The WrestleMania XXX Main Event

You may have noticed that Daniel Bryan’s been pretty popular lately. You may also have noticed that he was controversially omitted from the Royal Rumble match and that the man who won it has not been as well-received as WWE would have liked since his return. These things don’t bode well for WWE’s WrestleMania card as it currently stands.

Batista being in the main event of WrestleMania against Randy Orton is not a good idea. Matches have been getting hostile reactions for the last month or two. It’s already becoming the norm even in cities that aren’t particularly known for being home to internet-slash-smart-slash-passionate (delete according to preferable description) fans. It’s definitely something that will affect WrestleMania, and it’s obviously something WWE would like to avoid in the show’s main event. In that match more than any other they’ll want to have the audience cheering for someone in the match, rather than sitting backstage.

Even if we overlook crowd reactions I don’t think Orton v Batista is the right match to headline a WrestleMania, especially an anniversary instalment. It will feel old. For WrestleMania to be set apart as something special, which is what it’s supposed to be, the main event needs to feel special.

Something special could be The Undertaker because his Streak has become such a big part of the show over the last decade. It could be a returning star like The Rock or Brock Lesnar, who have proven crossover appeal and a track record as leading man in WWE. It could be John Cena because, like him or not, he is the biggest star on the full-time roster. Or it could be a currently hot star, given the spot to boost their popularity and credibility. Daniel Bryan, basically.

At WrestleMania 21 in 2005 WWE Batista was the right guy to go on last. Then he represented the future of the company, was someone new, and was in a very popular feud with his former Evolution teammate Triple H. But in 2014 he represents a company unwilling to push anyone new. He represents the past. There’s a place for the past in the WrestleMania main event but only in the form of names like Undertaker and Rock. They have the status to be accepted there. ‘The Animal’ does not.

Meanwhile Orton is viewed by most as stale and boring. His matches and promos do not excite and his presentation as the patsy for The Authority robs him of much of his credibility. On top of that he represents the past just as much as Batista. He’s been in the main event for so long that people are bored with him. Somebody new is needed.

The crowd will get rough if Daniel Bryan doesn't go on last at WrestleMania

Of course there’s still time for WWE to alter things. The simplest way to do it would be to have D-Bry leave Elimination Chamber as the WWE champion and officially turn Batista heel before ‘Mania. That would allow the reactions he’s been getting to be played to instead of (poorly) hidden. It would also put the man practically every WWE fan wants to see in the main event in the main event. Batista v Bryan could go on last and not feel out of place simply because of Bryan’s popularity. As long as Bryan’s in the main event the audience are going to have someone to rally behind and the match will be able to function.

I can’t see Batista and Bryan meeting in a singles match. That would leave Randy Orton without anything to do. Which makes me think a triple threat match is likely. There are two simple ways WWE could set that up. The first would be to have Orton lose the title to Bryan at Elimination Chamber and have Orton added to the WrestleMania title match. The second is to have ‘The Viper’ successfully defend his title in the Chamber but for Bryan to be added to the WrestleMania main event sometime between the Chamber and ‘The Granddaddy of Them All’.

Either approach could make sense. If he lost the championship in the Chamber Orty could get added to the WrestleMania bout with his rematch clause. That would help to ease Bastista’s need to be a full-on raging heel and allow him to play the tweener role he’s more suited to.

It’s the second option I prefer though. Bryan going into WrestleMania as champion would be nice, but it wouldn’t be quite the same as him walking into the event as a challenger and winning the gold. Bryan overcoming the odds would be a WrestleMania Moment™. Even he lost the title there (which is the sort of thing I can just about imagine WWE doing) the fans would at least have had the headliner they wanted go on last. It would be easy enough to set up too. The Chamber match could come down to Bryan and Orton with Orton cheating or have assistance to retain his belts, giving Bryan a valid reason to ask to earn his way into the WrestleMania match.

If Bryan is kept as the only man to defeat ‘The Apex Predator’ during his current series against the Elimination Chamber challengers then so much the better. That in itself could be given as a reason for The Authority acquiescing to public pressure and adding ‘The Dazzler’ to the ‘Mania main event.

However it happens Daniel Bryan needs to be added to the WrestleMania main event. If he’s not involved whatever goes on last is almost certainly going to play to boos. The fans want it and Bryan’s earned it. It’s what’s best for business.