Welcome to another edition of eWN Round Table, where we gather some of the most active writers here on eWrestlingNews and share the platform to answer some questions surrounding a centralized topic, upcoming event, etc.
This is meant to showcase the potential for both a wide range of perspectives as well as how sometimes, there can be a group consensus no matter what your viewpoint is, so we also invite all of you to join in on the discussion by answering these questions yourself in the comments section below.
For this particular volume, we’ll be focusing on the events surrounding WrestleMania Week 2019 including NXT TakeOver: New York, the Hall of Fame and WrestleMania 35.
Participants for this round = Anthony Mango, Richard Staple, Chris Holden, and Ethan Absler.
1) “What are you most looking forward to seeing at the WWE Hall of Fame this year?”
MANGO: I’m hesitant to trust the changes they’ll be making to the ceremony this year, but I’m hoping they give X-Pac, Billy Gunn and Road Dogg a decent enough time to talk. Their speeches are what I’m most anticipating, as well as the general atmosphere.
STAPLE: Seeing Chyna getting inducted into the Hall of Fame in any capacity will be cool. I know people will say WWE is low-balling her by inducting her in as a member of a faction as opposed to an individual induction, but it’s better than nothing, right?
HOLDEN: Honestly, the end. It’s become more and more of a waste of time, in my opinion at least, every year since inception. No question The Hart Foundation are a HOF-worthy team, Harlem Heat can also make a strong case, and of course DX as a stable should be there. But Brutus Beefcake? Torrie Wilson? Sure, as it stands, in a Hall of Fame that already includes Koko B. Ware, I get it. It’s not “really” a Hall of Fame as much as it’s an Acknowledgement of Accomplishment. But for me at least, that makes me care less and less about it each year.
ABSLER: I am most looking forward to seeing Degeneration X’s induction. I think the stable getting inducted is not only well deserved, but I can’t wait to see their energy one more time and believe it will bring an element of fun and unpredictability to the show.
2) “Which show do you think has more potential, NXT TakeOver: New York or WrestleMania 35?”
MANGO: I have faith TakeOver will be the more concise (obviously) and overall better show when looked at in a bubble, but I think there’s more potential for WrestleMania to be more memorable in the grand scheme of things.
STAPLE: Considering WrestleMania is going to have about 15-16 matches, Takeover will be holding my attention longer. WrestleMania’s length is ridiculous. You could divide it into two separate PPV’s. NXT’s match card is a third of the length of WrestleMania.
The ol’ “quality over quantity” battle is something NXT always wins. Although if Seth and Kofi leave with the world titles, they could have bigger individual moments than NXT.
HOLDEN: Since I’m not expecting much from Mania, and expect a fantastic show from NXT, I guess WrestleMania has more potential. It’s felt like an underwhelming build to the crescendo that is supposed to be Mania this year. Everything has seemed more generic than usual, like we’re heading towards any PPV on the schedule instead of the Showcase of the Immortals. Having said that, I can’t shake the feeling they’ll put on a special show with moments we’re really not anticipating. Could just be my stupid hope acting up again.
ABSLER: I think NXT TakeOver has more potential again simply because I believe the WrestleMania card is too cluttered. For the last few years in a row, TakeOver has outshined the Show of Shows and I don’t see why it wouldn’t happen again this year.
3) “Are you satisfied with the backup plan of Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano for the NXT Championship match?”
MANGO: Admittedly, it isn’t what I would have gone with, but I know it’s going to be a great match, so I’m cool with it. I just hope this doesn’t mean Gargano loses just to avoid going with the obvious win, and that they push off his title reign for months, as well as holding back The Undisputed ERA from jumping up to the main roster. Basically, this will be great and it’s a good option for the card, but I’m withholding some judgment until finding out the ramifications a month or so from now.
STAPLE: I mean, this is about as entertaining a backup plan could get. Gargano and Ciampa have had entertaining battles, but let’s not forget the two faced each other for three straight Takeovers last year. Having them face off again after Ciampa had an extended feud with Aliester Black would kind of be motonous.
