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3/24/15 UPDATE ADDED TO THE BROCK LESNAR vs. ROMAN REIGNS PREDICTION - SEE BELOW So here we are, the column before Wrestlemania 31. Usually, I head into the Royal Rumble to Wrestlemania with such enthusiasm and hype. The Royal Rumble has always been a great event and the Rumble match winner gets the big shot at Wrestlemania. But this year, which follows several years of disappointments from the WWE (especially Royal Rumble, what happened to that event?), is especially depressing to get through. WWE management is dead-set on making Roman Reigns their next top babyface superstar and they are completely disregarding what the fans want. For the past few weeks, I've challenged wrestling fans to show me a WWE wrestler who heard "YOU CAN'T WRESTLE" chants on their way up to the World Title. The only example of it maybe happening was Great Khali... Other than that, you never heard that chant for upcoming World Champions in the WWE. Even the examples of overpushed wrestlers by WWE Management who I've compared to Reigns never heard those chants. Never heard it for Sheamus, Jack Swagger, Miz, or Alberto Del Rio. Yet, the WWE might actually go through with crowning Roman Reigns as WWE Champion on Sunday and actually have him defeat Brock Lesnar. You know, the same former UFC Heavyweight Champion who has been on a winning streak of defeating Triple H, CM Punk, Big Show, Undertaker (ended the streak), John Cena, and John Cena/Seth Rollins. How on earth can you justify pushing a guy to defeat someone as credible as Brock Lesnar despite the negative fan reactions? It PAINS me to be put in a position where I'm seriously considering a real boycott of the WWE. Think I wouldn't do it? From June 2007 through late 2009, I cut off my WWE viewership (aside from Wrestlemanias) out of pure disgust with the wrestling industry following the Benoit killings. Many of you were questioning why I would put Wrestlemania 24 as my #28 ranking for my Top 30 Wrestlemanias column. That show occurred during 2008 where I wasn't watching the product regularly and did nothing for me then. I've shown complete discipline on the WWE Network. They haven't received $9.99 per month from me because I'm disappointed in how they handled the careers of CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, and Dean Ambrose. Each of those 5 wrestlers were legitimately sabotaged by the WWE Creative team in favor of pushing WWE Management's favorite wrestlers instead. Thus, I've spoken with my money... So should many others who are upset at the creative direction of the WWE. If presented with the possibility of suffering through the "Roman Empire" for the summer, then I may stop covering WWE. Now, I'm not retiring for the 10948482884th time... I would just cease covering the WWE until the changed their ways. I've had representatives reach out to me from other promotions for coverage and I may oblige. Dixie Carter herself encouraged me to watch TNA through a Tweet which I respect. I know, they are a "sinking ship" on that poor Destination America channel that not many people have... But if that promotion wants to hear my constructive criticisms, I'll gladly cover them. I'd rather cover a struggling promotion than an arrogant one who believes that their WWE Title, not the fans, make stars. Plus, there are a few other things that I want to try out beyond column writing on pro wrestling. For those of you who have the WWE Network, please watch WWE stuff from 1995 through early 1997. That's what a broken WWE looks like with a bad creative direction and the wrong wrestlers pushed. Vince McMahon needed new brains to surround him and influence him to change the direction of the company. First, Vince promoted announcer Jim Ross to Manager or VP of Talent Relations. Ross would not only restock the WWE with younger talent but made 3 great signings of key WCW castaways: Steve Austin, Triple H, and Mick Foley. But Ross loved Steve Austin and fought for him. Despite the Austin 3:16 stuff that was getting crazy over, Vince McMahon was reportedly against pushing Steve Austin to be his next star. Jim Ross pushed hard... Then, another Vince promotion joined and his name was Vince Russo. Russo saw how unique talent of a talent Steve Austin was and began booking him favorably. It took great minds like Ross and Russo to surround Vince and actually disagree with him from time to time. Now, Vince McMahon relies on his best friend Kevin Dunn and family with his daughter Stephanie McMahon and son-in-law