Tonight, the WWE presents the biggest show of the year as WrestleMania XXX airs live from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. For 30 years, WrestleMania has been the marquee event in the WWE and tonight should prove to be no different.
Interesting stories, myths and urban legends from the first 10 WrestleManias
The card is highlighted by four matches including Batista vs. Randy Orton vs. Triple H or Daniel Bryan for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H for the right to main event the match, John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt and The Undertaker defending his undefeated streak against Brock Lesnar.
Top 10 WrestleManias of all-time
Onto the predictions, which I'll put in expected order of matches or what I think should be the order of matches:
Pre-show: WWE Tag Team Championships: The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso) (c) vs. Los Matadores (Diego and Fernando) vs. The Real Americans (Cesaro and Jack Swagger) vs. Ryback and Curtis Axel :
The WWE Tag Team Championships are again relegated to the pre-show, but this match should still be a very interesting one to warm things up for the crowd. The WWE's tag division has had a great resurgence recently, and it was great to see The Usos defeat the New Age Outlaws to earn their first tag titles.
This match should be fairly exciting, and I wonder if the WWE will pull the trigger on the breakup for The Real Americans at this event as it's been building for weeks. It would have been nice if the WWE saved The Usos big win for WrestleMania rather than a random RAW episode, however we'll settle for them retaining on the big stage here.
The Real Americans breakup storyline and The Usos fighting in defense of the titles are the most interesting facets of the match while the other two teams feel like throw-ins.
The Pick: The Usos retain.
One of the best tag title matches of all-time took place at WrestleMania X-7 in a triangle TLC match between The Dudleyz, The Hardyz, ,and Edge and Christian:
Six-Man Tag Team Match: The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) vs. The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) and Kane:
I can see the battle royal opening things, but a hot six-man tag would be the way I would go.
The WWE has paused the expected Shield breakup at the request of The Outlaws, who wanted to work with them before they are dismantled. The face turn for the trio has been exciting and all three of them can go. I'm interested to see how much all three rise to the occasion on Sunday.
The Shield and The Wyatt Family have had some great six-man matches on RAW and I'm hoping the trio can adapt that same style with The Outlaws and Kane.
This will be an interesting clash as The Shield represents the Reality Era against The Outlaws and Kane, representing the Attitude Era. While this would be as big of a stage as any for The Shield to break up, the WWE will probably put that on hold for the storylines following the biggest show of the year. It's been an interesting dynamic between them and Kane, and the addition of The Outlaws would make this six-man a hot opener between these teams.
Roman Reigns, as usual, will likely look dominant in the match and if The Shield do end up winning, I expect him to get the pin on Kane. The Shield may show dissention but I think the WWE will have them look stronger than ever to attempt to make their eventual split more shocking.
The Pick: The Shield stands tall
The New Age Outlaws fought for the first time as a team at a WrestleMania in 1998 during WrestleMania XIV when they faced Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie on the same night Kane made his WM debut:
Singles Match winner goes to main event: Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H:
What better way for the WWE to keep the crowd into it than to have the most over guy in the company follow? And no, I don't mean Triple H. This has been a solid feud and Bryan has made a viable replacement for CM Punk. Is Triple H's ego big enough to have him go over Bryan to the fan's chagrin at the biggest show of the year?
I say no. I think Triple H will do the job to Bryan despite the fact that there is always the possibility of Triple H wanting one last reign on top, but I would like to think the WWE learned from WrestleMania 2000 when Triple H last stood tall as a heel champion to close the show.
One theory I could see playing out --and it may seem crazy -- is to have Triple H go over Bryan here, making the crowd livid. Triple H faces Batista and Orton at the end of the night but before the match starts, Vince McMahon's music hits. McMahon says Triple H's ego has gotten out of control and that he needs to remember that it is Vince who runs the WWE. Vince says it's now a Fatal 4 Way match and that CM Punk is the fourth guy, exploding the arena, and Punk eventually wins the title.
That seems more like a dream scenario than a reality and I doubt that it will happen and that Punk will even appear, however it would be a crazy WrestleMania moment and can jumpstart a feud between McMahon and Triple H for control of WWE that would culminate at SummerSlam.
Back to reality, Bryan should and I predict he will overcome the odds and defeat Triple H at WrestleMania, taking his rightful place in the main event. Win or lose, this match likely isn't the last we hear and see of Triple H at the show.
The Pick: Daniel Bryan moves on to the main event
Triple H and The Undertaker fought in a classic "End of an Era" match at WrestleMania XXVIII:
Daniel Bryan will hopefully be treated better than he was at that same event where he lost the WHC to Sheamus in 18 seconds:
Singles Match: John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt:
Bray Wyatt has emerged as one of the most interesting figures and characters in the WWE, my only fear here is that the match won't end with a clean finish.
