WrestleMania XL is coming up this weekend and I can hardly contain my excitement already. As a wrestling fan, Mania is an event you look forward to every year and the entire week leading up to it has become like a weeklong holiday for me and my friends. So, seeing as we’re officially in Mania week and all I want to talk about is wrestling, let’s get into my personal predictions!
Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee vs Dominik Mysterio & Santos Escobar
I will preface this by saying that I’m a HUGE Rey Mysterio fan, he’s the only wrestler on the active roster that I would truly say is in my top 5 of all time so I’m just happy to have him on the card. That being said, he’s inevitably in his veteran years now and is winding down his full-time participation soon I’m sure, I don’t want to admit it but that has to be the case sooner rather than later. Dragon Lee is a good protege for Rey though and I would really like to see him pick up and carry the legacy on after Rey hangs up the boots, so this is a really neat Mania match to have, despite the last minute and lackluster build. Still though, I think Dirty Dom and Santos walk away with the vic this year, Rey went over Dom last Mania, and I don’t see him burying his own son at Mania 2 years in a row. Rey also wants to put Dom over while he’s still wrestling, and this seems like the perfect opportunity to do so. LWO and Legado Del Phantasma may get involved but in the end, dirty or not, I see Dom getting the pin on Rey this year.
Prediction: Dominik Mysterio & Santos Escobar wins
Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, & Naomi vs Damage CTRL (Asuka, Kairi Sane, & Dakota Kai)
This was another thrown together match to make sure Bianca made the card and to showcase the new hot thing, Jade Cargill mainly, plus it gives more shine to Damage CTRL (who are undoubtably the best women’s faction in the company in quite some time) to be presented on the Mania card twice. I’m happy to see my girl Naomi make the card as well this year though, and with some big players no less, hopefully this is a sign of things to come when it comes to her presentation on the weekly show but only time will tell. I’ve heard people online referring to the Bianca/Jade/Naomi team as The Powerbuff Girls the past few days and I love that so I hope they run with it, even if it’s just for this 1 night. That being said, I think this is a pretty easily handled win for the Powerbuff girls, Bianca is one of the main women and top babyfaces on the roster and this is Jade’s big breakout, showcase moment on the grandest stage of them all! No way they do this team dirty, this is a way to make some of their top women look strong and showcase them on the card without them being in the title picture. If I had to guess I say Jade gets the pin on Dakota.
Prediction: Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, & Naomi win
LA Knight vs AJ Styles
This is a match that has the potential to be a show stealer with 2 of the top names and faces for the company going head-to-head in a non-title rivalry, if they are given the time to do so, and with such a stacked card this year I’m not entirely sure that will be the case. I’m certain they will still put on a hell of a match though with whatever amount of time they are given. This rivalry and buildup has been a bit strange for me because it’s been building for a while, and they have had segments on most the Smackdowns now leading up to Mania, but I just feel like I wanted, and they could’ve done more if they wanted to. Hell though, we did get a home invasion attack and fake cameraman sneak attack from LA Knight within this build and that was a lot of fun, reminiscent of rivalries back in the day. I think that LA Knight has had a fantastic year for the company, and this will be their moment to pay him back and give him a Mania moment and victory over an established veteran, AJ Styles. AJ doesn’t gain much from a win here and doesn’t necessarily lose much either, they could still believably put him in the title picture months from now and no one would bat an eye because he’s AJ Styles and he’s established. I just think based on what I’ve seen this is LA’s match to win and he has more to gain from it.
Prediction: LA Knight wins
Intercontinental Championship match: Gunther (c) vs Sami Zayn
Gunther has had a death grip on the IC belt ever since picking it up, smashing any and all comers who dare to challenge him on his way to becoming the longest reigning IC champ of all time. Sami is the ultimate underdog kind of competitor, used to not necessarily being the favorite, but has the heart and drive of a lion. I juggled this match in my mind and see the case for either man walking out the winner here, but I think I’m going to go with the bold choice and actually pick Sami to walk out with the belt. It’s about time Gunther gets boosted up to the main event scene and fights for the major championships and this would be a huge win and moment for Sami, for the second Mania in a row, and he deserves it after the last couple years he’s had. Plus Gunther has already broken the streak for longest reigning IC champ in history as I said so there’s really nothing else to gain there, and there is no bigger place or moment to drop the belt than at WrestleMania. I think it will be a classic dominant heel champ-underdog babyface kind of match, Sami will take a hell of a beating from Gunther for a lot of the match, but he just won’t quit and, in the end, he’ll walk out with the belt.
