Even if you’re just a casual fan of professional wrestling, you know exactly what Wrestlemania is. It’s the biggest event on the calendar for the WWE (formally the WWF), and it’s their biggest money maker every year. This year Wrestlemania will be in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, so they can expect another 70,000+ for the live show.
It’s also an event that gets them some mainstream media coverage so they try their best to bring in some celebrities for the show, and this year is no different. Their biggest move was bringing back a face from the past to host the event, a man that expanded his reach into the entertainment field through Hollywood. And that face is Dwayne Johnson, formerly known (and apparently once again known) as The Rock.
The Rock will no doubt be a big part of the 4 hour spectacular, and they’ll somehow find a way to have him involved in one of the main events. I’ll give my prediction on each match of what I think will happen, and what I think should happen. The official order of matches hasn’t been announced, and it may not be, so keep in mind that WWE head honcho Vince McMahon usually wants the Wrestlemania crowd to leave happy, so expect the Face (the good guy) to beat the Heel (the bad guy) in the final match of the night. One other thing for the casual fan to remember is that the two shows RAW and Smackdown are usually run as separate brands, and each has their own champions. On to the predictions!
Kane, The Big Show, Santino Marella, & Vladimir Kozlov vs. The Corre (Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel, & Heath Slater) in an 8 Man Tag Team Match
- Who Will Win – The Corre – The Tag Team Champs (Gabriel & Slater) and the Intercontinental Champ (Barrett) along with Jackson are still trying to carve out a niche as a top heel faction on Smackdown. The WWE needs to keep getting them over and beating a team with Kane and The Big Show on it will help do that.
- Who Should Win – The Corre – They need a decisive win, and then a feud with Kane and the Big Show would make sense.
Sheamus (U.S. Champ) vs. Daniel Bryan for the United States Championship
- Who Will Win – Sheamus – Former WWE Champ Sheamus fell out of favor for a while, but his stint in the doghouse appears to over… for now. Bryan held the U.S. Title for a good run, and he seems to be over with or without a belt. Sheamus needs a belt on his waist for a while to be seen as a legit main-eventer again.
- Who Should Win – Sheamus – In keeping the belt off Bryan, they can allow him to get back to feuding with WWE Champ The Miz. They had heat from a few months back, and I think they are both good enough workers to put on some quality matches.
Trish Stratus, Snooki, & John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler, Layla, & Michelle McCool (with Vickie Guerrero) in a 6 Person Mixed tag Team match
- Who Will Win – Stratus, Snooki, & Morrison – I don’t see them bringing in a celebrity like Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and having her lose. (I can’t believe I just called her a celebrity) Unless they have them lose only to have Snooki get the last laugh by beating Vickie Geurrero’s ass.
- Who Should Win – Ziggler, Layla, & McCool – Snooki should be beaten unmercifully. (full disclosure; I can not stand The Jersey Shore)
Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes
- Who Will Win -Mysterio – Rhodes has been getting the better of Mysterio lately on Smackdown, which leads me to believe Rey will pick up the win at Wrestlemania.
- Who Should Win – Rhodes – Rhodes was gaining some steam as a heel, then this whole odd facial disfigurement angle was started up, and I’m not sure if it’s helping his character or hurting it. Lose the plastic protective mask, and get on with being the arrogant pretty boy.
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
- Who Will Win – Orton – Much like the Rhodes taking it to Mysterio angle above, Punk has been punking Orton every week. I expect Orton to find a way to fight through the knee injury and find a way to win.
- Who Should Win – Punk – I think at this point in their careers, Punk needs a win more than Orton. Punk is the leader of the New Nexus and a clean win by him will do more in getting him and his group over on RAW.
Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole (with Jack Swagger) with special guest referee Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Who Will Win – Lawler – I expect three things in this match, Good Ole’ J.R. (Jim Ross) will show up, someone will received a Stone Cold Stunner, and a lot of beer will be thrown around. Oh, and Lawler will win, so I guess that’s 4 things I expect…
- Who Should Win – Lawler – Cole has done a great job generating heat for this match, but there’s no point in him winning.
Triple H vs. The Undertaker in a No Holds Barred Match
- Who Will Win – The Undertaker – When the WWE decides to end ‘Takers undefeated Wrestlemania streak it’ll be to an up and comer that they feel is a capable of taking the ball and running with it, not to a part time wrestler more content to stay behind the scenes and help run the company.
- Who Should Win – The Undertaker – I think Vince McMahon may elect to have this be the final match of the evening. It has two great in ring performers that always put on a good show, and a ‘Taker win will allow the crowd to leave happy.
World Champion Edge (with Christian) vs. Alberto Del Rio (with Brodus Clay) for the World Heavyweight Championship
- Who Will Win – Edge – I think they’ll want to milk this feud a bit longer before giving Del Rio, a WWE rookie, the title. This match won’t have a clean finish with each man being accompanied to the ring.
- Who Should Win – Del Rio – He is so over right now as a heel, I think giving him the belt would really thrust his character to that elite level. Maybe give Edge some time off due to ‘injury’ and allow Christian to feud with Del Rio over the belt on Smackdown.
WWE Champ The Miz vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship
- Who Will Win -John Cena – Cena is still the top face in the WWE, and he’ll win the WWE Title, again… I suspect somehow The Rock will get involved in this match, and it’ll probably be making a save for Cena, then they’ll have a moment where they are face to face followed by a long pause, before ultimately shaking hands. I really hope I’m wrong.
- Who Should Win – The Miz – Keep the belt on The Miz, give him a lengthy reign, he’s good on the microphone, he’s solid in the ring, and no one has as much heat on him as he does. And the time to turn John Cena heel is now. Actually it may have been on the March 28th Monday Night RAW, but that’s besides the point. I just don’t think the WWE has the ‘grapefruits’ to allow Cash Cow John Cena to lose. Even if his fan base is mostly made up of kids, those kids have parents that freely buy You Can’t See Me T-Shirts.