Triple H for advice. They do not have innovative minds like Ross and Russo to present Vince McMahon with alternative visions of the WWE. In fact, Dunn, Stephanie, and HHH fold like chairs and don't dare challenge their friend or father. Thus, when Vince McMahon has a major boner for how Roman Reigns looks, family and friends carrying EVP titles backstage won't challenge him. To Triple H's credit, he is reportedly trying to convince Vince to rethink Wrestlemania 31's main event IF Brock Lesnar re-signs with the WWE. But then again, Triple H is the same guy who actively worked to cool down CM Punk during 2011, push Sheamus hard during 2012, and push Batista hard during 2014. Oh, and Sin Cara... Can't forget that HHH blunder. It's a SHAME that friends and family have made Vince McMahon soft backstage. There is NO better executive in professional wrestling history than Vince McMahon, period. In fact, I'm a "Vince McMahon Guy". Most attempt to blame him for being "senile" or "old". I've read into the inner workings of the WWE more than most and I've actually observed how Vince delegates authority. Ultimately, Vince McMahon makes the final decision and often pushes the tastes/preferences of what he wants, but WWE was at its best when trusted minds with wrestling experience or innovative minds surrounded Vince. That's what happened during the 1980's with many wrestlers who retired during the early 1980's joined Vince and then during the late 1990's when Vince restocked the thinktank (mainly Ross and Russo). It's no secret that the WWE's television viewership on Monday nights has been nearly cut in half ever since the late 1990's Vince influences were replaced by friends & family (Dunn, Stephanie, & HHH). Why did the WWE get better during 1997? Because WWE had a real "sense of urgency" to get better. RAW ratings got as low as 1.9 during March 1997... Think about that... That's a full point below what RAW regularly receives now and WWE was thought to be seeing dire straight then. What happened? Vince McMahon put more trust into Vince Russo and they began pushing newer superstars. They also changed the creative direction from cartoonish storylines to adult themes. Within 1 freakin' year, they were challenging WCW Monday Nitro in the ratings. By the summer of 1998, they were consistently defeating WCW in the ratings. ONE YEAR, folks... WWE actually has a decent roster of wrestlers right now for 2015. They just have to LISTEN TO THE FANS and push the wrestlers that they are actually reacting to... Want change? WWE has shifted their business model from the Pay Per View market to streaming via the WWE Network. Just cancel your subscription and consider reducing your RAW/Smackdown viewership. If you want the WWE to sweat and attempt to change things for the better, hurt them financially. In an environment where WWE is the only true option because both TNA, Lucha Underground, and Ring of Honor are either not in a good prime time slot OR are on channels not on basic cable/satellite packages, the WWE is getting complacent at the top. Their managers lack the "fire in their belly" to innovate or create a product that satisfies fans. Instead, Vince McMahon is tearing pages out of the old playbook (hosses or looks, baby) and the rest of the 3 (HHH, Stephanie, Dunn) just nod their heads or bury their heads in the sand. WWE has no "sense of urgency" caused by their competition, thus it must be created by its customers. But, if the WWE shoves Roman Reigns down our throats and you, the fans, keep watching, then you are to blame. As long as WWE can get around 4 million RAW viewers and 1,000,000 fans to buy the WWE Network, they can make money. If the fans want to be the enabler, then nothing will change... WWE is getting mixed signals from its fanbase, I can imagine... No matter how bad the storylines have been or how overpushed some of the wrong talents have been, you keep coming back. Then, when the WWE pisses off CM Punk to walk away and play booking games with Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, and Dean Ambrose, you still fork over $9.99 per month for the WWE Network. In many ways, I don't blame the WWE for pushing guys that management likes, such as Roman Reigns, because they can get away with it without the fear of competition or customer run-off. Fans must take a stand against the WWE in order to make it improve... Again, go watch your WWE Networks for 1995-1997. Fans quit watching WWE and with time, WWE made significant changes to challenge WCW in 1 year. 1 freakin' year. As I