31 Manias in 31 Days: Rewriting Wrestlemania XXX

[LODemolition]

Today's installment of my "Rewriting WrestleMania" series takes us one year back to the 30th annual WrestleMania, emanating from the Superdome in New Orleans, LA. Just over 75,000 fans witnessed the "Yes Movement" take over WrestleMania, as Daniel Bryan opened and closed the show, becoming just the 2nd wrestler in Mania history to do so (joining Bret Hart at WM10). In the opening contest, he would do battle with Triple H for the opportunity to become the 3rd man in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match, joining champion Randy Orton and Royal Rumble winner Batista; returning to WWE after a 4-year absence. The WrestleMania 30 set was nice, but couldn't come close to the gorgeous design of WM29, possibly my favorite ever with the Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty. However, much more importantly, the card was a big step up from a mediocre WM29. In other high profile matches, Bray Wyatt would step into the ring at WrestleMania for the first time in his career to face John Cena. The Undertaker would put his 21-0 undefeated streak on the line against Brock Lesnar. 30 men would also take part in a battle royal to pay tribute to the late great Andre the Giant. Overall, I felt this was a solid WrestleMania card, but as usual, there are definitely things that I would change. Before we get to that, here are the results from WM30.

April 6, 2014
Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans, LA)

1. (Pre-Show) Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match:

The Usos (c) def. The Real Americans (Cesaro and Jack Swagger) w/ Zeb Colter, RybAxel (Ryback and Curtis Axel), and Los Matadores w/ El Torito to retain.

2. Winner Enters WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match:

Daniel Bryan def. Triple H w/ Stephanie McMahon

3. Six-Man Tag Team Match:

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns) def. Kane and The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn)

4. Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal:

Cesaro won by last eliminating Big Show.

Other participants: Sin Cara, Xavier Woods, Yoshi Tatsu, Brad Maddox, Brodus Clay, The Great Khali, Zack Ryder, Darren Young, Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, Heath Slater, Mark Henry, Titus O'Neil, The Miz, Santino Marella, Damien Sandow, Justin Gabriel, David Otunga, Big E, Fandango, R-Truth, Tyson Kidd, Goldust, Cody Rhodes, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, and Sheamus

5. John Cena def. Bray Wyatt w/ The Wyatt Family (Luke Harper and Erick Rowan)

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

7. Vickie Guerrero Invitational for the Divas Championship:

AJ Lee (c) def. Naomi by submission to retain

Other participants: Aksana, Alicia Fox, Brie Bella, Cameron, Emma, Eva Marie, Layla, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Rosa Mendes, Summer Rae and Tamina Snuka

8. WWE World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat:

Daniel Bryan def. Randy Orton (c) and Batista to become new champion


*Rewriting WrestleMania XXX*


1. (Pre-Show) Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match: The Usos def. The Real Americans (Cesaro and Jack Swagger) (c) w/ Zeb Colter, The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn), and The Rhodes Brothers (Goldust and Cody)

I'm not opposed to a fatal 4-way, but get the teams right if you're going to go that route. Otherwise it should have just been The Real Americans and The Usos. So I would have removed Los Matadores (who have no business in the tag team title match this year either over the Prime Time Players) and RybAxel - and inserted the Outlaws (who were in the title picture shortly before Mania and were a terrible choice for The Shield's opponents) and the Rhodes Bros. (they had a sudden resurgence and won the tag team titles over The Shield in the fall of 2013 and would have made it a much better match). Like I said, I'd be fine though with just The Real Americans vs The Usos. Swagger and Cesaro would go in the champs in my version, and drop them to The Usos. I really liked The Real Americans together and thought they deserved a run as champs before splitting. Post match, I'd have Colter blame Cesaro for the loss and turn him face officially since the fans had really gotten behind him. Jimmy and Jey win the gold for the 2nd time in the pre-show.

2. Winner Enters WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Daniel Bryan def. Triple H w/ Stephanie McMahon

I thought it was fantastic booking by putting this match first and I wouldn't have done anything different. We all know CM Punk was supposed to be Triple H's opponent, but of course walked out on WWE the night after Royal Rumble. If Punk had been on the card, I likely would have paired him up with Bryan. Nonetheless, this was a perfect opener after the 20-minute promo with Hogan, Austin, and Rock. Also, they really had Bryan sell that shoulder injury. So it made sense to have him start the show, and then give him about 3 hours to "recover" before going after the World Heavyweight Title. Kudos to Triple H for putting his ego aside and putting Bryan over to give the fans what they wanted to see.

3. Ryback def. Sheamus

In my WM29 rewrite, Ryback was victorious over Mark Henry. They really handled Ryback poorly, having him lose match after match on ppv. I think he should have been World Heavyweight Champion at some point before the title was retired. I'd still have Ryback turn heel and give him his own match here with Sheamus, rather than put them in the Andre battle royal. These 2 would really match up well with similar physiques and wrestling style.

4. Intercontinental Championship: Dolph Ziggler (c) def. Tyson Kidd w/ Natalya

No way should Big E still have been IC Champ by this point. He had gotten tremendously stale with the crowd by the time Mania rolled around. Ziggler comes in with the gold instead of being just another face in the battle royal and defends his title against Tyson Kidd, who always deserved a mid-card push in my opinion. Ziggler had already become one of the most popular wrestlers by this time, so he definitely deserved his own spot on the card.

5. Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal: Cesaro wins by last eliminating Big Show

Cesaro was the perfect decision to award the first Andre memorial battle royal. The moment of him lifting up Big Show and throwing him over the top rope head first was reminiscent of Hogan lifting Andre at WM3 and just greatly done. The only thing I would have done differently is I'd throw Swagger in the mix to attack Cesaro and get an official start on their feud. I'd have Cesaro go on as a face instead of pairing him with Paul Heyman. It seemed like a great idea, but they somehow ruined one of the hottest wrestlers in the business in no time. One question: Will Cesaro participate in the 2nd Andre battle royal tomorrow night to defend his trophy?

6. Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman def. Batista

In my rewrite of WM29, Brock Lesnar faces The Undertaker and loses. I stick by my opinion that Lesnar was a fine choice to be the one to end the streak if you're going to do it, but it wasn't necessary by any means. Lesnar already had wins under his belt against Taker, he was already well established, and being a former UFC Champion, they didn't need to convince anyone that he was a badass. As far as Batista goes, what a terrible choice for the Royal Rumble winner. Everyone in Pittsburgh that night agreed and let their voice be heard. So Batista comes back after 4 years to a lukewarm reaction at best, and they decide to award him the Rumble and put him in the main event of WrestleMania? Not in a hundred years would I have gone this direction. Instead, Batista gets fed to Lesnar before he returns to Hollywood just a couple short months later. Lesnar has a suplex-fest and goes on to SummerSlam to claim the championship just as he did in reality.

7. Six-Man Tag Team Match: The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns) def. The Wyatt Family (Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, and Kane)

In my version of WM30, Kane keeps the mask on and follows the buzzards, joins up with Bray Wyatt and becomes the 4th member of The Wyatt Family. It's common knowledge that "Corporate" Kane is garbage and just not interesting whatsoever. Why in the world did they put The Shield against The Wyatt Family at Elimination Chamber instead of WrestleMania? I remember the crowd going nuts the first time they hinted at a match between the 6 of them on Raw. They definitely dropped the ball pairing The Shield with Corporate Kane and the Outlaws. What an absolute waste. They honestly would have been better off splitting The Shield up and making them face eachother, like they teased for months. This match lasted less than 3 minutes and was by far the biggest disappointment of the night. A triple powerbomb to Kane after a solid 15-minute match.

8. Bray Wyatt def. The Undertaker

Bray Wyatt is by far the most unique, interesting character to enter WWE in as long as I can remember. Arguably even since Taker debuted back in 1990. In my personal view, Taker vs. Wyatt is happening a year late. I have said all along that if Taker's streak was going to end, it should have been at the hands of Bray Wyatt. Imagine what this could have done for Wyatt's career. It's also my opinion that if Wyatt not only should have ended the streak, but ended The Undertaker's nearly 24-year WWE run. Now that they are facing at WM31, it's inevitable that Taker wins because 21-2 would take away from what Lesnar did. Some people will say it was too soon for Wyatt to be given that reward after only debuting the previous summer. But when you know you've got something special, I say go for it. Plus with Kane joining The Wyatt Family in my version, it works into the storyline for Taker to want to go after the man who brainwashed his brother into joining his cult. Bray Wyatt receives the honor of being the 1 in 21-1 and takes over as the new face of fear in WWE. Could they have been any lazier with this "feud" this year? Not even putting Taker on tv. They have phased him out more and more as the years go by. I feel like if he can't even appear before Mania, he probably shouldn't be on the card. It's getting ridiculous at this point.

9. Divas Championship: AJ Lee (c) def. Naomi

Having every diva on the roster go up against AJ and having her retain the title was about as far-fetched as you can get. It's not as if she's got the build of Beth Phoenix or Kharma. It should have been AJ and Naomi 1-on-1. Naomi was a fresh diva who could actually wrestle a decent match. AJ retains and goes on to lose to Paige the next night, as she would then be taking the next few months off.

10. Triple Threat Ladder Match to Unify the WWE Championship & World Heavyweight Championship: Daniel Bryan def. WWE Champion Randy Orton and World Heavyweight Champion John Cena to become first WWE World Heavyweight Champion

In December of 2013 at the TLC ppv, WWE decided to unify the WWE and World title belts in a tables, ladders, and chairs match between Orton and Cena. While I didn't disagree with the unification, I definitely disagreed with the timing of the match. Why not wait only 4 more months and do the unification at WrestleMania and include the Royal Rumble winner to make it a triple threat? I'd keep the tables and chairs out of the match and keep it strictly a ladder match. Bryan would have been my Rumble winner obviously; leaving him out of it altogether was a huge mistake. 2 champions and the Rumble winner in one epic main event to decide the first WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Bryan still wins, holding both title belts at the top of the ladder, with 75,000 people stand united in "Yes!" chants. The unification match would have had an even more important feel to it if it was put off until the 30th anniversary of WrestleMania.

