CESARO vs. SETH ROLLINS

Mike Killam (@mikekillam): I have no illusions that after nine years Cesaro is going to have this incredible WrestleMania match and WWE will suddenly start booking him like they should have been for nearly a decade. BUT that being said, this should still be a great match. I’m going to take Cesaro to win because this feels like the kind of WrestleMania match they run back a few times at subsequent PPVs, and it’s far easier to book the babyface going over first.

dougEwrestling (@dougEwrestling): This might be the match I’m looking forward to most since people will finally see what Cesaro is capable of and on the grandest stage of them all. One can only hope that this is the point that we can look back and sat “THAT was the breakout moment for Cesaro.” Also, Seth is no slouch and we know that WrestleMania is his play place to show off his skills.

Matthew Wilkinson (@mc_wilkinson1): It is great to see Cesaro finally getting a featured singles match at WrestleMania, which is something he has deserved for years. WWE has done a good job in building this match and considering the talent of both men, this has the chance to be a true show-stealer. Seth Rollins is someone who doesn’t need the victory right now, and a win would only keep Cesaro’s momentum going, which is what should happen.

Colby Applegate (@colbyappleg8):  I’ve been a proud member of the #CesaroSection since the guy joined WWE, and I still cannot believe he’s actually getting a singles match at WrestleMania that has a story behind it. I guess we can thank a two-night WrestleMania for that? To make it even better, Seth Rollins is another one of my all-time faves. (Judge me.) So, to see these two mixing it up at WrestleMania is a dream come true. With that said, I don’t think Cesaro came this far to only come this far. The Swiss Superman needs a huge win to keep this momentum going. Rollins is at a point in his career where this kind of loss won’t hurt him in the long run, especially with the gimmick he has right now. Cesaro for the win.

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STEEL CAGE MATCH
BRAUN STROWMAN vs. SHANE MCMAHON

dougEwrestling: LOL

Mike Killam: Good point, Doug.

Matthew Wilkinson: Nobody is interested in this match, but it will no doubt feature some form of ridiculous spot and bump from Shane McMahon that will have people talking. There’s no doubt about who should be taking the victory here, and that’s Braun Strowman and hopefully then we can all move on from this one.

Colby Applegate: A “brains vs. Braun” story that not a single soul asked for. The opposite of a dream match. Braun should still be a heel, yet here we are. The only possible saving grace to this is that we hopefully get to watch Shane be rag-dolled around a steel cage for ten minutes. If this match isn’t being done to keep Strowman relevant, then what are we doing here? Braun over brains here.

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THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON vs. BAD BUNNY & DAMIAN PRIEST

Mike Killam: The tag match was always the plan. I’m not sure what changed, or if anything changed, but this was always the plan from the beginning. Perhaps there was a COVID scare or something else took Priest off TV for a few weeks. Perhaps they just saw Bad Bunny doing well and wanted to give him a few weeks to go out on his own and make a statement. I honestly think he’s done great for himself. He’s clearly taking the role seriously, and working really hard to make sure fans aren’t disappointed. I also just don’t understand the hate WWE fans have for Bad Bunny to begin with. The “WHO?” or “nobody knows who this guy is” comments in every article and social media thread really expose how much hardcore wrestling fans are caught up in their own bubble. It’s kind of scary. Personally as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a big fan of hip hop, there’s a lot of awkward latent homophobia in the industry and Bad Bunny is one of the rare gems who constantly uses his platform to stand up against it. How can you not support the guy?

dougEwrestling: I’m curious why this went last minute from a singles match to a tag. Was it because they don’t have the confidence they thought they would in Bad Bunny? Either way, my hope is that coming out of this Damian Priest comes out looking strong,

Matthew Wilkinson: When it comes to celebrity matches at WrestleMania, it’s usually a safe bet to back them. The real question is how the quality of the match goes, but so far everything Bad Bunny has done with WWE has been great, which is a good sign. I’m glad this became a tag team match because it will protect him and Damian Priest deserves his shot, and he and Bad Bunny should be scoring the victory here.

