For wrestling fans, the first week of April is typically an annual highlight. The entire week is a bonanza of independent wrestling events and it's all capped on Sunday with the show that started it all: WrestleMania.
WWE's biggest pay-per-view of the year should have been at the Buccaneers' home stadium in Tampa, Florida, live in front of over 70,000 fans from across the globe. Instead, because of COVID-19, it will be a stripped-down affair, without a live audience, at the WWE Performance Center. In fact, it's already been taped, and will air on the WWE Network over two nights: Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5 at 7 p.m. EST.
It may not feel like WrestleMania week, even though it is. But fanfare or not, there are some high-stakes, marquee matches happening this weekend. Here is Complex's analysis and predictions on who should win and lose at WrestleMania 36.
Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE Championship)
Who Should Win: Drew McIntyre
Who Will Win: Drew McIntyre
The 2020 Royal Rumble winner, Drew McIntyre, will win the WWE Championship from Lesnar after a hard-fought contest. McIntyre is rare, in that he has the same frightening combination of speed and strength that Lesnar does. It's unfortunate that his crowning moment has to happen at a time like this, but better that it happen now than not happen at all.
Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns (WWE Universal Championship)
Who Should Win: Braun Strowman
Who Will Win: Braun Strowman
This is an official match in name only; it's been widely reported, and confirmed by Reigns himself, that he will not be competing at Wrestlemania this year, even though the change has yet to be officially announced. That leaves Goldberg to fight someone else this weekend. And the leading rumor is that he will be wrestling Braun Strowman instead.
If true, a Strowman win would be a great way to get the Monster Among Men back on track. He's gone from being an unstoppable force of nature who tips over trucks to a midcarder who gets put in handicap matches against Sami Zayn. Plus, it would make no sense for Goldberg to win; fans have had enough of part-time champions, and Goldberg is 53 years old. It's time to give someone new a chance.
The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles (Boneyard Match)
Who Should Win: AJ Styles
Who Will Win: The Undertaker
Five years ago, I wrote an editorial that the Undertaker should retire—that his deterioration as an in-ring performer puts both himself and his opponent at risk. My opinion on this has not changed. The Undertaker continues to be a shadow of his former self; AJ Styles is making the same point in his promos leading up to this match, and sadly, he's right. That WWE continues to use an old picture of Undertaker in their recent promotional materials is telling.
AJ Styles should be the one to retire Undertaker for good. But if Undertaker didn't retire in 2018, when he laid his hat and trenchcoat in the ring, there's no reason to believe he'd retire now in front of zero fans. Expect a safe match with a heroic comeback and a Tombstone Piledriver to finish things off. Again. Moving on.
John Cena vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (Firefly Funhouse Match)
Who Should Win: Bray Wyatt
Who Will Win: Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt has never won at WrestleMania. His first loss was against John Cena at WrestleMania XXX—a match that in hindsight, many fans felt Wyatt should have won. But assuming Cena isn't back for a full-time stint, their match at WrestleMania 36 will be the time to fully make up for that earlier error. Wyatt lost a lot of momentum when he lost the Universal title to Goldberg in February 2020. By beating Cena and making him pass out with the Mandible Claw, Wyatt can regain some of his initial hype.
Edge vs. Randy Orton (Last Man Standing Match)
Who Should Win: Edge
Who Will Win: Edge
It's the comeback story we never thought would happen. Edge is back in action after a devastating neck injury nearly cost him his career. His first singles opponent will be Randy Orton, who's been using his shared history with the Rated-R Superstar to inject some emotion into this feud.
There is no conceivable way that Edge will lose this. WWE is constantly fighting off claims they do not take care of their athletes; an Edge loss would only confirm people's worst perceptions. An Edge win is the closest thing on this card to a guaranteed outcome.
Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler (Raw Women's Championship)
Who Should Win: Shayna Baszler
Who Will Win: Becky Lynch
Two months ago, this would have easily been a Baszler win. Shayna is a scary, intimidating competitor—possibly the most fearsome female competitor in NXT history. Becky has held the Raw Women's Championship for a full year; surely, Baszler would put an end to that. But the build to this feud has been awkward. There was that weird bite to Becky's neck. And Shayna's handful of main roster matches—particularly the one with long-time rival Kairi Sane, have been lackluster.
We know Shayna has charisma and presence. But she hasn't been showing them recently. And it's entirely conceivable that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon will go with Becky Lynch instead, since she's a proven champion and commodity.
Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina vs. Naomi (Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match for the Smackdown Women's Championship)
Who Should Win: Sasha Banks
Who Will Win: Naomi
If Sasha Banks wins this, we might finally get what we've wanted since 2015: a one-on-one personal feud between Banks and Bayley. These two have some of the best in-ring chemistry in WWE; their match at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, remains one of the greatest matches of all time.
