Monday, March 19 – 3:52 P.M. (CT)

It's fantasy booking time. Several readers have asked what I would have done differently with the WrestleMania 25 card, so here goes. Note that I gave myself the liberty of booking one reasonable celebrity (no Steve Austin, Dwayne Johnson, or Barack Obama) on the show that is not slated to be part of the actual WrestleMania show. I also stuck with the current champions to keep the lineup more realistic.

Triple H vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Title. I can't complain about this match. I'm not crazy about some of the buildup, but it's a legitimate WrestleMania main event. I loved the idea of no physicality between the two until WrestleMania. I would have had plenty of verbal confrontations and teased Hunter snapping, but no actual physicality until the go-home edition of Raw. At that point, I would have had Orton and his minions attack Hunter and leave him lying. The real key of the feud is to make it seem like Orton wants the match just as much as Hunter does.

John Cena vs. Tito Ortiz: I'd attempt to capitalize on the MMA boom by bringing in one of the sports most recognizable names and pay-per-view draws. Tito is a realistic option because he's a free agent, a legitimate fan of pro wrestling, and knows how to sell a match with his mouth. Big Show was able to carry Floyd Mayweather to a passable match at WM24, so I'm confident that Cena and Ortiz could deliver a decent match. The WrestleMania card desperately needs a hook and I believe Ortiz could have been it.

Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels: There's no reason to mess with this matchup. At this point, it's the only match that has truly captured the WrestleMania vibe.

Edge vs. Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Christian in a Fatal Four-way match for the World Hvt. Championship: I'm not a fan of the love triangle storyline that is overshadowing the World Title belt and even John Cena. Meanwhile, I haven't been impressed by the hype for the Hardy vs. Hardy match. I would have established Christian as a dark horse in this feud by making him a tweener heading into the match. The big question would be whether Christian is aligned with Edge or out for himself.

Money in the Bank with Evan Bourne vs. Tyson Kidd vs. The Brian Kendrick vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Kofi Kingston vs. C.M. Punk vs. Jack Swagger vs. Big Show: I thought about adding John Morrison and The Miz to the match, but I like the idea of unifying the tag titles. Big Show was legitimately considered for the MITB before they came up with the idea of adding him to the World Title match. You need a base or two for these types of matches and both Show and Swagger would look like a million bucks with the smaller guys bumping for them. If Swagger was a no go, then Mike Knox would replace him.

Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Steamboat: The handicap match they are teasing makes it seem like a throwaway segment. Jimmy Snuka and Roddy Piper can't do much at this stage in their careers, whereas Steamboat looks like he's in shape and could hold his own in a singles match. Plus, Flair in the corner of his longtime rival could be fun. If they want to go with three legends, then I'd bring in Dusty Rhodes to team with Steamboat and Piper in a match against Jericho, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase in a six-man tag.

John Morrison and The Miz vs. Carlito and Primo in a tag title unification match: I'm all for unifying the tag belts, but I could do without the Bella Twins involvement. Put the focus on the belts rather than the babes.

JBL vs. D.H. Smith for the Intercontinental Title: I'd work the old Apollo Creed vs. Rocky Balboa angle by having the cocky champion grant a title match to an undercard performer. This could be a fun way to reintroduce Smith.

Shelton Benjamin vs. MVP for the U.S. Title: I'm not crazy about MVP as a babyface character, but these two could deliver a memorable U.S. Title match. Plus, I'm a big believer in getting all the singles titles on the show.

Divas Battle Royal: I'd much rather have a Trish Stratus vs. Beth Phoenix match for the WWE Women's Title, but there's no guarantee Trish will work the show and Beth doesn't hold the strap so I'd be breaking my rules. Plus, the battle royal is a quick and hopefully painless way to get all the Divas on the show and bring back a few names from the past.

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