Early Wrestlemania card predictions

With Clash of Champions giving us a good idea where WWE creative see a lot of the current title holders, now seems like a good time to make some early predictions on how WrestleMania 34 might shape up on April 8th in New Orleans!

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Pre Show Matches - Hideo Itami vs Enzo Amore/Shelton Benjamin vs Chad Gable

With last years Wrestlemania starting off strong with the cruiserweight title match featuring the likes of Austin Aries and Neville, one can expect WWE to try and follow the same formula with another match for the 205 title.

Enzo Amore may not be similar to either wrestler mentioned above but he is improving in the ring and it will only be a matter of time before Itami takes his place at the top of the Cruiserweight mountain. What better way to do it than have him bring the Zo Train to a halt at the start of the night?

As for Gable vs Benjamin, this one may seem to be a bit out of the blue but with them having lost their last three matches cleanly, there may be a break-up in the relationship.

Gable took the pin at Clash of Champions and expect Benjamin to grow tired of his tag partner being the weak link and turn on him as Wrestlemania season draws near. Benjamin can put over the young and hungry upstart and set him on course for a good singles run while he can then be a great mid-card heel on Smackdown (or Raw after a shakeup?)

Will Hideo be the PreShow Stopper?

United States Championship 7 man Ladder match - Dolph Ziggler (C) vs Mojo Rawley vs Tye Dillinger vs Bobby Roode vs Baron Corbin vs Randy Orton vs Sin Cara

Could the multi-man ladder match this year be for the United States Championship

For the past few years, the WWE seem to be using multi-man ladder matches to great effect. Not only do these match types give fans a spot heavy spectacle to open the show, but it also allows creative to include a few deserving faces that may well have been left off the card.

Each of these Superstars have a viable reason for not missing out on the biggest stage of them all and there is no doubt that they can create a great show opener. The best thing about this lineup is that there are multiple ways creative can go. Could Ziggler retain his crown by winning the title on the grandest stage of them all?

Maybe Rawley can make a habit of winning a multi-man match at Mania and solidify his heel turn by taking the gold. Perhaps they can finally put their chips on Roode after months of chasing Ziggler? Either way it looks like a win-win situation for creative and kills seven birds with one stone.

Last Man Standing Match - Sami Zayn vs Shane McMahon

Could this rivalry culminate under last man standing rules?

This one has been brewing for months and after the controversial ending at Clash of Champions, you have got to think it's far from over. What better way to finish it than in a match that Shane has thrived in previously.

Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon having already been done. With this in mind, it is now time for the Co-Leader of the Yep! Movement to step up to the plate. With Shane trying and failing to get rid of them, the time may come where he decides to try and put Zayn out of action himself.

Prepare for yet another big spot from WWE's resident daredevil, only this one may pay off as him losing on the big stage has to stop eventually. Could it be at this edition of Wrestlemania?

Also, there is so much talent on the roster that some people will miss out on a match. At least this way, Kevin Owens will make some sort of appearance after arguably carrying the blue brand for the majority of 2017.

Winner controls Raw - Kurt Angle vs Triple H

WrestleMania 2018's nostalgia match?

Rumours have been circulating ever since Kurt Angle's return that he would be going one on one with Triple H at some point. And after the ending of Survivor Series, it seems like this is primed to happen at Wrestlemania.

One worrying factor is Angle's in-ring work does not seem to be anything special compared to his glory days. Do not however underestimate this pair's ability to tell a great story in the ring, especially if there are a huge prize at stake - like the control of Raw was up for grabs.

Also do not put it past creative to have this be the time they cement Jason Jordan's heel turn that he so desperately needs, when he comes out to assist The Game in beating his father and setting up a Father/Son clash later down the road.

This would also protect Triple H who is in desperate need of a win at Wrestlemania. If not, he risks not being seen as a threat to the up and comers he is now there to put over.

Smackdown Women's Championship - Charlotte (C) Vs Ronda Rousey

Could Ronda be in a championship match at her first Wrestlemania

The seeds have been planted for this one as far back as the Mae Young classic and let's face it, it looks very unlikely that Rousey will be heading back to an MMA ring anytime soon. Despite people saying she is trading in the real for the fake, a move to the WWE is the next logical step for the former UFC Women's champion.

Although Ronda has come up shorts in recent UFC bouts she is still, without doubt, a major face and an icon in the UFC women's division and Wrestlemania is all about dream scenarios. The clash of queens from different worlds could be a barn burner and Rousey's judo background should help her transition well and be a great technical performer.

Who do you think would win the war or the worlds?

Raw Women's Championship - Paige (C) Vs Asuka

Expect to see Paige as the champion heading into Wrestlemania

With the women's Royal Rumble having just been announced, it is very hard to see anyone but the Empress of Tomorrow, Asuka, coming out on top and punching her ticket to Wrestlemania. Either that, or it is won by a debuting Rousey, but either way Asuka will be challenging a champion at the showcase of the immortals.

I expect Paige - with a little help from Absolution - to win the women's championship from Alexa Bliss at the Fastlane PPV to set this bout up at Wrestlemania.

Creative have made it more than clear that this clash is their endgame and Asuka and Paige, a pairing we have never seen before, can carry the flagship brand's women's match to a potential classic.

Hell in a cell - The Undertaker Vs Braun Strowman

The Undertaker is not done!

One thing we all know deep down is that we have not seen the last of The Deadman, The Undertaker.

He is currently booked to appear on the 25th Anniversary of Raw which will be when I expect him to plant the seeds for a clash against Braun Strowman at Wrestlemania.

The WWE is high on Strowman, but not enough to give him a title run just yet, but that is all to come in the near future. With that option off the table, the best case scenario for Strowman would be to have him go over the Undertaker in a match that will allow him to display his strength in the type of spot that has got him over so well up until now.

Maybe Strowman will really be the man to end the Undertaker.

WWE Championship - AJ Styles (C) Vs Shinsuke Nakamura

You know this one has to happen

Ever since the insane reception these two experienced during their face off at Money in the bank I am sure creative have had this in their minds for Wrestlemania.

Having already completely torn down the house at Wrestle Kingdom for NJPW in a match that not a lot of the WWE's core audience would have seen, there is no better time to recreate and better it than on the biggest stage in the wrestling world.

The only problem really is the fact that I do not believe Nakamura's booking has been up to scratch and this may have damaged the star power this match could have had. One good showing on a stage like Mania' could change all of that moving forward. It is exactly the kind of boost Nakamura needs to reach the elite level.

WWE Universal Championship/Intercontinental (Winner Takes All) - Brock Lesnar (C) vs Roman Reigns vs Finn Balor

Is the 'over' thing really just a work?

I know you expect this to be Reigns vs Lesnar but wait a second and suspend reality...

Could the talks of Vince McMahon not viewing Balor as 'Over' simply be a work to garner more support for the rising star? The WWE universe likes nothing more than getting behind someone that the Authority seems to be down on, maybe this is creative's way of using it to their advantage.

At the moment Balor seems to be in limbo, scrapping with members of the Miztourage, however, this could all be a slow build for his shock Royal Rumble Victory.

Expect Reigns to find a way to muscle himself into the main event as he is now "Mr Wrestlemania" and there is no chance he misses it. A triple threat, winner-takes-all match of this magnitude will propel the winner into the stratosphere. The only real question is will that winner be Reigns of will they roll the dice with the face of the Balor Club?

Whatever happens in New Orleans, the WWE always manages to put on quite the show and I expect that again with the huge roster they have to work with.