Happy WrestleMania day!
The Grandest Stage of ’em all, The Showcase of the Immortals, The event where moments are timeless, legends are cemented and boyhood/girlhood dreams come true…surely you’ve heard all of this before, but they all pale in comparison when you hear those monikers again.
This is what pro-wrestling fans of all affiliations, all ethnicities, and walks of life look forward to all year. Since 1985, wrestling’s greatest spectacle, the “Super Bowl” of the sport, and ender to all major feuds usually occur once a year on a one-night-only basis. But since last year, things have been anything but normal from the perspective of a regular ‘Mania period.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck down all normalcy (at least, how we know it) on March 10, 2020, there haven’t been live fans at a main-roster show in 397 days.
Tonight at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, that finally changes.
First emerged photos of the WrestleMania 37 stage. (Wrestlinginc.com/Brian Wohl)
For the first time in over a year, 25,000 rowdy members of the WWE Universe will rejoice and fill Raymond James Stadium on both nights of a two-night WrestleMania, and the performers backstage couldn’t be more eager to hear their joyous cheers and the ravenous chorus of Boos raining down from their patrons.
Disclaimer, that pop will signify the biggest return of 2021, and to get that “rousing ovation” feel, the card for night one is kicking off with what’s predicted to be an absolute BANGER.
We’ll get into that and more as we break down and give our official SneakerReporter predictions for night one of pro-wrestling’s most grandiose spectacle, and we’ll do the same for Sunday’s card as soon as the first night concludes.
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Singles Match: Drew McIntyre vs. (C) The Almighty Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship
YouTube/Cristopher WWE
Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, whom after successfully retaining his title at the time from completing the merciless gauntlet of the Elimination Chamber, was unsuspectingly brutalized by the Hurt Business CEO Bobby Lashley, and per request of The Miz, the-then Money In The Bank briefcase holder, Lashley would make sure the already-fatigued McIntyre wouldn’t be able to even muster the energy to leave the ring. His wishes were granted, and Lashley would proceed to dismantle the WWE Champion with a scintillating dominator.
To the obvious chagrin of the WWE Universe, the A-Lister’s music hit, and sprinting down the Thunderdome ramp came The Miz and after cashing in his MITB briefcase, he’d add a Skull Crushing Finale for insurance. The one-two-three mat count was given, and to the sound of piped-in boos, The Miz held his 2nd-ever-won WWE Championship up high over the unconscious cadaver of the Scottish Psychopath as the Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View went dark.
But due to the services of Lashley, The Miz had to withdraw some compensation for one small payment of a title match on the ensuing Monday Night Raws which he, of course, never got the chance to escape with his black and gold diamond-encrusted title belt. After a series of runaway attempts, Bobby Lashley became WWE Champion after making The Miz tap out to an inescapable and impenetrable Hurt Lock in a lumberjack match.
Weeks following the title win, enter Drew McIntyre, following his own dispute with former best friend Sheamus after a grueling Falls Count Anywhere match at FastLane. Drew now wants his title back after it was stolen from him, and for the first time in Lashley’s career, he’ll be defending his first WWE Championship at the Grandest Stage of them all.
And albeit, It’s been a bumpy road for both champion and challenger. Lashley and manager Montell Vontavious Porter (MVP) had to put down and disband one half of the Hurt Business as both Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander were left in the dust, while former champ McIntyre had to overcome an entire locker room’s high-priced bounty on his head prior to ‘Mania.
Now we’re here, and for the show opener, Lashley wants to show the world that the Almighty Era isn’t ending any time soon, and two-time champ Drew, who won his first-ever WWE Championship against Brock Lesnar inside the WWE Performance Center at last year’s fan-less WrestleMania, is looking to replicate that success in front of 25,000 supporters.
This won’t be like last year’s main event, as both Lesnar and McIntyre were throwing their finishers at each other at every pulsating twist and turn. This will have its own share of physicality and psychology to commemorate the build of the match, but this will ultimately end in the favor of the Scottish Warrior by virtue of a crushing Claymore Kick delivered right between Bobby Lashley’s eyes. Drew will earn the three-count, and the present crowd will erupt in celebration.
