It seems Shane McMahon will not be available for Wrestlemania. Who will take his spot as Daniel Bryan’s partner? Here’s some of my top choices:
Chris Jericho
Jericho has a concert that night and would supposedly have to reschedule a bunch of shows leading up to Mania. Not likely.
Dolph Ziggler
He’s been a tweener for a little while, and this seems like something he might want to interject himself into just to be in the spotlight. Still, not a likely choice to me.
Mike Kanellis
He and Bryan are good friends and have wrestled together in other promotions, so on that level it makes some sense, but he hasn’t been on air in months and nobody really cares that much, so this would be a huge disappointment as far as surprise partners go. Big NO on this one.
Rusev
He works best as a heel, but Rusev Day is hot and over with the crowd, maybe he’s ready for a face turn. I doubt it, but this wouldn’t be a terrible match for him. Still, I’m leaning towards a not very likely here.
The Rock
Moving into the realm of truly surprise partners, this would be an all-timer. I could see it happening. Think about DB and Rock standing tall, Rock doing a YES chant, the crowd going nuts. I give this a maybe.
Hulk Hogan
Could Hell freeze over? There’s rumors that Hulk is nearing a return. What better time than Wrestlemania? IF that even happens, and it’s a big IF, would he actually wrestle? I’m going to say no.
Mark Henry
Henry was a Smackdown world champion. He’s going into the Hall of Fame that weekend. He’s said not to rule out a comeback. Fans would like to see him in the ring again. I think he’s a semi-likely candidate.
Goldberg
Goldberg beat KO for the Universal Title. He’s also said “never say never.” I just don’t think he fits into the storyline here. Not likely.
Bobby Lashley
Rumors are he’s coming back. If he’s coming to Smackdown, what a great way to announce a return with a vengeance and start a feud right away. This seems like a really good idea to me.
Johnny Gargano
He has a history with DB. Fans love him. I don’t know if his NXT run is ending or not, but if it is, this would be a great way to bring him up to the main roster. However, a lot of casuals and people who don’t watch NXT know who he is, so I doubt that WWE would put him in such a high profile match with a lot of viewers saying who is this guy? Highly unlikely.
The Big Show
Big Show said he’d definitely be back by Wrestlemania. The logical thing would be to put in the Andre Battle Royal, but plans can always change, and I think WWE would put him in this match, which I think is a very underwhelming choice. I love Big Show, but selfishly, I’d like more of a shock. This one makes the most sense to me, and I think this is the most likely choice. Unless WWE decides to be bold and go with….
Vince McMahon
The pieces are in place. KO destroyed Vince last year. He beat the hell out of Shane multiple times. Vince never got revenge. It’s Wrestlemania. It’s personal. Vince can un-fire them so he can get have his vengeance on the grand stage. Would the 72-year-old wrestle a match? DB would obviously do most of the work and Vince would be much more protected than if it were a singles match. He’s show he can still take a beating. This is what I want to see. I don’t know if he’ll do it, but man I hope so.
Did I miss any logical or likely choices? Any off the wall choices you’d want to see? Fire away.
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