5 big names in danger of missing out on WrestleMania 34's main show

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Jinder Mahal isn't guaranteed a WrestleMania match

When WrestleMania comes around, you just know that some Superstars will be involved in a featured match on the show: Brock Lesnar, Triple H, John Cena, The Undertaker, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, AJ Styles… the list goes on.

However, some years it just doesn’t work out for some of WWE’s top talents. Look at 2017, for example, when Dean Ambrose, Braun Strowman and Sami Zayn all found themselves on the kickoff show, or 2007 when the legendary Ric Flair was in a pre-show tag match.

With so much talent on both Raw and SmackDown Live right now, it looks like 2018 will see more and more major Superstars have to settle for appearances on the kickoff show at WrestleMania 34.

In this article, assuming the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal will be on the kickoff show again, we look at five big-name Superstars who are currently at risk of missing out on the main show in New Orleans.


#1 Rusev

Rusev
Rusev faced John Cena at WrestleMania 31

Rusev’s first year on the main roster is among the best you’ll find in WWE. Heading into his WrestleMania debut in 2015, he had gone 12 months without being pinned or made to submit, and then he put his United States Championship on the line against John Cena, the face of WWE, in a featured match at “The Show of Shows”.

However, the following year at WrestleMania 32 he was only involved in a six-man tag match as a member of the League of Nations against The New Day, while he missed WrestleMania 33 due to a shoulder injury.

Since returning to in-ring action in July 2017, “The Bulgarian Brute” has had high-profile opponents in Cena and Randy Orton but he has lost all three pay-per-view matches he has had, including a 10-second defeat to Orton at SummerSlam.

There’s potential for Rusev to get involved in a key storyline in the coming months – his ‘Rusev Day’ gimmick and alignment with Aiden English is entertaining to watch – but he wasn’t on Survivor Series and isn’t currently featuring on SmackDown, so in all likelihood his best bet at WrestleMania 34 is a Battle Royal appearance.

#2 Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt has been involved in three featured WrestleMania matches

Of all the names on this list, Bray Wyatt has the most impressive WrestleMania résumé, which is strange given that his three matches at the event – against John Cena, The Undertaker and Randy Orton – all ended in defeats.

It’s been an indifferent year for Bray. He began it by winning the WWE Championship, which he quickly lost to Orton at WrestleMania 33, and then the bizarre ‘House of Horrors’ match at Payback was followed up by underwhelming storylines with Seth Rollins and Finn Balor.

“The Eater of Worlds” has been a regular feature at WrestleMania ever since the Wyatt character debuted in WWE in 2013, but there’s so much talent to compete with on Raw at the moment that it’s possible now more than ever before that he misses out on WrestleMania's main show.

#3 Jason Jordan

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Jason Jordan is on our screens every week

Whether you like his current storyline or not, Jason Jordan has been a constant presence on Monday Night Raw since he was revealed to be Kurt Angle’s ‘son’ in July 2017 and he appears to be a big part of WWE’s plans moving forward.

As we previously outlined, there are still a few positives to draw from his questionable babyface run over the last few months, but will they be enough to earn him a spot on the main show at WrestleMania 34?

Many thought his alignment with Kurt Angle would lead to a heel turn and a possible match between the two further down the line, presumably at WrestleMania, but that looks doubtful now that Angle vs. Triple H seems locked in for next year’s event in New Orleans.

There are so many major stars on Raw who are certain to be involved in featured matches at WrestleMania, leaving Jordan in danger of missing out on the main show for the second year in a row.

#4 Dolph Ziggler

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Dolph Ziggler has never had a one-on-one WrestleMania match

Dolph Ziggler is undoubtedly one of WWE’s best in-ring talents but the way he has been booked in 2017 – and his past history at WrestleMania – suggests he won’t be featured on the main show in New Orleans next year.

We haven’t seen “The Show-Off” in a match on WWE television since he lost to Bobby Roode on SmackDown Live in October, though he did make an appearance at the untelevised Starrcade live event in November.

As for his previous experiences on “The Grandest Stage Of Them All”, Ziggler has featured on the last eight WrestleMania cards, with his one and only kickoff show appearance coming in 2017 when he appeared in the Battle Royal.

Unless he has another drastic change of character or targets a major SmackDown star in the next few months, expect to see Dolph on the kickoff show again in 2018.

#5 Jinder Mahal

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Recent WWE champions have missed WrestleMania before

You wouldn’t expect someone to be involved on a WrestleMania kickoff show just a few months after holding the WWE Championship, but that’s exactly what happened in 2017 to Dean Ambrose and it could easily happen again in 2018 to Jinder Mahal.

“The Modern Day Maharajah” has invoked his rematch clause for the WWE Championship and will get a shot at AJ Styles’ title at the SmackDown-exclusive Clash of Champions pay-per-view on 17 December.

Presuming he fails to beat “The Phenomenal One”, who could Jinder possibly have a WrestleMania 34 programme with? He has already defeated Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura, SmackDown’s top babyfaces besides Styles, and any idea of him facing John Cena in New Orleans now appears to be gone.

The former WWE champion has only ever made two appearances at WrestleMania, both times in Battle Royals, and the same fate could await him again in 2018 unless he regains the title from Styles at Clash of Champions.


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