Triple H Raw Announcement

[OYDK]

Well, usually when HHH or Vince Mcmahon say something along the lines of what HHH said yesterday, they basically deliver every time. It's kind of like Vince and his "I guarantee it" moniker during the AE... 90% of the time Vince would guarantee something it would happen. HHH is kind of the same way in the modern era so I highly doubt it would have to do with something stupid like Curtis Axel's missed entry...

The announcement is to address the controversy from the Rumble. They played up on Smackdown ALL night that the fans are upset that Bryan, Ziggler, nor Ambrose won the match. The announcement will be Bryan vs Ziggler vs Ambrose at Fast Lane for a spot in the title match. Ambrose will win. It'll set up Bryan vs Ziggler.

I kind of have a feeling it may be along these lines, except I see this match happening on Raw and the winner going on to face Lesnar at Fast Lane. The reason I say this is because Lesnar has been making a string of unusual appearances lately (anyone else find it weird that he was one of the only guys on Raw last week?) and I would hazard to guess that WWE has kept Lesnar off TV and saved up all of his dates so he can relatively appear on most shows from now until Mania. If that IS the case than it makes sense he would have a match at Fast Lane.

Either way, I think it's going to have to do with Fast Lane because if I'm wrong and Brock doesn't end up competing, WWE will still need something big to sell the PPV.

 

[Dead-Angel]

I think that the announcement will be that HHH is taking over full control of WWE like he is the new chairman and at Fast Lane Sting will tell HHH that Vince did not allow this and that Sting represents hes interests and at Wrestlemania Sting vs HHH, If Sting wins Vince is still the chairman if not HHH is the new one

 

[The Mattitude Era]

I think it will be something along the lines of taking the spot off of Reigns in an attempt to get the fans back on Reigns' side by getting the authority at their absolute worst against him. Seems quite logical to me but I hope it's more than that

That gave me an idea. They should have Triple H come out and say, "You fans are bitching and moaning about Reigns being the main event at Wrestlemania, and you want him out? You got it. Reigns is out of the main event. Now, meet the man who will take his place and face Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania. KANE [and/or Big Show]" And then they should really sell it for a couple weeks and maybe this will make the fans clamor for anyone else, and then do a Reigns vs. Kane/Big Show thing and hopefully this gets the crowd back on Reigns side, and boom. Mission accomplished. Thoughts on this idea? I haven't really fleshed it out, but they could try something along these lines.

 

[@smarkmouth]

The announcement is to address the controversy from the Rumble. They played up on Smackdown ALL night that the fans are upset that Bryan, Ziggler, nor Ambrose won the match. The announcement will be Bryan vs Ziggler vs Ambrose at Fast Lane for a spot in the title match. Ambrose will win. It'll set up Bryan vs Ziggler.

What this man said.

But then in an unprecedented move, Rollins cashes in to INSERT himself into a match as opposed to start a new one. Fatal Four Way; Brock Lesnar vs The Shield for the Championship.

I hope the above happens, but it doesn't have the "shake the core of the WWE" gravitas one would hope. I don't expect Hunter to live up to the hyperbole.

 

[FightOwensFight]

I tend to agree with the few people pointing towards a technicality with Axel not actually entering the Rumble. They will re-do it at FastLane with the winner getting the shot at Lesnar. They could have someone else win the re-Rumble and then Reigns could turn heel due to being screwed and just go around destroying people before turning face again around Summer Slam.

All that being said, WWE hasn't really displayed the kind of forward thinking to have a random Axel/Rowan encounter planted to give the a "get out of jail free" card they could play if Reigns didn't get over with the fans, especially since word is they were surprised by the reaction, so who the hell knows what they will do...

 

[hatehabsforever]

In my opinion, this announcement which will "shake wrestling to its core" has to be something pretty significant to live up to the hype it has the potential to generate. WWE is not typically guilty of making these bold proclamations and then not following through on them. They don't air their show on Destination America after all.

I also don't see WWE caving in to the moaning and whining about the Royal Rumble by the fans, before even giving their planned angle the opportunity to get off the ground. The Royal Rumble was only a week ago, there's no way they are going for a reboot that fast. As WM31 approaches, if the fickle crowd doesn't warm up to Reigns versus Lesnar (which I am pretty certain they will), they make look to change things up a little, but not that fast.

