Wrestlemania XXX: WWE WHC - Orton VS Batista VS ?

[The Brain]

I know a lot of us are wondering if this match will be changed or if someone will be added but as of right now the WWE title match for WrestleMania XXX is Randy Orton vs. Batista. It seems very few people are excited for this match and those that are excited are only curious to see how bad the crowd boos these guys during the match.

This match would have been awesome for WrestleMania 22 but that ship has long since sailed and I'm not feeling it for mania this year. I usually don't care for heel vs. heel and to have such a match for the title at mania just feels wrong. I can only hope Daniel Bryan gets added to this match. Maybe he wrestles Triple H at mania with the stipulation that he gets in the title match if he wins. That's the only thing I can see saving this from being a disaster. I guess there is a small, very small, chance of CM Punk returning this week in Chicago and somehow getting in the match but I'd rather see Bryan. Either way, Orton vs. Batista is not the way to go.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

WWE horribly overestimated Batista's star power with the red carpet treatment, but it's too late to back out now. Batista is signed, and he won the Rumble, so she's going to face Orton at Wrestlemania. The heel turn is the right move, because WWE can't ignore the negative reactions to Batista as a face anymore. And it's perfect timing with the Chicago crowd coming up this Monday.

Now, WWE can use the negative reactions from live crowds to build on Batista's "Deal with it/like it or not" attitude on the road to Mania XXX. Although, it's hard to ignore the elephant in room with Randy Orton, because he's the top heel in WWE. We're too close to Mania now, so you can't turn Orton face, and I have a hard time believing in WWE going with a heel vs heel match up for the world title(s) at Wrestlemania.

As far as Daniel Bryan goes, the match with Triple H isn't 100% official yet, so there's still a shred of hope for Bryan squeezing into the match to make it a triple threat. But Triple H VS Bryan is a more logical match up for Bryan from a storyline standpoint, so when you consider Bryan VS Triple H, Bryan having a spot in the WWE WHC is a real longshot.

I feel bad for Orton in all of this, because he's an afterthought. The fans are clamoring for Daniel Bryan to have a spot in the title match, and when you factor in the frenzy surrounding Batista's return, Orton takes third place in the WWE WHC picture.

Daniel Bryan or no Daniel Bryan, Orton's not walking out of Wrestlemania as the champion. The question is, are we going to see a crowd of 70,000+ or 80,000+ people heckling and booing the shit of a WWE WHC Batista? Or are we going to see the same crowd chanting "YES!" at the top of their lungs with Daniel Bryan holding the titles?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I'm more excited about this match than any other on the card. Firstly, Orton & Batista are more than capable of putting on a great match. Secondly, the crowd reaction will make it into an excellent spectacle.

People might want Bryan in the match, but it makes no sense. He hasn't won on PPV in months, so he doesn't deserve a WWE title shot. A match against Triple H is what Bryan needs with a title shot coming further down the line.

 

[spaldoni]

I just don't get what happened. I'm not a huge Daniel Bryan fan but he is the most over wrestler I have seen in years. This WrestleMania couldn't have been easier to book. Bryan wins the Rumble then faces Orton at Mania. It's easy money. To be honest I feel bad for Orton and Batista. They are in an almost impossible situation and it's not really their fault. If they go out there and put on one heck of a match then they should be respected. Remember Lesner/Goldberg? Because of the crowd they couldn't even work a match. True pros go forward and perform no matter what. In my opinion the Mania main event should be one on one so stick with Orton/Batista, run with it all the way. Play off the Evolution history, have Flair and HHH help build it. I think their history would be the best way to build it. Do everything they can to keep the spotlight on their match. If anything they will thrive on the pressure and rise above expectations and earn the fans respect.

 

[Aeon Mathix]

If this match does go on like it looks like its going to at the moment, i've warmed up to it a little bit. It won't be the main event and it's something WWE obviously wants to happen so why not. Won't be a masterpiece but i've been surprised before. Pretty sure 90 percent of the Mania buys are going to be from WWE network and the event is sold out (I think) so they could put on Miz vs Santino as the title match but still get their money.

I don't know why everyone is freaking out over it. Of course the fans are going to shit on it and it will be great. Them booing the shit out of it isn't going to make a difference as Batista and Orton are just going to troll them the entire match. If it generates a reaction than all is good. If everyone in the arena wants to send a message then get up and go to the bathroom or concession stand, dont give them more attention. Bottom line, it's happening, you are all going to pay for it or have already and WWE gets their match and their money so deal with it.