Colby Applegate: Somehow this has become one of the most consistent stories with the build starting at Royal Rumble. It sounds like Bad Bunny has been dedicated in training for his in-ring debut, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he pulls off. WrestleMania is about feel-good moments, so it’s probably best the celebrity wins here by any means necessary.

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RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
NEW DAY (c) vs. AJ STYLES & OMOS

Mike Killam: I’m going to make this point again really soon so I want you to remember I said it here first — WWE does not care about tag team wrestling. Alright cool. I’m taking AJ Styles and Omos to win here because I don’t want to spend another second putting thought into something WWE won’t put thought into themselves. I’m sure my colleagues will hit on all the other important “why is AJ Styles being used like this?” and “why did they break up the Hurt Business” takes.

dougEwrestling: I don’t get why this is happening and can’t help but feel like they’re wasting Styles this year. The guy is still phenomenal, but let’s face its the guy is no spring chicken. There are plenty of people on the roster that aren’t booked that could benefit from a marquee match with Styles. Still, Omos could knock it out of the park, and I hope he does. I’ll take the New Day to pick up the victory here.

Matthew Wilkinson: On paper, this is quite a random match, but it’s one that a lot of people are looking forward to. A lot of that is down to how Omos has been booked by WWE, having shown glimpses of his amazing strength, people are excited for his in-ring debut at The Grandest Stage Of Them All. He and AJ Styles are entertaining together, and giving them a run as a dominant pair of Tag Team Champions could be fun.

Colby Applegate: This one came out of left field, but it works. AJ Styles will be able to work magic with Kofi and Woods, while the world will be anticipating Omos’ first tag into the match. I’m one of the few who can say I’ve seen Omos work in the ring at several NXT house shows, and I imagine he’s only improved in that year since. New Day set up a simple story of AJ and Omos not being a “real” tag team, which will likely be incorporated into the ring work come bell time. I’ll have no problem with AJ and Omos getting their first tag titles. In fact, since my Night 1 predictions seem to be babyface-heavy, I’m going to go with the heels on this one. New champs at Mania. Let’s see what they can do over the next few months.

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TAG TEAM TURMOIL #1 CONTENDER’S MATCH
DANA BROOKE & MANDY ROSE vs. LANA & NAOMI vs. NATALYA & TAMINA vs. THE RIOTT SQUAD vs. BILLIE KAY & CARMELLA

Mike Killam: There is one actual tag team in this entire flock, and that’s precisely why I find it incredibly difficult to care. Are you really telling me six months from now the smart money is on anyone but the Riott Squad still being together? Half these people have teamed with someone else in the match before, because WWE — and I cannot stress this point enough — does not, and has never cared about tag team wrestling. Based on the go-home Smackdown it should be Natalya and Tamina advancing, so that’s my actual prediction. I’ll be rooting for the Riott Squad, and maybe Dana/Mandy. They’re another makeshift team, but I don’t hate their dynamic and want both to finally succeed.

dougEwrestling: Anyone but Natalya and Tamina. Please.

Matthew Wilkinson: Considering the fact that the winner gets a Women’s Tag Team Championship shot the next night, against the heel champions, WWE really should be pushing a babyface team to win here. There’s a lack of real storyline to make people care about this situation, but this would be the right time to finally strap the gold onto The Riott Squad, so a win here would help that journey.

Colby Applegate: I’m very happy to see the women’s tag division get this spotlight. One of the main problems, though, is that Shayna and Nia have beaten three of these teams already. That leaves Natalya & Tamina and Carmella & Billie. I’d love to see Riott Squad finally get their moment. I’m going to be rooting for them, but I’m going to have to pick Naomi and Lana.

