The outlook on Mania is pretty grim, but I'm sure it can still be saved. The briefcase is the ace up WWE's sleeve. They should know that and play their cards right to avoid a disaster.
Here's an idea of what I'd do. Attention, this is fantasy booking and quite long:
Thoughts?
Here's an idea of what I'd do. Attention, this is fantasy booking and quite long:
Tonight on RAW (01/26):
- Bryan contemplates that he's failed miserably and didn't live up to his promises. He wonders if he can follow this path anymore.
- Brock and Heyman celebrate their victory, mentioning that Brock is still much superior to everyone and that he survived even though he was hurt badly and is still suffering the effects. The Authority comes out and applauds, though it turns into sarcasm. J&J, Kane, HHH and Rollins circle the ring and begin to beat down Lesnar. He's able to fight back, but is eventually brought down. Two Curb Stomps on the briefcase, cash-in, Rollins wins the title.
02/02:
- Brock is livid and wrecks the backstage area. He interrupts Rollins' title celebration and tries to destroy him. Authority takes the mic and says that he's fired if he attacks Rollins. They have another person he can take his anger out on without repercussions though, but we are not told who it is.
- Bryan is interviewed backstage and says he has an announcement to make. Before his injury, he held the WHC, having overcome all resistances, having defied the odds and looking out to be a legendary champion. Since his return, he wasn't the same guy. He lost to Bray Wyatt and in the Rumble he got tossed out quickly in spite of great promises. He thinks he might have lost his edge.
- At this moment, Lesnar rushes in and ambushes Bryan. Bryan is annihilated and left lying. Some seconds later we see the HHH and Steph looking down on Bryan, smiling, shaking their heads and mumbling "B+".
02/09:
- Heyman and Lesnar are pressuring the Authority, saying destroying someone is not enough. Brock wants his title back and the Authority better take measures. They are reluctant to have Rollins go one-on-one with Lesnar though, so they make a match for Fast Lane. If Brock wins, he is added to the Mania match against Rollins and Reigns. And because Brock really wants to get his anger out, it will be No Disqualification. Brock's opponent will be determined in a tournament.
02/12 / 02/16:
- It's the tournament for a No DQ match against Lesnar at Fast Lane, with the winner being inserted into the Mania title match.
- In the semifinals on SmackDown, Wyatt defeats Ziggler and Ambrose defeats Harper. Ambrose defeats Wyatt in the finals on RAW to finally put an end to their confrontations.
Fast Lane (02/22):
- Ambrose is withstanding an enormous amount of punishment, kicking out several times and even manages a few flurries of action himself, mostly with the use of weapons. When Heyman interferes on Lesnar's behalf, Bryan storms through the crowd and hits a Running Knee on Heyman. Together, Bryan and Ambrose take Lesnar down, sending Ambrose to Mania against Rollins and Reigns.
02/23:
- Heyman and Brock are livid about Bryan meddling with their affairs. Does the little man really think he can take on the Beast Incarnate? Does he really think he can mess with the conquerer of the Streak and come out alive?
- Bryan thanks Lesnar for attacking him three weeks back. It was a much needed wake-up call and he might not have found his inner fire again if not for that. What is he worth if there's someone above him? What kind of fighter would he be if he doesn't even try to find his limits? Nobody has seen his limits yet. If he doesn't take on the biggest challenges, he might not even bother showing up.
- Lesnar laughs and Heyman calls Bryan crazy. If he wants to risk his life, he can have it. If he really is suicidal, Brock will be more than happy to provide euthanasia. But there should be no excuses, so it's all out. No countouts, no disqualification.
- Bryan agrees, but adds that it's also all or nothing. If Brock means that he can't lose and his credibility depends on that match, and if he (Bryan) can't fail or there's no meaning for him, it should be career vs career.
Over the next weeks, give Bryan a mean streak and free him a little bit from the underdog role. Remember the Nexus invasion or his independent days? Right now he's playing a different, quite humble role, but he has it in him. Reactivate some of the more brutal moves, like the tree of woe dropkick, grabbing orifices for holds or the repeated elbow strikes he won the ROH Pure title with.
Lesnar and Heyman should belittle Bryan and laugh at him at the beginning of the feud, but take him more seriously with each passing week of Bryan busting out more and more aggression. "No, Brock, you should be the one to be afraid!" could be a great line near Mania, with Lesnar showing slight doubts.
With the other expected feuds, these would be the top matches on the card:
Daniel Bryan VS Brock Lesnar - No Countouts, No Disqualification, Career VS Career
Dean Ambrose VS Roman Reigns (R) VS Seth Rollins (C) WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H VS Sting
John Cena VS Rusev (C) United States Championship
For the title match, there are a number of routes you could go. Have Rollins cement his top heel status, give the fans what they want or push through with the corporate champion (the real one, not Seth). There's a bigger moment coming that would soothe the audience and take pressure off Roman. The match has rich backstory, there are a lot of possibilites and that makes for an exciting battle. Either way, Rollins vs Bryan seems like a logical feud after Mania.
In the cell, have Bryan show no fear and go all out with brutality. Begin the match with both guys staring each other down, Bryan spitting in Brock's face, followed by a big slap and a race around the ring to fire up the crowd
. Brock should come close to catching Bryan, but never quite succeed, while repeated kicks and strikes slow him down blow by blow. Believability
becomes a problem once Lesnar really gets a hold and dominates, so have a counter for almost every move. Bryan needs to get in a lot of weakening offense, while Lesnar should destroy with a few devastating maneuvers he gets through. As for the finish, I'm not quite sure, but a picture I love that flies through my head is a bloody Brock succumbing to the Yes Lock with a Kendo stick clamped between his teeth. I know, no blood allowed, but imagine that pop. Then compare it to the Reigns Spear reaction in an alternate universe and tell me that's the way to go.
