Predicting The Wrestlemania 35 Card

Written By Ben Hercik

It’s the show of shows, the greatest spectacle of sports entertainment, the grandest stage of them all, WRESTLEMANIA!...... It’s been rather lackluster the past few years hasn’t it? This is when we are supposed to get the biggest matches in WWE, the ones they have been building up for a whole year, yet they never seem to get to this point do they? WWE has a tendency to pull the trigger on something special either to early or to late recently. Remember when Rusev Day was the number one thing for a long time on Smackdown in late 2017? Rusev is just now getting to have the biggest match of his career. That being said, lets say WWE does try to build up some rivalries to the point people can invest in them up to Wrestlemania. These are my predictions on the card, but I guarantee that half of these will be wrong. I have no Triple H match, no John Cena match, and no Undertaker match simply because I can’t see them facing anyone that people could really invest in them. And looking at the card, I don’t have Miz on there simply because I can not think of any good matchup for him on the show. Also, as I stated in my Wrestle Kingdom 13 predictions article, I do think The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega will be in WWE by this point, yet I am leaving them off the card for now. Finally, there is no Brock Lesnar anywhere near this card, as he will be back in UFC at this time.

KICK OFF: Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

This thing has become something most fans don’t look forward to, but it's something I’ve come to enjoy. You get to see good performances from some wrestlers that you wouldn't get to see otherwise, like Tye Dillinger and Goldust being in the final 6 or 7 guys at this past Wrestlemania. As far as winners, that gets a little tough. Almost all of the big names are on the main card here, but there are the likes of Dillinger on here, and since I am a big Tye Dillinger fan, him winning makes the most sense to me here.


WINNER: Tye Dillinger

KICK OFF: Women’s Battle Royal

The Women’s Battle Royal was a great concept, and I think it being a staple would be great for years. Not only would it mean that every member of the main roster gets that Wrestlemania payday, but also that some NXT wrestlers get to be on the Wrestlemania show. The front runners for this are obviously Becky Lynch, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, and Nia Jax, as you will see later in the card, none of them will be champions. However, I’m willing to go outside the box, and predict that a NXT Woman will win it. I am torn between 2 women, Toni Storm and Io Shirai. Both are signed to WWE contracts, but the question is whether either will be in the match. After thinking about it, I will take Io Shirai simply because I can see Toni beating her in the Mae Young
Classic 2 to help promote NXTUK, and that way Io can get her win back, technically.


WINNER: Io Shirai

Tomasso Ciampa Vs. Johnny Gargano (3 Stages Of Hell)

Now here is where I’m willing to get a bit crazy with the booking. The Gargano vs Ciampa feud is to big to stay in NXT for its entirety. These 2 should be called up and I think that Smackdown would thrive with both, and after the feud, Ciampa moves to Raw. But I am getting ahead of myself here. This feud shouldn’t just end in a bog standard singles match to start the show, this feud needs a 3 stages of hell to finish it off. Now the reason I say it should kick off the show is so WWE can do something interesting. The first stage should be No Disqualifications, and just let these 2 go at it. After a while, Ciampa gets a sneaky roll up win for the first point. Then stage 2 is a Falls Count Anywhere match. The two brawl around ringside and eventually go to the backstage area and continue to fight. While they are fighting, the show continues and we go to the next match on the card. Later in the show, they show Gargano winning the second fall and leads to the third fall which is Last Man Standing. As the show continues, the two eventually brawl back to the ring where Gargano gets the third fall and ends the Gargano vs Ciampa saga.


WINNER: Johnny Gargano

Elias Vs. Jinder Mahal Vs. Matt Hardy Vs. Kevin Owens Vs. Either Sami Zayn or Mojo Rawley Vs. Dolph Ziggler Vs. Drew McIntyre (c) (Ladder match; Intercontinental Championship)

Wrestlemania needs tradition and it starts here. Two Wrestlemanias in a row, 31 and 32 we got multi man ladder matches for the Intercontinental Championship. Wrestlemania 33 had Ambrose vs Corbin stuck on the pre-show while Wrestlemania 34 had Rollins vs Balor vs Miz as the opener and it was good, but damn if I don’t love traditions in wrestling. Now this would get multiple deserving names on the show and make many fans happy. The wildcard is Sami Zayn as he is recovering from double rotator cuff surgery, and if he is out still by Wrestlemania 35, then Mojo Rawley would fit into that slot instead. If Sami is in the match then he would be my pick to win the title. But let's assume for now that he isn’t, so who would be the safest bet then? To me all 6 men are worthy of an Intercontinental title reign, sorry Jinder and Mojo. To me, Owens, Roode, McIntyre (who I think takes the title from Dolph), and Ziggler are all phenomenal wrestlers and I am a fan of all of them, this match comes down to Elias and Matt Hardy. It is hard to believe in his 26 year career that Matt Hardy has never had an Intercontinental Championship run. I think Elias is also an amazing wrestler and has shined in his first year on the main roster. It is tough for me to pick between these 2, but I think that Matt gets the win on this night, but Elias will get a championship run sometime soon.


WINNER: Matt Hardy (NEW CHAMPION)

Braun Strowman Vs. Bobby Lashley

Unfortunately, no Nicholas at Wrestlemania 35 prediction. Braun needs a singles match at Wrestlemania, especially since he may be Universal champion until Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber. Also in his first Wrestlemania back, it’s safe to assume that Bobby Lashley will be on the main card. The story can be of two large men just wanting to beat the crap out of each other. It would be a great change of pace from traditional wrestling matches. You go from five Indy darling wrestlers to two homegrown WWE Talents. This would be Lashley’s first Wrestlemania since Mania 23, so they would probably market it as such. The issue is that Braun is booked as a monster currently. And with nothing to throw Lashley off of, its hard to not to pick Braun in any type of match-up at Wrestlemania.


WINNER: Braun Strowman

Randy Orton Vs. AJ Styles

How has this match not happened yet? Both men have been on Smackdown for two years. TWO FREAKING YEARS! And they have never locked up in the ring. This is a dream match waiting to happen and we need to see this match soon. It can become a personal rivalry, much like Orton vs Triple H from Wrestlemania 25. These two are very good and deserve to get a rivalry before both men hang up their boots for good, as both are in their 40’s and are closer to the end of their careers instead of the beginnings. Also, after Smackdown on Tuesday, many can see this feud being a championship feud, but I think if this feud is booked correctly, it could be big enough that it doesn’t need the title I see them having a very good match as their styles clash rather well. Randy is a very technical and methodical while Styles is hard hitting and fast. Looking at this match and trying to pick a winner is hard as it is tough to imagine either man eating the lose. Basing this decision on solely my own personal favorite wrestlers, I will take AJ as he seems to be on the road to being on a winning streak for Wrestlemania and Vince seems to be high on AJ thanks to his title run.


WINNER: AJ Styles

Buddy Murphy (C) Vs. Lio Rush (Cruiserweight Championship)

Last year before Wrestlemania, they held a tournament to determine who would face off at Wrestlemania to determine who would be the next Cruiserweight Champion. That match produced a classic between Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali. Well, let's hold another tournament between all the wrestlers who are not champion, where the winner gets a championship match at Wrestlemania. Let me address the champion. I think Buddy Murphy will be champion before the wrestling year, which is Wrestlemania to Wrestlemania, is out. He stood out in the past years tournament and deserves a title run. At some point the Cruiserweights will get back on the Pay-Per-Views, and I think it will be before Elimination Chamber where we could see the first Cruiserweight Elimination Chamber match. Murphy wins the title there and Lio Rush wins the tournament, thus setting up the Wrestlemania match. WWE should just let these guys go crazy and have at it for about 20 minutes, where these guys move with the pace of the Junior Heavyweights in NJPW, which if you don’t know this is a very fast paced and breathtaking moves. The winner should be Lio as they are building him up as a future face of the division, so the smart idea would be to crown him champion at the biggest stage possible.


WINNER: Lio Rush (NEW CHAMPION)

The Revival (C) Vs. The Authors Of Pain (RAW Tag Team Championships)

No this isn’t NXT booking, and yes I am not crazy. This looks like the plan for the time being as we continue to see Revival watching on when the Tag Team Champions are competing. The Authors of Pain have been booked to look unstoppable since returning from fixing a Visa issue. I have swapped on who would be the champions heading into the event. I eventually settled on The Revival simply because they seem to be the next in line for a title opportunity and I don’t see The B-Team having a lengthy title run. This will lead to Revival having a long title run, simply because of how their is a distinct lack of good tag teams on Raw. Outside of Revival and AOP, their is Breezango and The B-Team, both of which are super underrated. I see this being a very fan hyped match as we both know what both teams are capable of if they are given the time. I see Authors of Pain winning here as Revival are on the move to Smackdown, and it surprised me that they didn’t move last year. Plus Authors of Pain are maybe the best big men in WWE, from a pure wrestling stand point.


