WWE Fantasy Booking: Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, WrestleMania XXX

My favorite part of the WWE year is the span of time starting with the Monday Night Raw following the December pay-per-view and ending with the Monday Night Raw following WrestleMania.

The Royal Rumble match is my favorite match of the year. Elimination Chamber always has the potential for a big swerve or surprise. And then there's WrestleMania. 

As that season is just getting underway, my mind always wanders to things I'd like to see happen as we approach WrestleMania. Feuds I wish WWE would start, matches I hope to see, situations I want to come to fruition.

And at some point, I've got to get those wishes and hopes and desires out of my head and onto a screen. That's exactly what you have here.

Please note: These are not predictions. I have no reason to believe any part of any of this will come true. I just think it should. You know, if Vince's primary goal was to make me happy.

An upfront warning: On some parts, I go into great detail. On others, I sum up with a sentence or two.

I hope you enjoy it. And WWE Creative, if you're reading this...well, you know what to do.

Royal Rumble

From WWE.com

Royal Rumble Pre-Show

Tag Team Gauntlet Match (Winners to Face the Rhodes on the PPV)

Since the Royal Rumble is full of surprises anyway, it is only announced that a six-team Gauntlet match will be held on the pre-show to determine the No. 1 contenders for a match on the PPV. No specific teams are named. Goldust and Cody do guest commentary.

The Primetime Players are announced first, followed by the Usos. I know that the Usos are getting a really strong push lately, but this is fantasy booking, and this is my fantasy. PTP eliminate the sons of Rikishi cleanly. Los Matadores come out next and cleanly eliminate O'Neil and Young.

"Oh, you didn't know?" blares over the PA as the New Age Outlaws make a surprise entrance. Primo and Epico put up a good fight but ultimately fail to get past Road Dogg and Bad Ass. 3MB comes out next, and NAO eliminate them quickly.

The Real Americans emerge as the sixth and final team. After a distraction by Zeb, Swagger and Cesaro win the match and move on to a Tag Team Championship match on the PPV.

United States Championship Open Invitational

The Shield come through the audience and cut a promo in the ring about the Royal Rumble Match. Then Ambrose says that if some people think Reigns is the strongest member of The Shield, then those same people may think Ambrose himself is the weakest link. To prove them wrong, he's going to the be the only man doing double-duty tonight. He will be in the Royal Rumble match but issues an open challenge to anyone who wants a shot at the United States Championship.

Christian accepts the challenge. As the pre-show nears its ending, Ambrose gets a clean victory, building momentum for himself and The Shield going into the Royal Rumble Match.

Royal Rumble PPV

WWE Intercontinental Championship

Big E. Langston (c) vs. Ryback (w/ Curtis Axel)

This match is used to help legitimize Langston as the Intercontinental Champion. As the end approaches, he manages to take out Axel (as he tries to interfere) and then gets the clean victory over Ryback. Langston moves on to a new feud after this match.

WWE Divas Championship Handicap Match

AJ Lee (c) (w/ Tamina Snuka) vs. The Funkadactyls

Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley gets tired of hearing AJ complain about the attention given to all of the stars of Total Divas. So she puts AJ in a handicap match, in which either Naomi or Cameron can pin Miss Lee and win the Divas Championship. An assist from Tamina is not needed, as AJ manages to divide and conquer the Funkadactyls to retain her championship. AJ continues to feud with the cast of Total Divas going forward.

Street Fight

Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. The Big Show

After a match that results in the destruction of some tables, ringside barriers and other paraphernalia, Lesnar manages to get Big Show up for the F5. He nails it and looks as if he's going to score the three-count. However, in a moment of deja vu (a la Survivor Series 2002), Heyman yanks the referee out of the ring before his hand connects with the mat for the third time. 

Lesnar realizes what is going on, chases after Heyman and Show manages to take advantage of the melee, stunning Lesnar with a chair shot and following up with a Knockout Punch to take home the victory. This feud is far from resolved.

WWE Tag Team Championship

Cody Rhodes and Goldust (c) vs. The Real American (w/ Zeb Colter)

Dusty's kids have had a good run as the Tag champs, but a Rhodes vs. Rhodes match at WrestleMania XXX needs the seeds to be planted early. After a disagreement and/or some miscommunication, The Real Americans get the victory and the titles.

After the match, Cody and Dustin are arguing in the ring, each placing blame on the other. As they get in each others' faces, Dusty comes to the ring. He tries to separate the two, but as he begins to pull them apart, Cody shoves his father to the ground. Goldust is quick to get to his father's side, and Cody can be heard saying that it was an accident. They both help their father up and together they walk him to the back.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match

Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena 

Before the January 20 edition of Monday Night Raw, Michael Cole conducts an interview with John Cena for WWE.com. Cole mentions that Cena is recognized as a 14-time world champion. He also mentions that the only person with more world championship reigns to his name is Ric Flair, the 16-time champion. He asks John if he thinks he will surpass Flair someday. Cena has only good, respectful things to say about Flair, and he says that if he ever manages to surpass The Nature Boy, it would be the greatest honor of his career.

On the January 20 edition of Monday Night Raw, Flair runs into Cena backstage. Flair says that he was touched by the kind things Cena had to say during the interview. He tells Cena that if anyone ever breaks his record, he hopes it is Cena. The Hall of Famer tells the leader of the Cenation that he has his full support for the match at Royal Rumble. Orton walks in on the two of them, and he reminds Flair that it wasn't all that long ago that The Viper was known as "The Legend Killer" and that Flair had better watch what he says.

