Make your Wrestlemania main event argument (the past events)

[AegonTargaryen]

1)I was watching the Raw mainevent before NWO '01- Benoit/Angle vs Rock/Austin with HHH on the commentary, the other day. JR makes this remark that "it's going to be a classic, epic confrontation etc. " thus selling the HHH/Austin match at NWO. Obviously, it wasn't a classic, and wasn't supposed to be one. HBK-Taker is classic. Rock-Hogan was epic. HHH vs Austin was just MEH. Nonetheless. I wondered how HHH felt about being considered NOT WORTHY of the WM mainevent because Austin vs Rock was THE MATCH. And it got me thinking.

2)Does the WWE always go with the right mainevent? And by mainevent here, I purely mean the match for the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP and not the match that ended a particular Wrestlemania. Were there wrestlers in the past who deserved to be in the world title match instead of the one who actually was?

3)So let me illuminate you- I will make a few arguments, raise a few questions. You can make your own arguments about particular Wrestlemanias and what you think should have been the mainevent match, and why. You can choose any WM after WM17. Naturally, between 2003-2013, there were two world titles defended on the show so you can go for either of the title. The emphasis is on WHOM you think should've been the challenger/champion and NOT on which match should've closed the show.

4)I am choosing two particular WM championship mainevent matches as my proposed argument. I'll give my reasons. You can either speak against my argument, or for them, in addition to making your own arguments about some other WM world title matches.

A)The WHC championship match at WM22.

Giving the WHC to Rey Mysterio was one of the dumbest things the WWE ever did, IMO. Not only did giving the WHC to a tiny cruiserweight tarnish the legacy of the iconic WHC, but the way they did it(using Eddie's death) was absolutely abominable. My argument is, if you wanted to push someone just on account of Eddie's death, why not choose Chavo instead? Good wrestler. 210 lbs, close to being a heavyweight at least. What about CHRIS BENOIT? Guy was the best wrestler they had on Smackdown that year besides Kurt Angle. He was close to Eddie as well. But instead, he's defending the US title?? (And this is only retrospective guys, so please don't tell me that Benoit would go on to do what he did in 2007. Neither us nor the WWE had any idea in 2006, so it shouldn't affect their booking of him).

Please don't give me the "Rey sells merchandise" BS argument. If tomorrow, Santino Marella were to suddenly sell a lot of socks, and make the WWE some money, they won't put him the main event against Roman Reigns right? I wonder how Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, Sting, among others felt about them giving the WHC to Mysterio.

So here's my argument for the WHC match at WM22:-

Either Kurt Angle(C) vs The Undertaker.
Or a combination of challengers including Chavo Guerrero, Randy Orton, or Chris Benoit.

Jesus fucking Christ..it'd have been a classic had they gone with Angle vs Benoit. Fuck. Or even Angle vs Taker.

Btw, the dumbfucks in the WWE would even go on to give the WHC to rey mysterio for a second time. What an abomination! Guys who actually deserved it at least ONCE between 2002-2010 never got it, including The Big Show, Kane, and Mark Henry.

B. The WWE title mainevent of WM29.

Where do I even begin? John Cena vs Fucking The Rock. For the title. A match which never needed a title, or Cena to win the Rumble. And moreover, they eliminate Punk out of the mainevent. No wonder Punk left. What an abomination!

My argument:- WWE championship match should've been Punk defending against ANYONE,, or against Rock and Cena in a triple threat, if the latter even needed to be in a championship match.

So guys, ATTACK!
You can choose any world title match between WM 18 and WM 31..and provide reasons for your argument.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

WM 22 - Undertaker defeats Kurt Angle (World Title) - Mysterio only got the title because of Eddie's death and didn't deserve it.

WM 27 - Randy Orton defeats CM Punk (WWE Title) - Who put The Miz in the main event of WM? Whoever did should be fired immediately. Punk and Orton had a great feud and match at this event, so just make it for the WWE Title. Cena vs. Rock also takes place at this event just to clear things up.

