The Opening Match

[BlueLightning]

In my opinion, opening the show with a match like a World or WWE Title match kind of takes the air out of the importance of it. Put a match like a Money in the Bank match there or an IC or US Title match to get the crowd into it and save the big matches for later on so people are looking forward to them and anticipation can build.

 

[HBK/RKO]

I've loved the idea of money in the bank opening up Wrestlemania but I think this year it needs to be Cody Rhodes vs Goldust (Title vs Career) if this match actually happens. The crowd will be very much into it and Goldust will get a well deserved standing ovation for when he loses and retires.

 

[Notorious718]

Aye, if reports are true and MITB does indeed make its return to Wrestlemania then that should be the match that goes on first. That's probably the best way to wake up the audience and set the stage for the rest of the pay per view without bringing out the "big guns" so to speak right off the bat. I've been of the belief that neither of the world titles should kick off the show so needless to say, I was surprised and slightly disappointed when Edge/Del Rio kicked off the show last year.

If MITB doesn't make its return to Wrestlemania this year, then the next best option would probably be having one of the midcard belts be defended, probably the IC title or even the tag team titles. A solid match to whet the audience's appetite for the rest of the event.

 

[TheHeartbreakPunk]

I think that the opening is going to be cody rhodes vs. goldust, brother vs. brother, for the intercontinental championship. I think that the whole brother and brother storyline would get the crowd excited, and the two could put on a great match. Either that or the money in the bank match should be the opener, money in the bank also gets the crowd excited, but i think the crowd would go crazy if goldust beat cody for the ic championship. It would be like jeff vs. matt at wrestlemania 25, but the overshadowed brother is the face. Dusty Rhodes could also be the guest ref to get the older fans excited.

 

[#BabyFace]

Nice thread. Mine depends. I think if they have the MITB Ladder match return then it should start WM. It was always an exciting way to start off the big show and got everybody into the show.

That being said.. If they dont have the MITB return then It would be a good idea to have the WHC match first again. It would be a good way to start off the show. It wont matter either because of all the other big matches. Keep the later night for HHH/Taker, Y2J/Punk, and Rock/Cena

 

[Dagger Dias]

If they dont have the MITB return then It would be a good idea to have the WHC match first again. It would be a good way to start off the show. It wont matter either because of all the other big matches. Keep the later night for HHH/Taker, Y2J/Punk, and Rock/Cena

Sorry but I completely disagree there. The opening match does need something exciting, but the World Heavyweight Championship should never open a show, let alone Wrestlemania. Having it open last year was disrespectful to both Alberto and Edge. The world title matches are more important than any other match on the card other than dream matches like Cena VS The Rock and Taker's matches now that the streak took on a life of its own.

If they wanted to place it earlier on the card, that would be fine. The problem is that it makes the title look less important if it opens the show, a spot where the midcard or tag team titles should be instead. Sheamus is likely challenging for the World Heavyweight Championship. He earned a MAIN EVENT match at Wrestlemania. Not an opening match. I am not saying he has to get the match that goes last, he likely won't, but it should be at the very least toward the middle. Have MITB or a midcard title match first. The World Heavyweight Championship can go on at any time after that. I'd rather see it towards the end, 3rd or 4th from last with filler matches and the main event(s) following.

 

[TheTruNoLimit]

Based on what we're seeing here as far as the possible matches with Rock/Cena, HHH/Taker, Punk/Jericho... none of those matches should ever go on first and while the possibility of Sheamus and Bryan going first may be higher than you think, I am not a fan of a World Title being the opening match and found it very bizarre last year when the winner of the Rumble was in the first match. A nice mid-card match works... based on what we're seeing, I'd bet Cody Rhodes and the Big Show.

 

[Newman]

With so many one on one matches on the card, one have to assume that the opening bout of the night will be a one on one match. While Cody Rhodes vs Big Show may not be the best technical match to ever start off Wrestlemania, the potential intercontinental championship match might just be the best choice out of the current matchcard for WM28. A Tag Team bout might also be the way to go if the WWE decides to hold one at the event.

There is also a distinct possibility of a World Heavyweight Championship match kicking the event off for a second consecutive year. While it might not be the most popular decision, with Rock-Cena, Punk-Jericho and the Hell In A Cell match already set, the WHC bout is easily overshadowed by the tri-factor of one on one matches. Thus, kicking the show off with Bryan vs Sheamus might be the most logical, though unpopular decision.

 

[bfred27]

With the card being really top heavy at this point, having all three matches in a row will drain the fans and kill the crowd at the end when it will most likely be rock v cena. That is why similar to JR I would want to see Punk V Jericho to open the show. I dont get peoples hate for opening the show with a big time match. It sets the tone for the night and it will take the pressure away from having to follow what is probably going to be an amazing hell in the cell match. I for one want to see it open the show and witness a truly great wrestling match between two of the best

 

[HBK/RKO]

This one is hard to call. I could easily see a few matches open the show. It's either going to be Big Show vs Cody Rhodes or Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan. A tag match could go on first but I think due to all the singles matches it won't because they are going to want to mix it up.

