Reimagined: WrestleMania 32
WrestleMania 32 is often reflected as one of WWE's most significant missed opportunities. Held in Dallas in 2016, the event broke the previous record set by Wrestling 3, at the Pontiac Silverdome. Over 101,000 fans (reported by WWE) packed Into AT&T stadium, though that exact figure is disputed. It was a highly anticipated event, as all WrestleMania’s are, but mainly because of the magnitude of the attendance. Unfortunately, the company did not deliver a stellar show on this night, and much of that is attributed to the booking.
WWE had been snared with an abundance of untimely injuries heading into this show. Much of the card was to be built around Seth Rollins, the WWE Champion, as recently as the previous Fall. Unfortunately, Rollins suffered a torn ACL, indefinitely sidelining him. The Architect was expected to work with his former Shield cohort, Roman Reigns. Creative plans were forced to change due to injuries suffered by Rollins and major stars such as Randy Orton, John Cena, and a recently retired Daniel Bryan.
In truth, this card would have benefited from a simple reshuffling. There was enough talent still available to produce a compelling show. The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Reigns, Triple H, Dean Ambrose, a returning Shane McMahon, Chris Jericho and AJ Styles were all a part of the event. The Rock was also set for an appearance, and Cena would ultimately return at the final hour. For this exercise, we are only going to use the talent that was actually on the show. We are simply going to rearrange the parts.
At a glance, this was the official card for the main show at WrestleMania 32.
Zack Ryder vs Sin Cara vs Dolph Ziggler vs Sami Zayn vs The Miz vs Stardust vs Kevin Owens For The Intercontinental Title in a Ladder Match.
Chris Jericho vs AJ Styles
The League Of Nations (Alberto Del Rio, Rusev, and Sheamus) w/Wade Barrett vs The New Day
Brock Lesnar vs Dean Ambrose in a No-Holds-Barred Match
Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair w/Ric Flair for the newly reestablished Women’s Championship.
Shane McMahon vs The Undertaker In A Hell In A Cell Match
The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
In an impromptu match, The Rock would face Erick Rowan.
Roman Reigns vs Triple H for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
As you can see on paper, this card leaves a little to be desired. We will leave the kickoff show largely untouched, with one exception. Without further ado, here is my proposed reimagined card for WrestleMania 32.
1. Zack Ryder vs Stardust vs Sami Zayn vs Sin Cara vs The Miz vs Kalisto vs Kevin Owens- Ladder Match For The Intercontinental Title.
As you can see, this match will stay mostly the same, with only Ziggler being pulled in favor of Kalisto. Also, The Miz will make another appearance later in the show, hosting his Miz TV segment. This match should remain close to what it was because it was one of the night's best. It had the right finish with a feel-good ending, and the action was superb. Replacing Ziggler with Kalisto will only result in more memorable spots, as we have bigger plans for Dolph.
2. Dolph Ziggler vs Ryback- United States Championship Match
Ryback will be walking into the show as U.S. Champion to strengthen this card. In reality, Ryback defeated Kalisto on the Kickoff Show for the title in a surprisingly well-delivered big man/little man match. But there’s no doubt that Ziggler and Ryback could have an equally good, if not better, match on the main card with arguably higher stakes. Dolph had yet to have a singles match at Wrestlemania to this point. He wouldn’t get that privilege for another four years. This expedites that process, and we get another feel-good moment for Ziggler, who topples Ryback for the title in a career-defining moment.
3. Y2AJ vs The New Day- WWE Tag Title Match
One of the most inexplicable omissions on this card was the absence of an official/traditional tag title match. Of course, the tag titles often received this sort of treatment, but New Day was one of the hottest acts in the company at this time. Initially, this match took place on Raw and was considered an early match-of-the-year contender. Therefore, I believe the chemistry these two teams have warrants the bright lights of WrestleMania. This is changed from Jericho/Styles and New Day/League Of Nations on the original card. While the former is an excellent match on paper, it was a bit clunky in execution.
The story of Jericho and Styles’ fallout could have begun at WrestleMania instead of culminating at it, as the match felt a bit rushed in hindsight. As much as I would like to give AJ a win at his first Mania, storytelling takes precedence here. Jericho takes the fall and is visibly frustrated as a result. AJ tries to help him to his feet, but Jericho shoves him aside. This leads to an eventual complete turn by Jericho that can then warrant a grudge match at the next PPV.
4. Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte- Triple Threat Match For The Women’s Championship.
