31 Manias in 31 Days: Rewriting Wrestlemania XXIX

[LODemolition]

The next installment of my "Rewriting WrestleMania" takes us back less than 2 years ago to the 2nd most-attended event (80,676) in WWE history as MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ hosted WrestleMania XXIX. The main event was a repeat of the supposed "Once in a Lifetime" match from WM28 between WWE Champion The Rock and Royal Rumble winner John Cena. At the 2013 Royal Rumble, The Rock won the championship from CM Punk to end his historic 434-day reign (the longest since Hulk Hogan become champion for the first time nearly 30 years earlier). It was The Rock's first time holding gold since Brock Lesnar defeated him for the World Title at SummerSlam 2002. After CM Punk failed to regain the title in the rematch at Elimination Chamber, he would go on to face The Undertaker and try to end his 20-0 undefeated streak. Brock Lesnar had returned to WWE the night after WrestleMania 28, and in his first Mania match since WM20, he would face Triple H in a no holds barred contest - a match in which the COO put his career on the line. Overall, I thought this was a pretty decent Mania. However, there is a lot of room for improvement. Even with all the talent available, it was a step down from the previous year and I would have done a lot of things differently. Here are the results.

April 7, 2013
MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)

1. (Pre-Show) Intercontinental Championship:

The Miz def. Wade Barrett (c) by submission to become new champion

2. Six-Man Tag Team Match:

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns) def. Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Big Show

3. Mark Henry def. Ryback

4. Tag Team Championship:

Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) (c) def. Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston w/ AJ Lee

5. Fandango def. Chris Jericho

6. World Heavyweight Championship:

Alberto Del Rio (c) w/ Ricardo Rodriguez def. Jack Swagger w/ Zeb Colter by submission to retain

7. The Undertaker def. CM Punk w/ Paul Heyman

8. No Holds Barred Career Threatening Match:

Triple H w/ Shawn Michaels def. Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman

9. WWE Championship:

John Cena def. The Rock (c) to become new champion


*Rewriting WrestleMania XXIX*


1. (Pre-Show) 8-Man Tag Team Match: Fandango w/ Summer Rae and 3-Man Band (Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal, and Drew McIntyre) def. The Miz, Kofi Kingston, and The Usos

Though hindsight is always 20/20, hindsight wasn't even necessary to know that Fandango was never going to amount to much in WWE and that a win over Chris Jericho at WrestleMania was insane. Fandango deserved nothing more than a pre-show match. I'd give him the win over The Miz, who the crowd couldn't have cared less about at the time to say the least. His booking couldn't have been more confusing back then. He'd be a face one week, a heel the next, then back to a face, then a tweener. It was ridiculous.

2. United States Championship Triple Threat: Cesaro (c) def. Alberto Del Rio w/ Ricardo Rodriguez and Jack Swagger w/ Zeb Colter

I liked Del Rio and Swagger's feud, but it was not important enough to be for the World Heavyweight Championship. It would have been much more appropriate for them to be feuding for the US Title, much like Cena and Rusev this year. Cesaro would have fit into this feud quite nicely being a foreigner himself, so before The Real Americans were formed, I'd make him opponents with Swagger and Del Rio and retain. It's a shame that possibly the best pound for pound wrestler in WWE couldn't find his way onto the card.

3. Ryback def. Mark Henry

I came very very close to making this one for the World Heavyweight Championship, which I'm a firm believer that Ryback should have won at some point before it was retired. However, I narrowly picked another match over this one to hold that honor. The Mark Henry win caught everyone by surprise. The problem is that the only reason Henry won was to surprise the crowd. I could understand if this was the Mark Henry in the fall/winter of 2011, but there was no reason to hold Ryback was yet again held down on ppv yet again here.

4. Tag Team Championship: Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow) (c) w/ The Bella Twins def. Tons of Funk (Brodus Clay and Sweet T) w/ The Funkadactyls

These teams were advertised to be foes on the WM29 card as part of an 8-person tag with their valets, but due to time restraints, it failed to happen. I loved Sandow and Rhodes as a team and thought they were hilarious. They actually had a pretty decent feud with Tons of Funk, so I would have brought in Rhodes Scholars in as tag team champs and had them retain. Rhodes Scholars challenged Team Hell No at the Rumble and should have won so that Daniel Bryan, who was growing each night in popularity at this point, could have split from Kane and moved on to better things.

5. Intercontinental Championship: Wade Barrett (c) def. Chris Jericho

Unfortunately, a shoulder injury kept Barrett out of WM28, and he was terribly misused at WM27. This year was no different, as they had him drop the IC Title to The Miz on the pre-show only to regain it the very next night on Raw. The Miz was 100% the wrong opponent. When Jericho returned at the Royal Rumble, he should have been all about one thing: winning the Intercontinental Championship for a tenth time. And who better for him to face for it than his NXT protege, Wade Barrett? In a battle of student versus teacher, Barrett gets the win. If Jericho is going to put young talent over, at least make it a young talent that has a long, promising career ahead of himself. I had Barrett lose to Taker at WM27. In his next Mania at-bat, he squares off against another legend, this time winning. Like Ryback, I nearly had Barrett in the WHC match as well, but I like him in this role just slightly better.

6. Six-Man Tag Team Match: The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns) def. Triple H, Randy Orton, and Sheamus

I thought Big Show was a bad fit for this match, and Triple H would've been just about perfect for it. Why not have "the hounds of justice" go after the COO? When this happens, he goes to 2 of his toughest Mania opponents and forms a new Evolution. Basically, I'm just moving up the feud that actually happened after WM30.

