The biggest show of the year. The spectacle. The show of shows. The granddaddy of ‘em all! It has many nicknames, but only one true name; Wrestlemania! It’s the WWE’s Superbowl and they’re pulling out all of the stops this year with what could possibly be the most anticipated main event in history (no, I wasn’t paid by WWE to write that). Technically, there are four main events and a helluva undercard. All in all, this the best looking Wrestlemania on paper in years.
Enough with the intro. Let’s get to the predictions!
Once In A Lifetime
John Cena vs. The Rock
It is a match that has been dreamed of for years by fans. Ever since The Rock left and Cena took over as the face of the company, people have been clamoring to see him square off with The Great One. He himself has wanted to do it for years, constantly calling out The Brahma Bull in interviews. He finally gets his wish. Will he be able to overcome him?
This seems like an easy match to predict. Cena is the current star and The Rock is a legend. You’d automatically assume the former Doctor of Thuganomics would get the win. After all, Rock beat Hogan ten years ago at Wrestlemania XVIII in a match similar to this. This is why I’m questioning Cena’s chances.
John Cena has very vocal detractors who are latching onto The Rock. Their former hero coming back to lose to the man they despise would obviously anger them. Though WWE isn’t afraid of these people (nor should they be), they may want to please them, and The Rock, for just one night.
The fact Cena winning is predictable is another reason they may have him lose. WWE, just like many wrestling promotions, like to catch the audience by surprise. Market themselves as must see. That anything can happen. The Rock beating John Cena would be a good way of selling this, especially for future clashes such as this.
Even so, my gut keeps going back to Cena. He’s the obvious winner and that’s fine. If he and Rock ever square off again (such as at Summerslam, though I’m banking on Rock vs. Punk), Rocky can get his win there. This is Cena’s moment to shine.
Winner: John Cena
WWE Championship
CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho
Who truly is “The Best in the World”? Is it the Straight Edge Champion or The Ayatollah of Rock & Rolla? Both claim to be the best and get a chance to prove it. This feud is a bit more deeper than that, with Chris attacking Punk’s straight edge lifestyle and his family’s abuse of drugs and alcohol. A lot of wrestlers have dug at Punk’s beliefs, but none have gone this deep.
Jericho may think he’s playing it smart by getting into Punk’s head. To a degree, he is. Punk is pissed at Chris, which means he’ll take his eyes off the prize. He’ll be going into their match to hurt Jericho, which can cause a slip up which can be taken advantage of.
Jericho forgets that Punk is also a master at mind games. He’s also a terrific technician, so he’ll be able to bottle his anger into combat and victory. He may snap in the beginning, but he’ll focus more as the match progresses. Angering him will only make matters worse.
I’m sure this feud is far from over. I’m not fond of Wrestlemania rematches (immediately), but I won’t be surprised in the least if this continues through Extreme Rules and Over the Limit. Though Jericho winning would keep it interesting, they’ll find a way in making it continue. With the allegations made, Punk needs to win here.
Winner: CM Punk
World Heavyweight Championship
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus
I was pissed when Bryan/Sheamus got bumped off of last year’s Wrestlemania card. I know they were an undercard match that wasn’t selling the show. I didn’t care. I love both men, especially Bryan. I was ecstatic to see him make his Wrestlemania debut, only for that to never materialize. I felt bad for Sheamus too, but he had a high profile match with Triple H the year before.
WWE has a great way of apologizing. Not only do Bryan and Sheamus get to have the match they were supposed to have last year this time around, but they’re guaranteed to not get bumped. They’ve gone from an undercard match to one of the main events. They’re battling for the World Heavyweight Championship and will certainly not get axed again. Not going to lie; I’d laugh my ass off if they did, though.
A lot of people want to see Bryan retain, as they feel he’s a throwaway champion in WWE’s eyes. I don’t see it that way. If he were, he would have lost the title last month at Elimination Chamber. Him losing here wouldn’t hurt him. Hell, Miz retained last year and has been struggling a bit for the past few months. Wins and losses don’t mean as much nowadays as they used to as far as career growth goes.
Besides, I feel Sheamus needs to win here. Not only to keep his hot streak going, but because he needs to break a bad streak. That being the Royal Rumble winner losing at Wrestlemania. I’m fine with this happening. Just not as much as it has been in the past few years. Not since the Undertaker won the World title at Wrestlemania 23 has a Royal Rumble winner won the title they challenged for. That streak needs to end.
Winner: Sheamus
Hell in a Cell w/Shawn Michaels as Special Referee
Triple H vs. The Undertaker
I was rolling my eyes when WWE was building to another HHH/Taker match at Wrestlemania. They’ve already had two and, in my eyes, didn’t need another. I didn’t like the way they were promoting it, as if Triple H had beaten the Undertaker. Sure, they acknowledged the Undertaker won. But, they repeatedly shown him being carted out on a stretcher, signifying The Game won the war.
It wasn’t until they made it a Hell in a Cell match that I became interested. These two men are the kings of the Hell in a Cell and I’ve always wanted to see them clash in it. They technically did at Armageddon 2000, but four other men were involved. I wanted them to face off one on one. Now they get to.
