For many years, fans have been left wanting title matches at the biggest stage. This year, with the brand split adding more belts and feuds, the WWE is set to stuff the WrestleMania 33 card in Orlando with eight (or more) title matches.
Each match has been built with wavering levels of booking consistency and heat, giving some predictions an air of inevitability and others a complete unknown. Certain Champions and challengers appear locks to walk out with the belt, while others would make no sense whatsoever.
Of course, nothing is ever certain when it comes to booking WrestleMania, but here is my reasoning with the current title bouts, and how I see them playing out. From strong Champion favourites to certain victorious challengers, here is the ranking for most likely title changes.
#8 Cruiserweight title
A match that may deliver some of the most memorable one-on-one action from the night also appears to be the most predictable. While Austin Aries retains a solid following and has been a much-needed injection of character to 205 Live, I can’t see him beating Neville at WrestleMania 33.
Aries does not have undeniable momentum behind him, he is an outsider and is, therefore, going to lose to the more established WWE guy, and he turns 39 years old next month.
Also read: WWE WrestleMania 33 Rumors: At least 3 title changes are expected at WrestleMania
Neville has managed to claw together just enough substance to stand out as the Cruiserweight Champion, something the WWE has struggled to do since the division’s inception.
To keep switching the belt is not going to help the brand at all, so Neville should and likely will keep it until a more prominent occasion.
P.S. WWE would not put Sting or AJ Styles over in their debuts, what are they doing if they change that up now?
#7 WWE World Title
In what I imagine will be the penultimate match on the card, the bizarre pairing and build-up of the WWE title match can surely only have one winner.
After being handled by Cena, Undertaker and The Rock to kick off his WrestleMania career, Bray Wyatt might as well pack it up and revert back to being Husky Harris if he does not beat Orton.
Yes, Randy Orton is the third generation darling missing a WrestleMania title win on his resume (thanks a lot, Triple H), but it would make little to no sense to have him win here.
The feud with Wyatt has been marred by inconsistencies, Luke Harper remains conspicuous by his absence, and the shadow of Cena vs. Styles looms large over the quality of the match itself.
Simply put, fans have no way of understanding the motivations behind the match from all parties involved, which leads to the only beneficial conclusion that Wyatt must retain and pick up a signature win.
#6 SmackDown Women’s title
It is hard to determine what is coming from Alexa Bliss vs. the entire SmackDown women’s roster, because they could go all in and surprise the crowd with unexpected entrants and/or match stipulations, or just phone it in and make it mirror the Raw match.
Assuming they don’t make it stand out on this packed card and stick with a fatal-6-or-7-way, I can only really see Alexa retaining and running it back later with Naomi once the latter is ready.
Hope remains that a quick gauntlet-type match might allow the girls an opportunity to show what they got in earnest, or better yet, some shenanigans that might lead to the chorus of boos marking a Kelly Kelly or Eva Marie title win.
#5 Intercontinental title
WWE fans that claim to understand the product could probably have predicted this match last year.
Dean Ambrose remains a popular babyface but has not reached the next level through lack of opportunity or ability or whatever, and Baron Corbin stuck it out as the arrogant heel that the brass loves because he is tall.
For all the multi-person matches on the card, this match could actually use more pieces to benefit both guys. Corbin needs to be shown as physically impressive because fans have not bought into anything else about his character, while Ambrose could also use a more dominant showing to demonstrate some cunningness and ingenuity in his style.
Yes, Ambrose is erratic by design but if he is ever going to be taken seriously as a long-term Champion, this match has to go in his favour.
I think Ambrose will retain, mainly because the rest of the card seems heel-heavy for WrestleMania standards, although Corbin definitely has a reasonable chance of walking out as IC champ.
#4 Raw Tag Team titles
This may be the toughest one to call, and a lock for the annual ‘please make it TLC’ request from Millennials.
The odds favour a title switch with The Club being mediocre champions, to begin with, but for them to have hung around for so long as challengers before finally winning the belts at the Royal Rumble, the WWE clearly sees something in them.
Most likely, Enzo and Cass are picking up the win and headlining the otherwise thin tag division on Raw in the months to come.
Sheamus and Cesaro have the capacity to hold it up as well, making it more than a single segment feature each week, but their team could just as easily implode and leave the division even more deserted.
On a curious side note, where are the WrestleMania 33 hosts and did they ever even try and win the belts back after their record-breaking reign was snapped? New Day or not, the division does need some life injected into it, so expect (unless Finn Balor makes an appearance) new Champions to get the ball rolling post-Mania.
#3 Raw Women’s title
In the whirlwind year since Charlotte first won the Women’s championship, the title belt has switched hands seven times! Far be it from me to deny the WWE in its charge to crown another 16-time world champ in the Flair family, I honestly see no reason to expect Bayley to retain.
This does not mean that Charlotte is guaranteed to go back-to-back at Mania, but her winning would fall right in line with the ever-changing booking of the Four Horsewomen.
Becky was actually fortunate to miss out on this scramble because she and the SmackDown roster have been gradually elevated over the course of the year.
Raw meanwhile seems to go around in circles with Charlotte winning at ‘special events’ and Sasha hitting the same promo about ‘Eddie Guerrero and no-one believing in her’. Being multiple time champion, a main event performer and getting a special Mania entrance before you are 25 years old really sells that angle.
I should probably mention that Nia Jax is supposed to be a legitimate contender as well.
This match could go in a multitude of directions and it's astounding that Bayley snapped Charlotte’s streak on the previous show.
The only rationale behind this suggests that Bayley is likely getting screwed in the match (likely by Sasha) and will hopefully lead to a more character driven feud that those two desperately need.
The clever booker could take the belt away initially and diversify the division by having a champion do something different, but with the WWE, expect a delayed Sasha heel turn and title win.
#2 United States title
Kevin Owens and Y2J are on the list!
The best thing Raw had going this past year sees the former best friends go at it for the belt. Sadly, despite being the main draw for the weekly show, this contest is for the secondary prize after Owens got the short end of the stick and ‘had to be’ squashed by Goldberg.
Nevertheless, fans are excited to see these two close the storyline and deliver a good match to boot (eh). Though it’s hard to imagine any complaints about the inevitable result, Owens is a near certainty to take this, with Jericho once again bowing out after his latest 18-month return.
The only real reservation would be if the WWE wanted to go in a different direction with Owens and give someone else the surprise win over Y2J on the Raw after Mania.
Of course, that scenario could just as easily play out with Owens losing immediately, so I am sticking to a new US champion in this matchup.
#1 Universal title
There is a tiny bit of morbid curiosity in me to see what the reaction would be if Goldberg were to squash Brock Lesnar AGAIN. However, Lesnar is going to win this match and in fairly dominant fashion so that he gets some sort of reclamation as the baddest man in WWE.
It’s just impossible to imagine the man who beat the Undertaker’s streak getting so thoroughly owned by a guy who can only have a handful of two-minute matches left in him. Both will hopefully pass on the rub to younger guys before they hang up their boots, the only question left is whether this will be the main event.
At the end of an estimated 6/7-hour event, I would have no problem with a swift and impactful conclusion, even if it comes after the Undertaker’s last match. P.S. The WWE has to know that if Roman Reigns beats The Undertaker to close the show in Taker’s final match, then he will never, EVER be cheered as a face.
Don’t be that stupid, WWE, end it with Lesnar.
Leave your thoughts on which belts will change hands at Wrestlemania 33 in the comments.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
How did Ric Flair spend $1500 at a pizza place? More details here