In spite of this, Naomi is the odds-on favorite for this match. Her return at the Rumble was warmly received, and she has a positive attitude that makes her a classic babyface, Since both Banks and Bayley are heels, they might actually prevent each other from winning while Naomi simply stays back and picks her spot.
Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair (NXT Women's Championship)
Who Should Win: Rhea Repley
Who Will Win: Rhea Ripley
Ripley is the only reason why this match exists in the first place. Charlotte main-evented WrestleMania last year with Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey. She won the Royal Rumble in 2020. She doesn't need the NXT Women's Championship at this point in her career, whereas Rhea, who is an NXT Superstar and lacks mainstream exposure, does. Rhea Ripley will win this match with a great-back-and forth.Charlotte won't be hurt with a rare loss to an up-and-comer.
Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins
Who Should Win: Kevin Owens
Who Will Win: Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens has recently been filling the role of working class superhero like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin did; he's even adopted the Texas Rattlesnake's signature Stone Cold Stunner. And Rollins, meanwhile, is building a cult of personality around himself, with echoes of CM Punk's "Straight Edge Society" from 2010. WrestleMania is the place where these evil stables and factions break up—where all of the heel's carefully laid plans go belly-up. Expect Owens to win, and expect this match to be the sleeper hit of the evening. These two can wrestle like one else.
The Street Profits vs. Austin Theory & Angel Garza (Raw Tag Team Championship)
Who Should Win: The Street Profits
Who Will Win: The Street Profits
Even on the worst WWE shows, the Street Profit's genial, laid-back charisma is greatly appreciated. They've shown themselves to be both excellent workers and excellent talkers. They're going to retain their titles at WrestleMania in a walk. That Angel Garza is the final-hour replacement for Andrade solidifies things further; likely, WWE will probably not be giving the tag titles to an unestablished team at the last minute.
Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley
Who Should Win: Aleister Black
Who Will Win: Aleister Black.
He's been cutting spooky promos for months. His Black Mass kick is one of the most over finishing moves in WWE. Bobby Lashley will make it hard for him, but Aleister Black will win this match and set himself up for a title feud after WrestleMania.
Elias vs. King Corbin
Who Should Win: King Corbin
Who Will Win: King Corbin
This is nearly a dead-heat tie, in terms of likely winner. But ultimately, King Corbin, who's one of the most underrated heels on the roster, will walk away with the win. The fans love Elias, but not as much as they hate Corbin. And Elias' singer/songwriter gimmick is funny, but it peaked a year-and-a-half ago.
Sami Zayn vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Who Should Win: Daniel Bryan
Who Will Win: Daniel Bryan
Once upon a time, this would have been an indie meets WWE match made in heaven. Zayn vs. Bryan. El Generico versus the American Dragon, But time, age, and poor booking have colluded to take all the wind out of this one. In the time they've been in WWE, Bryan has reached the pinnacle of his industry quicker than Zayn. Bryan will clinch this match and the Intercontinental Championship, even with Zayn's backup posse (like Shinsuke Nakamura, skulking around ringside. It'll only feed into Bryan's underdog status.
The Miz & John Morrison vs. The Usos vs. The New Day (Triple Threat Ladder Match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
Who Should Win: The New Day
Who Will Win: The Usos
According to well-sourced rumors, the Miz will also not be competing in WrestleMania this year. That means that Miz and Morrison will almost definitely drop the titles. But to whom? Most likely, it'll be the Usos, who are extremely reliable, crowd-pleasing wrestlers with an arsenal of high flying maneuvers. The New Day probably won't be back as champs until their mouthpiece, Xavier Woods, is healthy and traveling with them again.
The Kabuki Warriors vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (WWE Women's Tag Team Championship)
Who Should Win: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
Who Will Win: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
The Kabuki Warriors have barely defended the titles during their reigns. But that's not entirely their fault—the entire women's tag team vision is a mess, largely consisting of teams of singles competitors with not enough to do. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, however, clearly have a chemistry that goes beyond wrestling. Plus, we're looking forward to seeing a crazy, post-match Nikki Cross, celebrating wildly in the ring, after emerging victorious.
Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler
Who Should Win: Otis
Who Will Win: Dolph Ziggler
Thanks to Dolph Ziggler, Mandy Rose broke Otis' heart. Will Ziggler pay for his behavior at WrestleMania, or will Otis be debased further? It's possible that WWE will split the difference on this one. Otis may lose the match, but he'll embarrass Ziggler in some significant manner, and thus, win a moral victory to salve his literal wounds.
