This is the greatest time of the year for professional wrestling fans (both open ones like myself as well as those still in the closet) as we officially begin the two month build-up to Wrestlemania. The WWE does not have an off-season like the major sorts, so there are always times during the year when the writing sucks and the storylines are lame. It just happens. But for Wrestlemania, the storylines are crisp and the matches are top-notch. No matter what has happened in the past year, the writers are always able to get the biggest names in the business to wrestle each other. Main eventing Wrestlemania is the biggest honor in the business.
Over the past five years, only a select few have had that honor - John Cena, HHH, Randy Orton, Edge, Chris Jericho, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Batista. The problem this year is that Jericho, Michaels, HHH and Batista are all retired while Cena, Orton and Edga have wrestled each other so many times over the past year that it is old an tired. So what did WWE do? Well, the anticipated the situation and started building up new stars over the past year.
I have been hoping that the company would anoint the current WWE Champion, The Miz, as the next guy to carry the torch. The guy is an amazing heel (ie - bad guy) and would be a welcome change from the old guard. However, he is inexperienced as a main eventer and not a crossover star like Cena. Would WWE go with The Miz as the top guy? Well, it looks like they tipped their hand at the Royal Rumble when The Miz cost Cena a shot at the title (the winner of the Rumble gets a title shot) by eliminating him even though he wasn't in the match. If that doesn't lead to Miz-Cena at Wrestlemania, then I know nothing about wrestling. (Oh, and on Raw last night, the WWE announcer, 50-something year old Jerry Lawler got a title shot at the next PPV meaning The Miz will hold the title until Wrestlemania)
For the other two main events, WWE has set up two other juicy match-ups...CM Punk vs Randy Orton and Edge vs Alberto Del Rio. The first is nothing shocking - Orton is a huge babyface (ie - good guy) and Punk is a huge heel. From what I know they have never faced each other, so it's perfect. As for the other bout, I am honestly shocked. Del Rio has been showing up on both Raw and Smackdown lately and he has been proclaiming that he was destined to win the Rumble. I assumed they were trying to build him up for the future, I just never thought the future was now. I just never thought someone who has been in the company less than a year would be in one of the three biggest matches at WM26.
All three of these matches would be great as they match the three biggest veterans against the three biggest newcomers. It is almost too perfect. Which of course, means it is too good to be true. WWE still has one more pay-per-view, Elimination Chamber, before Wrestlemania. At this event, they have two 6-person matches with the winner walking away with the respective titles. With six people in each match, anything can happen. The script can switch in a split second.
So my plea to WWE is this - don't throw us a curveball. The matches you are going to tease for the next month are perfect. Leave them the way they are and use the weeks in between to build up other storylines. But leave the main events as they are.
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