 

[kadroan]

I just don't get what happened. I'm not a huge Daniel Bryan fan but he is the most over wrestler I have seen in years. This WrestleMania couldn't have been easier to book. Bryan wins the Rumble then faces Orton at Mania. It's easy money. To be honest I feel bad for Orton and Batista. They are in an almost impossible situation and it's not really their fault. If they go out there and put on one heck of a match then they should be respected. Remember Lesner/Goldberg? Because of the crowd they couldn't even work a match. True pros go forward and perform no matter what. In my opinion the Mania main event should be one on one so stick with Orton/Batista, run with it all the way. Play off the Evolution history, have Flair and HHH help build it. I think their history would be the best way to build it. Do everything they can to keep the spotlight on their match. If anything they will thrive on the pressure and rise above expectations and earn the fans respect.

I wonder would they consider making Ric Flair special guest referee. The fans seem to respond to him well.

I recalled in Batista's promo on Monday how he called Randy a former friend which could go back to their Evolution days

 

[8thwotwATG]

It's been a long time since I tuned into the current product that WWE is putting out right now, however, since I have been reading some of the stuff coming from this forum concerning this years WM, I decided to give it a glance last night.
Right off the bat, I'll state that I can completely see that big Dave is gonna need someone to help him out in this main event in order for it to come off, because what I saw from him last night, sorry to say, did not impress me a great deal. I do understand that he is creeping up on his fiftieth birthday, and he has been out of the ring for quite some time, but in all honesty, he performed like a someone in a semi coma out there in that tag match. I don't know all the circumstances that went into his Memphis performance last night, so he could possibly already be nursing some kind of small injury that the rest of us are as of yet unaware of, but I thought he just didn't look "right" out there.
Randy could probably carry him to a decent match at WM, but it would have to be at a much slower pace than usual, to accommadate Batista; hence the stipulation from the HHH/Bryan match and probable participation of Bryan in the main event along with Orton and Batista. This may also be partially to extend the duration of the match, given that at this point so far, there haven't been many matches named for this WM.
I haven't been watching any of this prior to last evenings RAW, so I really don't have any emotional investment in this match, but I just think that big Dave isn't quite physically ready to main event Wrestlemania. Not at this point in time. Perhaps he'll be closer to ring shape, and a chunk of the rust will be gone by the time WM is here, but going by what I saw last night, he just didn't look that good.

 

[Harthan]

Might as well pencil in the Triple Threat, as New Orleans will turn as hard as the Royal Rumble crowd did if Bryan loses to HHH. With that said, I'm not completely convinced that Bryan would win the triple threat. From a storyline perspective there's nothing that would make more sense - Bryan, having finally conquered his demons by defeating Triple H, would then finally grab the brass ring and become Undisputed Champion. It would be the perfect storybook ending and the denial of that ending over the last few months could only be to finally give it to us at the biggest show of the year, right?

That said, the WWE has blown the perfect storybook ending before in favor of whatever, so who knows. I think the only guarantee is that Orton does not walk out with the title - I'll admit he's become something of a weird antihero since the EC and it's almost interesting, but realistically he's been de-pushed too hard and looks like a paper champion. No one really wants to see Orton anymore. The problem is Batista - who knows what kind of contract he's working on, what he's been promised, or anything like that. For all we know a title win at Mania could be contractually owed to him. The lines between kayfabe really blur these days when it comes to HHH's guys. This is a good thing in some ways as it's going to add a ton of drama to the match, but if Batista walks away with the title at Mania it's just really going to suck, even if Bryan does eventually win. The right time to pull the trigger is in this match and I really have to say that if Bryan finally wins it at Mania 30 it will go down as one of the all time greatest WrestleMania moments. I hope - and really do believe - that the WWE can see that, and will do the right thing.

 

[Zycho32]

That said, the WWE has blown the perfect storybook ending before in favor of whatever, so who knows.

Not disputing the claim, but I'm curious. What examples are there that you know about where the ideal proper ending to stories were shelved for something else? WM 9 came closest to my mind, but the rest eludes me.

