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WrestleMania 36 is around the corner and fans are gearing up to witness the first WrestleMania in WWE history with no crowd in attendance. The coronavirus threat has forced the company to host this year’s WrestleMania behind closed doors.
While this year’s Showcase of Immortals will be unique, the previous WrestleMania was also very different from others as for the first time, the female Superstars closed the grandest WWE pay-per-view event.
However, a lot of things have changed in WWE since WrestleMania 35. Goldberg is the current Universal Champion while The Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar, holds the WWE Championship.
WWE’s third brand, NXT, has also risen in the ranks during the past few months as the NXT Women’s Title will also be on the line at WrestleMania 36. Many stars will make their WrestleMania debut this year.
On the other side, there are a few big names who were a part of the main card of this mega-event last year, but they will probably watch this year’s event from their homes.
(Please Note - Batista and Kurt Angle have announced their retirements hence, they do not feature on this list)
#5 Shane McMahon
In case you forgot, Shane McMahon was a part of a grueling Falls Count Anywhere match with The Miz at last year’s WrestleMania. Much to the surprise of everyone, McMahon had defeated the ‘A’ Lister in that match. He reigned supreme on the Blue brand post that victory as he trounced The Miz once again before defeating Roman Reigns at Super ShowDown.
The Undertaker returned to help Reigns later as the duo downed McMahon and his ally Drew McIntyre at Extreme Rules. Next, The Prodigal Son picked up a fight with Kevin Owens and the Prizefighter wrote him off TV by defeating him in a Career vs Career ladder match on the premiere episode of SmackDown on FOX. It is highly unlikely that McMahon will be a part of WrestleMania 36.
#4 The IIconics
Almost 12 months post their epic victory in the Women’s Tag Team Championships match at WrestleMania 35, The IIconics seem to have lost steam as they are no longer a regular fixture on WWE TV. The duo of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce last appeared on the RAW episode dated 18th November, where they lost to the team of Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch.
The IIconics had surprised everyone by defeating The Divas of Doom, The Samoan Slaughterhouse and The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection in a fatal-four way bout last year. The Australian pair later feuded with the Kabuki Warriors and the team of Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. They held the titles until the RAW before SummerSlam 2019, where the latter team dethroned them as the champions.
After failing to regain the titles at the Biggest Party of the Summer, Peyton and Billie suffered a demotion. They became a part of WWE’s ‘C’ show WWE Main Event. The Creative team booked them to lose more matches before writing them off TV.
Last month, it was learned that the Creative team is planning to repackage The IIconics thus, it is probable that WWE would re-launch them on the fallout episodes of WrestleMania, meaning that they will miss the main show.
#3 Nia Jax
Another participant of the fatal four-way Women’s Tag Team Championships match of WrestleMania 35 to make it to this list is the former RAW Women’s Champion, Nia Jax. One half of the Samoan Slaughterhouse, Jax had teamed up with Tamina Snuka to fight for the tag titles at last year’s WrestleMania.
Unfortunately, the duo could not pick up the titles and instead the Irresistible Force suffered a knee injury. She underwent surgery for the same last year but has not returned to the squared circle yet. Usually, the ACL tear takes two to six months to heal, however, as per reports, Jax had suffered a tear in both of her knees.
The rumor mill suggested that she would make her return at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view as a part of the Women’s Royal Rumble match. When she did not show up in January, the fans felt that WWE is reserving her return for a grander occasion. Recently, Nia’s name popped up again when Paige was announced to make an appearance on SmackDown.
The British star did not appear on the show and then a rumor emerged that Jax would become a part of RAW after her return. With the RAW Women’s Championship match set for this year’s WrestleMania, the chances that she is a part of any bout at the Showcase of Immortals are very low.
#2 Ronda Rousey
After making history at last year’s WrestleMania by taking part in the first-ever women’s main event match, Ronda Rousey will probably miss WrestleMania 36. The rumor mill has reported frequently that The Baddest Woman on The Planet would make her return soon. However, she never came back.
She was recently spotted at the WWE HQ along with Cain Velasquez. However, with WrestleMania 36 being just three weeks away, the probability that she gets a place on the main match card is very low. Perhaps, she could challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship but reports state that Bayley would either defend her title against Sasha Banks or the top female stars of the Blue brand would compete for the Championship in a multi-woman match.
Thus, this rules out any possibility of Rousey making it to WrestleMania this year. A few weeks ago, Dave Meltzer had stated that the WWE management could not convince her to be a part of WrestleMania 36 but she is ready to fight at WrestleMania 37.
Hence, fans could expect Rousey to show up on the RAW after WrestleMania where she should lay down a challenge for either Becky Lynch or Shayna Baszler.
#1 Triple H
Triple H has been a part of WrestleMania regularly over the years. He even main-evented the Showcase of Immortals a few years ago along with Roman Reigns while he fought with his former ally, Seth Rollins, at WrestleMania 33. The Hunter joined forces with his wife, Stephanie McMahon, to take on the team of Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey before retiring Batista at last year’s mega event.
After winning the No Holds Barred Match at WrestleMania 35, the Cerebral Assassin locked horns with Randy Orton at Super ShowDown. The Viper defeated his rival via pinfall and Triple H has not returned to TV as a Superstar after that. He has been an integral part of NXT and under his leadership, the brand dominated RAW and SmackDown at Survivor Series
The WWE Universe expected him to wear his wrestling gear once again as WrestleMania 36 approached, but at the moment, he seems to be off this year’s main card.
Given how stacked the current lineup is, it would be better if The King of Kings enjoys the show from the sidelines this year.
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