WWE Road to WrestleMania Pt. 1: Hope and the Long Journey to Greatness

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"Hope cannot be said to exist, nor can it be said not to exist. It is just like roads across the earth. For actually the earth had no roads to begin with, but when many men pass one way, a road is made

                            —Lu Xun

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There are many things that exist within the confines of the WWE kingdom: success, failures, moments, love, hate, friendship, betrayal, kindness, fear and joy. But the most important thing that hides not only within the walls of the kingdom, but within every man and woman who steps foot within the hallowed battlegrounds located at the center of its universe is something that is a part of us all, is hope.

The hope that one day their star will shine the brightest of them all. The hope that they will transform into role models instead of life lessons. The hope that one day they'll achieve the glory that many before them accomplished, and follow in the footsteps of legends. The hope that one day they can journey across one of the greatest roads ever created by man. The hope that one day they can feel the magic, the warmth, the energy and the spectacle of participating in one of the greatest events that this road leads to.

For what exactly is hope without the will power to follow it? Is it possible to achieve such lofty dreams without hope? What would the kingdom look like without a younger generation filled with hope to achieve what those today will do tomorrow?

There is a lot to be said about hope—and its place within the human soul. It is the conundrum of the human spirit. It is what motivates, deflates and causes those who lack it to to either seek enlightenment or commit acts of pure evil. It is what guides us all on our path through life. It is our beacon, our lighthouse, our road...

...This is the story of the Road to WrestleMania.

Prologue: When Two Generations Collide

The energy has now risen to such extreme levels that neither of the two men standing within the epicenter of the universe can no longer comprehend the historic moment that they have created. They have taken the world as we know it and, together, split it into two halves. The moment, the sounds and the raw energy that now spreads throughout the air can only be matched as they reach across and connect their hands binding them into a contract that many thought they would never see, but always wished for.

It is not everyday that we have the opportunity to witness magic being produced, and while there is still lingering doubt that the two men, from opposite generations, can produce the electricity that this moment or the moments before this crafted; It is not everyday that we bear witness to the perfect alignment of galaxies as they barrel through space towards each other. Knowing that one day they will inevitably collide...Or that we know when that day will happen. 

It has been nearly a year now since the two stars from different galaxies set their rotations toward an explosion, and as the clock ticks tirelessly away we set our eyes and ears toward the brightest star, spectacle and event this universe has ever known. We set our attention to WrestleMania.

As the two men, who continue to glare into the darkness of the others eyes, soak in the euphoria they have created they acknowledge to those watching that they have already chosen their path, their map, their destiny...

...and their road to WrestleMania.

Chapter 1: The Royal Rumble

If the road to WrestleMania is exactly that, a road; then the Royal Rumble is the celebration and open invitation to all to see who deserves to be given a one way, guaranteed non-stop ticket to its final destination. It has the ability to make dreams, as well as destroy them. It has the ability to launch an inhabitant of the kingdom into its stratosphere where they can fly amongst those that echo within the universe for forever.

To win the Rumble is a known privilege, a tremendous honor, but more importantly a responsibility given to carry the future of the kingdom. 

The Royal Rumble—a competition that sees 30 of the kingdom's brightest, rising, sometimes past stars compete together until only one remains. The one who remains is given the chance of a lifetime. Headline the greatest spectacle in the world. A chance to compete for one of the richest prizes the WWE kingdom has to offer. A chance to do what many have always hoped to do. A chance to become a champion in front of the world.

The Rumble is life: hard, unfair, long, filled with moments, stories, random occurrences, and sometimes kinder to others while brutal to most. It is a journey we all travel in life and a fitting beginning towards the journey to WrestleMania. 

It would be the young Celtic warrior Sheamus that would be given the green light where others where stopped and re-evaluated by those who ruled over the lands. It would be a surprise, a statement and a testament. A testament that a new dawn and era was upon us all. Where those that thought they had already memorized the path, its landmarks and markers previously left from those that had already made the journey through the Rumble would now look upon a changed landscape. A landscape that was now filled with twists and turns, but now featured a new bright star to guide the way.

Sheamus now takes his first step on his road to WrestleMania. He must decide which of the current champions he elects to share his moment with. His future. His destiny. He must decide which one he must ultimately defeat in order to live out that dream that, as a young boy, he had always hoped for. 

