It’s the Super Bowl of wrestling shows & The CTJ Report has its last-minute predictions for WrestleMania 35.
Personally, I feel the card is bloated. 17 matches is an absurd number and of those 17 matches there are only about 5 or 6 of them that I’m interested in. WWE hasn’t done a good job of building storylines & characters for most of these matches but we will take a look at them anyway.
Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Major Participants: Braun Strowman, Andrade, Bobby Roode, Chad Gable, The Hardy Boyz
What started as a battle royal to give the winner a push toward either a mid-card or main event title opportunity has devolved into a mess that seeks to give a bunch of wrestlers something to do because WWE Creative can’t think of good storylines.
This year’s event have entered pure silliness with the addition of SNL’s Michael Che & Colin Jost.
Who will win: Braun Strowman
Women’s WrestleMania Battle Royal
Major Participants: Asuka, Naomi, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Carmella, The Riott Squad
Much like the men in the Andre The Giant Battle Royal, these women were thrown into a meaningless match. The women of SmackDown Live have a particular axe to grind as the SD Live Championship was put on Charlotte Flair to hype up the main event even more at the expense of the entire women’s division. Asuka has the biggest reason to be angry because Creative did nothing with her title reign.
Who will win: Asuka
Cruiserweight Championship: Buddy Murphy(c) vs. Tony Neese
Buddy Murphy’s reign as the cruiserweight champion has been the best thing for the fledging brand. He’s put on barn burner matches with the likes of Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali, Akira Tozawa & others. Expect his match with Tony Neese to be no different. There will be plenty of high flying action mixed with good technical moves. In the end there still may not be a worthy successor to the throne.
Who will win: Buddy Murphy retains Cruiserweight Title
Raw Tag Team Championship: The Revival(c) vs. Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins
Speaking of wrestlers who have criminally underused – enter The Revival. The Revival are a throwback to old school tag team wrestling which should be a great thing for the division. Unfortunately Creative treats its tag team divisions like an afterthought and The Top Guys have been the worst recipient of this treatment. Their title reign has seen them lose on countless occasions against thrown together teams and their WM opponents are Zack Ryder & Hawkins – another thrown together tag team that always loses. So you know what that means….
Who Will Win: Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins win Raw Tag Team Titles
U.S. Championship: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Most fans wanted Samoa Joe to take on either John Cena or Kevin Owens for the US Title but what we got instead is what appears to be on paper an underwhelming match with Rey Mysterio. This isn’t a knock on Mysterio who still looks great at age 43 but more a slap in the face to Samoa Joe who has been FANTASTIC as a villain. Joe brings a viciousness to the ring & on the mic that fans crave for. I’d like to think that Samoa Joe is your favorite heel’s favorite heel. Unfortunately he has also suffered from a lack of a build with the US title. That said, this should be a good match between the two.
Who Will Win: Samoa Joe retains US Title
Intercontinental Championship: Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush vs. “Demon” Finn Balor
Like most of this card, Creative has done a bad job building up the IC Title after fantastic runs with the title by The Mix & Seth Rollins. WWE has played hot potato with the title between Lashley & Finn Balor. Balor has been underused & constantly put into sub-par feuds. This feels no different. I hope that Balor will be done with this feud once & for all after this match.
Who Will End: Demon Finn Balor wins IC Title
Kurt Angle Farewell Match: Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin
This is about as underwhelming of a retirement match as you can get. Here’s hoping John Cena comes to ruin Corbin’s chance to compete in this match. Kurt Angle is a Hall of Famer and deserves the proper send off. This thing with Baron Corbin ain’t it, chief.
Who Will Win: If it’s Corbin – Kurt Angle wins. If it’s Cena – Cena wins
SD Tag Team Championship: The Usos(c) vs. The Bar vs. Rusev/Nakamura vs. Ricochet/Aleistar Black
This match was thrown together by WM host Alexa Bliss as “punishment” for The Usos forfeiting their match with the New Day during the New Day Gauntlet match to help get Kofi Kingston to WrestleMania. The amount of talent in this ring should make for an entertaining affair. Ricochet & Black are singles stars who should be… singles stars. This tag team run is just a way to introduce the NXT standouts to the WWE Universe. The Bar & the team of Rusev/Nakamura just don’t have enough heat on them to hold the titles.
Who Will Win: The Usos retain the SD Tag Team Titles
Women’s Tag Team Championship: Banks/Bayley(c) vs. Nia Jax/Tamina vs. Natayla/Beth Phoenix vs. The IIconics
For the 1st time ever the women will have a tag team title match at WrestleMania and this will be the 1st defense for Sasha Banks & Bayley. Nia Jax & Tamina present the biggest threat due to their size & power. Natayla & Beth Phoenix bring experience & ring savvy to the equation while the IIconics still seem to not quite be on the others’ level. They’ll need a bit of luck & some chicanery to pull off the upset.
Who Will Win: Sasha Banks & Bayley retain the Women’s Tag Titles
Falls Count Anywhere: The Miz vs. Shane McMahon
This feud started as a convoluted mess but Shane’s brutal turn on The Miz after Fast Lane provided just the spark The Miz needed to cement his face run. The fans are behind The A-Lister and the revenge he seeks on his former best friend. Shane going back to the arrogant, entitled heel has helped push this feud into one that people care about.
