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WWE is often hit or miss with WrestleMania. Just in the last two years, we've seen both ends of the extreme. Mania 32 was pretty much a disaster - questionable match results and a closing shot that featured Roman Reigns standing tall over Triple H led to a cascade of boos that were only somewhat mitigated by the fireworks being set off to commemorate Reigns' hollow achievement.
But just one year later, WWE nailed it. WrestleMania 33 is almost universally considered to be a monumental success. Among the highlights was the return of the Hardy Boyz, the finisher-spamming brawl between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg, and the shockingly good payoff between AJ Styles and Shane McMahon.
So how can WWE outdo themselves this year? It will take some careful booking, but there are plenty of matches that, should they be put on the Mania 34 card, can help WWE put on an even better show when they roll into New Orleans in 2018.
#10 Broken Matt Hardy vs Bray Wyatt
It's gotta happen eventually, right? Fans have been clamouring for the return of Broken Matt Hardy since he walked down the ramp at WrestleMania 33. But TNA has been a thorn in the side of everyone who wants to see this character on WWE television. Still, it seems more than likely that we'll see some iteration of it in WWE at some point, whether he's 'Broken', 'Woken', or some other adjective.
Jeff Hardy will probably go off on his own soon. He's a huge draw as a singles competitor and we've already seen signs of this with him facing The Miz for the Intercontinental title on Raw. If that's the case, Broken Matt will need something to do on his own at WrestleMania. And what could be better than going up against an equally crazy opponent in Bray Wyatt?
WrestleMania is largely centred around the theatrics. Just look at Bray's match from Mania 33 where worms and maggots were projected onto the ring mat. A full-fledged Broken Matt against Bray could put the spookiness of last year to shame. It would be pure entertainment and could stand out as one of the most fun matches of the night.
#9 Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins
The reunion of Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins was one of the most well-told stories so far this year. It was teased week after week until finally Ambrose trusted Rollins enough to join forces with his former Shield mate. But WWE loves to break teams up in brutal fashion, usually when it would be the most heartbreaking for the fans.
That's probably where Ambrose and Rollins are headed. It may not be anytime soon, but they obviously won't be a team forever and they probably won't separate on good terms. The most likely scenario is Ambrose turning heel on Rollins, flipping the roles from the last time these two had a singles rivalry.
And it's hard to blame WWE if they go in this direction. These two have amazing chemistry and can anchor Raw just like they have in the past if given the chance. Plus, having Ambrose as the heel this time around would make for some compelling television.
If Ambrose turns on Rollins around or before Royal Rumble time, it would give WWE plenty of time to build to a colossal match at WrestleMania 34.
#8 The Authors of Pain vs The New Day vs The Revival vs The Usos for the SmackDown tag team championships
This match would obviously require some roster movement. But with so much time between now and WrestleMania 34, it's far from impossible. It would likely involve the Revival moving over to SmackDown Live and the Authors of Pain getting called up there.
Once the roster movement is out of the way, the potential would be there to have a 5-star tag team title match at WrestleMania. The contrast in styles between each one of these four teams as well as the chemistry shared between the New Day and Usos, and Authors of Pain and Revival, would make it a must-see match.
Tag teams always seem to end up in multi-team matches at WrestleMania, and if that's going to become a theme, then they might as well go all out.
Putting these four teams in the ring together could be even better than last year's ladder match, at least in terms of match quality (the Hardy Boyz return probably makes that one more memorable because of the shock factor).
Regardless, this would be a money-maker and would help put the Authors of Pain and Revival on the map, as well as showcase two great veteran teams.
#7 Ricochet vs Neville for the Cruiserweight championship
There are basically no credible challengers to the Cruiserweight title on the 205 Live roster right now. Enzo Amore is next in line but if he manages to beat the dominant Neville for the title, it would be a travesty. Even Akira Tozawa, who is an amazing competitor, really had no business holding the strap for that very bizarre single week. No one compares to Neville right now.
That's why there's a real chance the King of the Cruiserweights holds the title until WrestleMania 34. That's also why there's a real chance WWE will bring in someone new to challenge him, just for the sake of having a believable threat to his throne. Who better than one of the most entertaining non-WWE wrestlers in the world, Ricochet.
Ricochet has been rumoured to be looking to join WWE for some time, but his contract with Lucha Underground is preventing him from doing so. That contract is expected to be up once season 3 of the show finishes airing, which will happen in the next couple months. If WWE can bring in Ricochet in the next few months, they have a perfect Cruiserweight title match set up for WrestleMania.
#6 Sasha Banks vs Bayley
This match could be for the Raw Women's title, or not. It really doesn't matter. If this match is set up the same way as it was in NXT, tensions will be high enough that the added excitement of having a title on the line won't be necessary.
Sasha Banks has been on the main roster for well over two years now, yet we still haven't gotten a proper heel turn from her. That seems almost criminal given how good her Boss character was in NXT, and how bad, or rather nonexistent it has been on Raw.
But if/when she finally turns on her best friend Bayley, we may get the version of Sasha that was such a hit in WWE's developmental brand.
If you're reading this, you probably saw Sasha and Bayley's matches at NXT TakeOver: Respect and Brooklyn. Without exaggeration, they were two of the best matches in WWE history, regardless of gender.
