Latest on Brock / Angle Wrestlemania plans

[Guest Redhawk]

Chris Benoit remains the favorite to replace the injured Kurt Angle in a match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. One possible storyline could really turn things upside down. It would include Angle handing over the WWE Title to Brock Lesnar this Tuesday at the Smackdown taping due to his injury, then having Chris Benoit face him later in the night and win the title. Brock would then turn heel, setting up another Brock/Benoit WWE Title match at WrestleMania. This scenario would allow WWE to replace the injured Edge with another top level babyface (Benoit) and the injured Angle with another top level heel (Brock).

 

Credit: Wade Keller, Torch VIP Updates (PWTorch.com)

 

Hey, here's a thought: Why not just keep Brock a face and turn Benoit heel? They've been building up steam for Brock's big babyface WM title win ever since he lost to Big Show and now they're gonna just turn him heel a few weeks before 'Mania? On the other side, Benoit has been an effective heel as recently as a few months ago. It'd be hard enough to pull one turn, but turning BOTH guys? And I really hate the idea of Angle just handing over the title. That doesn't even fit in with his character. Not that I want Angle to risk his career and wrestle again before his surgery, but isn't there another way? Like Angle is forced to forfeit the title instead of just giving it away? And instead of giving it to Brock, why not put it up for grabs in a Benoit-Brock match at WM?

[Guest edotherocket]

They're kinda fucked here. Either they do some rushed heel turn for Benoit or Lesnar that (sigh) will probably involve Heyman or they have a heel opponent that isn't built up enough.

 

And they should avoid any brand-swapping if they can help it.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

They should just have Lesnar beat Angle and have a face/face match at Mania.

[Guest converge241]

"They should just have Lesnar beat Angle and have a face/face match at Mania. "

 

yes

 

let the crowd decide to turn one if they want..but more likely what will happen is that fans will love the match and applaud both wrestlers if they just present it as a sports like championship match..no faces or heels just two of the top WWE athletes going at it

[Guest Midnight Express83]

You two need to stop using that logic stuff when discussing the WWE. The best thing they can do is just have the Angle match be a no contest and the title stripped from Angle. Brock and Benoit can just wrestle for the title at Mania and Brock can win it. BTW, keep HEYMAN OUT OF THE PICTURE!

[Ultimo Dugas 0]

Redhawk, Posted on Mar 10 2003, 04:11 AM

It'd be hard enough to pull one turn, but turning BOTH guys?

 

They'd only have to turn one or the other, as Brock and Benoit are both faces.

[Guest HartFan86]

It's too late to turn Benoit face...they needed to do the injury angle last week, and the farewell speech this week.

 

Best bet is either give Taker the shot because he was last eliminated in the Rumble, or Benoit/Brock as a mutual respect match.

[Guest nikowwf]

Benoit can't go heel to face Brock. The way Brock is booked, a small technical heel will die a quick death against him. Hell, we complained for weeks about how Angle was booked.

 

Smackdown needs a heel. Think about the roster. Someone has to go heel. Brock going heel gives them one monster heel for the faces to chase.

 

Plus, if Benoit challenges for the title, he HAS to go over or hes' dead He can get screwed out of winning once, but ultimately he has to win or he will be perceived as a dead character.

 

Heel Brock. Benoit Title win? I am so there...

 

niko

[Guest Brian]

Heel Brock is and has been the option since Angle got injured. It sets up a re-match down the line, allows for a Cena face turn (which could take off for him), keeps Benoit as a face (but they're going to that match too quick) and gives him the option of working against Eddy, Undertaker, and to a lesser extent he can sell more for Rey and Chavo.

[Guest FeArHaVoC]

Cena isn't going anywhere with his current gimmick.

[Guest Brian]

Which is why you turn the man face.

[Guest THE MIGHTY THOR]

WWE needs a monster heel really bad, and Benoit can't be it otherwise at Mania it would be too obvious who is going to win, but if Brock turns which he needs to since he sucks as a babyface and needs someone to speak for him he will be unstoppable and a force to be reckoned with.

[Guest Mole]

Monster heel, why not Big Show???

 

Seriously, Brock could be turned heel after WM. It is too late for them to turn him now, it wouldn't really work. The fans seem really in love with him, so I don't know how that would work out.

[Guest THE MIGHTY THOR]

Big Show?Why didn't i think of that?(sarcasm)

[Guest Pigsy]

Atleast they're not going to shave Eric Angle bald, and hope no-one notices he's not Kurt...

[Guest Just call me Dan]

They should beoth remain faces because both guys are horrible heels. They won't get over, and the term "top heel" would just be a parody, only camoflauged by smackdown's piped in heat. I say some trades need to be done, and the faces and heels on both sides need to be swappeda round and freshened up. HHH is going to Smackdown after he drops his RAW title to Booker T, you can bet your ass on that one. Benoit may get the belt because of this mishap, but HHH will hold that Smackdown title while Brock picks up his steam one more time, en route to a big win at Summerslam over Helmsley. I don't thik HHH would mind putting over Lesnar at SS, if he gets fed people for the six months leading up to it.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

I'd turn Rhyno heel to face Brock post-Mania but at Mania I guess a face/face respect match with Benoit but that might kill all of Benoit's heat. So there best bet would be a respect match and just have Rock/Austin and Hogan/Vince(and maybe even HHH/Book) go after it so it doesn't kill Benoit's heat too much.

[Guest edotherocket]

No no no!

