After what feels an eternity, WrestleMania 34 will take place this weekend, and it looks set to be one of the biggest events in the show’s history. With a reported run-time of 7 hours, and 14 matches (presuming John Cena faces The Undertaker), there is plenty to get excited about over the next few days.
WrestleMania is the biggest show of the year, and one of the things that makes WrestleMania so special is the ‘anything can happen’ on the night aura that it carries. Last year’s WrestleMania saw the return of The Hardy Boyz while other recent Manias have given us the end of the streak and Seth Rollins’ iconic Money in the Bank cash-in.
Will this Sunday’s show have any surprises in store for us? You can bet your last dollar that it will. Let’s take a look at ten potential surprises we could see at WrestleMania 34.
The Cruiserweights make the Main Show
205 Live has slowly become one of the best shows on WWE television right now, and while the show may still be struggling to gain viewers, few can argue with its current quality.
With the brand riding a wave of momentum at the moment, having Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali, two of the brand’s most over superstars, perform on the grandest stage of them all to a wider audience might finally give the brand the exposure it so desperately needs.
The match seems destined for the pre-show, especially after Neville Vs Austin Aries, a match many fans wanted to see, was relegated to the kick-off last year, but it would be a nice gesture for all of their recent hard work to give them a spot on the main show.
Carmella Cashes in
In terms of cashing in, it is really a case of now or never for Carmella. She has just over two months left to cash in her briefcase, and it makes a lot of sense for her to cash in on the biggest stage of the year.
The question, though, is who will she cash in on? If she cashes in on Asuka, she is almost certainly bound to lose, but a cash-in on either Bliss or Jax could be a smart move for her.
There is a lot of grey area surrounding who she can cash in on, but if Asuka beats Charlotte, and takes the belt back to Raw, then having Carmella win the Raw belt and take it to Smackdown would be a nice twist to level the playing field.
Having Asuka stay on Smackdown doesn’t make as much sense as keeping her on Raw, and while she is set to face Charlotte at Mania, she is still being listed as a Raw star and is still performing on the shows. Having a simple switch of the belts is the best way to solve this problem.
Big Cass Returns, Wins the Andre The Giant Battle Royal
With Rusev now being added to the US title match, there is no clear favourite to win this year’s Andre the Giant Battle Royal Memorial Match. If I was forced to pick, then I guess Dolph Ziggler would be my choice, but there is a fair chance that the match could be won by a returning superstar.
Big Cass has not been seen on TV since September, and while he was playing a heel when he was injured, there is every chance that, with Enzo Amore gone, Cass may return as a babyface.
Cass is due to return to the ring any day now, so having him return at WrestleMania, and then win the Battle Royal would be a nice way to bring him back into the mix.
Alexa Bliss Makes History
One of the biggest mysteries heading into this year’s WrestleMania is, who will partner Braun Strowman as he challenges The Bar for the Tag Team Titles?
Smart money is on Elias, but there have been plenty of rumours doing the rounds in recent weeks to keep fans guessing. One of the biggest rumours to come out this week is Rey Mysterio, with the WWE reportedly tracking the former World Heavyweight Champion’s fitness leading into the event.
Rey’s return would be a great moment, but a more left-field choice for Braun’s partner would be Alexa Bliss. The two were excellent together in the Mixed Match Challenge, and the company could use this as a chance to create one of their much craved historic moments for women’s wrestling.
Having Alexa do absolutely nothing and then walking around with the belt would be great to see, and fans would no doubt lap them up as a duo. This would mean Alexa would have to pull double duty, but if her match with Nia was short, then this would also provide them with another chance to make some history in New Orleans.
Samoa Joe Returns From Injury
Another man who could make his grand return to the ring on Sunday night is Samoa Joe. Joe has been out of action for several months now, and if reports are to be believed, then an in-ring return is fairly imminent.
Joe would be the perfect candidate to win the Andre the Giant Battle Royal Memorial match, and a victory for him would also help bring some credibility back to the bout. Joe missed last year’s WrestleMania due to injury, and fans are desperate to see him grace the grandest stage of them all for the first time in his career.
Joe’s music hitting before the start of the match would get a huge pop in New Orleans, and while it would kinda spoil the outcome of the match, no-one would really mind that much as the whole thing is severely lacking in excitement this year.
Trish Stratus Makes an Appearance
The first ever WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal match will take place this Sunday, and the initial controversy of the name seems to have killed a lot of discussion about what is going to take place in the match.
Several participants have been announced for the bout, and with so much focus on women making history in the WWE this year, it seems silly not to bring back a few familiar faces for the encounter.
Trish Stratus is the most obvious name to make a surprise appearance. The iconic former Women’s Champion made a return at the Royal Rumble this year, and she looked like she was in excellent shape. Stratus famously turned down an appearance in the WrestleMania 25 Mrs WrestleMania battle royal, rightfully noting that the match was making a farce of the whole division, and the company will no doubt have a much easier job selling this match to her.
Stratus could even be an outside bet to win the match, with her status in the industry more than justifying such a historic win. It makes more sense, however, to give the victory to someone like Becky Lynch, or a new NXT call-up.
Hulk Hogan Returns
It’s beginning to look increasingly the case that Hulk Hogan’s return to the WWE is now a case of when, and not if. Hogan has reportedly been in talks with the company, and many fans are now beginning to speculate that he is going to be announced as the new Smackdown General Manager.
This seems a clever move, as the loss of Bryan as an authority figure does require a big replacement. Hogan could even make his arrival at WrestleMania, perhaps even announcing himself as GM on the night and playing some sort of part in one of the matches (the US title match has two non-American contenders). Hogan’s return always guarantees a big pop, and there is no grander stage for them to welcome him back than at WrestleMania.
Brock Lesnar Retains
Big bad Brock’s current status following WrestleMania 34 is unknown. Most fans are operating under the idea that, given his current booking, and his previously expressed desires to leave the WWE, that the Universal Champion will be saying goodbye to the company once the dust has settled in New Orleans.
This might not be as cut and dry as everybody thinks though. Brock’s current suspension will prevent him from returning to UFC for some time now, and a stay with the WWE would probably be a lot easier for him. If the company decided they wanted to keep him, and he was to be persuaded, a big WrestleMania victory could be used a carrot to dangle in front of him.
It would certainly be a huge surprise as well. Fans have had Reigns pegged to win this match since the WNO reported that it was happening 12 months ago. There was a huge shift in odds last time the two met after it was announced Lesnar had resigned with the company, the same could happen once again this year.
The Rock Returns
After reports last week, this one won’t be too much of a surprise anymore, with the bookies having put odds of 1/100 on The Great One making a surprise appearance at WrestleMania 34. Which, for you, English fans out there, is the same odds as Man City winning the Premier League title this year.
The question, though, is how will The Rock get himself involved? There are several options for the former WWE champion, and while some of them (having him interfere in the main event) would set up a feud further down the line, a fun little cameo akin to his WrestleMania 32 appearance seems the most likely.
Conor McGregor Appears
Something else that the bookies have addressed in the last week, is the possibility of Conor McGregor making an appearance on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
McGregor has been fairly vocal about the WWE in the past, leading many fans to think that he may make an appearance in the company one day. With Ronda Rousey now appearing in the WWE full time, a few appearances from McGregor no likely seem as implausible as they once did.
Whether you like him or not, McGregor is the perfect fit for the WWE, with his swaggering persona seemingly destined for sports entertainment. His appearance wouldn’t have to be big, but having him inside a WWE ring would certainly grab the headlines.
