Wrestlemania Preview
Wrestlemania 34 will emanate from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday, live on the WWE Network.
Ahead of the biggest event in sports entertainment, here is you’re A-to-Z preview.
A – Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Never will there be more eye balls on WWE than this time of year, which also means more attention on its performers.
Every professional wrestler in WWE wants to be seen on the grandest stage of them all. That’s where the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal comes in. Dozens of male superstars from Raw, SmackDown Live, NXT, and even some celebrities (Shaq in 2016), will get their chance to compete and be seen by several million people worldwide.
B – BRAUUUN
Braun Strowman won a tag-team battle royal by himself to earn a shot against the Raw tag team champions, Sheamus and Cesaro, at Wrestlemania. Many fans have said that Strowman’s win devalued the entire tag team division, but the focus should instead be on Strowman’s dominance.
We’re also left with the mystery of who Strowman’s tag partner will be. Samoa Joe, Big Cass, Big Show, Brains Strowman or Jim Korderas? Who will it be?
C – Cruiserweight Championship
To say that the introduction of the cruiserweights within WWE has been tumultuous would be an understatement.
There is a chance that could change at Wrestlemania. Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali will compete for the vacant Cruiserweight Championship, and should be given carte blanche regarding their match and what will go into it. Alexander was one of the stars of the popular Cruiserweight Classic tournament while Ali is recognized as an underutilized talent on the roster. Both can bring the stagnant cruiserweight division to the forefront of WWE with a show-stealing calibre match.
D – Dream match
WWE features the best professional wrestler on the planet, A.J. Styles. On Sunday, Styles will clash with one of the greatest international talents to ever step foot in a WWE ring, Shinsuke Nakamura.
The hype is real for this one.
The bout may not be the final match on the card, but the two are heading into Wrestlemania as the top performers in the company and are wrestling for the WWE Championship, the top prize in all of sports entertainment.
The build to the match has been somewhat lacklustre but that doesn’t matter. It’s two of the best professional wrestlers on the grandest stage of them all, Wrestlemania.
E – Evolution of the Women continues
The women’s evolution continues with the introduction of a Women’s Battle Royal, to go along with two one-on-one championship matches. WWE has tried to put a premium on making sure every women’s wrestler is given a fair amount of time in and out of the ring and that effort continues on Sunday.
F – Five Feet of Fury vs. The Female Monster
The two one-on-one women’s championship matches at Wrestlemania 34 will be very unique from each other.
The Raw Women’s Championship match features five-foot-one Alexa Bliss defending her title against six-foot Nia Jax. Neither Bliss nor Jax are known for an exceptional work rate in the ring, so fans aren’t expecting a five-star classic. However where this match can sell intrigue is in story surrounding the build-up. Bliss has been bullying Jax –her former friend – regarding her size, among other things, and now Jax has promised revenge.
G – Goldberg
The WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony has become a staple of Wrestlemania weekend. This year’s Hall of Fame class will be headlined by Goldberg.
One year after losing the WWE Universal Championship, Goldberg will have his name put up in lights when he receives his proper place among sports entertainment’s all-time greats. New fans will remember Goldberg for his short run from Survivor Series 2016 to Wrestlemania 2017, but older fans will always remember Goldberg from his WCW days.
H – Triple H
For 21 of the last 22 years, Triple H has been on the Wrestlemania card. That’s an incredible run of consistency.
Triple H is in a prominent spot again on this year’s show, as he’ll be in the ring with a debuting Ronda Rousey. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon will be helping a big mainstream star, in this case the biggest star WWE has ever signed, transition into becoming a professional wrestler.
I – International
In opposition to the tired old xenophobic angles of years past in WWE, this year it’s instead a celebration of amazing international talent. Japan’s Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka are each challenging for the top prize within their division. The show will also feature Ireland’s Finn Balor, Bulgaria’s Rusev (who was playing an evil foreigner at Wrestlemania 31), while Mahal, Bobby Roode, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and several others will all be representing Canada.
J – Jeff Jarrett
J-E-double-F. J-A-double-R-E-double-T. Haha, Jeff Jarrett.
Vince McMahon once famously decreed that Jarrett was, “Capital-G-double-O-double-N-double-E, gone.” McMahon let it be known after he brought WCW that Jarrett would not be given a new job.
But now Jarrett is heading into the hall, and could be making even more waves in the next few months moving forward. It’s been speculated that Jarrett could fill a general manager or commissioner position on TV following his induction into the Hall of Fame. Fans would no doubt enjoy Double-J being back on WWE TV.
K – Kid Rock
Bawitdaba da bang a dang diggy diggy diggy said the boogy said up jump the boogy.
The man who wrote those lyrics, Kid Rock, is going into the WWE Hall of Fame this year as a member of the celebrity wing.
Shake the boogie said up jump the boogie.
L – Lesnar
When Brock Lesnar enters then ring on April 8, he will have held the WWE Universal Championship for 371 days. Despite is part-time status, Lesnar is still one of the biggest stars on the WWE roster. Despite his diminished move set in the ring, he’s still one of the biggest draws in sports entertainment.
And he’s leaving.
On the Wednesday before Wrestlemania, UFC President Dana White told Fox Sports, “yeah, Brock Lesnar’s coming back.”
Fourteen years after Lesnar left the company and was vilified by WWE fans for doing so, it appears he’s doing it again. This time, though, WWE has been playing up his apathy towards pro wrestling and his part-timer status as a way to get the crowd behind the eventual champion, Roman Reigns.
Will the WWE Universe actually support the coronation of Reigns?