This is a completely fresh matchup, and it gives Adam Cole, one of NXT’s top performers, an opportunity. I am very much looking forward to a great bout.
HOLDEN: Yes. In fact, this is probably an even better story at the end of the day than Gargano vs Ciampa again; we’ll still certainly get to see that again down the line, but for now, it gives a different, equally compelling, direction to Johnny Wrestling. Should be a fantastic match, two out of three falls, can’t wait!
ABSLER: If there was ever a good backup plan for the NXT title picture, this would have been my number one choice. Cole brings versatility and legitimacy to the NXT title and nobody is more deserving of the spot in the first place than Johnny Gargano.
4) “Regarding the two battle royal matches, which male and female superstars do you think WILL win and who do you think SHOULD win?”
MANGO: For who will win, I’m leaning toward Strowman or Lars Sullivan for the men, Mandy Rose or Lacey Evans for the women. For who should win, I’d go with either Strowman or Andrade (or maybe Kevin Owens) for the men, Asuka or Shayna Baszler for the women, although part of me does really want to see Mickie James get a boost and another accolade.
STAPLE: Male: Strowman probably should win, but knowing WWE, they’ll give the victory to one of the SNL guys.
Female: Asuka should win since her opportunity to have a title match at Mania was taken away, so I also think she will win as a consolation. Though I really think someone like Ruby Riot could use something big to give her some credibility.
HOLDEN: Braun Strowman absolutely has to win the Andre. The Monster will be officially over and out at the main event level with anything less. While they never seemed keen to pull the trigger with Strowman, I don’t think they’re ready to kill him yet. He should, and will win. On the female side of things, it’s too early to tell (it’s Monday, prior to Raw and SmackDown!) If she’s not included for some crazy reason into the main event this week, Asuka should win to re-establish herself in a top spot. If Asuka’s not in, I would give it to Lacey Evans, so they can at least start to justify the appearances.
ABSLER: For the men’s battle royal, I would take the obvious and basic pick of Braun Strowman. Honestly he does deserve to win the thing, but I am mainly just praying that the winner isn’t one of the SNL hosts. As for the women’s battle royal, Asuka and Mandy Rose should win, and I believe one of those two will walk away with he victory.
5) “What is more important, having the best card possible at the expense of an 8-hour show, or keeping WrestleMania tighter in time even if certain wrestlers are kept on the sidelines?”
MANGO: I’m somewhat mixed, as I feel WWE should get everyone on the card, but they handled it poorly this year. To me, Reigns vs. McIntyre is a good example of a match that has no reason being on the card other than to get those two involved, in which case, they should be the Intercontinental Championship match and the lesser folk of Balor and Lashley should be in the ATGMBR. That alone is 15 minutes or more that could have been allocated differently. The battle royals are good for getting everyone in there, but since those exist, there shouldn’t be 18 matches on the card.
STAPLE: I actually wrote about this the other week. WWE should not feel entitled to give everyone under a WWE contract a WrestleMania slot. It’s an unpopular behavior, but WrestleMania is reserved for big names and big matches. Expecting a crowd to stay hot in their seats for 8 hours is completely unreasonable.
The best possible show WrestleMania can be shouldn’t be conflated with how long it can get. I can take off 9-10 matches on this show, and I’ll give you the best possible show Mania can be.
The reason why Takeover routinely kills it is because the card isn’t long, which means there is more time to let the story of each match marinate. I’m sure the crowd will still pop if Rollins or Kofi wins a title, but 8 hours? That’s how long humans are recommended to sleep.
HOLDEN: I don’t have any problem with an eight, or 10, or 15 hour show. I get it, that’s not for everyone. My best suggestion to appease all would be a three-hour actual WrestleMania card, featuring just the cream. The rest goes on various pre-shows leading up during the day. Obviously, in my perfect-world scenario, nobody on the talent side of things would miss any money regardless of which slot they were in. Sadly, that’s not too likely to be the case, so for their collective sake, let it run long.
ABSLER: I believe that it is more important to have a quality show. WrestleMania is far too long and way too crowded to give most of the matches any time to shine and tell a story. Even the most dedicated fan will have a hard time paying attention or devoting 8 full hours to the extravaganza that is WrestleMania; which means keeping the card smaller and giving matches ample time to shine will be the best move business wise and keep the fans happy.