WM 28 - John Cena defeats CM Punk (Undisputed WWE Title) - Continue the "Summer of Punk" storyline throughout 2011. Punk wins at MITB, leaves, and takes the WWE Championship with him. He takes it to indy events, UFC events, NJPW, and other places. Cena even follows him to a few, trying to take the title back. Of course he never gets it. Finally, Punk returns at Royal Rumble because he wants to prove he is truly the "best in the world".

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Wrestlemania 31 - Brock Lesnar(c) def. Daniel Bryan for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, plus Seth Rollins def. Lesnar(c) via MITB cash-in afterwards.
Reigns vs Lesnar was a great match, but it came at the wrong time. WM 31 was the time for a Daniel Bryan vs Brock Lesnar classic, a match that we might not ever witness now.

Wrestlemania 27 - John Cena(c) def. CM Punk for the WWE Championship w/ The Rock as the special guest referee.
Cena wins the WWE Ttile in an Elimination Chmaber match at No Way Out, while Punk, who was red hot wins the Royal Rumble with the help of the New Nexus.

Wrestlemania 25 - John Cena def. Chris Jericho(c) for the WH Championship.
Jericho carries the belt to Wrestlemania, instead of losing to Cena at SSeries in a match with no build-up.

Wrestlemania 22 - Undertaker def. Kurt Angle(c) for the WH Championship.
Same as the OP.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I don't know why we're only allowed to choose between WrestleMania 18 through 31, but ok...

WrestleMania 22: Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship - Kurt Angle (C) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton: This match should have gone on last. There was no reason for Cena/HHH to headline. This match got crapped on because Mysterio won and nobody wanted to see that. Give this match another 10 minutes, have Angle retain, and you have a match that should have headlined WrestleMania.


WrestleMania 23: World Heavyweight Championship - Batista (C) vs. The Undertaker: Again, ZERO reason for this match to not to headline the event. Undertaker won the Royal Rumble, therefore his match should go last, period. WrestleMania 23 would have been much better served by having it end with Undertaker capturing the World Heavyweight Championship.


WrestleMania 25: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker: I would have changed the results of the two World title matches (Edge retaining over John Cena and The Big Show, and Randy Orton beating Triple H, instead of Cena winning and Triple H retaining), so give the fans a feel-good moment to end the show by having the two most popular stars in the company, and two sons of Texas, close the show.


WrestleMania 27: World Heavyweight Championship - Edge (C) vs. Alberto Del Rio: I was fine with Miz going into WrestleMania 27 (and walking out) as WWE Champion, but Edge/Del Rio should have headlined. Again, it's simple - Del Rio won the Royal Rumble, John Cena did not. Ending WM27 with the bullshit finish of Cena/Miz with Rock interfering was idiotic. The last image of WM27 should have been Edge perched on the turnbuckle, holding his World Heavyweight Championship over his head as pyro exploded above him.


WrestleMania 29: WWE Championship - CM Punk (C) vs. The Undertaker: Rock/Cena II did not need the title. Punk should have kept the title until WrestleMania, which would have put him around the 490 day mark as champion, then lose it to Undertaker in the main event.


WrestleMania 31: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Brock Lesnar (C) vs. Daniel Bryan: Roman Reigns should not have been ANYWHERE near the main event of WrestleMania. He's still not ready to be a main eventer, but that's another point. Daniel Bryan should have beaten Roman Reigns at Fastlane to get the title shot. At WrestleMania, Bryan forces Lesnar to submit and wins the title, then Seth Rollins cashes in and beats Bryan for the championship.

 

[The Man Of 1004 Holds]

I cant agree in saying rey didnt deserve the championship. the dude is quite simply the greatest high flyer of all time, ridiculously popular and had marketability with the mask. he's also been involved in some classic matches with other past champions (eddie, angle, edge, jericho, orton etc) in a long career. I will agree the way it came about and was executed afterwards was horrendous but the guy deserved a run.

as for my pick, it has to be wm 29. we did not need twice in a lifetime, especially with the belt. the way they tried to make it look organic with the rumble win for cena, to make an opt out for the once in a lifetime tag was an insult to fans intelligence.
The main event should have been CM Punk v The undertaker - streak v streak. nothing more needed. Also who knows, had they done this we may still have Punk around today.

as an extra - it's not in the timeframe but wm8 - hogan and flair

 

[Aquaman6686]

I cant agree in saying rey didnt deserve the championship. the dude is quite simply the greatest high flyer of all time, ridiculously popular and had marketability with the mask. he's also been involved in some classic matches with other past champions (eddie, angle, edge, jericho, orton etc) in a long career. I will agree the way it came about and was executed afterwards was horrendous but the guy deserved a run.

