3 Early predictions for WrestleMania 36
This is it! There are no more obstacles left, and we are in the final stretch on the Road to WrestleMania. In less than four weeks, WrestleMania 36 will emanate live from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida on the WWE Network. This is WWE’s biggest event of the year, so you can expect them to pull out all of the stops to make this a show that fans will never forget.
The buildup to this year's WrestleMania has been better than in past years, especially with the main event matches. As of this writing, there are five matches officially set for WrestleMania. However, you can expect many more matches to be added in the upcoming weeks. When it is all said and done, you can expect somewhere between 14-16 matches in total for this year's show.
Matches that are more or less set to be confirmed are AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker, Randy Orton vs. Edge, and Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins among others.
On the RAW side of the show, Becky Lynch will face her toughest challenge yet, as she defends the RAW Women’s Championship against Shayna Baszler. In the main event for the Red brand, Brock Lesnar will defend the WWE Championship against the man that eliminated him and won the 2020 Men’s Royal Rumble match, Drew McIntyre.
On the SmackDown side of the card, John Cena returns to take on an old rival in the form of “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. In the main draw for the Blue brand, Goldberg will defend his Universal Championship against Roman Reigns. Also, Rhea Ripley will defend the NXT Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair.
With that being said, here are three early predictions for WrestleMania 36.
#3 The Undertaker will defeat AJ Styles
In what many fans have considered to be a dream match for years will become a reality at WrestleMania when AJ Styles takes on The Undertaker. While both men are past their prime inside the ring, the match should still be a spectacle, and WWE will finally get the tagline The Phenom vs. The Phenomenal One.
As for the match itself, Styles will have his work cut out for him, as Undertaker can’t do what he was once able to do in the ring. Undertaker probably can’t work a long match either, so expect this to be a short match in the middle of the show. Undertaker will likely pick up the win here as WrestleMania is The Undertaker’s yard, even if his streak is over.
This seems to be The Undertaker's final run in the WWE, so don’t expect him to lose until his final match, which would be at Survivor Series this November, which is in Undertaker’s home state of Texas. This is also the same pay-per-view where Undertaker made his debut 30 years ago.
#2 Shayna Baszler will win the RAW Women's Championship
In the match that one can say has been in the works since Survivor Series in November, Becky Lynch and Shayna Baszler will finally face off one on one at WrestleMania for the RAW Women’s Championship.
This feud began at Survivor Series last year where Becky Lynch was a part of the Triple Threat match that also featured SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley and the then NXT Women’s Champion Baszler. Baszler won the match but was attacked afterwards by Lynch. The two then had no contact until Baszler debuted on RAW shortly after the Royal Rumble. The inevitable became official this past Sunday when Baszler ran the gauntlet in the Elimination Chamber to earn the title shot.
Lynch’s title reign has been a mixed bag of sorts. It has had flashes of greatness, such as her feud and Hell in a Cell match with Sasha Banks and her series of matches with Asuka. However, there have also been periods of mediocrity, such as her feuds with Natalya and Lacey Evans. Lynch has been the champion for nearly a year now, and it is time for the title to change hands.
Baszler needs to win here because if she doesn’t then her Elimination Chamber performance will be all for nothing. Also, if Lynch retains at WrestleMania, then who does she face next? She has run through essentially everyone on the RAW women’s roster. While one can argue that Baszler did the same thing in the Chamber, she can at least bring some fresh air to the title.
#1 Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins will kick off WrestleMania in a stipulation match
Although the match isn’t official just yet, it is safe to assume and it has been heavily hinted at that Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens will finally face off one on one at WrestleMania. When the match does become official, it should kick off the show and have a stipulation attached to it.
This match has been months in the making, as Rollins finally turned heel shortly after Survivor Series and his first target was Kevin Owens. Ever since then, the “Monday Night Messiah” has had the upper hand on Owens for almost the entirety of their feud. However, leading to WrestleMania, the tide might finally shift and Owens will get his hands on Rollins without interference.
After costing Rollins and Murphy the RAW Tag Team Titles to the Street Profits, Rollins challenged Owens to any match at any place. So, it is safe to assume that the place will be WrestleMania. The only question is what type of match will it be?
The most likely stipulation for a match with this feud would be a match like a Last Man Standing Match or a No Holds Barred match. Whichever stipulation the match has, the perfect place on the card for it is the opening match on the main card.
The opening match should be one that gets the crowd hot, and what better way to do that than with a stipulation match between one of the most popular babyfaces in Owens and a popular, but hated heel like Rollins? As for a winner, Rollins has had the upper hand for the majority of the feud, so it makes sense for Owens to finally get his big win at WrestleMania.