7. World Heavyweight Championship: Dolph Ziggler (c) w/ AJ Lee and Big E Langston def. Daniel Bryan

Dolph Ziggler was the Money in the Bank contract winner for the World Title in 2012. While the crowd for his cash-in was electric the night after WM29, I would have had it happen sooner. The fact that he got injured just a couple months later just further proves my point. As soon as he got so popular that they had no choice but to turn him face, he suffered a concussion and had to drop the title. Talk about bad luck. I would have had Ziggler cash in no later than the Rumble so Del Rio could get his rematch out of the way before WrestleMania and a fresh feud could be started with Daniel Bryan. With Bryan's ex AJ Lee being the new girlfriend of Ziggler, this would have been a natural fit. Not to mention one hell of a match. These two were opponents anyway at Mania 29, but as one half of their respective tag teams. I wasn't dead set against that match by any means, but this would've been a huge step up. In what would have likely been the show stealer, Ziggler retains with help from AJ and Langston.

8. The Undertaker def. Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman

Yes, CM Punk versus Taker was the best match of WrestleMania 29. Yes, I still would have changed it. Now, I nearly kept it the same in a "Streak vs Streak" match (Taker at 20-0 and Punk at 500+ days as WWE Champion), however even when you're rewriting history, you need to keep it realistic. And we all know The Undertaker was down to 1 match a year at this point. So a WWE Championship win would have been meaningless for Taker, as he would have just had to lose it the next night,or even the same night due to a cash-in. Since I don't like either of those scenarios, I think the Dead Man would have been better off facing an entirely different opponent. And since I don't have him facing Lesnar at WMXXX, he makes the perfect opponent for him here. It was Lesnar's first Mania back (in reality, in my WM28 rewrite I had him face Big Show) and just like in his loss to Triple H, there would have been plenty of time to build up his credibility again before destroying Cena at SummerSlam '14. So in my rewriting of history, Taker and Lesnar's match gets moved up 1 year and Taker stays undefeated at 21-0. Lesnar did not need to be the one that ended the streak. I've said that a hundred times. He wasn't a bad choice by any means, but did it have to be him? Not at all. Lesnar already had wins under his belt against Undertaker.

9. Divas Championship: AJ Lee w/ Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston def. Kaitlyn (c) by submission (c)

I honestly thought this match should have taken place at WrestleMania rather than Payback. These 2 had the best divas feud in quite some time, as they were former best friends and tag team partners. I always thought AJ and Dolph should have been champions at the same time to be the WWE's power couple. AJ makes Kaitlyn tap in the Black Widow to begin her reign as the longest reigning Diva's Champ of all-time.

10. WWE Championship Triple Threat: John Cena def. The Rock and CM Punk (c) w/ Paul Heyman

This is where CM Punk's historic WWE Championship reign should have come to an end. In my rewrite, The Rock wins the 2013 Royal Rumble. When The Rock calls out CM Punk to tell him that he's challenging for his title at WrestleMania instead of the World Heavyweight Title, John Cena interrupts. Cena still has the briefcase and announces he's cashing it in at WrestleMania to make it a triple threat. Cena wants to avenge his loss to The Rock at WM28 and win the WWE Championship, and this briefcase is the only way he can kill 2 birds with 1 stone. CM Punk, The Rock, and John Cena were all intertwined in a feud (just like Rock/Cena/Miz 2 years earlier) since the Raw 1,000 in July where Punk turned heel by hitting The Rock with the GTS. April 7th would have made it CM Punk's 504th days as WWE Champion. Having Punk drop the title at the Rumble was such a terrible call. You don't let someone hold your championship for the longest amount of time of anyone in 30 years and then make him drop it to a part-timer, just so he can defend it in a match in the main event of WrestleMania that we just saw the year before. What were they thinking? I'll never understand. In my version of WM29, John Cena wins after CM Punk hits the GTS on The Rock, then turns around only to have Cena hit the AA and drop him on top of Rock. Cena has his choice of who to pin and opts for The Rock to get revenge for last year. But this also gives CM Punk the ability to say he was never beaten for the title. Rock goes back to Hollywood. Like Cena or not, he should have been the one to end Punk's run as champ, not a part-timer. Cena carries the ball while Punk goes on vacation until SummerSlam.

And that is my WrestleMania XXIX.

Feel free to comment and/or post your card.

 

[WarMachineUSA]

Triple H would never agree to wrestle a multi-man match at Mania.

Keep: Shield vs. Orton, Big Show and Sheamus

Make:

Triple H vs. Brock

Undertaker vs. Kane

They could fight for the legacy of Paul Bearer

 

[Dagger Dias]

This show is better than people give it credit for, but it could have used some changes to be even better. The awful Henry VS Ryback match gets bumped down to the pre-show as my first change. This allows for Miz and Barrett to make it onto the main card for the Intercontinental Championship match, which goes on 2nd after the 6 man tag match. AJ would have faced Kaitlyn for the Divas Championship, this feud was what finally made the divas division start to turn around so it deserves to have a spot on the Wrestlemania card. Kaitlyn retains so AJ getting her win at Payback will be an even bigger deal. This match goes on right before the main event.

Jericho would face The Undertaker and become another victim of The Streak. Out of all the Undertaker Wrestlemania matches during The Streak, this is one of the missed opportunities that I wanted to see the most. Fandango would not be on the main card. CM Punk never lost the WWE Championship to The Rock in my version and there won't be a "Twice In A Lifetime?" match since Cena already defeated The Rock in my Wrestlemania 28. The main event is a triple threat between WWE Champion CM Punk, The Rock, and John Cena in which Cena wins to close the show. The rest of the show remains the same.

