Did the WWE lose confidence?

[The Gribbler]

I would like to clarify that I am not picking on the current Wrestlemania line up. But I was wondering if everyone thought that the WWE lost a little confidence in their original (rumored) Wrestlemania lineup.

The rumor going around was that Wade Barett was going to get the Undertaker in a match for the streak (sure he would have lost but it would have been a good rub for him to get that spot).

Another was the Sheamus/Triple H rematch. Where the king of kings fought the king of the ring. Another match that would have pitted a rookie against a veteran.

Now im not complaining, with the two main event matches being new talent Vs. More established talent.

But why do you think that these two matches were eventually shot down? Is it lack of star power or did the WWE simply get cold feet putting the biggest show of the year in some less then established talent?

Opinions?

 

[ptsheridan]

Yeah, definitely a little bit. Based on the crowd reaction Barrett was getting before on RAW against Cena, I'm sure creative thought Barrett would be SUPER over by now and one of the most hated heels in the company. But now that he is pretty much doing nothing and feuding against the freaking Big Show, WWE had to bring back The Game to go against the Phenom.

What angers me, is if the rumors are true about Dolph Ziggler's match at Mania, then I am going to be PISSED!!!

 

[BTLion1990]

It was HHH and The Undertaker who decided together to put this match on as they felt there was no major match or draw at Mania. That says it all really. I would've enjoyed Barrett Taker, not so much Sheamus and HHH. But yeah, I don't think the creative bottled it as such, but more HHH and Taker wanting to make WrestleMania stand out a lot more, and as you've seen with HHH's recent interviews, it doesn't sound like he has a lot of confidence in the roster as a whole.

 

[Long Island Iced WXYZ]

But why do you think that these two matches were eventually shot down? Is it lack of star power or did the WWE simply get cold feet putting the biggest show of the year in some less then established talent?

Opinions?

Wade Barrett vs The Underatker wouldn't sell, and who the hell wanted to see Triple H vs Sheamus again?

I sure as hell didn't.

Glad they changed it.

Triple H and Taker should be match of the night.

As for Sheamus, God only knows..

 

[afark02]

Of course they lost confidence. Sheamus was on a freaking tear before losing the title, than getting out of the title picture, than feuding with Santino freaking Marella, and than being forced to wear that goofy ass crown and carry a septor to the ring like hes 5 years old. Now after losing to Mark no wrestling skills Henry and being pinned by Evan featherweight Bourne, hes now rumored to be wrestling Daniel Bryan, another shrimp. A year ago, Sheamus would have been crushing these guys, and now hes supposedly on par with them. In fact I remember a few months ago Sheamus defeated Bryan in a squash match on Raw a week after Bryan beat the miz for ths U.S. title. I think this tells you how much faith they have in Sheamus to draw.

As for Barrett, the dude is just plain boring. Nothing about him stands out, not his wrestling skills, his character, or his look. The WWE tried so hard to get this guy over it even went so far as to have Barrett and his group squash the face of their company, Cena, week after week, and now hes been banished to Smackdown, b/c people never bought into the fact that this guy could be a main eventer, not yet anyways. I think hes got potential, hes big and good on the mic. But he needs a major character overhaul, why not turn him face? The WWE seems to have way too many heels at the moment.

 

[BreezyDaProtege]

Obviously they changed the line up due to the leaks and star power. Honestly it doesnt matter because FINALLY Rocky koming.back home and targeting Cena has everyone.wanting to see what happens at Mania. But HHH vs. Taker does make the most.sense. Hunter puts the streak more at.jeopardy than Barrett but I would like a Barrey vs. Taker SSlam match so he gets his revenge

 

[midgensa]

I think the move of Barrett from Nexus to Smackdown! and The Corre (why is it spelled so ridiculous) absolutely destroyed his push.

As for Sheamus ... they seem to be in a rut on what to do with him. You can't leave the title on him because it gets stale, but his best role is as a mean and underhanded champion being chased by a face. When he is out of this role, they kind of shrug their shoulders as not knowing what the hell to do with him.

So, with that being said ... they figured the name power of Trips and Undertaker is nice, but they did not want to squander The Game and The Deadman in matches against people who would not properly draw for the Grandaddy of Them All.

I like the Triple H vs. Undertaker match and think it is sellable. I think it would be odd for Hunter to come back and retire just a month and a half later, so I guess this will not be an official stipulation ... but it is still a solid match that will be fun to watch.

Whatever Barrett and Sheamus end up doing will be serviceable, but they were not ready for Main Event type glare at this kind of show.

