It’s been known as WWE’s flagship event, it’s what we often refer to as the big daddy or the grandest stage of them all and it’s even been called the Super Bowl of sports entertainment; whichever you prefer, the fact of the matter is that the year has rolled around once again as we are just a few days shy of Wrestlemania.
Under normal circumstances, this is the time of the year where emotions like excitement, joy and anticipation (amongst many others) would highlight our days as we count down to Sunday April 2nd however the rather poor (to put it nicely) buildup for the most part has led to a somewhat negative approach from the majority of the fans, or, at least a feeling of low expectations. Granted, not everything is all that bad and there are certainly some storylines and/or feuds that are worthy of a Wrestlemania spot on the card but I feel the general consensus is there’s a lack of emotional investment. In other words, and to put it rather simply, certain things or matches we practically don’t give a fuck about, not necessarily due to our lack of interest in certain superstars but due to the poor build leading to these respective matches or other faults for which I shall elaborate right away by presenting exhibit number one…
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
In all honesty, does anyone really give a fuck? I mean, paying tribute to the late Andre is all fine and well but aside from that, is there really any other purpose behind this thing? More specifically, what has it done so far to those that won it in previous years and whose fault is it? Never mind Big Show, did it do anything in the long run for either Cesaro or Corbin? Will it matter who wins this year? Now, if there was a bit more incentive into it, perhaps this Battle Royal may have had a bit more meaning, as in for example a granted future title shot (or something of that nature) but being that other then displaying a trophy at ring side for a few weeks it means nothing, I guess the only good coming out of this is the fact that some of the lower card superstars are getting a hefty paycheck. As far as possible winners go, I personally can only come up with two names that seem plausible:
The obvious name would be Braun Strowman. Now, personally I find this Battle Royal way beneath Strowman because I feel that the splendid year he has had ever since the draft should have earned him a much more significant spot on the Mania card but since nothing was made or announced, his participation makes so he’s obviously a heavy favorite, if not the top favorite.
The other name that I can come up with, a somewhat of a dark horse to win this thing is Mark Henry. Quite frankly, I don’t know if he’s even going to be a part of it to begin with but being he is literally counting days to retirement and being this would be his last Wrestlemania appearance, him winning would make for a nice feel good moment and a good send off so, yeah, why not?
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Neville vs. Austin Aries
This one I won’t spend too much time on for the simple reason that I don’t follow 205 live and my only affiliation with the cruiserweight division is basically whatever we get on RAW every Monday plus their respective exclusive PPV’s every other month.
I guess the easy prediction is for Aries to win, being he’s the baby face making his return and all after the injury he suffered but I have to wonder, doesn’t Neville also have a pretty strong case as well? He also had a bad injury shortly before Wrestlemania last year forcing him to miss out and after a very long stint on the DL, the man that creative forgot came back in what was a total metamorphosis that basically rejuvenated his career. That being said, I feel he has as strong of a case as Aries has and it would definitely be the best reward for a job well done ever since he came back. I also feel there’s still a lot to be done with Neville as champion, even if it means for this specific feud to carry on so I’m predicting Neville to retain in a match that, in all honesty, I truly expected to be part of the main show and not the preshow, as announced.
RAW Woman’s Championship
Talk about a division that everything has gone wrong with practically from the getco. Now, in all fairness, I would firstly have to cut WWE some slack due to the fact that the division got hit hard with injuries and/or other issues that led to it being cut down to basically…the four women contesting in this match. In that essence, WWE were basically forced to stretch whatever story lines they had to the limit, thus leading to the endless matches between Charlotte and Sasha that got really tiresome, hot potatoeing the belt in the process while also hurting Sasha by having her win on a random RAWs only to drop the gold right back to Charlotte on the next PPV. Absolute garbage and a waste of Sasha Banks, if you ask me, despite the good matches these two ladies put on.
Then Bailey entered the picture and instead of saving her first title win, which should have been a big and special moment of Wreslemania caliber, they rushed it all by giving her the belt on, guess what, a random RAW. Just to be clear, doing some title changes from time to time on RAW I am all for since you need to always preserve the unpredictability factor as well as the can’t miss aspect of the show however in the case of Bailey I insist it was a rushed situation that I feel did her no good. And as if that wasn’t enough, they then proceeded to have her earn a tainted win over Charlotte at Roadblock, another big moment (Charlotte’s undefeated PPV streak) that could have felt all that much bigger had they saved it for the right place and time.
As for Nia Jax, while I like her badass persona and her being the dominant female she literally is in the ring, she is still as green as a dollar bill. Her promos are mediocre at best and I also feel the presentation isn’t exactly fitting of her character, starting with the entrance music, which I feel is totally off given she’s supposed to be a monster. Let me put it this way: could you imagine Braun Strowman coming out to Backstreet Boys music? It’s kind of the same thing…
That being said, I obviously don’t think Jax is ready just yet for any title run which is why I am excluding her as a possible winner. I also feel Bailey’s run as champion has been quite underwhelming at best, leading me to the conclusion that she’s not retaining so by process of elimination, in my view it comes down to either Sasha Banks or the female version of Roman Reigns, aka Charlotte. Being that Charlotte has already had her moments and given the fact that the horrible booking really hurt Sasha in the process, I call redemption and predict that Sasha Banks walks out Orlando new woman’s champion, which is something that should have happened last year in Dallas.
