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6. What happens to the teased Shield break-up now that they’ve seemed to have gotten in the same page and even did a collective legit face turn against Kane? And how does this work out for them in terms of a WM match for them?
Mikey Llorin: The Shield face turn seems to have breathed new life into their characters. Before the turn, we had Roman “Future WWE Superface” Reigns, Dean “Future WWE Superheel” Ambrose, and Seth “Future WWE Superpopular Midcarder” Rollins. Now we have three fleshed-out, well-rounded Superstars we now all care about individually. And (this is important), each of them can tell now tell stories on their own. The WrestleMania heel turn hardly seems necessary anymore, and with all the other narrative-driven matches taking place in the event, the heel turn might not be as big a moment as it deserves to be.
That being said, it’s possible that the heel turn still takes place. But I would prefer that they keep them together for a monster babyface run, wreaking havoc, selling merch, and making Renee Young (and, let’s admit, the rest of us) super-kilig. And then have Ambrose and/or Rollins break our hearts by turning on Roman Reigns at, say, Summerslam.
Stan Sy: I agree with Mikey on the Shield having less predictable singles runs in their future given the current state of events. I’m salivating over that monster babyface run for the Shield, for as long as they don’t start pandering to the fans by high-fiving them on the way to the ring. I’ve been looking for a next-generation counterpart of cool badasses (with the APA as a slight peg), and the Shield fits the bill.
The breakup will happen, though, I don’t believe in Rollins being a heel. Still, it makes more sense logically to have two of them turn against one Roman Reigns. It’ll establish his superhero story better, so I’m putting my money on that. They could have their Wrestlemania moment several years down the road, when they’re all established main eventers in their own right. Remember that triple threat match they had for the #1 Contendership in FCW sometime on 2010/2011? That was one hell of a match. Now, take everything they’ve improved on over the years and layer it with their character’s individual evolutions after a few years… and take that match and put it in a WrestleMania some four, five years from now. You’ll have one hell of a promo video courtesy of Adam the Video Guy and Jim Johnston… and a match to remember. I’m calling it here.
Anthony Cuello: The Shield’s break-up has been delayed, but I’m fine with it because it means they’re fleshed out that much further. Prior to this all the talk was about Roman Reigns being the next big thing, with the other two having solid trajectories but supposedly not on the same level as Reigns. Having them as faces allows the fans to get behind them more, and builds interest towards the eventual break-up.
Look at the biggest beneficiary of a Shield face turn - Seth Rollins. Since they’ve turned face, Rollins now actually gets mic time, and is more over than ever - his moveset is really geared for a high-flying face type - and it’s in this style that he’s been able to impress. Dean Ambrose used to be known as a good talker having been the Shield’s mouthpiece, but now he’s playing more of a mad lunatic role - faded into the background a little bit, but you still feel him in matches. Now more people are starting to see the Jake Roberts element in him. This also allows Roman Reigns more time to develop as an individual, and gets more people behind him (the Superman Punch is still lousy, though, and I would still take Big Show’s WMD any day).
I think they’re delaying the payoff for this up until the summer - Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns would make for a great Summerslam match.
Ro: It makes the whole post-Elimination Chamber loss breakup teasing look a bit silly because the face turn did come from out of the blue, but as has been said by my peers, it’s a great move. The match against the Wyatts at Elimination Chamber was an auditory confirmation of how much the crowd is behind them and, well, WWE, isn’t it a great feeling when you listen to your fans every now and then? It pays off, doesn’t it?
Eunice Braga: It’s weird because the face turn seemed rather abrupt, but I like that the WWE is taking the time to develop all three of them, put them on pretty much the same level, instead of letting Roman Reigns rise to the top and leaving Rollins and Ambrose behind. The last time I was this invested in a group was when Nexus first arrived on the scene, and I felt that that could have panned out better. I’m expecting Cena to put Bray Wyatt over--he’s managed to create such an interesting, creepy character, and it would be such a great way to usher in his time.
7. After seeing the card just now, I was surprised the most at the Cena-Wyatt singles match. It’s not exactly the glamorous or gargantuan match-up you normally see for Cena. So my question is: Is this an indicator that Cena’s main event status/career is winding down? Will this mark the beginning of a long push for Bray Wyatt to stardom? Or is just a one-time thing?
