The Road to WWE WrestleMania 33: The build-up so far
WrestleMania 33 is just under two weeks away, and the card is stacked. There will be six hours of what is being called ‘the ultimate thrill ride’ and it will be exciting at every point. No doubt WWE will implement twists and turns to keep us on our toes. It’s set to be an amazing pay-per-view.
So far, 12 matches in total have been confirmed for the event, and a lot of titles will be on the line on the night. Many of these matches have been in the making for months, and one might argue that it is one of the most predictable WrestleMania cards in recent memory. Nevertheless, many matches have the potential to be classics.
The brand split earlier in the year has allowed the WWE to build on the success that NXT has been providing the main roster and they have created massive stars along the way. Of course, they still have part-time Superstars of the past like Goldberg and The Undertaker competing at the event, but it’s good to see so many NXT alumni on the WrestleMania card.
We will hopefully get to a point where the need for past Superstars of lore is minimal and the card is filled with Superstars that have been working all year and building their characters on a weekly basis.
This article will take a look at each match on the card and how it came to be. We’ll look at the alliances, betrayals and rivalries that led to each match and analyse the build-up and the potential of each match to shine at WrestleMania.
We’re going to start, with a match that has not technically been made yet and even if it is, is likely to be unsanctioned…
#1 Triple H vs. Seth Rollins
This is one of the most exciting rivalries going into the biggest wrestling event of the year, and it all started at the beginning of the WWE draft. Having missed out on WrestleMania 32 the previous year due to a knee injury, Seth Rollins had come back to Rebuild, Redesign and Reclaim his top spot on the Raw roster.
He fought for the newly introduced WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam 2016 but came up short, and Finn Balor was named the inaugural Universal Champion. However, the Demon King had suffered an injury during the match and had to vacate the title.
Following this, a fatal-4-way match was set up for the Championship, and the stage was set for Seth Rollins to complete his fairy-tale comeback. Triple H looked to make this happen as he made his first appearance since WrestleMania 32.
He helped Rollins defeat and eliminate Roman Reigns, but then turned on his former mentee and gave him the Pedigree, allowing Kevin Owens to capture the Universal Championship. This betrayal was the start of the rivalry between the Architect and the King of Kings.
It would not be until a few months later in December of 2016 that Seth Rollins would call Triple H out for what he did to him during the Championship match. A distraction from The Game cost Seth Rollins a spot at the Royal Rumble as he was pinned by Sami Zayn when Triple H’s music played.
Seth Rollins would then appear unannounced at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio and call out Triple H. However, Hunter called for security and had Rollins removed from the arena. On Raw, Triple H finally appeared and seemed to bait Seth Rollins into a confrontation, but he was met by the debuting Samoa Joe.
Rollins legitimately injured his knee in the encounter putting an appearance at WrestleMania in doubt, but WWE kept the storyline going just in case, by having Seth Rollins appear and explain his status. Triple H would also mock The Architect and his injury, threatening him with a career-ending beatdown, should he show up at WrestleMania.
The two finally came to blows as Triple H was sticking up for his wife in a confrontation with Mick Foley. After an exciting scuffle, Triple H got the better of Rollins, locking him in a modified knee bar, causing further damage.
The Game then finally challenged Rollins to a non-sanctioned match to stop him from suing the WWE, should he suffer an injury taking on the King of Kings.
This is set to be one of the best, most intense matches on the card. Expect it to be brutal as the two men destroy the set and each other. This rivalry is as hot as it gets and WWE has done a perfect job of building the feud. Both superstars have not been over-exposed, nor have they met too many times, so I’m excited to see them finally clash!
Can the self-proclaimed Kingslayer take down the King of Kings?