WrestleMania 33 is just around the corner. WWE’s biggest event of the year is sure to feature a slew of title matches, especially since the brand split has nearly doubled the number of Championships that exist in the company.
But we are just over five weeks away from the Show of Shows, and while we usually have a good idea of what some of the title matches will be, that’s not the case this year. Not a single title match has been confirmed for WrestleMania yet.
Randy Orton threw a wrench into what seemed to be the first confirmed title match for WrestleMania when he said he refused to challenge Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship but later changed his mind. So what will be the fate of SmackDown Live’s top title?
We have some ideas for that and the rest of the championships in WWE. Here are our predictions for what every title match will be at WrestleMania 33.
Cruiserweight Championship: Multi-Man Ladder Match
The past few years have featured a ladder match for the Intercontinental championship at WrestleMania. While this is exciting and is a good way to get deserving superstars on the card in a meaningful match, it doesn’t make sense to have this be an annual occurrence.
This year, if there’s going to be a multi-man championship ladder match on the Grandest Stage of Them All, it should be for the Cruiserweight championship instead.
Multi-man ladder matches by nature are spotfests. And who better to wrestle in a spotfest and jump off ladders than the guys known for their high-flying ability?
Plus, there is no clear match for Neville right now. Austin Aries seems like a possibility with his in-ring return imminent, but with just a month to build toward that match, WWE could put it off for now in favour of something exciting like this ladder match. This is the perfect way to get six or more of the stars of 205 Live on the WrestleMania card.
Intercontinental Championship: Dean Ambrose vs Baron Corbin
If there isn’t going to be an Intercontinental championship ladder match, then that means there needs be a different match for the title this year. That match will likely be Dean Ambrose vs Baron Corbin.
Ambrose has been champion since dethroning The Miz on SmackDown a few weeks ago. He was briefly in limbo with the title because of his inclusion in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE championship. But now that that’s out of the way, he can finally refocus on doing something that so many WWE superstars struggle to do: making a midcard title feel important.
Ambrose and Corbin’s issues stem mostly from the Elimination Chamber match. After Ambrose eliminated Corbin with a roll-up, Corbin destroyed the Lunatic Fringe before finally exiting the structure. This made Ambrose easy prey for the Miz.
With bad blood clearly existing between these two, they have the potential to create a great WrestleMania match. Corbin has improved at a rapid rate in the past year and is now one of the best heels in the roster. Meanwhile, Ambrose excels at wrestling an aggressive style, something that would likely mesh well with Corbin.
This would actually work well as a no-disqualification match if WWE wanted to go that direction, especially since it would give Ambrose an opportunity to make up for the awful no-DQ match he had against Brock Lesnar last year.
SmackDown Tag Team Championships: American Alpha vs The Usos
This matchup is a fairly obvious prediction. SmackDown has no more pay-per-views left before WrestleMania and with this feud picking up a lot of steam, this match is bound to happen at WrestleMania. The only way it wouldn’t happen is if other teams got thrown into the mix just as they were in the Tag Team Turmoil match at Elimination Chamber.
But that would be a mistake. This match should be a two-on-two contest for the SmackDown tag team championships. Why? Because The Usos have become one of the hottest acts in the tag team division lately and they deserve the spotlight. They deserve to be in a prominent position at WrestleMania 33.
The Usos used to seem like a team that would never turn heel. They connected with the kids, and a lot of the time that’s all that matters to WWE. But when fan reactions, in general, started to change, they pivoted, and it has paid off in a big way.
Now Jimmy and Jey, who have always been solid in the ring, are entertaining again thanks to their re-tooled gimmick. Their promos have been on fire lately and one could argue they’re actually carrying the feud with American Alpha thus far. They’ve been revitalised, and they may just walk out of Orlando with the SmackDown tag team championships over their shoulders.
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Alexa Bliss vs Becky Lynch vs Mickie James
Naomi’s injury likely caused a change in plans for the Women’s championship at WrestleMania. Alexa Bliss has recaptured the title and now we can only assume Becky Lynch will be challenging for it. With Nikki Bella occupied with Natalya and/or Maryse, and Carmella still busy manipulating James Ellsworth, that leaves only Lynch and Mickie James as healthy members of the SmackDown women’s division.
Of course, this creates the problem of potentially repeating a storyline. These two have already clashed numerous times which is why something new needs to be added to the mix. That something should be the best friend of Alexa Bliss, Mickie James.
If James is added to the match and makes it a triple threat, it creates a brand new dynamic. Will she help Bliss retain, or will she turn on her in hopes of capturing the SmackDown Women’s championship for the first time?
With Naomi out, this is the perfect way to showcase some of SmackDown’s most talented women.
