{Big D}
So it appears like the WWE is rushing a potentially huge money making, Wrestlemania main event about ten months early. Dave Batista vs. John Cena is a match that people have wanted to see roughly since 2005 when both men won their respective brands' World Title at Wrestlemania 21. I still consider this one of the last really big FRESH matches WWE can book. The match was teased in the middle of 2005, in the midst of the WWE Draft that year, which was a five week process, where Batista and Cena both were on RAW for roughly about a month before Batista was drafted to Smackdown, where he remained until the most recent draft last month. This immediately gave WWE a chance to do the match without the "interpromotional" label attached to it, and we had heard from various insider sources that it was planned for Wrestlemania 25 next year in Houston.
Last Monday on RAW, Mike Adamle, the new general manager, booked the match for Summerslam. People have complained that it is to soon and I am one of them. Giving away such a huge match with such huge box office potential is something WWE didn't do so often in the past, but is seemingly becoming the norm. Now, I have my OWN IDEA of booking Dave Batista vs. John Cena, the right way, the way to maximize earning potential and keep people interested in the WWE product leading into Wrestlemania 25.
Part 1: The Early MonthsThe first thing I want to establish is to turn Batista heel. Batista has shown flashes of heelisms since his feud with the Undertaker last year. This has been relatively toned down for the most part, but his dickness towards Shawn Michaels after Wrestlemania brought that back. I've always felt that a John Cena heel turn would be the one thing to refreshen the WWE product for the next two years or so if booked properly and with patience, but Batista is the next best thing. Wrestling is like a comic book, and the writers really need to take their time (something WWE almost NEVER does) to make sure that big angles play out and have maximum impact. This is what I would do.
Now after Monday, Batista vs. Cena has been set, but there is still a way around that. I'd have Batista come out this Monday on RAW and talk about how he's had two matches with CM Punk and been screwed out of both of them by Kane. He says he wants Kane. Adamle comes out and Batista basically threatens to kick Adamle's ass if he doesn't make it so. We're already showing sings of Big Dave's anger management issues, which WILL eventually lead to a heel turn. Adamle accepts and you've got Kane vs. Batista at Summerslam, and you can even add a NO DQ stip the following week. At this point, Cena comes out to ask where his status is. Adamle says he knows Cena wants revenge on JBL, as well as the World Title, so he gives him a chance to do both. At Summerslam, Cena will be thrown into the Punk/JBL match, making it a three-way. Later on this program, you can do an angle with Chris Jericho talking to Adamle (who lets bigger wrestlers push him around because he's a scared bitch), and talking his way into the match.
So now for Summerslam, we have Batista vs. Kane NO DQ booked, as well as CM Punk vs. JBL vs. John Cena vs. Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Title. The top drawing match on Summerslam is easily the Edge/Taker Hell in a Cell match, so you
DO NOT NEED the World Title match to be a huge, one-on-one-type affair since you've got a very big blowoff match closing the show. That said, this is a fun situation and this Fourway works for me as a way to establish where you are going in the fall. Summerslam is indeed one of the "big 4", but rather than using it to blow off ALL of the major feuds of the summer, I'd only use it to blow off Taker/Edge and Batista/Kane, with the Fourway establishing the road you will take to Survivor Series. Remember, you always have to think about life after the PPV.
The actual booking of the show is simple. Batista goes over clean on Kane after a hard fought match (which will be a catalyst for Kane to continue his new character), and in the Fourway, you have a huge ending of false-finish after false-finish, culminating in lots of action, with Punk barely winning with a GTS on JBL. I would establish a Cena/Jericho dissention, which will lead into the next PPV. I would have Jericho attempt to injure John Cena's eye, not unlike he did to Shawn (which will eventually build to Shawn's big return on one of the B-PPV shows, leading to a big Survivor Series I Quit Match between Y2J and the Showstopper.
