Wrestlemania 36 Preview and Predictions
Wrestlemania 36 will definitely be a Wrestlemania unlike any other. This will be the first Wrestlemania that will take place in front of no fans, has already been taped, and will take place over two nights. It is crazy that we are living in a timeline where Wrestlemania has already happened but no fans have seen it yet. The idea about whether or not WWE should go through with Wrestlemania or postpone it to a time when they can have a proper Wrestlemania can surely be debated. However, the only person who has an opinion that matters has already made his decision, and here we are on the eve of a two night Wrestlemania on a closed set. While this idea offers many challenges to WWE, if it is done right they can make it an entertaining show that gives the fans a break from the craziness we are all going through right now. Hopefully, they can come up with some outside of the box ideas that make it fun and memorable. They have already shown that they are willing to lean into a Wrestlemania with no fans by releasing the “I Wasn’t There” and the “In Your House” shirts to have fun with the idea. I am more than willing to give them a chance and I am excited to see what they can do with some of these matches. There have been a couple of spoilers that have come out but I will avoid those and only preview on the matches as they are so far. If you want to find the spoilers I am sure you know how to find them. Now let’s get to the match previews and predictions.
Otis vs Dolph Ziggler
I am a big fan of both of these guys. Dolph has been one of the most underrated talents on the roster for years now. His selling is amazing and I think there is a lot that him and Otis can do with Dolph’s ability to fly around the ring like a ragdoll. There is added intrigue with the Mandy Rose love triangle angle, and where does Sonya Deville into all of this? I see Mandy turning on Dolph to join Otis and then Mandy splitting with Sonya to lead to an intergender tag team match between the four somewhere in the future.
My Prediction: Otis wins
Elias vs King Corbin
I don’t have the hate for King Corbin that many wrestling fans seem to have but I have to say that I am not super excited for this match. One thing that has added to the match for me has been the interaction with Rob Gronkowski and Mojo Rawley. I fully expect them to get involved in some way. There is also the issue of Corbin destroying Elias on Smackdown. Elias has been tweeting that he is not sure if he will be medically cleared to wrestle which leads to Gronk or Mojo replacing Elias.
My Prediction: King Corbin loses to Gronk or Mojo
Bobby Lashley vs Aleister Black
This is another match that I am not really looking forward. I think Aleister Black is a great talent with a great career ahead of him. Lashley on the other hand has not been great during this run in the WWE. I could see this being a relatively quick match for Aleister Black.
My Prediction: Aleister Black wins decisively
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs Kabuki Warriors (c) – Women’s Tag Team Championship
I’m a big fan of all these women. The Kabuki Warriors has been the best thing to happen to Asuka since being brought up to the main roster. I have found her and Kairi very entertaining during this run. Alexa is also a great character and the pairing with Nikki Cross has really grown on me over time. As much as I want Kabuki Warriors to retain I think it might be time to move the titles off of them and onto Alexa and Nikki. WWE loves Alexa Bliss and this might be the time to go in a new direction with the women’s titles.
My Prediction: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross
Daniel Bryan vs Sami Zayn (c) – Intercontinental Championship
The championship win for Sami Zayn seemed to come from out of nowhere when it happened but I think it ended up being good for Sami. This match is also what the IC title is all about. This will be two workhorses going head to in a match that could potentially steal the show. It will be interesting to see what they do with Nakamura, Caesaro, and Drew Gulak. They all be involved but to what extent is the question. I am also hoping we get to see Chad Gable get involved to join with Bryan and Gulak. Those three as a “wrestler’s wrestler” trio could be truly awesome.
My Prediction: Daniel Bryan wins
Austin Theory and Angel Garza vs The Street Profits (c) – Raw Tag Team Championship
All four of these guys have great futures ahead of them in WWE. This match should be very entertaining and the athleticism displayed will be incredible. The Street Profits both have a charisma that even surpasses the matches that they can put together. While it should be a great match and Hector and Angel have a lot ahead of them in their relatively young careers I don’t see them winning.
My Prediction: The Street Profits retain in an entertaining match
Sasha Banks vs Lacey Evans vs Naomi vs Tamina vs Bayley (c) – Smackdown Women’s Championship Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match
The main storyline for this match is what the relationship with Bayley and Sasha will be coming out of it. Currently, even though Bayley is the champion she also seems to be the Robin to Sasha’s Batman. It’s a strange situation for the champion to be in. I think this will lead to a breakup of the Sasha/Bayley duo that leads to a match eventually at SummerSlam. I think Sasha will end up leaving Wrestlemania as the champion as she somehow screws Bayley over in the process. I do see an outside chance of Naomi or Lacey leaving with the title with the help of Sasha. I see Bayley becoming a face and Sasha remaining. Hopefully, we don’t go back and Bayley just evolves her current character into a face with an edge to her.
My Prediction: Sasha becomes the new Smackdown Women’s Champion
The Usos vs The New Day vs The Miz and Morrison (c) – Smackdown Tag Team Championship Ladder Match
Morrison’s return to WWE started out kind of lackluster, but I think him and The Miz have done some entertaining things since they have moved to the Performance Center. The Usos and The New Day always seem to put on a good match together no matter how many times they are put in the ring together. They truly have some of the greatest in-ring chemistry I have ever seen out of two tag teams. All of these guys play their roles as well as anybody, and I’m sure they put will put together something that will be entertaining. I honestly do not see any reason to take the belts off of The Miz and Morrison at this time since The New Day and The Usos do not need the titles to remain strong tag teams. Plus, I can see The Miz and Morrison having good programs with Heavy Machinery chasing their title in the future.