Thanks to everyone who has participated in the "Rewriting WrestleMania" series. On Monday, I will post the final installment with the changes I would have made to WrestleMania XXXI.

Feel free to comment and/or post your WM30.

 

[MC_Live]

Honestly, the only things I would change with the show last year would have been to put Wyatt over Cena. Cena just had no business winning this one. In my Mania 29 rewrite, I would have had Punk end the streak. So who knows, maybe if Punk had been handled better, he could have been on this show. Maybe he would have been main eventing against Bryan. Anyway, lets say I didn't have Taker's streak end at 29. In that case I would have Taker go over Brock here, and then lose to Wyatt at 31. The same thing as the OP, just one year pushed back.

Also, shrink the Divas match. It would have been AJ vs. Naomi vs. Natalya vs. Nikki Bella vs. Brie Bella. Basically, AJ all of the Total Divas (except Cameron. She's terrible.)

 

[gmanversion1]

I was a big fan of the real Americans last year and would have loved to see them win the tag titles.

I would have booked Wyatt over Cena

I think I would have booked Lesnar to score both decisions in an elimination monster 3 way with Batista and Ryback. Maybe all 3 in a 4 way with Mark Henry

As I said last issue, I would have had Punk carry the belt all the way to this Mania, and then drop it to a Rumble winning Daniel Bryan. ( I think this scenerio would have got punk to stick around)

 

[Aquaman6686]

In my version of reality, the World titles were never unified. One of the dumbest decisions ever in my book. As usual I'm stuck at work, so just doing results (I'm off for WrestleMania though at least):

Pre-show: The Big Show wins the Andrè the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

1: Daniel Bryan def. John Cena to enter the WWE title match

2: The Real Americans def. The Usos to win the WWE Tag Team Championship

3: AJ Lee def. Nikki Bella to retain the Divas Championship

4: The Shield def. The Wyatt Family in a 6-Man Elimination Tag Team Match

5: Alberto Del Rio def. Sheamus to retain the Intercontinental Championship

6: The Undertaker def. Brock Lesnar

7: CM Punk def. Dolph Ziggler to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

8: Daniel Bryan def. Randy Orton, Triple H, and Batista in a Fatal Four Way Match to win Orton's WWE Championship

 

[The Perfect Max]

Singles Match; as Daniel Bryan won, he advanced to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match
Daniel Bryan defeated Triple H (with Stephanie McMahon)
There is very little I would change here. The match was fantastic and even better as it was the opening match of the night. The only tweaks I would make are that I would have had Bryan win the Royal Rumble, but be forced to put up his championship match against Triple H. Also, I would not have stipulated it such that the winner would earn the championship match, rather, if Bryan had lost, he would not get the title match; it did not really make sense that Triple H would want the title at this point of his career. Other than that, all remains the same.

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Chris Jericho, Dolph Ziggler and Ryback defeated The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins)
Okay, so this is a major change, but just wait. I would have kept The Shield a part of The Authority until later in the night (just wait). I would have portrayed some serious tension between The Authority and The Shield throughout early 2014, but kept them together. As for the opponents, I would have liked Jericho to partake in The Authority angle, just a little nostalgia with Triple H I suppose; Ziggler has been super over for a long time, so naturally he fits (these two fought at WrestleMania 29 in my rewrite so there is history); and Ryback needed something better and matched Reigns. The Shield loses and are verbally abused by Trips backstage after, leading to the main event later...

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Antonio Cesaro wins by last eliminating The Big Show
I liked this idea a lot, especially with Hogan introducing it. I would have preferred WWE to keep this a one-off though, for the thirtieth event and all, to make it just that more important. Nothing changes here, with Cesaro body slamming Show out for the victory. I would only hope the WWE builds on this for Cesaro afterwards.

Singles Match
Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeated Batista
I liked Batista's return. In fact I loved it. I think he is fantastic and wished the fans would have agreed. But I did dislike his participation in the main event. A match here would have been brutally brilliant, billed The Animal vs The Beast. If you wanted to still have Batista a member of The Authority at this point, then that does not change much to this encounter. Lesnar wins to continue his undefeated run that I established at WrestleMania 29.

No Holds Barred Match
Bray Wyatt (with Erick Rowan and Luke Harper) defeated The Undertaker
This is the end that should have absolutely happened. I would have kept the Wyatt Family untouchable after their debut the night after WrestleMania 29, with them winning big time feuds to build to this. This years build applies here, but I would involve The Undertaker rather uniquely. I would have Taker return with his family out of character to announce his retirement, and have Wyatt force him to return as the deadman one more time. I would even go as far as kidnaping Michelle McCool, making it personal. Taker gives in and says the deadman returns at WrestleMania. He enters the match, gimmick and all, and Wyatt wins, breaking the streak at 21-1. I would have loved it. Wyatt should have been the one.

Ten-Diva Challenge for the WWE Divas Championship
AJ Lee (c) defeated Alicia Fox, Brie Bella, Cameron, Layla, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Summer Rae and Tamina
I did not mind the multi-diva match, but I would cut some of the crap and keep it to those who can actually perform and those who actually sort of matter. At least this match had a real prize at the end, unlike the battle royal at WrestleMania XXV. AJ Lee wins here and drops the title to a debuting Paige the night after.

