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| source// wwe.com |
Of all the WrestleMania seasons that we’ve seen over the years, this has certainly been one of them…
In all seriousness though, it’s been a fairly unusual build-up to WrestleMania 32 thus far. Looking back at the past few months, one of our top feuds has been based upon a chant, we’ve got a babyface challenger for the world title who was kept off of television for a number of weeks, and finally, one of the most iconic characters in company history is facing off against a 46-year-old businessman.
Even by the WWE’s standards, there have been some rather unconventional booking choices on this year’s Road to WrestleMania.
But despite the criticisms being thrown WWE’s way, it’s not all doom and gloom as we head into WrestleMania 32. If we take a step back and look at the bigger picture, believe it or not there are actually a few positives that we can take as we head into the biggest show of the year.
This article lists some of those points, beginning with arguably the most noteworthy of all…
10. The Surprise Factor
Be honest—at the turn of the New Year, how many of you thought you’d be seeing Shane McMahon in a WWE ring at WrestleMania 32? Not only that, but how many of you thought you’d be seeing Shane McMahon in a WWE ring going one-on-one with the Undertaker at WrestleMania 32?
As far as unexpected surprises go, this might just be the biggest in all of recent history.
Having left the family business to tread his own path, it seemed like Shane was done with pro wrestling. Yet all of a sudden, he’s now back in the fold. And not only that but he’s been granted one of the most prestigious spots on the biggest WrestleMania card of all time.
It really is an outlandish storyline, the likes of which wouldn’t look out of place on somebody’s Universe mode on WWE 2K16.
But the bottom line is that this news was a colossal surprise. And in today’s internet age that’s quite a rare occurrence, so kudos to the WWE for having the wherewithal—and the guts—to dish out a shock like this one.
9. Hell In A Cell
Of course, one more thing that I neglected to mention about Shane vs. Undertaker is the fact that it will be taking place inside Hell in a Cell.
Not only does this add to that aforementioned shock value, but it’s a great example of a stipulation being used for a specific purpose, rather than just for the sake of it.
Given the way the WWE’s pay-per-view calendar is geared up these days, it’s all too common an occurrence to see epic stipulations being thrown around for the sake of it. Oh it’s October? Better book whoever the champ is into a Hell in a Cell match… That’s not really the kind of booking that creates compelling, unpredictable television.
Instead, in Shane vs. Taker we have a feud with incredibly high stakes, and the incorporation of Hell in a Cell very much reinforces that. Simply put, the gimmick is being used as a storytelling device, rather than a calendar-filler—and in my eyes that’s very much a good thing.
8. The McMahon’s Involvement
But Shane isn’t the only McMahon to have played a pivotal role in recent weeks. The return of the prodigal son has consequently dragged Stephanie, Vince, and all of that family drama back to the forefront of Monday Night Raw. And it’s made for some pretty awesome television.
Vince has been as great as ever in his role as the diabolical chairman, and Stephanie has been in fine form herself, as demonstrated in her cutting promo on Shane a few weeks back.
But as well as this on-screen entertainment value, the McMahon family reunion creates a very interesting behind-the-scenes dynamic that leaves us questioning what’s real and what’s fake.
Is there really tension between Shane and Steph over future ownership of the business? And what about Shane and Triple H, given the way the latter has emerged as Vince’s heir apparent in recent years?
Who knows, but one thing’s for sure is that it’s an endless source of drama, and that in turn makes for some very watchable programming.
7. Triple H’s Involvement
Another refreshing aspect of this year’s WrestleMania build has been the use of the World Heavyweight Champion.
For the second year in a row, we find the title around the waist of a part-time performer. But while Brock Lesnar refrained from defending his gold between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania last year, the same cannot be said of Triple H.
With the title on the line, The Game put on a stellar showing against Dean Ambrose a couple of weeks ago, and then more recently he even got his hands dirty on Monday Night Raw when he went one-on-one with Dolph Ziggler in another top-drawer affair.
Even when the Rock was champion in early 2013, the Great One can’t say that he competed on a routine episode of Raw. So to see a part-time star hold the gold heading into ‘Mania and actually defend it along the way has been another welcome addition to proceedings.
6. Use Of Part-Timers
In fact, Triple H isn’t the only part-timer who’s been utilised well this year.
In the past, we’ve often seen part-timers work exclusively with other part-timers (Triple H vs. Sting in 2015, Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker in 2014). And while that’s inarguably produced some excellent moments, it doesn’t necessarily help build for the future.
This year however, a seasoned pro like Triple H is working with a star of tomorrow in Roman Reigns. And Brock Lesnar’s drawing power is being used to shine a much-deserved spotlight on Dean Ambrose. Even the returning Chris Jericho is being used to help to establish AJ Styles.
