Tentative WWE plans

- As things stand right now, the Royal Rumble in January will again be a 40 man Rumble.
- One of the ideas being discussed for Wrestlemania next year is Mark Henry vs. The Undertaker.
- Vengeance main event has been pencilled in as John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Kevin Nash.
(source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Thoughts?

Wasnt that big a fan of the 40 man format, but I suppose with an overloaded roster it gives PPV time to alot of the Undercard.

If they keep Henry on this push the it would be the smart move to have him face Taker, but I think the time is wrong. 3 Years ago? Probably, but Henry just isnt the man for 20-0

If Nash can wrestle then why not? Would be interesting to see how they fit him into the WWE title picture.

a 40 man rumble should be longer in time imo. make it a mammoth match. no one gets bored of the rumble match, i always feel theres not enough time between entrants

40 guys absolutel suck, I'd hope that they learned from last year, stretching it was worth a try but in the end it cheapened it and it was one of the worst Rumbles ever, well since it became relevant in 1990

I remember #1 & 2 at the 89 Rumble was Ax and Smash, it felt absolutely huge and for two minutes they beat the crap out of each other.

If it ain't broke don't fix it, 30 men with 2 minutes between entrants

I don't it matters how many guys are in the rumble but stick to 2 minutes

A fatal four way will at least mean that Nash won't have to do as much as he would in a one on one match, but still keep him involved.

I'm not sure Mark Henry is the way to go for 'Taker, as much as I have enjoyed Mark Henry, I think Undertaker needs somebody who will be able to do half, if not more of the work.

I am a fan of the 40 man Royal Rumble but under the proviso that bar the WWE title and WHC matches there are few to no undercard matches. In this case you could have a 40 man Rumble with two min intervals (making a match of around 2 hours) plus two title matches c. 30 mins each.

This would give a great balance and showcase the fact that everyone within the company is challenging for the greatest prize.

With a two hour Rumble there would also be plenty of time for feuds to develop within there, or ones from previous TV episodes to be followed through on.

A Fatal Four Way does allow Nash to be involved without him having to do too much though the alternative way (especially if a heel stable around ADR is to be formed) would be for him to be there are the "Special Guest Enforcer" or some rubbish like that.

I still think that Taker won't compete at this year's WM due to Rock v Cena and they will let him heal before a return at WM 29 where he will get Orton or Cena.

Undertaker will absolutely 100% compete at Mania, it wont take 2 years for him to heal. The streak is a pivotal part of Wrestlemania and i cant imagine they'd put it to one side in favour of Rock/Cena.

Henry/Taker wont happen, not a chance in hell.

You keep that strap on Henry til mania,just imagine the heat and when taker comes out the monster pop would be electric. Can't see it but logic says it would work.

I would say that with:

WWE Title match
WHC match
Rock v Cena
Punk v HHH

They don't need Taker on that card and there isn't an obvious person for him to face unless they take Orton out of the WHC match, which I would doubt given that it is his first WM leading the SD brand.

Now, they could go for Rock v Cena as the WWE title match but that still leaves them light of someone with enough clout to take on Taker.

Apparently my brother has told me taker is back at hiac because the hiac is the devils playground. Can't see it myself.

Josh you can make up as many lists as you like, Taker is an absolute stick on to compete, his streak is a huge draw to the event, bigger than either World Title

Also, I think a near on 2 hour Royal Rumble would be mind numbing, it wouldn't get near that length anyway with 40 men, it would be 85/90 tops but even then that's still 15 minutes to long, you'd lose the crowd

Personally I hope Taker faces Orton at Wrestlemania, Orton has the combination of name value and wrestling ability to make a match worthy of the streak

Also what part of the 40 man Rumble this year did you look at it and think 'this works' because it was one almighty clusterfluck of gash with far to many guys who had no chance of winning and not deserving of PPV time anyway, all helping to contribute to make it one of the worst Rumbles ever, what part of that did you like and why? I'm genuinely interested in a pro 40 man's point of view

I'd like to see Orton/Taker, he's the only one available that could realistically beat him and for it to be realistic

Last year they may have banged the Rumble up to 40 people, but there were still only 4 or 5 who had a genuine chance of winning the thing.

As for it giving more guys like Yoshi Tatsu and co a chance to shine on PPV, none of the lower card guys are in it long enough to make any kind of an impact.