 

[MMA Mark]

CM Punk(c) vs The Undertaker - 'Streak vs Streak' for the WWE title as Punk doesn't lose the title to The Rock. It was the best match on the card, should have had top billing and Punk with the belt makes the finish less predictable. Taker goes over but is taken out by The Shield the next night on RAW and has to vacate the title.

Big Show(c) vs Ryback - World Heavyweight title. Show doesn't drop the belt to ADR and is booked strong heading into Mania. Ryback wins the Rumble and chooses Show because he wants a fair fight. Build it around Ryback's ability to hit Shell Shocked, and have him beat Henry at Elimination Chamber.

The Rock vs Brock Lesnar II - Shield was banned in Rock vs Punk, so Brock returns instead and helps out his fellow Heyman Guy. The Rock obviously wants revenge afterwards and to avenge his loss in 2002. You could book Rock vs Cena II at Elimination Chamber instead (Hogan vs Rock II happened at No Way Out 2003).

Alberto Del Rio(c) vs Jack Swagger - U.S. Title. Same feud, different belt.

Wade Barrett(c) vs Miz vs Jericho vs Ziggler vs Cesaro vs Sheamus - Intercontinental title.

John Cena, Daniel Bryan & Kane vs The Shield

Kaitlyn(c) vs AJ Lee - Divas title

HHH vs Mark Henry

Orton vs Fandango - Orton squashes Fandango.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

I like the idea of switching Henry/Ryback with Miz/Barrett. Their rematch on Raw the next night was fantastic, so putting them on the main card at WM could have seen a decent match there, rather than the rubbish pre-show match they had.

 

[The Perfect Max]

Six-Man Tag Team Match
The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins) defeated The Big Show, Randy Orton and Sheamus
This was a fun opener that I quite enjoyed. On paper, The Shield are going up against a very strong team; three former world champions, and Orton especially has made a legacy for himself in the WWE. The Shield take down a big team in the same way they did at the original event, leading to a short three-way feud between The Big Show, Randy Orton and Sheamus.

Singles Match
Ryback defeated Mark Henry
This match kinda needed bigger spots for the fans to actually look back on this with fonder memories. It was, to me, sort of disjointed, but I would still have the match take place and hope they could do better. And of course, Ryback would go over after one Shellshock. The original result made no sense to me, and this would hopefully rectify all of Ryback's accumulated losses over the prior months.

Tag Team Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) (c) defeated Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow)
I almost had Daniel Bryan vs Kane instead, having them drop the titles slightly earlier, likely to Rhodes and Sandow. However, I think I preferred this encounter both for the event and going forward. I liked Rhodes Scholars and they deserved to be on the card and against a legit team. Bryan and Kane go over, dropping the titles to The Shield soon afterwards.

Singles Match
Chris Jericho defeated Dolph Ziggler (with AJ Lee and Big E Langston)
Okay, so why this never happened is beyond me. At SummerSlam 2012, if I am not mistaken, the two faced off, and then again on Raw where Jericho was fired after the loss. Then, Jericho returns at the Royal Rumble at number 2 against Dolph Ziggler. This so should have happened at WrestleMania. A great backstory, especially with AJ Lee now with Dolph. This would have been a great match. I had Jericho go over after much deliberation because of what happens later...

No Holds Barred Match
Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeated Triple H (with Shawn Michaels)
I enjoyed this feud and this match, however I disagreed with the outcome. Lesnar should have won, not because he would face The Undertaker next year, because in my rewrite it does not happen, but because I feel Lesnar should have remained undefeated for as long as possible. Of course, I would remove the stipulation of Triple H retiring and have Lesnar win.

Singles Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Alberto Del Rio (c) (with Ricardo Rodriguez) defeated Jack Swagger (with Zeb Colter) via submission
I enjoyed this feud, and feel it finished the way it should have done, Swagger DUI or not. Not much I would change here, except...

Cash-in for the World Heavyweight Championship
Dolph Ziggler (with AJ Lee and Big E Langston) defeated Alberto Del Rio (c) (with Ricardo Rodriguez)
Yes, you could argue this could still have happened the night after WrestleMania and it would not have mattered. But, I think I would have rather seen it at WrestleMania for the moment it would have provided. Ziggler deserved it. Having Jericho go over him earlier, as well as Del Rio, Swagger and others on the roster, this provided many challengers that I would have enter an Elimination Chamber type match at Extreme Rules. If you want to elevate that title, do so here.

Singles Match for the WWE Championship
CM Punk (with Paul Heyman) defeated The Rock (c)
Okay, so I did a lot of tossing and turning over this one. Originally I had CM Punk enter the match as champion still, but still have him win, which I felt would elongate the reign to an extortionate timespan. I would have The Rock beat CM Punk for the title at Royal Rumble, but have the Rumble match itself afterwards, allowing Punk to win that and have the rematch at WrestleMania. Also, the backstory makes sense as Punk disliked Rocky getting his match at WrestleMania XXVIII against John Cena. Punk regains the title.

Singles Match
The Undertaker defeated John Cena
Okay so this may seem backwards as Cena lost his match last year. But, in the long run, I think it works. Cena wants redemption for his loss against The Rock, but he will not get it. Instead, he attempts to challenge The Undertaker. A win here would render the match with Rock a distant memory. And of course, this would likely have been Taker's biggest WrestleMania match so far where people would genuinely believe he could lose. The Streak needed some last minute boost in my opinion to elevate it further than it already been. Taker wins and goes to 21-0.

 

[Aquaman6686]

This was the first WrestleMania I attended live, but there are some changes I'd make. I'm at work so I'm just going to post the results of my altered card.


