[worker1]

You hit on a real pet-peeve of mine and that is the title's importance. Though it's very indicative of today's mainstream sports, the value of the team and title have been less of the marketing strategy than the athlete. Beginning with Michael Jordan's era, the plan is now to center sports around the money-making individual and no longer about the quest of a team for the title. We fell in love with Michael Jordan, not the Bulls. Same can be said of Lebron James. There was no love of the Cleveland Cavaliers before LBJ. Once he left, so did his fan base as they followed him to Miami. So, the Cavalier shirts turned into Heat shirts as the marketing of the individual moved.

What I am driving at is that the WWE is so focussed on the individual performer to carry the organization. There is no sense of building around the title and the importance of being the WORLD Champion. If we remember back to the territory days, we can all remember about how special it was to have the "World Champion" come into town. When Ric Flair was world champion and he would travel to St. Louis, the whole month before the buzz was about the upcoming match-up of their regional champion getting a match against the World Champ; in Texas, the opportunity for one of the Von Erich's to win the title just sent that territory into a craze. It was all about the title and didn't really matter if it was Flair, Race, Dusty or whomever had the world strap.

The WWE's short sighted thinking pushes Cena (rightfully so) as the most important commodity of the company. They only put the title on him because it seems like the title should go on the top guy, but not because the title is really of importance. I'm not sure that it will ever change, but the world title really means nothing anymore.

Thus, for me, don't waste the world title on the Cena/Rock match-up. Cena and Rock is the draw. It's the Main Event. Nobody, and I truly mean nobody believes that the Rock will walk away as the World Champion. He will never be a full time wrestler, thus there is no need in putting the title on him only to have him drop it the next night on Raw. So, if you want to make people believe that the Rock could actually win against the bionic man Cena, you don't add the title.

To your point, nothing is going to top that match or the Undertaker match, but you can still get value out of the World Title matches by getting them over at Wrestlemania. On Monday, the Rock and Undertaker will no longer be on regular television, so their Wrestlemania matches are only novelties with no storyline future. But for the title-holders, they begin their run on the Monday night after WM and it will not matter whether they were overshadowed the previous day, they will be the focus going forward.

Thoughts? Rebuttal?

You have really good insight into the industry and make some really good points. In response to what you have said, it's really hard to argue because I think you and I both long for what wrestling used to be and not the current "sports entertainment" bastardization of the sport and I think we both realize those days are dead. I think you are just adapting better than I am. lol

I think that putting Cena against Rock with the belt on the line could bring value to the title because of the magnitude of the match. I know it sounds ironic that a match could bring value to a title instead of the other way around. I know that no one expects Rock to win, but if that is the train of thought why even have the match? Nobody can get an angle or idea across like the Rock and I think he could make it believable that he could win the belt. Just the notion that Rock could win the title and be around to defend it would only add to the match even more. He could even mention the fact that he would only have to defend the belt every 30 days, which would allow him time to defend the belt and pursue his other interests. Now people may not believe that possible(and rightfully so), but it is pro wrestling and anything is possible and with the right execution, I think it could get over and the Rock is just the guy. On the flip side, when Cena beats him, not only will he have beaten the Rock at Wrestlemania, he will have successfully defended the title against the Rock at WM. Very few champions have retained at WM in recent years and that would only add to the resume of Cena and add value to the belt. Besides all of that, I am an old school guy, and I think you are too, and I think the top guy should have the belt on the biggest show of the year. Right or wrong, that is just my philosophy.

In terms of the rest of the card, I just think two main events of that caliber and two heavyweight championship matches is overkill. I would much rather see Cena w/ title vs. the Rock, UT vs. HHH and a World Title match(I don't even know which championship is which, lol) featuring two of the tope tier guys such as Punk and Orton would be fantastic. With Taker, HHH, Cena and Rock all in matches at WM, having Punk and Orton face anyone other than each other does nothing to advance either of them. Put the other world title back on Orton and have Punk win money in the bank or vice versa to set the match up. That is 3 fantastic main events, right there. That would, almost, make it worth the $1500 or whatever McMahon is going to charge for the PPV.

A fourth title match would not be necessary as there are no established talent to put in that match. No disrespect to Del Rio or Mark Henry, but does anyone really want to see them in a title match at WM? The only other top tier guy left would be Rey, Jr and will he be healthy then? Putting any of those guys in a title match at WM would not bring anything to the table because everyone knows that they are not the top guys. Let them get over with their matches and then begin to elevate them the following night and months after WM. There is enough undercard talent there with more than enough ability to "steal the show" with that ability instead of putting them in title matches when everyone knows that they are not top level guys. I just don't see the point in putting a belt on a guy like Del Rio or Henry when there are going to be, at least, 6 other guys on the card that are above them. I realize that 3 of those guys are just novelty match guys, at this point, but they are there nonetheless. After WM, you have whole year to build new talent, which they have done a piss poor job of, at this point. Otherwise, there wouldn't be two guys well past the age of 40 and another guy that has been retired for years that would have to wrestle on your biggest show of the year, just to make it interesting.

In the end , though, you are correct. They will go with 2 mains and 2 title matches with one of the title matches serving as the opening match. Plus, there will be some sort of gimmick match with some sort of pop culture nitwit. Maybe, they can book Ronnie vs. Situation in a Jersey Shore death match. Winner gets the loser's HGH stash or maybe Snooki vs. Chaz Bono in a jello wrestling match. It doesn't really matter. Whatever Vince goes with, people will buy it and he will continue to make money (although, not as much as he could or should) and real wrestling fans will continue to watch in hopes that "sports entertainment" dies a quick and painful death.