Entertainment @ Large: WWE: Huge News Regarding Wrestlemania, the Hall of Fame and the Divas Division

Today I bring you the latest news and rumours surrounding Wrestlemania 27 coming to you this April, and potential 2012 Hall Of Fame inductees. In addition to that, I have news of another talent competition coming back to WWE.

WWE Contacts 'Dog' The Bounty Hunter about a Wrestlemania Appearance:

Yes, believe it or not, WWE has contacted representatives of Duane Chapman (from 'Dog' The Bounty Hunter) in regards a possible appearance at Wrestlemania 27. It is said that both sides were apart on the finances involved, so nothing is a lock as of yet.

My Take: I really hope 'Dog' does not come within 50 miles of Wrestlemania. I cannot stand the guy and cannot see what possible value he would add to the event. Maybe its because I'm British, but there is no appeal there for me.

The Planned Wrestlemania Main Event:

According to a source who spoke directly with Vince McMahon last week, Wade Barrett Vs. Undertaker is currently planned as the main event for Wrestlemania this year.

It is now considered a lock that Undertaker will work Wrestlemania since he was announced for the AXXESS event the day before the PPV.

Would you be pleased to see Undertaker Vs. Wade Barrett at Wrestlemania 27?

My Take: Not good but not bad, either. WWE could have booked something a lot better than this, but then again they could also have booked something a lot worse.

It will give Wade Barrett the chance to shine on the grandest stage of them all, while enabling The Undertaker to keep his streak without fuss.

This also goes to show the sheer drive of The Undertaker to recuperate so quickly after a major injury. He really is a team player, as he has always proven to be.

The only issue is that it isn't what you could call a big match, so PPV buys may suffer as a result.

WWE Officials Happy With Ticket Sales for Wrestlemania 27 and Hall Of Fame 2011

WWE officials are pleased thus far with ticket sales for Wrestlemania 27 and tickets for the Hall Of Fame ceremony have been selling very well with only balcony seats remaining.

Rumours Surrounding Inductees into the 2012 WWE Hall Of Fame:

The Rock and Trish Stratus are names being discussed for the 2012 Hall Of Fame induction class. Wrestlemania itself is likely to take place in Toronto, Canada, the hometown of Trish Stratus. Also, 2012 will mark a decade after The Rock's encounter with Hulk Hogan on Canadian soil in Toronto.

My Take: I would be delighted to see both of them inducted into the Hall Of Fame next year. Two reasons: Firstly, both candidates certainly deserve the acclaim. Secondly, it would be great to see The Rock involved with Wrestlemania in some capacity. Maybe also one more match from Trish?

WWE Bringing Back The Diva Search Competition

WWE held a web conference yesterday, attempting to attract promotional partners, during which it was disclosed that the Diva Search competition will be returning to WWE television.

Julie Stenz, WWE's Director of Partner Marketing, said a 10-week competition would be held during the WWE's "regularly scheduled" programming and that sponsorship opportunities would be available.

Organization officials have auditioned prospective female talent in recent months, some of whom are expected to participate in the Diva Search.

A start date has not yet been announced.

My Take: Not sure what to think of this. With the return of Tough Enough and perhaps even the continuation of NXT, the addition of the Diva Search could be like overkill.

However, if WWE ditch NXT, then it could work. My main issue is that Tough Enough will also have Women competing for a WWE contract.

The sensible thing to do therefore is to introduce the Diva Search a couple of months after the conclusion of Tough Enough to avoid possible overlap.

All thoughts and comments welcome!

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77 Comments

andrew ktori posted 1 day ago

Well Taker and Barret could be a huge draw if they do the build up / promos correctly. Remember Randy Orton i didnt really expect it to be a huuge draw but the promos were absaloute entertaining, the build up was intense and you sort of felt Taker was going to lose at Mania, and the match was absaloute great and this match / build up made Randy into a superstar. If they do the same with Barret well we could see Barret turned into a Superstar, but i dont think it would be miuch effect because most likely every week on Smackdown we r just going to see The Corre beat up Taker not actual Promos like Randy did aww weell we can only hope for the best. And atleast Taker is competeing thank you Undertaker.