Smackdown Woman’s Championship
Unlike RAW, I think it’s fair to say that Smackdown have done a much better job in utilizing all the woman available in their respective roster and have a division that is actually very competitive. They gave all the women enough time to shine, all title switches so far made sense (even Naomi winning at Elimination Chamber, though probably a surprise not totally wrong) and almost every contender in this match has an equal shot of winning without any doubts.
In this case, the simplest of things have made for a good story and by announcing that ALL women available will be part of this match, it was a clever way to add even more intrigue since it leaves the door open for a few possible surprises, which of course has led to numerous rumors escalating ever since. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I do recall Daniel Bryan’s exact quote being “since you (Bliss) are apparently the greatest female wrestler on the roster, you will have the chance to prove it while defending the title against all available female SmackDown wrestlers at WrestleMania”.
As you may have noticed, I purposely underlined the key words in this quote because, once again, some of the rumors going around I feel are a big stretch and more a case of wishful thinking. Hey, would I like to see Lita or Victoria, for instance, make a return and step back into the ring? Abso-fuckin-lutely but as far as I recall, these two ladies are NOT part of the present available female Smackdown roster so…duh? Asuka is another name in the rumor mill and one that unlike the other two aforementioned makes a bit more sense but I really can’t see it happening (I do expect her to get called up from NXT but I feel RAW will be her destination) and then you can also exclude Eva Marie (though technically still part of the roster, she appears to be done with WWE) so in my estimation, the “surprises” are limited to basically Kelly Kelly and…that’s about it since Naomi made her comeback last night on Smackdown and announced her entry already.
At the end of the day, my prediction is that Alexa Bliss will retain her title. The way I see this, for one it’s one of the most common tricks in WWE booking, the “stacking all the odds against one individual” story that they have used time and again, only for the underdog to eventually prevail. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, I feel Alexa has earned this spot which would further solidify her as a legit player in the division (not that she isn’t already, but you get my drift) and then last but not least, the homecoming factor. Do I need to remind everyone how WWE treats these homecomings and how the home town hero almost always looses? Quite frankly, it’s become tradition and while I would dig the feel good moment, I think Naomi will probably have to wait just a bit longer; on the upside, I'm expecting a kick ass entrance so we'll definetely feel the glow.
Other than that, I obviously don’t see Mickie winning, nor do I see Carmella or Becky having any success so…Alexa Bliss it is to retain.
RAW Tag Team Championship
In my humble opinion, this right here…this is Big Cass and…uh, I mean, this right here is the biggest lock of the evening.
Sheamus & Cesaro: I love their act, I love their chemistry as a team, it works but they already had their moment and it’s not like them not winning here would be devastating or anything…
Anderson & Gallows: Nothing personal against either guy but unfortunately WWE has made them look like damaged goods. Just horrible booking that has led them to be looked as complete jokes, which is a shame and even after finally capturing gold, they still are treated and look like garbage.
So, yes, my pick is obviously for Enzo and Cass to finally strike gold and be crowned the new tag champs. They have been by far the hottest and most over team on RAW ever since they got called up (though WWE did come very close to doing what might have been unthinkable and impossible: burn them), they were already red hot in NXT and I feel it’s about time they got rewarded for it, even if somewhere in between the bad booking led to them getting a bit off track with the comedy and all. If that ain’t enough of a good reason, I feel the biggest tell has been the fact that WWE made sure it was noted on a few occasions how Enzo and Cass have always failed to win the big one and even teased a bit of dissension on a recent backstage segment, a clear indication in my view as to what is going to happen.
United States Championship: Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens
This, by far, has been one of the best storylines (if not THE best) leading to Wrestlemania and one of the few that I think has us all emotionally invested.
Being that you all know the story already, I don’t find it necessary to go through all the details of how we got here so moving on with my prediction, I am picking Jericho to actually retain, which may come as a surprise to some of you. I mean, the simple thing would be to say that the veteran Jericho should put over the younger talent in KO, which is how things usually work, right? After all, it was Jericho who even put over Fandango not long ago at Wrestlemania, right? Well, one the other hand, last year he also beat AJ Styles when least expected so…so much for that argument.
Now, we all know that Y2J is going to leave us soon since he has his thing with Fozzy coming up however word is he ain’t leaving just yet. From what I’ve heard and read, Jericho is still scheduled and booked for appearances on TV and house shows for at least another month or so after Mania (if I’m not mistaken the Fozzy tour is in May) and if this is true, it makes be believe that perhaps they may attempt to stretch this story out just a bit longer. Granted, Wrestlemania is usually the place where all stories culminate but this is one story I can easily see carrying over to the next PPV, at which point KO can will the title. Not for nothing, Jericho is red hot at the moment and he’s endured several beatings already on RAW so even if you look at it from that aspect, typical WWE booking says Jericho goes over.
Intercontinental Championship: Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin
I won’t go as far as calling it a lock but in my opinion there can be only one outcome in this match and that’s Corbin becoming new IC champion. Some may argue that it’s still early, I say why not?
