Christmas has once again come for wrestling fans, as it's WrestleMania weekend.
While the build hasn't been the best this year, that doesn't change the fact that the nine-match card is filled for the most part with quality matches. Here's a look at all nine matches, with thoughts as well as my final predictions.
Cesaro and Tyson Kidd vs. The Usos vs. The New Day vs. Los Matadores for the Tag Team Titles
Just like last year, this is a great match to have to get the crowd going. While the build has been nothing special, and being on the preshow, the match feels like an afterthought, the four teams should put on an entertaining match. I think the Usos have a chance here, simply because it's in their hometown of San Francisco, their dad would have been inducted into the Hall of Fame the night before, and it would be a nice feel-good moment to kick off the show. However, Cesaro and Tyson Kidd are too good right now to take the belts off of them. They're legitimately a highlight of the show every time they're onscreen, and the dynamic the three of them have, including Natalya, is just fantastic. So I think it would be a mistake to take the belts off of them.
Winners: Cesaro and Tyson Kidd
The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
WWE recently announced that this would be the second match on the preshow, instead of on the main card. While this certainly lessens the impact that anything will have for it, I think the idea of a preshow has become less damning with the Network. Before the Network, there was a preshow match that you'd have to specifically find on your computer before the real show started on the TV. However, you're watching the Network now anyways, so instead of a "preshow," it almost just feels like a longer show, particularly when you're talking about WrestleMania. That being said, I do think that it could changes the dynamic of what they might have been planning.
This match is going to be less about the winner than how they get there, and the storylines that play out. Of course, the biggest storyline going into the Battle Royal is the feud between Miz and Damien Mizdow. You have to think that this is when Mizdow is finally going to turn on Miz, likely throwing Miz out after Miz asks Mizdow to get out of the ring for him. This could definitely happen at the very end of the match, or it could happen in the middl. Either way, that's the part of the match that people will be talking about, not necessarily who wins. And as we found out last year, the winner may not get any sort of push from winning.
So the question is, who will win? I see four viable options for the WWE. The first is Mizdow. He'd make a lot of sense both from a storyline perspective, and it could give him that extra boost after separating from Miz. The second is Ryback. I wouldn't have listed him as a favorite a week ago, but since then, he's seemed to get support from everywhere. In his great breakdown, Jon Gruden listed him as his choice. Then Bill Simmons chose him. All the mainstream people seem to be choosing him, likely because the WWE told them to say that. So the WWE seems to want us to think it's him. Another possibility is the NXT representative, Hideo Itami. I'd say it's unlikely that he wins at this point, especially since it's on the preshow, but he certainly has a chance. Itami was likely chosen because they wanted to get buzz going in Japan for his first WrestleMania, so it's possible that they run with that and get people talking by having him win it. The reason why I'm hesitant to list him as a favorite is that I don't think he's quite ready for the main roster, and having him win and go back to NXT would seem awkward. The fourth possibility in my mind is Curtis Axel. Yes, Axel is a bit of a comedy act right now, but at the same time, he has one of the few true storylines going into the battle royal. That does count for something.
So, looking at it all, I'd lean towards Mizdow right now. He seems like the safe choice. Before they moved it to the preshow, I would've thought that there was a very good chance of Sheamus showing up and winning it, but it's hard to see him returning for a preshow match. So I'll lean towards Mizdow, though I wouldn't be surprised with any of the four mentioned.
Winner: Damien Mizdow
Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton
We'll start the matches on the main card with the one true grudge match. The build to this match has been pretty good. You can quibble with the two weeks where Orton danced around being in the Authority, but overall it was a logical feud, with some strong moments that really made this feel like a classic WrestleMania grudge match. This is one of the few matches on this card that really seems to be in that formula, a grudge match that will actually end at WrestleMania. The other feuds either had choppy builds due to one of the parties not being around, or they seem like they are going to continue after Mania.
So what does that mean for this match? You could make a compelling case for either person winning here. Orton has been red-hot since his return, and has the crowd fully behind him. Meanwhile, Rollins could certainly use a big win, as he hasn't had a PPV singles win since Hell in a Cell, and of course that was a heavily tainted win. However, what pushes me one direction is that I do think that this will be the end of the feud. It's hard to see a situation where Rollins wins, especially since he generally doesn't win clean in big matches, and Orton just goes away. Thus, Randy Orton seems to fit as the winner. They also tend to have the Money in the Bank briefcase holder lose before cashing in, and by necessity, Rollins will be cashing in the briefcase in the next couple months. So the formula seems to need an Orton win here.