Chapter 2: The Best in The World

While Sheamus takes his place at the front of the pact racing towards the bright lights of WrestleMania; another man, who has elected to blaze his own path, continues his quest he started a long time ago.

CM Punk, the rebel leader of a revolution, now finds himself where he always thought he should have been. CM Punk now finds himself at the top of the mountain as a mass of humanity tries to replicate his path he traversed only months prior. While his ever evolving power struggle with those in power continues to fuel Punk on his quest for change; another prophet, so similar in style, has arrived to challenge the rebel and take back what he claims to have always been his. 

Chris Jericho, a man forever beloved by the inhabitants of the universe far before CM Punk ever began his star blazing conquest through the WWE kingdom, has fired the first shot in what could be one of the greatest wars this kingdom has ever seen. Whether or not Jericho seeks the WWE's championship or to take back his "stolen" motto of "Best in the World", both will be decided when the first battle is fought on the grandest stage of them all.

There is much more story to be told between these two men, but for the time being it is important to remember the journey that Punk took to get here. Very rarely do you see a man not only take the WWE kingdom in a frenzied attempt at rebellion and anarchy, but succeed in his advances. He has become everything he hoped for not because of the charity of others, but by sheer will power and determination. He has created his own path. A path, that while many will try to navigate in the future, is only traversed once every couple generations.

When the time comes for CM Punk to travel down the final stages of his road to WrestleMania, and walk down the aisle of his destiny towards the final battlegrounds; he will already have been remembered for not only blazing his own path, but for changing the way we, as inhabitants of the universe, see the WWE kingdom as we see it now. 

Where would the WWE be without its savior, its rebel, its champion CM Punk?

And as Punk, followed by the wild frenzy of his revolutionary followers, descends upon his laid out road to WrestleMania a black cloud starts to form over Punk and his journey. 

The Conspiracy, and all of its unanswered questions, affairs and agendas will no doubt rear its ugly head and become the single greatest obstacle in Punk's road to WrestleMania.

Chapter 3: The Final Waltz of a Dead Man

Within the court yard of the castle that overlooks the entire WWE kingdom, tucked within the great walls where fallen legends have ended their journeys and considered, by many, to be the greatest of all time who now lie in their final resting place; lies a single tomb that no one guards, watches, or rarely dares to enter. It is a haunted place. A place that 19 men have attempted to enter and find the key that locks the door forever. Once every year this "dead man" rises from his tomb and descends upon the kingdom looking for someone brave enough to challenge the wonders of his crypt, his legend, his streak...

Many have taken it upon themselves, mostly through blind determination and courage, to rid the universe of this dead man, but had each fallen to the darkness. There are those, however, who have reached a certain point in their careers who no longer want, need, or cherish championships, the spotlight, or the main event; All they have left is the hope they can achieve what no man has achieved before...ending the career of the dead man.

Just like the real world, the WWE kingdom and universe often sees it share of deja vu, second chances and repeat occurrences. It gives those who have failed before a chance at redemption, faith and hope. 

This Dead Man, known as the Undertaker—for the past four years, past four spectacles, past four journeys—has given the opportunity to only two men whom he feels are worthy of the undertaking. These two men, Shawn Michaels and Triple H, have each failed with one of them, Michaels losing everything in the process: his passion, his honor and his career.

Michaels, now a shell of his former self, can now be seen wandering around the grave sites of those who have befallen the same fate. He is now left to wonder when his shot at redemption will come if ever.

The Undertaker, just as he did the year before, turns his attention to Michael's long time friend, ally and brother, Triple H. Triple H, a man who is now in a position amongst the others who rule the lands. A man that has already seen, with his encounters with the rebel CM Punk, what engaging in combat can do, as well as wear down those who hold power within the kingdom.  A man who, before taking power, stared into the abyss of the Undertakers advances with no fear only to submit, in the end, to the Dead Man's mythical powers.  

A man, that as the Undertaker once again came calling, turned the other way and quietly walked away from the dead man's challenge.

The Undertaker, who has once again risen from his tomb hidden within the dark recesses of the castle's courtyard, is now free to roam the universe searching for the one soul who dares to enter the devil's crypt.

There are many roads to WrestleMania. All that is needed to begin the journey is hope. Hope that the road you choose leads to everlasting immortality among the legends who have captivated the universe at the showcase of the immortals.   

...To be continued.