Originally posted by Amos CochranReigns is already way better and far less green than Ryback or Lashley. He's spent the year working alongside two of the best new workers they've hired and against the top guys in the company. He's seasoned.
On the other hand, the vast majority of his work has been in tag matches (has he had more than a couple of single matches?) where any flaws can be easily hidden. Ideally you'd want to give him an extended singles push to get him used to working longer matches on his own, as well as to judge whether he's ready for the big push. Main eventers also need to be able handle extended promos, which Reigns hasn't had to do as a member of the Shield. If they really see him as a big player, they need to be careful how they handle him post-Shield. Throwing him in the ME scene with a big push right away has the potential to do great damage if he's not ready to hold up his end.
Originally posted by Spaceman SpiffMain eventers also need to be able handle extended promos, which Reigns hasn't had to do as a member of the Shield.
Right. We know Dean Ambrose is a hell of a talker, and I'd probably put Seth Rollins ahead of Roman Reigns in the promo department too.
In my opinion, WrestleMania XXX is way too early for Reigns to suddenly become "the man". Give him the Kane push in the Rumble match, but the Rumble match should be won by Daniel Bryan, who should defeat Orton at WrestleMania for the championship.
If you wanna run with Reigns, do it at WrestleMania 31.
And in the meantime, Cena should challenge Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX (and lose).
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the Money in the Bank PPV is still on the PPV calendar for 2014. It's the only concept PPV of the last wave to actually work so it's probably never going back to WrestleMania as long as they're still doing monthly PPVs.
speaking of: Someone - I think it was on the Masked Man's podcast - suggested swapping the Elimination Chamber and MITB on the calendar. I don't know if I'm behind that specifically, but I would definitely support moving Elimination Chamber to some other time. February title changes (or even WM Title Shot Changes) are going to be very unlikely in a decently booked One Title world. That February PPV is already going to be about setting the stage for every other WM match BESIDES the title match if it's going to be compelling. Then Chamber can be saved for one of the (many) other dead shows where they have more freedom to do something with the title. Even just putting it back on Survivor Series to make that concept work would be a net improvement.
Making February Money in the Bank helps make it interesting without messing with everyone important's WM story - especially since a lot of the guys who end up in it usually don't have a more than 3 week WM story - but a new MitB winner distracts from the title picture and that can't help right before what should be the biggest title match of the year.
The Chamber doesn't have to necessarily be for the World Title though. They could try and do something new with it, maybe a War Games style match with Cena/Punk/Bryan vs. Shield for example. Or with the new revamped tag division do a six team Chamber match for the Tag Titles.
I actually wouldn't mind seeing them combine Money in the Bank with Survivor Series. Do four traditional elimination tag matches where all the survivors advance to a Money in the Back match at the end of the show. Takes Survivor Series back to it's roots while putting a modern spin on it and getting it back to big four status.
Originally posted by VgmastrThe Chamber doesn't have to necessarily be for the World Title though. They could try and do something new with it, maybe a War Games style match with Cena/Punk/Bryan vs. Shield for example. Or with the new revamped tag division do a six team Chamber match for the Tag Titles.
I actually wouldn't mind seeing them combine Money in the Bank with Survivor Series. Do four traditional elimination tag matches where all the survivors advance to a Money in the Back match at the end of the show. Takes Survivor Series back to it's roots while putting a modern spin on it and getting it back to big four status.
Whoa, whoa, whoa...now settle down mister, you don't want WWE to actually try something new, do you?
All kidding aside, that is a cool idea.
Chuck Norris drives an ice cream truck covered in human skulls.
You could have the final six guys in the Rumble automatically qualify for the Chamber, where the Rumble winner would have to defend his shot. Make the Rumble and the Chamber a two-stage qualifyer for the WM title shot.
Originally posted by SchippeWreckYou could have the final six guys in the Rumble automatically qualify for the Chamber, where the Rumble winner would have to defend his shot. Make the Rumble and the Chamber a two-stage qualifyer for the WM title shot.
I don't like that, because it essentially makes winning the Rumble meaningless. Logically, if I make it to the final six in the Rumble, the smart move is to immediately get eliminated so that I'm fresh for the Chamber. I don't want to *win* the Rumble, because the win itself doesn't matter.
Honestly, now that we're down to one world champion, the Chamber probably should be moved elsewhere on the calender. It made sense as a companion to the Rumble for the other brand's title, but now it's just in the way.
I'm surprised John O. didn't post this first, but as per the "Pit Of Danger" in the subject line, it sounds like good ole Dave Batista is indeed coming back for a 'Mania run.
