2015 has been a whirlwind of twisted storylines, major injuries and ratings that have hit the panic button. It seemed to be a forgone conclusion that most of the WM 32 plans had already been written and the final pieces were just ready to hit production. Unfortunately, Seth Rollins tore an ACL and the train to Dallas had to be diverted into another direction.
With so many top-tier talents out right now, it’s imperative that WWE starts putting together a viable card for WrestleMania. It took a step in the right direction by teasing Reigns vs. HHH when Roman decided to turn down the Authority’s offer on RAW, but now it must commit to it and further the feud in the coming months.
If booked properly, the epic encounter could be the best Triple H, post champion match and serve as a major turning point in Reigns’ singles career. It’s that time of year where Hunter decides to lace up the boots for another gritty performance and Reigns is the best candidate to go one-on-one with The Game.
Rock and Hunter, though never 100% verified, had been the long-term plan going all the way back to October 2014, when they shot an angle together on the 15th Anniversary SmackDown. There was even talk of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon versus The Rock and Ronda Rousey, in what could have been the Mania show closer had UFC President Dana White given his approval. We all know that is dead and Triple H still needed something big, so Plan B seemed to be the Rollins match.
This would have been the typical student against the game type of build. One that Triple H was building masterfully until Rollins’ knee injury and nine month rehab stint rendered that impossible. So after numerous meetings and plenty of creative discussions, it seems as if we have moved on to plan C.
The direction for Reigns versus Triple H was firmly set at Survivor Series, with Roman spearing The Game after winning the WWE Title. Seconds later, Hunter’s distraction allowed Sheamus to capture Reigns’ newly-won gold. The next night’s Raw was as much about Hunter and Reigns having a stare down as anything else.
Although a heel turn would benefit Reigns at this stage, it’s apparent that WWE has no intentions of turning him any time soon. If it did, it would have flipped the switch with him at Survivor Series—if not sooner. We now know the intention all along was to build up Reigns with the same crowd who booed him at the Royal Rumble and turn him into the next Daniel Bryan. He now becomes the poster boy for the wrestler who can’t catch a break. He is continuously screwed over and gains another 10% of acrimony from the fans.
Obviously, WWE has full faith in Reigns to become the company’s next big babyface, but he won’t flourish until he’s paired with a heel he can feed off of. Even though Sheamus is the current WWE Champion, we all know he isn’t the guy and is serving as nothing more than a stopgap for the next guy in line.
Although Triple H doesn’t wrestle regularly, he’s the sole Superstar who makes any sort of sense to be facing the former Shield member at WrestleMania 32. With Triple H costing him the championship at Survivor Series, it’s logical to assume that he’ll look to exact revenge in the form of a match against him. If this is indeed the case, which all signs point to it to be, who will be battling for the belt at the big event?
Reigns will likely be involved in the world title picture through the Royal Rumble at the earliest, but having him walk into WrestleMania as champion wouldn’t make much sense. HHH vs. Reigns can be built purely around their animosity for each other and how Reigns desperately needs to prove himself with a win over one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time. This is a match that is surround by prestige and one where it’s not necessary to have the title at stake.
So who is left? What becomes of Kevin Owens? How about Brock Lesnar? I think the only way this all sorts itself out is to have Owens battle Sheamus for the WWE Championship and have Brock wrestle someone like Goldberg. Yes I said it…..
Well, that is another story for a different article. All we know now is Triple H will be battling Roman Reigns at some point in the near future. The rest will be decided in the next month…..How do you think it will play itself out?
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