WWE have done a really good job in slowly building him, they already had him in the major title picture scene and individually in the ring with top players like AJ, Cena or Orton and that alone tells you how highly they look of him. Sure, his promo skills need some improvement but other than that, I see no reason why Corbin doesn’t go over here; there is no doubt in my mind that Corbin needs this a lot more than Ambrose does so from a booking standpoint, I am sticking with Corbin. As for Ambrose, he’ll be just fine (the potential loss won’t hurt him a bit) and as a matter of fact, I find this a good opportunity for him to kind of redeem himself after last year’s poor match, in terms of quality, with Lesnar so practically a win-win situation.
John Cena & Niki Bella vs. Miz & Maryse
When it comes to Smackdown, the one thing we all pretty much agree on is the fact that AJ Styles has been THE guy, the top player and the MVP of the show in what can easily be considered a phenomenal first year in the WWE. Well, I for one believe that Miz is right up there at a close number two.
Miz undoubtedly has been the second most valuable player on Smackdown, coming off an extraordinary year in which he made the IC belt feel all that much more important again by giving it back the prestige it was missing, he had a great run with it, amongst others had a match of the year candidate against Ziggler at No Mercy and of course has cut some of the best promos you’ll ever see. It’s almost as if Miz was reborn after the brand split and one of many beneficiaries ever since because you damn well know none of the above would have happened had he stayed on RAW.
So, thinking this through, I for one say Miz deserves to be rewarded for all the great work and even though a match at the grandest stage against big match John is always a good deal, I say we go one step further by having Miz go over. In my humble opinion, Miz has all that much to gain from such a victory whereas Cena, well, is Cena. It’s not like a loss would hurt Cena, nor will it cost him something in the long run, more so when moving forward it is quite obvious that he will slowly transition to a part timer (if he isn’t already).
Furthermore, Miz winning I feel will play a lot better if the rumors are true in regards to Cena popping the question to Niki. Miz and Maryse can pick up the win (you could even have it be in a cheap, heelish way) and while they laugh at the expense of John and Niki, Cena can grab the mic, cut some promo to the extent of “you win some, you lose some” when it comes to a wrestling match and then go for the marriage proposal, thus giving them kind of the last laugh after all. There’s always the possibility that Cena and Niki win anyway and as they celebrate he could still pop the question but I think the first scenario has a bit more effect to it.
It’s usually not wise to bet against Cena in these spots but the heck with it, I’m going for Miz and Maryse here…
Roman Reigns vs. Undertaker
This one is quite possibly the most discussed match on the card for various reasons and I feel that as important as the actual outcome is, perhaps the even biggest issue has to do with Undertaker himself and his future in WWE. Now, this of course is a topic that has become a major talking point for the past few years since it’s always around Wrestlemania that the speculation begins. Is Undertaker retiring? Is this his last match, his farewell?
Not long ago this topic was discussed in another thread and my personal opinion on this matter was that Undertaker has at least one more year and that New Orleans, Wrestlemania 34, would be his...last ride, most likely in a dream match against John Cena, which I believe would be the most ideal way to go out given who’s available on the current roster. It’s the same place where the streak died back at Mania 30 and so I would think it would be fitting for the career to also end there. So, despite the obvious health issues that Taker has, I to this day am still sticking to my guns, even though certain matters may indicate otherwise, most notably his latest appearances at the Royal Rumble or recent RAW’s where it is painfully obvious that his body is simply giving up. Furthermore, the fact that Roman Reigns has made it known through his latest promos that he intends to retire the Undertaker has also led to speculation that this might be it.
While I certainly cannot dismiss the possibility, once more I am sticking to my thought and the main reason I feel this way is the simple fact that WWE have not made any fuss about it. In other words, if this indeed would be Undertakers final match, his retirement match, you would think they’d make a bigger deal out of it, right? We are talking about an icon, a legend and one of the greatest of all time and this is something I would think would have been advertised, promoted and noted months in advance. I don’t know about you guys but if this were to be his final match, talk about an anticlimactic ending…
The second major point of discussion is whether Roman Reigns finally turns heel. Without a doubt, if WWE were to ever pull the trigger, this is their golden opportunity for the simple reason that going into this match, whether they like it or not, Roman will be the heel in the eyes of the fans anyway. Does anyone honestly believe that this capacity crowd will not cheer for Undertaker, one of the most beloved icons of all time? I, for one, am trying to be realistic here and I understand that Roman has to come out on top in the end being the younger guy and the future of the business but WWE also need to be realistic as well and the only way for this match to end and not get shitted on by the fans is with a memorable finish and that, by no means, is a clean Roman Reigns victory. The only way for this to work is actually have Undertaker win and then, post match, Roman can go ballistic and destroy Taker, thus the turn. The hate is already there, they might as well embrace it.
So, even though we know how stubborn WWE is (well, Vince) with this matter and how easily they could just go ahead and have Roman win cleanly ignoring once again what the fans want, I will stick with my theory above of Undertaker winning and Roman turning post match.
WWE Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg
This one I feel does not need to be overanalyzed since everything appears to be crystal clear from the moment this whole feud restarted back at Survivor Series. Unless WWE pulls another major swerve on us, Brock Lesnar is walking out champion so I guess the only issue here is how long this match will go and how physical it will get. Could they stretch it to, say, ten minutes? Well, that’s probably the most intriguing part but aside from that, Brock has to be a lock.
Triple H vs. Seth Rollins
Two years in the making, this “cursed” match is finally happening and though the obvious choice here would be to pick Seth Rollins as the winner and simply move on to the next match on the card, I kind of feel this is too easy and that there may be just a bit more to the story.
