It’s time. The show of shows, the granddaddy of them all, the ultimate thrill ride. Wrestlemania 33 is here, and it’s simply time to stop playing games and break down the large card which could last about seven hours in total.
Wrestlemania 33
WRESTLEMANIA 33 NEWS & NOTES:
Where: Camping World Stadium. Orlando, Florida
When: April 2nd, 2017. Pre-show begins at 5 PM ET, Main show begins at 7 PM ET.
Hosts: The New Day
Musical Performance: R&B singer Tinashe will be singing “America The Beautiful” to open the main show.
Musical Performance: Pitbull, Flo Rida, Lunchmoney Lewis and Stephen Marley will be performing the “Greenlight” theme song.
Musical Performance: Pitbull will perform his new “Options” hit single.
(card subject to change)
(all match descriptions courtesy of WWE.com)
Wrestlemania 33 Kickoff show
Scheduled Start Time: 5 ET/2 PT
Where to watch: WWE Network, WWE.com, the WWE App, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match
Neville (c) vs. Austin Aries
It’s a damn shame that what could probably be the best match of the night is being relegated to pre-show duties but, someone has to do it. Unfortunately, it’s the match between two of the best in-ring talents in the company making their Wrestlemania debut, battling for a title that hasn’t been defended on the Wrestlemania stage since 2004 at Wrestlemania 20. Neville and Austin Aries are a pair that will hopefully bring the house down and put some eyes all over 205 Live on Tuesday nights.
They’re fantastic in the ring, offer up slightly different styles and also play characters quite different from their past incarnations with Neville playing the role of the heel as ‘King of the Cruiserweights’ and Aries being a babyface ‘media personality’ type. These two didn’t have much time to build, around a month to be exact, but in that time they’ve sold many on what they could do together. Here’s hoping to a great match from both and starting the show right.
Prediction: I believe Neville defends the title and starts off what could be the feud of the year if done properly.
The Fourth Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Announced Participants:
Sami Zayn
Braun Strowman
Goldust (Golden Truth)
R-Truth (Golden Truth)
Curtis Axel
Dolph Ziggler
Jey Uso (Usos, Smackdown Live tag team champions)
Jimmy Uso (Usos, Smackdown Live tag team champions)
Chad Gable (American Alpha)
Jason Jordan (American Alpha)
Primo (Shining Stars)
Epico (Shining Stars)
Bo Dallas
Jinder Mahal
Rhyno (Slater Gator)
Heath Slater (Slater Gator)
Apollo Crews
Mojo Rawley
Big Show
Curt Hawkins
Tyler Breeze (Breezango)
Fandango (Breezango)
Tian Bing (NXT)
Mark Henry
Killian Dain (NXT)
(Possible NXT, Cruiserweight or legendary names could be surprise entrants)
Let’s not kid ourselves here. Few names pop off the screen in this match, essentially the ‘jobber royal.’ You’d be hard pressed to see any of the tag teams win it. We haven’t seen a few guys (Curtis Axel, Mark Henry, Bo Dallas, Curt Hawkins) on WWE television for a while doing anything important. The two NXT talents aren’t yet ready for the main stage, especially Killian Dain who is a member of the best stable in NXT right now, sAnity. So who does that leave?
Sami Zayn, Braun Strowman, Big Show, Apollo Crews, Jinder Mahal, Mojo Rawley, Dolph Ziggler. Out of that list, it’s apparent who pops out more than anyone, and that’s the monster among men, Braun Strowman. We’ve seen him get a huge push since he officially departed from the Wyatt Family in July and he’s only skyrocketed up the card. We saw what the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal win did for Baron Corbin last year, and now the ‘Lone Wolf’ is a major player on Smackdown Live.
Prediction: Braun Strowman should run away with this easily. All indications point towards him winning the Battle Royal and immediately going back to his feud with Roman Reigns or possibly Brock Lesnar. A possible surprise win could come from Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn or Big Show. Especially if this is Big Show’s final Wrestlemania under his current WWE contract.
(Take note: This could be a potential spot where a returning Shelton Benjamin or Finn Balor could come out but don’t bank on the latter doing it. It could also be the stage for the Hardy Boys to return and cause an elimination on the newly minted Smackdown Live tag team champions, the Usos, a team that has been the most consistent in the tag team division for nearly a decade. Also, the Shaquille O’Neal possibility still lingers.)
