If Taker's Out for WM31, what to do with Bray?

[Softcore Holly]

Wouldn't be WM season without a unhealthy Taker rumor, which I admittedly fooled myself into ignoring before but obviously WM30 changed things. Now if Taker really missed WM31 I wouldn't be surprised at all, tbh part of me is hoping he does for his health's sake.

But as we all know there's that rumor about Bray vs Taker, Bray has looking stronger than ever as of late and naturally we would assume that's so he looks like a good opponent for Taker. But what if Taker is taken out of the equation, what if they decide that Taker will not be wrestling at WM31 at all? What would Bray do then?

Discuss

 

[chuckmdubya]

Well, we should really hope for a healthy Undertaker. Scrambling something together at the last minute would probably be a bad thing for everyone, fans, wwe, and bray. WrestleMania is of course the wwe's showcase for talent, and most everyone is involved in some way. Creating a good angle for a surging heel could be difficult without a lot of time to build. Hopefully, these rumors aren't true, Taker hasn't wrestled in a year and if he still has injuries, they may be permanent.

If he is out, it is undeniably a huge gap to fill, and there aren't a lot of ways to fill it. Noone on the roster could draw as well in a match against Wyatt. Even if you stick The Rock in there, it just doesn't get the job done. Kane is a corporate heel, so he couldn't fill in his kayfabe brother's place. Off the top of my head I would guess they'd put him against Rowan. But a Rowan match does nothing for Wyatt. It should be expected that he can handle a former underling. The rub would help Rowan, who is slowly falling off the map, but a loss to Rowan would throw away 3 months of building Wyatt.

Hope the dead man is healthy and ready to go, otherwise WrestleMania wont be as good as it could've been. But usually the wwe knows more about it than fans do. I doubt Bray would be calling him out in those promos if they didn't think he'd be ready to go. He hasn't mentioned Undertaker by name, but we all know to whom he is referring by the context of the dialogue. Maybe he's not being specific on purpose, as a back up plan, or maybe that's just the less than transparent essence of the Bray Wyatt character. Only time will tell.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

If they wanted to place him in a singles match then possibly Orton.

But if Taker is a no go for Mania, then I think they just put him in the Andre Battle Royal

 

[Hem]

If WWE isn't sure about Bray Wyatt facing The Undertaker at WM this year due to Undertakers health being poor than they should already have a plan in motion.

Currently Bray's promos are aimed towards the Undertaker specifically but could that not have a twist on it? Do promos really mean anything when they are just being generally made? Remember when Chris Jericho was returning and the whole return vignettes showed some girl was set to come with Jericho but that never happened.

What I think WWE could do with Bray Wyatt is pair him off with Sheamus. The motive of the match could be simple -- Sheamus is too happy go lucky for this world and Bray wants to rekindle that fire and awaken the old Sheamus, the monster, again.

Bray Wyatt says we are niether living nor dead, that could mean that Sheamus is alive but not living.

The end game here is that he turns Sheamus heel but Sheamus does not stay with Bray. I don't want to see a new family but maybe in times of need Sheamus & Luke Harper can come to each others aid and to the aid of Bray Wyatt.

The match would be one that would be hard hitting and rough. I am personally excited to see the eventual feud between these two. It's especially much better than Sheamus Vs. Daniel Bryan III

 

[Starkist]

If the Undertaker cannot go then I am not sure who he should go against. Lord knows if he wins the Andre Battle Royal he will be demoted to Cesaro status. I will just hope that Undertaker can still wrestle this year and we get Wyatt vs Undertaker. Does it interest me? Not at all, but we'll have to wait and see what happens.

 

[OYDK]

tbh part of me is hoping he does for his health's sake.

Can somebody explain to me why everybody think Taker's health is in serious jeopardy? This is a legitimate question to anyone who feels this way because as far as I know, the only thing that happened to Taker was he suffered a concussion against the stiffest worker in the business in his first match in a year. I haven't heard any reports that suggest Taker is still suffering from concussion issues and I also haven't heard that he has cancer or is dying from some unknown ailment (which is what people act like when talking about him).
Other than, perhaps not LOOKING his best, I'm sure Taker will be 100% health wise come Mania.

As for what they should do with Wyatt if Taker doesn't end up going? Anything else will be a let down whether it be Orton, Sheamus, or whoever after the promos Wyatt has cut. I 100% believe Taker is already booked for Mania 31.