At the pay-per-view, 20 minutes or so into the match, the referee is out cold. Cena is very hazy but still on his feet. Orton slithers out of the ring and grabs a championship belt to be used as a weapon. Just as he gets back in the ring, Flair sprints from the back and enters the squared circle. He takes the belt from Orton, which gives Cena just enough time to get his barrings and lift Orton up for the Attitude Adjustment. But before he can complete his finishing maneuver, Flair clocks Cena with the belt and Orton falls on Cena as he collapses. Flair revives the referee, and Orton gets the three-count. 

After the match, Flair can be heard yelling at Cena that he will never be able to surpass Flair's 16 world championships—that no one, in fact, will ever accomplish what Flair has accomplished. He accompanies Orton to the back.

After a brief "Bad News Barrett" segment, we see a shot of Triple H and Batista talking backstage. Flair and Orton burst onto the scene, and an Evolution reunion is teased.

Royal Rumble Match

To help keep track of the goings-on of this chaotic match, after a participant enters, his name will be followed by his entrant number in parentheses. When a participant is eliminated, his name will be followed by "No." and the number he was eliminated, within parentheses. For example: "Xavier Woods (9) entered...Xavier Woods (No. 5) was eliminated."

Dolph Ziggler (1) and Daniel Bryan (2) start the Rumble, and both are real workhorses, still in the ring after the 30th man has entered. Ziggler gives a performance reminiscent of Mr. Perfect or a young Shawn Michaels, allowing him to later argue that he "stole the show," even though he didn't win. Bryan is the hottest thing going right now, so there's no way he doesn't last until the end.

Alberto Del Rio (3) enters next, followed by Sin Cara (4). Personally, I like when the ring begins to look full during the Rumble, so it will be a little while before anyone is tossed over the ropes and to the floor. As long as they are in the match, ADR and Cara seem to always be going at it. Tensai (5) enters next, followed by Erick Rowan (6), who does his best to assist Daniel Bryan.

Brodus Clay (7) enters next and quickly sends his former tag team partner to the showers, making Tensai (No. 1) the first elimination of 2014. Luke Harper (8) comes in next, and the three Wyatt Family members begin to triple-team Dolph Ziggler, who manages to avoid elimination. Xavier Woods (9) enters next. Brodus charges at him with a full head of steam, so Xavier ducks and pulls down the top rope, eliminating Brodus (No. 2). Meanwhile, Ziggler has his legs wrapped around Erick Rowan as the Wyatt Family continues to work on him. Bryan pushes Ziggler over the top, but he lands on the apron while dragging Rowan (No. 3) to the floor.

CM Punk (10) makes his way to the ring but is blindsided by the now-eliminated Rowan before Punk even gets to the ring. Rowan heaves Punk under the bottom rope to Harper. Harper picks Punk up and holds him in place; Bryan charges and Punk moves. Harper (No. 4) takes Bryan's blow and is eliminated.

Tyson Kidd (11), Santino Marella (12) and Jake "The Snake" Roberts (13) all enter without any further eliminations, leaving nine men in the ring. Roman Reigns (14) comes in and cleans house: He eliminates Xavier Woods (No. 5), Tyson Kidd (No. 6) and Santino Marella (No. 7). Fellow Shield member Dean Ambrose (15) comes in next. After suffering a spear from Reigns, Roberts (No. 8) is thrown out by Ambrose.

Bray Wyatt comes in next (16) and argues with Daniel Bryan over the eliminations of Rowan and Harper. Before this is settled, Fandango (17) dances his way to the ring, only to be eliminated (No. 9) almost immediately by Reigns. Bryan and Wyatt appear to be on the same page and begin to make their way toward Ziggler. Before they get to the Showoff, Bryan grabs Wyatt (No. 10) and tosses him out, officially parting ways with the Wyatt Family.

Seth Rollins (18) enters next, meaning all three members of The Shield are in at once. Sami Zayn (19) enters next, having won a Battle Royal on NXT, giving him the right to represent the brand at one of the biggest WWE PPVs of the year. Before anyone else is eliminated, Sheamus (20) makes his triumphant return, Damien Sandow (21) follows and finally Batista (22), who delivers Batista bombs to anyone still standing before eliminating Sandow (No. 11).

Kofi Kingston (23) enters next and is almost eliminated by Batista immediately but does whatever sort of acrobatic stunt he has come up with this year in his attempt to earn spot of the night. Upon re-entry, however, Batista makes short work of Kingston (No. 12) and eliminates him. With 11 men in the ring, Chris Jericho (24) makes a surprise entrance, followed by Rey Mysterio (25) and Curtis Axel (26).

Axel targets Ziggler as easy pickings, but Ziggler manages to eliminate Axel (No. 13) just as the buzzer goes off and R-Truth (27) enters the contest. Sheamus scores his first elimination of the night by interrupting R-Truth's (No. 14) dance moves with a Brogue Kick and sending him to the showers. Zack Ryder (28) enters the ring, only to suffer a Batista Bomb, Brogue Kick, Spear, Zig Zag and GTS. Rob Van Dam (29) enters next, picks Ryder (No. 15) up off the mat and gets an easy elimination.

As RVD turns around from leading the audience in an "R-V-D" chant, Batista clotheslines Van Dam (No. 16) over the top and out. Roman Reigns eliminates Sami Zayn (No. 17), and The Shield proceeds to triple-team CM Punk. When it looks like the trio are about to toss Punk out, the oh-so familiar theme music for the final contestant hits, and everyone stops in their tracks to look: Hulk Hogan (30) makes a triumphant return.

As Hogan enters, the members of The Shield leave Punk in a heap on the mat and viciously attack the Hulkster. He remains subdued for some time. Meanwhile, Sin Cara and ADR are all over each other once again, and Rey Mysterio decides to get involved. Mysterio (No. 18) is eliminated by ADR, and ADR (No. 19) is eliminated by Sin Cara. Since it now appears as though Hogan won't be moving any time soon, Reigns leaves the Hulkster in the hands of Ambrose and Rollins while he goes to work on Sin Cara.

