Around New Year’s, most online wrestling fans were expecting the main events of this year’s WrestleMania to be CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker and Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes. Partly that was because signs on-screen pointed that way, especially with Punk and Breakker. Partly that was because it was being reported that way by Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer.
Meltzer is seen by many mainstream outlets as the go-to name for context on pro wrestling stories, but he’s a lightning rod on the web. Reasons
would fill up a whole series worth of posts, but one criticism/joke that doesn’t get thrown at Meltzer as much as it did before Netflix’s WWE UnReal docuseries came out last year is his use of “plans changed” as an explanation for why some of his rumors about creative direction never show up in the product. As we’ve seen in the more believable parts of UnReal, plans do change behind-the-scenes in pro wrestling — all the time, for all kinds of reasons.
Which isn’t to say Meltzer’s always right about why plans changed. So you still may have some issues with his version of how we went from Punk vs. Bron and Rhodes/Reigns III to a World Heavyweight title match of Punk vs. Reigns and what looks to be Rhodes/McIntyre for the WWE title. But it seems plausible enough to us. Here’s a summary of what Dave wrote in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter so you can decide for yourself:
- WWE’s goal for the main events of WrestleMania 42 has long been to include “the four biggest stars in the company”: CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Seth Rollins.
- Having avoided booking a singles match between former Shield teammates Rollins and Reigns since Seth betrayed Roman against last year at WrestleMania, the first idea was Rollins vs. Reigns as one main event, while the other would finally see the face vs. face Cody/Punk match WWE’s teased a few times over the past few years.
- Rollins’ (real) shoulder injury changed those plans, and it was decided Punk would take his spot opposite Bron Breakker. Punk would beat Breakker on the Netflix one-year anniversary show (which he did), then Bron would win the Rumble to earn a shot at Punk in Las Vegas. A win by the up-and-comer there would cement him as a top act, and then they could put him in a program with Reigns over the next year.
- As had already been reported, Drew McIntyre pitched the idea of winning the belt from Rhodes, Cody bought in, and WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque signed off on it fearing a revolt over three straight ‘Manias built around a Rhodes and Reigns match. That despite there already being “a lot of creative worked out for Rhodes vs. Reigns” at that point.
- So Drew replaced Bron, who had replaced Seth, in the Big Four. From there, we’re giving it to you in the original Meltzer:
When the decision was made, they had to scrap Breakker winning the Rumble and the choices were either Rhodes or Reigns. The idea was to not have Rhodes win, trying to make him earn his title shot in the Elimination Chamber and build the show until the end of this month around Punk vs. Reigns as the big match. They could have picked Rhodes or Reigns, but based on the story being told, Rhodes winning the Chamber (and it still could go to Fatu and they could throw a curve ball but I don’t see this year’s Mania pivoting away from Rhodes in a title match) making the most sense.
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