Report: Vince ALLEGEDLY Makes BIG Change To Wrestlemania

[Papa Pillman]

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 way of thinking has merit if we're discussing him main eventing for the World Title on any other PPV. But even in the "Network age" they can't afford to take that kind of a chance at WrestleMania.

With Bryan inserted the program just gets messy and I have little to no interest in it.

I agree with you, where last year's story came together in a way that made a lot of sense, this year it just seems like a clusterfuck of a way to pigeonhole Bryan in. But that is a corner that the WWE painted themselves into. They should've realized that the combination of Bryan returning healthy and ready to go on the eve of the Rumble, combined with Reigns' injury slowing his momentum, made their longterm plan to put Roman over in the RR match and push him into Mania the wrong choice to go ahead with, and they should've called the audible and put Bryan over- but they didn't, and they have no one else to blame for how things have subsequently gone down.

 

[Papa Pillman]

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.

Point taken. But my opinion isn't based on my feelings about Roman's abilities, it's based on the fact that Roman has a grand total of one PPV single's match in his career, and that one wasn't even a main event. That's not the resume of a man who is ready to headline the biggest show of the year.

 

[HurriKane]

I was fine with Bryan Vs Ziggler and Reigns Vs Lesnar. I really don't know about this.. I guess it hasn't happened until it happens, but I really hope they go with The Reigns Vs Lesnar and Bryan Vs Ziggler match. If Bryan does enter, I truly believe Rollins needs to cash in and win at Mania.

 

[rmp0012002]

I think Bryan needs to work his way back into the title picture but unless Vince is giving him the belt at WM I see no reason for him to be in the match. I think Lesnar can even retain and the fans will accept it but if Reigns walks out with the belt Vince better be ready for a shitstorm.

 

[Miko]

Fuck that, that ship has sailed. Pair D-Bry with the Rock or something like that guy above mentioned, turn Rocky heel since Bryan is the first guy since... well, Hulk Hogan reignited Hulkamania that could actually get the audience to turn on the Great One. Of course, that would mean using Rock to screw Bryan at Fast Lane, hopefully, for the sake of everyone, Rocky can get the heat off Reigns while Reigns "severs all ties" with Rock, but if not then oh well what can you do?

Like Papa Pillman said, fans deciding that they'd rather tell Vince to fuck himself and that we'll cheer who and what we want is why we had Stone Cold instead of the fucking Ringmaster. Its also why we're getting badass Roman Reigns instead of "suffering succotash" Roman Reigns, yeah, think about that for a second.

 

[rbv13]

Instead of a Three Way Dance would a situation closer to WMX be more exciting? Back then Bret and Luger earned title shots at WM. Luger received his shot against Yoko and Bret awaited the winner. To assure everything was fair Bret also faced Owen during the event.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It seems they are gonna go with the "muddied main event..." those bent out of shape about a triple threat don't worry... it won't be...

The simple outcome to this is it's likely to be a Fatal Four Way or... The Elimination Chamber.

They've never had the EC headline Mania and that it's off the calendar this year perhaps solves the equation for them here... We know 3 of them... Brock, Bryan and Reigns... add Orton to that mix as he never got his rematch either... You then have a fatal four way.

If they go with the EC outcome, then add Taker and Bray to that equation... and you kill a lot of birds with one stone.

EC for Taker's last match allows a loss/elimination that isn't as built... he gets some time in against Brock but also can lose and it be "the Numbers game" catching up with him rather than any failing... He and Brock start it out and Brock SELLS for him for the first few minutes, then as each entrant comes in it gets more difficult for Taker - he rallies and eliminates Wyatt and looks like he's gonna do it but makes a miscalculation and is eliminated. Career ends there but it's a valiant effort.

That of course will then take some of the difficulty and heat from Reigns, Taker can help build the match with him and that Taker and Orton are also in there would take the heat from those who don't want Reigns there.

As for Bryan, the EC is an ideal way for them to deliver such a gutwrenching performance that he can win the match...only to be cashed in on by Rollins.