Wrestelmania 33 Main Card
Scheduled Start Time: 7 ET/4 PT
Where to watch: WWE Network
Raw Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Ladder Match
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (c) vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Cesaro & Sheamus
For the first time in their WWE careers, the team of Enzo Amore & Big Cass will be in a Wrestlemania match, and they will also be in their first career ladder match. I, for one, can’t wait to hear over 70,000 fans spell out ‘SAWFT’ to start the night. The match is a tall task for the boisterous pair, especially going up against wrestling vets like The Club (Anderson & Gallow) and Cesaro & Sheamus. It’s also the Wrestlemania debut for ‘The Club’ after joining the company almost a year ago to the day, signing contracts backstage on the Raw after Wrestlemania 32. But for Sheamus and Cesaro, they are no strangers to Wrestlemania nor ladder matches. Sheamus himself has been through some pretty brutal scraps in his time going into matches like Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber, TLC and Money in the Bank.
This storyline has had some ups and downs and got stale for a little bit, but at the end, it all made sense. These are the top three teams on Raw, outside of the Wrestlemania hosts ‘The New Day,’ and it is just ideal to put them together with a stipulation that you wouldn’t necessarily relate with any one of the teams. They’re all portrayed as tough teams without a real high flyer in sight but don’t underestimate the abilities of Karl Anderson or Enzo Amore jumping off that ladder. Expect some hard hits and rough spots from these guys, for sure. Sheamus recently received 15 stitches after taking a ladder to the face on this past week’s episode of Raw, and if that’s any indication, we could be in for a great match to start off the main card.
Prediction: Possibly to the surprise of many, I think Enzo and Cass will come away with the belts here in their Wrestlemania debut. It would be the first time the WWE tag team titles changed teams on the main card since Wrestlemania X-7. We’ve had beautiful ladder match moments open the last two Manias (Daniel Bryan at WM 31, Zack Ryder at WM 32) so why not do it for a third year in a row with quite possibly the most over tag team in the WWE right now. This could be another match primed for a nice opportunity to have the Matt and Jeff Hardy return and cost the belts for one of these teams, most likely The Club. Then they could even go backstage, get confronted by the ‘New Day’ about starting the show off on a bad foot and that could create another mini-feud. As you can tell, there should be a lot for the Hardys to do on either show, if they officially return.
SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
Champion Alexa Bliss to defend against all female SmackDown LIVE Superstars who are available to compete.
Alexa Bliss vs. Carmella vs. Mickie James vs. Natalya vs. Naomi vs. Becky Lynch
The name of this match has varied from week to week. One week it was a match for all available Smackdown Live women to compete in but when Noami joined, it was labeled a six-pack challenge. Now it’s back to the original name so that could open up the door for a possible return or debut from rumored potential surprise superstars like Kelly Kelly, Asuka, Emma, Summer Rae or even the new Hall of Famer, Beth Phoenix. But the thing is, this match doesn’t need any surprises or gimmicks attached to it. These six women, and you can add Nikki Bella as well, have been top-to-bottom stellar for Smackdown Live and the WWE’s women’s division in general. While Raw might have the top names, their depth is thin beyond Charlotte, Bayley and Sasha Banks.
These women should put on a great show with some stellar spots throughout. We’ve already seen what Becky Lynch is capable of doing on the main stage of Wrestlemania, possibly having the match of the night last year against Charlotte and Sasha Banks. On top of that, Wrestlemania veterans like Mickie James, Naomi, and Natalya have been on this stage before and could easily steer the ship towards where it needs to go. The Wrestlemania in-ring debuts for Carmella and the champion Alexa Bliss shouldn’t cause too much of an issue given the great work they often do. Especially Bliss, a woman who arguably has been the top female in the WWE since the brand split. This one could have some great moments tied into it.
Prediction: Naomi is home in Orlando, and she mostly likely will take gold at the end of this match. She had her title stripped of her following an injury about month ago, and she’s poised to have a second run as Smackdown Live women’s champion.
Intercontinental Championship Match
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Baron Corbin
This story had a couple of solid moments in the buildup towards this match. The storyline has been building for about two months since the Elimination Chamber when they both cost each other the WWE Championship. They had a few weeks of confrontations, but the feud hit another level when Corbin ‘crushed’ Ambrose with a forklift. Since then we haven’t seen either man mix it up too much in the ring but mostly talk some trash. A typical run of the mill battle between two high-mid carders. This should be a good match overall with two good in-ring talents.
Prediction: Just one year after making his debut, I think Baron Corbin will get his moment to shine and take home the prestigious Intercontinental title possibly building this into a pretty good feud going into the summer.
