Road to Wrestlemania SPECIAL UPDATE: Brock-a-Mania

Was going to let things ride til Wrestlemania but with the recent and somewhat surprising development of Brock Lesnar announcing his decision to re-sign his contract with the WWE, I’m going to devote some space to teasing out some different possible scenarios that could play out in the main event of Wrestlemania this coming Sunday, March 29.

But first, I’m going to draw a bit of attention to something I just did on here while this past Monday’s RAW was airing, which I think is pretty cool. A fantasy scenario struck in my mind that had Wrestlemania ending with Roman Reigns going over Lesnar to win the Heavyweight championship, but maintaining his currently questionable audience support by getting the win amid a surprise Shield reformation. The idea came off so clean in my head, my brain just kept on going, developing the events that would set this in motion, the reaction on the RAW after Wrestlemania, and some of the aftermath. It seems particularly unnecessary with Brock now a lock for WWE’s future, and the notion of WWE booking Reigns as the winner much less a certainty that it might’ve been before. Yet, I’m still fairly interested in seeing how people would react to these ideas, if others find them viable, and on par or perhaps even better than what the WWE’s creative department has been serving up. I wonder if some aspects of this lark, like the establishment of a new dominant heel faction to take the place of the tired Authority premise and a merging of two marginal titles, would speak to wrestling fans with the same likes and dislikes of the current programming.

Anyway, is right below in 3 parts, and I do appreciate you taking a few moments to check them out:

The Setup (mondomania version)

The Wrestlemania Show (mondomania version)

The Aftermath (mondomania version)

I’d like to think this little exercise in fantasy booking might get out there and garner some positive attention among wrestling fans, or even a slight bit of public ridicule would be cool, though I think it’s more realistic to think it amounts to a speck of spit being spinning in a typhoon.  Lord knows there are already more than enough things about wrestling already out there. Now this is a very crude not interesting to look at blog. It starts with the words alone. But if interest is out there, I’d like to think it could grow into something more.

On that note, I ask that if there is any aspect of the above that seemed cool, praiseworthy, or in any way amusing, please spread the word around with a tweet of a link or what have you. And of course, if you have your own thing going (blog, podcast, or what have you) there’s the tried and true ‘you shout out my thing, I’ll shout out yours’ deal.

So then, let’s talk about BROCK-A-MANIA…

Here are some things that we know, or think we know to be true, as we approach the main event of Wrestlemania: Brock Lesnar (champion) w/ Paul Heyman Vs Roman Reigns (challenger) for the WWE Heavyweight Championship.

1.     Brock Lesnar appeared on ESPN Tuesday and announced that he would re-sign his contract with the WWE and end his in ring endeavors as an MMA fighter. This came after a long bout of negotiations and, during this time, the UFC publicly expressed their interest in bringing Lesnar in to compete for them. At some point during these negotiations, Lesnar walked out on the middle of a RAW program following the most recent WWE special FAST LANE, which he was scheduled to appear on. This was attributed to a large dispute between him and Vince McMahon.

2.     Roman Reigns has been positioned to be the number 1 contender and challenger to Lesnar at Mania, a situation that was cemented with Reigns winning the 2015 Royal Rumble match. Reigns’ promotion to the top of the card has been met by criticism among fans and wrestling insiders alike, citing reasons such as Reigns lacking speaking skills, in ring ability, and generally being too green to be positioned at the highest point in the company. Reigns’ victory at the Rumble and subsequent appearances have bared the mark of very heavy handed direction from WWE creative and booking teams, and included bringing The Rock, Reigns’ real life cousin, to stand side by side with him during his Royal Rumble victory. Leading up to FASTLANE, at which the main event featured Reigns and Daniel Bryan facing each other for the opportunity to main event Wrestlemania, it was being reported among wrestling news outlets that the main event of Wrestlemania was going to be changed to a triple threat match between Lesnar, Reigns, and Bryan. Reigns won the match at Fastlane, though, and was once again placed as the sole challenger to Lesnar at Wrestlemania.

3.    The Rock has been contacted by the WWE in an effort to arrange for him to appear at Wrestlemania. It would entail The Rock flying to San Jose from New York after a scheduled appearance on Saturday Night Live the night before. This was reported days before Lesnar went on record to talk about re-signing his contract with WWE.