The one thing that seems certain is that ANY change at this stage basically telegraphs that Rollins is either walking out of Mania the champ or will be on RAW the following night... They could even go the "shock route" of Rollins cashing in on the network for a one off match AFTER Wrestlemania... just as the graphic is appearing they can announce it to "stay tuned we have a shocking turn of events" so as Bryan is going off air champ, "In Ten minutes on the WWE Network, Daniel Bryan will defend his newly won title against Mr. Money In the Bank, who is cashing it in". In real terms it'd be to get the cell back up but instead of some dumb "post show" they get to kill 2 birds... Bryan gets to go off air of Mania as champ... but not to leave Santa Clara as the champ.

 

[Bosco7381]

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.

I could not have put it better myself but unfortunately once wwe caved to the fans last year they have gone power hungry and think if they kick up fuss they will get what they want all the time I for one hope they stick to the original plan for mania and think Brock and Roman can put on a good match.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Point taken. But my opinion isn't based on my feelings about Roman's abilities, it's based on the fact that Roman has a grand total of one PPV single's match in his career, and that one wasn't even a main event. That's not the resume of a man who is ready to headline the biggest show of the year.

I saw your post prior to this one and I totally agree that Reigns was the wrong choice this year mainly due to his injury. He missed 4 PPVs where he could have gained valuable experience. There was no reason to rush him into the main event this year when they could have spent another year building him up. I know they just wanted to him to get the Lesnar rub but shit happens. Calling an audible and having Bryan get the win at the Rumble would have been the smart choice. Bryan getting the Lesnar rub will be just a beneficial as Reigns getting it.

That said, I still don't think that making this year's main event a triple threat is a smart choice. This isn't the same as last year in that Reigns is NOT universally hated the way Batista was, not even among the IWC. He may be shit on at Mania, depending on how the booking goes at Fastlane/Raw up until then, but more than likely he'll be fine a week after when they start playing to the more casual heavy crowds. All that this does is ensure that no matter if Daniel or Reigns wins, no one really gets the rub of beating Lesnar because it took two guys to do it. If anything, Lesnar is the only one coming out of this looking good.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

IF this story is legit, then I think more will be happy than are unhappy, depending on how this match ends. Droves of people want Bryan in the main event, of all the things debatable about the WWE WHC situation, that's one of the very few things that isn't. As with last year, when it's all said & done, the payoff will be what cements or ultimately condemns the main event. Unless Daniel Bryan wins this match, again, IF this is legit, and becomes WWE World Heavyweight Champion, a lot of the fans will respond with hostility. WrestleMania has a pretty hefty audience of smarks, which means it'll probably be a tough crowd for Roman Reigns because he fits the typical mold Vince wants his star players. Personally, I'd prefer Bryan vs. Lesnar in a singles match because I haven't seen anything out of Roman Reigns over the past 6 months to make me remotely convinced that he's ready to be WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Now contrary to what a handful are trying to substantiate, the decision to put Reigns in the main event rather than Bryan hasn't met with hostility from a few pockets of hardcore smarks here & there. Just as with what happened last year, fans from across the board are upset with this decision. I'm not saying that EVERY fan is upset, of course, but only someone in denial or deliberately trying to muddy up the facts can claim that it's all just internet fans or fans who just like "indie guys" or some other crap like that. Much like the old crutch of Cena can't wrestle, there's no validity behind it. A comparatively few members of the "IWC" here & there being unhappy or complaining about one thing or another is just par for the course and it's something that can easily be brushed away or ignored. Daniel Bryan is probably the most universally over babyface on the WWE roster, and the most universally over babyface on the roster in quite a long time. Again, it's not just a small cluster of fans here & there who're into the guy, it's fans across the board ranging from average to hardcore including men, women & kids and there's a lot of them. It's been a very long time since fans have been unified so strongly about who they want pushed and it's not something that's likely to happen very often at all.

