I hear a lot of rumblings about people not being happy about the structure of the card and overall build to this years WrestleMania…
“I can’t believe they ended Raw with a Tug Of War over the belt!”
“Roman Reigns isn’t ready!”
“Bryan should be in the main event!”
“Sting has barely been on TV!”
“Brock has barely been on TV!”
“Undertaker hasn’t been on TV at all!”
You can’t satisfy everyone.
Has the build to WrestleMania been subpar? Maybe. I didn’t dislike the tug of war to end Raw, though. I don’t mind Reigns in the main event. I think a guy like Bryan going for the Intercontinental Championship may finally elevate the title to where it once was two decades ago.
I don’t mind Sting’s sporadic WWE appearances, though I wish we would have heard him speak a little more. Brock being used limited on television is okay, too. I don’t think we need to see the WWE Champion for free each week. However, I wish he did house shows, as I really think it’d bring untelevised event attendance to heights not seen since the Attitude Era. I’m cool with not seeing ‘Taker until Sunday. I think it adds to the mystique.
As dedicated fans, we all want to play fantasy booker and believe that we could do that job better than anyone. With all of that said, maybe the build to this years WrestleMania hasn’t gone exactly the way we’ve wanted it. Perhaps it’s even been a bit underwhelming. Correct me if I’m wrong though, but WrestleMania X-Seven (because X-Seven has more Attitude than the number 17) had, in my opinion, one of the most underwhelming builds in history.
Don’t believe me? Let’s go look back on some of the build to WrestleMania XVII.
The main event of Wrestlemania Ten Plus Seven was The Rock versus Stone Cold Steve Austin. Obviously, we now know that this was one of the best and most historic main events in WrestleMania history. Back then, though, on top of the fact that we had previously seen Austin/Rock at WrestleMania XV, I remember the build to Austin/Rock II was– mehhh.
Austin had won the Royal Rumble in January, making him tentatively scheduled to wrestle then WWF Champion Kurt Angle in the ‘Mania main. At the February pay per view “No Way Out,” Austin finished off his rivalry with Triple H in a classic “Three Stages of Hell” match, with the contest ending in a draw. On that same night, Angle lost his WWF Championship to The Rock. The WWF now had five weeks to build Austin/Rock II. What was their plan to do that?
Put Austin’s real life wife, Debra McMichael, in the middle. Remember that?
It was openly acknowledged that Debra was actually married to The Toughest S.O.B. in wrestling, and in an effort to drive a wedge between Austin and Rock– as if they didn’t have a previous history to base the feud on– Mr. McMahon made Debra the official manager of The Rock. The Rock would have a match, Debra would be in some sort of danger, and The Rock couldn’t have cared less, as he didn’t want Debra at ringside. This would lead to Austin running down, saving Debra, and Stone Cold Stunning The Rock due to his negligence. The two traded attacks on each other back and forth in the weeks leading up to the event. The brightest spot of the angle was a sit down interview between Rock and Austin, conducted by Jim Ross on Smackdown. The highlight of the interview was Austin foreshadowing his eventual heel turn with the line, “I need the WWF Championship more than you could ever imagine.”
Undertaker vs. Triple H was largely centered around the fact that “The Game” thought he deserved to be in the main event, while ‘Taker argued he didn’t deserve it because he never defeated him in a one on one match. Tables, Ladders and Chairs II sold itself, as TLC I, and the various matches throughout 1999 and 2000 featuring the Hardyz, Dudleyz and Edge and Christian set the standard for the Ladder Matches in the new millennium. Vince and Shane’s match at WrestleMania was based around Vince wanting to “divorce” Linda, drugging her and cheating on her with Trish Stratus. It wasn’t until six days before ‘Mania when the WWF purchased WCW, with Shane declaring himself the owner, that the battle really heated up. Kurt Angle, who was just WWF Champion, was thrown into a mid card singles match with Chris Benoit.
On April 1st, 2001, WrestleMania X-Seven happened, and it was arguably the greatest ‘Mania of all time. Austin vs. Rock far surpassed their bout at WrestleMania XV. Undertaker and Triple H was a thrilling brawl that ended spilling out of the ring and into the crowd. The TLC match was crazy– as expected. Vince and Shane was highly entertaining, with Shane O’Mac hitting his RVD borrowed “Coast To Coast.” In fact, Linda McMahon arguably got the biggest pop of the night when she arose from her wheelchair to kick Vinny Mac in his grapefruits. As far as wrestling is concerned, Angle and Benoit stole the show, and even the random Hardcore match between Big Show, Kane and Raven had it’s memorable moments.
I’m not saying WrestleMania X-X-X-One (better known to lame asses as “31”) will be the next X-Seven. I’m just saying the card has a lot of potential. The ladder match will surely be unforgettable. The Divas match could be one of the best in years– especially since we’re giving Divas a chance. The Andre The Giant Battle Royal will surely give us a memorable moment. I mean, it won’t compare to X-Seven’s “Gimmick Battle Royal,” but hopefully it’s ending will feature Miz and Sandow clashing. Just the sight of Sting and Triple H will be surreal.
Undertaker is having his “comeback” ‘Mania of sorts. With Bray Wyatt as his opposition, В I feel both men will bring it. And you know what? I really believe Reigns and Lesnar will deliver something special in the main event. To borrow a phrase from Reigns that he borrowed from Teddy Long, “Believe That.”
Now go buy a shirt at www.prowrestlingtees.com/GregoryIron, and check www.Gregory-Iron.com to see where I’m performing this weekend.
-Greg