Personally I think Triple H is going to announce the attempt to push Vince out the door and assume control of the company, a hostile takeover so to speak. I don't care about shareholders and the fact it's a publicly traded company, because it will all just be storyline. The on air Mr. McMahon figure, who isn't on TV all that much anyway, will be challenged by his son in law for the ultimate control of the company. Not directly, of course, I don't mean Vince is going to get in the ring himself. Vince will, of course, attempt to block the efforts, and someone will wrestle on his behalf against either Triple H, or someone of his choosing. Vince will still remain the man behind the scenes, but this will be an attempt at an on air transfer of power. Which will eventually happen in real life, just not yet.

All due respect, but most of the other theories in this thread hardly constitute shaking the world of pro wrestling to its core. Adding someone else to the title match of things of this nature happen all the time, without any grand proclamation from Triple H. If they are going to tease this as being such a big deal, they better follow through on it, otherwise they may as well hire Dixie Carter and anoint her the head of their social media department.

 

[Just Zay'n]

I thought this around Wrestlemania last year, and the issues surrounding this year's Royal Rumble seem to confirm this to me. Indeed, could it actually be possible that they knew they would get this reaction (well, obviously, since they planned to get The Rock involved), and this is all just a work?

Did you notice something about the Wrestlemania 31 logo? No, not the fact that it's done away with the roman numerals (or any numerals for that matter), but the inclusion of the 'play' symbol in the logo. This is not just for show, that actually means something. And we'll probably find out on Monday night. They probably won't go, "Oh, this is what the play logo means", but they'll reveal information regarding the concept of this year's Wrestlemania.

What I think it is, which is what I thought as soon as I saw the logo last year, is that Wrestlemania this year will be interactive. And not just "vote for your favorite match stipulation using the WWE app" interactive - I reckon the WWE Universe will actually be deciding who faces each other!

For years, people have been saying that the WWE does not listen to their fans. They know that people think this, and they've tested the waters over the years with getting fans to decide match stipulations - but I have a feeling they're taking this to a whole new level. The change of the WM logo, and the play symbol symbolizing interactivity - hint at change within the WWE itself.

What do you think?

 

[Marshyishere]

My original thoughts were that the logo was simply symbolising the new technology era that has come about through the internet (Destruction of kayfabe) and the WWE Network.

Your idea actually not the worst idea I have heard, however I could see this only applying to 1 or 2 matches. No way they are going to let the public decide on every match. It could end up being a complete flop and cost them a lot in revenue by putting the power in the peoples hands.

 

[Just Zay'n]

My original thoughts were that the logo was simply symbolising the new technology era that has come about through the internet (Destruction of kayfabe) and the WWE Network.

Your idea actually not the worst idea I have heard, however I could see this only applying to 1 or 2 matches. No way they are going to let the public decide on every match. It could end up being a complete flop and cost them a lot in revenue by putting the power in the peoples hands.

Yeah, I'll admit it's a bit of a stretch, I suppose the point I was trying to make was that it'll be interactive much more than the level of voting for match stipulations using the WWE app. The match-booking aspect of it is just a hunch on my part, but if they did go ahead with that we might end up seeing matches we would've seen anyway had the WWE booked them. Bryan vs Ziggler, Goldust vs Stardust, for example.

I dunno. In short - it'll be very fan-interactive! How so? Maybe not at the level I'm saying, that's a bit of an exaggeration. Or maybe it will, who knows. They did say "shake WWE to its core", after all.

 

[No Count Pup]

WrestleMania is probably the most micro-managed project in all of WWE. I would be shocked if Vince McMahon allowed the fans to choose the matches. It is WWE's job to put on a great show, not our job. What WWE needs to do is get a pulse of what the fans want and act accordingly.

I like this thread even if I disagree with your logo theory. The Triple H announcement could go in a hundred different directions. Maybe he will reinstate the World Heavyweight Championship, revive the Brand Extension, or end the rule that Royal Rumble winners get WrestleMania title shots.

 

[dxraider]

WWE mentioned that this would be the "most interactive WrestleMania" ever last year during the press conference. I do believe thats where they are going with the Bryan/Ziggler stuff and that fans will actually get to vote who they want to see Bryan wrestle or something along those lines.

As far as HHH's announcement goes, for the first time I really have no clue

 

[Reflection]

I'm quite sure that the play button on the WM31 logo symbolizes the WWE Network. It could be a way to remind the people of their biggest investment and invention in a while, and its benefits- "watch any match from WWE/WCW history with the click of a button," or "watch Wrestlemania on the network at one-fifth the PPV price." But I'm damn sure that they won't let the fans decide the stipulations of the matches... at least not any important one anyway. So no, it can't mean that. As for Triple-H's big announcement, it will most likely be related to Roman Reigns, since they displayed Reigns' photo alongside Triple-H's, when advertising this segment on Smackdown.

