamus will be returning from injury at or near the Royal Rumble, and The Ryback has been stuck in mid-card purgatory ever since the Payback pay-per-view. I have to commend Ryback for putting in some solid work and looking much better in the ring, and you can do worse than a 7-10 minute match with a solid HOSS FIGHT worker in Sheamus. Who's the face and heel? I'd prefer Sheamus to turn heel at some point, but it'll probably be done post-'Mania. Either way, it gets both of these guys on the card.

  • Triple H and Stephanie McMahon Promo leading into the PPV

Hey, Triple Haitches doesn't necessarily need a big-time match at this year's 'Mania, and it keeps with tradition of having him start off a PPV by giving a promo. Well, in this case it is before the start of the show (so that the matches and flow of the card works better), and who knows...maybe the promo on the Pre-Show turns out to get some extra buys.

Main Undercard

  • Rey Mysterio and Big Show vs The Real Americans

Here, you have Team Stay Off Our Shows (Rey Rey and Show) putting over The Real Americans, but not before we get a WrestleMania face turn for our 'Murican's. Plus, the Cesaro Swing on the Big Show? Sign me up and start the show off the right way.

  • Cody Rhodes vs Goldust (Grudge Match)

Finally, we get the long-awaited match that both of these brothers have been asking for, and it's almost certainly warranted based off the fact that Goldie has been putting in some of his best work and in some of the best shape of his career. Cody gets the rub and win over his half brother, they embrace afterwards and both cheered on the way out.

  • 3Wo (3MB dressed as the nWo) Segment

Heath Slater is a jobbing GOD....it's what he's best at, and makes it look so good. Play the nWo music, get a cheap pop, and have 3MB come out to the Black and White with Slater as Hogan, Drew as Nash, and Jinder as Hall. Give them a few minutes, and then hit the music again to have Hogan and Nash come out to clean house; as Hogan and Nash make their way back to the top of the ramp, you have Hall come out and give the crowd some spooky fingers, maybe throw the toothpick in Slater's face.

  • Mark Henry vs Big E. Langston (for WWE Intercontinental Championship)

HOSS FIGHT for the IC title!! But seriously, Henry works best as a heel and Big E has the makings of a future big-time face. Henry puts over the young Langston, and if he can pull it off that Big Ending on Mark Henry would be quite the physical feat.

  • The Shield vs The Wyatt Family (Six-Man Tag Team Match)

Early contender for "Match of the Night", this match should happen at 'Mania and the rumored split of The Shield should be delayed until after this match. Dean Ambrose (United States Champion), as well as Luke Harper and Erick Rowan (Tag Team Champions), would provide the "championships" to the match even though none of the titles would be on the line. After a really good match, Reigns sets up for DAT SPEAR on Bray Wyatt but ends up missing and nailing Seth Rollins with it; Reigns is bumped to the outside, Bray hits the fallen Rollins with Sister Abigail for the one-two-three, and the cracks start to really begin to show in the armor of The Shield.

  • Chris Jericho vs Randy Orton (Grudge Match)

The set up for this is pretty easy to accomplish with the pay per view schedule before 'Mania. You have Cena/Orton II for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble - spoiler alert CENAWINZLOL - and then the blow off to the feud at Elimination Chamber where - spoiler alert: CENAWINZLOL. In between, you have Jericho return at the Rumble only to be eliminated in the Royal Rumble match, so he needs a program for the 'Mania season. Jericho brings up the fact that Randy is NOT the first unified champion, as the IOTOLLA of ROCK 'N ROLLA had already done this over 10 years ago; both needed a lot of help to get/retain their championships during their undisputed/unified reigns, so there is substance here for a feud (which coincidentally, was supposed to happen in 2012 for SummerSlam with the face/heel roles reversed). This is considered the top of the main undercard for me.

Main Card

  • Undertaker vs Sting (Streak Match)

"Don't waste one of his last matches on a guy like Sting" or "That match will suck" or "This is beneath the Deadman" have been things posted in the past about this potential match, but it has a lot going for it. First off, it's the first time Sting would be wrestling a match in a WWE ring, and being the lone big name yet to enter the squared circle for WWE is something that a lot of fans are waiting to lapse. Secondly, you have to consider the merchandising aspect to this match; Sting merch will sell upon his coming into the WWE, especially if the WWE is trying to set a record for the most masks worn during an event. Finally, the storytelling side of the match would be more than fine, and the confidence of both 'Taker and Sting putting on a good match doesn't hurt either; it doesn't have to be a 5 star classic match, but you can never underestimate 'Taker bringing it all on The Grandest Stage of Them All. 'Taker moves onto 22-0, Sting can still have a feud or two throughout the summer and put over younger stars in the making, and the fans win.