Or maybe I want to think these guys can't miss such a chip shot despite their perceived track record.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In the opening segment last night, or rather at the close of it, Triple H goes off on Batista & Orton. He declares that there'll be a triple threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship no matter what. If Bryan beats Trips, it's Bryan. If Triple H beats Bryan, then he'll face them for the titles.

Triple H was great last night, in my opinion, and this adds even more hype to his match against Daniel Bryan. It's still highly unlikely that Triple H goes over because, if anything, Triple H inserting himself into the title match will only encourage fans to crap all over the title match even more.

 

[Mustang Sally]

It was logical and right to see Batista complaining about his Rumble-earned title shot becoming a 3-way; it seems only natural a participant would protest after seeing his 50% chance of winning suddenly turn to 33%, through no fault of his own.

The monkey wrench Triple H threw into the proceedings does add some extra kick to the match-up, though. I was....and still essentially am....presuming Daniel Bryan wins his match with Trips and inserts himself in the title match; can you imagine the reaction of the fans if Daniel isn't in there? Yet, Triple H seemed so confident in his declaration that it was suddenly made to seem as if his battling it out with Orton and Batista was a real possibility. From a standpoint of "matches you'd like to see," I could really get into Orton, Batista & Triple H battling it out in the same ring.

Still, it's doubtful we'll see it....the Daniel Express is coming on too fast to be derailed.

 

[gbast]

I almost wanted to see an alternate reality where the WWE were pigheaded and stubborn and didn't add anyone to the match, keeping it as Batista vs Orton, and still had it main event the show. Trying to imagine all the ways a 70k crowd that hates both guys could crap on the match would be pretty hilarious and amazing.

 

[James Greiga]

Everyone was saying that Batista/Orton at WM would have been a disaster but I don't think so. If WWE kept Batista face the way they did then yeah I would agree but Batista/Orton would be completely different than Cena/Orton was a few months ago even though we saw this already.

Here's why. Look back at Stone Cold and The Rock. They faced 3 times at Wrestlemania each time getting great reviews and getting massive reactions from the crowd. The third match in fact had very little build in comparison to the usual amount for feuds. They had so much history already it wasnt needed. Why were they able to do that? Because each time The Rock was a different version of himself. 1999 Rock was completely different from 2001 Rock and both of them were completely different than 2003 Rock so essentially they were 3 different matches with the same wrestlers but in a sense 3 different character clashes.

Here's why John Cena/Randy Orton failed. John Cena has been the same stale, unchanged person he's been since 2005. Randy Orton has been the Viper since 2008 so of course fans wouldn't like a match between the same characters that they've already seen collide many times before. Meanwhile, Batista battled Orton a few years ago too. At that point Orton was in between the Legend Killer and the Viper and Batista was still face. Here we are in 2014 and Orton is pretty much the same now as he was then but Batista is completely different. So far this story they have leading into Wrestlemania is more interesting than anything involving John Cena in a while.

 

[Logisticalbooker86]

Did you just compare SCSA and the Rock's rivalry, which is one of the hottest in the history of wrestling, to Randy Orton and Batista? That's like comparing apples to turds.

Batista came back to WWE after a four year hiatus, during which no one really clamored for his return. That isn't all Big Dave's fault, but it wasn't surprising when the big return flopped.

Maybe you're right, it wouldn't have been that bad. Still, save the marginal main events for the B PPV's. I just read your conclusion, where you spewed more blind Cena hate. This thread won't last long, you forgot to ask an actual question and instead just stated your opinion. I doubt my response will change it.

Bottom line: Wouldn't have been that bad is not good enough for WrestleMania, which is traditionally about giving people what they want. The people did not want Orton versus Batista so WWE correctly called an audible.

 

[DarksideEric]

Batista is not "completely different" now, he's still his jackass heel persona from prior years, which many of us remember.

Jackass heel vs. cocky heel, when it's these two particular heels would have been a fairly boring match.

And can you go a single thread without mentioning your disdain for Cena? Like... a single one? You make a thread about Orton vs. Batista, perhaps you should stay on Orton vs. Batista.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

You can't compare Stone Cold VS The Rock to Batista/Orton, because......well there's no comparison at all.

The Wrestlemania 15 match is the weakest match in the Wrestlemania trilogy, and it's better than anything from Orton/Batista. Orton and Batista's matches together in the past were mediocre at best, and with an older Batista in poor ring shape, there's no logical reason to believe we'll see something better.

