Crowd influence on Undertaker matchup at Mania

[farlance]

With the crowds already hot and voicing opinions about Daniel Bryan/Batista/Mania situation, does anyone else see the same for the lead-up for Undertaker's match? Lets say that the rumors are true and that over the coming weeks WWE starts a buildup towards Taker/Lesnar match at Wrestlemania. Do you think Sting chants will start resonating? If Sting debuts before Wrestlemania, do you foresee loud Undertaker chants? If so, what impact will that have on the hype for a perspective Lesnar/Taker match? Will the croud at Mania appriciate the match? I personally think there is plenty of time still to build up to a match with Sting/Taker this year, and I think that WWE brass discredit the casual fan by assuming that Sting is not that well known this day in age. Maybe true for the kids that watch, but if their parent are fans, the parents will fill them in. What everyone think?

 

[MrGameTime]

I think people would want to see Sting vs taker more than Lesnar vs Taker at Mania, And by last weeks raw (seeing sting signs) it's clear that people want to see him in WWE. So now with the rumours getting more hype I wouldn't be suprised if you heard Sting chants. It's the fact that he's never been in WWE whats appealing. Out of all the top legends in wrestling HE is the last piece of the puzzle.

I have a funny feeling Sting will get outrageous pops, as I'm sure if the younger audience don't know who he is WWE will quickly remind them by several methods.

If they do Taker vs Sting at Mania I would imagine it to be electric, there will be people in the crowd who have been waiting decades to see the match. they will both be faces and I think the crowd will eat it up.

Just imagine the staredown... Lesnar is not on the iconic level Sting is. Sting has the history and prestige behind him, Sting is the Perfect opponent for the Undertaker... Wrestlemania XXX we can only hope....

 

[LODemolition]

I gotta disagree. Sting's character makes for the perfect opponent for Taker, yes. But as an actual wrestler, Sting is just painful to watch. The man simply can't go anymore, and I think the only appealing thing about a Sting vs Taker match would be the aesthetics. Sting is his "Crow" makeup and trenchcoat against Taker and his deadman gimmick. You'd have 2 of the darkest/most mysterious characters going up against eachother. I understand the intrigue. But the match itself would absolutely suck.

Lesnar on the other hand, who has been booked very strong as of late, would put on a match with Taker that I'm sure we'd all love. People are worried if Taker will be able to handle Lesnar's aggressive style. Well, if Taker's health is that much of an issue, then yes - put him against Sting. If his body can take the abuse and take another year to heal up, then you take a chance and book the better match.

Sting can always appear during or after the match, maybe even on Raw the next night, and foreshadow a match with Taker at WM31.

 

[Logisticalbooker86]

Sting versus Undertaker right out of the shoot would be potentially disastrous for Sting's character. At least half of the regular audience is not familiar with Sting. To the point they may view him as a "heel" in the feud. Put Sting and Taker in a tag match with someone else against the Shield. Or, Have HHH wrestle Sting because the pace could help the Stinger work efficiently.

Coming from a Sting mark: Putting Sting against Taker is a potential finish line match for Steve Borden, not a beginning. They would risk getting Sting booed, which would be a colossal waste of a journey that should be a huge deal.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

I don't believe that the crowd would respond negatively to Lesnar/Taker. I think that Sting should debut the night after mania and as hard as it is in this day and age everything needs to be kept quiet, so the crowd responses aren't negative at Mania

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Taker vs. Sting at a WrestleMania would draw money, there's no doubt about that. From a character perspective, the build to the match could be very interesting and entertaining. The problem, as has been pointed out, is that the match itself probably wouldn't come close to living up to the hype. As I said, the match would draw but I don't think it'd be very good.

Both Sting & Taker have got limits now that they didn't have 5 or 6 years ago. The wear & tear has caught up to Taker with a vengeance and Sting has really gone downhill himself the past year or so. I caught some of his stuff in TNA before I stopped watching TNA altogether about 6 months back and Sting is really just not up to par. To be a 54 year old man who's been a pro wrestler since the mid 80s, Sting's in great shape all in all. Given the limits of both guys, however, I just don't think they'd really be able to work a good match together. Besides, who knows if Sting would even be medically cleared to compete at WrestleMania even if he did suddenly pop up?