4.     Brock Lesnar has gained a steady following among fans. At the Royal Rumble, Lesnar’s performance in a triple threat match against John Cena and Seth Rollins made him look like a hardworking fighter. Since then Paul Heyman’s dynamic promos on behalf of the champion have positioned them as something of an antiauthority figure combination, with Heyman referencing the fact it would benefit the WWE to have the belt taken from Lesnar. These statements were made while Lesnar had still been suggesting the possibility of leaving WWE and returning to MMA. Now that Lesnar is with WWE, the situation may be different. But those edgy promos have still given Lesnar a significant groundswell in popularity.

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OK, with these forces at play, let’s talk possible Wrestlemania main event scenarios, of which these are just a few.

1.     It’s all one big swerve and Brock Lesnar is heading to MMA. I’m starting with this one because I think it’s the least likely. I pretty much feel it’s out of the realm of possibility. But, this being pro wrestling, where reality and fiction has long been blurred, I don’t want to rule it out altogether. If it did happen, it would be one of the biggest misdirects in wrestling history and hands down the biggest in recent history. What keeps this from being likely is that the statement was made so publicly. Also, we are far from the days of Andy Kaufman and Jery ‘The King’ Lawler, purveyors of the long, straight-faced con. More than ever, the story of wrestling is talked about openly, like in the instances where Vince and Triple H were interviewed by Steve Austin on his podcast following RAW. This scenario would also only make sense if Brock left the WWE with the title, thus putting the company in a huge lurch, but why would they then publicly draw attention to this? On the other hand, if Reigns were to win, it would be a more suspenseful story to keep fans in the dark about Brock’s decision to stay or go away from the WWE.

2.     Reigns wins with an assist from Paul Heyman. Betrayal will always be a part of a good pro wrestling story. This outcome would allow for Reigns to be paired with someone who is very good at speaking, taking some of that pressure off the inexperienced star, and also let him ride some of the fan backlash that he has experienced. My problem with this possibility is the fact that it is hard to rationalize Heyman doing this. He has no reason to be upset with Lesnar and Brock has shown no signs of weakness. Why abandon a ship that isn’t sinking? Still, if the WWE and Heyman wanted to come up with a reason, they could come up with a reason: say, Heyman senses Brock’s shelf-life is getting shorter, or he sees Reigns as a more marketable commodity to attach himself too. It would also give the potentially popular Lesnar a chance to build toward a highly anticipated comeback for vengeance. Still, I think the successful team of Brock and Heyman is too special to cast away like that. If Brock was going to be turned into a face, it could be done with the Heyman still at his side, delivering dynamic antihero verbal campaigns.

3.     Lesnar retains the title and gets into confrontation with The Rock OR Lesnar loses the title and gets into confrontation with The Rock. After considering both of these, I realized they are pretty much the same. Simply the championship is in a different position, and the importance of the belt is largely debatable depending on how it is being cast in storyline. But, both these outcomes are what I would consider the WWE staying the course. They are the most obvious. Reigns winning would have been most likely before Lesnar re-signed with WWE, and now, Google ‘The Rock’ and ‘Wrestlemania’ and you get loads of reports on a rumored build toward Brock taking on The Rock in a rematch at Wrestlemania in 2016. While wrestling fans like surprises and outcomes that challenge expectations, WWE has been known to sometimes go with the philosophy that the most clear cut course is best. My issue here is that in either case, the supposed future star of Roman Reigns would be completely overshadowed. If he won, it would be a very slighted victory if moments later, the focus shifted to The Rock wanting a second chance at facing Lesnar. If Reigns lost, then the idea of The Rock stepping up to the challenge makes the idea of matches being a competition, even a fictional one, very hard to swallow. The Rock has been out of action for a while. He can come back sometimes, electrify the crowd, and even hit a rock bottom from out of nowhere, but that is far from being the key player in a main event program. His work with John Cena in 2012 and 2013 had drawn a lot of criticism from fans underwhelmed by the performance. While pro wrestling involves a LOT of suspension of disbelief, putting The Rock in a higher spot than the supposed future talents of the WWE, like Reigns, does nothing to sustain the show long term.

4.     Lesnar wins but Seth Rollins cashes in the Money In the Bank contract from out of nowhere and wins the title. On any other show, I could see this as a viable option. But at Wrestlemania, I put it in the next to impossible department. For one thing, it could be done on Raw the next day instead. The main event of Wrestlemania has been given enough prestige to the point that it is a big deal for the winner to be victorious on his own terms. With that in mind, a win like this would diminish Rollins as well who has potential to some day headline and win a Wrestlemania main event. Why make his first one a tainted victory like this? To play devil’s advocate, the fact that a cash-in victory has never happened at Wrestlemania does give it a certain novelty factor, the kind that makes wrestling history so maybe being the first and possibly only wrestler to cash in at Wrestlemania wouldn’t be so bad afterall?

