Photo credit: wwe.com
For the last 36 years, WWE has put on their biggest show of the year, Wrestlemania, every spring. Wrestlemania is known for some of the biggest moments in the history of professional wrestling. Wrestlemania is where superstars such as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena, The Undertaker, The Rock, Triple H, Edge, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels and many others made their names famous.
Wrestlemania has always been for the fans of the past, present and future, and this year, Wrestlemania is “too big for just one night!”
Yes, that’s right! For the FIRST TIME EVER (mainly due to the coronavirus outbreak), Wrestlemania will be TWO nights (Saturday and Sunday as opposed to just Sunday)!
Even though nobody will be in attendance for this year’s “Showcase of the Immortals”, the card is loaded, and I cannot wait to see the creativity that the WWE Superstars display in and outside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Instead of doing my traditional Preview And Predictions article, because this Wrestlemania is so large (currently 16 matches scheduled), and because we do not know what matches will appear on what date, I will be attempting to book the Wrestlemania 36 card myself, along with predicting the winner of the matches!
NOTE: The matches listed are matches advertised by WWE as of this writing and will probably not be the official Wrestlemania 36 card due to multiple superstars not competing due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Night 1:
Kevin Owens vs Seth Rollins
To me, this would be the perfect way to kick off Wrestlemania, a personal rivalry with a good story with two spectacular in-ring workers, and Rollins and Owens fit the bill. This rivalry goes all the way back to December when Rollins turned heel and formed his faction with AOP and eventually Murphy to create a “better Monday Night RAW” (which he has!). Owens has been the thorn in the “Monday Night Messiah’s” side ever since, and now Owens is looking to create a Wrestlemania moment by stunning the former top superstar in the company (which I think he will!).
John Morrison and The Miz (C) vs The Usos vs The New Day. Smackdown Tag Team Championships. Ladder Match
A Ladder Match with the three best teams on the blue brand? Sign me up! This match needs to go early in the card to get the crowd (at home) fired up.
Rhea Ripley (C) vs Charlotte Flair. NXT Women’s Championship
After a spectacular Ladder Match, we need something in slot No. 3 that can perform a good match without a lot of explanation, and this is the perfect spot for Ripley and Flair. Ripley will become the first superstar to defend (and retain in my opinion) an NXT Championship at Wrestlemania.
The Street Profits (C) vs Angel Garza and Austin Theory (W/ Zelina Vega). RAW Tag Team Championships
The general thinking is that WWE will put one Tag Title match on each day, but in my opinion, both can fit on night one. This match has hardly any build to it as The Street Profits have taken out everybody in the RAW tag division in a month (think about that problem!), and they needed an opponent for Wrestlemania. NXT’s Austin Theory replaces United States Champion Andrade, who is one of the superstars who got pulled off the card, so I doubt the challenger’s win the straps here.
Undertaker vs A.J. Styles. Boneyard Match
After back-to-back not so great contests, as now AEW Play-By-Play Announcer Jim Ross would say, “Business is about to pick up”! At Super Showdown in February, the “Dead Man” returned to cost Styles the “Tuwaiq Trophy”. Then, at Elimination Chamber, Undertaker once again cost Styles a match, this time against Aleister Black.
Styles claims he can beat anybody at any time, and that he is one of the greatest performers ever, and we are about to find out! After both men have cut promos over the past couple of RAW’s where they have called each other by their real names and name-dropped their wife’s, these two professional wrestling legends will compete in a Boneyard Match!
Now, I have no idea what in the heck a Boneyard Match is, but I am going to guess that it is the PG version of a Buried Alive Match, and I can’t wait to see Taker bury Styles underground!
Bayley (C) vs Sasha Banks vs Tamina vs Lacey Evans vs Naomi. Fatal Five Way Elimination Match. Smackdown Women’s Championship
This match has no build other than the fact that all of the ladies besides Banks want a piece of the champion. Honestly, the Smackdown women’s division is weak, and the only way to spice it up is to have Banks turn on her best friend and win the strap.
Baron “King” Corbin vs Elias
This match was made two weeks ago on Smackdown when the host of Wrestlemania, former New England Patriots tight end and three-time Super Bowl Champion Rob Gronkoski made his WWE debut, and Gronk, Mojo Rawley (Gronk’s best friend) and Elias attacked King Corbin. Now, this past Friday on Smackdown, Corbin attacked Elias with a scepter and sent Elias crashing off a balcony at the Performance Center, so this match may not happen, but if it does, it is more of a comical match and usually matches that are not a part of a big story are right before the main event of the show, so that’s why it goes in this spot.
Brock Lesnar (C. W/ Paul Heyman) vs Drew McIntyre. WWE Championship
If you noticed, most of my night one of the card consists of the non marque matches on this year’s docket, but for the main event, night one should end with the WWE Title on the line. McIntyre eliminated Lesnar from the Royal Rumble before winning the match himself (Lesnar entered the Rumble at No. 1). Since, McIntyre has for the most part gotten the upper hand on the “Beast InCarnate”, including delivering three Claymore Kicks to the champion about a month ago on RAW.
To end RAW on Monday, Lesnar’s advocate Paul Heyman said that McIntyre is a top star in the industry, but that there’s a reason why his client main event’s Wrestlemania almost every year. The question is: Can McIntyre slay the beast and earn his first WWE Title? I don’t think so!