Working on Cara in a corner, Reigns doesn't notice that Terry is "hulking" up. Reigns eliminates Sin Cara (No. 20) at almost the exact same time that Hogan eliminates Ambrose (No. 21) and Rollins (No. 22). When Reigns realizes what has happened, he spears Hogan (No. 23) and tosses him over the top and to the floor, where Ambrose and Rollins pounce on him. While the action continues in the ring, Reigns slips under the bottom rope, and The Shield puts Hogan through the announce table via the Triple Powerbomb. 

Reigns re-enters the ring and approaches a now-rested CM Punk, who is playing possum. The Best in the World takes advantage of the situation and eliminates Reigns (No. 24). Now we're down to the final six: Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Shaemus, Batista and Chris Jericho. Bryan locks up with Punk, Shaemus locks up with Jericho and Batista locks up with Ziggler.

Having been in the match for over an hour, Ziggler (No. 25) is quickly done away with by The Animal. Batista then manages to eliminate both Chris Jericho (No. 26) and Shaemus (No. 27). His confidence builds, knowing he is bigger, stronger and much less exhausted than either Bryan or Punk. After pounding away at both of them for a few minutes, Batista attempts to clothesline both men simultaneously; both men duck, however.

Immediately, Punk and Bryan join hands and double-clothesline Batista (No. 28) over the top and to the floor. Every member of the IWC goes ballistic with joy, as the Royal Rumble has come down to CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan. The two men go at it for at least a solid five minutes before Punk (No. 29) is finally eliminated by Daniel Bryan.

Elimination Chamber

From WWE.com

Elimination Chamber Pre-Show

AJ Lee and Tamina Snuka vs. The Bella Twins

As the EC PPV approaches, AJ tells Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley that she feels as though she has earned the right to take the night off at EC and that she thinks Tamina deserves a chance to perform on the PPV. Stephanie offers this compromise: AJ and Tamina will face The Bella Twins on the pre-show. If AJ and Tamina win, AJ gets the night off and Tamina will face the Bella of her choosing during the PPV. If The Bellas win, they face AJ in a Triple Threat match for the Divas Championship.

The Bellas manage to get the victory with a little dose of "twin magic." AJ is upset that she has to defend her title and blames Tamina for the loss. Tamina is mad that she doesn't get a PPV match and tells AJ she can go to the ring alone for her title defense.

CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns (w/ Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins)

(The Winner earns the final spot in Elimination Chamber match.)

Post-Royal Rumble, Triple H begins to show a special interest in Roman Reigns, adding to the tension among The Shield. After Hunter announces this match on Raw, in front of all three members of The Shield, Ambrose asks, attempting (but failing) to hide his insecurity, why Reigns gets this match instead of himself or Rollins. The COO tells them it's because they both have a title match to worry about. They assume that they will get a shot at the Tag Team Championship; instead, Hunter tells them they will face each other for Ambrose's United States Championship.

Despite Reigns getting a chance to earn a spot in the Chamber match, and Ambrose having to defend against Rollins, the members of The Shield continue to maintain that they are as united as ever. During this match on the pre-show, Punk comes close to winning the match several times but is prevented from doing so thanks to distractions and/or interference from Ambrose and Rollins.  

Just as Reigns is about to hit Punk with a spear, the lights go out. When they come back on, Reigns is laid out on the mat, and the Undertaker is standing on the apron. Punk makes the cover, and the pre-show ends with 'Taker staring down Rollins and Ambrose as they pull Reigns out of the ring.

Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View

Six-Man Tag Team Match

Sheamus, Tensai and Xavier Woods vs. Brodus Clay, Ryback and Curtis Axel

In addition to furthering the Woods-Clay feud, this match also sets up a Sheamus-Ryback match for WrestleMania XXX. Now a heel, Brodus is shown backstage with Ryback and Axel, and the three of them have been bullying Woods. Originally, this match is supposed to feature a team of Tensai, Woods and R-Truth. But when R-Truth approaches Brodus and company on his own, asking them to stop bullying Woods, the three of them gang up on him and he is "injured."

Later that show, Sheamus continues to play the good-guy role, and he confronts Ryback about his bullying. Eventually, it works out that he replaces R-Truth in the match. The bullies get the win in this match, but not in a clean fashion, leaving the feuds unresolved.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Sin Cara (w/ Rey Mysterio)

Since being eliminated by Cara at the Royal Rumble, ADR has been out for revenge. Impressed with Cara's performance at the Rumble, Mysterio has been more intentional about taking Cara under his wing.

ADR plays dirty the entire match. As the end approaches, Mysterio takes it upon himself to even the score a little. While Cara is down and the referee is checking on him, Mysterio hits Del Rio with a diving seated senton. As Sin Cara gets up, he only sees ADR laid out on the mat. He hits an impressive top-rope finisher for the win. As he and Mysterio celebrate in the ring, he sees a replay of Mysterio's senton. He tells Mysterio that he doesn't need that kind of help, shoves him, and heads back to the locker room on his own.

Four-Corners Tag Team Elimination No. 1 Contenders Match

Los Matadores vs. Prime Time Players vs. The Usos vs. The Wyatt Family

The winners of this match face the Tag Team champions at WrestleMania. Los Matadores score the first pinfall, eliminating The Usos. The Wyatts eliminate PTP and then eliminate Los Matadores shortly thereafter.

