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WrestleMania is the WWE's flagship show. The grandest stage of them all is the biggest show in wrestling and draw's enormous crowds both in person and at home each year. This year promises to be no different but with a few weeks left before the marquee event, there a still some question marks as to the matches that will take place and, of course, who will come out on top. Here is how I would book each match, both pre-show and main card, along with how they should be built in the coming weeks.
Pre-show match 1
Competitors: Mickie James, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Naomi, Natalya, Carmella, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Nikki Cross, Ember Moon, Peyton Royce, Billy Kay, Lita, Trish Stratus, Nikki Bella & Brie Bella
Match type: WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal
Reasoning: The Andre the Giant memorial battle royal has provided a useful way of elevating new or floundering stars up the ranks. The match can have the same purpose for the women and also provides a platform for the Banks and Bayley storyline that deserves a place at WrestleMania.
Build: This needs little build as it is a battle royal after all. Banks & Bayley can continue their animosity by both claiming they will win the battle royal. Naomi and Natalya can bicker about which of the two is more likely to win the match. Absolution and the Riott squad can also declare their intentions to make history.
Match: The NXT superstars should look strong so as to introduce them to the main roster audience. Brie should get her revenge on her sister and eliminate her, having been eliminated by Nikki at the Royal Rumble. Both Absolution and the Riott Squad should appear dominant and own most of the eliminations heading into the matches finish. The final four ought to be Bayley, Sasha Banks, Ruby Riott and Ember Moon. Bayley should eliminate Banks who can then slide back into the ring and eliminate Bayley. Riott should then eliminate Moon to win the first ever WrestleMania Women's Memorial Battle Royal.
Winner: Ruby Riott, continuing to establish her as one of the more dominant women on the roster
Pre-show match 2
Competitors: Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak
Match Type: Singles match for the Cruiserweight Championship
Reasoning: These two have been the two most reliable performers in the cruiserweight division and have earned this match. Alexander is a likable face and Gulak has developed into a menacing heel in recent weeks so the match books itself. While this is not a main card caliber match it should be a good stepping stone for the cruiserweight division.
Build: Gulak still needs to earn his spot in the matchup but that should come next week. The two can then have a contract signing or something similar in the weeks to come, with animosity clear between the rivals. Gulak should appear the favorite heading into WrestleMania, setting Alexander up as the plucky underdog.
Match: Gulak should dominate seeming his new more aggressive self. He can become frustrated by Alexander's resiliancy and then find himself on the back foot. Alexander can hit much of his high-flying offense but should ultimately lose to Gulak who's character development has seen him become the more intriguing option as an evil champion.
Winner: Drew Gulak. A heel champion makes a lot of sense in the face-heavy high-flying cruiserweight division.
Pre-show match 3
Competitors: The Bar vs. Braun Strowman & Elias
Match Type: Tag team match for the Raw Tag Team Championship
Reasoning: While there are better options in other tag teams on the Raw brand, no team has been booked strongly enough to create an exciting matchup. Strowman is one of the biggest stars in all of the WWE right now and has earned a tag team title opportunity at WrestleMania. The commentators however pointed out that no one man can challenge for the titles and so Elias should be added to the match as he is a rising star deserving of a decent spot on the WrestleMania card.
Build: Strowman can hold open tryouts to determine his partner for WrestleMania. Superstars can compete against him to prove themselves worthy of the opportunity but should all be squashed by the monster among men. With Strowman's back turned, Elias can smash a guitar over his back and pin Strowman booking his spot in the match.
Match: The tag team should dominate Elias for the majority before Strowman tags in and cleans house. Elias can become increasingly frustrated with his partner over the course of the match and, with the referee knocked down, eventually crack a guitar over his teammate who can turn into a brogue kick to be pinned for the win.
Winner: The Bar who then go on to feud with the Authors of Pain who debut the next night on Raw.
Pre-show match 4
Competitors: Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Nia Jax
Match Type: Singles match for the Raw Women's Championship
Reasoning: This match is already basically set up for WrestleMania. Other than Banks and Bayley, there are no other stars deserving of a place in this match and those two are occupied in their own storyline for the moment. This match is less of a draw than Asuka vs. Charlotte and so should probably be on the pre-show.
Build: Jax should be on a rampage between now and WrestleMania but not get her hands on Bliss until the grandest stage of them all. Mickie James can bare the brunt of Jax's rage and protect the champion from her wrath in the process.
Match: Jax should obviously be dominant for the majority of the match. I'd like to see her be screwed out of winning the title, potentially through some interference by James as, for now, I still feel Bliss is a more deserving champion. Jax can continue to bulldoze everyone in her way before potentially wining the belt at Backlash.
