5 candidates for the Wrestlemania 34 Main Event

Despite Vince McMahon's insistence that Wrestling shows can have more than one main event, there will only ever be one spot available to officially bring the action to a close. The majority of Wrestling fans will agree that the match that goes on last is the real main event, and wrestling promoters should, therefore, think very carefully about which bout it places in this coveted position.

If main eventing a show is important for the people involved, and for our overall enjoyment of the show, then the WWE Wrestlemania main event is surely the most special platform a wrestler can be given.

History will never be able to take the moment away from you, and fans will never be able to erase the memory should the wrong decision be taken. As we look ahead to Wrestlemania 34, the road to which we are now well and truly on, which match should we be hoping for as our certain closer?

Here are 5 possibilities for the main event of Wrestlemania 34:

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#1 Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles - WWE Championship

Something we become very used to as wrestling fans is the fact that what we want often doesn't chime with the wishes and demands of management. Ask most so-called 'internet fans' which match they are most looking forward to at this year's Mania, and they will probably respond with AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. The chances of this bout main eventing Wrestlemania 34, however, are probably pretty slim.

But is this just an internet fantasy or are there any objective reasons we can put forward to argue its case? The first point would be that the match is going to centre around the WWE Championship. Despite its stock falling slightly in recent years, it is still the company's signature and most historic title which has featured in more Wrestlemania main events than any other.

A second reason is that, should he go this way, Vince can pretty much guarantee plenty of positive crowd involvement. The biggest fear for any wrestling promoter, big or small, is having your final match falling flat. Vince has always argued the virtues of sending the fans home happy, and after seeing Styles and Shinsuke go at it, he can definitely bank on this happening.

Despite these reasons, it does feel like more of a hope and an expectation, but time, of course, will eventually tell.

#2 Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka (vs Nia Jax?) RAW Women's Championship

With the announcement that Asuka will be facing Nia Jax at the RAW Elimination Chamber PPV, it seems likely that the Empress of Tomorrow will be going after Alexa's title at Wrestlemania. Last week, Kurt Angle added a caveat that should Nia break Asuka's streak, she will be entered into the main as a triple threat.

However this all turns out, could Vince McMahon be eyeing up another first for the women's division? Over the past few years we have seen many of them, including the first Hell in a Cell match, Royal Rumble and now the Chamber. Could 2018 see the first ever women's Wrestlemania main event?

Despite the giantic leaps forward the women have taken recently, a Mania main event might still be seen as a tad too far. Would Vince gamble such a hugely important moment on an untested model?

That being said, the match is guaranteed to feature one of the most intriguing and beloved superstars on the roster in Asuka. Her recent story line involving her streak has kept fans engaged and given all of her matches genuine meaning. They could conceivably build a Wrestlemania card around whether Alexa can finally end the greatest winning streak in wrestling today.

Nothing is beyond impossible right now, but it's probably safe to say the women will need to wait a few years more for their moment in the brightest of spotlights.

#3 Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle vs. Stephanie McMahon and Triple H

It could easily be argued that the biggest single name going into Wrestlemania this year is Ronda Rousey, somebody who has not yet wrestled a match and has only appeared twice in front of the WWE cameras.

After months of speculation, it was finally confirmed that the former UFC megastar had come to an agreement with World Wrestling Entertainment, marking one of the biggest MMA to Pro Wrestling switches of all time.

With this in mind, surely it makes quite a lot of sense to argue that Rousey should be there closing out the Wrestlemania show. 2018 could well be the year of Ronda, and this would be the perfect springboard to usher it in.

If rumours are to be believed, Rowdy Ronda Rousey will be competing in some kind of mixed tag match involving Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and, quite possibly, Kurt Angle., As far as the current WWE goes, you would be hard pressed to find four more iconic and central names than these.

Despite the obvious benefits, however, there will still be a large portion of the fanbase who would reject the idea of a newcomer taking such a high profile position, even if it is Ronda Rousey. Also, the thought of the Authority headlining the show ahead of guys like Roman Reigns, Asuka and AJ Styles might also rub many up the wrong way.

Also, this feels much more like a gimmick match, and a showpiece for Vince's latest acquisition, than a serious wrestling bout. It's uncertain whether name recognition alone would justify this one closing out the show come April.

#4 John Cena vs. The Undertaker

If the previous three entries strike you as possible but unlikely, this contender for main event ought to come across as a lot more plausible. While it has still not been officially confirmed, the internet is still abuzz with the news that John Cena may be facing the Undertaker in the Phenom's very last match.

Whether Vince has changed his mind since inferring that Taker had already wrestled his final bout against Roman last year, is still unclear. After all, it was never officially announced that Taker would be retiring, just very strongly implied. And most of us felt that going out in a poorly worked match with Reigns was an inappropriate send of for the company's greatest ever performer.

Facing the leader of the Cenation at the show of shows certainly feels a lot more befitting of Taker's name. This will have star power written all over it which will ideally make up for the inevitable lack of in-ring action.

Also, if this is really going to be the swan song for the Deadman, and with Cena taking a more diminished role at present, the bookers have a great opportunity at telling a real 'end of an era' narrative.

Seeing Cena holding up Taker's hand as Mania 34 comes to a close will signal to us all that a new generation has taken hold and wrestling as we know it is about to change forever.

There will still be concerns regarding how much Taker will be able to deliver, but if Vince is looking for a heartwarming, emotional roller-coaster to close out his main event of the year, he might well be eyeing this up with great interest.

#5 Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns - Universal Championship

And now we come to the most likely, and probably least desired, entry on this list. For the best part of a year, Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 34 has been the worst kept secret in Wrestling. Fans have known what direction Vince is taking and we have all just about come to terms with it.

There are definitely many reasons why this should be closing out the show come April. It is going to be over the WWE's most important championship belt, it will feature two of the company's biggest names, and it will also fit in with the narrative that Roman Reigns is the new Hogan/Austin/Cena.

The match itself will probably be fairly decent as well. For all those who claim that Reigns cannot put on good matches, the Big Dog has certainly gone a long way to proving them wrong over 2017/18. Lesnar, for his part, was also involved in arguably the best match at last year's Wrestlemania when he originally won the Universal Championship from Goldberg.

And now for the negatives...

How will the fans react to Reigns being featured in his fourth consecutive Mania main event? The guy might be turning a few of us around at present, but there is still a strong undercurrent of Reigns rejection rumbling through the WWE Universe and to have this erupt during the biggest moment of the year would be disastrous for the company.

Also, with many other matches coming before it, such as Nakamura and Styles or Cena vs. Taker, the crowd might very well be suffering from burn out by the time the main event comes around, and it's probably asking too much of Reigns and Lesnar to ensure they are sufficiently riled up again.

As much as this scenario looks inevitable, there are still many things for Vince to ponder before a final decision is made.

Edited by anirudh.b