said before, it PAINS ME that I have to consider backing off from WWE programming. I love the WWE... When Vince McMahon does things right, nothing is more entertaining. Can you tell me another form of entertainment that gives you chills running down your spine? Take the RAW after Wrestlemania 28. You knew that Brock Lesnar was about to return to the WWE based on many insider reports suggesting it yet Lesnar's return was AMAZING. Seeing Sting in a WWE ring has been mindblowing to me! Remember how crazy the fans went when Daniel Bryan turned on Bray Wyatt in the cage? I LOVED the Shield vs. Evolution feud. Remember how SHOCKED you were when Brock Lesnar ended the Undertaker's streak last year? How much fun was that Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena at Royal Rumble 2015 this year? Holy cow, that was a fun match! For those of you who have repeatedly asked "why do you keep watching?" and I just suggest that you re-read the above paragraph. When the WWE gets it right, there is no better entertainment drug on earth. As an addict, I keep coming back to the WWE pusher in hopes of getting another great "high". But, if it's becoming increasingly impossible to be entertained like I used to be, then it's time to move on... I care too much about WWE's legacy that I don't want to see it torn down by stupid backstage moves or poorly assessed talent. I have more than given the WWE constructive criticisms and legitimate advice on how to make simple repairs to recreate a strong wrestling product. Just go to my COLUMN ARCHIVES and read away. You'll not only see my passion for the WWE, but my constant preaching on how to repair things. Lots of historical perspective, too. The WWE, however, can easily call an audible. Brock Lesnar can simply retain the WWE Title or have Seth Rollins cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase. Maybe SummerSlam 2015 might be a better crowning moment for Roman Reigns instead as he could then chase the title while gaining valuable experience on the way there. While chasing Rollins, he just happens to run into Bray Wyatt or Rusev. It's that simple. 2015 is just not Reigns year to shine. He's not ready in the ring and his personality isn't something that fans are craving. If the WWE shows me that they can correct a mistake, then I'll remain a fan. If they want to repeat the same mistakes of the past like what happened by going against the grain of the fans by pushing wrestlers that WWE Management wants (Del Rio, Miz, Sheamus, Swagger, Orton, Batista) instead of whom the fans want (Punk, Cesaro, Bryan, Ambrose, Ziggler), then fuck 'em. Time is money, so in addition to not being a sheep with my dollars, I'll stop being one with my time. Speak with your dollars and time, WWE fans... Nothing will change if you are an enabler. 3/24/15 UPDATE: Hard to turn away now that Brock Lesnar has re-signed with the WWE. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman have helped carry the WWE for the last 3 years, especially the last 2. Onto my Wrestlemania 31 predictions. MR. TITO's PHAT WRESTLEMANIA 31 PREDICTIONS WWE Tag Title 4 Way: Cesaro/Tyson Kidd (c) vs. Los Matadores vs. Usos vs. the New Day I have ZERO motivation to see this tag match. My guess is that with one of the Usos getting injured, they won't win. WWE isn't crazy about the New Day gimmick and have already blown that opportunity. Los Matadores are OK, I guess. Just don't know, nor do I care. WHO SHOULD WIN: Usos. Don't care if one of them are hurt. The other 3 teams are so "meh" to me. WHO WILL WIN: Cesaro and Tyson Kidd retain. With an Uso hurt and the other 2 tag teams under-hyped, the heels retain. ------------------------------------------------------------ Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins I believe that Seth Rollins will be cashing in the Money in the Bank either at Wrestlemania 31 or the RAW thereafter (unless WWE enforces that Rollins must cash-in at Wrestlemania). With that being said, Randy Orton might be the first opponent for Seth Rollins and for the next few Pay Per Views, it could be Rollins vs. Orton as the headliners. I'm actually OK with that. WHO SHOULD WIN: Seth Rollins just because I've seen enough from Randy Orton at this point. Unless he can present something new to his character or ability as a veteran, he needs to get out of the way with his 12 World Title reigns already. WHO WILL WIN: Randy Orton. It's typical WWE booking to tear a guy down before he wins something big. Having Orton win creates a ready-made Orton vs. Rollins feud