Michael Bueza: If Cena’s not facing Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania XXX, who would? Who could Cena face that might generate the same buzz as his match with Bray Wyatt? Having Cena face an old nemesis with a half-baked reason would be boring, in my view. (Unless it’s against The Undertaker.)
I’d like to believe the Cena-Wyatt match is of main-event caliber itself, just because of Cena alone. Going by this argument, Cena still possesses main event status. Haha. But yeah, it seems that we won’t be seeing him much in WWE World Championship bouts from here on in.
Also, if Bray Wyatt could create an Undertaker-like career – that is, he could seamlessly get into title matches and main event despite his gimmick – then definitely, he would be a huge star in the near future. Here’s hoping the WWE wouldn’t drop the ball on him.
Anthony: I think this is the beginning of Cena transitioning into “Special Attraction” status - someone who’s a big deal, but does not necessarily need a title match to feel important. Think Shawn Michaels in the last decade or so - believe it or not, Shawn’s only had two title matches at WM since Wrestlemania XX (the Voldemort Triple Threat and against Cena). The rest have been solid, yet significant feuds.
More than anything, though, this speaks volumes of what they think of Bray Wyatt. To be put into a Wrestlemania match this early on in his career, and against someone with John Cena’s name is HUGE. I think the WWE are looking at him as the next Undertaker-like guy - that guy on the roster who makes you suspend your disbelief just for a second. A match against Cena just furthers this. While the WWE have not always been spot-on with looking at who to push to the top (just in recent times - Ryback, Miz, Del Rio), they may have struck gold with Bray Wyatt. At least I think they believe so, judging by this match at Wrestlemania.
Cena’s time isn’t up yet, but Bray Wyatt’s time is definitely now.
Mikey: I agree with Anthony. I’m reminded of Brandon Stroud predicting/fantasizing about the “great era of Old Bastard John Cena, throwing lariats and brutalizing the rookies and doing everything he can to hold on to a glory that is rightfully no longer his”. I believe Cena’s best years—when he reigned WWE as the god-king—are behind him, but the best version of Cena—which we will all love to death—is yet to come. This match might be the turning point.
Jocs Boncodin: I think it makes perfect sense for Wyatt to go against Cena, narrative-wise. Bray provides a sort of perfect antithesis to the clean-cut, all-american John Cena, both physically and psychologically. Wyatt’s character provides the necessary edge to balance Cena’s weird goofyness and push him to serious mode, which is admittedly when Cena’s at his best, particularly in his promos. Plus, if Wyatt truly is the next big heel, why not go after the biggest name in the yard? If he truly is the Eater of Worlds, why not go after the man the wrestling world (at least in the eyes of the WWE) revolves around?
By no means, though, should we see this a descent in John Cena’s pecking order in the business. He is still the face of the WWE. But with him transitioning to more of a veteran role, one secured with his position in the company and content with solidifying his legacy, it opens up numerous options for him to do. Yes, he could still chase titles, but now you could realistically use him as a sort of gate-keeper to main event status. Turn him into “the man” you have to beat to be “the man”. Plus, that would give another solid reason for the heel turn that honestly, I’ve given up on believing that it would ever happen.
Stan: Many have called Bray Wyatt “the next big thing” when he debuted that gimmick in NXT. The IWC went apeshit when he debuted against Kane. Why should we doubt that status now that he’s booked in the biggest match of his career, and against John Cena, to boot?
We know Bray Wyatt can bring it, but admittedly, we haven’t seen too much of him in the ring on TV. Rarely does he have a lengthy TV match, where we can really see his repertoire and what he has to offer. Believe it or not, this is only Bray’s fourth singles match on PPV. His first two (with Kane, and then Kofi) both lasted less than ten minutes, and in the latter match, you knew that Kofi was putting Bray over. Only his Royal Rumble PPV match with Bryan went past the 20-minute mark, and that match stole the show. I’m confident that Bray Wyatt can show that he is the real deal and that he and Cena will bring it at WrestleMania.
As for Cena, gotta go with what has already been said: he will be “the man to beat” to be “the man”.
Eunice: It’s John Cena transitioning into a more veteran role, which is great, I’d love to see what he does with it. I agree that he’s the man that you need to beat to be “the man,” and it’s exactly where he should be. He should be ushering in the next big thing at this point in his career. He’s still going to bring in the viewers, still sell all that merchandise--he doesn’t need to be up chasing titles or winning battle royales. I’d rather he get a good storyline and run with it for the next few months or so, and I’m excited to see what he’ll be up to after Wrestlemania 30.
