WrestleMania

[Promoter 0]

I've been seeing all over the internet that the build up has been pretty weak and whatnot. I agree somewhat, but I also think there are more lingering factors surrounding this sentiment. I don't mind celebrities added to the event, but I also don't think it's the big reason for the lack of sizzle thus far.

 

You know speaking about the magic of WrestleMania I still don't think they have matched the original and the third installment yet in that terms. Ironically, last night on CP24 here in Toronto there is a flashback news show that comes on every night and guess what???

 

This episode had WrestleMania as its big story to open up the show. It was hyped and showed at the last segment. I mean it was a good 3-5 minute piece and showed Hogan and Mr. T "training" in California and Manhattan. They showed Piper, Orndorff, and Orton training as well. It was so strange watching it because it was hyped as the biggest event in the history of professional wrestling. There was a Maple Leaf Garden PR guy who claimed the tickets sold out in record time for the closed circuit showing at the arena and it was being broadcast in other areas of the country and worldwide. Guys, I also remember WM 3 getting all over the media in North America too. That is the difference with WM back then and now. Even the mainstream press picked it up. WM XX with all its hype failed to do that. I mean the whole thing on the news was surreal with Ali, Billy Martin, and Liberace clips. At one time Piper said that WM went downhill after the first one in terms of gaining mainstream press and seeing that last night I can't argue with him.

 

 

WrestleMania III hardly had any "A-listers". The match ups of Hogan/Andre, Steamboat/Savage, and Piper/Adonis were the draws. The early WM cards just had a lot more sizzle to it backed with the steak.

 

It's not just about the celebrities because WM 11 proved that. They stacked that show and it still flopped because the personalities and match-ups with the wrestlers sucked for the most part.

 

WM 14 actually was the closest to the early Mania shows in terms of hype and sizzle with Mike Tyson. Austin and HBK pretty much delivered and Rock/Shamrock had some appeal to it as well. It set the tone for the next couple of years just as the early Mania shows did. The matches make Mania and the celebrities were just the icing on the cake.

 

I think Mania really has missed this "magic" ever since WM 17 in Houston with the heel turn of Austin. The build up for that Mania also sucked, but no one remembers that. The Rock/Austin storyline made no sense when you take into account Debra. However, it was Austin's big return for the title after that year long injury in his homestate, so it was hard to screw up. Not to mention it had HHH/Taker. WM 18's saving grace was the charisma of Hogan and Rock in the dream match(and it was).

 

WM XX was very good, but it's already basically meaningless. Luckily, Chris Benoit's long winding road to the top is its saving grace. However, no one has really been elevated and that is why some look at this year's event without the same vigor. As I stated with WM 18 and Hogan/Rock saving it, the wwe is still pushing guys that were getting stale at the event in top matches like HHH(whom I actually like). It all seems like the same thing, but they are trying perhaps with Cena and Batista to catapult the two divisions. I know they couldn't help the Brock Lesnar and Angle situations though, but in all honesty their personalities just don't have the sizzle of vintage wwe superstars.

 

The problem is much bigger than them booking WM this year. The big problem is the wwe not giving REAL pushes and sustaining those pushes where fans can have faith in new stars. There has also been too much heeldom running wild on both brands in the last couple of years. It's hard to get excited over that after a while. The matches aren't actually that horrible with the shifted changes, but it's making people believe guys like Orton, Batista, and Cena really are vintage wwe stars. That's why I think some of these matches aren't interesting to people, but when you look at the characters and the stories IT SHOULD be more interesting. The wwe for once might be actually BUILDING the company again with Mania.

 

JBL/Cena=most dominant champion with the wwe title since Diesel in 1995 against Cena who was also a dominant second tier champion who was robbed by the major champion. This storyline to build the match is actually good.

 

Problem: The fans DON'T BUY JBL as a real champion and the wwe didn't do JBL any favours with the way he won the title after being in the midcard 4 life. JBL also doesn't have one REAL victory over someone fans think is a real threat or had any real championship history except Taker(who sucked as champion anyways).

 

Ironically, HHH would have worked much better. However, JBL's character SHOULD complement Cena's character perfectly. Cena also sort of had the same problem because his dominating reign came at the hands of beating people like Kenzo. His Booker T series sucked and he got bad luck with Carlito. Cena imo has to win the title or he will look like a choker and at this stage he is not that established to accept a loss in a big match situation like this. JBL's reign of terror is hurting the whole smackdown roster because of his recent past as a tag team midcarder. No matter how he is improving he still has that stigma because he was in that position just last year at this time.

 

Batista/HHH=good so far and I actually think Batista can't afford to lose this match either for the same reasons as John Cena. These are the only two guys that fans really are behind that have some kind of charisma that can catch on with the mainstream. As been stated by some here that feel Batista might not be ready he does need to win because losing here with everyone behind him might pigeonhole him as a flash in the pan.

 

Angle/HBK=goodness and is the best they can do now in terms of matching the dream matches of past Mania cards.

 

Orton/Taker=best use for both men with everything considered. Orton was a flop plain and simple as a face. Regardless of the booking. His edge was the Legend Killer gimmick and the best way to use that at Mania is to put him against Undertaker with his winning streak of course. Undertaker would have been useless in a tag match and a wasted opportunity to pimp the win streak for Mania as a selling point. If Orton and the wwe didn't screw up the face turn he could have been heading into Mania defending or regaining the title from HHH, but that just isn't a good idea anymore. If his face turn had any strong points he should also be credible in being a threat to Taker's streak, but everyone(rightfully so) is screaming bloody murder if he ends Taker's streak because his credibility is shaky. Some of this is wwe's fault, but what could they do otherwise with Orton to continue his main event level push at this moment without making him face a midcarder and seeming like a failure at the top?

 

The Ladder Match puts all the top workers on RAW into one match instead of stupid matches like Hassan/Daiviri against Benoit/Jericho. They also put a stipulation on that doesn't telegraph exactly who the winner might be.

 

Big Show vs. Akebono is going to have to improve with the build with some Akebono footage, but they are going for the freak of nature old school draw here that Andre's matches use to have. The problem is Big Show has been booked flippety flop over the years and doesn't seem anywhere the star Andre use to be.

 

Hogan/Hassan if it happens will be the perfect guy for Hassan to work off because of Hogan's legit legend status and if it turns out to be Hogan's last match Hassan has that under his belt. I don't think the character he is playing would get any heat stronger with the mainstream than with Hogan in the current landscape. Hopefully, he can use that to make him identifiable with fans in the future.

 

Rey vs. Eddie will make up for the smackdown side for workrate as the RAW side has the ladder match. They are puttinig the cruiserweights on display. The matches in temselves aren't that bad, but it's the star power and positioning of the players. The wwe has the same problem they ran into in 1992 and that was not making the newer stars(Bret, HBK, Undertaker, and Sid on the level of Hogan, Flair, and Piper) seem relevant and strong. That hurt them for a few years 9-13 and the wwe did it again with 18-20. Benoit and Guerrero should have already been huge stars by last year and they pushed them as a last line of thinking last year. Their legs were cut off from 2001.

 

Piper on Austin's Pit will add some nice entertainment and draw in their fans who have stopped watching. They did not do this with the "new generation" in 1995 by ignoring the old school guys like Piper and Hogan. The HOF is also a good tool.