Triple Threat Match to determine the inaugural WWE World Heavyweight Champion
Daniel Bryan defeated John Cena (c; World Heavyweight Champion) and Randy Orton (c; WWE Champion) via submission
This should have been the biggest main event ever, I mean it is WrestleMania XXX after all. I would have kept the titles separate until here, and have Bryan enter the match after defeating Triple H. The Authority would interfere as much as possible to get Orton the win, even The Shield. In the end, after the verbal tirades from H, The Shield snaps and lays out The Authority and leave. The match is down to the three it should be, and Bryan eventually gets the submission win over Orton, only to celebrate over Triple H and The Authority to close the show as the first ever WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

 

[Mac]

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match- Randy Orton (c) vs Daniel Bryan

After Bryan won the belt at Summerslam '13 only to get screwed over by Orton and HHH. I would've built this up and finally have these guys meet at WM. Bryan wins the Rumble and he goes over here.

Brock Lesnar vs Batista

This would've been a solid big man match.

The Shield vs The Wyatts

These teams tore the house down in early 2014. I'd save it for WrestleMania.

Undertaker vs John Cena

I booked these two for WM 29, but since we're doing this in a vacuum then I'd book these guys for this show too. If the streak had to end then give it to a company man like Cena.

Triple H vs Daniel Bryan

This stays as is. The Authority had been screwing with Bryan for months and this is just one more obstacle that Bryan has to climb.

Everything else stays the same.

 

[MMK]

MAIN EVENT TRIPLE THREAT
Brock Lesnar def The Rock & John Cena
If Brock/Rock ends up happening at Wrestlemania 32, then so be it. In the end I simply would have the Taker/Brock match at 32 while Brock/Rock takes place here at 30 with Cena thrown in the mix.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Daniel Bryan def. CM Punk (c))
Bryan wins the Rumble and advances to defeat the champion CM Punk. If this had happened, Punk may have even stayed with WWE. And if he doesn't, then it's a fitting send off and passing of the torch.

The Undertaker def Bray Wyatt w/The Wyatt Family
I don't mind the idea of Brock ending the streak. I simply would have saved it for Taker's last match. The idea of the streak ending and then Taker coming back the next year is just odd to me. Doesn't feel right. He should either retire undefeated or lose and never be seen again. But to lose and keep wrestling once a year seems off.
The match with Bray this year would have had so much more importance to it last year with the streak still in tact. I had Taker beating Reigns the year prior, and I have him go over Wyatt at Mania 30 here. His last two matches would be against Sting this year (how is that not happening) and Brock at WM 32 where the streak and Takers career end. Brock can still beat the streak if thats the direction they want to go but it shouldn't happen until Taker was ready to hang up his boots for good.

WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Wyatt Family: Luke Harper and Erick Rowan def Mankind & Kane
Seeing as how Taker is taking on Bray, he's going to need some help fending off the rest of the Wyatt Family so he calls on his own family. Kane had a history with the Wyatt's dating back to their debut, while Bray has been described as a modern day Mankind. If Foley could go one more match, I would have liked for it to have been this. He and kane were once tag champions in their own right and in a tag match, Kane could carry most of the match while Foley came in for the odd hot tag. In the end the old blood puts the new blood over. If you're going to feature an old school tag team on the show, make it Mankind and Kane instead of the New Age Outlaws.

Evolution def The Shield
Batista is never in the Royal Rumble. He can still make a comeback but it should be on the Raw AFTER The Royal Rumble and only for an Evolution reunion. Triple H and Orton are feuding with The Shield in the new year, so Triple H calls on his old buddy for backup. At Mania, Roman Reigns turns on Rollins and Ambrose to join Evolution. With Batista heading back to Hollywood, Roman steps in as the groups new muscle and Triple H's new protege. The new chosen one. Seth and Dean remain a tag team for the next few months until they too split up at MITB over who will get the briefcase. Rollins can still turn heel then but he's not a part of Triple H's stable. Always felt Roman would have been a better fit as The Authority's next chosen one.

IC/US TITLE Unification LADDER MATCH
Dolph Ziggler def Alberto Del Rio, The Miz, Damien Sandow, Goldust, Cody Rhodes, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal:
Cesaro def Big Show, Mark Henry, Ryback, Swagger, Sheamus, Big E and others
Great finish with Cesaro lifting Big Show over his head and over the ropes. Wouldn't change anything about that. However, this should have marked the beginning of Cesaro's face turn and push as a main event wrestler. Sigh.

 

[kadroan]

I like the WM XXX card mostly:

Just would have had Bray beat Cena. Not to take away from the show, it was great. It was a surprise to see Cesaro win the battle royal.

