5. Hogans Battle Royale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA8t0eaENhg A lot of speculation and rumors surrounded the Hulkster this week. WWE announced that Hulk Hogan would have a major announcement on Raw, and ever since then the internet was rife with conjecture. Would he interject himself into a match? Would he bring back CM Punk? Would he bring in Sting? No, unfortunately not, and absolutely not. When Hogan came out first on Raw from Memphis, he grabbed the mic and began speaking about the glory days. He quickly plugged the WWE Networkas just about everyone in the company does these daysand spoke about his legendary Wrestlemania 3 match with Andre the Giant. And then he had an epiphany. Hogan was seemingly so fired up after watching his old match (fired up enough to rip bumpers off Cadillacs, apparently), he announced a thirty-man over-the-top-rope battle royale at Wrestlemania! Now, surely the winner of this prestigious event would gain something of utmost importance, such as a title shot, or a Money In the Bank-esque contract for a future title match at the winners discretion. Oran Andre the Giant trophy? What? Is this a real thing? Like, are they really going forward with this? Look, I get what theyre trying to do. They have a lot of midcard guys who are very talented (see: Dolph Ziggler), and with NXT on the rise, I am sure some of them will also make an appearance. Lets face it, almost none of these guys would see any Wrestlemania time without a match like this, so Im totally fine with it. In fact, I think its a very good idea. But without something to back the Andre the Giant trophy (like, say, a title shot), the trophy itself becomes worthless. And I mean that in the most polite way. I dont want to denigrate Andre posthumously, because I think he was one of the greatest performers in modern times, and certainly someone who helped propel the WWE to worldwide status. However, I dont expect anyone to see this as a necessary accomplishment on any Hall of Fame resume moving forward.
A very smart, very talented man once called these types of things brass rings, and thats just what this is. With no history or substance to make it into something significant, its hard to imagine this match garnering much interest aside from seeing midcard and future stars go at it. Granted, theres an outside chance that this trophy becomes something coveted, but I doubt it. Not only would that take many years to become reality, but major wrestling stars would have to participate to give it some gravity. And theyre not likely to do that at Wrestlemania, when theyll be booked in other matches. Furthermore, the WWE has a history of trashing these types of brass rings that hold no real value. Remember King of the Ring, anyone? Now, this could all change. Its possible that they decide to award the winner something special. Other than the trophy, of course. If this is the case, then the match becomes very interesting and imminently watchable. Conversely, if this is not the case, it should still be fun to watch, but with no real stakes in play it becomes mitigated. Which would be a shame. Regardless, Cena seemed fired up about it, and he came out to throw his hat in the ring. That is, until the Wyatts showed up.