Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are aware that this Sunday (April 2nd) is WrestleMania 33. The show is unexpectedly huge, and the card is so diverse that there is something for anybody. There is Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar for the casual fans, John Cena and Nikki Bella vs. The Miz and Maryse for fans of Total Divas and Total Bellas and a slate of other high profile matches for every wrestling fan to enjoy. What are they, exactly? Let’s take a look.
Note: Since our preview of the Kickoff Show was published, the SmackDown Women’s Championship match was moved to the main show.
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (c) vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Sheamus & Cesaro – Raw Tag Team Championships (Ladder Match)
Gallows and Anderson won the Raw Tag Team Championships from Sheamus and Cesaro at the Royal Rumble and retained in the rematch when Big Cass got involved. All three teams fought for weeks and while Gallows and Anderson tried to knock both opponents out of title contention, Mick Foley made it a triple threat match. The ladder match stipulation was added when Gallows and Anderson attacked the other two teams with ladders on Raw last week.
Prediction:
Since the Raw tag team division has been kind of on the low end recently, this could end with any of these teams walking away as the victors. Since this is a ladder match, Big Cass has the advantage of being able to grab the titles while barely walking up the ladder. Winners, and NEW Raw Tag Team Champions: Enzo Amore & Big Cass
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Baron Corbin – Intercontinental Championship
Way back at the Elimination Chamber, Dean Ambrose eliminated Baron Corbin from the match of the same name. Before leaving the match, Corbin attacked Ambrose and forced him to get eliminated. Since then, Ambrose and Corbin have been trading attacks which peaked when Corbin crushed Ambrose with a forklift.
Prediction:
Last year, Baron Corbin made his main roster debut by winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. This year, he will be successful yet again. Winner, and NEW Intercontinental Champion: Baron Corbin
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Kevin Owens – United States Championship
In fall of 2016, Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho started a friendship that helped Owens keep the Universal Championship until his loss to Goldberg. They were always there for each other, and Jericho would end up helping Owens less than Owens had hoped. Chris Jericho put on a Festival of Friendship to show Owens how much he means to Y2J, but the former Universal Champion turned on him and revealed that he was just using Jericho as a tool for months. Jericho would then help Goldberg beat Owens for the Universal Championship, and this WrestleMania match is to settle it all.
Prediction:
While most WrestleMania matches have happy endings, this doesn’t seem to be one of them. Owens has his renewed aggression and with Jericho touring with Fozzy in May, it looks like we have a new champion. Winner, and NEW United States Champion: Kevin Owens
Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker
The Big Dog Roman Reigns eliminated The Undertaker from the Royal Rumble, and this was enough for the Deadman to challenge him to a WrestleMania match. The Undertaker used to call WWE his “yard,” but Reigns says that it’s his yard now.
Prediction:
The Undertaker is well past his prime, and Roman Reigns is smack dab in the middle of his. There is no conceivable way that Roman Reigns would lose this match. Winner: Roman Reigns
Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles
A few weeks ago, Randy Orton gave up his WrestleMania match against Bray Wyatt, which led to AJ Styles vs. Luke Harper in a #1 Contender’s Match. Styles would win that match, but then Orton turned on Wyatt and wanted his match back. Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan would then have Styles face Orton, and The Viper would win his spot back. Styles was understandably aggravated at losing his WrestleMania championship match, so he attacked Shane McMahon backstage and sent him through a car window. As a response to the attack, McMahon challenged Styles to a match at WrestleMania.
Prediction:
The reason for this prediction is exactly the same as the Roman Reigns vs. Undertaker match. Styles is in his prime and is arguably the best wrestler in the world, so he should have no trouble defeating the Commissioner of SmackDown. Winner: AJ Styles
Seth Rollins vs. Triple H
When Seth Rollins was the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, he was undoubtedly a puppet of the Authority. Last year, however, he started to stray from the Authority, and Triple H realized this. In a Fatal Four-Way match, Triple H would turn on Seth Rollins and hit him with the Pedigree, which would screw him out of the Universal Championship.
Rollins would spend months calling out Triple H, but The Game only showed up once Rollins broke into NXT TakeOver: San Antonio. They would have confrontations for weeks, and an assault by Samoa Joe would injure Rollins’ knee. While he wasn’t “cleared,” Triple H had Rollins sign a contract for a non-sanctioned match, which means if Rollins gets too hurt during the fight, he can’t sue WWE.
Prediction:
Since this match has no rules and Samoa Joe has nothing scheduled for WrestleMania, Triple H has this one in the bag. Winner: Triple H
John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse
In the main event of WrestleMania 27, The Miz defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship. Fast forward six years and they are facing each other again at WrestleMania, but with their significant others by their side. The Miz and Maryse have been taking backstage drama you would see on Total Divas and using it in their promos to turn this feud into something very personal. This will be the first time Maryse competes in a match since she returned to WWE last year.
Prediction:
While the Miz and Maryse have been great over the past year, they are known more for their mic skills than for their in-ring ability. Maryse’s ring rust puts her at a disadvantage against Nikki Bella, and John Cena is known for winning big matches. Winners: John Cena & Nikki Bella
Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax – Raw Women’s Championship (Elimination Match)
At Fastlane, Bayley did the unthinkable and broke Charlotte’s 16-0 undefeated singles match Pay-Per-View streak to retain the Raw Women’s Championship. Since then, Bayley lost to Sasha Banks and twice to Nia Jax, giving them spots in this title match. Of course, Charlotte is involved because she is owed her rematch.
Prediction:
It seems pretty obvious that Sasha Banks is going to turn on Bayley, but I don’t think it is going to be at WrestleMania. Bayley will retain, then Banks will strike. Winner, and STILL Raw Women’s Champion: Bayley
Goldberg (c) vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar became a dominant force when he destroyed John Cena a few years ago at SummerSlam. Since then, Lesnar has dominated most of his opponents, conquered The Undertaker’s undefeated WrestleMania streak, won the WWE Championship, and so on. What he can’t seem to do, however, is defeat Goldberg. The former WCW Champion defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania 20, then again in 1:26 at last year’s Survivor Series event. To top it all off, Goldberg was the one to eliminated Brock Lesnar from the Royal Rumble.
Brock Lesnar (well technically, Paul Heyman) laid down one final challenge to Goldberg earlier this year. Goldberg would go on to win the WWE Universal Championship at Fastlane, which means that Lesnar has a title match without really having to do anything.
Prediction:
Lesnar has gotten destroyed by Goldberg too many times for it to happen again tomorrow night. It is unclear if Goldberg will even be competing after ‘Mania, so it seems like we’ll have a new champion. Winner, and NEW WWE Universal Champion: Brock Lesnar
Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Randy Orton – WWE Championship
Last year, the Wyatt Family attacked Randy Orton to the point where The Viper said, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” Orton would fight alongside Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper for months, including a small run with the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. The tension between Harper and Orton would lead to Harper’s departure from the family, and Orton’s loyalty to Wyatt would have him give up his #1 Contender Spot.
When Bray Wyatt was in the ring on SmackDown Live a few weeks ago, Randy Orton appeared on the Titantron, revealing that he was deep within the Wyatt Family compound. Orton would then go on to burn Wyatt’s house, along with the remains of Sister Abigail. Bray Wyatt then rubbed Abigail’s ashes on himself, which according to Wyatt, made him stronger than ever.
Prediction:
If all of my predictions are correct, then a lot of championships are changing hands. That means if a title is going to be successfully retained, it is going to be in this match. Winner, and STILL WWE Champion: Bray Wyatt