Pre-show: Chris Jericho wins a 20-Man Battle Royal for a United States Championship match later in the night, last eliminating Fandango

Pre-show: Mark Henry def. Ryback

1: The Shield def. Randy Orton, Sheamus, & The Big Show

2: The Miz def. Wade Barrett to win the Intercontinental Championship

3: Team Hell No def. Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston (w/AJ Lee) to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship

4: Chris Jericho def. Antonio Cesaro to win the United States Championship

5: Triple H (w/Shawn Michaels) def. Brock Lesnar (w/Paul Heyman) in a No Holds Barred Match

6: John Cena def. The Rock

7: Alberto Del Rio (w/Ricardo Rodriguez) def. Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Colter) to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

8: Dolph Ziggler def. Alberto Del Rio to win the World Heavyweight Championship (Ziggler cashes in his MITB title shot)

9: The Undertaker def. CM Punk to win the WWE Championship

 

[HBKperfect23]

WWE title CM Punk vs the Rock. Rock wins the rumble. This had the big match feel. Twice In a lifetime just didn't work. This was the go to match. Have everything go down exactly the same as it did at the rumble. Rock could drop it back to Punk next month or even drop it to cena next month.

Undertaker vs John Cena. Cena is a viable threat to the streak. Although I liked taker/punk I think he was needed in the title match.

H/Brock the same.

Tag titles: DB/Kane vs the Sheild Reigns and Rollins. Reigns and Rollins take the tag titles.

IC Title Barrett vs Ambrose. AMbrose takes the IC title.

Jericho vs Ziggler. This would have been a great match. And it looked like they were setting it up in the rumble. Ziggler goes over since he's winnimg the world title the next night.

World title: del rio vs swagger. Del rio retains.

Randy Orton vs Sheamus

Pre show: ryback vs mark Henry

 

[MMK]

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match:
Antonio Cesaro def Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Wade Barrett, Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus

Ryback & Big E Langston def Mark Henry & The Big Show

United States Championship
John Cena def Jack Swagger w/Zeb Colter
The problem with Swaggers heel run was that they had him feud with Del Rio who was a natural heel in his own right. Crowd wasn't smart enough to figure out that Swagger was supposed to be the villian. Del Rio's mic skills weren't as good as Colter's. But Cena would have been a perfect foil against Swagger and Colter. Much the way Cena defends his country against a foreign menace like Rusev and Lana, he could have just as easily defended against a homegrown menace like Swagger and Colter whose villianous personas were just as anti-american as Rusev and Lana. The "don't tread on me" snake flag is as anti-american a symbol as you can get if you know it's history.

WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Shield: Ambrose and Rollins def Daniel Bryan and Kane

The Undertaker def Roman Reigns
The Shield attempting to end the streak is something I would have liked to see. Roman could have used a big singles match at Mania to prepare him better for being a future main eventer. Afterwards, The Shield triple team Taker but Team Hell No make the save

Brock Lesnar def Triple H
The only change I'd make to this would be for it to be their first and only encounter. No Summerslam match from the previous year. And of course Brock gets the win here at Mania.

WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (Title unification)
The Rock vs CM Punk (C)
Rock vs Cena really started at WM27 when Rock interfered in the main event between Cena and Miz, although I would have replaced Miz with Punk. Then the following year Rock rightfully faced Cena in what was advertised as once in a lifetime. It should have stayed once in a lifetime. No rematch. No triple threat with Punk thrown in the mix. Punk vs Rock, which happened at The Royal Rumble, should have been saved for Mania. I also would have had the two titles unified at this event. They were unified later in the year but it should have happened at Mania on a bigger stage.
Rock, working a part time schedule as WWE Champion (Similar to what Brock is doing now) would have worked just fine in my opinion. OR Punk wins and continues on as Champion. Either way is fine with me.

 

[gmanversion1]

First, I would have had Lesnar beat HHH. Hunter was part time anyway, and if they really wanted him in the ring again at some point, they could do an angle where Vince reinstated his wrestling licence, or he gets put in a match and wins it back.

I would have Ziggler cash in at TLC, holding the world title until Mania, turning face around No Way Out. Swagger still wins the Chamber, but does win the title at Mania. Swagger in my opinion was doing some of his best work in a few years, and unlike when he cashed in MITB a few years back, I think Swagger was ready for a world title run at this point.

Back at Rumble, I would have Punk beat Rock. (Rock/Cena 2 didn't need to be for the belt). Undertaker would be a surprise Rumble entrant, and win.
Taker would cut a promo, "CM Punk, you say you are the best in the world. Prove it. You say you deserve respect. Earn it. At Wrestlemania 29, you will rest… in… peace"
I would leave Paul Bearer's death completely out if the build up for the match.
At mania Punk beats Taker CLEAN in the centre of the ring, making Taker 20-1, however, this turns Punk face, earning the respect he had been clambering for for months, when Undertaker shaking Punks hand.
Wrestlemania 29 closes to Punk celebrating to Cult Of Personality. He would have had the Wrestkemania main (last match ) event the he (in my opinion, and his) so rightly deserved.

PS, I would have Punk keep the belt until Mainia 30, and then drop it to Daniel Brian

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

With a few small tweaks, the build-up to this WrestleMania could've been a lot stronger, keeping the same top matches. Rock/Cena II, Punk/Taker and HHH/Lesnar all had underwhelming angles leading up to them, and if the angle isn't strong it doesn't really matter how strong the match is. The angle is what sells the match, and without a proper build you can't have a satisfying conclusion.

So what would be a proper build?