 

[dxraider]

I think they will go with the technicality that not all 29 men were eliminated and announce a Battle Royal at FastLane, of which, Reigns will either still be in the Main Event and the winner of the Battle Royal added, or Reigns having to try and win it again to get his spot (hilarious if he does too)

It's something linked to the Royal Rumble match and it will play out at FastLane for sure, free month on the Network, so will again want something big. I'd quite like a RR rematch, they literally do it all again (For the first time EVER etc etc) This could all be a work, what other relevance would there be to Eric Rowan randomly attacking Axel? one big swerve leading to controversy just in time for a free month of the Network and to push numbers further. Brilliant if it's all being deliberate.

Ps I thought HHH delivery last night was first class.

Screw being brilliant if this was all deliberate. I was at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly and never saw more pissed off fans (myself included) watching what was hands down the worst booked Royal Rumble in history.

And trust me anyway, this wasn't all deliberate. They're dumb but they're not that dumb.

 

[HillBilly]

Even if the WWE makes Wrestlemania "interactive" I am concerned that it won't truly be interactive. For example,
Choose Daniel Bryan's opponent.
A) Sheamus
B) Hornswaggle
C) The Bunny
What type of match:
A) Tickle Fight
B) Thumb Wrestling Match
C) Traditional Rules Match

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!

 

[Just Zay'n]

WWE mentioned that this would be the "most interactive WrestleMania" ever last year during the press conference. I do believe thats where they are going with the Bryan/Ziggler stuff and that fans will actually get to vote who they want to see Bryan wrestle or something along those lines.

As far as HHH's announcement goes, for the first time I really have no clue

Well there we go! As far as how interactive it'll be, I don't think any of us can say... technically, any interactivity will make this the 'most' interactive Wrestlemania.

To me, this seems like the type of thing they would want to hype as an event to "shake WWE to its core", seeing as though it's Wrestlemania, and also the fact that the interactivity thing wouldn't be just a minor addition to the event. It'll be integral to how the event plays out, and I think HHH's announcement on Monday will have to do with it.

 

[Rocky84]

Let's be honest. We all know that this announcement, like the majority of the other "big" announcements is not going to be very big or unexpected.

The typical move of making the Rumble winner put up his spot for the sake of providing the February ppv another top match has been done to death. With Vince wanting a traditional 1 vs 1 match for Mania, the odds of them adding someone to the main event is also unlikely.

I also highly doubt that HHH is in any position to say that Vince is stepping down if he really isn't ...that's stupid. Where would Hunter get the balls to pull something like that when he still answers to his wife? Please.

It could be another World Title being brought back in order to spread the wealth amongst the top heavy roster, but also kinda unlikely since they just united them a year ago, and have a fresh unified belt.

A Rumble re-do is out of the question as it compromises the integrity of the Rumble itself. It was bad enough they replayed it for free on Monday when people paid for it, but now it's not even going to count? Come on.

All in all there aren't many options to be honest, and it will obviously be directed at the Rumble finish since that's the topic he was speaking of when he made the statement. What he plans to do is beyond me, but it may very well be something so underwhelming like letting Rollins cash in his MITB on a non-title match for Reigns main event spot at Fastlane.

I wish it was a brand split though...there definitely is more than enough talent to go around...shrink Raw back to 2 hours too.

Maybe HHH calls out the Rock for Mania instead like they alluded to a couple moths ago, and with the Rock blowing the Authorities plans of eliminating Reigns in order to help bring the title back to them, he wants a match.

Maybe with that, he will instead go face to face with Sting only to announce that for sticking his nose in their business, that he will be forced to take on the brother of Corporate Kane who has aligned himself with the Authority.

I dunno, just tossing shit around, but I know one thing is for certain ...I'm preparing to be unimpressed Monday night.

 

[Wald]

I think they might go for an 'interactive' Wrestlemania as well but only allow fans vote for certain matches.

I think the Reigns v Brock match, Triple H v Sting and Cena v Rusev macthes are locks for the PPV but they might do things like let us vote on Bryan's opponent, who enters the Battle Royale, who faces the Usos and what the Diva match is.

 

[#tamale]

I think with each WWE special, it will now be interactive so you the fans can pick who you want to see square off, in what type of match, etc..

