WrestleMania XL is, without a doubt, the biggest show of the year for WWE, but it could end up being one of the biggest of all time. The company is currently on a hot streak of attendance and critical acclaim that hasn’t been seen in quite some time. So, the question must be asked: Can they stick the landing?
The show, on paper, looks to have a very solid floor, but they will need to meet the ceiling they have created for themselves. Let’s take a look at the full card.
Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
The Judgment Day, DIY, The Awesome Truth, The New Day, A-Town Down Under, and New Catch Republic are going to enter a match that promises to be a car crash. To me, this goes one of two ways. Either DIY straight up wins, or the split the titles somehow. Commentary on Raw stressed that both sets of titles need to be pulled down for the contest to end.
I could easily see R Truth and Miz pull one set down and DIY or Judgement Day to pull down the other. This could be a clever way to separate the belts without creating a new set for Smackdown. This should be a fun, entertaining sprint of a match.
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
30 years after Bret and Owen went head to head at WrestleMania 10, two brothers finally face off once again. I’m not sure how this match will play out. The tone for the feud has been all over the place. It has teetered between serious and comedic throughout the whole build. At best, this is kept short and fun. At worst, this turns into a 20 minute monologue-match. Prediction: Jey Uso.
Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and Naomi vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane)
Where this match lacks in storyline, it makes up for it in star power. Jade Cargill will not lose her debut so this one shouldn’t be in any doubt. Hopefully they don’t completely bury the heels, but it should be a fun undercard tag match. Prediction: Bianca, Jade, and Naomi get the W.
Latino World Order vs. Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio
I am struggling to find things to say about this if I am going to be honest. Dom and Rey had one of the most entertaining matches last year at ‘Mania. Hopefully they will be able to channel some of this energy in this one. Dragon Lee and Santos Escobar can provide the movement while the Mysterios can provide the emotion. Prediction: LWO win.
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Finally, a substantial story to talk about. This one has been expertly built on both sides for the past year. Becky has consistently proven herself to still be underrated despite her accolades. Ripley has made herself a certified megastar. This truly feels like a clash between the two biggest characters in the division.
The themes of age and losing the spotlight have really taken this program over the top for me. I can’t help but root for Becky, but my mind says she won’t win. I don’t see Ripley losing to anyone other than maybe Bianca Belair or Jade Cargill at next year’s WrestleMania. Prediction: Rhea retains
As cheesy as the training montage on Raw was, Zayn is so lovable it works anyway. It seemed rocky for a second after Gable didn’t get his match. I was afraid Zayn might get booed because of this, but they side-stepped this through the Rocky story.
Having Gable help Zayn train achieves the best of both worlds. Zayn gets the match, and Gable continues his story. Unfortunately, I see Gunther retaining for the second WrestleMania in a row and losing it in Berlin later this year. Hopefully Gunther retains because this would be a disaster for Gable’s character if he doesn’t dethrone Gunther himself. Prediction: Gunther retains.
The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins
Ah, yes. The main event. Has a WrestleMania closer felt more like the Main Event than this in the past 10 years? If you told me The Rock would do the best character work of his career after be buried Jinder Mahal, I would have told you to stay away from me. Despite that, he has made this build an all-timer. This could have easily been a boring retread especially with Roman being absent for most of the build. Rock dropped one social media promo and instantly changed the feeling around this main event.
Cody and Seth haven’t been slouches either. Seth not being dwarfed by the star power around him is already a win in my eyes, but he’s carried his weight. Him simultaneously building this tag and his title defense against Drew has been a fresh formula that has helped keep both bouts heated. Cody brought back blading in WWE. I’m not sure how else I could explain how good he’s been in a better way. I am unbelievable hyped for this and if you’re reading this, you should be too. Let yourself feel the mana.
Prediction: Roman and The Rock win and Cody must face “Bloodline Rules” on Night two.
Thanks for reading. Keep an eye out for my night two predictions coming later this week on Cohen’s Commentary. Follow me on twitter @wewanttablez