Prediction: Drew McIntyre def. Bobby Lashley (C) via pinfall, becomes a three-time WWE Champion.
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Raw Tag Team Titles Match – Omos and The Phenomenal AJ Styles vs. (C) The New Day (Kofi Kingston. Xavier Woods)
YouTube/ REVAMPED WRESTLING 2K
After defeating the crumbling Hurt Business for another Tag Team title reign — their record 11th title win and fourth title reign as Raw Tag Champs (Kofi Kingston’s sixth title reign as tag champs with not just the New Day, but with CM Punk and R-Truth too!) The New Day needed some opponents for what was to be their first WrestleMania as an incomplete unit. Big E was heartbreakingly drafted to SmackDown as part of the brand-reforming WWE Draft back in October of 2020, meaning the SmackDown Tag Team Champion New Day (composed of Kingston and Woods) at the time would make the move to Monday nights while WWE creative saw an opportunity to give Big E his long-awaited singles push.
While that worked out quite well for E, as he’s currently the Intercontinental Champion, the Raw Tag Champs encountered a new couple of opponents after their battles with Retribution ended.
A man that’s been described as one of the greatest of all time, the Phenomenal One has held every title there is to win in WWE since his return to the company during the 2016 Royal Rumble…except for one.
It seems that the former leader of the Bullet Club and TNA Legend has won every individual title with the Tag Titles not even in the vision of Styles, but now with Performance Center standout and up-and-comer Jordan Omogbehin, or “Omos” in Kayfabe terms, Styles sees the possibility of helping to build a new star in Omos and becoming Tag Champs for the first time ever but also becoming the 27th man in the extensive history of WWE to capture the prestigious title of Grand Slam Champion, bestowed to fellow all-time greats like Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Randy Orton, Edge, and Seth Rollins.
That likely happens here, as it’d be another historic win at WrestleMania for Styles to further supplant himself in the annals of WWE lore.
But even further: Omos will be the x-factor.
The seven-foot-three, 335-lb giant hailing from Lagos, Nigeria has but yet to even compete inside a WWE-sanctioned ring, but seeing that…
1.) His partner is (subjectively) a top-five performer of All-Time, and 2.) HE’S SEVEN FEET TALL, THREE-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE POUNDS, AND ONLY AN INCH SHORTER THAN THE GOLIATH-LIKE ANDRE THE GIANT, the big man should serve as an interesting dynamic to what’s already looking to be a show of skill and technicality between three of the most technical and athletic performers on the planet.
Though the New Day is undefeated at WrestleMania, don’t bank on them retaining with either Styles or Omos being pinned with the current champs going over. This is the business of building new stars, so while the main story’s headline may include “AJ Styles becomes a Grand Slam Champion”, the attention grabber will be the performance of Omos.
Prediction: AJ Styles, Omos def. (C) The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods), become Tag-Team Champions.
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Steel Cage Match: Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman
WWE.com
While it’s not one of the more generally favored feuds of WM Weekend, you still can’t go wrong with a brutal, barbaric Steel Cage Match at The Showcase of the Immortals.
Braun Strowman is not one for patience. After losing his Universal Title won at last year’s WrestleMania to Roman Reigns at SummerSlam during a triple-threat with The Fiend, a disgruntled Strowman was subsequently drafted Monday Night Raw, and in his eyes, was not pleased with the lack of respect and mistreatment, going so far as to put his hands on WWE’s public official Adam Pearce a few weeks after Team Raw’s win over Team SmackDown at Survivor Series.
He’d be kayfabe “suspended”, announced as “effective immediately” at the moment on social media by Pearce himself. As many thought they had their heads behind the curtain, thinking of potential conspiracy against the likes of Strowman and whether or not he’d be “Future Endeavored” (fired, for fans unfamiliar with the lingo) the Monster Among Men wouldn’t return until after the announcements of the ensuing Elimination Chamber participants.
Shane McMahon, son of WWE CEO Vince McMahon and current promoter and minority owner of WWE, returned to his humble abode of Monday Night Raw to assist Pearce in the announcement of all participants for the Raw Chamber match, who were all former WWE Champions. Still displeased of his place on the WWE totem pole, Strowman’s music would hit, and he’d voice that frustration of not being in the match as a former Universal Champion, though the selection criteria required him to have held the WWE Title belt.