Prediction: Sami Zayn wins
WWE Women’s Championship match: Iyo Sky (c) vs Bayley
This is the fallout of Damage CTRL match, with the faction’s now leader and Women’s Champ Iyo facing off against the former leader of Damage CTRL, Bayley. I love Iyo and have grown to be quite a fan of hers over the past year plus, but that being said, this match has Bayley victory written all over it. I wish Iyo had more of a legendary run with the belt, she held it for a good while and I’ll personally remember her run for years to come, but I think she has been capable of so much more than what she’s been booked with the belt. This will inevitably be her biggest title defense though and I see her losing it to the 2024 Royal Rumble winner, Bayley, in it. Bayley is once again the underdog here, she’s been getting teamed up on and beat down by Damage CTRL for weeks now with no one coming to her aid. The deck is stacked against her and as a wrestling fan you know what that usually means. Plus, she’s the only one of the 4 horsewomen who has never really had her big, career defining moment yet. Bayley is due and I see this being her year to get that due. Once again though, I just wish the build to this match was more than it was. Theoretically, the Damage CTRL story is one of the biggest things happening on the women’s roster at the moment but with the Bloodline taking up as much time as they have lately on Smackdown they haven’t necessarily been given the time to showcase that the way I would’ve liked. That doesn’t change the end result though after what I imagine will be a fantastic match at WrestleMania.
Prediction: Bayley wins
6 Pack Ladder match for the Undisputed Tag Team Championships: Judgment Day (c) vs New Catch Republic vs The New Day vs DIY vs Awesome Truth vs Austin Theory & Grayson Waller
This match will be some fun Mania shenanigans, reminiscent of the days when the Money in the Bank was held at WrestleMania. Now I’ve heard theories of potential tag teams returning or debuting in this match but that’s not a certainty so I’m picking solely based on the names listed currently. I honestly have no real idea who may win this one, I’ve made the case for at least 3 of these teams to walk out with the belt, but I just expect this to be a fun and spot heavy affair with everyone involved getting at least a moment to showcase themselves at Mania. If I had to lay a prediction out there, which is what I’m doing so I guess I gotta, then I think I’m going to say Awesome Truth. R-Truth will have a silly little moment where he wins the match but doesn’t even realize he did or something like that, plus Truth has never won at Mania and he’s getting up there in age as well. This will be their way to thank and pay him and The Miz both back for the long tenure they’ve given to the company, in one of Truth’s best and most hilarious stages of his career that he’s ever had.
Prediction: Awesome Truth wins
Jimmy Uso vs Jey Uso
I’m looking forward to this match so much! Another potential show stealer and another classic brother vs brother match at WrestleMania, following in the footsteps of The Harts and The Hardys before them. This is a Bloodline adjacent kind of match as Jimmy is still rolling deep with the boys, while Jey has broken out and made a name for himself on the Raw roster away from them. I like both the brothers a lot and am so happy that they’ve been given the opportunity to become their own characters and personalities apart from each other the past year or so and hope they both get a chance to continue as singles competitors for at least a few more years. Hell, for many years when they were just “The Usos” milling around in the bleak tag team division of the time, I couldn’t even tell you who was who between Jimmy and Jey, and now they’ve broken out and became main players on the roster and weekly shows. That being said, I think Jey has become much more his own thing than Jimmy has been given the chance to, he’s receiving some of the biggest pops on Raw every week while Jimmy is still standing in the background of the Bloodline. That’s why I personally see them throwing a curveball here and Jimmy picking up the win. He needs it more to still establish himself as THE Jimmy Uso and it would be a huge win and moment for him, plus I don’t think Jey would lose a whole lot of steam with a loss here and they could even keep the story going longer if they wanted to post Mania. Regardless, I’m sure this is huge for them personally to be facing each other at Mania and I can’t wait to see it.
