It’s the most wonderful time of the year; Wrestlemania season!
Professional wrestling is the male version of a soap opera, our guilty pleasure that plays out weekly and keeps us entertained. Yes, we know wrestling is fake, yes it’s scripted, and no, we don’t care.
This year is the 30th anniversary of Wrestlemania, and the WWE has promised us it will be the biggest ‘Mania yet. While there are definitely some disappointments (no CM Punk, maybe), there is hope from fans that WM30 will go off of the air with 80,000+ people chanting “YES!” and the intrigue has people counting down the hours until the opening bell.
Everyone has an opinion on what will go down this Sunday, but of course nobody ever knows for sure when it comes to WWE Creative. That definitely won’t stop me from taking a stab at it, so without further ado, here are my match-by-match predictions for Wrestlemania 30.
WWE Tag Team Title Fatal Four Way Pre-Show Match:
-The Usos (c) vs The Real Americans vs Rybaxel vs Los Matadores
The Usos and the Real Americans are great, Rybaxel and Los Matadores, not so much. The possibility of a Cesaro Swing to three or four people in this match is the main draw, but don’t discount the electricity that Rikishi’s sons can bring when they get going.
I predict we’ll get our fill of the Swing and a successful Uso title-defense, don’t be surprised if we get a Real Americans break-up as well.
-Vickie Guerrero’s Divas Championhship Invitational
Basically, this is a way to get all of the Total Divas from the popular E! Network show on the ‘Mania card. There are so many variables here, we’ve seen a tease that Naomi was going to win the Divas title before Aksana went and broke her eye socket. No seriously. And we’ve been teased with a Tamina Snuka turn on AJ Lee as well.
My guess is that AJ retains somehow, some way. Then loses her title the next night on Raw.
-The Shield vs Kane and The New Age Outlaws
Really, this is going to be a glorified squash match. The intrigue lies in the possibility of a major shake-up at the match conclusion. We could just see the newly-turned Shield put on a show and remain united and as strong as ever at the end of the match. Or, (fingers crossed) we could see their implosion. Most people have predicted Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose turning on Roman Reigns, thus kicking off the Samoans rocket to the top of the card, but don’t be surprised to see Ambrose break out alone, he is after all the best villain in the group.
My guess is that the Shield bands together and wins, keeping their baby-face push going just a bit longer.
-Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
There’s a lot of potential with this match. Really, this is just a way to get a bunch of mid-card guys on the show who probably weren’t going to be seen otherwise. Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, Big Show, Big E. Langston, the Miz and Alberto Del Rio are all guys who are favorites.
My pick however is the ‘Bulgarian Brute’ Alexander Rusev. While he hasn’t been officially entered, his build up over the past few weeks leads me to believe he will make his debut in a dominant fashion, kicking off his monster heel push.
-John Cena vs Bray Wyatt
To be quite honest, I think this match is going to steal the show. And that’s coming from a guy who is not a big fan of John Cena’s in-ring work. But there are so many great factors going for this match that I can’t help but shake the feeling it’s going to be special. You have John Cena, face of the WWE and everything bland smarks hate about his character, a man who always gets a strong reaction from the crowd. On the other side, you have not only the best mic man in the WWE today, but also the company’s best villain. Bray Wyatt is special, a throwback to the days of the Undertaker and Mankind, where the crowd will be invested regardless of how unrealistic or crazy the character may be.
My guess is Wyatt gets the win, and he goes over Cena clean. Let’s not forget Wyatt beat Daniel Bryan clean back at the Rumble, so this isn’t out of the realm of possibility, even though Cena rarely loses without some type of interference. This feels like The Eater of Worlds coming out party and we’ll remember Wrestlemania 30 as the night Bray Wyatt officially made it.
-The Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar
To be quite honest, this is the first Taker match that has had a bland build-up in a long time. The WWE did a pretty bad job leading into this bout. Rather than focus on the fact that Brock Lesnar is seriously a monster who could actually end the Undertakers career, creative has made Lesnar look weak on every Raw since the match was announced. The only time Brock actually got the best of Taker, he did it with a sneak attack.
This could all be a big build-up for a great swerve leading to Lesnar breaking the streak, but I find it hard to believe that will happen before the Undertaker has his last match, which definitely will not be this year. The Dead Man moves on to 22-0, but not before taken a beating at the hands of the Beast.
-Triple H vs Daniel Bryan
This is the most interesting match of the night, regardless of what the main event ends up being. Daniel Bryan has been battling Triple H since Summerslam last August, and this great story will finally get its ending Sunday night. There are many different ways this match can go, and that’s a testament to how well WWE has built this story up, especially post-Royal Rumble.
There are people who are legitimately worried Trips will go over Bryan, and with good reason. To be honest, I think here is where the major surprises of the night start coming into play. I think HHH wins this match with a screwy finish, and wins his way into the main event. The swerve? The return of Shane McMahon! I think Shane O’Mac will return at ‘Mania and kick off a summer feud with Trips and Stephanie McMahon over control of the company. To start that off, he will insert Bryan into the main event, giving us a Fatal Fourway for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship..
-Randy Orton (c) vs Batista vs Triple H or Daniel Bryan
Keeping with my prediction above, I think this turns out to be Orton v. Batista v. Trips v. Bryan and us getting a much better than expected main event. There are so many different story lines to focus on with this match. Three former Evolution members in the main event. Bryan trying to overcome the odds of three much bigger opponents to reach the ultimate prize.
I see the match starting off with the Batista, Orton and Triple H beating down Bryan until they feel he is no longer a threat in the match. Eventually, ego will beat out teamwork and those three will begin to battle. In the end, Bryan makes a comeback before getting Triple H with a running knee and the 1-2-3 to win the strap. Wrestlemania will go off the air with Bryan in the center of the ring, and 80,000 people chanting “YES! YES! YES!”
Bonus Dream Prediction:
CM Punk returns and kicks off a feud with… STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN! Punk wants a ‘Mania main event, the fans want Austin 3:16 vs. the Second City Saint almost as much as a Punk return to the company. The best way to do that is to have Austin hit Punk with a stunner at ‘Mania, crashing his comeback and setting up the main event for Wrestlemania 31 a year in advance like Cena and the Rock did not too long ago. Hey, we can dream right?
What do you guys think is going to happen tonight in New Orleans? Hit me up on Twitter or in the comments with your predictions!