(Let’s pretend now, shall we? Vince McMahon starts booking next year’s WrestleMania a year in advance, so why can’t we have a go at it?)
WrestleMania 33 is almost a year in the past. The glitz, the glamour, Cena proposing to Nikki in the middle of the ring at the end of what was essentially a buffer match in-between two of the three main events on the show… it was all great, right? But now we turn our attention to New Orleans because, in just a few short weeks, WrestleMania will be a little bit more cajun once again.
2018 is shaping up to be a very good year for both fans and WWE superstars alike. There were no outstandingly ill-timed injuries (like last year when Seth Rollins scared us all to death with a last-minute knee injury that caused him to almost miss his second WrestleMania in a row), the announce team is getting along just fine without Michael Cole (and Cole’s doing just fine in his prominent backstage role), and Shinsuke Nakamura has busted the main roster wide open.
There are several matches on this card that could be considered main event encounters. For the purposes of time and energy, this writer will only dissect three of them.
This was a hard decision because one could argue that Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens vs. Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton vs. Eric Young, or even Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins could be considered main event matches because they all have the capability to tear the house down.
John Cena vs. Kurt Angle might also be the match of the night for many reasons including the fact that this could very well be Angle’s last dance. Kurt was the last man to make John tap out nearly fifteen years ago as well. Add in the fact that the Dr. of Thuganomics was introduced to us via accepting an open challenge by the Olympic Hero, and it makes it even more fitting if this is, in fact, Angle’s final show.
But, as previously stated, this writer will keep it at three.
Universal Title Match Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor
To get a clear picture we have to look at what transpired at SummerSlam. The Barclays Center got one heck of a show as Shinsuke Nakamura captured his very first big title on the main roster. His match with Brock Lesnar was a story both intelligently told, but also insanely stiff.
However, it was the next night on Raw when the real seeds were planted for this year’s triple threat match for the Universal Title. All it took was the rest of the roster to line the stage and congratulate The King of Strong Style with one glaring omission. Finn Balor was nowhere to be seen, even though he was personally invited by Shinsuke.
The two would eventually reconcile in theory, but it was merely to face a common enemy in The Revival. Dash and Dawson might have lost that rivalry, but they ended up doing just fine as they later captured the red brand’s Tag Team Titles and hold them until this day.
Then Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan announced on an episode of Talking Smack that there would be a mini-draft the next week on Raw where Monday night would get one random drawing, and the blue brand would get one of their own. They used a huge digital lotto machine, so it was undoubtedly entertaining television.
Shane won the coin toss, so SmackDown got to roll the random digital dice first and they got the entire Sanity faction from NXT. When it was time for Stephanie to take her chances she pulled AJ Styles away from SmackDown in the middle of a feud with Baron Corbin that never really got a conclusion (although they did have their little bit at the Royal Rumble match as they were the last two stars left in the ring before AJ came out victorious).
Finn Balor held the Money in the Bank briefcase like it was his best friend until the day after the Royal Rumble match where he brought that thing out to the ring for the last time. The Demon invited Stephanie to the ring, handed her the briefcase, and said that he was inserting himself into the WrestleMania main-event match with AJ and Nakamura.
The build for this match has been amazing, and the action on a weekly basis has been even sweeter. When New Orleans gets another dose of WrestleMania magic, it is really up in the air as to who deserves to win this match more. It is a dream match of the most epic proportions, and any of those guys are deserving of carrying the Raw brand into the future.
WWE World Championship Match – Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin
It’s really a good thing that AJ jumped brands because it gave Baron Corbin someone to torment, and that happened to be Dean Ambrose. He was vocal to the point of almost shooting about how “AJ was stolen from me,” and he took it out on the one person who made a sarcastic remark about his unfortunate circumstances at the wrong time.
This match has been brewing for some time now, and the fact that they gave the WWE World Title back to Ambrose in a fatal-four way match on SmackDown made it even more interesting. WWE essentially placed Baron Corbin in the main event feud right from under him. Nobody really saw Dean Ambrose walking out as the champion that night, but it happened.
The idea that Baron Corbin might be on the cusp of his first WWE World Title run might make some roll their eyes, but open your mind a little and see the logic of this maneuver. Baron Corbin draws heat. He is the vicious loner who doesn’t need to tell you that he’s coming for you because wolves don’t give you a warning (unless you count the howl).
He has applied the End of Days so many times this year that it really boggles the mind. What really sold it for most (if they hadn’t bought into it already) was the string of finishing maneuvers that he popped off one after another during the Royal Rumble match concluding with Brock Lesnar which left The Lone Wolf as the only man standing for a moment.
If they gave medals at the Royal Rumble, Corbin would have won silver. He went into the match saying that he was after Ambrose and his title anyway, and he proved that he deserved his shot. Daniel Bryan introduced the number one contender’s tournament almost to favor Corbin, and he used the End of Days all the way to victory.
Dave Meltzer reported that he expects Corbin to take the belt off of Ambrose in April, if only because Dean is soon scheduled to take another three-month hiatus for another WWE Films production.
Baron Corbin will probably give Ambrose one or two End of Days finishing moves and come away with the title at WrestleMania 34. WWE has been working hard to establish Corbin as a strong heel, and it seems like this is the best time for them to pull the trigger in full to give him the boost to the top and see what he can do.
Braun Strowman vs. Big Show
Braun Strowman has had an incredible year, although the Universal Title has always been just out of his reach, he has been utilized effectively and made to look very good in the process. On the same token, although Big Show suffered a loss last year to Shaquille O’Neil in Orlando, he has had a pretty good year too.
Show and The Monster Among Men first stared each other down at Royal Rumble 2017 ending with Braun eliminating Show. One could assume that these two would lock up eventually but it was a pleasant surprise just how slow the build was.
At this point, fans are unsure how much time Big Show has left in the ring. He can still perform and probably has years left in theory, but he has worked so hard for so long he finds himself in a place where he doesn’t necessarily have to work a big schedule. In essence, this might have been the last year where fans got a full-time Show.
Vince McMahon is a masterful storyteller and one thing he does best of all is pass a torch. WrestleMania 34 might be the year for Big Show to finally dawn a new force in the WWE Universe.
Big Show has come off with the upper hand a couple of time in this feud, but all in all, it is Braun that always seems to come back which is his biggest advantage. Show just can’t seem to keep Braun down, and while it is doubtful that Strowman will leave New Orleans as a face, he will undoubtedly gain more respect.
This match might not be epic, nor will it be a long encounter but its intrigue is palatable. It has, however, been promoted like a main event match, therefore it has this writer’s attention.
If Strowman is able to come away with a win here in definitive fashion, then it is highly likely that he will not only accomplish a portion of his master plan to establish himself as an ultimate threat but also find himself one step closer to another chance at the Universal Title.
If you could book any match for WrestleMania 34 what would it be? Sound off in the comments below.
