Too Big For One Night: WrestleMania 36 Predictions

In this edition of the The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we share our WrestleMania 36 predictions.

Will you be watching both nights of WrestleMania live?

Juan Bautista: Most likely no.

Steven Jackson: Possibly. Now that the shows are airing on FITE TV, I might stay up, but then again. why would I stay up for WrestleMania Covid-19?!

Chad Gelfand: I will, but it’ll definitely be a strange feeling watching one of usually the biggest live spectacles take place in front of an empty Performance Center.

David Gibb: I’ll probably watch parts of both shows live. I doubt I’ll watch both of them straight through live.

John Corrigan: Yeah, what else is there to do?

Jack Goodwillie: Yes, and I totally get why WWE is going through with the event. Ultimately, fans need some sort of escape in these trying times and a big time wrestling show could be the perfect distraction, not to mention the lack of other competition in the sports and entertainment worlds will provide an opportunity to drive awareness and subscriptions around the Network, a weak point of the WWE’s business model over the past couple of years. I don’t blame those who will not be participating, but I’m confident the ones who are will be looking to put on a show, crowd or no crowd. Plus, it’s a two-night spectacular, just as I predicted it would be! How can I not get excited about that?

Which match are you most looking forward to?

Bautista: Either AJ Styles vs. Undertaker or Edge vs. Randy Orton. It will be intriguing to see what Undertaker and Edge can bring to the table. Undertaker hasn’t had a great match since 2015 and how limited will Edge be due to his neck. These matches are the ones with the most build, too.

Jackson: Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre. This is McIntyre’s time and I want him finally to win the belt he has deserved for so long. I know they’ll put on a great contest – crowd or no crowd.

Gelfand: Edge vs. Randy Orton is one of the few matches where no crowd won’t be much of a factor. This is a deeply personal grudge match and I expect it to be emotional and brutal.

Gibb: Becky vs. Shayna. I just don’t see a scenario where the two of them don’t have a great match on the big stage, regardless of extenuating circumstances.

Corrigan: I’m intrigued by the Boneyard Match, but Orton vs. Edge is the big one.

Goodwillie: Amazingly, with all the changes to the card, I’m still anticipating this year’s WrestleMania more than I have some of the shows of past years. Maybe they’ll forget about the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and be done with it once and for all? I’m definitely looking forward to that. But as much as there is good on this year’s show, the grudge match between Edge and Randy Orton has to take it for me. The way it was built, the quality of promos and the fact that Edge, yes, Edge, is getting BACK in the ring, which nobody could have seen coming going back to last year.

How do you feel about Braun Strowman replacing Roman Reigns against Goldberg?

Bautista: Not good. The trigger with Braun should’ve been pulled a long time ago and now they have decided to pick up a gun that has collected nothing but dust. If Braun does win the belt, this could be the most damaging win. He couldn’t beat Brock or Roman, had to pick on smaller individuals like Kevin Owens and now targets a man in his 50s. You can say what you want about Goldberg beating Brock, but that was a small part of a bigger story.

Jackson: At this point, I really couldn’t care less. The match may be good, but somehow, I have a feeling that Goldberg wrestling in 2020 will not deliver what I am hoping for.

Gelfand: I would have rather seen Big E in this position than Braun Strowman. WWE missed the boat on Strowman already and if it was Big E vs. Goldberg, E would get his dream match of “Big Men Bumping Meat.”

Gibb: I’m intrigued, if for no other reason that Braun with the belt sounds like a really bad idea, so it makes me wonder if they’ll ride with Goldberg until conditions improve. Much more “interesting” than Reigns-Goldberg, if possibly a lower-ceiling match.

Corrigan: Zzzzz…

Goodwillie: It’s the wrong call, and the reasoning is multi-fold. First off, the PR spin is that WWE is rewarding Strowman for bad behavior, when he spoke totally out of school about independent wrestling, unprovoked in a sensitive time for many. I don’t need to regurgitate all that was said, but I’m hoping wrestling fans don’t soon let him off the hook. Combine that with the fact that Braun Strowman is about as cold as he’s ever been despite recently holding the Intercontinental Championship, and I could have thought of many other options to work with Goldberg. I don’t think Matt Riddle’s got much to do right now. Worst case scenario, they could have folded him into the Cena-Fiend match, would have actually enhanced the appeal of both matches all at once. Quality over quantity, says the man who campaigned for a two-day WrestleMania.

Will Drew McIntyre slay The Beast?

Bautista: I hope so. Drew has been a great champion everywhere he’s been. He can become the first U.K.-born WWE Champion.

Jackson: I so want Drew to slay Brock Lesnar and win the title. As mentioned earlier on, he truly deserves it, and it is his time to shine. But then again, this is 2020, we are in the middle of Covid-19 so anything could happen!

Gelfand: I have a feeling they’ll hold off on Drew McIntyre’s coronation until a crowd is present because without one it’ll feel like it’s missing something.

Gibb: Probably? WWE is going to do its damndest to give everyone some semblance of a “feel good moment,” and maybe a decisive loss for Brock to someone not named “Roman Reigns” is what the doctor ordered.

Corrigan: Haven’t we learned by now that nobody will ever truly slay The Beast?

Goodwillie: No, not YET. McIntyre’s story is one of WWE’s best in the last couple years and I don’t believe it’s right to consummate his journey in an empty arena. Instead, I propose a series. Give Lesnar the win on Saturday, but let McIntyre get enough shine that he can simply float back to the top of championship contenders when things go back to normal. OR, have Lesnar cheat to win. When does that ever happen? It doesn’t! As a result, that type of finish is an ace-in-the-hole I don’t even know WWE realizes it has. Then, you’ll have a narrative of, “Drew McIntyre is so good, Brock Lesnar had to CHEAT to get out of Orlando with his championship? When’s the rematch? Sign me up.” Then you can have a defacto best-of-three series where McIntyre has his crowning moment on the next PPV, then beats Lesnar in the return match at SummerSlam. But as far as this weekend goes, all bets are off and if WWE was smart, I’d say to postpone Drew’s big win.

Who wins: Rhea Ripley or Charlotte?

Bautista: Rhea unless WWE decides to do this long awaited Four Horsewomen feud, which is probably gonna be shit anyways. If they want to put a face on the NXT women’s division for people to tune in and support, it’s Rhea.

Jackson: Rhea Ripley. Charlotte needs to put over Rhea to help usher in the next era of the NXT women’s division proper. And this is the perfect time to do it!

Gelfand: Ripley needs the win over Charlotte at WrestleMania more than Charlotte needs the NXT Title again. I’m going with Rhea Ripley.

Gibb: Ripley. Charlotte got Asuka a couple of years back and has a chance to do the same thing for someone new.

Corrigan: I’ve learned to never bet against Charlotte in the big match scenario.

Goodwillie: Rhea Ripley. Unlike McIntyre, Ripley’s rise doesn’t have the same gravitas to it, so for that reason I see no reason for Charlotte to go over here. Not to mention, Ripley winning is the right move if they’re looking to get some longevity out of this feud. By putting Charlotte over, you’re almost sort of saying, “Yeah, NXT is the minor leagues, now let the NXT stars go back to doing what they were doing.” This feud should rival the issue Kevin Owens and John Cena had that served as the catalyst to elevate Owens to the main roster.