Welcome to the Wrestlemania nobody could have predicted.
Due to the ongoing global health pandemic, Wrestlemania 36 will have no fans in attendance. It was pre-taped for the first time in the history of the event. Wrestlemania will be two nights long, with no real indication of which matches are on which nights.
With all this uncertainty and change, the FPC Wrestling staff is still going to try their best at predicting who will win on the Grandest Stage of Them All. New writer Billy MacDonald joins long-time predictors Evan, Javier and Kaden for Wrestlemania. We’ve got 16 matches to predict, so let’s get on with it:
Elias vs King Corbin
Billy: If King Corbin is going to continue to rise as a heel in WWE then he cannot fail versus Elias, look for Corbin to pick up the win and for Corbin to move on to bigger things.
Pick – King Corbin
Evan: Remember when King Corbin just kept wrestling Roman Reigns forever and ever? Did that make him a better heel? I haven’t a clue.
Pick – King Corbin
Javier: My man Elias got dropped from a huge tower. If he loses this match, Vince is a pauper.
Pick – Elias
Kaden: Just no. Cancel the match.
Pick – King Corbin
Edge vs Randy Orton – Last Man Standing
Billy: In the most personal match on the WrestleMania card, Edge will have his first one-on-one match since WrestleMania 27, and with old friend Randy Orton, this rivalry has set up for a hellacious Last Man Standing match, where the “Rated-R Superstar” will triumph over Orton.
Pick – Edge
Evan: There is a small part of my brain that thinks WWE wants to extend this feud beyond this match with Orton winning. That part has been overruled by the emotion of Edge’s return.
Pick – Edge
Javier: Edge signed a multi-year deal by all accounts, not a one-off, so this is a win to not only give him a big moment in his return single’s match, but also a win to get his career started again. I’m looking forward to this match more than any other than the IC title match.
Pick – Edge
Kaden: This is so easy for me. Edge cannot lose his first match back at the Showcase of the Immortals.
Pick – Edge
Otis vs Dolph Ziggler
Billy: In the battle for the heart of Mandy Rose, Otis and Dolph Ziggler will collide following Sonya Deville and Ziggler’s devious plan being discovered that they were the two who ruined the Valentines date between Otis and Rose. Ziggler wins the match, but Otis wins over Mandy.
Pick – Dolph Ziggler
Evan: This is one of the three best built matches for Wrestlemania. We live in strange times. Steaks & weights, baby!
Pick – Otis
Javier: Otis, because duh.
Pick – Otis
Kaden: Otis is gonna pin Ziggler, get Tucky and his peach, and they’ll ride into the sunset and eat some steak.
Pick – Otis
Sami Zayn (c) vs Daniel Bryan – Intercontinental Championship Match
Billy: A one-on-one match between Sami Zayn and Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania is an amazing sight to see, add the intercontinental Championship into the mix and this match could highlight day one or two of WrestleMania. I have a feeling his buddies, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura are going to be the ones costing Zayn his title.
Pick – Daniel Bryan
Evan: I am really excited about a Gulak-Bryan led Catch Point style stable. Gold is definitely in the future of that group, but for now Sami gets to hold onto his belt.
Pick – Sami Zayn
Javier: INJECT THIS INTO MY VEINS RIGHT NOW. I love Sami Zayn. I have since him and Kevin Steen (Owens) had my favorite feud of all time in Ring of Honor. He is an incredible in-ring worker and him against Bryan is a dream match for me and I’m very excited. Anyways, Bryan and Gulak are doing a thing so I think they go tag division more than IC title picture.
Pick – Sami Zayn
Kaden: Daniel Bryan is the definition of good guy. He pushed for Ali’s call-up, he requested to be put with Rowan, and he asked for a story with Gulak. I believe that Daniel Bryan would rather have Zayn win and get his Mania moment.