 

[Dagger Dias]

This was the best Wrestlemania in recent years and one of the absolute best in the history of the brand. There are still a couple of changes that I would make. Brock Lesnar DOES NOT end The Streak, but he can still face Taker. The winner of the Andre Battle Royal is still Cesaro, however he gets an Intercontinental Championship title shot. That way this match actually means something other than having a random spot to put all the other guys who did not get a match on the card. So, Cesaro wins and gets an Intercontinental Championship shot although Swagger still destroys the stupid trophy on Raw later on. The Divas Championship match changes to an elimination match that still has all 14 competitors. AJ retains her Divas Championship by last eliminating Natalya. The rest of the show continues as it was in the original. Had CM Punk been available I would have added him to the main event to change it into a Fatal Fourway, which Daniel Bryan still wins.

 

[roipdh123]

Wrestle Mania XXX:

Kickoff: Fatal 4 Way Elimination Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
The Usos def. The Real Americans {C} & The New Age Outlaws & The Prime Time Players.

{*} - Rock & Hogan & Austin promo.

1.Singles Match with the winner advancing into the triple threat unification main event match
Daniel Bryan def. Triple H

2.Singles Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Cody Rhodes {C} def. Dustin Rhodes.

3.Six Man Tag Team Street Fight
The Wyatt Family {Kane & Luke Harper & Erick Rowan} def. The Shield {Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns}. After the match The Shield are surrounded by the Authority {Mark Henry & Brodus Clay & Alberto Del Rio} and they are ready to fight them but then Seth Rollins betrayls on them to allow the Authority take advantage of their former buddies.

{*} - Stephanie McMahon comes out and announces that there is always a plan B and if Bryan wins in the main event he will have a surprise as she announces Rollins as a part of the Money In The Bank Ladder match next.

4.Money In The Bank Ladder Match
Seth Rollins def. Rob Van Dam & Dolph Ziggler & The Miz & Brodus Clay & Rey Mysterio & Kofi Kingston & Alberto Del Rio.

5.Singles Match
RyBack def. Mark Henry. Their match from the year before in a one year delay {as I had other plans for both at WM 29}.

6.Thirty Man Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Cesaro wins by last eliminating The Big Show. The Final 4: Cesaro & Big Show & Titus Oneill & Jack Swagger.

7.Singles Match
Brock Lesnar def. Batista

8.Open Challenge Match for the WWE Divas Championship
?? {Paige} def. AJ Lee {C}.

9.Singles Match
Bray Wyatt def. The Undertaker

10.Triple Threat Unification match where the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships will be unified into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Daniel Bryan def. Randy Orton {WWE Champion} and John Cena {World Champion}.

 

[LODemolition]

I would have cut the opening promo in half as well. It was epic seeing Austin, Rock, and Hogan in the same ring, but it ran on far too long.

 

[Rocky84]

This was a better Mania than I thought it would be. The DB vs HHH match was great as was the main event. The beginning was awesome too with Hogan, Austin, and The Rock. The build up of the Wyatt vs Cena match was great too, but the match itself sucked. Based on m Mania 29 re-write, I would've done the following...



Cm Punk vs Stone Cold Steve Austin

-As complicated as Austin is, I don't think the WWE is doing all they can in order to get him to come back. He's said specifically that the money has to be right, and the storyline has to be right. He shot a sick promo with Punk and JR for the WWE videogame. This shows he's somewhat open. If Vince gave him a fat payday the way he did Mayweather, I don't see why he wouldn't have come back. Not only that but Punk even called Austin out on Twitter. They should've bent over backwards for this starting after the success of The Rock's return at 27 & 28. They dropped the ball on this one.


Daniel Bryan vs John Cena (c) - WWE World Title

-I wouldn't have had this happen at Summer Slam. This was a Mania match all the way. WWE did that with Batista and Cena too and HHH and Brock. Matches that have no chance of happening at Mania should be put on SS...keep it fresh, and no repeats. As much as I liked the way things ended up with the Authority/Evolution, and occupy Raw angle, it wasn't that great. I could've did without it if I had the rest of this card to look forward to.


Batista vs Brock Lesnar

-I was calling for this match the whole time since day 1 of Batista's return. A no brainer imo.


The Wyatt Family vs The Shield

-This happened at the Chamber I think, or some other smaller ppv. This should've happened at Mania 30.


Sting vs The Undertaker

-Sting was signed months in advance. Not sure why he didn't compete.


Vince McMahon vs Triple H- Full Control of WWE

-A street fight truly worthy of Mania 30. Vince, although 68 or so at this time, just did a Muscle and Fitness cover where he looked STACKED. Probably better shape than all of us on this site. No huge bumps needed here, that's why it's a street fight, and likely Vince's unofficial retirement match. This would've been gold. Father in-law vs Son in-law with Steph torn in the the middle.


Randy Orton vs Chris Jericho

-At this time Randy was such a whiny little bitch that I wished Jericho would have just come out and give him his patented "please shut the hell up" line. Would've been a hell of a match too.


Divas Open

-Keep the same, and put it later in the night to give the crowd a rest at some point.


Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

 

[NegativeFeedback]

So this is a tough one. I loved the show and there's very little I would change. While Bryan's epic journey is hard to top, I think Punk/Triple H could have had a huge grudge feud highlight any Mania between 28 and 30 and this was the last chance to do it:

1. Kick-Off: Tag Team Championship: The Usos defeat The Real Americans

The Real Americans would do the job and Swagger would beat up Cesaro, making him turn face.