Rey Mysterio was only over in highly Latino markets and with little kids though. He wasn't over like a top star needs to be. He was booed out of the building at WrestleMania 22 and in his subsequent title defenses against both Kurt Angle and Randy Orton, hence why they booked him against JBL and King Booker after that, basically so that fans had no choice but to boo them and cheer Rey Mysterio.

 

[Khalifa]

If Eddie doesn't die and Rey win the titles does anyone give him this much flack? The dude was wrestling in america for 10 years by the time WrestleMania 22 rolled around. The dude hardly ever put on a bad match (unless you don't like high flying and prefer technical). I'll say that the WWE championship would of been more fitting but I had no problem of him being in the main event scene at one point in his career. I agree that it should of been Undertake vs Angle at Mania but I'm not gonna hate on Rey as champ because of that.

Anyways onto the topic. Just the one that comes to mind.

WreslteMania 25: John Cena vs Edge vs Big Show

I have no idea why Big Show was in this main event. Cena and Edge had been done a few years before this but that was still no reason to throw Big Show into this event. I wouldn't of had a problem with just a Cena vs Edge singles match at Mania. I could argue that Jericho could of been. Pretty forgettable match all in all as well.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Anyways onto the topic. Just the one that comes to mind.

WreslteMania 25: John Cena vs Edge vs Big Show

I have no idea why Big Show was in this main event. Cena and Edge had been done a few years before this but that was still no reason to throw Big Show into this event. I wouldn't of had a problem with just a Cena vs Edge singles match at Mania. I could argue that Jericho could of been. Pretty forgettable match all in all as well.

You do realize the match was booked for Edge vs. Big Show, and it was John Cena who was added later, right?

 

[AegonTargaryen]

@Aquaman6686.

I chose Wrestlemanias after WM17 because: 1)The WWE before Wrestlemania 17 was pretty much focused on one or two top guys and there was just one world title. For example, if I'm not mistaken, Hogan participated up to WM 9 before he signed with WCW, and every WM up to that point was built around Hogan as champion or him being in the mainevent, besides Randy Savage. Also, certain WM mainevents in this period cannot be debated about, such as WM 12, WM 14, WM 15 and 17. That results in little scope for argument.

2)Some of us here were only 10 yrs old in 1999 so we scarcely know much about Wrestlemania buildups or matches prior to that to allow for a more elaborate discussion and insights.

Nonetheless, if you do wish to cite any WM world title match before WM17, go ahead.I'll be all ears and eyes.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

Wrestlemania 25 - John Cena def. Chris Jericho(c) for the WH Championship.
Jericho carries the belt to Wrestlemania, instead of losing to Cena at SSeries in a match with no build-up.

This is really insightful! Until I read it, I had never thought about how the WHC mainevent of WM 25 could've been something actually intriguing and worthy of being called "WHC match", instead of the horrendous debacle of a triple threat storyline we got with Edge, Big Show and Cena. I mean, who ever could've thought that VICKIE GUERRERO would be one of the propelling/compelling factors towards a WHC wrestlemania mainevent match, entangled with not only Edge but The Big Show(Ugh), with John Cena, thus making it the weirdest menage a tois in Wrestling.

But that being said, I would've liked nothing more than Chris Jericho carrying the big Gold belt and defending it against Cena, or even against Edge and Cena. What a triple threat it would have been!

 

[Spencesc11]

My re-writes from 25 on....

WrestleMania 25
* clearly Michaels/Taker 1 should've closed the show.

WrestleMania 27
* Taker vs. HHH should've closed as HBK's best friend is attempting revenge.
Cena should've defeated Miz and then Rock comes out after the match to have a stare down with Cena rather than get involved.