So the very next night on RAW, Mike Adamle says that due to Batista's win last night, he gets the shot at CM Punk at Unforgiven. Jericho can then come out and bitch about it, leading to Batista vs. Jericho as your RAW Main Event that night. During that match, Batista wins via disqualifcation due to interfierence by Lance Cade. Jericho and Cade beat the fuck out of Big Dave and attempt to smash a wrench (used by a ringside attendant) into Batista's eye, until John Cena makes the save and cleans house. Batista and Cena stare each other down. Cena offers a handshake and Batista accepts. So now we have them finally squash the "punch" Cena hit him with on RAW recently. The following week, you could book Cena/Batista vs. Jericho/Cade, or perhaps even Batista/Cade after that, but the whole purpose of this is to set up Cena vs. Jericho as the secondary main event for RAW on Unforgiven, and Batista/Punk for the Title.
So the week before the PPV, Adamle, being the scared, but fair man, that he is, says that concerns have come up because each time Batista faces Punk, interfierence prevents a real solution from happening. Therefore, Adamle asks Batista what he could do to ensure that everything be fair. Batista says that he wants a Steel Cage Match and a special guest referee to watch the action. The ref is really arbitrary - I'd use a WWE Hall of Famer. You could use Slaughter or whomever you want, it doesn't really matter. Adamle grants this. Normally I'd say Flair (because of the relationship with Big Dave and the trust), but you wanna keep him off TV for situations other than very special occasions (WWE hasn't done this as much as they should).
So at the Unforgiven show, the big turn is almost realized. CM Punk finally gets a CLEAN PIN over Batista with the Go 2 Sleep. Batista, frustrated that he can't get the World Title no matter what, loses it and attacks the special ref (to garner cheap heat), then lays CM Punk out. This would be one hell of an ass-whooping. Batista would take a chain and lock himself and Punk inside of it (sort of like Summerslam 94 with the Harts) and proceed to lay CM Punk to waste. He leaves the champ bloody and beaten to a pulp.
Earlier on the show, I'd have Jericho cheat to pin Cena.
On RAW the next night, Cena confronts Batista. He tells Batista that what he did was wrong and that he needs major anger management help, which kind of pisses the Animal off. Cena says that they haven't always gotten along, but he's got Batista's back on this, but what he did was wrong. So Batista comes out the following week and apologizes for his actions and puts CM Punk over as a strong champion. He then says he needs a break to cool down. You take Batista off TV for a little while. You then begin to build your No Mercy card with a John Cena vs. Chris Jericho rematch, with Cade banned from ringside, as well as CM Punk defending the World Title against JBL in a one-on-one match, preferably a Texas Bullrope Match or something of the like. Yes I know, all you smart marks out where will complain that I'm giving JBL a title match, but not only do I think they can work together, you CANNOT overuse your main events like WWE did early this year with Edge/Taker and Hunter/Orton because it becomes played out. You have to save your huge matches for the A-PPVs. Follow me?
At No Mercy, Punk goes over JBL clean, giving him another legitimate win with no BS, then Cena goes over Jericho (you make this a #1 Contenders Match). The finish would be as follows: Ref bump. Jericho gets that wrench and tries to screw Cena's eye out of his socket. Shawn makes his BIG return and superkicks Jericho. The ref gets back up after a while. Cena covers. 1...2... KICKOUT. Jericho then grabs the wrench and goes to attack Cena, Cena trips him with a drop-toe-hold, F-U, Jericho taps.
At this point, you begin to build towards Cyber Sunday as well as Survivor Series as a big one-two punch. You must pre-plan these things, but also leave them open because injuries can obviously change plans, but WWE RAW's main event scene is pretty fresh right now, so it's not too difficult to play with. The main matches I had planned for Cyber Sunday were HBK & London vs. Jericho & Cade in a Tag Team Match (which really turns into an angle because, prior to the match, Jericho lays out Shawn in the back, they double-team London for a long time, Shawn makes his return to the ring, but it's too late and the heels win), and Cena vs. CM Punk, which is a huge drawing match, but could be the first of many. .
Since Cyber Sunday is WWE's "interactive" PPV, you are probably wondering what my idea for the voting would be. Well, for the Cena/Punk match, fans could vote for a Special Guest Referee of their choice (you don't want to overuse gimmicks like WWE has done so often). For the Jericho/Cade vs. HBK/London match, I'd have fans choose between a Normal Match, a Falls Count Anywhere Match, or a Tables Match. Either way, it won't grossly affect the finish - the same story will be told, just slightly altered. Anyways, this article is focused on Cena vs. Batista, and thats what I'm getting to.