 

I think WWE and a lot of their top superstars suffer because of waaay too many turns and the brand extension suffers from far too many jumps. It won't be good in the long run. Lesnar, Benoit and Rhyno have all only recently (the last four months) been face and Lesnar and Benoit are really hitting their stride now. Similarly, Angle should remain heel when he drops the title. If you do too many turns then the characters do not get a chance to develop properly. I think Triple H and Kurt Angle suffer from this problem. Kurt and Triple H have both been great heels that not unlike Rock or Austin, eventually got great face reactions and were turned in to faces. But quickly turning them both back heel just confuses and pisses off the fans. Kurt gets pretty mixed reactions (crowd chanting 'You suck' in his intros and then pop for his signature moves) and Triple H has fudged it to the point of crowd indifference. The crowd hate him for his long-winded promos and stuff like Katie Vick but they also cheer him because he faces people like Steiner who are even less popular.

 

The best bet for WWE would be to try and get themselves out of this mess without resorting to hasty turns or bringing in someone from RAW.

[Guest evilhomer]

At least they're not going to shave Eric Angle bald, and hope no-one notices he's not Kurt...

That could work actually and stay with Kurt's character. Have Eric come out wearing those hooded jackets, and quickly get squashed by Brock before anyone realizes who he is. Cut to the back to show a neck brace wearing Kurt discussing with Heyman how he thought Eric could win and get him out of the match, now how's he going to go on with a broken neck.

 

The multiple holes in this scenario are number one, it gives them even less time to set up the WM match. Number two, it's doubtful that anyone would believe the legitimacy of the injury; it would mostly look like a heel trying to weasel out of the match.

[Guest saturnmark4life]

Have a face/face match, with a whole 'sportsmanship' thing after a fine wrestling exhibition. It's the safest option, then both guys can beat the shit out of Heyman for fun at the end. Plus Benoit doesn't stand to lose any heat because as a face he'll at least be booked as if he's in with a chance and having the monster who kills everyone congratulating him for the match shows him to be a viable contender.

[Guest AndrewTS]

Brock as heel again?

 

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

 

The WWE is truly dumb as fucking tree stumps now.

[cawthon777 0]

I wouldn't mind a heel Brock vs. face Benoit because I really think that would elevate Benoit's face status and establish him as a main event player. But whatever they do, I'm not going to be overly critical - kinda curious as to how this will play out long-term.

[Guest Brian]

Brock need a mouthpiece and once the chase is gone, he doesn't have a lot of depth to his face character. Benoit's hitting strides with his face work. It's easy to pull off; go Taker/Brock at Mania and book Benoit in a three-way tag title match. Have Rhyno turn on him in the first elimination but have Los Guerreros take the titles. Have Brock beat Taker, ending the streak but only after getting help. Play up the Rhyno/Heyman alliance, that Rhyno injured Edge and Angle, and that Heyman saw Angle's injury as a liability and that Brock realized he needed a front man to run the brains of the operation while he pulled out the muscle. It sets up Cena vs. Brock immediately, Benoit vs. Rhyno with Brock in the foreground, and Undertaker against Heyman. Heyman can dump Team Angle because the failed to keep Angle protected.

[Guest The Hamburglar]

This is absolutely the best thing to do. Brock's last heel run was cut right off in his prime, and he was generating seriously nasty vibes. And as has been pointed out, being a heel allows him to sell more then his current superman persona. Thing is, I think its pretty much certain Brock will win. Benoit losing as a heel or a face against a face Brock would pretty much destroy him, considering that he would have been shown not to be on either Brock or Angle's level. This way, Benoit won't lose face, as Brock will most likely win in a heinously evil and diabolical manner. Think about it people - Chris Benoit is wrestling for the world title at Wrestlemania. At the present time, he will be Smackdown's top face. Doesn't that excite any of you in the least? 'Cos I'm fucking psyched if they decide to push Lesnar and Benoit on top.

[Guest Brian]

I'm fucking pumped to see Benoit as top face, but I still can't push him in that Mania spot because getting there as a afc should be that super accomplishment and winning should not only be the aspiration but the final outcome. Hold off on it.

[cawthon777 0]

Win or lose, if they give Benoit a main event title spot at WrestleMania ... that in itself is awesome!

[Guest Brian]

Ehh, I just feel being a Benoit fan for almost ten years, that when he gets to that point where he's challenging for a world title as a face at Mania, that he should be going over, especially if it's his first title win. That's really what the whole thing is about; making your mark on the biggest stage. And I just don't feel booking is going to allow him to do that.

[Guest art_vandelay]

Turning Brock heel would fuck up the Heyman/Team Angle storyline that's been developing since Summerslam.

 

On SmackDown, Angle is discovered backstage to be injured in the same fashion as Edge. No match, the cause of the injury is unknown.

 

Angle is injured indefinitely. Stephanie awards the forfeited title to Brock, but out of pride, Brock declines, and suggests a no. 1 contender's match that night between SmackDown's top wrestlers. In this match, Chris Benoit wins, setting up your face vs. face WrestleMania main event. Chris Benoit is heatless in this role, and will surely be booed by the majority of the crowd, who'd rather see Brock win.

 

Next week, it is revealed that the man who caused Angle's injury, is the same man who injured Edge at NWO: Chris Benoit. Automatic heat. Benoit's motive: 1) To screw with Team Angle. 2) To eliminate anyone who stands in his way from the Championship.

 

This show's that there's a man who's even more bad ass than Heyman and Team Angle.

[Guest saturnmark4life]

I think in order for heyman to become involved rhyno will turn on benoit and heyman will go with him, he obviously wants to push him to saturn.

[Guest The Hamburglar]

Balls to Heyman. Have Viscera return for one night and eat him. I have Lesnar vs Benoit on top and I don't need that spotlight hogging egomaniac injecting himself into what could be the beginnings of a great storyline. Benoit vs Lesnar at Mania will only be the start of their feud, as I imagine this is the central feud to be run in Angle's absence.