The biggest show of the year is finally upon us. As the road leading here as been a bit bumpy to say the least, WrestleMania usually delivers, regardless. So, lets check out what we have in store this Sunday.
KICKOFF SHOW: WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: RYBACK VS. KALISTO (C)
This feud has little momentum. Ryback is in the midst of a lone wolf character or sorts at the moment and wanted Kalisto to split away from his partner Sin Cara and go out on his own. He then told him that a good big guy always beats a good little guy. And now they are fighting for the belt. That is pretty much all that happened leading into this match. I assume at some point Ryback will turn heel. For this match, I suspect Kalisto to retain his U.S. Title and perhaps we see Ryback snap and attack Kalisto after the match or the following night on RAW. BAYLESS’ PICK: KALISTO
KICKOFF SHOW: THE TOTAL DIVAS (BRIE BELLA & ALICIA FOX & NATALYA & PAIGE & EVA MARIE ) VS. B.A.D. & BLONDE (NAOMI & TAMINA & LANA & SUMMER RAE & EMMA)
There is not a whole lot of backstory to this match. What started off as a budding feud between Lana and Brie Bella has evolved to this. Having Eva Marie making her first appearance on the main roster in over a year to help out the Total Divas last week made it seem as if they were positioning her to turn on them. This Sunday might be too soon for that and I think they are giving the Total Divas the win on the biggest show of the year as they are pushed on a TV show while their opponents are mostly directionless at the moment. BAYLESS’ PICK: THE TOTAL DIVAS
KICKOFF SHOW: THE USOS VS. THE DUDLEY BOYZ
The Dudley Boys turned heel on the Usos over a month ago. As a team, they have done a good job since turning, especially Bubba, who excels in the heel role. However, this feud is not catching on with the fans. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that since Jimmy Uso returned from injury this past September, the Usos have struggled to regain acceptance by the fans. The gimmick has run its course as they have been doing the same act for about six years on the main roster. I think the Usos are the team the WWE sees more of a future in but they just turned the Dudleys. Also, I have to believe that the tables will be involved here so I guess the Dudleys try to break them out but it fails and the Usos win the match: BAYLESS’ PICK: THE USOS
3RD ANNUAL ANDRE THE GIANT MEMORIAL BATTLE ROYAL (CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE: HEATH SLATER, CURTIS AXEL, BO DALLAS, ADAM ROSE, BIG SHOW, KANE, TYLER BREEZE, MARK HENRY, JACK SWAGGER, FANDANGO, DAMIEN SANDOW, DARREN YOUNG, KONNOR, VIKTOR, GOLDUST, R-TRUTH)
This is not an impressive list of candidates to say the least. The Big Show and Kane have been pushed the most as the favorites. It was rumored that Braun Strowman was penciled to win this match but as of now, he is not even officially listed as a competitor. With them pushing big guys like Show and Kane as the favorite, I’d imagine that Strowman will be named as a participant at some point and eliminate these guys as the company attempts to elevate his status on the card. BAYLESS’ PICK: BRAUN STROWMAN
LADDER MATCH FOR THE WWE INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE: SIN CARA VS. ZACK RYDER VS. STARDUST VS. THE MIZ VS. DOLPH ZIGGLER VS. SAMI ZAYN VS. KEVIN OWENS (C)
The story here is that everyone involved as a beef with Kevin Owens. Their common bond is that they are sick of him always weaseling his way out of things. Right off the bat, Sin Cara, Ryder, and Stardust are very unlikely to win the match. They were just tacked on to this after Owens inviting them out for his #1 contender match on this past RAW in order to avoid facing either Ziggler, Miz, or Zayn. Basically, Owens called them out to wrestle each other because he knows they make for weaker challengers. And quite frankly, the fans see those guys as that too, despite their hard work. They seem to be setting up a Ziggler vs. Miz feud in the future and that could possibly be for the IC Title. However, I do not believe that will happen. That leaves us with Zayn and Owens, who have a deep history against each other. It seems to be expected they will continue to feud after this show. I think Zayn eventually gets the title but not here as Owens manages to escape by the skin of his teeth and retain the IC Title. BAYLESS’ PICK: KEVIN OWENS
AJ STYLES VS. CHRIS JERICHO
The story here is that Jericho is sick of AJ, a newcomer to the WWE, getting his named chanted by the crowd. Since then, Jericho has distracted AJ by coming down the aisle during his matches and chanting his name, costing AJ to lose a few matches. AJ countered by doing the same to Jericho, only that he chanted “Y2 Jackass.” Sure, that stuff is lame, but these two have had good matches together and Jericho’s been great on the mic since his heel turn. And the actual story makes sense. AJ has been a success so far in the WWE as the crowds love him and I see him ending this feud here with a win in his WrestleMania debut. These two have potential to steal the show. BAYLESS’ PICK: AJ STYLES
WWE DIVAS TITLE MATCH: BECKY LYNCH VS. SASHA BANKS VS. CHARLOTTE (C)
This match has been built up well. Charlotte is really getting over as a heel. Her character has drastically improved since the turn. Since beating Nikki Bella for the title six months ago, she has elevated the belt. Sasha Banks seems to be the one the company wants to make its next star. However, she has been overshadowed by Becky Lynch in all aspects on the main roster. Even after splitting from Team BAD, Sasha’s role still has not been clearly defined as she comes across as a “tweener.” I’d personally have Charlotte retain here but with rumors that the Divas Title will be known as the “Womens Title” I think they are going to want a title change and they want Sasha to be the champion when that happens. You can even have Flair’s interference backfire to cost Charlotte the belt as the rift between those two starts. This match also has the chance to really surprise people. BAYLESS’ PICK: SASHA BANKS
NEW DAY VS. LEAGUE OF NATIONS
