WWE’s WrestleMania 37 event has finally arrived! Fourteen matches have been confirmed for the two-night show, featuring every championship on the line, a few extreme stipulations and even a pair of celebrity appearances in Bad Bunny (competing in a tag team match!) and Logan Paul. But there are some huge questions heading into the show. Does the Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair bout get to be the main event of Night One? Does Roman Reigns escape Raymond James Stadium as Universal Champion? And which match steals the weekend?
We’ve once again assembled ComicBook’s team of pro wrestling writers — Connor Casey, Matt Aguilar, Nick Valdez and Evan Valentine — to break down the biggest questions heading into the show as well as provide their predictions on who will win each match.
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Night One or Night Two — Which Winds up Being Better?
Connor Casey: Night Two. It’s kind of staggering at this point how much better the second half looks, at least on paper. You’ve got four matches that are guaranteed to be great bell-to-bell (barring any booking foolishness) in Owens vs. Zayn, Riddle vs. Sheamus, Asuka vs. Ripley and E vs. Crews. And that’s all without mentioning the main event, which has the potential to outshine all of Night One by itself.
The worst Night Two has to offer is the women’s tag match and maybe Orton vs. Fiend depending on how they do it. Night One is stuck with that Shane McMahon match and a Lashley vs. McIntyre bout that has lost a lot of steam in recent weeks.
Matt Aguilar: As much as I’m looking forward two of the matches on Night One, have to go with Night Two. It’s just a better overall night, with Apollo vs Big E, Roman vs Edge vs Bryan, Fiend vs Orton, and Asuka vs Ripley, not to mention whatever ridiculous antics Zayn gets up to against Owens.
That said, Lashley vs McIntyre and Belair vs Banks will both be great, but if I had to pick one night to watch, it would be Night Two.
Nick Valdez: Agreed with Connor here as Night Two would just have to be the better one by default. It’s ending WrestleMania as a whole, so it’s got to have a better climax than the first night (at least in theory). Things might change as Night One gets the benefit of being the first show with crowds, so it could have the bigger final moment overall for this big comeback. Just looking at the cards alone paints a better picture for Night Two also.
Evan Valentine: Night Two feels like the main event and Night One feels like the Pre-Game. Not to say there aren’t some bangers in terms of matches, as I for one think that Banks Vs Belair will be a great one, but the rest simply aren’t as appealing. Why is Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman a thing that is happening?
What Will the Main Event of Night One Be?
Connor: It should be Banks vs. Belair — it’s a huge milestone in terms of representation and could be the best match of that night. But part of me thinks WWE is still set in its ways and wants the WWE title match to close things out. Hope I’m wrong.
Matt: It better be Banks vs Belair, and honestly, I think there’s been enough of a movement on social media to make it happen. Night Two will likely have Reigns vs Bryan vs Edge as the main event, so it seems to be the perfect balance to have Belair vs Banks be Night One’s main event. Now, that is very SmackDown heavy, and Lashley vs McIntyre would be the perfect candidate any other night, but this is one time that WWE should listen to the fans to get this right.
Nick: It should be Banks and Belair since Belair’s the Women’s Royal Rumble Winner, but it’ll be Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley.
Evan: I’ll agree with Nick on this one and think that it should definitely be Banks vs. Belair, but I do agree that the main event will be McIntyre vs. Lashley, at this point how could it not be? Of course, we might have a monkey’s paw situation wherein they decide to leverage Bad Bunny’s star power and make his tag team match the headliner.
Who Leaves the Show as Universal Champion?
Connor: Everybody assumes Bryan is only in this match to take the pinfall from either Roman (keeping him looking like the dominant champion) or Edge (playing back into his “Ultimate Opportunity” persona). But I’m going with the third option — Bryan beats Edge, causing an enraged Reigns to hunt down Bryan for a few months before getting the title back. The loss also continues Edge on his downward spiral, eventually leading to him attacking McIntyre and setting up a better world title program for Raw.
Matt: You know, at first I was very much of the mind that Roman would leave with the title somehow, but after hearing Connor’s scenario, I think I want that instead. That would keep Roman strong and allow for some fun SmackDowns until Money in the Bank, so I’m going with that.
Nick: Bryan got thrown into this for either taking the loss or for winning the whole thing by surprise. The good thing about this triple threat in the first place is that any of these champion and challenger combinations could be fun. I think it would be most fun to see Daniel Bryan win it and Edge and Roman focusing on taking each other out first before taking on Bryan.
Evan: Pound for pound, I’d give it to Reigns. I think they’re trying to build him up as something of a replacement for Brock Lesnar’s run as the Universal Champion, and not just thanks to Paul Heyman being his hypeman. As crazy as it sounds, I was always half expecting Roman’s championship to come to a close with a match against Dwayne Johnson. I can’t see a world where either Edge or Bryan takes this one at the end of the day.
Should Randy Orton vs. The Fiend be a Cinematic Match?
Connor: Absolutely. The Firefly Fun House Match remains one of my favorite matches in recent memory (even if it’s not really a match so much as a short film) and there’s plenty of material from Orton’s past to make a Part II. Plus, this could be how we get a cameo from John Cena and pay off how last year’s match ended.
Matt: YES! If you’re going to lean into all this supernatural stuff, go all the way. We’ve seen what halfway looks like, and no one wants that slug projection ring again, and Wyatt has proved what he can do with a cinematic match. With Alexa now in the fold, it could be even better, so yes, all the way.
Nick: I don’t see why not! There might be a crowd around, but all of the wild stuff they have been able to do with the ThunderDome has to be building to something bigger. You don’t debut a burned version of the Fiend like that to not go cinematic for its first match.