after Wrestlemania 31 which is logical. ------------------------------------------------------------ Andre "the Giant" Memorial Battle Royal Hmmmm... I dunno. Aside from the hype of Miz and Sandow possibly getting into it, this is a real crapshoot unless we see a return. WHO SHOULD WIN: Damien Sandow, with him tossing Miz over the top rope to pull the trigger on the babyface turn. WHO WILL WIN: The returning Sheamus. I could lean to "should win" for that. ------------------------------------------------------------ Paige/AJ Lee vs. Bella Twins Based on how Nikki has worked incredibly well with both AJ Lee and Paige in singles matches, we could be in for a revolutionary Divas match here at Wrestlemania. The Bellas, especially Nikki Bella, have greatly improved and Paige/AJ Lee present lots of in-ring ability. I do like the animosity pushed by the WWE between Paige and AJ Lee although everybody conveniently forgets that the Bellas had a violent break-up last year at SummerSlam. Ooops, let's sweep that under the rug! WHO SHOULD WIN / WHO WILL WIN: I believe that we'll continue to see both Paige and AJ Lee chase after the Bella Twins following Wrestlemania 31, thus Paige will probably get the pin on Nikki Bella at this event. I'm going with AJ and Paige to overcome their differences and defeat Twin Magic. I am actually hyped for this match. ------------------------------------------------------------ Intecontinental Title Ladder Match: Bad News Barrett (c) vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Dean Ambrose vs. R-Truth vs. Luke Harper vs. Stardust Ummm... Should be a great match? Lots of talent thrown into this match with 3 guys that I'd argue are more worthy of the WWE Title shot than Roman Reigns (Ziggler, Ambrose, and Bryan). I'm sure it will be a great match as are most multi-person ladder matches. WHO SHOULD WIN: Bad News Barrett. Barrett retaining in the face of strong talent would present a big moment for him. WHO WILL WIN: Dean Ambrose. WWE management wants this guy to be a midcarder and the belt will anchor him down to that level. ------------------------------------------------------------ Bray Wyatt vs. Undertaker I could imagine the backstage meetings between Vince and Triple H are fighting hard for each guy. On one hand, HHH has been behind the Bray Wyatt character and would probably push for Bray to win. However, Vince McMahon loves the Undertaker and Vince might consider that wrestler to be his finest creation. I believe that Vince McMahon wants to redeem the Undertaker following how willing Taker was to end the streak last year. WHO SHOULD WIN: Bray Wyatt. Bray is in his prime, Undertaker is well past his and hasn't wrestled in 1 year. Bray should dominate him. WHO WILL WIN: Undertaker. It's a reward for ending the streak at Wrestlemania 30 and for taking a beating last year at the hands of Lesnar. I would actually respect this decision by Vince as Bray Wyatt might benefit more by defeating Brock Lesnar instead because of the Wrestlemania 30 decision to end the streak. ------------------------------------------------------------ US Title: Rusev (c) vs. John Cena Tonight's Rusev beatdown on John Cena during Monday Night RAW makes my prediction easy. Rusev getting the win at Fastlane also makes the prediction easy. For the last 6 months, John Cena has been the punching bag of Brock Lesnar and its payback time. Vince likes to remind fans that Cena is still a top draw and often pushes for the return of Super Cena. I would gain even more confidence in my pick if Brock Lesnar re-signs with the WWE (which increases the probability of beating Reigns). WHO SHOULD WIN: Rusev. Lana should make a surprise appearance and cost John Cena the match. Rusev's in-ring work has greatly improved and he could be ready for bigger things during 2015. I could watch a Rusev vs. Lesnar match... WHO WILL WIN: John Cena. Like I said, Cena has been Lesnar's bitch and Cena also lost to Rusev last month at Fastlane. ------------------------------------------------------------ Triple H vs. Sting The past few RAWs have really helped hype this match-up to become the match that I'm most looking forward to for Wrestlemania 31. While I didn't like how HHH/Stephanie ripped Sting's WCW career without much rebuttal, Sting has been well received by WWE fans and has had good appearances since Survivor Series 2014. Overall, the WWE has treated Sting like he's a big deal upon his debut and I still can't believe that he's on Monday Night RAW. WHO SHOULD WIN / WHO WILL WIN: I believe that Sting wins. It makes absolutely NO SENSE for Triple H to win this match. It's Sting's first match with WWE and a loss from the start completely kills any money that the WWE could draw from Sting in the future. Could you imagine the WWE actually doing Sting vs. Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules 2015? Shit, I'd watch that... It would be unique to see how a veteran like Sting could work with a younger wrestler like Rusev or Bray Wyatt. After all, Bray's dad (Mike Rotunda or IRS in WWE) put over Sting HUGE for the WCW Television Title during 1989. Sting vs. John Cena, Sting vs. Randy Orton, Sting vs. Daniel Bryan, Sting vs. anybody... Get the use out of him while he's still active and can still perform. ------------------------------------------------------------ WWE Title: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns You guys know my thoughts on this match-up. Should NOT have happened but opportunity knocks. Roman Reigns could easily shut critics up if he puts on a super-human effort against Brock Lesnar. Instead of being afraid to lead a match, as he was against Bryan and Rollins (just waiting for them to do something), he should have balls to show some aggression against Lesnar to spark an intense match. Not saying you should "shoot" against Lesnar but don't be afraid to touch him. Seth Rollins and CM Punk weren't afraid of Lesnar and actually went after him. Granted, both Rollins and Punk took their beatings from Lesnar in return, but fans will forever remember those matches. Reigns could easily shut us up by showing why WWE Management handpicked him to be "the man" versus someone like Dean Ambrose or Daniel Bryan. If Reigns looks like a chump, San Francisco fans will eat him alive. It could be a complete embarrassment for the WWE especially if this is truly the Main Event of Wrestlemania 31. WHO SHOULD WIN: Brock Lesnar wins cleanly, if he re-signs. Then, Seth Rollins tries to cash in the Money in the Bank and fails against Lesnar. HOWEVER - If Brock isn't returning to the WWE, Brock has to lose on his way out. The simple escape plan is for Reigns to win and then Seth Rollins cashes in the Money in the Bank briefcase. WHO WILL WIN: I still say WWE bites the bullet and puts Roman Reigns over. WWE changed its plans during 2014 with Daniel Bryan being inserted into the planned Orton/Batista match and I don't believe that Vince will repeat that same "mistake" in his mind. Brock Lesnar's WWE contract situation presents such a wildcard. I can forecast WWE utilizing the RAW following Wrestlemania 31 for Rollins to cash-in (unless WWE enforces that Rollins must cash it in by Wrestlemania). 3/24/15 REVISION: WHAT WILL NOW HAPPEN WITH BROCK LESNAR SIGNING: Brock Lesnar wins. Brock said that Vince McMahon "made him an offer that he couldn't refuse". In other words, from the intense negotiations, Vince McMahon blinked and caved in. They NEED Brock Lesnar in order to draw people to their Pay Per Views. Thus, with the big offer, they won't job him out to Roman Reigns at least not for another year. Lesnar appearing on ESPN is not a coincidence. It's an exclamation point by the WWE and there is no way they would risk ANY casual viewers hearing about Lesnar's signing on ESPN by losing to Roman Reigns. Wrestlemania may see a stronger Pay Per View buyrate than 2014 with this announcement. Be smart, WWE... Don't ruin any potential that Roman Reigns might actually have for future years. He'll be turning 30 this year. Plenty of prime wrestling years ahead. Thank you VERY MUCH for reading my columns throughout the years. I greatly appreciate your time and feedback. I write for LordsofPain.net because of you, the readers, along with being a passionate wrestling fan who cares about the business. And I've done this 100% on a voluntary basis. That's right... I've been writing for FREE since October 1998. If you wanted any further proof that I care about the business, consider what I just told you. I like wrestling enough that I've utilized lots of my free time (probably years of it) to be Mr. Tito and attempt to educate the masses on wrestling. I've put my heart and soul into these columns and I wish that the WWE should show as much passion towards its fans that many of my loyal readers have for my columns. God bless! SO JUST CHILL... 'TIL THE NEXT EPISODE! Comments and feedback are welcome. Follow and Tweet me @titowrestling or login in below to post comments. © Mr. Tito and LordsofPain.net/WrestlingHeadlines.com - 1998-2015
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