TJR Blog: Why Triple H Should Not Be In A Match At WrestleMania 32
WrestleMania 32 is just four months away and there are all kinds of questions about what big matches are set to take place. At this time, none of the major matches have been confirmed while rumors continue to swirl.
My best guess for two of the big matches are Roman Reigns defending the WWE Title (that he wins at Royal Rumble) against Royal Rumble winner Brock Lesnar and also The Undertaker vs. John Cena in what could be Undertaker’s last match. I’m not saying they are going to happen for sure, but I think both are very possible.
One of the problems with WrestleMania events is that WWE features part time performers a bit too much while the full time performers are forced to wrestle in matches that just don’t mean as much. I get it in the case of Brock Lesnar since he’s the biggest star on the show and The Undertaker is a special attraction that may retire, but that’s all they need this year.
There are a few of easy reasons why WWE should consider putting Triple H in a WrestleMania match:
1) He’s been the on-air authority figure running the show since August 2013, so if they want to go in a different direction post WM32 then they could easily do a story where if he loses his match against a face (let’s say Dean Ambrose) then Triple H is out of power.
2) Since he’s been on TV so much, it’s easy to justify him being in a match. It could be argued that he’s the top heel in the whole company right now.
3) As a WWE legend, his match at WrestleMania would be treated like a special event and could bring in casual viewers that remember him in his prime. The casual viewers in their 30s and 40s that don’t watch regularly anymore may not know who The New Day are, but they will mark out for The Undertaker, Lesnar and Triple H because they remember them from years ago.
Over the last few months, there were also rumors that Triple H would face The Rock at WrestleMania 32 based off their angle at WM31. That’s not going to happen since Rock won’t get clearance from Hollywood insurance companies that are worried he might get hurt. Another possible opponent was Seth Rollins, but he tore his ACL/MCL in his right knee and is going to be out until August or so. Who else is there? Nobody stands out right now.
WrestleMania 31 earlier this year featured a fatal fourway tag match with eight guys (on the pre-show), a 30 man battle royal and a seven man ladder match. That’s 45 people in three matches. Most people don’t remember those matches and if they do it’s only for a few moments.
You know what match should have taken place at WrestleMania 31? Damien Sandow beating The Miz. They should have had Sandow eliminate Miz at the Royal Rumble, then built up this huge grudge match and given Sandow the win as a culmination of their months long storyline. Instead, they had a moment in the battle royal and then the story was dropped soon after. They didn’t even get a singles match on a PPV! Where is Sandow now? Barely on television. That’s because of poor booking. It’s not due to his performance or his connection with the audience since he received some of the best reactions of anybody this year.
I’m not saying Damien Sandow should be a main event performer based on that feud with The Miz. I just think that’s an example of WWE not taking advantage of a good storyline with an awesome performer because of their reluctance to give singles matches time at WrestleMania.
This year’s WrestleMania should feature at least all of these matches. The match results don’t matter to me right now. I’m just talking about the key matches here while keeping in mind it’s a four hour show with a pre-show that could be two hours again.
– WWE Title match. One on one. Reigns vs. Lesnar is fine with me as a way to prove that Reigns can beat him.
– An Undertaker match. As I said earlier, Cena vs. Undertaker would work well.
– Divas Title match. Make it one on one. I’d book Charlotte as the heel champion against Sasha Banks as the face challenger with Banks getting the win after about 15 minutes. The women have earned the spot. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to call it the Women’s Title either. No more diva tags or battle royals unless it’s the other women. Make a singles women’s match a big deal. It’s not that hard.
– Intercontinental Title match. Kevin Owens defending against Sami Zayn. Former best friends making their WrestleMania debuts against eachother. Give them 13-20 minutes to have a classic match that they are capable of giving.
– Tag Team Title match. The New Day defending the gold against a couple of babyfaces that deserve it. Whether it’s The Usos or the Dudleys, I just want to see a regular tag match that is given 10-15 minutes, that has a satisfying finish and is remembered as a great match. No more multi-man matches or anything else. Just two on two like it should be.
– United States Title match. If they must do a multi-man match, make it for this title. I’m not a huge fan of Alberto Del Rio right now anyway and I don’t know if they can tell a compelling story for the title. I just think all titles should be defended at WrestleMania.
– Dean Ambrose should be in a singles match. I don’t care against who. The guy deserves it. Others do as well, but especially him.
After that, they can fill out the rest of the card with things like the 30 man Andre the Giant Battle Royal and other matches featuring the rest of the roster. I totally understand why they want to get as many people on the show, but they shouldn’t do it at the expense of putting on great singles matches.
I know that Triple H is very capable of running NXT. The brand continues to grow and I think 2016 will be NXT’s best year ever with more live events outside of the Florida area than ever before.
What NXT should also be doing is opening Triple H’s eyes to the fact that his time in the ring is over. He doesn’t need to be in a WrestleMania match. He needs to step back and remember what it was like for him as a younger wrestler in a singles match at a WrestleMania. Then he needs to provide that opportunity for the guys that are a part of WWE’s future.
I like Triple H and I respect him a lot, but I’d respect him even more if he said “it’s not about me anymore” and if he kept the suit on. Just sit back to watch performers like Owens, Zayn, Neville, Breeze, Balor, Itami, Bayley, Banks and others that deserve to be featured WrestleMania performers instead of being tossed in a battle royal or multi-man match.
With all of that said, do I expect Triple H in a match at WrestleMania 32? Yes I do. The lure of competing at that show in AT&T Stadium with potentially 100,000 people there will be too much for him to pass up. He should pass it up, though, for the betterment of WWE’s future. That’s more important than one more match for The Game.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know.
(Also, I’d like to give myself a Horowitz like pat on the back for resisting the use of the “best for business” phrase in the title.)
John Canton –mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter@johnreport