by Brian Phelps
Well, the early numbers show that Wrestlemania 28 did about the same as Wrestlemania 27 (1.1 million for WM28 vs 1,042,000 for WM27). This has got to be considered disappointing for WWE and I'll tell you why. Wrestlemania 27 had a HORRIBLE line-up. The main event featured The Miz. Wrestlemania 28 had what was billed as the biggest match in Wrestlemania history as The Rock returned for his first singles match in nearly a decade against John Cena. It also featured the return of Shawn Michaels, and saw CM Punk facing off against Chris Jericho to determine who really is the "Best in the World". So what went wrong? Well, I'll tell you why the Road to Wrestlemania was littered with duds and disappointments.
Some people speculate that Wrestlemania 28 had some weak build up. I have to say that the Road to Wrestlemania this year was awful. There were so many unresolved stories that never went anywhere. In other words, a lot of duds. For instance, when Chris Jericho returned the first words out of his mouth after weeks of silence were "At the Royal Rumble, it's going to be the end of the world as you know it". This had everybody wondering what that ominous statement could mean. However, when the Royal Rumble took place Chris Jericho was pathetically eliminated from the Royal Rumble match by Sheamus and nothing at all happened. This is a perfect example of WWE falling through on a huge promise. I'm sure they duped a ton of people into buying the pay-per-view to find out what the big surprise was only for nothing to happen. It was a dud.
Who can forget the cryptic messages for Chris Jericho's return. Anyone else notice how they never explained who the little girl in the video was or what she was supposed to represent?
How about Kharma who made her return at the Royal Rumble PPV, and then disappeared right afterward. What was the point? I was looking forward to her possibly feuding with Beth Phoenix for the Divas title. WWE never explained why she was there one night and gone the next at the Rumble.
Think about Kane. WWE never explained why Kane returned with the mask. All Kane said was "This is my true form". Well... ok. That's not an explanation. How did he come to realize he needed the mask back? Why is it his true form? We know what Kane looks like, but he decided to wear a mask any way? Another example of WWE not explaining something.
Speaking of Kane, anyone else notice that John Cena never embraced the hate, and that Kane was thrown into a random feud with Randy Orton that had little rhyme or reason to it? Zack Ryder should've fought Kane at Wrestlemania, but WWE thought it would be a better idea to injure Zack Ryder every week for like 2 months.
Is it just me or did Mark Henry never get a one-on-one rematch for the title after dropping it to the Big Show? Mark Henry just sort of went back to upper mid-carder.
Now, let's not forget how John Cena told the world that at Wrestlemania 28 it was going to be John Cena vs The Rock for the WWE Championship. Funny how at Wrestlemania 28, John Cena wasn't even the WWE Champion.
Or, how about Daniel Bryan telling the world he was cashing in Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania 28? Well, not only did Daniel Bryan NOT cash in at Wrestlemania... he got squashed at Wrestlemania 28 in 18 seconds in what was a waste of talent.
(Note: This isn't the first time WWE has pulled something stupid with Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania. Last year at Wrestlemania 27, WWE advertised Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus for the United States Championship only to not show the match on the PPV. It was a dark match (non-televised) so anyone who ordered Wrestlemania 27 to see Daniel Bryan in a US title match were ripped off)
