Inside Pulse Wrestling | The Big Tuna- Why Wrestlemania 27 Might Not Feel Like Wrestlemania (Undertaker, Ric Flair, HHH, John Cena, The Rock)

The Big Tuna- Why Wrestlemania 27 Might Not Feel Like Wrestlemania (Undertaker, Ric Flair, HHH, John Cena, The Rock)

by Kyle Fitta on March 21, 2011

For the most part, the Wrestlemania card has been announced and the show is only two weeks away. But this year, it feels a lot different from past. Around this time last year, I was excited to see John Cena vs. Batista, Undertaker vs. HBK and CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio. The year before that, I was excited to see Undertaker vs. HBK and Randy Orton vs. Triple H. And two years ago, I was excited to see Ric Flair vs. HBK and Undertaker vs. Edge. This year, however, Iâ€™m not excited to see much of anything on this yearâ€™s card for various reasons.

When the Rock came back and delivered the best promo in arguably seven years, rumors were flying around that Sting was coming back and, after Elimination Chamber delivered way above my expectations, I assumed WWE was on the right track and Wrestlemania would ultimately become the most looked forward show in a long time.

Sting ended up declining the contract offered by WWE and instead signed with TNA again, but WWE countered it when they booked Triple H to barge in on Undertakerâ€™s re-debut after Undertaker was buried alive by Kane and Nexus, which all made perfect sense because HHH was visibly bitter about his best friend retiring due to the fact that Undertaker defeated him last year in a career vs. streak match.

In Undertaker and HHHâ€™s encounter, the feud was set up perfectly, because both wrestlers didnâ€™t say anything in the segment, yet they got the message across flawlessly by mannerisms and facial expressions.

But as each Raw passed, there wasnâ€™t a lot of sizzle added to the build in order to spark enough interest into it, albeit Triple H is HBKâ€™s friend, Undertaker retired HBK, thus Triple H wants a piece of Undertaker, and oh yeah, for whatever reason (none that was really explained), the match is under no holds barred rules.

The entire card is similar to this match because there are a lot of good matches on the card, but thereÂ isn’tÂ enough material behind them in order for me to care to see any of them.

The Miz vs. John Cena could be a great match. The Miz has come a long way in the ring since he has debuted and has proven that he can go toe-to-toe with the best. John Cena, on the other hand, has proven that he is a good wrestler and even better under pressure. But the entire feud has been overshadowed by The Rock and wounded by silly booking.

Donâ€™t get me wrong, I love the fact that the Rock is going to be at Wrestlemania, but this match seems more about post-match rather than the match itself. I mean, itâ€™s gotten so bad that people actually forget that the Miz is the WWE champion (mostly because people are already assuming that there is no doubt in the world that heâ€™s going to lose this match).

There is no way to sugarcoat the build for this match. In fact, they havenâ€™t really feuded over much other than about the Rock and Alex Riley. Speaking of Alex Riley, I thought he was supposed to be fired if he lost to John Cenaâ€¦

So on top of the feud lacking heat, having horribly written promos and segments, it has transparent inconsistencies as well. Not exactly what I would call a Wrestlemania mainevent.

Time is becoming an issue for these feuds to fully develop, but there are still two weeks left for the WWE to start putting some extra effort into them. Right now, it feels like Summerslam is around the corner, not Wrestlemania, especially if you take the Rock, Stone Cold and Snooki out of the show.

Wrestlemania feels like Wrestlemania because thereâ€™s tons of anticipation before the show and that feeling hangs onto the fans throughout the matches. To get my point across better, Iâ€™ll use an example. Ric Flair vs. HBK at Wrestlemania 24 was a slightly above-average match from an in-ring perspective. The feud, however, had so much drama and importance around it that it made it a magnificent match.Â When Dragon Gate USA had their first PPV (from an in-ring perspective), the show was top-notch. But since there wasnâ€™t enough drama surrounding the matches, it felt like a pre-season NFL game because a pre-season game is ultimately irrelevant to a watcher due to the fact that it has no true meaning or drama behind it.