Ro: Cena’s at this stage of his career where he is in the business of yielding to the future (see last year’s SummerSlam and his name not being in the WWE title match this year), and no single loss can truly hurt his star power now. By now the company should be aware of how important it is to build Bray and the Wyatts up as the next real force of evil in the company (which doesn’t require a substantial suspension of disbelief). Cena’s not main eventing. It’s okay to lose.
8. After HHH announced that there will definitely be a triple threat match in the main event of WrestleMania XXX, I have to ask: if Hunter actually beats Daniel Bryan and moves on to the Main Event, wouldn’t that be the ultimate “up yours” or troll to the WWE Universe? And, more importantly, wouldn’t that show that management actually CARES enough to piss the people off and start a riot in New Orleans?
Michael: It would be dumb for the WWE to have HHH in the main event. I would really stop watching wrestling when that happens. For me, they just need a reason to include Bryan in the uninteresting Batista-Orton main event.
Anthony: Nope, it’s called bringing back the greatest thing they’ve done after the Attitude Era - Evolution. There is a small, small part of me that wants Triple H to actually do that at Wrestlemania, but it does feel like the time is right for Daniel Bryan’s quest to end, so I’m pretty sure this won’t happen. (It would be awesome if it did, though.)
Michael: It would absolutely be the ultimate “up yours” to the WWE Universe, but moreso to every single WWE fan who thinks they’re “above” the WWE Universe: the wrestling hipsters, the self-proclaimed “smart/smark” fans, the IWC, etc. Fortunately, however, Bryan’s fanbase has reached the critical mass: the “Yes! Movement” is now the officially sanctioned corporate label for Daniel Bryan’s fanbase, and I don’t believe that WWE would ever screw them over. It’s no longer just “us” who cheer for the indie darling. WWE would screw “us” repeatedly, but they would never screw the masses for the sake of trolling. Especially at such a critical time, with the ongoing launch of the WWE Network, and their rising value on Wall Street.
Strangely, Bryan’s success is what will ultimately be best for business—now more than ever. He now makes them enough money for them to notice. Eventually we’ll all hate how they’re pushing Bryan down our throats, and how he keeps “holding down” talent like Cesaro or Seth Rollins.
Eunice: I don’t think Triple H will win--Bryan’s Yes Movement has already gone mainstream, and it’d be ridiculous for the WWE to not capitalize on that. Imagine a supercut of pro athletes or the entire roster chanting ‘YES!’ in support of Bryan’s win, and that’s just one of the things they can come out with post-Wrestlemania. (Just thinking about the entire roster coming out and chanting ‘YES!’ gives me the chills.) If they want to usher in a new era of success for the WWE, Bryan will win, not just against Triple H, but against Orton and Batista too.
Stan: (1) Yes, it will be.
(2) They shouldn’t, and they won’t. That’s not what’s best for business.
Ro: If this happens, I honestly think it will be the downfall of the WWE. People will riot. Attendance will go down. The company’s stock will plunge. Chaos shall reign the streets. The rivers shall run red with the blood of marks, forcing America to turn into an Orwellian police state with Triple H as the fascist dictator.
Daniel Bryan is a Triple H guy. Only the onscreen Triple H character is so dumb as to not realize that Bryan is best for business - the real Triple H and his father-in-law know very well what to do.
9. Given Brock Lesnar’s “mean streak” and the Deadman’s age/physical condition, how do you think the match with The Undertaker’s undefeated WrestleMania streak on the line will go?
Michael: Fantasy booking time: Lesnar would beat up the Undertaker so bad, but the Deadman would not die. So Lesnar resorts to cheating, then… *static* CM PUNK RETURNS! He’ll save Undertaker, leading to a 22-0 winning streak, then Punk rekindles his feud with Lesnar.
Anthony: There’s enough reason to be scared of this match given Brock’s style and the Deadman’s health, but I’d like to believe that they’re playing this out well behind the scenes. As above, this will be very violent, and dramatic - but well-rehearsed. Brock Lesnar knows all too well what happens when you botch stuff at the greatest stage of them all (lol Shooting Star Press), and I’m sure he’ll want to avoid something similar.
