Rewriting Wrestlemania 23

[Wolf Pac]

The original main events for the show called for a WWE Title rematch between Cena & HHH from Wrestlemania 22 and Hulk Hogan to face Big Show to recreate the Wrestlemania 3 Andre-Hogan body slam moment. HHH got injured and couldn't make it. Hogan & Show both left the WWE and had their match in Memphis.

If HHH wasn't injured though, Hogan & Show didn't leave and the original main events took place, how would you have booked the card?

The PPV had some crappy matches without HHH, Hogan & Show anyway like The New Breed vs. ECW Originals match, Khali vs. Kane and Lashley vs. Umaga. And Edge, Randy Orton & Booker T could've been used for better matches.

Here's my card...

1) Money in the Bank: Mr. Kennedy vs. CM Punk, Finlay, Ric Flair, Carlito, Elijah Burke, Umaga & Kane

2) US Championship: Chris Benoit (c) vs. MVP

3) Extreme Rules for the Tag Team Championship: The Hardy Boyz (c) vs. Rob Van Dam & Sabu

4) World Heavyweight Championship: Batista (c) vs. Undertaker

5) Extreme Rules for the ECW Championship: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Hardcore Holly

6) Interbrand Match: Shawn Michaels vs. King Booker

7) No Holds Barred Match: Rated RKO vs. Mick Foley & Terry Funk

8) Lumberjill Match for the Womens Championship: Melina (c) vs. Ashley

9) Hulk Hogan vs. Big Show

10) WWE Championship: John Cena (c) vs. Triple H

 

[Irishock]

Decent card, I'd book HBK in a match against Orton though. Would've been a great Legend vs Legend Killer match at WM

 

[David]

Its a very good card but its not very realistic. Ill agree with you that the khali kane match was pure garbage and had no real meaning to it, but the lashley umaga match drew and INSANE amount of money for wwe because of donald trump. Wrestlemania up to its time and idk if it still is but it was the highest drawing wrestlemania of all time, they didn't care if the rest of the card was as good.
In hindsight you have to remember they lost 3 top guys between wm 22 and 23. They didn't have hhh, rey mysterio, and they didn't have kurt angle for the 1st time in a long time. if they weren't hurt i don't see the card changing that much regardless, maybe have rey in the mitb and maybe switch lashley with angle but thats really it.
Wrestlemania 23 drew a lot of money just from having donald trump on the bill, i don't know why anyone would want to change that

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

My biggest gripe with the card was how they used Edge and Orton. That card was already lacking some stars because of Angle leaving for TNA, Jericho on hiatus from the WWE and injuries to HHH and Mysterio so I felt using 2 of your biggest stars you had left in a match that would draw interest regardless of the participants was a waste. I'm not really sure who I would have them face but I think having them in almost any other match would have been better.

Other than that I don't really have any complaints about how things lined up, because like I said the WWE were missing alot of guys at the time and they still managed to draw 80,000+ people there and I believe at the time set an all time PPV buyrate for them.

 

[LilShippy97_WWE]

Pretty nice. Two things though... HHH was hurt that year thus the reason why he wasnt in the title match. It was planned to be HHH vs Cena but HHH got hurt and they gave it to hurt. But if we are ganna put the others in then here it is...

Money In The Bank - Kennedy/Punk/ MVP/ Kane/ Randy Orton/Finlay/
Edge vs Hulk Hogan
ECW Championship - Bobby Lashley(c) vs Big Show
Tag Team Championships/ Extreme Rules- Hardyz vs RVD/Sabu vs Foley/Funk
U.S. Title - Chris Benoit(c) vs King Booker
World HeavyWeight Championship - Undertaker vs Batista (c)
WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs Triple H vs Shawn Michaels


Your Card looks pretty good. I think Edge/Hogan could be god cause Edge talks about how Hogan is his idol as a kid and he could cut promos on how he is better than him now or something. HHH/Cena/HBK is a huge money seller. The tag titles match is mostly me dreaming but think about how extreme that match would get!

Nice thread. Reps!

 

[Shocky]

Its a very good card but its not very realistic. Ill agree with you that the khali kane match was pure garbage and had no real meaning to it, but the lashley umaga match drew and INSANE amount of money for wwe because of donald trump. Wrestlemania up to its time and idk if it still is but it was the highest drawing wrestlemania of all time, they didn't care if the rest of the card was as good.
In hindsight you have to remember they lost 3 top guys between wm 22 and 23. They didn't have hhh, rey mysterio, and they didn't have kurt angle for the 1st time in a long time. if they weren't hurt i don't see the card changing that much regardless, maybe have rey in the mitb and maybe switch lashley with angle but thats really it.
Wrestlemania 23 drew a lot of money just from having donald trump on the bill, i don't know why anyone would want to change that

If you believe the dirtsheets, the Donald Trump match was going to happen regardless. With HHH getting hurt, it bumped HBK out of the match and into the main event. The original plan was supposed to be King Bookah with Vince against Michaels with Trump. Lashley and Umaga filled in nicely, but that match might have been even bigger replaced with two legends in the Bookman and HBK.

As far as rebooking. I hate Money in the Bank because of the matches it ruins. Rated RKO was in for a natural break up, but that match never came about.

1. Edge vs. Randy Orton
2. Benoit vs. MVP (US Title)
3. Rob Van Dam (ECW Champion) vs. CM Punk
4. MITB: Lashley vs. Umaga vs. Kennedy vs. Finlay vs. Kane. vs. Hardy 1 vs. Hardy 2 vs. Khali (why the hell not)
5. Hogan vs. Big Show
6. Random worthless women's match
7. Undertaker vs. Batista
8. HBK vs. Booker T
9. Triple H vs. John Cena (even though I hate the idea of them having a rematch).
6.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

HHH was hurt, and your card doesn't include Steve Austin. He was probably the most over guy in the building, no shock there.

 

[Y-2-Jay]

Everyone's card should include Edge Vs Randy Orton they ended up having an awesome match on RAW to end the fued but it should have been at WM23.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Everyone's card should include Edge Vs Randy Orton they ended up having an awesome match on RAW to end the fued but it should have been at WM23.

Mine doesn't so there.

HBK vs. Edge
Batista vs. Orton
Cena vs. Taker

Obviously Cena would have had to lose the title and Taker wouldn't have won the Rumble.