***OFFICIAL WRESTLEMANIA XXVII THREAD***

[Goldash]

All speculation and news about Wrestlemania 27 goes in this thread. Allow me to start it off:

- STING vs. TAKER? Yes, I seriously believe the new cryptic teaser videos hint at a possible WWE debut for The Stinger as well as a possible HOF induction and a match made in hell (hehe) against the Dead Man...that's if said Dead Man is in shape by the time WM comes around. All we know is that Mr. Borden is officially gone from TNA, and all signs seem to point to him coming back. I just hope the younger WWE fans know who he is. Prepare for the most massive of pops.

- Now that MITB is gone, will the IC and US titles be defended? Bryan Danielson needs a Wrestlemania moment in his young WWE career, and Kofi Kingston needs to steal the show with some over-the-top moves. I think either John Morrison, CM Punk or Sheamus may challenge Bryan while Dolph Ziggler, Wade Barrett or Jack Swagger may prove a worthy adversary for Kofi. I really hope these belts get screen time now that MITB seems to be phased out.

- Nexus vs. Corre Elimination Tag Match Seems Likely Because I know everyone here wants to mark out when Husky Harris and Zeke exchange punches. Admit it.

- HHH vs. Sheamus? The King vs. The King of Kings. If Sheamus doesn't go after Bryan's US Title, a rematch of WM26 with HHH seems like the best bet...that's if HHH comes back anytime soon.

- Big Show vs. Diesel Seems likely, especially since they briefly stared each other down as Show entered the Rumble. But we'll see. Although I've always appreciated Show's effort in the ring, Nash was never the best wrestler after his WWF tenure and he's even worse now. It's markout material, especially since Show's legit injury at Nash's hands at WCW Souled Out 1998, which they could milk the hell out of for angle material...DO IT. But just keep the match short for the love of humanity.

- Goldberg return or HOF induction? I doubt he'll be coming back in wrestling capacity if Sting does (unless some super WCW tribute dream match is planned) but a WWE HOF induction for Goldy makes so much sense since he's Atlanta's hometown hero. Yes, his run was short compared to that of Flair or Hogan, but he's still one of the most popular wrestlers in history. And I actually thought he was a decent wrestler.

That's my speculation for now. Feel free to add your own speculation or news in this thread as it becomes available. The road to Wrestlemania is indeed on...

[DayWalker]

Since Rock come Back to Raw (that i am very happy about and promo he did was best thing this year i think)
I have wired Feeling it's going to be Cena vs rock

[Goldash]

At this point, here's how I'd book WM27:

---

Raw Main Event:
John Cena vs. The Miz [C] (Special Guest Referee: The Rock)
It only makes sense. Rock may not be willing to wrestle. And I can agree with that. With that being said, I don't see anyone else BUT Cena winning Raw's Chamber match. It just seems too obvious to me that they'd be willing to disregard this opportunity especially after the results of the Rumble. Plus, Rock seemed to talk trash about both men, hinting at the possibility of his "objectivity" in the contest.

Smackdown Main Event:
Alberto Del Rio vs. Edge [C]
...but you already knew that.

Obligatory Taker Match:
Triple H vs. The Undertaker (Realistic Pick) or Sting vs. The Undertaker (Fantasy Pick)
While the former seems to be on everyone's mind, and a match I wouldn't mind seeing (tenth anniversary of their match at WMX-7, after all) Sting's situation seems all too obvious. The rumors, the fact he's no longer with TNA...I don't know. Maybe I should give up such wishful thinking, and quick.

United States Title Match:
John Morrison vs. King Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan [C]
Here's why. I think Bryan either needs to drop the US title to move on or just get a new character. He's the ultimate generic face right now and his crowd reaction is beginning to wane. We all know he's capable on the mic, so maybe some time as a heel could work. A Bryan loss either will give Sheamus the belt and the midcard some good credibility or Morrison the belt as a test to prove if he'll be over enough to hold the Championship one day. But I really think Bryan needs to move on...either that, or turn. Quickly. Plus, this match works the ongoing Sheamus/Morrison skirmish into a position where they're not wasting any useless time on the show in a generic feud. Putting a belt into the mix makes things a bit more interesting between them...even if it belongs to neither of them.