Pick – Sami Zayn
Aleister Black vs Bobby Lashley
Billy: Aleister Black and Bobby Lashley will likely have an action-packed brief matchup that will see Black victorious and hopefully begin his rise on Monday Night Raw.
Pick: Aleister Black
Evan: There may be no move I love hearing more without crowd noise than the Black Mass. We’ll see at least one more during Wrestlemania.
Pick – Aleister Black
Javier: One has a lot of potential, the other is Aleister Black, who will one day be one of the five top guys in the company if not screwed up (like facing Bobby Lashley at Wrestlemania for no reason). Black wins because duh.
Pick – Aleister Black
Kaden: Easy one for me. Black deserves the win.
Pick – Aleister Black
Kabuki Warriors (c) vs Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross – Women’s Tag Team Championships
Billy: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross will attempt to regain the Women’s Tag Team Championships when they take on Asuka and Kairi Sane. I’m taking Bliss and Cross to win solely because Asuka should return to the singles division.
Pick – Bliss & Cross
Evan: One day WWE will remember they have a women’s tag division and will spend time developing storylines around it. Instead they will continue to bounce the titles around randomly.
Pick – Bliss & Cross
Javier: Bliss and Cross lost the titles to those two, didn’t they? Anyways, if anybody should beat these two, it should be a real duo, like Bayley/Sasha or literally anyone of belief. Asuka and Kairi’s reign continues.
Pick – Kabuki Warriors
Kaden: I love Kabuki Warriors and don’t want them to lose but I believe Kairi is leaving the company soon after this match to head back to Japan.
Pick – Bliss & Cross
Street Profits (c) vs Angel Garza & Austin Theory – Raw Tag Team Championships
Billy: This should be a fun match to watch, but the Street Profits are more than likely not dropping their titles here. Expect them to retain.
Pick – Street Profits
Evan: WWE sees big things in the Street Profits, as they should. I believe WWE also sees big things in Theory & Garza, but not as a unit. The party continues for Ford & Dawkins.
Pick – Street Profits
Javier: I LOVE Angel Garza. That said, him being thrown together with Andrade for this match made sense if you want to lead to an eventual split. With Austin Theory, however, it doesn’t work. The Street Profits retain.
Pick – Street Profits
Kaden: My brain says no but my heart says yes. This is the one prediction I’m making based on my love for Theory.
Pick – Theory & Garza
Miz & Morrison (c) vs New Day vs The Usos – SmackDown Tag Team Championship Ladder Match
Billy: Even with no crowd, this match has some serious show-stealing potential, if the competitors in this match remain the same as originally planned, Miz & Morrison will steal the victory and walk away still the Smackdown Tag Team Championships.
Pick – Miz & Morrison
Evan: SmackDown couldn’t have lent one of these teams to Raw for their tag title match? These three teams will have an excellent match if it goes on as scheduled, and we may be in for a sneaky heel victory.
Pick – Miz & Morrison
Javier: I thought this match was canceled because Miz is sick? Whatever iteration of this happens, Miz and Morrison or just Morrison wins because they need more time with those belts.
Pick – Miz & Morrison
Kaden: Not the right time to take the titles off this team. They just recently won the belts so I see them pinning New Day and setting up for a summer feud with the Usos.
Pick – Miz & Morrison
Kevin Owens vs Seth Rollins
Billy: KO Mania IV sees Owens battling against Seth Rollins, who will likely have Akam and Murphy in his corner the whole time, Owens will pick up the victory and his WrestleMania moment after Akam and Murphy turn their back on Rollins and walk out on him.
Pick – Kevin Owens
Evan: This is going to be an excellent matchup. Owens has had issues with Rollins and his lackeys for months now. This is going to be a dose of sweet revenge.
Pick – Kevin Owens
Javier: He just has to win. After months of this story, Owens needs to finally get the decision victory over Rollins. The people need a stunner to win a match at Wrestlemania.
Pick – Kevin Owens
Kaden: This match will start Wrestlemania on Saturday and will end with the feel-good moment of KO stunning the Monday Night Messiah and having his Mania moment.
