We know it can’t be a musical performance by Elias or Kid Rock, as those will be buffers to wind down and give people a chance to get refreshments and such.
Ideally, you should aim for something that isn’t too gimmicky, too, as the crowd will be much more receptive to something that is pure action.
Fundamentally, despite all of WWE’s marketing that suggests otherwise, this is still a wrestling show and the fans are tuning in to see the matches just as much as the moments, but if you look back at WrestleMania 28, kicking things off with an 18 second match just for laughs was an awful way to start.
If the Raw Women’s Championship match ends up being a squash, then that should obviously be avoided for the first thing of the night.
Likewise, the Raw Tag Team Championship situation is built more around the mystery of Braun Strowman’s partner and the potential decimation of The Bar, so why spoil that surprise first, instead of at least keeping it until the second or third segment of the night?
At the risk of sounding dismissive and not giving them enough credit, I think we can assume the United States Championship match will be more of a filler midcard match than one of the more standout highlight features of the night. Thus, that match is better suited to be sandwiched between more important things, because it’s had the laziest build and the least attention given to it out of every match on the main card.
Clearly, there’s no chance Ronda Rousey, Roman Reigns, or Asuka will open the show and look in any way potentially weaker, so they’re out of the running, too, as they’re arguably the three most important matches on the card from a political standpoint.
This leaves us with four potential options which in my mind are the only realistic ways WWE could possibly go:
- Daniel Bryan’s in-ring return
- The WWE Championship match
- The Intercontinental Championship match
- The SmackDown Tag team Championship match.
NEXT PAGE: Which Match Should Start WrestleMania 34? (Cont.)
