Fastlane Tonight - in Cleveland!

[Dr. Gymbo]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

^ I agree completely with pretty much everything you have to say. I have no interest in this year's WM. I mean hopefully Daniel Bryan finally gets his moment, to me, it's just not enough for me to watch - even with the WWE Network. Even if/when DB wins, I have no confidence in the WWE to keep him relevant. Look at the storyline debacles with CM Punk during his reign.

The build for this year has been as bad as any build that I can remember in a long time. Hmm...let's do an Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. That way we can be lazy and not have to storyline for like 30 guys. Oh wait, wasn't this year's Royal Rumble a train wreck? That's okay, they'll do it again. I just don't see the payoff for someone that wins. It's not like the MitB briefcase that they can cash in or earn some sort of advantage or title shot.

Bray Wyatt intrigues me big time though.

 

[Prime 1978]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

With under 2 weeks to go and looking at the Wrestlemania card... on paper it looks solid. Four main event quality matches, a 30 man battle royal, Shield vs. Kane and NAO is a nice mix of future vs the past, and the first time the Diva's Title will be defended at a WM. I have to say though the build (minus HHH-Bryan and Wyatt-Cena) has been beyond underwhelming. I'm glad I ordered the WWE Network over 6 months as opposed to shelling out $60 just for the PPV itself.

Undertaker vs Lesnar has been booked poorly. We all know Undertaker is going to win, so why are they not making Lesnar look strong going into the match?! These two have only been under the same roof twice and both times Undertaker has gotten the upper hand. The whole storyline is based on beating the streak. Which fine, at this point that's mainly the draw of Undertaker wrestling at Mania. However, these two have a real life out of ring history and past matches from 2003 they could've incorporated into the storyline to make it more meaningful. CM Punk-Taker last year had far better story telling. Although, Paul Bearer's death played a role in that.

Batista and Orton have both been made to look like complete doofuses. Especially Batista. He is so awkward and cringe worthy both on the mic and in the ring. Orton I realllllyyyyy wanted to like as a heel champion, but he has been a complete flop since day one.

The 30 man battle royal is cool in some ways. It has some tradition to Wrestlemania and gets a large number of people involved. The downside is the Raw and Smackdown booking is lazy because of it and guys like Big Show, Mark Henry, Del Rio, Ziggler, Sheamus, Chrisitan, Miz, Big E, Rhodes Bros, etc. are all being underutilized.

The mid card belts are irrelevant and wont be defended it appears. No shock there.

Tag titles look to be defended between The Usos vs. Real Americans vs. RybAxel. Real Americans just appeared to split up and then *poof* they're on solid ground again. I cant remember the last time RybAxel has won a match and 2 weeks before WM are losing to the Los Matadores, yet somehow are involved in a title match over the Rhodes Bros who were the only good thing going for WWE in late 2013?!?! Creative is so hilariously bad sometimes.

As much as I wanted to see a Triple Threat match with The Shield... I'm actually glad they are staying together and getting a babyface run. They are still entertaining to me as a trio and even though the build is rushed and somewhat weak... I think a program against The Authority (Kane & New Age Outlaws) is actually a decent idea. Although one could argue that The Shield deserved something better after a year and a half of dominance then facing some guys from the attitude era.

Sorry for the mostly negative rant, but it's just a little disappointing that the biggest Wrestlemania ever seems to be tossed together so poorly. Thoughts?!

Very well said, I agree with every point!
Sad that there's no US or Intercontinetal title match. They should combine the titles and make the IC title what it used to be when I grew up watching
Or go with the US title and make the US title holder the autmatic number 1 contender like in the old NWA.

 

[Derek]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

Personally, I'm pretty excited for the card for the following reasons:

We are going to get nearly an hour's worth of Daniel Bryan matches.

Taker/Lesnar seems predictable, but there's always that chance, and regardless we should get a good match.

Wyatt and Cena should be a good match, hopefully with Wyatt going over.

You can't go wrong with the Shield so their match should be a highlight as well.

The tag match seems like an afterthought, but Cesaro is one of the better things going right now. Looking forward to a massive Big Swing.

Finally, the Battle Royal should be fun, and the winner is supposedly going to carry the trophy around all year so it does carry some significance.

Obviously, there are always going to be other matches we'd like to see. However, this card has shaped up well in my eyes.

 

[TheLand1287]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

^ I agree completely with pretty much everything you have to say. I have no interest in this year's WM. I mean hopefully Daniel Bryan finally gets his moment, to me, it's just not enough for me to watch - even with the WWE Network. Even if/when DB wins, I have no confidence in the WWE to keep him relevant. Look at the storyline debacles with CM Punk during his reign.