WWE Championship: Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton vs Luke Harper
Randy Orton threw us all a curveball when he said he refuses to face Bray Wyatt for the WWE championship at WrestleMania. After he won the Royal Rumble, it seemed inevitable that he would turn on Wyatt and begin his ascent toward the top of the mountain yet again. But his refusal to face him raised a lot of questions.
These questions began to get answered last week on SmackDown when there was a battle royal to determine the new number one contender for the title. Luke Harper and AJ Styles both hit the floor at the same time to end the match and faced each other the following week to determine Wyatt’s new challenger. Styles came out on top, but that’s not necessarily the end of things.
Now that Orton has finally turned on Wyatt and has decided to face him at WrestleMania, that leaves Styles in limbo. Of course, it could become a triple threat match. But the more likely scenario is Styles moving towards a match with Shane McMahon at the biggest show of the year.
So where does Luke Harper come in? While it is unexpected for WWE to slot him into the match after he lost his 1.no contender’s match, It’s hard to say what would happen.
But without an obvious match for him at Mania, it would make sense for him to somehow find his way into this match between now and April 2nd. The Wyatt Family story could finally be properly blown off if Harper turned this into a triple threat. W
United States Championship: Chris Jericho vs Kevin Owens
At this point, Chris Jericho will either defend his United States championship against Kevin Owens or nobody. This feud has run so deep that there is no chance of it being fully resolved before WrestleMania.
The question is if the match will also be for the Universal championship. Owens is set to defend his title against Goldberg at Fastlane. If he retains, one can assume it would be a title vs title match at Mania. This is probably the best case scenario since it allows the fan favourite Jericho to pursue a world title, rather than just trying to defend his own.
But at the very least, it will be for the U.S. title, and although this feud doesn’t even need a title to be on the line for the match to feel like a big deal, it definitely helps. If Owens were to take Jericho’s title from him after brutalising him a few weeks ago on Raw, that would garner him next-level heat. And if Jericho were to retain, it would be a great feel-good moment for the fans.
Raw Tag Team Championships: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs Enzo and Big Cass
This exact match is set to take place at Fastlane on Sunday, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen at WrestleMania too. There’s a decent chance this match ends in some kind of shenanigans since it involves Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, the kings of shenanigans. That would set up a rematch at Mania that would showcase two teams who have lost a bit of steam lately but are still capable of putting on a good match.
Enzo and Big Cass have somehow never held tag team gold. It seemed inevitable in NXT, but they had numerous crushing losses to The Revival, and before you knew it, they were called up to the main roster. Now, they may finally finish the job and become tag team champions. But it should happen at WrestleMania, not at Fastlane.
Although some may think Enzo and Cass have gotten a bit stale lately, they’re still one of the most popular tag teams on the WWE roster. If they win the tag team titles in front of an enormous WrestleMania crowd, it would be a special moment.
With no other teams figuring to enter the fray between now and WrestleMania, The Club vs Enzo and Cass seems like a logical match to place on the card.
Raw Women’s Championship: Bayley vs Charlotte vs Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax
The Raw women’s division is basically only four women deep right now, and all of them should compete for the Women’s title at WrestleMania.
Bayley captured the Women’s title on Raw two weeks ago in a shock victory. Some might say this feel-good moment should have been saved for Mania, but what’s done is done. Now she has to try to defend her title against the queen of pay-per-view, Charlotte. And her chances of doing so look slim.
Now that Charlotte’s PPV undefeated streak is being recognised by WWE, we have to consider when would be the best time for the streak to end. A minor PPV like Fastlane does not seem like the right time or place. If it’s going to end, it seems like Mania would be the place to do it.
So Charlotte will likely head into Orlando as Women’s champion with Bayley looking to get a rematch. But Sasha Banks and Nia Jax have both been in the middle of everything too, so it would make sense for them to get involved. Nia still hasn’t had a shot at the Women’s title, and Sasha has too much history with both Charlotte and Bayley to not be in the match as well.
This match would essentially be a showcase for Raw’s women’s division. And given the talent that it has, it would probably be quite special.
Universal Championship: Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar
Unlike the rest of the matches on this list, this one is already confirmed to be happening. The only thing that’s up in the air is whether it will be for the Universal championship or not. But based on WWE’s track record of putting the biggest emphasis on part-timers, we’re predicting Goldberg walks out of Fastlane as Universal champion and defends the title at WrestleMania against Brock Lesnar.
The only issue is that this match does not need a championship to make it feel important. Goldberg squashed the Beast Incarnate in 1 minute and 26 seconds at Survivor Series and then eliminated him at the Royal Rumble.
Every WWE fan is dying to know what is going to happen when these two square off for the final time. The Universal title, unfortunately, will feel like just an accessory in this match, and that should not be the case for one of WWE’s most prestigious championships.
It probably fits better as a part of an Owens vs Jericho match, but alas, we’re likely out of luck. Regardless, we should accept Goldberg vs Lesnar for what it is and enjoy it. It should be an incredible match between two giants of the business.
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