We’re mere days away from “The Show of Shows.” "The Grandest Stage of Them All." "The Showcase of the Immortals." It’s WrestleMania 33, where a year’s worth of professional wrestling feuds comes to a head.
As always, there’s a mixture of old and new. There are the veterans, like Goldberg, The Undertaker, and Brock Lesnar, who draw in the casual, nostalgic fans. There are the established stars, like AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, and Sasha Banks, who represent the here and now. And there are the rising stars, like Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, and Bayley, who represent the future of the company. Here are your up-to-date predictions for an interesting—if divisive—evening, this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.
This was added at the last minute because the doctors needed to know, for sure, that Rollins was healthy enough to compete. Finally, Rollins will get his revenge on Triple H for betraying him and handing the universal title to Kevin Owens. Expect to see chairs, kendo sticks, and whatever else the two of them can find under the ring apron.
Who Should Win: Seth Rollins
Who Will Win: Seth Rollins. From a storytelling perspective, Rollins has to win so that he can redeem himself and complete his babyface turn. A win could also kick off a fresh world title pursuit once Rollins is completely healed.
2017 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
AJ Styles is, objectively speaking, one of the best wrestlers on the planet. Shane McMahon, meanwhile, can barely wrestle. But he can perform eye-popping, death-defying (stupid?) stunts, and walk away relatively unscathed. Remember his tumble off the roof of the cell last year? How about his leap onto Big Show at Backlash in 2001? Shane’s latest "match" will result in another clip for the highlight reel.
Who Should Win: AJ Styles
Who Will Win: AJ Styles. This is a no-brainer. If WWE wants to keep AJ in title contention after WrestleMania, the Phenomenal One will score a decisive win. Shane has a lot of guts, but he’s no wrestler. And on Sunday, he doesn’t stand a chance.
John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse
Despite having less talented, less experienced wrestlers, the SmackDown women have been putting on a better show than the Raw women. That’s the power of good storylines and good booking; every woman on SmackDown is a contender for the top title. But unfortunately, there isn’t enough room on the card to have multiple 1-on-1 women’s matches. Instead, the women are stuck in a free-for-all like this one. It’ll be up to them to make themselves stand out individually.
Who Should Win: Naomi
Who Will Win: Naomi. She was never supposed to lose the belt to begin with; an injury forced her to drop it. And now that she’s healthy, she’s going to reclaim what was hers. Naomi is also the hometown hero, and WWE will want to get Orlando fans hyped.
United States Champion Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens
Last year, Neville was a babyface superhero, and a boring one at that. But now, with the new Cruiserweight division, Neville is reborn. He’s physically dominant and comparatively bigger than everyone else, a big change from his old underdog storylines. Austin Aries, meanwhile, is a loudmouth with something to prove. Anticipate an acrobatic, pull-out-all-the-stops showdown.
Who Should Win: Neville
Who Will Win: Neville. Aries is a great talker, and his time will come. But Neville is just too dominant to realistically lose. WWE wants to establish him as a top heel, and Austin Aries is loved by the fans, with or without the belt. It’ll be a competitive match, but The Man That Gravity Forgot will eke out a win.
The Raw Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Ladder Match is another result of a roster that is so big, that WWE struggles to give everyone something important to do. All three tag teams are excellent individually. Enzo Amore and Big Cass, specifically, are extremely over with the fans. But six men in a single match can get very messy, very quickly. This match is going to require a lot of teamwork—of switching in and out, of letting the other guy shine—to make it fun and easy to follow.
Who Should Win: Enzo Amore & Big Cass
Who Will Win: Enzo Amore & Big Cass. They have been building toward this moment ever since their main roster debut. They’re universally loved by the fans. They’re extremely entertaining. And WWE has its eyes set on making Cass into a main eventer. There’s no better place to start their dominant run than at WrestleMania, where they’re guaranteed to get a massive pop from the crowd.
Last year, Dean Ambrose complained that his match with Brock Lesnar wasn’t as good or as extreme as he wanted it to be. Lesnar, apparently, had no interest in doing anything too crazy. But this year, Ambrose will be in the ring with Baron Corbin, a hungry wrestler with something to prove. The fans are guaranteed a much better show as a result. Depending on how far the two of them are willing to go on Sunday, this match could be a throwback to the Attitude Era.
Who Should Win: Baron Corbin
Who Will Win: Baron Corbin. The Lone Wolf checks off a lot of boxes. He’s young. He’s massive. And he can talk really well when he’s unscripted and allowed to be himself. Aside from last year’s Andre the Giant Battle Royal, however, he’s never won gold. On Sunday, he’ll change that by scoring the pinfall with the End of Days after kicking out of Dean’s finisher.
Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax
The Dead Man is ailing. He needs hip surgery. He looked pretty fragile at the Royal Rumble. And now, he’s taking on Roman Reigns on a massive stage. This has the potential to go very, very wrong. The two of them need to work a slow, steady match, focus less on ringwork, and focus more on storytelling.
Who Should Win: The Undertaker
Who Will Win: Roman Reigns. A lot of fans are going to be upset. But The Undertaker is losing for the second time at WrestleMania this Sunday. Taker is an old-school guy, who believes that a wrestler’s last match should be a loss, which passes on the notoriety to the next generation. And since Taker is rumored to need hip replacement surgery, he could very well be forced to retire, even if he doesn’t want to. The better question is whether WWE will continue pushing Roman Reigns as a babyface, or finally turn him heel on Sunday... Let’s hope for the latter.
WWE Champion Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton
Here’s the big one. The two biggest powerhouses of their respective generations, squaring off against each other, one-on-one. The last time these two fought at WrestleMania was over a decade ago in Madison Square Garden. Back then, the New York crowd turned on both competitors, because online dirt sheets leaked that both men would be leaving WWE. This time around, there’s no baggage to hold back this Clash of the Titans.
Who Should Win: Brock Lesnar
Who Will Win: Brock Lesnar. If there’s such a thing as a sure thing, it’s this. Goldberg has won every single one of their encounters so far, which means that at some point, Lesnar needs to get a win. After all, he’s the one who signed a long-term contract with the company. And in a recent interview, Goldberg admitted that he was “miserable” due to his rigorous training regimen. He might be as happy to drop the belt as Lesnar will be to win it. Expect a short, clean match, with an F5 and a pinfall in the center of the ring.
