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WrestleMania 38 is less than two days away. The most stupendous two-night event in WrestleMania history currently has seven matches announced per night - making it fourteen bouts overall.
Given the scale of WrestleMania 38 this year, it only makes sense that WWE will go all out to give fans the biggest possible event. The return of Stone Cold Steve Austin is just one example of that.
To add to that, the previous outing at the AT & T Stadium in 2016 saw the WWE roster plagued with injuries, and several big names such as Randy Orton, John Cena, and more missed the event. This time, the number of matches and the two-night structure allows the possibility of a lot more surprises.
We look at five potential surprises that could happen at WrestleMania 38 this year:
#5. A 7-month long undefeated streak to stay intact at WrestleMania?
Drew McIntyre vs The Happy Folks hasn't been as bad a feud as some people make it out to be. While it has admittedly been dragged on longer than it should have, some parts of the feud have been entertaining.
McIntyre insisted that this match is as important as his WWE Title matches against Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley in WrestleMania 36 and 37, but it is undoubtedly a step down in the card.
WWE has mentioned heading into WrestleMania 38 that Happy Corbin has been undefeated ever since his luck turned in the summer of 2021. While McIntyre is expected to break the 7-month-long streak, it would be surprising to see it stay intact.
#4. Another surprising outcome to the WrestleMania 38 main event?
At WrestleMania 38, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns will headline the show for the third time together. This will mark Reigns' sixth outing in the WrestleMania main event, and Lesnar's fourth.
The last time they met in the main event of WrestleMania, it was 2018 and the match was underwhelming, with a surprising result. Lesnar had already held the Universal title for a year, and fans expected this to be Reigns' coronation once again. However, in a massive twist, Lesnar walked out victorious. Footage released by WWE showed that even Lesnar was furious with how the match played out.
The entire dynamic of the feud is different this time around, with Reigns having surpassed Lesnar's reign and being 20 months into his run as the company's top heel.
Reigns is once again expected to walk out with the unified WWE and Universal Title, but it would be a huge twist to see Lesnar end the historic run of The Tribal Chief.
#3. A surprising outcome for the Pat McAfee-Austin Theory match
Pat McAfee was handed a spot at WrestleMania 38 by Vince McMahon in a rare interview of the WWE Chairman. His opponent happened to be another man who was handed a spot by McMahon: Austin Theory.
The young Austin Theory has been mentored by Vince McMahon, with the WWE Chairman making surprisingly regular TV appearances in 2022 for his segments with the 24-year-old.
It's Austin Theory who is expected to get the win following the heated interactions between him and McAfee. It only makes sense as Theory has been presented as a future top star. However, it would be surprising to see McAfee get a big win over the future champion.
#2. Seth Rollins' opponent to be somebody other than Cody Rhodes?
It has been a bumpy road to WrestleMania for Seth Rollins. He failed on three different occasions to secure a spot at WrestleMania 38, and it was Vince McMahon who handed him a spot.
As for his opponent, Rollins is only set to find out when we do - while he's in the ring. There is only one name that fans have been chanting, and that is of the soon-to-return Cody Rhodes.
However, the issue here is that Rhodes' return seems too obvious at this point. Recent reports have revealed that Shane McMahon is in Dallas for WrestleMania weekend, and WWE could throw a curveball by having him appear to get nuclear heat rather than the highly-anticipated return of Cody Rhodes.
It would also allow WWE to debut Cody Rhodes on the RAW after WrestleMania 38.
#1. Bobby Lashley faces a defeat in unexpected fashion
If the reports of Bobby Lashley requiring shoulder surgery are true, then it means one thing - he has postponed it in favor of a return for WrestleMania. On the go-home episode of RAW this past week, Lashley returned as a babyface to challenge Omos at the Show of Shows.
While doing so, he became the first man to knock the giant off his feet - making it a big moment. However, the match may not favor Lashley. While fans will be hoping for The Almighty to be the first man to pin Omos, the focus might be on building the giant up in a big role going forward.
Whether he's ready or not seems irrelevant. It wouldn't be surprising to see Omos win, but it would be surprising to see him squash Lashley in a one-sided match that results in WWE writing the latter off TV for another (longer) hiatus.