The build for this year has been as bad as any build that I can remember in a long time. Hmm...let's do an Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. That way we can be lazy and not have to storyline for like 30 guys. Oh wait, wasn't this year's Royal Rumble a train wreck? That's okay, they'll do it again. I just don't see the payoff for someone that wins. It's not like the MitB briefcase that they can cash in or earn some sort of advantage or title shot.

Bray Wyatt intrigues me big time though.

The build just seems more suited for a really important Summerslam rather than the "biggest" Wrestlemania of all time. Considering the WWE has former heavyweight champions in guys like ADR, Ziggler, Christian, Sheamus, Big Show, Henry, Miz just floating around there is no excuse for the mid card to be as non-existent as it is. I know MitB has it's own PPV, but they could've down a MitB match with some of those guys so like you said... it actually means something. Other than winning a trophy for a royal rumble that we saw 2 months ago, and yes... it was crappy. Who really wants to see another one with the likes of 3MB, Sin Cara, Justin Gabriel, Brodus Clay, Darren Young, etc?

It's not like the WWE doesnt have time to create feuds for a mid card either. The amount of filler on Raw has just been brutal leading up to this Mania. Pointless grudge matches between Fandango and the Rhodes Family. Sheamus brogue kicking Christian and winning every week. I understand WWE has it's promotions to push, but there is a time and place. Segments for Arnold Schwartzeneger and Scooby f'n Doo? C'mon...

 

[TheLand1287]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

Very well said, I agree with every point!
Sad that there's no US or Intercontinetal title match. They should combine the titles and make the IC title what it used to be when I grew up watching
Or go with the US title and make the US title holder the autmatic number 1 contender like in the old NWA.

Something... Anything. I dont know how old you are, but I remember growing up in the attitude era and the IC title being defended by the likes of HHH, The Rock, Shamrock, Owen Hart. Even the European Title meant something for awhile and had some decent rivalries (HHH, Owen, D'Lo, Xpac). Ambrose has held the US Title for a year and outside of his summer 2013 "feuds" with RVD and Ziggler I cant really remember him defending it at all. Big E hasn't done anything with the IC Title either. The WWE has a nice problem this time of the year with having "too much talent" on the roster. Shouldn't be hard to churn out a few meaningful mid card feuds over the belts.

 

[col63onel]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

I think the builds for Bryan/HHH/Orton/Batista and Cena/Wyatt have been good. I like the Shield/Kane/NAO build, but that could be because I am an old time NAO mark. Taker/Lesnar build has been sparse, but does a Taker match at Mania need a build? Also, they could be keeping it quiet as to not spoil a Sting sighting.

I wish the Battle Royale would take the place of KOTR. Something that signals a big push for a mid carder. If Cesaro or Reigns wins it, it would signal the beginning of a big push. If Show wins it, I probably won't get much out of it

Don't like what they've done with the Usos. While I like the Shield/NAO build, I think a better use of the NAO would have been to save the title change to the Usos until Mania.

 

[TheLand1287]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

Personally, I'm pretty excited for the card for the following reasons:

We are going to get nearly an hour's worth of Daniel Bryan matches.

Taker/Lesnar seems predictable, but there's always that chance, and regardless we should get a good match.

Wyatt and Cena should be a good match, hopefully with Wyatt going over.

You can't go wrong with the Shield so their match should be a highlight as well.

The tag match seems like an afterthought, but Cesaro is one of the better things going right now. Looking forward to a massive Big Swing.

Finally, the Battle Royal should be fun, and the winner is supposedly going to carry the trophy around all year so it does carry some significance.

Obviously, there are always going to be other matches we'd like to see. However, this card has shaped up well in my eyes.

Like I said the card itself isnt the problem. On paper it looks fine. It's just the lazy booking (Taker-Lesnar, mid card battle royal, majority of Raw is filler) and lack of direction (indecisiveness in what to do with the The Shield and Real Americans, Rhodes Brothers being irrelevant, Batista-Orton). The matches themselves hopefully are great and they should be, but the storytelling has left alot to be desired with the exception of Wyatt-Cena and HHH-Bryan.

It's just my opinion though and I'll definitely still be watching. Just cant help but feel that WWE has really dropped the ball in alot of areas when it could've been so easy.

 

[Derek]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

I think the builds for Bryan/HHH/Orton/Batista and Cena/Wyatt have been good. I like the Shield/Kane/NAO build, but that could be because I am an old time NAO mark. Taker/Lesnar build has been sparse, but does a Taker match at Mania need a build? Also, they could be keeping it quiet as to not spoil a Sting sighting.

