There is no greater stage for a WWE Superstar to perform on than WrestleMania. The Showcase of the Immortals has made stars, enhanced them and ensured they live on in the annals of pro wrestling history forever...
WrestleMania is the biggest night on the WWE calendar. The show is massive, now spanning around seven hours and having as many as 14 matches to fill the time. Despite this, talent still gets left out...
WrestleMania is the single most important day of the year for WWE and its Superstars, and with the way things are shaping up, WrestleMania 35 on April 7 could be one of the biggest pay-per-views in WWE history...
Last week on SmackDown Live, Samoa Joe reigned supreme in a Fatal 4-Way match to capture the United States Championship, giving him his first taste of WWE gold since arriving on the main roster two years ago...
Video: AJ Styles Challenges Randy Orton to WWE WrestleMania 35 Match
Mar 12, 2019
Randy Orton and AJ Styles appear to be on a collision course for WrestleMania 35.
Styles attacked The Viper at Fastlane on Sunday, hitting him with a Phenomenal Forearm.
Many expected that to set the stage for their clash at WrestleMania, and The Phenomenal One left no doubt regarding his intentions for Orton.
A non-title match at WrestleMania 35 represents a step down for both men, though.
Styles successfully defended the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura last year in New Orleans, while Orton dropped the United States belt to Jinder Mahal in a Fatal 4-Way match.
Still, Orton vs. Styles would be a marquee matchup nonetheless and something fresh for fans. While they have crossed paths many times on SmackDown Live, the two have yet to battle in a singles bout at a pay-per-view.
Sunday's Fastlane pay-per-view may have been a series of predictable outcomes, but the action delivered by the men and women of WWE was better than expected...
WWE WrestleMania 36 Location Confirmed for Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay
Mar 7, 2019
TAMPA, FL - NOVEMBER 13: General view of the Buccaneer pirate ship during the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears at Raymond James Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Tampa, Florida. The Bucs defeated the Bears 36-10. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
WWE officially announced Thursday that WrestleMania 36 will be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, in April 2020.
As part of the announcement, WWE held a press conference Thursday to introduce the upcoming host city:
It featured speeches from current WWE Superstars Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair and Titus O'Neil, as well as WWE executives and on-screen performers Triple H and Stephanie McMahon:
The press conference was also kicked off by WWE Hall of Famer and Tampa native Hulk Hogan, who discussed the importance of WrestleMania taking place in his hometown:
While WrestleMania has been held in the state of Florida on three occasions already, next year marks the first time The Showcase of The Immortals will emanate from Tampa.
As seen in the following tweet, the WrestleMania 36 logo is reminiscent of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers' logo, which is fitting since Raymond James Stadium is home to the Bucs:
WrestleMania 36 will represent a significant departure from WrestleMania 35 in terms of climate, as this year's WrestleMania will be held next month at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the second time.
Holding WrestleMania at outdoor venues has become commonplace in recent years after doing so just once in the first 23 years of the event's existence (WrestleMania 9 at Caesars Palace inLasVegas). With Raymond James Stadium hosting next year, WrestleMania will have taken place outdoors in six of the past nine years.
WrestleMania was last held in Florida on April 2, 2017, from Camping World Stadium in Orlando. It previously took place at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens in 2012 and at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando in 2008.
In addition to hosting WrestleMania, Raymond James has been home to several other significant sports and entertainment events over the years. Most notably, the Super Bowl has occurred at Raymond James Stadium twice, and it will host the big game again in 2021.
Raymond James Stadium offers some unique features that could help WrestleMania 36 stand out from previous editions of the event. Chief among them is the Bucs' signature pirate ship.
During Buccaneers games, cannons are fired from the ship every time Tampa Bay scores. The cannons could be incorporated into the opening of WrestleMania 36, as well as some of the wrestlers' entrances.
Also, if "The Pirate Princess"KairiSane is called up to the main roster fromNXTby then, she has the potential to have one of the most epic entrances in WrestleMania history thanks to the ship.
With manyWWEwrestlers living in Tampa and theWWEPerformance Center being just over an hour away in Orlando, WrestleMania 36 has the makings of a homecoming of sorts forWWE. Tampa is also a quality tourist location that figures to help ensure that WrestleMania 36 and all of its surrounding festivities are a rousing success forWWEnext year.
Listen toRing Rust Radiofor all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below(warning: some languageNSFW).
Dean Ambrose Must Turn on Roman Reigns to Set Up Epic WWE WrestleMania 35 Match
Mar 5, 2019
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 23: Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns celebrate their victory at the WWE SummerSlam 2015 at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on August 23, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images)
After a night of Dean Ambrose saying he didn't want to be part of a reunion of The Shield, the trio again put their fists together and will take on Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre at WWE Fastlane.
