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This Saturday will be WWE's Wrestlemania Night One. Here is our take on what we think should happen!
Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk with Paul Heyman vs. Seth Rollins.
Dave: As I said in Wednesday's Q and A, this match really bums me out. I love all four people involved. They are all amazing talents. And while they have all done the best that they can with the scenario that they were put in, they all deserved better than this. This match should have been Roman vs. Seth, period. The decision to turn John Cena heel and face him off with Cody Rhodes forced them to shoehorn Punk into this match. Rollins has been the heel all along (despite people singing for him). He has attacked Reigns, Punk and almost Heyman. He wants to rid the business of cancers that don't exist. Whatever. Reigns has also been a selfish tool. He bailed on Heyman to the point he was shocked to find out Heyman had changed his phone number and yet he didn't know about it. Why? Because Roman didn't care about Heyman. But, when he needed him, Heyman resurfaced to help him yet Roman still treats him like garbage. He's a heel too. Punk has been the clear babyface in all of this, as has Heyman. Another thing that has hurt this for me is "the favor". Punk is a face. Why does he need Paul in his corner? I wish they would have had him say something like, "You told me I could do this all of those years ago and I wanted you to be there when I did it". Instead it just came across as being done to tick off Roman. Argh. If it's me, Punk comes out with the win, Heyman turns his back on Reigns due to how badly he has been treated and Seth and Roman continue the feud that never should have had Punk in it to begin with. I am glad that Punk gets his main event, but it should have been against Cody.
Mike: This has far and away been my favorite Wrestlemania story this year and nothing is even close. All the issues with Punk and Seth go back years and they were supposed to be what we got last year and even earlier this year, it was the plan until they did the match at the Netflix debut. You have the Punk-Roman heat from Wargames. Then, everyone became entangled in the Royal Rumble and off to the races we go. Add in the element of Paul Heyman in CM Punk's corner and where his loyalty lies and you've got some good soap opera drama and exposition around three guys who don't like each other. In a year where we could argue a lot of the stories are underwhelming, this one shines to me. So, who wins? I sure as hell want to see CM Punk win, but to me, the victory is him walking to the aisle in the main event of a Mania, FINALLY. I could argue that the big moment here should be where Heyman reveals his true intentions and it's not like he's never turned on Punk before, so I can absolutely see Roman walking out the winner. They have me wondering what's the finish here. That's a great job by all involved. My heart says Punk. My head says big angle and Roman or Seth.
Richard: I can only imagine how I would feel about this match if it was a singles match between Roman and Seth. Punk has saved my interest in this match, but this does not feel like a main event level match with the build and how these Roman and Seth have acted. The 'FAVOR' that Punk wanted was for Paul to be in his corner? What about a title match or extra toppings on his pizza? The future of the business is on the line with this match and the way that they have set up this match for Saturday, I am not excited for that future. It feels like Roman is about to go on another 'vacation' after this match so it comes down to Punk and Seth. I think Punk wins the match and it leads him on a path to the Raw title. Seth gives Roman the Stomp and then Punk hits GTS on Seth for the win.
WWE World Champion GUNTHER vs. Jey Uso.
Dave: Speaking of putrid booking, let's get to Jey. The guy was ON FIRE after winning The Rumble. The first few weeks of TV were insane with the fans refusing to stop yeeting when he appeared. Then what? They stuck him with The Alpha Academy. He needed Big Jim just to be able to beat Austin Theory and Grayson Waller. Then he had a crisis of confidence and was scared. This is a guy who stood up to Roman FREAKIN' Reigns. He went out on his own. He won The Rumble. Now he's scared? He doesn't believe himself all of the sudden? Why? Why did he even enter The Rumble then? There was a story to be told if they wanted to go down this road but they didn't tell it. They just made Jey look like a coward and didn't explain why sufficiently. It's stupid and it doesn't make me want to get behind him, it makes me want to slap him upside the head and say, "SNAP OUT OF IT!" Then Gunther kills his brother and when they face off.......Jey talks! He should have punched him in the face and beat his ass. If they didn't want to do that all HHH had to do was say they couldn't be near each other until Mania and have Jey cut the promo from the stage and say something like, "Pearce saved your ass for now but it just gives me that much longer to get mad and think about what I am going to do to you." Instead, what could have been an amazing moment going off the air night one with a Jey win and a stadium yeeting their asses off and getting on SportsCenter, we get this. If it's my choice, I put Jey over and see if I can get the yeet magic back but man, they have really blown this one for me.
Mike: Given the story they have told with Jey having his crisis of confidence (which was dumb) and GUNTHER bloodying Jimmy Uso (which was great), the right ending to the story, in my opinion, is Jey winning the belt and YEETING the night away. GUNTHER is incredible but Wrestlemania is about spectacle and big moments and based on that Royal Rumble win, the audience wants lots of that with Jey. Let him be the babyface who is busted down and beaten by GUNTHER, only to make the big comeback fueled by the audience. It's a simple, old school story but it works when you have someone the audience is emotionally attached to. They love Jwy. WWE should go all the way, even if it's just a short run. He's earned the milestone and the moment.
Richard: I might be the happiest person in the world when this match ends because that means this feud is over. This is the second year in a row that Gunther has been booked like crap going into a Wrestlemania title defense. For the second year in a row, he is facing the biggest freaking underdog in the world. I was not surprised that Jey won at the Rumble and he is the most over person in the company and that is just as important in WWE as what you do between the bells. If Jey is supposed to be such an underdog at the start of the build, why was he outsmarting Gunther and making Gunther look like he was lucky to be on Raw. Then Gunther got one or two chances to remind us why he is so good. Then Jey had a crisis in confidence followed by his brother being brutalized by Gunther. Now Jey is back and I think he wins on Saturday. This will be better than Jey's match last season.
WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair.
Dave: When Charlotte won the Rumble, people grumbled. I gave her the benefit of the doubt. She suffered a gruesome injury and worked her ass off to get back. She had been playing a face for the first time in her career, and clearly enjoying it, so I figured it would be a face vs. face match, the old vet vs. the next big thing. Then they did the insipid vignette on the yacht, turning her heel. Except, it seems like no one realized that is what they did and she was stunned when she got booed. That is really symbolic of the missteps HHH has made leading into Mania. They need to have Tiffy win and move on from this very forgettable feud.
Mike: I get more emails about whether these two are going to legitimately fight at Wrestlemania than you'd ever expect. Of course they are not, no matter how brutal they have been to each other on the mic. To me, this should be about building Stratton towards what the audience wants her to be, the next franchise female for WWE. I can totally see the argument for giving Flair the win after everything she has endured and fought through to return to the ring, but I'd also argue that a lot of women did everything they could to get her to the level of excellence she ascended to. Now, it should be her turn to make it Tiffy Time and give Stratton that same rub. This has every chance to be a killer match, but the end result should be meaningful - and Flair will have another moment, but this one should be all Tiffany's.
Richard: The idea of this match has also exceeded the build for this match. The minute that Charlotte Flair was announced for the Royal Rumble, you knew she would win the match and challenge for a title at Mania. Tiffany seemed like the better option than Rhea (at the time) and could have been a moment that would make Tiffany a star by getting a win over 'the legend'. Then they had face to face interactions and you wondered what other match they could do. I was not confident that Charlotte and Tiffany would have chemistry during their match, but they have shown no chemistry in their promos. Tiffany has been made to look weak (and she is the champion [do we see a pattern])? I would love to see Tiffany retain, but I think Charlotte moves closer to beating the record.
WWE World Tag Team Champions The War Raiders vs. The New Day.
Dave: It will be a good match but it's been largely forgotten to me. The New Day has cooled off a bit since their heel turn but if they want to heat them back up, they could have them win here. If it's me, I have them in control and then Big E comes out. That freaks them out and allows the champs to retain.
Mike: Four MVPs for the company do their thing one more time. Neither team ever fails to have a good match or get the crowd going. I can absolutely see New Day getting the win here, but do they really need it? Not really. Perhaps the right call is to have the Raiders retain. I really enjoy everything these team do but I don't see WWE letting them go to a draw, so I'll call New Day,
Richard: I like the War Raiders, but the other tag titles should be defended on Mania before the Raw titles. The New Day had a good start after they turned on Big E, but they are cutting the same promos. They are in Vegas, the home of the Raiders so that is why Erik and Ivar retain. Will Big E be an honorary Raider for this match?
WWE United States Champions LA Knight vs. Jacob Fatu.
Dave: This is one of the few matches I am looking forward to and it's largely due to Fatu. He is just so, so good all around. I put him over here, which leads to him becoming the leader of The Bloodline and he and Solo go into a program.
Mike: Knight has gotten over with the audience, but I always feel like he's missing something to truly break out. Perhaps a really kickass match with Jacob, who's always off the charts in terms of his work, will do the trick. What a great first year for Jacob and I am excited to see his Wrestlemania main event. My feeling is Fatu wins and perhaps Knight, who seems to be sort of stuck in neutral, gets drafted over to Raw to reboot his run.
Richard: In a perfect world, the bell rings, Knight tries to be LA Knight and Fatu looks at him and tells him "not tonight" and he hits a series of head butts followed by running hips into the corner and a few double jump moonsaults to become the new champion. Fatu has to win but it will be a bigger struggle for him. It shouldn't go more than 5 minutes, but it will probably be 12 or more because of one of the other matches on the show that shouldn't get too much time. Time to put Solo on that milk carton.
Jade Cargill vs. Naomi.
Dave: This has been my favorite build to the whole show. Naomi has been great as a heel. Jade has been great as a face. The issue between them feels real. There is no overacting or trying to get too cute like there has been with other programs. If it's me, Jade is out for blood and she gets it, but not definitively so this keeps going.
Mike: All of Naomi's heel turn has been really inspiring and enjoyable, but I can't shake off the idea that this will be a short and decisive victory for Jade in order to make sure she looks super strong as a talent and character.
Richard: I think this is the first step in finding out where Bianca's loyalties are because of her promo on Monday night. Naomi has done a good job in her turn but Jade continues to give me a reason to care about her fight back after being attacked. Jade needs to win, but I think Naomi attacks her after the match ends.
Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano.
Dave: It's too soon to end the mystery of Americano so he goes over here in my world.
Mike: The right thing for the story since they really have just started this one, is for Grande to get the win. How they do it remains to be seen. Perhaps he pulls off Rey's mask so Rey has to protect himself and they can build a Mask vs. Mask stipulation down the line. Maybe there's a second Grande who comes from under the ring like Doink the Clown did the last time they were in Vegas? Perhaps they do something creative and show Chad Gable "watching from backstage" as Grande is in the ring and that throws off Rey? I don't know but on paper, they should have a fun match.
Richard: This is not going to be a one match feud and I think it will build to a 'mask vs mask' match (maybe at SummerSlam or a Mexico show). Americano has been using a weapon in his mask and I could see it come into play in this match. I could also see Rey trying to fight fire with fire and pay tribute to Eddie Guerrero to 'lie, cheat, and steal' his way to victory. I think a Rey victory might do more to enhance this feud because Chad can double dip and argue on behalf of Americano if Rey cheats to win and point out how Rey is not a good personification of lucha.
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