Case and point, one of the rumors floating around for the past month or so is that HHH is looking to create a new faction, a newest version of Evolution. Some like to call it Evolution 2.0 but regardless of the name, it appears to be an idea going around and the two superstars rumored to be part of it are Kevin Owens and Samoe Joe, which of course makes all the sense in the world. KO was practically handed the title from HHH back in August and then HHH apparently was the one that advised KO to get rid of Y2J, if we are to try and interpret that back stage segment of the two talking but us not listening to what they were saying. As for Joe, HHH was the one that presented him on his first day on the main roster and he’s basically been considered the henchman, if you will.
Now, if the rumors are true, we all recall that Evolution was consisted of four members and if we are to assume that HHH may be a part of the group (even if not as active) by simple math we probably need to be looking for one more individual to join the group. Enter the picture…Finn Balor? This would be kind of tricky because Balor was a face when he initially was called up and he would also have to be a face upon his return, right? Then again, we all expected Seth Rollins to be a face when he first came back last year but we all remember how that went down, don’t we? Furthermore, Balor being part of this stable could make sense since it was Rollins that put him on the shelf to begin with so if they wanted to, they do have that part of the story covered.
So, while the expected outcome this Sunday would be for Rollins to win, what if all these 3 individuals made a run in and helped HHH destroy Rollins? Or, you could still have Rollins win and everything goes down post match but I guess it would be more effective the first way.
Idk, I may perhaps be over thinking the whole damn thing but I figured I’d throw it out there anyway, though I am sure it’s an idea that has already been talked about elsewhere (at least I would think so) and then of course, somewhere down the road, the Shield could always be reformed leading to a big feud. It’s kind of been done already, true, but who’s stopping them from doing it all over again?
Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles
As it turned out a few days ago through an interview he gave, Shawn Michaels confirmed the rumors that first started around November about a possible match involving him and AJ Styles, either at the Rumble (being it was taking place at the Alamodome) or even Wrestlemania. Upon his turning down that offer, WWE obviously needed a plan B and as we all know by now, they concluded that under the circumstances Shane McMahon was the next best thing. Now, granted, Shane isn’t exactly the ideal opponent but in WWE’s eyes, this is still a major programme for Styles and a high profile match for Wrestlemania so in that aspect, I won’t judge them harshly even though I do believe they could have done better.
As far as a winner goes, there can obviously be only one outcome here so I won’t even discuss the possibility of AJ not winning. That aside, I am quite intrigued to see what they have up their sleeves and more so what Shane has in mind since we all know he traditionally has to do something insane. Quite frankly, I was a bit surprised they didn’t add any stipulation to this match, nor did they make it some type of gimmick match like a street fight which I really expected but hey, as long as they give us a good 10-15 minutes (and AJ wins, of course), I’ll be a happy man.
WWE Championship: Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton
This has been by far one of the best stories of 2016 leading into 2017 and the title match set for Wrestlemania, though I must note I was a bit disappointed about how Orton’s turn against Bray felt a bit rushed and underwhelming, almost as if there was some gap in between that was never filled. It was like, one week all is well and then the following week we just get the segment with Orton burning down Bray’s house.
Nevertheless, the match is set and from what I’ve heard and read so far, whether it’s well respected podcasts or fellow members here in the forum, it appears that Orton’s win is considered a given. Now, while I understand the theory of this being the end game for Orton in his conquest to destroy the Wyatt Family, I personally have a different take on this situation and am actually predicting that Bray Wyatt will retain.
Ever since this programme started, Orton is known to have stated that he liked the idea when it was first discussed, enjoyed to work with Bray and would do everything he could to put him over. That being said, what better place and stage to do so than Wrestlemania? Apart from that, which is something that could be interpreted in several ways (one could say that Orton has already done his deed by elevating Bray already), I also feel that the story they are telling us could also be translated differently.
Again, Orton winning sounds fitting for an end game but after burning down the house, Bray has come back apparently stronger than ever, having summoned the powers and with the spirit of Sister Abigail alive and well, calling himself the lord of lords. We also got that weird ritual a couple of weeks ago and, I don’t know, just thinking about everything, to me this smells like Randy’s plan will somehow backfire and while he thinks he has weakened Bray, he’s only made him stronger than ever.
I may perhaps be thinking too much of the whole thing and I can easily be totally wrong about it but I will say this: if by any chance I am right, I am also predicting that Bray will kick out of the RKO as an additional shocking moment. It’s one of the most protected moves in WWE and we’ve rarely (if ever) seen anyone kick out so if there’s a time, this seems perfect to me.
Wow…Ain’t this a long ass write-up? Then again, ain’t this a big fucking card?
As I’m closing in on 5000 freaking words, my only hope is that we ultimately get to enjoy the show. It doesn’t appear to be the best card and it certainly doesn’t have the feel of being a candidate for best Wrestlemania of all time but, hey, sometimes low expectations lead to satisfying results so…who knows? We may be pleasantly surprised after all.
On a final note, and speaking of surprises, I hear the stage will be insane and we may be in for a beast New Day entrance…on roller coasters? As for who else may show up, well, can’t ever exclude the Rock or Austin but the wishful thinking would obvious be the Broken Hardy’z, in which case I have no doubt the roof would explode. Hmm, come to think of it…expedition of gold…Uso’s have no match…hmm…
Enjoy Wrestlemania folks !!!