 

[D-Squared]

As for Barrett, the dude is just plain boring. Nothing about him stands out, not his wrestling skills, his character, or his look. The WWE tried so hard to get this guy over it even went so far as to have Barrett and his group squash the face of their company, Cena, week after week, and now hes been banished to Smackdown, b/c people never bought into the fact that this guy could be a main eventer, not yet anyways. I think hes got potential, hes big and good on the mic. But he needs a major character overhaul, why not turn him face? The WWE seems to have way too many heels at the moment.

How could Barrett get any credibility from the feud with Cena when he won the match to get Cena fired and the guy was at every single RAW right up until Barrett was forced to give him his job back.

John Cena and his inabiity or lack of willing to sell moves and put people over is what cost Barrett his match with Taker at Mania

In one word Cena SUCKS!

 

[itssoeasy123]

How could Barrett get any credibility from the feud with Cena when he won the match to get Cena fired and the guy was at every single RAW right up until Barrett was forced to give him his job back.

John Cena and his inabiity or lack of willing to sell moves and put people over is what cost Barrett his match with Taker at Mania

In one word Cena SUCKS!

Your joking right? I mean, you can't be serious!

First off all, Cena does sell moves. He's a great seller when he need's to sell. Let's not forget, he is the face of the company. He has the same credential in ring rules as Hogan and Austin did. You can no-sell once or twice, not a big deal. Watch after the Summerslam 2010 main event. It take's Cena like a minute to get to his feet.

Um, not people over? Cena? You do know that I do not without a shadow of a doubt think that Cena has anything to do with the outcome of his matches. He win's alot becuase he's the top face. And as the top face, you win alot of matches. See Austin and Hogan.

It's not Cena's fault WWE moved Barret to Smackdown. It's WWE fault. IMO, I wish they kept Cena vs. Punk as a one on one rivalry and left Nexus out of it.

Anyway, back on topic. Shaemus, um, I don't know. The faught eachother last year. I mean, sure, it would make sense, but what would people wanna see, Shaemus vs. Triple H, or Undertaker vs. Triple H?

Wrestlemania is alway's about putting the best match's and storylines on a show. Triple H vs. Undertaker have more name value and history than Barret and Undertaker, or Shaemus and Triple H.

 

[D-Squared]

Your joking right? I mean, you can't be serious!

First off all, Cena does sell moves.

Um, not people over? Cena? You do know that I do not without a shadow of a doubt think that Cena has anything to do with the outcome of his matches. He win's alot becuase he's the top face.

Im deadly serious... Sure Cena is the face of the company im not arguing that at all, however Cena cannot wrestle

And your delusional to think that he sells moves. I can vividly remember he was DDT'd onto the 'concrete' and 35 seconds later was back on his feet and had defeated Nexus (i think)
im sick to death of the superman routine...

And of course Cena could change the outcome of a match, like you say he is the face of the company so if he wanted to put somebody over he could but he never does.

When you look at HHH he put Batista over big time leading up to and including their Mania match, if he would have wanted to HHH could have easily won that match but he is a big star and was happy to put Batista over.

Jericho is always putting guys over and even did so for Cena...

 

[Vincent Michaels]

Im deadly serious... Sure Cena is the face of the company im not arguing that at all, however Cena cannot wrestle

And your delusional to think that he sells moves. I can vividly remember he was DDT'd onto the 'concrete' and 35 seconds later was back on his feet and had defeated Nexus (i think)
im sick to death of the superman routine...

And of course Cena could change the outcome of a match, like you say he is the face of the company so if he wanted to put somebody over he could but he never does.

When you look at HHH he put Batista over big time leading up to and including their Mania match, if he would have wanted to HHH could have easily won that match but he is a big star and was happy to put Batista over.

Jericho is always putting guys over and even did so for Cena...

Cena's win wasn't "superman routine," it was strategic. Gabriel took too much time to hit the 450, Cena moved, covered Gabriel, tripped Barrett, and locked in The STF. He didn't FU both of them after a huge power comeback, he outsmarted the rookies.

And Cena has put plenty of people over. People like Barrett, Swagger, and Ziggler come to mind just to name a few. Sure not all of them beat Cena, but Cena made them look good in the ring by selling their moves and making them look dominant in the ring. Also, what do you expect? You expect the top star of the company to lose to every young face or heel he has a match with? I certainly don't.