Winner: Alexa Bliss
Pre-show match 5
Competitors: Kofi Kingston, Andrade "Cien" Almas, Matt Hardy, Killian Dain, Titus O'Neil, Apollo, Heath Slater, Rhyno, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Johnny Gargano, Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder, Mike Kanellis, Rusev, Aiden English, Tyler Breeze, Fandango, Chad Gable, Jack Gallagher, Bray Wyatt, Goldust, Kalisto, Konnor, Viktor, Samoa Joe, Mustafa Ali & Velveteen Dream
Match Type: Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Reasoning: The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal has proven an effective way of establishing new stars and introducing new faces to the main roster. This year it can serve the same purpose as always.
Build: I'd like to see a segment where Slater and Rhyno argue over which of the two will win the battle royal before both are destroyed by a returning Samoa Joe. Rusev should also crush some Smackdown hopefuls establishing himself as a favorite in the match.
Match: The majority of the eliminations should come from Joe and Rusev. Kingston can pull off a royal rumble-esque escape at one point and the NXT call-ups should be given a chance to showcase themselves. The final four ought to be Joe, Rusev, Gargano and Almas. Joe should eliminate Rusev, presumably to a chorus of boos if the Rusev day movement hasn't died out by then. Gargano should take a beating from both men before managing to eliminate Almas. Finally, Gargano should eliminate Joe to complete the underdog victory.
Winner: Johnny Gargano, who debuts the next night on raw.
Main card match 1
Competitors: The Usos, The Bludgeon Brothers & The New Day
Match Type: TLC for Smackdown Tag Team Championship
Reasoning: The Usos and The New Day have carried the WWE's tag team division for a while now. They have both earned a main card match at WrestleMania and the chaos of a TLC match is the perfect vehicle for this to happen. The Bludgeon Brothers have seemed so dominant they are obviously going to be included in the match.
Build: The build can continue along the same path it seems to be following. The champs want a match at WrestleMania and worthy challenger, The Bludgeon Brothers want to destroy everything in their path and The New Day want revenge on the bludgeon brothers from fast lane and to claim the titles one more time.
Match: The New Day and The Usos have proved they are very capable of putting on outstanding matches together. Incorporating The Bludgeon Brothers in a TLC match promises to be chaos and should be a modern twist on the fabled TLC tag team matches of the past. Ultimately, The Bludgeon Brothers lose the most if they do not walk out victorious so they should win the belts in this one.
Winner: The Bludgeon Brothers
Main card match 2
Competitors: Triple H & Stephanie McMahon vs. Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey
Match Type: Mixed Tag match
Reasoning: This match is already booked and provides an exciting debut for Rousey whilst protecting her in the tag team setting. Getting Triple H and Angle involved is always fun and so long as this match doesn't go on for too long it promises to be very entertaining.
Build: Once again, WWE's current booking works for this match. We should not see Rousey get her hands on Stephanie before 'Mania as this will only heighten the anticipation for the match. Giving Triple H and Angle a warm-up match each on Raw could be a fun way to create excitement for the match
Match: The fans should be made to wait to see Rousey in the ring. Angle should do most of the heavy-lifting in the match, taking a lot of punishment before eventually making the tag to Rousey who can take out Triple H before turning her attention to McMahon. Stephanie should receive a beating here but ultimately her and her husband should pick up the win via some underhand tactics. This can cause Rousey to become even more aggressive and dangerous in the months to come.
Winner: Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
Main card match 3
Competitors: The Miz (c) vs. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins
Match Type: Triple Threat for the Intercontinental Championship
Reasoning: This one has been booked for some time now. While it feels a little thrown together at the last minute, these three are deserving of this sort of match standing at WrestleMania. The performers are all capable of delivering a great match on the grandest stage of them all.
Build: The Miz should continue to play Balor and Rollins against each other. While various matches between the three seem inevitable, given the quality of the competitors, perhaps that isn't such a bad thing after all.
Match: A triple threat match between these three, to me, is pretty difficult to imagine. None of the men are going to play the part of physically dominant monsters and each men has a somewhat comparable style. Miz should be at his most villainous best throughout and should get an edge through interference from the Miztourage and potentially Maryse as well. Balor Club could also make an appearance to level the playing field and I feel the Irish man should be the one to leave the match with the gold.
Winner: Balor. The other two men in the match are established stars and while Balor is a world-class in-ring performer, he is yet to prove he can be as entertaining as many of his peers in the WWE. With the title around his waist, Balor can hopefully portray a more colorful character than he has done to this point and elevate Balor club to an elite faction in the company.
Main card match 4
Competitors: Charlotte (c) vs. Asuka
Match Type: Singles match for the SmackDown Women's Championship
Reasoning: Fastlane already set this match up. Two of the best women's wrestlers going at it has the potential to be very special.
Build: No Ric Flair. This should be about the pinnacle of women's wrestling and not Charlotte's dad. The nature boy should not play a part in this feud other than maybe a brief backstage interview at the grandest stage of them all. The two going toe-to-toe needs to be enough to carry this program on it's own and anything else would be a cop out.
