Hogan & Piper to Main Event WrestleMania?
It's being said that Piper himself pitched the idea of him teaming with another heel to face the team of Hogan and Cena, as that would play off the WrestleMania 1 main event of Hogan and Mr. T vs Piper and Paul Orndorff. [Cont…]
Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper helped make the very first WrestleMania possible 30 years ago. Piper is probably the best villain of all time, and Hogan is the biggest name in pro wrestling, ever. If they want a spot on the 30th Anniversary of WrestleMania, who's going to stand in their way? I sure won't.
Still, WWE needs to be extremely careful with how they play these major returns. Piper won't draw heel heat. I know Vince no longer believes in babyfaces or heels – mostly so The Authority doesn't look so shitty in comparison to the Corporation – but you still have to tell a story that makes sense. Hogan and Cena is a tag team that makes sense; they're essentially the same person. But what possible reason could the Rowdy one have for playing the heel at 59-years-old? To rehash a main event from 1985? Who would he team with? The Real Americans are an obvious choice, but I'm afriad people genuinely like Antonio Cesaro too much for this to work. Pairing Cesaro and Piper could result in a turn WWE doesn't want to see.
Hogan and Cena together is a giant draw waiting to happen, but WWE will need to find the right selling point. I'm not convinced the Real Americans are it. Hulk came back once before to beat up a midcard team at WrestleMania 21, but Muhammad Hassan had real heat in a post-9/11 world. That also wasn't a match. Book John Cena in a regular match, sans legends. Host the Piper's Pit at WrestleMania, and have the Real Americans break it up. Enter Hulk Hogan for the save, drop the leg, and collect your paychecks. The fans get their moment, and nobody gets hurt, save for Hogan when his hip breaks. Bringing Hulk back any sooner will ruin the moment. He and Cena can run into each on Raw the next night.
