WrestleMania 32 may have gone down as the biggest event in the history of the WWE, but most likely, it will be remembered more for the inordinate amount of top WWE superstars who were not on the card. A rash of injuries forced many fans to play a giant game of “What If?” in regards to how the matches should have played out rather than how they actually did.
Last week, we reported how Vince McMahon went into a full-blown panic mode in the build-up to RAW thanks to Finn Balor’s injury, John Cena going on hiatus, and the Chris Jericho/ Brock Lesnar incident after SummerSlam that generated steam all over the internet in the ensuing days. Just imagine the Chairman’s blood pressure when he was faced with filling AT&T Stadium knowing he couldn’t book Cena, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, Sting, Bray Wyatt or Cesaro in the biggest WrestleMania of all time.
“What if” they were all healthy? Yes, we saw Cena, Wyatt, and The Rock appear on the WWE’s grandest stage on April 3, but a cloud of uncertainty did not allow the company to advertise them, let alone schedule a full-blown match. Based on previous reports, original plans called for Sting to face Wyatt, Cena to face Reigns or the Undertaker and Rollins to go toe-to-toe with his mentor, Triple H.
The flip side is, had all those top superstars been healthy enough for WrestleMania , we may never have witnessed the return of Shane McMahon. Shane-O-Mac, of course, was convinced to come back and face the Undertaker, but he has remained in a prominent role far longer than those in and out of the company had imagined.
Triple H and Reigns certainly worked from a storyline perspective, but Reigns was a champion the fans rejected. Reigns did not receive the reaction they had in their minds to close out the biggest WrestleManiaever. Shane and the Deadman were compelling but turned illogical after the fact. Brock Lesnar’s presence enhances any event, but an underwhelming match with an opponent not originally slotted for that role resulted in luke-warm reviews.
It appears the WWE may be hitting the reset button as far one of the potential feuds goes that was designed to culminate at WrestleMania 32 . Only this time, the match may take place next year in Orlando at WrestleMania 33 . According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio , as reported by Daily Wrestling News , the conclusion to Monday’s main event of RAW could possibly set the stage for the WWE to revisit their plans to pit Triple H against Seth Rollins on a grand stage.
We had also reported last week how there were internal discussions about the idea of a double-turn involving Rollins and Reigns. While that still may be a possibility, they might go about it from a different angle. Keep in mind, Triple H also attacked Reigns during the fatal four way Monday night, allowing Rollins to make the cover and eliminate Roman. The Game certainly had a motive there, as the last time we saw him, he was dropping the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 32 .
Hitting a pedigree on Rollins is where things got even more interesting, allowing Kevin Owens to capture the WWE Universal Championship. It doesn’t automatically turn Rollins babyface, but it definitely puts the wheels in motion, presumably to be completed in the weeks to come.
It will be interesting to see how it all plays out as there are many more loose ends to tie up leading into WrestleMania 33than there would have been for WrestleMania 32. Week in and week out during Rollins’ title reign last year, we saw seeds of doubt being planted in his relationship with Hunter, which easily would have set the stage for their eventual encounter. Things have changed since Rollins’ injury and Triple H’s absence, so we’ll have to wait and see how they formulate the narrative.
And if the WWE decides to revisit a Rollins-HHH feud, does that mean they’ll go back to original plans for either Cena-Reigns or Cena-Undertaker as well? Does Vince get his wish with a dream match between Brock and The Rock or is Lesnar in line for a WrestleMania war with Shane McMahon? Marquee matches worth thinking about for sure, but none of them involve the current champions of either brand.
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