United States Championship Match
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Kevin Owens
This match, out of all of the matches on the main card, could be the match that steals the show, if not the entire weekend. This story has been building for the better part of six months with Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens becoming best friends. They became a comedic duo with Jericho pulling out his ‘list of Jericho’ and Owens being quick witted in his disses to their opponents. They were killing it following the brand split and often they were the best thing going on Monday night Raw. But they had to split, and the WWE did it masterfully at the ‘festival of friendship.’ It was an event Jericho held for Owens to celebrate their partnership.
This has been a fantastic buildup all the way through, and their rivalry will most likely culminate at Wrestlemania 33, for the most part. Jericho has stated he’s going on tour with his band ‘Fozzy’ in May and he’s going to be taking some time off from the company. This could be his last match for a while, so why not make it a great one?
Prediction: The last two Wrestlemania appearance from Chris Jericho – versus Fandango at WM 29 and versus A.J. Styles at WM 32 – were matches for Y2J to give a slight push to help fans from all over welcome these newer WWE stars. Last year, Owens was among seven men in the Intercontinental Championship Ladder match and didn’t have a memorable Wrestlemania moment. This year against Jericho, a man Owens has openly noted as someone he looked up to as a kid, there should be a ton of possible memorable moments for Owens to secure on his way to a win.
Raw Women’s Championship Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match
Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax
It appears to be a slight retread of last year’s Women’s Championship match just remove Becky Lynch and add Nia Jax and Bayley. The match has mostly been built up as Bayley versus Charlotte with Sasha Banks defending Bayley at every turn downplaying Bayley’s run as champ and Nia Jax just wanting a piece of the women, just being added to the match recently. The Raw Women’s champion Bayley has looked sharp at times and other times she’s seemed feeble. Sasha Banks has not done much to add to the feud outside of her slowly planting seeds towards her heel turn, but it’s not like she’s doing anything groundbreaking. Subtle shots by Banks have essentially been buried by Charlotte going at Bayley’s fandom growing up. Oh, and Nia Jax was again just thrown in the match. It’s understandable why you need to get all of these women in somehow, but it was kind of sloppily put together.
Bayley’s been up and down as of late that usually would not be a good recipe for the ‘hugger’ to retain her belt, but somehow it just feels right. There are things brewing in this match, notably a potential Sasha Banks heel turn, that could really throw a wrench in this match and throw some people off.
Prediction: I think it comes down to Charlotte and Bayley at the end after a match that might surprise people given the lack of excitement going into it. Nia Jax gets tossed out first, and then there’s some mess around where Bayley picks up the win after another Sasha Banks interference following Banks’ elimination. This should plant the seeds for Bayley telling Sasha to back off and then begin a full heel turn for ‘The Boss’ on the night after Mania.
SmackDown LIVE Commissioner vs. The Phenomenal One
Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles
This match was one that seemingly wasn’t supposed to happen. According to Mr. Wrestlemania himself, Shawn Michaels was approached about doing a ‘dream match’ against AJ Styles but ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ rejected the match, continuing his retirement. Shane McMahon was reportedly supposed to have a match against Brock Lesnar, but once Goldberg decided to re-sign with the company, the WWE pulled an e-brake on any potential McMahon-Lesnar battles, for now. So we get slightly rushed, but beautifully Shane McMahon versus AJ Styles match at Wrestlemania 33. The one notable thing with this is, as of right now, there is no stipulation on this match. That’s something we’re not used to seeing with big Shane McMahon matches.
We saw him jump off the top of Hell in a Cell, fall from the top of the titantron and he even got suplexed through glass windows not once, but twice in the same match. But this time around, there’s no stipulation attached which means one big thing. Unless Shane has improved his wrestling technique as a 47-year-old, AJ Styles will carry this match. And that’s ok. Styles is probably the best in the business right now, and he could make this match into something pretty decent. Much like X-Pac did against Shane at Wrestlemania 15 when they battled for the European title. While most of us would want to see him mix it up with Randy Orton, The Miz, Bray Wyatt or even John Cena again, this might be an underrated great use of his talents.
Prediction: There has to be some short of chicanery going on in this match. There’s no way it is an entirely clean bout throughout. I anticipate something wild happening, but AJ Styles should come out on top and avoid two straight Wrestlemania losses to begin his career.
Non-Sanctioned Match
Seth Rollins vs. Triple H
Essentially a no-DQ or a no holds barred match will take place at Wrestlemania 33 against Triple H and Seth Rollins. This has reportedly been the plan for almost two years now, but Seth’s real life injuries derailed anything from happening last year. While the heat between the two might not be as real as other matches, this one has been through a dark buildup reaching a breaking point when Triple H helped Kevin Owens pin Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal title. Seth, later on, crashed Triple H’s NXT Takeover: San Antonio show in January and then things started to ramp up and we got a little more fromt the two about a month and a half ago. Triple H has used his new muscle, Samoa Joe, to aid him in fending off Seth Rollins in recent weeks, including being the guy who ‘reinjured’ Rollins’ knee.
