Damien Barling: Problems With Wrestlemania Season
It's supposed to be a wrestling fan's most exciting time of the year. Unfortunately, with this time of year brings unrealistic expectations and a enormous amount of fantasy booking.
Fantasy booking is the dangerous practice hardcore wrestling fans have of trying to write the ideal storyline to lead into the biggest show of the year. Most times, if not all, those scenarios are either unrealistic in execution or far too logical.
Unlike Wrestlemania 32 last year, when a number of marquee superstars suffered injuries that kept them out of the big event, this year appears to be the culmination of long term planning. Sadly, the lack of execution has overshadowed the planning and many of these angles have fallen flat. Think of this…
Bayley and her championship run - she won it on a random Monday night after losing to Charlotte on a PPV to protect Charlottes PPV win streak… Only…
Charlotte lost her win streak at a meaningless March PPV with an incredibly stupid title.
So Bayley winning the championship fell flat. Charlottes PPV streak ended on a meaningless PPV. Top it all off with they're going to force the women into another multi person match instead of showcasing one hot feud has taken any luster out of whatever they have planned for Orlando.
By the way, the Chicago crowd on Monday booed Bayley!!!! THEY FREAKIN BOOOED BAYLEY!!!!!! Do you know how badly you have to screw up to get Bayley booed.
Triple H vs Seth Rollins - a couple years in the making, right? We're finally getting the big payoff. But there's a problem. Rollins came back from his injury, that kept him out of last year's match against Triple H at Mania, a giant babyface. Only WWE wanted him to be a heel. So he was a heel. Then they tried to make him a babyface. And they failed. Again, it fell flat. Then Rollins got hurt again. Now the fans don't care. Wrestlemania here we come.
Kevin Owens vs Chris Jericho - everything about this slow build has been perfect. The only thing that has ruined it is the stupidity of Owens getting beaten by Goldberg in ridiculously predictable fashion. The one good thing about this is Jericho and Owens are so good, that part of the angle will likely be forgotten sooner rather then later.
Roman Reigns and The Undertaker - Let's ignore that everyone wants to see Taker and Cena. Let's also ignore that Cena is teaming with his girlfriend to wrestle the Miz and his wife. Undertaker needs to win, go to give Roman the hand shake and bro-hug and Reigns needs to lay him out. The crowd in Orlando is gonna hate him anyways, at least give them a reason. If Roman wins, and they continue to push him as a top babyface, the fans will reject it (still) and continue to hate him (even more). Anything other then a Roman Reigns heel turn and this match is an awful idea.
Randy Orton "babyface" turn - So if you turn a babyface heel and the crowd still cheers him, are they still a babyface? And if that heel, whose actually a babyface, tries to turn babyface by doing the most heel thing ever - then what are they? Randy Orton burned down Bray Wyatt's... sanctuary? He burned down something totally symbolic and Bray Wyatt screamed in anguish. Who am I supposed to cheer?
The Smackdown title picture - Randy Orton wins the Rumble but says he doesn't want to fight Bray Wyatt because they're buds. There's a battle royal to determine Wyatts opponent at Wrestlemania. AJ Styles and Luke Harper get eliminated at the same time (they very much don't). So they have a match in which AJ Styles pins Luke Harper twice and earns the chance to wrestle Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania.
Oh wait... Randy Orton - hold my beer.
AJ Styles and Shane McMahon - Dude. No. Just... no!