  • Brock Lesnar vs Batista (Grudge Match)

Originally I did not have Batista involved with my older version of 'Mania, but now that he is returning some plans needed to be changed. One of the bigger rumors out right now is Batista winning the Rumble and potentially taking the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at 'Mania. I just don't see how Creative can make it work without it being too campy, and to be perfectly honest I really don't want to see Batista/Orton in the main event either. So here's how I get here: Batista enters the Rumble, cleans house, **guitar riff** and the Brockness Monster makes his way down. They square up and in the heat of battle Lesnar eliminates Batista (Lesnar is then eliminated by CM Punk, my eventual Rumble winner), and use this to set up a match for WrestleMania. Paul Heyman returns to be Brock's mouthpiece (and with Brock's dates running dangerously low, he needs to return), and THE FIGHT IS ON. Because he's returning to promote his upcoming movie(s), face Batista will go over Brock in a Brock-specialty match: No Holds Barred, No Disqualification.

  • Daniel Bryan vs Shawn Michaels (Student vs Teacher Match)

Here is the "Match of the Night". Daniel Bryan; a returning Shawn Michaels; one night only. How we get here: Bryan calls out HBK after all of the double crosses and challenges HBK for 'Mania. Shawn trolls the crowd and says he'd be more than happy to take out his star pupil...however, The Deadman retired him and there's nothing he can do about it. GONG! 'Taker comes out and Bryan is pleading his case, begging him to allow him have "one. more. match." Throat slash to HBK, and the match is set. The show will be stolen by these two, Bryan is put over big time by HBK, and after the match a legitimate hand shake in the middle of the ring from HBK to Bryan.

Class of 2014 Hall of Fame Inductees

  • nWo (Hogan, Hall, and Nash)
  • "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth
  • Ultimate Warrior
  • Jake "the Snake" Roberts
  • Owen Hart
  • Jim Johnston
  • Bob Barker (Celebrity induction)

Here are my choices for the Hall of Fame for 'Mania XXX. Working our way up, having a celebrity induction seems to be occurring more and more, and adding in a guy like Bob Barker (who gets inducted by the one and only Chris Jericho) gets a name that spans multiple generations of fans (of wrestling and day-time television - OR, being a kid and faking being sick to stay home and watch the Price is Right....just saying). While he may not be a household name to all fans, Jim Johnston is one of if not the best when it comes to music in wrestling, and it can be argued that what separates the WWE (formerly WWF) from its competitors was the Titantron and the entrance music; who knows where the WWE would be without Johnston's touch. The next two inductions are a long time coming, but with the right timing (the Hart lawsuit being settled and Snake really excelling with the help of DDP Yoga), Owen Hart and Jake Roberts are two superstars that have deserved this honor for some time; having Bret Hart induct Owen posthumously will be a touching moment to this Cagesider.

Now, onto the Big Three for the Class of 2014: I can't have the Ultimate Warrior headline a HoF class because it honestly would be a joke to all the guys who busted their butts to get to the top (which I don't see for Warrior; maybe a new DVD release might help paint him in a better light); however....the guy did some amazing things in his time in WWF, and was one of the first to really go over Hogan clean(ly). Co-headlining the Class of 2014 is a pair that deserves to go in together in Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth; ignoring that some may want the entire Poffo Family to go in together before "Macho Man" be inducted on his own, Randy and Miss Elizabeth's induction to the Hall of Fame is a long time coming, and Lanny Poffo can have the honors of inducting his brother. Headlining the Class of 2014 is the faction that changed the game of wrestling all-together: The nWo. In honor of history, the nWo should be inducted into the Hall of Fame before D-Generation X because if it wasn't for the nWo there's the very likely chance that DX is never borne. Plus it gets Hulk Hogan another induction (stroke the ego) as well as recognizing Scott Hall and Kevin Nash before they (eventually) get inducted as The Outsiders. Biggest faction of the 90's wrestling boom era deserves to be headlining.

Main Event

  • John Cena vs CM Punk (for WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

To put it simply: it's the match that most fans want on the biggest stage of them all. You have the two biggest active stars headlining the biggest 'Mania, which is a stark change from the past three WrestleMania's. How we get there is stated above, but the abbreviated version: CM Punk wins the Royal Rumble match, John CenaLOLWINZ takes the championship(s) at the Rumble and then the blow off match at Elimination Chamber. Honestly, who wins or loses in this match does not matter, as both guys have tremendous chemistry inside the squared circle with one another, and a potential 5 star match to close the show at 'Mania is all that most fans can ask for. If booking this, my best guess is that Cena goes over in the end, and Punk takes a post-'Mania break for a few months to heal up.

So that's how I would book WrestleMania, packing in quality action in the ring while also fitting in as many guys (and gals) as possible. How does it stack up to rumored match orders or personal match orders?

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.