How I Would Book WrestleMania 28

If Vince McMahon were to approach me today and say, "D, I need your help.. all my writers suck and you're my only shot at getting WrestleMania 28 right.  It's a big year, so please, I'll give you anything you want.  Money, fame, private jets - you name it, you've got it," I would reply, after much hesitation to keep him on the edge of his seat, "Sure Vince, here's how it will go.."

John Cena vs. The RockPretty self-explanatory, and destined to be perhaps the biggest spectacle in wrestling since Andre vs. Hogan at WrestleMania 3.  How I would book the finish?  It all depends on what The Rock's contract status is, so I won't guess at this one and leave it up to Vince to decide.
Winner: ???

The Miz vs. CM Punk - WWE TitleDespite having a match with Punk at TLC, Miz has rarely met Punk anywhere in WWE and the two could hit gold in a feud with one another leading up to Mania.  The Miz can be John Laurinaitis' ultimate yes-man, the clean image, the workrate outside the ring we all know about, his corporate style and distinct WWE style.. Punk is the anti-thesis to The Miz, with an indie background and an indie attitude to boot.  However, put the two together and you will get gold - both are just as good as the other as bringing opponents down on the mic, and their mic-work leading up to WrestleMania could make this feud a must-see.  I would have Miz win the belt at Mania and retain his slowly-building WrestleMania win streak.
Winner: The Miz 

Big Show and Shaq vs. Mark Henry and Kane - Tag Team TitlesIt seems fair to say that Shaq is going to appear in some form at Mania, but instead of the Big Show heel turn that everybody is expecting, how about the two team up to form the "World's Largest Tag Team" and take on.. Mark Henry and Kane for the titles.  A true battle of four monsters, but nothing too serious - simply a quick celebrity match.  Have Henry and Kane pick up the tag belts some how before Mania and then face off against Show and Shaq for the belts - giving the belts, and the match a little bit more meaning.  Oh, and have Shaq and Show win the belts for excitement purposes - they can drop them on Raw the night after if needs be.  Perfect filler match inbetween The Miz-Punk and the following..
Winner: The Big Show and Shaq

Undertaker vs. Chris JerichoEveryone is expecting a Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk match, but I believe this would be a much better and more exciting match for Jericho to work.  It seems as though Jericho's return is only for the short term, as he has work commitments booked with Fozzy in the near future.  It would seem fruitless to put him in a WWE title match, as that title should be reserved for guys who are working regularly.  Jericho and Taker are both masters at their game and could steal the show with this match.  It would also give Jericho's creepy "end of the world" videos some meaning, as they could relate it to Undertaker in some fashion.  Of course, Taker wins this match, and he goes 20-0 at 'Mania.
Winner: Undertaker 

Divas Battle RoyaleJust to get all the divas on the card and all get a pay-day, a divas battle royale, or 5-man tag team match, or whatever they have to.  Filler match inbetween the main events.
Winner: err... Khama as a surprise entrant, if she's available

Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton - Intercontinental Title vs. World TitleI was surprised that Rhodes and Orton didn't feud in this past year on Smackdown together, as it seemed to be written in the stars when Orton made the draft move to the Friday night show.  However, it could be that they are saving Rhodes/Orton for 'Mania and beyond, and I would be happy if that were the case.  We saw them briefly feud on Smackdown and they had a PPV match, but it could have been so much more - and that could be the case at 'Mania.  I'd love to see Cody Rhodes win the Royal Rumble and, as he hilariously said on Smackdown "Do a Ultimate Warrior.. though that could mean many things..."  Of course, he means win the World Heavyweight Title.  I'd love to see the IC title up for grabs here too, giving more meaning to the match.  If Cody won this, he would be in line to be the next big star on par with Randy Orton or John Cena and the next face of the WWE - and that would be.. dashing. 
Winner: Cody Rhodes 

Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett
Like the above match, Sheamus and Wade Barrett is a feud I expected to see more of on Smackdown this year, but we only saw glimpses of it.  Of course, they are feuding going into the Rumble, and both seem to be favourites to win it, but I would prefer to see them lightly feud until the weeks before WrestleMania, at the Rumble and then in the Smackdown Elimination Chamber match (which Orton would win the World Title in).  Then in the build up to WrestleMania, they could turn this into a great grudge match - both are roughly the same size, both are brilliant on the mic and both are distinct heel and faces who get the right reactions from the crowd.  All the makings of a mid-card WrestleMania match that needs to happen.  I pick Sheamus for the win, as it's 'Mania and the babyfaces tend to win.
Winner: Sheamus 

Money in the Bank - Christian, Daniel Bryan, Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, Zack Ryder, Rey Mysterio, HunicoThey didn't book a MITB for last year but with the roster being stacked full of quality talent more so than last year, it seems the right thing to do to squeeze the likes of these competitors onto the card - most of whom have been in PPV main events over the course of the last year.  Let's see Ziggler win this one here and get the big push that all MITB winners have had before him.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler 

Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston - US TitleThese two have worked great matches in the past and Kofi deserves a singles match after having been forced to tag team with the incompetent Evan Bourne for the last few months or so.  Give Kofi the win here for another babyface win to keep the fans happy.
Winner: Kofi Kingston 

Dark Match Battle Royale
The annual dark match battle royale.  Won't bother listing all the Superstars and NXT alumni, but have Santino Marella win to get the show off to a good start.
Winner: Santino Marella

So there we have it, the ultimate card for WrestleMania 28.  I'll be waiting for my seven figure cheque in the mail, Vince...

WWE and TNA should look to UFC in their approach to PPV promotion

It is no question that the PPV industry is in decline in the wrestling industry, with increasingly negative numbers for both WWE and TNA being revealed every so often.  Though streaming is a big part of the problem, it also comes down weakly promoted PPVs, something that can be easily changed.

WWE have tried to spice things up by introducing several "gimmick" PPVs, in where the main events are based around popular gimmick matches.  Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber and TLC are a few examples of this. TNA have stayed true to their typical 12 PPVs a year, most of them inseperable from the others and all with a late 90's Attitude Era-style tacky name.  Sacrifice, Hardcore Justice and others that I can't even remember.

Neither of these approaches to PPV's is the right idea and what both WWE and TNA need to look to is how UFC promote their PPV names.  UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem, for example. I'm not suggesting they start with event names such as "TNA 132" or "WWE 1049 (did you know: the longest running PPV series in history!)".  Instead, start booking PPV's around the main event of each show, and come up with a new PPV title each time.

For example, can you remember the main event of WWE No Mercy 2008?  I'd hazard a guess that you don't (congratulations if you do, you win this prize), but the main event of that PPV was a brilliant ladder match for the World Heavyweight Title between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels, as part of their epic 2008 feud.  But if WWE had gone with a PPV name like this:

No Mercy: Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels

It is much  more likely you would remember that PPV in the long run and it would give PPV's a much bigger feel to them than they already have.  To make it even better, each PPV should have an individual name, rather than re-using names such as No Mercy, Unforgiven, Backlash etc. over and over again, to the point they become forgettable.

Look at the WWE PPV Badd Blood.  The name, until 2003, was only used once in 1997 and everybody who has been watching wrestling since that era will be able to tell you that was the PPV of the Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker Hell in a Cell match, because it stands out in the memory.

Of course, both TNA and WWE should keep their big annual PPV's - for WWE, they have to keep Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Summerslam and Survivor Series, the traditional big 4.  Make the other 8 as part of this system.  TNA should keep Lockdown, Slammiversary and Bound For Glory, but for sure they should start a new system of PPV naming.  Why do they think fans want to see PPV's like "victory road" or "turning point" every year - names that just scream "this PPV is worthless"

Another thing that would benefit PPV's by simply changing the format of the name to something like UFC does, is that it would promote an ultimate main event on each show.  Of course in wrestling, every match is - or at least supposed to be -  booked to be exciting and part of the overall show which you watch from start to finish.  In UFC or boxing, viewers often tune in just to see the main event fights.  Wrestling shows have got to a point where they often have 2, 3, sometimes even 4 big main events on one show.  The problem is, this doesn't make the whole show seem bigger - it just waters down all the main events and suddenly the PPV is smaller, not bigger than it should be.  If each PPV had the ultimate main event promoted in its title, this would make each card feel unique and seem like a big deal.