With Erick Rowan and Luke Harper not having anything else to do on the card, I'm afraid they will interfere in the end and give Cena a win via DQ, making Wyatt look strong by not losing to Cena, but also not having Cena lose to Wyatt while also extending the program.
It would be nice to have the pair interfere behind the ref's back and aid Wyatt to victory, but who knows if Cena will actually do the job.
WrestleMania should be the culmination of feuds in my opinion, as even if there are re-matches after it, each match should have a concise decision. Cena doesn't need to win because the loss won't hurt him one bit while a win over Cena at the biggest event of the year would do wonders for Wyatt.
It's a tough call, but it's hard to bet against John Cena at WrestleMania. Wyatt will look strong in hanging with one of the biggest stars the industry has ever seen, however despite outside interference from the Wyatt Family, Cena will overcome the odds and win in a tough match that could potentially steal the show and make Wyatt a star.
The Pick: John Cena defeats Wyatt
John Cena won the WWE Championship for the first time at WrestleMania 21 by defeating JBL:
Vickie Guerrero Invitational for the WWE Divas Championship:
14-Divas enter this match pitting Divas Champion A.J. Lee against Aksana, Alicia Fox, Brie Bella, Cameron, Emma, Eva Marie, Layla, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Rosa Mendes, Summer Rae and Tamina Snuka in what apparently is a single-fall match for Lee's title in which she doesn't have to get pinned to lose.
The match, sadly, will likely be a disorganized train wreck as WWE has found every possible way to stuff all of their talent into the show including this match, the four-team tag match and the battle royal. Still, it's interesting to see where the WWE will go as the stipulation suggests that Lee may lose the title while not being involved in the finish in order to make the stipulation interesting.
I also wonder if the WWE will give someone from Total Divas the nod in order to include WrestleMania on the next season of it, though it's filmed so far in advance that it may not become a factor at all in the WWE's plans.
Another thing that could add to the match is the fact that Lee is set to move in with CM Punk who she's engaged to now and who is still in the WWE's doghouse after disappearing for the last few months. Would the WWE punish the Divas Champion for Punk's transgressions?
It remains to be seen if the WWE will take anything out on Punk, however with the card being mostly face-heavy on winners thus far, I think Lee will overcome the odds to win the title. If anyone else wins, I'd guess Brie Bella to go along with a possible Daniel Bryan title win, but I'm sticking with Lee.
The Pick: A.J. Lee retains her Divas Championship by overcoming the odds.
One of the best WWE Divas matches took place at WrestleMania 22 when Mickie James took on Trish Stratus:
The Beast vs. The Streak: Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker (21-0):
The Undertaker puts up his legendary undefeated streak against Brock Lesnar in what could be a potentially show-stealing match in New Orleans. The booking for this match has been highly criticized as Lesnar hasn't look like too much of a threat until Monday and the feud hasn't been very physical on RAW in recent weeks.
Still, 'Taker always delivers the goods this time of year and the fact that Brock Lesnar is such a physical presence gives this a big match feel. We just have to pray for Taker's safety as he's getting up there in age and Lesnar is rough in the ring. Hopefully Lesnar doesn't break the Dead Man.
While I'm a proponent that the streak should eventually end some day in 'Takers final match, I don't think it should be here. Lesnar is under contract until WrestleMania 31 and then may leave for good, so what good does the company get out of having him end The Streak?
The Streak should be ended by an established star who deserves it (Cena), an up and comer that could use the rub (Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, etc.) or a legend fighting in his final match (Sting next year). I'd personally lean towards an up and comer like Reigns, but still all three of the aforementioned names deserve it more than Lesnar.
That's not to say I dislike Lesnar, it just doesn't make sense for him to win here. Lesnar is getting paid a lot of money though and has suffered some high-profile pay-per-view losses which begs the question of whether or not he's due for a win.
This match is definitely intriguing and a potential show-stealer like Punk/Taker was last year, but I believe 'Taker goes 22-0 and takes the streak to California for a WrestleMania 31 battle with Sting next year.
The Pick: The Undertaker wins and goes 22-0.
The Undertaker's streak is legendary:
Brock Lesnar won his first WWE Championship from Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XIX in 2003 after a botched Shooting Star Press:
>
Andre the Giant Memorial 30-Man Over-The-Top-Rope Battle Royal:
Participants: Alberto Del Rio, Big E, Big Show, Brad Maddox, Brodus Clay, Christian, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Darren Young, Dolph Ziggler, Fandango, Drew McIntyre, Goldust, The Great Khali, Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal, Justin Gabriel, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, The Miz, Rey Mysterio, Sheamus, R-Truth, Santino Marella, Sin Cara, Titus O'Neil, and Zack Ryder and three others:
This was a nice touch as a way to pay tribute to the late great Andre the Giant and to get a lot of Superstars a WrestleMania payday.