The crowd would take a massive dump on the WWE WHC match, if WWE stuck with Orton VS Batista without the possibility of Daniel Bryan. It's that simple. Think about this. The Wrestlemania XX crowd hijacked Goldberg VS Lesnar with Stone Cold Steve Austin in the ring. That's nothing compared to the inevitable catastrophe with Orton VS Batista as a one on one match in front of a larger crowd, with no WWE Legends in the ring as a possible distraction.

 

[Franchize1990]

Cena v Orton failed, in my opinion, because the fans in Pittsburgh hijacked the match so to speak in order to try and have their voice heard. You could've put almost anybody in that same position and the result would've been the same. They wanted to see Daniel Bryan in that spot and if Bryan wasn't there, the fans weren't going to like it. The same thing would happen if the WWE had kept their main event as Orton vs Batista the title. Could they have told a pretty good story in the ring on their own? Sure. But, fan reaction and participation is a major factor in pro wrestling so, no matter how good the story the two told or how much of a classic exhibition they could've put on, if the night doesn't end with Daniel Bryan overcoming more than a half a year of fighting against the machine to finally become WWE World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 30, the fans will completely take a huge dump on the event. So, in conclusion, yes, Orton vs. Batista would have been pretty bad if they went at it alone.

 

[justinept]

fan reaction and participation is a major factor in pro wrestling so, no matter how good the story the two told or how much of a classic exhibition they could've put on, if the night doesn't end with Daniel Bryan overcoming more than a half a year of fighting against the machine to finally become WWE World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 30, the fans will completely take a huge dump on the event. So, in conclusion, yes, Orton vs. Batista would have been pretty bad if they went at it alone.

The fan reaction would've been one thing... the actual match is a whole other topic that the OP is clearly avoiding. It's true that the fans would have shit over any main event not featuring Daniel Bryan, but let's forget about that for a second. Let's imagine a Utopian world where the WWE got its wish... where Dave Batista returned to the WWE and got the love from the crowd ... where the fans wanted to see him and Randy Orton go at it at WrestleMania 30. Can you picture it?

Now picture the faces of those fans once Dave Batista got gassed two minutes into the match and started missing spots because he was too exhausted to bounce off the ropes properly. Picture the fans' faces as they sat through 10-15 minutes of sleeper holds and other time-killing submission while Batista tried to catch his breath. That's why this match would have failed in a massive way.

Everything you said about Bryan was true. But the crowd reaction to Bryan has likely saved the WrestleMania 30 main event from being the worst one since WrestleMania 11. Batista simply can't last in the ring by himself, and the addition of a third guy is necessary to keep the action flowing while Batista tries to re-gain himself outside the ring.

 

[d_henderson1810]

Batista is not "completely different" now, he's still his jackass heel persona from prior years, which many of us remember.

Jackass heel vs. cocky heel, when it's these two particular heels would have been a fairly boring match.

And can you go a single thread without mentioning your disdain for Cena? Like... a single one? You make a thread about Orton vs. Batista, perhaps you should stay on Orton vs. Batista.

Yeah, it wouldn't work, having a jackass heel v a cocky heel, because the stupid fans booed Batista, causing WWE to panic, and turn Batista heel, forcing a heel v heel main event at WM.

I think keeping Batista a face, at least until after WMXXX, would have worked. He and Orton have issues, Orton could have been paranoid that the Authority are grooming Batista to take over as "face of WWE" and conspiring against him, issues when they were in Evolution together. It had a big of potential.

Also, if you had face v heel going into WMXXX, it would be less predictable. By having both Orton and Batista heels, it means that Bryan will definitely be in the main event now, since they need at least one face for people to cheer for. If Batista was still face, it would make it more interesting, since we wouldn't be as sure whether Bryan is in or not, so it would be a bigger deal when he is.

In fact, I would have liked to have seen Batista stay face until WMXXX, befriend Bryan, and support the "Yes Movement" (despite people booing him), and then turn on Bryan in the Triple-Threat Match, win the title, and set up a Bryan v Batista program for the following three months, playing on the RR reaction, and Batista bagging the "Yes Movement".

Batista isn't getting booed because he is not Daniel Bryan, pure and simple. If your name isn't Daniel Bryan, you suck, according to WWE ******** fans. No, it's the "Yes Movement" who sucks.

