PRE SHOW
Andre the Giant Battle Royal
So everybody thinks that Braun Strowman is going to win this match and I think that is totally unnecessary. Braun can have his fun with the SNL celebrities, but then later get thrown out. I’d also have Chad Gable throw Bobby Roode out and then have Roode yank Gable out and beat the crap out of him to eliminate him, give Roode the heel turn he so desperately needs and he and Gable can start feuding after Mania. I’d close out the match by having EC3 win the match and make sure he talks about winning it week after week and turn that into a good first level push.
Cruiserweight Championship Buddy Murphy (c) vs Tony Nese
This match has a chance to be a really good show starter for WWE on the kickoff show. There’s a nice story with Nese training and learning from the champ until Murphy turned his back on Nese and attacked him after Nese earned the championship shot. Murphy should continue this run by rolling up and grabbing Nese’s tights to continue a story that’s just beginning and has more legs to run with.
Women’s Battle Royal
I’d make the announcement right before this match that the winner will get a future title shot against the champion of their choice to give this match some real value and make it so they are fighting over something. Anything short of Asuka winning this match would be completely unacceptable. I’d have her backed into a corner against Sonya and Mandy, who seem to have made up, but Mandy eliminates Sonya accidentally clearing Asuka to toss Mandy out and get the win.
WRESTLEMANIA 35
Smackdown Tag Team Championships Usos (c) vs Ricochet & Black vs The Bar vs Nakamura & Rusev
This match was announced last minute and is being played as a punishment for the Usos helping Kofi get into the main event by forfeiting against the New Day last week. I’d make this a Tornado Rules match and have everybody competing at the same time. Use this one as a high energy opener with lots of action. The tag divisions both need new blood badly and I’d book this match to make sure we start out the new wrestling year with a fresh feud. Nakamura hits Sheamus with a shinkasa, but Riccochet takes out the Usos and Black hits a Black Mass on Nakamura to steal the win from Nakamura and Rusev (which leads to first feud).
Retirement Match Kurt Angle vs Baron Corbin
If I were booking this, Corbin would attack Angle early on in the night, Cena would rescue Angle and injure Corbin in the process setting up Angle/Cena. Since that won’t happen, Angle needs to dispatch of Corbin in about two minutes for this one to be satisfactory. Dodge Corbin’s first move, hit a couple suplexes, throw a couple punches, Angle Slam, Ankle Lock, match over.
United States Championship Samoa Joe (c) vs Rey Mysterio
Joe is probably the heel who most needs and deserves a win at WrestleMania. Mysterio can get some good action and offense in moving quickly at the start of this match, but at some point, Joe needs to catch him and really just put in some quick work on him. It’d be cool to see Mysterio go for a hurricanrana, but Joe catches him and turns it into a muscle buster before choking Rey Rey out in a quicker match.
Women’s Tag Championships Boss N Hug Connection (c) vs Nia Jax and Tamina vs IIconics vs Natalya and Beth Phoenix
This match is set up so poorly. It’s just going to be a chaotic Fatal Fourway, hopefully they can just keep Jax and Tamina on the apron as much as possible. Sasha gets Natalya to tap out to end the match with the champs retaining for a while longer, at least until WWE can figure out how to get a credible opponent against this team.
Intercontinental Championship Bobby Lashley (c) w/ Lio Rush vs Demon Finn Balor
Finn Balor is bring his Demon King persona back for the first time in seven months and the first time in WrestleMania history. That will be a cool moment in and of itself. Balor’s Demon King character is the most protected persona in WWE right now and there’s no reason to think that shouldn’t continue with this match. Balor should be able to go out and give his full arsenal here, he should dispatch of Rush with a shotgun dropkick into the barricade early on, before turning this into a good battle between Balor and Lashley that Balor wins cleanly with the Coup de Grace to finish this feud.
Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre
I’d like for McIntyre to get the win here, but he’s been so overwhelmingly dominant in the months leading up to this one that it just doesn’t make much sense. So instead, I’d have Roman pick up the win, but have McIntyre hit him with a low blow afterwards and then just give him another beat down to extend the feud. I’d have Roman get more offense in leading to the next PPV, where McIntyre gets the win.
A.J. Styles vs Randy Orton
This one just needs to let two of the best technical workers in the industry today just go to work. Orton gets the upperhand, goes for that spike DDT in the ropes, Styles fights out and gets to the apron. Hits a flying forearm for the win.
Falls Count Anywhere The Miz vs Shane McMahon
I feel like the WWE messed up when they had Miz defeat Sanity in that handicap falls count anywhere match on SmackDown this week. Now it was booked ok in the way that it really became just Miz vs Eric Young, so it wasn’t too damaging, but still I think it sends the stronger message if Sanity wins to set up this confrontation. Still, Miz needs this win and should get it. The match should take advantage of the stipulation with both guys taking risks and high spots. Miz should hit the skull crushing finale off of the stage into tables, boxes, etc. to get the win.
WWE Championship Daniel Bryan (c) vs Kofi Kingston
This is probably the match that I’ve gone back and forth over more frequently than any other. Kingston’s rise has been meteoric, but so has Becky’s and even McIntyre’s, that doesn’t preclude him from winning the belt in a nice WrestleMania story. Bryan’s reign does seem to just be in the early stages, but I think I’d have Kingston win the belt with some interference from both the New Day and Rowan muddying the waters of this match a little bit. If Kingston does win, I think it’s important that he doe it in a clean way.
No Holds Barred HHH vs Batista
It looks as if the WWE will have HHH prevail by beating Batista one on one for the first time, but I’d twist the hell out of this one. Batista has basically always played HHH like a fiddle throughout their careers and this feud has been no different. This match goes back and forth in a hellacious battle and HHH goes for a sledgehammer blow, but Batista catches it and reverses it, powerbombs HHH onto steel steps and gets the win to force HHH to retire from in ring competition (at least until next year’s Wrestlemania).
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs Seth Rollins
Don’t screw this up. Just be done with Brock Lesnar. Rollins needs to win and he needs to win cleanly and convincingly. He needs to take the Universal Championship to Monday Night RAW, where it is featured, fought over and celebrated each and every week.
RAW & SD Women’s Championship Ronda Rousey (c) vs Charlotte (c) vs Becky Lynch
Let’s not make this one too complicated. Becky needs to win and she needs to pin or submit Ronda to do it.