The Road to Wrestlemania 27 starts the Thursday after the Rumble on GDI.
With Tyler Black.
Black, his arm in a sling, is hot at Underground, hot at Alex Riley, but especially hot at Bryan Danielson, for not coming to the ring to aid Black and Sydal in their failed attempt to save Punk. Black says he hasn’t been GDI as long as Danielson, but if there’s one thing GDI stands for, it’s backing each other up no matter what the odds – and Black thinks Danielson saw GDI outnumbered and decided it wasn’t worth it.
Danielson enters, says if GDI means anything it means standing on your own two feet, making your own decisions and living by the consequences, and if Black and Sydal wanted to go save a scumbag like Punk, who probably deserved that asskicking, then its their own fault when they wind up as part of that asskicking. Danielson said he was preparing for a match against one of the greatest wrestlers, one of the greatest athletes who ever lived, Rey Mysterio –
Black points out that Danielson lost.
Danielson gets hot – but its broken up by Sydal – standing up in the crow’s nest with the giant white sheets of paper, the #3 sheet exposed, meaning that GDI has 3 matches left to claim. Sydal says if he could he’d challenge Alex Riley for Wrestlemania – but Empire has a tag title shot – so he’ll take the next best opportunity and challenge the Douchebags. Sydal says he needs a partner – and since Black’s hurt and he doesn’t know what to think about Danielson, he needs to go to RAW to find him.
Sydal rips off the number 3. Two matches left to claim – and at the end of the night, the last shot is Danielson ripping off the number 2. One match left.
For a couple/maybe 3 weeks is speculation about Danielson, as he isn’t on TV again until he needs to be. The working assumption is Danielson is going to take the opportunity to main event Wrestlemania against Edge for the strap.
On the Monday after this GDI episode, we get our first match for Wrestlemania 27. The Opening Tag:
Matt Sydal/Yoshi Tatsu v. Douchebags (Ryder/Hawkins)
Sydal appears on Raw after Michael Cole's botched managing again costs Tatsu a match against one of the Douchebags; Tatsu immediately gets defensive, but Sydal says he knows Tatsu can understand him – and he has an offer. He’s got a Wrestlemania match and he needs a partner. Both of them have a score to settle against the Douchebags – and Sydal knows, after all the months and months they spent going at it in GDI, that the best partner for that job is Tatsu.
Tatsu agrees – but Sydal says there’s a catch – he has to dump Michael Cole.
Fans cheer – and Tatsu agrees – that’s a face turn, and Cole is left in a tantrum in the ring.
At least a week in advance, we find out that at the close of RAW, Bret will announce the main event for Wrestlemania.
He and Edge come to the ring; Edge has been WWF Champ since taking from Jericho at Summer Slam;
Edge is as sleazy as he can be as he and Bret vamp for a moment until Danielson’s music plays.
Here’s the second match for Wrestlemania 27.
Rey Mysterio v. Bryan Danielson
Bret and Edge expect Danielson to claim the title match, Edge makes a comment about how it’s just like an indie wrestler who spends years calling himself the best wrestler in the world to wait until he loses to try to get a title match.
Danielson says Edge is right.
Danielson did lose at the Rumble – and at the Rumble Rey Mysterio showed that not only is he one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, but he’s still one of the best wrestlers today. And of course, at Wrestlemania, Rey Mysterio might be the best wrestler in the world – since he’s undefeated.
Which is why Danielson is claiming his match – at Wrestlemania – against Rey Mysterio.
Danielson says all he cares about is having the best match he can have and being the best wrestler he can be – and at Wrestlemania 27, there’s no question, to do that who he needs to wrestle is Rey Mysterio.
Mysterio’s music plays – he comes out on the ramp – stays there, doesn’t come to the ring – cuts an extra quick promo that Danielson should be careful about what he wishes for.
And that’s cut off by a live shot from the Dragon’s Dojo, the GDI Arena, where a giant ZERO appears on the white sheet where the number one once was – that means someone has taken the last sheet, Danielson’s open mouthed, he clearly doesn’t know what’s about to happen.
What happens is Ricky Steamboat’s music plays – and he comes to the ring carrying the number one.
