It’s time for the biggest show in the wrestling industry this month as Wrestlemania kicks off from the Big Easy this Sunday with the preshow starting at 4 p.m. and main show at 6 p.m., meaning well over five hours of action.
For those of you who don’t have the WWE Network, you can get the whole live show for free by simply subscribing to the network. The cool thing about doing it is that you can cancel anytime and if you decide to keep the network it’s about $10 a month.
As I’ve done every year since I’ve written No Holds Barred, I’m going to use my column space here to try to predict the outcomes of the matches. I’ve done well before but have never achieved perfection in predicting who will win. I’ve also gone as bad as 2-7 before. WWE has a way of swerving fans sometimes, even fooling the Vegas odds makers. Yes, you can bet on Wrestlemania outcomes in Vegas.
So, the top of the list is the Universal Championship pitting the reigning, defending, undisputed Universal Champion Brock Lesnar against Roman Reigns. I’m going with Vegas odds here and saying Reigns will win. It’s no secret WWE wants to push Reigns despite the fans not liking him because they see him as a corporate manufacture. However, that won’t stop Vince McMahon from getting his way so look for Reigns to go over. There may also be some issue with Lesnar as he has been hinting he might like to return to the octagon so that uncertainty combined with Vince’s love of all things Roman will result in the Big Dog with his hand raised.
In the World Heavyweight Championship match I think Shinsuke Nakamura wins over A.J. Styles in what will be the match of the night. These two former independent wrestling legends have been a dream match for a long time.
We then have the return of Daniel Bryan as he teams up with Shane McMahon to take on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. I think the founder of the “Yes Movement” goes over here and hopefully that will be a harbinger of his future success in his return after three years.
In the Intercontinental Championship I think Finn Balor wins, beating Seth Rollins and the Miz. My main reason for this guess is the Miz’s wife just had a baby so he may want some time off.
There is also a match that isn’t a match but will be a match, that being John Cena versus the Undertaker. Cena has called out the ‘Taker for weeks with no answer. The Deadman will answer Sunday night and tombstone Cena for the win.
We then turn to the United States Championship pitting Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, Rusev and Jinder Mahal. I think Roode goes over here since WWE is wanting to push its new talent.
In women’s action, Nia Jax will beat five-feet-of-fury Alexa Bliss while Asuka will keep her undefeated streak alive by beating Charlotte Flair for the Smackdown title. I think the Asuka streak extends all the way until she meets Ronda Rousey sometime this summer.
Speaking of Rousey, she and Kurt Angle will beat Stephanie and Triple H. There’s no other outcome possible as they want to push Rousey and she can’t lose on her debut. Look for Rousey to beat Stephanie with an arm bar.