Title VS Title Ramifications For Wrestlemania Season

[Jack-Hammer]

Since John Cena returned from injury and became World Heavyweight Champion, there's been talk among fans and, reportedly, even WWE, about doing a champion vs. champion match for WrestleMania XXX. As a result, the titles would be unified, resulting in WWE having a single World Champion for the first time in roughly 13.5 years. Of course, this is just an idea that's being considered and isn't at all concrete.

If WWE does wind up going down the road of unifying the titles at WrestleMania, it leaves a huge question mark as what to do about the Royal Rumble. Since 1993, it's become tradition for the winner of the Royal Rumble match to challenge for the championship at WrestleMania. Since going to two separate World Championships, the winner has his choice of going after the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship. If WWE goes with a title unification, then it renders the 20 year old tradition obsolete for next year.

An idea I had, and I'm not saying WWE will or even should go this route as it's just something that sounded interesting to me, would involve the 2014 Royal Rumble event having two Rumble matches. Each match would consist of 15-20 wrestlers and the matches themselves would be for the WWE & World Heavyweight Championships. The traditional Rumble rules would apply for both matches, with the only difference being that the champion automatically draws #1. It'd start out with two men and every 90 to 120 seconds, depending upon how many men are in each match, another wrestler comes out. Last man standing at the end of each separate Rumble match is WWE and World Heavyweight Champion.

As for the rest of the RR card, I'd do something along the lines of having a tag title match kick the event off, then one of the Rumble matches, maybe a Diva match after that and close the show with the other Rumble match. Some wrestlers would have to pull double duty, but I don't think it'd be any sort of real issue.

Post Royal Rumble, WWE could start building tension between the two champions over the next several weeks. However, they're ultimately still in the middle of their own business as each of them has to defend his title at Elimination Chamber. Once Elimination Chamber is over, then the focus goes to the two champs, whomever they might be. By this time, during which tension has really been building, things get intense quickly. There's a lot of professional and personal pride that's been built up, tempers are flaring up, etc. What I'd at least consider doing between the post EC episode of Raw to the 3/24 episode of Raw is begin a best of 3 or best of 5 series of matches.

If it's a best of 3 series then, on the post EC Raw, announce the first match to be held the following week and hype the crap out of it. Ultimately have each man win a very competitive, long televised match and win clean, setting up the announcement on possibly the go home to WM Raw in which a specialty match is announced. If it's a best of 5 series, begin the following week with one match on Raw, another on SD! with both men winning. The next two matches in the series are a couple of gimmick matches that result in, again, each man winning clean and set up the final clash at WrestleMania as a major gimmick match such as Hell in a Cell, Iron Man Match, TLC, or something along those lines as a means of settling once & for all who is the "real" World Champion in WWE.

I have no illusions that WWE would do this, but, for me at least, it's something that I think could be entertaining. It'd shake up the Royal Rumble format in a way that hasn't been done before and make the resulting champ vs. champ match having a very important, big match kind of vibe IF there's going to be a champ vs. champ match at 'Mania.

 

[Dagger Dias]

There are a couple of different routes they can take. Have the Royal Rumble be for the WWE Championship, which normally I would not support as an idea but it has been done before and it eliminates the concern about what to do with the Rumble winner. Cena would obviously walk into Wrestlemania still the World Heavyweight Champion. I like this better than two smaller Rumbles. A Royal Rumble match needs 30 people. Otherwise it does not seem like as big of a deal.

Then there is the idea of having it be a triple threat match between the two world champions and the Royal Rumble winner. Can you imagine how huge it would be if Royal Rumble winner Daniel Bryan defeated WWE Champion Randy Orton and World Heavyweight Champion John Cena? They did that with Jericho many years back, but I would support it if they went that route. Talk about a Wrestlemania moment!

I just hope that they do NOT have the Rumble winner use his Rumble win to challenge Undertaker. That's an incredibly stupid idea that I've seen people suggest on here before. The simplest solution is to have Cena keep the World Heavyweight Championship a few more months until Wrestlemania, have Bryan win the WWE Championship by winning the Royal Rumble match, then go on to have Bryan win at Wrestlemania to unify the belts proving once and for all that he is what is best for business.

 

[CrunKSinatrA]

If the WWE finally unifies the titles, I don't think it will affect the Royal Rumble tradition.