Carmichael Spencer posted about 24 hours ago

I agree make it where Wade Barrett and his group dominate Smackdown.. I mean like literally to hte point where Barrett almost legitmately takes the World Title from Edge or Dolph Ziggler whoever... But they should have Barrett cut a promo saying that he was the one who gave the direct order to help Kane bury the Undertaker so that they could dominate Smackdown without any resistance... Blah Blah Blah Lights go out, Bell gongs and Undertaker appears mentally not physically by messing with Barrett even costing him a title match with the same mind tricks leading to Wrestlemania XXVII

andrew ktori posted about 24 hours ago

Hmm sometinhg like that, maybe at the royal rumble we see taker appear or just his theme song while barret is in the ring, and barret gets distracted and someone throws him off, because to main event in a wrestlemania needs weeks/months for preperation to get a great build up and a quality match.

Carmichael Spencer posted about 23 hours ago

@andrew: I completely agree cause alot of people have jumped to conclusions on this not really thinking of the potential this feud has... It could possibly build Wade Barrett's credibility and shoot him directly up to star status and a perennial main eventer... Orton was literally lost in the shuffle until he "decided" to kill the legend of the phenom when he got to Smackdown in what was it 04... But the Build-up has its starting point with the Burial of Undertaker... But I wonder if it will be Biker Taker or Phenom Undertaker... We haven't seen Big Evil since 03

Luke Adamson posted about 23 hours ago

@Carmichael: There is no doubt that it would be great for Barrett, the problem is getting the fans to buy in to it in comparison to the matches Undertaker has had over the last four Wrestlemanias.

I hope we see a different Undertaker quite frankly. Every time he has been Buried Alive he has come back with a new look, I say do the same again. Perhaps make him darker than before?

andrew ktori posted about 23 hours ago

@Carmichael: I personally think he would return as the Deadman but its close to a end of an amzing career :( so we could see The American Badass but hard to tell. But to be honest i cant see this match being a big darw, well every Taker match is a big draw but not compared to the others, cause all i see is The Corre ganging up on the Taker and when ever Barrett is in trouble The Corre will be there unless Taker goes after 1 by 1 like Cena, but Taker is still injured.

Adam Reddick posted about 17 hours ago

I think for this to have been done properly with Taker distracting him and Barret getting tossed out at the Rumble, Wade would had to have made it known via promo before this Sunday that it WAS he who ordered Kane to bury Taker. That simply hasn't happened so we'll have to wait and see how they tackle this assuming this IS what they want to do with Taker for Mania. Keep in mind nothing is ever official until it happens. I've also heard Taker vs HHH which would help sell buyrates a lot better. HHH is revealed to be the GM or something.

Luke Adamson posted about 15 hours ago

@Adam: I totally agree with you. Just because this is the current plan by no means means its the final plan. In fact, I would prefer Taker Vs. HHH because it would be a much bigger draw.

If WWE go ahead with the Barrett plan then we'll just have to wait and see what happens but I doubt they'll start the storyline until after the Rumble anyway.

andrew ktori posted about 5 hours ago

@Luke: Who else is Taker going to face? HHH most likely face Sheamus, Cena and Ounk at mania i reckon, Kane and Taker wont happen its been done 2 times all ready and the feud has become stale, the only choice left is Barret since he helped Kane bury him.

Luke Adamson posted about 2 hours ago

@andrew: The thing is that HHH faced Sheamus last year so I cannot really see the point.

Cena has already faced Punk on free TV on Raw, so I doubt we'll be seeing Punk Vs. Cena either. I expect that feud to be over long before Wrestlemania. I think we'll probably see Punk Vs. Orton if Punk is involved with the WWE title.

That leaves HHH or Cena to face Undertaker.

I've already said though that I do not have much of a problem with Undertaker facing Barrett as long as it is built up properly. For that to happen we are going to have to see some really compelling TV. I just doubt that somewhat.

Luke Adamson posted about 23 hours ago

That is the big thing with this feud, if it is done properly it could be a great match. But personally, I just don't see it in the main event.