And thus, the feud between Strowman and Shane was conceived.
Being a McMahon, and unafraid of losing his spot atop the hierarchy of WWE, we know him to not hold his tongue, or his temper when he sees fit. Behind his back, he’d call Strowman “stupid” repeatedly, and with Strowman catching wind of the passive-aggressive disrespect, he’d then demand an apology from ol’ Shane O’ Mac. And as disingenuously as possible, Shane “apologized”, but not in the formal terms that Strowman was requesting.
So, after a series of underhanded attacks, cameras to faces, and slime dumped on The Monster Among Men, Shane accepted a challenge of a match against Strowman at FastLane. However, Shane was forced to forfeit the match after “injuring” his knee during a pre-match training session. One night later, while crutched up with a wrap-around his knee, Strowman would come into the ring during an Elias and Jaxson Ryker segment and fight back against one of WWE’s top executives. And to no one’s surprise, McMahon wasn’t injured, swinging his crutch to the legs and midsection of the beastly Strowman.
So here we are. It’s a “battle of brains and Braun” on Saturday, as Shane O’ Mac returns to the Showcase for the first time since 2019 when he faced The Miz in a Falls Count Anywhere match. But this time, the childish jokes and unnecessary bullying are over, as Shane will have to deal with The Monster Among Men inside a Steel Cage.
This is sure to not go too long, but have a bunch of high-flying and cringe-inducing spots. McMahon’s history at WrestleMania is much respected and sought after, as he’s dueled with the likes of his own father (WM X8, 2002), and the Undertaker (WM 32, 2016). He’s known for making the trip Coast to Coast (missile dropkick from one side of the ring to the other) or taking a massive bump from high platforms and making some of WrestleMania’s most memorable moments in its 37-year history.
While he’ll make an emphasis to do so, expect Braun Strowman to go over and get his second-ever win at WrestleMania, while telling the story of not letting anyone bully you, no matter who you are. Consider it Schadenfreude, but seeing something around a massive power slam or a colossal throw-off-the-top-of-the-cage spot would close the book on this feud in an exciting fashion.
Prediction: Braun Strowman def. Shane McMahon via pinfall.
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No. 1 Contender’s Match For The Women’s Tag Team Titles: Tag Team Turmoil
WWE.com
So, that’s a lot to stomach, but as devised by Adam Pearce and crew, WrestleMania is playing host to a gargantuan Fatal Five-Way No. 1 Contender’s Tag Team Match for the right to go on to Night two of WrestleMania and face the Women’s Tag Team champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.
While there hasn’t been a significant hype or build to this No. 1 contender’s match, the four teams jockeying for the position of the top contender spot are as follows: Naomi/Lana, Sexy Muscle Friends (Mandy Rose/Dana Brooke), Riott Squad (Liv Morgan/Ruby Riott), Natalya/Tamina, and Billie Kay/Carmella.
Each team has had their ongoing fight to get the to Showcase of the Immortals, whether it be Lana tagging up with best friend Naomi to seek retribution from the harassing Nia Jax who, not only but a few months ago, put poor Lana through a table for nine straight weeks and (kayfabe) broke her leg at a Monday Night Raw. During that ongoing rivalry, Nia and Lana would go back and forth, with both of them winning their fair share of wins and losses, and should Naomi and Lana win the Turmoil match, the rivalry will be reignited.
After Dana Brooke was traded to Raw, she was immediately tasked with making something between her and Dana Brooke work. And in a sense, they’ve succeeded. They too want a piece of the Women’s Tag Champs, as they’ve had numerous run-ins with both the Irresistible Force and Queen of Spades which haven’t quite turned out in their favor. But make no mistake about it, both Rose and Brooke are no pushovers and they’ll make an impact in this one.
For the Riott Squad, this will mark the first time ever that the Riott Squad will tag up at a WrestleMania and contend for the right to call themselves Number one contenders and potential champions on the biggest stage. While Liv Morgan has competed on the Grandest Stage, It’s not in memory that Ruby Riott has competed on the biggest stage, so it will be interesting how she handles the pressure.
