WrestleMania 35: 5 rumoured matches that will not happen
As many as 17 matches are expected to take place at WrestleMania 35 on Sunday, April 7, with WWE pulling out all the stops to include as many main-roster Superstars as possible on what is all set to be one of the most stacked ‘Mania cards in history.
Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins are being promoted as ‘main events’, while the as-yet-unconfirmed WWE Championship encounter between Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston is a match worthy of headlining any pay-per-view.
Triple H vs. Batista has also been announced for the event, as has Shane McMahon vs. The Miz and Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles, and fans will also witness Kurt Angle’s final in-ring WWE appearance when he goes one-on-one with Baron Corbin in his ‘farewell’ match.
As ever, even though the card for “The Show of Shows” gets larger and larger every 12 months, there are also several matches that were rumoured for this year’s annual extravaganza but, for various different reasons, they will not take place.
In this article, let’s narrow the list down and take a look at five matches that we could potentially have seen at MetLife Stadium in April.
#5 Asuka vs. Lacey Evans
Asuka defeated Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in the main event of the TLC pay-per-view in December 2018 to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship for the first time in her career.
Since then, “The Empress of Tomorrow” has retained her title against Naomi (SmackDown Live), Lynch (Royal Rumble) and Mandy Rose (Fastlane) but her role on WWE television has been limited over the last few months, with women's storylines involving Rose, Deville, Lynch and Flair taking priority on SmackDown Live.
At the same time, main-roster newcomer Lacey Evans has been introduced to fans on Raw and SmackDown Live in a unique way (to say the least!), as she has interrupted several matches and segments with her “Sassy Southern Belle” walk down the entrance ramp and back to the top of the stage.
Evans’ regular appearances led to speculation earlier this year that she would face Asuka at WrestleMania 35. However, WWE has announced that the winner of a Fatal 4-Way match between Carmella, Naomi, Rose and Deville will be the one to challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship on April 7, meaning Evans will not be in the title picture.