So you begin the build toward the Cena/Punk match as a huge babyface vs. babyface encounter. You have JBL come out and complain, asking Adamle why Cena is getting the shot if he defeated Cena at the Great American Bash in their last match. Adamle says JBL was already beaten by Punk and Cena hasn't been. So the week before the PPV, JBL, Cody Rhodes, and Ted Dibiase Jr. (who would be feuding with Cryme Tyme during this time for the Tag Team Titles), lay out John Cena. This prompts the HUGE return of Dave Batista, who comes to save John Cena. Cena thanks him and Dave says he was returning the favor, wishes him luck against Punk, and says he has his back. I'm hoping you folks reading this will understand the meaning of SLOW AND REALISTIC BUILD-UP. Wrestling needs this.
So at the PPV, Cena and Punk have a very competitive match. You play up the fact that Cena never knew Punk had this much fight in him, not tapping to two STFU applications. Near the end, you have JBL try to attack Cena, but Batista runs out and cuts him off. Batista and JBL brawl to the back. Punk school-boys Cena, but only gets 2. Cena and Punk trade false-finishes until Punk beats Cena with a flash pin. Cena looks unbelievably surprised, but shakes hands with CM Punk and tells him he wants a rematch, which Punk agrees to grant him.
At this point, we have established that JBL still hates Cena and Batista has Cena's back. So the next night on RAW (and I normally HATE doing this, but it must be done to further the storyline), CM Punk gives Cena his rematch (I know, I know, but trust me). Anyways, JBL costs Cena the match, essentially getting him back for what Cena did to him the day after Night of Champions. Then you build up a traditional 4-on-4 Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match with Team Cena vs. Team JBL, the true blowoff to the feud.
Team Cena will be composed of John Cena, Cryme Tyme, and Dave Batista. Now at first, Cena has to talk Batista into joining, but Batista agrees to it. Team JBL is obviously himself, Ted Dibiase, Cody Rhodes, and a mystery partner. JBL says he will have to make some phone calls to ensure the man will appear. On the RAW before the Survivor Series, the teams can rumble, and the fourth man can finally make his appearance with a big impact: Randy Orton. So Orton comes out and RKOs Batista (or Cena, your choice), and makes his big return (we're hoping he'll be 100% by November).
So the Survivor Series, on the RAW side, is highlighted by three major matches. CM Punk vs. Kane (who by then should be fully heel), Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho in an I Quit Match, the blow off to that feud, and the Eight Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Match. In my opinion, Punk vs. Kane should, under no circumstances, be near the top of the card. In fact, if I had my way, HBK/Jericho would close the show, but instead, the WWE Smackdown Title match will probably be the big closer. Right under that is the Elimination Match. The way I would book it is to do a big match, culminating in the final four being Batista, Cena, JBL, and Orton. JBL and Orton have a miscommunication, causing Orton to RKO JBL and walk out. Cena and Batista go to work on JBL. Cena hits the F-U, tags Batista. Batista hits the Batistabomb. Big pop from the crowd im sure. Pinfall. Batista and Cena are your sole survivors. Kind of reminds you of Savage/Hogan from 88/89 right?
So what has the great booker Big D established in just four months?:
- - Stretched out the Y2J/Michaels feud another three months to where the blowoff is meaningful
- - Given CM Punk a very respectable title reign, with huge wins over WWE main eventers, still leaving himself open for future rematches
- - Kept the Cena/JBL feud interesting by scaling back a bit
- - Teased a Batista heel turn, but not pulled the trigger just yet.
- - Allowed Cryme Tyme and Team Priceless a shot at a big match on a PPV
- - Managed to book big matches for the B-Shows without giving too much away just yet.
This story however, is far from over. You see, the following night on RAW will begin Batista's descent into madness... and finally build up to Wrestlemania 25's Main Event of Cena vs. Batista.
What else is there? Well... stay tuned for Part 2... THE TURN...
Please send any questions, comments, concerns, or feedback to
BigD@AngryMarks.com