6) “Do you have any WrestleMania traditions? What are your plans for the big event?”
MANGO: I don’t know if I would call it a tradition, as we haven’t done it every year, but sometimes, my friends and I get a contest going for who can guess the most matches correct while we’re all doing the normal shtick of hanging out, eating pizza and other food, and talking loudly over each other.
STAPLE: WrestleMania is my Super Bowl Sunday, so I’ll have all the essentials. Pizza, wings, nachos and hopefully a sober body. I just hope I’m awake for all of it.
HOLDEN: I usually watch Hogan vs Andre from WrestleMania III, Hogan vs Savage from V, Hogan vs Warrior from VI, both HBK vs Undertaker matches, HBK vs Flair, back to Flair vs Savage from VII, fast-forward to Rock vs Hogan, and cap it off with the Rock vs Austin trilogy. By that time, I’m next to pissing myself with excitement, annoying whomever I live with by constantly bellowing, “It’s starting soon! It’s starting soon!”
ABSLER: For WrestleMania I always invite my friends over who watch wrestling, order a crazy amount of pizza, and watch the show.
7) “How do you feel about Baron Corbin being Kurt Angle’s final opponent and the way WWE has handled Angle’s retirement tour?”
MANGO: If there isn’t a swerve with John Cena actually being the last opponent, or someone of equal caliber, WWE has proven that there is a major disconnect between some people in the office and the overall fan base. Nobody in their right mind should think Corbin is the right opponent for this, and I say that as an actual fan of Corbin. I’ve liked how this “tour” has included people like Apollo Crews and Chad Gable who might otherwise not get any recognition, but the matches have been bad. That’s no surprise, as Angle’s been unable to perform since his return, so I wasn’t expecting much to begin with. Overall, this whole thing has been a bust.
STAPLE: I’m desperately hoping WWE is just dragging us along and that Corbin will be taken out by someone else. If Corbin is truly his final opponent, what a disgraceful way for his career to end. I mean, Corbin is still wearing a suit as if he still has power. He sucks. Let’s just be real.
In terms of the retirement tour, I think WWE has handled it okay, as the matches haven’t gone too long. It’s just been sad to see how much Angle’s mobility has declined. He clearly doesn’t have it.
Samoa Joe did a snap suplex on Angle last week and Angle made it look like a DDT. I’ll miss Angle, but I won’t miss his matches. And since Corbin is a lousy worker, I’m afraid this is gonna be a disaster IF they go through with it.
HOLDEN: I’m so torn on this. On the one hand, it feels like Kurt’s actual final match is like the payoff to a fairly weak story that didn’t really get the audience as invested in the match-up. Having said that, their long-term pairing, from back when Angle was GM and Corbin was the Constable, certainly got Baron up to where he is now, an upper-midcard heel with heat. It’s a tremendous rub for Corbin, and I’ve always been in favour of guys going out giving the rub to someone who needs it. But part of me can’t help but feel it should be someone with more cache for Angle’s retirement match. I still do think he’ll end up actually facing John Cena on Sunday. As for the Retirement Tour, they made some great match-ups for it, but didn’t deliver on all. Angle vs Styles on SmackDown should have been allowed to try and duplicate their best work. Whether it could have or not isn’t important, it shouldn’t have been a brief set-up for Styles’ Mania match. Fingers crossed the same thing doesn’t happen on Raw when he takes on Mysterio.
ABSLER: I really hope that this story has some sort of plot twist because I’m honestly not a fan of Corbin vs Angle. I’m not a huge fan of Corbin and believe Angle should go out with a bigger bang and pull off one more classic against someone like AJ Styles or John Cena.
8) “What is the biggest oversight you can think of for this whole weekend’s worth of festivities (including booking decisions, missing elements, neglected stars, etc)?”
MANGO: How did WWE advertise all these NXT people and over the course of nearly 5 months, not a single one of them is in a good spot? Heavy Machinery and EC3 are in the ATGMBR. Nikki Cross is in the battle royal. Lacey Evans hasn’t been announced (from the time I’m answering this). Lars Sullivan is still MIA. That’s horrible.