Adding Shawn Michaels as the special referee makes it much more interesting. Truth be told, he sold me on the match last year. His interview on the Raw prior about doubting Triple H was fantastic. Having him as the referee here makes things harder to predict, as he could realistically screw either man. He can screw Taker as he wants the streak to end or he could screw Triple H as he doesn’t want to be overshadowed by him ending the streak.
I believe the streak shouldn’t end. At least, not to Triple H. A rising star or one who is at the top but just got there (like Sheamus) should be the one to claim that honor. Triple H doesn’t need that on his already massive record. Considering his reported ego, I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens (think Kevin Nash ending Goldberg’s streak). I just don’t think it should, nor do I think it will happen.
Winner: Undertaker
Winner is Permanent General Manager of Raw & Smackdown
Team Teddy vs. Team Laurinaitis
This match is the easiest to predict for me. There’s no way I see Team Teddy winning. WWE loves their heel bosses. Ever since the Austin/McMahon feud, they’ve been trying to duplicate that. They just recently did with the Punk/Laurinaitis spat. Hell, they got bored with Long at one point and turned him heel thanks to Vince manipulating him. I don’t see him as a face reigning supreme over both shows.
The only reason this match exists is to get more wrestlers on the card. Which isn’t a bad thing. It’s a great thing, actually. That’s what I loved about the Money in the Bank match. This won’t be as fun as that, but it has the opportunity to be.
The only way Team Teddy wins is if Long turns heel shortly. I don’t see that happening. All I see happening is Team Laurinaitis winning. Simple as that.
Winner: Team Laurinaitis
Intercontinental Championship
Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show
I love that the basis of this feud is that the Big Show has a lackluster record with the event. Cody’s mocking of this is genius, to say the least. I’m still laughing over his WWF New York stint at Wrestlemania XVIII. It’s a nice way of getting the crowd further on the Big Show’s side. Making the giant an underdog, believe it or not.
Some will see Rhodes losing as a bad thing. That it will hurt him in the long run. I don’t see that at all. He got a high profile victory over Rey Mysterio last year and has had a stellar 2011. It’s time he drops the Intercontinental title and moves onto a World title feud in 2012. Maybe not right away, but he’ll be there shortly.
Besides, putting the title on The Big Show may help in bringing lower card guys up the rankings. By feuding with a main eventer over one of the second tier titles, they’ll look good and possibly get PPV screen time. It could also turn out like Show’s United States title run in 2003-2004, where he barely did anything with it until dropping it to Cena at Wrestlemania XX. Only time will tell.
Winner: Big Show
Don’t Forget About Us
Kane vs. Randy Orton
Out of all of the matches on the card, this is the one I keep forgetting about it. I remember the Divas tag team match before I do this one. That’s sad considering the talent involved. That’s what happens when you cobble a match together seemingly at the last minute (yes, I know it’s been booked for a few weeks). There’s no basis for this feud. Kane interfered in one of Randy’s matches and vice versa. It’s as bland as routine as can be.
I relate it a lot to another Kane match at Wrestlemania. Wrestlemania XVIII, to be precise (this show draws a lot of parallels to that one). WWE was banking on signing Sting and having him face off with Kurt Angle at the biggest show of the year. When that didn’t pan out, they threw him in a match with the Big Red Machine. Same goes here. They didn’t know what to do with Orton, so they put him against Kane.
Unlike the Kurt Angle scenario, this time Kane had something to do. I was next to certain that he’d blow off his feud with Zack Ryder at Wrestlemania. I mean, he only put him out on injury for crying out loud. Instead, Ryder comes back and ignores the whole thing and joins Team Teddy.
So, we’re stuck with this throwaway match. One that’s actually the hardest to predict, as the outcome really doesn’t matter. I’m going to go with Kane, as he may have a feud with Punk or Sheamus for that brand’s main title. A win over Orton will look good going in.
Winner: Kane
Hey Look! A Celebrity!
Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos vs. Beth Phoenix & Eve Torres
Here’s a match that may not even happen now. Maria Menounos has broken two ribs after an accident on “Dancing With the Stars”. This means she may not be able to make it to Wrestlemania. As much as I hate to say this (as I do like her), it won’t matter much. Nothing against her, but she wasn’t bringing in any buys. A little extra promotion, yes, but not any buys. You could argue that promotion would help, which is true. But, I feel it’s after people notice Cena and Rock are fighting that they’ll pay for the show.
It also doesn’t matter much because WWE doesn’t treat their Divas division correctly. If they did, Beth Phoenix would be defending the title in a well booked feud against either Kharma (who they seemingly forgot returned at the Royal Rumble) or a newly-turned and sans farting Natalya. Neither of that happened. Instead, we get another tag team match that seemingly serves as a bathroom break.
If Maria Menounos does compete, I predict she and Kelly Kelly will win. If she doesn’t and is only in the corner of Kelly or is guest ring announcer, then I predict Beth will win whatever match gets cobbled together. As of right now, the match is still on. Therefore, I predict Maria and Kelly.
Winners: Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos