Another WrestleMania season means another round of debates over the subject of “part-time” superstars taking main event spots away from full time stars at the Grandest Stage Of Them All.
Videos by ComicBook.com
This year, two of the main events in Orlando will feature three part time superstars. The Undertaker will face off against Roman Reigns and Goldberg will take on Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship.
One full time superstar has a very valid argument for why part time legends could be used in a better fashion than they are now. Speaking to The Sun, Sami Zayn explained his problem with having two part-timers in such a prominent spot at WrestleMania, even though he understands from a business perspective why they are.
“The thing I’d like to see is more of a mix of these past generation talents with the current roster. For me, it’s really cool to see a guy like Chris Jericho for example, who’s come back for this past year or two, and he’s mixed it up with all of us. I want to see a guy from a past generation. How’s he going to fare against our generation? That’s what’s cool and interesting for me to see.”
Zayn had several possible alternative suggestions for how to better use returning legends.
“That’s what made The Rock versus Hulk Hogan so interesting. Obviously, they’re two of the biggest icons in the history of our industry, but still, it was a generational clash – a clash of the past versus the present and the future. I guess it’s cool to see these two mammoths in Brock Lesnar and Goldberg go at it, but I’d rather see Brock and Kevin Owens, and Goldberg and me – or Seth Rollins or Roman Reigns. As a fan, I want to see the last generation mix it up with this generation.”
While this has been an issue for the last few years, it’s likely that it will be dwindling out fairly soon. With Kurt Angle already back in the mix, how many other part time legends are out there that could come in and draw the same crowd investment that Goldberg and Brock Lesnar have?
Ironically enough, CM Punk might be the only other former superstar who could make that kind of comeback. Punk was very vocal in his complaints about The Rock coming back and winning the WWE Championship from Punk and main eventing WrestleMania 29.
That same WrestleMania Punk ended up feuding with Undertaker, which could also be considered a main event, but it was technically lower on the bill.
While I agree it would be preferable to see Goldberg mix it up with a new era superstar in a real match (not what we saw at Fastlane), it’s easy to understand why, from the WWE’s perspective, that might not be as big of a draw to the casual fans.
WrestleMania 33 kicks off Sunday, April 2nd, and you can find the fully announced card below, as well as more images in the gallery.
United States Champion Chris Jericho vs Kevin Owens
RAW’s Women’s Champion Bayley vs Charlotte Flair vs Sasha Banks
Universal Champion Goldberg Vs Brock Lesnar
WWE Champion Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton
Smackdown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss Against All Smackdown Women
2017 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Rumored Matches include: John Cena and Nikki Bella Tag Match against The Miz and Maryse, The Big Show vs Shaq, and Triple H vs Seth Rollins.
MORE WWE: Orlando Unveils A Ridiculously Giant Lakeside Championship Belt / Daniel Bryan Teases A Return To The Ring / Jim Ross Has A Brilliant Idea For Undertaker And Roman Reigns
——–
Want the chance to win one of Logan’s claws thanks to Regal & IMAX? Click the here or the image below to enter!