What I’m more concerned about is how this has been booked. Remember last year, when CM Punk actually looked liked he had the Undertaker’s number at times? Sure, they had to use a dead man to further the plot, but this worked. Bigtime. They really got it then - Punk playing around with the urn just really made it worth watching. It isn’t like that at all this year. The build-up to this match has consisted of Lesnar and Paul Heyman running their mouths, only for Undertaker to ALWAYS have the upper hand. Eat, sleep, get conquered, repeat. Not really fun to watch.
The Undertaker will win, no doubt. Brock Lesnar is a part-time star who seems to have been resigned just to be made to look like a chump to the other guys in the roster on big stages. 22-0, but not after Lesnar looks like he’s on the verge of winning.
Mikey: It will go incredibly theatrically—very well-rehearsed, very violent, and very, very dramatic. Undertaker would almost definitely (God forbid) sustain several injuries. The top of Lesnar’s head will bleed, as always, after he hits the ringpost. We will all believe that this, yes, this (!) will be the moment when the Streak will end. And then Undertaker will kick out, and overcome, and defeat Brock Lesnar. As always.
Fantasy booking time: Undertaker’s bent-knee, hand-to-the-sky “22-0” post-match celebration will be interrupted… by Sting. Here comes a new challenger!
Eunice: 22-0 (I think they’ll reserve breaking the streak for the Undertaker’s retirement, or for the next great Superstar, whoever that is), but definitely a bloodied head for Brock.
Stan: Very violent, very physical. I really think that the Streak will end one day. But April 6, 2014 is not that day. It has to end by the hand of an up-and-comer that Taker will be putting over.
Ro: This is a good question, and very interesting. It will be violent, but it won’t be anything Taker can’t handle; this is the guy, after all, who still does leaps to the outside on those destroyed knees. Taker commands enough fear and respect for Brock not to go too wildly on him, but Taker can, well, take it.
10. One of the things that intrigues me is if Wrestlemania will tie up the Daniel Bryan-Authority narrative (given that Wrestlemania does tie up longstanding storylines, with Bryan winning over Triple H), or if the WWE will take advantage of the ‘YES!’ going mainstream and extend that storyline?
Stan: This storyline has run its course and they’ve delayed the gratification long enough. It ends at WrestleMania with Bryan standing tall as champion. From there, he has to become the fighting champion, still overcoming odds left and right. The WWE can still take advantage of the YES Movement’s momentum anyway. It’s a matter of booking logically from the title win. Yes, I’m really sold on the fact that Bryan’s winning it.
Ro: We can no longer wait. It’s been too long and the length is getting more and more indefensible with every PPV that passes. Of course, such an accomplishment - defeating the Authority and winning the WWE title on the way there - feels like it shouldn’t be done at just any PPV; it feels like a Wrestlemania moment, and the storyline is rightfully on its last legs as it approaches the home stretch. This needs to happen now, and YES going mainstream has nothing to do with pulling the trigger. You can still capitalize on it after Bryan wins; him winning doesn’t mean all his nemeses magically go away.
Anthony: It has to - I think this current storyline (Bryan the underdog going against the Authority) has to end there. They’ve been building towards it, and it makes perfect sense to end it at Wrestlemania.
Daniel Bryan winning doesn’t spell the end of his story with the Authority. They could start to go in a different direction - say, Vince McMahon entering the fray and backing Bryan against the Authority. They can introduce new faces as Triple H and friends scramble to get Daniel Bryan off the pedestal. There’s a whole world of possibilities they can take this to, but as far as the underdog vs. the evil management storyline, it should end at Wrestlemania.
Michael: This is our generation's "Attitude Era," with Daniel Bryan as Stone Cold, and HHH playing Vince McMahon. Only this time, our hero is a vegan, and the evil boss can actually wrestle. Haha.
WrestleMania XXX is just the beginning for Bryan. Get ready for epic WWE World Title matches in the near future, folks!
Eunice: It is about time, isn’t it? I agree--the storyline can evolve from here (I, for one, would love a challenger a week bit of a run, which they can use to push a rising talent and showcase the best of the current roster). I’d love for Vince to take part in this, to undermine Triple H and Stephanie the way they did him back in the Attitude Era. If it the current storyline doesn’t end at Wrestlemania, it’ll be a disaster of epic proportions.