There is nothing that needs to change with this match. It was the Best on the card, and there’s no reason to alter it in any way.
5. Brock Lesnar/The Undertaker vs The Wyatt Family.
At the 2016 Royal Rumble, WWE appeared to be setting up a program between Brock Lesnar and The Wyatt Family. However, plans changed when Dean Ambrose suddenly got hot in February/March, specifically after his fantastic bout with Triple H. It was decided that Ambrose needed a brighter spotlight at the show, and after shuffling things about, he was booked to work with Lesnar. There were high hopes for that match going into the show, but most would agree that it under-delivered.
In hindsight, it would have been better to go with the original plan but perhaps add to it. The Wyatt Family was getting a steady push at the time, partially due to the emerging Braun Strowman. Aligning Lesnar and Undertaker for the show would have been an intriguing hook. You could conceive a situation in which Lesnar needed help, and the only force strong enough to assist him would be his old nemesis. I'd foresee Brock and Taker going over in this one after a wild brawl because it would be hard to justify either one of them taking the fall. We would also get the privilege of The Undertaker and Wyatt getting their entrances in an indoor setting with controlled lighting. It was something that fans were denied when the two clashed a year prior.
6. Shane McMahon vs Triple H- Hell In A Cell Match For “Control Of The Company” With Steve Austin As Special Referee.
This may seem like a hat on a hat, as our old friend Jim Cornette likes to say, but I think it’s justified here. Of course, this was originally The Undertaker vs Shane McMahon inside the cell, and it made about as much sense as a drunken Iron Sheik promo. This is the match that would have had the sizzle AND the steak. I debated whether to keep it inside the cell but ultimately decided that the promise of Shane coming off the top was still a central selling point. Adding Austin into the mix ensures that there is no bias and that it will be called directly down the middle. In kayfabe terms, Austin should have no love lost for either man, and it adds an extra dose of star power.
The promos between Hunter and Shane, but especially Stephanie and Shane, would have been electric for the build-up to this one. Add in Vince and Austin, who is always the ideal moderator in a McMahon family debacle, and this would have been Grade-A entertainment. What gives this match such an edge over the one that initially took place is that it exudes genuine emotion. I feel that over time the crowd would have been firmly behind Shane, as opposed to splitting the audience by pairing him with the beloved Undertaker. Triple H would take the win in this one after a brutal and gut-wrenching battle.
We will not include the Andre The Giant Battle Royal on this card version. The Ryback/Ziggler match achieves a more balanced card by moving this match back to the Kickoff Show.
The Miz TV segment w special guest/The Rock.
Having The Rock appear at this show but not advertising it before the event seems insane. This rectifies that, even though it’s a relatively low-key way to include The Rock. Miz would come out selling his wounds from the ladder match before insulting the fans and Zack Ryder for stealing his WrestleMania moment. He would say that it isn’t the first time he’s had his WrestleMania moment taken from him, which brings him to his guest tonight. After some more banter by Miz, The Rock's music hits an earth-shattering pop.
After some back and forth between The Miz and Rock, John Cena’s music would hit to another thunderous pop. Not advertising Rock for the show is poor promotion, but saving Cena as a surprise is more plausible. The Rock and Cena have a stare-down before taking turns insulting The Miz. This would bring the League Of Nations to the ring, which was, unfortunately, a thing at the time. After a few verbal jabs, LON and Miz would go after Rock and Cena, who would eventually stand tall and clean the house, leaving the crowd happy.
7. Dean Ambrose vs Roman Reigns- For The WWE Championship
By all indications, the WrestleMania 32 main event was planned to feature a triple-threat match involving all three former members of The Shield. When Seth Rollins went down with an injury, the title was hastily moved to Reigns and then briefly Sheamus. Somehow this led to Reigns and Triple H, which is a match that no one wanted to see. In reimagining this scenario, we are going to keep the title on Reigns at The Royal Rumble instead of putting it on Triple H. Roman was going to be booed at this time no matter what, so as we always knew, the company should have probably leaned into this long before they did.
Dean Ambrose was arguably the most popular act in the company at the time. If we can’t get the Shield triple-threat match, this is the next best thing. The crowd would have been firmly behind Ambrose, and there are several ways to book this. You could have Roman go over clean, but we all know how that would have been received. You could have Stephanie and/or Hunter assist Roman in retaining, initiating his heel turn and signifying a new era in WWE. Or you could do the most obvious thing and have Ambrose capture the title. Either way, this would have eventually led to The Shield triple threat as it ultimately did.