I imagine few different scenarios.

The Royal Rumble winner uses their title shot opportunity earlier than expected, either on Raw, Smackdown, or a PPV. Win or lose, the main event at Wrestlemania is now open to all challengers.

Another route would be if the Royal Rumble winner loses the title shot like Mr. Kennedy lost the MITB. Or is stripped of title shot due to injury or other story line reason. The respective brand champions then cross paths to set up the Champion vs Champion match to unify the titles.

One idea is that the winner of the Royal Rumble earns a different title shot before Wrestlemania and wins. Afterwards, they then decide to keep the Royal Rumble title shot and use it challenge the other brand's champion to unify the titles.

Last, whoever wins the Royal Rumble can't decide who they want to fight. And decides to cash in with a Triple Threat match against both champions where the winner takes all. Could be a one fall or two fall match, this way whoever wins the first fall becomes the Heavyweight Champion and second fall decides the WWE Champion.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

At this point, as screwed up as it sounds have Cena just enter the Royal Rumble as the WHC, he ends up winning it and says that there's only room for one World Champion in the promotion, and he challenges the WWE Title holder. 'Nuff said.

The Royal Rumble lost its sense of tradition anyway with having the Elimination Chamber PPV get wedged in between that and WrestleMania. As I've stated before, I've been so jaded by the way WWE books things these days. They should go back to simplicity for this stuff, and if that means changing up the Royal Rumble's parameters and allowing a World Champion to participate so be it.

 

[Greek_God666]

What I was thinking of was in the future, have the Money in The Bank winner, not cash in, but also win the Royal Rumble match, then he can cash in between Royal Rumble, and Elimination Chamber to get the rematch clause out of the way, then announce that he will go after the Championship he doesn't have. Have a stipulation match on Raw or Smackdown before Wrestlemania that states that if he loses that match, then both titles will be on the line and can be unified at Wrestlemania.

That's what I think anyways

 

[ASKane]

Wrestlemania is the wrong time to unify them because of the Elimination Chamber do it some time down the line maybe Summerslam

 

[Spidey Revivey]

I hate the idea, but there have been two Royal Rumble winners before at the same time. Have each square off for a different world title.

Or they can go the route that I would look forward to the most- that Triple Threat match-up. It would be incredibly built, and since it's WrestleMania 30 it would make since to have a stellar match like that on the card.

 

[zags]

A few options here

1. Obvious Triple Threat- Royal Rumble winner vs. WWE Champ vs. WHC There are a few ways this could work. Rumble winner is a surprise entrant in the other title's elimination chamber #1 contender's match wins and now has a shot at both titles. Or John Cena exercises his WWE rematch clause at WrestleMania since he hasn't had that from SummerSlam. Of course WWE bookers would have to remember stuff like that.

2. WWE emphasizes the Rumble winner gets a shot at either the WWE or WHC whichever they choose, but they don't say WrestleMania. The winner uses that wording to challenge early. Thus leaving no main event for WrestleMania and the champions to face each other

3. Least likely but assuming Taker is working WrestleMania have the Rumble winner "give up" a shot at a title to take a shot at the streak since it seems to them the streak match is bigger than a title match. You have both belts up for grabs at Elimination Chamber as opposed to 1 and a shot for the other. Both champs retain and decide each other is the most worthy opponent

 

[Pedigree1]

The most logical rout IMO and the one that would make sense is have the RR take on both the WHC and WWE champion at WM30! This is WM30 folks a very special one. I really dont wanna see the RR take on either champion ala the EC match. If Daniel Bryan or even CM punk would win the RR match have them challenge both champions at WM30 if they do indeed plan to go through the title unification bout.

I agree with DD dont have the winner challenge the Undertaker for his streak,the streak is above any title match its above anything IMO! That devalues the streak IMO and cheapens what Taker has done. This road to WM will be a very special one,one that years from now we will all remember! If DB would win the RR and beat both champions imagine how special it would be. That would trump what Jericho did in 2001

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It's been time to drop the mania stip from the Rumble almost since the start. It hamstrings booking so far in advance that it almost devalues the rumble itself.

