Report: Vince ALLEGEDLY Makes BIG Change To Wrestlemania

[Jack-Hammer]

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince McMahon has decided to change the main event match and have Daniel Bryan join Roman Reigns in facing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXXI for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

As reported a few weeks back, WWE didn't intend to place Bryan into the WWE World Heavyweight Title Match at WrestleMania 31 with Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar because Vince McMahon didn't want to go that route again after doing the same thing last year. The report states that Vince held some sort of meeting at some p last week and changed his mind.

Plans could always change between now and the FastLane pay-per-view on February 22nd but the current idea is to do a Triple Threat at WrestleMania 31 after Vince made the decision, apparently due to the crowd reactions.

So IF this is accurate, then it's looking as though there'll be some sort of nonfinish at FastLane in which neither Bryan nor Reigns comes up with the win. My guess would be that Seth Rollins interferes, possibly along with other Authority members, to cause a no contest. Again, if accurate, then this will save the WrestleMania main event. In this situation, I still see Roman Reigns walking out with the title and while a lot of fans might be against it, WrestleMania will be over and Vince will have been able to have his show without it being hijacked by a hostile crowd.

 

[rbv13]

If accurate this is terrible news. Another Triple Threat headlining WM is a turn off and the thought of the E caving two years in a row is a joke. Should we expect this to become the new norm?

 

[A11oftheLights]

If they go this route and have Daniel Bryan lose then they are making the same mistake as the rumble. If you want to avoid a hostile crowd dont have Bryan near the match and lose. If they go this route they are making a mistake regardless, two triple threat main events in back to back years where daniel bryan has been inserted into the main event is not good*, it lacks creativity and highlights how poor the booking has been at the rumble the last two years.

*Does not mean I dont want Bryan main eventing

 

[Papa Pillman]

If accurate this is terrible news. Another Triple Threat headlining WM is a turn off and the thought of the E caving two years in a row is a joke. Should we expect this to become the new norm?

No we should expect that next year the WWE will use common sense and pick a Rumble winner who actually belongs in a one-on-one headline match at WrestleMania, something that they failed to do when making obviously incorrect choices for the 2014 and 2015 Rumble winners.

Its really as simple as taking the temperature of the room BEFORE its too late. Let's hope that when they sit down to book the 2016 Rumble that's the strategy they employ.

 

[Johnny Scumm]

No matter what the WWE do now, they're screwed, UNLESS Bryan wins the title at the end of it.
- Reigns beats Bryan at Fast Lane, then wins the title.
- Bryan beats Reigns, Lesnar retains.
- Reigns/Bryan has a no finish, Reigns/Lesnar win title at 'Mania.

Nobody wants to see anything but Bryan winning. I for one don't care, I'll sit there & watch it and frankly I'm starting to get sick of them stuffing D-Bry down my throat just beacuse some fucker wants to whinge and cry over it.

I hope Vince hasn't made any changes, these fans that complain all the time learn to grow up and deal with what they get given.

 

[Mustang Sally]

In this situation, I still see Roman Reigns walking out with the title and while a lot of fans might be against it, WrestleMania will be over and Vince will have been able to have his show without it being hijacked by a hostile crowd.

It's still virtually impossible to say. I've been thinking the crowd's hostile reaction is as much for Daniel Bryan as against Roman Reigns.

If that's the case, the crowd wants Daniel to win the world title no matter who they throw in the ring with him. They can have the entire offensive line of the New England Patriots against Daniel Bryan alone.....and the crowd will absolutely detest any ending except one in which Daniel wins.

If that's the case, it's going to be completely Vince McMahon's call, as is everything else in WWE. If he doesn't see Daniel as fit to wear the world title belt, Daniel isn't gonna wear it, at least not at the end of WM31. If Vince has been wanting Roman Reigns to be ready to assume the mantle as top guy, Roman will win no matter how much the fans boo their heads off.

Personally, I've never cared for 3 or 4-way matches for a world singles title; I like those contests one-on-one, with no outside interference (which lets Seth Rollins out of the running, wouldn't it?).....and the winner of the match between two people becomes the champion. But, if McMahon believes that making this a 3-way will dissuade the fans from showing their wrath, I think he's wrong; they're still gonna pitch a fit unless the end of the match features Daniel Bryan parading around the ring with the title belt around his waist while the fans bask in ecstasy as they get to chant "Yes!"

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

This is a mistake if true. And my statement has nothing to do with DB. I like him. But, if there's one thing that's generally true, it's that if you give people an inch, they'll take a mile.