Originally posted by PWTorchIn a big development concerning part-time or returning WWE stars, former WWE star Dave Bautista is being advertised for a "Road to WrestleMania" house show in February in Las Vegas.
The house show is scheduled for Sunday, February 16, which is the Sunday before the Elimination Chamber PPV.
The advertising on the Thomas & Mack Center website reads: Don’t miss your favorite WWE Superstars including: C.M. Punk, The Shield, Big Show, Kane, the WWE Divas, and much more! Plus, see the special return of 'The Animal' Batista, LIVE!"
The arena website is featuring a picture of Batista both on the thumbnail link to the event listing and on the event listing itself.
Based on the timeline, it would appear that Batista will return in January around or at the Royal Rumble, then be integrated into house shows leading up to WrestleMania 30 in April.
I know Heel Batista was some of his best work right before he left, I always appreciated the guy but don't really miss him and dunno what his lumbering, Drax The Destroyer, turning-45-in-January self is going to add to the mix right now... (other than Returning Star Power)
Cena vs Taker for the Streak Punk vs HHH for Control of the WWE or whatever Bryan vs Shawn Lesnar vs Batista Orton vs Reigns for the WWE WHC Ryback vs Goldberg Cody vs Goldust Rey vs Sin Cara (whoever Sin Cara actually is by then)
It's a stacked card but it's all within the realms of possibility.
Man, it would be so great if Batista had so much more fun as a heel that he insisted on coming back as one and joined the Authoritative Evolution. But I doubt it.
Originally posted by thecubsfanSee, I read that Reigns line and thought he meant Reigns was getting the Undertaker at WM and maybe even winning. (Maybe not even this year, but next.)
Something with Undertaker/Reigns would fit the reiterated "the Shield took out the Undertaker!" lines, as well as building Reigns up with all the spears. Reigns is undefeated in singles matches, right? But I wouldn't want to be telling the "Reigns is ready to make history, uh oh" story at the same time as the "Reigns is teasing a face turn" story.
Originally posted by Amos CochranIf Reigns is their big plan for the title at the show, they've got to have something worthwhile planned for Bryan in its place.
Yeah, giving Reigns the big coronation before Bryan wins the belt would just be setting him up to fail. The crowd will dig their heels in even more and shout it down. It'd backfire on him even worse than it hurt Sheamus.
Maybe it's just a fluke of Dave's wording and he means "Reigns eliminates 27 guys" or "WWE's goal is for Reigns to be the new Cena by 2015."
Originally posted by lotjxBryan vs. HBK would be amazing at Elimination Chamber not a Wrestlemania. The ulterior motive is for HBK to get a big paycheck for doing one night of work much like Taker is doing while the rest of the roster is busting their ass 300 days a year for a smaller one.
Truly a match befitting Shawn Michaels' nickname, Mr. Elimination Chamber. Part-Time WrestlerMania has got to be an increasingly demoralizing trend, but if Michaels was just in it for a payday, he would come back and wrestle Triple H (or Brock Lesnar, who he already shot an angle with), not his prized pupil about whom he gushes to everyone who will listen and some who don't.
At this juncture, I will lay down: - John Cena vs. Undertaker - Batista vs. Brock Lesnar - CM Punk vs. Triple H - Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Title - Shawn Michaels doesn't wrestle, WWE put him in the angle at the Slammys to try to get him excited about coming back and it almost works but doesn't.
Batista coming in allows them to break the Taker/Lesnar pairing and give them each something substantial when they finally realize how perfect Taker/Cena would be. Lesnar without Taker somehow becomes a man without a purpose, but here's your replacement movie star opponent. No, not him.
Bryan wins the title to accidentally pay off his storyline in the perfect way they never intended and return as a conquering hero in front of his home crowd (the post-WM Raw maniacs). Bryan/Orton having wrestled so many times is compensated by all the other starpower matches, allowing them to do that just to blow the roof off of the Dome for the title change.
If they are resigned to not having a Cena/Rock level match after being spoiled for a couple years, Bryan vs. Cena vs. Orton would be a pretty good payoff in terms of pretending there's been a longterm story from SummerSlam all the way to Wrestlemania. I always thought WM25 as they set it up should've been Cena vs. Edge vs. Jeff Hardy, with Jeff winning.
If the "OMG Shield Took Out Undertaker!" teases on WWE programming are to be believed, Taker comes back and costs one (or all) of the Shield eliminations at the Rumble. That leads to a match of some kind at the Elimination Chamber or WrestleMania (and that leads to the Shield break-up).
