Meltzer: WrestleMania Plans Aborted, WWE Will Scramble For New Ideas

[vdB]

Bring up Finn Balor vs Wyatt

I like that!

 

[Emperoreddy]

I like that!

Finn will win and people will complain Bray can't win a feud again though...Bray needs to wrestle jobbers.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

In regards to DB and his injuries, I just don't see the WWE putting a guy with his history with Brock. I mean we are supposedly to believe that guys like the UT and John Cena got dominated by Brock but a guy like DB will beat him. Nope, it won't happen.

Let's see who is available on the roster for main event matches:

Reigns -- crowd is half and half
Ambrose -- face
Wyatt -- gets buried for older talent
Ziggler -- get rid of the rock star outfits and get back to being the show off
Owens -- perfect heel
ADR -- fans don't seem too happy he is back
Rusev -- perfect heel
Sheamus -- good heel but boring
Brock Lesnar -- can be good or a heel
BNB -- perfect heel, has been turned into a joke
Neville -- great wrestler but not sure he can be a top guy
Ryback -- not really top tier material
Stardust -- would be better if he went back to Cody

I'd have Roman beat Sheamus, then turn Dean or Roman and have them as a feud. I guess leave Sheamus in there as well. 3 way dance.
Thinking maybe Wyatt vs. Lesnar
Owens vs. Ziggler
Rusev vs. Ryback
ADR vs. Neville

I don't know about the rest. The New Day vs. the tag teams is going to be good. Who knows what will happen.

If WWE had its way, DB is likely not in there at all because they don't think they can control the crowd with him around. But in terms of what I would most like to see as a match, DB/Lesnar is the best possible match on the roster. Those two in a 20-25 minute match would be an instant classic. It wouldn't matter who won. It doesn't matter if you're set up to believe who will win and that's part of the story anyway. If you don't believe DB would win, that's what will make it a great underdog story and even with that, he doesn't have to win. He just has to look like he belongs like Punk did.

I want the matches to entertain. And those two have the best dynamics to do that among any two on the roster. Dean-Roman-Sheamus as a triple threat would suck even if Dean as a face walks out champion. Wyatt's a quality worker but he's not going to be the kind of guy that's going to put on a classic type of match. He's good but he's not that good. Ziggler should be in the battle royal because none of his feuds anymore have that spark. There's no real animosity being sold in any of his feuds anymore since the Authority angle fizzled out from that dreadful Survivor Series bump they gave him. You can do better for Rusev than Ryback. ADR/Neville doesn't belong on a Mania card.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Realistically there are only two potential main events that has any potential big fight appeal with the current roster and no DB.

Roman/Brock for WHC or Taker/Cena with a retirement stipulation.

With the current status of the rest of the guys, none of them can or should be in a WM main event. No one is over enough.

That is how bad things are. There are almost no options to put on an amazing main event that can attract eyeballs. The entire rest of the roster is in the mid card, and that is where their heat is.

Honestly so is Roman's but because he is in the middle of the push to be top babyface he is the only one who can sneak into a main event (helps he main evented last year).

 

[George Binks]

Well the rumor is Sting will not wrestle this year, which isn't surprising he shouldn't be healthy enough to work yet.

I think there is an outside chance he might be ok by 33, but ya I think odds are he never wrestles again.

What a shame how his WWE career went

 

[Cor]

Move WrestleMania to Las Vegas and do the wheel of matches and opponents.

YOU SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND BABY RIGHT ROUND

 

[Marv4Life]

The only way they're getting 100K is if a)there's a HUGE dream match featuring Austin, b)Hogan returns for 1 more match c)there's a mainstream sports/entertainment star that is the selling point of the show(Trump at 23), d)if Rock decides he can wrestle and do Rock vs Brock, e)Cena vs Taker has a stip which doesn't make the outcome too obvious, f)they do a massive storyline leading up to it, maybe involving the Borethority and Vince(or Shane?), or g)at least 2 of the above. Bryan ain't enough nor should he be in a title match given the fact he got injured holding the brand's top 2 titles 2 years in a row after Mania. BUT, Bryan IS over and you can use him to create a mega heel in a big, main event match.