Match: This should be a lengthy showcase of women's wrestling. The match should be one of the longer bouts on the card, giving the pair a chance to work a classic and leaving them both exhausted. Asuka should keep the streak alive with a roll-up before both women collapse exhausted in the middle of the ring. Immediately, Carmella should storm down to the ring, assault both women with the briefcase and cash in her opportunity. Carmella should not beat Asuka for the title. Therefore the best case scenario is giving her a big WrestleMania moment out of it and so, to me, this seems the most opportune time for her to cash in. Carmella ought to be shocked when Asuka kicks out at the start of the match. After hitting Asuka with her entire offensive repertoire Carmella is still unable to get the job done and succumbs to the Asuka lock.
Winner: Asuka, twice.
Main card match 5
Competitors: Mojo Rawley, Zack Ryder, Tye Dillinger, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, ???, Bobby Roode, Randy Orton (c) & Jinder Mahal
Match Type: Gauntlet match for the US championship
Reasoning: In all likelihood this is not the match we will see at WrestleMania. A triple threat between Orton, Roode & Mahal seems close to being confirmed. I don't think that match is something fans would be particularly excited to see given the amount of Orton and Mahal matches that they've seen and also the Orton and Roode program we've seen recently. Additionally, three superstars known for slower paced matches hardly seems likely to produce the thrilling triple threat WWE's creative team may have been envisaging. I feel this gauntlet match would be much more entertaining and it can save a number of superstars from being dropped to the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. SmackDown live is a mess right now but it does still have a wealth of talent in its ranks. This match heightens the importance of the US title, showcases each stars talent and, as we saw from Raw's recent gauntlet match, has the potential to be enormously fun.
Build: Mahal should continue trying to worm himself into the US title picture. He can claim that having been the WWE champion for an extended amount of time this year, he deserves a prominent spot at WrestleMania and demand that Daniel Bryan add him to the match. He can wait for Bryan to appear but instead Ziggler can march down the ring and claim if anyone is deserving of being added to the match it's him. He can remind us that he never lost the US title and while he had hoped to be vying for the WWE championship at WrestleMania, the least management can do is give him the chance to steal the show in New Orleans. Next can come Corbin stating his claim to be in the match, followed by Ryder wanting one more WrestleMania moment. Rawley can then attack Ryder from behind with Dillinger coming in to make the save before finally Daniel Bryan comes out to restore order. Bryan can explain how he's sick of how Smackdown has descended into chaos in recent weeks and announce a scramble match between each of these men with the winner being added to the WrestleMania match. In the closing moments of this match, each man should hit their finisher and seem close to booking their ticket but as Smackdown goes of the air, no-one should win the match. These superstars can continue to reek havoc on Smackdown live, with backstage brawls and other segments over the following weeks until Bryan eventually caves and books this gauntlet match for WrestleMania.
Match: Rawley can start the match squaring off against his former tag team partner and disposing of him in dominant fashion. Next up should come Dillinger who should put up a valiant fight against Rawley but ultimately lose swell, putting Rawley over as a semi-dominant heel. Ziggler should enter the match and revert to his show-stealing ways, as this was a good way of putting over the show-off without having him win each and every week, he should eliminate Rawley before facing off against Corbin. Corbin and Ziggler should have a fairly long segment of the match with the fresher Corbin eventually coming out on top. Next up should be a surprise returning Rey Mysterio. There's been much speculation surrounding his WWE return and I feel this would be an effective use of an established star, Mysterio can catch an off-guard Corbin to eliminate him. A frustrated Bobby Roode should enter the fray next and despite coming close with a number of underhand tactics, because Roode as a nice guy isn't connecting as well as his villainous character on NXT, Roode should fail to overcome the resilient Mysterio. The champion Orton can enter the match next and inflict more damage on an already weakened Mysterio. Orton can catch Mysterio with an RKO following a 619 by Rey, but ultimately succumb to a small-package or roll-up by Mysterio. The last entrant in the match ought to be Mahal who can pick up the pieces and have his way with an exhausted Mysterio, pinning him and winning the title in the process.
Winner: Jinder Mahal, giving him one more run with a title to prove he was worthy of his WWE championship run.
Main card match 6
Competitors: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Shane McMahon
Match Type: Triple threat with Daniel Bryan as special guest referee
Reasoning: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn should not be in the Andre the giant battle royal. They are too big names to enter a bout meant for promoting newer talent. The pairs storyline has revolved around their tension with Shane McMahon for months and so this bout makes the most sense. Having Daniel Bryan feature is also a good way to play on his personal rivalry with Shane O'Mac without risking his health as an in-ring competitor.