Instead of Fastlane being remembered as the night The Shield came back together, though, it must go down in history as the event in which Ambrose turned on his brothers again and left Roman Reigns destroyed mentally and physically.
The WWE Universe was pulling for The Shield to put aside their differences throughout Monday's episode of Raw, but Ambrose kept spurning the advances of Reigns and Seth Rollins. Finally, when his brothers were in trouble, The Lunatic Fringe came back to a roaring ovation from the Philadelphia crowd.
With wrestling fans fully invested in the trio, it would be an epic heel move if Ambrose costs them the victory at Sunday's pay-per-view and uses the platform to embarrass The Big Dog completely.
Reigns' recovery from leukemia is an inspirational story, but WWE Creative and Ambrose himself have shown in the past they are willing to use his battle against cancer in storylines.
While the former universal champion was previously willing to forgive his friend for the horrible things he said, he shouldn't accept The Lunatic again as a friend, especially when he will likely bark up the same tree.
Not only does Ambrose beating down The Big Dog at Fastlane create massive amounts of sympathy for Reigns and heat for himself, but it also gives both Superstars a marquee storyline heading into WrestleMania 35.
The Lunatic and Reigns are two of the top Superstars in the company, and without each other, they don't have a clear direction. Instead of letting The Big Dog face Corbin and have Ambrose thrown into a Battle Royal, they should fight each other, ensuring the biggest show of the year is stacked with elite matchups.
Ambrose turning heel again at Fastlane would guarantee each episode of Raw would be interesting on the Road to WrestleMania, as an unhinged and remorseless Lunatic Fringe would result in some of the most exciting promos of the year.
Ambrose is one of the best talkers in the business when given good material to work with, and WWE Creative would be looking to go all-in with a war of words against Reigns.
The battle between longtime friends turned enemies would result in an electric storyline that will get all wrestling fans invested in the program. It would be like Triple H vs. Batista, but it actually benefits the future of the business.
In addition to adding mainstream notoriety to the WrestleMania card for April 7 with the marquee singles match, the continued conversations and teases about Ambrose leaving in April are still fresh on everyone's mind. Whether he leaves or stays, the uncertainty about his future will only benefit the storytellers by adding intrigue to the program.
The Lunatic Fringe deserves the opportunity to show how truly good he can be on the mic, and with the necessary leniency needed to pull off an angle where fans believe a Superstar is leaving—like CM Punk in 2011—WWE Creative needs to let him off the leash.
While some fans will be disappointed when Ambrose turns on his former friends again at Fastlane like a smaller version of Big Show, WWE has the chance to craft a storyline that best utilizes its talents during the most crucial time of the year.
Ambrose turning on Reigns is an angle wrestling fans would love. The turn would also create a WrestleMania moment the WWE Universe would never forget.
For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).
Fantasy Booking Batista vs. Triple H Feud Through WWE WrestleMania 35
Mar 4, 2019
On last week's Raw, Batista stunned the WWE Universe when he attacked Ric Flair, sending a message that he was coming for Triple H.
This act is likely the official launching point for a feud between the two that will culminate in a match at WrestleMania 35.
It's something that has been on the bubble for a while, as fans have anticipated seeing them face off ever since it was hinted at in October. Now that it's in full swing, though, all eyes are on the lead-up to The Show of Shows on April 7.
In the coming weeks, WWE will continue to build hype for the confrontation, but what steps should the creative team take to make this the best feud possible?
Let's map out some fantasy booking plans for Batista vs. Triple H heading toward WrestleMania 35.
Step 1: Establish the Feud
WWE already did the best thing possible by kicking this off with pure intrigue.
The attack on Flair was executed in a great way, as fans had every reason to believe it would be a Becky Lynch-Charlotte Flair segment, rather than something involving Batista.
The surprise element has captured everyone's attention, and since nothing was explained, the unknown element of why Batista attacked Flair to get under Triple H's skin has fans wanting to learn more.
With that out of the way, the next thing to take care of is explaining what this is all about. There needs to be an actual reason why Batista did this.
At SmackDown 1000 on October 16, there was tension between the two when The Animal mentioned Triple H had never beaten him, which isn't actually true. The Game pinned Batista in a tag team match on Raw in 2005 and outlasted him in an Elimination Chamber bout in the same year.
That is being swept under the rug, but Batista does still have four wins over Triple H. This isn't a story in which he needs to assert his dominance after the nine years since they were on opposite sides in the 2010 Royal Rumble.
On this next episode of Raw, Batista needs to cut a promo or have a backstage segment that elaborates on what his problem is with Triple H and why he feels the need to come back to pick a fight.