Which, like I've said in other posts, I don't think a lot of the hostility is aimed so much at Roman Reigns as it is for Vince McMahon. Vince, in my opinion, is becoming increasingly out of touch with the mind set of the modern day wrestling fan. He gravely underestimated Daniel Bryan's popularity last year, a mistake but a mistake nonetheless. This time around, there was no doubt whatsoever as to Bryan's popularity, yet Vince chose someone else that many fans don't believe is ready for the spot and/or hasn't displayed the ability to deserve being in said spot. A lot of fans aren't going to invest themselves in a wrestler or in certain wrestlers without, in their minds, a viable reason. Just because Vince McMahon MIGHT believe that Roman Reigns is the next guy doesn't mean that a lot of fans are going to simply jump on the bandwagon, just like they're not going to oooohhhhh and aaaaahhhhh over Reigns just because he happens to be a 6'2" 250 pound stud. I don't know if Reigns can be the next guy or not, but I certainly don't believe he can grow into what it takes to be that guy within the next 6 weeks.

 

[Michael J. Fox]

I don't get this. Where does Reigns go after ME Wrestlemania and winning? That is the highest pinnacle of the WWE as a company, and he earned it through no more than a storyline. Reigns was forgettable as the tag champs w/Rollins; Bryan at least has a champion history. Reigns has no résumé with him outside of that and the Shield. You're taking him and he's suddenly a viable contender? Rollins and Ambrose (if I may compare) went somewhere after the break-up and are continuing to grow as characters. Reigns was "put him in the title hunt immediately". What?

 

[rbv13]

I am still of the opinion that the E needs to stick to their guns and ride out the Reigns wave. If they have a lack of faith come game day change the match lineup. Sting vs. H could easily close the show. However if the E is set on the idea of inserting Bryan they need to get Reigns the F' away from this entire situation. Let him step back out of the spot light and begin the proper build so many are claiming he needs.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Honestly, I don't know what to make of this, because it's one big mess, that's all that it is.

There are a lot of reasons, as to why this is a terrible idea..

Last year in made perfect storyline sense, to have Bryan win his title match by force and go on to headline Wrestlemania against the whole Authority/Evolution, overcome all odds, and win. This year though, Bryan comes back and enters the Royal Rumble. And those pigs in the booking team, make him look like a complete rookie.

If Bryan gets in a triple threat at Wrestlemania after that, then, why not add the entire roster in that match and make it a battle royal, since every guy that competed in the Rumble can now get a legit claim to the title.

Yes, I get it that Bryan wants a rematch with Lesnar and that he never lost the title. But they never really got this in the story, because they wanted us to forget it. So, even if Bryan gets inserted in the match, using that claim, after being in the Rumble and after going through Rollins to earn that shot at Roman Reigns, it makes him look like a phony.

Also, how are they going to add Bryan into this? Isn't the Authority the one that makes all the decisions? Or maybe they'll have Vince come back and add him. But, doesn't that make Roman Reigns a fool? It does. He will come off like an idiot.

As for Roman Reigns, what happened in slaying the beast? Triple threat match to slay the beast? No way. Undertaker himself should come back and beat these guys in the creative senseless if that happens, because the biggest rub in wrestling history will be wasted. Just like that.

Vince knew what was going to happen at the Rubmle and he did nothing to prevent it. He ran with his idea and you know what, since he ran with his idea he should also finish that idea, instead of making everyone involved in the storyline look like crap and completely illogical.

Do they really want to save this mess? There's only one way. Reigns losses, Rollins cashes is and we get Bryan-Rollins and Reigns-Lesnar at 'Mania. This was what should have happened at the Rumble, they can still run with it, do it. If you want Bryan at a title match and Reigns vs Lesnar, that's the only way. Bryan beats Reigns, next night Lesnar calls Reigns out, saying he is all talk and nothing more, Reigns beats Lesnar with a chair, Rollins cashes in. Just like that.
Or they could just run with the original idea and accept the consequences. Because who knows? Regins really became more likeable after the sit-down interview and could become even more if those idiots in the creative team can find something to really make Lesnar vs Reigns the biggest war/match we'll ever see on wrestling TV and not just rely on Reings/Lesnar's badass looks and Paul Heyman's insane mic skills in order to sell the event.

