WWE’s biggest show of the year WrestleMania is here! After months of build, the annual supershow takes place over two days at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Night 1 kicks off proceedings on April 1st, with Night 2 continuing the spectacular event on April 2nd.
As per usual the show is stacked with marquee matches, epic title bouts and big-time outings.
The full card for Night 1 is as follows:
- Austin Theory (c) vs. John Cena – United States Championship
- Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
- Becky Lynch, Lita and Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL
- The Viking Raiders vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs. Ricochet and Braun Strowman – Men’s WrestleMania Showcase fatal four-way tag team match
- Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio
- Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley – SmackDown Women’s Championship
- The Usos (c) vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens – Undisputed Tag Team Championships
With all this going on there is a lot that could happen. So let’s have a look at who we think leaves Hollywood with their hands held high in victory.
Night 1.
Austin Theory (c) vs. John Cena – United States Championship
The first match to kick off the two-day spectacular is Austin Theory vs John Cena for the United States Championship.
Theory goaded the returning Cena into a match at the Show of Shows when the two came face-to-face on the March 6th Monday Night Raw. However, despite getting the big-time match he was after, the Doctor of Thuganomics tore him to shreds on the microphone giving the champion a lot to prove in Hollywood.
Prediction: The verbal assault Cena handed to Theory was so emasculating it left many fans questioning if Theory is ready. But the sharp words dealt by Cena have lit a fire under Theory, who will beat Cena to retain the title and show the world that he is the Now. Theory wins.
Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
After months of trading insults in interviews and on social media, the two superathletes finally got physical as this year’s Royal Rumble. The YouTube star eliminated Rollins from the match taking their rivalry to the next level.
The following month at Elimination Chamber Rollins was surprised by Paul again when he dropped him with his own move, the Curb Stomp to cost him the match. The Visionary then called out the newcomer only to fall victim to Paul’s knockout punch. Now, the time for talking and attacks is over and the two will clash in this highly-personal and hotly-anticipated match on the Grandest Stage Of Them All.
Prediction: Rollins has twice felt Paul’s one-punch knockout power and while the smug YouTuber has been gloating about it, Rollins now knows just what to look out for. As well as being one of WWE’s performers, Rollins is also one of the smartest. So, despite, Paul’s duck-to-water transition into the wrestling ring, Rollins holds the advantage over him, which will see him pick up his first WrestleMania win since 35. Rollins wins.
Becky Lynch, Lita and Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL
A six-woman-mega-match is going down at WrestleMania between Women’s Tag Team Champions Becky Lynch and Lita alongside Hall of Famer Trish Stratus taking on the trio of Bayley, Dakota Kai and IYO SKY known as Damage CTRL.
The clash came about when Stratus assisted the new champions to capture the titles from Kai and SKY by stopping their leader from interfering in the match. The following week the heel trio confronted the new champions and Stratus. In a heated back-and-forth conversation, Stratus declared she was coming out of retirement to team with Lita and Lynch to face Damage CRTL in a big-time tag team match last the supershow.
Prediction: Despite Bayley, Kai and SKY respecting Lita and Stratus for their revolutionary input into the wrestling business there is no love lost between the two teams. Bayley has repeatedly stated on social media she will use everything she has personally learned from the legends against them. While the team of Lynch, and the Hall of Fame legends Lita and Stratus bring the experience the vindictive trio Damage CTRL brings the youth making for an intriguing, multi-generational match-up. But Lynch will certainly do everything in her power to make up for her partner’s lack of ring time and help secure the victory. Lita, Lynch and Stratus win.
The Viking Raiders vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs. Ricochet and Braun Strowman – Men’s WrestleMania Showcase fatal four-way tag team match
All four teams were chosen to participate in a Men’s WrestleMania Showcase Fatal Four-Way tag team match. All eight competitors bring different styles to the fight making for a fun and wild brawl.
Prediction: Despite the teams having the tools needed to pick up the win, WWE seems to be behind the little and large duo of Braun Strowman and Ricochet. So let’s go for Strowman and Ricochet win.
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio
After months of putting his father through the wringer, Dominik finally got his comeuppance when Rey struck his son in the face and set up a match between the two at Hollywood.
Ever since Dom turned on his father and joined the Judgement Day he has tormented his entire family. With Rhea Ripley by his side as his Mami, the duo constantly targeted and tortured Rey goading him to face his son in a match.
Despite, Dom’s disrespect Rey refused to strike him until the March 24th edition of SmackDown. Dom berated his mother in front of a packed arena and the future Hall of Famer laid him out to huge cheers and accepted the WrestleMania challenge setting up a deeply personal father vs son clash.
Prediction: Since turning heel, Dominik has been a joy to watch. His promos are great and his prison storyline was really enjoyable. His cocky demeanour is helped by the fact he is constantly backed up by his Judgement Day crew. But to even out the odds Rey brought back the LWO with Legado Del Fantasma. Expect to see a tonne of fun and interference giving the obnoxious Dominik the win over his Hall of Fame father. This result would prolong the feud and possibly lead to a faction war between Judgement Day and LWO. Dominik wins.
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley – SmackDown Women’s Championship
Rhea Ripley booked her ticket to Hollywood by winning the Royal Rumble. The following night the Nightmare announced she will challenge Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Ripley and Flair have a storied history due to their rivalry heading into WrestleMania 36. The two fought over the NXT Women’s Championship, which shockingly ended up in the hands of the Queen.
The two clashed on the main roster over the Raw Women’s Championship in 2021, which also saw Flair take the title from Ripley. Since then, Flair has continued to rack up the title reigns while Ripley re-established herself as one of WWE’s most standout performers.
Prediction: This is Ripley’s redemption story. To see her finally get a huge title win over the Superstar who derailed her original ascent to stardom is going to be her epic WrestleMania moment. Ripley wins.
The Usos (c) vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens – Undisputed Tag Team Championships
The biggest tag team match in WrestleMania history goes down in Hollywood. After months of trying to make amends for his actions at Survivor Series WarGames, Sami Zayn extended to olive branch to Kevin Owens multiple times to no avail.
But after things took a turn for the worse when Jey Uso chose family over friendship leaving Zayn beaten and betrayed, Owens came to the rescue of his former friend to reunite and take down the Bloodline together.
Prediction: This match has been months in the making. Not only is it a story of redemption between Zayn and Owens but a tale of heartbreak with Zayn and Jey Uso. Their tumultuous relationship was one of the best stories ever told in wrestling and despite the many twists and turns along the way, it was always about Sami and Jey finally coming to blows. This emotionally charged match will be one of the highlights of the weekend and when Owens and Zayn claim the victory and the titles, it’ll blow the metaphorical roof off the place. Owens and Zayn win.
WrestleMania goes Hollywood for a special two-night Premium Live Event, Saturday, April 1, and Sunday, April 2, at 8 ET/5 PT, streaming live on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.