 

[Mr. HD]

With the card being really top heavy at this point, having all three matches in a row will drain the fans and kill the crowd at the end when it will most likely be rock v cena. That is why similar to JR I would want to see Punk V Jericho to open the show. I dont get peoples hate for opening the show with a big time match. It sets the tone for the night and it will take the pressure away from having to follow what is probably going to be an amazing hell in the cell match. I for one want to see it open the show and witness a truly great wrestling match between two of the best

Because it's the WWE Championship.

It's like Dagger said, it's a disgrace to both Punk and Jericho to OPEN the show. WWE would be doing them a great mis-justice to start the show, rather than go on later. You don't need something overly exciting. Just something to get the crowd out of their seats a little bit. The way the card looks right now, there are several other options to go with.

Also, I don't think it's going to follow Hell in a Cell. If anything, it's gonna go on right before it.

They did this last year at Mania and it seemed to work out fine. Triple H vs Taker, then they did the Divas/Celebrity match so the crowd can recover, and then held the Main Event.

So, if anything they're gonna go Punk/Jericho, Hell in a Cell, Divas match, and Rock vs Cena.

 

[KnowMyRole-ShutYourMouth]

I think the safe bet at this point is Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes(c). It just screams opener, and you wouldn't have to throw one of your main events on first. Besides, imagine how nuts the crowd would go if Show won the belt? This match is the tone setter for the rest of the night.

 

[thebarber]

Is Swagger defending the US Title at Wrestlemania???????

Rhodes vs Big Show would be a shitty way to start the ppv, this match wil blow and obviously will have Rhodes using outside interference to assist otherwise this wil be a squash match. Big Show has held every other possible title in WWE, and the way they keep bringing up all the shitty embarrassing company jobs he has done for celebritiesat Mania, Show will be leaving Mania as the Intercontinental Champion, IMO. So, I dont see that being up first. If they are looking at putting the tag belts on Kingston and R-Truth, I see the tag team match opening the show.

 

[stephenjpunk317]

I see Sheamus versus Bryan as the opener. Just to get the crowd going right off the bat with a title match. But there's also the idea that this whole Teddy Long versus John Laurinaitis thing could start the night, so that gets out of the way.

 

[Diet Soda]

IC title match is a good shout for the opener; Jericho vs. Regal for the strap at X-Seven was a fantastic opener. And Y2J was in the main event the following year, so first is not always a bad spot to be on the card.

 

[The Idiot]

I've always been a fan of the IC title opening the show. Unfortunately this year Big Show is in it. Not sure why Vince decided to use him as Rhode's opponent with so many great names out there. I think a Ryder/Rhodes opening match for Mania would have been great.

 

[#hamler]

The closer and closer it gets to Wrestlemania, the more I am ok with the World Heavyweight Championship match opening. Daniel Bryan and Sheamus are great athletes and two of my personal favorites right now but they have had little to no interaction with one another since the Elimination Chamber. Granted, there are still around four episodes of Smackdown left which is plenty of time to build a feud, but it makes me wonder why the WWE is waiting to pull the trigger on these two. It's a Wrestlemania feud that got bumped off the card last year - there is so much that can be done here but we've hardly seen anything yet. Last year, Edge opened the show. Like many others, I hated that. This year, both Sheamus and Daniel Bryan are significantly a lesser level stars than Edge - why shouldn't they open?

With the Money in the Bank out, Bryan and Sheamus will probably get the crowd pumped up than any other match option excluding the other three main events. If the match goes on fourth to last, it’ll get lost in the shuffle and feel too much like a mid-card match up. The opening match has to get the crowd pumped up more than any match of the evening. In fact, the opening match-up is just as important as any other match of the evening excluding the main events. I really have no problem with it opening.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I don't get how people think Bryan and Sheamus might open, let alone be ok with that match going on first. Lackluster build or not, they deserve better. It's the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. The second most important title in the entire federation, therefore it needs to be defended later on in the evening. This year's Wrestlemania has at least 3 other matches that are more important, so it surely will not go last. That's all but guaranteed. You cannot open Wrestlemania with a world title match though, that's disrespectful to the title and the wrestlers.

