WWE Wrestlemania 35 : Predicting the entire match card

With 2018 coming to a close, the Road to Wrestlemania is about to begin. There is only one PPV left before Royal Rumble: TLC. With speculations pouring in from all popular news sources, excitement is at an all time high for the grandest stage of them all.

After avidly following all Wrestlemania rumors, I decided to compile them all in an article that will give us an early picture of the match card. Although every match listed is yet to be confirmed, we already have some ideas for matches that can take place. As 35 is a big number, we can expect WWE to pull out all the stops just to make this show memorable.

We can expect some part-timers to show up for this year's Mania, and we can also expect some marquee matches on the card.

2018's biggest stars like Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch should take the center stage and some up and coming superstars like Drew McIntyre should get opportunities to shine. Perhaps WWE could sign a deal with The Rock or maybe convince Shawn Michaels to come back for one more match.

We should hope that WWE does not make the mistake of briging back too many part-timers. Also, the existing part-timers should not be given huge slots as the old ones can't wrestle for a long period of time. Plus, it will be unfair for all the wrestlers working throughout the year for some glory.

Although the main events will largely depend on the Royal Rumble winners, I will make the safest and the most likely assumptions purely based on my ideas of a likely Wrestlemania match card. A lot of these assumptions could go wrong, as WWE changes their plans all the time.

But I believe I have predicted at least some matches accurately. Leave a comment if you have different opinions about any match.

Let's get started.

AOP vs The Revival (Raw Tag Team Championships)

The only legit tag teams on Monday Night Raw

Monday Night Raw's tag team division is terrible. There is no way around it. But, there is a lot of potential in two tag teams of the division. Namely, AOP and The Revival.

While both teams have been the victim of erroneous booking, the Revival suffering a lot more than AOP, but given the standards both of these teams reached in NXT, they can achieve it on the main roster too.

The AOP have just been crowned the Raw Tag Team Champions and there is a high chance that they will retain the belts until Wrestlemania. When we add in the fact that there are no consistent tag teams on Raw, this scenario seems even more likely.

The Revival seemed poised to receive a big push as they were the sole survivors for Team Raw, but their loss next week to Bobby Roode and Chad Gable undermined their status. Although they could have lost just to set up Roode and Gable vs AOP at TLC.

Anyway, this is the only match that fans would care about even a little bit as Roode and Gable are a dead tag team. Let's hope that WWE finally gives the Revival and AOP a chance to showcase their potential.

The Usos vs SAnitY (Smackdown Tag Team Championships)

When Sanity first debuted on the main roster, they went straight after one of the most accomplished tag teams on Smackdown: The Usos. But after a 6-man bout which also featured Jeff Hardy, this rivalry died quickly for no apparent reason.

While the Usos have been fairly consistent in their appearances, Sanity have missed many weekly shows and PPV.

I arrived at this match by the method of elimination. Firstly, one team out of The New Day and the Usos will be involved at Mania to bring the necessary star power. Since the New Day can handle a management role, it is likely that the Usos will get a shot.

Secondly, one team out of The Bar and Sanity will participate in the match. As we have already seen The Bar vs The New Day and The Bar vs the Usos on various occasions, Sanity should get the opportunity.

Whilst the possibility of this match is a lot less as Vince doesn't seem to trust Sanity, it is the logical option. As all the other pairs have already had matches, even on weekly shows, it seems improbable that the same will be repeated at Wrestlemania. Hence, the Usos vs Sanity is the best option in WWE.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Rey Mysterio (United States Championship)

Shinsuke Nakamura's reign has devalued the US Championship to an extreme low. What was once the leading mid-card belt in the WWE is now not even defended on PPVs. Although some of this blame can be shifted to co-branded PPVs, not enough is being done with the belt.

Anyway, since a US championship bout is not being advertised for TLC, and the Royal Rumble already has a time shortage, we can assume that the US Championship will not change hands.

Even if it will be defended, the matches will occur on the pre-shows. We can assume that Nakamura will retain the championship until Wrestlemania.

While Rey is currently involved in a feud with Randy Orton, it is highly doubtful that this feud will continue until Wrestlemania. As a heel vs heel match will not work, it can be assumed that Rey will battle Nakamura for the US title. If given time, they can steal the show and bring some spark back to the US title scene.

Although this match is entirely up for speculation, this can be a likely scenario if WWE continues to treat the US Championship as second-rate belt.

Drew McIntyre vs Dolph Ziggler (Intercontinental Championship)

Ever since Dolph Ziggler arrived on Monday Night Raw with Drew McIntyre, we knew that Ziggler was being used as a tool to elevate McIntyre. Although their partnership has gone on for a long time, the eventual backstabbing is imminent.

We know that McIntyre is up for a huge push in 2019. To start that push, he would have to cut his ties with Ziggler. What better way to conclude this phase than to win the IC championship by beating Dolph Ziggler.

This would mean that Rollins would have to lose the championship at some point, but I think that WWE has bigger plans for him.

WWE would definitely not want to push McIntyre all of a sudden to the main event, thus winning the IC Championship will be a perfect stage for him.The match itself will definitely be great.

Both Ziggler and McIntyre are talented in-ring performers who can put up a great match. It will be up to the WWE Creative for the direction their story line takes. Let's hope that WWE executes this turn perfectly.

Triple H vs Batista

Until Triple H's disastrous pectoral muscle injury, this match was almost set to happen. This match was rumored to happen and we got confirmation when the duo almost came to blows on Smackdown 1000.