United States Championship Match

Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Seth Rollins

This is a match that would probably be the best match of the night, with the exception of the main event. Giving these guys 12-15 minutes on a pay-per-view would be great for both of their careers. 

Just as Ambrose is about to hit his Headlock Driver, the Undertaker's music hits. Reigns, who has been at ringside the entire match, heads toward the ramp; Ambrose's attention has been diverted. Rollins sneaks up behind him and rolls him up to become the new United States champion.

After the match, the lights go out again. A spotlight appears at the top of the ramp—it's the Undertaker. Stills of the night The Shield attacked 'Taker flash on the Titantron behind him. He says nothing, but just gives his thumb-across-the-throat sign, eyes rolled to the back of his head. Another spotlight highlights a WrestleMania XXX banner on the other side of the arena.

Tag Team Championship Match

The Real Americans (c) (w/ Zeb Colter) vs. Cody Rhodes and Goldust (w/ Dusty Rhodes)

The Rhodes boys don't cash in their rematch until this PPV. In the weeks leading up to it, there is obvious tension between them, with their father continually acting as a mediator. By the time EC rolls around, they appear to finally be on the same page again. Before the match, they tell their father that they are dedicating this match to him.

As the match nears its ending, Goldust and Cesaro are in the ring. Goldust has been in the ring for a while, has been needing to tag for some time, and he finally pulls off a big move to keep Cesaro down. Cody screams for the tag, and Goldust clearly has time to make the tag if he wants. He looks to Cody, but then decides to go after Cesaro instead.

Goldust tries to set Cesaro up for Cody's finisher, Cross Rhodes, but Cesaro reverses it. He makes the tag to Swagger, who hops in and puts Goldust in the Patriot Lock. Cody gets in the ring and has the opportunity to break up the hold, but decides not to. He leaves the ring and heads back to the lockers as Dustin taps out.

Brock Lesnar vs. The Big Show (w/ Paul Heyman)

(Winner receives a future WWE World Heavyweight Championship match.)

After double-crossing Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, Heyman explains that he did it because he wants to be associated with a champion. It has been a decade, he points out, since Lesnar has been a WWE champion (when he lost the WWE Championship to Eddie Guerrero at No Way Out, February 2004). Heyman says that Big Show has been through a lot in WWE over the last year or so and is poised to be the next dominant force in the company.

Representing Show, Heyman negotiates a deal with Triple H, setting up this match where the winner will receive a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at a date to be decided. Heyman is very proud of his negotiating skills and claims that he will take Show to the highest height of his WWE career.

In the end, Lesnar comes away with a clean victory, a future title shot and an undetermined role at WrestleMania XXX.

WWE Divas Championship Triple Threat Match

AJ Lee (c) vs. Brie Bella vs. Nikki Bella

The champion successfully defends her belt with a clean victory. Having defeated Total Divas stars at three consecutive pay-per-views (Natalya at TLC, The Funkadactyls at Royal Rumble and The Bellas at Elimination Chamber), her feud with the cast of that show is finally put to rest.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber Match

Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Batista vs. Big E. Langston vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. CM Punk

During the weeks between the Royal Rumble and the Elimination Chamber, Flair continues to insist that Cena will never attain what Flair has attained. Flair has made it clear that he will do everything in his power to make sure Cena does not leave the Chamber with the title. Flair is seen backstage many times with Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista (although rarely, if ever, all at once). 

It is unclear whether Evolution has (or will be) reunited, and any time any of the four men are asked about it, they refuse to answer. Triple H announces that Orton will defend his title in the Chamber and that Batista will be one of the six participants. Everyone else must earn their spot. After Cena earns his spot, Flair continually tells him that there's no way he can beat both Batista and Orton in the same match.

Ziggler is in this match to pull off some impressive stunts (his chance to "steal the show," as always) before his inevitable elimination. Big E Langston is added to continue to elevate his status before defending the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania XXX.

Hulk Hogan, who made a surprise return at Royal Rumble, has only appeared once on Raw since then, although WWE reminds us every week that he is back. During his one Raw appearance, he talks with John Cena. He says he knows how dastardly Flair can be and wishes Cena the best. Hogan makes a comment along the lines of Cena being a modern-day Hulk Hogan.

Daniel Bryan joins the commentary team for this match, as he is anxious to find out who he will be facing at WrestleMania XXX. Since the Rumble, The Authority has made it clear that it's not happy that Bryan is headlining WrestleMania, saying it still doesn't think it's "good for business."

Shortly after the match begins, Flair comes to ringside and antagonizes Cena while he is trapped in his pod.

Punk and Ziggler start the match and put on a wrestling clinic. Big E Langston is released next, and he dominates both men but is unable to pin either man. Cena is the fourth entrant. Flair remains at ringside. Ziggler is laid out in the middle of the ring, and Punk climbs to the top of one of the pods. He hits the Randy Savage elbow, but Ziggler kicks out. Cena follows up by hitting Ziggler with the Attitude Adjustment, but he manages to kick out of that as well. Finally, Big E hits Ziggler with The Big Ending and gets the one-two-three.

Randy Orton is released next. No one else is eliminated before Batista enters the match. Langston and Batista get face-to-face and have an old-school two-handed test of strength that is eventually broken up by CM Punk. Batista grabs Punk and nails him with a Batista Bomb. Rather than going for the pin, he simply turns to Langston, implying without words: "What do you say to that?" 

In response, Langston grabs Cena (who is down after suffering a low-blow from Orton) and nails him with The Big Ending. As he gets up and gets back in Batista's face, Orton nails Langston with a low-blow, which sets him up for a Batista Bomb. Langston is eliminated.

