The Super Bowl marks the culmination of football season, pitting the two best teams against one another in the largest viewed sporting event in the world.
The World Series is the fall classic, also pitting best against best in the sport of baseball. When you think about it, all sports, whether it be the NBA finals, the NCAA basketball finals, or the World Cup offer a showdown at the end of their seasons or tournaments.
So, why then are we stuck with a hastily conceived Wrestlemania this April that won’t even be close to the best show the company has put on this year? How can WWE go a whole year and then seemingly have to make it up at the end?
Granted, injuries have laid waste to some of the matches. The plan was to have John Cena take on The Undertaker in the main event, but Cena won’t be back from his shoulder surgery in time. There was also hopes of reviving Daniel Bryan for a match with Brock Lesnar, but that fell through when his repeated concussions forced him into retirement.
The same is true with Randy Orton as he continues to recover from surgery. Even Sting is benched with injury issues, as is former champ Seth Rollins. Five of the top names are all sidelined due to injuries as WWE comes into its biggest show of the year – its Super Bowl.
What we’re stuck with is a match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship – a match no one wants to see – with Triple H defending against Roman Reigns. Face it folks, if you watch WWE even in passing you know the fans don’t like Reigns being crammed down their throats as their hero. All you have to do is listen when Triple H – the person they thought could be a super villain – talks to hear fans cheer for the villain and not the hero. Even if Reigns wins at Wrestlemania, which I suspect he will, the reaction from most WWE fans will be one of indifference.
Meanwhile, you have the most popular wrestler, Dean Ambrose, stuck in a match at ‘Mania against Brock Lesnar. Once again, this is a no-win situation since WWE has looked to promote Lesnar as a bit of a face. Now, if they put Lesnar over then he has beat up the underdog but if Ambrose wins then it makes the beast incarnate look weak.
What WWE should do is flip the matches and put Reigns versus Lesnar and let Ambrose take on Triple H. We actually have Ambrose and Triple H set for a special show on the WWE Network on March 12 leading up to Wrestlemania. However, I suspect Triple H will emerge the champion, leaving things the way they are for ‘Mania.
If you’re wanting live action, Tennessee All-Pro Wrestling has a show every Saturday night at 8 p.m. at Smartt Assembly of God Church. Bell time is 8 p.m. This week TAP champion Corey Prince will extend an open challenge for his heavyweight title.