What that reasoning is depends on WWE's plans for the story. Booking-wise, all that has to take place next is to set the terms of the feud so March is spent leading to the point where Batista may or may not attain his goals.
Step 2: Avoid Overkill
Leading up to WrestleMania, there are five more episodes of Raw and SmackDown each, as well as Sunday's Fastlane event where this feud can continue to take shape.
As most of the heavy lifting has already been done simply by the careers these two have had, 10 episodes of television is far more than necessary for this feud.
In fact, sometimes, less is more. WWE shouldn't waste too much time dedicated to this feud while neglecting other matches that actually do need more time.
The trick to balance everything out is to do just a few segments featuring Triple H and Batista—but make sure every one of them is worth it.
That means no repetitive promos. Triple H doesn't need to say he'll beat Batista at WrestleMania during seven different 10- or 15-minute promos. Three will suffice—a short one next week, a more intricate one after Fastlane and a final push right before The Show of Shows.
Also, WWE has to cool it on the video packages and rewinds. The instinct will be to make sure every Raw and SmackDown features a recap of this feud. But if fans aren't tuning in that frequently, it proves the content isn't worth checking out; and if they are watching every episode, they don't need the refreshers.
It's superfluous and people will get bored of it, which will cause backlash with fans complaining that two older stars are taking the spotlight from the younger talent.
This is a big match, but it's already been done before and won't have lasting effects for the rest of the year, so it needs to be treated as a special attraction and not an anchor point to the card.
Step 3: Highlight Batista's Dominance
Seeing as Triple H is the babyface of this feud, WWE must position him as the underdog in some regard.
Obviously, those familiar with his career know he's anything but that, as he's beaten everyone there is to beat, has more championships than nearly anyone else and will be going into the Hall of Fame this year.
However, there still needs to be an illusion that he's the weaker of the two to maintain the hype.
Needless to say, one of the best ways to do this is to air a video package breaking down their history and how many more times Batista has beaten Triple H.
This acts as a double whammy, because it also enlightens the audience on how close they used to be.
This feud dates back 14 years, so some fans may need a reminder of the rivalry.
After that, though, the two need to be kept separate from each other for the entirety of this build save for one moment at the very end.
Until that point, Batista has to exact his vengeance through other substitutes, just as he used Flair to be a recipient of his anger.
Stephanie, Shane and Vince McMahon should all be targets, whether or not they actually fall victim to an attack. WWE may not want to get them involved as they're busy with other stories and may want to steer clear of Batista attacking Stephanie entirely, but a veiled threat that The Animal can come after them at any point would do the trick.
Others won't be so lucky and one of the best and most emphatic ways to get this feud over would be for Batista's grudge to bleed into NXT with an attack at the Performance Center.
Nobody would see it coming, as the developmental brand is still so removed from the main roster that it barely gets any mention despite all the recent call-ups. But everyone should know by now that NXT and the Superstars within its system are Triple H's concern.
Triple H is the founder of NXT.
Batista should show up at the Performance Center to attack a variety of recruits and trainees that The Game and NXT officials have been grooming for the future.
This could include unknown talent like Nick Comoroto as well as more established wrestlers ranging from Eric Bugenhagen and Shane Thorne to even the legends who are able to take a bump, such as William Regal, Matt Bloom and Shawn Michaels.
Beating up Flair is an attack on Triple H's friends, while laying waste to the Performance Center is a strike against his legacy, leaving room for the final blow.
Step 4: One More Attack
At the end of the day, no matter what storylines and drama surround the environment, sports entertainment is about the wrestling side of things, so this is all heading in the direction of these two Superstars pummeling each other.
That has to be illustrated with the final part of this build, which is to pull the trigger on a physical altercation with Triple H receiving a thrashing.
This can be done in either of two ways.
One option would be to have Batista attack Triple H and the rest of D-Generation X during the Hall of Fame, but that's not the way to go.
The ceremony should be a time when storylines are halted and everyone can be their true selves, rather than pushing something for WrestleMania. Plus, it would seem disrespectful to people like Chyna for their induction to be used in part for an angle. It's still an option, though, if WWE wanted to do that.
Instead, the simpler and better course of action would be to have Batista assault Triple H on the go-home episode of Raw by jumping him while he's busy dealing with something else.
Triple H could be involved in breaking up a brawl between Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Ronda Rousey or something along those lines. In the chaos, Batista could take advantage of the distraction and leave Triple H bruised and battered.
That way, the last image for the video packages on the kickoff of WrestleMania will be Batista standing over Triple H's body, giving the thumbs down pose and proving The Game has an uphill battle at the pay-per-view.
When push comes to shove, Triple H should be victorious at WrestleMania and that will be the end of things until Batista's eventual Hall of Fame induction, likely by Triple H as by then, it will all be water under the bridge.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