As the four remaining competitors go at it, eventually, Cena is the only one standing. He gives Flair the "you can't see me" gesture and then goes across the ring to get Orton. As he is doing so, Flair attacks the outside referee and gets the key the Chamber. Just as Cena has Orton in the STF, Flair gets in the ring and takes out the referee.

Cena angrily approaches Flair, who goes down to his knees and begs for mercy. As one would expect, he then delivers a low-blow. Bryan, at this point, has had enough and decides to get in the ring as well. Flair has helped Orton get on top of Cena and is trying to revive the referee. Bryan pulls Orton off of Cena and puts him in the Yes! Lock. The referee is up, but then Flair sees what has happened. 

Bryan makes way for Cena to put the STF on Orton again, and Flair decides to once again take out the referee. Bryan chases Flair out of the ring and to the back. Orton is tapping furiously in the ring, but there is no referee. Then, Triple H emerges from the back in a referee's shirt. Cena has let go of the STF by the time Hunter gets in the ring. Batista is back on his feet at this point, and he begins attacking Cena. Punk is back on his feet and approaches the COO, accusing him of being in cahoots with Batista, Orton and Flair. Triple H doesn't take kindly to this, hits Punk with a Pedigree and counts to three as Orton makes the cover. 

Suddenly, Flair reemerges and jumps in the ring. Cena has just kicked out of a Batista Bomb, and Flair is livid. Orton hits the RKO, Hunter counts and Cena kicks out. Flair is red in the face and decides to put Cena in the Figure Four. Triple H does nothing to stop him; instead, he checks on Orton and Batista, who are both exhausted and trying to catch their breath.

Without notice, Hogan's music hits, and just like at the Rumble, everyone stops to look. He makes his way to the ring but is confronted by Flair. Hogan knocks Flair out with one solid punch. Hunter approaches Hogan, but Hogan beats him down and manages to get him out of the Chamber completely. After posing for the WWE Universe, he bodyslams Orton and hits him with a legdrop. After flexing for the crowd one more time, he does the same thing to Batista. Inexplicably, he drags Cena and lays him on top of Batista, revives the referee, then heads to the back. 

Batista is eliminated after a slow three-count, but Cena is still down. Meanwhile, Flair has just gotten up again, and has revived The Viper. Flair sits on Cena's back so that he can't move. Orton connects with a devastating boot to the head, gets the pin and retains the championship.

WrestleMania Buildup

From WWE.com

As important as WrestleMania XXX will be, the buildup in the weeks preceding is at least as important. The stage must be set; anticipation must be built. Here's how I'd set things up in the final weeks for the biggest event of the year.

Divas Division

WWE won't be done pushing Total Divas any time soon. So if AJ is done feuding with the cast, as I have put in place, not only will the Divas Championship need to be addressed at WrestleMania, but Total Divas will need to be as well.

After Elimination Chamber, I would have AJ and Tamina find it impossible to reconcile. Tamina is determined to end the AJ era. Breaking away from her, she brings in her father. Tamina becomes a full-fledged face, with Superfly training her. By this time, AJ will be the longest-reigning champion of the Divas Championship era. She has a new goal headeding into WrestleMania: break the one-year mark. She'll have to last until June 16, and defeating Tamina at WrestleMania becomes a major obstacle in that quest.

As far as Total Divas is concerned, it will be time to showcase the newbies. Clearly, JoJo is set to be a face, while Eva Marie is set to be a heel. During Raw and SmackDown, we start seeing more of JoJo and Eva, and they aren't getting along. Since The Bellas, The Funkadactyls and Natalya are all faces, they will support JoJo. Eva must seek the support of such heels as Aksana, Summer Rae and even Vicki Guerrero.

Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley makes it clear that she is ready to see what the newbies have learned so far and books a match at the WrestleMania pre-show pitting the two against each other. She promises that the winner will be rewarded and the loser will suffer.

The faces help JoJo up her game on all levels: The Bellas help JoJo with her sex appeal, The Funkadactyls help her with her entertainment value and Natalya mentors her in the ring.

Conversely, Aksana helps Eva with her sex appeal, Summer Rae schools her on her extracurricular talents and Vicki pulls a few strings to get William Regal to help her with her in-ring skills.

The Rhodes

Cody has gone full-fledged heel after leaving his big brother in the ring at Elimination Chamber. He claims he carried his washed-up sibling during their stint as Tag champs and that he's tired of living in his father's shadow. Goldust says that he wants to bring honor back to the Rhodes name. He will face off against Cody at WrestleMania, and if he doesn't win, he'll retire.

Tag Team Titles

In a singles match pitting Antonio Cesaro against Luke Harper, Zeb Colter is noticeably less vocal and animated than usual. As the end of the match approaches, Colter turns on The Real Americans, and it is revealed that he's the newest member of The Wyatt Family. We find out that Bray Wyatt "saw something" in Zeb's political zeal, but Bray recognized that his passion was misdirected. Without mentioning it on-screen, they change the spelling of Zeb's last name to "Culter."

The transition only makes sense: He already has the beard for it. Plus, the crowd wants to get behind Cesaro and his Cesaro Swing (not to mention the entire WWE Universe almost always goes along with the "We The People" chant), so a face turn for The Real Americans won't be difficult. They can simply play up their patriotism to an incredibly cheesy level, a la Kurt Angle as the Olympic gold medalist.

The Undertaker and The Shield

It is revealed that The Undertaker is less than pleased with The Shield about putting him out of action since April of 2013. The members of The Shield, having an incredibly impressive history since debuting in November of 2012, are determined to end The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak.

Of course, everyone is still questioning whether or not there is a "crack" in The Shield. The Undertaker, one of the all-time greats when it comes to mind games, plays this up in the weeks leading to WrestleMania, causing noticeable dissension among The Shield's ranks.