So here we are, Triple H is battling against an ‘injured’ Seth Rollins in a match that is not sanctioned by the company so no one would be at fault for any potential injuries to Rollins. It could be a storyline reason to write Seth off TV and give him some well deserved time off or just a reason to prop Seth up as a legitimate babyface on the Monday Night show. Either was seems plausible right now. (Plus, as a bonus, we’re getting Stephanie McMahon back to reprise her role as the ultimate heel owner as she already said she was going to be a part of her husband Triple H’s entrance.)
Prediction: Seth should win this match, but it might come at a brutal cost. This match has all the makings of a downright brawl involving tables, chairs and of course, sledgehammers. Expect an appearance from Samoa Joe at some point during this match and also the possible debut of Finn Balor.
Power Couples Collide
John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse
This match has some real life heat. Maryse says Nikki Bella screwed her out of a spot on Total Bellas while Bella says she did nothing wrong, but instead the suits were the ones who decided to move away from Maryse. The couples have traded shots on Smackdown Live shows for the last month, and the buildup has been just spectacular. What was originally viewed as a ‘meh’ match became a passionate bout between some of the top WWE stars in the Men’s and Women’s division.
Prediction: The team of John Cena & Nikki Bella should come out on top and if the rumors of a proposal coming afterward are true, there’s no way Cena and Bella will lose.
WWE Championship Match
Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Randy Orton
Talk about a slow build. The program for the WWE Championship began way back around Backlash when the two men were supposed to face off in a match just about three weeks after Randy Orton suffered a concussion against Brock Lesnar at Summerslam. Eventually, Orton came around and joined Bray Wyatt and his family immediately building on of the best stables in recent wrestling history. The duo even captured tag team gold during their time together. The creepy, dark, often exciting storyline changed when Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble, Bray Wyatt won the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, and then Orton flipped on Wyatt. It was a fantastic build up to what should be a solid match between two great workers.
Prediction: This match could join Neville versus Aries and Chris Jericho versus Kevin Owens as the potential match of the night candidates. The two are excellent workers and if the drama continues to build to their feud culmination at Wrestlemania. To me, it’s a toss-up between the two guys, but if I had to guess, Bray Wyatt should win possibly with some assistance of a returning Erick Rowan.
Universal Championship Match
Goldberg (c) vs. Brock Lesnar
Ah, yes. The match initially billed as a promotion for the WWE 2k17 video game has turned into something bigger with the Universal title on the line. It’s supposed to be a retribution match for the letdown that was Wrestlemania 20 where both men were booed to no end. Their first match since that event was at Summerslam with Goldberg squashing Lesnar in under two minutes. Goldberg and Lesnar crossed paths again at the Royal Rumble with Goldberg once again coming out on top. Their paths crossed multiple times over the last few months, which usually kills any anticipation for a match, but it built up some great tension between the two.
While the fans might be quick to reject the idea, especially with the behind-the-scenes whispers of this match being another quick one with Lesnar coming out on top, Goldberg’s contract ending after Wrestlemania and this match being a setup for Lesnar versus Roman Reigns at next year’s Wrestlemania, the anticipation from fans is tepid at best.
Prediction: All signs point towards Brock Lesnar.
The Phenom vs. The Big Dog
The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns
The build for this match is relatively silly; the two men are battling over whose yard it is? I don’t know. It’s weird, but it’s a match that is happening nonetheless and apparently, as of this week, will go down as the Wrestlemania main event in what would be The Undertaker’s final match. As a bonus, legendary commentator Jim Ross is supposed to be calling one Wrestlemania 33 match, and if history tells us anything, this will be the bout he calls. (JR also lent his voice to the final Wrestlemania battle between Taker and Triple H and also was supposed to do the call for the final Shawn Michaels versus Undertaker match at the Wrestlemania 26 ‘streak versus career’ match.)
Prediction: As many knows, Undertaker is a wrestling purist, so there is some inclination that he will go out on his back and suffer a loss to Reigns if it is indeed his last match in WWE. It would ultimately cement Roman Reigns as the WWE’s most hated performer but actually with a good reason this time. Reigns should go over Taker to end the night, but Undertaker will get his moment to say goodbye to the crowd.