I wish the Battle Royale would take the place of KOTR. Something that signals a big push for a mid carder. If Cesaro or Reigns wins it, it would signal the beginning of a big push. If Show wins it, I probably won't get much out of it

Don't like what they've done with the Usos. While I like the Shield/NAO build, I think a better use of the NAO would have been to save the title change to the Usos until Mania.

That was the first thing I thought about when I heard they were planning on having the winner carry around the trophy for the next year. I remember Edge carrying it around back in 2001 after Team ECKR made up the entire final 4 of KOTR. That was the start to his singles career.

The same thing could be done to prop up a Ziggler, Rhodes, McIntyre, or Sandow type.



In regards to the build up for Wrestlemania, like colonel said, Undertaker doesn't need much build up. Wyatt/Cena has been built up pretty well, and we've been building toward this moment for Daniel Bryan since the middle of the summer.

Yes, outside of that the card is pretty much filler, but can't that be said for every Wrestlemania? How often do you get 8 Main Event caliber matches? This one has 3-4 depending on how into the Wyatt/Cena feud you are.

I know, we don't have HBK, we don't have The Rock, Stone Cold, or CM Punk. But they're finally starting to put some fresh faces in the spotlight, which is what a lot of people have been clamoring for.

Cena is in a non-title match at Wrestlemania against Bray Wyatt. Isn't that what everybody has been wanting? Cena out of the title picture, giving the rub to new talent?

 

[col63onel]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

The same thing could be done to prop up a Ziggler, Rhodes, McIntyre, or Sandow type.

Ziggler would be perfect for this. Sandow and McIntyre are apparently being buried, and Cody is still with his brother (which I still enjoy). Cesaro or Ziggler NEED to win this.

 

[Derek]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

Ziggler would be perfect for this. Sandow and McIntyre are apparently being buried, and Cody is still with his brother (which I still enjoy). Cesaro or Ziggler NEED to win this.

I believe they removed Cesaro from the match to insert him into the Tag Title match. I would love for him or Ziggler to win this though.

I think if Cody won, it could plant the seeds for the inevitable split from his brother. They would still continue to tag for a while, but Cody could get a big head about it, feels like Goldust is holding him back, yadda yadda yadda, Cody beats him at Summerslam.

 

[TheLand1287]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

I believe they removed Cesaro from the match to insert him into the Tag Title match. I would love for him or Ziggler to win this though.

I think if Cody won, it could plant the seeds for the inevitable split from his brother. They would still continue to tag for a while, but Cody could get a big head about it, feels like Goldust is holding him back, yadda yadda yadda, Cody beats him at Summerslam.

I actually like that plan with Cody and Goldust. It would right a wrong in the sense that they didn't a) break up after losing to the NAO at Royal Rumble and start a feud into Mania, or b) get involved in the tag title match that involves RybAxel and Los freaking Matadores... which I wont even get into how I feel about their inclusion in that match.

I think The Miz could use it to restart his career too. Especially since he appeared to turn back to heel on Raw... I guess, maybe... if he wasn't already... who knows... anyway, he obviously needs it lol.

Ziggler is SO over with the crowd right now. Maybe more than ever. Push the man!!!

 

[TheLand1287]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

.

 

[kookoo]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

Cesaro needs a damn push already. Guy has had some incredible matches over the last few months. He also has a great villain personality and look. It's sad that guys who are trying to prove themselves night in and night out get nothing out of it. I can see a future match of Reigns vs Cesaro though.

 

[TheLand1287]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

Wrestlemania 30 Predictions... Who do you guys have winning?!

Here's what I have.. not many surprises here.

1) The Uso's retain the tag team titles... Real Americans start their split toward a match at Extreme Rules and Cesaro's push
2) AJ loses the Diva's Title but to whom I dont know... Tamina Snuka?... Who cares anyway right
3) The Shield over The Suits (Kane & NAO)
4) The Big Show seems like the favorite to win the Battle Royal, even though it would be nice for WWE to give some rub to a young up-and-comer, I can see them having a "giant" win the Andre the Giant Battle Memorial Trophy
5) Bray Wyatt over John Cena
6) Undertaker over Brock Lesnar
7) Daniel Bryan over HHH
8) Daniel Bryan over Batista & Orton

 

[ticon12389]

Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

1. Usos win

2. Tamina wins

3. Shield wins

4. Big Show wins

5. Cena wins (2nd biggest lock of the night)

6. Taker wins

7. HHH wins

8. Bryan wins the title (main event turns into a fatal 4 way after HHH wins via shenigans)