 

[Blade]

Well, let's assume that Reigns vs Lesnar, and Sting vs. Triple H are complete locks, so Wyatt won't face any of them. We can cross anyone that Wyatt has already feuded with, which is Cena, Ambrose, Bryan, and Ziggler to a lesser extent. And we can cross off any heels that won't be turning face in the next couple of months, such as Barrett and Rusev.

So who's left? Rollins, Orton, Ryback, maybe Big Show or Sheamus? Yeesh. It's more than likely that Orton is facing Rollins at Wrestlemania, since that story is several months in the making. Big Show sucks, so let's hope it's not him. Sheamus is just... A weird case. He can never make that strong a connection with the audience. And I don't think Ryback is really good enough to help elevate Bray they way they want to elevate him.

So yeah, I dunno. WWE seem to have put all their eggs in the Taker vs. Wyatt basket. I personally think they should've kept Ziggler as the back up option, but now Wyatt has gone over Ziggler cleanly twice, so that's kinda killed that rivalry before it's started.

So either we get a feud between Wyatt and a crippled Undertaker, which might have great build up, but won't be very good in the ring, or we get Wyatt in a feud that no one particularly wants to see. It's kind of a lose/lose situation, unfortunately for Wyatt.

 

[Stan Hansen]

Orton is my guess. I'd say that's one possible reason why Orton has yet to make it to TV. He's the fallback option.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

I try not to listen to the Undertaker health rumours at this time of year. However, if they are true, I heard that is the reason for keeping Randy Orton off tv.

Myself, I would have Orton face Rollins, as the seeds were planted several months ago.

Looking at the remaining roster, and eliminating who has already feuded with Wyatt, I see Sheamus as a solid choice. This could be a great slug fest, give you 8-12 minutes, and likely not disappoint. The problem is that Sheamus isn't a big enough face. Which got me looking to outside the roster. I'm thinking Bubba Ray (Bully Ray) Dudley. He made a surprise return at the Rumble, and was actually eliminated by Wyatt. I think he is decent enough to elevate Wyatt to the next level, the fans should get behind him (The Rumble reaction was huge, mind you it was Philly), and he can still go in the ring, as proven in TNA. Maybe a little fantasy booking, but could still work

 

[rbv13]

The annual "What If" surrounding Taker's status for WM. Like in years past the outcome will be the same. Taker is good to go and will be working the rumored match against Wyatt. However, for the sake of conversation lets say he isn't going to be ready. Why couldn't they insert Bray into H's spot and let him face Sting? At Fast Lane the face to face could end with an attack by Wyatt on Sting and some sort of deal with the devil between he and H.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

After Takers match with Lesnar the first thought that came to my mind was "I guess Taker just can't do it anymore". I don't know what he looks like now but I can only go off his last few performances and it looks to me like father time has finally caught up with the Dead Man. He's still one of the greatest ever and the best big man this side of Andre. If Taker does wrestle WM31 I hope he's ready to go but I seriously question if he will be.

In regards to Wyatt it's really hard to say. I guess Orton would be a good opponent for him, maybe have Wyatt defeat Orton with the help of a newly debuted Wyatt family (in the words of Mark Madden, what's the use of a cult leader without a cult?). If Wyatt can't get a higher up match on the card though I don't see any reason in using him at all. I like Wyatt, I would love for him to have a match on the card but if it's just a throwaway match you might as well keep it short (with Wyatt dominating the whole thing) or don't have one at all. At this point and the way Wyatt has been booked up to this point it's either go big or go home. If Orton, Taker, or another big name isn't around to work with him then have him do something in a non match capacity. Have him start a feud with whoever wins the title, have him debut a new stable but considering where Wyatt is at, a throwaway match is just a waste of time.

 

[LODemolition]

Stan Hansen is 100% right. People keep wondering why Orton hasn't been put back on tv yet. This is why. Orton is the next option if Taker can't go. Which makes me wonder what the backup plan for Rollins would be.

 

[Khalifa]

Stan Hansen is 100% right. People keep wondering why Orton hasn't been put back on tv yet. This is why. Orton is the next option if Taker can't go. Which makes me wonder what the backup plan for Rollins would be.

I'm not sure about that, considering you have a potential Rollins/Randy feud which not only makes more sense at this time, it would be a better match if you ask me. Rollins and Orton will put on a show but with Bray and Randy you really only have a couple of paths to go down to finish the match.