Evolution reunited on the 1000th episode of Smackdown and when Batista taunted Hunter about his lack of victories against the former, it was unofficially confirmed.

Rumors had been floating around for a long time that Batista wanted to come back to face HHH at Wrestlemania. It seems that WWE does want to grant him his wish. Right now we can just hope that Triple H can recover in time to face the Animal at Wrestlemania.

The match itself will definitely not be a great technical/physical bout, but provided that WWE can build up a proper story line, these part-timers can definitely pull off a satisfactory bout. Whether or not Batista comes back full time, he will definitely wrestle at the Grandest Stage of Them All.

John Cena vs The Undertaker - Loser retires

This week in WWE there could be two match possibilities for the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 35 - Shawn Michaels or John Cena. Both of these matches have the distinct possibility of having a gimmick that could make the Undertaker retire.

But since Shawn Michaels has repeatedly claimed that his match at Crown Jewel was just a one-time affair, we have to assume the second scenario.

We can definitely say that the Undertaker vs John Cena match at Mania 34 was inconclusive. It was just a short match which served as a burial for John Cena. It just felt like a chapter in a storied rivalry. A 15-20 minute match with a clean finish can serve as the final match of Taker's career and provide him with a proper see-off.

An added gimmick of the loser retiring can serve as a conclusive story line finish for the Undertaker. Let's face the fact that the Undertaker is getting way too old to wrestle. His match at Wrestlemania 35 should serve as the final match of his illustrious career.

Let's just hope that after repeated letdowns at Super Showdown and Crown Jewel WWE finally lets the Undertaker hang up his boots.

Alexa Bliss vs Nia Jax vs Sasha Banks vs Bayley

(Raw Women's Championship)

Out of all these matches on this list, this match is perhaps the least likely to happen. But, I don't see any other options for the Raw Women's Championship.

First of all, I would like to state the reasons why I chose this match. It is clear that at least two women out of Rousey, Lynch and Charlotte will be involved in a bout. But, if Becky sits out of this match, she will have no good competitor, as the SD live roster has no wrestler with momentum except herself and Charlotte.

If neither of these women are available for Smackdown Live, there will be no legitimate match. Thus, we switch to Raw.

On Monday Night Raw, there is some momentum. Jax is getting immense heat. Bayley and Banks are lukewarm, but a title shot can freshen them up.

As for Bliss, her presence is necessary to give this match some hype. Although her in-ring return is still under doubt, we can assume that she will appear at Mania.

Of course Rousey will have to lose her belt, but interference from either Becky or Charlotte can make her lose her title while at the same time build up their potential encounter.

So, there we have it. A fatal-4-way match for the Raw Women's Championship.

Daniel Bryan vs The Miz (WWE Championship)

WWE is certainly twisted now. The top baby-faces of the company are turning heel and long-time heels are turning face. But, Daniel Bryan turning heel has so far been one of the best creative decisions.

His 2nd championship reign will turn out to be quite different from the 1st one. Also, it is fresh to see a heel champion after seeing a face champion in the form of AJ Styles for more than a year.

After AJ Styles desperately tries and fails to regain his championship from Bryan, only one logical rival should take his place: The Miz. The Miz and Bryan rekindled their rivalry after the latter's return from retirement and delivered some top quality matches.

Although they kind of lost their spark in the final months of 2018, this new perspective of seeing Bryan as a heel and Miz as a baby-face will bring intrigue to this story line.

From an in-ring perspective, these two can definitely bring it to the table. With Bryan's excellent technical skills and the Miz's greatly improved abilities, their match can potentially be a show stealer. If given enough time and importance, their match will be a talking point for many years to come.

Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship)

At the time of writing this article, several news websites have published articles saying that Rollins is reportedly chosen to face Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania. To me, this decision makes sense.

WWE will almost certainly use Roman Reigns to add depth to the story line. The feud could go along the lines of Rollins trying to restore the efforts which Roman had put in to give the WWE Universe a fighting champion.

As I don't see The Miz winning the Royal Rumble anytime soon, I think it's safe to say that Rollins will win the 2019 Royal Rumble and go on to fight for the Universal Championship.

We have already seen Lesnar and Rollins encounter various times, in two Triple Threats and a singles match which was interrupted by the return of the Deadman. These two know each other well enough to execute an awesome match and they will definitely get the time to do it.

After carrying Monday Night Raw in the absence of Brock Lesnar, Seth deserves to win the Universal Championship at Wrestlemania.

Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte Flair (Smackdown Women's Championship)

Arguably the biggest women's match in the WWE

The Becky-Ronda-Charlotte story line has been pure gold. Before her infamous (or famous?) injury, Becky Lynch was scheduled to face Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series.

The buildup to this match was fantastic. When Becky Lynch attacked Ronda Rousey and then invaded Raw with the Smackdown division, the audience went ballistic. There was something powerful about a bloodied Lynch closing the show.

By perhaps a blessing in disguise, Lynch was pulled out of her match due to a broken face. WWE replaced her with the only possible replacement: Charlotte Flair. At Survivor Series, Charlotte snapped and brutally attacked Ronda. This finish is a signal that WWE has plans for all three women at Wrestlemania.

Although WWE could put Becky in a different match, backstage reports suggest otherwise. The only likely conclusion is that a massive triple threat between the three most popular women in sports entertainment will take place.

As fans were denied their dream match at Survivor Series, the excitement for Becky vs Ronda has reached an all time high. Since Charlotte was denied a clean finish at Survivor Series, we could very well expect her join the former two women. It is almost certain that this match (or any of t's alternative) will, and should main event Wrestlemania 35.