Who's honestly getting bumped?

[Rampage Bentley]

One of the biggest complaints I hear about The Rock coming back for Mania, is that he's "taking the spot from someone who busts their ass year round for it."

With Cena, Punk, Jericho, Sheamus, Triple H, Undertaker, Daniel Bryan, Big Show, and Cody Rhodes having a direction for Mania already in motion, not to mention the rumored Zack Ryder vs. Kane and GM vs. GM tag match where names like Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, Christian, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, The Miz, and Alberto Del Rio will probably be thrown in...

What Mania deserving wrestler is actually getting bumped from the card?

 

[Wrestling4Ever]

No one of importance. This Mania is going to be stacked with talent.

 

[JohnOldSnake4]

I think that the problem guys have isn't so much that they're getting bumped off the card, but rather that someone is being prevented from collecting a Mania MAIN EVENT pay check. I don't know the ins and outs but I'd imagine the main event at a Mania get much higher paydays than anyone else on the card.

That said, I'd rather pay to see Rock main event it than anyone else, Jericho vs Punk (which we're getting) aside.

 

[Pedigree1]

yah no one noteworthy is getting bumped as far as my OPINION goes!! Were getting punk v jericho show v rhodes (again IMO thats the match i wanna see) HHH v Taker Bryan v sheamus and could be Karma V Phoenix thats a stacked card IMO!! Again no one is getting bumped because of rock v Cena!!

 

[Savage1]

I can't think of anyone getting bumped off the card and to be completely honest I wouldn't care if someone did. With the exception of Jericho/Punk and Taker/HHH I don't really care much about the rest of the card. Do I enjoy Ziggler and Cody Rhodes? Yeah. Do I wanna see the new version of the old Big Red Monster? Yes. But would I be terribly upset if any of their matches had to be cut to make room for the Rock to put on a show at Mania one more time? Hell no! All this heat that he is getting from the boys is absolutely ridiculous. For one Vinnie Mac and Cena came to him about wrestling at Mania. And two, Rock is a fucking legit legend and one of the greatest performers EVER!!!!!! Anyone crying about him wrestling a main event match at Mania better check the history books and thank him for helping pave the way for guys like them to have jobs. Cuz if it weren't for Rock and Austin being as good as they were during the Monday night wars, WWE may not even exist right now. So stop your bitching and get ready for another spectacular show from the most electrifying man in all of entertainment.

 

[justinept]

We have different interpretations of the criticism. I don’t think Rock taking someone's spot means that someone is getting bumped from the card completely. The way I interpret it, the criticism is that some of the big stars in the company are being pushed down on the card so as to make room for Rock/Cena at the top. This entire issue isn’t coming from guys that won’t be on the card, and it isn’t a result of some guys receiving a lesser payday (they won’t since The Rock’s presence will bring in enough additional revenue to give everyone a bigger payday). It’s about guys not getting proper attention leading in to the biggest event of the year because the WWE has focused all its attention on Rock/Cena.

The Rock was brought back last year because the WWE lacked star power. Ratings and buy-rates were declining due to the lack of star power, and there’s no question that The Rock being involved will bring back a number of old fans that stopped watching. However, we’re dangerously close to the April 9th date that we’ve all been discussing on this board. Given that The Rock is scheduled to appear on Raw the night after ‘Mania, that April 9th date represents the first Monday Night Raw without The Rock --- or, the day the WWE goes back to relying on guys like Punk, Jericho, Miz, Ziggler, R-Truth, etc to carry the show.

While The Rock will be a great short-term fix for the company’s problems, the lack of attention given to the full-time top guys is going to kill any momentum built by The Rock’s involvement. The wrestlers that are complaining seem to realize this, but most just write them off as jaded or jealous.

In my opinion, the WWE needs to spend more time pushing its top talent leading into WrestleMania than worrying about Rock/Cena. That match is going to sell itself. That match is going to draw on its own. But the WWE’s ultimate success or failure of bringing back The Rock will depend on the rating for April 9th. If the WWE does things right, then those fans that came back to see The Rock will stick around once he leaves because they’ve become invested in guys like Punk, Miz, Ziggler, etc.

