Former WWE writer reveals a scrapped plan for 2019 WM

[cjh]

itrwrestling.com/news/mandy-rose-was-supposed-to-win-the-wwe-smackdown-womens-title-at-wrestlemania/

According to former WWE writer Dave Schilling, the original plan for WrestleMania 35 in 2019 was for Asuka to defend the SD Women's Title in a Triple Threat against Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, which Rose would have won.  Instead, Asuka lost the title 2 weeks before WrestleMania to Charlotte Flair to set up the Flair/Rousey/Lynch match for the Raw and SD Women's Titles.

[A Little Doo Doo]

I know people wouldn't have been happy about that, but at least it would've gotten Asuka on the card I guess. I can't remember if she even ended up doing anything at WM that year.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Mar 16, 2023 20:27:01 GMT -5 A Little Doo Doo said:

I know people wouldn't have been happy about that, but at least it would've gotten Asuka on the card I guess. I can't remember if she even ended up doing anything at WM that year.

Pre-show battle royal. Carmella won it.

[XIII]

Probably wouldn’t have gone over very well, but at least it was Mandy. I still chuckle at the wet dream filter that they used to have for her entrance.

[Lizuka #BLM]

I definitely remember the triple threat being rumored at the time, but not the Mandy winning thing.

[john84]

Least Asuka would've been on the main show (I'd assume). Kinda glad they didn't go with it though as I personally don't think Mandy was ready back then for a solo run.

[wildojinx]

I suppose that wouldnt be the main event and they'd likely go with Kofi/Bryan as the Main.

[Banjo Is Broken]

Maaandyyyy...

Ooh ooh, bana nana nooowwww


Those are the official lyrics to her old theme.

[A Little Doo Doo]

Mar 17, 2023 1:56:38 GMT -5 Banjo Is Broken said:

Maaandyyyy...

Ooh ooh, bana nana nooowwww


Those are the official lyrics to her old theme.

*Sonya shadow boxes while it plays*

[mc74]

Mar 16, 2023 20:27:01 GMT -5 A Little Doo Doo said:

I know people wouldn't have been happy about that, but at least it would've gotten Asuka on the card I guess. I can't remember if she even ended up doing anything at WM that year.

She got relegated to the pre-show battle royal.

[Hypnosis]

Mar 16, 2023 20:28:57 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

Mar 16, 2023 20:27:01 GMT -5 A Little Doo Doo said:

I know people wouldn't have been happy about that, but at least it would've gotten Asuka on the card I guess. I can't remember if she even ended up doing anything at WM that year.

Pre-show battle royal. Carmella won it.

I still find it f***ed-up that Asuka couldn't even get a win on a Mania pre-show.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Mar 17, 2023 17:30:41 GMT -5 Hypnosis said:

Mar 16, 2023 20:28:57 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

Pre-show battle royal. Carmella won it.

I still find it f***ed-up that Asuka couldn't even get a win on a Mania pre-show.

The two times they did a women’s battle royal were both like that, in that real obvious favourites to win it because they were main eventers “slumming it” in the match didn’t come close. Remember the year before when Banks, Bayley and Lynch were in it and none of them won it (Naomi did)?

It did make for probably the single greatest rise up the card from one WM to the next, Lynch going from eliminated in the middle of a pre-show battle royal to becoming the first woman to win the WM main event.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

Makes sense as it did seem like they were looking at elevating Mandy to main event status in late 2018-early 2019. I remember prior to Survivor Series it was looking like they were going to start a program with her and Charlotte but Becky getting injured by Nia forced them to scrap it as they needed Charlotte to take Becky's place in the match against Ronda. Then she had the Naomi feud which she pretty much won and also got a pin on Asuka when that was still super rare. However IIRC she dropped Asuka on her head in a house show match and then their PPV match was pretty subpar (in which they teased dissension between her and Sonya which lends credence to the triple threat being the original plan) and I guess maybe those things played a factor in her push being dropped and the match being scrapped.

Even so I still don't get why you still can't just do the match and just change the outcome to Asuka going over. Then you can have her drop the belt to Charlotte after Mania. It's not like Charlotte needed the belt for the Mania match with Becky and Ronda.

[theironyuppie]

Mar 17, 2023 17:35:24 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

Mar 17, 2023 17:30:41 GMT -5 Hypnosis said:

I still find it f***ed-up that Asuka couldn't even get a win on a Mania pre-show.

The two times they did a women’s battle royal were both like that, in that real obvious favourites to win it because they were main eventers “slumming it” in the match didn’t come close. Remember the year before when Banks, Bayley and Lynch were in it and none of them won it (Naomi did)?

It did make for probably the single greatest rise up the card from one WM to the next, Lynch going from eliminated in the middle of a pre-show battle royal to becoming the first woman to win the WM main event.

Becky/Bayley/Sasha were the only women to get individual entrances in that battle royal. Funnily enough, that match also had Becky brawling with Bianca. Though Bayley fell victim to the cursed 'person thinks they've won the battle royal but the actual winner was just laying outside to toss them out' ending.