Letting the fans alter an entire storyline one year is ok. Especially since it's clear DB is over. You can do your own thing again next year (this year) and run your own company. Doing this again will only give the idiots (and let's face it, there's a lot of idiots in the professional wrestling fan base) even more cause to try and hijack shows/storylines. And you can use the "fans should dictate the show/customer is always right" argument all you want. But remember, these are the same fans that chanted "Husky Harris!" when Bray Wyatt debuted. They chanted "Goldberg!" for months at Ryback. They still chant "CM Punk!" randomly throughout the show. None of those chants did anything for anyone except the morons who want to feel special. Those are the same fans who will try and hijack a show and storylines. This year it's DB again. Maybe next year it could be Tyson Kidd, Santino, Cody Rhodes, etc. Not a damn one of those should be near the main event of WM next year.

Will they satisfy a large portion of their fan base by doing this? Of course. But they'll also be enabling the fan base as well.

Personally, for Roman Reigns' sake, I'd probably rather have him just lose to DB at Fastlane if they're going to go this route. At least then he doesn't get the stigma of either losing his first WM main event, or winning and getting a good portion of boos. He needs to keep away from DB as much as possible.

Proper booking would've saved them from this mess in the first place.

But this is just a "report", so take that for what it's worth.

 

[MCMG]

Sure this is just a report but I really hope it isn't true. Reigns deserves his chance. I'm adamant they can make it work between him and Brock and get Reigns over as a babyface. It just takes logical thinking.

Adding Bryan is lazy. Last year was fine, indeed that might have been the plan all along but this would be ridiculous. It also tells the fans they have control over these matters.

Persist with Reigns/Brock. Be creative. Be logical. Be realistic and everything will be fine. Adding Bryan would be embarrassing for Vince as well as putting Reigns in an awful position.

 

[Thriller Ant]

The only way this idea works is if Bryan wins the title. If they keep the singles match between Lesnar and Regins, it can be hidden in the middle of the show and avoid some of the negative reaction that might still happen if they don't build it properly. By adding Bryan, they remind the crowd that he could've had Reigns' spot, and are only inviting Royal Rumble round 2 kinds of reactions.

 

[Papa Pillman]

It also tells the fans they have control over these matters.

I hate that people keep saying things like this, alluding to it being a bad thing.

Why is it bad for fans to feel like they can help the wrestlers that they want to see pushed receive stronger booking simply through their vocal support of those wrestlers?

Vince didn't bring Steve Austin into the WWE to be the face of the company, Austin got there because it was clear that his act was over and he was who the fans wanted. Vince didn't bring Mick Foley into the WWE and create the Mankind persona with the idea that Mick would become a world champion, he got there because it was clear that his act was over and he was who the fans wanted. There was no long term plan for WrestleMania 30 to basically become Daniel Bryan's own personal showcase(bookending the show with wins and becoming champ by defeating three guys with a truckload of world titles between them), he got there because it was clear that his act was over and he was who the fans wanted. So on and so forth.

Its always been wrestling 101, if the crowd doesn't like what they see, they voice it. If they love a certain wrestler, they voice it. Its up to the booker to take it from there. Its the ultimate skill of a great booker to know when the right time is to stop holding down a babyface and give the crowd their moment(and that statement applies to both how a babyface is booked on screen as well as the bigger picture of what babyface is chosen to fill that role).

 

[L@RISANO]

If accurate this is terrible news. Another Triple Threat headlining WM is a turn off and the thought of the E caving two years in a row is a joke. Should we expect this to become the new norm?

This is the main question, isn't it? Then what, polls to decide who feuds with whom... who gets pushed, who gets buried... I can't see the WWE "caving in" as being a good thing.


Last year made sense, given the angle which was the focus of the show... I don't believe the fans changed their minds, however, I think the change occured when Punk quit.


However, I am sure that 'caving in' this year, won't be good thing going forward.

 

[MCMG]

I hate that people keep saying things like this, alluding to it being a bad thing.

Why is it bad for fans to feel like they can help the wrestlers that they want to see pushed receive stronger booking simply through their vocal support of those wrestlers?

Vince didn't bring Steve Austin into the WWE to be the face of the company, Austin got there because it was clear that his act was over and he was who the fans wanted. Vince didn't bring Mick Foley into the WWE and create the Mankind persona with the idea that Mick would become a world champion, he got there because it was clear that his act was over and he was who the fans wanted. There was no long term plan for WrestleMania 30 to basically become Daniel Bryan's own personal showcase(bookending the show with wins and becoming champ by defeating three guys with a truckload of world titles between them), he got there because it was clear that his act was over and he was who the fans wanted. So on and so forth.