WrestleMania 29
Co-Main Events (Cena vs. Taker) but (Rock (C) vs. Punk) closes the show.
No one wanted Rock vs. Cena rematch. These 2 matches made more sense. Cena would've been seen as a huge threat to Taker.

WrestleMania 30
WWE Title - D. Bryan (Rumble Winner) defeats CM Punk (WWE champ who could've beat Orton for the Title at Rumble.

WrestleMania 31
With a happy "CM Punk" you could've had champion Brock Lesnar vs. Rumble Winner CM Punk. A Rematch from an epic Summerslam clash a few years back.

* I'm by no means a huge Punk fan but let's face it he was box office and was actually overtaking Cena as the top dog. Now with all the injury issues it's clear the WWE should know having multiple main eventers makes injures far less catastrophic. Look at the WWE at it's top in the attitude era they had Austin, Rock, HHH, Jericho, Angle, and Taker who they could interchange and always have a solid main event at a PPV.

 

[Aquaman6686]

@Aquaman6686.

I chose Wrestlemanias after WM17 because: 1)The WWE before Wrestlemania 17 was pretty much focused on one or two top guys and there was just one world title. For example, if I'm not mistaken, Hogan participated up to WM 9 before he signed with WCW, and every WM up to that point was built around Hogan as champion or him being in the mainevent, besides Randy Savage. Also, certain WM mainevents in this period cannot be debated about, such as WM 12, WM 14, WM 15 and 17. That results in little scope for argument.

2)Some of us here were only 10 yrs old in 1999 so we scarcely know much about Wrestlemania buildups or matches prior to that to allow for a more elaborate discussion and insights.

Nonetheless, if you do wish to cite any WM world title match before WM17, go ahead.I'll be all ears and eyes.

There's also this amazing thing called the WWE Network where you can watch stuff that happened a long time ago. Might want to check on that dude

I've actually re-written every WrestleMania in history to what I think should have happened, I'll post it here tomorrow.

 

[ghost94]

1)I was watching the Raw mainevent before NWO '01- Benoit/Angle vs Rock/Austin with HHH on the commentary, the other day. JR makes this remark that "it's going to be a classic, epic confrontation etc. " thus selling the HHH/Austin match at NWO. Obviously, it wasn't a classic, and wasn't supposed to be one. HBK-Taker is classic. Rock-Hogan was epic. HHH vs Austin was just MEH. Nonetheless. I wondered how HHH felt about being considered NOT WORTHY of the WM mainevent because Austin vs Rock was THE MATCH. And it got me thinking.

2)Does the WWE always go with the right mainevent? And by mainevent here, I purely mean the match for the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP and not the match that ended a particular Wrestlemania. Were there wrestlers in the past who deserved to be in the world title match instead of the one who actually was?

3)So let me illuminate you- I will make a few arguments, raise a few questions. You can make your own arguments about particular Wrestlemanias and what you think should have been the mainevent match, and why. You can choose any WM after WM17. Naturally, between 2003-2013, there were two world titles defended on the show so you can go for either of the title. The emphasis is on WHOM you think should've been the challenger/champion and NOT on which match should've closed the show.

4)I am choosing two particular WM championship mainevent matches as my proposed argument. I'll give my reasons. You can either speak against my argument, or for them, in addition to making your own arguments about some other WM world title matches.

A)The WHC championship match at WM22.

Giving the WHC to Rey Mysterio was one of the dumbest things the WWE ever did, IMO. Not only did giving the WHC to a tiny cruiserweight tarnish the legacy of the iconic WHC, but the way they did it(using Eddie's death) was absolutely abominable. My argument is, if you wanted to push someone just on account of Eddie's death, why not choose Chavo instead? Good wrestler. 210 lbs, close to being a heavyweight at least. What about CHRIS BENOIT? Guy was the best wrestler they had on Smackdown that year besides Kurt Angle. He was close to Eddie as well. But instead, he's defending the US title?? (And this is only retrospective guys, so please don't tell me that Benoit would go on to do what he did in 2007. Neither us nor the WWE had any idea in 2006, so it shouldn't affect their booking of him).

