FINAL WRESTLEMANIA 32 MATCH CARD | |
Triple H (c) vs. Roman Reigns | World Heavyweight Championship |
The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon | Hell In a Cell* |
* If McMahon wins, he will control Monday Night Raw and Taker will not fight at WrestleMania again. | |
Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose | No Holds Barred Street Fight |
Charlotte (c) vs. Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks | Divas Championship Triple Threat |
Chris Jericho vs. A.J. Styles | |
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, The Miz, Stardust, Sin Cara, Zack Ryder | Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match |
Kalisto (c) vs. Ryback | United States Championship |
League of Nations vs. New Day | Handicap Match (4 vs. 3 |
WRESTLEMANIA 32 PRESHOW MATCH CARD |
The Dudley Boyz vs. The Usos |
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (Participants TBA) |
Natalya, Paige, Brie, Alicia, Eva vs. Lana, Naomi, Tamina, Summer, Emma |
Match #1
Natalya, Paige, Brie, Alicia, Eva vs. Lana, Naomi, Tamina, Summer, Emma
Paul: Why does this match exist? No seriously, why/ This whole match is a thrown together mess that will undoubtedly be filled with missed spots, confusion, and flaccid talent. Natalya v. Paige would have been a great match on its own but to throw every other lady on the roster to muddle this match into an unbearable cluster of overselling and screaming. A match with nothing on the line, no story, no defined faces and heels. nothing. This could be a Smackdown! match as easy as it could be a Wrestlemania match.
Paul Prediction: Who cares?
Ryan Prediction: Lita
Ryan Prediction: Lita
Match #2
Andre the Giant Battle Royale
Adam Rose, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Heath Slater, Kane, Big Show and Tyler Breeze, Damien Sandow, Goldust, R-Truth, Darren Young, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry, Fandango, Konnor and Viktor, (4 open spots)
Paul: This was a good idea for the first year. Cesaro picking up Big Show and throwing him over gave me goosebumps honestly. It was a great Wrestlemania moment. I thought it was going to turn into a Royal Rumble for mid-card guys. The Royal Rumble could make a mid-card main event and why not make this a lower-card to mid-card builder. Then Big Show won last year, which I get. Then it's never mentioned again. They get a trophy that is important only 10 minutes out of the year. It's a great way to get some of the enhancement talent a good pay-day but nothing much else.
Paul Prediction: I would really love Bo Dallas to win it and tout it like Owen did with the Slammy. If I had money on it I would put it on Kane because ... WWE ....
Ryan Prediction: Lita
Match #3
Dudley Boyz v The Usos
Paul: This is the first wrestling match of the night. Another throw together match to where the Dudleyz will catch The Uso spots all night and put them over as best they can. There are no better heels than the Dudleyz when they are given the chance. I didn't mind the brief babyface nostalgia run but now since they are back and established they should be doing heel work like they are.
One thing I've noticed NXT does that WWE no longer does is making the outcome mean something. Is this for the #1 contendership? No. Is this for a career? No. Is this to settle a multiple week fued? No. Why is this match? I don't think it will be terrible but it's predictable. Both teams will being their "A game" for Mania but what that actually is ....
Paul Prediction: The Usos
Ryan Prediction: The Dudley Boyz will win this because the Usos are terrible.. I never like when old guys come back to steal young guys spots but the Usos are nothing more that poop. Yeah, they are poop.
Match #4
New Day v League of Nations
Paul: I love New Day. I really do. What a great story of another "I dunno they are black guys" team and turning it into gold. They have fun, and it translates really well in the ring. The League of Nations are "I dunno they are foreign" team and they turned it into a waste. Poor Rusev went from barreling into Wrestlemania in a tank to face Cena to a 5 minute hot tag in a meaningless match. There is a rumor that The Rock will be involved in this match somehow and I really don't think the New Day needs to be put over or anyone in the League of Nations (League of non-injured mid-carders) needs to be buried even further. Is this match for the Tag Titles? Does the "Freebird Rule" extend to a stable of 4 if it does? Just another awkward booking for the 40 WWE creative writers on staff.
The match will be a typical WWE formulated match with a few hot tags, and some comedy sprinkled in occasionally. I can see the League of Nations losing and beating down New Day and The Rock for the save.
Paul Prediction: The New Day
Ryan Prediction: The New Day. I strongly dislike every individual member of The New Day. When they formed my thought was if you took 3 pieces of garbage together they wouldn't suddenly be good. I was wrong. The New Day Rocks. They need to be strong. LON needs to break up.. Also, Rock should stay away from this match. And others..
Match #5
Kalisto v Ryback
Paul: Ryback is a waste. The US Title is trash since Cena lost it. Kalisto is a great choice, a good look, and might be the WWE's next big marketing gimmick. Kids love luchadores, masks, and silly spinning moves. Kids buy shirts, toys, and masks. It's as simple as that. Ryback is stiff, sloppy, and has a confusing character. Is he face? Is he heel? What I do know is that he's a Vince prototype that doesn't seem to go away.
