It's Wrestlemania Season

[BomberPat]

WWE just aren't very good at putting people over in defeat (and, arguably, not always in victory either). When people talk about wins and losses mattering, that doesn't just mean about title shots and pushes, it's about some indication of momentum, and of the wrestlers involved caring about it. One of the reasons Eddie Kingston is great is because you get the sense that every loss eats away at him, and every victory feels hard-earned, while Cena's schtick for years was to lose to somebody then cut a "nice speech" promo about how it didn't really matter unless they beat him again. 

Ten years ago, when people kicked off that Daniel Bryan didn't win the Royal Rumble, the problem wasn't just that he wasn't in the Royal Rumble, it's that he'd lost earlier that night and there was no indication of any direction or forward momentum for him at all, which left people open to blindly speculating that he would be in the Rumble, and let them down when he wasn't. When John Cena was doing his US Title open challenges, he was doing all he could to have competitive matches and give star-making performances to guys like Cesaro and Kevin Owens, but the problem with star-making performances is that they only actually make stars if there's any follow-up. The only person who used to be able to pull it off was Brock Lesnar, because if he had a competitive match rather than a squash, the opponent usually came out of it with more credibility for simply being able to hang with him. 

The last few weeks aside, WWE booking seems to have been more coherent lately than in years past, and Triple H seems to have a slightly different creative vision to Vince McMahon, so maybe he will be able to do as a booker what he couldn't as a wrestler, and have people look good in defeat, which I agree would be a fantastic use of John Cena if they can pull it off, but also, maybe for Cena the bloom is off the rose and he's too well known as someone prepared to do business at this stage that a win won't mean much at all.

[SuperBacon]

No matter how rubbish he is, in kayfabe an Austin Theory, or any other full time wrestler, should be beating a rusty, out of training, hasn't wrestled for a while Cena. Or at the very least, push him all the way.

I don't have a massive issue with that. 

Well I do obviously as Austin Theory is fucking dreadful. 

[Supremo]

Austin Theory beating John Cena at Wrestlemania was thoroughly worth it for the press tour Cena went on in the subsequent months, burying Theory at every opportunity.

[DavidB6937]

Guys let's stop talking about the wrong Austin.

Next year ?

 

[The Gaffer]

Austin's surely the only guy at this point capable of carrying a barely mobile, held together Punk to a shmoz brawl. 

[Vamp]

I kinda assume that's part of why Punk came back to be honest. Must have eaten him up to see Kevin Owens get the match that he always wanted. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3VzDUaO4Yw/?igsh=cHZ0dXluOGJoeDNr

Cody and Seth going on the Grayson Waller Effect in Australia.

Either Rock and Roman are sneakily booking flights as we speak, or they're going to further the tension between Cody and Seth ahead of the big betrayal at Wrestlemania...

 

 

...sorry @Supremo ?

[The King of Old School]

12 hours ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3VzDUaO4Yw/?igsh=cHZ0dXluOGJoeDNr

Cody and Seth going on the Grayson Waller Effect in Australia.

Either Rock and Roman are sneakily booking flights as we speak, or they're going to further the tension between Cody and Seth ahead of the big betrayal at Wrestlemania...

 

Or, it turns into "impromptu" tag match with Seth/Cody facing Grayson/Theory as a warm up for Mania.

[SuperBacon]

OK, this would be fantastic.

 

[Frankie Crisp]

Utterly terrible artist teaming up with an utterly terrible wrestler, but it would still do numbers?

 

 

Edited February 15, 2024 by Frankie Crisp

[SuperBacon]

34 minutes ago, Frankie Crisp said:

Utterly terrible artist teaming up with an utterly terrible wrestler, but it would still do numbers?

 

 

Usher talking just to you on the night: 

[d-d-d-dAz]

Roman Reigns teasing that 'everything changes' on Smackdown tonight.

I wonder if we're going to lean into that power struggle stuff, and Rock/Roman will insist that Rock calls the shots and Cody isn't getting a main event at Mania.

I hope they do a single Bloodline entrance with them coming out together, rather than separately. The spectacle of Roman/Rock coming out together as part of a new Two Man Power Trip would be quite something.

[DavidB6937]

11 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

I hope they do a single Bloodline entrance with them coming out together, rather than separately. The spectacle of Roman/Rock coming out together as part of a new Two Man Power Trip would be quite something.

Stop trying to rob me of Hollywood Rock entrance!

(Although this would also be pretty cool)

[air_raid]

15 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Roman Reigns teasing that 'everything changes' on Smackdown tonight.

My gut feeling is this will be the formalisation of the "bound in blood" stuff, that they wanted to do the Mania match together to make the biggest amount of dollar possible for the family, and that if that plan's in tatters, then they're going to destroy Cody together as a consequence. That Rollins is guilty by proxy, and that they're challenging both for a tag at night 1 of Mania.

After years of pretending WrestleMania has two main events, it will finally be true. I mean, not really, but it looks great on the posters.

15 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

I wonder if we're going to lean into that power struggle stuff, and Rock/Roman will insist that Rock calls the shots and Cody isn't getting a main event at Mania.

Fuck, that would be awful. Ultimate focus should be on Reigns vs Cody, and it needs a Rock vs HHH subplot detracting from it long term the way HHH vs Y2J needed dividing into HHH vs Steph and Y2J vs Lucy the dog.

I renounce that sentiment, obviously, if Hunter's decided he's prepared to risk his dodgy ticker for one more Mania pop and he's actually going to wrestle Rock at Mania. He isn't, but I'd love it, love it if he did. I've long thought each of their last match should be with each other. Which it wouldn't be, but I can pretend.

15 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

The spectacle of Roman/Rock coming out together as part of a new Two Man Power Trip would be quite something.

Sure, but you've still got the ultimate fantasy ShieldLine entrance to think about too if the fix is in. Although I can't help thinking that if Rock, Reigns, Rollins, Ambrose, Solo, Jimmy and Heyman ALL have to waddle down the steps, Solo someone is bound to trip and take a spill.

Edited February 16, 2024 by air_raid

[The Dart]

Cody & Seth being on together with Grayson Waller at EC, plus Seth being in that video last week with Cody, Roman & Rock certainly makes it look like a tag match on night 1 is on the table, with Seth also defending against someone (Drew?) on Night 2.   I can't see what The Rock would be doing at Mania if not that tag match.