Under normal circumstances, this is the time of the year where emotions like excitement, joy and anticipation (amongst many others) would highlight our days as we count down to Sunday April 2nd however the rather poor (to put it nicely) buildup for the most part has led to a somewhat negative approach from the majority of the fans, or, at least a feeling of low expectations. Granted, not everything is all that bad and there are certainly some storylines and/or feuds that are worthy of a Wrestlemania spot on the card but I feel the general consensus is there’s a lack of emotional investment. In other words, and to put it rather simply, certain things or matches we practically don’t give a fuck about, not necessarily due to our lack of interest in certain superstars but due to the poor build leading to these respective matches or other faults for which I shall elaborate right away by presenting exhibit number one…
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
In all honesty, does anyone really give a fuck? I mean, paying tribute to the late Andre is all fine and well but aside from that, is there really any other purpose behind this thing? More specifically, what has it done so far to those that won it in previous years and whose fault is it? Never mind Big Show, did it do anything in the long run for either Cesaro or Corbin? Will it matter who wins this year? Now, if there was a bit more incentive into it, perhaps this Battle Royal may have had a bit more meaning, as in for example a granted future title shot (or something of that nature) but being that other then displaying a trophy at ring side for a few weeks it means nothing, I guess the only good coming out of this is the fact that some of the lower card superstars are getting a hefty paycheck. As far as possible winners go, I personally can only come up with two names that seem plausible:
The obvious name would be Braun Strowman. Now, personally I find this Battle Royal way beneath Strowman because I feel that the splendid year he has had ever since the draft should have earned him a much more significant spot on the Mania card but since nothing was made or announced, his participation makes so he’s obviously a heavy favorite, if not the top favorite.
The other name that I can come up with, a somewhat of a dark horse to win this thing is Mark Henry. Quite frankly, I don’t know if he’s even going to be a part of it to begin with but being he is literally counting days to retirement and being this would be his last Wrestlemania appearance, him winning would make for a nice feel good moment and a good send off so, yeah, why not?
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Neville vs. Austin Aries
This one I won’t spend too much time on for the simple reason that I don’t follow 205 live and my only affiliation with the cruiserweight division is basically whatever we get on RAW every Monday plus their respective exclusive PPV’s every other month.
I guess the easy prediction is for Aries to win, being he’s the baby face making his return and all after the injury he suffered but I have to wonder, doesn’t Neville also have a pretty strong case as well? He also had a bad injury shortly before Wrestlemania last year forcing him to miss out and after a very long stint on the DL, the man that creative forgot came back in what was a total metamorphosis that basically rejuvenated his career. That being said, I feel he has as strong of a case as Aries has and it would definitely be the best reward for a job well done ever since he came back. I also feel there’s still a lot to be done with Neville as champion, even if it means for this specific feud to carry on so I’m predicting Neville to retain in a match that, in all honesty, I truly expected to be part of the main show and not the preshow, as announced.
RAW Woman’s Championship
Talk about a division that everything has gone wrong with practically from the getco. Now, in all fairness, I would firstly have to cut WWE some slack due to the fact that the division got hit hard with injuries and/or other issues that led to it being cut down to basically…the four women contesting in this match. In that essence, WWE were basically forced to stretch whatever story lines they had to the limit, thus leading to the endless matches between Charlotte and Sasha that got really tiresome, hot potatoeing the belt in the process while also hurting Sasha by having her win on a random RAWs only to drop the gold right back to Charlotte on the next PPV. Absolute garbage and a waste of Sasha Banks, if you ask me, despite the good matches these two ladies put on.
Then Bailey entered the picture and instead of saving her first title win, which should have been a big and special moment of Wreslemania caliber, they rushed it all by giving her the belt on, guess what, a random RAW. Just to be clear, doing some title changes from time to time on RAW I am all for since you need to always preserve the unpredictability factor as well as the can’t miss aspect of the show however in the case of Bailey I insist it was a rushed situation that I feel did her no good. And as if that wasn’t enough, they then proceeded to have her earn a tainted win over Charlotte at Roadblock, another big moment (Charlotte’s undefeated PPV streak) that could have felt all that much bigger had they saved it for the right place and time.
As for Nia Jax, while I like her badass persona and her being the dominant female she literally is in the ring, she is still as green as a dollar bill. Her promos are mediocre at best and I also feel the presentation isn’t exactly fitting of her character, starting with the entrance music, which I feel is totally off given she’s supposed to be a monster. Let me put it this way: could you imagine Braun Strowman coming out to Backstreet Boys music? It’s kind of the same thing…
That being said, I obviously don’t think Jax is ready just yet for any title run which is why I am excluding her as a possible winner. I also feel Bailey’s run as champion has been quite underwhelming at best, leading me to the conclusion that she’s not retaining so by process of elimination, in my view it comes down to either Sasha Banks or the female version of Roman Reigns, aka Charlotte. Being that Charlotte has already had her moments and given the fact that the horrible booking really hurt Sasha in the process, I call redemption and predict that Sasha Banks walks out Orlando new woman’s champion, which is something that should have happened last year in Dallas.
