Scott,
Hello. I have a couple of questions I'd like to know your opinion on. I think these are questions a lot of fans have. I'm not sure if you've already addressed these in the blog but here goes anyway...
As the inevitable Rock-Cena II match is coming close I was wondering your take on what WWE can do to make it different this time around? Added stips? Guest ref? The simple fact that its a title match does nothing for me, mostly because I'm a Rock guy and Cena is winning. Plus, hyping it as "Once in a Lifetime" last year and serving it up again one year later is really weak.
Weak to the tune of MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
But OK, if we're gonna continue to play that game, then logically the escalation is for Ziggler to cash in at Elimination Chamber and win the belt, then Cena wins the belt on RAW the next night to set up the UNIFICATION MATCH with Rock at Wrestlemania. Won't happen, but that's what I'd do. Yeah, Ziggler gets fucked over again, but he's used to it. I think seriously though that Orton wins the Chamber and turns heel, then challenges Del Rio at Wrestlemania. And Rock-Cena will just be a match.
Same questions for Brock-HHH. What do they do to make it different? Added stips? Guest ref? I really have no desire to see their SummerSlam match again, however the thought of Brock playing the Taker role in last year's HiaC match at WM sounds good on paper. I can see Lesnar returning tonight during Heyman's performance review, roughing up Vince which will then lead to HHH's return as well.
Good eye on the Lesnar return there. I think this is clearly where they need to stip up that shit, since HHH has gotta be limited in what he can do in the ring with his new haircut, and both guys love to bleed and go all old school and violent, so they either do a Hell in a Cell match or pay tribute to Magnum and Tully with an I Quit match. Either way, I would expect gimmicks and blood out the wazoo so they can show up Rock and Cena.
From a marketing standpoint I believe Rock-Brock is the biggest match they could have made, however it seems they want the belt back on Cena, so... I was curious what your take on something like Rock-Brock-Cena in a triple threat title match at Mania would be?
OK, but you understand the fatal flaw with that, right? HHH doesn't get his payday and doesn't get to take credit for any extra buys over last year's show that way.
Considering WWE was hell bent on putting Rock and Cena in a match together again at least this way they wouldn't have to go back on their "Once in a Lifetime" match and we get a new dimension on old rivalries. If they really want to give Cena a boost have him beat a Hollywood mega-star and a former UFC heavyweight champion in the same match. That's not how I would book it, but it'll sure give them their Super Cena. You can still book Undertaker-Punk on the card and whatever else they're going to throw at us.
That's not how they see it. Wrestlemania is for the once-a-year, casual buyers who only know Rock and Cena and don't care that they already engaged in feats of sports entertaining the year before. To them, a year is a long time and this is fresh again. They would be foolish to leave the money on the table from that rematch, especially since Rock is getting older and could leave again at will. It would be like UFC not doing Sonnen-Silva II just because Chael already lost one match to Silva. This isn't like TNA fucking up the Aces & Eights booking and drawing 8000 buys instead of 10000. This is literally a HUNDRED MILLION DOLLAR wrestling show, and they should tell the smart community to go fuck themselves and do the match that will finance the company for the rest of the year. It bores me, but I 100% understand and support the reasoning behind it.