WINNER: Authors of Pain (NEW CHAMPIONS)

The Usos (C) Vs. Sheamus & Cesaro (Smackdown Tag Team Championships)

I’ve been back and forth on this one ever since coming up with this article idea. As compared to Raw, the Smackdown Tag Team division is stacked. The Usos, Gallows & Anderson, The Bar, New Day, Sanity, and Bludgeon Brothers are all deserving of a title run at some point in the near future, but let’s not run a tag team gauntlet match at Wrestlemania since the show is still going to be at least 6 hours long. I settled on Usos vs Bar with Usos as champions simply because I think the Bludgeon Brothers won’t have a year long reign. Sanity may take the titles off of them here soon and then The Usos get the titles back. The matchup with The Bar serves 2 purposes. One is we get to see The Bar vs The Usos again after a good matchup after Survivor Series last year, and two, we can see the end of the Bar. I have had this thought for a while now, since Sheamus is dealing with early spinal stenosis, the same thing that ended Edge’s career. They could use Sheamus ending his career as the motivation for finally going all in for Cesaro. This match would go to The Usos, as they are one of the best tag teams in the world, and they do deserve a win at Wrestlemania and deserve another lengthy run as Champions.


WINNERS: The Usos

Bayley (C) Vs. Sasha Banks (Smackdown Women’s Championship)

Now I know what your thinking, how the hell do we get here? Well it all would start at Summerslam. It is clear we are going to get Bayley vs Sasha Banks at Summerslam where the loser leaves Raw. If rumors are correct, the two would get ample time to put on another classic match like they did at Takeover: Brooklyn 1. I think Bayley will lose this matchup and go to Smackdown, when she is traded to Smackdown for someone in the main event of this predicted card. When she does go to Smackdown, Bayley will be immediately thrown into the title scene. Just imagine her vs Becky Lynch for the title, or even against another one of her friends, Carmella. I do see Bayley winning the title at some point relatively soon after she makes the transition. But how does Sasha play into this? It’s just 4 simple words, Women’s Royal Rumble Match. After Bayley’s move, I can see Sasha going into total heel mode, which fans have wanted to see since she came to the main roster. Sasha wins the Rumble match, and goes on to challenge Bayley for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. Picking this one is extremely hard as both women are just fantastic in the ring, but I would say that Sasha would be the slight favorite as I don’t think that the WWE would want to have the winner of the Women’s Royal Rumble Match to go 0-2 in challenging for the title.


WINNER: Sasha Banks (NEW CHAMPION)

Seth Rollins Vs. Dean Ambrose

This match writes itself. Dean is called the lunatic fringe, so it's time for him to finally act like it. Dean can blame Seth for losing the tag team titles, and blame him for not caring about Ambrose’s health and their brotherhood as he saw him move on to team with someone else. It is clear that this match is going to happen once Dean returns, but the question is when will it happen. The smart and safe bet is this match happening at Wrestlemania. WWE has issues with long term storytelling, but with the former Tyler Black and former John Moxley in a program, they can be counted on. Also the two already have amazing chemistry from the time when Seth went corporate and was with the authority. I see this match being 100 miles an hour for its entirety. When deciding a winner, it was honestly difficult. Dean Ambrose is winless in any Wrestlemania match that is not a tag team match that is on the main show (very specific I know). Seth has a Mania record of 2-1 with the sole lose being to Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 31. I think Dean finally gets that main show win that is eluding him, with Seth still looking strong in defeat.


WINNER: Dean Ambrose

Andrade “Cien” Almas (C) Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura Vs. Jeff Hardy Vs. Eric Young (United States Championship)

More tradition! The United States Championship is something that is tough to predict where it will be headed currently. Shinsuke just won the title, but how long is his reign going to be and who will he lose it to is my questions right now. Jeff Hardy, if healthy would slide into this match perfectly as he can see this as a title he never lost fairly, since Shinsuke attacked before the bell at Extreme Rules. Eric Young being here gets Sanity on the card, since they missed out on the Tag Team Championship match. I see Andrade having a fantastic career in WWE, and we get to start his Wrestlemania career here where he comes in as champion. Shinsuke is in this match simply because I couldn’t think of anywhere else for him to go on the card, but I feel like he would work well here as his style meshes well with the other 3 competitors. Deciding a winner here was easy for me. Almas needs to have momentum on his side going into this match as well as during and after this match as I see him moving into the main event scene and competing for the WWE Championship in the middle to the end of 2019. Los Ingobernables for life!