The match and feud Undertaker had with Orton was totally brilliant heading into Wrestlemania. If anyone at the time had to end the streak, it should have been him. Not so much now though.

The issue is going to be making Barrett seem like a legitimate threat and managing to get the buyrate high. I don't think his match would have the potential of say Undertaker Vs. HHH with Shawn Michaels as the guest referee (as was rumoured) but it is certainly better than Undertaker tag teaming or facing Kane again.

We'll have to wait and see, my gut instinct thinks we may be in for a disappointment.

TW 456776 posted about 5 hours ago

Wade is a great talent and epic on the mic. But I don't think that will be the main event. That's just gonna be one of the main events. The storyline for it can be that when Wade was in nexus and attacked taker that HBK paid them off to attack taker because hbk was still bitter at taker for ending his career Which can lead to hbk being the special ref in the match. Since hbk is already gonna be there for WM weekend anyways since he will be inducted. he will be there so why not make him ref the match. Wade trying to end the legendary streak, yes!

Luke Adamson posted about 2 hours ago

That is unlikely, yet a very interesting idea. I would certainly like to see that.

Thanks for the great comment!

Burn Again posted about 23 hours ago

I'm glad that they're giving Barrett the spotlight at WrestleMania. Though an imminent Undertaker World Championship reign doesn't thrill me much, but I'll be happy just to see Barrett walk into WrestleMania as the World Heavyweight Champion. I hope they go the same way with CM Punk and John Cena, and this year's WrestleMania shall be great for me.

Considering the Rock for the Hall of Fame, and having him are 2 totally different things. They'll want him to appear at WrestleMania and wrestle a match with Cena: which I don't see happening. And say he does agree, then what happens to 20-0? Damn! Tough spot!

Luke Adamson posted about 23 hours ago

It would be great for Wade Barrett no doubt, but I think this match should be a main event instead of the main event.

The issue with having Punk Vs. Cena is that Punk will have to lose and I don't want to see Cena go over him. It would be a nice change to have the heel go over in the main event of Wrestlemania because it is practically always the face. It gives away the finish before the match starts.

I doubt WWE would fuss to much on a match with Cena, just having The Rock appear in a non-wrestling capacity would be huge. Thats what I was alluding to in the article. I wouldn't want to see The Rock job to Cena, imagine the reaction of the fans to that! There would be riots.

If the Rock wanted to wrestle, then I say have him Wrestle Undertaker at Wrestlemania. A double retirement match possibly?

Thanks for reading and commenting!

Burn Again posted about 21 hours ago

If by the term ‘the main event’ you are referring to the last match of the night, then obviously ‘Taker vs. Barrett won’t get that. But then, walking into WrestleMania as the World Heavyweight Champion is big enough in itself, and I’ll be happy for Barrett if he gets to do that.

The same goes with Punk. He too shall be walking into the event as the WWE Champion, which is sufficient for me to be happy. If someone has to lost the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, then why not let it be the best they have got today?

As far as the Rock goes, I’m not a fan. So I wouldn’t care if he were ever to come back or not. In fact I’d prefer if he stayed away. The WWE however, would look at it with a business perspective, and simply having the Rock appear at the event won’t be something so compelling as to trigger a massive rise in the buyrates. He must be involved in something, and the most profitable venture would be a match with Cena. I know that Cena will win that match, and I know that all the adult Attitude Era fans will be massively disgruntled. But what is the big difference? WWE will already have got the money from the PPV buys. And then, the Rock isn’t someone that the casual fans have greatly invested their emotions in, as of 2011. It is only the smarks who still think him to be that kind of an influence, which he clearly isn’t. The casuals couldn’t care less for a one-time appearance, resulting in a loss. So it isn’t like that will lead to some great loss for the WWE in the longer run.

I wouldn’t be averse to seeing him in a match with the Undertaker, but at least to me, Cena is the most suitable opponent for both these guys.

Luke Adamson posted about 21 hours ago

@Burn: Well, i don't think it is out of the question for Barrett Vs. Undertaker to headline Wrestlemania. With a decent build it might even be worthy. But my instincts tell me that may not happen.