Pick – Kevin Owens
A.J. Styles vs The Undertaker – Boneyard Match
Billy: After verbally bashing each other for weeks on Monday Night Raw, Undertaker and AJ Styles finally come together in a Boneyard Match, Undertaker and Styles will put on a show, but the Phenom will come out on top.
Pick – Undertaker
Evan: What does Undertaker have for the business now aside from giving the rub to others? Defeating Undertaker in the first (and likely only) Boneyard match is a feather in the cap of The Phenomenal One.
Pick – A.J. Styles
Javier: I’m just going to assume this is a buried alive match and this is going to be a nightmare no matter what AJ does so he’s going to lose. I’m very sad about this happening.
Pick – Undertaker
Kaden: I love AJ Styles but he doesn’t have much longer left as a full-time superstar. The next Taker loss at Mania should be saved for a younger talent.
Pick – Undertaker
John Cena vs The Fiend – Firefly Funhouse Match
Billy: Competing in the first-ever Firefly Funhouse match pits John Cena versus “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, in what is sure to be a memorable setting, “The Fiend” will extract his revenge and be victorious over Cena, avenging his defeat from WrestleMania 30.
Pick – The Fiend
Evan: Remember the House of Horrors match? This is going to be that plus puppets. Luckily, Wyatt gets his shine back.
Pick – The Fiend
Javier: The match is centered around Wyatt’s character and Cena is part time and putting people over. There is no way that Wyatt doesn’t win this match.
Pick – The Fiend
Kaden: I am so dang excited for this match. There are so many things they can do since this is a Firefly Funhouse match. Due to that stip, the Fiend has to win and go over.
Pick – The Fiend
Bayley (c) vs Naomi vs Tamina vs Lacey Evans vs Sasha Banks – SmackDown Women’s Championship Elimination Match
Billy: In a match slapped together by Paige a few weeks ago, Bayley defends against four other women with her title on the line, the safest thing for WWE to do is to leave the Smackdown Women’s Championship on Bayley and have her pin anyone but Sasha Banks.
Pick – Bayley
Evan: A multi-person title match can lend itself to a surprise winner. How about a title reign for Lacey Evans? The inevitable Bayley-Banks feud doesn’t necessarily need a title, so we should see what Evans can do with it.
Pick – Lacey Evans
Javier: NXT Takeover Fatal 4-Way. Sasha Banks, Bayley, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch fought for the NXT Women’s Championship. Sasha won after Bayley hit Charlotte with a Bayley to Belly from the middle rope and Sasha threw Bayley out, stuck the Bank Statement on Charlotte, continuously kicked Bayley and Becky out of the ring, and then pinned Charlotte with a crucifix. My guess is she does the exact same thing at Mania.
Pick – Sasha Banks
Kaden: Banks should turn on Bayley, win the title, and we get face Bayley vs heel Sasha throughout the summer culminating with face Bayley winning the title.
Pick – Sasha Banks
Rhea Ripley (c) vs Charlotte – NXT Women’s Championship
Billy: Charlotte Flair has the opportunity to once again be the top female in NXT’s Women’s division thanks to her victory in the Royal Rumble. She will have to go through the red-hot Rhea Ripley. A match that should probably go in favor of Ripley will see Flair once again reign over the black and gold brand.
Pick – Charlotte Flair
Evan: I genuinely think WWE is going to go ahead with all the results they had originally planned for matches that aren’t altered. For this match, that is the cementing of Rhea Ripley as the next women’s wrestling star.
Pick – Rhea Ripley
Javier: Rhea Ripley NEEDS to win this match. She is money, she is a future top star for the company, and she needs to beat Charlotte clean on this stage. Charlotte doesn’t need this win and NXT doesn’t need Charlotte. Give Ripley the win and watch her ascent to superstardom.
