WHY I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WRESTLEMANIA: THE SHIELD, PUNK, FOLEY, LESNAR AND MORE

Hey, let's call a spade a spade. The build to Wrestlemania hasn't been the best this year, not in comparison to recent years, but it's still Wrestlemania and no matter how much any of us analyze or criticize, the show is still going to be the biggest live gate in WWE history and one of the biggest shows in the history of pro wrestling. So, no matter what, WWE wins the round.

All that said, there are a number of things I am personally looking forward to over the course of Wrestlemania and the surrounding weekend. In no particular order, here they are:

CM Punk vs. The Undertaker

Punk got screwed! Punk isn't in the main event! Punk deserves better than to be shafted!

On all three arguments, I would agree with you, but you have to look at the consolation prize. CM Punk, who a decade ago was working in front of 400 people at the Murphy Rec Center in Philadelphia, is going to be wrestling The Undertaker, the greatest gimmick attraction performer of all time, on the biggest show of the year.

That's a hell of a self-made accomplishment. Punk is the last of the living, breathing old school pro wrestlers who screamed, fought, bled and scratched their way into existence. He wasn't made by WWE. He forced WWE's hand. There's something awesome about that.

The Undertaker is the modern day equivalent of the old NWA champion. He comes into town rarely and wrestles a name that could beat him and if Taker loses, history and immortality is the victor's. Working with him means that no matter what, you are in a very select group as part of a unique niche in pro wrestling history.

Yeah, CM Punk should be in the main event of Wrestlemania, but look at the names that have worked with Taker in the last few years - Batista, Shawn Michaels, Edge, Triple H. Punk working with Taker is a compliment to what he means to WWE, even if it's not giving him or his fans what they really, really want.

Plus, hey, they closed the go-home show for Raw, so maybe they'll end up closing Wrestlemania and CM Punk will get his main event after all. One can always hope, but Punk vs. Taker, just because of the magnitude of what that match is at Wrestlemania, is pretty damn cool.

Brock Lesnar is Nuts and I Love Him For It

I wasn't a big fan of the Lesnar vs. Triple H Summerslam match. I thought it was too slow and plodding for a bout based around such raw emotion and broken arms. It was decent but not a great grudge match.

At Wrestlemania, we get to see Lesnar in a No Holds Barred Match, which means we get to see crazy, beast, insane, beat the piss out of someone Brock Lesnar. Brock is the modern day equivalent of Bruiser Brody or The Sheik, because when he is around, there is a legitimate aura of danger and "what the hell is he going to do?"

Lesnar hasn't made a lot of appearances this year but when he does, most of them mean something. He busted open John Cena legit, had an insanely awesome Extreme Rules match that was one of the best Cena bouts of all time and had such force and frenzy in his Raw brawl with Triple H, he busted his head open on a guard rail and ended up with 12 staples...and smiled!

I don't know about you, but anytime someone gets his melon cracked wide open and smiles, I'd be scared to death of what he's going to do to the other guy (especially if the other guy is me)- and that's the beauty of Brock Lesnar - he's a force of nature.

If Lesnar has these insane moments on smaller shows, imagine how nuts he's going to get when there's really, really, really big money on the line. The image of that final Lesnar appearance at Wrestlemania 20 is going to be erased really quick and replaced with something brutal. I am looking forward to seeing what unfolds, especially since it's GOTTA be better than Summerslam!

All hail The Shield

The Shield won the PWInsider 2012 Newcomer of the Year Award and with good reason -they are awesome and have been the best booked thing of the last six months in WWE. Roman Reigns is the power, Seth Rollins is the flier and Dean Ambrose is the talker and all three, who would be solid on their own, have meshed excellently into the best six man combination since the glory days of The Fabulous Freebirds.

WWE creative has really made all three with the booking, but the secret to The Shield's success has been that other than their triple powerbomb, you don't see them falling into the same pattern of everyone else in the company. They aren't performing the same moves and doing a routine, they are here to fight and swarm over anyone who gets in their way. It's fresh because its different.

