I find more and more that time has just been flying by! In many ways it seems like just the other day that I watched “Once in A Lifetime: Cena vs Rock” on pay per view at Wrestlemania 28. Now we are just a few months away from The Royal Rumble, where the road to Wrestlemania begins, and I’m sure it will be here before I know it. So with that said, I started to think about what Wrestlemania 29 is going to look like. There are a lot of interesting possibilities so what I thought I would do is give my thoughts on what I think Wrestlemania 29 should look like, at this point. I realize that there are a lot of factors that can change things (injuries, suspensions, firings etc.) but this is the card that I feel WWE should present as of today, taking into account the current storylines and my own opinions.
Tag Team Title Gauntlet Match
This I would do for the Youtube preshow and, by having a scramble match, I get an out as to predicting who the Tag Team Champions will be come April. There are already teams like The Usos, The Prime Time Players, Primo and Epico, Kidd and Gabriel, and Kofi and R-Truth that can be in the match. A combination of Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal, and Drew McIntyre I would also have in this match. I would also throw in some make-shift teams like Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo and Zack Ryder and Brodus Clay to give as many guys a chance to work as possible. I would also have Christian team with a new guy up from developmental with the goal of mentoring him, onscreen, before turning on him later in 2013. It should be a good crowd pleasing opener with some great action to get the show started off (even though it’s the preshow) right.
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Sheamus vs Wade Barrett
I’ve put this match first as the World Title match has opened the past two Wrestlemanias and I would expect that trend to continue for Wrestlemania 29. I like the idea of having Sheamus hold the title at Wrestlemania, with Dolph having a short term reign in the fall/winter to keep the Money In The Bank cash in strong. Wade Barrett’s time is now and his new look and music, coupled with his time off, have allowed for Wade to distance himself from the Nexus and move forward with his career. I like a title change here as I am a bigger fan of Barrett but I would not be upset if Sheamus retained.
Randy Orton vs Jack Swagger
This match is predicated on Swagger coming back in early 2013 as a killer, shooter-type heel that goes on an undefeated tear. Orton obviously needs to be on Mania as he is a top star in the company but I don’t see him in a top match. Swagger is definitely an improvement from Kane as far as match quality goes and this match could garner a decent amount of undercard interest if Swagger beats guys convincingly leading to Orton standing up to Swagger and not backing down. This is another match where I could see either man winning. Swagger shoul win but Orton probably would.
Sin Cara vs Rey Mysterio
I keep this as a babyface match. It doesn’t have to go longer than 15 minutes and the real goal of this match would be to set the new record for the most Lucha Masks worn in one place and to sell the $80 Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara masks. Sin Cara continues to have a roller coaster ride in WWE in terms of how management feels about him. One week he is set to get a push and the next week they think he’s a horrible worker. Sin Cara has had style clashes with certain guys on the roster but Mysterio shouldn’t be one of those and the brief interaction that the two had at Night of Champions in the 4 way was good enough that I do want to see these guys one on one. Once again the finish isn’t crucial to me as I could see either man going over. Personally, I put Rey over as I’m not convinced of Sin Cara’s longevity with the company.
Kane vs Daniel Bryan
I am so glad that Vince Russo is unemployed so that this match is not a Doctor Shelby on a pole match. I would culminate the breakup of Team Friendship at Wrestlemania. The two could lose the tag team titles at the Elimination Chamber pay per view, say to The Prime Time Players, and the final breakup can occur. I have Kane the heel as I see tremendous potential for Daniel Bryan as a top babyface. The fact that these two are on three to five segments a show has me skeptical that WWE can draw this story out until next Spring but I’m going to be positive here and say that they do. Since he is the babyface in my scenario and has more upside for the future, I put Bryan over in this contest.
