WrestleMania 33 is fast approaching, and WWE’s work in building the event kicked into full swing after Fastlane. Monday Night Raw saw two matches booked, with a third being teased, and the same happened the next night on SmackDown Live.
Top storylines are coming to a head, as top stars are undoubtedly preparing to steal the show. The company is doing what it does best as one by one, each match is being engineered to impress. But as WWE moves ahead to ‘Mania on April 2nd, many fans are beginning to see some serious issues.
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It’s not uncommon for plot holes to become evident, as booking is not an exact science. It’s also not uncommon for fans to point out any existing flaws as they arise. The truth is that despite the power WWE wields in the industry, it’s impossible to please everyone.
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However, no matter how stacked the WrestleMania card gets this time around, it’s obvious that fan concern is legitimate. There are just too many unanswered questions surrounding ‘Mania, and too many possibilities for everything to fall apart on April 2nd.
There is time to answer those questions of course, and no one loves a challenge more than Vince McMahon. But until the booking issues are addressed, fans will likely continue to question the direction that WWE is taking on the grandest stage of them all.
#5 Braun Strowman’s lack of competition
Braun Strowman is WWE’s biggest success story of the past year. Strowman went from being the muscle of The Wyatt Family to being a main event player on the company’s top program. WWE saw promise in this monster of a man, and Strowman has delivered on that promise every step of the way.
But as soon as his war with Roman Reigns began, it now appears to be over. Roman is likely moving on to The Undertaker at Mania, while Strowman now goes back to square one. The road to WrestleMania is not yet over of course, but the question of what to do with Strowman is surely being asked.
It’s illogical for WWE to abandon Strowman now, but any viable competition is quickly getting booked in other spots. If there is a concrete plan for him it’s not evident, and now many fans are probably waiting for an irrelevant match to be booked around him.
It’s a slippery slope for WWE, as one wrong move and Strowman could fall in the eyes of the fans. Simply using him in a top spot and insisting that he be respected is not enough. Strowman must continue on his path of destruction, and eliminate everyone that stands in his way.
If not, then all of the work done to get him over has basically come to an end. It’s surely the last thing that WWE wants, so the time to right the ship for Strowman is now.
#4 AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon, the unwanted match
AJ Styles had a monster 2016. The Phenomenal One was the WWE Champion, he owned John Cena, and he beat everyone that was put in front of him. The man that so many believed would never set foot in the WWE again, ruled the company as a true top guy.
But to follow that up with a match against Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 33? That’s something that virtually no one saw coming. Instead of working The Undertaker, Randy Orton or Bray Wyatt, Styles is probably heading to a match with a guy that’s not only not a part-time wrestler; he’s not even a wrestler at all.
There are a lot of ways that this match could fail. The most obvious way is if Styles were to lose. His star has never shined brighter in the industry than it has over the past year, but a ‘Mania loss to Shane would surely dim it considerably.
Similarly, there’s not much to be gained if Styles wins. After all, he would have pinned the corporate authority of SmackDown Live, and there’s not exactly a lot of bragging rights to go along with it. Styles would basically be standing still either way.
The fact is that this match is likely being considered because there are no other available talents that the company feels can match up well with AJ. Aside from a surprise twist in the form of Shinsuke Nakamura, it does indeed appear that Shane is the man that will face Styles at WrestleMania.
Styles has been built as a top guy in the company, and that cannot stop now. WWE must find a way to balance the entertainment value of this match next to the real world implications of mishandling one of its top stars. It will not be an easy task.
#3 Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker in a Battle of the past vs. future
The Undertaker will ride off into the sunset. It’s going to happen at some point, and when it does WWE will close the book on its most storied performer of all time. No one has represented the company better, and no one has meant more to fans in the long term than The Deadman.
But to imagine him losing his last match to Roman Reigns is something that many fans want no part of. Of all the talents that WWE could put in that spot, Reigns is indeed not the right choice. There’s just too much room for error here.
The most obvious question is who goes over? On one hand, a Reigns loss would make no sense. Roman is the heir apparent to John Cena, the next top guy that’s meant to carry WWE forward. Losing to Undertaker could stop Reigns dead in his tracks, leaving fans to wonder if the company cared more about the past than the future.