McIntyre struck Lesnar first, and usually when a superstar strikes The Beast first, Lesnar gets the last laugh. Plus, I don’t really see a heel who is ready to face McIntyre after Wrestlemania, so I think it would be best to leave the title off of McIntyre for now.
Night two:
Sami Zayn (C. W/ Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura) vs Daniel Bryan (W/ Drew Gulak). Intercontinental Championship
Just like night one, I believe night two needs to kick off with a mid card match that can set the tone for the evening. If you are building the perfect wrestler to kick off a show, look no further than Daniel Bryan. Bryan can put on a classic bout with any wrestler if he’s motivated (look no further than Bryan vs Gulak at Elimination Chamber), and we know that Bryan and Zayn have had fantastic matches over the years. Zayn has been such a great heel on the mic the last six months, but I believe his time as champion will end this weekend.
Otis (W/ Tucker) vs Dolph Ziggler (W/ Mandy Rose)
Man, how great of a guy is Otis, and how terrible of a guy is Ziggler?! I mean, really!!
Otis is just like most American men: He’s shy, likes to eat and gets nervous when talking to girls. That’s why it was so great when he asked Mandy Rose out on a date on Valentine’s Day, and she actually accepted!
But, when Otis arrived at the restaurant on date night (granted he was a little late), Ziggler was sitting down with Mandy, breaking poor Otis’ heart 🙁
This match is arguably one of the most exciting matches on the card throughout the weekend. It’s such a well drawn out story, and everybody wants to see Otis beat down Ziggler, and I think that he will and get Rose to kiss him!
Auska and Kairi Sane (C) vs Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. Women’s Tag Team Championships
This match has barely any build. Auska attacked Bliss a few weeks ago on Smackdown, and then Bliss beat Auska one-on-one on the March 27 episode of Smackdown to earn this opportunity. The story surrounds around the fact that the champs have not defended the titles on the blue brand since they won the titles from Bliss and Cross at Hell in a Cell in October.
To me, this match is just on the card to be on the card, and the fact that there are no challengers really for Auska and Sane is concerning for this championship going forward. Let’s hope Bliss and Cross win and bring some energy to the women’s tag division!
John Cena vs “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. Firefly Fun House Match
Six years ago, the downfall of Bray Wyatt began at Wrestlemania 30 when he lost to Cena.
Now, let’s not forget: The Fiend NEVER forgets! Now, Wyatt is looking for revenge, and he plans to do it in his Firefly Fun House!
Much like the Boneyard Match on night one, this match will take place on an undisclosed site, and I cannot wait. These two have a chance to steal the show, and this time Wyatt’s hand will be the one raised in victory. YOWY WOWY!
Becky Lynch (C) vs Shayna Baszler. RAW Women’s Championship
WWE is building up this match as a marque match, but I just don’t see it. As I said in my Royal Rumble preview, I saw Baszler and Lynch face off at Survivor Series in a triple threat that also involved the Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley, and the match was not good.
To me, Baszler is a bad-ass, but she doesn’t have christma. She’s boring. She’s not going to make a good champion.
However, with that being since, “The Man” has had her momentum slow down since winning both the RAW and Smackdown Women’s Championships in the main event of Wrestlemania last year against Charlotte and “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey, who is best friends with Baszler.
I think WWE is trying to make Baszler a dominant force and for that reason, I believe Baszler rips through Lynch, and Lynch will take time off and come back hunting for her championship back at Summerslam.
Edge vs Randy Orton. Last Man Standing Match
“You think you know me…”
Those are the lyrics of the opening of Edge’s theme song, and if you know me, you know I am the biggest “Edgehead” there is! Heck, I even wrote Edge a letter in 2008 claiming I can help him beat The Undertaker at Wrestlemania XXIV!
So, when Edge made his return at the Royal Rumble, wrestling for the first time in nine years, I screamed so loud I almost lost my voice! I don’t care if it is in an empty arena; I can’t wait to see Edge wrestle his first one-on-one match in nearly a decade, and the story that him and Orton will tell will be out of this world! Believe me, this match will be the best match this weekend, bar-none, and when Orton cannot make it to his feet by the referee’s count of ten, I will be singing, “On this day, I see clearly!”
Aleister Black vs Bobby Lashley (W/ Lana)
Much like Elias vs Corbin on night one, spot numero siete needs to be a “cool down match” before the main event, and Black and Lashley have no build, so this is an easy choice. I’m disappointed WWE dropped the Lashley-Rusev storyline, and I hope Black goes over here and moves on to bigger and better things.
Goldberg (C) vs TBD. Universal Championship
As we all know by now, Roman Reigns is OUT of Wrestlemania 36 due to the coronavirus (even though WWE has yet to confirm it, which is why there is no photo here), so now what does WWE do with the main event of the entire show?
Does Goldberg face a current superstar, or a legend like Triple H? To be honest, I don’t know. If I had to guess, Goldberg will face Braun Strowman and retain the championship, and Reigns will win the strap at Summerslam. Yes, that means Goldberg closes out Wrestlemania on top.
Is that ideal? No. Could Edge and Orton close out this night? Yes. However, I believe the surprise element of who faces the Universal Champion combined with the fact that WWE put the title on Goldberg specifically for Wrestlemania, and that Edge will be around more than Goldberg going forward, the Universal Championship closes out the two night extravaganza that will be Wrestlemania 36!
Brandon Lewis is the Web Director for Black Squirrel Radio. Follow him on Twitter @brandonlewis_7.