Entire WWE Midcard – One Step Up
I really didn't have an issue with Hulk Hogan's major announcement, and I'm fine with the 30-man battle royal set for WrestleMania 30. It won't be nearly as entertaining as the Rumble, but it won't have Rumble-type names in it either. As fans, we should really enjoy it.
By the way, Andre The Giant is like Hogan — he "is" pro wrestling and I respect WWE for giving him this type of recognition. There are a ton of young fans that have no idea who he is, much less how influential he was in shaping the business. This new match and honor, along with the WWE Network, will hopefully change that fact.
While I'll give the actual match a step up this week, I do find myself hating it for a big portion of WWE's roster.
The WrestleMania payday alone is better than no spot at all for most of these guys, but the argument that this match is a result of "lazy booking" is valid. Unfortunately, it's a problem WWE has had for years. The major difference is that this is one of the better years in terms of what they "could" have done with the midcard matches in New Orleans.
WWE has actually done an exceptional job lately breathing life into some of their B and C players. The Shield, Cesaro/Swagger (mainly Cesaro, but still), Langston, Ziggler (when they want to), the tag title feud (even if I think they should have waited for the title change), Barrett, Christian. Clearly I don't believe each of these guys should be having singles matches, but this would have been a good year to see a little deeper lineup of singles, tags, triple threats, and the likes.
ALL of that said though, who doesn't enjoy a good over-the-top-rope battle royal? If only the winner won something more meaningful than a trophy. And even that "can" mean something (see: Owen Hart).