Please don't give me the "Rey sells merchandise" BS argument. If tomorrow, Santino Marella were to suddenly sell a lot of socks, and make the WWE some money, they won't put him the main event against Roman Reigns right? I wonder how Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, Sting, among others felt about them giving the WHC to Mysterio.

So here's my argument for the WHC match at WM22:-

Either Kurt Angle(C) vs The Undertaker.
Or a combination of challengers including Chavo Guerrero, Randy Orton, or Chris Benoit.

Jesus fucking Christ..it'd have been a classic had they gone with Angle vs Benoit. Fuck. Or even Angle vs Taker.

Btw, the dumbfucks in the WWE would even go on to give the WHC to rey mysterio for a second time. What an abomination! Guys who actually deserved it at least ONCE between 2002-2010 never got it, including The Big Show, Kane, and Mark Henry.

B. The WWE title mainevent of WM29.

Where do I even begin? John Cena vs Fucking The Rock. For the title. A match which never needed a title, or Cena to win the Rumble. And moreover, they eliminate Punk out of the mainevent. No wonder Punk left. What an abomination!

My argument:- WWE championship match should've been Punk defending against ANYONE,, or against Rock and Cena in a triple threat, if the latter even needed to be in a championship match.

So guys, ATTACK!
You can choose any world title match between WM 18 and WM 31..and provide reasons for your argument.

1. The Main Event is the closer, doesn't matter if it's the title match or not, it always should be the title, but sometimes isn't, so not sure why you're asking in such a way.

2. Rey Mysterio was over. The merchandise argument is legit. You brought up Santino getting a push if he was a top 3 merch seller, the answer is yes, he would get a push. If you wanna know how Ric Flair, Kevin Nash and Sting felt about Rey winning, go ask them. It's not like the guy didn't pay his dues. He was the second most over guy in the company only behind Cena. Who was what? WWE Champion at the time. Get over it. Rey won it and Rey deserved it. He didn't tarnish anything, people who know wrestling know why he won it and how he won it.

3. You just throw Rey Mysterio under the bus saying everyone else deserved it more than him 2002-2010, then turn around and say CM Punk should have defended the strap against ANYONE.

All of this being said, the biggest robbery of anyone not being the closing main event for the WWE/WHC title at Mania is CM Punk (c) vs John Cena, Wrestlemania 29. The match that should have happened.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

1. The Main Event is the closer, doesn't matter if it's the title match or not, it always should be the title, but sometimes isn't, so not sure why you're asking in such a way.

I wanted the emphasis this thread to be on WHO DESERVED TO BE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH in a particular WM from the past, regardless of whether there were two world titles, or one world title(until WM18), without getting entwined in which match should've closed the show(we have already seen too much of that argument).

2. Rey Mysterio was over. The merchandise argument is legit. You brought up Santino getting a push if he was a top 3 merch seller, the answer is yes, he would get a push. If you wanna know how Ric Flair, Kevin Nash and Sting felt about Rey winning, go ask them. It's not like the guy didn't pay his dues. He was the second most over guy in the company only behind Cena. Who was what? WWE Champion at the time. Get over it. Rey won it and Rey deserved it. He didn't tarnish anything, people who know wrestling know why he won it and how he won it.

Give me a fucking break here. The whole thing was ABOMINABLE. A cruiserweight, at least one who's OBVIOUSLY under 180 lbs, should never hold the world HEAVYWEIGHT championship, period. Notwithstanding the fact that Mysterio was the last person to deserve it, just because Eddie died. I already pointed that out- Chavo or Chris Benoit were CLOSER to eddie, or as close. And the merchandise BS is irrelevant. As I already mentioned, Santino selling a bunch of socks would lead to the WWE making him the IC or the tag champion, and not put him in the main event at WM. And lets just say...even if you wanted to make Rey Mysterio the WHC, which in itself is abominable, the time and the manner they went about it, IMO, was disgusting. And it ruined what could've been one of the potential all-time-classic WM matches EVER. Taker vs Angle. It hurts to see that classic match on No Way Out a month ago, and NOT at Wrestlemania 22, the grandest stage. Angle vs Taker. Damn. And I've been a huge Benoit fan. Benoit vs Angle rivalry never really happened after 2001 and 2003, and now we can all just sigh.

