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No matter what happens at WrestleMania 36, WWE’s biggest event of the year will go down as one of the most memorable in the company’s history.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, WWE has moved the annual extravaganza from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, with matches being pre-recorded over a week in advance without any fans in attendance.
One more notable change is that, for the first time ever, this year’s WrestleMania will air across two nights on April 4 and 5.
A total of 16 matches have been announced for the show, including Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE Championship) and Edge vs. Randy Orton (Last Man Standing), while John Cena will compete in his first match in over a year when he takes on “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.
You can watch Sportskeeda’s Gary Cassidy and Wrestling Inc’s Raj Giri give their take on WrestleMania 36 in the video below, or continue reading to run through the possible winners of every match on the two-night card.
#1 NXT Women's Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
While some WrestleMania cards are usually predictable and full of babyface victories, there are many matches at this year’s event that are surprisingly difficult to call.
Charlotte Flair’s experience and big-match history gives her the advantage going into this NXT Women’s Championship encounter, but a defeat against the up-and-coming Rhea Ripley is unlikely to harm the WrestleMania 35 main-eventer’s reputation as one of the most decorated champions in WWE history.
Simply put, if Ripley loses and Flair wins, Ripley’s credibility as WWE’s next top female Superstar would be damaged. However, if Ripley wins and Flair loses, Ripley’s credibility would sky-rocket and Flair would quickly be able to overcome the defeat.
With that in mind, let’s go for Ripley to retain.
Prediction: Rhea Ripley def. Charlotte Flair
#2 John Cena vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (Firefly Fun House match)
As of the time of writing, John Cena is yet to accept Bray Wyatt’s ‘Firefly Fun House’ match stipulation, but it is inevitable that the 16-time World Champion will agree to the request on the next episode of SmackDown.
Only The Undertaker has more wins at WrestleMania than Cena, whose WrestleMania 30 victory over Wyatt is an outcome that many fans still bemoan to this day.
This storyline has been nicely set up for Wyatt to exact revenge on his long-term rival, so it would be foolish to predict anything other than a win for “The Fiend”.
Prediction: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt def. John Cena
#3 SmackDown Women's Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Lacey Evans vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks vs. Tamina (elimination match)
Other than Bayley, Sasha Banks seems like the only realistic contender to leave WrestleMania 36 as the SmackDown Women’s Champion.
“The Boss” has watched on as her best friend has set records and defeated challenger after challenger to keep hold of the SmackDown Women’s Championship over the last nine months (with the exception of a five-day reign for Charlotte Flair), and the long-awaited Bayley vs. Banks rivalry finally appears to be on the horizon after WrestleMania.
That story is bound to kick-start at 'Mania, with Bayley possibly turning against her Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection partner when she least expects it to eliminate her from the match.
Prediction: Bayley retains
#4 The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles (Boneyard match)
This rivalry has largely focused on The Undertaker’s wife, Michelle McCool, and how AJ Styles believes her selfishness is forcing the WWE legend to continue competing at the age of 55.
Styles’ complete lack of respect for his opponent has brought out a new (or rather old) side of The Undertaker, who looks set to revert back to his American Biker/Big Evil gimmick for this WrestleMania Boneyard match.
Regardless of whether Styles has his fellow O.C. members alongside him, this will almost certainly end in a win for “The Deadman”.
Prediction: The Undertaker def. AJ Styles
#5 Raw Tag Team Championship: The Street Profits (c) vs. Angel Garza & Austin Theory
With respect to these two teams, this is one of the least anticipated matches of WrestleMania 36 weekend.
The Street Profits only recently became RAW Tag Team Champions for the first time, while their makeshift opponents – Austin Theory replaced Andrade due to injury – have never even won a match as tag team partners.
For that reason, a title change here seems impossible.
Prediction: The Street Profits def. Angel Garza & Austin Theory
#6 Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins
The four-month build-up to this WrestleMania 36 match has been repetitive at times, especially with no singles title on the line and very little at stake in the frequent matches involving Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins on RAW.
On a positive note, both Superstars have really upped their game with their Performance Center promos in recent weeks, and this has the potential to be one of the best matches across the two nights of WrestleMania.
A win for Rollins is possible but, like Charlotte Flair, he would be able to bounce back with a defeat. Owens, on the other hand, needs to get some big wins under his belt after another year of ups and downs, and this is the perfect time to get his career back on track.
Prediction: Kevin Owens def. Seth Rollins
#7 Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley
Aleister Black and Bobby Lashley have gone through stages over the last year where it looks as though WWE is going to elevate them to the main-event picture, but both Superstars then return to the mid-card and have to work their way back up to a prominent position on television.
There has been next-to-no build for this match, so it is safe to assume that WWE only booked it because Black and Lashley were left without a spot on the card due to the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal not taking place this year.
As for the winner, simply because Black has had more television time and momentum heading into WrestleMania, let’s go for the former NXT Champion.
Prediction: Aleister Black def. Bobby Lashley
#8 Edge vs. Randy Orton (Last Man Standing)
Many WWE Superstars will be restricted to performing inside the Performance Center ring at WrestleMania 36, but the Last Man Standing stipulation in this match allows both men the freedom to work all over the training facility.
WWE has been known to throw in surprising outcomes at recent WrestleManias (e.g. Triple H defeating Sting, Chris Jericho defeating AJ Styles, Brock Lesnar defeating Roman Reigns), but Edge losing his first one-on-one match in nine years would cause more outrage than any of those encounters.