As far as crowd influence goes, I wouldn't put too much stock into it. The support that Daniel Bryan has been getting from an almost universal perspective from fans is an extraordinary rarity. It's been an extremely long time since anybody was as over with the entire audience as Daniel Bryan is. As a result, WWE isn't going to start booking things based on crowd influence as a whole because, frankly, nobody can run a business like that. Fans can be extremely fickle these days, and WWE trying to cater to whatever momentary whims some fans might have is an act in futility. One group of fans wants this guy to get pushed while another things someone else should be pushed and on it goes.

 

[The Eighties]

I don't this situation is anything like the Bryan situation. The support he has and the frustration at his booking has been boiling up for 6 months, and for a spot many feel should be his to be taken by a 45 year old lumbering buddy of Trips has only escalated the anger.

In the case of Brock thew fans dig him as the most awesome special attraction in wrestling, I don't think they'll be upset that it's Brock vs Taker instead of Sting, especially since I don't think WWE will officially announce anything regarding Sting until the Raw after Mania.

 

[Kidpolean]

Am I the only one that thinks that Taker and Sting would put on a classic? I understand that they are old and that Stings matches in TNA have been terrible but sometimes adrenaline and a special moment can have a huge impact on how a wrestler performs. I think that Taker and Sting, even at their current age, would work day and night and practice until they had a five star match planned out. They are just both to professional to give us anything lackluster at Mania.

 

[Best in the World]

I think the focus right now is on a lot of how the match would go from a wrestling standpoint, which I kind of feel, shouldn't really matter when you apply it to these two. Hogan/Andre, Hogan/Warrior, Rock/Hogan even Rock/Cena (both times), none of those were what you would call classics wrestling-wise, but the moment itself, the crowds reaction, and just the mere image of the two standing in the ring face to face is enough to get people to turn heads.

One could make an argument about them being the people in those matches being over with the crowd, and you'd be right, around those times the people were hot, or the people around the product knew who these guys were. That might be somewhat of an issue around this time, because it's questionable how many people know who Sting is, everyone knows who Undertaker is, but Sting hasn't really been around the public eye (not even in TNA, because TNA really doesn't know how to promote its stars, case in point RVD, that's not a bash to TNA, but it's something they need to work on), so it's questionable how the reaction would go for him. Around the time of Warrior/Rock/Hogan these people were still fresh in peoples minds, and while it's no doubt people will know who Rock/Hogan is, it's debateable on the amount of people that would know Sting or remember him on the product of today, might or might not be an issue.

I'm not saying though, Sting/Undertaker can't put on a good match, in my mind I think they could pull off a great match, but the match won't be remembered for the wrestling, it'll be remembered purely for the moment, and the fact that these two men (greats) stepped into the ring together. Just showing a clip of Sting/Undertaker after the match (if it ever does happen, which I doubt it will and have for a while), it would be remembered as a classic, if not for that image alone, and in that end, that's really all that matters to WWE, it's history, it'll become apart of history and it'll be remembered.

I don't see a ***** match coming out of Undertaker/Sting, but in these kinds of matches, you're honestly just about never going to.

 

[thebarber]

save Sting vs Undertaker for Wrestlemania 31, the actual 30 th anniversay of Wrestlemania.
This way, Sting has 12 months of WWE conditioning on him, hopefully he will be in alot better shape(so he can wrestle not in a t shirt), and gives the WWE Universe, especially the kids who either don't know who Sting is, or what is previous career was in WCW. pLUS, AND i SAY A HUGE PLUS, uNDERTAKER VS sTING COULD HAVE ALREADY HAPPENDED ONCE say at Survivor Series where Sting could actually pin Taker clean, leading to a rematch at Mania 31 with Sting then being looked at as a credible opponent to end the streak./

 

[Mustang Sally]

....and I think that WWE brass discredit the casual fan by assuming that Sting is not that well known this day in age.

To answer this question, it's important to distinguish what a "casual fan" is. Of the people who attend shows at arenas (house or PPV) there are some people like us; ones who participate on wrestling forums and follow Internet reports, there are folks in attendance who follow the storylines somewhat and are well aware of who Sting is, yet won't be crushed if he doesn't turn up in WWE......and there are a whole lot of folks who go to the wrestling matches for a night out with the family. I get the feeling they don't care much about any of it, but find it fun to get involved in the audience participation aspects of the show, chanting "Yes!" and "Suck it!" at the appropriate times.....a fine time is guaranteed for all.

