The WrestleMania 5&1: AJ Lee Versus Renee Young!

Greg DeMarco is a wrestling fan of over 31 years, dating back to less than 6 months before the first WrestleMania. I’ve watched every WrestleMania live and attended one in person. I’ve suffered and cheered, been shocked and amazed. Basically, I’ve grown up with WrestleMania.

I’m excited to lend that perspective to this very special preview series for WrestleMania 31. From my analysis of the Money In The Bank Cash-In to my B.O.L.D. Predictions, you’ll be more than prepared for Sports Entertainment’s Grandest Stage after my preview.

Welcome to my world. Welcome…to DeMarcoMania.

Each year the WWE brings back its beloved part-time stars—such as Brock Lesnar, The Rock, Triple H, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker and now Sting—for the Showcase of The Immortals. That’s why it is only appropriate that 411Mania brings back an immortal, but in its strongest form possible.

It’s not just The Wrestling 5&1, its The WrestleMania 5&1!

And you can’t have the WrestleMania 5&1 without an old staple…Versus!

Now it would have been obvious to redo the WrestleMania 31 Divas tag team match here, or even pit the faces AJ Lee and Paige against each other…

…but what’s the fun in that! Instead I’ll pit two favorites against each other and make…YOU DECIDE!

One is the most popular Diva of this generation, the other is everyone’s favorite WWE media personality. One has captured the hearts of fans worldwide with her backstage charm, the other has captured the hearts of fans worldwide with her unique in-ring persona.

One is married to CM Punk, the other is dating Dean Ambrose!

OMG, it’s an IWC Wet Dream Match!

Who wins? I have no idea—it’s YOUR job to figure that out.

If You Think Sting Is Losing, You’re Crazy!

Sting made his first WWE – in-arena appearance at Survivor Series, and The Authority’s Tripe H was his target. He’s since become known as “The Vigilante” Sting, imparting his own brand of justice against The COO and his Principle Owner bride.

Now that the match is set, I’ve actually seen some predictions where Triple H wins.

Umm…that’s crazy!

Do you really think Sting returned to job to Triple H at WrestleMania? Hells no! “The Icon of WCW” stayed at TNA for far too long out of loyalty and respect for the company. Going to WWE was likely a difficult decision for him. He ain’t doing it to lose, at least not against Triple H.

Sting will win this match, and likely go on to face someone like Bray Wyatt at SummerSlam and The Undertaker in a Retirement (or Double Retirement) Match at WrestleMania 32 in Dallas.

But he’s getting the pin on Triple H in Santa Clara. At least I hope he is—the last few Scorpion Deathlocks I’ve seen from him looked downright terrible!

Hideo Itami Makes WrestleMania—Not Main Roster—Surge

It’s my first WrestleMania prediction, and I got it right! I picked Hideo Itami to represent NXT by winning the Axxess mini-tournament and cement his spot in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Itami was, at best, the third most popular selection behind Adrian Neville (long rumored to be headed to the main roster after WrestleMania) and Finn Balor (long rumored to have a very short stint in NXT). Hell, I’m even on record in saying that Tyler Breeze is the most main-roster-ready-talent in NXT today.

But the Japanese market is very important to WWE, so much so that they sent Hulk Hogan to Japan to announce Itami’s signing. And now he’s going to WrestleMania.

But I don’t think this means a permanent move to the main roster for Itami. To me this is about promoting the WWE Network and the NXT brand itself. Itami is likely to have a great showing and might even make it to the final four (although a mid-match exit seems more likely). He’ll hit some amazing moves and fight his way out of danger on more than one occasion. Don’t expect to see him hit the Go 2 Sleep in the match, but do expect to see him impress.

I also think we’ll see Itami on Raw, but again only as a showcase. Hell, he might even hit the Go 2 Sleep there, pleasing the always internet friendly RawAfterMania crowd.

The WrestleMania Kickoff Is Still WrestleMania

For the second year in a row, Jimmy & Jey Use and Cesaro will perform on the WrestleMania Kickoff show as the WWE Tag Team Championships will be defended in a 4-way tag team match. For many Cesaro’s return to the Kickoff is disheartening since he had a great WrestleMania moment last year, bodyslamming The Big Show over the top rope to win the first annual Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Speaking of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, it was announced earlier this week on WrestleMania today that that match would also be moved to the WrestleMania Kickoff.

This announcement apparently angered the Internet Wrestling Community who doesn’t think that wrestling on the Kickoff is wrestling at WrestleMania…

…and I completely disagree.

Let’s go back a few years to WrestleMania 27, where Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus was moved from the main card to the preshow, and eventually turned into a battle royal won by The Great Khali. I watched that event on a 4-hour delay, and was surprised to find the match I was most looking forward to not on the show. This was, in my opinion, the last year that being on the preshow/kickoff wasn’t considered being part of WrestleMania.

The preshow was advertised differently back then, and often the match held in the arena/stadium wasn’t shown as part of any broadcast. At WrestleMania 28, Primo & Epico unified the tag team championships by defeating Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd and The Usos (Kings of the Kickoff) in a “lightly advertised” match that I am winning to not include as part of the WrestleMania card.