Its always been wrestling 101, if the crowd doesn't like what they see, they voice it. If they love a certain wrestler, they voice it. Its up to the booker to take it from there. Its the ultimate skill of a great booker to know when the right time is to stop holding down a babyface and give the crowd their moment(and that statement applies to both how a babyface is booked on screen as well as the bigger picture of what babyface is chosen to fill that role).

So when a petulant kid stars kicking and screaming about not getting their way; what do you do? I'm not sure the WWE should be willing to set an example to "smart" fans because I guarantee that the vast majority of casual fans would have been cool with Reigns winning. Prefer him winning over Bryan, maybe not, but accepting him as the winner, sure.

What happens next time they want to give someone a push? Do they just wait until they go to Philly or Chicago and see how the crowds react? Indeed, what if someone not universally loved wins the Rumble next year. Then the crowd will just shit on it because they expect the WWE to change their ways. Why should the WWE allow themselves to set a precedent?

Also, a wrestler getting over and then moving up the card is one thing. The WWE flat-out changing the main-event of Wrestlemania because of one or two reactions is a another. Maybe Bryan is just an extreme example. The likes of which we might not see for a long time.

If the WWE let fans dictate how they book their shows then Bryan would have won the World Title against Cena at Summerslam and that would be that. No storyline, no nothing. Hell, The Shield would still be around too. Sometimes the WWE DO know what is best.

 

[Kidpolean]

This is so stupid. I like DB but im sick of this crap. I don't care how many times people yell YES, he should not be in this match nor should he even be in the match at fast lane. He lost at rumble, end of story! Reigns should beat Brock one on one and we should just move forward from there. I don't even like triple threat matches, having three guys in the ring takes away the big match feel imo.

Please just give us DB vs Ziggler and give them 15-20 mins.

 

[Kold Kase]

I think this is garbage. Roman Reigns should main event, regardless of what these fans donor say. YES I like Daniel Bryan, and loved his journey last year at Wrestlemania, but that was last year. They need to build more top stars, Daniel has salitafied himself as a top dog, but now it's Romans year. Unlike most of these fans, I wanna see Roman succeed. Whether y'all like it or not, he's going to Wrestlemania and he's gunna defeat Brock Lesnar. Daniel can take a backseat and fight someone else Idc. If they take that spot from RR then they are just hypocrites

 

[The Warlord]

Just goes to show the talent level, or lack thereof in the WWE. Its really sad.

Vince never had this problem in the past. The only time hes had to deal with WM main event changes is when a talent was injured.

Its really hard to build up these current group of guys when they have shackles on. Not only are they less talented than the stars of the past...but then you're asking these same guys to perform in a PG era. You're never going to get anywhere and its becomming harder and harder to watch.

 

[A11oftheLights]

This

Nobody wants to see anything but Bryan winning. I for one don't care, I'll sit there & watch it and frankly I'm starting to get sick of them stuffing D-Bry down my throat just beacuse some fucker wants to whinge and cry over it.

I hope Vince hasn't made any changes, these fans that complain all the time learn to grow up and deal with what they get given.

And This

This is a mistake if true. And my statement has nothing to do with DB. I like him. But, if there's one thing that's generally true, it's that if you give people an inch, they'll take a mile.

Letting the fans alter an entire storyline one year is ok. Especially since it's clear DB is over. You can do your own thing again next year (this year) and run your own company. Doing this again will only give the idiots (and let's face it, there's a lot of idiots in the professional wrestling fan base) even more cause to try and hijack shows/storylines. And you can use the "fans should dictate the show/customer is always right" argument all you want. But remember, these are the same fans that chanted "Husky Harris!" when Bray Wyatt debuted. They chanted "Goldberg!" for months at Ryback. They still chant "CM Punk!" randomly throughout the show. None of those chants did anything for anyone except the morons who want to feel special. Those are the same fans who will try and hijack a show and storylines. This year it's DB again. Maybe next year it could be Tyson Kidd, Santino, Cody Rhodes, etc. Not a damn one of those should be near the main event of WM next year.

What's above summarises my thoughts exactly. The fans have proven time and time again that if it was up to them shit would be all over the place. Yeah you listen to them but you dont let them shit all over everything you have in mind.