EDIT: Another interesting thing they could do, is book this like Wrestlemania 10, maybe? Bryan beats Reigns Sunday, Wrestlemania: Bryan vs Ziggler/Sheamus in the opener, Reigns vs Lesnar midway, Reigns vs Bryan as the main event.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

The WWE should never have put themselves into this position to begin with.

It was abundantly clear that Bryan was getting a stronger reaction upon his return than Roman Reigns. This was going to be magnified in Philadelphia at the Rumble, and magnified further by the manner in which the Rumble was booked. It's fucking amazing that no one predicted that response. Reigns is a talented guy with a lot of potential, but through mismanagement and a complete lack of understanding their own audience the WWE haven't exactly gotten off to a strong start with this Road to WrestleMania.

The WWE has put Reign into the top spot, ready or not, and come Fast Lane they have a chance to take him out. That is probably going to do some damage to his career and credibility, but so will having a shit match in his first solo WrestleMania outing, in the main event no less. So WWE has a choice to make, either go with Bryan or go with Reigns. Don't go with both. If you're committed to Reigns, then stick with him, embrace the heat he will get and the cheers Lesnar will get and turn him heel. If you think Bryan is the better choice, put Bryan over at Fast Lane and go forward with the David vs Goliath build and have Bryan overcome the odds. Don't try to do both. I've seen enough triple threat matches at WrestleMania over the years, we don't need another one. The match will probably be pretty good and action packed, but it comes off as lazy booking, and it wouldn't have to happen if WWE had their fingers on the pulse of the audience. They don't, so here we are.

 

[CyberPunk]

If this is their actual plan, I can only say one thing: WWE has absolute zero faith in themselves and their wres...I mean superstars. Booking a match for the sake of it doesn't really make sense. Have Lesnar vs Reigns or Lesnar vs Bryan. Having a triple threat at Mania just so that crowd doesn't turn hostile is them trying to correct a mistake they shouldn't have made in the first place. This leaves very little time to develop story for all the involved stars and benefits no one in particular.

 

[OYDK]

Now contrary to what a handful are trying to substantiate, the decision to put Reigns in the main event rather than Bryan hasn't met with hostility from a few pockets of hardcore smarks here & there. Just as with what happened last year, fans from across the board are upset with this decision. I'm not saying that EVERY fan is upset, of course, but only someone in denial or deliberately trying to muddy up the facts can claim that it's all just internet fans or fans who just like "indie guys" or some other crap like that. Much like the old crutch of Cena can't wrestle, there's no validity behind it. A comparatively few members of the "IWC" here & there being unhappy or complaining about one thing or another is just par for the course and it's something that can easily be brushed away or ignored. Daniel Bryan is probably the most universally over babyface on the WWE roster, and the most universally over babyface on the roster in quite a long time. Again, it's not just a small cluster of fans here & there who're into the guy, it's fans across the board ranging from average to hardcore including men, women & kids and there's a lot of them. It's been a very long time since fans have been unified so strongly about who they want pushed and it's not something that's likely to happen very often at all.

I gotta go ahead and disagree with ya here Jack. Where's the proof that fans across the board are upset with the decision to insert Reigns instead of Bryan into main event of Mania? Sure, Reigns got a lot of heat from the Philly crowd and of course, anybody can see that Bryan is more over than Roman, but if I were being honest here I would say that since the RR, I've noticed about a 50/50 (maybe 40-60) divide all of the sudden between the fans wanting WWE to go ahead and push Reigns and the fans wanting WWE to go with Bryan.... Now I won't sit here and say that it's ONLY internet smarks or indie marks who harbor animosity towards Reigns, but I can safely say they make up the majority.

Almost every single casual fan I talk to seems to like Roman just as much as Bryan and I sense that's kind of the way it is elsewhere as well. Heck, the Raw after the Rumble (the REAL Raw after the Rumble) the crowd seemed to almost be pushing for Reigns INSTEAD of Bryan and I wasn't the only one who noticed that, judging from the thread that was created.