Intercontinental Title Match:
Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston [C]
This makes too much sense given the animosity between both characters as of late. I think it could potentially steal the show if it happens. Make it so, Stamford.

WWE Tag Team Titles Match:
? ? ? ? ? vs. Kozlov and Marella [C]
Why the question marks? Because I can't think of any team in the 'E right now that makes sense. The Usos are close but they lost all credibility in that dance-off on Raw a few weeks ago. If the Hart Dynasty were still together, and heel, then I'd say "fine". But short of putting two guys from Nexus or Corre together to go after them (and you'll realize why I'm not including them yet) there's really no point for a tag-team match at WM, sad to say. And I'm someone who wants every title defended there, because it's Wrestle-freaking-Mania for crying out loud.

WWE Divas Championship
Natalya vs. Beth Phoenix for a vacated belt.
I can dream, right?

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton
First and foremost, I think it's absolutely genius that WWE finally referenced the Night of Champions incident from 2008 in an angle. They should have done it much sooner, but now that Punk's more over than he's ever been (IMHO), face or heel, it's time for some good old-fashioned asskicking between the Viper and the Punker. Yeah, I just had to put an 80's era Gorilla Monsoon nickname on Punk. Got a problem?

Nexus (minus Punk) vs. Corre - Elimination Tag Match
This makes too much sense not to happen. It's time for one of the factions to have bragging rights instead of having them beat up everyone and their mother in some kind of faux-nWo ridiculousness. It worked in 1997 with some of the most over wrestlers of all time but it doesn't work in 2011 with dudes who look dominant one minute and get squashed by Cena and Show the next. So, why not pit these guys against one-another? Who cares if it's heel vs. heel, it's all about who's most dominant.

Big Show vs. Diesel
As I said earlier, this may not be the highest-quality match in Wrestlemania lore, but it'll definitely put asses in seats. If WWE uses archive footage from WCW Souled Out 1998 to build this angle up, we could be in for something special. Just...don't drag this on past 10 minutes. There are children watching.

"Dashing" Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio
I don't really get this whole "broken face" business unless it's legit (which it doesn't seem like), but there seems to be a good angle going on here that should probably lead to a WM match. Rhodes is on his way up IMO, has been for a while, and we know that while Rey isn't the awesome entity he was in 1997, he still has the potential for amazing matches. We'll see what happens.

OK, I'm not saying any of these matches will happen (especially not Natalya/Beth ), or even the amount of matches I listed will even be covered in amount, but if the event looks anything like this I'll be pretty satisfied. This year has the potential to have some MOTY candidates with the workers currently on the roster...so why not?

[Goldash]

What were your thoughts on this year's Mania, fellow Rantboarders?

Without going into much detail, I have to really hammer WWE on their booking and timing. How in the world can you run out of time on your biggest show of the year two out of the last three years? That's inexcusable. For as many amazing moments as WM27 had, there's also as many head-scratching moments, and that's why the last few WM's have been mixed bags.

Matches of the night: Undertaker/HHH, Cody Rhodes/Rey Mysterio

Dogs of the night: Miz/Cena (may turn out to be one of the most forgettable Wrestlemania main events in no time), Santino/Kofi/Kane/Show vs. Corre

[blazinman5]

They had the WORLD TITLE MATCH AS THEIR OPENER.

[mark294]

Yea, there were some definite weak points during WM27. I thought that the RR winner was supposed to MAIN EVENT Wrestlemania. Not open it. That was pointless in my opinion. And I agree with you Goldash, that Miz/Cena match was ugghh.