It’s the biggest day of the year for WWE and professional wrestling as a whole. Tonight, it’s WrestleMania 33. After a great Kickoff Show, we have ten matches on a huge card that features title matches, a mixed tag match, a commissioner battling with a Superstar, and even a non-sanctioned match. With how this card is set up, tonight has the potential to be one of the all-time best.
Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles
AJ Styles was supposed to be fighting for the WWE Championship tonight. However, he had to risk his #1 Contendership against Randy Orton and he lost to the Viper. Styles was understandably frustrated, so he took out his frustrations on Shane McMahon in the parking lot, throwing McMahon through a car window. McMahon would issue the challenge to this match and retaliate the following week by elbowing him through the announce table.
Shane McMahon pulls out all the stops, but he tries too many. He managed to hit Coast to Coast, but he misses an elbow drop into the announce table as well as a Shooting Star Press, which gives AJ Styles the opportunity to hit the Phenomenal Forearm. Winner: AJ Styles
Predicted Winner: AJ Styles (1/1)
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Kevin Owens – United States Championship
For several months, Chris Jericho believed that Kevin Owens was his best friend. Jericho even put together a Festival of Friendship to show Owens how much their friendship means to him. Owens would turn on Jericho at the end of the Festival, revealing that he only used Y2J as a tool to retain the Universal Championship for months.
Y2J counters the Pop-up Powerbomb into a Codebreaker, but Owens gets one finger on the bottom rope to escape the pinfall. Owens then powerbombs Jericho onto the ring apron and drags him into the win for the pinfall. Winner, and NEW United States Champion: Kevin Owens
Predicted Winner: Kevin Owens (2/2)
Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte vs. Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks – Raw Women’s Championship (Elimination Match)
At Fastlane, Bayley captured the Raw Women’s Championship from Charlotte and retained the following night on Raw with the help of Sasha Banks. Because of Banks’ assist, Charlotte earned her spot in the match, while Banks and Jax earned their spots by defeating Bayley in non-title action.
Charlotte, Bayley, and Sasha Banks work together throughout the beginning of the match and eliminate Nia Jax after a triple powerbomb. Eliminated: Nia Jax
Sasha Banks rolls up Charlotte, but she kicks out and sends Banks crashing face-first into an exposed turnbuckle. This knocks out The Boss, and Charlotte covers her for the three count. Eliminated: Sasha Banks
Bayley is tied up in the tree of woe, but she manages to hit Charlotte with a super back suplex. The champion gets untied, goes to the top rope, and hits the elbow drop to secure the victory. Winner, and STILL Raw Women’s Champion: Bayley
Predicted Winner: Bayley (3/3)
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (c) vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Sheamus & Cesaro vs. The Hardy Boyz – Raw Tag Team Championships (Ladder Match)
You read that right. Before the match gets underway, The New Day appear to announce that one more team is joining the match: The Hardy Boyz. Matt and Jeff Hardy were arguably the most popular wrestlers of the past year with their work in TNA and Ring of Honor as the Broken Hardys. After losing to the Young Bucks at Supercard of Honor last night, they come back to WWE to compete in a match that they practically invented.
Sheamus and Cesaro are lying on ladders at ringside when Jeff Hardy hits a Swanton Bomb from the top of a ladder, then Matt Hardy climbs the ladder in the center of the ring to win the titles. Winners: The Hardy Boyz
Prediction: N/A
John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse
The Miz and Maryse hate John Cena and Nikki Bella and they got under their skin by bringing backstage drama to SmackDown. Maryse accused Nikki Bella of screwing her out of a contract signing, and The Miz hates pretty much everything John Cena stands for. Miz and Maryse created parody videos of Total Bellas poking fun at their relationship and the fact that John Cena does not want to get married.
The Miz and Maryse try to play mind games with John Cena and Nikki Bella, but it doesn’t work. Maryse gets hit with a Bellahammer and Cena and Bella hit tandem finishing moves and get the double pin. Winners: John Cena & Nikki Bella
After the match, John Cena does the unthinkable and proposes to Nikki Bella.
Predicted Winners: John Cena & Nikki Bella (4/4)
Seth Rollins vs. Triple H – Non-Sanctioned Match
After Seth Rollins turned on the Shield, he was a puppet of the Authority. Once he started straying from what Triple H wanted him to do, The Game screwed Rollins out of winning the Universal Championship. Rollins called out Triple H for months, and when Triple H finally showed up, Rollins got attacked by Samoa Joe and injured his knee. Rollins still wanted this match, and he was forced to sign a contract that prevents him from suing WWE if he gets badly injured.
In a non-sanctioned match, there are no rules, so weapons and interference are all legal.
Seth Rollins hits Triple H, and he staggers towards the ring apron where he bumps into Stephanie McMahon. McMahon then falls through a table at ringside and when Triple H turns around, he gets hit with a Pedigree. Winner: Seth Rollins
Predicted Winner: Triple H (4/5)
Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Randy Orton – WWE Championship
Randy Orton joined the Wyatt Family last year, but that was only so he could attack them from within. He won the Royal Rumble, Bray Wyatt won the WWE Championship, and Orton struck when the time was right. Orton destroyed the Wyatt Family Compound and the remains of Sister Abigail. However, according to Wyatt, that only made him stronger.
Wyatt tries to play mind games with Orton throughout the match, but he tries just one too many times and Orton hits an RKO out of nowhere for his 13th World Championship. Winner, and NEW WWE Champion: Randy Orton
Predicted Winner: Bray Wyatt (4/6)
Goldberg (c) vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar has two losses to Goldberg: first at WrestleMania 20, and second at last year’s Survivor Series. After both men entered and lost the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar issued one last challenge to the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Goldberg accepted the challenge and in the meantime, he defeated Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship.
Goldberg hit several spears and even a Jackhammer on Lesnar, but the Beast Incarnate kicked out. Lesnar would hit ten German suplexes during the match followed by an F-5 to put the champion away. Winner, and NEW Universal Champion: Brock Lesnar
Predicted Winner: Brock Lesnar (5/7)
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Carmella (w/James Ellsworth) vs. Naomi vs. Mickie James – Six-Pack Challenge
Since there was no clear #1 Contender for Alexa Bliss’s SmackDown Women’s Championship, Daniel Bryan made the match available to every woman available on the roster. Naomi relinquished the title about a month ago after suffering a minor knee injury, but she returned last week on SmackDown Live to announce that she is medically cleared to compete.
The ring is cleared except for Naomi and Alexa Bliss. Naomi locks the champion in a very unique submission move, giving Bliss no choice but to tap out, giving Naomi her second SmackDown Women’s Championship. Winner, and NEW SmackDown Women’s Champion: Naomi
Predicted Winner: Naomi (6/8)
Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker – No Holds Barred
For this epic encounter, we have none other than Jim Ross on commentary. The addition of the No Holds Barred stipulation was added to this match only during Roman Reigns’ entrance. Reigns eliminated The Undertaker from the Royal Rumble and since then, it has been the battle of whose “yard” it really is.
It is clear that Undertaker’s body cannot keep up with Roman Reigns, and Undertaker taunts Reigns into finishing the job. The Big Dog runs off the ropes several times to build as much momentum as possible, then finishes off the Deadman with a huge spear. Winner: Roman Reigns
Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns (7/9)
To close the show, The Undertaker leaves his gloves, robe, and hat in the ring. He proceeds to walk to ringside, kiss his wife Michelle McCool, and descends into the entrance ramp symbolizing his retirement.