CM Punk was in the midst of his huge Title reign at that time, and he should've kept it going until WrestleMania. By then, I think he would have surpassed 500 days as Champion. Undertaker vs. CM Punk being promoted as The Streak vs. The Reign is way more interesting than just having Undertaker fight Punk. Trying to tie-in the death of Paul Bearer came off as a desperation move to try and inject something personal into the match. With the Streak vs. Reign element you already have something for the fans to get invested in, because it's a classic "something's gotta give" scenario.

I think they saw a problem with keeping the belt on Punk because they felt as though they needed the Title to make Rock/Cena II different from their first match. They didn't have an angle to work for the Rock/Cena rematch so they decided to utilize the Title. But as I'm about to point out, the angle was there without the belt.

At the Royal Rumble I'd still have Punk vs. Rock as the main event for the WWE Title, and John Cena would be a man on a mission heading into the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match. In the Rumble Match, Cena comes in and tosses out everybody, then stands alone in the ring, awaiting the final entrant. We hear the infamous gong, signalling the return of the Undertaker. That alone would be an amazing moment, with Undertaker and Cena staring each other down. After a back and forth brawl, Taker eliminates Cena and wins the Rumble Match.

In the main event, the ref gets knocked down, CM Punk grabs the Title and tries to deck the Rock with it. The Rock counters and catches Punk with a spinebuster, setting up for the People's Elbow. He hits the ropes and then John Cena comes from out of nowhere and decks him with a clothesline (mirroring what Punk did to Rock on the 1000th RAW). Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment, Punk crawls onto the Rock and gets the pin.

Cena explains his actions by saying that he bet everything on his match with the Rock at WrestleMania 28 and when he lost it consumed him. He became obsessed with avenging that loss. After being eliminated from the Rumble, he saw his chance at redemption slipping away and he had to resort to desperate measures. He says this issue with the Rock really all started back at Mania 27, when the Rock cost Cena the WWE Title, and now Cena is just evening the score. The Rock is obviously pissed that Cena screwed him out of the Title, so the stage is set for their rematch at WrestleMania. The main problem with Rock/Cena II, is that everyone knows Cena is going to win. So you take the focus away from that and instead of making it a question of "will Cena win?" you make it a question of "how will Cena win?". He's so obsessed with avenging that loss that it seems as though he will do whatever it takes to beat the Rock. Screwing the Rock out of the Title initially is a pretty un-Cenalike move, so how far is he willing to go to actually beat the Rock at WrestleMania? Basically you're teasing the Cena heel turn. By booking it this way you'd actually have people really invested in seeing the outcome of that match, because they'd be genuinely wondering if Cena would really cross that line.

As for Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar, having Triple H come back looking for revenge on Brock for breaking his arm is fine. Having Brock attack the McMahon family is silly. He's a legit fighter not a cartoon character. Booking Brock like a comic book supervillain takes something very real and turns it into just another wrestling angle which is a waste. Making the Lesnar/HHH feud about Brock breaking Vince's hip and hurting Shawn Michaels was the wrong way to go about things. Triple H is Mr. WWE and Brock doesn't give a damn about the wrestling business, that enough of a real-life angle to build the match. In the build-up they could have Heyman force Triple H to relinquish his WrestleMania pay-off for the match with Brock in order to get a shot at facing him again. Triple H wants revenge so he's willing to give up the money. For him it;s not about the money, it's about his passion for the business. For Brock, it's just about getting paid. Also, putting Triple H's career on the line was a pointless stipulation that made the outcome too predictable. Just do Brock vs. HHH, No Holds Barred. People will view that as a match that could go either way. Then you put Brock over because having Triple H beat him serves zero purpose and I don't care if they were trying to set-up a rubber match in a cage at a throwaway April PPV, it doesn't matter. Brock goes over on the grandest stage of them all. Period.

There you go, I just made WrestleMania 29 way better and I didn't even change what they match-ups were.

 

[MC_Live]

Being there live, I enjoyed the show. Punk Taker was obviously the best match. And as much as I did enjoy the show, as the matches for the most part were pretty good, I just wish we had gotten a better Mania for the return to NY/NJ. So with that in mind, I had some matches I thought should have been made back then, and some that I have thought of since that I would have loved.

1) Team Rhodes Scholars def. Team Hell No (C)- WWE Tag Team Championship
I loved the Rhodes Scholars and thought they had a ton of potential in the tag division. I remember thinking that it would have been prefect for them to beat Kane and Bryan at Mania and get title run of their own.

2) Sheamus def. Wade Barrett (c)- Intercontinental Championship
These two would have beat the hell out of each other. Miz never worked as a face, and while Sheamus isn't much better, I think he would have had a great physical match with Barrett on the Grandest Stage. Sheamus would make a pretty good IC champ I believe.

3) AJ Lee def. Kaitlyn (C)- Divas Championship
I am of the belief that champions should never be left off of a PPV. This was a great feud, so why not just move it back a few months and give AJ a WrestleMania moment of her own (that last longer than 18 seconds).

4) Cesaro (C) def. Chris Jericho- United States Championship
These two would have had a fantastic match. Cesaro is leagues ahead of Fandango, and it was one of my biggest disappointments that I didn't get to see him defend the title at this show.

5) Rey Mysterio def. Sin Cara
Remember when this was supposed to happen? This would have been a big match for Sin Cara, but I would have him lose to the more experienced Mysterio in what may have been the only match where Sin Cara didn't botch something, as these two could have had a great Lucha style match.

6) Dolph Ziggler w/ Big E def. Triple H
Dolph was on the upswing here. If he never got that concussion like two weeks after this show, who knows what would have happened to him. He was hot coming off of a feud with Cena (he beat Cena in a PPV main event!) so why not have him go over another huge star in Triple H. I'm sure these two would have had a fantastic match.