Edge and Del Rio deserved better last year. So do Bryan and Sheamus this year. It doesn't matter if it's a candidate for setting the pace of the show. Other matches can do that. World titles should NEVER open a show unless they have no other options. A show like the Royal Rumble could open with one of the world title matches, since the gimmick has to main event it and the only other option might be a divas match or a boring filler. Wrestlemania is different. Last year, Edge and Del Rio could have gone on 2nd or 3rd. Rhodes and Rey would have been fine as an opener, or Bryan VS Sheamus which was the ideal option before it got bumped. This year is no different. The Intercontinental Championship will probably go on first due to how it should be able to get the crowd excited and ready for what will come later. If Bryan VS Sheamus goes on first, I riot.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I think Santino may open the show to get the crowd hyped but not too emotionally invested so early. There was a lot of criticism regarding opening the night with the WHC match. The WHC is another match that they keep labelling as a "Main Event". It just feels weird to open a show with a "Main Event". Like Santino, Sheamus gets a good pop but lately Santino is the guy that is guaranteed to lift the crowd and put them in a good mood after getted herded in to their overpriced seats and waiting what could feel like hours for the show to start.

They may want to consider putting HHH/UT out early as well. I assume it is going to be incrdibly emotional and may take the life out of the crowd. I wouldn't want Jericho/Punk or Rock/Cena to have to follow HHH/UT.

Regardless, WWE has some tough decisions to make. We will see.

 

[RKO77]

To me there are two choices for the opening match, the WHC match or Orton vs Kane. I think that the contenders in those two matches would do a good job of getting the crowd and ppv viewers pumped for the event. I think one thing to avoid would be the GM match, should it happen. This imo would put people to sleep, plus makes for a good midway bathroom break

 

[TJWWE]

With all the matches at Wrestlemania 28, a few questions need to be answered..

what will be the opening match?
what match do you want to be first?

I think the opening match will either be the WHC or the IC title match b'cos I don't see any other match being the first one as obviously Rock/Cena & HHH/Taker won't be and they want to start off with a bang.

I'm not fussed what comes first as long as it's goes off with a bang!

 

[Truly Phenomenonal]

The secret to a great WrestleMania is a solid opener. It sets the mood and tone for the night to come and it's very important. Let's take a look at the past 5 WrestleMania openers.

WrestleMania 27: Edge vs Alberto Del Rio - World Heavyweight Championship
WrestleMania 26: ShowMiz vs. JoMo and Truth - Unified Tag Team Championships
WrestleMania 25: Money in the Bank
WrestleMania 24: JBL vs. Finlay - Belfast Brawl
WrestleMania 23: Money in the Bank

Now out of those five, the ones that stand out to me are both Money in the Banks, and the World Heavyweight Championship Match... Obviously Money in the Bank won't open up this year considering there is no MiTB match, but could the World Heavyweight Championship Match open again? Probably not. It may not have the greatest stars, but it promises to be a very decent match. I would say the World Heavyweight Championship Match will be about 3rd or 4th.

So then what opens Mania? The End of an Era match. That's right the Hell in a Cell match between Triple H and the Undertaker will open up WrestleMania. If this match goes late in the card like 6th or 7th, it's going to take away from every match after that. And say it does go 6th, it would take away from Punk/Jericho and Cena/Rock, and the WWE doesn't want that to happen. It needs to go early in the card, and in my opinion it would make the most sense for it to go first, and then follow up with Big Show/Cody Rhodes and Kane/Orton, matches that don't have much importance.

 

[metalbass]

The only way I see this year's show opening up is with Rhodes vs. Big Show. We get something of importance to open the show off to a good start without going for the main events.

As for the WHC opening last year, I think some people may be missing the point as to why that happened. Even though there is speculation on my part some is based on fact so here goes:

The WHC was originally booked to be one of the last matches for WM27 and a match that Edge was booked to win, however with Edge's injury a few days prior he wouldn't be able to put the time and the effort needed to hold a match capable of being a Wrestlemania headliner. The WWE knew that he was being forced to retire so they put him in the opener to start of the show with major importance, while having Edge be in a 'safe' match as to lower the risk of potential paralysis or any further complications. The match wasn't long for a WM match and it was generally a 'safe' match.

Having said that, I think unless there is a parallel situation, we'll never see one of the major belts being defended to open WM EVER.

 

[The Idiot]

Now that the card is set in place....I'd put money on Team Johnny vs Team Teddy to open the show. Me personally, if I was creating the perfect Wrestlemania....I'd put on a good mid-card, technical 12-15 minute wrestling match to really set the tone. Bret/Owen and Jericho/Regal remain my two favorite opening matches.

But I believe this year we'll see the 12 man tag to open Wrestlemania.

 

[LFC till i die]

I hope they don't have a 'big' match open the show today. Last year it made no sense having the WHC match as the first match at WM 27 last year. On the question at hand, I think it will be Rhodes v Big Show or Orton v Kane opening the show today. I personanlly believe that the less important matches should open the show and the 'big' matches should be kept till last.