Booking 101. WRESTLEMANIA
Hey there, you glorious bunch of wrestling fans! I’m back again and full of pep! Now, during today’s broadcast (Jan 24th 2010) we all got into a discussion of what we wanted to see at ‘Mania this year. The big question was, “What would you like to see at Wrestlemania; HHH vs HBK or The Undertaker vs HBK?” Both Ryan and Steve went on opposite sides. As I usually do in these times, I give two answers. One logical/probable answer and the other is what I would see in fantasy booking. My probable answer was Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker. The real life logical answer IS a one on one match. And I would like to see that match to be HBK/Taker 2. However, sometimes I’ll dive into things that may seem completely out of left field, for the sake of discussion which is why I’d like to throw out the idea of a Triple Threat match.
When I mentioned this on air, Steve brought up a strong argument that if they went this route, they would likely over book it to hell! Not to mention it would leave the WWE Title match up in the air, so for this week’s Booking 101 I offer you this fantasy booking possibility.
First off a look back at history, You’ll remember back in 2004 they pulled a Triple Threat angle for the title with Chris Benoit, HBK and HHH. They booked that outside of the ring, with Michaels signing the contract intended for Benoit at a match versus HHH at ‘Mania of that year. Bishoff came out with lawyers and pulled the gimmick that both technically had the right to the match. So in turn they made it a Triple Threat. That was too non-action for me, which is why I’d prefer if they did this in the ring.
First off, I would book The Undertaker to go over Mysterio at The Royal Rumble. I wouldn’t have HHH or HBK win the Rumble match, but I would make them look as strong as possible. Maybe have them in the top 3. Who wins the Royal Rumble match? TED DIBIASE! I know, I know in my first column I said they should do a slow build. But this is a strong alternative. Like I mentioned on air, I don’t believe that Shaemus should remain WWE Champion through Wrestlemania. I honestly don’t believe he’s strong enough to carry a match on “The Grandest Stage of Them All.” I’d book Orton over Sheamus at The Royal Rumble and have Dibiase win the Rumble match itself. From there you just troubleshoot the break-up. Have Ted come out somewhere during the show and say stuff like it would be an honour to face Orton at Wrestlemania. Have Cody come out and congratulate him. Once again, have the Guest Host come out and say he’d love to see that match tonight. Only he can’t really do it, so instead it’ll be Legacy vs Orton and mystery partner as the main event of Raw. Re-use the Cody turn on Bob Holly angle. It would cement Ted Dibiase’s face-turn. This would also really get people to start hating Rhodes, the ultimate turncoat. After which, you would have great interest in seeing Orton and Dibiase go at it at Wrestlemania!
Now onto the World Heavyweight title picture, Coming out of Rumble Taker is Champion and its without an official opponent for Wrestlemania, In February, at the Elimination Chamber pay per view I’d have a Chamber match for ‘Taker’s World title. This would be a interbrand matchup, and would see HHH, HBK, and Kofi Kingston representing Raw, while Batista, Rey Mysterio and CM Punk would represent Smackdown. Book the match to be awesome. Give them the time to make each other look strong. When it comes to the finish this is where it might get a little TNA’ish. Have HHH, HBK and CM Punk as the last three in the match. Eliminate CM Punk and then pull a “double knockout” angle. Have both, HBK and HHH’s shoulders on the mat while they cover each other. It’s sketchy, I know. But those guys are strong enough to make it work in the ring. Besides, They’ve done weirder with Edge. So the next night on Raw, have Vince come out and say he’s too busy making Bret Hart’s life hell to deal with this drama, so he’s going to take the most logical route in this situation and officially announce a Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. From there it’s easy to book that angle. They only have 4 or 5 weeks to NOT screw it up.
So there you have it, with a bit of randomness to keep people guessing, you now get two possibilities for Wrestlemania main events! I’ll try to remember to post up my Wrestlemania and fall-out predictions the week before the event.
Be Awesome folks,
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Tony No Gimmick Needed Stabile
