WrestleMania commonly has a number of gimmick matches, be it, Hell in the Cell, Ladder matches, street fights and others. This year will be no different. We outline the top 5 matches mostly likely to get the gimmick treatment at this year's “showcase of the immortals.”
#5 Ambrose vs. Corbin
After Baron Corbin used the folk-lift on Dean Ambrose on the latest episode of SmackDown, it would be strange to now have the two do battle it out in a straight up wrestling match. Prior to that Corbin also hit Ambrose with the “Deep Six” through a speaker.
The IC title is being wasted right now on Ambrose. Corbin made his presence known one year ago at WrestleMania and could walk out of Orlando with one of the company’s most prestigious titles.
Based on recent outcomes on SmackDown, it seems like this will be a stipulation match. My guess is it will be a falls count anywhere match.
#4 Rollins vs. Triple H
This bout is contingent on Rollins’ health after he tore his MCL following an attack by Samoa Joe on Raw. Rollins recently returned to Raw and said he would be at WrestleMania, even though he is still recovering from the knee injury.
Turning this match into a gimmick match would give Seth Rollins less to do on a bad knee and also hide the ring-rust on Triple H, whose last match was at WrestleMania 32. The pair also has history, in terms of build up to their match, therefore nobody could argue that any added stipulation would be unwarranted.
#3 The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns
This match was first teased in the Royal Rumble and was stalled by Reigns dispatching of Braun Strowman at Fastlane. However, things got back on track this week, with Roman standing up to ‘Taker on Raw, before being chokeslammed.
The WWE is most likely to book a powerful spot-filled match here, with heavy reliance on the crowd to carry it, being that 95% will vocally side with The Undertaker. However, The Undertaker really looked his age at the Royal Rumble and the WWE would certainly mask his vulnerabilities by turning this into a gimmick match.
The Undertaker hasn’t wrestled since WrestleMania 32, where he wrestled Shane McMahon in the Hell in the Cell, which is, of course, a gimmick match.
#2 Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton
Rewind to the WWE Title match at WrestleMania 25, which also involved Randy Orton. After Orton won the 2009 Royal Rumble, he then began feuding with the whole McMahon clan, taking on Shane McMahon in a street fight in January and punting both him and Vince in the head.
Even Stephanie also got into the action, though she was spared a punt, she did receive an RKO and was kissed while she lay unconscious on the floor, while Triple H was hand-cuffed to the ring ropes. The feud dominated WWE TV, with each of the McMahons trying to take down Orton, with Triple H left to defend his family honour.
Fast forward to 2017 and we have this Wyatt-Orton storyline, which started back in September.
Since then we had the mind games, the match at No Mercy, Orton joining the Wyatts, the pair winning and losing the tag belts, Orton winning the Rumble and Orton then giving up his title shot, claiming he refused to face Bray, before revealing it was all a swerve, seconds before he burnt down the Wyatt’s compound and declared he would be taking his Title shot at WrestleMania.
Orton was then forced to face AJ on this week’s SmackDown, who was crowned the interim contender while Orton was busy swerving Bray. Orton won the match and will now face Bray at WrestleMania.
However, given the heavy and complex build-up, if this match is a straight up singles encounter, it is in danger of falling into the same category as the Triple H vs. Orton encounter from WrestleMania 25, in that, it can’t really live up to the build in the ring and does not make any sense at this point given how heated, intense and personal the feud has become.
#1 Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles
Can you remember a Shane McMahon bout that wasn’t a gimmick match? Shane isn’t a fully trained wrestler and his matches often rely on crazy stunts, crazy bumps or weapons. However, Shane McMahon is seen as a huge player in the WWE game by the casual audience that tunes in for WrestleMania season.
Shane will more often than not, give you an entertaining match, and he’s always been willing to put his opponent over. The main problem is the fact that most of Shane’s best matches were several years ago. Last year’s match with Undertaker was pretty poor, with its awfulness only masked by Shane’s crazy leap off the Hell in the Cell.
If anyone is going to make a Shane McMahon match into something memorable at this stage of his career, it’s AJ Styles. Styles is going to win this match, giving him his first ‘Mania victory, and presumably in a significant spot on the card.
I expect things between the two to drastically heat up in the upcoming weeks, ending up with the pair facing off at WrestleMania in some kind of “Streetfight” or “No Holds Barred” match.
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