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As discussed in part one and part two of this article, WrestleMania is an event that has many different matches that shape the show into an entertaining spectacle. 'The Show of Shows' undercard, gets the crowd warmed up, while the middle portion of the show keeps fans intrigued while the main matches of the PPV truly define the event.
In this part 3 of "Things WWE should do to ensure Wrestlemania is a blistering success", everything from the main Championship matches to career-defining dream matches, and a debut match that determines the success of a former UFC combat athlete on the WWE main roster will all be analyzed and discussed in the way it can benefit WWE going forward.
#22 The return of The American Badass
When John Cena planted clever easter eggs throughout 2017 with regards to a match with The Undertaker, many felt that it was just clever trolling by the 16-time World Champion.
However, ever since Cena's tale of desperation to get to Wrestlemania had kicked off, many knew he would eventually face The Undertaker in a dream match.
Therefore, the WWE Universe's desire of finally seeing these two icons face off against each other was at an all-time high. On an edition of Raw, Cena made his challenge to The Undertaker for a match at WrestleMania.
But this challenge was not like any other, Cena verbally attacked 'The Phenom' like no man has ever dared to do before, dishing out insult after insult, not to the character of The Undertaker but, to the man behind the legend.
Cena challenged The Undertaker's ego, integrity, and honor in a vicious way.
Therefore, ever since Undertaker supposedly retired his deadman gimmick at WrestleMania 33, The Undertaker returning as 'The American Badass' will give him a chance to return WWE and finish his feud with Cena, as he has now stripped away the mystic side of himself and can now fight for his legacy as a man with no gimmick attached.
#23 Undertaker and Cena obliterate each other
The main issue every wrestling fan had with The Undertaker's last match was that it was against Roman Reigns and secondly, was the fact that 'The Big Dog' didn't create any magic in the ring with 'The Phenom'.
The latter is true, as the main event of WrestleMania 33 was frustrating to watch as it was hard to witness a wrestling legend like The Undertaker go out with very little fanfare.
Therefore, WWE has a chance to correct all the wrongs with that disappointment, and construct a brilliant match between the Undertaker and John Cena, that uses their strengths, drama, and a hot crowd to transcend this match into wrestling history as a modern day classic.
This can give the Undertaker a legacy-defining performance like Ric Flair and Shawn Micheals achieved before him at WrestleMania. Cena might not be one of the greatest in-ring talents of all time but, his ability to perform in important matches is undeniable.
Therefore, WWE can make this awaited dream match a success if, they book these men to perform every move in their arsenal. John Cena could tease a heel turn by doing whatever it takes in this match to win, and Undertaker unwilling to give up again at Wrestlemania.
WWE has a plethora of options that can transcend this match into a perfect encounter, even without it being an in-ring wrestling masterpiece.
#24 Undertaker rides off into the sunset
While The Undertaker is an old school wrestler that will go out on putting over the next Superstar as the greatest of all time, ever since WrestleMania 30, Undertaker did that for Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns respectively.
Now that The Undertaker will face Cena at WrestleMania, the 16-time World Champion is at a point in his career where he doesn’t need any more validation.
In fact, The Undertaker losing at WrestleMania for the third time is a bad decision on WWE's part, as it will further lessen the importance of his WrestleMania record and, put his legacy as the greatest performer in WrestleMania history in a terrible situation.
'The Phenom' deserves to walk off into the sunset holding his hand raised high and, especially if that victory will send Cena off into a different path.
A path that possibly leads to Cena breaking after losing all his important matches as of late and that could result in him turning heel turn which would perfectly suit his character at this point in his career. Therefore, "the phenom" going out with 24 victories at Wrestlemania will solidify his legacy.
#25 Reigns and Lesnar waste little time
WWE has done a stellar job in attempting to paint Brock Lesnar as a heel, whose only interest is money and glory. On the other end of this narrative, they have amicably presented Roman Reigns as the babyface, that is going to rid the WWE of the Brock Lesnar problem.