Natalya and Tamina are the most tenured couple here, and likely have the best odds of winning here. Natalya is one of the winningest competitors in all of WWE throughout her 14-year career, but like Tamina, she’s never had a marquee WrestleMania moment, and since her SmackDown Women’s Championship reign back in 2017 after defeating Bayley, she hasn’t held gold in WWE since. Seeing as how both look like the most synergetic and strongest duo here, it makes sense for the both of them to go over.
And for a last-minute tag team, it seems that Billie Kay’s resume finally caught something in the waters of the job search. Carmella looks like she’s found a new Sommelier in Kay (momentarily) and they too will team up to get to Night two of ‘Mania and see if they can become Tag Champs. Billie Kay is no stranger to winning the belts at the year’s biggest show since she did it already at WrestleMania with her former IIconic teammate Peyton Royce in one of the most startling moments in WrestleMania history.
For the first of two women’s night one matches, the Tag Team Turmoil Fatal 5-way Tag Match is sure to entertain and be enjoyed, and if predicted correctly, the momentum that Natalya and Tamina have built up in weeks leading up to WrestleMania will pay off in them winning this chaotic match.
Prediction: Natalya and Tamina Snuka win Tag Team Turmoil Match.
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Singles Match: Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins
Sportskeeda.com
When Seth Rollins returned to SmackDown, he was greeted with disdain by many of his fellow blue brand Superstars, but maybe none more so than Cesaro. Rollins’ rage erupted into an all-out attack on The Swiss Cyborg that night, prompting Cesaro to react with an epic Cesaro Swing two weeks later, sending a simple message that he would not be accepting either of Rollins’ dreams.
Cesaro defeated Murphy, a former Rollins disciple, at WWE Fastlane, and SmackDown’s Savior responded with a victory over Cesaro’s former Tag Team Championship partner, Shinsuke Nakamura. On SmackDown, however, the bad blood reached a dangerous new stage when Rollins tried to end Cesaro’s career with a Stomp and a steel chair.
Now, the bitter rivalry can only be resolved on The Grandest Stage of them All – WrestleMania. The site of where the Architect, Seth Rollins, has previously excelled (WrestleMania 31’s Heist of the Century, WrestleMania 35’s upset over Brock Lesnar, and more) while Cesaro seeks one of the most significant victories of his WWE career in his first singles match on the biggest stage of them all.
Story short: this is going to be on the level of Benoit – Angle at WrestleMania 17, meaning it will be up there as one of the greatest, most technical stories ever told at a WrestleMania that, honestly, could be a 40-minute classic. But ultimately, while Rollins’ career has been littered by ‘Mania moments. Cesaro has never had one of those, but this will be the first.
Surely this won’t be one to miss.
Prediction: Cesaro def. Seth Rollins via pinfall.
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Tag Team Match: Damian Priest, Bad Bunny vs. Miz and Morrison
Sportskeeda.com
If you had asked anyone after his performance at the Royal Rumble that Latinx pop megastar Bad Bunny would be part of the calling card on WrestleMania, then you’d probably think they were lying. But as it turns out, Benito has not only been a huge fan of WWE and pro wrestling for the duration of his life – he’s getting the opportunity of a lifetime to perform inside of a ring for the first time ever! Fans of Bad Bunny and WWE fans will come together to see just what he’s got as he tags up with NXT standout Damian Priest as they’ll go up against the jealous deviants of The Miz and John Morrison, who have been anything but welcoming to the Grammy Award-winning performing artist.
Bunny, the former 24/7 champ had a signature moment that went viral at this year’s Royal Rumble when he, after seeing The Miz destroy the DJ set he used to perform his hit song Booker T, leaped in the air and cross-bodied both Miz and Morrison after the duo was eliminated from the Rumble.
Well, weeks after, The Miz, fresh off an embarrassing loss of his WWE Championship to the Almighty Bobby Lashley, wanted to take out his frustrations on someone that had gotten a little under his skin as of recently.