Sting is damaged goods so unless he heels up quick and starts going over people that matter putting him with Taker is a waste of time. So what do you do? No Hogan, Austin says he won't wrestle, Rock might not wrestle, no Orton, no Angle. Putting on great technical wrestling ain't enough to draw in the masses. Lure in Batista and let him have influence. He wants to come back but not get screwed around by creative. They can also use a swerve to shake it up for the RTWM. I'd try again with the Ryback push, as he's paid his dues and is still over with the crowd. He also has da look. Besides they've jerked around with Reigns to the point where it might be too late for him. Start over, turn him heel and feud him with Ambrose. Here's what I would do realistically:

-Take vs Kane Retirement match
-Batista vs Brock. Get a UFC or a badass sports star involved. Do weigh-ins, build this sucker up.
-Ryback(RR winner) vs HHH(champ).Get the belt off Lame-us somehow and onto heel H. If Ryback wins the Authority is gone for good and Trips and Staph work for da big guy. Get Vince involved; maybe Jerry Jones
-Reigns vs Ambrose IC/US title unification. Heel Reigns goes over.
-Cena vs Bryan No. 1 contenders match. Cena wins Bryan retires legit. Bryan wins then Cena never gets a chance at the WWE title as long as he's employed. You pull the trigger on the heel turn.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Batistia apparently just wants to work a few house shows. Nothing major so that's a dead end.

Only way they get 100K is DB getting cleared and a Cena/Taker match with a retirement stip

 

[Le Tricolore]

Finn will win and people will complain Bray can't win a feud again though...Bray needs to wrestle jobbers.

I assume you're kidding, but Bray needs to have a big feud with either a main eventer of upper-midcarder and win more often than he loses.

 

[S A W F T*]

Glad I never booked my WM32 travel package.

 

[Spire2000]

I believed at the time, and to a point still do, that CM Punk left WWE because they wouldn't give him the one last thing he wanted, a headline spot at Wrestlemania. He saw Batista come back after an absence and fall into the spot. He knew that if he were to walk away, he could leverage a return sometime down the line into that coveted spot.

That said, what may have began as a hopeful silver lining to a frustrating personal situation, has probably devolved into raw bitterness, on both sides.

No one stays away from the WWE forever though. The right amount of $$$, the right spot on the card, any number of motivations will draw someone back.

CM Punk vs Triple H could headline WM 32.

 

[Spire2000]

Also, I believe they should begin preparing for Finn Balor's debut and make that happen at Wrestlemania.

WWE has gotten great mileage out of their supernatural characters (Undertaker, Kane, Gangrel, Boogeyman), particularly due to their over-the-top, heavily-produced entrances. These epic entrances are the one thing WWE does better than anyone, in any industry, in the world. With Undertaker and Kane at the end of their careers, they need to build the next, great epic entrance.

Perhaps they need to tie Finn into the Undertaker legacy. Make him Kane's long-lost son, or simply a protegee.

Have Kane introduce non-demon Finn to the Raw audience in the month leading up to Wrestlemania, perhaps to assist him against the Wyatt's. Set the match at Wrestlemania with Kane/Finn vs Strowman/Harper and tease a "demon" inside of Finn. Not until Wrestlemania itself does the big demon entrance occur on the main roster TV. That's appointment viewing right there.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

I believed at the time, and to a point still do, that CM Punk left WWE because they wouldn't give him the one last thing he wanted, a headline spot at Wrestlemania. He saw Batista come back after an absence and fall into the spot. He knew that if he were to walk away, he could leverage a return sometime down the line into that coveted spot.

That said, what may have began as a hopeful silver lining to a frustrating personal situation, has probably devolved into raw bitterness, on both sides.

No one stays away from the WWE forever though. The right amount of $$$, the right spot on the card, any number of motivations will draw someone back.

CM Punk vs Triple H could headline WM 32.

Except he's already signed a multi-fight deal with UFC.

 

[Engebretson]

Also, I believe they should begin preparing for Finn Balor's debut and make that happen at Wrestlemania.

WWE has gotten great mileage out of their supernatural characters (Undertaker, Kane, Gangrel, Boogeyman), particularly due to their over-the-top, heavily-produced entrances. These epic entrances are the one thing WWE does better than anyone, in any industry, in the world. With Undertaker and Kane at the end of their careers, they need to build the next, great epic entrance.

Perhaps they need to tie Finn into the Undertaker legacy. Make him Kane's long-lost son, or simply a protegee.

Have Kane introduce non-demon Finn to the Raw audience in the month leading up to Wrestlemania, perhaps to assist him against the Wyatt's. Set the match at Wrestlemania with Kane/Finn vs Strowman/Harper and tease a "demon" inside of Finn. Not until Wrestlemania itself does the big demon entrance occur on the main roster TV. That's appointment viewing right there.