This story is all about revenge and that is exactly what Edge will get over Randy Orton this weekend.
Prediction: Edge def. Randy Orton
#9 Elias vs. King Corbin
King Corbin already has two ‘WrestleMania moments’ to his name after his Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal debut victory in 2016 and his win over the retiring Kurt Angle in 2019.
If this match was a basic one-on-one encounter with a clean finish, Corbin would almost certainly pick up another WrestleMania win.
However, following their altercation on the March 20 episode of SmackDown, it seems like a very real possibility that WrestleMania 36 host Rob Gronkowski could get involved and cost the King of the Ring winner against Elias, who is yet to taste success at WWE’s biggest show of the year.
Prediction: Elias def. King Corbin
#10 Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis
WrestleMania is often the event where long-term WWE storylines come to an end, which means we should find out whether Mandy Rose's heart really is set on Dolph Ziggler or whether she is prepared to give Otis another chance.
The Heavy Machinery member has pursued Rose for several years, even dating back to their time in NXT, and the multiple twists and turns in this storyline seem to suggest that he will finally get his girl at WrestleMania.
It is possible that Ziggler could cement his heel status with a hugely unpopular win, but let’s opt for a feel-good Otis victory.
Prediction: Otis def. Dolph Ziggler
#11 Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
This is another WrestleMania 36 match that could go either way.
Daniel Bryan has had plenty of ‘WrestleMania moments’ throughout his career, while Sami Zayn has often been overlooked when it comes to WWE’s most important events.
With Drew Gulak by his side, Bryan appears to be gaining momentum just in time to record another WrestleMania title victory, even if that means Zayn’s Intercontinental Championship reign has to end after just one month.
Prediction: Daniel Bryan def. Sami Zayn (title change)
#12 WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
Much of the build-up to this match has involved people talking about how it will be disappointing for Drew McIntyre if he defeats Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36, only to be met with complete silence from no fans in an empty Performance Center.
Although this storyline seems all set up for McIntyre to get his big WrestleMania moment, we have seen again and again in recent years how these high-profile Lesnar matches often produce surprising outcomes.
Another Lesnar win cannot be ruled out but, just like against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2019, everything is pointing towards "The Beast" losing clean against RAW's top babyface.
Prediction: Drew McIntyre def. Brock Lesnar (title change)
#13 Women’s Tag Team Championship: The Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
This prediction is less about the teams involved and more about one individual, Asuka, and how she has proven to be the most entertaining Superstar in WWE in 2020 so far.
“The Empress of Tomorrow” has shone with and without Kairi Sane in recent weeks and she will surely be in the running to challenge for either the RAW Women’s Championship or SmackDown Women’s Championship again after WrestleMania 36.
With that in mind, this could be the right time for Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross to regain the titles, allowing Asuka and Sane to move away from the Tag Team Championship picture for a few months.
Prediction: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross def. The Kabuki Warriors (title change)
#14 Raw Women's Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Shayna Baszler
The biggest problem for Becky Lynch right now is that, with the exception of Shayna Baszler, she has beaten every credible challenger there is to beat in WWE’s women’s divisions, and there is only so long she can keep this up before fans become tired of seeing the same outcome.
That being said, although Baszler is viewed by many people as the favorite at WrestleMania, the long-term goal here surely has to be a singles match between Lynch and Ronda Rousey.
This might not be the prediction most of you expect, but the inevitable Lynch vs. Rousey match will be even bigger if "The Man" is able to keep hold of her title until the UFC Hall of Famer makes her return.
Yes, Baszler has been made to look unbeatable leading up to WrestleMania, but that will just make Lynch's victory even more impressive.
Prediction: Becky Lynch def. Shayna Baszler
Warning!
The next slide contains spoilers about two matches that have reportedly been changed due to Superstars not being able to compete when WrestleMania 36 was filmed. No match results are given away, but only continue reading if you are happy to find out who will miss WrestleMania and who will replace them!
#15 SmackDown Tag Team Championship: John Morrison & The Miz (c) vs. The New Day vs. The Usos (ladder match)
One of the most peculiar stories heading into WrestleMania 36 concerns this SmackDown Tag Team Championship ladder match, which appears to have been changed due to The Miz suffering from an illness on the day of the taping.
According to the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, The Miz did not compete and the match was changed to a Triple Threat with only one member of each team taking part.
With details scarce, it is difficult to make a prediction with any kind of conviction, so let’s go with The Usos for the simple reason that one more Tag Team Championships win will draw them level with The New Day on seven title reigns.
Prediction: The Usos win the SmackDown Tag Team titles (title change)
#16 Universal Championship: Goldberg (c) vs. Braun Strowman
Roman Reigns has confirmed in an Instagram video that he did not face Goldberg when WrestleMania 36 was filmed last week.
WWE is yet to comment on who will challenge for the Universal Championship instead of “The Big Dog”, but it has been widely reported that Braun Strowman stepped in and faced Goldberg at the Performance Center.
Like the SmackDown Tag Team Championship situation, it is tough to predict what will happen when this story has not even played out on television yet.
But, assuming Goldberg vs. Strowman really did happen last week, this feels like a now-or-never time for WWE to reward “The Monster Among Men” with a World Championship run, especially as Goldberg’s latest title reign was likely going to end at WrestleMania against Reigns.
Prediction: Braun Strowman def. Goldberg (title change)
Leave your WrestleMania 36 predictions in the comments section below!