WrestleMania 29 saw Wade Barrett defend (and lose) his Intercontinental Championship to The Miz in a match that was built first, then announced for the kickoff. To me this was the first WrestleMania Kickoff match that counts as part of the WrestleMania card. Last year we had the tag team championship 4-way that was also built as a main card match and then announced for the kickoff.

Last year I think you could have added at least two more matches to the Kickoff. Dolph Ziggler was feuding with Alberto Del Rio on the Road To WrestleMania, and having a crowd pleasing opener between these two on the Kickoff wouldn’t have been a bad thing at all. You have two hours, why not use hour number two for matches? Christian and Sheamus also had an issue headed into WrestleMania, although Christian didn’t appear in the battle royal due to concussion related injuries.
This year we have two matches on the Kickoff, and they’re built just as well (and in the case of the battle royal, better) than some of the “main card” matches. As I said before, the Kickoff matches are built and advertised in ways they haven’t been in the past, making them part of WrestleMania.

This year we have two matches that have been built up and will effect storylines. The live crowd won’t be surprised when they start, much like I was at WrestleMania 26 by the 26-man Battle Royal won by Yoshi Tatsu. While they haven’t always been in the past, these two matches are part of WrestleMania. They are…WrestleMania.

To Elevate, You Must Retain

There much speculation (some turned into Wrestling Newz) that Brock Lesnar will now retain the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and continue to sit as a part-time champion. We would then see John Cena win the United States Championship and Daniel Bryan win the Intercontinental Championship so they can main event house show circuits while the champ is out. Many see this is an elevation of the secondary championships.

Many would be wrong.

John Cen and Daniel Bryan, along with Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, and Dolph Ziggler are more than capable of being utilized as main event talent for the house show loops. You can take Cena, Bryan, Orton and Reigns and pair them up with any of the other four and *poof* you have a suitable house show main event. You don’t need a secondary championship around anyone’s waist to sell tickets to those events.

Furthermore, that is not the purpose of the secondary championships, even if they’ve been used in that capacity before.

Randy Savage. Bret Hart. Shawn Michaels. Steve Austin. The Rock. Triple H. Chris Jericho. Kurt Angle. Chris Benoit. Eddie Guerrero. John Cena. Edge. Randy Orton. Daniel Bryan.

Not only is this a list of Hall Of Famers (or surefire Hall Of Famers), it’s a list of men who were built through the secondary championships. 14 names etched in history, and that etching started when they won a secondary championship.

Wade Barrett and Rusev have the ability to be on this list. They have the talent to be on this list. I know the WWE reportedly wants to elevate these championships. I don’t want them elevated. I want them restored.

Retaining at WrestleMania and them going on to bigger and better things would go a very long way towards restoring both the Intercontinental and United States Championships. It would turn them back into predictors of future success—not foolproof predictors, but predictors nonetheless.

You can still have big names main eventing your house shows. They don’t need to hoist a secondary championship during their post-match celebration. They’re already major stars, those belts will do nothing for them. Let those belts do what they were originally intended to do, build up the future main eventers of the WWE.

The Future On Display At WrestleMania

“Too many part timers stealing the spotlight.”

I’ve heard the complaints. I’ve even felt them myself. It’s been happening for a couple of years now. “Big name” mega stars like The Undertaker, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, The Rock and now Sting are stealing opportunities from the stars of tomorrow. WrestleMania is a WWE Showcase, and that showcase includes legends. People will tune in to see Sting vs. Triple H. Brock Lesnar is a huge draw. The Undertaker is WrestleMania.

But it’s not all bad. Roman Reigns is in the main event. Bray Wyatt is facing The Undertaker. Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan will put on a memorable display. Seth Rollins gets current top star Randy Orton and will likely be champion at the end of the show, doing something no one has ever done before.

The wrestlers pictured above will get their spotlight at WrestleMania, and Daniel Bryan got one of the biggest spotlights ever at least year’s showcase. Outside of Sting, those part timers built WrestleMania. They set the stage on which the stars of both today and tomorrow get to perform.

Don’t be upset at what you get to see, be excited. Why? Because it’s WrestleMania, that’s why.

YOU DECIDE!

Ending on a positive note, what are you most excited to see at this year’s WrestleMania?

You can’t have a WrestleMania 5&1 without the And1, right? There is no more fitting And1 than the WWE’s most over female performer of all time, a Hall Of Famer and the one who truly defined what it means to be a WWE Diva. She also occupies Wrestling 5&1 history as the woman who sat at #1 in the Hall of Bang longer than anyone, by a wide margin.

Now go out there and enjoy yourselves on Sunday. Why?

Read each installment of Greg’s DeMarcoMania series:
• DeMarcoMania I: Pros & Cons of a Money In The Bank Cash-In at WWE WrestleMania 31
• DeMarcoMania II: Why Bray Wyatt Should Beat The Undertaker at WWE WrestleMania 31

Greg DeMarco is a wrestling fan of over 30 years and has worked on the independent circuit as a promoter, announcer, character and booker. Greg a weekly contributor at 411Mania.com, applying his opinionated style to the world of pro wrestling on Sundays and Thursdays.

He began writing for 411Mania in October 2010 and has been pissing readers off ever since!

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And as always…