2. US Championship vs. Money in the Bank: Cody Rhodes defeats Goldust (c)

After The Authority takes exception with Sheamus as US Champion, they have him drop it in a battle royal to Curtis Axel. Axel then drops it at TLC to Mark Henry. The Rhodes Bros. also have their storyline exactly as they had it, but Goldust eventually turns on Cody at the Rumble when they drop the titles to NAO. The next night on Raw, Goldust beats Henry for the US title with The Shield's assistance and tells Cody that he doesn't have long in his career and he needed to join The Authority to be able to reach the brass ring that has always evaded him. Cody feels betrayed and their feud for Mania begins. By the way, Cody beat Sandow for his MitB briefcase at SummerSlam and held it the whole way through. Goldust agrees to a US title match if he puts his case on the line. Cody ends up winning at Mania and keeping both.

3. Cesaro wins the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

This was perfect booking and I wouldn't have it any other way. I had Cesaro going over Jericho at WM29. I would give him a solid upper midcard heel run all year with occasional main event runs, before pairing up with Swagger for the Real Americans tag team around Survivor Series. This will set up his face turn and end up winning here. However, I'd have Big Show as a heel here to cement Cesaro's face turn. Why the kept him as a heel is beyond me.

4. John Cena defeats Ryback

This would be their very first encounter which would make it special. Ryback would go undefeated as IC Champion until the Authority put him in a battle royal where he lost the title to Ambrose. Ryback became a thorn in their side and they brought in Lesnar to beat him at Battleground and end the streak. Ryback then beat Miz for the WHC at Survivor Series and dropped the title at EC to Batista. Cena was also in the Chamber match and pinned Ryback, causing Ryback to turn heel on Raw and go after him. Cena beats him, ending Ryback's main event run for now.

5. Intercontinental Championship: Randy Orton defeats Dolph Ziggler (c)

Ambrose would drop the IC title to Ziggler at some point, probably between Survivor Series and TLC. After Triple H gives himself the WWE title, Randy says he wants his rematch, but Triple H says no. He tells Randy that he's been failing the Authority and he tasks him with regaining the IC title to get back in their favor. Ziggler vs. Randy is set for Mania with Randy going over and winning his second IC title. He'll eventually turn face with it and drop it to Rollins when Rollins replaces him in the Authority.

6. The Shield defeats The Miz and The New Age Outlaws

I don't mind NAO facing Shield as long as they lost in 2 minutes just like they did on the show. This match is to put over Shield and further their dissent with The Authority. Shield wins here in decisive fashion.

7. Bray Wyatt defeats Kane

I'd have Kane follow the buzzards and join The Wyatt Family all year until Taker's return helps him regain his will and he faces Bray in a rematch at Mania. Bray goes over again, but Kane gets to keep his soul.

8. World Heavyweight Championship: Daniel Bryan defeats Batista (c)

I wouldn't have merged the titles and they'd still be separate to this day. I would have Punk win the title at WM29, Ziggler cashes in at Payback in Chicago, and ends up dropping it to Miz at Night of Champions when they do a double-turn and Miz turns heel, joining The Authority's cause. Ryback beats Miz for the title at Survivor Series and enters the Elimination Chamber as Champion. Bryan eliminates Batista in the Rumble, causing Batista to go berserk and beat him up on Raw. Batista then enters the Elimination Chamber and last pins Bryan, going on to face Bryan in a rematch Mania where he puts him over.

9. The Undertaker defeats Brock Lesnar

I would have booked this as Brock being a streak killer. He ended Ryback's streak the previous year and is now coming for Undertaker's. They can come up with some other streaks for him to kill too. Undertaker would ultimately go over though. No reason in ending the streak. This was just a tease and Brock lost. He would regain his momentum later.

10. WWE Championship: CM Punk defeats Triple H (c)

WWE erred in doing the Authority angle and not having Punk take center stage. That type of abuse of power was exactly what Punk talked about in his pipebomb promo and they should've capitalized on it. Punk needed to rage against the machine and help Bryan in his cause post-SummerSlam. He would eventually face Orton himself at TLC where he will leave with the WWE title, but then Triple H books a match between Punk and himself right after and Triple H wins the title. Triple H then fires Punk on the spot and uses him as an example for everyone else to behave. Punk returns at the Rumble (steals X-Pac's spot?) and goes on to win it [for the 2nd straight year if I had my way]. Punk faces Orton at EC (or Nash if you want to come full-circle) and then beats Triple H at Mania to regain the WWE title. Punk can be the one to drop it to Brock at SummerSlam.