A match is set for WrestleMania: The Undertaker vs. The Shield in a Gauntlet match. The Shield has trouble deciding the order it will face the Undertaker, each member thinking he has the best chance at being the man to finally end The Dead Man's untouchable streak.

The Big Show and NXT

After losing to Lesnar at Elimination Chamber, Heyman convinces Show that the best way to prove that he's the new dominant force in WWE is to start at the bottom and leave a trail of corpses all the way to the top. That means he starts with NXT.

Show and Heyman begin showing up at NXT and walking their way through the competition week after week. This results in an unprecedented 6-on-1 Handicap match booked for WrestleMania: The Big Show vs. Adrian Neville, Leo Kruger, Alexander Rusev, Bo Dallas, Corey Graves and Sami Zayn.

La Copa Hispana

Translated into English as "The Hispanic Cup," a Triple Threat match is set up between Alberto Del Rio, Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio to determine who truly represents the Hispanic portion of the WWE Universe.

After Mysterio helped Sin Cara defeat Del Rio at Elimination Chamber, ADR begins to belittle Mysterio and his Hispanic heritage. ADR claims that he is the true representative of Mexico and the Hispanic population as a whole, being of the highest Mexican pedigree. Mysterio, he says, has absolutely no right to claim a similar position within the WWE Universe, as he only represents the "619," those Hispanics who have betrayed their Mexican heritage and relocated to the United States. 

Sin Cara, on the other hand, claims that neither man truly represents Mexico. Mysterio is an American and Del Rio is of the minority since he represents the privileged class. Sin Cara, on the other hand, is a legitimate luchadore. He genuinely represents both the rich history of the masked Luche Libre tradition and can identify with the average Hispanic, Mexican or South American citizen.

During a three-way in-ring promo, all of these competitors are interrupted by Hall of Famers Tito Santana, Mil Máscaras and Pedro Morales. As bona fide legends, collectively representing Mexico, South America and Hispanic-Americans, they announce that a contest has been approved by the WWE brass for a match at WrestleMania: a trophy going to the winner of La Copa del Espanol, who will be recognized as the official representative of the entire Hispanic portion of the WWE Universe.

 WWE World Heavyweight Championship

On Monday Night Raw, the day after the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, the show opens with Vince McMahon making his way to the ring. He talks about how monumental the 30th edition of WrestleMania will be, how significant it is to him personally. He goes on to talk about how important the championship matches are at WrestleMania, listing some of his favorites as specific examples.

After the ending of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match from the night before, he concludes that The Authority can't be trusted to make sure things go down as they should. He wasn't happy with the ending. The final three falls, he says, were all set up by outside interference. Cena, Batista and Punk all have a right to claim that they were eliminated unfairly, and they all rightfully feel as though their opportunity to headline the biggest WrestleMania of all time was stolen from them.

He continues, saying that he feels all of these men deserve a chance to headline WrestleMania, as does current champion Randy Orton, and the winner of the Royal Rumble, Daniel Bryan. And he says they will all get a chance to do so.

He says that he has also renegotiated a deal with Brock Lesnar, pertaining to the title shot he earned by defeating The Big Show. At WrestleMania, Daniel Bryan will indeed face Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Reviving one of the biggest feuds of the modern era, John Cena will face off against CM Punk at WrestleMania. Pitting one returning monster against another, Batista and Brock Lesnar will also face off in a singles match.

The winners of all three matches will face off in the main event: a Triple Threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. And, of course, no ordinary referee can be left in charge of such an epic match. We can't leave this in the hands of someone who will be knocked out cold for several minutes after being gingerly bumped from behind.

Since he's clearly in no condition to put on a quality match, but such an icon that he needs some part in WrestleMania's 30th edition, Hulk Hogan will serve as the special guest referee for the main event.

WrestleMania XXX

From WWE.com

WrestleMania Pre-Show

Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender Battle Royal

Dolph Ziggler, Curtis Axel, R-Truth, Tyson Kidd, Sami Zayn, Heath Slater, Fandango, Camacho, Great Khali, Alex Riley, The Miz, Wade Barrett, Bray Wyatt, Christian, Curt Hawkins, Damien Sandow, David Otunga, Evan Bourne, Ezekiel Jackson, JTG, Justin Gabriel, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, Santino Marella, William Regal, Yoshi Tatsu, Zack Ryder.

I’m a firm believer that everyone should get to do at least something at WrestleMania, even if it’s just being tossed out of a Battle Royal. I have 27 men listed here, but that could easily be cut to 20, if need be. Bray Wyatt will be present at the Tag title match; Heath Slater will be present at the Tag Team Turmoil match; The Miz could have a Miz TV segment; Wade Barrett could have a Bad New Barrett segment; William Regal will be involved with Eva Marie; and I’m sure one or two more would be injured at the time.

The winner of the Battle Royal faces Langston later in the evening in a Ladder match.

Mark Henry will be the last Superstar introduced for the match, marking a surprise return after his “injury” suffered at the hands of Brock Lesnar. Having already earned a spot in the Royal Rumble, Sami Zayn wins an eight-man, single-elimination tournament at NXT to earn this spot on the WrestleMania pre-show. Having made an appearance at two of WWE’s biggest shows of the year, Zayn becomes a regular on Raw and SmackDown after WrestleMania.

The final six in this match include Sami Zayn, Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Curtis Axel, Fandango and Damien Sandow. Mark Henry presses Fandango over his head, Ultimate Warrior style, and tosses him out. Zayn almost eliminates Sandow, but the Intellectual Savior reverses it and sends El Generico packing. Henry double-clothelines Sandow and Axel over the top. Ziggler sneaks up and manages to dump Henry over the top moments later, setting up Dolph Ziggler vs. Big E Langston for the Intercontinental Championship.