Wrestlemania might in fact have great matches on the show, but if there is no excitement behind the matches, they’re not going to feel as epic as if they had intriguing backstories behind them.

For more, wrestling articles and news, visitÂ http://www.examiner.com/pro-wrestling-in-providence/kyle-fitta

Tags: john cena, The Miz, The Rock, triple h, undertaker, wwe wrestlemania 27

Kyle Fitta

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Kyle Fitta has been writing about sports and men who wear tights and spandex that fake fight each other for over 3 years on various websites. Occasionally, Kyle's articles will touch on mature subjects so if you suffer from heart disease, depression, eating disorders, or have any other mental or physical problems, please be aware you're reading at your own risk. Kyle's articles are also not held responsible for erections lasting more than 3 hours. Viewer Discretion is Advised.

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Wally Kovacs

How dare a John Cena angle involve someone showing up on Raw despite being fired …
Michael L

I fully agree. None of the matches have the truly special WM build, with the possible exception of Cena/Miz, and that’s only b/c of the Rock’s involvement. Just about all of the build has been disappointing.

HHH/UT should seem special, but it doesn’t. The silent promo they did on the post Elimination Chamber Raw was golden, but since then, there really hasn’t been anything really noteworthy. The least they could do is to play off their past WM history, with HHH saying that this time it will be different. But it looks as if they’d rather forget the BikerTaker era, except for the DVD sets.

All of the other matches just seem kind of there, without any reason they have to be at WM compared to other PPVs.

About the only match that has been given a truly good buildup has been Cole/Lawler, and needless to say, this will be all about the storyline, and may end up being defacto Swagger/Lawler for at least part of the match.
Kyle Sparks

Vehemently disagree.

No one said that WrestleMania X8 didn’t “feel like WrestleMania,” despite Jericho being an afterthought in his title match with Triple H. Why is that? Because there were plenty of stars (as we have here), and plenty of tremendous matches (as you admit we have here).

Miz has been doing the best work of his career in his role as “forgotten champion.” So much so that he’s very effectively gone from his role as a “background champion,” (see: Punk’s 1st run) as someone who has forced his way into the limelight and is cementing his role as a legit long-term main event player.

Edge and Del Rio are building a pretty standard title match build on SmackDown, but really, with SD being the B-show, their title matches have generally suffered this way for quite some time. This is not a new phenomenon. Despite that, Del Rio had a tremendous cage match with Christian (that made Christian look as good as he’s ever looked, if not better) and both he and Edge have gotten a great deal of face time on Raw during the course of the build as well. Again, what more do you want?

Orton and Punk’s match has build tremendously on the shoulders of Punk’s inimitable skill as a promo man and his responses to his well laid plans 2 years in the making collapsing all around him as Orton punts his way through the Nexus one-by-one. For a match with nothing on the line (but that could go a long way to determining a de facto #1 contender), that’s nothing to sneeze at either.

Rey and Cody have built a tremendous old school style feud that it’s a shame isn’t garnering more heat than it is. For an undercard match that will likely get less than 10 minutes, it’s a pretty respectable build.

Finally, Triple H and Taker. Again, what do you want? You admit the initial announcement was strong. Triple H then comes out and says that Taker is essentially his last mountain to climb, which, in addition to his retiring Shawn is more than enough motivation. Taker meanwhile takes it as he should, as just another guy coming for his streak. Don’t forget, last year Taker shrugged off Michaels’ advances for weeks, if not months, before Michaels forced him to take notice by costing him the title. Only then, did he truly give Michaels his attention. Why? Because he’d already beaten Michaels and saw nothing further to gain from it. Since he’s already beaten Triple H as well, why should he treat this situation any differently? It’s internal character consistency.