WINNER: Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas

Roman Reigns (C) Vs. Finn Balor (Universal Championship)

Okay, I know what your thinking, Roman as champion is something we don’t need for Wrestlemania. But here me out on this one. I think Roman is a good sports-entertainer, not a good wrestler. Plus finding a route to this match is simple. At Summerslam, Roman wins the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar, but then Strowman cashes in and takes the title from Roman. Braun then has a reign of terror as champion until the Royal Rumble where Roman wins the title. This leads to an Elimination Chamber Match with Roman, Strowman, and some other big names like Rollins and Lashley. Roman obviously comes out victorious, but while he is celebrating, the lights go out. All the fans think Undertaker is challenging Roman for the title, but instead the lights go up and behind Roman is the Demon King Finn Balor in full body paint. Finn brutally attacks Roman and destroys him. This sets up the match for Wrestlemania, as a returning, and more importantly heel Finn Balor challenges Roman Reigns for the title that he never lost. As mentioned above, I think Finn will take a bit of time off in the beginning of the year, so simply that way when he returns, he gets a big ovation. I am going to take a risk and say that Finn will win this match and once again be Universal Champion.


WINNER: Finn Balor (NEW CHAMPION)

”Constable” Baron Corbin Vs. Kurt Angle

This match may happen sooner than Wrestlemania, but since it would probably be for Kurt’s job, Wrestlemania makes more sense. I like Corbin but picking him against any good wrestler is nearly impossible. This would also be the end of the Constable Corbin angle, which is a shame as Corbin is good in this role. This seems to be a story for the long haul, but in the end, I fully expect Angle to get the win here.


WINNER: Kurt Angle

Samoa Joe (C) Vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship)

This all hinges on Bryan re-signing with WWE. I fully expect that he will and we can have this match which hasn’t happened since their Ring of Honor days. I see Samoa Joe taking the title from AJ at some point this summer. This would then allow Joe to have a reign of terror as WWE Champion. I also see Bryan winning the Royal Rumble Match to set up this match. This match could suffer from the issue of having the tagline of dream match like Styles vs Nakamura had for their Wrestlemania match. But knowing these two, and if not having the issue of time constraints, I see this being maybe the best match on the card. Now here’s the predicament for this match, card placement. If you watch a show like Wrestle Kingdom 12, you have 4 major matches to end the show, the Jr Heavyweight Championship, Intercontinental Championship, United States Championship, and Heavyweight Championship. The fans were into the 1st, 3rd, and 4th match, but were out of it for the 2nd match. What WWE should do is have this match go on third to last, and allow a bridge match in between so that way fans can recoup and chill out before the main event. The winner should be Bryan as it completes his return story and gives the fans that feel good moment for this Wrestlemania.


WINNER: Daniel Bryan (NEW CHAMPION)

Rusev Vs. Shane McMahon

Here is the aforementioned filler match. This match solely exists so that Rusev can get on the main card. It would be booked as Rusev being mad at management since he has not gotten another chance at the WWE Championship. Shane can take offense to this and challenge Rusev to a match. Knowing how these types of feuds go, you need someone to be nasty, so that would mean the end of wishing a happy Rusev Day, and saying that they will have a bad Rusev day. The winner would obviously be Rusev, as Shane has a bad track record at recent Wrestlemanias.


WINNER: Rusev

Charlotte Flair (C) Vs. Ronda Rousey (RAW Women’s Championship)

Who doesn’t love history? And with the way women’s wrestling has been evolving over the past handful of years, this match is the money match for the whole movement, at least for now. Nobody could predict how well Ronda Rousey would have been at first. I personally had hoped that Ronda would be at least semi-decent in the ring. She has blown every expectation out of the water. So much that I can confidently say that she would be a perfect fit to be in the main event of a Wrestlemania. As explained in the Bayley vs Sasha match explanation, Bayley will be traded to Smackdown and in trades, both sides get something from the other and Raw gets Charlotte Flair. I can see Charlotte taking the title from Sasha after Sasha takes the title from Alexa, but this time, Sasha has some successful title defenses. I see Charlotte winning the title before Survivor Series so we do in fact get Charlotte vs Becky at Survivor Series in the Raw vs Smackdown theme for the Pay Per View. Charlotte even retains the title at the Elimination Chamber, then Ronda challenges her after the match with her traditional sign point. Charlotte nods her head, and as Ronda turns to leave, Charlotte attacks her with the title, thus turning heel. Charlotte can run the feud as a heel while Ronda couldn’t foreseeably be a heel since fans just love her. When picking a winner, the answer to me is Ronda so they can say that her year long quest for the title has finally ended, and she is champion. Also, then you can capitalize on the hype of the Ronda fans from UFC and hopefully gain more fans for her.


WINNER: Ronda Rousey (NEW CHAMPION)