WHO'S THAT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA?

     We are speeding recklessly down the road to Wrestlemania and the twists and turns along this route have always excited me to no end.  We'll be there soon but there is just enough time for some very interesting things to happen along this journey.  I think it's safe to say that whatever happens, there are three men that we all hope to see at Wrestlemania when we get there; Daniel Bryan, Triple H and CM Punk.  There is still much to be fulfilled though if any of these men are to compete on that hallowed night in April and to understand what remains to be done we must look back on what we've already seen.

     First; John Cena has now wandered into a full blown war with the Wyatt family, who basically hates him because of his chipper attitude all of the time.  (If that seems like a dumb thing to become violently mad about, go try to have a ten minute, adult conversation with a Disney Store employee.)   At the same time, the Wyatt’s war with the Shield continues but is losing steam as Roman Reigns becomes more powerful and the rift in the Shield grows. 

     Dean Ambrose is definitely getting under Roman’s skin and has failed to put his belt on the line for quite some time.  There may be a Wrestlemania match there to finally crown Roman Reigns as a new solo powerhouse.  Part of the Shield may stay together just so there’s at least one more duo in matching outfits to challenge the new Tag Team Champions; Jimmy and Jay Uso.  It remains to be seen where the Shields chips may fall but that will all be sorted soon enough. 

     However, Cena was injured in an attack by the Wyatt family, cementing his need for vengeance at Wrestlemania against Bray Wyatt (aka Husky Jesus as he's been dubbed by @WWECreative_ish on Twitter), and preventing him from interfering in the Wyatt’s match with the Shield that might have finally caused the final split on Raw the other night.  This war with the Wyatts is well serving to keep John Cena from being the much needed face in another match that we still have to discuss here.

    Daniel Bryan, at the height of his popularity has issued a challenge to Triple H and has been fighting Kane repeatedly for several matches now as punishment.  Though Triple H says he won’t fight Bryan at Wrestlemania, it’s been rumored for a while that he will indeed be fighting someone at Wrestlemania and recent murmurings about the official poster for Wrestlemania 30 suggest that Triple H is indeed depicted upon it in his wrestling trunks. 

     Thus far, Daniel Bryan has been trying for two weeks to lure the King of Kings into this match with him.  Triple H though is a pinnacle player and he has a good point when he says that it’s not worth even putting the trunks on just to fight a B + wrestler.  So the question remains; can Daniel Bryan get Triple H to fight him?  If Daniel Bryan could go into the ring and absolutely lay waste to both of the men headlining Wrestlemania, then nobody could argue that he too is a pinnacle player and Triple H would have to step up.  

    However, Daniel Bryan has barely squeezed a win out of his matches with Corporate Kane; a guy who doesn’t even try to be a wrestler anymore. So it’s going to be hard for Daniel Bryan to argue his worthiness.  However, he could maybe get under Triple H’s skin enough to make him fight at Wrestlemania.  If you study WWE history enough you will know that brazen attacks on someone’s car or a quick kidnapping or assault of their spouse will usually do the trick to lure them into Pay Per View.  So it is still possible that Daniel Bryan gets his fight but then again he might just fight a very upset Kane in some special match at Wrestlemania and maybe there will be another; some mysterious A + wrestler with a vendetta against the authority who could challenge Triple H; someone who was screwed by the authority out of his chance to headline Wrestlemania who seems to meet all the criteria of a worthy opponent to Triple H.

    Then again, there still remains Wrestlemania’s main event to discuss; Randy Orton vs. the recently returned Dave Batista for the Championship (which still remains strangely signified by two very separate belts).  For months, Randy Orton has been a whiney, ungrateful champion.  He has completely lost favor with the crowds and even seems to have worn out his welcome with the authority.  He’s beat up a few people’s dads along the way and has sold himself as the perfect heel.  But then Batista has done his fair share of insulting the crowds in the last few weeks as well.  He says that he wants to destroy all our heroes on his way to being the champion but then he’s caught in a rivalry (a little more his speed honestly) with Alberto Del Rio.  Whaaaaa?  Can this guy just walk back in and become the new champion?  The crowds are hating him right now. 

     So, we have this weird dilemma…two hated heels fighting to become the face of the WWE at Wrestlemania.  That doesn’t feel right does it?  Wrestlemania has been the bold display of good triumphing over evil in epic battle for thirty years. 

There’s still that guy though, out on the side of the road to Wrestlemania perhaps that we all want to see; the hero; the anti-hero.  The perfect face; an X marked fist raised into the air in defiance of the authority of WWE, a man whose name we heard chanted loudly upon the lips of an entire city last Monday night on Raw for over three hours straight…could he be out there?  Could he be working his way slowly along the side of the road to Wrestlemania with his Cubs hat pulled low over his eyes and an anger burning in his heart?  Could we see a third challenger enter into the main event at Wrestlemania? 

    There is still just enough time for the pieces to fall into place before that big night in April and I have to wonder if the magic of Wrestlemania still hangs in the air before us like it has in the sparkling days of our mystified youth.  In the night my mind reels with these possibilities and I ask myself if Wrestlemania XXX can capture that sacred magic once more, defy all odds and logic and make champions out of my heroes and vindicate the mistreated of our world. 

     Then the night around me is quiet and cold and a strange shiver creeps up my spine… and from some place far away I can hear the answer uttered as if from the lips of some old ghost clutching some strange, brassy urn out in the ether somewhere...the bizarre, high pitched voice that answers, “Oooooooooooohhhh Yeeeeeeeeesssss!” and I know it to be true.  (His boy is back and you know he’s watching)   Wrestlemania 30 ladies and gentleman….Westlemania effing 30.