Lots of people say WWE should stick to the plan for WrestleMania’s main event: Go with Roman Reigns beating Brock Lesnar for the WWE title.
I say, don’t. Bad idea.
Booking should be planned long-term, but needs to be liquid. Give the people what they want. (You also need to be 100 percent certain about what they want. The people at home watching television may want something different than the vocal hardcore minority that tries to hijack live shows. There are a lot more people watching TV at home.)
WWE has certainly made last-minute decisions about ‘Mania main events, like not putting the belt on Lex Luger in 1994.
A prime example of a predetermined plan going awry is Sting getting the NWA world title in 1990. Sting is a big part of this year’s ‘Mania, but in 1988 he got over big after a 45-minute draw with Ric Flair at the first TBS Clash of the Champions. Sting got groomed as the face of Jim Crockett Promotions, and then World Championship Wrestling after the sale to TBS. An injured knee delayed his coronation, but the long-term build was planned and executed with Sting winning the NWA belt at the 1990 Great American Bash.
Business declined. The pop was still there. Much of the crowd wasn’t.
Sting wasn’t ready. A top guy, yes. But not THE top guy. It hurt the promotion and damaged Sting, who never truly got over to the same degree until he was reborn as “The Crow” in 1996.
That’s what WWE must calculate: Not just the short-term damage of a ‘Mania finish that the marks defecate on, but also damage done to Reigns long-term.
Reigns isn’t ready. In today’s WWE, the main question is: Can a performer carry a 20-minute talk segment to open Raw? Reigns can’t. Not even close.
The best possible main event for ‘Mania in terms of workrate is Lesnar-Daniel Bryan. But workrate has never meant less.