This is obviously not the only thing that could help PPV business, as online illegal streaming is the biggest problem that wrestling promotions face, but I think it is a small step that could benefit either TNA or WWE.

James Storm can be the face of TNA

Though many older fans can't stand the sight of John Cena, it is undeniable that there is no other guy on the WWE roster that is suitable to be the face of the company.  He has it all - the workrate, the promos, the looks, and yes, despite what the haters on Youtube comments feel, the wrestling ability (but that's another article all together).

What TNA is lacking right now is a strong lead babyface to take the company to the next level.  It is something that has been done dating back decades in wrestling and TNA have had their guys in the past - AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle and even Hulk Hogan was the face of the company.

Right now they are building the World title scene around Bobby Roode, who is decent but not great in his heel role.  His promos are lacking and though his storytelling in the ring is good, his moveset isn't dynamic enough to stand out from the rest of the crowd.  A credible main eventer perhaps, but Roode certainly isn't face of the company material.  But his ex-tag team partner James Storm could just be that very man.

If TNA are seperating themselves from WWE by being the "adult" company against WWE's PG output, James Storm is the perfect lead guy to take them to the next level.  Sure, he hasn't got the name recognition as of yet, but in time he could be built up if given the chances the likes of AJ Styles and now Roode are having.

He has a natural swagger and charisma, a much greater confidence on the microphone than his former tag team partner and even one of the best catchphrases in wrestling right now - "Sorry about your damn luck!"  Another great thing about Storm as well, is that he has the bad-ass edge of a heel that top faces need to have these days, if they want to be cheered by all sections of the crowd.  The TNA fans are often split and undecided in their chants during matches, but at Genesis there were only "Lets go cowboy" chants for James Storm and "You suck" chants to Kurt Angle.  Kurt Angle, one of the most respected wrestlers in the business.  A credit to Angle as a heel, or perhaps more to how strong of a babyface Storm is?

Storm may not have the abs or the body that Robert Roode has, but this is a new era of wrestling and Storm stands out from the crowd with his look.  His southern American charm is a contrast to all the other top stars in the industry right now, but his appeal goes beyond the South because of his uniqueness.  Put the belt on Storm and you have a guy who is a beer drinkin' sports fan who beats people up for a living - a sharp contrast to the straight edge, comic book reading CM Punk of WWE.

His move-set in the ring is also dynamic and stands out with fan friendly moves - the Last Call Superkick as well as his backstabber and codebreaker, all much more dynamic than the likes of Roode's spinebuster or fisherman's suplex.

Can he be the company guy who goes and does all the media work?  Absolutely.  I recently listened to an interview with him on the PWTorch Livecast where he sounded absolutely credible as a top star, with no sign of nervousness whatsoever in an hour long interview.  He can also shift merchandise, and even stated on the PWTorch interview that he came up with all his own T-shirt slogans so far, including all of Beer Money's.  The "Beer Hunter" pun on "Deer Hunter" was particularly memorable, during the end of Beer Money's run.

Overall, James Storm is retro but new.  His beer drinking is reminscent of another strong lead face in Stone Cold Steve Austin, but his style goes back to the likes of Michael Hayes and other classic wrestlers.  It would be a dare for TNA, but I think one that would bare fruit in the long run.  Jeff Hardy can't be that guy, Kurt Angle is too old to be that guy, AJ Styles doesn't have the right personality to be the ultimate guy.  Bringing in a WWE guy to be the face of the company just makes TNA seem small-fry.  They need a home-grown talent for this role and James Storm just needs a title run, prolonged exposure in the main event scene and a couple of catchy slogan t-shirts to be that man.  He had a lot of momentum when he won the World Title, but the rug was quickly pulled out from under him when they decided to put the belt on Roode.  If Storm goes over Angle in the final match of their feud however, he could well be on his way to being this guy, if he beats Roode for the title somewhere down the line.

Now hit my damn music *drops mic*