Well, this certainly isn’t where we expected to be at on the day of WrestleMania. Much like the rest of the world, the WWE landscape is being stripped of it normalcy and will perform the biggest show of the year in front of an audience-less crowd tonight and tomorrow night. Granted, these matches have been taped, so it will be interesting to see what order these matches will go in. Part of me just wanted this to be a normal big-time PPV like WrestleMania should be, but I also admire the fact that the show is going on and am anxious to see what happens. The show has been dubbed as “Too Big for Just One Night” and I guess we’ll see if this continues next year, but I doubt it. Some of the matches are going to be perfectly fine without a crowd, but some matches seem pointless without crowd reaction. I’ll detail some of that sentiment in the article, but here are my predictions for WrestleMania 36. Also, fill out your Sports Chief Official WrestleMania 36 Scorecard and send us your picks.

*Predicted Winners are bolded

*Match Card is likely not in the exact order

- Men’s Singles Match

Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley (with Lana)

This match has the least amount of momentum of any of the others on the card. Despite this fact, it features the most favorable odds for a single competitor. Aleister Black is an overwhelming favorite and I can’t see it going any other way. This could be the start of a decent push for Aleister Black and deservingly so. The WWE Universe really likes him and he is a very talented performer.

- Men’s Singles Match

Elias vs. King Corbin

The odds that I’m seeing for this match show a split decision. Both performers odds are at -120. So, this is literally a toss-up. You could make the argument that Elias has the upper hand due to the fact that King Corbin got the better of him on RAW, but on the other hand, you could say Corbin is going to carry that momentum into his match this weekend. With a literal toss-up decision, I’m going with the King.

- Women’s Tag Team Match: WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship

The Kabuki Warriors (C) vs. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross

Here’s another match that could go either way. In the grand scheme of things, this is pretty much a meaningless match, but it is good to see these ladies getting featured on the card. The Kabuki Warriors will go into Saturday with a 179-day title reign, but I can’t tell you the last time they defended their titles. My best guess was when they had a short feud with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch in 2019. It’s sad to see that these tag titles are meaningless, but while they’re still a thing I’m going to enjoy them. Asuka and Sane to retain this weekend.

- Men’s Singles Match: Intercontinental Championship

Sami Zayn (C) (with Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro) vs. Daniel Bryan (with Drew Gulak)

Currently, Sami Zayn is a +200 favorite in this contest. Zayn has held the belt for a month and I think it comes to an end this weekend. It feels like Daniel Bryan has won the Intercontinental Championship many times, but he surprisingly has only held the title one time. He gained his only Intercontinental title reign at WrestleMania 31, which was 5 years ago. It is time for him to get his second reign. He can bring prestige to the belt and help others remain relevant or gain relevancy.

- Men’s Tag Team Match: RAW Tag Team Championship

The Street Profits (C) vs. Angel Garza and Austin Theory (with Zelina Vega)

Austin Theory will make his WWE PPV debut at WrestleMania of all places. Theory is an awesome competitor and will get a big opportunity to shine on a big stage. With that being said, I don’t think Garza and Theory take the titles largely based on the fact that Theory wasn’t supposed to be in the match. The Street Profits have had a good run with the belts and I think it would be a mistake to take their titles away. This should be a fun match to watch, but I’ll pick The Street Profits to get all the smoke.

- Men’s Singles Match

Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler (with Mandy Rose)

This has Mandy Rose advertised with Dolph Ziggler, but after SmackDown’s turn of events, it may not be the case going into the match. We found out that Sonya Deville was the reason that Mandy ditched Otis for Ziggler, so this should be interesting to see where it leads. Otis is one of the most likeable characters to come through the WWE in quite some time and I think he takes the win here. It will be a feel-good story and it should go in the favor of the WWE Universe.

- Women’s Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match: SmackDown Women’s Championship

Bayley (C) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Lacey Evans vs. Naomi vs. Tamina

I think there is a good possibility that Bayley loses the title, but I’m thinking more towards the future as the reason why I picked her to retain. I think we are in store for a long Sasha Banks and Bayley feud after this match. If WWE continues to have programs moving forward, I think we will have this feud play out. I think somehow, Bayley will eliminate Sasha and this will cause a rift between the two and I feel we could see the feud play out past SummerSlam. If all goes according to planned, SummerSlam is going to be located in Boston, which happens to be Sasha’s hometown. I think this is where Bayley drops the title.

- Singles Match

Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins

I personally think that this feud has been a flop and hopefully it ends this weekend. I have very little interest in watching this match and I think many fans feel the same way. I don’t know what will be next in line for these two, but Owens winning here makes sense. Owens is currently the favorite at -230, but it could go either way. There were rumors that Rollins could be taking some time off after WrestleMania, so this could be a way for him to efficiently step away for a little bit.

- Men’s Triple Threat Tag Team Ladder Match: SmackDown Tag Team Championship

The Miz and John Morrison (C) vs. The Usos vs. The New Day

I’m excited to see what happens here. These are some of the best teams that the WWE has to offer in a ladder match for the titles. It should be fun, but I think we get a successful title defense here. Neither the Usos nor the New Day have anything to gain from winning here, but Miz and Morrison can capitalize on big WrestleMania win. A match like this one is more about the action in the ring rather than crowd reaction, so it should be entertaining.