Prediction: Jimmy Uso wins
6 Man Tag Philly Street Fight: Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits vs Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Rezar & Akam)
Another last minute addition to the card, but I can’t be mad at it. Lashley and his new stable of prospects (Dawkins and Tez) have at least been rivaling with Final Testament for a while on Smackdown now and this makes enough sense to be added onto the card. Plus, it gets Bobby back on the Mania card (which he was sadly left off of last year unexpectedly), gets Kross his first Mania appearance, and gives the Street Profits a platform on the biggest stage of all to do some crazy stuff that they’re known to do (which they deserve as well being one of the hardest working tag teams week to week over the last couple years). On top of that, this match has the added stipulation of a Street Fight attached to it, so you know we’re in for some weaponry and shenanigans and that always gets excitement and pops out of the crowd. In the end, I see Lashley and the Street Profits taking home a victory here, but this could be a pretty fun match.
Prediction: Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits win
United States Championship match: Logan Paul (c) vs Kevin Owens vs Randy Orton
This should be a fun contest. Paul’s first time walking into WrestleMania a champion and going up against 2 seasoned vets in Orton and Owens, who have made quite the alliance with one another over the last few weeks. This is a classic tale that has been told in wrestling time and time again, the heel champion is forced to defend the title against 2 babyfaces that have formed an alliance with one another against a common foe, in this case that common foe is Paul. Usually the heel champion finds a way to weasel his way out of those situations still a champion after the 2 faces accidentally get in each other’s way and I see something similar happening here. If I had to guess, Paul takes a beating early at the hands of both Orton and Owens, but as the match breaks down the 2 will certainly have to square off with each other and that’s when Paul can insert himself when convenient and pick his spots wisely, plus this is a triple threat match so he can actually use his brass knucks here and it wouldn’t even be against the rules. So, whether he does it cleanly or most likely in a dirty way, I see Paul finding a way to leave Mania still a champion.
Prediction: Logan Paul wins
Women’s World Championship match: Rhea Ripley (c) vs Becky Lynch
This will be an interesting one, a match that was kind of burning slow the weeks following Chamber but has really started to heat up recently. Arguably 2 of the biggest and best women on the roster currently (especially since my girl Charlotte is injured) clashing head-to-head in a major women’s match, for the title, on the grandest stage of them all. Becky and Seth are 2 in the same though I’ve noticed on this build to Mania, as in recent weeks both have been going into battle week in and week out on Raw even though they have a major match coming up in the now very near future and that could be what costs her in the end. I think this match has the potential to be one of the very best of the weekend (like Charlotte/Rhea last year) but only time will truly tell on that. I see this being another major win for Mami though on her dominant run as champion, plus she’d have the accolade of beating Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch in back-to-back WrestleManias for the championship and no one could ever take that away from her then. That and the fact that I don’t see both Women’s champions being uncrowned in 1 show (even though crazier things have happened, I just don’t see that happening here) and I’m pretty sure Bayley is beating Iyo for the belt. This will be a great match, but feels like a Mami win to me.