So...my "dream" Mania:
Randy Orton vs. John Cena CM Punk vs. Triple H Daniel Bryan vs. Shawn Michaels The Undertaker vs. The Shield (3-on-1 Handicap) Batista vs. Brock Lesnar
In lower-tier but still big-name Wrestlemania rumour-mongering, do we know if a) Jericho is coming back again and b) if Rey is actually retiring since his knees are held together by imagination? These questions could answer each other, actually --- Rey has a retirement match, his old frenemy Jericho comes back as his final opponent. Boom, done.
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." --- Bart Giamatti, on baseball
Originally posted by JustinShapiro but if Michaels was just in it for a payday, he would come back and wrestle Triple H (or Brock Lesnar, who he already shot an angle with), not his prized pupil about whom he gushes to everyone who will listen and some who don't.
Though I don't think Shawn's going to do it, one-more-match against Bryan does make a lot of sense. story:The Master wants to show the Student that he's still better than him (then it turns out he isn't) reality: Shawn gets to steal the show one more time. also reality: Unless they twist the aftermath in such a way that Bryan can now go on calling himself mr.Wrestlemania, he actually doesn't gain all that much from doing this match. Who would've thought that Daniel Bryan facing HBK at Wrestlemania could be considered a step down for him.
So. Major spoilers you're going to have to work to avoid the next month. I'll help you here, but you need to stop reading this thread and maybe the internet if you don't want to know things yet.
The plan for the Royal Rumble is, or at least was,
Spoiler Below: Highlight text to read
Batista not only returning as a surprise, but winning the whole thing and facing Orton for the title at WrestleMania. Meltzer also adds Undertaker/Lesnar is the WrestleMania match if there's any Undertaker match, and Cena vs ??? (specifically not Hogan) will be the last match on the show no matter what else is on the card. He didn't seem to think it was Cena/Bryan but didn't seem to know for sure what it was.
Of course, since parts of this were already getting out and will get out more, WWE has a month to change their minds. WWE has been very locked in on WM plans in the last few years once they've set them, but this one seems built around people not seeing it coming.
Originally posted by thecubsfanSo. Major spoilers you're going to have to work to avoid the next month. I'll help you here, but you need to stop reading this thread and maybe the internet if you don't want to know things yet.
The plan for the Royal Rumble is, or at least was,
Spoiler Below: Highlight text to read
Batista not only returning as a surprise, but winning the whole thing and facing Orton for the title at WrestleMania. Meltzer also adds Undertaker/Lesnar is the WrestleMania match if there's any Undertaker match, and Cena vs ??? (specifically not Hogan) will be the last match on the show no matter what else is on the card. He didn't seem to think it was Cena/Bryan but didn't seem to know for sure what it was.
Of course, since parts of this were already getting out and will get out more, WWE has a month to change their minds. WWE has been very locked in on WM plans in the last few years once they've set them, but this one seems built around people not seeing it coming.
Man, that would be a disaster and the final nail in the "let's see where this goes!" coffin. My only question/doubt with this is:
Spoiler Below: Highlight text to read
What could the Cena closer possibly be? The only way to justify Cena/Bryan or Cena/Punk going last is if it's Bryan or Punk vs. Heel Cena, but Cena can't turn heel if Orton is still Corporate Champ. If this is the card, we're getting Punk vs. Bryan for the "shut up and take this, dorks" opener.
Hilarious Doomsday Cena Main Event Scenarios:
-Cena vs. Rock III: The War To Settle The Score (unlikely since Rock doesn't seem to be talked about this year, but theoretically possible)
-Cena vs. Reigns: This is the secret Cena match they've had in mind for a while AND the "Roman Reigns plans bigger than any of us had imagined" scenario, with Cena putting over Reigns in the main event (I mean, I guess this is possible, but I don't know how you get there this fast)
-Cena vs. HHH: For The Soul of Wrestling and The Future of This Business (most likely....this would be almost certain under this scenario, right?)
-Cena vs. HBK: this one isn't likely, but is the theoretical Cena main event match that would be the funniest from a schadenfreude perspective, since it would involve Cena having to be Bryan's proxy and how amazing would that be? Just weeks of "Shawn Michaels, you talk about Daniel Bryan, but he's a better man than you ever were and I'll prove at Wrestlemania by beating you for him!" sleight-of-hand by Cena. This would be glorious.
Cena Vs. Sting? Christ, if their big plan is Cena Vs. HHH with Punk Vs. Bryan on the undercard, I actually will not buy a WrestleMania for the first time in fifteen years.
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