What's the story?
Shinsuke Nakamura was originally set to debut at WrestleMania against The Miz, as Daniel Bryan’s chosen mystery opponent. However, a source has revealed that once John Cena finally agreed to the idea to propose to Nikki Bella in mid-December, it resulted in the WWE changing the entire face of WrestleMania, which included scrapping both Nakamura vs. The Miz and The Undertaker vs. John Cena.
This story was broken on the “Dirty Sheets’ Podcast, via our “DS Breaking News” show. You can listen to the Podcast, below (length 4 minutes and 32 seconds).
In case you didn't know...
John Cena and Nikki Bella faced Miz and Mayse in a Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania 33. After Cena and Nikki had won the match, John Cena proposed to Nikki in the ring and Nakamura’s debut was held off until the SmackDown after WrestleMania.
The Heart of the matter
Original plans called for The Miz and Daniel Bryan feud to culminate with The Miz issuing Daniel Bryan an open challenge to find him an Intercontinental challenger for WrestleMania. This would have been Miz’s way of convincing Bryan to add him onto the card, as the storyline would have been that Bryan wasn’t putting Miz on the WrestleMania card.
Shinsuke Nakamura would have debuted as Daniel Bryan's surprise challenger for the Intercontinental Championship and won. The Miz would have then left to go to Raw. However, those plans were scrapped as early as December, and Nakamura vs. Roode was extended to conclude in April. It was initially set to be a one and done.
Also read: How John Cena’s marriage proposal changed the face of WrestleMania 33
The idea for Cena to propose to Nikki Bella was pitched to Vince McMahon by Kevin Dunn. McMahon then spent several weeks pitching the idea to Cena who was initially not in favour of the idea but eventually gave in.
What's next?
Following his debut on the SmackDown after WrestleMania, Nakamura seems set to face Dolph Ziggler at Backlash. He has been beating Ziggler in dark matches and house shows.
Author's take
The change of direction of WrestleMania 33, confirms a lot of what we often say on the Dirty Sheets about WrestleMania. WrestleMania isn't aimed at hardcore fans, as they will watch it anyway, it is intended for the masses, and it's a variety show where the WWE showcases every aspect of what they are about.
Nothing emphasises this more than the decision to prioritise John Cena proposing to Nikki Bella for publicity and pleasing the E! Network, over doing the much wanted Undertaker vs. Cena match and having Nakamura debut at WrestleMania against the Miz.
Be sure to check out my Podcast, “The Dirty Sheets” for the latest breaking news, along with rumours and in-depth analysis. It is available via iTunes.
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