The Miz struck a new chord on Raw by smashing a guitar over the back of the Grammy Award winner after weeks of back-and-forth. The two-time Grand Slam Champion issued a WrestleMania invitation for a one-on-one match the following week, which Bad Bunny accepted after repaying the favor with a guitar attack of his own.
On the final Raw of The Road to WrestleMania, Miz and Morrison assaulted Bad Bunny and spilled paint on his Bugatti. Bad Bunny and Priest countered by suggesting that the match be changed to a tag team match.
Tonight, we’ll get the answer to a variety of questions: will Bad Bunny be ready for The Show of Shows when he teams up with The Archer of Infamy, or will the newcomer’s WWE career be ended by Miz and Morrison before it even begins?
With celebrity matches, it’s pretty obvious that the biggest stars go over, but in this situation, The Archer of Infamy will likely have all of his offense showcased at the highest level of the profession. The Miz and Morrison are both former champions in their own aspect, so, again, in the business of crafting bigger future names, it’s only right that Bunny and Priest get the spotlight, courtesy of another crossbody from Bunny and a “Hit the Lights” on Miz, who will likely take the pin for Priest.
Prediction: Bad Bunny, Damian Priest def. Miz and Morrison via pinfall.
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Main Event: Singles Match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship – Bianca BelAir vs. (C) Sasha Banks
WWE.com
And here’s to the main event of WrestleMania 37: Night One. A historic one at that, in more ways than one.
For the first time, a WrestleMania’s night will be headlined by two women in a singles match for a title, and for the first time from an optics standpoint, two black women will headline a WrestleMania.
Bianca Belair, the winner of the 2021 Women’s Royal Rumble, proceeded to give one of the most emotional promos ever recorded in WWE when she, tearfully, exclaimed that she was headed to WrestleMania as she flung her long ponytail and pointed to the WrestleMania 37 sign as pyro erupted from within the ThunderDome.
After outlasting 27 other competitors inside the Rumble as the third entrant, The “EST” of WWE would, unsurprisingly, challenge the SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks at WrestleMania for what fans from everywhere prophesized would be the match of the night for whichever night it would be on.
Leading up to their showdown at ‘Mania, a bunch of factors have gone into their individual Roads to WrestleMania. What was initially supposed to be a healthy rivalry quickly turned into a feud of jealousy, disrespect, subtle hints of ageism, and vitriol for each other, which means this: a five-star match will go down, and history will be made.
Looking at the tale of the tape here: both women have never won any type of match at WrestleMania, with Sasha being an underwhelming 0-5 at the Showcase of the Immortals. And Bianca Belair, who had only been at one other WrestleMania prior to her main eventing Saturday night (WrestleMania 34 during Women’s Battle Royal), is just as green at ‘Mania as a trainee at the Performance Center. For a variety of reasons, this story that these two women are prepared to tell will live in history, no matter the result.
Back to when we did a Royal Rumble future storyline prediction, we mentioned that Bianca has always been a top-tier performer but not to the level of becoming a champion yet.
Until now.
Belair has been in and out of the title picture on both NXT and SmackDown, but she has yet to win a championship in WWE. But, you don’t get a nickname like “The EST of WWE” unless you have a lot of faith and belief in yourself, and the Knoxville, Tennessee native proved it by battling for 56 minutes with four eliminations, teaming up with Rhea Ripley to toss Charlotte Flair and eventually eliminating The Nightmare after a heart-pounding brawl in the final moments of the Royal Rumble.
So, will Bianca be able to accomplish her goal she’s dreamt of on The Grandest Stage of It All, or will The Boss continue to show that she is WWE’s Blueprint?
Fans cannot wait to find out in what’s probably the most anticipated Women’s title match ever, to this point at least. But from the perspective of making new main event stars at the Grandest Stage of them All, it makes the most sense for Belair to go over and capture the biggest win of her life. While that may leave Sasha at 0-6 all-time at WrestleMania, she’d probably appreciate nothing more than to just be in the moment of black history, and pro-wrestling history as a whole. I’ll reiterate: this will likely steal the show and, in retrospect, could be the best match on the card – both nights combined.
Prediction: Bianca Belair def. Sasha Banks, wins first-ever WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship.
(Photo Source: WrestlingNews.com)
