It's a long-held assumption that, at WrestleMania, the world title should be defended in the main event. However, at next weekend's Showcase of the Immortals, that strategy seems likely to end in disaster.
Roman Reigns is not the universally beloved challenger that WWE management would have liked for him to become by this stage in his development. Despite the company's best attempts, support at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, will be split between Reigns and Triple H come April 3.
If the event is to be Reigns' coronation as world heavyweight champion, that victory is going to sink like a lead balloon as the show's closer.
The biggest problem with the ascent of The Big Dog is the fact that the story's culmination is so obvious. Given that Reigns has been heir apparent for the best part of two years, claiming the world title on the grandest stage possible has long been a foregone conclusion.
Should that happen in the middle of the card, few would be all that upset. Reigns vs. Triple H is likely to be a great match, and establishing the former Shield member in the main event would be preferable to WWE's continued, forced attempts to raise his stock with fans.
However, as the finale to a four-hour spectacular, it sends the wrong message. Instead of emphasizing that "anything can happen in WWE," it reinforces the status quo that's been obvious for some time.
WrestleMania is WWE's season finale, for all intents and purposes—and as such, it needs to provide fans with a reason to tune in to Raw the next night to begin the ride all over again.
The closing moments of the last three WrestleMania events elucidate what works and what doesn't in this respect.
Last year, we saw Seth Rollins shock the world by cashing in his Money in the Bank contract during the main event. I'm sure that I wasn't alone in being desperate to see the follow-up between the new champion and the dethroned Brock Lesnar. In 2014, it was difficult to resist the appeal of Daniel Bryan's well-earned victory celebration.
Credit: WWE.com
A Reigns win wouldn't have the same must-see potential as these two examples because he doesn't have the support that either of those men has. What's more, it's difficult to think of a realistic program that he could slip into to incite some kind of immediate interest.
The Reigns situation more closely resembles that of WrestleMania 29, where John Cena and The Rock shared the main event. WWE designed the match to give Cena his win back, and when that happened, it didn't give fans much reason to be excited for the follow-up on Raw.
Indeed, the Raw after WrestleMania 29 required its memorable Dolph Ziggler cash-in to distract from the tedious state of the heavyweight championship picture.
Reigns vs. Triple H is only going to disappoint as the focus of the show. However, it might exceed expectations if it's one component of a larger extravaganza.
At this point, the best candidate for the main event is Shane McMahon vs. Undertaker. Based on a rumor reported by Cageside Seats yesterday, it might well take that position.
The Hell in a Cell match isn't a perfect option; it's not likely to provoke the real change to WWE's practices that has been hinted at in the storyline, and in any case, it's a novelty match between two part-timers that's only come about because of circumstances on The Road to WrestleMania.
However, whichever way the match ends, there are bound to be consequences to continue the story. The prospect of Shane taking control of the company—or even Vince gloating over his victory-by-proxy—is a more appealing concept than Reigns delivering a champion's address.
In the end, it's Reigns that stands to suffer the most from a flat ending to WrestleMania as he's crowned champion.
Of course, if there's another trick up WWE's sleeve to make the world title match a little bit more unpredictable, a twist ending could be one way to take WrestleMania 32 from good to great.
With plenty of eyes on its biggest show of the year, there's plenty of reason for WWE to consider the benefits of the unexpected.