Winner: Randy Orton
AJ Lee and Paige vs. Nikki and Brie Bella
Unlike the previous match, this is one that I think is just the beginning of a long storyline and feud, as opposed to the end. The division has revolved around these four divas for the past year, and I see that continuing for at least the next few months. The odd thing about this is build is that it seems like they've tried to portray the Bellas, specifically Nikki, as a more sympathetic figure, and bringing up valid points about not just people like AJ and Paige, but the fans not giving the Bellas a chance simply because of how they look and who they may be dating. All of the points are valid in my mind, as I think Nikki has become one of the most entertaining divas, both in and out of the ring, in the company. So it's odd to see a heel being correct in trying to make themselves look better.
As for the match, the result probably doesn't matter as much as what happens in the match. They showed dissension between AJ and Paige, and it's not out of the question that the Bellas will end up not being on the same page either. Due to that, and due to the fact that I think the logical play here is to continue the feuds, I think AJ and Paige will win.
Winner: AJ and Paige
Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Title
This match will probably kick off the show, and will almost certainly have some of the most memorable spots of the night. While the match has become a little bit overbooked in my mind, and has too many people involved, the match certainly will be fun, as all of the wrestlers can not only wrestle, they all can do great things in a ladder match. The question on everyone's mind though is what will happen after the match.
The idea seems to be trying to elevate the title by putting it on somewhat credible, particularly if Lesnar is going to retain in the main event. But has the title been devalued so much? It's no secret how far the prestige of the title has fallen, both due to horrendous booking of the champion, as well as the lack of actual feuds for it. So even if they give it to an established wrestler, they'd have to book them well to really have it result in a return to prestige for the title. If that's the goal for the IC title, I think there are two guys who could do it. Daniel Bryan is the obvious choice. He's a former world champion, he's super popular with the fans, and it just feels like he's above the title, so the title would have to rise to him. Dolph Ziggler would be the other possibility. It seemed at Survivor Series that we were waiting for him to get something out of that, and we're still waiting. If they are really pushing the title, Ziggler would seem credible. Dean Ambrose has a chance, though I feel like it's a situation where the belt would do more for him, if they re-established the prestige, than vice-versa, and I think they need to be focused on the belt itself. So for that, I think Daniel Bryan is the right move.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Bray Wyatt vs. The Undertaker
This will be the culmination to one of the most unique builds in WrestleMania history. Bray Wyatt has proven just how good he is on the mic by, literally, single-handedly building this match. His promo on Monday might have been his best to date, as he finally gave us something that has been somewhat lacking with his character: direct motivation. Hopefully that will be able to continue, and won't just fizzle after this match, which will likely result in a Bray Wyatt loss.
This match is fascinating. We have no idea what shape Undertaker is, and we don't totally know what style of match will develop. This is the first time we can say this in a while. We knew what Brock would do, even if we had no idea that Brock would win. We knew CM Punk would take a ton of bumps for Undertaker. We knew his matches with Triple H would get violent. We don't know what the tone of this match will be. This is rare in wrestling, where we can't quite figure out what direction it will take. My guess is that we'll see something similar to the Bray/Cena matches of last year, with some heavier hitting, with Bray providing some of the top moments. I wouldn't be surprised to see Bray take a Taker signature move, say a chokeslam or even the Tombstone, and pop up into the crabwalk. However, all of that leads to the almost inevitable result, which is the Undertaker winning. If this isn't Undertaker's last match, he almost has to win, or else it'll be really hard to build a presumably final match next year. So by necessity, Undertaker has to win. It's up to the WWE after to make sure that it doesn't result in Bray Wyatt floundering.
Winner: The Undertaker
John Cena vs. Rusev for the United States title
Regular readers will know how much I've loved this feud, and specifically how much Rusev has grown over the past few months. He has reached the point where you could throw him into the main event picture, and it wouldn't seem out of place at all. I thought the match between these two at Fast Lane was great, and I don't see a reason why this encounter will be any different. However, I fully expect to see a different result.
