The WrestleMania 33 card has shaped up to be quite intriguing, and at this year’s event, WWE appears to have encountered a strategic problem.
WrestleMania cards have always been filled with star-studded matches, but it has been made clear in the build-up to WrestleMania 33 what the main event – or final match – is.
Last year, for example, despite Shane McMahon vs The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar vs Dean Ambrose both being big matches, it was always advertised and understood that the main event would be Triple H vs Roman Reigns.
This year, for the first time in a long time, WWE has the issue of two distinct brands. If the Raw championship match closes the show, isn’t that unfair to SmackDown Live, and vice versa? Does that mean a non-title match should end the show? Perhaps.
That would still mean, however, that one of the brands’ matches will have to be the main event. This article aims to determine what the most suitable match is for the final frames of the event.
The three contenders to close the show are Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship, Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton for the WWE Championship and The Undertaker vs Roman Reigns, seeing as all three have been advertised as the most important and anticipated matches of the night.
Goldberg and Brock Lesnar have shared a WrestleMania match before, at WrestleMania XX, and it’s fair to say that it faltered. They also had a recent one minute match at Survivor Series. If this match at WrestleMania 33 is watchable, it can then be considered an achievement for both men.
Despite this, however, the value of both competitors cannot be overlooked, with Brock Lesnar being WWE’s money magnet and Goldberg being the nostalgia factor in the match.
By that judgement, having this match close the show is apt, but it is likely that the quality of the match will dip below both other options and welcome excessive backlash from fans and critics alike. Most wrestling events are remembered for the way they end, and a lacklustre match wouldn’t help WrestleMania 33‘s Blu-Ray sales.
Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt have had the most interesting story leading into WrestleMania, a result of months of build-up and smart writing.
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This match will certainly have the payoff for everything it has been leading up to, and the quality of the two wrestlers at hand – plus the fluid nature of their gimmicks – can promise a match to be remembered.
Add to the mix the most prestigious title SmackDown has to offer, and you have yourself a WrestleMania match worthy of calling itself that. However, is it alright to place that kind of weight on this match?
WWE haven’t proven to have the most faith in Bray Wyatt and giving him their most important match of the year would take a lot of courage. This isn’t to say that this writer does not want Wyatt to have the spotlight, it would just be amazing for WWE to want the same thing.
Another factor WWE has to consider is which of its titles it considers to be more important: the Universal Championship or the WWE Championship. If Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar were to close the show, it could degrade the WWE Championship.
The prestige WWE’s championships hold is continuously declining, and the WWE Championship can’t afford to lose its credibility.
The Undertaker vs Roman Reigns is this year’s big Undertaker match, which is more often than not bigger than the title matches on the card. Indeed, this year’s is no exception, with this match holding the same level of importance as the other two in question.
The biggest advantage of having this match close the show is that neither championship would appear to be lesser than the other. Furthermore, there are rumours that this will be The Undertaker’s final WrestleMania match, and having The Deadman close out the show would be a fitting farewell.
However, it would also mean that Roman Reigns would have been in the main event of WrestleMania for three years in a row, which is not the best idea for WWE in terms of fan reactions.
Considering the fact that Reigns is heavily favoured in the match, having WrestleMania close with him standing victorious over The Undertaker would cause an eruption on social media, and not in the good sense.
Having considered all things, this writer would vote for Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton to take the final spot on the WrestleMania 33 card. It is probably the most popular match of the three, and will likely be the best one.
Furthermore, if a title match is to close the show, it should be this one, considering both men have contributed more to the company over the past year than Goldberg or Brock Lesnar.
Awarding the main event to SmackDown Live would be well deserved considering how SmackDown has been progressively better than Raw since the brand split. It would also be a huge bonus in Bray Wyatt’s career, and if there is anyone who deserves this opportunity after being in the dust for so long, it’s him.
Overall, it seems like the best decision for WWE to make.
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