Who Will Win: The Miz
Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre has sought to destroy The Shield one by one. He first defeated Seth Rollins in a No DQ match. Next he took out Dean Ambrose in a Last Man Standing match. Now he seeks to complete the destruction by taking out Reigns. Roman Reigns relinquished the Universal Title in October to battle leukemia but made a surprise return five months later. The obvious play would be for Reigns to win & begin his rapid ascent to the main event stage once again. WWE would be prudent to have that ascent be a long, hard fought one. It would also be prudent to continue building up McIntyre as a bonafide heel.
Who Will Win: Drew McIntyre
AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton
Ever since AJ Styles landed on SD Live after the initial brand split, he’s made it no secret that “SmackDown is the house that AJ Styles built.” And for those 3 years he has been the face of the blue brand and that included a 371-day reign as the WWE Champion. AJ certainly has the resume to lay claim to that phrase. Randy Orton however has other ideas. The 14-time champion feels that he built the SmackDown brand long before Styles even arrived to WWE. The back & forth between the two has become personal with Orton saying that while Styles was wrestling in bingo halls, he was main eventing WrestleManias. Styles countered by bringing up Randy’s checkered past with drug suspensions. In any other PPV, this would be the main event. In this bloated WM card, it’s been knocked down a couple of pegs… but that doesn’t mean it won’t be an exciting match.
Who Will Win: AJ Styles
No Holds Barred Match: Triple H vs. Batista
This match, like AJ Styles/Orton could be a main event on any other PPV. Fans were clamoring for this match since SD Live 1000 when tensions mounted between the two as Batista claimed that Triple H had done it all – except beat him.
Fast forward to the Feb. 25th episode of RAW. It was supposed to be a celebration of Ric Flair’s 70th birthday. Instead Batista barged into Ric’s dressing room & beat up Flair leaving him hurt outside of the dressing room. Add to that fact this – if Batista wins then Triple H’s in-ring career is over. I expect this to be a slow, hard hitting affair.
Who Will Win: Triple H
Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar(c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. Seth Rollins
The workhorse vs. the long-reigning, part-time champion that no one wants. The Architect vs. The Beast. This match is another main-event caliber match that suffers from a bad built and a champion who rarely shows. Rollins has done everything right in this business & deserves to be rewarded. He’s a fantastic wrestler with improved mic skills, a crowd-pleasing catch phrase and a WWE universe aching to see RAW’s top title on the shoulder of a full-time wrestler. This should be the recipe for a title change. Key word here is SHOULD.
Who Will Win: Brock Lesnar will retain Universal Title
WWE Championship: The “New” Daniel Bryan(c) w/ Rowan vs. Kofi Kingston w/The New Day
KofiMania has happened but if not for an injury to Mustafa Ali then the WWE Universe would never have been given the opportunity to witness it. Kofi Kingston tore down the house at Elimination Chamber & came within inches of winning the WWE Title. When it looked like he would get his chance at Fast Lane, Vince McMahon pulled a fast one & booked Kevin Owens to replace Kofi. Kofi was subjected to a two-on-one beatdown at Fast Lane at the hands of The Bar. Then Kofi had to get through a Gauntlet match to secure his spot vs. The Planet’s Champion. He would beat The Bar, Rowan, Samoa Joe & Randy Orton but Vince pulled another fast one & add one more man – Daniel Bryan. Kofi would lose and then be subjected to “B+ Player” taunts by both Vince McMahon & Daniel Bryan. It would be up to the Big E. & Xavier Woods to go through a gauntlet match of tag teams to earn the spot for Kofi. After beating The Good Brothers & Rusev/Nakamura & The Bar, The Usos forfeited out of respect to Kofi. All that was left was the team of Daniel Bryan & Rowan. They pulled it off and now it’s official. For the 1st time in WWE history a black man could lay claim to the WWE title. The B+ Player storyline has run full circle as it was Daniel Bryan who faced these claims 5 years ago. Now it’s Bryan, who’s been TERRIFIC as the elitist, planet-minded heel champion, who thinks Kofi is the flash in the pan.
Who Will Win: Kofi Kingston wins the WWE Championship
Raw & SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Ronda Rousey(c) vs. Charlotte Flair(c) vs. Becky Lynch
How we got to the main event was a mess of epic proportions but we’re nonetheless. For the 1st time in WrestleMania history women will be headlining the Showcase of the Immortals.
Becky Lynch won the Royal Rumble & challenged Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women’s title. Then she berated & physically assaulted both Stephanie McMahon & Triple H after they demanded that she get her injured knee(kayfabe) looked at. Vince McMahon then suspended The Man & replaced her with Charlotte Flair. Becky Lynch won back her spot by beating Flair via interference from Rousey.
The war of words between Lynch & Rousey on social media has helped to elevate the match. Then the shocker happened – Charlotte knocked off Asuka for the SmackDown Women’s title to make this Triple Threat match a Winner Take All match.
While the nonsensical booking decisions have cooled off this red-hot rivalry somewhat, this match has all the makings of a classic. The right thing has to happen though – a Lynch victory at the expense of the Baddest Woman on the Planet.
Who Will Win: Becky Lynch wins the RAW & SmackDown Women’s titles
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