- Boneyard Match

The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles

None of us know what a Boneyard Match consists of. Will it be in a graveyard? Will it be a Buried Alive Match? How will we determine a winner? Nobody knows and that makes it intriguing if anything. It would’ve been awesome to see this match in front of a crowd, but it appears that they’re going to make the most out of a bad situation. This doesn’t feel like a Taker retirement match, but if this is his last match, AJ Styles is an awesome opponent to end your career with. Despite all of the other unanswered questions, one that is weighing heavily is if Undertaker will be Deadman Taker or Biker Taker. It should be interesting to see.

- Women’s Singles Match: NXT Championship

Rhea Ripley (C) vs. Charlotte Flair

This is fantasy booking material here. Two powerhouse athletes fighting for the gold. The build for this has been solid and I’m excited to see what happens here. The NXT women’s division is the strongest in the world, and I don’t feel like that is my opinion. Charlotte Flair going to NXT and facing the likes of Bianca Belair, Toni Storm, Mia Yim, Candice LeRae, Io Shirai, Tegan Nox, Dakota Kai, and many others would be awesome to see. There are so many options if Charlotte wins, so that is why I think she wins. Ripley could even challenge the women on SmackDown or RAW if she drops the title which would be a great situation for her. Regardless of what happens here, Charlotte is still at the top and Ripley is still the rising mega star of the women’s division.

- Firefly Funhouse Match

John Cena vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt

Much like the Boneyard Match, we don’t know what a Firefly Funhouse Match consists of, but it seems to lean in the favor of Wyatt for obvious reasons. This will be more of an entertaining segment I feel like, rather than a storytelling bout in the middle of a ring. Everything that these two have done together thus far has been wonderful and I’m excited to see what is next. Unsurprisingly, Wyatt is a -500 favorite to win the match. Hopefully this won’t be Cena’s last match like some are saying, but if it is, he has had an unremarkable career.

- Women’s Singles Match: RAW Women’s Championship

Becky Lynch (C) vs. Shayna Baszler

I know what you’re thinking, why do I have Lynch retaining after a one year title reign? It is simple and all you would have to do is take a trip back to last year. Lynch won the WrestleMania main event last year on a controversial call where she “pinned” Ronda Rousey. Rousey’s shoulders were clearly up. Is it a guarantee that Rousey makes an appearance here? Obviously not, but I think there is a good possibility. I think Ronda will somehow play a role in the outcome of the match in favor of Becky Lynch to get herself a rematch, possibly at SummerSlam, if things return to normal. Baszler is a slight favorite to become the champ, but I am predicting that she loses to Lynch.

- Men’s Singles Match: Universal Championship

Goldberg (C) vs. Braun Strowman

It would shock me if we get a match over 5 minutes here. Honestly, I’m expecting something in the 1-2-minute range. With that being said, this decision is tough. If Roman Reigns were able to compete, I would not hesitate to say he would win, but Strowman getting added last minute is a tough choice to make. All of this depends on how much longer Goldberg is going to compete. Part of me thinks, and wishes, this would be the end of the road for him, but another part of me thinks that he could keep this agony going until SummerSlam. It could go a number of ways, but I think Strowman wins the belt. Many people thought he should’ve won it a couple years ago, and I was hoping that too, but he has the chance here to finally capture a major title. Just over a couple months ago, he won the Intercontinental Championship, which was his first singles title in his career. I think he adds to that this weekend and then when things return to normal, Roman will take the belt off of him. That makes sense to me, but obviously WWE creative has the ultimate say.

- Men’s Last Man Standing Match

Edge vs. Randy Orton

I absolutely hate that this match will not get a crowd reaction. I almost would rather them cancel this particular match and save it for a later date, because it is going to mean so much to the fans. Edge will make his return to the singles circuit after missing the last 9 years with a neck injury. He will come back with a vengeance against the man that turned on him a couple months ago. Edge is currently a -500 favorite and I can’t argue with that. It seems like he is well on his way to a WrestleMania win. However, if this is one-off, I think he loses. I don’t think it is, so I think he wins. The Last Man Standing stipulation obviously helps the fact that there isn’t a crowd in attendance and they’re going to tell a wonderful story I feel like.

- Men’s Singles Match: WWE Championship

Brock Lesnar (C) vs. Drew McIntyre

This is Drew McIntyre’s time to shine. Again, it is a shame that there won’t be a crowd to react. Lesnar is going into the weekend with a 182-day title reign and I think it is almost a sure thing that he walks out of WrestleMania title less. While I say it’s a sure thing, is it though? Lesnar is basically the destroyer of sure things when it comes to WrestleMania. When you think he will lose, he will win and you think he will win, he will lose. Lesnar has been the single greatest force in the WWE for a few years consecutively and having him drop to the title to worthy opponent such as Drew McIntyre doesn’t hurt him. I think it does quite the opposite in the grand scheme of things. I really hope McIntyre wins, because he has become one of my favorite wrestlers in the last couple of years and to see him win the gold on the biggest stage of the year would be huge.

Yacs

WrestleMania 36 Predictions