I think if Bray is on WM, which he should be, he could possibly work against Sheamus. Sheamus can get over with the fans well and was massive a couple years back at one point. This could be the perfect feud for both competitors to both be in the main event. If you want Sheamus back in the title hunt what better way than for him to go against Bray who has been dominating the WWE for the last couple of months and had a massive showing in the Rumble match. Could put him back over heaps. As for Bray if this feud extends to a 2 or 3 PPV feud then Bray can showcase so much in that time to become that next biggest heel. Even though I know he will be at the top for a long time one day (if he isn't now) I still think this could benefit both characters. Although the quality of the match wouldn't be the greatest, it would still be entertaining. Although it would then be hard to turn Sheamus into a heel.

 

[Navi]

Orton is my guess. I'd say that's one possible reason why Orton has yet to make it to TV. He's the fallback option.

I thought they were saving Orton for Rollins who doesn't have a match either.

 

[Reflection]

If they cannot have Undertaker wrestle a full match, how about The Undertaker coming out to announce his retirement, now that the Streak has ended, but getting attacked (and destroyed) by Bray instead? I don't know if that would be a good idea... But I cannot think of anyone that would fit the segments he has been making lately. That would probably go to waste. What about Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose? Who are they facing? I'd have loved to see Dean finally getting his revenge against Seth, but he seems to be stuck with the IC title... doesn't sound like too bad an alternative against Bray, given the history they have together, the wounds are still fresh. Just hope it won't be another boring feud.

 

[stingray11214]

Folks, Taker is done. His next appearance will be in the HoF ceremony at WM32. If it is anyone, I think Sheamus is probably the only one that makes any sense. Bray is a jobber to the stars, and it sould give Sheamus a boost. Orton will probably fight Rollins, which is sad. It should have been Rollins v. Bryan in the Main Event. It would have been a huge moneymaker, and probably added half a million subscribers to the Network. Oh, well.

 

[Khalifa]

If they cannot have Undertaker wrestle a full match, how about The Undertaker coming out to announce his retirement, now that the Streak has ended, but getting attacked (and destroyed) by Bray instead? I don't know if that would be a good idea... But I cannot think of anyone that would fit the segments he has been making lately. That would probably go to waste. What about Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose? Who are they facing? I'd have loved to see Dean finally getting his revenge against Seth, but he seems to be stuck with the IC title... doesn't sound like too bad an alternative against Bray, given the history they have together, the wounds are still fresh. Just hope it won't be another boring feud.

That actually would be pretty cool if he can't compete. Not sure about the retiring angle but I'm not totally against it. I feel Bray vs Taker should be a summerslam match anyways. I think now is the time to make the matches that everyone has been dying to see at WrestleMania now that Taker wont be there much longer. I'm talking about John Cena, Daniel Bryan, The Rock or even Sting. I think it is important for Bray to be in a feud for Taker and having Taker come to Mania if he can't compete would be good and then having Bray attack him would be perfect. If it means Taker can have another Mania match I will sacrifice Bray for someone else so this angle is intriguing for me and a SummerSlam match would be unreal.

 

[Mustang Sally]

The whole thing is sad, isn't it? If Mark Calaway legitimately wants to compete but can't because his body can't stand up to the rigors of a wrestling match, that's a sorry state of affairs. Yet, at the same time, it's sort of heroic, particularly if it's real life, not storyline.

Of course, an even better way to end a career is to have a great match at an important PPV.....win it or lose it....and stand before the crowd, telling 'em this is the end. It may come down to this, if Mark Calaway can go to the well one more time.

Still, if he can't compete, the question being asked is what becomes of the Wrestlemania plans for Bray Wyatt? The company has taken great pains to make him look strong these past months. He won the feud with Dean Ambrose and......wonder of wonders, holds a pinfall victory over Daniel Bryan, no doubt displeasing a legion of fans who didn't get to chant "Yes!" after the match.

But if 'Taker truly is out and Bray needs an important opponent, I'm looking at Randy Orton. First, Orton doesn't have anything else set up....he's a top level talent.... and if he's coming back as a good guy, as rumored, Bray would be a fine opponent for Randy to establish his new face rep.

As for Seth Rollins, I don't know what management has in mind for him. If the plan is still to somehow insert him in the world title match, we'll have our answer. But as hot as Seth is, there's no way they haven't decided yet what he'll be doing at WM31.

As for the possibility of Seth Rollins against Bray Wyatt? It hardly makes sense at all, does it? From a character angle, it would be all wrong.....but man, what a spectacle it would make in the ring. What would Bray do when attacked by J & J Security?

Still, if Undertaker can't compete, unless there's a wild switch in personnel decisions in the next few weeks, I'd say Bray Wyatt would go up against Randy Orton.