 

[Headman]

Nobody got bumped. That's the worst argument for not liking the Rock. If the WWE had some huge mega star who would draw insane amounts of money if put in a match with Cena they would have went with him. Nobody is owed a Wrestlemania spot. It makes for a nice kayfabe argument but in real life it's like saying the guy who plays Flint in GI Joe 2 got screwed out of a bigger role because they hired the Rock and Bruce Willis. There are real reasons to dislike the Rock and I'm really sick of hearing this one. Anybody who thinks Dolph Ziggler or CM Punk are bigger draws tha the Rock or Cena (I'm no Rock fan btw) are out of their minds.

 

[justinept]

I think that the problem guys have isn't so much that they're getting bumped off the card, but rather that someone is being prevented from collecting a Mania MAIN EVENT pay check. I don't know the ins and outs but I'd imagine the main event at a Mania get much higher paydays than anyone else on the card.

That said, I'd rather pay to see Rock main event it than anyone else, Jericho vs Punk (which we're getting) aside.

I kind of alluded to this in my post, but I don't think anyone will receive a lesser payday for 'Mania. From reading stories about WrestleMania paydays, I've come to the understanding that there's no exact formula for it. There are factors involved such as your spot on the card, the gate revenue and the ppv money - but when all is said and done, a wrestler's payday is pretty much whatever Vince McMahon says it is.

All that said, I do think this 'Mania will make more money than any other WrestleMania in the past. Consider this, WrestleMania 26 reported 885,000 buys. That number was the lowest total since WrestleMania 19 and represented the third-straight year that the current 'Mania reported a lower buy-rate than the previous year's 'Mania.

Last year, with The Rock serving as the guest host, the number skyrocketed to 1,042,000 buys. That represented the second-highest total in WrestleMania history. Needless to say, The Rock actually wrestling should bring in an even higher buy-rate, perhaps eclipsing WrestleMania 23's record of 1,250,000 buys.

With more buys, the company should have more money to dish out to its stars on the card. Because of that, I don't think this issue has to do with money ... I just think it has to do with guys being properly pushed and promoted leading up to the event. For example, Jericho/Punk, the two guys competing for the WWE Title. In a normal year, that match could headline the pay-per view. This year, it will receive third billing behind Rock/Cena and 'Taker/HHH. Since the WWE started teasing the match prior to the Rumble, I think we can all agree that it has had a very lackluster build. Meanwhile, the other two matches - namely Rock/Cena - have received ridiculous builds.

With the WWE pushing two part-time wrestlers (Trips, 'Taker) and a movie star (Rock) harder than their current WWE Champion, how can the WWE expect their full-time roster to be successful once those three go on extended hiatuses following WrestleMania? That's the issue.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Inevitably one of the matches is gonna go Dark.... Probably the Diva's match (which is about right) but I could also see the IC title go that way too...

Who is getting bumped? Probably guys who have toiled this year and hoped for at least a Battle Royal spot. Guys like Gabriel or Ted DiBiase...

To be honest though the HIAC is more of an issue than Rock, that will eat 2 matches worth of time just to put up and put down. Still could be another music star instead...

 

[Twocenter]

I don't think so anyone major talent or match will get bumped. Mania will be a 4 hour show IMO, so I think every match will get sufficient time.

HIAC Match- 30-35 mins.
WWE Title- 25 mins.
WHC- 15 mins.
Cena vs The Rock- 30 mins.
GM Match/ MITB- 15 mins.
IC Title/US- 7-10 mins.(If happens)
Tag Titles- 7-10 mins (" ")
Celebrity match- 5-8 mins (" ")
Divas- 5-8 mins (" " ")
Kane vs Ryder 10
It's 2.45 hrs as per calculation so rest will be commercials and segments or a few thrown away matches. Last year it was ridiculously unplanned so I hope this year it happens nicely.

 

[DMaGic21]

The only person who seems to be getting bumped would be Randy Orton......who is one of the biggest stars in WWE and has no feud right now. Hes been injured I know but has been the top star on SmackDown and somewhat saved the show, what do they have planned for him?

Fpr anyone to say that The Rock has bumped anyone is ridiculous.
Would you rather see Michael Jordan play in an All-Star game right now? or some rookie like Kemba Walker?

 

[George Steele's Barber]

How quickly would this forum blow up if Bryan-Sheamus got moved to the dark match? It's sad that they try to call it "The" or "A" Main Event.

Clearly some guys are getting bumped or are not going to get the time most people feel they deserve. I don't knw where Orton fits in to the card. It's getting too late for a returning Mysterio to have much of an impact along with Henry, Del Rio and Christian. But who knows? They can always piece together a match or two or make a battle royal or stacked MITB. Maybe they will throw in a new concept match. The build has been pretty good so far and hopefully we can get enough enjoyment out of who is there, that we won't worry about who is not there.