But thats the thing, I don't want to go into Wrestlemania knowing the result. That is the issue with Punk Vs Cena. The only way Cena will probably ever lose at Wrestlemania is against a babyface. I don't want to see my favourite wrestler of this generation CM Punk get beaten for the second straight year at Wrestlemania.

WWE would rather have The Rock appear than not appear at all. In mean, if you get inducted in the Hall of Fame thats not conditional on you agreeing to a match the next night surely?

To be honest, I cannot see The Rock wrestling ever again. But I could certainly see him making a surprise appearance interrupting a heel promo or something. If he wants to wrestle, then let him. I just don't want Cena to beat him.

The thing is, that everyone will know that Cena will beat The Rock before the event. But the bigger issue is fans turning their back on the product as a result of it.

I agree, I want Cena Vs Undertaker at Wrestlemania next year. Rock should be involved somewhere else, he could be the referee. Doubtful, but possible.

Burn Again posted about 18 hours ago

@Luke: Headline is a rather debatable term. If you mean it shall close the show, then: no. It won’t. If you mean that it may not even be one of the two world title matches, then I’ll differ from your instincts.

That is pretty much the case with me. I don’t want to see him lose either: but then, we can’t have it all. If he does defend the WWE Championship against Cena, at the grandest stage of them all: then he will have won it before hand, and had more than a month’s time to build the feud as Champion. That, for me, is good enough. Moreover, Didn’t Jericho win last year? Dodn’t Orton win at WrestleMania XXIV? So it might not be completely out of the window for Punk to win either, even thug the chances are slim as slim can get.

I know that they’ll want to do simply anything they want with him. But then, a simple appearance will be more beneficial on Raw: where he can help boost the ratings, than at WrestleMania, where the issue is the buyrates. Either ways, having him wrestle is what the WWE will have as their first preference. If he doesn’t want to do it, then they’ve got no choice. But then, they may decide to wait, in case he changes his mind. That however, is pure speculation on my behalf.

I don’t think that the fans will turn their backs on the product simply because Cena beat the Rock. The smarks might, but their annoyance is only temporary. Everyone knows they’ll be back in a cope of weeks time. The casuals have barely anything to do with the Rock any more. Half of them would never even have seen him wrestle. The casuals won’t really turn their backs, because for one, Cena will be the face going into the match and the Rock probably a heel, who is supposed to have sold out on them. The casuals cheer for faces. And then, the casuals have no emotional investment in the Rock. So I can’t see them turn their backs on the product, when their hero beats a guy who shows up once in a decade.

Luke Adamson posted about 18 hours ago

@Burn: Well, as I said I agree that it most probably won't be worthy to close Wrestlemania. I also doubt whether it will be a world title match, simply because Undertaker will only have just recovered from injury and a title means a bigger workload.

The thing is, we are dealing with Cena here. He has only lost once at Wrestlemania, and it would be a dream come true for me if his second loss was to CM Punk.

I would rather see Punk Vs. Orton in a gimmick match at Wrestlemania because they could really tear the house down. The result would also be unpredictable.

I agree, an appearance by The Rock on Raw would be better than at Wrestlemania. What I'd like ideally would be for him to enter say a four week programme with someone, the ratings would sky-rocket. But then again, a PG Rock would be watered down.

WWE will induct him into the Hall of Fame whether he wrestles or not, just an appearance there would be good. But if he appears there I don't see why he can't stick around for 24 hours.

Well, it is no longer a given that people will just return to watching wrestling in a couple of weeks time. After all, WWE has lost 25% of its audience since turning PG. It would be a slap to many of the remaining 60% of adult males in the WWE audience. WWE really cannot afford to lose many more viewers, their stock is low as it is and less exposure won't cure that.

I can't see The Rock going in as a heel if he did face Cena because it would be like a repeat of Hogan Vs The Rock from Wrestlemania 18 except with Rock getting the Hogan reaction. Especially in the midst of a hardcore Canadian fanbase.

The fact is that Rock is a movie star, so many of the kids will know who he is even if they have never seen him wrestle. All they have to do is go on youtube.

