Wrestlemania XXX is rapidly approaching and we smarks generally think we know what WWE creative is going to give us to watch on the PPV. Everybody is guessing and prognosticating and predicting what Wrestlemania will look like, so I might as well throw my hat in the ring as well. In this weekly blog series, I attempt to predict the final card for Wrestlemania XXX based on the events portrayed on WWE television over the past few weeks.
Divas Match: I'm a fairly avid redditor and one of the subreddits I check on occassion is /r/squaredcirle, also known as wreddit. Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis did an AMA (ask me anything) a few weeks back and was asked about AJ Lee. Maria had an excellent response, in which she said that AJ Lee is a great Joker, but that the WWE Divas division has no Batman. She's 100% correct. AJ Lee is being the best heel the divas division has seen since LayCool disbanded. But there are no babyfaces in the division to challenge her - not at the level she's on. That's the reason I predicted that her opponent at Wrestlemania XXX would have to come from outside the main roster. WWE needs that over babyface diva to inject a fresh rivalry and some competition into the chase for the Divas Title. I'm a bit biased here, but I think Paige could be the Batman... or Batwoman, to be gender-specific. She's very talented, very driven, and thanks to NXT, already well-known within the WWE Universe. It wouldn't take much to introduce her into the main roster and get her over big. It doesn't hurt that she's cute as a button, either. And with as bloodthirsty as the WWE Universe is these days for actual wrestlers with wrestling ability, they would accept her with wide open arms. I know I would. Unfortunately, there's been no headway made on WWE television that would suggest a callup or a return, so I can't make any predictions now. I figure that WWE will start to focus on the Divas Title after Elimination Chamber, when the road to Wrestlemania really starts to heat up.
The Shield: It's no surprise that WWE is breaking up The Shield. They always breakup stables one way or the other. And after a year of complete domination and annihilation, it's The Shield turn to demobilize. What's interesting about this split is that is doesn't seem to be equal amongst all members. The enmity in The Shield seems only to exist between Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, with Seth Rollins acting as a mediator of sorts. I assume that at some point, he'll have to choose a side. Considering the growing support for Roman Reigns, he'd be the smart choice. But WWE heels aren't smart. He'll most likely side with Ambrose and they'll team up against Roman Reigns, solidifying him as a babyface going forward. Their upcoming match with The Wyatt Family at Elimination Chamber will most likely be the platform in which this split occurs. It'll lead to match between the Shield members at Wrestlemania XXX in some form or fashion. Probably a handicap match, pitting Rollins & Ambrose vs Reigns. It shouldn't be too difficult to predict the winner there. This whole situation reminds me of the Legacy breakup, which happened around the same time and led to a similar Wrestlemania confrontation. And who won that match? Yeah, the main-eventer.
Tag Team Titles: I shake my head and roll my eyes whenever I think about the New Age Outlaws as the current Tag Team Champions. I respect them for their efforts during the Attitude Era and I've been a fan of both Road Dogg and Billy Gunn over the course of their careers, but I do not like the fact that they are Tag Team Champs. It spits in the face of the young, athletic, talented tag team division that WWE had built in the past year. The NAO are not virile enough to compete on the level that the tag teams in WWE today do. As a result, in the few weeks that they have been champs, they haven't been near as active as Rhodes & Goldust were on WWE programming. But it's not just the NAO. WWE is imploding their own tag division by potentially separating the Real Americans, The Shield & The Brotherhood. They've already broken up the PrimeTime Players, which was no huge loss. That really only leaves The Usos as a viable tag team in WWE. If the New Age Outlaws are going to defend their titles against anyone at Wrestlemania XXX, it'd most likely be The Usos, which is great because they are the most deserving.