 

[XXJJ]

With DB smashing Orton in the head with the title, you know he is going to be added to the World title match. They were rumors that they were going to make it a fatal fourway before Barrett got hurt.

Christian, Del Rio and Henry look like they are going to be on Team Laurinities, based off what you saw at the Elimination Chamber. I'm thinking Rey (if healthy), Santino and another babyface will be on Team Long.

I'm assuming you will get Ryder vs Kane, and Big Show vs Cody too.

What might get bumped are the divas match, and it looks like they are building a tag title match with Kofi/Truth and Swagger and Dolph. That could easily get bumped off. Miz really has nothing to do. If your in this group you might be a little worried of being left off the card.

 

[PlayTheGameHHH]

Why not blame Cena, too? I mean the Rock isn't wrestling himself at 'Mania is he? Cena should share some of the blame for this in my opinion. Infact, the complaining talent have been "bumped" from the card for the last 8 years. Everyone just jumps on the the Rock -

"He's not here enough"

Rock returns.

"He's stealing my spot at WM!"

 

[Dmbfantomas]

Cena v Punk not being the main event is unfortunate and shitty. That said, I think people are more upset as to WHY they are getting bumped down the card. I think if Rock had been an actual figure for the company for the past 7 years in a real capacity, I think people would have a much smaller problem with it. Sure, Undertaker took basically the entire year off, but everyone in the locker-room knows him and has been led by him in some capacity in the past. Rock hasn't worked with a large portion of the wrestlers on staff right now, which probably irks them more that some guy that isn't going through what they're going through is taking money out of their pocket, all because his film career started to tank. (The miricle of Fast Five aside. I really think if that film hadn't been a hit, we would have seen A LOT more Rock.)

 

[Dmbfantomas]

Why not blame Cena, too? I mean the Rock isn't wrestling himself at 'Mania is he? Cena should share some of the blame for this in my opinion. Infact, the complaining talent have been "bumped" from the card for the last 8 years. Everyone just jumps on the the Rock -

"He's not here enough"

Rock returns.

"He's stealing my spot at WM!"

Cena is the biggest star in the company. He works harder than just about everyone else, and has the respect of all of the guys. They're not pissed that one of the hardest working guys back there, who is drawing a lot of money and padding their wallets by helping to keep the company afloat is main eventing their Super Bowl.

I'm on the fence about Rock. While I really didn't want him back in the first place, certainly not main eventing Wrestlemania; I also have no problem with him main eventing from business perspective.

 

[AndThat'sTheBottomLine]

People are always gonna complain even when they get what they want. Personally I feel that if they are so pissed at the Rock then maybe if they had been better draws they wouldn't have had to bring the rock back. Hell I'm glad he's back he's one of my all time favorites and it's good from a business aspect. So to quote Jericho "Shut the hell up!"

 

[GI Cake]

Seeing the level of depth in the talent in this years Wrestlemania Main-Events, it is impossible to say anyone is getting snuffed out of a main-event spot. The only people that can even be compared to John Cena and the Rock would be CM Punk and Jericho, and they're getting booked for the WWE Championship. Or you could say Triple H and Undertaker, but they also have a huge match with Hell in a Cell. Then of course the World Heavyweight Championship has two younger talents to prove their worth on the grandest stage of them all.

Have people worked harder to get a spot in Wrestlemania compared to guys like Jericho and The Rock? Yeah, of course. It is there job to constantly put on the best wrestling matches they can do and entertain fans. But do guys like Tyson Kidd, Yoshi Tatsu, and Trent Barretta all have in common? None of them can draw like The Rock and Jericho. However, the undercard has yet to be shaped up. There is still plenty of room for guys like Orton, Kofi, Big Show to get their spotlight in Wrestlemania. And of course their is plenty of time to shape up feuds to fill in the card before they begin the big main-events.

 

[rge2010]

The only person who seems to be getting bumped would be Randy Orton......who is one of the biggest stars in WWE and has no feud right now. Hes been injured I know but has been the top star on SmackDown and somewhat saved the show, what do they have planned for him?

Fpr anyone to say that The Rock has bumped anyone is ridiculous.
Would you rather see Michael Jordan play in an All-Star game right now? or some rookie like Kemba Walker?

