Undertaker vs. Wade Barrett. As soon as Nexus attacked Undertaker in his Buried Alive match with Kane, I penned this match in for the big show. Now that Barrett is on Smackdown I think it is inevitable they continue this storyline. That is, if Taker is ready to work by Mania. Prediction: Undertaker
HHH vs. Sheamus. I believe they will hold off Trips’ return until Mania in order to have something big on the show. Mania is currently lacking a big time match or attraction. Having HHH’s return match on the card will somewhat help. I would like to think Sheamus goes over in order to help elevate him and avenge his loss from last year, but I’ll go with HHH again. Prediction: HHH
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk. I am thoroughly enjoying the Punk push and his program with Cena. If Orton is not paired with Cena at Mania then he will need a strong opponent and as long as they keep going with him, Punk would be ideal. I’d love Punk to leave victorious so the program can continue beyond, and I think he will. Prediction: CM Punk.
MITB. I do think they will showcase a Money in The Bank match in order to get the mid carders on the show. I’d expect the regular stars like Christian, Kofi Kingston, John Morrison and maybe Cody and Ted get in this year. I’d also like to see Evan Bourne in the match as he is slated to be back in time. Permitting WWE keeps his push going, and he is in the match, I think we’ll see Morrison escape with a victory. A heel turn accompanying his victory would also be nice. Prediction: John Morrison.
Women’s Championship: Natalia vs. Beth Phoenix vs. Melina. These three women are getting all the focus at the moment and it only makes sense to have them involved in the title match this year. It could be one the stronger women’s contests as of late as well. Prediction: Beth Phoenix
These are 7 matches I can see taking place at WrestleMania this year. Another 2-3 matches will be needed to round of the card with stars like Big Show, Kane, Nexus and the tag teams requiring spots. There could also be a celebrity guest or cross-promotional involvement of some sort to help boost the buyrate. As it stands, WWE is lacking a major angle or event that would give the show that “WrestleMania feel” that it normally has. Hopefully they can deliver something interesting or this year’s show may do disappointing numbers.
Well folks, there ya have it. An introduction to what you can expect from the Straight Shooter in week’s to come and my WrestleMania theories. Hope you enjoyed the piece and I’ll be back next week with another.
Straight Shooter!