3. You just throw Rey Mysterio under the bus saying everyone else deserved it more than him 2002-2010, then turn around and say CM Punk should have defended the strap against ANYONE.

ANYONE..meant that Punk had a huge thing going on until the Royal Rumble, with his historic title reign. And those dumbfucks just ruin it by making him drop it to THE ROCK of all people, in the lamest rematch in WM history- just because Cena wanted his win back?? So yeah, Punk should've defended it against ANYONE eligible enough at that point, including The Rock and Cena in a triple threat. And NO, I wouldn't consider Rey mysterio or Miz to be eligible. But Punk should've been champion heading into WM. That's my argument.

All of this being said, the biggest robbery of anyone not being the closing main event for the WWE/WHC title at Mania is CM Punk (c) vs John Cena, Wrestlemania 29. The match that should have happened.

This I can't deny. It'd have been a blockbuster. Or even Punk vs Taker in a title vs streak, or longest reigning wwe champ streak vs WM streak match? as others have suggested.

 

[J.J.]

Give me a fucking break here. The whole thing was ABOMINABLE. A cruiserweight, at least one who's OBVIOUSLY under 180 lbs, should never hold the world HEAVYWEIGHT championship, period. Notwithstanding the fact that Mysterio was the last person to deserve it, just because Eddie died. I already pointed that out- Chavo or Chris Benoit were CLOSER to eddie, or as close. And the merchandise BS is irrelevant. As I already mentioned, Santino selling a bunch of socks would lead to the WWE making him the IC or the tag champion, and not put him in the main event at WM. And lets just say...even if you wanted to make Rey Mysterio the WHC, which in itself is abominable, the time and the manner they went about it, IMO, was disgusting. And it ruined what could've been one of the potential all-time-classic WM matches EVER. Taker vs Angle. It hurts to see that classic match on No Way Out a month ago, and NOT at Wrestlemania 22, the grandest stage. Angle vs Taker. Damn. And I've been a huge Benoit fan. Benoit vs Angle rivalry never really happened after 2001 and 2003, and now we can all just sigh.

WM is always about 3 things publicity, celebrities and money. Taker/Angle is boring in comparison to a luchador Wrestler winning the big belt. WWE is a business first - if they're making big off Mysterio, why not campaign it more? WWE has always had this stigma on champions being larger than life, which I disagree with. Ricky Steamboat was one of the best workers I ever saw grew up and he was no more than 5'9 but could arguably out work anyone in the WWE.

A lot of people argue that Bam Bam vs Lawrence Taylor was the worst main event in WWE history. Well from a publicity and marketing standpoint it wasn't. WWE at the time needed LT, not the other way around. One of the best athletes in the world, professional football hall of Famer draws attention.

Regardless if you feel it was distasteful of the WWE pushed Rey after Guerrero's death - I'm not going to overlook how extremely over he was during that time. Orton and Angle did a fair job helping him along the way too. I just think the argument of Rey being champion because Eddie passed is old.

A lot of workers wouldn't have gotten over if certain events wouldn't have happened throughout the course of professional wrestling. Let's start with the Iron Sheik putting over Hogan, Austin debuting his Stone Cold persona in ECW but ultimately using it in WWE. Let's go a little deeper. Nikita Koloff was pushed to the moon after Magnum TA's career ended. Christian subsequently getting a title run following Edge's retirement.

It's safe to say if I ran a promotion I would never have you on my creative or marketing team, and I mean that in a respectful way. I just call it being in right place at right time. Capitalizing off a guy who was over.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

With the more recent Mania's covered, and the OP opening it up to all Mania's I'll offer the following:

WrestleMania VII: The Ultimate Warrior (c) vs Macho Man
This should have been the biggest feud heading into Mania 7. If you are going to try a new champ in that era you have to give him at least a full year or more to gauge his effectiveness. WWE did Warrior no favors by giving him secondary feuds and billing even after beating Hogan at Mania 6. Also, it never made sense to have Macho put his career on the line for nothing. Match should have been title v career. And Hogan/Slaughter could have still gone on and it did not need the title. The real life events of the time tying into the storyline where more than enough for that match. This also allows for a proper build to the rematch from Mania 6 at SummerSlam 91 to make that card that much better than the Hogan/Warrior v Slaughter/rejects.

