In 2019, WWE gave their fan base a WrestleMania that they’d never forget. The women main evented the show of shows for the first time in history. Brock Lesnar was dethroned as Universal champion. A dawn of a “new day” also took place. The return of thuganomics, the end of days for a hall of famer, an animal’s demise, and the return of the big dog!
WrestleMania XXXV at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey was a solid show. It was also an event that everyone should be proud of. With that being said, it’s time to start preparations for next year’s WrestleMania!
Here is way-too-early match card predictions for next year’s show of immortals. It starts with the main event with Seth Rollins defending the WWE Universal Championship against his longtime friend/enemy, Roman Reigns.
A few years back, this match was considered to be a WrestleMania main-event worthy match and storyline. That was the case leading up to their epic clash for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the Money In The Bank PPV in June of 2016. Rollins had made his triumphant return to WWE television after being out of action for nearly 9 months with a torn ACL and MCL. Reigns had claimed the title that Rollins never lost, by defeating Triple H at WrestleMania XXXII in Dallas.
This time around is different, however, as Reigns and Rollins have rekindled their relationship. They’ve reunited The Shield with Dean Ambrose on multiple occasions. They’ve gone their separate ways, storyline wise, for the time being. Look for Rollins to carry the red belt for most of 2019. He looks to add value to the title that Brock Lesnar held hostage for nearly two years.
Don’t be surprised if the “Beast Slayer” holds on to Raw’s coveted world title for the foreseeable future. The Big Dog would go off to do other things throughout the year. Feuds with Drew McIntyre, Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt would keep Reigns occupied. Come WrestleMania season in 2020, he will insert himself into the world title picture. He would look to claim the title that he never lost. Reigns was forced to vacate the universal title in October of 2018 due to his battle with Leukemia.
If you think that Triple H is finished in the ring, then I’ve got two words for ya: AJ Styles.
Triple H defeated “The Animal” Batista for the very first time in his illustrious career with the help of Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXXV. He has since said that if he ever decides to lace up his boots again, it’ll be on his terms. Not one man has evolved in the wrestling/entertainment business as much as Paul Levesque has. If the game is indeed inching closer to his actual retirement from the squared circle, than he will surely attempt to mix things up with someone he hasn’t stepped into the ring with yet. That definitely applies to the phenomenal one.
Now that WWE has their dream main-event out of the way, the WWE Universe can finally be treated to the one match they really want to see. That match is Becky Lynch versus Ronda Rousey.
Throughout the year, it looks like Becky “Two-Belts” will be keeping those titles around her waist for the time being. She’ll be entering new feuds with the likes of Lacey Evans and Charlotte Flair, with Rousey going to be on hiatus for the time being. Moving forward, “The Man vs. The Lady” seems to be the direction WWE creative is going towards. They look to showcase an excellent post-mania feud between two of their most beloved young stars. Look for the queen to make her return into the title picture, given she is WWE’s prodigal daughter and an 8-time Women’s champ already.
Later in the year, however, look for Rousey to make her return, clamoring for her rematch. WWE creative made it seem that this feud is far from over between Rousey and Lynch after the planned botched finish in the main event at MetLife Stadium. With Rousey claiming that Lynch can’t beat her cleanly, the man will look to take down the former UFC Champion once and for all.
It’s hard to predict what will happen one year from now. However, one thing is certain and that’s The Undertaker has to hang up the boots at some point.
The exact same can be said for the 16-Time World Champion, John Cena, who made his return to WWE programming as The Doctor of Thuganomics at WrestleMania 35. He didn’t want to take away opportunities from the current superstars who have been working for their moments all year round. At WrestleMania XXXVI in Tampa, Florida, look for these two legends to have one last historic match before both call it quits. Regardless of the outcome of the match, both franchise players should ride off into the sunset. Both superstars giving their salutes at the top of the stage one last time bewould be a huge WrestleMania moment.
But who knows, right? Given how crazy WWE creative has been over the years, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Reigns ended up challenging Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the main event. Also, The Undertaker could finally clashing with WCW’s icon, Sting, for one final ride. A lot of things can change in a year, as well as many storylines that the creative team may not have thought about until the end of the year. Storylines like Becky Lynch’s recent stardom, and Kofi Kingston’s current momentum. Who would’ve thought years ago that the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 35 was gonna be Kingston vs Daniel Bryan?
Look for WWE to come up with creative ways to push new talent, as the WWE Universe’s opinion has never been so important. With All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor making their claims to becoming the hottest wrestling promotions in the business, it’s more important than ever.