40 is just overkill and lazy booking becasue they can't be bothered to push a meaningful mid-card match to fill a portion of the show.

I wouldnt say its the worst rumble ever. The shock of Del Rio winning saved it for me, the worst one was when Orton one, purely because it was so bleeding obvious.

I'd love to see them go back to the 30men, 2min interval format again, with Punk or Miz winning in 2012

Was it really that shocking when the alternative was Santino?

With the way WWE is these days, I actually thought they would let Santino win it

Taker will be at Mania absolutely no doubt about that.... I still like Hunter Taker III as the match.....

Cena Rock
HHH Taker
WHC
WWE Title

Rumble should be 30 guys.... If they were to go 40 then I like Josh's suggestion of no under card other than title matches & a 90 minute Rumble with two minute intervals.... I still think its possible to pace & keep interesting... It sells on the concept alone

WWE Title - Rock/Cena
CM Punk vs Triple H
The Undertaker vs Randy Orton
WHC Title - Sheamus vs The Miz vs Daniel Bryan

HitmanOwl wrote:You keep that strap on Henry til mania,just imagine the heat and when taker comes out the monster pop would be electric. Can't see it but logic says it would work.

This could work. Have Mark Henry in the middle of the ring saying that he has beaten every man/superstar on the roster and then have the lights go out and the bells chime. Lights back on with the undertaker in the ring saying that Mark Henry may have beaten every man in the locker room but he is no man and Mark Henry will never defeat the Phenom or the streak etc

The Rock and Taker winning titles at Mania, could be interesting! Old School!Ha!!!

Imagine the internets reaction if they both won lol.

I'd love to see the title stay on Mark Henry until Wrestlemania.

WWE could do with creating a super heel

Then have him lose all that momentum in one night to an old timer whose knees are made of cream cheese. YAY!

Don't get me wrong; he's been fantastic recently and I'm really enjoying his push. He deserves a big match at Mania. I just don't see them letting him keep the title for that long.

I agree Demon and I'll tell you what, they could really give someone a huge rub to let an up and coming babyface a match against him and winning clean cue Daniel Bryan MITB boom new champion! Hmm guess that would bury Mark Henry though, anyone else got any other scenarios?

Taker wins in a epic match against Henry then darkness, when the lights come on the ring is filled with all the takers surviving mania opponents! Its looks like they're gonna congratulate him but… they destroy him!

HHH and Michaels could try and help rather destroy him!

Daniel Bryan cashes in MITB and wins the title pinning Taker with his little finger! Lol Could Happen, coz anything can happen in the WWE

I don't know whether the Henry match is the best option here, but at least they've built him up so far to look like a viable threat to the streak. Even if the smart fans know that a soon to retire Henry has as much chance of winning as I do.

If it is indeed Henry this year, it makes me believe that he will be back again the year after to face Cena or Orton or potentially a young star. I for one would have though Cena would have a crack at Taker and ending the streak before he retires.

I hope that whoever faces Taker is someone he hasnt already faced at Wrestlemania.

Doubt Henry will even be remotely significant come WrestleMania, look at Kane this time last year, he was cutting the promos of his life and was using the Tombstone, he even went on a 3 streak over Taker on PPV, come WrestleMania he was stuck in a meaningless 8 man tag with no storyline and even less ring time

the-gaffer wrote:Doubt Henry will even be remotely significant come WrestleMania, look at Kane this time last year, he was cutting the promos of his life and was using the Tombstone, he even went on a 3 streak over Taker on PPV, come WrestleMania he was stuck in a meaningless 8 man tag with no storyline and even less ring time

Have to agree but what a damning indictment against the WWE - Kane was on fire in that storyline. Maybe if it had come earlier in his career that feud would have been the making of Kane as a fully fledged main eventer but now in the twilight of his career, it was a transparent token victory for Kane by the WWE. Personally the sooner Taker's streak comes to an end the better. Returning for one 'epic' match a year just doesn't cut it imo anymore.

talkingpoint wrote:

the-gaffer wrote:Doubt Henry will even be remotely significant come WrestleMania, look at Kane this time last year, he was cutting the promos of his life and was using the Tombstone, he even went on a 3 streak over Taker on PPV, come WrestleMania he was stuck in a meaningless 8 man tag with no storyline and even less ring time

Have to agree but what a damning indictment against the WWE - Kane was on fire in that storyline. Maybe if it had come earlier in his career that feud would have been the making of Kane as a fully fledged main eventer but now in the twilight of his career, it was a transparent token victory for Kane by the WWE. Personally the sooner Taker's streak comes to an end the better. Returning for one 'epic' match a year just doesn't cut it imo anymore.

