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As of the time of writing, 14 matches have been announced for WrestleMania 35, with Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair set to become the first women to main-event WWE’s biggest show of the year.
Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins (Universal Championship), Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship) and Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre will also take place on the stacked match card, while Batista will compete in his first WWE match in almost five years against Triple H.
The rest of the card is as follows: Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin, AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton, Shane McMahon vs. The Miz, Bobby Lashley vs. Finn Balor (Intercontinental Championship), Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio (United States Championship), Buddy Murphy vs. Tony Nese (Cruiserweight Championship), Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Women’s Battle Royal, Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Nia Jax & Tamina vs. Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs. Billie Kay & Peyton Royce (Women’s Tag Team titles).
With so many matches confirmed for April 7, let’s take a look at five Superstars whose in-ring careers could come to an end at MetLife Stadium.
#5 Beth Phoenix
Sasha Banks & Bayley outlasted five other duos to become the inaugural holders of the newly introduced Women’s Tag Team Championship at Elimination Chamber in February.
The following month, they successfully defended the titles against Nia Jax & Tamina on the Fastlane pay-per-view before Beth Phoenix, on commentary for the match, became caught up in a post-match brawl, which led Natalya – her former tag partner – to race down to the ring.
It has since been confirmed that Phoenix will officially come out of retirement when she teams with Natalya to face Banks & Bayley, Jax & Tamina and Billie Kay & Peyton Royce in a Women’s Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania 35.
Given that the Hall of Famer is making her return on the grand stage of WrestleMania, it would not be a surprise if her comeback is simply a one-off and she returns to the commentary desk after reuniting with Natalya at ‘Mania.
#4 Batista
Ric Flair’s 70th birthday celebration on Raw in February looked all set to be spoilt by Becky Lynch. However, it turned out that WWE had another person in mind to ruin the two-time Hall of Famer’s day: Batista.
“The Animal” returned to WWE programming for the first time since October 2018, where he reunited with Evolution during the 1000th episode of SmackDown Live. He was shown dragging Flair’s body across the floor backstage before shouting down the camera, “Hey Hunter, do I have your attention now… HUH?”
Since then, it has been confirmed that the six-time WWE world champion will go one-on-one with Triple H in one of the featured matches at WrestleMania 35. As part of the No Holds Barred match stipulation, HHH will put his career on the line, but what about Batista?
The man himself has mentioned in several media interviews over the last few years that he wants to end his career against Triple H at WrestleMania, so it’s safe to assume that, win or lose, this will be his final match.
#3 Kurt Angle
There is no could about this one – Kurt Angle will end his WWE in-ring career at WrestleMania 35.
The Olympic Gold medallist made his in-ring return in October 2017 at the TLC pay-per-view, where he became an honorary Shield member for the night to help Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose defeat Braun Strowman, Kane, The Miz, Sheamus and Cesaro.
His only standout match since then came when he teamed with Ronda Rousey to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34. However, other than that, he has mostly been used in a position to help make other Superstars look better, notably Drew McIntyre on a November 2018 episode of Raw.
The real question now is whether Angle will face his advertised opponent, Baron Corbin, at WrestleMania 35 or whether WWE will spring a surprise by replacing the former acting Raw GM with a more legendary final opponent for the Hall of Famer. John Cena, perhaps?
#2 The Undertaker
The Undertaker is the most legendary Superstar in the history of WrestleMania. His 21-year undefeated record at the event will never be replicated, nor will his iconic moments with Triple H and Shawn Michaels, and his WWE legacy will remain intact regardless of how long he continues to compete.
As is usually the case with “The Deadman”, it is unclear if this year will be his final WrestleMania as an in-ring competitor. In 2017, it looked like he would retire when he placed his hat, gloves and coat down in the middle of the ring following his loss to Roman Reigns. However, he returned one year later against John Cena, defeating him in less than three minutes, and he went on to compete in three more matches in 2018.
The difference this year, unlike in 2018 when Cena repeatedly mentioned his name before WrestleMania 34, is that there has been no mention of ‘Taker on Raw or SmackDown Live before WrestleMania 35, meaning his status remains up in the air just a week prior to the show.
Either way, whether he appears on April 7 or not, the 54-year-old is getting closer and closer to the end of his career, so there is every chance that he will no longer be an in-ring competitor by the time the next WrestleMania comes around.
#1 Triple H
As we already alluded to, Triple H will face Batista in one of the marquee non-title matches at WrestleMania 35. While the match is expected to be the last time we see “The Animal” compete in a WWE ring, the only Superstar whose career is on the line on April 7 is HHH.
The additional stipulation was requested in a letter by Batista on the March 25 episode of Monday Night Raw. His WrestleMania opponent promptly accepted the high-stakes stipulation, meaning Triple H’s career will be on the line for the first time since he defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 29.
In all likelihood, “The King of Kings” is not going to end his career any time soon. He only competes in 2-3 televised matches per year and, although many fans have questioned his character’s booking in recent years, he still has something to offer, especially when he faces up-and-coming Superstars.
That being said, WrestleMania is the one event that consistently provides fans with shocking moments, so perhaps it would be wrong to completely rule out a Batista victory at MetLife Stadium!
