In addition to giving my predictions for what will
actually happen, I will give my opinions on what
should happen. Also, the order of matches below is the order that I predict will take place on the show. Here we go...
1) WWE Championship Match
CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho
Yes, I believe the WWE Title Match will start the show. With The Big 3 Matches for this show, WWE will want a hot crowd for each one, which means spreading those matches well apart from one another. Obviously, this match has the potential to steal the show, but it definitely will not be the most memorable. The key thing to remember about this match is that WWE will be in Punk's hometown of Chicago next month for "Extreme Rules," so does that mean Punk will walk into his hometown as the challenger or the champion?
What SHOULD happen: Jericho goes over to win his 7th world title, with Punk on the chase going into Extreme Rules where he recaptures the title in front of his hometown crowd and family. Sure, this strategy is a bit predictable, but it makes the most sense, in my eyes.
What WILL happen: Punk goes over clean, and defeats Jericho again in the rematch next month. Match will probably be around 15 minutes.
2) Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny
I may be in the minority here, but I tend to like multi-man matches. This one, however, does not look too promising. More emphasis will likely be placed on comedy, as well as the non-wrestlers that will surely be at ringside (Johnny, Teddy, Aksana, Vicki, Hornswoggle). This match is not elimination rules, so I predict it will go fairly short. Has the potential to be entertaining, but will more likely be annoying.
What SHOULD happen: Team Johnny goes over, giving some spotlight to the likes of Dolph Ziggler, and getting rid of Teddy Long on SmackDown!, whose act has grown stale (he's been the GM of SmackDown! on & off since August of 2004).
What WILL happen: I believe Team Johnny will indeed secure the win, as they should. I see either Miz or Ziggler scoring the pinfall over probably Kofi or Zack Ryder. Match will likely be around 7 minutes.
3) Intercontinental Championship Match
Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show
I think this could actually be a pretty entertaining match. I think Big Show's latest run has been one of his best in years. He's leaner and seems to actually care these days. Cody gets better every time we see him. Most would say that Cody should leave with the belt here, but I actually disagree. Like giving Kane a world title run in 2010, Big Show deserves to be thrown a bone, and given a title he's never held before, the Intercontinental Title. Give Big Show his WrestleMania moment. The feud will likely extend to Extreme Rules and maybe beyond. In the end, this should be Cody's last feud in the mid-card.
What SHOULD happen: Big Show goes over, while Cody still looks good in the process for fighting with a giant.
What WILL happen: Tough to say. I could see it going either way, but I'll stick with Big Show for the actual win. Match will last around 8 minutes.
4) Kane vs. Randy Orton
Match should be decent. I actually see it as probably being pretty boring, now that I think about it. Rest holds galore, probably. Will be watchable, but other than the Divas match, probably the match I am least looking forward to, despite what Orton claims in interviews.
What SHOULD happen: Apart of me says to throw Kane a bone, since he just lost his feud to John Cena. Losing another match to Orton won't do him any favors in the long run. But then again, Orton's the bigger star and will probably be reentering the World Title picture post-'Mania. So, yeah, let's give Orton the win here.
What WILL happen: Orton wins with some sort of innovative RKO, after 11 minutes.
5) Hell in a Cell, End of an Era, with Shawn Michaels as the guest referee
Triple H vs. Undertaker
This should be awesome. I know for the internet wrestling community, their match received mixed reactions last year. While I'll agree that there was just a tad too much lying around last year, I still enjoyed it. Not to the level of 'Taker/HBK, but still very good. I think this match will be even better, and actually I think they'll get less time so the match is more "fast and furious" this time around. It will be weird seeing 'Taker wrestle bald, wish he would've kept the hair. Will there be blood? I don't know, but if ever there was a match for WWE to override their "no-blood" policy, it would be this one. I'll go ahead and predict that we see a little bit of blood, maybe like a nick on the bridge of the nose or something, but nothing too major. As for HBK's involvement, its really tough to say. I think, more than anything, there will be a lot of teased tension/spots, but he'll end up calling it right down the middle. My prediction is that he gets knocked down at some point for the mandatory ref spot, then a new/replacement ref runs down to the ring to continue the match. Later, that ref is about to count a fall but HBK interrupts him because HE wants to be the one to officially count the winner, and he Superkicks the referee. This makes HHH mad, and they get up and argue, and HHH turns around and walks into the Tombstone to give 'Taker the win. Some say that HBK and HHH will wrestle at next year's WrestleMania. I disagree, but its far from impossible.
What SHOULD happen: No need for HHH to get the win here. 'Taker should go 20-0.
What WILL happen: 'Taker goes over. Even if HHH were to end the streak, he would never be forgiven, and would be criticized for using his backstage power to give himself the win. Another note, will this be 'Taker's last match? Possible, but I highly doubt it. The match will go around 25 minutes.
Hall of Fame inductees come out to the stage to wave and such, giving the fans a chance to catch their breaths.
