Come Wrestlemania time, rumors start flying about potential surprise appearances and finishes to matches. I would say about half the time these rumors actually happen and half the time nothing comes of anything. Lots of people just throw stuff at the wall and hope it sticks, but there are times when rumors actually have a bit more credibility to them, and it seems like this is the case with at least one of these names rumored to appear.
So I'm giving you a warning: If you want to be surprised at Wrestlemania, stop reading. If not, continue on and get my thoughts on potential two big returns.
Lets start with Batista. Batista already stated that he would be in Miami Wrestlemania Weekend for a charity event, so the fact that he was spotted there isn't too big of a story. However, according to f4wonline, Batista was picked up from the Miami airport by WWE officials. I'm sure the WWE wouldn't waste their time picking up Batista unless they actually had plans to talk with him about a potential return.
It has been almost two years since Batista has been in a WWE ring. Batista left in 2010 mainly because he did not like the direction the current product was going. When he left, Batista was one of the better characters in the WWE. His heel turn was very entertaining. Who could ever forget his "kissing babies and hugging fat girls" comment he made towards John Cena during a promo on RAW. Batista has a great personality and when given the opportunity to open up a bit on the mic, he did a good job.
Now, what could Batista do as far as a potential return? I think he would be more open to working a full schedule than most stars who come back. Plus, he has a multitude of fresh programs available. He hasn't really feuded with any full time time stars on the current roster besides John Cena, Randy Orton and to a lesser extent Chris Jericho. But Batista does have history, however, with Triple H and John Cena. If Batista is going to return, you would expect him to get involved in one of the main event matches on the show. If I had to guess, I would say Batista is more than likely to get involved in the HHH/Taker match than Rock/Cena. Batista is up there in age, so he may only have a year left in him, but his presence on TV will be a boost to the WWE product.
Then of course there is the big one. Late Friday afternoon it was reported by PWInsider that Brock Lesnar was in negotiations for a potential return at this year's Wrestlemania. The report said that negotiations were on-going and that there was a 50-50 chance that Lesnar would appear on Sunday. It was reported later in the day that the two sides were working on the number of dates Lesnar would work and of course, compensation.
Lesnar's last appearance in the WWE came at Wrestlemania XX in a match against Goldberg. What was once a dream match turned into a huge disaster for the WWE. The New York City crowd at Madison Square Garden completely shit on the match. Both men were leaving the Company and the crowd knew it. Lesnar and Goldberg hesitated for the first part of the match, and you could tell neither man really was that invested in the match. Since leaving the WWE, Lesnar made a huge name for himself in UFC. He was a huge PPV draw and made himself a good chunk of change there. I think if he were to come back now, WWE fans would have a bit more appreciation for him. But I also think he would have to be a heel. Lesnar just plays a heel better than a face. He still might get cheers, but his character has to come off as a heel.
The key thing with a Brock Lesnar return is that he would not want to work a full time schedule. Lesnar has made enough money from UFC, and his body isn't in the shape to handle a full time schedule. That is the reason he left the WWE in the first place. But Lesnar has turned himself into a huge star since leaving the WWE. He would be a big name and a PPV darw, no matter how many times he appeared. He could help bring over UFC fans that left the WWE product behind during UFC's take off years ago. Lesnar's name has drawing power and whoever he is paired with will draw on PPV.
So, the question remains: Who do you pair Brock Lesnar up with on PPV? The Rock was asked a couple of weeks ago by a Philadelphia reporter about a potential match with Lesnar at Wrestlemania 29, but Rock shook the question off and laughed about it, saying he had no comment. Did this reporter have some inside info? A Lesnar/Rock match would be a huge draw. But the one problem you have with that is it would more than likely kill the morale of the current WWE locker room. Two non full time guys main eventing Wrestlemania? Yeah, that won't go over well. At least this year's main event has John Cena, who still works full time. Even though Rock/Lesnar would be a spectacle, Cena/Lesnar might be better. Those two have never faced off on a big PPV. Lesnar was once considered the future star of the WWE, Cena is the current star of the WWE.
There's also the possibility of a Lesnar/Undertaker match. Those two have history and put on two very good PPV matches, including one inside Hell In A Cell. The two had a "confrontation" after one of Lesnar's UFC fights in October 2010. Lesnar/Taker wouldn't be as big a draw as Cena/Lesnar or Rock/Lesnar, but it would still be a good show. I guess the story would be that Lesnar came back to break the Streak. A good story, but for some reason, I have this weird feeling that they are building to a Rock/Undertaker match next year. It just has to do with Rock saying he's beaten all the greats at Wrestlemania. He's beat Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin, and if he beats Cena he's been saying he could be satisfied knowing he's the greatest WWE star of all time. Well, Rock hasn't beaten Undertaker at Wrestlemania.
So, needless to say, being just over 24 hours away from Wrestlemania, we are in for a fun few hours of speculation. The WWE wants to announce a match again for next year's Wrestlemania the night after RAW, so I expect something newsworthy to happen at Wrestlemania to warrant that. I'm kind of going away from my original idea for next year's Wrestlemania card and thinking we end up with this:
Cena/Lesnar
Rock/Undertaker
Austin/Punk
That's a pretty stacked card. Still up in the air about writing live about Wrestlemania. If I'm watching with friends it more than likely won't happen, if not you'll get live updates right here.
Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka
No comments:
Post a Comment