While WWE’s plan has worked to some degree, there is no denying that this feud between Lesnar and Reigns is as heated as it comes.
After Reigns took verbal shots at Lesnar for weeks for being lazy, unethical and unworthy of being champion, Lesnar retaliated by destroying Reigns in a devastating manner, which saw Reigns being stretchered out of the arena.
WWE has built this match up well, therefore, need to waste no time at WrestleMania, as they have sold fans on the hatred these two powerhouses have for one another.
Instead of the long entrances from Lesnar and Reigns with fireworks going off in the sky, fireworks need to go off in the ring, as Reigns and Lesnar must waste little time in tearing each other apart.
This will prove to fans that this match between these two powerhouses is a serious and violent war for the Universal Title.
#26 Reigns destroys Lesnar
When WWE gave Roman Reigns the first Royal Rumble victory of his career, they expected him to arrive in WrestleMania 31, as the hero that would conquer the 'Baddest Man in the Company' at that point, Brock Lesnar.
Even though WWE didn’t get that desired babyface reaction, Reigns vs Lesnar is one of Lesnar's best matches since he returned in 2012. As the narrative goes, four years later WWE has implied that Reigns has improved in the ring and has grown as a wrestler.
That is true, as Reigns puts on great matches with wrestlers every week. Lesnar, on the other hand, has been presented as a wrestler, that has only two moves and is not planning to evolve his game, which generates good heat for him as a heel.
Therefore, at WrestleMania 34, WWE needs to show the WWE Universe, a different Roman Reigns, as this might be their last shot.
WWE must strip away all sympathy booking they plan to garner for Reigns at WrestleMania. They need to move away from the idea of Reigns crafting a classic with Lesnar, and they need to present Reigns as a legit badass that has one goal, and that is to destroy Brock Lesnar.
#27 A lunatic arrives in the Superdome
Going over all of Roman Reigns' WrestleMania main events from 2015 to 2017, and also Seth Rollins' 'heist of the century' in 2015, wrestling fans have been waiting for some cliffhanger for the last few years.
When fans waited for Seth Rollins to return and challenge Reigns at Wrestlemania 32, they got a clean Roman Reigns victory. When fans waited for Reigns to turn heel on The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 33, they instead got a clean Roman Reigns victory.
The potential cliffhanger WWE can execute at WrestleMania, can define the landscape of Raw going forward. That cliffhanger could be the visual of Dean Ambrose, running through the crowd and laying out Reigns with a thunderous Dirty Deeds.
As of now, the former WWE Champion is out with an injury, but he is reportedly available for WrestleMania and could make an appearance.
While most would expect Ambrose to attack Rollins at the show, WWE should book Ambrose as a mercenary who is might start destroying his past that pushed his career downhill. Truthfully the success of Reigns has eclipsed Ambrose's career.
This story might make Ambrose the hottest star in the company, and why not?
WWE has missed the boat with Ambrose so many times in his career, opting to present his apparent lunatic persona like a comedic skit rather than actual insanity.
WWE needs to present an unhinged version of Ambrose's character and the best place to start that idea is at WrestleMania.
#28 Ronda gets rowdy
When WWE announced that Ronda Rousey would be signing her WWE contract at the Elimination Chamber PPV and, that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were going to be in the same ring as her, many wrestling aficionados knew that WWE was building towards the predictable match of Ronda Rousey vs Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, which is an underwhelming idea, to say the least.
Even though Rousey is visibly unseasoned in the wrestling ring and uncomfortable on the mic, there is no denying the former UFC Bantamweight Champion has an immense passion for wrestling.
Now that WWE has branded her as one of the 'Baddest Women on the Planet', at WrestleMania WWE need her to show that side of her in full view.
Instead of a bland Mixed Tag Team match that features Triple H and Kurt Angle and, Stephanie McMahon running away from Rousey, instead, she should completely demolish Stephanie before the match can even begin.
