As the Road to WrestleMania comes to an end on Sunday, fans have a LOT to look forward to at the grandest stage of them all. With fifteen matches, this year’s event will pass last year for the most matches in a WrestleMania card, surpassing the typical 8-10 matches in the past three decades.
It is unclear which matches will be on the pre-show, but since WWE likely doesn’t want a main card to take over 5 or 6 hours (the show was 5 hours and 11 minutes last year), they will probably put two or three matches on the pre-show. Here’s a breakdown of the card:
Raw and Smackdown Women’s Championship — Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair
For the first time in history, women will main event WrestleMania. Becky, ronda and Charlotte have captivated fans with their entertaining feud since Lynch’s Royal Rumble win in January. The story has been a rollercoaster, and with the announcement on Raw that both Rousey’s Raw Women’s Championship and Flair’s Smackdown Women’s Championship will be on the line, fans are throwing their support behind Becky Lynch, who has been so successful at entertaining the fans that she’s being compared to Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Universal Championship — Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins
Over the past year, WWE has started to acknowledge that fans are sick of Lesnar’s never-ending title reign and lack of appearance on TV. Due to his victory at the Royal Rumble, Seth Rollins may finally slay the Beast and become to face of Raw once again. The match will probably be short and sweet, and fans may riot if Lesnar hold onto the title.
WWE Championship — Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston has the entire world behind him in his first big break since his debut in 2007. Kingston has surpassed obstacle after obstacle, much like Bryan did as he rose to fame. Kofi has been one of the most underrated superstars, and fans are thrilled that he’s getting the opportunity that he has deserved for a long time.
Intercontinental Championship — Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Finn Balor
These two have been going at it for some time now, and it always feels like Balor is on the edge of something great. On Raw, Balor hinted at the appearance of his alter ego, the Demon. It feels like a weird time to bring back the face paint, but it is the biggest event of the year, and maybe that’s what it takes to scare off Lashley’s sidekick, Lio Rush, and win the IC Championship.
United States Championship — Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Veteran Rey Mysterio brought his son Dominic–who has grown 13 years and several feet since his last WWE appearance–into this match by announcing that he will be at ringside. Joe is known for his Coquina Clutch as well as his vicious personal attacks on his opponents and their families, and with Rey’s fast-paced, high-flying technique, this will be an interesting bout.
Women’s Tag Team Championship — Sasha Banks & Bayley (c) vs. Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs. Nia Jax & Tamina Snuka vs. The IIconics
Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix came out of retirement just to compete for an opportunity at the Women’s Tag Team Championships. With a legend and her good friend in Natalya, two beasts in Jax and Tamina, and a great team in Kay and Royce all competing against champs Bayley and Sasha (who will inevitably feud once again), this match could go to anyone.
SmackDown Live Tag Team Championships: The Usos (c) vs. The Bar vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black
Similar to Raw, Smackdown hasn’t put a huge focus on the tag team titles. The Usos are definitely sitting at the top of the tag championship picture in WWE and have had issues with each of these teams, but this seems a bit thrown together in order to put all of these guys on the card. The Usos and The Bar are great teams, Rusev and Nakamura are both strong competitors, and Black and Ricochet are both fantastic newcomers and have been working well together lately.
Cruiserweight Championship — Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Tony Nese
In order to qualify for a championship opportunity, Tony Nese beat out 7 men in a #1 contender’s tournament. This match may be on the Kickoff show like Cruiserweight Championship matches have in the past, but the two battle royal matches could also take up the entire pre-show. Either way, any match with Buddy Murphy is guaranteed to be a hit.
Triple H vs. Batista (No Holds Barred; Triple H’s career on the line)
Batista made a surprising return by attacking HHH’s buddy Ric Flair on his birthday, and has since voiced a disdain for his former friend. On Raw, he delivered just four words to Triple H: “Hunter, kiss my ass.” If Batista is capable of beating The Game in their no holds barred match, he also ends his in-ring career. There’s a lot on the line in this nostalgic match.
Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre
McIntyre is Reigns’ first major opponent since he announced his cancer remission. Reigns has had big matches at Mania for years now, so a match against him could take McIntyre’s career to the next level. Drew has proven himself in the ring and has brutally attacked him both physically and on the mic.
The Miz vs. Shane McMahon (Falls Count Anywhere)
Former Co-Besties are now enemies since Shane turned on Miz and assaulted him right in front of his own father. Miz is one of the most charismatic superstars in WWE, and its rare to see him as a babyface, but of course, he’s killing it. He’s garnered enough respect from the fans that they genuinely want him to succeed. Between Miz’s charisma and Shane’s willingness to attempt extreme spots, this should be a pretty entertaining match.
AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton
While this feud hasn’t been a main event one for a while, tension has been building between Styles and Orton for a while. Both men are seasoned vets in wrestling, so while the story might not be the most exciting compared to other matches, this match has potential to steal the show.
Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin
Weeks ago, Angle announced that he would have his final match at WrestleMania, and for some reason, he chose his opponent to be Baron Corbin. While the two do have a history, fans are confused why he chose Corbin over, say, John Cena, Shelton Benjamin, or even his illegitimate son, Jason Jordan. Who knows–there could be more in store for this match.
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Several Raw and Smackdown stars join Braun Strowman and SNL stars Michael Che and Colin Jost in another probably-pointless battle royal. Over the past six years, the winner of the battle royal hasn’t really been granted any more opportunity, but that could change any year. Plus, Jost and Che’s appearances on Raw have actually been kinda funny, so the match won’t be boring.
Women’s Battle Royal
While only 3 of 14 matches on the card are women’s matches, WWE is doing a great job of including as many female wrestlers as they can. Thirteen women are confirmed so far, not including up-and-comer Lacey Evans (who may be getting a big push very soon) or any NXT stars. The battle royal gives former Smackdown Women’s Champion Asuka an opportunity at WrestleMania, as well as an opportunity for the rest of the women who aren’t in the title picture to shine.
This post was originally written on Katie's Digital Journalism Blog.
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