Of course, an Undertaker loss would turn WWE upside down. Roman would become the single most hated man in the entire company, and that would be the ideal situation if WWE wanted to turn him heel. But if that’s not the plan, then Reigns would likely stand no chance of ever fully getting over as a babyface.
Then there’s the fact that if ‘Taker’s last match is not against Reigns, then who? The Deadman has no reason to face the future face of WWE, other than to do the honours. If the match is being booked because it seems like the thing to do, then it’s all a waste of time.
‘Taker versus Reigns is too big, and too important, for WWE to mishandle. It may even be too big to even happen at all.
#2 The rise and fall of Bray Wyatt?
When Randy Orton joined The Wyatt Family, fans knew what was coming. The Viper is indeed a snake, and no one has ever outmatched him in terms of his devious nature and diabolical tactics. Orton could not be trusted, and the WWE faithful knew it.
But Bray’s betrayal did not happen. One week became two, became three, until nearly four months passed when Orton won The Royal Rumble. Just when fans believed Orton would finally turn, he instead pledged his allegiance to The Eater of Worlds.
So when Orton appeared on the Titantron and destroyed the Wyatt compound, fans were more than surprised. Once again, WWE had pulled the swerve and Orton had the last laugh. But as WrestleMania 33 draws closer, the situation is not exactly very funny.
As with Undertaker versus Reigns, the primary issue here is the matter of who goes over in the end.
If Orton wins, WWE can make it work. He’s a veteran, a proven main event top guy, and can carry the title through the bulk of 2017. But the old conversation of past versus future will certainly begin and could sabotage Orton’s Championship run.
Wyatt needs the win at ‘Mania. He’s typically not grouped into the New Era collection of talents, but his work to get over and his potential to draw money are obvious. He’s one of the new leaders in the WWE. But to what extent is the company willing to elevate him?
If Wyatt’s WWE title run turns out to be nothing more than a transitional period in order to get him to WrestleMania, then it will all have been for nothing. Wyatt has earned and deserves his place on top. Whether the company will see it that way is another matter altogether.
#1 Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar 2: Battle of the Big Money Monsters
Until the moment Goldberg returned to WWE, there wasn’t exactly a demand to see him once again face Brock Lesnar. Indeed, many fans had likely tried to put the events of WrestleMania 20 behind them and just move on with their lives.
But Goldberg’s return brought forth a nostalgic wave of excitement, and he quickly became the hottest star in WWE. The idea of him once again stepping into the ring with Lesnar suddenly sounded like a positive for many fans, who just wanted to see The Beast Incarnate taken down a notch.
Goldberg’s run to this point has worked on every level. The only minor issue came on the Raw after Fastlane, when the Chicago crowd began to boo him for winning the Universal Championship from Kevin Owens. That response will likely not continue to ‘Mania; Goldberg is still over and will surely weather the storm.
However, the real problem comes on April 2nd. Goldberg has been portrayed as Lesnar’s Kryptonite, the one man thing that can slow him down. No matter what Lesnar throws at him, Goldberg has an answer. Lesnar can’t keep up, he can’t stay focused, and he can’t regain his composure long enough to even get an advantage.
So if Lesnar does win at ‘Mania, then all of the work done to get Goldberg over would have been simply to get The Beast over. The problem is, Lesnar is not the company’s top guy, and he likely won’t be anytime soon.
He’s not Roman Reigns, he’s not Seth Rollins, and he’s not Owens. Lesnar comes and goes as he wants, and that means every match he wins is just another notch in his belt.
Leaving Goldberg for dead at WrestleMania 33 may seem like poetic justice and the perfect way to wrap up all loose ends from WrestleMania 20. But at the end of the night, what has WWE truly gained?
Lesnar remains the indestructible monster, while Goldberg runs away? By the same token, what is gained if Goldberg wins? In both scenarios, WWE’s booking is seriously under the microscope. With any luck, the company will find a way to bring it all into focus on April 2.
Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Sportskeeda. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here.
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