In due time, there will be a strategic error in how they are booked, because that's life in pro wrestling, but for the first time since Brock Lesnar debuted in the main event of Wrestlemania 19, I can't think of a rookie act that walked into Wrestlemania with such a huge surge of momentum. I expect their six man to be one of the best matches on the show and hell, I hope that undefeated streak continues.

Bang Bang!

With all the talk of Mick Foley being disrespected by not being shown on the Hall of Fame special - AND MAKE NO DOUBT ABOUT IT WWE, THAT IS A STUPID, ASININE DECISION ON THE PART OF EVERYONE RESPONSIBLE!! - it's still the closing chapter of the Mick Foley story and that's the important thing.

Let's put it in perspective of what it really is - We are talking about the Hall of Fame induction of a kid who saw his heroes create and shape his own dreams of success inside Madison Square Garden, setting him on a path to be inducted inside the very same building by one of his idols and favorite mentor. There is something really beautiful and romantic about that.

Mick Foley's path to this moment on Saturday has been scarred, burnt, crimson, and at times, resulted in losing body parts. He was the freak in a freak show that sometimes didn't get him, often overlooked him and for the majority of the time, didn't appreciate him. The wrestlers did, because they knew how hard he worked, but for the most part, he was always someone near the top but never the guy - although his passion and work ethic certainly deserved that distinction.

It's awesome this is happening in NYC. I don't know how many fans who saw Mick working for Tommy Dee and Herb Abrams will be there. I don't know how many were listening to him on John Arezzi's radio show from the Press Box Cafe in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, but for those of us who were - who saw him go from the skinny guy with the leopard print boots to the heavy guy wielding Mister Socko while wearing a Hannibal Lechter mask, we got to see an amazing body of work.

Whether it was The Hell in A Cell fall, the anti-hardcore promos in ECW, promising Sting he was going to "taste his liver" in WCW, beating down Eric Embry in World Class, exploding rings with Terry Funk, destroying himself against Vader or thousands of other vibrant moments, Mick Foley is one of the all time great personalities, brawlers, talkers and examples of what's great in professional wrestling who ever lived.

More importantly, his novels, his biographies and especially his huge amount of charity work opened the doors for the hundreds of wrestling books that are out there and indeed, WWE's entire community activism movement. All of it can be traced back to Mrs. Foley's little boy. I just wish Mick's father - the original Cactus Jack, as those of us who read Mick's books are well aware - was alive to see it. Other than that, no matter whether someone in WWE decides to play the edited induction on the USA Network or not, I don't see how this can be an even more perfect night for a more deserving person.

Mick Foley deserves this induction more than anyone who ever went into the Hall - even Bruno Sammartino. That's right, I said it. Sue me.

I don't get caught up in being a fan about a lot of things in 2013, but Funk inducting Cactus Jack (and to me, he's always going to be Cactus Jack), well, I've got chills writing about it and I'm going to be a little misty-eyed come Saturday. BANG BANG!

The Heyman Hustle

Only Paul Heyman can quit/be fired and walk away from pro wrestling for six years, then return to help main event two of the top three matches on the biggest show of the year. ECW used to be called the Teflon promotion, well Heyman is the Teflon Don.

No matter how much talk there is about heat with people, problems with him, issues he caused, etc., the bottom line is that Heyman brings a vibrant, different dimension to everything he does - whether it's being in the background, a promo, or just holding a championship belt. From ECW to Smackdown to OVW to ECW to exile to main event.

It's amazing, beyond insane and awesome that's he's back on top. Who knows how long it will last - it could be in a New York Minute, but until it does, he'll be hustling. As Mark Henry says, "That's What He Do!"

It's really easy to get down on Wrestlemania, but when you look at the journeys these eclectic, unique personalities took to get to this moment in time, well, it's hard not to be excited. Well, guess what, I am. Onto Wrestlemania!

Mike Johnson can be reached at Mike@PWInsider.com.

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