 

[A11oftheLights]

I hate that people keep saying things like this, alluding to it being a bad thing.

Why is it bad for fans to feel like they can help the wrestlers that they want to see pushed receive stronger booking simply through their vocal support of those wrestlers?

We're not against this we just dont want the total collapse and release of control its there job to take us on a journey not us take them on a journey

Its always been wrestling 101, if the crowd doesn't like what they see, they voice it. If they love a certain wrestler, they voice it. Its up to the booker to take it from there. Its the ultimate skill of a great booker to know when the right time is to stop holding down a babyface and give the crowd their moment(and that statement applies to both how a babyface is booked on screen as well as the bigger picture of what babyface is chosen to fill that role).

And thats why people are against the wwe caving in

 

[Bernkastel]

As if Lesnar's push as champion hasn't already been one big joke, with him not defending at PPV's and being absent from television for long periods of time, WWE might actually go through with such a decision? A triple threat would greatly diminish the impact of Lesnar's defeat. Because a triple threat would give us two stories... Reigns vs Lesnar and Reigns vs Bryan. Two rivals going at it diminishes the importance of "slaying the beast," and makes Lesnar going into Mania champion utterly fucking pointless.

I hope WWE doesn't do this, because it's going to be a clusterfuck.

 

[L@RISANO]

As if Lesnar's push as champion hasn't already been one big joke, with him not defending at PPV's and being absent from television for long periods of time, WWE might actually go through with such a decision? A triple threat would greatly diminish the impact of Lesnar's defeat. Because a triple threat would give us two stories... Reigns vs Lesnar and Reigns vs Bryan. Two rivals going at it diminishes the importance of "slaying the beast," and makes Lesnar going into Mania champion utterly fucking pointless.

I hope WWE doesn't do this, because it's going to be a clusterfuck.

This ^^^.

What happens to that 'rub' of the Taker's streak. That will also become almost just something that was done for the obvious shock value and nothing much else, if Brock loses his title in a 3-way.


I can't really understand what good comes out of a 3-way, whatsoever... if anything, just go ahead with the Bryan vs Brock 1-on-1 match, and take Roman in a different direction if need be... just don't make the Main Event into a Triple threat.


Also, I enjoyed that snowed-out episode Face-Off between Brock and Roman, pity such a segment might well be rendered as a waste of time.


@Bernkastel:
Would be great if this keeping of Bryan in the Main Event scene, turned out to be a way to pair the Rock vs Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania. Because that is one way they could swerve things from Fast Lane onwards...

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

I don't like this. I really don't like this. Roman Reigns has always been a fine pick, we all knew it was coming and yet people were cheering him at SummerSlam when he defeated Randy Orton in a clean fashion. People loved the "Blizzard" Raw, because it made Reigns a whole new character and last week people were saying "That's the Reigns I want" when he started getting his mic work just more simple and badass.

WrestleMania 31 should be headlined by Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar. It's good television to put Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns from now until Fastlane, but after that, it should all be about Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. They made an helluva sitdown interview, make them throw knifes at each other, make Brock attack Reigns's family. It could be something really good, really fast. When it comes to in-ring work, both these guys will bring it. Roman doesn't strike me as the type of guy that when he has to prove something, he doesn't give two shits. He'll be bringing it. He's very physical and if he isn't Brock sure will make him be very quickly, when he starts to get thrown as a sack of potatoes.

Also, why would I want Daniel Bryan in the main event? Why? What's the point? Daniel Bryan winning this year, will NOT top what he did last year. Maybe, if the story from the get go was him vs. Lesnar, but even that, I doubt it. Bryan's popularity isn't the same, he isn't really getting the same level of support as last years. Daniel Bryan would be fine in whatever role he's put into, just like Shawn Michaels or Chris Jericho always was. No need to cave into the IWC fanbase, which, quite frankly is probably 60/40 in favor of Bryan, while Batista/Orton last year was 99%/1% in favor of changing the match.

 

[Papa Pillman]

So when a petulant kid stars kicking and screaming about not getting their way; what do you do?

Except that is a ridiculously off base analogy with no relevant connection to the situation being discussed. If it is only some wrestlers backstage that are whining about creative direction, then maybe the WWE could treat them like petulant children, but fans aren't the WWE's "petulant kids", they're the consumers who are buying the product. It does not behoove a company to continuously ignore the opinions of its consumers.

Indeed, what if someone not universally loved wins the Rumble next year.