WrestleMania IX: Bret Hart (c) vs Hulk Hogan or Original match with no post Hogan stuff

Depending on what WWE wanted to do at the time (push Yoko or Bret without any Hogan politics) should have determined what to do here. If the answer was to push Bret than have him defeat Hogan who was on his way out to cement Bret as the new guy, or if the answer is to build Yoko than have the show end with him getting the title and have Hogan challenge at King of the Ring to further cement Yoko's push as top heel.

WrestleMania XI: Bret Hart (c) vs The Undertaker

Diesel and Shawn should have gone on but it should not have been for the world title. Diesel was on the cusp of being ready but Shawn was not their yet. Taker had come back from injury the previous year at SummerSlam and was way over with the fans as he had been a face for the better part of 3 years now. He was ready for this match.

 

[Emmet]

WM13: Bret vs SCSA for the title. Anything would have been better than the Sid/Taker rubbish that we were subjected to.

 

[Khalifa]

You do realize the match was booked for Edge vs. Big Show, and it was John Cena who was added later, right?

Yes I knew that. The whole point was what was Big Show doing in the main event that year. I know he was feuding with Undertaker for about twenty years before going into WM so he was definately doing something high on the card. The feud wasn't liked though so I have no idea why you could go on the idea of Edge and Big Show main eventing that year. It should have always been John Cena and Edge because there weren't really man other options at the time considering you still had the brand split. Edge vs Jericho could of been done a year earlier if you moved him to Smackdown. Jeff Hardy vs Edge while not WM main event worthy was definately hot coming into that year. Jeff Hardy was by far the biggest draw at the time as well. They eventually just feuded pretty much after Mania anyways so all they did was put a hold on the feud for like 3 months. I know Jeff was in another potential storyline as well so it could be hard. But to "book" a Big Show and Edge main event to start off with was ridiculous and there was no reason to be in the main event that year.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

When it comes to Manias the one that sticks out is WM7.

It needed to be Rude vs Hogan, Rude having taken the title at The Rumble instead of Slaughter. Sadly Hiogan refused to even work Rude, and Slaughter "leapfrogging him" to the title made Rude decide he wanted to leave the company, as it was clear he wasn't going to be given the chance that he clearly deserved.

I would even go so far as to say Rude wins, but on a big cheat moment - That was when Slaughter could have taken Hogan out or They could have even used The Undertaker or with a bit of planning, hired Flair to be the shock guy 3 months earlier.

Rude probably loses the title at Summerslam back to Warrior, but he deserved that main event and it's pretty telling that he took the US title feud with Sting to a level that could have headlined Mania... for a while that belt was worth more than the WWF World title...

 

[Aquaman6686]

Yes I knew that. The whole point was what was Big Show doing in the main event that year. I know he was feuding with Undertaker for about twenty years before going into WM so he was definately doing something high on the card. The feud wasn't liked though so I have no idea why you could go on the idea of Edge and Big Show main eventing that year. It should have always been John Cena and Edge because there weren't really man other options at the time considering you still had the brand split. Edge vs Jericho could of been done a year earlier if you moved him to Smackdown. Jeff Hardy vs Edge while not WM main event worthy was definately hot coming into that year. Jeff Hardy was by far the biggest draw at the time as well. They eventually just feuded pretty much after Mania anyways so all they did was put a hold on the feud for like 3 months. I know Jeff was in another potential storyline as well so it could be hard. But to "book" a Big Show and Edge main event to start off with was ridiculous and there was no reason to be in the main event that year.

The original plan was to do something different for each main event.