I completely agree with you there mate, he needs to lose it (if they allow him to lose it) to the right person though, whether that be a credible opponent such as Cena, Orton, Punk or an upcomer like Sheamus, Barret etc who knows. It would be a disaster imo if an upcomer took the streak but then failed to make it big time in the WWE, so thats why the WWE might want to give taker a more credible opponent such as Orton or Cena.

Would anyone get a buzz out of Taker/Hogan at WrestleMania? It would be an epic way for Hogan to bow out and despite being 12-15 years past his best would be a credible name for Taker to make it 20-0

I don't think Hogan is a credible name. As you said the guy is 15 years past his prime and I think would do Taker's streak more harm than good. Hogan can't even pretend to make this a competitive match and even if Taker is struggling with injuries still has more in him than Hogan. Orton or Cena is a better bet, or as Punk has been in the process of making history just recently maybe give the Streak to him?

I wouldn't give the streak to Punk

Totally agree with your point on Hogan

the-gaffer wrote:Would anyone get a buzz out of Taker/Hogan at WrestleMania? It would be an epic way for Hogan to bow out and despite being 12-15 years past his best would be a credible name for Taker to make it 20-0

It could of worked 10 years ago maybe.... Then again the streak would be talked of in the past tense if it did

I don't think they'd have given Hogan the streak in 02, maybe if WCW was still in business they might have used the streak to entice him back, not when the WWF was the only act in town though.

Still Taker done well to somehow dodge, Warrior, Hogan, Savage, Hart, HBK (95-98), Austin, Rock, Mankind, Lesnar, Goldberg, Cena...coincidence? I don't believe in them in Pro Wrestling

the-gaffer wrote:I don't think they'd have given Hogan the streak in 02, maybe if WCW was still in business they might have used the streak to entice him back, not when the WWF was the only act in town though.

Still Taker done well to somehow dodge, Warrior, Hogan, Savage, Hart, HBK (95-98), Austin, Rock, Mankind, Lesnar, Goldberg, Cena...coincidence? I don't believe in them in Pro Wrestling

I'd say it could be seen as a coincidence that he dodged say Hart & Michaels around the mid 90's I think it was 13 when the title was being passed around like a hot potato & he eventually dropped it to Hart at Summerslam 97.... Fast forward to the 00's & matches against Mark Henry & Kane & it's pretty obvious these guys were fed to the Taker to build up the mystic of the streak. Do you think the idea for the streak was put in place even before then Gaff?

after it went to about 4-0 I think they realised that Undertaker losing could have huge significance

If Warrior didn't get fired in 91 I'd expect him to face and beat Taker at WM8 same goes for Hogan, if hr choose to stick around he might have got that feud ending match with Taker at WM8

I think Bret Hart could easily have faced The Undertaker for the World Title at WrestleMania XI, that would have been far closer though, that could be realistically booked to go anyway, I'd say Shawn should have faced him at WMXIII in 97 and if he did I couldn't see HBK losing

The Undertaker could easily have faced Austin in 99 at WMXV and I couldn't see Austin being booked to lose a WM Main Event at the height of his popularity, at WMXVI in 2000 if he was fit the money match would have been him and Rock, again same thoughts on this as Austin a year earlier

I also think Taker/Brock at WM19 is a far bigger match and draw than the matches both had despite Angle being awesome as usual, if this match happened with the build Brock had, he'd have to go over

You've got to question why since WM24 has Cena not been near him, he's the only guy people genuinely think can beat him

I was going to say that Cena has been on Raw all that time, and Undertaker Smackdown, but you could easily enough have applied that argument to HBK/'Taker who have had matches together.

I would hope that the reason they haven't met yet, is that they will eventually.

I personally don't think they'd go Cen/Taker until either Punk or Orton can prove they are the new main man

40 Man Royal Rumble - Yes worked last year

Undertaker vs Mark Henry - please be kiding !

Main event at vengence seams fine