5 of the most predictable matches in WrestleMania history

It's long been argued that an important part of effective storytelling in Sports Entertainment is the element of surprise. Some of the most memorable moments in the history of Pro Wrestling have come as enormous shocks to the viewing audience.

That being said, Sports Entertainment writers cannot avoid writing themselves into a corner from time to time, from which there is only one way out, despite almost the entire fanbase knowing exactly where you're going with your conclusion.

However, there are multiple examples throughout the history of WWE and others that prove predictability isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes there can only ever be one way to finish a story and as long as it is executed well, who cares?

Wrestlemania is not exempt from this, and occasionally there will be those matches that start and end in a very predictable way. Here are five such examples:

#1 Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter - Wrestlemania 7

As far as underrated Wrestlemania shows go, Wrestlemania 7 back in 1991 is most certainly up there. While not quite having the consistent star power of Manias 3, 14 or 17, you would struggle to name a bad match anywhere on this card.

Perhaps one of the reasons why it is seen in a lesser light compared with other solid Manias is the rather uneasy backdrop associated with it. The show took place during the US's first Gulf War with Iraq and pro-American sentiment was running wild across the nation.

Deciding to cash in on this, the always conniving Vince McMahon decided to base his main event storyline around the American hero Hulk Hogan taking on an evil Iraqi sympathiser in Sgt. Slaughter.

Slaughter rallied against what he viewed as the decline of American strength on the world stage and saw defeating Hogan as symbolic of Iraq's ultimate victory over the West.

Going into this main event, nobody expected anything other than a Hogan victory and this is exactly what we got. Indeed, the implications of having Slaughter defeat Hogan on such a grand stage would have been disastrous for the overall media image of the WWF so it's a good job that Vince didn't decide to throw any unneeded curveballs our way.

#2 John Cena vs. The Rock - Wrestlemania 29

Wrestlemania 29 from 2013 saw John Cena and The Rock make history by being the first duo to main event back-to-back Mania shows, despite it initially being billed as a 'once in a lifetime' affair.

After Wrestlemania 28 had ended in somewhat surprising fashion with Rock going over Cena, very few of the WWE Universe assumed this would be the last chapter in the story. In fact, as soon as it was announced that Rock would be returning to the company to take on CM Punk at the 2013 Royal Rumble, the writing was already on the wall for Cena/Rock II.

The 29 main event definitely didn't carry with it the excitement and anticipation of the previous year's, despite Vince deciding to throw the WWE Championship into the mix. Not only had we already seen these two go one on one just 12 months prior, but it simply felt impossible that lightning would strike twice.

With Cena being such a signature part of the WWE's DNA for such a prolonged period of time, he was simply not going to lose such a high profile affair twice in a row.

As Cena delivered his final AA to the Rock, the predictable conclusion to the feud was written with both men agreeing to settle on a win each.

#3 Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair - Wrestlemania 24

In many ways, the very concept of high-profile retirement matches can be traced to Wrestlemania 24 and the legendary bout between Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair.

Everything about this story was told perfectly, with Flair's character bridging reality and fiction, a man clinging on to his career whilst being forced out by a younger generation ready to take the reigns of the largest wrestling company in the world.

From a kayfabe perspective, by order of Vince McMahon, Flair would be forced to retire the next time he lost a match. After numerous times of asking, the stage was finally set with Ric taking on a man very much seen as his protege in HBK.

Going into the show, we all knew this would be the Nature Boy's final performance for the WWE. If the storyline itself was not enough, Flair was even inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before.

If ever a match proved the old adage that just because something is predictable doesn't mean it's not enjoyable, this would be it.

#4 The Rock vs. Eric Rowan - Wrestlemania 32

If most of the other entries on this list are examples of predictability done in the right way, the match between The Rock and Eric Rowman at Wrestlemania 32 is most definitely the odd one out.

In some regards, this can barely even be called a match. It was not an announced edition of the card and lasted a mere 6 seconds, incorporating just one finishing manoeuvre. It was also part of a wider promo segment involving Rock, Bray Wyatt and eventually John Cena.

Despite the fact that fans didn't really have time to formulate any kind of opinion on what the outcome might have been to this match, it's fairly safe to say that there was only going to be one outcome.

This was essentially a showpiece for the Great One. A way of piggybacking on some easy crowd pops without actually booking him into a scheduled match on the card.

We will not be talking about this meeting in years to come and even for a very sub-par Wrestlemania this was pretty awful as far as Mania matches go. But in terms of predictability, it probably ranks somewhere near the very top.

#5 Shawn Michaels vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin - Wrestlemania 14

Without a doubt, the most important year in the history of the WWF/E has to be 1997. Just by looking at the kind of product we had at the start of the year compared with its end, one can see the lengths Vince McMahon went to in order to wrestle back control of TV ratings and mainstream attention from WCW.

A signature part of this transition was Stone Cold Steve Austin, a man the company were pretty much pinning all hopes onto for future success. After a memorable submission match with Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13, the rest of 97 was dedicated to transitioning Austin into a main event player who would receive his coronation at the following year's event.

Going up against Shawn Michaels was also largely symbolic here. HBK, while very much an innovator in his own right, was seen as representative of the mid-90s 'New Generation', an era the company were trying to leave behind them.

Having Austin standing tall at the close of Mania 14 was a scene written in the heads of WWF management months beforehand so its realisation was merely a formality.

Add to this the fact that Shawn would be taking time off to address his growing list of injuries and you can see why the main event of Wrestlemania 14, whilst iconic, was really very predictable indeed.

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