[quote name='mykevermin']
Now that RR is over, are you feeling more or less (or the same) regarding the potential lineup for WM 27? No Undertaker sighting = bad news, as far as I'm concerned. Same w/ Triple H.[/QUOTE]
Weirdly, I'm feeling a lot better about WM now. They at least demonstrated that they'll take chances, and that's enough for me at the moment.
If it pans out how I figured last night, I'm okay with both Cena/Miz and Punk/Orton. I was lukewarm on Punk/Orton initially, but I realized that, frankly, Cena is the right guy to face Miz. It also gives Punk something still in the spotlight, and it keeps Orton away from the damn belt, which he desperately needs right now.
As happy as I am with Del Rio's win, I literally have no
ing clue who he faces at Mania, especially if Mysterio is having that rumored match with Rhodes. If it's Edge, take my excitement down about 10 notches. I'm remaining hopeful, though, that the Unprettier last night was a sign. There was no other reason to use that move, and I'll be pissed if it was just a 'moment'. Still, Del Rio doesn't have an obvious opponent, which makes it interesting. I see no way Edge makes it through EC with the belt.
It may have been a one-off appearance, but after that glance, I'd totally be okay with Big Show/Diesel at WM. It gives Nash a moment, and it gets Big Show away from everything else, since he really doesn't fit anywhere. They also have a nice history to work with.
I'm also completely okay with no Taker and HHH last night. I never expected Taker, mainly because even though they try to 'fool' people with bogus injury timelines, I actually believe that, at best, Taker could make Mania. If he returns soon, expect no in-ring action until Mania. Throwing him into the Rumble kills that. HHH... look, we all assumed he would be there, and it was a nice surprise when he *wasn't*. It demonstrated that not only did they give the Rumble to a lower-card guy, they didn't feel the need to rush any 'big names' back. His absence sent a clearer message than if he had shown up. Plus, he's HHH, any time he returns now is going to work.... and, again, his entire focus when coming back should be kicking the living shit out of Sheamus, so the Rumble wouldn't be ideal. He shouldn't care about a title, or the main event at WM.
I'm more optimistic about Mania now than I was before, but I can certainly say that the card is going to look much different than it has in year's past. It may not have the starpower, but we may actually be getting new blood and fresh match-ups, which may end up being one of the stronger Manias in a while. They've coasted on the name and the stars for years now, so I'm crossing my fingers that we get some actual effort this year.