If WWE allows them to put on that kind of performance again, this time on an even bigger stage, they could tear the house down. They've already put on two instant classics. Might as well make it a third.
#5 John Cena vs Braun Strowman
This match happened recently on Raw, but the WrestleMania version would be much different. No matter who these two men face at Mania, they will be box office draws. John Cena is synonymous with WWE and Braun Strowman is arguably the hottest act in the company today. So putting them up against each other at the Show of Shows? Easy money.
Admittedly, this match is only here because of how the rest of this hypothetical card is constructed. All other feasible opponents for these two are booked up, which is why they're facing each other instead of having Strowman vs Lesnar, Cena vs Reigns, or something similar. But hey, this isn't a bad consolation.
Strowman and Cena share one important trait: the ability to give any match a big fight feel. When Strowman's music hits, much like Stone Cold's back in the day, you know it's about to go down.
As for Cena, it's notable whenever he actually sticks around in WWE at all, so when he has a PPV match, you know you should be tuning in. These guys wouldn't put on a technical masterpiece, but it would have plenty of star power and would not disappoint.
#4 Triple H vs Kevin Owens
This match seems like it could be brewing, albeit slowly. Triple H put Kevin Owens under his wing when he first came to WWE, and solidified it when he basically handed him the Universal Championship. But now, "The Game" has reason to be annoyed with his protege. After all, family comes first.
Owens headbutted Vince McMahon on SmackDown, busting him open, and then kicked him several times in the ribs. That is Triple H's father-in-law, so it wouldn't be surprising if he got some retribution down the line. It's even possible that he takes offence to Owens having this confrontation with Shane McMahon.
Shane and Triple H have never been the best of friends on WWE TV, but WWE could easily disregard that and make family the precedent.
This would have some similarities to the Triple H-Seth Rollins feud heading into WrestleMania 33. Of course, Triple H hasn't worked as closely with Owens on screen as he did with Rollins and the Authority, but it's still comparable. He realises that he's created a monster and feels the need to take him down himself.
Plus, even though Triple H is a great heel, fans are always going to love him deep down. This allows him to be a babyface one last time and put over the heel Kevin Owens on the "Grandest Stage of Them All". That's a win for the fans and a win for WWE as a whole.
#3 Brock Lesnar vs Finn Balor for the Universal Championship
This match was teased, but never came to fruition. Prior to Extreme Rules, Paul Heyman said he wanted Finn Balor to win the fatal 5-way that would determine the next challenger to Brock Lesnar's Universal title. Instead, Samoa Joe came out on top, so Balor vs Lesnar would have to wait for another time. What better time than WrestleMania?
Lesnar may be leaving WWE after WrestleMania 34. If he does, he should put over an up-and-coming talent on his way out. Balor isn't young by any means as he's 36 years old, but WWE views him as the future. They wouldn't have made him the first Universal champion if they didn't.
However, Balor has cooled off a lot since returning from injury and could use something to put him firmly back on the map. Needless to say, a win over Lesnar at WrestleMania would do that.
And just a reminder, this will be Balor's first WrestleMania. He was healthy for 33, but he didn't really fit anywhere on the card so late in the game. This time around he should be healthy, and he deserves to be put in a big spot and regain the title he never lost.
#2 Roman Reigns vs The Rock
Fans have been clamouring for a Roman Reigns heel turn for a long time. It's probably time to accept that a full heel turn isn't going to happen, since he actually functions better as a polarizing tweener. But if there's one match where he would be a clear heel, it would be in a matchup with his cousin, The Rock.
The Rock hasn't had a real WrestleMania match (no, Erick Rowan doesn't count) in a few years. With him still being on the WWE roster and being perhaps the biggest star in the history of the company, they would be smart to bring him back eventually. And why not throw him in the ring with someone who's not only a family member, but who could acquire nuclear heat for defeating one of the most beloved superstars ever?
The story could be a great one. The Rock returns at some point to talk to Reigns and congratulate him on his success, Reigns says he never needed praise or help from the Rock, and everything escalates from there.
It would have a ton of tension and emotion behind it. Their match would tear the house down with the deafening cheers for The Rock, deafening boos for Reigns, and the awesome story they would tell in the ring.
#1 AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship
Is there a bigger dream match in WWE right now? AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura have put on classics in Japan, but it's time to bring that magic to a bigger audience. A confrontation between the two was teased at Money in the Bank a few months ago, but thus far nothing has come of it.
But considering how the fans exploded when they were alone in the ring together at MITB, and knowing their in-ring capabilities, this match simply has to happen at some point. And ideally, it should be at WrestleMania.
If the WWE championship was on the line in a match between these two, we could have one of the best WrestleMania main events of all time. Even if you only watch WWE, you've already seen them put on some incredible matches. Styles had numerous 4-star matches with the likes of Roman Reigns and John Cena, while Nakamura's NXT debut against Sami Zayn and main-roster debut against Dolph Ziggler stand out as his best.
We can only hope that Jinder Mahal isn't somehow still WWE champion by the time WrestleMania rolls around. Assuming he's not, it's a good bet that one of these guys will be holding the title. If that's the case, it would be crazy not to pit these two against each other on the biggest stage possible. They're the best that WWE has.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