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WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
BOBBY LASHLEY (c) vs. DREW MCINTYRE

Mike Killam: I still don’t fully understand why they didn’t just let Drew McIntyre continue his excellent run as champion and build Bobby Lashley into a strong contender heading into a big match at WrestleMania. I could certainly have done without The Miz and his Money in the Bank shenanigans in the build-up. To me this feels like WWE getting the title off McIntyre just to put it back on him again, since he never got his real crowning moment in front of fans in 2020. The problem is they f–ked around and accidentally made Bobby Lashley into the star he should have been a decade ago, so people may be far less responsive to the quick turnaround here. Not that it matters, they’ll be back in the Thunderdome within 24 hours and can once again do whatever they want.

dougEwrestling: I’m torn on this one. Drew is one of my favorite wrestlers on any roster, but I’ve been waiting for Lashley to realize this moment for so long, and he really deserves it. Then again, Drew deserves the moment that he didn’t get last year in front of the fans. So could they really just have used Lashley as an experiment to get the belt back onto Drew just to have that moment? I hope not. If Drew does lose, please make it because of some amazing debut. Otherwise, I’m picking Drew here, but hoping the feud continues, for Lashley’s sake.

Matthew Wilkinson: Don’t expect a technical classic here, this one is going to be a fight. Both men really excel when they can be as physical as possible and push their opponents as far as possible, and that’s what they will do here in what should be a great match. Bobby Lashley deserves a longer run with the title, but this feels like WWE giving Drew the moment he should have had last year.

Colby Applegate: The road to get here wasn’t without complications. However, I hope what they offer in the ring helps us to forget the bumps along the way. I firmly believe this one should open the show. Imagine the pop Drew McIntyre will get as the first entrance in front of a stadium in over a year. It just makes sense. Bobby Lashley has finally become the All Mighty we knew he could be after years of dominating outside WWE. This should be his moment to prove he’s the new face of Monday Night Raw, but I fear the booking trend. It seems like WWE wants McIntyre to win the big one again, but this time in front of a real audience. I wouldn’t be opposed to Drew taking the title back for a short time if it means Lashley gets it back real soon. I’m rooting for Lashley, but I’m picking McIntyre.

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SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
SASHA BANKS (c) vs. BIANCA BELAIR

Mike Killam: Like everything else on the card this year the main event feels tremendously understated. I’ll still show up to see two great performers make history in what should be a great wrestling match, but I do wish that match had some real heat to it. Banks’ title run was much hotter coming off the initial feud with Bayley at the end of 2020, but then WWE spent four months interweaving a random dude named Reginald into every women’s program in the company. Oh well. Here we are. I’m taking Bianca Belair to win because, as we’ve quickly learned, betting against the B-EST has proven a very stupid idea.

dougEwrestling: We are getting two amazing talents who are going to tell a hell of a story. Personally, I think it’s too early for Bianca to win here, and Sasha retains. They need to build her more to be able to sell me as carrying the championship for a long period of time. If this match took place at Summerslam it would be a different story. For now, have Bianca put on a show to show she belongs, and then take the road back to the title later on.

Matthew Wilkinson: This match might not have had the booking that it deserved, but that doesn’t mean that the in-ring quality won’t be great. These are two of the absolute best wrestlers on the planet, and putting them together in singles competition should lead to an unforgettable contest. Sasha Banks has had a solid run as champion so far, but this feels like the right time for a switch, giving Bianca Belair her star-making moment.

Colby Applegate: Like Rollins/Cesaro, I’m still in awe that we’re getting a real dream match at WrestleMania. Sure, it sucks that WWE screwed up the build big time. But we’re getting it. It’s happening! Let’s just hope it closes out the night as it rightfully deserves to. Beyond that, though, I’m struggling to decide who should win. Bianca has become the rising star we all knew she could be. There’s really no reason not to go all the way with the push. Give her her first title and make history. On the flip side, Sasha’s never won at WrestleMania. Will another loss hurt her? While I want her to have her WrestleMania moment, I know that if Belair doesn’t get it now, WWE may not come back to it. It’s time. Bianca is ready.