7) Brock Lesnar def. Randy Orton
The Lesnar-HHH match didn't really get over too well, especially following Punk Taker. Orton vs. Lesnar is a match that I am very interested in seeing, and I think it would be fantastic to see on such a big stage.

8) Ryback def. The Big Show (C)- World Heavyweight Championship
This was another rumored match for this show. Having Henry go over Ryback was increadibly stupid, especially considering the next night Ryback began a title feud with Cena. How freaking ass backwards is that? Instead, I would have kept booking Ryback strong, not book him against Punk, have him win the Rumble, and get a huge WrestleMania moment by delivering Shellshocked to Big Show and winning his first World Championship. On a side note, I would have Dolph become the first person to hold the MiTB contract for a year, and also become the first person to beat Ryback by cashing in at this years MiTB PPV.

9) The Shield def. John Cena and The Rock- 2 on 3 Handicapped Match
Did anybody really want Twice in a Lifetime? I know I didn't care that much. The Shield was absolutely dominating, so I figured out a great storyline would be for the Shield to start beating down Cena, who then has to turn to his greatest rival in the Rock to take on the most dominant force in wrestling. And even though the Shield turned out fine, how big for them would it have been to say that in their WrestleMania debut, they beat both John Cena and the Rock?

10) CM Punk (C) def. The Undertaker- Streak vs. Streak, WWE Championship
Punk never should have lost to Rock. I don't think it really did much for anyone. Cena didn't need to beat Rock here ( I would have had Cena go over at WrestleMania XXVIII the year before). Rock didn't need an 8th title run. I think by having CM Punk go to day 504 and face the Undertaker in the Main Event, it could have made Punk a massive star. It's fair to say that Punk isn't on Cena/Rock level starwsise. This match could have done it. I say this is where you end the streak. This is Undertaker's last match. The story would have been insane, and it would have made Punk over like never before. He could then hold the title until dropping it to Bryan at Summerslam. That's how I think it all should have gone down anyway.

 

[Mac]

WWE Championship Match- CM Punk (c) vs The Rock

This match gets held off until Mania. Rock/Cena II was lazy booking. With the year that Punk had he deserved to main event that year and this is also a fresh matchup.

The Undertaker vs John Cena

If anybody could seriously threaten the streak its Cena. This is the match we wanted to see at a Mania and it sucks that we never got it.

Triple H vs Brock Lesnar

The only changes are that this is their first match. In my world their Summerslam '12 match never happens. And Brock gets the big win here.

World Heavyweight Championship Match- Alberto Del Rio (c) vs Ryback

Ryback wins the '13 Rumble in my world and challenges Del Rio for the title. Del Rio retains then Ziggler cashes in and wins the title in the post match.

Kane vs Daniel Bryan

I would've split up Team Hell No and build to this match for WM. Bryan gets the win here.

United States Championship Match- Antonio Cesaro (c) vs Chris Jericho vs Jack Swagger vs Mark Henry

This would be elimination style with Cesaro retaining the title.

The Intercontinental Title Match gets on the main show as well.

Everything else remains the same.

 

[Rocky84]

This Mania was one of the worst ever. It was the most predictable card of all time. We knew that Punk was not going to beat Taker. We also knew that HHH was going to get the win over Brock at Mania since he took the loss at Summer Slam. Finally, we alllll knew that Rock was going to give the win back to Cena since he won the year before. Just terrible. And to boot, Jericho was booked against Fandango smh.


My version...



John Cena vs Cm Punk (c) WWE Championship

-This is the main event that should've happened. This was the right thing to do by Punk, it's what he wanted (which would've contributed to him deciding to stay instead of leaving), and it was the best possible main event. That's what WrestleMania should be...the two best in the business going toe to toe.


Triple H vs The Rock

-This match should've happened here. I don't think the Authority was created just yet, maybe just a couple of months after, but at the time there was speculation there could be a rift between Vince and Hunter. A power struggle, and Vince could've looked to the Rock for help. I'd prefer the Authority angle, similar to last night at Mania 31, or even their promo on Raw which started out friendly, and quickly escalated into a competitive argument about beating each other at WrestleMania.


Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker

-One year earlier, and like others have mentioned, Undertaker wins. I didn't really see a reason to break the streak. I mean, HHH beat Brock, so obviously he can be beaten unlike the unbeatable monster they are building him to be. When will it stop? They basically created a monster out of this because he's abused Cena, Reigns, and Taker...nobody left to realistically challenge him. If he never beat Taker, it wouldn't be a run away train like it is now.


Jack Swagger w/ Zeb Culture vs Alberto Del Rio (c) w/ Riccardo -World Title

-Loved this feud regardless of it's suddenness. I thought Zeb killed this roll and it reminded me of Kurt Angle and Eddie G at Mania 20 with the racist undertone. This was just flat out racist though but in good humor and non offensive.


The Shield vs Team Hell No

-The Shield wasn't very big at this time, an this match would've been better than the random pairing of Orton, Sheamus and Show. Although it would be a 3 on 2, I think it would have been pretty damn good.


Dolph Ziggler w/ AJ Lee & Big E vs Chris Jericho

-They had this match a few times on Raw around these days. I would've held it off for Mania. They always had good matches, and I think a Mania feud would propel things a little further. Maybe have Jericho pull some antics with AJ the way he used to torture Steph back in the day.


Randy Orton vs Big Show

-Solid match. Randy went 1 on 1 with the year prior. This is along the same lines.