Evan: Yes. Totally. I was honestly banking on this happening and its the strength of the Fiend in general, in being able to do whacky, insane things that other wrestlers can’t. Randy Orton is a superstar who is begging to be deconstructed in a similar fashion as John Cena was last year. My dreams for a “Fiend Faction” live on!
Which Undercard Match Could You See Stealing the Weekend?
Connor: Owens vs. Zayn, because that always delivers.
Matt: My first thought was Zayn, just for Zayn’s comedic abilities, but as for the match itself, I’m looking forward to Cesaro vs Rollins most. They’ve told a simple but extremely effective story, and both stars are going to want to steal the show, so that’s my pick.
Nick: Bad Bunny and Damien Priest vs. The Miz and John Morrison! Major props to Bad Bunny for his consistency and commitment, so I really hope it goes well for him.
Evan: I’d probably go with Connor’s choice of Owens vs. Zayn, but I think Cesaro and Rollins are going to surprise some people. It’s a match that the former has really been pulling for quite some time and could turn out to be the highlight of both of their careers.
Does a Lack of Part-Timers Hurt Your Excitement for This Year’s Show?
Connor: Honestly? Not really. This show reminds me a lot of WrestleMania 31. The build-up has been horrible for a large portion of it, but the show itself could still be great because they put together outstanding matchups between talented wrestlers. Even if Lesnar, Cena, Undertaker or HHH were on the card I don’t think that opinion would change.
Matt: Not at all! In fact it’s the opposite. This is the most amped I’ve been about a WrestleMania in a bit, and it’s partly because so many of the current stars are getting some time to shine on the card. Apollo, Cesaro, Belair, Ripley, and more are getting chances to shine that would have normally been blocked off for an Undertaker or Goldberg, and aside from the fact that Bayley criminally has no match, the card is all sunny skies for me.
Nick: I’m fine to the point where I had totally forgotten about that kind of match. Hogan’s there or whatever, but this is the first WrestleMania without something like that hanging overhead. There’s no match I’m dreading, and it feels good to just take a break from that until, like, Lesnar shows up at the end or something.
Evan: I guess it entirely depends on which part-timers would be included, as I’m sure WrestleMania will have a few surprises up its sleeve. This is the first time that the biggest event of the year for WWE is arriving on Peacock, so I’m surprised they didn’t attempt to make this an event that is swamped with celebrities but I’m all for relying on the technical aspects and the main storylines speaking for themselves.
Predictions:
Connor
Night One
- WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre def. Bobby Lashley
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Sasha Banks
- Raw Tag Team Championships: The New Day def. AJ Styles & Omos
- Bad Bunny & Damian Priest def. The Miz & John Morrison
- Braun Strowman def. Shane McMahon (Steel Cage)
- Carmella and Billie Kay Win Tag Team Turmoil
- Cesaro def. Seth Rollins
Night Two
- WWE Universal Championship: Daniel Bryan def. Edge and Roman Reigns
- Intercontinental Championship: Big E def. Apollo Crews (Nigerian Drum Fight)
- United States Championship: Riddle def. Sheamus
- Raw Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley def. Asuka
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Carmella & Billie Kay def. Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax
- Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn
- The Fiend def. Randy Orton
Matt
Night One
- WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre defeats Bobby Lashley
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair defeats Sasha Banks
- Raw Tag Team Championships: AJ Styles & Omos defeats The New Day
- Bad Bunny defeats The Miz
- Braun Strowman defeats Shane McMahon (Steel Cage)
- Cesaro defeats Seth Rollins
- Women’s Tag Team Turmoil Match – Carmella & Billie Kay
Night Two
- WWE Universal Championship: Daniel Bryan defeats Edge and Roman Reigns
- Intercontinental Championship: Apollo Crews defeats Big E (Nigerian Drum Fight)
- United States Championship: Riddle defeats. Sheamus
- Raw Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley defeats Sheamus
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Carmella & Billie Kay defeat Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax
- Kevin Owens defeats Sami Zayn
- The Fiend defeats Randy Orton
Nick
Night One
- WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre def. Bobby Lashley
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Sasha Banks
- Raw Tag Team Championships: AJ Styles & Omos def. The New Day
- Bad Bunny def. The Miz
- Braun Strowman def. Shane McMahon (Steel Cage)
- Cesaro def. Seth Rollins
- Women’s Tag Team Turmoil Match – Carmella and Billie Kay
Night Two
- WWE Universal Championship: Daniel Bryan def. Edge and Roman Reigns
- Intercontinental Championship: Apollo Crews def. Big E (Nigerian Drum Fight)
- United States Championship: Sheamus def. Riddle
- Raw Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley def. Asuka
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Carmella and Billie Kay def. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler
- Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn
- The Fiend def. Randy Orton
Evan
Night One
- WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre def. Bobby Lashley (Is anyone expecting something different?)
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Sasha Banks
- Raw Tag Team Championships: The New Day def. AJ Styles & Omos
- Bad Bunny def. The Miz
- Braun Strowman def. Shane McMahon (Steel Cage)
- Seth Rollins def Cesaro
- Women’s Tag Team Turmoil Match – Carmella and Billie Kay
Night Two
- WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Daniel Bryan and Edge
- Intercontinental Championship: Apollo Crews def. Big E (Nigerian Drum Fight)
- United States Championship: Riddle def Sheamus
- Raw Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley def. Asuka (The Ripley Age has now begun!)
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Carmella and Billie Kay def. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler
- Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn
- The Fiend def. Randy Orton