Given the mixed make-up of the audience, I don't think the majority of them will be upset by not having Sting in the match with Undertaker; not as long as they've got a big name like Brock Lesnar in there. If Sting shows up, that's fine & dandy, but it's not as if they're putting 'Taker up against Yoshi Tatsu. Against Brock, I'll consider it a plus if Mark Calaway comes out of the match in one piece.

The casual fan? He/she is the one who knows a bit about pro wrestling but is more interested in the spectacle and drama than the ins & outs of this form of sports entertainment.

 

[Ap3x_Pr3dator13]

I'd rather see Taker/Cena at WM 30, cause Cena would be a safer opponent for Taker than Lesnar...have Batista/Orton/Lesnar in a Triple Threat for the title...all 3 of them were in the ring at the same time last Monday, and it would be a great match in my opinion.

The Beast vs The Animal vs The Viper sounds good too me...

Taker/Cena, HHH/Bryan and Batista/Orton/Lesnar should be the main events of WrestleMania XXX !

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

The solution to this is simple, don't make Sting's signing public until after Mania. I don't remember a ton of Lesnar chants at Mania the year he signed. Lesnar is a MUCH bigger star today than Sting is too. So no, I don't see any hijacking of the Undertaker match this year.

 

[kadroan]

I'm not sure what match up fans would be drawn to see. I think the general fan base doesn't know who Sting is. It's already sad to see the reactions people like Sid Vicious, Jake The Snake, etc gets when they return.

I'd say have him face Cena, they can easily blow off the Wyatt feud with a match on RAW or change it at a last minute to a match at EC. Hell, WWE changed two major matches at Survivor Series 2012.

Cena is the last true threat to The Streak

 

[closet_fan]

I agree with thebarber. I also think they won't bring in Sting until after Wrestlemania. You have so many guys now like Piper, Hogan and Warrior (Maybe even Jake the Snake), there really isn't a need for the WWE to blow their wad in one night by bringing Sting in to.

Like some have said, bring Sting back the night after or start teasing it with vignettes, etc. In TNA, Sting really didn't have to be asked to condition himself like he did in WCW. That's one thing the WWE will ask of him. He desperately needs to work out and tone himself up. He doesn't have to be buff or ripped, but just enough so that he won't have to wear a t-shirt. Plus they can easily hide his stature like they did with MVP.

We're already in February. April isn't too far away. I'd rather they wait on Sting if/when he signs instead of rushing him out there.

 

[closet_fan]

I'm not sure what match up fans would be drawn to see. I think the general fan base doesn't know who Sting is. It's already sad to see the reactions people like Sid Vicious, Jake The Snake, etc gets when they return.

I'd say have him face Cena, they can easily blow off the Wyatt feud with a match on RAW or change it at a last minute to a match at EC. Hell, WWE changed two major matches at Survivor Series 2012.

Cena is the last true threat to The Streak

I disagree with you there. Those at the arena said Jake got a huge pop that night, but you couldn't tell if you watched it at home because it didn't come through.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I would hope that the people chanting (IWC members, dorks, 12 year olds, etc) have enough respect for Undertaker to not do the "yes" chants or "CM PUNK" chants but you never know with smarks these days.

 

[Staaaang]

Cena vs Taker would have some passionate opinions an crowd reactions. Both from cool casual fans and stinky "smarts" who are arrogant enough to believe they know the ins and outs of a complex form of entertainment they know very little about.

If anyone is the guy to beat Taker, it's Cena.

 

[kadroan]

Sting versus Undertaker right out of the shoot would be potentially disastrous for Sting's character. At least half of the regular audience is not familiar with Sting. To the point they may view him as a "heel" in the feud. Put Sting and Taker in a tag match with someone else against the Shield. Or, Have HHH wrestle Sting because the pace could help the Stinger work efficiently.

Coming from a Sting mark: Putting Sting against Taker is a potential finish line match for Steve Borden, not a beginning. They would risk getting Sting booed, which would be a colossal waste of a journey that should be a huge deal.

True. I agree. I like the idea of HHH, to show he's a threat in the WWE. I just don't know if HHH would be willing to put him over.

If he does, that would be huge, like how The Rock put over Goldberg when he first came in

 

[rerun406]

Maybe Sting could help out Bryan in the lead up to WMXXX in fighting the authority off and wind up challenging HHH at Mania

Sting vs Triple H @ WMXXX is a good swerve, and possibly keeps Bryan free for that Main Event slot