It seems to me that you’re nit-picking for the sake of nit-picking, and because being part of the IWC demands that it be so. Moreover, you’re doing it without anything remotely constructive on your end.
sideshowbob

Gotta agree with Kyle (commentor Kyle not article Kyle). 2 weeks ago people were talking about how they’re finally made to care about some of these situations, and how well story lines were progressing, now ‘it doesn’t feel like wrestlemania’? Umm I don’t get it either.. This is how it always progresses.. Be glad Daniel Bryan isn’t cleaning up poop.
Mike Gojira

Hmmm…constructive criticism on the build to Mania? Smells like a column idea….
sideshowbob

Please do! It seems there is always negativity, and it takes 2-3 months before people really see the shows for what they are. Or, is it they are just waiting to hear what everyone else has to say so they are voicing the collective opinion?
Steven Gepp

But if you voice an alternate opinion, commentators shoot you down, Lose-lose all around.

As to WM, I disagree. I think Rey/Rhodes is coming along nicely, and Punk/Orton has a big time grudge match feel to it. IMO
Cynical Bastard

Gotta agree with Sparks here. I initially thought that Miz was becoming an afterthought but they corrected that last week. The rest of the matches are coming along just fine, with the notable exception of ignoring the HHH/Taker WM 17 match.

While we’re picking nits, did WWE actually offer Sting a contract recently? Aside from the rumor mill gossip, the only thing I recall reading was that WWE and Sting hadn’t been in touch and no offers were on the table.

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/2011/02/18/reports-say-sting-hasnt-talked-to-wwe-at-all/
Kyle Fitta

I must ask Kyle, what does WM 18 have to do with anything? Just wondering. I didn’t catch your drift.

Trust me, I like the Miz. In fact, I really like the Miz. I like his promos, I like his ring-work, I like how he can get heat, but what I don’t like about this feud is that nobody believes he’s legit. Which means I am not blaming him for any of this. I am blaming the WWE’s creative team for not building him up to feel like a champion. And just wondering, but do you really like this feud? John Cena talking about Miz eating toilet paper. Miz and Alex Riley making silly jokes. Alex Riley getting fired, and then coming back with no explanation. The Miz pretending to be the Rock, which went way too long and it even lost viewers on an over-run which Bryan Alverez said he’s never seen in all his years recapping. In words of the Miz, REALLY?

Well, if Smackdown is to blame for bad feuds, how come you say Cody Rhodes and Rey Mysterio is so good? Wouldn’t that be… well, hypocritical? Me personally, I think Rey Mysterio and Cody Rhodes feud has been pretty solid. But something to invest 75 dollars in with risking the chance for something like Punk-Rey Mysterio, no thank you.

There should be no excuse why Del Rio and Edge hasn’t been build better. They is no brand separation anymore. In fact, they have been on Raw. They could’ve added an interesting twist to this angle, but they haven’t. Therefore, it is just Edge, the wrestler who has suffered from injuries, vs. Del Rio, the impressive but still green wrestler.

For HHH and Taker, I expected some epic booking, but nothing about the match has made me really want to see it. There is just nothing there.

As for Lawler and Cole, even with the distractions, this feud has been booked well. The reason: because its been simple booking for the most part and it actually feels like they hate each other. Sadly however, this match will not be a 5 star classic, but it will still deliver its point.

I don’t think this article makes me bitter at all. I just think it makes me not want to spend 75 dollars on a show because WWE has been lazy about these angles. I think some of the matches look great, but I am not the first person to mention that Wrestlemania doesn’t feel like Wrestlemania this year. Lance Storm has said it, Wade Keller has said it, James Caldwell has said it, Bryan Alverez said it, and Scott Keith has said it.

In addition, it’s not like I say every single WM has bad build and is going to fail. I am the complete opposite when it comes to that (unless I truly feel its lackluster). For the most part, I thought last years WM build was great and the year before that (sorta) and certainly the year before that (WM 24).
Kyle Sparks

(1) I referenced X8 because you complained about the champion being an afterthought. Until the last week or two, I might have agreed. X8 was the last WrestleMania that I recall that the World Champ on either brand felt like that much of an afterthought, so that was what I dug out for purposes of comparison.