Prediction: Rhea Ripley wins
World Heavyweight Championship match: Seth Rollins (c) vs Drew McIntyre
This is maybe where I’m on an island. Maybe it’s my fandom of Seth “Freakin” Rollins blinding me from reality, maybe I just don’t want to believe he’ll be mowed over all weekend, or maybe I’ll be the only one who holds hope and ends up being right in the end; again, only time will tell. I just don’t see Seth losing everything all weekend, especially after being beaten down on Raw like he has been the past couple of weeks leading into the big show. I know he’s been beating up his already broken body for weeks now on Raw and I know he’s most likely going away for a while shortly after Mania but I have ways around all that as well. CM Punk will be ringside announcing during this match don’t forget and I think he’s going to end up playing an X factor in this match seeing as he’s had his fair share of problems with both Rollins and McIntyre, but most recently more with McIntyre and he’s taking a lot more shots at Punk than Rollins has. I think they could pull the rug out on us here and really throw a curveball and have Damian cash in as well, I hope they do that at least. Maybe he inserts himself into the match while it’s still going (like Rollins did years ago) and walks out with the belt, or maybe Punk ends up distracting (purposely or not) a poised McIntyre and a beaten Rollins capitalizes and pins McIntyre, but Damian cashes in right after while he’s down. That’s all speculation though, based on solely what we know right now I think after some shenanigans between Punk and McIntyre that Rollins pulls one out by the skin of his teeth, but is beaten and broken after that match.
Prediction: Seth Rollins wins
Seth Rollins & Cody Rhodes vs The Rock & Roman Reigns
One of the big boys of the weekend, the Night 1 main event between “family” *Vin Diesel voice* The Rock and Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns taking on his opponent the next night Cody Rhodes and his partner, the World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. The added stipulation to this one is if Rhodes & Rollins win then the Bloodline is all banned from ringside for the Rhodes vs Reigns match Night 2, but if Rock & Reigns win then it’s No DQ Bloodline Rules match Night 2 meaning everyone can get involved to help Reigns and the Samoan Dynasty walk out with the belt. This match has had a ton of build, and I cannot wait to see The Rock get back into the ring again, 10 years later, and do the damn thing again. Seeing this savage heel version of Rock that we’ve gotten through this Mania build has been fantastic though, I never expected in 2024 that we’d see this side of The Rock again so getting a chance to really indulge in his snarky, rude, and downright bad version of Rocky has been a lot of fun. With that in mind though, I see the Bloodline picking up the W here, they’re not going to make Rock lose after a 10-year return to in ring action, especially given how prominent and featured he’s been on the build to all of this. Plus, this stacks the deck further against the ultimate babyface in Cody Rhodes and thickens the story of him “Finishing the Story” even more. It’ll be a battle and maybe we will see moments where Rock and Roman rub each other wrong and we’ll see the early signs of friction between them (I still think we get a Roman vs Rock match down the road), but in the end they win and if I had to guess it’s The Rock who gets the pin on Cody and really makes his chances look bleak heading into Night 2.
Prediction: The Rock & Roman Reigns win
Undisputed Universal Championship match: Roman Reigns (c) vs Cody Rhodes
This is the one, the one for all the marbles, the Big Dog if you will (pun intended), as Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns go into battle with one another for the 2nd straight year in the WrestleMania main event for the Undisputed Universal Championship. The ultimate question heading into Mania this year, will Cody Rhodes be able to finish his story this time? I think truly, yes, he does. They cannot bury this man 2 years in a row in the Mania main event against the same man, it would be a lot harder to come back from this time if they went that route. Especially given how over and red-hot Cody is right now, he’s the biggest thing in WWE and the most over babyface the company has had in years. You need to cook while the iron is hot, or however that saying goes, and capitalize on what’s laid out clearly in front of you. It’s time, pull the trigger! I’m not a Roman hater either, I actually like him and have been highly invested in the Bloodline story the entire time, but the title is almost like an anchor on Roman’s development at this point and if not now, then when, would be my question. Like I said, I think this match will be contested under Bloodline Rules and Cody is going to take a beating and look like he doesn’t stand a chance for a majority of the match, but that’s how you tell a story and really add that depth to your top babyface. He overcomes all the odds on his way to finishing his story. I’ve heard rumors of a certain John Cena and Stone Cold potentially getting involved as well and there’s potential for a lot of big moments to pop off in this match and make it a very memorable affair. We will just have to wait and see how it all shakes out, but however it does I see the result being the same in the end, Cody Rhodes surrounded by legends in the ring as he holds up the Undisputed Universal Championship to end Mania weekend.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes wins
It looks like a stacked card and a weekend full of fun and I cannot wait to see how it all shakes out! Happy WrestleMania everyone!