This has been a one-sided feud, with the New Day almost always getting the upper hand. To me, it seems that the League of Nations are only here to get the New Day over as a face act. The New Day is the team with a future here as the League of Nations, while improving as a faction, really stumbled out of the gate. With rumors of the WWE going all out with the New Day’s entrance, adding that to their popularity, I see the New Day winning this match. Where they go one from here will be interesting as I expect at least one team from NXT will be brought up to inject new blood into the Tag Team Division and challenge them for the Titles. I think a loss here could spell the end for the League of Nations. BAYLESS’ PICK: NEW DAY
NO HOLDS BARRED STREET FIGHT: DEAN AMBROSE VS. BROCK LESNAR
Ambrose has rapidly become a fan favorite. He was the last person eliminated in this year’s Royal Rumble match and held his own in his title match against Triple H at Roadblock. This feud is the result of Ambrose refusing to stop fighting, no matter the situation, even against a monster like Lesnar. In return, Lesnar is getting annoyed at Ambrose. We have also had appearances on TV by “hardcore legends” such as Mick Foley and Terry Funk, each presenting Ambrose with a weapon. I think this match will come down to Ambrose taking a lot of punishment. It could be interesting as Lesnar is still over with the crowds too and him beating the crap out of Ambrose might result in cheers and I do not think that is the reaction they want from the match. With rumors that the Wyatt Family will be feuding with Lesnar later on this year, I still do not think they will interfere to cost Lesnar the match. It does not make any sense for the Wyatt Family to help Ambrose either. With that said, the way they have had Ambrose come so close only to fall short, it seems like he is being setup to win this match. But going against a beast like Lesnar, I have to give the nod to the the Mayor of Suplex City. I think Ambrose is going to take the beating of all beatings and seems to be made of Teflon when it comes to wins and losses. If the WWE is still planning to keep Reigns face, having Ambrose come out to congratulate Reigns at the end could be a way to lessen the boos. This match is the toughest for me to predict but I’ll go with Lesnar, who is a special attraction and to big of a force for Ambrose to overcome. BAYLESS’ PICK: BROCK LESNAR
HELL IN A CELL MATCH: SHANE MCMAHON VS. UNDERTAKER
When Shane McMahon made his return to RAW on 2/22/16, the fans in attendance went wild. He talked about his father and WWE TV being out-of-touch and not listening to the fans. Then, after asking his father Vince control for the show, Vince told him he could as long as beat the Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match. We also heard Shane reference a “lock box” that contained a mysterious secret he would reveal and if Shane lost, Vince would get that lock box. Since that show, the lock box has barely been mentioned. Plus, over the past few weeks, the Authority have barely even addressed the stipulation, which makes little sense as their jobs are on the line if Shane wins. A few weeks ago, Vince then added if the Undertaker lost, it would be his final WrestleMania. The stipulations here keep on being added on or forgotten about altogether. At least this past week they gave us a reason to see Shane and the Undertaker fight but overall, the storyline has been a convoluted mess. The fact the Authority are not directly involved in a match with the control of RAW on the line is nonsensical, IMO. Vince stressing that the Undertaker will brutalize him in the Hell in a Cell structure is the reason he is involved I guess but Triple H could just as easily give Shane a beating inside of a cage or with any other stipulation. With all that being said, the company will likely go all out and use smoke-and-mirrors to give us an entertaining bout. And I believe Shane gave us a glimpse of what crazy stunts he is able to do this past Monday when he flew off of the top rope to send the Undertaker through a table with an elbow drop. Shane is in great shape here too and I think they can deliver. Seeing how the Undertaker has not really been hyped up that much here and they are in his home state, I think he is winning here. It could involve interference by the Authority, with Shane possibly even returning the favor later in the show to cost HHH the title. I also think that you can continue the storyline of Shane wanting to change the show post-Mania. The Undertaker losing here would be a lame sendoff for him. Unless their is some sort of secret retirement plan for him, I think he wins and possibly finishes up next year at WrestleMania 33. BAYLESS’ PICK: UNDERTAKER
WWE WORLD TITLE MATCH: ROMAN REIGNS VS. TRIPLE H (C)
As far as WWE World Title Matches go, this one will probably have the most interesting crowd reaction. I fully suspect that Reigns gets booed out of the building here. Triple H might get cheered a lot but at the same time, they could be split down the middle. The actual build for this match has certainly not blown anyone away. Reigns took a few weeks off for a deviated septum as they wrote him out of storyline by having Triple H absolutely destroy him. After that, he came back as an ass-kicker who is destroying everyone in his path. Its the character he should have been portraying leading up to the Royal Rumble………………of 2015. The WWE royally screwed up Reigns initial push and since then he has been unable to gain a consistent acceptance by the fan base. The character he has been portraying the past few weeks is on the right path and he needs to continue down that road for the time being. After coming up short last year at WrestleMania 31 this should be the big moment for Reigns, who just had a six week title run this past Winter that has rarely been acknowledged. Even despite the negative crowd reaction, I cannot envision a scenario in which Triple H retains here as Reigns failing yet again will be the end for him as a main eventer. Shane might even get involved in this, especially if The Authority costs him his match. Reigns wins the title and it will be interesting where he goes from here. BAYLESS’ PICK: ROMAN REIGNS
Be sure to check out all of our WrestleMania week coverage, including our All Time WrestleMania Match Rankings list, our Main Event podcast preview, Steven Graham’s look at the booking of Shane McMahon vs. Undertaker and more!