United States/Intercontinental Championships: I read rumors about these titles being combined, which I don't think is a bad idea. The United States Championship is never defended and the Intercontinental Championship isn't contended much either. Combining the two won't guarantee that it'll be taken any more seriously than it is now, but at least there would be one less defunct championship to ignore. There hadn't been much movement on the rumor in the past month until the current US Champ Dean Ambrose pinned the current IC Champ Big E Langston in a tag match last week. In WWE rules (that apparently apply to everyone except Kofi Kingston), if you pin a champion in a non-title match, it makes you the #1 Contender for that title. However, with The Shield facing The Wyatt Family at Elimination Chamber, it can't happen there. There is a lot of time between Elimination Chamber and Wrestlemania XXX where that unification match can take place. And if Roman Reigns were to cost Ambrose the title, it could add more fire to the Shield's burgeoning rivalry. If or when that happens, it only leaves the question of who would Langston face at Wrestlemania XXX? I don't know, but I hope it's not Mark Henry, who is making his return tonight on RAW.
Cody Rhodes vs Goldust: I was hoping for a heel turn. A direct heel turn for one of them, though I still wasn't sure which of them I wanted to turn. But the way WWE is going about this split amongst the brothers is slow and methodical. Goldust accidentally eliminated Cody Rhodes in the Royal Rumble after Rhodes was pinned to lose the Tag Team Titles earlier in the PPV. Then in the cage rematch, it was Cody who went for the big move, which ultimately cost them any chance at regaining the titles. Now, Cody is wrestling with an injured leg from that moonsault and becoming even more of a drain on their tandem. It's basically nothing more than finger-pointing between them and a lot of small instances building up to a capstone. I'm sure the match will happen at Wrestlemania XXX, finally - it's been 3 years in the making.
John Cena vs The Wyatt Family: There's gotta be payoff here. The Wyatts cost John Cena the WWE World Heavyweight Title at Royal Rumble and nary a word has been said about it. Of course, John Cena has bee injured for the past week, but even before that - nothing. Cena isn't one to let bygones be bygones. Yet, the Wyatts seem far more interested in their rivalry with The Shield than the fact that they have a SUPERFACE with a vendetta lurking behind them. The news broke that The Wyatt Family's theme song would be played live at Wrestlemania before the news of them being in a match even broke. WWE won't allow this Wrestlemania to come and go without Cena or a team as compelling as the Wyatts competing. Nothing has been said to even infer this match will happen, but I think it's a lock. The question to consider is will it be a singles match between Cena and Bray Wyatt or a handicap match or a six-man tag? That, we'll have to wait and see.
Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar: A month ago, I would have thought this match was written in stone. But rumors were circulating that Undertaker was weary of Lesnar's in-ring style, throwing doubt on Taker's acceptance of Lesnar as a Wrestlemania opponent. Maybe that's the reason Lesnar's match against Big Show at Royal Rumble was booked the way that it was. In an effort to see if Lesnar could be safe in a match against a frailer opponent than himself. If it was a test run, it was a failure. In my personal opinion, it's a mistake to have Lesnar face Undertaker at Wrestlemania XXX. Brock is a tremendous superstar, but he's not of the caliber of Shawn Michaels, CM Punk or even Triple H. Okay, maybe Triple H, but his matches against Undertaker were the worst of the past five years. Good matches, but not as good as HBK or Punk. If it does end up being Taker vs Lesnar, the match would probably have to be booked the way Triple H's matches against Taker were: a lot of physicality outside of the ring for the first half and then one big move after the other inside of the ring, with a lot of near-falls in the second half. That's the only way that match could be exciting without Undertaker doing too much harm to his body. If you ask me, I think it's be a much better idea to have either Daniel Bryan or John Cena face Undertaker... and break the streak in the process.
Daniel Bryan vs Triple H: It seems Triple H is adamant to compete at Wrestlemania XXX. If one supposed opponent leaves, you just get another one. The anti-Authority storyline seems to have shifted from CM Punk to Daniel Bryan. And for some odd reason, Kane has to be the stepping stone to facing Triple H, as he's inexplicably gone from chokeslamming CM Punk to doing the same to Daniel Bryan. I understood why he attacked CM Punk after calling him a sellout suckup, but Daniel Bryan didn't insult Kane until the Smackdown after Kane attacked him on RAW. I think it's the right idea to supplant Daniel Bryan in CM Punk's role. WWE has to do something significant with Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania XXX. And while facing Triple H isn't going to make him the champion he deserves to be, it's a step in the right direction. After all, it was Triple H who took the WWE Title from him on both occassions. Although they took a very roundabout route of doing it, I think Daniel Bryan vs Triple H should always have been the Wrestlemania match on the card.
