

WWE has drastically strayed from the original plan for WrestleMania 21.

WWE was planning for months to have the first Triple H vs. Randy Orton rematch at WM21. WWE booked the entire stipulation regarding Orton not being able to wrestle Triple H for the World Title again to set up his Royal Rumble win, thus getting him a shot at Triple H at ‘Mania. Of course, Orton’s popularity soon sunk while Batista’s rose. WWE made the decision to put Batista in the ‘Mania main event and have the Orton/Triple H match at the Rumble.

Also for much of last year, the thinking was that the top Smackdown match would be Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker. The two pushed heavily for the match. However, Vince McMahon opted to keep the WWE Title on JBL and push John Cena as Smackdown’s new top act since Angle has ongoing neck problems and The Undertaker is now only a part-time performer.

Most expected a John Heidenreich & Gene Snitsky vs. Kane & The Undertaker match at ‘Mania earlier this year. That ended up being scrapped.

Matt Hardy was expected to work ‘Mania in some new twist to his angle with Lita. However, there real life break up seems to have messed that up.

The WWE booking team did not have WrestleMania plans for Eddie Guerrero or Rey Mysterio so the two had to propose their current angle themselves to ensure that they would have a WM match with a proven opponent and a chance to steal the show.

WWE’s WrestleMania booking clearly shows which guys are at the top of their priority list, that being Triple H, Batista, John Cena, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Randy Orton, and JBL.

The Big Show (who will face Akebono at WrestleMania in a match that has been planned for awhile) looks to be on the next level, with Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, etc. all on a still lower level. (Partial Source: The Torch)