OMG, Finn Balor was the baby that Snitsky punted!!!!

Balor is the kind of babyface that fans could actually get behind. I think when they do decide to pull the trigger on him, they had better get it right or they could screw up something with huge potential.

 

[Spire2000]

Gone are the days of two faces competing in a high-profile match, simply to see who is better.

While Cesaro vs Daniel Bryan would have been a slam-dunk match for this sort of purpose, injuries make that pairing unlikely. So let's have a peek at the current roster. Dean Ambrose is due for a 5* match, so let's pencil him in there. But let's also find someone on the roster who can go with the best, but could use the rub.

I propose Dean Ambrose vs Damien Sandow. Have them cross paths a few times backstage, at Raw, whatever. Have them good-naturally poke fun at each other skills and abilities. Eventually get it to a point where each becomes truly curious how good the other is.

Finally, at Wrestlemania, put them in the ring with each other and let them go for 20 minutes. Hand shake at the start and at the end.

 

[Loosie]

I believed at the time, and to a point still do, that CM Punk left WWE because they wouldn't give him the one last thing he wanted, a headline spot at Wrestlemania. He saw Batista come back after an absence and fall into the spot. He knew that if he were to walk away, he could leverage a return sometime down the line into that coveted spot.

That said, what may have began as a hopeful silver lining to a frustrating personal situation, has probably devolved into raw bitterness, on both sides.

No one stays away from the WWE forever though. The right amount of $$$, the right spot on the card, any number of motivations will draw someone back.

CM Punk vs Triple H could headline WM 32.

Savage managed to until his death.

 

[Spire2000]

New Day come in to Wrestlemania on an all-time high. Tag champs, over-huge-but-still-heels, and a never ending source of joy for the fans. Something needs to be done with the 3-man concept though.

Seems like a job for the Dudleys.

Bring in Spike Dudley and let's make it a three-man tag match. But wait, why the Dudleys, why not the Usos? Why not the Prime Time Players or the Lucha Dragons? How about Los Matadores or The Ascension?

Due to an inadvertent slight against Stephanie McMahon, the New Day finds themselves in a three-man-tag gauntlet match for the tag-titles at Wrestlemania. They have no idea how many teams they must face, but they know they will be familiar tag teams with an extra face added.

On Raw, when the announcement is made, Steph reveals the first tag team they will face, The Dudleys, who in turn bring out Little Spike Dudley.

But who do the other teams add? Let's leave each addition as a surprise and bring back an old face for a one-night (maybe more) nostalgia hit.

Usos + Rikishi
Prime Time Players + Shelton Benjamin
Lucha Dragons + Rey Mysterio
Los Matadores + Carlito
Ascension + Road Warrior Animal

 

[Spire2000]

Savage managed to until his death.

True, and if the WWE and Warrior waited an extra few months, he never would have made it back either.

I do think that WWE and Savage would have mended fences when the Hall of Fame came calling. I don't get the feeling there was as much deep-seeded hate there on either side as there was with say, Bruno.

 

[Kimi]

Savage managed to until his death.

He was exiled from the company, bit different from leaving.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

I don't think Punk needs their money. He could make a nice payday for a return match wrestling for NJPW most likely, and not have to deal with any of WWE's BS politics.

 

[Spire2000]

I don't think Punk needs their money. He could make a nice payday for a return match wrestling for NJPW most likely, and not have to deal with any of WWE's BS politics.

Agree, but it's been his lifelong dream, to headline Wrestlemania.

Personally, I don't think he's there yet mentally.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

Agree, but it's been his lifelong dream, to headline Wrestlemania.

Personally, I don't think he's there yet mentally.

He's already said it doesn't bother him anymore and he doesn't care. He's moved on.

 

[Jussi]

He was exiled from the company, bit different from leaving.

The fact that he was promoting a WWE 2K game, says he was on friendlier terms with the company.

 

[Kimi]

The fact that he was promoting a WWE 2K game, says he was on friendlier terms with the company.

Down the road Vince started to work his him again, but that doesn't change the point that when he left the company it was because he was exiled, not because he chose to leave. There was no option for him to come back and work again.

 

[Loosie]

Down the road Vince started to work his him again, but that doesn't change the point that when he left the company it was because he was exiled, not because he chose to leave. There was no option for him to come back and work again.

Actually he left when his contract was up in 1994 and they just didn't renegotiate a new one. He left on fairly good terms if I'm not mistaken.