Randy Orton vs Batista: The only match on the Wrestlemania XXX card not pencilled in, just happens to be the worst. By definition, it's also the best since it's the only one we know for certain will happen. I know. I know. Things can change between now and Wrestlemania XXX. Randy Orton still has to survive the Elimination Chamber match, but he undoubtedbly will. WWE is intent on making this match happen and it will, but perhaps with a caviot. If they do decide to cave in to fan pressure, they could insert Daniel Bryan into this match and make it a Triple Threat. I'd rather they didn't do it because Daniel Bryan doesn't deserve to be handed a consolation prize. If WWE had never unified the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships, they could have easily appeased all of the fans by simply inserting Bryan into the World Title picture and their WWE Championship match would be safe. Instead, this match is going to be derided amongst the smarks online and probably by the fans in New Orleans as well. Unless they do one simple thing to make it all better: add Ric Flair in as a special guest referee or enforcer or something. But if they leave this simply as Orton vs Batista, the fans will hate it and be vocal about hating it. It'll go down as one of the worst Wrestlemania main-events in history.
Even with all of those matches, there is still something to be desired. Plus, there's a lot of talent not being used if the above were to be the final card. What happens with the recently returned Sheamus? He's a candidate to team with John Cena against the Wyatt Family if that match happens. What about Alberto Del Rio? He's eligible to walk after his current contract ends. I would think they'd want him to stay and putting him in a Wrestlemania match could help. The Real Americans seem set to breakup in the near future, could there be a match between Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger on the books? What about Dolph Ziggler? Surely, he'll be looking to steal the show. What of The Miz? Or Kofi Kingston? Wade Barrett? Big Show? Christian? Rey Mysterio? Perhaps some of those questions will be answered in the upcoming week of WWE programming.
Divas Match: I'm a fairly avid redditor and one of the subreddits I check on occassion is /r/squaredcirle, also known as wreddit. Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis did an AMA (ask me anything) a few weeks back and was asked about AJ Lee. Maria had an excellent response, in which she said that AJ Lee is a great Joker, but that the WWE Divas division has no Batman. She's 100% correct. AJ Lee is being the best heel the divas division has seen since LayCool disbanded. But there are no babyfaces in the division to challenge her - not at the level she's on. That's the reason I predicted that her opponent at Wrestlemania XXX would have to come from outside the main roster. WWE needs that over babyface diva to inject a fresh rivalry and some competition into the chase for the Divas Title. I'm a bit biased here, but I think Paige could be the Batman... or Batwoman, to be gender-specific. She's very talented, very driven, and thanks to NXT, already well-known within the WWE Universe. It wouldn't take much to introduce her into the main roster and get her over big. It doesn't hurt that she's cute as a button, either. And with as bloodthirsty as the WWE Universe is these days for actual wrestlers with wrestling ability, they would accept her with wide open arms. I know I would. Unfortunately, there's been no headway made on WWE television that would suggest a callup or a return, so I can't make any predictions now. I figure that WWE will start to focus on the Divas Title after Elimination Chamber, when the road to Wrestlemania really starts to heat up.
