WrestleMania 28: WWE Runs Risk of Making Title Matches Seem Unimportant

The Royal Rumble has come and gone, and the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view is only two short weeks away. Surely enough, WrestleMania season is in full swing. WWE fans around the world are looking ahead to the biggest professional wrestling show of the year.

WrestleMania 28 is being headlined by The Rock vs. John Cena, and The Undertaker will look to extend his remarkable WrestleMania streak to 20-0.

The Rock vs. John Cena is definitely one of the biggest matches to grace WrestleMania since Rock faced Hulk Hogan. For that reason, WWE should be making that match the main focus for the show. After all, that matchup alone is probably enough to sell out the show.

One can imagine that the latest, and possibly last, defense of Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak will be another central area of focus. ‘Taker’s WrestleMania appearances over the last five years have been some among the best matches, not only on the show, but in WWE history. In addition, the streak has become such a big part of WrestleMania that I would expect the WWE to capitalize on what could be ‘Taker’s last match on the “Grandest Stage of Them All.”

But with all this main event commotion, does the WWE risk making the championship matches at WrestleMania seem unimportant?

The risk is certainly there; there's no question about that. With those two main event matches demanding so much of the focus going into WrestleMania, it will be tough to make sure the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship matches get the attention they deserve. What’s more, if the United States or Intercontinental Championships are defended at WrestleMania, they will be especially susceptible to getting lost in the shuffle.

However, this does not mean that these championship matches will be overlooked. The ball is in the WWE creative team’s court. As crowded as the WrestleMania main event is going to be, the WWE needs to use all the television time they have efficiently.

I do not think that they will have a problem making the WWE Championship match feel special. The same goes for the World Heavyweight Championship match, especially if they continue to use the SuperShow format to build it up during Raw.

Any lower tier championship matches for WrestleMania will require, more than anything, consistency. If they consistently hype the match on television, then I'm sure the match will do just fine in making the championship feel like an important aspect of the show. A match for, let’s say, the United States Championship does not warrant main event caliber hype. In my opinion, so long as the match is memorable, it will raise the status of the wrestlers and the championship.

That is the key. The WWE needs to use the television time in an efficient and consistent manner between now and WrestleMania. Personally, I believe the WWE can make it work. The Road to WrestleMania is the time of the year where the WWE pulls out all the stops and goes into creative overdrive. Perhaps I am just being an optimistic fan, but I am confident that the WWE realizes what should be done leading up to what could be the biggest WrestleMania ever. In the end, only time will tell whether or not they will be able to pull it off.

Thanks for reading. As always, I appreciate any feedback on my writing. Feel free to spark a conversation with me regarding what was discussed in this column by commenting or reaching out to me on Twitter @MikePW247. Also be sure to tune in to This Very Ring every Sunday night at 11pm eastern to listen to myself and Stan Grubb discuss all things pro wrestling.