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The 36th edition of WWE’s grandest Pay-Per-View event, WrestleMania, is only fifteen days away as the sports entertainment fans gear up to witness the Showcase of Immortals. This year, WrestleMania will be very different as the WWE Performance Center will host the event with no live audience. Usually, WWE loves to create attendance records at WrestleMania, however, because of the Coronavirus threat, this year, the same will not be possible.
It will be interesting to see how WWE books the show because for the first time in WrestleMania’s history, the PPV event will be spread across two nights. The format of the show is not out yet, but the company has announced many big money matches for the show.
Roman Reigns will challenge Goldberg for the Universal Championship, while Becky Lynch will put her RAW Women’s title on the line against Shayna Baszler. Besides, Drew McIntyre will try to end the WWE Championship reign of Brock Lesnar as well at the PPV.
There is a certain set of Superstars that Vince McMahon always pushes in the WrestleMania season and here’s a list of the five athletes who receive a push as the event approaches.
#5 Seth Rollins
The former two-time Universal Champion, Seth Rollins, has always been a major attraction on the WrestleMania match card. His first WrestleMania match happened six years ago where he teamed up with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose to defeat The New Age Outlaws and Kane. Next year, he lost his match to Randy Orton, but he left the arena with the WWE Championship after a successful Money in the Bank cash-in during the match between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar.
Rollins missed WrestleMania 32 because of a knee injury. In 2017, he went head to head with his former Guru, Triple H, defeating The King of Kings in a non-sanctioned match. WrestleMania 34 proved to be the turning point of his career as the fans were madly behind him. He won his first Intercontinental Championship, beating The Miz and Finn Balor in a Triple Threat match which opened the show.
Last year, he once again opened the ppv winning the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar. He will battle Kevin Owens in a grudge match at WrestleMania this year, and given how much time WWE invested in building this feud, it shows that they love to have Rollins in a marquee match.
#4 Charlotte Flair
Perhaps, one of the most successful female in-ring competitors of all-time, Charlotte Flair has impressed everyone with her wrestling skills. The Queen's charisma and incredible moves have helped her gain a key spot at WrestleMania every year. She made her debut at the Grandest Stage Of Them All in 2016, facing off against Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks in a Triple Threat Match for the Women’s Championship.
Flair overcame both of her rivals to leave the arena as the champion. Next year, she featured in the RAW Women’s Championship match where she was pitted against Bayley, Nia Jax and Sasha Banks. Unfortunately, she could not win that bout, but at WrestleMania 34, she made history by becoming the first Superstar to beat Asuka in a singles match.
Charlotte defended her SmackDown Women’s Championship in that match and since Asuka had built a massive unbeaten streak, she entered as the favorite to win. However, much to the surprise of everyone, the Japanese Superstar tapped out to the Figure Eight Leg Lock. Finally, at WrestleMania 35, Charlotte became the first woman to defend the SmackDown Women’s Championship in the main event of WrestleMania.
She fought with Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey in a Triple Threat ‘Winner Takes All’ match where The Man won both the RAW and SmackDown championships. WWE booked The Queen to win the Royal Rumble this year, and she will clash with Rhea Ripley in the first ever NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania.
#3 AJ Styles
The Phenomenal One, AJ Styles, made his WWE debut at Royal Rumble 2016. Since then, he has been unstoppable. The Creative team saw the talent in him, and they have always booked him in a prime match at WrestleMania. He made his WrestleMania debut against Chris Jericho, albeit in a losing cause.
Next year, WWE booked him in a rivalry with then SmackDown Live Commissioner, Shane McMahon. Styles battled Shane O'Mac in a classic WrestleMania bout that year. He won the WWE Championship heading into next year’s Showcase of Immortals where he put his title on the line against the Royal Rumble winner, Shinsuke Nakamura.
After pulling off another masterpiece at WrestleMania 34, the company inserted him in a feud with Randy Orton last year. Both the in-ring veterans entertained the fans with a fantastic match, which ended with the referee raising Styles’ hand. This year, he has received the honor of facing The Undertaker and it will be interesting to see if he can steal the show with The Deadman.
Looking at the list of opponents that The Phenomenal One has faced at WrestleMania so far, one can easily conclude that Vince McMahon always pushes him in this season.
#2 Brock Lesnar
Two years ago, the rumors were rife that Brock Lesnar would leave WWE and join UFC. However; he is still a part of Vince McMahon’s company and he will defend the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36.
While Lesnar has always been a big name inside the squared circle, WWE have used him as a special attraction on RAW in the last few years.
Talking about the WrestleMania matches he has had ever since he made his return to the company, Lesnar lost to Triple H in a No Holds Barred Match at WrestleMania 29. Then, he shocked the entire world by ending The Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak and made it 21-1. The Conqueror main evented the next WrestleMania with Roman Reigns and at WrestleMania 32, he dismantled Dean Ambrose.
He picked up his first Universal Championship at the Showcase of Immortals with a victory over Goldberg in 2017, whereas he successfully defended the title in the main event of WrestleMania 34. The Beast Incarnate defended the premier championship of RAW at WrestleMania 35 against Seth Rollins, and he will do the same thing once again this year.
The pattern of booking clearly indicates that the company relies a lot on Lesnar in the WrestleMania season.
#1 Roman Reigns
To feature in the closing match of one WrestleMania is the dream of every budding WWE Superstar but Roman Reigns has already done this four times and he may soon become the first Superstar to main event the Showcase Of Immortals five times. He made his WrestleMania debut along with Seth Rollins as a part of the six-man tag team match six years ago.
In 2015, he won the Royal Rumble match and squared off against Brock Lesnar in the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 31. Next year, he found himself in the same situation once again as he fought with Triple H for the title. Unlike 2015, Reigns closed the show with the title in his hands that year.
WWE gave him another big WrestleMania moment by having him defeat The Undertaker in the main event of WrestleMania 33. Twelve months after the iconic match between Roman Reigns and The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar and The Big Dog fought in another WrestleMania main event with Reigns falling short once again.
At last year’s event, Reigns defeated Drew McIntyre in a singles match while this year, he is set to go one-on-one with Goldberg for the Universal Championship. The list of Roman’s WrestleMania matches solidifies the claim that Vince McMahon always pushes him once the show comes around.