Build: Zayn and Owens are currently booked for a match at WrestleMania. However, this makes little sense following their display of solidarity against Shane McMahon. The only time the two have fought one another was when the title was on the line and without that, a match between the two makes little sense. The two should explain this to general manager Daniel Bryan over the next weeks on Smackdown who can tell them his hands are tied as the match is already booked but can add the stipulation that the winner of the match will get a world title match at backlash. This can cause some infighting between Zayn and Owens as they each seek to gain the upper hand with such a big opportunity at sake. To introduce McMahon into the match, he ought to, while disguised, attack both Zayn and Owens separately in the parking lot, following consecutive Smackdowns. Bryan can then expose McMahon as the attacker and McMahon can return to his commissioner role and insert himself into the match. To avoid any further unfairness, Bryan can add himself as the special guest referee late in the day.
Match: Shane McMahon should get battered by the two wrestlers in the match. The pair can unload on the commissioner before trying to steal the win and title opportunity from each other. With the duo distracting each other, McMahon can underhandedly look to gain the win before Bryan intervenes. Ideally, Bryan could hit his running knee on McMahon which hopefully would be okay health-wise as it would only be one low-risk bump. Zayn and Owens can then both see sense, embrace, each hit McMahon with a finisher and then simultaneously pin McMahon to win the match. Bryan can then declare both men the winner and lead a chorus of YES! and YEP! chants
Winner: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
Main card match 7
Competitors: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns
Match Type: Singles match for the Universal Championship
Reasoning: This match was always going to happen. The two have been on a collision course for years and the two can end this storyline at WrestleMania. I've put this match at this spot on the card as I feel this could help Reigns actually get cheered. Part of why Reigns is booed so much is that he is put higher in the card than he deserves to be. This match is very high profile but won't be as good as Styles vs. Nakamura and isn't as mouth-watering as Cena vs. Undertaker so therefore should take place here.
Build: WWE's been doing a great job building this match and Reigns is coming across as more likable than ever before. Continuing in this vein Reigns can be the wrestling guy who is bored by the machine's money and politics and just wants to fight. Lesnar as the guy who doesn't care and only does it for the money makes him pretty difficult to cheer for as a wrestling fan and so there's a real chance fans could be more in favor of Reigns than Lesnar come WrestleMania.
Match: This should be a showcase of violence. The two are not as good technically as the likes of Styles and Nakamura but are two brutes that you believe can hurt people. They should battle it out for some time before Reigns finally gets the better of the beast incarnate.
Winner: Roman Reigns. Lesnar leaves for the UFC with his tail between his legs.
Main card match 8
Competitors: AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Match Type: Singles match for the WWE Championship
Reasoning: The match is already set and should be a great one. The two are capable of putting on what should be the best wrestling match of the night and one that deserves to be later on the card than Lesnar vs. Reigns because of this.
Build: Nakamura needs more screen time! He's hardly featured in recent weeks but following a great performance against Rusev at Fastlane, Nakamura must continue to beat established stars and appear like a more credible threat than he has done in the past. Styles needs to do little more than hype up just how good he and Nakamura are. This should be about who's the best pro wrestler in the world right now and so neither need a heel turn or any other motivation for the match besides the honor and the belt.
Match: Let these two do whatever they want. This should be the longest match on the entire card as WWE needs to take a back seat and watch two of the greatest wrestlers in the world go to work. Ultimately, Nakamura needs a win here much more than Styles does and so should come out on top.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura. Him losing makes little sense after propelling him into the match at the Royal Rumble. He needs this win to establish himself as a top star in the WWE, whereas Styles already commands that status and so can survive such a high profile loss.
Main card match 11
Competitors: John Cena vs Undertaker
Match Type: Hell in a Cell
Reasoning: After Cena called out the deadman on Raw, I'd be very surprised if this match doesn't happen. Undertaker and Cena are two of the biggest stars in wrestling history and this was a fight that had to happen at some point. While some will say they don't want to see Undertaker wrestle anymore and feel he should have retired after last WrestleMania, any true WWE fan gets a little bit giddy thinking of this match.
Build: This fight already has a ridiculous amount of hype so little needs to be created. Undertaker should respond and, whether immediately or eventually, accept Cena's challenge. He should request a hell in a cell match as I feel this would add something to the bout. Both performers are likely past their prime and this bout is exciting as it is because of the spectacle rather than because it's going to be a technically brilliant match. The gimmick can hide some of the duo's weaknesses and will only serve to heighten the grandeur of the match.
Match: These two can do anything and it would be entertaining. The two don't need to do anything groundbreaking, just seeing each other land their signature offense on the other would be enough for most viewers. The two should use a few weapons and create chaos without risking serious injury. To finish, I'd like to see Undertaker hit the tombstone pile-driver and then a last ride to put away Cena.
Winner: Undertaker, who definitively retires after the match. Cena can take some time off following the bout before returning to prove he can still compete with the best in the WWE.
