Martytholath posted another Botched Spot fan strip about Bret Hart’s Hall of Fame attacker! Check it and more of his work out on his Deviant Art page!
The Show of Shows is here! It’s the biggest Sunday of the year in sports entertainment, and there are fifteen matches to get through. Fifteen! And that doesn’t even include anything they might throw in with Elias or Cena. When I started watching wrestling I’d get upset if my favorite wrestlers were on early in the card- now I’m hoping they are because I know I’ll be wiped by the last half of Wrestlemania. Anyway, let’s see what we’re in for with these predictions!
Women’s Battle Royal
I could see WWE giving the win to Asuka after she was dropped from the World Title picture only a couple of weeks before Wrestlemania. If nothing else it might quell “Asuka” chants during the show.
Who will win: Asuka
The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Braun’s the only one building this match, so he’s the one I’m going with.
Who will win: Braun Strowman
Buddy Murphy vs. Tony Nese for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Last time I saw Tony Nese the only way he could stand out was by counting his abs, so I’m guessing he’s made some huge strides in 205 Live to get to a Wrestlemania title match. I’m picking him to win just because Murphy’s held the title for so long.
Who will win: Tony Nese
AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton
This feud is only about a month old, but I’ve loved it the whole time. Randy and AJ’s promos have been great so far by riding the kayfabe line without actually breaking it. This is one of the matches I’m looking forward to the most, despite it not being for any title and the winner not really mattering. I’m picking Orton to win, but I think AJ has just as much of a shot at it.
Who will win: Randy Orton
Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre
I like Drew and I wish WWE had the time and energy to make this match bigger, but on a card with fifteen matches it feels like a filler feud for Roman until he can fight for the world title again.
Who will win: Roman Reigns
Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin
Kurt’s in bad shape, so I’m guessing he’s going to beat Corbin in about 20 seconds flat.
Who will win: Kurt Angle
Shane McMahon vs. The Miz
This match is going to be a trainwreck, but I’m definitely looking forward to it. Shane’s matches are only as good as whatever he falls from, but with the “falls count anywhere” stipulation I’m sure they’ll find something high enough to earn it at least a couple of stars. I’m guessing Miz will win and Shane will be a face again by Summerslam.
Who will win: The Miz
Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio for the US Championship
Joe and Rey have both been great, and while I would’ve loved to see Joe face Cena and Rey face Andrade at Wrestlemania, these two men will still have an amazing match together. I think Joe’s going to win and I hope he holds onto the championship for a long time.
Who will win: Samoa Joe
The Demon Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley for the Intercontinental Championship
I love Finn, but damn did he look goofy sticking his tongue out on Raw last Monday night. It’s been a while since we’ve seen his Demon side, but I’m guessing he’s still unbeatable. To be honest, between the title hopping on and off of these two men and Lio Rush being in and out as Bobby’s manager, this match feels like it doesn’t matter at all. I could easily see them switching the title back the next night.
Who will win: The Demon Finn Balor
The Boss and Hug Connection vs. The Divas of Doom vs. The IIconics vs. Nia and Tamina for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
Beth Phoenix has been awesome since her return. Just awesome. I’m not saying I think she’ll win, but if she did I’d have no problem with it. I think Sasha and Bayley are most likely to win, but I could see WWE giving the Divas of Doom a fun little nostalgia run. As for the other two teams, I think the IIconics need to get a bit better in the ring before holding the belts and I think Nia’s still destined to be a single’s star.
Who will win: The Boss and Hug Connection
The Usos vs. Aleister Black and Ricochet vs. The Bar vs Rusev and Nakamura
This match was just kind of thrown together, so I have a hard time imagining the Usos losing here. The Bar and Rusev and Nakamura have been an afterthought for a while, so I don’t think they’re winning and I suspect Black and Ricochet will be split up after the Superstar shakeup.
Who will win: The Usos
Triple H vs. Batista
I love that this whole match is built around a huge, successful movie star being obsessed with Triple H. That’s like the most Triple H feud ever. The build up for this match has been simple and effective, but not enough to make up for a lackluster match if they give it to us. I like big Dave and I hope he delivers, but even when he was active he wasn’t lighting that ring on fire. The whole feud started with Batista calling out Triple H for never beating him, so I’m picking Hunter to win (also HHH’s job is on the line).
Who will win: Triple H
Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
I want Kofi to win and I think he’ll win, so I’m picking Kofi to win. The only reason I think Bryan might retain is because of his sweet hemp championship, but he’s had it for a while now, so it might be okay to have Kofi bring back the leather belt. I’m terrified though that Big E or Xavier will turn on Kofi the next night on Smackdown. You know how Vince’s mind works.