I completely agree with you that Bryan is the most over guy on the roster by a long shot, other than Cena of course but I get the sense that people have accepted Lesnar vs Reigns and many want to see WWE follow through with the plan. Of course, the BEST option would have been Bryan vs Lesnar one on one, but at this point I think they need to keep the main event the same. Not many seem to want to see another triple threat match even if the third guy is Bryan.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

I think this is a BS report, or designed to throw off some smart fans. I really don't see this actually happening. I'm pretty sure Lesnar/Reigns is happening - and hopefully Rollins cashes in on Reigns at the end. HHH/Sting, Undertaker/Wyatt, Bryan/Ziggler, Orton/Rollins, Cena/Rusev to round out the card is a pretty good show, in my opinion. Lesnar/Reigns may be the worst match, but I think it's happening.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I remember reports surfacing a few weeks before the Royal Rumble that Dean Ambrose was actually supposed to win the whole thing and main event WrestleMania. We all know how that turned out. So it could be just one of those things that WWE does, to throw us smarks off their scent.

But there is one other very real possibility, in my opinion, and that is of Daniel Bryan possibly turning heel. Think about it, the pieces are in place. Daniel getting injured after winning the World Title, him promising his fans that he would win the Royal Rumble and failing to do so. These repeated failures could force him to strike a deal with the devil, aka The Authority. The reason would be that he could not risk disappointing his legion of fans once again.

I think that Bryan will win at Fast Lane with the help of The Authority and Roman will get into the main event anyway, probably with Vince's help, claiming it was a screwjob. The only thing that I'm sure of at this point is that WWE wants to make Reigns the next megastar and so it won't surprise me if we get to see a clean shaven Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania.

 

[Dmbfantomas]

This makes Bryan look so bad, and it's not even his fault. He can't get to the Main Event on his own* but he can totally backdoor his way in. At least with last year, he wasn't allowed to participate in the Rumble because he already wrestled that night and he was brain hurt or something. Ok, that's fine, whatever. But this year, he was in the Rumble...and he lost. Early. Just looking at it from a kayfabe standpoint, if I was a kid watching and I liked Roman Reigns I'd be so pissed. He had a legitimate opportunity to win a title shot, and he lost fair and square. Now he gets gifted an opportunity because people cried, screw that. That's not how things should work. A bad example is being set here, and I don't like it one bit.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I gotta go ahead and disagree with ya here Jack. Where's the proof that fans across the board are upset with the decision to insert Reigns instead of Bryan into main event of Mania? Sure, Reigns got a lot of heat from the Philly crowd and of course, anybody can see that Bryan is more over than Roman, but if I were being honest here I would say that since the RR, I've noticed about a 50/50 (maybe 40-60) divide all of the sudden between the fans wanting WWE to go ahead and push Reigns and the fans wanting WWE to go with Bryan.... Now I won't sit here and say that it's ONLY internet smarks or indie marks who harbor animosity towards Reigns, but I can safely say they make up the majority.

I'm not saying that every single fan is on board with Bryan but it's easy to see that Daniel Bryan isn't just being cheered by the smarks, he's not just being cheered by the average fan, he's not just being cheered by the adult males. I'm not saying there aren't cheers for Reigns because that's disingenuous, just like it'd be disingenuous to say that every smark dislikes Reigns and supports Bryan, every casual fan dislikes Reigns or supports Bryan, not every adult male dislikes Reigns & supports Bryan, etc. However, Daniel Bryan clearly received a much stronger dose of cheers from the audience overall, smarks & average fans, adult males, women & kids than Roman Reigns did. Reigns received a hefty amount of boos from males in the crowd and a lot of his support stemmed from women and kids.

If the hostility from fans towards Roman Reigns is genuine, then it's going to be a major uphill battle for Reigns to gain acceptance as the "face" of WWE, if that's ultimately what Vince envisions. After all, it took a couple of years for the hostility towards John Cena to kick in and he was an established force in WWE. Reigns will have a much more difficult time because of the allegations that he's been picked to be the next guy because he fits Vince's cosmetic format. However, they seem, at least for now, to have reverted Reigns more towards his persona as a member of The Shield rather than a light hearted guy who trades barbs with heels by including the catchphrases of Looney Toons characters, so that's a good place to start.