Much like the Intercontinental title, I think they want to re-establish the prestige of the US title. While I think that Rusev is a fantastic champion, and he could take the title to greater heights, the odds are that they want to give it to John Cena to try to inject instant-credibility to the title. It's somewhat unfortunate that it's Cena who will be pinning Rusev for the first time (and I really hope it is a pin, and they don't make Rusev tap out), and not someone who could really get a rub from that. What's key though is to keep Rusev going after WrestleMania. So many wrestlers have lost every ounce of momentum after losing a streak, and Rusev is too good for the WWE to allow that to happen.
Winner: John Cena
Triple H vs. Sting
This is the one match that I think I'm a lot higher on than most people. Yes, both of these guys are up there in age. Sting may not be able to lock in the Scorpion Deathlock anymore. However, both Sting and Triple H know how important this match is. This match will likely play to the biggest in-ring strength of both wrestlers at this point: brawling. As shown by Triple H in his recent matches, and in Sting's TNA run, both of these guys know how to put on a fantastic match when a large chunk of it involves brawling. So they'll go to that well and put on a great match, in my eyes.
As far as who will win, I've actually been surprised to see so many people thinking that Triple H will win. I don't think Sting is coming in just to lose in his only WWE match ever. And it's hard to see him wrestling another match, or having the match be meaningful, if Triple H beats him. While you can point a lot of criticisms towards Triple H, it seems like he's been trying to fix that reputation lately, and it's hard to see him bring in Sting just to win. I just don't see what the WWE would get out of a Triple H win here.
Winner: Sting
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Title
The tone of this match changed entirely with the announcement on Tuesday that Brock re-signed with the WWE. All of a sudden the anger about the build, and the disappointing way RAW ended was replaced with a feeling of excitement, and uncertainty to the finish. The build has been extremely mediocre (and that might be generous), however, the match should be good, and there are legitimately five or six different endings I could see the WWE using.
The first thing I'm going to rule out is a Seth Rollins cash-in. It just doesn't make sense here. The timing isn't right, and it would set an awkward tone if you're either trying to make Lesnar look like an unstoppable monster or make Roman Reigns look good. It also leads to the awkward situation of the biggest heel (that's a wrestler) in the company getting a huge pop from 70,000 people, which is inevitable if they do it at WrestleMania.
There are two primary possibilities in my mind, one for Reigns winning, and one for Lesnar winning. For Reigns, I had brought this up before. While they still might be tempted to let Reigns win clean, the only way to do it right would be to turn him heel, likely involving Heyman joining Reigns. This solves a lot of problems. It gives Reigns a mouthpiece, it makes any boos he gets meaningful (of course those that are booing him would likely cheer him with Heyman), and it keeps the belt in the picture, which could become relevant later on with Rollins holding the Money in the Bank briefcase. Lesnar turning face also changes the dynamic for when he DOES return. It would make a lot of sense to have Reigns turn heel and win.
However, everything else about the build towards this WrestleMania screams that Lesnar is retaining. If we assume that they're elevating the IC and US belts, then that seems really odd if the belt is going to be around. It also seems odd to have heel Roman Reigns holding the belt if heel Seth Rollins will cash in. At least tweener Brock Lesnar would make a little bit more sense in that situation. So here is how I would book it if Lesnar was to retain. I would have the two brawl, and absolutely throw everything they have at each other for 5-6 minutes. I'd then have Lesnar get the advantage, and start destroying Reigns, almost as much as he did with Cena at SummerSlam. This would be the difference. Instead of just having Reigns strictly get tossed around like Cena did, I'd have Reigns get a bit of offense in as this is happening. I'd have him keep coming through everything. Even have Heyman shout "Stay down!" or something like that. If I had a comparison, I'd go outside of wrestling, and look at Cool Hand Luke in that famous fight scene. If Reigns gets tossed around enough, but still keeps coming, but, unlike Cena, doesn't win, he might win over some fans, and his face push might be salvaged still. I'd even throw in some blood if they can get Vince to agree.
It's not perfect, but I think that it's the best scenario here. Beyond those, there are enough possibilities, like Reigns winning clean, that this could be the most unpredictable WrestleMania main event in quite some time.
Wner: Brock Lenar