Steamboat, the owner of GDI, gone since right after 26, his injury the cause of GDI getting the ten WWF matches of their choice, hits the ring. He quickly shakes Danielson’s hand and apologizes for not being able to warn Bryan ahead of time.
Steamboat turns to Bret and Edge – says as the owner of GDI, he has the right to claim the last match – and he does – for the main event of Wrestlemania 27, to meet Edge for the World Wrestling Federation Championship.
Edge shakes his head, says there’s nothing sadder than a man trying to recapture his youth, says if Steamboat wants to ruin his legacy by getting squashed at Wrestlemania – then Edge is up for it.
Steamboat says no – he’s not claiming the match for himself – he’s claiming the match for someone else….
And that’s when Punk’s music plays. And if you've been invested in our story for awhile, that's a good moment, right? Can you see Ricky Steamboat in the ring with Bret Hart, Bryan Danielson, and Edge - as CM Punk appears at the top of the ramp? You gotta feel that one.
That’s our third match for 27:
WWF Championship: Edge v. CM Punk
Punk’s beard and hair have been growing for, hell, a year, two years, however long its been, he’s still got Edge’s name scrawled all over his body – and he comes to the ring.
Punk and Edge – the match building for a year and a half – Bret gets in between them – Bret staring hard at Punk, “I told you you’d never be WWF Champion as long as I have anything to say about it.”
Steamboat tells him he doesn’t have anything to say about it.
Punk and Edge go nose to nose as the show ends.
So – the poster for 27 has Edge/Punk in the foreground and Rey/Danielson in the background, that’s the centerpiece of the promotion for the show. Danielson/Rey is essentially sold as “who is the best wrestler in the world” – Rey’s a triple crown winner, a 2 time WWF Champion, Rey is unbeaten at Wrestlemania, including victories over The Undertaker and Chris Benoit. And Rey beat Danielson at the Rumble. Bryan Danielson is Bryan Danielson, leader of GDI; when Steamboat first returned to WWF years ago, it was Mysterio who he trumpeted – Eddy/Benoit/Angle were fighting for the top spot – but it was Rey, who had never been WWF Champion, who Steamboat called the WWF “ace” – but now he and Danielson are on the outside of the company with GDI, and Steamboat has indicated that Danielson is maybe a better wrestler than even Mysterio at his very best.
But there’s tension between Steamboat and Danielson over Punk – Punk returns to the GDI Arena – to the company he founded – and is embraced by the fans. But not by Danielson. Steamboat will tell Danielson he gets it, but even if Bryan doesn’t notice there’s a war on, GDI has been under attack, Steamboat understands Danielson doesn’t think about Alex Riley defecting, or how John Cena hit him with a light tube, or how every single week Steve Regal is running down GDI – but Steamboat cares, and so does Punk.
So – the dynamic is Punk’s the face, he’s been chasing Edge forever and now he’s caught him; in the eyes of most fans, the Steamboat endorsement is redemption. You might side instead with Bret’s position, the absolutist position – Punk threw down the WWF Title, Maria spat upon the belt – and there’s nothing Punk can do to take that back. You might instead side with the Danielson position, Punk’s manipulative, he’s always been manipulative, and if everyone else wants to buy in that’s fine, Danielson’s got a match to prepare for. The other thing is tricky, Punk/Edge is a blood feud, so it isn’t primarily about the WWF Title, but Punk’s attempt to win his 3rd title, tying Bret and Owen, needs to be part of the build, and the growing importance of the WWF Title to Punk, as a symbol of taking from Edge the thing most important to him, is also part of the build.
Punk doesn’t shave or cut his hair. Edge also has his beard – it’s a couple of guys with long hair and beards in the main event of Wrestlemania.
That's Part I, between now and April 1, probably early March, the build for the rest of the card. 6 more matches:
The Clique Matches:
IC: Johnny Nitro v.____________
The Miz v. ______________
The Tag Title:
Defiance v. Empire (Barrett/Gabriel)
Money In the Bank:
______________ v. _____________ v. ___________v. __________v. ____________ v._________
The Legend's Match:
Undertaker v. _______________
And one more singles match:
