WrestleMania Preview: No fans, no problem? WrestleMania looks to deliver in unprecedented fashion
Every WrestleMania, you get a special “WrestleMania” moment, like Kofi Kingston winning the WWE Championship last year vs. Daniel Bryan. Then you’ve got moments like Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle teaming up the year before that.
It’s great, we love it. The fans go nuts and the emotion of WrestleMania is captured, this year...things are a bit different.
Due to the coronavirus shutting down all major sporting events around the country and world, WrestleMania has already been completed and taped. There was no crowd, we know very little about what actually took place aside from a major change to the WWE Universal Championship Match (Spoiler Alert, I’m warning you...if you don’t wanna know...stop reading).
WWE has taken this situation and turned it into a two night event for the first time ever, WrestleMania hosted by Rob Gronkowski will be live on Saturday and the traditional Sunday afternoon viewing time of 1 p.m. out west. Here are three things I’d like to see when it comes to the show of all wrestling shows.
Use Saturday night to showcase the undercard
One advantage of the two-night Mania is that wrestlers like Aleister Black, Otis, Naomi, and Kevin Owens have a chance to shine one WrestleMania’s first night. If this were to be featured on Sunday a lot of their matches would be throwaway matches or get lost in the shuffle compared to matches higher on the card.
Eight matches on each night gives talent a chance to get as much time as they’d like in and they aren’t worried about having to worry about a match running over and losing time. Saturday is perfect for some of your undercard matches to get some much-deserved shine.
Close Saturday night with John Cena’s match vs. Bray Wyatt
We know that WrestleMania has been recorded and since John Cena isn’t in a title match and would normally be shoved onto the midcard for a one-day WrestleMania, have he and Bray Wyatt close out the first night with a…”Firefly Funhouse Match”. It would be a great way to close out the first night.
Have Sunday be saved for the main card matches, and shocking results
When everything is settled when it comes to the streaming audience numbers for both days, my guess is you’d probably have a larger audience for Sunday. With that thinking, push all your big matches to Sunday. Even with possible shocking results. The entire sports world will be watching you, give them a Sunday to remember.
How to watch WrestleMania
ON: WWE Network and Fox Sports App Subscriptions or FITE TV
Time: Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m.
Hosted by: Former New England Patriot and newly-signed WWE Superstar Rob Gronkowski
Here is my predicted match card and winners for both nights.
WrestleMania Night One Match Card
Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley (with Lana)
Pick: Aleister Black
RAW Tag Team Championship
The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) (Champions)
Vs.
Austin Theory and Angel Garza (with Zelina Vega)
Pick: Street Profits
(Last Man Standing Match)
Edge vs. Randy Orton
Pick: Edge
Smackdown Women’s Championship (5-way elimination match)
Bayley (Champion)
Vs.
Sasha Banks, Lacey Evans, Naomi, Tamina
Pick: Bayley
Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler (with Mandy Rose)
Pick: Dolph Ziggler
Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins
Pick: Kevin Owens
NXT Women’s Championship
Rhea Ripley (Champion)
Vs.
Charlotte Flair
Pick: Charlotte Flair
Firefly Funhouse Match
“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena
Pick: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
WrestleMania Night Two Match Card
WWE Intercontinental Title
Sami Zayn (Champion)
(with Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura)
Vs.
Daniel Bryan
(with Drew Gulak)
Pick: Daniel Bryan
Elias vs. King Corbin
Pick: Elias
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) (Champions)
Vs.
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross
Pick: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross
Smackdown Tag Team Championship (Ladder Match)
The Miz and John Morrison (Champions)
Vs.
The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston)
Vs.
The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso)
Pick: Miz and Morrison
Boneyard Match
The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles
Pick: The Undertaker
WWE Universal Championship Match
Goldberg (Champion)
Vs.
Braun Strowman
Pick: Goldberg
Raw Women’s Championship Match
“The Man” Becky Lynch
Vs.
Shayna Baszler
Pick: Shayna Baszler
WWE Championship Match
Brock Lesnar (Champion)
Vs.
Drew McIntyre
Pick: Brock Lesnar
This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 5:00 PM.