Some might say that leaves Rousey without an opponent to face in the match and while that is true, WWE needs to deviate from the norm and have Rousey attempt to take on 'The Game' which will help cement her as a badass.
#29 Triple H and Kurt Angle take a trip down memory lane
Triple H vs Kurt Angle was a mainstay rivalry during the Attitude Era that included bloody violence, slapstick comedy, and a love affair, and these men excelled in every section of those mentioned areas.
Therefore, when Kurt Angle returned to the company in 2017 and was positioned as the General Manager of Raw, fans knew that 'The Game and 'The Olympic Hero' would eventually lock horns.
WWE was pushing for this rivalry to be Triple H's annual WrestleMania match, as they planted seeds with Stephanie McMahon belittling Angle, Triple H assaulting Angle's "son", and Triple H eventually laying Angle out on several occasions.
However, with the signing of Ronda Rousey and the need to place her in a WrestleMania match, Angle and Triple H's stroll down memory lane will take place inside a Mixed Tag Team match.
While many wrestling aficionados would rather see these two legends in different matches at 'The Show of Shows', their presence in this match is absolutely imperative to Rousey's success in the WWE
As their wrestling portion of the Mixed Tag Team bout will define this match, that is why this last meeting between these two wrestling greats, WWE need to let them go all out, pull out every trick in their bag and show the world they still can craft a masterpiece.
#30 Rousey shows the world she has arrived
Ever since Ronda Rousey stepped into the WWE arena, many wrestling fans were set on hating her, as they felt she was handed many privileges she claimed she would earn.
Glancing over Rousey's WWE career those complaints are true, as she has been placed into a high profile WrestleMania match with two legends.
She bypassed the NXT system straight to the main roster, and she is largely unproven as a wrestler but is highly booked in the company.
Therefore, while those complaints are harsh, they are proving to be correct, and now WWE needs to debunk those criticisms at WrestleMania if they want Rousey to grow into a beloved babyface in the company.
The only way the company can introduce Rousey to the world is by simply booking her as an unrelenting badass, and luckily for WWE, Rousey's aura already exudes that character trait.
Being a badass in the ring will set the former UFC Bantamweight Champion apart from the rest of the women's division, and the best way to achieve that is by having Rousey go one on one with 'The Game' at WrestleMania.
While WWE refrains from male Superstars colliding with female Superstars in the ring, Rousey is being built as a distinct combat athlete that has stepped into a wrestling ring.
Therefore, for Rousey to truly arrive in WWE she needs to decimate 'The Game' and that is a bump Triple H is surely willing to take, to transcend the former UFC star's popularity into the world of wrestling.
#31 The WWE Championship match headlines WrestleMania
Even before WrestleMania 33 was held, rumors were circulating that WWE had already penciled the main event of Wrestlemania 34, which was a rematch between Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar and this time it was for the Universal Championship.
Fast forward to Wrestlemania 34 this year, the rumors for once proved to be right, as Roman Reigns is currently embroiled in a heated feud with Brock Lesnar for the Universal title.
While many wrestling fans are sure that this match will main event WrestleMania, Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar will not benefit from going on last again.
That is because Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles for the WWE Championship is a match that needs that last spot on the card for more reasons than one.
This match being booked in the middle of the card is a mistake for many reasons, firstly, many wrestling fans know that Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles will deliver a masterpiece in the squared circle, however, this match lacks the narrative.
Secondly, WWE's rulebook states that the winner of the Royal Rumble match will main event WrestleMania but over the last few years, the company has contradicted that statement themselves.
Thirdly, the WWE Title is the most important title in the company's history and over the last few years, the significance of the belt has immensely dropped.
Therefore, by getting that top spot, WWE can book a narrative swerve into Styles vs Nakamura, the company can make a Royal Rumble match win prestigious again, and they can raise the significance of the WWE Title, as the most important title in the company.
#32 Styles and Nakamura take each other to the limit
When AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura both arrived in WWE, many wrestling aficionados couldn't wait to see them clash in a highly anticipated dream match one day.