Smackdown Woman’s Championship
Unlike RAW, I think it’s fair to say that Smackdown have done a much better job in utilizing all the woman available in their respective roster and have a division that is actually very competitive. They gave all the women enough time to shine, all title switches so far made sense (even Naomi winning at Elimination Chamber, though probably a surprise not totally wrong) and almost every contender in this match has an equal shot of winning without any doubts.
In this case, the simplest of things have made for a good story and by announcing that ALL women available will be part of this match, it was a clever way to add even more intrigue since it leaves the door open for a few possible surprises, which of course has led to numerous rumors escalating ever since. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I do recall Daniel Bryan’s exact quote being “since you (Bliss) are apparently the greatest female wrestler on the roster, you will have the chance to prove it while defending the title against all available female SmackDown wrestlers at WrestleMania”.
As you may have noticed, I purposely underlined the key words in this quote because, once again, some of the rumors going around I feel are a big stretch and more a case of wishful thinking. Hey, would I like to see Lita or Victoria, for instance, make a return and step back into the ring? Abso-fuckin-lutely but as far as I recall, these two ladies are NOT part of the present available female Smackdown roster so…duh? Asuka is another name in the rumor mill and one that unlike the other two aforementioned makes a bit more sense but I really can’t see it happening (I do expect her to get called up from NXT but I feel RAW will be her destination) and then you can also exclude Eva Marie (though technically still part of the roster, she appears to be done with WWE) so in my estimation, the “surprises” are limited to basically Kelly Kelly and…that’s about it since Naomi made her comeback last night on Smackdown and announced her entry already.
At the end of the day, my prediction is that Alexa Bliss will retain her title. The way I see this, for one it’s one of the most common tricks in WWE booking, the “stacking all the odds against one individual” story that they have used time and again, only for the underdog to eventually prevail. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, I feel Alexa has earned this spot which would further solidify her as a legit player in the division (not that she isn’t already, but you get my drift) and then last but not least, the homecoming factor. Do I need to remind everyone how WWE treats these homecomings and how the home town hero almost always looses? Quite frankly, it’s become tradition and while I would dig the feel good moment, I think Naomi will probably have to wait just a bit longer; on the upside, I'm expecting a kick ass entrance so we'll definetely feel the glow.
Other than that, I obviously don’t see Mickie winning, nor do I see Carmella or Becky having any success so…Alexa Bliss it is to retain.
RAW Tag Team Championship
In my humble opinion, this right here…this is Big Cass and…uh, I mean, this right here is the biggest lock of the evening.
Sheamus & Cesaro: I love their act, I love their chemistry as a team, it works but they already had their moment and it’s not like them not winning here would be devastating or anything…
Anderson & Gallows: Nothing personal against either guy but unfortunately WWE has made them look like damaged goods. Just horrible booking that has led them to be looked as complete jokes, which is a shame and even after finally capturing gold, they still are treated and look like garbage.
So, yes, my pick is obviously for Enzo and Cass to finally strike gold and be crowned the new tag champs. They have been by far the hottest and most over team on RAW ever since they got called up (though WWE did come very close to doing what might have been unthinkable and impossible: burn them), they were already red hot in NXT and I feel it’s about time they got rewarded for it, even if somewhere in between the bad booking led to them getting a bit off track with the comedy and all. If that ain’t enough of a good reason, I feel the biggest tell has been the fact that WWE made sure it was noted on a few occasions how Enzo and Cass have always failed to win the big one and even teased a bit of dissension on a recent backstage segment, a clear indication in my view as to what is going to happen.
United States Championship: Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens
This, by far, has been one of the best storylines (if not THE best) leading to Wrestlemania and one of the few that I think has us all emotionally invested.
Being that you all know the story already, I don’t find it necessary to go through all the details of how we got here so moving on with my prediction, I am picking Jericho to actually retain, which may come as a surprise to some of you. I mean, the simple thing would be to say that the veteran Jericho should put over the younger talent in KO, which is how things usually work, right? After all, it was Jericho who even put over Fandango not long ago at Wrestlemania, right? Well, one the other hand, last year he also beat AJ Styles when least expected so…so much for that argument.
Now, we all know that Y2J is going to leave us soon since he has his thing with Fozzy coming up however word is he ain’t leaving just yet. From what I’ve heard and read, Jericho is still scheduled and booked for appearances on TV and house shows for at least another month or so after Mania (if I’m not mistaken the Fozzy tour is in May) and if this is true, it makes be believe that perhaps they may attempt to stretch this story out just a bit longer. Granted, Wrestlemania is usually the place where all stories culminate but this is one story I can easily see carrying over to the next PPV, at which point KO can will the title. Not for nothing, Jericho is red hot at the moment and he’s endured several beatings already on RAW so even if you look at it from that aspect, typical WWE booking says Jericho goes over.
Intercontinental Championship: Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin
I won’t go as far as calling it a lock but in my opinion there can be only one outcome in this match and that’s Corbin becoming new IC champion. Some may argue that it’s still early, I say why not?
WWE have done a really good job in slowly building him, they already had him in the major title picture scene and individually in the ring with top players like AJ, Cena or Orton and that alone tells you how highly they look of him. Sure, his promo skills need some improvement but other than that, I see no reason why Corbin doesn’t go over here; there is no doubt in my mind that Corbin needs this a lot more than Ambrose does so from a booking standpoint, I am sticking with Corbin. As for Ambrose, he’ll be just fine (the potential loss won’t hurt him a bit) and as a matter of fact, I find this a good opportunity for him to kind of redeem himself after last year’s poor match, in terms of quality, with Lesnar so practically a win-win situation.