And they will start it with Fast Lane. The question will be; will Brock defend the title and will they get Bryan as an option? I can see them going that route to appease the fans. In order to be an option to face Brock at Fast Lane, you must qualify to be an option sort of thing. Heyman goes crazy because they are not giving his client enough time to prepare, etc.

It does add intrigue, but it's still just window dressing. Creative needs to step their game up and create stories that will make the show special. The Attitude Era, while often criticized, was great at from the start of the show to the end of the show, each segment was entertaining. They have the talent, they need to help the talent shine.

 

[Pablo_316]

I'm thinking this announcement that will rock the wwe to their "core" has to do with Triple H, the Wrestlemania main event, Sting, and Roman Reigns. Triple H's announcement can be something along the lines of him putting up his power as COO to battle Roman Reigns at Fast Lane to make sure Roman doesn't main event Mania. Then at Fast Lane, Sting, just like he's done before, will cost Triple H his 'job.'

It gives something huge to the free Fast Lane, and gives Reigns a major rub again while also closing Reigns v. Authority finally. Triple H will be looking for revenge and challenge Sting to Wrestlemania, I think it works better that way because Sting representing Vince just cannot make sense in any feasible world.

 

[@smarkmouth]

The more I think of it, the more the above few posts may be right. We may be on the verge of an interactive Wrestlemania, and I am fucking dreading it!

Before I get my throat torn out by anyone saying that this WWE is finally listening, it's not. There is a difference between listening to the fans and giving the reigns to the fans. (no pun intended. WWE did in fact give Reigns to the fans. Heyyoooo.) Listening implies that the WWE factors the crowds opinion in their decisions. Making an interactive Wrestlemania which gives control to it's audience is called fan service. Consider fan service akin to watching the upcoming Batman v Superman, and in a scene with zero context, Batman is seen nailing Wonder Woman. Excuse my crude analogy, but it emphasizes my point. Would a scene like that make the movie better? Unlikely, but y'know, there are fans that wanted to see it!

If WWE responds to the audience wanting to see Bryan vs Ziggler, without using cheap gimmick tools like app votes, and gives us the match in some organic context, THAT's listening. Or perhaps they hear Bryan vs Ziggler support and offer their own variant which improves the match in the eyes of some, THAT's listening. Asking fans to pool their vote through their own carefully worded multiple choice test, well, you can argue that they're listening, but it's still cherry picked results.

Now, the double edged sword is something I heard Heyman say in an interview, once. "The more interactive your product is in this day and age, the more cutting edge it is." So yeah, we're probably getting InteractaMania.

 

[OYDK]

If it does turn out to be some sort of "interactive Wrestlemania" where the fans get to choose half of the matches, and stipulations for the rest of them, I think I would honestly not watch Wrestlemania for the first time in 20 years. No offense to anybody, but I can barely stand WWE fans nowadays as it is, and giving them the power to just throw matches together for the biggest show of the year would make for a brutal RTW and Mania altogether.

I'm with the above poster in the sense that, Bryan vs Ziggler at Mania for some sort of organic reason like proving they're the new showstopper would be gold... Bryan vs Ziggler at Mania because the fans voted for it, takes absolutely everything out of the competition aspect of it.. and that's basically the reason I watch Mania in the first place. I really hope this isn't the route their going and if it is, don't let the fans make matches for gods sake.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I highly doubt it is going to "shake the foundation of the WWE", something that huge would have to be Triple H taking over officially (out of kayfabe) which given how NXT turned out under his direction would be a good thing for the federation all around, but that seems like something they wouldn't make the public announcement for live on Raw.

De-unifying the World Championships would be stupid as they already have two midcard belts which can and should be given more exposure and respect, especially when we currently have a World Heavyweight Champion that rarely ever shows up.

Re-doing the Royal Rumble would be rather stupid. They chose Roman Reigns, they need to follow through with that otherwise Royal Rumble 2015 would have been made meaningless and a colossal waste of everyone's time, not to mention a legitimate waste of money for those who were in attendance. They should not re-do it and they should NOT make Roman Reigns put his spot on the line. Tradition dictates that he is going to Wrestlemania for a World Heavyweight Championship match unless he suffers an injury or something else extreme comes up that prevents him from competing at the biggest show of the year.