You seriously think Randy Orton will be left off the WM28 card??

No chance. No chance at all. He will get his fued without question. 5 weeks left yet. I still see room for him in the Sheamus vs Bryan match.

The biggest star who could be bumped off is Miz. He is in the doghouse and doesnt seem to be doing anything apart from job.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I have to agree with the ones that believe no one of real relevance at this particular point in time will be bumped from WM. Based on what I've read, if it's accurate, it seems that the ones in the most danger of getting bumped from the card, or to a dark match, will be the Divas. This is definitely turning into a stacked WM card with potentially incredible matches and there are a lot of top officials in WWE that are well aware of this, which is why the Diva match is in jeopardy this year. The Divas are all but irrelevant and most of them get paid a lot of money for doing damn near nothing anyhow. I would say 70-90% of the time, the job description of a WWE Diva involves traveling all over the world, which is a big perk if you're someone that has a desire to see the world, make more money than at least 95% of the rest of the population, wrestle a match that rarely lasts longer than 3 minutes, spend time keeping their bodies tanned & looking sexy, have their hair & make up done by professionals and willingly be the *********ory fantasies of millions of men of all ages that watch WWE programming. If they're bumped, they should be thankful that they have such a, comparatively speaking, cushy gig to begin with.

As for the men, I'd say there'll be a pre WM battle royal so that the rest of the WWE roster is able to get in on a WrestleMania pay day. If the Diva match isn't left off the card altogether, they'll prrobably be a dark match as well. As of right now, there's really no viable contender for Beth Phoenix and WM is just a little over a month away.

 

[badnewzxl]

Ya know why no one is getting bumped? bc they booked this match a year ago. that spot was MADE for the ROCK; it wasn't taken away from anyone else.

And ppl talk about the pay day; I bet having Rock on the card (esp v. Cena) raises the stock of the PPV so much whomever would have been been facing Cena in the main event will make just as much (prolly more) than they would have if THEY were headlining with Cena...

 

[Dagger Dias]

Unfortunately, signs are pointing towards the divas getting bumped due to them having absolutely nothing at the moment in terms of a Wrestlemania angle. Sure, Eve and Kelly have some tension but who cares? That's not a title feud. Beth needs a contender, and one worthy of Wrestlemania without getting bumped. As much as their division sucks, I still think they deserve better. There are other options they could go in terms of what becomes the dark match. The Tag Team Championship could be defended, or even a filler tag team match between Air Truth (Kofi & Truth) and Swagger/Ziggler could work since those four have seemingly been building an angle lately.

Then we have the idea I'd want to see done. In 2008 they did a Battle Royal before the actual show to determine a #1 contender to the ECW Championship. Kane went on to defeat Chavo to win the belt. That belt is not around anymore, but another midcard title defense done in this style would work great. With Rhodes likely facing Show, Swagger could put up his US Championship with a contender crowned in a dark match battle royal. That probably won't happen though. If the divas and tag team champions do not get bumped, then the biggest name I could see getting bumped would be The Miz. Unless he ends up in the GM match or the MITB match then I see nothing for him at the moment. Orton won't be off the card, and I doubt Kane will be either. I think they should either go with the battle royal idea or have one match become a lumberjack match so everyone still gets to be on the card somehow.

 

[Police Penis Sucking Goat Fucker]

i think we all know that Curt hawkins or JTG won't be haveing any matches that night maybe WWE will make a another smart move and drop the a title match so a crappy muscians like kid rock performe a pointless song that no one cares about

 

[theBec2101]

there are only 4 matches advertised. how do we know anyone is getting bumped that we think should be on the card? we still might see orton, show, ziggler, etc. you should of made this post the the week of WM. You kind of jumped the gun a little on this one.

 

[midgensa]

No talent is being bumped for The Rock.

Lets be honest ... EVERY year WrestleMania does something "special" that you could argue takes midcarders off the card.

Seriously, Mick Foley did it for a few years. Vince McMahon had done it. Hogan has done it a couple of times. Floyd Mayweather did it. Snooki and Trish Stratus did it.

There are almost ALWAYS non-fulltime wrestlers making appearances in he biggest show of the year because it helps give it more mainstream appeal.

As many have said. You want your spot to be untouchable ... then make your spot untouchable. Don't blame superstars like The Rock, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, etc. for making sporadic appearances. It isn't their fault that they are bigger than your spot.