John Cena & Niki Bella vs. Miz & Maryse
When it comes to Smackdown, the one thing we all pretty much agree on is the fact that AJ Styles has been THE guy, the top player and the MVP of the show in what can easily be considered a phenomenal first year in the WWE. Well, I for one believe that Miz is right up there at a close number two.
Miz undoubtedly has been the second most valuable player on Smackdown, coming off an extraordinary year in which he made the IC belt feel all that much more important again by giving it back the prestige it was missing, he had a great run with it, amongst others had a match of the year candidate against Ziggler at No Mercy and of course has cut some of the best promos you’ll ever see. It’s almost as if Miz was reborn after the brand split and one of many beneficiaries ever since because you damn well know none of the above would have happened had he stayed on RAW.
So, thinking this through, I for one say Miz deserves to be rewarded for all the great work and even though a match at the grandest stage against big match John is always a good deal, I say we go one step further by having Miz go over. In my humble opinion, Miz has all that much to gain from such a victory whereas Cena, well, is Cena. It’s not like a loss would hurt Cena, nor will it cost him something in the long run, more so when moving forward it is quite obvious that he will slowly transition to a part timer (if he isn’t already).
Furthermore, Miz winning I feel will play a lot better if the rumors are true in regards to Cena popping the question to Niki. Miz and Maryse can pick up the win (you could even have it be in a cheap, heelish way) and while they laugh at the expense of John and Niki, Cena can grab the mic, cut some promo to the extent of “you win some, you lose some” when it comes to a wrestling match and then go for the marriage proposal, thus giving them kind of the last laugh after all. There’s always the possibility that Cena and Niki win anyway and as they celebrate he could still pop the question but I think the first scenario has a bit more effect to it.
It’s usually not wise to bet against Cena in these spots but the heck with it, I’m going for Miz and Maryse here…
Roman Reigns vs. Undertaker
This one is quite possibly the most discussed match on the card for various reasons and I feel that as important as the actual outcome is, perhaps the even biggest issue has to do with Undertaker himself and his future in WWE. Now, this of course is a topic that has become a major talking point for the past few years since it’s always around Wrestlemania that the speculation begins. Is Undertaker retiring? Is this his last match, his farewell?
Not long ago this topic was discussed in another thread and my personal opinion on this matter was that Undertaker has at least one more year and that New Orleans, Wrestlemania 34, would be his...last ride, most likely in a dream match against John Cena, which I believe would be the most ideal way to go out given who’s available on the current roster. It’s the same place where the streak died back at Mania 30 and so I would think it would be fitting for the career to also end there. So, despite the obvious health issues that Taker has, I to this day am still sticking to my guns, even though certain matters may indicate otherwise, most notably his latest appearances at the Royal Rumble or recent RAW’s where it is painfully obvious that his body is simply giving up. Furthermore, the fact that Roman Reigns has made it known through his latest promos that he intends to retire the Undertaker has also led to speculation that this might be it.
While I certainly cannot dismiss the possibility, once more I am sticking to my thought and the main reason I feel this way is the simple fact that WWE have not made any fuss about it. In other words, if this indeed would be Undertakers final match, his retirement match, you would think they’d make a bigger deal out of it, right? We are talking about an icon, a legend and one of the greatest of all time and this is something I would think would have been advertised, promoted and noted months in advance. I don’t know about you guys but if this were to be his final match, talk about an anticlimactic ending…
The second major point of discussion is whether Roman Reigns finally turns heel. Without a doubt, if WWE were to ever pull the trigger, this is their golden opportunity for the simple reason that going into this match, whether they like it or not, Roman will be the heel in the eyes of the fans anyway. Does anyone honestly believe that this capacity crowd will not cheer for Undertaker, one of the most beloved icons of all time? I, for one, am trying to be realistic here and I understand that Roman has to come out on top in the end being the younger guy and the future of the business but WWE also need to be realistic as well and the only way for this match to end and not get shitted on by the fans is with a memorable finish and that, by no means, is a clean Roman Reigns victory. The only way for this to work is actually have Undertaker win and then, post match, Roman can go ballistic and destroy Taker, thus the turn. The hate is already there, they might as well embrace it.
So, even though we know how stubborn WWE is (well, Vince) with this matter and how easily they could just go ahead and have Roman win cleanly ignoring once again what the fans want, I will stick with my theory above of Undertaker winning and Roman turning post match.
WWE Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg
This one I feel does not need to be overanalyzed since everything appears to be crystal clear from the moment this whole feud restarted back at Survivor Series. Unless WWE pulls another major swerve on us, Brock Lesnar is walking out champion so I guess the only issue here is how long this match will go and how physical it will get. Could they stretch it to, say, ten minutes? Well, that’s probably the most intriguing part but aside from that, Brock has to be a lock.
Triple H vs. Seth Rollins
Two years in the making, this “cursed” match is finally happening and though the obvious choice here would be to pick Seth Rollins as the winner and simply move on to the next match on the card, I kind of feel this is too easy and that there may be just a bit more to the story.