No slight to Roman, but the fact is that Roman reigns isn't ready for a one-on-one World title match in the main event of WrestleMania. No knock on Batista, but the fact is that Batista wasn't ready to be brought back in and slapped directly into a one-on-one World title match in the main event of WrestleMania. If they have someone win the Rumble who the crowd can accept as being truly deserving and capable of delivering in such a match on such a stage(that is unless perhaps its Cena again), then there will not be the same issues, and there will be no need to reevaluate the Mania headlining match.

Also, a wrestler getting over and then moving up the card is one thing. The WWE flat-out changing the main-event of Wrestlemania because of one or two reactions is a another. Maybe Bryan is just an extreme example. The likes of which we might not see for a long time.

Exactly, its the perfect storm of Bryan being such a logically correct choice, while the men chosen over him being very questionable choices for a number reasons.

If the WWE let fans dictate how they book their shows then Bryan would have won the World Title against Cena at Summerslam and that would be that.

No one is saying that you can't jerk the crowd around by screwing the faces. That's the point of wrestling storytelling. But leaving a guy out that should be headlining on the biggest show of the year, in favor of booking the wrong match, is not an example of such storytelling.

 

[rbv13]

Admittedly I could care less about Daniel Bryan. I realize this puts me in the current minority but I wonder how long until others begin resenting him. Inserting him in the ME is completely dumping all over Reigns. I was looking forward to seeing if the young star could elevate his game and show the naysayers a thing or two. Of course there is a chance of failure but that's what makes it so interesting. It is up to Roman to sink or swim. This means how well he works on camera and in the politics game backstage. With Bryan inserted the program just gets messy and I have little to no interest in it.

 

[OYDK]

Don't believe this crap as it's most likely leaked by the WWE to try and add something to the Fast Lane match and the RTW. WWE reads these dirt sheets believe it or not, and they act accordingly as they have been doing for a while now (remember the "CM Punk" Raw leak...) which is very smart on their part. They play the IWC like a fiddle and sadly, that's the truth. The WWE is not going to throw away their biggest match in a while because the Philly crowd was all butthurt... since the RR, Reigns has gotten some nice pops, so I really don't buy the "fan reaction" reason very much.

However, it is Vince Mcmahon and with Vince, we all know things can change on a dime. Perhaps he really IS inserting DB into the match, but, again I highly doubt it.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

There's still time to get the crowd behind Reigns but it looks like WWE took the "we can't write for shit so lets just put D. Bry in the main event to get ourselves out of this mess" route.

Last year it made perfect sense to have Daniel Bryan in the main event, the way they set up everything for Bryan between Summerslam and Wrestlemania dictated that he should walk out of Wrestlemania 30 as champ which is why it was a good idea to give the fans what they want because there was literally no other option, I just don't buy that this is the case again this year. As much as I like Daniel Bryan he doesn't need to be in the main event this year and I just don't understand why they pissed away yet another golden opportunity with Reigns.

Say what you want but 12 months ago it was apparent to a lot of people Reigns was going to be the face of WWE and there weren't too many people upset about it and he had a lot more people in his corner at that point then he does now. Was Reigns my favorite guy 12 months ago? Not at all but I had zero issues with him being the face of the company and truthfully I don't have an issue with it now, it's not Reigns fault his booking (sorry, writing) since becoming a singles wrestler has been absolutely brutal.

Last year I loved that Bryan was being inserted into the main event, this year I hate it and I hate it because it was a completely unnecessary. I don't see this as "Vince listening to the fans", if anything it's just damage control to mask the fact the WWE really doesn't know what it's doing when it comes to their programming, it shows they have no patience to get their talent and stories over, and worst of all that they will drastically change and destroy their long term plans for a quick fix that will just bring us back to the same spot for next years Wrestlemania.

 

[Nate DaMac]

No slight to Roman, but the fact is that Roman reigns isn't ready for a one-on-one World title match in the main event of WrestleMania.

That's not a fact, that's your opinion. I think he's perfectly capable of having a great match at Mania and my opinion is just as educated as yours on the matter. He can speak just fine when left to his own devices, he's more than capable of working an above average match, and most of all, he's over.

This bums me out. I was certainly unhappy with the ridiculous booking that lead to the match, but I was looking forward to Lesnar vs. Reigns. I would have totally been cool with Lesnar vs. Bryan as well, that story practically writes itself. To force them into a triple threat, though? It significantly lessens the value in defeating Lesnar here.

I hope it's bullshit.