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| source// wwe.com |
Emerging from the Monday Night Raw entrance stage instead of through the live crowd, Roman Reigns surveyed the scene before making his way to the ring. Inside the squared circle, Triple H was fresh from a match against Dolph Ziggler, but looked ready to fight his chief rival.
Initially, fan response seemed largely favourable. There were screams of delight upon seeing Reigns, mainly from females, but all that would change once the top contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Title made his way into the ring. Upending ‘The Game’, Reigns began landing blow after blow to the champion. As if by magic, any cheering disappeared, replaced by noticeable booing from the crowd.
This is a major problem, and it’s one many have foreseen over the past number of months. WWE’s core fan base just doesn’t see Roman Reigns as the top babyface in the company, regardless of how much management would like them to.
Over in one of WWE’s other main feuds, Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar appear to be heating up to a solid Street Fight come WrestleMania 32. Is there a case to be made that those men would greatly help ‘Mania’s WWE Title main event? If nothing else, they’d add some much needed balance to what is a potentially disastrous situation for WWE.
7. Dean Ambrose And Brock Lesnar Have The More Interesting Feud
Ask most pro wrestling fans which match they’re most looking forward to at WrestleMania, and there’s a good chance Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar will be the answer. Perhaps Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker would also rank too, but conspicuous by its absence would be Triple H vs. Roman Reigns. That’s worrying, because the last match listed is scheduled to be the feature bout.
Ambrose vs. Brock has the Street Fight gimmick, Shane vs. ‘Taker has Hell In A Cell, and Triple H vs. Reigns has no real hook aside from one fans don’t seem to want. The appeal is supposed to be seeing Roman vanquish ‘The Game’ and becoming the new WWE World Heavyweight Champ, but people have already turned their backs on that idea.
Ambrose and Lesnar would add a lot to the World Title equation, because their ongoing rivalry would instantly give a dash of credibility. The end result would become much more of a mystery, which can only be considered a good thing when folks are dreading the conclusion of ‘Mania 32.
6. It Wouldn't Be Hard To Implement
At the WWE Network exclusive Roadblock event, Dean Ambrose had a stirring match opposite Triple H. In the midst of what came across as quite an old school battle, Ambrose appeared to cleanly pin his rival to bag the WWE Title. Instead of calling for the bell, the referee reasoned that the pin was negated due to a foot underneath the ring ropes.
There’s something to work with there, because Ambrose should rightly feel that he was achingly close to shutting Triple H’s mouth for good. If WWE want to squeeze another big match out of ‘The Game’ this Summer, there are worse suggestions than putting him against Shane McMahon.
At the moment, Shane is holding a secret over both Vince and Stephanie McMahon, and that could anger Triple H. Imagine the champion were to ask Vince to add the stipulation that Shane must leave WWE should he lose to The Undertaker. The ‘Boy Wonder’ could then turn around and dictate that Triple H should defend against more than Roman Reigns at ‘Mania.
This is only one suggestion, but it would force Vince’s hand and add both Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose to the mix. Within one segment, such a match could be made, and there’s already pre-existing history between everyone involved.
5. Roman Reigns Would Be Somewhat Protected
WWE are releasing the hounds on Roman Reigns if they keep his match at WrestleMania one-on-one against Triple H. It’s well-documented that the promotion’s core audience simply don’t want to cheer the guy. Vince McMahon may want Reigns to be the top dog, but people have rejected the idea long ago.
The fact the power people in the company are continually butting their heads against a brick wall is frustrating. Should Reigns win the WWE World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 32, boos will inevitably rain down upon him. There will be some cheers, but probably not enough to drown out the negativity.
Surely, this is not the way WWE want to sign off on their biggest show of the year. They have to take the blinkers off and realise that it’s too late to convince people that Reigns is the man they should root for. He’s being hung out to dry, and it’s pretty unnecessary.
If Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose were added to the match, the focus would be split. The sole babyface spotlight would be away from Reigns, easing the pressure on him a little. That’s something to consider.
4. It'd Stop Cheers For Triple H
Looking at things another way, a different disaster waiting to happen is that Triple H actually becomes the crowd favourite at WrestleMania. Despite playing the role of villain, ‘The Game’ has been cheered whenever he’s come up against Roman Reigns. That cannot be considered hopeful at all, because it’s the exact opposite of what WWE want.
Having Ambrose and Lesnar there dilutes the chances that fans will treat Triple H like their token hero for the night. The man has a lot more credibility with the people than the supposed babyface Reigns, that’s been shown time and time again. It’s not necessarily all Roman’s fault, because he has been booked shoddily, but it’s true.
The match would be killed stone dead if the AT&T Stadium decided to rally behind Triple H. In a singles bout, there’s likely to be some sort of big comeback from Reigns, and it would be booed out of the building. Dilution may be the ideal scenario, because the people would be cheering heavily for either Ambrose or Lesnar. Meanwhile, Reigns would still have his fans, and Triple H would be the heel champion who deserves to be up against the odds.
3. Could Lay Foundations For Future Rivalries
As aforementioned, every single one of the proposed Fatal Four Way main event at WrestleMania has some resemblance of history with one another. There isn’t a combination in the quartet of Triple H, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose that hasn’t faced off in some form or fashion in the ring before.
Having the main event expanded to include Lesnar and Ambrose opens up further possibilities to reignite issues for after WrestleMania. For example, imagine Ambrose had Triple H beaten, only for Roman Reigns to hurl him from the ring and steal his thunder. Post-‘Mania, Ambrose would have yet another legitimate reason to be mad, this time at his so-called friend.
Similarly, there’s no reason why Triple H and Brock Lesnar couldn’t be at odds. The story there could be that ‘The Game’ wants nothing to do with Lesnar, because he knows what he’s capable of and views him as the most destructive man in the match. If Triple H whacked Brock with a sledgehammer to take him out of the running for the title, there’s beef to be settled on Lesnar’s end later.
2. The Match Would Become A More Deserving Headliner
Facing up to facts, there’s a good chance that Triple H vs. Roman Reigns would tank if both men went on in the main event slot. Following matches like a Street Fight between Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar, as well as the Hell In A Cell encounter pitting Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker would be nigh on impossible.
Looking at previous abortions for Triple H at WrestleMania makes it clear that sometimes the WWE Title isn’t the deserving headliner. Back at ‘Mania X-8, his match with Chris Jericho played second fiddle to Hollywood Hogan vs. The Rock. In similar fashion, a ‘Mania XXV bout with Randy Orton felt limp when trying to follow the electric nature of Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker.
WWE must learn from past mistakes, and certainly shouldn’t be making them again. There’s a solution, and the fixer lies in adding Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose. Only then would there be sufficient excitement to warrant the headline slot. WrestleMania should end with action, not with a slump.
1. It'd Correct The WrestleMania 2000 Wrong
Unthinkably pinning The Rock, Triple H managed to retain the then-WWF Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 2000. Joined by Mick Foley and The Big Show, the main event Fatal Four Way elimination bout ended on a sour note for ‘The Great One’, but a good one for ‘The Game’. Fans had been conditioned to expect a big babyface victory to end ‘Mania, but instead they were left deflated.
For a lot of fans, that is one wrong which has never been set right. If the ‘Mania 32 main event was a similar affair to ‘Mania 2000, only this time ended with a popular decision, it would appease many. Triple H is due some payback for squashing fan hopes 16 years ago, when most felt he should have dropped the WWF Title to The Rock.
Roman Reigns is definitely the most likely, but imagine Dean Ambrose was the one to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania. There would be such surprise in the air, it’d be electrifying. Those who watched in horror back on April 2, 2000 would feel vindicated. Better yet, have Triple H take the final fall. There’s more excitement with a multi-man situation.
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