 

[Lion's Sacrifice]

Im deadly serious... Sure Cena is the face of the company im not arguing that at all, however Cena cannot wrestle

And your delusional to think that he sells moves. I can vividly remember he was DDT'd onto the 'concrete' and 35 seconds later was back on his feet and had defeated Nexus (i think)
im sick to death of the superman routine...

And of course Cena could change the outcome of a match, like you say he is the face of the company so if he wanted to put somebody over he could but he never does.

When you look at HHH he put Batista over big time leading up to and including their Mania match, if he would have wanted to HHH could have easily won that match but he is a big star and was happy to put Batista over.

Jericho is always putting guys over and even did so for Cena...

This is pretty freakin' laughable. First off why don't you go back and watch some of his matches. The guy is pretty damn good at it. Has he in the past not sold as well as he should have? Of course, but not to the level that some have.

As to Cena not putting people over... Hmmm How do you think Sheamus got over? Oh that's right he got the title from Cena. Let's see where did the Miz begin to get some spotlight as a single's performer? Last time I checked it was from Cena. Not to mention Cena currently putting over the Miz the last three weeks on Raw. Has Cena gotten his hands on the Miz? No, Miz is getting the spotlight on their feud, and just interjected himself into the Rock/Cena Feud. He put Barrett over last year. Actually for 6 months. If Barrett was facing another name he wouldn't have been as hated as he was. Cena got him the heat.

As for this topic, Yes, I believe they lost confidence. Why? I really don't know, but they did. I'm guessing because they didn't see this Mania plan selling as well as the current plan is. Which I'm in favor of.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

The rumor going around was that Wade Barett was going to get the Undertaker in a match for the streak (sure he would have lost but it would have been a good rub for him to get that spot).

Any type of 'rub' that Wade Barrett was given, was when he went through the majority of 2010 as a Main Event talent - picking up victories over the hottest commodity in the Company; John Cena.

The issue with any match-up between Barrett and the Undertaker is if you're pushing it for Wrestlemania; without the same backing that Barrett had against Cena (a group that's fresh, with the ruthless aggression the Nexus originally had for their first couple of months); he'd be no more effective than Mark Henry, or King Kong Bundy in a Mania match against Taker.

Another was the Sheamus/Triple H rematch. Where the king of kings fought the king of the ring. Another match that would have pitted a rookie against a veteran.

Sheamus and Triple H wrestled last year at Wrestlemania - which dispels your thought that Sheamus is any type of rookie. Furthermore, while I believed in the hype surrounding a HHH/Sheamus return Mania match to make it two years in a row - it likely wouldn't have drawn as much attention for the understanding behind the match, so much as just the return of Triple H.

But why do you think that these two matches were eventually shot down? Is it lack of star power or did the WWE simply get cold feet putting the biggest show of the year in some less then established talent?

Opinions?

I'm a little unclear how you could consider them getting cold feet or lacking in any style of confidence when you look at their current line-up.

WWE Title: The Miz v. John Cena: This is Miz's first Mania in which he's likely to even sniff anything close to a Main Event, much less on the biggest stage of them all - as the top Champion of the Company.

World Title: Edge v. Alberto Del Rio: Similar to the Miz, this is Del Rio's first Mania Main Event - and more so, his first Mania in general. The guy won the biggest Royal Rumble in history, and now he's headlining Wrestlemania; AS A ROOKIE. I'd say it takes some balls by a Company to put their biggest show in the hands of someone who hasn't even been in the Company a full year. Not even Hogan, Austin or Lesnar can say they've done what ADR is about to do.

Grudge: Orton/Punk: While Orton has headlined Mania's before, Punk has not been in anything other than MITB matches or mid-card moments. This will be his first high profile Mania match.

Announcers: Michael Cole/Jerry Lawler: Lawler is a Legend, but never wrestled at a Mania. Cole is an announcer; enough said. Yet they're promoting this as a "Main Event" match-up. (by promoting I mean pushing it with tons of tv time)
--------------------

Now, when you factor all of that in, then you realize the likes of Sheamus and Wade Barrett, who've done more in the previous year and are arguably bigger stars than some named above; (as of typing this) aren't even booked on the card yet.. I'd say the Company isn't lacking confidence in anything, so much more as in oozing it out of every imaginable hole they have.

 

[Long Island Iced D]

i think they did. you can tell that they weren't to confident in the card since theyre relying on the rock and austins roles. the younger talent also got screwed by the removal of MITB which really allowed young guys to show their talent and gain some popularity.

 

[SteveNJ]

Something big had to have surfaced in order to change the plans. I really see this Streak match being set with run ins and a crazy outcome.