JoJo (w/ the cast of Total Divas) vs. Eva Marie (w/ Aksana, Summer Rae, Vicki Guerrero and William Regal) 

Unless JoJo puts in enough time and effort to become a really, really talented in-ring worker, I don’t see her having a bright future with WWE (with the possible exception of being Lillian Garcia’s understudy). Eva Marie gets the win with a handful of tights. Later in the evening, she is shown backstage being congratulated by Stephanie. Post-Mania, she goes on to be Stephanie’s “right-hand woman.” Tension builds when she appears to be flirting with Hunter and/or Vince.

WrestleMania XXX

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match

Randy Orton (c) vs. Daniel Bryan

For the first time ever, WrestleMania opens with the biggest prize in the business on the line. Flair doesn’t make an appearance at ringside, as his main concern is not that Randy keeps the title but that Cena doesn’t earn it.

Bryan wins the match with a running knee. The crowd is amped after the first match of the night.

Brodus Clay vs. Xavier Woods

The Funkasauras finally gets satisfaction, making short work of Woods. His strong push as the monster heel (the one we’ve all been waiting for) starts getting traction post-Mania.

La Copa Hispana

Alberto Del Rio vs. Sin Cara vs. Rey Mysterio

Over the last few years, Del Rio has been given the chance to prove he belongs in the main event. The results have been lackluster. Rey Mysterio has had a fantastic career as it is. With Hunico now playing the role of Sin Cara, it looks like WWE is ready to give the character a second chance.

Sin Cara wins with a pinfall over ADR. Being billed as the ambassador of the WWE Hispanic Universe, Sin Cara and Mysterio have a mutual-respect feud following WrestleMania, the latter figuratively passing the torch to WWE’s new masked underdog.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Qualifying Match

Brock Lesnar vs. Batista

These two give you all of the high-octane power moves you’d expect, with more than a few MMA-style submission holds displayed throughout. In the end, the former Next Big Thing defeats The Animal, moving on to the main event.

Cody Rhodes vs. Goldust (w/ Dusty Rhodes)

(If Goldust loses, he retires.)

Cody comes into this match with all the confidence in the world. Goldust has said several times that Cody has brought shame to the Rhodes name with his recent attitude, and Dusty backs him up. Since Goldust has agreed to leave WWE if he loses this match, Cody says that he’ll drop the “Rhodes” from his name if he fails to win.

Cody Rhodes wins the match. With Goldust having such a successful return, he either goes down to NXT for a while or simply returns as “Dustin Rhodes,” retiring the Goldust name. Cody begins a feud with his father, intentionally doing dastardly things to further tarnish the Rhodes name.

With his older brother out of the picture, Dusty relies on other young talent (Sami Zayn, Tyson Kidd, Xavier Woods) to fight his battles for him. Once this feud phases out, Cody moves on to feuds with some of the company’s top babyfaces.

6-on-1 Handicap Elimination Match

The Big Show (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. Adrian Neville, Leo Kruger, Alexander Rusev, Bo Dallas, Corey Graves and Konnor

All of the NXT Superstars get one or two offensive spots in, but there is never any question who is in charge during this match. Show makes quick work of the NXT gang, in a match that lasts fewer than five minutes. Post-Mania, he sticks with Heyman and continues a path of destruction until it makes sense to put him back in the World Heavyweight Championship picture.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Qualifying Match

John Cena vs. CM Punk

The odds-on favorite here is clearly John Cena; the Internet darling is CM Punk. Shortly after the match begins, Flair makes his way to ringside. Punk and Cena have put on phenomenal matches in the past, and I would expect no less of them on WWE’s Grandest Stage. Punk kicks out of the Attitude Adjustment; Cena kicks out of the GTS. Punk escapes the STF; Cena escapes from the Anaconda Vice.

As Cena has Punk up for a second AA, Flair jumps up on the apron, distracting the referee and Cena. The leader of the Cenation merely drops Punk and approaches Flair. As he knocks Flair off the apron, Punk gets up. When Cena turns around, he walks into a GTS, and Punk gets the win.

Post-match, Flair is ecstatic. He hops back in the ring to lift Punk’s hand in victory. Punk lays him out with a kick to the head and leaves him in the ring for Cena to exact some revenge. Punk moves on to the main event. Post-Mania, Cena continues to butt heads with Flair, who teams up with a heel on the verge of the main event (Wade Barrett, Brodus Clay, Ryback) to do his bidding for him.

Tag Team Championship Match

The Real Americans (c) vs. The Wyatt Family (w/ Bray Wyatt & Zeb Culter)

Having to deal with Zeb and Bray (on top of the monsters of the group, Luke and Erick) proves to be too much for Antonio and Jack, and their two-month reign as champs comes to an end. After losing their obligatory rematch, they continue the Real Americans stint but rarely compete as a tag team. Once that has run its course, they feud. The WWE Universe likely sides with Cesaro, who moves on from the feud to work with some main event talent, while Swagger competes among the United States or Intercontinental Championship ranks.

With Zeb learning to be a leader from Bray (a spiritual mentorship), Bray focuses more on his in-ring competition, capturing one of the midcard titles at SummerSlam. The Wyatt Family becomes the new dominant faction of WWE.

Sheamus vs. Ryback

Sheamus wins a relatively short match. Post-Mania, both men get lost in the shuffle and are relegated mostly to headlining WWE Main Event and jobbing to top-tier performers on Raw and SmackDown until WWE Creative comes up with something for them. Sheamus is better as a heel, in my opinion, so perhaps he turns and becomes bully buddies with Ryback.