The Rumble shouldn't be about who goes to Mania but who wins the Rumble match. Sure I get the value of the prize but it always has led to the scenario where one mania challenger has instant build and the other doesn't. It's not a great way to elevate someone new to the title picture as to an extent the Rumble is a crap shoot. The dominant, ten elimination guy rarely wins, 30 rarely wins so the build is always similar.

Do away with that stip and if you must have a shot at stake its for the night AFTER Mania, easily the highest ratings of WWE's year.

For unification at 30 it should be a 4 man tourney, Taker, Both Champs and Jericho as the first undisputed champ. That allows a Jericho Taker match and Cena/Bryan to end the streak and Taker to pass the torch and go out strong.

Say Bryan wins an epic mania win over Taker and you know the next night he has to face Punk or Brock for example as the Rumble winner! If Bryan went over then he is made...

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I think there's too much gimmickry involved in the idea for my tastes. I wasn't a fan of the Elimination Chamber being a standard event happening so closely to the Royal Rumble to begin with. These special match PPVs hinder good storytelling rather than help it, IMO.

All that said IF the WWE goes with a Title Vs. Title match, I think it's going to be a multiple participant match anyways, and so the simple solution is that the winner of the Rumble gets in the main event same as he always has. I see it being a WHC Champ Vs. WWE Champ Vs. Royal Rumble Winner OR WHC Champ Vs. WWE Champ Vs. RR Winner Vs. Elimination Chamber Winner. It could also just be a 4 man tournament.

Personally, I think they should bring back Hardcore Rules for both belts for one night only and whoever walks out of the arena with the belts is the champ.

 

[JJ15776]

Or John Cena exercises his WWE rematch clause at WrestleMania since he hasn't had that from SummerSlam. Of course WWE bookers would have to remember stuff like that.

I'm pretty sure he got a WHC title match upon his return in lieu of the WWE title rematch since he didn't do anything else to earn the WHC title match. And you're worried about the bookers not remembering things?

2. WWE emphasizes the Rumble winner gets a shot at either the WWE or WHC whichever they choose, but they don't say WrestleMania. The winner uses that wording to challenge early.

That's not unprecedented. When John Cena won the Royal Rumble in 2008, he took his title match against Orton at No Way Out instead of WrestleMania. They didn't have to emphasize anything, Cena just came out and said he didn't want to wait. Daniel Bryan could come out and say he doesn't want to wait to fight Randy Orton.

How they unify the titles depends on who's going to be be the unified champion. If it's John Cena(or Randy Orton, I guess, but it should be a face), then a simple John Cena vs. Randy Orton match will do. They could set it up a couple different ways: have the Royal Rumble winner say they want a shot at Undertaker's streak. I know some people have said they don't want that to happen, but it really is a great idea. Or, they could have Cena or Orton lose their title at the Royal Rumble, come back and win the Royal Rumble match, then win back their original title in a rematch on Raw or at Elimination Chamber.

If it's Daniel Bryan or CM Punk or anybody other than Cena, make it a triple threat with Cena and Orton. There's any numbers of ways to have somebody earn a title shot against the other champion after winning the Rumble and challenging one champion.

As much as I don't want them to unify the titles, it could be a very good idea if it's done right and it's only temporary. Unifying the titles at WrestleMania (especially WrestleMania 30) would be an iconic moment, something we were robbed of after the Invasion and the unification of the WWE and WCW titles. It would be huge for whoever does it, especially if Daniel Bryan can beat both John Cena and Randy Orton in the same match. He could hold the title for a few months, and then at Money In The Bank, they could still have two separate MITB matches for the two titles. Then when one cashes in, he only wins one of the titles, thus separating them again.

 

[steven87gill]

Am I the only one who wants to see DB and CM Punk win at seperate Main Events at WM?

There are a number of ways they could play it...

Lesnar beats Cena for the WHC at the Royal Rumble.

Later in the night, Cena decides to enter into the RR match & gets eliminated thanks to interference for Lesnar. Punk wins the RR, and chooses to face Lesnar. Bryan is unable to win thanks to a aided elimination near the end visa vis HHH. This spurs Bryan on to face HHH in a one on one match at EC for the right to face Orton for the WWE title at WM.

Cena again fails to recapture the WHC from Lesnar at EC.

From here, we build to Taker vs Cena, Bryan vs Orton & Punk vs Lesnar.