Pick – Rhea Ripley
Kaden: There are two ways they can go with this match. This first is that Ripley goes over the eleven time champ and goes back to NXT with that accolade. The better long term solution is to have Charlotte beat Ripley while putting her over, have Charlotte go to NXT and put other talent over at Full Sail, and Ripley can come and have a feud on Raw or Smackdown. Ripley already got put over big time at SS, so she can afford the loss.
Pick – Charlotte
Becky Lynch (c) vs Shayna Baszler – Raw Women’s Championship
Billy: Following her dominant performance in the Elimination Chamber match, Shayna Baszler will look to end Becky Lynch’s near year-long reign with the Raw Women’s Championship. Lynch may not dominate this match, but in the end, “The Man” will stand tall once again.
Pick – Becky Lynch
Evan: I’m following the same thought process here as with the last match. You don’t use a whole Elimination Chamber to build up a new star to not crown them at their coronation.
Pick – Shayna Baszler
Javier: Becky Lynch has gotten the upper hand pretty much every time outside of when Baszler bit her. It’s time for her to drop the belt and there’s nobody better for the role than Baszler. There’s a Ronda Rousey tie-in that is perfect and this is the right opponent to take the belt.
Pick – Shayna Baszler
Kaden: Two months ago I would’ve said Baszler would beat Lynch here, but she’s been incredibly disappointing since debuting her vampire neck bite on Raw. There’s rumors that Vince has not liked her so I don’t see Lynch losing her belt here.
Pick – Becky Lynch
Goldberg (c) vs Braun Strowman – Universal Championship
Billy: With Roman Reigns officially pulled from WrestleMania, Braun Strowman was named his replacement on the April 3rd edition of Smackdown. I can’t see WWE leaving the title on Goldberg for the next few months in hopes of a Reigns return, Strowman will finally capture the Universal Championship in a brief, hard-hitting bout.
Pick – Braun Strowman
Evan: I hope this match lasts 45 seconds and it is Braun stealing Goldberg’s Jackhammer to defeat him. The build to this match can’t even be classified as bad because there has been legitimately no build.
Pick – Braun Strowman
Javier: I know that the money was in Goldberg/Reigns and that they will probably just hold off for that. That said, Reigns and Strowman have a feud that runs DEEP and I really want this to be a long ploy to get to that feud and have Braun scream out “I’M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!” Please Vince.
Pick – Braun Strowman
Kaden: Goldberg’s contract is up after this match, so I believe Strowman will go over. He deserved the title years ago and I don’t think it’s wise to save Goldberg vs Roman for Summerslam due to Bill’s age.
Pick – Braun Strowman
Brock Lesnar (c) vs Drew McIntyre – WWE Championship
Billy: In an empty Performance Center, Drew McIntyre will slay the beast and defeat Brock Lesnar to capture his first WWE Championship, and the long-awaited era of the chosen one will begin.
Pick – Drew McIntyre
Evan: The crowning of Drew McIntyre will happen as planned. Lesnar will show up and do the job of making McIntyre the next big thing in WWE.
Pick – Drew McIntyre
Javier: SOME PEOPLE may say that this should be a screwy finish. I say screw that, Drew is on fire right now and if you want him to be the top star that he’s being positioned to be, have him kick Brock Lesnar in the head twice with the Claymore and win the title. At SummerSlam, have him do it again to retain. He’s a made man and Brock doesn’t lose a single ounce of star power. Do the right thing, Vince.
Pick – Drew McIntyre
Kaden: I originally thought this was a bold prediction but I’ve started to hear more and more people have the same ideology as myself. I believe Vince wants to save Drew’s big win for an audience, so Brock will win via DQ and the rematch will happen in Boston at Summerslam.
Pick – Brock Lesnar
That’s who we’ve picked for one of the strangest Wrestlemanias of all time. Agree or disagree? Let us know by reaching out on Twitter at @FPC_Wrestling. Also, be sure to check out the Talkamania post-shows both Saturday and Sunday night. Follow the guys at @_talkamania on Twitter.
