WrestleMania 29 Preview

All the critics, cynics and fans put their opinions and differences aside for one night, as we have zeroed in on the biggest event of the year for all the professional wrestling fans, WrestleMania 29. It is the one night when the opposites come together; good, bad or indifferent. WrestleMania is the Super Bowl in the entertainment industry, and it is the one event that brings the celebrities, glamour and all that is good into the wrestling business. Whether it be the Trumps or Schwarzeneggers, WrestleMania is the “be-all and end-all” of the Entertainment industry.

WrestleMania 29 comes to us tomorrow from the MetLife stadium in the NY NJ area. The PPV is once again headlined by Cena – Rock, followed by some major attraction matches, such as Lesnar – Triple H and the most hyped and anticipated match of the night, The Undertaker – CM Punk. Looking back at the build of the entire PPV, it was very disappointing, considering that the WWE could have come up with better stories going into their mega event, especially since they had all the time in the world. The fact that the WWE Champion couldn’t be present for most of the episodes leading to the PPV didn’t help the matters either.

The Undertaker – CM Punk match will most likely be the show stealer, as it has become a norm with the Undertaker’s matches for the past 5-6 years. The last RAW ended almost perfectly; an Undertaker win would give it an almost poetic justice, while CM Punk’s win (which is almost impossible) would give the story a tormenting finale, an almost perfect end to the saga of the Undertaker. One cannot be hypocritical with the lead up to the match, as these two great performers showed just how perfectly they can build a match within just 4 weeks before the mega event. The crowd will be itching to see Undertaker destroy Punk at the grandest stage, which is what any great heel would dream to do.

The next most hyped match of the evening will be between Triple H and Brock Lesnar. Lesnar rekindled their feud when he attacked the father-in-law of Triple H. Lesnar has dominated the WWE ever since he returned last year, and even though he lost to John Cena, he completely destroyed Cena in their match. It has been ages since anyone saw someone dominate Cena in such a manner that Lesnar had done. Triple H puts his career on the line, as Lesnar, accompanied by his henchman, the ever so slithery Paul Heyman, looks to etch his name in the WWE record books as the guy to beat Triple H, and end his career in the WWE. Paul Heyman plays the perfect second fiddle to a guy like Lesnar. Even though the ‘career threatening match’ didn’t make much sense, Paul delivered the final blow during his promo, when he stated how Triple H will be tormented if he loses and only has to be a ‘Corporate guy’. Paul said Triple H won’t be able to live with himself, and the agony that he won’t be able to perform again would drive him insane. This is why you need to have Paul in the business. He almost gift wrapped the entire feud with a neat little tie over the top, something other feuds can’t do over months!

Chris Jericho will be facing Fandango, who will be making his debut. While I understand when people say this match will be disappointing, we need to wait and see how Fandango performs. I’ve been a fan of Curtis, as he has proven time and again for the past 6 years that he’s the real deal. You might have another CM Punk in the making in Fandango, who is just as talented, and just as charismatic. He has gotten the upper hand over Chris in the last few weeks, and a win over the veteran would boost the youngster’s career in the company. I, for one, am excited about this encounter, as it can go either way with these two phenomenal performers.

The other match that has my attention is between Ryback and Mark Henry. The story leading to this match is basic, as Henry doesn’t want Ryback to take his spot as the unbeatable monster in the WWE. The WWE press conference leading upto WrestleMania saw Henry covering the story, saying Ryback cannot barge in and expect to take Henry’s spot. Although WWE did not even try to cover this story during their build up, the match itself brings a lot of eyes, as it will either be Henry dominating Ryback, or Ryback repaying the favour for Henry’s attack on the last edition of Smackdown!. Whatever the outcome of the match may be, expect a WrestleMania moment happening between the two behemoths, which gives you a reason to watch the match.

Orton, Sheamus and Big Show face The Shield, who have been wreaking havoc in the WWE. Sheamus has been the lone constant in the feuds involving The Shield, and now he has found two new partners, one being the Viper and the other being the world’s largest athlete. Can this trio stop The Shield and end their dominance in the WWE? Or will Ambrose, Seth and Roman prove too much for the three former World champs? The Shield has been booked well till now, and a win over the three top dogs in the company will elevate The Shield to greater heights. I for one, am intrigued to see who goes over in the match.

Team Hell No defends their tag team championship against the team of Big E and Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler has been on a losing streak, as he lost most of his TV/PPV matches. It will be interesting to see what route the WWE takes with this match. There was no proper build up, but considering the history of AJ with Bryan and Kane, one can understand why the tag champs challenged Ziggler and Big E, and not the other way round. With Kane and Bryan finally on the ‘same page’ as they stated, can the two opposites overcome the team of the Show off and the monster Big E? Also, will Ziggler finally cash in his MITB brief case at the showcase of the immortals? Only time can give us the answer, and it’ll be interesting to see how Ziggler is booked from now.

ADR will defend the World Heavyweight championship against the former “All-American American” Jack Swagger. Jack has been impressive lately, with his new gimmick, and Zeb being his mouth piece. Dutch has been in this business for nearly 40 years now, and has all the experience in the world to put Jack over at WrestleMania. Will ADR finally get his redemption for what Jack and Zeb have done to him and his manager, Ricardo? Or will Swagger finally reach the upper echelon of the business by winning the World title at WrestleMania? Smart money is on Jack winning the title, and feuding with ADR through the summer.

The final bout will be between Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and John Cena. Cena has been on a quest for nearly a year, after being defeated by The Rock, as his journey for redemption reaches its final chapter at WrestleMania 29, against the same formidable foe, The Rock. John Cena hasn’t been the WWE champion since he lost to The Rock, and a win over the Rock won’t just level his win – loss record against ‘The Great One’ at WrestleMania, but will also see him winning back the WWE Championship, and once again put him on the top of the mountain as the top face of the company. Although the feud hasn’t been built at all, the star power of these two stalwarts will be more than enough for the WWE to bank on. Will Cena finally put his demons to rest? Or will Dwayne prove once and for all that the past is better than the present? Only time will answer these questions.

I for one, am pumped up for WrestleMania 29. In just under 20 hours, we’ll get to witness history in the making. No matter what the outcomes of the matches may be, you can be guaranteed of a great show, as legends collide against each other, and new faces rise to the top. That does it from me for the final preview before the big event. Will I be watching WrestleMania live? As Daniel Bryan says, ‘YES! YES! YES!’.