Who will win: Kofi Kingston
Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship
Before Roman came back I was sure Seth was winning. Now I’m sure Seth is losing. The idea of Roman getting cheered while facing Brock Lesnar is just too tempting for Vince to turn down.
Who will win: Brock Lesnar
Ronda Rousey vs. Becky vs. Charlotte for the WWE Women’s Championships
It’s got to be Becky. It has to be. I don’t think WWE would have put this much effort (too much effort) into this storyline just to have Becky lose. The match will probably end with Becky tapping out Charlotte so Ronda can go leave and not have a family while staying undefeated.
Who will win: Becky Lynch
Well I’m tired just from writing out these predictions, so I can’t imagine how I’ll feel once the show ends with Becky holding the championships. I think maybe the Revival will defend against Ryder and Hawkins too? I don’t know. There aren’t any matches I’m dreading on the card though and I think most of them will be pretty good, which isn’t something I can say about most Wrestlemanias. Look, I’ll be happy as long as Kofi and Becky win, and that’s not too much to ask for, right?
We are fully entrenched in the Road to Wrestlemania, folks! All of the buildup! All of the intrigue! All of the angles starting and getting stretched out for another two months! While I know many deride the Elimination Chamber as another cheap steel cage knock off, I personally love the gimmick. It started in the early 2000’s, right when I started watching wrestling, and I bought into the hype of the chains and the pods and the timer in a way that I haven’t been able to shake since! Historically they’re not always the best matches, but they’re memorable, right? Let’s get into these predictions!
Buddy Murphy vs. Akira Tozawa for the Cruiserweight Championship
I haven’t been keeping up with 205 Live, but I can’t imagine Murphy losing his title on this preshow when the Wrestlemania preshow is only a couple of months away.
Who will win: Buddy Murphy
The World’s Greatest Tag Team (Miz and Shane) vs. The Usos for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships
I don’t think the McMiz tag team are losing the titles here, and it’s not just because of Jimmy’s drunken incident with the cops. I’m guessing the end goal is to have Miz and Shane fight at Wrestlemania 35 and we’ll see the cracks starting to form in their relationship somewhere between now and when they lose the titles at Fastlane.
Who will win: Miz and Shane
Ronda Rousey vs. Ruby Riott for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship
You gotta feel bad for Ruby Riott. I’m sure she’s glad to get a title match and all, but WWE has made it painfully clear that she has no chance of winning. I mean they cut away from her match last Monday night to show Becky Lynch thinking about apologizing!
Who will win: Ronda Rousey
Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush vs. Finn Balor in a handicap match for the Intercontinental Championship
I think the only reason WWE would make this a handicap match is so Finn could pin Lio to win, so I’m predicting Balor to win the gold here. I think they’ll all wind up in a giant eight person ladder match for the title at Wrestlemania anyway.
Who will win: Finn Balor
Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin in a No Disqualification Match
It sure is nice having all of these fresh matches, isn’t it? Remember back when Baron Corbin was in charge and we saw the same crap week after week? I have no idea what this match is supposed to lead to, but we haven’t seen Drew McIntyre in a while, so I’m guessing he’ll return and help Baron Corbin win.
Who will win: Baron Corbin
Fire and Desire vs. The Boss and Hug Connection vs. The Riott Squad vs. The IIconics vs. Fabulous Glow vs. Nia and Tamina in The Women’s Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
This is a tough one to call. Sasha and Bayley are clearly the best fit to represent the new division, but with Sasha’s injury I have trouble imagining it happening. While I would like to predict a team winning that’s been together for more than two weeks, I think Naomi and Carmella have the best shot over everyone else, mostly because they’re babyfaces and almost all of the other women on both brands are heels.
Who will win: Fabulous Glow
Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. Samoa Joe vs. Kofi Kingston in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
This is going to be an awesome match with a lot of great talent in it, but I just don’t think WWE would’ve made a whole new belt for Bryan only to take it away a month later. After Kofi’s performance on Smackdown I hope he’s positioned as the one to face Bryan at Mania though, because it would be a great new face in the World Title picture and it would also be good for the New Day to conquer another division.
Who will win: Daniel Bryan
After going through the card I have to say it looks… short. The Royal Rumble was roughly about 10 hours long, so it will be nice if they keep the show to this short length. I don’t see many matches that look like they’ll be good, but I’ll at least be excited for the Chamber matches and to see if Becky shows up anywhere.