Pro wrestling fans are happy to play along with the con of professional wrestling, which is understanding the fact that matches have pre-determined outcomes. However, when the match-fixing process is exposed ahead of time and rubbed in the face of fans, thereby revealing the business as a work, it’s spitting in the face of every fan who wants to suspend their disbelief.
The main event of Wrestlemania is pre-determined, but more so than usual this year.
M – Main event(s)
There are five matches that could be considered for the main event…
• Lesnar vs Reigns
• Styles vs Nakamura
• Cena vs Undertaker
• Angle/Rousey vs HHH/Stephanie
• Bryan/Shane vs Owens/Zayn
There are several great choices, but there’s only one guy who’s in charge of making that decision, and it’s the guy who invented Wrestlemania. Therefore, it will almost certainly be Lesnar and Reigns.
N – NOLA
NOLA is set to usher in what could be the biggest week in professional wrestling history.
Wrestlemania 34, NXT Takeover, Ring of Honor, Lucha Underground, Impact Wrestling, several independent promotions, Jim Ross’ Slobberknocker Sessions, Something to Wrestle with Bruce Pritchard live, the Wrestlecon Convention and lots more.
Almost quite literally, all the biggest stars in professional wrestling will be gathered in the same place at the same time for a multitude of different shows.
O – Off the Card
Who’s off the card? Bray Wyatt, Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe, Dean Ambrose, Big Show, Big Cass, Bobby Lashley and James Ellsworth among others. But you never know.
Meanwhile, the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, Dwayne Johnson (you may know him as The Rock) has said he won’t be at Wrestlemania. But you never know.
P – Pre-show
The WWE Wrestlemania pre-show will kick off at 5:00 p.m. ET with three matches.
The Cruiserweight Championship match, the inaugural Wrestlemania Women’s Battle Royal, and the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. The biggest issue surrounding the matches may be the lack of people in the building, as in the past few years, the stadiums have been largely empty as fans slowly file into their seats.
Q – Queen vs. Empress
The second one-on-one women’s championship match features Charlotte Flair taking on Asuka.
“Saying The Queen vs The Empress is very exciting. I have goosebumps thinking about it. I want it to be the match of my career, that’s how important this night is for me,” Flair said on a conference call.
Charlotte is the biggest star in the women’s division and she will be going up against arguably the best wrestler in the women’s division. The match could go down as a classic.
R – Rowdy Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is the biggest signing in WWE history.
WWE will flex its mainstream crossover appeal in a mixed tag match at Wrestlemania when Rousey teams with Angle to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Rousey comes from the MMA world as one of the biggest stars to ever enter a UFC octagon, and one of the most popular female athletes of all time. And now Rousey is bringing her mainstream appeal to WWE.
S – Seven Hours Long
Settle in, grab a snack, make some dinner, and have another snack. Wrestlemania coverage kicks off on the WWE Network at 4:30 p.m. ET, with the actual event starting at 5:00 p.m. ET. With an expected fourteen matches on the card, Wrestlemania will run for approximately seven hours, wrapping up around midnight.
Get your popcorn ready.
T – Triple threat
Finn Balor and Seth Rollins are two of the best wrestlers on the roster, with Rollins in particular putting on wrestling clinics over the past couple of months. Balor and Rollins are both over with the crowd in terms of their wrestling ability, while The Miz is over with the crowd thanks to his bad guy shtick.
Two fantastic wrestlers and one amazing heel character in an Intercontinental Championship. It’s got the ingredients for match of the night.
U – Undertaker
The last time The Undertaker wrestled, it looked like he was calling it quits.
But hang on a second.
John Cena, the record-tying sixteen-time world champion, wants The Undertaker at this year’s Wrestlemania. ‘Taker hasn’t given Cena a response, and we’ve been left to believe that the two will not be having a match. But that’s where the intrigue lies in all this.
Undertaker will show up… right?
V – Virtually zero chance Roman Reigns loses
Brock Lesnar is leaving. Roman Reigns is staying.
Reigns is the unquestioned future of WWE, as anyone who remotely follows the product could tell you.
Roman Reigns has virtually zero chance of losing.
W – Women’s Battle Royal
In the ever-expanding women’s evolution, the WWE has introduced the inaugural Wrestlemania Women’s Battle Royal this year. Women from Raw, SmackDown and NXT will compete bragging rights and a big shiny trophy. The battle royal is still another way for the women of WWE to shine as the women’s evolution continues.
X – X-Factor
What’s the X-Factor of Wrestlemania 34?
The reception of the show will be based on how the card is organized. If Lesnar/Reigns goes on last and the crowd mercilessly boos Reigns as he holds up the Universal Championship, the show will be considered a flop, even if Styles and Nakamura put on a six-star match. What will go on last?
Y – YES, YES, YES
The main event picture was already jam-packed. Now Daniel Bryan brings a whole other element to that picture. Four years after capturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, in New Orleans at Wrestlemania 30 in one the greatest moments in WWE history, Bryan is back.
Bryan is involved in a match with three other wrestlers, but it’s Bryan who will draw almost all the intrigue. One of the greatest in-ring performers of this generation is back, and fans are fired up.
Z – Zayn
Montreal’s Sami Zayn features prominently into the show on Sunday, along with fellow Quebec native Kevin Owens, with the two taking on Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon. Zayn and Owens aren’t the only Canadians in the event, though. Toronto’s Bobby Roode, Calgary’s Jinder Mahal, and Natalya Neidhart, Tye Dillnger of Niagara Falls, Penticton, B.C.’s Tyler Breeze and more will all be competing at Wrestlemania.
Canada is well-represented on the grandest stage of them all.
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