Case and point, one of the rumors floating around for the past month or so is that HHH is looking to create a new faction, a newest version of Evolution. Some like to call it Evolution 2.0 but regardless of the name, it appears to be an idea going around and the two superstars rumored to be part of it are Kevin Owens and Samoe Joe, which of course makes all the sense in the world. KO was practically handed the title from HHH back in August and then HHH apparently was the one that advised KO to get rid of Y2J, if we are to try and interpret that back stage segment of the two talking but us not listening to what they were saying. As for Joe, HHH was the one that presented him on his first day on the main roster and he’s basically been considered the henchman, if you will.
Now, if the rumors are true, we all recall that Evolution was consisted of four members and if we are to assume that HHH may be a part of the group (even if not as active) by simple math we probably need to be looking for one more individual to join the group. Enter the picture…Finn Balor? This would be kind of tricky because Balor was a face when he initially was called up and he would also have to be a face upon his return, right? Then again, we all expected Seth Rollins to be a face when he first came back last year but we all remember how that went down, don’t we? Furthermore, Balor being part of this stable could make sense since it was Rollins that put him on the shelf to begin with so if they wanted to, they do have that part of the story covered.
So, while the expected outcome this Sunday would be for Rollins to win, what if all these 3 individuals made a run in and helped HHH destroy Rollins? Or, you could still have Rollins win and everything goes down post match but I guess it would be more effective the first way.
Idk, I may perhaps be over thinking the whole damn thing but I figured I’d throw it out there anyway, though I am sure it’s an idea that has already been talked about elsewhere (at least I would think so) and then of course, somewhere down the road, the Shield could always be reformed leading to a big feud. It’s kind of been done already, true, but who’s stopping them from doing it all over again?
Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles
As it turned out a few days ago through an interview he gave, Shawn Michaels confirmed the rumors that first started around November about a possible match involving him and AJ Styles, either at the Rumble (being it was taking place at the Alamodome) or even Wrestlemania. Upon his turning down that offer, WWE obviously needed a plan B and as we all know by now, they concluded that under the circumstances Shane McMahon was the next best thing. Now, granted, Shane isn’t exactly the ideal opponent but in WWE’s eyes, this is still a major programme for Styles and a high profile match for Wrestlemania so in that aspect, I won’t judge them harshly even though I do believe they could have done better.
As far as a winner goes, there can obviously be only one outcome here so I won’t even discuss the possibility of AJ not winning. That aside, I am quite intrigued to see what they have up their sleeves and more so what Shane has in mind since we all know he traditionally has to do something insane. Quite frankly, I was a bit surprised they didn’t add any stipulation to this match, nor did they make it some type of gimmick match like a street fight which I really expected but hey, as long as they give us a good 10-15 minutes (and AJ wins, of course), I’ll be a happy man.
WWE Championship: Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton
This has been by far one of the best stories of 2016 leading into 2017 and the title match set for Wrestlemania, though I must note I was a bit disappointed about how Orton’s turn against Bray felt a bit rushed and underwhelming, almost as if there was some gap in between that was never filled. It was like, one week all is well and then the following week we just get the segment with Orton burning down Bray’s house.
Nevertheless, the match is set and from what I’ve heard and read so far, whether it’s well respected podcasts or fellow members here in the forum, it appears that Orton’s win is considered a given. Now, while I understand the theory of this being the end game for Orton in his conquest to destroy the Wyatt Family, I personally have a different take on this situation and am actually predicting that Bray Wyatt will retain.
Ever since this programme started, Orton is known to have stated that he liked the idea when it was first discussed, enjoyed to work with Bray and would do everything he could to put him over. That being said, what better place and stage to do so than Wrestlemania? Apart from that, which is something that could be interpreted in several ways (one could say that Orton has already done his deed by elevating Bray already), I also feel that the story they are telling us could also be translated differently.
Again, Orton winning sounds fitting for an end game but after burning down the house, Bray has come back apparently stronger than ever, having summoned the powers and with the spirit of Sister Abigail alive and well, calling himself the lord of lords. We also got that weird ritual a couple of weeks ago and, I don’t know, just thinking about everything, to me this smells like Randy’s plan will somehow backfire and while he thinks he has weakened Bray, he’s only made him stronger than ever.
I may perhaps be thinking too much of the whole thing and I can easily be totally wrong about it but I will say this: if by any chance I am right, I am also predicting that Bray will kick out of the RKO as an additional shocking moment. It’s one of the most protected moves in WWE and we’ve rarely (if ever) seen anyone kick out so if there’s a time, this seems perfect to me.
Wow…Ain’t this a long ass write-up? Then again, ain’t this a big fucking card?
As I’m closing in on 5000 freaking words, my only hope is that we ultimately get to enjoy the show. It doesn’t appear to be the best card and it certainly doesn’t have the feel of being a candidate for best Wrestlemania of all time but, hey, sometimes low expectations lead to satisfying results so…who knows? We may be pleasantly surprised after all.
On a final note, and speaking of surprises, I hear the stage will be insane and we may be in for a beast New Day entrance…on roller coasters? As for who else may show up, well, can’t ever exclude the Rock or Austin but the wishful thinking would obvious be the Broken Hardy’z, in which case I have no doubt the roof would explode. Hmm, come to think of it…expedition of gold…Uso’s have no match…hmm…
Enjoy Wrestlemania folks !!!
