Being awarded a title opportunity at the grandest stage sports entertainment has to offer is a tremendous honor. Often wrestling stars must strive and scrape for years, or even decades, to receive such a career accolade.
Whether the wrestler is successful in the opportunity isn't nearly as important as just being given the opportunity. Andre the Giant will be forever remembered as the man who co-main evented WrestleMania alongside Hulk Hogan and challenged him for the title, even though he did not win the bout.
That being said, it seems like some pro wrestlers make it to the WrestleMania title picture faster than others. There is endless debate as to who deserves to be placed in such a prestigious position. Opinions vary on who this pertains to, but the wrestling business, like any other, should be open to criticism in order to grow and prosper.
Here are three wrestlers with title shots at Wrestlemania 35 who deserve them...and three who do not!
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Doesn't deserve their title shot at WrestleMania 35 #3: Nia Jax and Tamina Snuka
Tamina Snuka is the daughter of WWE Hall of Fame member Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, and is one of the longest tenured women on the WWE roster.
Nia Jax is the Rock's cousin and a member of the famous Anoa'i wrestling clan. Her unique look and size have made her a standout in the women's division in a very short time, including a reign as WWE Raw Women's Champion.
Looks good on paper... so why are they on this list?
Why they don't deserve a title shot at Wrestlemania 35: Frankly, Tamina Snuka is a decent wrestler who has a lot of trouble connecting with the WWE Universe. This is why she has been in the company so long yet has accomplished relatively little.
By contrast, Jax is excellent at connecting with the crowd. Remember fans chanting 'you deserve it' after she won the WWE Raw Women's Championship last year at WrestleMania 35? Still, she lacks polish in the ring. Tag team wrestling is ironically harder than singles wrestling, and Jax needs time to learn this new style.
Simply put, the duo aren't necessarily terrible, but haven't accomplished enough as a tandem to qualify for the prestigious WrestleMania spot.
Deserves their title shot at WrestleMania 35 #3: Finn Balor
Finn Balor was initially told he was 'too small' to wrestle for the major US promotions, so he took himself to Japan. In the New Japan Pro Wrestling organization, he distinguished himself as Prince Devitt, and was a charter member of the Bullet Club.
When he joined NXT, it was a sign that WWE was starting to look for a different kind of star than the massively muscled specimens such as Ryback and Titus O'Neil. He won the NXT Championship and was one of the most popular stars on the yellow brand before being brought up to the main roster. He has a title shot at WrestleMania 35 against Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley, but should he?
Why he deserves his title shot at WrestleMania 35: Finn Balor is, pound for pound, one of the most highly skilled technical wrestlers of his generation. He is always at peak physical conditioning and enjoys great popularity from the WWE Universe despite inconsistent booking.
He's already won the 'big belt,' being the first WWE Universal Champion, a belt he never lost, but relinquished due to injury. If anything, Finn Balor is OVER qualified to compete for the Intercontinental strap.
Doesn't deserve their title shot at Wrestlemania 35 #2: Charlotte Flair
Charlotte Flair got into the wrestling game because she wanted to honor both her father, the legendary Nature Boy Ric Flair, and her late brother Reed Flair, who passed away from non-wrestling related causes.
No one could have expected how tremendously talented she would become. Using her background in acrobatics, she has trained herself to be one of the top performing wrestlers - male or female - in the industry today. She has captured every bit of gold available to women in the WWE except the tag team titles, and we're betting she'll win those at some point, too.
So why in the world is she on this list if she's so darn good?
Why she doesn't deserve her title shot at WrestleMania 35: The feud between Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey has been red hot, so Charlotte was never needed in the first place. Add in the fact that Charlotte should be defending her title, not challenging for another one, and you'll see why she shouldn't be in the match.
Deserves their title shot at WrestleMania 35 #2: Rey Mysterio
Rey Misterio began his career under a mask as La Colibri, the Hummingbird, until his Uncle, the original Rey Misterio, believed he had earned his rightful place under the Rey Misterio mantle.
During the Monday Night Wars, Mysterio was a fixture of the WCW cruiserweight division. His legendary feud and matches against Eddie Guerrero are still talked about today. When he moved to WWE, he was even more successful, becoming a Triple Crown Champion with his mix of speed, Lucha Libre, and never say die attitude.
Why he deserves his WrestleMania 35 title shot: Rey Mysterio is an international wrestling legend, having captured gold in every promotion he's been a part of. His ring skills are just as sharp as they were ten years ago, and he hasn't missed a step since rejoining WWE. Like Finn Balor, he's overqualified to compete for a midcard strap.
Does not deserve their title shot at Wrestlemania 35 #1: Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins began his pro wrestling career under the name Tyler Black. He wrestled for many independent promotions, but is best known pre-WWE for his time spent with the Ring of Honor promotion. In his debut he helped 'hang' Jay Briscoe from the ceiling in a controversial segment, then went on to become ROH World Champion himself.
Rollins would join WWE's developmental league, Florida Championship Wrestling, which eventually transitioned into NXT. He was champion there, as well, before being called up to the main roster as part of the Shield.
Why he doesn't deserve his title shot at WrestleMania 35: Seth Rollins is a great technical wrestler and in ring performer, but has struggled to maintain his main event status. He went from being in a marquee match at WrestleMania 33 against Triple H to challenging for the midcard Intercontinental Championship in the curtain jerker match at WrestleMania 34.
Seth Rollins is a fine performer, but he has spent too much time in the mid card and tag team divisions to be a serious challenger for the Beast Incarnate. Perhaps he could compete in gauntlet matches to raise his standing a bit, ala Kofi Kingston on Smackdown, but for now he looks like a capable challenger who ultimately may not be able to overcome Brock Lesnar's monstrous booking.
Deserves their title shot at Wrestlemania 35 #1: Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston has been a part of the WWE roster since 2006, spending thirteen years with the company. In that time, he has captured every mid card and tag team championship available.
Whenever you see someone post a highlight reel of WWE's most insanely athletic moments, you can be sure Kofi will be on it, possibly several times. Kofi's career was at something of a standstill until he joined the New Day faction. The stable has become a major hit for the company and sells tons of merchandise, but seemed mired in the mid card until recently, when Kofi suddenly broke out into the main event picture... but does he deserve to stay there?
Why he deserves his title shot at WrestleMania 35: Kofi is a hard working wrestler who has been dazzling the WWE Universe since his arrival. His mix of top tier athletic ability and down to Earth personality have made him a crowd pleasing face the fans love to cheer. He definitely has earned his WrestleMania title shot.
There you have it; Three superstars who don't deserve their title opportunity at WrestleMania 35, and three who do. Agree or disagree with the list? Please comment and let us know, and as always, thanks for reading!