WWE WrestleMania 34: What Matches Will Likely Get Bumped to the Kick-Off Show?
By Bryan Heaton
Despite the fact that WWE WrestleMania 34 is rumored to once again be even longer than most major WWE pay per views, some matches will be placed on the Kick-Off Show. Which matches are the most likely candidates?
On Sunday, April 8, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans will host WWE WrestleMania 34. It’s the biggest show of the year for WWE, and as such is usually the longest event on the pay per view calendar. Some sources are speculating that WrestleMania could be seven hours long – obviously, including the Kick-Off Show.
Last year, WrestleMania 33 lasted almost that long – I sat and baked in the sun as the Kick-Off Show started at 5 p.m. ET, and headed back to the parking lot after Roman Reigns defeated The Undertaker a little after 11:30 p.m. That’s a long time.
This year, there’s potentially over a dozen matches making the card – whether the main show or the Kick-Off. To date, here’s what’s been officially announced:
- Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns, Universal Championship Match
- AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, WWE Championship Match
- Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Asuka, SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
- Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Nia Jax, Raw Women’s Championship Match
- The Miz (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor, Intercontinental Championship Match
- Randy Orton (c) vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal, United States Championship Match
- Cesaro & Sheamus (c) vs. Braun Strowman & TBD, Raw Tag Team Championship Match
- Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali, Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Final
- Triple H & Stephanie McMahon vs. Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey
- WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
- Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
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Also just about done deals: John Cena vs. The Undertaker, Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn, and a SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match. That’s 14 matches, which is a number that provides the unofficial limit for what the timing of the show can allow.
Obviously, not all of these matches are created equal. Because of that, a handful are going to need to happen on the Kick-Off Show. In 2017, three of the 13 matches on the card were on the pre-show. More likely than not, that will be the case again this year. So out of the 14 possible/probable matches, which ones will be relegated to Kick-Off Show status?
There’s obviously a few matches that wouldn’t even sniff the pre-show. Lesnar/Reigns, Styles/Nakamura, Cena/Undertaker, whatever’s happening with KO/Zayn/Bryan/Shane, and the mixed tag match are potential show-closers. Would you have Ronda Rousey make her in-ring debut on the Kick-Off Show? So those five bouts are out of the running.
After the uproar in 2017 regarding the SmackDown Women’s Championship match, it’s doubtful that any of the women’s matches will be anywhere but the main card. This includes the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal. And this brings us to more than half the potential card avoiding pre-show status.
What’s left? Both tag title matches, both secondary title matches, the Cruiserweight Championship, and the Andre Battle Royal. As tempting as it may be to throw a tag match on the pre-show, both The Usos and Braun Strowman are too big for the Kick-Off show right now. They need to be front and center, and the middle of the ring at WrestleMania is a perfect spot.
Of the remaining four matches, one will get added to the main card, and I see that being the Intercontinental Championship. There’s actually heat behind Miz, Rollins, and Balor right now – meanwhile, the US Title scene is more effective than warm milk to put someone to sleep. It may seem like a shock to put Randy Orton on the Kick-Off Show, but remember that last year Dean Ambrose closed out the pre-show.
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So your Kick-Off Show matches for WWE WrestleMania 34: Alexander/Ali, Orton/Roode/Mahal, and the Andre Battle Royal. There’s precedent for all of these matches being part of the pre-show. While perhaps disappointing for some, it will likely lead to the best possible overall card.