5.     A defeated Reigns is consoled by his cousin The Rock but then suddenly turns on him. This is my favorite possibility, though at the same time, one I would deem pretty unlikely, if only because I don’t see WWE taking that many chances like they once did. The Roman t-shirts have been printed up, he has been branded a hero. But, since this is all speculation, allow me to explore this unlikely avenue…Ever since The Rock arrived at the Royal Rumble to help his younger cousin, things have seemed to shift away from Reigns’ favor. Boos got louder, his main event spot at Mania was no longer a certainty. Sure, in reality the slide began before the Royal Rumble happened. But a good heel always suffers from a delusional perspective. So with a lousy year ending in losing grasp of the ultimate prize, what better reaction to have than lash out? And what an amazingly dramatic story it would be, told simply and visually, as Reigns walked toward the rope and suddenly speared his unsuspecting older family member. Heel heat like nothing we have seen in a long time would instantly rain down (sorry) on Roman. Yes, a babyface hero’s rise to the top may be derailed. But the making of an extremely polarizing heel whom people would feel compelled to tune in to see week in and week out would be a worthy tradeoff.

Which scenario do you like or do you have your own in mind? Let me know what you think. Hit the comments!

Twitter: @mondocurrymark

Wrestlemania Rewrite part 3: The Aftermath, London Calling

Ok, now let’s look at where all that could lead. And ahead is not so much a strict timetable of events as a spread of possible programs and alliances coming out of a Wrestlemania  main event won by Roman Reigns, backed by a suddenly reformed Shield.

Just a quick recap of the Wrestlemania fantasy I’ve etched into my mind, which can be read in full here.

Wade Barrett retained the intercontinental championship title after interference from Sheamus.

The Authority disbanded after Sting defeated Triple H.

Cena won the US championship title from Rusev.

The Shield ostensibly reformed, with Rollins and Ambrose assisting Reigns in achieving victory over Lesnar.

Now then, let’s look at the opening moments of RAW that would follow all this.

The original Shield music hits and Roman Reigns comes out carrying the heavyweight title belt. He gets halfway down the ramp, then stops, looks back, and Rollins and Ambrose soon follow. The three make their way to the ring and pace the canvas. Reigns teases the buzz in the crowd. Says he promised he would win the title at Wrestlemania, but didn’t say how. Raises questions about there being possible premeditation, then gives the mic to Rollins. Rollins suggests the fans must have many questions. That they don’t owe an explanation to anyone, but will clear some things up. He made a mistake, bet on the wrong team. Talks trash about the Authority’s lack of organization. Asks if he would do it again? Says, maybe… Is he sorry? He apologizes for nothing. He simply saw the writing on the wall, realized it made sense in that moment to help return the most dominant team in WWE’s history to power, and yesterday is the result. Rollins teases talking about the Money In the Bank briefcase.

But first Ambrose takes the mic. Says the fans must wonder how he could possibly go along with this plan? Could he possibly trust Rollins? Like Rollins? Is he crazy? He says, you know I’m crazy. He doesn’t know if he will ever trust Rollins again and may go on continually watch his back. But he realizes the two have something in common, always have: The desire above all else to be the best. He also realized that the three men standing in the ring, when on the same page, are unstoppable.

Rollins says now about this briefcase. He does see a need to take some responsibility for his actions last year. So he will use the briefcase as an insurance policy. If someone comes after the title, somehow manages to get the belt through nefarious means, Rollins will be there to cash in and claim it back. But, in the more likely turn of events that Reigns and The Shield hold off all comers, then the day the briefcase run expires, he will cash in and make a match against Reigns in a match that, no matter the outcome The Shield wins. And it will be the most incredible title match  in WWE history.

Other gears set in motion…

A new heel faction rises to power, which Wade 'Bad News' Barrett assumes leadership of. At some point, he and Sheamus discuss a planned collusion between them. They complain about the lack of opportunity they have long experienced because of their proud European heritage, that out of jealousy they have been held back, and often distracted by being made to fight amongst themselves. But no more. The future is theirs and their name is the European Union (negotiable). Their ranks will be joined by Cesaro, and possibly Tyson Kidd because, Europe, Canada…close enough! Adrian Neville can join the RAW roster and quickly join them, adding a high flyer to the team. They can also get the allegiance of Rusev.

Does this seem too cliché? Is a nationalistic anti-American gimmick too passé in 2015? It’s one of the hottest going stories around Rusev’s run right now. And also, the sentiment can be made more subtle here. However, there could be a touch of reality lent to it when you consider the core among this group really haven’t had a lasting successful push. This is especially signified by Cesaro and those famous words directed his way when Vince McMahon went on the Stone Cold podcast.