11. Who would be the breakout star of Raw After Mania?
Jocs: Wyatt, for sure. if the Shield break-up happens at WM, expect Reigns to continue to his trajectory as the next big thing.
Michael: Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Cesaro, or whoever wins the Andre Memorial Battle Royal.
Mikey: It depends on how we understand the term “breakout star”. Do we mean to ask which wrestler will automatically be thrust into the main event level? If we do, doesn’t this mean that Bray Wyatt is already there, by virtue of being in a match against John Cena? All he has to do is make at least a decent showing during the match. He doesn’t even have to win. The fact that there is uncertainty of how a Cena match will play out because of Bray Wyatt all but confirms that he’s already the star we want him to be. (Forget everything I said if Cena wins decisively, though.)
If we understand “breakout star” as “wrestler who will unexpectedly dominate most conversations about WrestleMania during the post-Mania Raw” (e.g. Ziggler and Fandango 2013, Bryan 2012, or Shelton Benjamin 2005), then it could be whoever performs the highest high spot (probably Ziggler, Rollins, or the Usos), whoever performs the greatest feat of strength (almost certainly Cesaro—perhaps they’ve saved the Big Show giant swing for WrestleMania), or generally whoever does the craziest and most unexpected thing (like, say, Santino, if he wins the battle royale). Usually, this spot falls into the lap of whomever the hardcore fanbase feels is being neglected or denied an opportunity at stardom (in the case of Ziggler and Bryan) during WrestleMania, but I don’t think anyone on the roster counts as that anymore. I can’t imagine the New Orleans Raw crowd being indignant that, say, Big E was “demoted” to competing in the battle royale.
If we understand “breakout star” as “wrestler whose narrative trajectory will suddenly shift upwards during the post-WrestleMania season due to something that transpired at ‘Mania”, then there are several possible choices. If The Shield win and stay together, it will be treated as another stop on the journey to a great babyface run—so, no, this won’t qualify them as “breakout stars” because they will have maintained their narrative trajectory. If they do break up, all three members of what-used-to-be-The-Shield could be candidates for breakout stardom—three fresh Superstars with crazy momentum and fleshed-out characters. Other candidates for this kind of breakout stardom, in order of likelihood: Sheamus (who is rumored to turn heel), Cesaro (if he splits with Swagger), Alexander Rusev, Big E, Kane (perhaps a Team Hell No reunion?), Wade Barrett, and Zack Ryder. (jk lol never Ryder)
Stan: No doubt people will be talking about Wyatt after Mania. If Wyatt wins, he’s easily the breakout star. If he loses, the IWC will think that Cena just buried Wyatt. He’ll get the Ziggler 2013 and Bryan 2012 treatment if that happens.
I also think Cesaro will see a surge in momentum post-Mania. I’m surprised Roman Reigns hasn’t been mentioned yet. Or has he already experienced that surge in the past? Nonetheless, I don’t see how this match with Kane and the Outlaws can’t make Roman Reigns even bigger of a star than he already is.
Ro: Bray Wyatt could only break out if his match with Cena gets enough time, and Cena works well enough to give him a spot to be remembered.
Honestly, though, the main contenders for this should only be Roman Reigns, Seth “Crossbones” Rollins, and Cesaro. Those three guys know how to create a star-making moment. The only problem is that all three men could be argued to have broken out already, judging from the way people talk about them after every crazy match.
You can’t break out, however, if you’re still running with a team, so I’m placing my money on Cesaro.
Anthony: It has to be Bray Wyatt. I think they’ll give that match enough time, and that Cena and Wyatt will make it work. A lot of people rag on Cena for being under the spotlight for so long, but he’s been in some very solid matches. He’s no slouch when it comes to the big stage, and I think he’ll give the rub to Bray Wyatt.
I will say, though, that I’ll consider Seth Rollins to break out if he climbs a ladder in the ring, nails a suicide dive on Kane & the NAO outside the ring, and then gets up and does it AGAIN.
Eunice: Gotta go with Bray Wyatt and whoever wins the Andre the Giant Battle Royale (assuming that they decide to offer something on the spot, otherwise it’s just a paycheck for everyone involved). Maybe Seth Rollins, if he delivers the high-flying move that ends the match with the Authority.
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