Original Wrestlemania 33 plans

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

I recently listened to a big of Y2J's podcast that featured Ellsworth and at one point Chris said the following:

"It was around early November, Vince says to me "Hey we're doing you and Kevin at Wrestlemania for the world championship and you are going over. And then you'll lose to Brock Lesnar at the next PPV". I though that's great, I have never won the world championship at Wrestlemania and I have never won a world championship as a face, so it was awesome for me. Then Survivor Series happens and Goldberg beats Brock in a minute. So apparently the deal was, Brock was willing to do the job for Goldberg, if he and Bill could run with this and reach Wrestlemania, where Brock could beat Goldberg for the title. So Vince had to make a desicion, what's the biggest attraction? So they went with Lesnar vs Goldberg and Chris and Kevin had to take a backseat. It's bussiness."

So there you have it. Owens and Jericho were supposed to get the Universal Championship match, while Lesnar would have been doing something else (probably Shane). What's most intriguing about this is the rumored Lesnar vs Jericho thing that never happened.

Looking back at it now, I wish it could have been Owens v Y2J for the Universal Championship and Goldberg v Lesnar in a non-title match.

 

[@smarkmouth]

I think it worked out for the best, really. Give me an Owens or Jericho match over a Lesnar or Goldberg match almost any day, but on this particular night all the pieces were in the right spot. Goldberg vs Lesnar might be the greatest >5min match in history, and Kevin got a WrestleMania win, which did more for him than it would have done for Jericho.

Besides, I kinda like Jericho's outlaw-status as a forever-heel World Champ. I'm not saying it would ruin anything in my eyes were he to get a babyface reign, but it's a little piece of trivia that I hold dear.

 

[Барбоса]

Conveniently forgetting that Jericho was a face when he won the WCW title for the first time.

 

[Vageena Hertz]

No he wasn't.

 

[@smarkmouth]

Gawdammit I knew I'd fuck up the use of greater than/less than.

And, no, Jericho turned heel by the time he beat Rock for the WCW title.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Conveniently forgetting that Jericho was a face when he won the WCW title for the first time.

Do you remember Y2J beating HHH maybe for the WWF title? Because that win never counted.

Jericho had already turnt heel at Survivor Series, one month prior.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I like Jericho as much as the next guy and I even kinda like KO, but neither man has any business headlining Wrestlemania and we all know if the Universal or World Title didn't main event the show we would all bitch. Most people were none to pleased that Roman and Taker went on last.

 

[Dagger Dias]

That would have been so much better than what actually happened. It sucks that Brock apparently still would have gotten the title right afterwards, but the Brock VS Goldberg match did NOT need the title. Owens VS Jericho should have been the Universal Championship match.

 

[Барбоса]

No he wasn't.

Do you remember Y2J beating HHH maybe for the WWF title? Because that win never counted.

Jericho had already turnt heel at Survivor Series, one month prior.

Yes, he was.

He beat the Rock for the WCW title at No Mercy on 21 October 2001 when he was still a face.


It was losing the title back to the Rock which set off his heel turn at Survivor Series and eventual winning of the Undisputed title at Vengeance.

 

[@smarkmouth]

I'll go as far to concede a grey area here. Jericho was well on the way to turning heel. It was a slow turn, as he exhibited jealousy towards the Rock. It may be debatable whether he was a heel or not, but I can't call that stage of his run to be a babyface.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Yes, he was.

He beat the Rock for the WCW title at No Mercy on 21 October 2001 when he was still a face.


It was losing the title back to the Rock which set off his heel turn at Survivor Series and eventual winning of the Undisputed title at Vengeance.

Damn it. I forgot all about that championship victory and so did Chris, lol.

 

[Барбоса]

I'll go as far to concede a grey area here. Jericho was well on the way to turning heel. It was a slow turn, as he exhibited jealousy towards the Rock. It may be debatable whether he was a heel or not, but I can't call that stage of his run to be a babyface.

Rivalry with the Rock =/= heel turn.

The real dispute began after the title change when they teamed up, won and lost the tag titles.

By your reckoning, the Rock was not a babyface in that period as he was acting similarly dickish to Jericho.

They were both faces right up until Jericho hit Rock with the Breakdown at Survivor Series.

 

[@smarkmouth]

Huh, I guess you're right. I coulda sworn. I'm calling Mandela effect.

 

[Vageena Hertz]

I'd say he was more tweeter than face or heel when he first won the wcw title.

 

[Барбоса]

I'd say he was more tweeter than face or heel when he first won the wcw title.

If you consider that Jericho was not a face at the time of No Mercy 2001, then he has never been a face throughout his entire WWF/E run. He was the same insulting, Stephanie-bashing (who was cheering against Y2J at No Mercy) smart-alec he always had been.

The first half of the feud was about Jericho being unable to win the big one. Then he won the WCW title, but still did not receive much respect from the Rock; that was the real catalyst for the heel turn at Survivor Series. It was after the title change ad particularly when they lost the tag titles that Jericho's complaints over the Rock's treatment of him turned to frustration and hate.

The plan for Jericho to turn heel was likely in place before No Mercy but he was still a cheered face when he won the title, even when he used a Stephanie-introduced chair to beat the Rock. JR announced like Y2J was still a face - "Chris Jericho has damn sure won the big one!" while Heyman talked about how terrible this was for Stephanie.

 

[A11oftheLights]

Most people were none to pleased that Roman and Taker went on last.

For me, Taker's last match was fine as the main event. If anyone is worthy of that it is taker. It's also part of the reason that Taker should not wrestle this year.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

For me, Taker's last match was fine as the main event. If anyone is worthy of that it is taker. It's also part of the reason that Taker should not wrestle this year.

This is out of topic, but I recently rewatched that match. Taker couldn't get Roman up for the Last Ride.

Plus Roman couldn't get Taker up for a tombstone, but I also blame Taker not being flexible enough to give enough momentum to his body, in order to get in position.

The match was horrible and botch-full. Not something we were used to by Taker. His match with Shane at WM 32 was also pretty bad, bad you couldn't really tell due to the hype involving that match and the carnage of the Hell In A Cell.

It's quite surreal, since Taker's bouts with Lesnar at Summerslam and Hell In A Cell some months prior, were pretty good.