The Shield could continue its dominant run as babyfaces with an edge, or a group that fights both heels and faces (what a concept). Reigns could contend with a round of top tier oponents like Rusev and Bray Wyatt. With momentum from Wrestlemania, Wyatt could win the title from Reigns by way of a lot of tricks and outside interference, perhaps 1-22 months after Wrestlemania. Rollins could cash in the briefcase the next day on RAW and win the title back for The Shield, giving him a boost of main event star power.

Rollins could also feud with Neville in competitive bouts of agility and high spot-filled matches.

Sheamus could feud with Bryan, or whomever he caused to lose the IC title match at Wrestlemania.

Cena could challenge the increasingly influential European Union heel faction. He and Barrett could have a match to unify the IC and US titles, with the winner’s title being the dominant one and the loser’s title being retired. And, with interference aplenty, Barrett could win that match, gaining a push for his group. Leading up to it, promos could be run emphasizing the prestigious history of both belts.

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There you  have it. A change in direction. A call back to a very successful faction that ended too soon. A fade away of ineffective characters like Big Show and Kane (what, you thought I forgot them?), and a rise to power of new stars.

What do you think??  Let me know in the comments. Or

Twitter: @MondoCurryMARK

Wrestlemania Rewrite Part 2: Shield Mania

Now that I’ve set it up, let’s get into the mechanics of writing an amazing Wrestlemania, mine at least (and yours). Even as the last RAW before Wrestlemania its airwaves. It’s OK. There’s really not much WWE has to do tonight. Bookers and writers fishing for ideas need only do 1 thing tonight and if that’s not enough notice, do it within the next few days:

Somehow the match between Sting and Triple H gets an added stipulation that if Sting wins, the Authority cannot exercise any direct influence on wrestlers on the show, with no way of reversing the decision. Nobody can bring back The Authority. Not Cena, not Randy Orton, Not Sting himself. The counter stipulation is that Sting be banished from the WWE with no chance of returning.

NOW, let’s fast forward to Wrestlemania:

During the intercontinental championship multi-person match, which would presumably be first on the card, the match boils down to a confrontation between Wade Barrett and one other opponent: It could be Daniel Bryan or Dean Ambrose, or even Dolph Ziggler. In some ways, Ambrose would be ideal, but considering his fall from prominence, one of the other two would also be ok. Whichever WWE would want to go with, he is ready to take out Barret when suddenly, Sheamus makes a surprise entrance. He teases attacking Barrett, but then turns and hits Ambrose or Bryan or Ziggler with the Brogue Kick. Wade Barrett makes the pin and leaves with the IC title retained as Sheamus inscrutably makes his own way to the back.

Now, throughout the show, there would be several vignettes with Triple H freaking out about the need to eliminate Sting from the match. He is going ballistic sending Authority members to scour the building for Sting. They can be shown finding decoy Sting’s, laying them out and then realizing they’ve been mislead as the real Sting lurks in the shadows.

Meanwhile, Seth Rollins is losing his cool over his own upcoming match with Randy Orton, which should occur some time in the middle of the show. He is counting on The Authority’s support and wants to get on the same page but they are busy chasing Sting.

The match comes and Rollins shows up to face Orton on his own. Orton and Rollins have a very competitive match that ends with Orton getting the victory. Rollins leaves, beaten up pretty bad, but visibly expressing disgust with the lack of support from J & J Security and the like.

Fast forward: Sting defeats Triple H, signaling an apparent end to Hunter and Stephanie’s reign of influence by way of The Shield.

At some point before the main event, Rollins is shown storming around backstage, stopping a few people and demanding to know where Dean Ambrose. And a bit later, he finds Ambrose, follows him shouting after him to wait. Ambrose stops and turns to yell at Rollins. The two begin brawling and shouting at each other in a confrontation that spills off behind a closed door. The audience is left to wonder what is happening.

Although not necessary, it would help make some of the ideas I have about the aftermath go down if Cena beats Rusev in their confrontation and Cena leaves Wrestlemania as the US Champion.