Dolph Ziggler vs Miz
As I mentioned earlier, I have Ziggler as a former World Champion at this point (yes technically a two time champion) by cashing in the Money In The Bank in the late fall. I would have the loss of his title be a result of a Vickie Guerrero screw up which causes Dolph to turn face. I could see a pairing between Vickie and Miz working as they are two of the most annoying characters on the roster and so combined they would create a super annoying force. This match makes sense given the current hierarchy of WWE and Ziggler would need to go over in order to further his babyface push.
Intercontinental and United States Title Unification Match: Antonio Cesaro vs Ryback
It is way past time to unify these two titles and what better stage to do so than Wrestlemania? The “midcard” titles have never consistently meant less and with two heavyweight titles there is only the need for one undercard singles belt. I used these two as champions because I like Antonio in the role and I assume that Ryback will be the next IC champion beating Miz. I am also presuming that WWE keeps with the Ryback push and builds him as an an undefeated Intercontinental champion. I feel that there needs to be a winner in this match and not just a screwy finish to keep both belts. My goal with this match is to have just one unified champion and I would keep the IC title due to it’s WWF/E lineage and history. As is a theme with me for this card, I could see either man winning. I feel that it’s pretty obvious that Cesaro is the better worker but I can also see WWE not wanting to end the Ryback streak. This finish should come down to Ryback and how over he is getting with the title and with almost a year, at that point, of television time.
CM Punk vs The Undertaker
Personally I would prefer Brock vs Undertaker but I am taking into account the current talk and storyline that has HHH vs Brock Lesnar. So with Brock not available I feel I went with the next best thing, CM Punk. Punk is the top heel in the company and someone who isn’t opposed to losing, which obviously has to happen when you are facing Taker at Wrestlemania. If Punk can keep the momentum going with his quest for respect, what better way to try and earn respect than ending the streak? The other reason that I like this match is because Punk can talk and that can limit the number of appearances that Undertaker would need to make leading to Wrestlemania. Undertaker is a special attraction and I wouldn’t want to have him on every week leading into the show. If he can make 4 appearances in the eight weeks between The Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania then that is perfect in my opinion. As for the outcome, Undertaker keeps the streak intact and CM Punk loses none of his heat.
Brock Lesnar vs Triple H
While I don’t personally like this match, it appears that this is the way WWE is going. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the match I just feel that Brock vs Taker is the better option. The story itself is very simple: Can HHH come back and beat the man who broke his arm twice? It’s designed for the babyface to be triumphant and so that is what should happen. Funny how Captain Insecurity pulled that off huh? Must just be a coincidence. A lot of this match will also depend on the contract status of Brock Lesnar. He’s on a one year deal and if he hasn’t renewed by Wrestlemania there would be less need to keep Brock strong coming out of the match. The finish is a pedigree or three and the bigger interest for me is where both men go from there. Will Brock come back and will HHH stay active or just fade back and wait for the right match?
WWE Title Match: The Rock vs John Cena
Having this match be for the WWE is really the only way to make the rematch. John Cena wins the Royal Rumble match and The Rock beats CM Punk for the WWE title at that same event and the two month build can begin. Hopefully the Rock’s WWE title win can get the company some mainstream entertainment press and they can use that to get some positive buzz for the company. The animosity is already there and so the promos should be fine to build the match. The story is Cena getting his win back which he most certainly will. This of course could lead to a rubber match in the future, something I am sure WWE is hoping to happen. The X Factor in all Cena matches is the crowd. It is very hard to get over the moment of Cena overcoming the odds and avenging the loss to the Rock at Wrestlemania 28 when the crowd is booing him out of the city. This is what the WWE has created, however, and the sure sellout crowd will make it very hard to argue with management that they made the wrong move.
Well that’s the way I see things as of right now. I tried to keep it to a reasonable number of matches and there are still some names like Mark Henry and Cody Rhodes that I haven’t found a spot for. Like I said, a lot can and probably will change over the coming months but I would look forward to this card and think that it would largely deliver as a show worthy of the Wrestlemania name.
Agree? Disagree? Did I miss something? I’d love to hear from you at addie@wetalkwrestling.com