Wade Barrett w/ William Regal vs Sheamus w/ Finlay

-I've posted this before on here in other threads, but I'm a big fan of this pairing. I think these guys could do pretty well with these old school mentors in their corner. Make them more gritty personas. Like the APA.


Mark Henry vs Ryback

-Keep the feud the exact same. Loved the build up. The finish was cool since I always root for the old school guys, but I kinda think Ryback needed the win here. It just it just seemed like it killed all his momentum

 

[kadroan]

Here's my card:

Pre Show
United States Championship match
Kofi Kingston def. Cesaro (c)

Singles Match
Chris Jericho def. Dolph Ziggler

World Heavyweight Championship match
Jack Swagger def. Alberto Del Rio
Ziggler cashes in on Jack Swagger

Intercontinental Championship match
Wade Barrett (c) def. The Miz

Tag Team Championship match
Team Hell No def. Tons of Funk and Rhodes Scholars

Six Man Tag match
The Shield def. Ryback/Orton/Show

Singles Match
The Undertaker def. Sheamus

No Holds Barred match
Brock Lesnar def. HHH

WWE Championship match
John Cena def. CM Punk and The Rock

 

[NegativeFeedback]

I'm late to the party, but I'm going to add my own to the mix.

1. Kick-Off: Sheamus defeats Wade Barrett

Sheamus regains the World title from Big Show at TLC and Vickie announces that he'll be facing BROCK LESNAR at Royal Rumble. Brock goes over, and Sheamus begins a downward spiral. He starts a feud with Cesaro, who just lost his US title, about not wanting to fall down the card, but Cesaro beats him cleanly at Elimination Chamber. Wade Barrett comes out the next night to mock him. He tells him that when he debuted on Raw, Sheamus was the biggest bad guy and now he's just a chump. Sheamus takes exception to that and beats him up, starting a feud and leading to this match where Sheamus goes over to regain momentum.

2. WWE Intercontinental Championship: Ryback (c) defeats Mark Henry

Before Cena's injury, Ryback was supposed to win the IC title at Hell in a Cell 2012. I would have kept it that way and Ryback would've stayed undefeated. Mark Henry would return in February and start doing his Feats of Strength vignettes before challenging Ryback for the IC title at Mania. Ryback would go over clean here and stay undefeated all the way to whenever Brock Lesnar is available to give him his first loss.

3. Cesaro defeats Chris Jericho

Instead of winning the World title when turning face, Del Rio would take the US title off Cesaro and then beat him in a rematch at Royal Rumble. Cesaro would have a star-making performance in the Rumble itself though and would go on to beat Sheamus cleanly at Elimination Chamber. During the buildup to EC, Cesaro will be booked like an ultimate fighter/boxer wearing a mouthguard, coming to the ring with a posse at ringside, having heavy brawls during matches and going to the corner where they pour water over his head. He'll be booked like a star and on a Smackdown after EC, he's put on the Highlight Reel where he and his posse treat Jericho like a joke and ignores all his questions. Jericho ends up slapping him and a brawl ensues. Cesaro beats him up and the feud for Mania begins. Cesaro would go over here and face the World Heavyweight Champion at Extreme Rules.

4. United States Championship: Jack Swagger w/ Zeb Colter defeats Alberto Del Rio (c) (Submission match)

When Alberto and Zeb debut in February, they will immediately target Alberto Del Rio who's disgracing the United States by wearing its precious title. Del Rio and Swagger will face off at Elimination Chamber where Del Rio taps Swagger, but the ref doesn't see it due to Zeb's distraction. Swagger then has Del Rio in the ankle lock and Del Rio grabs the ropes. Swagger refuses to let go, and the ref DQ's him. Swagger keeps attacking Del Rio post-match, setting the rematch for Mania. I would have Swagger win, despite the marijuana suspension so Del Rio and Ricardo can move onto the tag division.

5. Tag Team Championship: Team Hell No (c) defeats ShoMiz

This is where it gets interesting. The Miz made a surprise entrance the WWE Champions Money in the Bank match back in July. I would have him win the match and go on to cut a promo with Rock on Raw when Rock announces he'll be contending for the WWE title at Royal Rumble. Rock says Miz is a flash in the pan and if he ever cashed in the briefcase, he would lose, because lighting doesn't strike twice. Miz has a chip on his shoulder all year and goes on an aggressive mean streak. At TLC, The Shield interfere in the WWE title main event and beat up Punk and Cena. Miz then cashes in, climbs the ladder and cuts a promo as he goes up every rung, silencing the naysayers as he becomes WWE Champion. Shield helps Miz retain during the buildup to the Rumble, but at the Rumble, Shield come out and turn around leaving Miz high and dry as Rock pins him for the title. The next night, they tell Miz he's defaulted on his payment and they beat him up, putting him on a stretcher. Post-Elimination Chamber, Big Show beats Bryan in a match and walks out wearing both tag titles. Miz returns, and tells Big Show that he needs a partner and Miz was his best partner ever. He tells Show they should reunite and be unstoppable. They'll start with the tag titles and then both of them will regain their World and WWE titles. Big Show agrees, gives him one of the tag belts, and face Hell No at Mania where they retain and get the titles back.

6. The Undertaker defeats Dolph Ziggler w/ AJ Lee and Big E

Due to Miz not being able to exercise his rematch clause at EC, Vince announces that the WWE title will be defended in an Attitude Era Elimination Chamber! The Rock, Chris Jericho, Big Show, Kane, Triple H and The Undertaker! Taker doesn't appear until the actual PPV where he ends up getting pinned by Triple H. The next night, Taker cuts a promo on how that was his last chance to win the WWE title and how he will not be able to ever win it again. He hints at announcing his retirement, when Dolph interrupts him and shows off his MitB briefcase. He says he'll be World Champion many times while Taker lays crippled and motionless in his coffin. He beats up Taker and screams TWENTY AND ONE. He challenges Taker for Mania and the match is on. They would probably write in the Paul Bearer stuff afterwards, but no matter what, Taker will go over. Ziggler will then disappear, up until Payback, where he cashes in on CM Punk right in Chicago.