And now for the main event: Reigns and Lesnar begin their match with Reigns mostly dominant throughout.  As the match goes on, Reigns seems to be badly hurt and having trouble getting to his feet. Suddenly Rollins appears at ringside with the Money In the Bank briefcase. Brock jumps up on the ropes threatening Rollins and telling him to leave. Rollins teases a cash in, then prowls around ringside giving Reigns a chance to regain some momentum. After a bit, Ambrose appears and at first engages Rollins in an argument. Lesnar is distracted and heads over to rid both of them from the ring. Essentially, chaos ensues, Heyman has a fit as the match unravels and Lesnar ends up on the receiving end of offense from all three Shield members. In the ring, Reigns hits a spear and captures the Heavyweight Championship belt. All three members of the Shield face off in the middle of the ring, then slowly raise their fists toward one another in the center of the ring. The Shield stands united as Wrestlemania draws to a close…to cheers? Boos? A mix of both? No matter, the title belongs to Reigns and there is a HUGE buzz of intrigue as Wrestlemania goes off the air.

In part 3, the aftermath…

Twitter: @mondocurryMARK

WrestleMania Rewrite: A Plan part 1

OK, let’s say you’re me. A week ago you are hit with a vision, an epiphany of how to rescue Wrestlemania from potential disappointment and audience uproar, or worse yet mediocrity. It occurs to you how to take the unknown variables, namely Lesnar’s future with the WWE, and nullify them and still have an exciting future ahead. The angles and segments just unspool on and on in your mind. What do you do, bearing in mind that you are less than nobody in the wrestling world.

One thought is to hit up one of a few figures in the wrestling world who have connections to people in the WWE past and present, whose voices you know from podcasts and twitter, and who seem…approachable enough. And then it occurs to you, they would listen to you or click on the link you send them because…?

Another thought is to throw the idea out there. If people look at it, great, if people don’t, whatever. But then you start wondering, what if it is a great idea, and what if having it out there disqualifies it from coming to fruition when just maybe WWE had similar plans in mind, or would’ve listened if you’d somehow gotten the idea to them on the sly…?

So the most logical thought ends up being suppress it, cast it aside, just enjoy the show, after all, they’re the professionals over at WWE headquarters in Stamford, who are you anyway? Except…you have a big ego…and you just know the idea makes sense…

So, with just a little time on the clock before we are live at Wrestlemania, here’s an idea. Make of it what you will. What I find incredible is, as each week goes by, including right now, minutes before the ‘go home show’ RAW, it is entirely possible to do without changing anything, at least anything that’s happened in public.

So without further ado…

This is where the idea occurred: Watching Ring of Honor tv, seeing a Bullet Club angle and noticing damn, in Japan and here, people love this. If only WWE had a thing going like this. Then realizing, hey they just did. It was called The Shield. Guys dressed in all black, with an edge, dominant. I do not think it’s too much of a stretch to suggest The Shield has led to some of the Bullet Club popularity. Nor do I think it much of a gamble that the buzz around the Bullet Club would make The Shield an entertaining and profitable presence in WWE’s current state.

But darnit, The Shield imploded! Went in different directions, made threats, had heated feuds. There’s no turning back now. We all know in wrestling, enemies don’t become friends, groups torn apart don’t reform right? NO!! Wrestling is legendary for reversals of just this sort. Why not do it now?

But doing things just for the sake of doing them? That doesn’t make sense. Except, here are a few situations that a return of The Shield standing triumphant at the end of Wrestlemania that stand to gain a lot:

Whether Lesnar resigns with the WWE or not, it would be possible to write him out of the picture for a little while, or a long while if contract agreements could not be reached, and work around an entirely new focus.

It would make it possible for Roman Reigns to maintain babyface status and a victory with more credibility, since a lot of WWE fans are vocal about not accepting him as the winner on his own. It would make sense if Reigns were able to get by with a little help from his friends, or business associates as it were. And even if fans didn’t want to cheer Reigns, they would more than likely be excited about the untarnished Shield brand. Then again, if fans were pissed off, you have the reformation of a once and potentially future heel faction at the top of the card.

Reigns isn't the only member of The Shield to not be in the midst of a stellar take off. Dean Ambrose is also hurting for direction. He was made to look strong, then something of an oaf who defeats himself with a flat screen television, then a bully who gives into macho male bullshit stereotypes and taunts a psychiatrist by accusing him of ‘peeing sitting down,’ gets disqualified in the middle of an intercontinental title match and then just steals the belt. And the latest is these antics have put him squarely in the middle of the shuffle of guys involved in this SEVEN man intercontinental title match, with Daniel Bryan and Dolph Zigglers way ahead of him in perceived importance among the match’s entrants.

So, here we go. Let’s get The Shield standing together at the climax of Wrestlemania. At least, in my mind…

Stay tuned for Part 2, THE PLAN.

Twitter: @MondoCurryMARK