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The Rock vs. John Cena - It has already been announced and how huge is this? Ten years after one of the biggest matches in Wrestlemania history in Rock vs. Hogan, the roles will be reversed when Rock comes back as the old guard stepping back into the ring for the first time in 8 years. Cena will play the present and presumed future of the company standing against the veteran. It’s an awesome story waiting to happen. It shall be interesting to see how they go about hyping this match. If I were Rock, I’d definitely pay a visit to Summerslam to remind Cena what he has coming to him. It’s just one of those rare scenarios where the WWE realizes what they have far in advance and goes ahead and announces what they are planning on doing. I absolutely love it and it’s just the kind of thing that keeps the momentum going from Mania 27 and keeps the fan base energized to get through the next few post-Mania months. The Undertaker vs. Triple H Rematch - The first match was billed as the “War of Wars” so you could realistically refer to this as War of Wars 2. It was a great match the first time around and it should have a rematch at some point. Whether or not there will be a rematch at Mania is up for debate, but you have to ask yourself who other than Trips and the otherwise occupied Cena could realistically challenge Taker at Mania. Orton could do it, but I’m not sure he is as big a threat as Trips. After the lasting impression that Trips left with his performance against Taker this year, the logical choice would be a rematch. The story is completely different than the one with HBK, in that Trips beat the holy hell out of Taker…HBK nearly willed a win, but it was not the same kind of story as with the Game. This rematch could either happen at Summerslam or Mania, and I would surmise that it’ll end up happening at Mania. The Streak is too big a deal now to have an up-and-comer be the 20th in 20-0. OR The Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho - I must admit that I have always had a hard time imagining Jericho being considered a viable threat to the Streak. However, there is a way that this match could happen and Jericho honestly be looked at as a guy who could legitimately make Taker 19-1. If Jericho were to hone a new character – one that gets the best of the top guys in the company like Randy Orton, Big Show, John Cena, or even Triple H – then he could roll into 2012 with a ton of momentum and a newfound reputation as a villain with a distinct goal in mind to beat the Deadman at Wrestlemania. Jericho has done such brilliant work in recent years that it would be fitting to see him get one more chance to steal the show at Mania. Taker would need someone of his caliber to get him through one more 4-star or better classic. It would also be a perfect complement to the main-event of Cena vs. Rock. Taker and Jericho have never wrestled one-on-one on a PPV. This is a must-see encounter. WWE Champion The Miz vs. John Morrison (No Disqualifications) - I think the WWE realizes that they have a new guy that they can let carry the load. John Cena is still the top guy, but Miz can be counted upon to be a top star and the champion. So, I think that Miz will have a career year in 2011 and go into Mania 28 as the champion, again. I don’t think he’ll hold the title that long, although he could. I chose Morrison as a potential opponent because it’s probably getting to now or never for him. They know what they’ve got with him – a flashy performer who can do things in the ring that no one else can do. The question is whether or not they seem him as an RVD type or an HBK/Bret type that can be a legit main-event player and champion. I think Morrison stands a good chance of winning the Rumble and facing Miz since they have so much history and since Morrison has seen a steady incline in his career and only needs an opportunity to step up. It would behoove the WWE to bring the Rumble winner losing streak into play, as that would add more drama. World Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton - There is a huge Latino population in Miami, from the statistics I’ve read and ADR seems destined to get the most out of this run with the WWE. He is a great character that seems to be finding his groove and really ascending quickly toward being the torch bearer on the brand for the next year. Orton seems to be the guy that will most likely take Edge’s spot as consistent World title holder or contender – a new role that had been carved out, smartly to maximize a really popular character that will be overshadowed by Cena on Raw every week. So, there’d be a natural collision course, here. Orton could be built up as a guy seeking that defining moment at Wrestlemania by winning the very title that he earned in 2004 to become youngest World Champion in history. He and ADR could have a great feud and a great match, as Orton is a great foil to the snobbish, rich man Del Rio character. Triple H vs. CM Punk - The potential show stealer in all aspects from the build-up to the match itself at Mania, if you ask me. It’s the kind of match that could really elevate Punk to top heel status in the WWE. Triple H showed this year that he can still tear the house down and has a maturity about him that will allow him to produce a few mores of those before it’s all said and done. Punk is a hungry younger star in his prime that wants to be given the ball at the top of the card. There’s plenty of righteous material that Punk could use to get into the head of the Game. Meanwhile, the Game is the Cerebral Assassin and to have a good psychologically stimulating feud that goes a little deeper than the norm – ala Punk’s feud with Jeff Hardy and his real life issues – would be great for his legacy. I think they would be a dark horse for Match of the Night, despite the heavy competition from four other big main-events. Rey Mysterio vs. Sin Cara - A lot of people seem to believe that Cara and Del Rio are going to be working together soon, but I think the match that sells the most foreign buys for the Mania PPV is Cara vs. Mysterio. Rey is the icon in the WWE for the lucha libre, masked Mexican wrestler. He has been a fixture in sports entertainment since the mid-90’s and is a former World Champion. Sara is the guy that most assume has the best chance of replacing Rey when he hangs up his mask. What a great honor it would be for Rey to be able to get over Cara and help him usher in a new era for the masked star. It’d be a great complimentary match much like his bout with Cody from this year or the one with Eddie Guerrero in 2005. It’d be a big opportunity for Cara, as well. Sheamus vs. Big Show - It was a shame that the Celtic Warrior didn’t make it onto the Wrestlemania card this year. He had more than earned it with a stellar year in 2010 where he’d carried the WWE title for 5 months. So, hopefully, he’ll end up on the card in 2012. It wouldn’t seem like his chances are great to be in a marquee match given the recent downgrade he’s received in status in recent months, but a battle against a guy like Big Show would be fresh and give Show something more important to do than be in a throwaway 8-man tag match. The big guy has done a lot for the WWE since his return in 2008 and I think he deserves better. Awesome Kong vs. Beth Phoenix - I’m hoping next year will be the year that women’s wrestling returns to a more respectable position than not even having the women’s champion on the card in 2011. Kong seems to be the type of character, whatever they call her, that could bring something to the table that hasn’t been there for awhile. Phoenix, with her size, would seemingly be the perfect opponent for her if they want to build a legitimate feud over the Diva’s title. 8-Man Tag Team Match - I have a feeling that something similar to the 8-man tag match may become the norm for getting some of the mid-card talent onto the card without a ladder. Guys like Wade Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, and Cody Rhodes could all be in top matches come next April for all we know, but if that’s the case then there are going to be other top guys that get pushed down into a spot like this. The WWE needs to have a place for those guys just to get them in front of the 75,000 people that will be watching.
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