I wish they had interwoven a few more storylines into the match, however you take what you can get. This was the brain child of Hulk Hogan in storyline, so I'm sure he'll be at ringside for the match. The most intriguing part is the three open spaces, which means that some mystery appearances could be in the works with such names as Sting, The Ultimate Warrior, CM Punk and even Chris Jericho being possibilities, though I doubt they'd waste Punk on this match.
This will be a nice match to stick between the Lesnar/Taker match and the main event.
As far as a winner, if the WWE doesn't bring in a surprise entrant that deserves the honor, it would likely have to go to Intercontinental Champion Big E or The Big Show. It's disappointing that the WWE didn't put the IC or US Titles on the line this year, but I could see them continuing Big E's push by giving him the win.
The Big Show is a giant in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, so it seems logical that he'll win in an ode to Andre --who had a knack for winning battle royals-- and leave New Orleans with the trophy.
The Pick: The Big Show wins the battle royal
Hulk Hogan slammed Andre the Giant in WrestleMania III in the first truly iconic WrestleMania moment:
Andre the Giant won a battle royal at WrestleMania 2:
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat: Randy Orton (c) vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan:
Like I said earlier, it could easily be Triple H in here but I don't believe the WWE is that dumb to ignore its fan base and not have Bryan appear in the main event. I still like the idea of McMahon announcing Punk into the match to irk his son-in-law, but I'm of the thinking that Punk is not coming back to the WWE, though you never know.
There has been much speculation that the title will change hands, but into whose hands it goes is the question. With so much thought going into the title changing hands, could the WWE troll the audience and just end up keeping the title on Orton?
And don't count "The Animal" out. The WWE signed Batista to a big money contract with the plans to have him go over Orton in a one-on-one match to leave New Orleans as Champion. If it wasn't for the overwhelming popularity of Bryan and the hatred the fan base showed for Batista, the WWE would have stuck to its original plan of having Batista stand tall.
Is the direction of the plans changed enough that the WWE will deviate from its original idea for how the show should play out, or will Batista stand tall? I could see the WWE being stubborn enough to stick to their guns and make New Orleans rain down on Batista in boos. Part of his deal to come back could have even included a title victory at WrestleManias as part of the negotiations for all we know.
Triple H might still be itching for one last run, and regardless of if he wins or loses the match against Bryan earlier on, he'll definitely factor into the main event. I'm interested to see if Vince McMahon will be a part of the show or not in the main event as his return to T.V. was supposed to be in the works awhile back.
Now onto Daniel Bryan. It is an absolute NO BRAINER that Bryan should win the title while thousands of fans scream "YES!" throughout the Mercedes-Benz Superdome as WrestleMania closes on one of the highest notes ever, but will the WWE finally give in and just do it?:
The WWE ended WrestleMania I at MSG with Hogan and Mr. T standing tall, WrestleMania X in that same building with underdog baby face Bret Hart being hoisted up by all of his peers as the WWE Champion and ring leader of the New Generation. The WWE then ended WrestleMania XX in that same building with Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero --perennial underdogs --as the companies two main champions during what at the time was an iconic WrestleMania Moment.
Bryan is the quintessential underdog and the most over guy on the roster right now. The WWE should end the 30th WrestleMania as it has the other milestone WrestleManias, with the underdog on top as WWE Champion ushering in a new era.
The winner HAS TO be Bryan. Anything else, and the WWE missed the boat on one of the easiest and most memorable booking decisions and this WrestleMania will be tainted to many fans forever.
...That is unless there is a CM Punk swerve in the works, which can't be ruled out. Punk could end up HELPING Triple H and joining him as Coporate Punk in a huge swerve, or like I suggested, he may in fact be done with wrestling.
WrestleMania almost always ends with a feel good story and the same should happen tonight. If Daniel Bryan doesn't leave WrestleMania XXX with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, then it may not feel like WrestleMania after all.
The Pick: Daniel Bryan wins the WWE Championship
Batista won his first WWE WHC at WrestleMania 21 from Triple H:
Randy Orton retained his WWE Championship against John Cena and Triple H at WrestleMania XXIV:
Daniel Bryan won the Tag Team Championship at last year's WrestleMania XXIX:
One of the most famous WWE Championship matches took place between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart at WrestleMania XII:
WrestleMania XXX airs live tonight from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and if we've learned anything from past WrestleManias, just about anything can happen.
For more WWE content during WrestleMania XXX weekend, follow us on Twitter @SportsWN and LIKE US on Facebook
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