(2) Given your article and your response here, what exactly are you complaining about, regarding Miz/Cena? The fact that no one gives Miz a chance? As you said, that’s not Miz’s fault. It’s the company’s for pushing SuperCena again, and it’s the nature of Miz’s character. He’s supposed to be a classic cowardly heel. No one ever thinks they have a chance, which is why it infuriates the fans when they pull it out. Don’t get me wrong, I think Cena will win, but I think Miz has established himself wonderfully, and really that’s all you can ask.

(3) I never said SmackDown was to blame for bad feuds. I said (or at least the point I was trying to get across was) that the SmackDown World Title has generally gotten the short shrift when it comes to World Title match WrestleMania builds. Wholly different thing. Barring a few ugly periods, the SmackDown undercard has been virtually the sole reason to watch the show in the first place, as it’s generally where you’ll find that middle W in WWE.

(4) What about HHH & Taker could they do different to make you want to see it? Constant run-ins? The usual Booking 101 tag team and six-man-tag matches? Then the complaint would be that HHH and Taker are dominating the build and no one else is getting a chance to shine. Maybe not from you, but definitely from others. WWE can’t win for losing sometimes.

I’d also like to point out that I never said anything of the sort of thing you’re implying in your last paragraph.

Ultimately, it doesn’t feel like the greatest WrestleMania of all time or anything, but it still looks good, it’s got returning legends in Rock, Austin, Trish, etc., it’s got celebrities (well, sort of; Snooki’s more of a troll, but still…), you’ve got the hall of fame with Shawn Michaels being around somewhere, it feels like WrestleMania to me. Far be it for me to stand in opposition to the collective hive mind, but I’m not entirely sure what they expect a “WrestleMania” to feel like, and one wonders if they actually do themselves. It’s the sort of standard that is nigh impossible to define but whose absence is apparently easy to point out.
Kyle Fitta

I respect your opinion and you bring up solid points. I’m not saying you’re wrong in anyway. If it came off that way, I wasn’t sure what you meant, and you explained the stuff I wasn’t sure about.

I don’t mind the Undertaker and HHH angle. I think it might be a good match. And no, I don’t want run-ins or tag matches. In fact, I don’t want to see them wrestle. But the problem is it doesn’t feel as epic as it should. Of course, they still have two weeks to make it epic, and I hope they do. But right now, it feels like something is lacking from the match- and it’s something I cannot entirely put my finger on just yet.

This is a bit of a nit-pick, but the stipulation on the match feels forced just because the WWE thinks it will make a better match, not because it fits the story.
Mike Gojira

I think what Fitta is getting at here is that, aside from Taker and Triple H’s return, they haven’t met face-to-face in about a month. We hear them talk, we hear others talk, but there’s no real confrontation…yet.

The stip is there as a crutch because the ‘E knows Taker is hurt so they want to put less emphasis on a “wrestling match” and more on a brawl.
Kyle Sparks

You’re entitled to feel that way of course if you like. But I think that the stipulation won’t play as big a role as you think. I mean, it could, because in their age and physical state, they may need some of the toys because they may not be able to put on as good a pure match as HBK and UT did. But if you think back to last year, technically, HBK/UT II was “only by pinfall or submission,” so essentially the same rules, and it wasn’t a garbage match. Hell, there weren’t even any weapon shots.

Just some thoughts. Hope you enjoy WrestleMania if you see it.
Kyle Fitta

I don’t mind the NHB stipulation. I think it will add more to the match. It just doesn’t feel like there is a good reason to have the match. By the way, I like what they’re doing on Raw right now: having other wrestlers, past-wrestlers and other people associated with wrestling. It gives the match a big deal feel. Reminds me of a big UFC fight.
Kyle Fitta

By match, I mean a NHB match, not a match in general.
flamingwombat

Wow, the IWC gets their wish with new faces being pushed into main event spots, and then they complain about the subsequent, inevitable decrease in epic-ness.
sideshowbob

Nice Steve & wombat.. couldn’t agree more..
sideshowbob

Be glad it is HHH and aint Diesel trying to avenge his Shawn’s losses…