(If Punk quits anyway, despite winning the Rumble, then I'd probably move Bryan in the main event, have Ryback/Batista for the WHC, and have Cena face Wyatt with Kane getting the snub)

 

[Terry Gyimah]

WrestleMania XXX (30) (2014)

Match Order (Rebooked)

1- Daniel Bryan vs Triple H w/Stephanie McMahon (Winner Moves On To WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match in the Main Event)- Winner: Daniel Bryan (*I would keep this match as is because it was perfect and everything was leading up to this match one way or another)

2- Fatal 4-Way Match (WWE Tag Team Championship)- The New Age Outlaws (c) vs Rybaxel vs Goldust & Cody Rhodes vs The Usos- Winners: New WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos

3- Jack Swagger w/Zeb Colter vs Antonio Cesaro (Grudge Match)- Winner: Antonio Cesaro

4- Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal- Winner: Dolph Ziggler by last eliminating Big Show

5- The Shield vs The Wyatt Family- Winners: The Wyatt Family

6- WWE Divas Championship- AJ Lee (c) vs Tamina Snuka- Winner: Still WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee

7- Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman vs Batista (The Beast vs The Animal)- Winner: Brock Lesnar

8- Undertaker vs John Cena (22-0 or 21-1)- Winner: The Undertaker (Streak lives, Streak Goes To 22-0)

9- WWE World Heavyweight Championship- Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton (c)- Winner: New WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan

 

[HBKperfect23]

Not a lot I would change here, I loved the triple threat main event but I think the title merger could have been done here.

World champion CM Punk defeats Royal Rumble Winner Batista

EC Winner Daniel Bryan defeats WWE Champion Randy Orton

Winner take all: Daniel Bryan defeats CM Punk to merge the WWE/World titles. I think CM Punk would have finished his contract for the main event at Mania.

I'd have Roman Reigns win the IC title and have a dominate IC run. I think this would prevent the rumble 15 disaster.

Everything else stays the same

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Had this awesome idea about how the WWE could have made everyone happy regarding WM 30: CM Punk, Batista, Daniel Bryan and the fans.

You can try this, too.
Rebook Wrestlemania 30, but the following things must happen:
a) CM Punk does not walk out
b) Batista gets what he was promised (a World Title run around that time and a Wrestlemania main event)

Optional:
c) Daniel Bryan still gets his much deserved Wrestlemania moment

Here's my idea
First of all, CM Punk's contract was expiring in July 2014. I just can't understand why the WWE let such a big contract negotiations until the last minute, especially with a Wrestlemania coming.

WWE should have done the following: give Punk two options.

Option A: CM Punk gets a Main Event victory at Wrestlemania, only if he renews his contract for at least until next year's Wrestlemania.
Option B: CM Punk doesn't get his main event and loses at Wrestlemania in order to put someone else over.​

The proposed match for "Option A": Royal Rumble winner CM Punk vs World Heavyweight Champion Batista - CM Punk wins

The proposed match for "Option B": The same but Punk isn't the Rumble winner and he loses at Wrestlemania

The build-up
Batista vs CM Punk
Alberto Del Rio is the World Heavyweight Champion over at Smackdown heading into Survivor Series. He has never lost his belt to Cena. Triple H announces that now that he has an A+ player as the WWE Champion on RAW, he needs another A+ as the World Heavyweight Champion at Smackdown. So he announces that at Survivor Series, Alberto Del Rio will defend the WH Championship against the returing Animal, Dave Batista!

Batista makes his return at SSeries without any other appereance before that. That way, he returns in a big ovation and wins the WH Championship as a face. Batista of course wins the match and becomes the NEW World Heavyweight Champion. The rivalry continues through TLC, where Batista defends the belt successfully against Del Rio.

CM Punk goes over to Smackdown in order to invite Batista to fight side by side with him against the Authority, since Punk has called Batista a "friend" in one of his promos before. At first Batista remains a face, but with a cocky Hollywood attitude, but he still fights against the Authority.

The following weeks, Batista becomes more and more heel, having his cocky Hollywood gimmick. Dolph Ziggler becomes the #1 contender. Batista and Ziggler have a very close match at the Royal Rumble where Ziggler pushes Batista to the limit and almost wins the belt, but in the end, it's Batista who comes out as the victor. The fact that Batista almost lost to Ziggler drives him mad so he brutally assaults Ziggler after the match. Mainwhile CM Punk wins the Royal Rumble.

At the following Smackdown, Batista officialy becomes a member of the Authority after betraying CM Punk and Batista Bombs him off the stage. This gives Punk his much needed time off before Wrestlemania that he wanted. Now the Authority has the two World Titles of the company. The rivalry between The Authority and The Rebels enters the final chapter. Bryan is kept out of the Rumble and gets one last chance at the Chamber.

At Elimination Chamber, Batista destroys Ziggler in a No DQs match.

On RAW after the Chamber, Batista says that with no Royal Rumble winner and with the WWE Championship match set, he will sit out Wrestlemania, still get paid and maybe go to Hollywood and film some movies. He mocks CM Punk's walk out of MITB 2011 and leaves in a limo (Punk left through the crowd) and kisses the WWE Universe goodbye (just like Punk did with Vince). However as he tries to leave, CM Punk's music hits and he goes after Batista and kicks his ass. The match is set for Wrestlemania.