MAYBE some of the hostility will also die down once he's no longer involved in the same program as Daniel Bryan is. At the same time though, Bryan in this picture does take some of the pressure from Roman Reigns and has the potential of elevating Reigns' stock. Personally, I think the simpler way would be to insert Bryan into a singles match with Lesnar because IF the report is true, then I'm guessing that Vince has reevaluated his stance on Roman Reigns to some degree and doesn't have faith in Reigns being able to win over the interest of enough fans. Maybe he's also doubtful as to Reigns' abilities in the match. Again, that's just me thinking out loud and I might be totally off as I don't know the man's mind. However, if the truth is something along those lines, then Reigns shouldn't be in the main event anyway and he sure as shit shouldn't walk out with the title.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Yawn. I don't want a rehash of last years event and conclusion. Bryan's year was last year. I want to see WWE at least attempt to make a new headline attraction. If Reigns doesn't work then they have Bryan waiting in the wings.

Though I'm sold on the idea if Bryan wins and then we get the first ever Mania MITB cash in.

 

[Navi]

Well it's pretty obvious that this wasn't well thought out at all, and Vince is changing his mind as fast as most of us change our underwear.

He should have been able to see by the responses that were being given out what the fans would do, and he did see it. That fact is proven because they called the Rock in to deflect the heat off Reigns at the Rumble. Also we've been hearing reports for about a month or more now that some insiders don't think Reigns should have won the Rumble at all. Alternative plans were made to have either Ambrose or Ziggler win it. Both of which wouldn't have worked either.

If they had listened to what everyone was saying they wouldn't be changing on the fly. I don't mean to say that Daniel should be main eventing again, but it's clear that Reigns isn't ready and he shouldn't be in the main event either.

If Reigns loses his spot then it will hurt him. If Bryan ends up in the main event it will turn others against him. I don't see anyway out of this without someone getting a bit of a career setback, probably Reigns has the most to lose.

 

[LBGetBack]

Putting the best wrestler and most popular wrestler in the main event at Mania? Wow, what a concept. What's that you say? This guy was champion, and never lost his title and had to forfeit it due to injury?

HOW THE F*CK WAS THIS NOT A NO-BRAINER IN THE FIRST FRIGGIN PLACE!!???

Unreal.

 

[klunderbunker]

I'm fine with this but I'd be fine without it too. At the end of the day, the idea of Reigns vs. Lesnar in a one on one match in the main event of Wrestlemania scared me, as it gave me flashbacks to Goldberg at Wrestlemania XX. Reigns just isn't ready for this spot, but having Bryan in there would help the potential disaster.

I also get the theory that we've seen this before and that's been what I've thought since the Rumble. They've backed themselves into a corner with the booking and their only option is to put Bryan in the match to keep it from being a disaster. Rollins continues to loom over the whole thing and would make for a much more interesting ending. I don't like the idea of Reigns winning the title here, as it would be a much better idea to have him win at a less important show where the pressure isn't there.

So overall......I really don't care either way but it could be a much better result than what we were in for otherwise.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Dont believe in report just because of one thing: Reigns/Lesnar was and is allready in process and reactions to that were good after initial bad reactions. So my thought is that they are just trolling so we get to think Bryan has a chance to win at Fast Lane and be in that match at Fast Lane. While we get some interference from Sheamus probably and get Bryan/Sheamus at Mania.

On the other hand I will not be suprised that much if it happens because WWE has cornered themselves. Reports are that they indeed lost subscribers after badly booked Rumble and reactions to Reigns are more against him then for him. Which means that even WWE can clearly see that Rumble booking was bad and that picking Reigns was somewhat a mistake. But unlike last year, dont think just adding Bryan in there would fix whatever they want to build for this year Mania.