Triple H vs. Randy Orton - face vs. heel

Undertaker vs. HBK - face vs. face

Edge vs. Big Show - heel vs. heel

That had never been done at WrestleMania and it would have been interesting. Cena is the one who didn't belong and his inclusion ruined the match and robbed Edge of what should have been one of the best moments of his career. Edge was supposed to retain at WM25 and then continue his feud with Cena afterwards. When Vince realized John Cena was going to be in a midcard match at WrestleMania, he panicked and inserted Cena into one of the World title matches. It should have been Edge/Big Show, with Edge retaining.

 

[relentless1]

screw you all, I'm doing all wrestle manias....

2- should have been Hogan vs Orndorff for the belt in the cage

8- should have been Hogan vs Flair for the UNDISPUTED title

9- should have been Bret vs Macho Man

11- World title was fine, just should have gone on last.

13- should've been HBK vs Bret 2 or Austin vs Bret for the belt

16- should have been HHH vs the Rock

18- should have been Austin vs HHH

this is the old school section god dammit

 

[Kris Benwa]

I disagree with your opinion on WM 22 for the same reasons as others pointed out. There was probably better option but Rey Mysterio wasn't a bad one because of that. It worked, fans were invested, and he was over. He could have had a good and refreshing reign if given the chance but unfortunately he wasn't.

Wrestlemania 16 should have just been The Rock vs Triple H
Wrestlemania 24 should have just been either Orton vs Triple H or Orton vs Cena. The triple threat was good but there was no reason for it to happen...besides to move the title from RAW to SD with Triple H which could have been done without that.
Wrestlemania 27 the WHC should have been Edge vs Christian and the WWE title should have been the conclusion of the Nexus storyline. Barrett vs Cena.
Wrestlemania 29 I agree Punk vs Rock vs Cena would have been the way to go.

Edge vs. Big Show - heel vs. heel

That had never been done at WrestleMania and it would have been interesting. Cena is the one who didn't belong and his inclusion ruined the match and robbed Edge of what should have been one of the best moments of his career. Edge was supposed to retain at WM25 and then continue his feud with Cena afterwards. When Vince realized John Cena was going to be in a midcard match at WrestleMania, he panicked and inserted Cena into one of the World title matches. It should have been Edge/Big Show, with Edge retaining.

I'm sorry but this would have been terrible and a waste of time. Also Edge beat Cena for the title so he was owed a rematch anyways. I have a hard time believe anybody would be interested in Edge vs Big show as a main event title match. I also have a hard believing that anybody would have taken Big Show as a threat to win title.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I disagree with your opinion on WM 22 for the same reasons as others pointed out. There was probably better option but Rey Mysterio wasn't a bad one because of that. It worked, fans were invested, and he was over. He could have had a good and refreshing reign if given the chance but unfortunately he wasn't.

I'm sorry but this would have been terrible and a waste of time. Also Edge beat Cena for the title so he was owed a rematch anyways. I have a hard time believe anybody would be interested in Edge vs Big show as a main event title match. I also have a hard believing that anybody would have taken Big Show as a threat to win title.

Rey Mysterio wasn't over the way a top star needs to be. He was booed out of the building at WrestleMania 22, both Kurt Angle AND Randy Orton (who was talking about Eddie Guerrero being in hell) were rabidly cheered over him. Mysterio was only over in highly Hispanic markets.

I would have much rather had Edge vs. Big Show than the Triple Threat we got stuck with, where there was never a shred of doubt that Cena was walking out with the title. Cena had already gotten his rematch for the title on RAW, so he wasn't needed in the title match for WrestleMania. And it would have been extremely easy to believe Big Show could win the title, since Edge was solely used as a transitional champion over and over again. His longest title reign was barely three months.

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

WM13. I would've had Bret vs. Austin be the Main Event and for the title. The Taker vs. Sid match really did nothing for neither guy. So having Austin vs. Bret they would obviously have the best match on the card but there double turn would be magnified that much more. Also with Austin having a championship match before, his eventual win at WM14 would seem like a bigger deal since he wouldn't have won the title on his first crack.

WM16. I wouldn't have had the fatal four with a McMahon in each corner. I would've just had a straight HHH vs. The Rock match. HHH was the most over heel and The Rock was the most over face(especially with Austin out), Big Show, Foley and the McMahons just dragged down the Main Event.