Daniel Bryan's road to victory
The main things stay the same. Bryan is kept out of the Rumble, he loses at EC and #OccupyRAW happens. There's a fallout in the Authority between Batista, Orton and HHH.
HHH thinks highly of Batista and sees him as the face of the company, while he sees Orton as a coward. Triple H starts to lose hope to Orton after some stupid loses of Orton on RAW and the fact that Orton can't get the job done without help of Big Show, Kane, HHH and HBK and other stupid tricks, while Batista gets in there and gets the job done. Orton's actions almost jeopardize the WWE Championship and the the status of the Authority. This leads to the gauntlet match, the same way the Bryan vs HHH match was booked for WM 30 and the empty position in the Triple Threat match. Triple H says that he will take out Bryan and also face Orton at Wrestlemania, in order to really prove that Orton is weak or Orton can prove him wrong.

Pre-Show
Fatal 4-Way tag team elimination match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso)(c) vs. The Real Americans (Cesaro and Jack Swagger) (with Zeb Colter), RybAxel (Ryback and Curtis Axel), and Los Matadores (Diego and Fernando) (with El Torito)

Main Card
Opening promo between Austin, Rock and Hogan

Six-man tag team match
The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns) vs. The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) and Kane

Singles match
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt (with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan)

Singles match
Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) vs. The Undertaker

31-man Battle Royal for the André the Giant Memorial Trophy

Gauntlet match for the WWE Championship; if Triple H wins the first match, he will face Randy Orton for the WWE Championship
I) Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (with Stephanie McMahon)
II) Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton(c)

Vickie Guerrero Invitational match for the WWE Divas Championship
AJ Lee(c) vs. Aksana, Alicia Fox, Brie Bella, Cameron, Emma, Eva Marie, Layla, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Rosa Mendes, Summer Rae and Tamina Snuka

Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship
CM Punk vs. Batista(c)​

Winners: The Usos, The Shield, Bray Wyatt, Brock Lesnar, Cesaro, Daniel Bryan wins both matches, AJ Lee, CM Punk

That way WWE keeps the fans happy, keeps CM Punk happy, keeps Batista happy and plus builds the two monster heels in Bray Wyatt and Brock Lesnar

 

[King Patrick Star]

I like your card LODemolition. Here’s my version.

Fatal 4-Way Elimination WWE World Tag Team Championship Title match
WWE World Tag Team Champions, The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) vs. The Real Americans (Cesaro and Jack Swagger) (w/ Zeb Colter) vs. RybAxel (Ryback and Curtis Axel) vs. Los Matadores (Diego and Fernando) (w/ El Torito)
The change I would have here is have Paul Heyman interfere on RybAxel behalf and win the WWE World Tag Team Championships Titles...and in the process, make them Heyman Guys again.

Winner is entered into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Title match Main Event of WrestleMania XXX
Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (w/ Stephanie McMahon)
I would scrap this match altogether. I would have had this match take place on the Raw before WMXXX.

Six-man tag team match
The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns) vs. The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) and Kane
I would replace Kane with Triple H.

André The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
I would add Kane to this match, but still have Cesaro win.

John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt (w/ Luke Harper and Erick Rowan)
I would change this to a 3-on-3 match, but give John Cena a very difficult time searching for 2 partners. At the start of the match, out comes Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in their Wrestling gear, to join the current Face of the WWE Universe.

Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. The Undertaker
I am one of the fans in the WWE Universe that believes the Undertaker should still be undefeated at WrestleMania. I would have Lesnar immediately tested for PEDs and reverse the decision. In fact, if he is found guilty, and the UFC reverses the decision of the UFC 200 match, then I hope the WWE reverses the decision of the WrestleMania XXX streak match. Okay, maybe not, but I would have had Undertaker go over in this match.

Vickie Guerrero Invitational Divas Championship Title match
Divas Champion, AJ Lee vs. Aksana vs. Alicia Fox vs. Brie Bella vs. Cameron vs. Emma vs. Eva Marie vs. Layla vs. Naomi vs. Natalya vs. Nikki Bella vs. Rosa Mendes vs. Summer Rae vs. Tamina Snuka
I would either keep this match the same, or had a Diva who has never held the Divas Championship Title win.

Triple Threat WWE World Heavyweight Championship Title match
WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Randy Orton vs. 2014 Royal Rumble winner, Batista vs. Daniel Bryan
No change.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

WrestleMania XXX

Promo - Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold, & The Rock

1 - Daniel Bryan (d) Triple H - If Bryan loses, he loses his title shot.

Same match except Bryan wins the RR and is forced to put his title match on the line.

2 - The Usos (d) Real Americans - WWE Tag Titles

They had a great match on the pre-show. No Los Matadores or Rybaxel for obvious reasons.

3 - Cody Rhodes (d) The Miz, Damien Sandow, Alberto Del Rio, Kofi Kingston, & Rey Mysterio - Ladder Match - IC Title

All of these guys need to be on the card and this would've been a lot better than the Battle Royal.

4 - Brock Lesnar (d) Sheamus

This is a pretty big step down for Lesnar, but I had nothing else for him. This would be a great hard-hitting brawl.

5 - Wyatt Family (d) The Shield

They had a great match at Elimination Chamber, so just move it to here.

6 - Undertaker (d) John Cena

This should have happened at some point. Taker wins and continues the Streak.

7 - Daniel Bryan (d) Randy Orton & Batista - WWE Championship

There's no reason to change this.