Most of the other matches weren't crazily built up to Face The Undertaker unless the push or angle made it necessary. The HBK vs Taker 1 and 2 were more so to push Michaels at the end his road more so than anything.

NOW is the time where the promos and chitter chatter has to start coming to blows. Not really even a finisher to finisher put-over..maybe just an in ring slug fest.

 

[MizterColemine]

It's not Cena's fault WWE moved Barret to Smackdown. It's WWE fault. IMO, I wish they kept Cena vs. Punk as a one on one rivalry and left Nexus out of it.

Anyway, back on topic. Shaemus, um, I don't know. The faught eachother last year. I mean, sure, it would make sense, but what would people wanna see, Shaemus vs. Triple H, or Undertaker vs. Triple H?

Wrestlemania is alway's about putting the best match's and storylines on a show. Triple H vs. Undertaker have more name value and history than Barret and Undertaker, or Shaemus and Triple H.

I agree that the CM Punk/John Cena feud was so much better than whats going on now with Orton and New Nexus, but I think New Nexus should have stayed in the picture.
To go back on topic, Yeah, I would have lost confidence in Barrett/Taker and Triple H/Sheamus as well, seeing as the IWC never had much confidence in it. It was "EHHH"
I hope they also lose confidence in this "tentative WM27 undercard" booking as well Morrison and Ziggler in a mixed tag match? Even the Corre vs. team Big Show is kinda thrown together. What's going to happen with Bryan, Christian, Sheamus, McIntyre, Kingston, DiBiase Jr? These are things I'm worried about and I'm not totally confident in WWE for them at the moment.

 

[CenaSux4Life78]

Yes WWE lost confidence. Look at the lineup for Mania this year. What does it have to catch peoples imagination? To me, not a damn thing. HHH vs Taker is about the only thing worth seeing. I can just wait 24 hours after Mania, and watch it on youtube. The rest of the card sucks. Lets take a look.

JoMo, Trish Stratus, and Snooki vs LayCool and Dolph Ziggler = Crappy last second add-on. No interest.
Rey Mysterio vs Cody Rhodes = Really....is Cody Rhodes the best WWE can give Mysterio?
Jerry Lawler vs Micheal Cole = Stone Cold is the only reason why I think ANYBODY really cares about this.
Randy Orton vs CM Punk = Has potential
Undertaker vs HHH = This is the only match that makes WM27 even close to interesting.
John Cena vs The Miz = Once again Cena main events Mania....what a suprise who is going to win that one?
Alberto Del Rio vs Edge = This match does nothing for me. From the moment Del Rio won the Rumble I had a gut feeling Mania was going to suck.


These are all signs that WWE is losing confidence, when they cannot make there biggest event of the year look like its worth anything more then last second ideas, and total lack of ideas. I have already torn creative a new ass, when Del Rio won Rumble. So I won't get into that one. But the entire line up just makes me wonder what the hell is going on. I mean, to me this sucks so bad I dont even think The Rock can save it.

 

[Insanekiller]

See I think otherwise, I reckon the card looks relatively good for this years mania. Yes there no money in the bank but since so many complained about it having it own ppv and being at mania it only makes sense to withdraw it.

Really cole v lawyer just interesting cause of austin.. I'm sorry but no this interesting because like the two main events it has been given a build and looks like that match everyone watches just cause u want cole to get his because of the great job he has done generating heat

 

[MizterColemine]

See I think otherwise, I reckon the card looks relatively good for this years mania. Yes there no money in the bank but since so many complained about it having it own ppv and being at mania it only makes sense to withdraw it.

I don't know how much of the IWC I speak for, but I think a lot of us really just want them to withdraw the Money In The Bank themed PPV... and keep the one at Mania, but I could be wrong.
I don't think there have been ANY undercard build-ups... which is a travesty because the undercard has so many grand possibilities given the talent that aren't so far booked in one on one matches. I'm going to watch WrestleMania (I think), but just to see Undertaker/Triple H..
The Miz/Cena match MIGHT be a slobberknocker, and theres a 20% chance of Miz actually upsetting Cena, and a 40% chance of Del Rio upsetting Edge.
Nothing else on the card has any sense of climax, excitement, or volatility... and I don't think I'm missing something because I wouldn't have forgotten about it if it was worth mentioning.
All we can do besides look forward to the above is to have faith in the talent of the wrestlers that they will put on Mania worthy matches themselves in terms of great in ring action and a few grand spots. And the surprises. Theres gotta be surprises... but in terms of the booking and the build-ups for such... I don't know what to say about it