We are a mere 6 months away from WrestleMania 30. The event that should captivate every wrestling fan with dream matches, memorable moments and cement seeds in to a young generation of would-be wrestlers who may one day dream to replicate what they witness on April 6th, 2014.
This can only be accomplished with a truly monumental event; something where wrestling fans will have everything they ever wanted to see. In short, WWE has reached its pivotal point. Even though we have no idea of what matches should be taking place in April next year, everyone within creative should clearly have a direction and anyone that WWE are planning to bring in for this event should realistically already have made and finalized arrangements.
Speculation is high on what we might see. If you have been listening to my podcast then you will know that this has been a big discussion point now for many weeks. Does Shawn Michaels come back for one last match against his best friend Triple H? The recent inclusion of old HB shizzle certainly suggests that this is a possibility. Will Austin ever return to face CM Punk in the match everyone has wanted to see since Punks rise in 2011? Will the Undertaker face Sting? Sting has admitted that he has come very close to signing with WWE for a WrestleMania match previously and his current TNA contract is set to run out soon. Will Goldberg face Ryback to finally give some meaning to the constant crowd chants? Will Hulk Hogan make an appearance and will The Rock be able to find a spot in his schedule seeing as he has recently been announced to start filming ‘San Sandreas’ in the first quarter of next year.
These questions will be on our minds for the next 6 months, desperately grasping for answers and hints that maybe some, if not all of these rumors come to fruition. In reality, WWE should already have most of these answers and should be doing everything to keep a lid on them to provide us with an event full of surprises and memorable moments.
In this day and age of internet reporting this is extremely difficult and if there was ever one event WWE should protect and ensure they pull out all the stops then it should be WrestleMania 30. This is your crowning glory, your celebration, your milestone and your final showcase of everyone who has got you to this massive point in your history. Yes, there will be part-timers involved and so what? If they draw then they deserve a spot. The young upcoming wrestlers may not get the spot they wanted this year but they may have to accept that their legacies will be written eventually. They could be put in to an honorable position of defeating a legend at the showcase of the immortals or they may be forced to compete in a dark match battle royale. Either way, they should enjoy the experience, learn from everyone they can and have the aim of when it comes to another milestone like WrestleMania 40 then they are the one that is giving advice and passing a torch to a worthy successor.
As things stand we can have a WrestleMania with many dream matches which might be unrealistic but we can also have a card which involves most of the current roster which would at least include matches that fans would want to see. A possible dream card could include:
Triple H Vs HBK
Undertaker Vs Sting
The Rock Vs Brock Lesnar
Stone Cold Vs CM Punk
Goldberg Vs Ryback
John Cena Vs Daniel Bryan
Whereas a realistic card could be:
Undertaker Vs John Cena
Brock Lesnar Vs Ryback
Daniel Bryan Vs CM Punk
Triple H & The Shield Vs Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, Goldust & Big Show
RVD Vs Rey Mysterio
Obviously this is complete fantasy booking and it will always divide opinions. It’s fair to say that the second card would not draw anywhere near the interest of the first but we all know with the correct booking, promos and video vignettes you can make something that doesn’t really jump out on paper be a complete success with the right story and direction. Take Cody Rhodes and Goldust with The Shield at Battleground. Nobody really thought it would be the match of the night but because it was built correctly and the match was run at the right pace it was a fantastic success.
Whatever happens, WWE has to make sure that this is the time they put the effort in, not in 4 months’ time when people have made commitments elsewhere and are not able to prepare for the event. WWE are not stupid and not everything can be planned so far in advance but realistically the wheels need to be in motion to create an event which is memorable and also sets to raise the bar after an extremely average effort last year in New Jersey.
Are you looking forward to WrestleMania 30? Do you think these dream matches are possible? Would you want to include someone I haven’t mentioned and in what role? Let me know at beansontoastuk@msn.com or get in touch via Twitter @BeansOnToastUK.
In the meantime let’s hope that Triple H, Vince and Stephanie are truly doing what’s “Best for Business.”