My Prediction: The Miz and Morrison retain the titleas
Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley (c) – NXT Women’s Championship
This is an interesting match as it has the potential to change the landscape of the WWE in the women’s division for the near future. If Charlotte wins she will have to move to NXT and that will give some star power to the third brand going forward. It’s just a matter on if they want to move her to NXT or not. I think if they have Rhea go over Charlotte to retain the title you can make a large leap to creating another star in Rhea Ripley. She has a unique look, enough charisma, and in-ring ability to become a huge star in WWE. I’m looking forward to this match and to see where they go with the winner in the future.
My Prediction: Rhea Ripley retains the NXT Women’s Title
Kevin Owens vs Seth Rollins
I haven’t been super into the build of this match, as it has been presented. There just seems to be something missing from the Seth Rollins “Messiah” character. I really like both these guys but I’m just not feeling the match. I hope they surprise and put on a showstopper as they both have the ability to do. The main thing I want coming out of it is for them to break off and feud with other people. I hope the feud is ended and we don’t get a build to a blow off match at SummerSlam. Seth’s character doesn’t really need the win to stay relevant but Kevin Owens could use it especially with the way he has been dogged out by Seth in the build.
My Prediction: Kevin Owens
Shayna Baszler vs Becky Lynch (c) – Raw Women’s Championship
The build started off rough with the vampire attack on Becky Lynch. I was pretty underwhelmed by that when I first saw it on Raw. Since then they have done a much better job building the match and explaining Shayna’s initial attack. The promos and sit-down interviews they have done with the two of them since being at the PC have really gotten me invested into the outcome. While I love Becky Lynch I think that her gimmick has begun to get a bit stale. I would love to see her tweak the character a little and sharpen that edge she has. While Shayna is no spring chicken I think she has proven how much she has to offer to the future of the women’s division and should be given the opportunity to show everybody if she can carry it or not.
My Prediction: Shayna Baszler as your new Raw Women’s Champion.
Undertaker vs AJ Styles – Boneyard Match
I really have no idea what a Boneyard Match is but I’m interested to find out. The general consensus seems to be that it will take place in a cemetery but they are trying to stay away from that word given what we are all dealing with right now. Whatever it is, it could end up being really fun. This is one of those matches where they can do some things outside of the box and really show how creative WWE can be. I think the promos Undertaker has done in the past couple of weeks have really gotten me excited to see what they can do. I also like that Undetaker has seemingly returned to his American Bad Ass gimmick. While AJ can put on a great match with a broomstick the Undertaker has definitely fallen from where he was even five years ago. I can see the WWE putting a lot of gaga into this match to hide what shortcomings Undertaker has at this stage in his career. I expect the rest of The OC to be involved in the match somehow. This leads to what Undertaker meant by “unholy trinity” and all of the rumors that have started coming out. I have heard names like Kane, Big Show, HHH, Shawn Michaels, and even Sting. If I were a betting man my money would be on Big Show and Kane to be the other members of the trinity.
My Prediction: Undertaker wins with help from Kane and Big Show
John Cena vs The Fiend – Firefly Funhouse Match
This is another match that is sure to be full of craziness. I assume anything can be done in the Firefly Funhouse world. I’m assuming and hoping that this will be closer to Matt Hardy’s “Broken Universe” and hopefully done as well as that was in TNA. If it looks like what WWE had previously with that universe we might be in for a dud. I am going to remain optimistic and hope that they come out with guns blazing because The Fiend is one of the best characters in wrestling today.
My Prediction: The Fiend has to win
Edge vs Randy Orton – Last Man Standing Match
This has been the best-built match of both nights. From the beginning people have been hooked on where this was going. From the initial RKO on Edge, to the RKO to Beth Phoenix, and Randy’s admission that he just loves Edge too much let him wrestle again it has been awesome. I think both guys will pull out all of the stops to put on a show for everyone. This has been the most excited I have been for a Wrestlemania match in a few years. It’s a shame we don’t get to see the Wrestlemania pop as Edge comes to the ring in his first proper match back. This should end up being one of the better matches on the night as Edge looks to prove that he’s still got it.
My Prediction: Edge wins in his much-anticipated return
Goldberg (c) vs ? – Universal Championship
The match was originally billed as “Spear vs Spear” as Goldberg wrestled Roman Reigns. Roman has since publicly stated he will not be in the match due to keeping him and his family safe and healthy. You can’t fault a guy who has been through what he has for making this decision that probably wasn’t easy for him. As for his replacement, we haven’t seen on TV who it will end up being. I don’t think Goldberg was ever planned to be champion past Wrestlemania and I don’t think this changes anything.
My Prediction: Whoever the replacement is will be the new Universal Champion
Drew McIntyre vs Brock Lesnar (c) – WWE Championship
This probably isn’t the best-case scenario for Drew. I am sure when he won the Rumble he imagined his Wrestlemania moment being different. I’m sure he saw pyro and 80,000 screaming fans when he first started thinking about it. Extenuating circumstances have led us to this moment and I’m sure Drew is ready to show what he can do. The big question of the match is how motivated Brock is. He has shown in his WWE career that he can have a great match if he wants to. If they can put on a good story of two big bulls locking horns and beating the crap out of each other we are in for a show. For Drew’s sake I hope that is what they do because he has worked his butt off to fulfill Vince’s proclamation of him being the chosen one.
It may have taken him longer than initially thought but he’s here and ready to show it.
My Prediction: Drew McIntyre
-Blake the Snake
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