When these two respected veterans eventually landed up on SmackDown Live, the anticipation for this bout was at an all-time high.
Courtesy of Shinsuke Nakamura winning the Royal Rumble match and AJ Styles retaining his WWE Title under insurmountable odds, this dream match is now a reality and is surely going to blow the roof of the building at WrestleMania.
While WWE has teased what Nakamura vs Styles could look like inside a WWE ring, their WrestleMania encounter must be like no other performance these men put out in the last few months.
While AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura taking each other to the limit would mean multiple finishers being executed, breathtaking moments of athleticism, and expertly performed submissions, these two skilled wrestlers have hidden moves in their arsenal that must be brought back for this night only.
AJ Styles could shock crowds by performing some rarely used wrestling moves, such as his world famous Spiral Tap, his devastating Brainbuster, and his smoothly executed Fosbury Flop.
Shinsuke Nakamura, on the other hand, can employ more hard-hitting moves like his Super Inverted Suplex, his Avalanche Landslide, and his rarely used unique diving Moonsault.
These moves won't only add variety to this match but heighten the tension as none of these moves are used by these superstars in the WWE.
#33 Styles retains via help from some old friends
The main issue that might prevent the WWE Title match from headlining this years WrestleMania, is that there is no narrative behind this match.
While every big match doesn't require the standard booking method of good guys vs bad guys to make it feel personal, WWE didn't even utilize simple booking steps to make this match about pure competition.
However, going into this match one thing is for sure, Nakamura and Styles will craft a classic, but, a bigger, more revolutionary narrative needs to come out of this dream match. The commencement of that huge revelation is staring WWE in the face, and that was Styles apparent injury.
As Styles was reportedly injured just weeks before his huge showdown with Nakamura, WWE could've used that injury to create a theme that should've been highlighted since the beginning of this programme.
WWE should've booked AJ Styles as a doubtful Champion, who knows he couldn't get the job done in NJPW against Nakamura, and now his nagging injury, places more doubt in his mind on whether he can walk out of WrestleMania as the WWE Champion.
While it may seem as if WWE has not explored this theme, Styles growing annoyance with Nakamura constantly telling him that he would beat him at WrestleMania as grown to the point where Styles is playing the de facto heel in this programme.
WWE should use that doubt Styles has and, have him reassure himself in the most shocking way and that is by taking help from The Club to retain his WWE Title.
#34 WrestleMania concludes with a cliffhanger
As mentioned earlier, wrestling fans haven't witnessed a truly shocking end to WrestleMania in years, as Seth Rollins' brilliant 'Heist of the Century' was the last surprise WWE had up its sleeve.
This year 'The Showcase of Immortals' needs an ending that will resonate with fans, and the sight of Finn Balor, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson assisting AJ Styles in retaining his WWE Title is possibly the biggest swerve WWE can pull off this year.
The reunion of WWE's version of The Bullet Club will not only allow AJ Styles, Finn Balor, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to run rampant on any brand they please, it will allow these men to rejuvenate their careers.
As Finn Balor has lost a lot of momentum since his return from injury, Gallows and Anderson were reduced to jobbers.
Now, under guaranteed excellent booking of AJ Styles, WWE can reconstruct these talented athletes careers from the ground up.
And the Superstar that is sure to come out of this match with the most momentum is Shinsuke Nakamura.
A majority of the WWE Universe would want Shinsuke Nakamura to become WWE Champion at WrestleMania. However, WWE hasn't done nearly enough to make Nakamura's journey to the main event feel earned or personal.
Therefore, being screwed out of his first World Title could light a fire under Nakamura, that would make his follow up matches with AJ Styles feel more heated and intense.
When booking a cliffhanger, WWE has no better option than this, as all Superstars involved, stand a chance to benefit. It can create high octane drama on SmackDown Live or Raw and it gives WWE a whole year of booking options to explore, and that all can be achieved through the sight of AJ Styles reuniting with The Club to close out WrestleMania.
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