Ryback will try and impress everyone by being able to carry a Cruiserweight around. Kalisto will jump and splash into Ryback's chemically enhanced chest for a few and something dumb like a school-boy wins it.
Paul Prediction: Kalisto
Ryan Prediction: Rey Mysterio
Match #6
Intercontinental Ladder Match
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, The Miz, Stardust, Sin Cara, Zack Ryder
Paul: These are always better than I think they will be. Again, another match thrown together from the WWE Creative Bingo Ball Tumbler. Owens has had an extraordinary run on the "main roster" since beating Cena, a perfect heel, and great worker. His program with Ziggler was decent and his fued with Zayn on the horizon should be great TV. Now about these other guys ... None of them make sense. Sin Cara will probably kill himself somehow, Stardust, Zack Ryder, and The Miz haven't been in an actual program in months. Why do they get a shot at the IC title? Did they earn it? Was there a tournament? Nah ... they are there to be there.
It will be a spot-fest with falls off a ladder into 6 ready arms. Owens will separate himself from the pack with his skill and ability. Alot will go into pumping Zayn's tires to get him over with the WWE crowd. Ziggler will make everyone look good (even Botch-Cara) and the other throw-ins will awkwardly paw at the title for too long.
Paul Prediction: Ziggler. It will open a Zayn v Owens feud that does not need a title involved in it.
Ryan Prediction: Cody Rhodes. Though I want Owens to win, I agree with Paul on that part but I think Billy Gunn 2.0 has run his course.
Match #7
Jericho v Styles
Paul: Jericho has traditionally come to big shows and put over young talent as best he can, takes the Mania pay-day and pretends hes a rock star for the rest of the year. Being cynical about this whole card isn't really useful to anyone but I feel like this may very well be the first "good" wrestling match on the card. Both AJ and Jericho work well together and they can put together a great match. It's not terribly exciting since we've seen it a few times already on other shows. I do feel, however, that these guys will bring the match to a great level and entertain the crowd.
AJ will go over in a great match that will end in a warm and fuzzy hand-shake. As per routine, I don't see Jericho stick around until maybe Summer Slam.
Paul Prediction: AJ Styles
Ryan Prediction: AJ Styles. Chris Jericho is the best old timer in the business. He always comes back and gives new talent a rub and helps get them over by letting them win over him. Wait, AJ is how old? Why is this match happening?
Match #8
Lynch v Charlotte v Banks
Paul: I am super hype for this match. It's been (what) 32 years since a Women's match that isn't the "beer run/bathroom match". I really hope they plan something special for Mania. This match has the potential to really evolve Women's wrestling from here on out. The chance to legitimize women's wrestling to the casual fan is invaluable for the industry. These women have had just jaw-dropping matches in NXT already and I hope they get the green light for Mania.
Bank's skill and paired with the induction of Snoop to the WWE HoF might get her the push, but Charlotte is a great champion. Lynch just isnt quite there with the fans but will be soon.
Paul Prediction: Charlotte
Ryan Prediction: Lita
Match #9
Lesnar v Ambrose
Paul: WWE has done a pretty good job building this match into something. What that something is ... well ... This match will be Lesnar beating the piss out of a defiant Ambrose for 10 minutes and Dean retaliating with one of his gimmick weapons. Lesnar will take care of Ambrose for any wild spots he wants to do and is certainly not afraid of a little color to sell the brutality. I'm not a fan of putting legit talents into gimmick matches but something like this was sorely needed to beef up this weak card.
I can only see this match helping Ambrose. Having Lesnar lose makes zero sense. If they want the only talent who has a mystique left lose on Wrestlemania twice in a row, they are better off having him in New Day. They will most certainly push the Ambrose is almost dead angle while Lesnar pins him and smiles with a bloody face.
Paul Prediction: Lesnar
Ryan Prediction: Lesnar. I have always been a strong believer that you don't need to win a match to get over and I think that will be the case here.
Match #10
Undertaker v Shane O'Mac
Paul: I have to admit, I have no fucking clue what they are doing here. There has to be a bigger picture here. I'm not on the Shane hype-train everyone else seems to be. Two fifty year-old men trying to piece together a match at the biggest show of the year, with the biggest gimmick the WWE has just doesn't scream "awesome" to me. What this match DOES do, however, is creating a good discussion among wrestling fans. There are talks of a brand split, Stone Cold costing Taker the match, and a complete array of strange theories of what may happen.
All I know is that this match will not end cleanly or without controversy. There will some kind of horse-cockery that will leave neither man victorious at the end of this circus.
Paul Prediction: Draw
Ryan Prediction: Shane because WWE is an idiot.
Match #11
HHH v Reigns
Paul: Sigh ... I'm looking forward to HHH's Mania entrance maybe? All I can say is that this will be a 20m Vince dry-humping pics of Reigns backstage in a slow methodical match with the typical spots. Fans will boo Reigns and he will probably turn heel and no one will care. I don't care. Reigns is terrible and I hate his boring face.
Paul Prediction: Reigns
Ryan Prediction: HHH (Insert obligatory Wrestlemania prediction of Cena heel turn)