WrestleMania 33 is just around the corner and the speculations on how the card for the event will be is growing day by day. Recently, we revealed the rumoured match card for WrestleMania 33 as reported by Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The card was quite frankly dominated by the part-timers and filled with showcase bouts that had no potential to put on great matches.
Strangely enough, several of the top talents were not being featured and literally it was the same CM Punk scenario all over again. The match card had no mention of names like Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, Neville, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss and several others. Speculations stated that they might be involved in pre-show matches.
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As we predicted the match card was not received well by the WWE fans around the world. Several fans openly called out WWE on wasting the talents and booking the grandest stage with part-timers. Some even went as far as to post their own match cards for WrestleMania 33. One such post on Reddit has gained quite some traction and is making headways in the wrestling world. The match card posted by the fan has no part-timers hogging the spot there and it was well received by the internet warriors.
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We take a look at that much-talked about match card in this article and break down the card with insightful analysis for your benefit here.
Universal Championship: Kevin Owens(C) vs Chris Jericho
While the rumoured WWE match card had this match in the midcard, the fans surely want it to main event WrestleMania 33. We speculated that this match would be for the US Championship, but having this match for the Universal Championship has huge potential. With this match being the main event, we are sure to witness a show-stealer bout from both Jericho and Owens.
The problem this match had being in the midcard is that it won’t be afforded the time it needed to put on a clinic. With this match being the main event, there will be ample time provided for both the Superstars to deliver a MOTY candidate. The match also contains the potential to raise Owens to the level of Superstardom that he truly deserves. Jericho also gets to main event WrestleMania for his incredible work in the past year.
WWE Championship: Bray Wyatt(C) vs Randy Orton
The rumoured WWE match card too had this match. Having this match just before the main event ensures that Bray stays on top of the food chain in WWE for a long time. It also adds credibility to Orton’s Royal Rumble win. The problem with this match at this level is the doubt that is gnawing several people whether Bray has what it takes to deliver a magnificent bout. Bray can very well use this opportunity to silence his doubters.
Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman
This match has everything Vince McMahon yearns for. Two powerhouses slugging it out on the grandest stage of them all. This match could very well be a rewrite of Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 31. The match was gaining some traction and fans were buying it despite their dislike of Roman. Doing it with Braun once again may very well establish Roman as a top dog in WWE.
Braun, who on the other hand had no mention in WWE’s card, will like this match for sure. The monster push he has been receiving of late has only one logical conclusion. A big match at WrestleMania. Braun could very well cement himself as the next monster WWE has with this match. It is to be noted here that Roman was scheduled to wrestle Taker in WWE’s card.
No Disqualification Match: Seth Rollins vs Samoa Joe
Any match featuring Seth Rollins at this year’s WrestleMania has a huge question mark hanging around it. The recent injury of Seth is a huge factor to take into consideration while analyzing this match. A No DQ match is the perfect setting for these two to meet inside the ring.
That being said, this match could very well steal the show if it indeed happens. Both Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe have the experience and talent to put on a clinic at the grandest stage. They could literally blow the minds of the audience if enough time is provided for this match.
United States Championship: Sami Zayn(C) vs Rusev
No doubts regarding the potential of this match. Sami has outperformed the best men on the roster regardless of his spot on the card. Giving him a feud with The Bulgarian Brute with the United States Championship on the line would only make his performance all the better.
Rusev, on the other hand, can easily regenerate the huge heat he has been thriving on ever since his debut. This match has all the potential to be a Cena vs Rusev II. With such an endearing babyface like Sami Zayn, Rusev can easily create a huge splash with his heelish tendencies. If Sami walks out with the championship, then we have the next Daniel Bryan on out hands.
Intercontinental Championship: Dean Ambrose(C) vs Baron Corbin
This will be a change from how WWE has been booking the IC Championship for the past few years at WrestleMania. But, this change is for the better. Dean makes an ideal champion to defend the title at the grandest stage against an opponent like Baron Corbin. Regardless of the winner, the match would benefit bothe superstars and also raise the prestige of the IC Championship belt.
Raw Women’s Championship: Fatal 4 Way – Charlotte(C) vs Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax vs Bayley
This is the only match both WWE and the fans agree on. The only match that has taken spot in both the cards. And if Sasha turns heel after the match by attacking Bayley, it will be so sweet and perfect. Charlotte needs to walk out of the match with her championship and the long-awaited feud between Sasha and Bayley can kickstart from the grandest stage.
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Alexa Bliss(C) vs Nikki Bella
Funny thing abou the SmackDown Women’s Championship is that it was not even featured on the speculated WWE card. While WWE may boast about giving enough room for talented female Superstars to exhibit themselves, their follow-up has not been that great. How neglecting a women’s championship on WrestleMania is going to benefit the division is something only Vince knows.
With Nikki rumoured to quit WWE after WrestleMania, this match might be just what she needs for a send-off match. Alexa will also benefit from the match after defeating a former champion like Nikki Bella.
Loser Leaves SmackDown Match: AJ Styles vs The Mix w/ Maryse
This match could possibly start the night off. Both Styles and The Miz would start the would have the much-deserved few minutes of fame on the grandest stage after carrying SmackDown for almost a year. The duo could even pull off a great match if they are provided with enough time.
The mic work between the duo heading into the match will surely excite the fans with such a promising premise to work on. The most likely scenario would be the collision of their two great egos. Starting WrestleMania 33 with Styles would surely cool down a lot of fans in attendance.
Raw Tag Team Championship: Gauntlet Match – The Club(C) vs The New Day vs Sheamus & Cesaro vs Enzo & Cass
While there was no mention of the tag team division in the WWE card, the fans have surely not forgotten it. This match has a great potential and most likely will be on the preshow. Our suggestion is to have an Elimination Match instead of the Gauntlet Match. Gauntlet matches work fine with babyface champions and The Club, being the heel duo they are, are ill-suited for the match as defenders.
SmackDown Tag Team Championship: American Alpha(C) vs The Usos
This is the ideal match for the SmackDown Live tag team division to be taken to the next level. Both The Usos and The American Alpha have the talent to raise the bar of the tag team division to the next level on the main roster and what better place than the grandest stage to do it. The ideal booking would have The American Alpha walking out as champions and having The Revival face them off on next Tuesday.
Cruiserweight Championship: 8 Man Ladder Match – Neville(C) vs THE Brian Kendrick vs Rich Swann vs TJ Perkins vs Mustafa Ali vs Tony Nese vs Drew Gulak vs Cedric Alexander
This would be the perfect match for the cruiserweights to regain their lost fame. The cruiserweight division has been quite stale of late and the flair that is usually associated with the division has been lacking off late on WWE Programming. These men literally tore the house down during the WWE tournament, but the recent bookings of the entire division have not been quite up to the mark.
Quite frankly, the idea of these high-flying athletes in a ladder match is just mouth salivating for us to imagine. Our only suggestion for this match is to include Jack Gallager into the mix. The man is quite hot and his acts earn some much needed comic relief to the show. Most likely this could also end up on pre-show.
Mickie James vs Becky Lynch
The last match on the fan card is Mickie James vs Becky Lynch. Unfortunately, WWE is going ahead with this program for the upcoming Elimination chamber PPV and it is quite unlikely to be repeated on the grand stage.
However, having said that, the ideal place for the feud to come to an end is the WrestleMania. Becky going over Mickie James at WrestleMania might just be what she needs to transcend to the next level.
While the speculated card ends here, the fans who were raving had one more match to add to this mix. They suggested the annual Andre the Giant battle Royal to be conducted with NXT Superstars and the winner being promoted to the main roster. Some even went as far as to book the winner with three options – get drafted to Raw or get drafted to SmackDown or get a title shot at NXT Championship.Our take on the card
The card looks incredibly strong. However, the reality is a harsh mistress. None of the names in the fan speculated card generate quite a buzz like the Brock Lesnar or Goldberg. While we understand that the intention is to book a WrestleMania card without the part-timers, a WrestleMania without The Undertaker is just not that appealing.
Names like John Cena, Triple H, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg generate the much-needed money for the WWE and hence it is very difficult to imagine a WrestleMania card without any of these names. Moreover, The Undertaker deserves one last send-off match at the grandest stage with a top talent.
WWE has shown quite a lack of foresight by not creating any major stars after the Attitude Era. While names like Brock Lesnar and Goldberg do generate a buzz, WWE should really look into creating the next Rock or Hulk Hogan. And having popular babyfaces and top talents on the roster in a multi-man match will not make them great stars like the legends of the past.
Another problem with the WWE’s card is that it lacks the much-needed talent factor. While watching legends like Goldberg once more in the ring is great, one has to admit that a wrestling fan loves a good bit of action more than some nostalgic act. Wasting talents like Dean Ambrose, Styles, Dolph Ziggler, Neville, Baron Corbin, Becky Lynch and Lexa Bliss is going to only spell doom for the upcoming generation.
WrestleKingdom XI has recently put on one of the greatest shows in the biz with talents like Okada and Omega. WWE continuing with this approach would only make the fans irate with the waste of talents. This going to create the whole CM Punk scenario once more. The general fan backlash WWE received over the whole CM Punk fiasco has still not died and following up that with such an unimpressive card would only make matters worse.
The ideal solution here is to have a mix of both these cards. We hope that the WWE heeds the general negative buzz surrounding their biggest event early enough to make necessary changes to both satisfy fans and to put on a great show. As of now, there is no doubt that this year’s WrestleMania is going to be a huge train wreck.
Will WWE wake up before it is too late? Only time can tell us. Let us know your opinion on this fan card by commenting below.
