It’s time for WrestleMania
The 34th installment of WrestleMania is upon us and on paper, the card is absolutely stacked.
Now the question is whether the event will deliver in the ring.
WWE has done a decent job of building most of the matches, although we still don鈥檛 know how many matches will take place.
Between Mania, which starts at 7 p.m., and the preshow, which begins at 5 p.m., 13 matches have been announced, although a lot of buzz surrounds the potential 14th match.
The scheduled main event is the Universal championship match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. Reigns is a massive favorite, however, it is not for the reason one might expect.
Several wrestling fans have emailed me asking will Lesnar lose the match, and title, because he is heading back to UFC.
While Lesnar is on his way back to the octagon, Reigns has been penciled in to beat Lesnar for the title dating back prior to when Lesnar won it at Mania 33 from Goldberg.
Will tonight be Lesnar蘑菇视频 last WWE appearance? And, how will fans react throughout the match knowing that Lesnar is leaving yet most fans refuse to get behind Reigns?
In what has been called a dream match, A.J. Styles defends the WWE championship against Shinsuke Nakamura. Two of the best in-ring talents in the world, if these two are given enough time in the ring, they will deliver an all-time Mania classic.
Charlotte Flair will defend the Smackdown women蘑菇视频 title against the undefeated Asuka, and I expect a really good match out of these two.
Could Carmella cash in her Money in the Bank title shot tonight against the winner of the Flair and Asuka match, or maybe against the winner of the Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax Raw women蘑菇视频 title match?
Bliss and Jax has been built up using a bully storyline, and the outcome possibilities are intriguing.
The Miz defends the Intercontinental title against Finn Balor and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match, and this is another match that could steal the show.
Randy Orton puts the United States title on the line in a fatal four-way against Rusev, Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal.
The Uso蘑菇视频 defend the Smackdown tag titles against The New Day and The Bludgeon Brothers in a triple threat match, but the Raw tag title match has garnered much more interest.
The Bar, Cesaro and Sheamus are defending the Raw tag belts against Braun Strowman and a mystery partner.
Who will the mystery partner be? There have been no less than a dozen names thrown around publicly, but WWE is keeping this close to the vest. Names such as Rey Mysterio, Big Cass, Big Show, Chris Jericho, Bray Wyatt, Elias and James Ellsworth are among the most popular ones, but we will find out tonight.
Speaking of Elias, could he sing at WrestleMania, maybe with The Rock?
The most talked about match the last few weeks has been the tag match featuring the in-ring return of Daniel Bryan. He will team with Shane McMahon to take on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn with the stipulation if the latter loses, they are fired.
Don鈥檛 be surprised if McMahon turns on Bryan.
The most publicized match on the card features the debuting Ronda Rousey making her WWE debut as she teams up with Kurt Angle to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. The most logical finish is McMahon tapping out to a Rousey armbar, but we shall see.
The three preshow matches are the two battle royals and the cruiserweight title match between Cedrick Alexander and Mustafa Ali.
The potential 14th match is between John Cena and The Undertaker, and something tells me that it will happen. Different ideas have been thrown out there such as Cena will sit in the crowd and then Taker will show up with the impromptu match starting.
Or. could they just have a faceoff to set up a future match, maybe a career vs. career match?
Could Taker go back to his biker character? What other surprises will take place?
Mania always has a few, it is a safe bet that something unexpected will happen tonight.
Mixed Tag Team Challenge concludes
As expected, The Miz and Asuka won the Mixed Tag Team Challenge when they defeated Roode and Flair. Look for the format to return again, most likely heading into Mania again next year.
On this date:
In 2003, Cena pinned The Undertaker in a tournament match where the tournament winner would earn a WWE title shot.
Could we see a rematch tonight, 15 years to the day?
Email questions/comments to Bill at powerhousehughes@gmail.com or tweet them to me @BillHughes_III