Spoiler Alert: Brock Lesnar is going to drop the title to either Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins at WrestleMania or on Raw the following night. On February 23rd, Lesnar was scheduled to make an appearance on Raw, and was in fact backstage. As we’ve all heard, he and Vince McMahon got into an argument and Lesnar walked out. Reports say that Lesnar was furious over contract issues and Vince was refusing to budge, reportedly stating that if Lesnar fails to make his scheduled appearances, he will be sued. Recently, our WWE World Heavyweight Champion sat ringside at a UFC event, fueling rumors that he will be making a return after he is done with the WWE. As it stands now, all signs point to Lesnar losing the title and leaving the WWE.
A win by Roman Reigns at WrestleMania is this writer’s personal nightmare. He is still far too green to be at the top of the company. Reigns needs more time to develop his character and perfect his promos. He is not strong on the mic and doesn’t ever look comfortable when verbally confronting another wrestler. He is very one-dimensional, cocking his fist and jumping through the air as he punches opponents. This is not to say he is weak or unworthy of a title shot, but he definitely needs more work before he can hold the biggest title the WWE has to offer. He hasn’t quite earned his WrestleMania moment yet.
Another factor to consider is the mouthpiece of The Beast, Paul Heyman. Reigns’ lack of skill on the mic becomes a non-issue if he has Heyman in his corner. With Lesnar set to leave us within the month, Heyman is freed up to manage someone new. Reigns has been butting heads with Daniel Bryan, who is so babyface right now that it hurts, which leaves Reigns with the perfect opportunity to make a full return to heel status. Having Heyman in his corner will elevate Reigns to a level he’s not able to get to on his own right now. If Reigns is going to be our new champion, he absolutely must have Heyman’s assistance in order to make his title run a success.
All that said a win by Seth Rollins is how this story needs to end, however. Brock Lesnar needs to win at WrestleMania. Reigns should look strong, but unable to match the Beast’s strength and brutal fighting style. This should be an even fight in order to keep Reigns on the rise, but has to end with Lesnar retaining the title. This allows Rollins to cash in, preferably on Raw the following evening. With The Authority at his beck and call, Rollins can easily sway things in his favor, cashing in when Lesnar is vulnerable. Rollins has proven time and again that he is ready and able to hold the WWE World Heavyweight title, and the perfect time to make this happen is immediately following WrestleMania.
Many fans are still irate about Daniel Bryan being unable to get a second chance at a WrestleMania moment, so this main event has got to deliver and then some. Since the outcome is painfully obvious, thanks to very little secrecy about contract issues and expirations, Creative needs to work overtime to ensure we still have elements of surprise and suspense in this match. The biggest match of the biggest Pay Per View of the entire year can leave no room for error. We can’t fall to the fix we had last year of making this into a triple threat, no matter how much I wish we could. We can’t remove Reigns from the match without looking foolish. We could add a stipulation, but the players are set with the title on the line. It’s now up to these key players to make their best effort to top last year.
Thankfully, Lesnar has Heyman to add to this match. Roman may stand alone, but because Seth Rollins holds the MITB contract, The Authority has free reign to insert themselves into this match, as they have to watch out for Rollins’ best interests. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon may be occupied elsewhere with Sting, but they could still easily be sitting ringside or on commentary. None of these outside parties should interfere during the match, but what happens before and afterward is up in the air. At a time when the most exciting match on the WM card thus far is between The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt, I find it hard to get excited over our main event. Hopefully, Creative comes up with something shocking and Lesnar and Reigns have this writer eating her words by the time WrestleMania comes to an end.