[Lizuka #BLM]

Mar 18, 2023 3:14:26 GMT -5 ThankGodForSidJustice said:

Makes sense as it did seem like they were looking at elevating Mandy to main event status in late 2018-early 2019. I remember prior to Survivor Series it was looking like they were going to start a program with her and Charlotte but Becky getting injured by Nia forced them to scrap it as they needed Charlotte to take Becky's place in the match against Ronda. Then she had the Naomi feud which she pretty much won and also got a pin on Asuka when that was still super rare. However IIRC she dropped Asuka on her head in a house show match and then their PPV match was pretty subpar (in which they teased dissension between her and Sonya which lends credence to the triple threat being the original plan) and I guess maybe those things played a factor in her push being dropped and the match being scrapped.

Even so I still don't get why you still can't just do the match and just change the outcome to Asuka going over. Then you can have her drop the belt to Charlotte after Mania. It's not like Charlotte needed the belt for the Mania match with Becky and Ronda.

In general somewhere around Mania 29 WWE seemed to hit on this dumb idea that the less big matches, the better, and the more they can consolidate stipulations and belts the better the show is. The triple threat gained absolutely nothing from having both titles on the line, but for some reason they thought Charlotte also being a champion for the hell of it would somehow make it mean more.

[Lizuka #BLM]

Mar 18, 2023 3:49:47 GMT -5 theironyuppie said:

Mar 17, 2023 17:35:24 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

The two times they did a women’s battle royal were both like that, in that real obvious favourites to win it because they were main eventers “slumming it” in the match didn’t come close. Remember the year before when Banks, Bayley and Lynch were in it and none of them won it (Naomi did)?

It did make for probably the single greatest rise up the card from one WM to the next, Lynch going from eliminated in the middle of a pre-show battle royal to becoming the first woman to win the WM main event.

Becky/Bayley/Sasha were the only women to get individual entrances in that battle royal. Funnily enough, that match also had Becky brawling with Bianca. Though Bayley fell victim to the cursed 'person thinks they've won the battle royal but the actual winner was just laying outside to toss them out' ending.

It'll never cease to amaze me that someone somehow looked at the Mizdow / Big Show ending and went, "Yeah, let's do that again!" Though then again in general they seemed to be operating under the assumption Bayley was the one in the wrong in that Sasha feud they were teasing when she really, really, REALLY wasn't so maybe they thought the crowd would cheer Naomi giving her her comeuppance.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

I feel like if we had gotten Mandy Rose at peak Toxic Attraction days, this would have actually gone over better

Not like what happened to Asuka was any better though, f***ing Charlotte booking.

[Lizuka #BLM]

Mar 18, 2023 4:13:02 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

I feel like if we had gotten Mandy Rose at peak Toxic Attraction days, this would have actually gone over better

Not like what happened to Asuka was any better though, f***ing Charlotte booking.

I hesitate to really even put it on Charlotte's booking given how it was really just a means to an end to put over Becky slightly more when it really wasn't at all needed anyway. Charlotte got one 13 day reign and another that was probably under 5 minutes, it's hard to really hold stats like that against her. Maybe that one later where she ended Bayley's title run for no reason except to turn her more heel than she already was or something?

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Mar 18, 2023 4:52:43 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

Mar 18, 2023 4:13:02 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

I feel like if we had gotten Mandy Rose at peak Toxic Attraction days, this would have actually gone over better

Not like what happened to Asuka was any better though, f***ing Charlotte booking.

I hesitate to really even put it on Charlotte's booking given how it was really just a means to an end to put over Becky slightly more when it really wasn't at all needed anyway. Charlotte got one 13 day reign and another that was probably under 5 minutes, it's hard to really hold stats like that against her. Maybe that one later where she ended Bayley's title run for no reason except to turn her more heel than she already was or something?

It's not really on her as much as the booking decisions, and the reign statpadding being loathingly obvious

There are worse moments of course, I just feel bad for Asuka in general, this is why despite winning all the titles she has, it's been hard for me to just say she's had good booking throughout most of her main roster runs... they really love making her look like shit against the horsewomen especially.

[theironyuppie]

Mar 18, 2023 5:06:48 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

Mar 18, 2023 4:52:43 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

I hesitate to really even put it on Charlotte's booking given how it was really just a means to an end to put over Becky slightly more when it really wasn't at all needed anyway. Charlotte got one 13 day reign and another that was probably under 5 minutes, it's hard to really hold stats like that against her. Maybe that one later where she ended Bayley's title run for no reason except to turn her more heel than she already was or something?

It's not really on her as much as the booking decisions, and the reign statpadding being loathingly obvious

There are worse moments of course, I just feel bad for Asuka in general, this is why despite winning all the titles she has, it's been hard for me to just say she's had good booking throughout most of her main roster runs... they really love making her look like shit against the horsewomen especially.

Well, one of the other facets of that period is that Asuka got a rare clean win over Becky at the 2019 Rumble...which WWE then went out of their way to play down because it was basically to set up Becky's surprise Rumble entry/win later that night. Rather than building on the momentum that win could have given her, Asuka disappeared from TV from weeks, and even a highlight package of her work that played then left out the Becky match entirely.

And yeah, basically all of Charlotte's 2018-19 reigns were transparently means to an end. The Summerslam one wound up making Becky's title win bigger than it would have been at Summerslam itself, the pre-Mania 35 one allowed for Becky Two Belts, the MITB 2019 five-minute reign let them get the title from Becky to Bayley without Becky actually losing it to her, and then the HIAC 2019 one was for Bayley to complete her heel turn.