7. World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk defeats Brock Lesnar (c)

After losing the WWE title to Miz, Punk and Cena both face Miz on Raw for the chance to face Rock at the Rumble. The Shield interfere again and Miz is victorious. Punk and Cena set their sights at the Rumble and end up being the final 2. Everyone expects Cena to win when Punk throws him out. The next night, Brock and Rock are in the ring in the main event segment when Punk comes out for his decision. After some back-and-forth, Cena interrupts, begging Punk to choose Brock so Cena can get redemption against Rock. Before Punk can make a decision, the Shield storm the ring and surround all four of them. Brock teases teaming up with them, but Heyman shakes Seth's hand and the Shield let them leave. They then beat up the remaining three. Punk, Cena and Orton lose to Shield at EC and Punk then calls out Heyman and asks him about his relationship with the Shield. Heyman says they're guns for hire and Punk asks if he paid them tonight. Heyman says no, and Punk then beats Heyman up until Brock makes the save. Brock and Punk brawl and Punk announces he's facing Brock at Mania. Punk either goes over, or beats Brock in a rematch at Extreme Rules. I'm leaning towards the former, to make the main event a softer pill to swallow for the smarks.

8. The Shield defeats Evolution (Batista, Triple H and Randy Orton w/ Ric Flair)

After Brock wins the title, Heyman announces Brock will be taking time off til Mania. Vickie says the Randy/Wade match tonight will be a #1 Contender's match instead and if Brock doesn't compete, he'll be stripped of the title. Randy comes out for his match, but before it begins, The Shield interrupt and beat him up. 2 weeks later, when Punk and Cena are one man down against The Shield, Randy makes the save and the 6-man-tag is set for EC. After eating the pin at EC, Randy attacks The Shield 1-on-3 on SD and gets beat up. He then calls them out on Raw where they say they're going to finish him off for good. But Randy announces he has back-up and that's when the other 3 members of Evolution come out and fight them off. The Shield then go over at Mania, and both Randy and Trips foreshadow their alliance for The Authority in the summer. Batista's appearance is a one-off, although we all know he comes back the next year.

9. WWE Championship: John Cena defeats The Rock (c)

John Cena's redemption storyline is booked much better. After Mania, he loses to Brock at Extreme Rules. He doesn't win MitB. He gets a few wins here and there, but he's actually on a downward spiral. He challenges Miz for his MitB briefcase at Night of Champions and wins via Count Out. He holds the briefcase for a day, but then Vince reverses saying it goes by the same rules as title changes and says Miz is still Mr. MitB. He tells Cena he'll have to find another way to make it back on top, but that the WWE can live on without him if he doesn't. At Survivor Series, Cena is the sole survivor on his team, getting some momentum for TLC. He then tells Punk he NEEDS to win the title so he can beat Rock at the Rumble, and a TLC match is set for the show. After Miz wins the title, and the 3-way on Raw, Cena sets his sights on the Rumble, where he loses. The Rock then says it's over for him. They're done, for good. After Rock last pins Triple H in the Chamber and retains the title, Cena comes out and lays him out with the championship. Rock tells him to explain himself, and he says he needs to get Rock's attention. After egging him on, Rock finally agrees and the rematch is set for Mania. Cena wins, gets redemption, and faces Randy, Triple H and Batista in a Fatal-4-Way at Extreme Rules.

* If I could have a tenth match, it would be the Tons of Funk and Funkadactyls vs. Rhodes Scholars and The Bella Twins match that was also advertised for this show. The heels would go over to even out the face/heel win ratio.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Singles match for the WWE Championship
John Cena def. The Rock(C)
This match does not change as I believe Cena should get the one-on-one victory over The Rock and having this match be for the WWE Championship also increases the value of the title and makes this match more historic.

No Holds Barred match
CM Punk def. Triple H
This had to happen. Punk was a red hot heel. Triple H was already in a feud with Heyman so why not have him face his client, CM Punk at Wrestlemania? The rematch with Brock Lesnar never happens at Wrestlemania, instead, it happens at Hell In A Cell, in a Hell In A Cell match.

Singles match for the Streak
Undertaker def. Chris Jericho
It's a same this match never happened.

Singles match
Brock Lesnar def. Randy Orton
This is a personal dream match of mine. I wonder why the WWE haven't made this match yet. This would be the place to make it happen.

Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Ryback def. The Big Show(C)
Ryback was a red hot face. He had an impressive showing in the Rumble match. So, I'd have him win a #1 Contender Elimination Chamber match. Big Show goes into 'Mania as the World Champion. He never loses the belt to Del Rio. Ryback wins and finally becomes World Heavyweight Champion.

3-on-3 Tag Team Elimination match
The Shield def. 3 other guys

Triple Threat match for the WWE European (United States) Championship
Cesaro(C) def. Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio
Take Del Rio's and Swagger's feud and add the fact that Colter wants to take the "European" Championship from Cesaro and rename it "US" Championship.

Singles match for the WWE Intercnontinental Championship
The MIz def. Wade Barrett(C)

Divas match

Tag Team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Team Hell No(C) def. Ziggler & Big E.

These are my changes. Fandago never makes it to the main card. Also, why wasn't there a Divas match?