The only exception is the Undertaker, who is of course going up against Shane McMahon. But even that match has the potential to affect the long-term future of the WWE, given the ‘ownership of Raw’ stipulation.
All in all, it seems like this year the returning big names are being used more strategically. Rather than simply producing a payday, these guys are being used in ways that will have a longer-term impact on the WWE product.
5. Divas Match
When was the last time that a Divas showdown was one of the more eagerly anticipated matches on the WrestleMania card?
You could possibly make a case for Chyna vs. Ivory at WrestleMania X-Seven, or perhaps Jazz vs. Lita vs. Trish Stratus the following year. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and say there’s never been as much hype surrounding a women’s match as there is ahead of WrestleMania 32, because in Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks we’ve got a match that could easily steal the show.
Their work together in NXT tells you all you need to know about this one. And furthermore this isn’t just three of the best female workers in the company being thrust together for the sake of it—there’s actually been a meaningful story put together here, from Charlotte’s heel turn, to Becky’s search for redemption, and of course the rise to prominence of Sasha.
Let’s just hope these girls are given the time to show us exactly what they’re capable of on the grandest stage of them all.
4. Multiple Tag Team Feuds
In recent WrestleManias gone by, the Tag Team titles have often been little more than an afterthought. In fact, the belts have only been defended on the main show once in the past five years. The rest of the time, they’ve either been relegated to the pre-show in a hurriedly assembled, multi-man match, or dropped from the pay-per-view altogether.
This year though, we’ve got a well-thought out rivalry going on for the belts, with two of the company’s most credible factions set to go toe-to-toe in Texas when the New Day face off against the League of Nations.
But not only do we have a significant title match to look forward to—the health of the division means that we’ve got a second tag bout on the horizon; the Usos vs. the Dudleys.
And again, much like Charlotte vs. Lynch vs. Banks, this is a match that has been belt on actual animosity rather than a kneejerk reaction by the Creative Team. Regardless of how the matches turn out, that in itself is a positive sign for the tag team division as a whole.
3. The Flow Of The Show
While most of the points on this list pertain to the WrestleMania event itself, this one has more to do with the presentation of Raw than anything else.
A common complaint with the WWE’s flagship programme has been that the show has become too formulaic. For what seemed like months we saw the exact same format; a 20-minute Authority promo, which would at some stage be interrupted by an aggrieved babyface, resulting in the hasty announcement of a six-man tag team main event of some sort.
But over the past few weeks, we’ve seen the show’s layout vary quite significantly.
As recently as last week Raw got underway with a Tag Team Championship bout—a great way to start the show. And increasingly we’ve been seeing Authority promos in the middle of the show, while the World Champion was even in action way before the final segment.
Like so many instances on this list, this slightly altered format has been a welcome breath of fresh air and another positive on this year’s Road to WrestleMania.
2. Roadblock
Okay, so looking back, Roadblock may not have been the most surprising of shows.
But deep down, did we really expect Dean Ambrose to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship so close to WrestleMania? Probably not, but that doesn’t change the fact that the WWE did a great job of making us believe that it was actually going to happen.
From Triple H selling Dirty Deeds on Raw like he’d taken a bullet to the head, to the eventual Dusty finish in the match itself, there were a number of moments in which everyone could be found guilty of allowing themselves to believe—just for a moment—that Dean could pull it off.
And that kind of suspension of disbelief is such a rarity in the WWE these days. People will continue to complain that the WWE is too predictable, but I’d imagine those same dissenters were on the edge of their seats right through the Ambrose vs. Triple H title bout.
And remember—this show was a complete bonus. All in all, I’d say it was a memorable detour on this year’s Road to WrestleMania.
1. Edgier Programming
For years, it seems, WWE fans have been clamouring for a return to the ‘edgier programming’ that preceded the PG era. And while I’m certainly not saying we’ve left the days of PG behind, there’s been a noticeable shift in recent weeks towards a somewhat less sanitised product.
From the use of blood (albeit it fake blood) during Triple H’s massacre of Roman Reigns, to Vince’s weekly quest to slip some kind of profanity into his promos, there have been plenty of signs of a switch to a more—dare I say it—attitudinal product.
Brian Alvarez even touched upon it on an episode of the Wrestling Observer Live, although he didn’t elaborate on why we’re seeing this subtle change.
Either way though, it’s helped inject some life into proceedings and at a time when it’s needed most. Perhaps it’s a sign of things to come, should Shane accomplish the impossible and leave WrestleMania victorious?
Or perhaps it’s just a ploy to suck us in and believe a significant change is coming, before ultimately fizzling out and leading to nothing. Yeah, I’m going to go with that option.
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