There's the theory of Seth Rollins cashing in for Fast Lane, thus FORCING Lesnar to defend the belt there. If Rollins were to win there, then we get Rollins VS Reigns and with some creative booking WWE can somehow get Ambrose in there for the triple threat at Wrestlemania which absolutely would steal the show given their skills and history. Seth should cash in at Wrestlemania though if at all possible, not at a less important show like Fast Lane.

Maybe it will be something cool. Fast Lane so far offers nothing to seperate it from the rest of the brands. It could be an announcement of a new annual tradition to take place at Fast Lane replacing the Elimination Chamber matches that have been going on each February (that show really should replace Battleground, but that's for another thread). It's pretty tough to say what it could be if they are going this route, it's doubtful, but Fast Lane is at this time no different from Payback or Battleground beyond its name and that's NOT a good thing.

An idea that could certainly shake the foundation would be for Triple H to announce that NXT has become its own seperate entity. We'll have two brands again. WWE and NXT. The Big 4 PPV's (Wrestlemania, Rumble, Summerslam, Survivor Series) feature talent from both brands while Night of Champions and Money In The Bank then get bumped up in quality as well due to Night Of Champions' all titles are on the line stipulation and Money In The Bank offering two briefcases, one for WWE and one for NXT. Each remaining PPV event gets branded to WWE or NXT. Highly unlikely, but it would be awesome and truly would shake the foundation of the federation.

Maybe Lesnar is leaving before Wrestlemania and Fast Lane will have a match to determine the new World Heavyweight Champion. One who will actually defend the belt monthly. I like this personally and am hoping for it as I have zero interest in Reigns VS Lesnar.

However, it will probably just end up being something disappointing and predictable like announcing that Undertaker has retired (his upcoming Hall of Fame induction is announced immediately afterward) or it will just be Triple H challenging Sting to have a match at Wrestlemania.

One thing is for sure.... while it will likely not live up to the hype, it can't be as awful as any of TNA's "shocking" announcements.

 

[dxraider]

If it does turn out to be some sort of "interactive Wrestlemania" where the fans get to choose half of the matches, and stipulations for the rest of them, I think I would honestly not watch Wrestlemania for the first time in 20 years. No offense to anybody, but I can barely stand WWE fans nowadays as it is, and giving them the power to just throw matches together for the biggest show of the year would make for a brutal RTW and Mania altogether.

I'm with the above poster in the sense that, Bryan vs Ziggler at Mania for some sort of organic reason like proving they're the new showstopper would be gold... Bryan vs Ziggler at Mania because the fans voted for it, takes absolutely everything out of the competition aspect of it.. and that's basically the reason I watch Mania in the first place. I really hope this isn't the route their going and if it is, don't let the fans make matches for gods sake.

Agreed here. But at the same time, am I the ONLY one who feels that Bryan is just a tad "Above" a match with Ziggler at Mania? Not a knock on Ziggler, but they have sh-t on him pretty much the entire last year up until Survivor Series. In my eyes he isn't close to Bryan's level. But whatever I suppose. As much as I like Sheamus I'd rather see Bryan and Ziggler right now.

As far as this announcement goes, its not going to be NXT becoming its own "brand" or anything like that, and it also won't be Taker retiring. It has to do with Roman Reigns and the royal rumble. A more realistic scenario will be HHH putting up his job against Reigns that way he will make it so we will truly see if fans will get behind Reigns or something like that.

....or the company is going back to "WWF". Hey, I can dream, right?

 

[rmp0012002]

When everyone knows what the corporate structure of the WWE is I never got into these lame ideas of someone else taking control. Vince is still breathing so Vince is calling the shots even if you never see him.
While Kayfabe is over I don't see HHH going off on a rant against the fans on how they scripted Reigns to win and not Bryan. He's not going to tell the fans to piss off and the WWE does things their way.
Reigns has been pushed to the hilt to be the champion so whatever silly obstacles they come up with between now and WM31 mean nothing as the entire wrestling world still knows Reigns is getting the belt, ready or not.
The Wrestling business is about doing what is best for business not what's best for the fans.

 

[rhegarty678]

Triple H comes out. Talks about one man not being eliminated. And then

1) Introduces your No. 1 contender Curtis Axel. Axel comes to the ring and grabs a mic. About to say something when Lesner/Big Show/Reigns/Anybody's music hits. They come down and absolutely destroy Axel. Announced later that he is to be injured for X months and will not be able to compete at WM leaving the No. 1 Contender spot open again.

2)Announces that Axel will fight Reigns in some sorta match. Either Reigns wins or Axel wins and the above happens.