The Shield: It's no surprise that WWE is breaking up The Shield. They always breakup stables one way or the other. And after a year of complete domination and annihilation, it's The Shield turn to demobilize. What's interesting about this split is that is doesn't seem to be equal amongst all members. The enmity in The Shield seems only to exist between Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, with Seth Rollins acting as a mediator of sorts. I assume that at some point, he'll have to choose a side. Considering the growing support for Roman Reigns, he'd be the smart choice. But WWE heels aren't smart. He'll most likely side with Ambrose and they'll team up against Roman Reigns, solidifying him as a babyface going forward. Their upcoming match with The Wyatt Family at Elimination Chamber will most likely be the platform in which this split occurs. It'll lead to match between the Shield members at Wrestlemania XXX in some form or fashion. Probably a handicap match, pitting Rollins & Ambrose vs Reigns. It shouldn't be too difficult to predict the winner there. This whole situation reminds me of the Legacy breakup, which happened around the same time and led to a similar Wrestlemania confrontation. And who won that match? Yeah, the main-eventer.
Tag Team Titles: I shake my head and roll my eyes whenever I think about the New Age Outlaws as the current Tag Team Champions. I respect them for their efforts during the Attitude Era and I've been a fan of both Road Dogg and Billy Gunn over the course of their careers, but I do not like the fact that they are Tag Team Champs. It spits in the face of the young, athletic, talented tag team division that WWE had built in the past year. The NAO are not virile enough to compete on the level that the tag teams in WWE today do. As a result, in the few weeks that they have been champs, they haven't been near as active as Rhodes & Goldust were on WWE programming. But it's not just the NAO. WWE is imploding their own tag division by potentially separating the Real Americans, The Shield & The Brotherhood. They've already broken up the PrimeTime Players, which was no huge loss. That really only leaves The Usos as a viable tag team in WWE. If the New Age Outlaws are going to defend their titles against anyone at Wrestlemania XXX, it'd most likely be The Usos, which is great because they are the most deserving.
United States/Intercontinental Championships: I read rumors about these titles being combined, which I don't think is a bad idea. The United States Championship is never defended and the Intercontinental Championship isn't contended much either. Combining the two won't guarantee that it'll be taken any more seriously than it is now, but at least there would be one less defunct championship to ignore. There hadn't been much movement on the rumor in the past month until the current US Champ Dean Ambrose pinned the current IC Champ Big E Langston in a tag match last week. In WWE rules (that apparently apply to everyone except Kofi Kingston), if you pin a champion in a non-title match, it makes you the #1 Contender for that title. However, with The Shield facing The Wyatt Family at Elimination Chamber, it can't happen there. There is a lot of time between Elimination Chamber and Wrestlemania XXX where that unification match can take place. And if Roman Reigns were to cost Ambrose the title, it could add more fire to the Shield's burgeoning rivalry. If or when that happens, it only leaves the question of who would Langston face at Wrestlemania XXX? I don't know, but I hope it's not Mark Henry, who is making his return tonight on RAW.
Cody Rhodes vs Goldust: I was hoping for a heel turn. A direct heel turn for one of them, though I still wasn't sure which of them I wanted to turn. But the way WWE is going about this split amongst the brothers is slow and methodical. Goldust accidentally eliminated Cody Rhodes in the Royal Rumble after Rhodes was pinned to lose the Tag Team Titles earlier in the PPV. Then in the cage rematch, it was Cody who went for the big move, which ultimately cost them any chance at regaining the titles. Now, Cody is wrestling with an injured leg from that moonsault and becoming even more of a drain on their tandem. It's basically nothing more than finger-pointing between them and a lot of small instances building up to a capstone. I'm sure the match will happen at Wrestlemania XXX, finally - it's been 3 years in the making.
John Cena vs The Wyatt Family: There's gotta be payoff here. The Wyatts cost John Cena the WWE World Heavyweight Title at Royal Rumble and nary a word has been said about it. Of course, John Cena has bee injured for the past week, but even before that - nothing. Cena isn't one to let bygones be bygones. Yet, the Wyatts seem far more interested in their rivalry with The Shield than the fact that they have a SUPERFACE with a vendetta lurking behind them. The news broke that The Wyatt Family's theme song would be played live at Wrestlemania before the news of them being in a match even broke. WWE won't allow this Wrestlemania to come and go without Cena or a team as compelling as the Wyatts competing. Nothing has been said to even infer this match will happen, but I think it's a lock. The question to consider is will it be a singles match between Cena and Bray Wyatt or a handicap match or a six-man tag? That, we'll have to wait and see.
Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar: A month ago, I would have thought this match was written in stone. But rumors were circulating that Undertaker was weary of Lesnar's in-ring style, throwing doubt on Taker's acceptance of Lesnar as a Wrestlemania opponent. Maybe that's the reason Lesnar's match against Big Show at Royal Rumble was booked the way that it was. In an effort to see if Lesnar could be safe in a match against a frailer opponent than himself. If it was a test run, it was a failure. In my personal opinion, it's a mistake to have Lesnar face Undertaker at Wrestlemania XXX. Brock is a tremendous superstar, but he's not of the caliber of Shawn Michaels, CM Punk or even Triple H. Okay, maybe Triple H, but his matches against Undertaker were the worst of the past five years. Good matches, but not as good as HBK or Punk. If it does end up being Taker vs Lesnar, the match would probably have to be booked the way Triple H's matches against Taker were: a lot of physicality outside of the ring for the first half and then one big move after the other inside of the ring, with a lot of near-falls in the second half. That's the only way that match could be exciting without Undertaker doing too much harm to his body. If you ask me, I think it's be a much better idea to have either Daniel Bryan or John Cena face Undertaker... and break the streak in the process.
Daniel Bryan vs Triple H: It seems Triple H is adamant to compete at Wrestlemania XXX. If one supposed opponent leaves, you just get another one. The anti-Authority storyline seems to have shifted from CM Punk to Daniel Bryan. And for some odd reason, Kane has to be the stepping stone to facing Triple H, as he's inexplicably gone from chokeslamming CM Punk to doing the same to Daniel Bryan. I understood why he attacked CM Punk after calling him a sellout suckup, but Daniel Bryan didn't insult Kane until the Smackdown after Kane attacked him on RAW. I think it's the right idea to supplant Daniel Bryan in CM Punk's role. WWE has to do something significant with Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania XXX. And while facing Triple H isn't going to make him the champion he deserves to be, it's a step in the right direction. After all, it was Triple H who took the WWE Title from him on both occassions. Although they took a very roundabout route of doing it, I think Daniel Bryan vs Triple H should always have been the Wrestlemania match on the card.
Randy Orton vs Batista: The only match on the Wrestlemania XXX card not pencilled in, just happens to be the worst. By definition, it's also the best since it's the only one we know for certain will happen. I know. I know. Things can change between now and Wrestlemania XXX. Randy Orton still has to survive the Elimination Chamber match, but he undoubtedbly will. WWE is intent on making this match happen and it will, but perhaps with a caviot. If they do decide to cave in to fan pressure, they could insert Daniel Bryan into this match and make it a Triple Threat. I'd rather they didn't do it because Daniel Bryan doesn't deserve to be handed a consolation prize. If WWE had never unified the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships, they could have easily appeased all of the fans by simply inserting Bryan into the World Title picture and their WWE Championship match would be safe. Instead, this match is going to be derided amongst the smarks online and probably by the fans in New Orleans as well. Unless they do one simple thing to make it all better: add Ric Flair in as a special guest referee or enforcer or something. But if they leave this simply as Orton vs Batista, the fans will hate it and be vocal about hating it. It'll go down as one of the worst Wrestlemania main-events in history.
Even with all of those matches, there is still something to be desired. Plus, there's a lot of talent not being used if the above were to be the final card. What happens with the recently returned Sheamus? He's a candidate to team with John Cena against the Wyatt Family if that match happens. What about Alberto Del Rio? He's eligible to walk after his current contract ends. I would think they'd want him to stay and putting him in a Wrestlemania match could help. The Real Americans seem set to breakup in the near future, could there be a match between Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger on the books? What about Dolph Ziggler? Surely, he'll be looking to steal the show. What of The Miz? Or Kofi Kingston? Wade Barrett? Big Show? Christian? Rey Mysterio? Perhaps some of those questions will be answered in the upcoming week of WWE programming.
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