6) World Heavyweight Championship Match
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus
A lot of people online are predicting that this match will open the show, but I doubt that even WWE would have the SmackDown! world title start the show 2x in a row. Even if the opening match doesn't mean the same thing it did 15 years ago, it is still perceived by much of the audience as the least important match, no matter how untrue that might be. Now, on one side, you have Sheamus who won the Royal Rumble Match. No Rumble winner has actually gone on to win the title at WrestleMania since The Undertaker did in 2007 at WrestleMania 23, taking the World Heavyweight Title from Batista (in what was one of Batista's greatest matches ever). Will this be the year that breaks the Rumble curse of the last 5 years? Up until recently, I would have said yes. I really thought Sheamus would win the title on the grandest stage of em all, but as we draw closer and closer to the big event, I think Bryan's gonna keep the belt. I could see it going either way, but Bryan's character still has a lot of steam behind it and I don't really think they should derail his push by having him drop the belt. He should win here, by cheating obviously, to sneak out of Miami with the big gold belt. Sheamus can take his win either at Extreme Rules or Over the Limit in May.
What SHOULD happen: Daniel Bryan goes over, probably thanks to help from AJ. NO matter how he does it, Bryan should NOT go over clean.
What WILL happen: I do think Bryan will actually end up going over. Match will probably be about 12 minutes.
7) Divas Tag Team Match
Kelly Kelly & Maria vs. Beth Phoenix & Eve
I think there's about a .001% chance of Beth & Eve going over here. The bigger question is which one of them takes the fall to Maria, who actually broke her ribs recently while training for Dancing with the Stars. What this means is that Kelly Kelly will probably do most of the ring work, and then make the hot tag to Maria who will probably have literally 30 seconds or less of in-ring work, before pinning Beth Phoenix. I don't like the Divas Champion being pinned here, but I don't see them having Eve take the loss, with her new heel character.
What SHOULD happen: Well, I don't know. A case could be made for Beth & Eve, the two full-timers, to go over here, but in the long run, more publicity comes from Maria and Kelly getting the victory.
What WILL happen: There is absolutely no way that Beth & Eve win this match. Match will not go any longer than 3-4 minutes.
8) Once in a Lifetime
John Cena vs. The Rock
And here we are. The big one. WWE would tell you that it's the biggest match of all time, and while that's certainly arguable, I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility. I wrote in a previous blog that more positives come from The Rock going over, and I stand by that. Most would say, annoyingly enough, that John Cena is the full-time guy, and thus Rock and WWE gain "nothing" from Cena losing. I completely disagree. If Cena wins, it is the exact same shit we have gotten for the last 7 years. Nothing changes. Cena enters his next feud by April 9th, and we all go on our way. Not only that, but Cena does not need the win. He already has the "torch." He's been WWE's top guy for almost a decade. Furthermore, Rock will likely be wrestling again, and so a win for him here would make him look even stronger for when he DOES lose to someone next year (such as Punk or Orton). And finally, the biggest reason of all, is to give us something interesting to watch on television every week. Cena losing, whether he remains a babyface or goes heel, gives his character some much-needed development. It won't be the same old shit; it will give us, the viewers, something new and fresh to sink our teeth into. Either Rock going over, a Cena win via turning heel, are the two best options for this match. Unfortunately, neither will happen.
The CROWD REACTION: Some would say that Rock will destroy Cena in terms of crowd reaction, but I don't think so. Rock will be the favorite, sure, but WWE has done an effective job of tearing Rock down to the level of Cena. The crowd will probably be 65% for Rock, 35% for Cena. Let's not forget that even though they are in The Rock's hometown of Miami, much of the crowd will be visitors from other parts of the world. The atmosphere will be amazing, but not as amazing as it could have been. I do not see the same passion for "IF CENA WINS, WE RIOT" type of crowd heat. Not only that, but the open stadium will prevent the crowd reaction from surpassing that of Rock/Hogan ten years ago at WrestleMania X8.
What SHOULD happen: Two things: Option A) During the climax of the match, Cena realizes he cannot beat The Rock, and he resorts to cheating to pull out the victory. Option B) Rock defeats Cena, and Cena destroys The Rock the next night on RAW.
What WILL happen: We will be subjected to the exact same shit that we have been for years now. And WWE will continue to wonder why their ratings and buy rates continue to plummit. Cena will go over clean, and after the match, they will probably shake hands, which is bullshit. The thing that I fear most is that the next night on RAW, they will agree to a rematch. I do NOT want to see that, regardless of who wins. But there's a good chance we will. The match will be about 22 minutes. The pre-match stuff, with the entrances and videos and etc., will probably kill a full 15-20 minutes.
Surprise returns: Batista, Brock Lesnar, and Matt Bloom (Lord Tensai) are all rumored to be returning in Miami. Of those three, I consider Lord Tensai to be the most likely, probably during the Team Teddy/Team Long match. I do not see Batista or Lesnar returning, but if either did, it would be huge. Maybe Lesnar costs Cena or Rock the match in the main event? I don't think so, but I am not ruling it out completely.
Overall, the event should be great. I am really looking forward to it.
Match of the Night: In terms of memorable and epicness, Rock/Cena for sure. In terms of in-ring action, probably Hell in a Cell.
I can't wait for the show. I'll be watching it live in HD with my dad and fiancee. Hope everyone enjoys it!
Join me on Twitter at @WrestlingwWords for conversation on WrestleMania and all wrestling topics.