- Bryan contemplates that he's failed miserably and didn't live up to his promises. He wonders if he can follow this path anymore.
- Brock and Heyman celebrate their victory, mentioning that Brock is still much superior to everyone and that he survived even though he was hurt badly and is still suffering the effects. The Authority comes out and applauds, though it turns into sarcasm. J&J, Kane, HHH and Rollins circle the ring and begin to beat down Lesnar. He's able to fight back, but is eventually brought down. Two Curb Stomps on the briefcase, cash-in, Rollins wins the title.
02/02:
- Brock is livid and wrecks the backstage area. He interrupts Rollins' title celebration and tries to destroy him. Authority takes the mic and says that he's fired if he attacks Rollins. They have another person he can take his anger out on without repercussions though, but we are not told who it is.
- Bryan is interviewed backstage and says he has an announcement to make. Before his injury, he held the WHC, having overcome all resistances, having defied the odds and looking out to be a legendary champion. Since his return, he wasn't the same guy. He lost to Bray Wyatt and in the Rumble he got tossed out quickly in spite of great promises. He thinks he might have lost his edge.
- At this moment, Lesnar rushes in and ambushes Bryan. Bryan is annihilated and left lying. Some seconds later we see the HHH and Steph looking down on Bryan, smiling, shaking their heads and mumbling "B+".
02/09:
- Heyman and Lesnar are pressuring the Authority, saying destroying someone is not enough. Brock wants his title back and the Authority better take measures. They are reluctant to have Rollins go one-on-one with Lesnar though, so they make a match for Fast Lane. If Brock wins, he is added to the Mania match against Rollins and Reigns. And because Brock really wants to get his anger out, it will be No Disqualification. Brock's opponent will be determined in a tournament.
02/12 / 02/16:
- It's the tournament for a No DQ match against Lesnar at Fast Lane, with the winner being inserted into the Mania title match.
- In the semifinals on SmackDown, Wyatt defeats Ziggler and Ambrose defeats Harper. Ambrose defeats Wyatt in the finals on RAW to finally put an end to their confrontations.
Fast Lane (02/22):
- Ambrose is withstanding an enormous amount of punishment, kicking out several times and even manages a few flurries of action himself, mostly with the use of weapons. When Heyman interferes on Lesnar's behalf, Bryan storms through the crowd and hits a Running Knee on Heyman. Together, Bryan and Ambrose take Lesnar down, sending Ambrose to Mania against Rollins and Reigns.
02/23:
- Heyman and Brock are livid about Bryan meddling with their affairs. Does the little man really think he can take on the Beast Incarnate? Does he really think he can mess with the conquerer of the Streak and come out alive?
- Bryan thanks Lesnar for attacking him three weeks back. It was a much needed wake-up call and he might not have found his inner fire again if not for that. What is he worth if there's someone above him? What kind of fighter would he be if he doesn't even try to find his limits? Nobody has seen his limits yet. If he doesn't take on the biggest challenges, he might not even bother showing up.
- Lesnar laughs and Heyman calls Bryan crazy. If he wants to risk his life, he can have it. If he really is suicidal, Brock will be more than happy to provide euthanasia. But there should be no excuses, so it's all out. No countouts, no disqualification.
- Bryan agrees, but adds that it's also all or nothing. If Brock means that he can't lose and his credibility depends on that match, and if he (Bryan) can't fail or there's no meaning for him, it should be career vs career.
Over the next weeks, give Bryan a mean streak and free him a little bit from the underdog role. Remember the Nexus invasion or his independent days? Right now he's playing a different, quite humble role, but he has it in him. Reactivate some of the more brutal moves, like the tree of woe dropkick, grabbing orifices for holds or the repeated elbow strikes he won the ROH Pure title with.
Lesnar and Heyman should belittle Bryan and laugh at him at the beginning of the feud, but take him more seriously with each passing week of Bryan busting out more and more aggression. "No, Brock, you should be the one to be afraid!" could be a great line near Mania, with Lesnar showing slight doubts.
With the other expected feuds, these would be the top matches on the card:
Daniel Bryan VS Brock Lesnar - No Countouts, No Disqualification, Career VS Career
Dean Ambrose VS Roman Reigns (R) VS Seth Rollins (C) WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H VS Sting
John Cena VS Rusev (C) United States Championship
For the title match, there are a number of routes you could go. Have Rollins cement his top heel status, give the fans what they want or push through with the corporate champion (the real one, not Seth). There's a bigger moment coming that would soothe the audience and take pressure off Roman. The match has rich backstory, there are a lot of possibilites and that makes for an exciting battle. Either way, Rollins vs Bryan seems like a logical feud after Mania.
In the cell, have Bryan show no fear and go all out with brutality. Begin the match with both guys staring each other down, Bryan spitting in Brock's face, followed by a big slap and a race around the ring to fire up the crowd
. Brock should come close to catching Bryan, but never quite succeed, while repeated kicks and strikes slow him down blow by blow. Believability
becomes a problem once Lesnar really gets a hold and dominates, so have a counter for almost every move. Bryan needs to get in a lot of weakening offense, while Lesnar should destroy with a few devastating maneuvers he gets through. As for the finish, I'm not quite sure, but a picture I love that flies through my head is a bloody Brock succumbing to the Yes Lock with a Kendo stick clamped between his teeth. I know, no blood allowed, but imagine that pop. Then compare it to the Reigns Spear reaction in an alternate universe and tell me that's the way to go.
Thoughts?