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match

Big E. Langston (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler takes some sick ladder bumps in this match in his never-ending quest for highlight-reel-worthy spots. Big E retains in the end. Ziggler goes on to feud with the likes of Cody Rhodes, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins until WWE decides to put him back in the main event or turn him heel. Langston revives his five-count gimmick from his NXT days and remains IC champ until at least SummerSlam.

Divas Championship Lumber-Jill Match

AJ Lee (c) vs. Tamina Snuka (w/ Jimmy Snuka)

In the weeks leading up to Mania, AJ walks out of multiple Divas tag matches when she's faced with Tamina as an opponent. Fearing that she may do the same thing at 'Mania, Stephanie adds the Lumber-Jill stipulation. This allows for Divas like Alicia Fox, Layla and Eva Mendes to get some WrestleMania face time. It also gives the Divas involved in the pre-show some face time on the actual pay-per-view. It might also be a good time to introduce some of the NXT Divas, such as Paige or Emma.

Despite the support from her father and the Lumber-Jills, Tamina fails to capture the Divas Championship, and AJ continues her quest for a year-long reign as queen of the WWE hill. Having worked with almost every Diva at this point, AJ feuds with Paige. The NXT up-and-comer fails in her first attempt or two, but manages to take the title just days before AJ would reach her one-year mark.

Gauntlet Match

The Undertaker vs. The Shield

It's The Streak vs. The Shield. After weeks of Undertaker's mind games, along with Reigns getting special attention, Rollins defeating Ambrose for the United States Championship and a disagreement among the three members of The Shield about the order they will face the Undertaker for this match, it's evident that The Shield really does have a "crack."

Dean Ambrose is up first. Full of confidence, as always, he insists on going first so that he can pin the Undertaker before either of the other members even get to touch him; he wants the glory of being the one to end The Streak. He puts up a good fight, even reversing a Tombstone attempt. But ultimately, the Undertaker puts him down with a chokeslam and gets the pin.

Roman Reigns tries to go next, but Rollins holds him back. The Iowa native demands to take the next spot. Reigns is visibly angry. Seth fares about as well as Dean, and pulls Undertaker off of the rope as he walks it “old school” style. But soon after, 'Taker locks in the Hell’s Gate submission, and the second Shield member is forced to tap. After Rollins fails to get the job done, Reigns chastises both Dean and Seth, telling them to watch how a real man does it.

With the Undertaker already being worn down, and Reigns being the only member to come anywhere near the size of the Undertaker, Reigns gets in more offense than the other two combined. He nails 'Taker with a spear, but Calloway kicks out. However, Reigns is hard to put down. He kicks out of a pin after a chokeslam. He manages to get to the ropes when he’s put in the Hell’s Gate submission. Undertaker even pulls out the Last Ride, but that still isn’t enough to put Reigns down.

After Reigns hits another spear, Undertaker kicks out again. Moments later, Reigns is the victim of a Tombstone Piledriver, and The Streak is extended to 22-0.

No. 1 Contenders, First-Ever 4-Corners Tag Team Turmoil Elimination Match

The Usos vs. Prime Time Players vs. Los Matadores (w/ El Torito) vs. 3MB (w/ Heath Slater)

The rules for this match are as follows: One member of each team starts in the ring at the beginning of the match (think Fatal 4-Way) with their partners each at a respective corner. When a fall occurs, the team is eliminated, thus leaving three legal men in. Another fall occurs, another team is eliminated, and then it works just like a standard tag team match.

Los Matadores eliminates 3MB first. Prime Time Players eliminate The Usos next. Los Matadores come away with the win after eliminating Prime Time Players. In the weeks leading up to the following PPV, The Wyatt Family abducts El Torito, and video footage shows that they have taken him to their swampland headquarters and keep him in a cage. Los Matadores fail to capture the titles at the pay-per-view, but they do manage to rescue El Torito from Wyatt’s cult.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat Match

Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk w/ special guest referee Hulk Hogan

This match teases the Bryan-Punk feud that everyone has been dying for, but adding Lesnar to the mix gives the match a completely different dynamic. Punk and Bryan can put on a clinic, and Lesnar’s amateur wrestling and MMA experience will help him fit into that mix. And you’ve got to believe that both Punk and Bryan would be willing to take some pretty harsh bumps at the hands of Lesnar, especially in what would probably be the biggest match in each of their careers.

This would mark the first time in 'Mania history since WrestleMania 9 that a challenger has won the company’s biggest prize and then went on to defend it on the same card. If you recall, Yokozuna challenged and defeated Bret Hart for the WWF Championship and then lost it when he defended it against Hulk Hogan in an impromptu match immediately following. The following year, Yokozuna would go into WrestleMania as the WWF champion, successfully defend the title against Lex Luger and then lose the title to Bret Hart later in the evening.

Throughout the match, Hogan does get in each wrestler's face at least once, but he calls it down the middle. As the match nears its end, Bryan is down in the ring while Lesnar and Punk are out on the floor. Lesnar hoists Punk up and puts him through the announce table with the F5.

As Lesnar reenters the ring, Bryan manages to take him down, put him in the Yes! Lock and make The Beast tap in the middle of the ring. Bryan makes history as the first man to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship (or any other world championship) at WrestleMania and successfully defend it in the same night. He manages to hold the title until at least SummerSlam, when John Cena finally gets a long-anticipated championship rematch against Daniel Bryan.

And the Beat Goes On...

From WWE.com

To be clear, I didn't write this fantasy booking in hopes that you would agree with my ideas. I can't imagine anyone else wanting the exact same things as me over a three-month WWE period.

But were there some parts you did like? What would you have done differently? If you had any input for WWE Creative, what would it be?