Opinion: My final thoughts on what could be the best WrestleMania weekend of the NXT era
We are now at the Friday of WrestleMania weekend. It all gets started tonight with the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony where several deserving professional wrestlers will be enshrined in a class that is headlined by Goldberg.
As I think about the next 48 hours after the Hall of Fame, there is so much to look forward to in the 19 total expected matches between NXT Takeover: New Orleans and WrestleMania 34.
Triple H built the NXT brand to relevance at the start of the WWE Network in 2014. By 2016, Takeover was a part of WrestleMania weekend, and a part of every major pay per view since. This is the third year that Takeover has been directly a part of WrestleMania weekend, and pair it with this year's WrestleMania card, we are looking at the best pairing of events yet.
The 48-hour stretch starts with NXT Takeover New Orleans on Saturday evening from the Smoothie King Center where the Pelicans play their games in the NBA. This will also be the home for Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live after WrestleMania on Monday and Tuesday respectively.
The NXT Women's championship match will be a solid match, but to me it lacks a lot of drama as I fully expect Ember Moon to be called up, meaning Shayna Baszler walks out the champion.
The odd part about Takeover is the fact that the NXT Championship match falls either third of fourth in terms of importance on the card. Many expect Aleister Black to be crowned NXT Champion for the first time in his career, and I even predicted that it could end in less than a minute. Part of me wants to be wrong though as we know Almas and Black can have a great 15 to 20-minute match.
The triple threat tag match for both the NXT Championship and the Dusty Cup is going to be a fun one. I see it going either one of two ways. Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong defy the odds of being a new team and win, or Strong turns on Dunne to help Undisputed Era retain. With Fish out for several months, I feel like Strong and Chris Dijak need to be added to the group to continue their momentum without a hitch.
Then we have the unsanctioned match involving the best feud in NXT, Tommaso Ciampa, and Johnny Gargano. This match will be nothing short of amazing, but I really hope that Gargano gets the win here.
It's a tough call though because it's hard to imagine both Gargano and Ciampa on the same roster in NXT after this, but Gargano loses so many big matches that his time to win a big win is way overdue.
Finally, we have what I believe is the match that will close the show. A six-man ladder match for the brand new NXT North American Championship. Not only does this match feature the in-ring debuts of Ricochet and EC3, it features some of the best talent in NXT.
This will be a match people talk about the next day, next week, and next month. My gut says we could see a surprise and Velveteen Dream wins the match, but I am picking Adam Cole here to add to the gold collection for The Undisputed Era.
With the advent of the WWE Network, WrestleMania has grown from a three-hour pay per view to a six-hour spectacular that starts with a two-hour Kickoff Show before going into a four-hour main card.
Don't sleep on the Kickoff Show though because the unpredictability of the two battle royals always makes for great drama, but the match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship is going to be the one to watch.
Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali deserve to be showcased at WrestleMania, and that match could turn out to be the best one since the division was revived. My gut says the build for Mustafa has been bigger and he'll take that match.
If Undertaker and John Cena indeed have a match, the main card will have 11 matches and a lot of stories to tell. Those stories are going to provide some great moments that last the test of time, one of the core purposes of WrestleMania.
Expect the story of Nia Jax overcoming the bullying of Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax to play out and result in Jax becoming champion for the first time in her career.
Another story is the debut of Ronda Rousey as over a million eyes will be on her to see how she transitions from the Octagon to the squared circle. Expect a huge pop from the crowd in New Orleans when Rousey puts Stephanie McMahon into an armbar.
The greatest story of them all is the triumphant return of Daniel Bryan from retirement after being forced to leave in-ring action due to concussions. The match with all four guys involved will be amazing, but it will be more about the moment Bryan's music hits for one of the most enthusiastic YES! chants ever.
Then there is the element of surprise as Vince has chosen to make the WWE Universe wait until Sunday on if Undertaker will face John Cena and who Braun Strowman's opponent will be.
I fully expect Undertaker to come out as Kid Rock plays American Badass. It's just too much of a coincidence that Undertaker left his "deadman" gear in the ring after losing to Reigns last year, and Kid Rock is going into the Celebrity Wing of the WWE Hall of Fame.
I really HOPE Samoa Joe is Strowman's tag team partner. Can you imagine those guys as WWE Raw Tag Team Champions? This could also be the perfect spot for Hulk Hogan to have a triumphant return and create a unique WrestleMania moment.
People will call me crazy, but the biggest shock of the week is going to come in the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship match. A few months ago, I looked through the current women's roster in the WWE and tried to find the person to break Asuka's streak, and only one woman stood out, Charlotte Flair. I think the streak ends on Sunday.
Then we save the best for last. The dream match. It could very well be the best match ever inside a WWE ring when Shinsuke Nakamura takes on AJ Styles for the WWE Championship.
I hope this match is on the card either first to give it all the time it needs to tell that great story or last because this match deserves that placement on the card. If you need any reference to see how great this match will be, check out their 2016 match for New Japan Pro Wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 10.
The match at Wrestle Kingdom went a little over 24 minutes with Nakamura hitting the Bomaye (Kinshasa) to the back of Styles' head and then again to the front to end it. While I don't expect the exact finish, I expect the exact result of Nakamura winning. I'm confident they will give these guys time to put on a classic, and I believe they will wow us with a 30 to 45-minute match.
I have a very good feeling this is a 48-hour stretch that we will not forget, and I hope you enjoy this weekend!