Anyway, we are merely speculating. The chances of Rock coming back to wrestle a match are very low anyway. An appearance on WWE programming though is a strong possibility.

Burn Again posted about 17 hours ago

@Luke: I suppose I already mentioned that I am not eager to see another Undertaker Title reign either. However, he can hold it for a month, to Extreme Rules, and lose it there. That shall sit perfectly. That way, Barrett will have had 2 World Title wins, as well as a main event at WrestleMania. I’d like that.

Seeing Punk go over Cena is my dream too. I can’t say I’m too hopeful, but I guess it will happen sometime or the other. They’re both in their lower thirties, and there’s scope for a lot of feuds between them.

I’d rather not see anything involving Orton though. He is terrible in the ring, and has no chemistry with anybody but Cena. He couldn’t have very good matches with Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels, so I doubt what Punk can brew up for him. Moreover, as of late Orton has been just as unbeatable as Cena. So I don’t see how that won’t be any less of an assured loss for Punk.

I don’t see how the adult male would turn away because the Rock lost. Most of them don’t really care. It is only the internet adults who have preserved such loyalty for him. I can’t imagine anybody who watches wrestling out of casual interest, and not hardcore markism, turning away from the product in such a situation. Say the Rock had still been wrestling, or at least been making sporadic appearances, then I could see some such thing happening. With the given premises, I can’t.

As far as the younger fans go, Dwayne Johnson’s Hollywood endeavors won’t get them to go that hardcore in favor of him, that they would turn against their beloved hero.

As to what build the match shall have, if it happens at all, there are more possibilities than we can count. It is possible that the match does happen sometime in 2014, by which Cena will have turned heel, and the entire IWC would be raving for him. That, as we’ve both conceded: is mere speculation, and hence we can’t really reach a conclusion on that.

Luke Adamson posted about 14 hours ago

@Burn: Yeah, I know you're not a fan of an Undertaker title reign. I am as it happens, but not until after he returns and faces Barrett at Wrestlemania.

I can see where you are coming from with Orton but the funny thing is that he used to be a lot better before he became 'The Viper'. I still think Orton Vs. Punk would be a great match because I think Punk has more of a chance of winning. Orton has been pushed strong, but not as storngly as Cena. Orton, although he hasn't quite got the move-set anymore, can still put on consistent performances.

I think you'd be surprised at the number of 'Loyal Marks' out there. I don't fall in that category quite, but many fans still watch wrestling because the TV-14 era's got them hooked. To be honest, I would just rather the match not happen at all.

I doubt that Cena will turn heel unless WWE changes its content rating. A heel Cena would only really work in an environment where he can express himself. If WWE plans on keeping with the current product there is no chance of it.

Burn Again posted about 5 hours ago

@Luke: I, for one am not in for anything involving Orton. I haven't seen a half decent match out of him for over a year now. His matches with pretty much anyone are either bad, or mediocre. The only 4 star match he put up, was against Cena at No Way Out 2008. Other than that, I'm unimpressed with he is. Cena on the other hand, is a strong in ring performer, who puts up good matches, with actual consistency. And he has pretty much been doing that since 2007, even though the internet completely refuses to acknowledge it.

I wouldn't know the exact number of people that remain so fiercely loyal to the product 10 years back, but my estimate won't be very high. Probably a few hundred thousands, but that would be it. I may be wrong, but there isn't any means to either prove or disprove it. So that remains moot to all over.

Cena will turn heel eventually. Not anytime within the next 2-3 years, but he'll have to down the line. Right now, it is futile to imagine that scenario. But then, he is nearing 35, and has been the top draw for nearly 6 years now. His drawing prime can't last much longer. It has to wear off ultimately. Nobody can draw forever; the way they did in their primes. Hogan fell. Austin came close to falling before he retired. The Rock was also on a decline, which would have materialized into a fall, had he stayed for another 5 years. As the WWE's target audience matures, his magnetism shall wear off, and then they'll certainly turn him heel. That however is not on the cards for anytime soon. I mentioned 2014 in my previous post: maybe by then, or even later; but one thing is for sure that it will ultimately happen.