5 of the most anticipated WWE matches of WrestleMania 35 weekend

Festivities will run all weekend from Friday until Monday afternoon.
Festivities will run all weekend from Friday until Monday afternoon.

With under a day until the start of WrestleMania weekend with NXT TakeOver: New York, the plates around the table will be filled with matches galore.

While there are some that aren't the most appealing due to different reasons (Kurt Angle having to face Baron Corbin), the cards for both TakeOver and WrestleMania 35 are stacked to the brim with bouts.

TakeOver events have traditionally out-shined the big brother's PPVs, especially when they only have five matches.

With fewer matches, more time is allotted to those Superstars, allowing them to tell their stories in the ring instead of having a grandiose entrance only to have a five-minute match.

Since every match cannot steal the show, there are some that could be really good or just mediocre depending on which version of particular Superstars show up.

The NXT Tag Team Title match should be good between the War Raiders and the duo of Aleister Black and Ricochet, but the latter duo will have two chances to outshine everyone, so I'll exclude that match, even though it should be great.

But the following matches should be fantastic regardless because of the level of talent involved in each. These five matches will battle it out to take home both match of the night and match of WrestleMania weekend.


#5 NXT North American Championship Match: Velveteen Dream (c) vs. Matt Riddle

Two very different characters will clash for the NXT North American Title.
Two very different characters will clash for the NXT North American Title.

While the Velveteen Dream already has proven that he delivers on the big stage of NXT TakeOvers, Matt Riddle hasn't had the chance.

He has shown that he's a threat in his matches on NXT and his bout with Drew Gulak was among the best he's had since joining the WWE.

Dream has often come up short at TakeOvers but has stolen the shows with his performances against Aleister Black and during the ladder match to crown the North American Champion.

Riddle has mainly used his grappling and strikes to defeat his opponents but Dream is a whole different opponent on so many levels.

He plays the psychological game wonderfully and he can hit as many high-flying moves as Ricochet but without the same fluidity of 'the One and Only'.

This match should be a great back-and-forth affair between two men who will be the cornerstones of the Yellow Brand for the rest of 2019.

#4 NXT UK Championship Match: Pete Dunne (c) vs. Walter

Is Pete Dunne's time up as NXT UK Champion?
Is Pete Dunne's time up as NXT UK Champion?

I haven't seen a lot of Walter in action, but what I have seen is impressive. He's a big, imposing figure who can toy with most opponents, but Pete Dunne isn't any random opponent.

He's the longest reigning champion in WWE and NXT and every single one of his defenses has been fantastic.

Dunne is almost just like one of his idols, Daniel Bryan, in that he's not the biggest, but he can be extremely ferocious against any opponent, regardless of the size.

Since Dunne hasn't faced many people the size of Walter, he might have to 'fight up from beneath' a lot in this match, but it will provide some great wrestling that we might not have seen him use yet.

His time might be up since he has held the title for over a year, and with the first-ever International Superstar Shake Up just around the corner, I wouldn't be surprised if Walter ends his reign.

#3 WWE Championship Match: Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kofi Kingston

Who will walk out of WrestleMania 35 as WWE Champion?
Who will walk out of WrestleMania 35 as WWE Champion?

Was there really any doubt that Kingston would be opposing Bryan on the Grandest Stage of Them All?

With all of the storytelling they've invested in Kingston's fight for the approval of Mr. McMahon, an obvious end game was the New Day member getting his match with Bryan at 'Mania.

To see what these two men are capable of, we only need to look back to both the gauntlet match before the Elimination Chamber and the chamber match ending itself.

The two men share fantastic chemistry with each other and usually can carry anyone to a great match.

Since they are both so great at that, the jury is out as to just how much better they can be in an actual singles match for the WWE Championship.

It will be a great test of fortitude for both men riddled with numerous near falls. I don't know if Kingston would tap out so Bryan might have to incapacitate him enough in order to pick up the pin.

Whoever wins will certainly have earned it and might have won the match of the weekend. Kingston was always good in the ring but he was never given more of a chance then in the mid-card.

With that changing over the last few months, we might be seeing the greatest match of his career. Opposing Daniel Bryan, it's almost guaranteed.

And one more question - since the New Day isn't booked in a match, do they play a factor either before or after the match?

#2 Winner Takes All Women's Title Match: Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Becky Lynch

The stage has been set for one woman to become immortal after WrestleMania 35.
The stage has been set for one woman to become immortal after WrestleMania 35.

Personally, I didn't think that all of the extra stipulations were needed in order to sell this a legit main event of the biggest show of the year.

They already had the three top performers in the Women's Division in the match fighting for one title.

Since Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey still haven't had their one-on-one match due to the build to 'Mania and the need to have Charlotte Flair in the match, will they ever get it?

But the match goes on as it is with three of the top performers in the whole company. Rousey took to the ring like a fish to water while Lynch has carried the feud on the mic and through Twitter.

Flair has been a part of almost every 'historic' moment during the 'Women's Evolution' in WWE, so she's set to take part in the biggest match and moment for women in WWE history.

The triple threat aspect allows each woman a chance for a slight break to catch their breaths, so I expect them each to pull out all of the stops in order to walk away with both titles.

As long as Flair doesn't win I'll be happy, but she needs to properly complete her moonsault at least once. She usually just grazes her prey, but since it's the biggest stage of your career, she needs to try to hit it right just once!

Regardless, the women could easily steal the show all weekend and prove that they should have been main-eventing with the boys all along.

#1 NXT Championship Math, 2-out-of-3 Falls - Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano

This is the bout to beat for 'Match of the Weekend'.
This is the bout to beat for 'Match of the Weekend'.

When this was announced as the NXT Championship match for TakeOver: New York, fanboys, including myself and Triple H alike, were waiting with baited breath.

The Game has stated that he thinks this match might make it hard for WrestleMania to do any better due to the ability of both men involved to perform, emote, sell and act during their matches.

Both men are masters of their craft and just because they aren't on the main roster doesn't mean that they aren't likely in the Top 10 of performers throughout the WWE.

Gargano's ascent and story to the title has been great due to its realism while Cole has played the arrogant bully perfectly. But the thing is both men can back it up in the ring.

The 2-out-of-3 falls stipulation hopefully won't mean some sort of interference takes place in the form of the Undisputed Era, but anything can happen.

Gargano has proven he can take an enormous amount of punishment while Cole has had to sell a lot of offense from the likes of AOP, the War Raiders and Aleister Black throughout his time in NXT.

The question is, will one fall steal the show or will the whole match? I'm expecting this to be one of the top two matches all weekend, and it even has the potential to be one of the best of all time in both WWE and NXT.

So with the expectations so high for all of these matches and this one in particular, the main question is - will it deliver?

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Edited by Alan John
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