BTW, Rey Mysterio is still waiting for his apology from the WWE fans for their disgusting booing of him at RR.

You say that WM is about giving the fans what they want. What you got was a case of the fans running WWE programming, the tail wagging the dog. It must be great to have all the power, and none of the responsibility, or have to face the consequences if it doesn't work, like the WWE fans seem to at the moment.

Funny the hate for Batista, when many of you tossed off when he was in last time. The amount of people here who jizzied their pants when Batista beat Triple H at WM 21 (when it should have been Triple H v Randy Orton) was over-the-top. Even when he went heel, people here commended him on how he played a heel.

 

[d_henderson1810]

Since the WWE Universe are telling WWE who to push, who not to, and even what the main event at Wrestlemania should be, do you think that the WWE Universe, (since they know so much better than someone who has run the company for nearly forty years in Vince McMahon), should now book every Raw, SD, PPVs etc.

Since you are never happy with how WWE do things, do you people think you should do better?

The customer is not always right. The customer doesn't have to pay the bills, make the money to keep everything going, answer to shareholders and sponsors. The customer wants all the say, yet none of the responsibility.

The WWE universe blames WWE for everything they do wrong, yet the WWE Universe will take total credit for creating a "Wrestlemania Moment" for Daniel Bryan.

It is backwards, the tail wagging the dog.

WWE puts the product out there, and you decide whether to pay for it or not- take it or leave it. If the fanscomplain, but continue to pay again and again, then what WWE does can't bother you too much can it? When you let the customer have too much say, it can end in disaster.

Who do you think will suffer the consequences if putting the title on Bryan at WMXXX turns out to be a bad move? Not the "WWE fans, that's for sure.

 

[Vintage]

This match would have been without any doubt the crappiest match on the card and would have been shat on from opening bell to the time the fans left the building.

This isn't even good enough to main event Raw. it's one of those matches that absolutely nobody wants to see ever again in life.

Batista has absolutely zero to offer and Orton can't carry a sandbag around for a half hour no matter how good he is.

 

[Logisticalbooker86]

d_henderson1810:
Man, you have been whining about the way Bryan has been pushed by the fans for awhile. Rather than arguing with how ridiculous you sound, I have to ask you a question: Could you do us, and yourself a favor, and get the fuck over it? For God's sake man, did you throw a hissy fit when fans turned on Bret Hart for Stone Cold? You should have. Bret was a good guy who wanted to stay good. Batista is an egotistical douche in skinny jeans.

Yes, I posted just to ask you to stop complaining. Even if a million people reply and agree with you, what purpose does it serve? It won't change anything about DB's push or WrestleMania.

GET OVER IT.

WWE is going to suffer with Bryan as champ? Laughable. If they notice a problem, they will take the title off of him. Your tantrum over this is far more annoying than any result of WrestleMania.

 

[James Greiga]

I know that's how you guys would feel but I honestly think it would have been better than Cena/Orton again. I'm not saying it would have been the greatest thing ever but it would be better than that crap HHH/Orton match we had and the many Cena/Orton matches in recent months. I wasn't comparing Rock/Austin in terms of rivalry power I was just saying that a key to their rivalry always staying fresh was the constant evolving of characters. You don't think that if Rock never tweaked his gimmick over the years that eventually fans would have grown tired of seeing that same match again and again?

 

[DarksideEric]

I know that's how you guys would feel but I honestly think it would have been better than Cena/Orton again. I'm not saying it would have been the greatest thing ever but it would be better than that crap HHH/Orton match we had and the many Cena/Orton matches in recent months. I wasn't comparing Rock/Austin in terms of rivalry power I was just saying that a key to their rivalry always staying fresh was the constant evolving of characters. You don't think that if Rock never tweaked his gimmick over the years that eventually fans would have grown tired of seeing that same match again and again?

...are we talking about Orton vs. Batista or how bad you think Orton vs. Cena is because it's been done before?

Orton vs. Batista with no Bryan would have been very unappealing to watch.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I'm not sure what WWE could have done to make Orton v Batista all that interesting. They could put on one of those technical clinics that some folks preach about but I wouldn't care because Batista is not all that appealing to me and overrated by WWE (the kiss of death in my eyes). Orton is a heel so you have someone that I find frustrating against a heel. I can't get emotionally involved in that type of build up and match.