STAPLE: Corbin being chosen as Angle’s farewell opponent and Strowman’s feud with comedy show hosts have been the bane of my existence. I’ve already discussed how poorly they’re doing Angle, but holy crap, Strowman has fallen far hasn’t he?
I just can’t understand how WWE thinks any of this is a good idea? What’s gonna happen at Mania? Strowman destroys them both? The hosts team up to eliminate him in the battle royal? There’s no worthy payoff for this storyline at all and it only serves to show how Strowman is a far cry from what he used to be.
HOLDEN: It just feels like everything has taken a backseat to the two women’s championships since last summer. I’m more than pleased to see the titles treated with the respect and focus they’ve deserved, but at the end of the day, my personal complaint is the same as it’s been for years. With so much television time to go ’round, why can’t that focus be spread more evenly? It used to feel like seeds for a WrestleMania could begin to be planted nine months prior; only the main event and Miz vs Shane can really claim to have history. And Miz vs Shane, when you really think about it, started from absolutely nothing and is actually a pretty meaningless feud. I’m genuinely surprised we haven’t even heard The Undertaker’s name mentioned on television.
ABSLER: I think the biggest oversight is again, the sheer length of the show. Sure there are missed opportunities, but instead of focusing on what WWE could have done, I think WWE needs to learn from their mistakes in the past. WrestleMania is too long and even die hard WWE fans can’t sit through the full show. 6 hours of undercard matches is two full shows worth of wrestling before we even get to the main events. WWE must shorten the length of WrestleMania in the future or risk it becoming a boring show.
9) “If you could add one more match to either card, what would it be?”
MANGO: Assuming Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder face The Revival for the Raw Tag Team Championship, I’d have to go with adding some sort of Triple Threat match to TakeOver that would be brought about from the Worlds Collide stuff at Axxess. Basically, it would be one representative from NXT, NXT UK and 205 Live against each other and it would take place on the TakeOver pre-show. As far as who would be those people, I’d probably lean with Dominik Dijakovic getting the win over Drew Gulak and Tyler Bate or something like that.
STAPLE: Do I have a choice to remove a match instead? I don’t think WrestleMania needs anything more than what they already have and Takeover’s five-match card formula works. If there’s anything I could replace, it’s John Cena being Angle’s final opponent.
HOLDEN: Based on what we know the card to be confirmed as right now, I’d add John Cena vs Kevin Owens to Mania. With any luck, both guys end up finding their way in somehow.
ABSLER: I would add some sort of NXT battle Royal for a future title opportunity just to give some other NXT stars on the brink of a TakeOver spot some time in the limelight.
10) “Which one thing above all else do you think will steal the show for this entire weekend?”
MANGO: The two things that stand out to me as the segments with the most potential are Gargano vs. Cole and Bryan vs. Kingston, although I can’t imagine anything will top the importance and spectacle of the women’s main event of WrestleMania, just by the sheer nature of the beast.
STAPLE: Nothing, and I mean nothing, will beat Kofi Kingston winning the WWE Title. I think WWE may actually chicken out and not pull the trigger, which would be incredibly sad. But if they do, Seth winning the Universal Title, Cole Or Johnny winning the NXT Title and the women’s main event has nothing on Kofi fulfilling an 11-year journey.
HOLDEN: Rollins vs Lesnar’s Universal title match. I think it’s being generally ignored because we don’t see Brock, and the talky-talk hype has been very generic. But these are two guys who can go; two guys who are going to feel a little bit salty they’re not the ones closing the show, and they’re going to want to prove why they should have. No disrespect to the women’s triple threat, I think it’s gonna be outstanding. But I really think these two can pull off a true five-star if they want to.
ABSLER: Gargano vs Adam Cole, Mysterio vs Samoa Joe, or Matt Riddle vs Velveteen Dream will be stealing the show this weekend.
Big thanks to everyone who took part in this edition!
Those are our thoughts, but what do you have to say about these issues? Keep the discussion going by chiming in via the comments section below!
