What if WWE hosted a two night long WrestleMania event for the first time ever this year? What would the card for each night look like? This post is meant to answer both questions.
Earlier this month, for the first time ever, New Japan Pro Wrestling unveiled its Wrestle Kingdom show – the promotion’s equivalent to WWE’s WrestleMania – as a two night spectacle. NJPW has always held a Jan. 4 supershow at the Tokyo Dome on Jan. 4 every year since 1992.
The event has only been referred to as Wrestle Kingdom for the last 14 years. This year, for the 14th Wrestle Kingdom, NJPW decided to shake things up a literally differently. This year, NJPW was treated as a special two night extravaganza. It was wrestling’s Coachella, essentially, which got me thinking: what if WWE decided to apply the same treatment to wrestling’s Super Bowl?
Which is not as far fetched of an idea as it sounds. After all, Mania weekend is already a wrestling charged weekend for WWE, what with NXT TakeOver shows taking place the night before WrestleMania. What if they decided to nix the Mania weekend TakeOver, put their best NXT talent on The Show of Shows, and make that show a double header of shows?
More importantly, what if they did such a thing this year? Looking at the storylines heading into this year’s actual event, what would a double header of Mania nights look like?
I sought to answer that question by fantasy booking two nights showcasing the immortals. Again, I kept in mind the storylines of where WWE is at this very moment. I also tried my best to limit each card to just 11 matches for each night and apart from those taking place in the main events of both nights (save for one special exception), I wanted to limit every Superstar mentioned to one match per night.
Also, keep in mind that as of this writing, the Royal Rumble is just under 48 hours away, so my predictions for who may win that match could be off a little bit.
But hey, don’t forget, this is a fantasy booking. Heavy emphasis on “fantasy,” so fantasize and suspend some disbelief, even at my most ridiculous of ideas for the show (and keep in mind, fair warning, a lot of the ideas you are about to read are just that: ridiculous).
Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio vs. AJ Styles vs. Humberto Carrillo – Retirement Match
What do you give to someone who has had everything under the sun? That was the dilemma that came to mind when trying to think of an appropriate final match for Rey Mysterio, as all signs seem to point to Mysterio hanging up his boots later this year, likely at WrestleMania 36.
Looking at the roster, there aren’t that many dream matches left for him. Not Mania worthy ones, at least. He’s had every title there is to have in WWE. Not to mention, he already made a grab for one more big title win vs. Brock Lesnar back in November and that didn’t turn out in his favor.
I was tempted to give him a match to put over a rookie like Humberto Carrillo. Or, one more stellar contest with AJ Styles, but where does that leave Styles’ more recent rival, Randy Orton? So I put them all in one big Fatal Four Way, since the past few months have seen them all interlocked in storylines with each other in one way or another.
Plus, with three other bodies in the ring, Mysterio doesn’t need to overexert himself in his last match. He can hit his big spots one last time with his old dance partners while putting over his new dance partner. Then, Rey can have a goodbye ceremony the next night.
Winner: Humberto Carrillo
Women’s Gauntlet Match for a Midcard Women’s Championship
Not too long ago, Stephanie McMahon hinted at an interest in producing a midcard championship similar to the Intercontinental Title, but for the women’s division. For the sake of fantasy, let’s say that interest becomes a reality sooner rather than later and every woman across all the brands is hotshotting for it in a tri-branded Gauntlet Match.
Ultimately, I think a good fit for an inaugural champion to such a belt would be Bianca Belair. She’s got character, she can work in the ring well beyond her brief years in the ring may suggest, she’s a fresh face to hold a fresh belt, and has potential to embody the same workhorse ethic that embodies the actual Intercontinental Championship.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Authors of Pain (c) vs. Viking Raiders – Raw Tag Team Championship
Okay, Buddy Murphy and Seth Rollins just won the titles recently, but let’s just say that either the Authors of Pain also hold the belts per the Freebird Rule, or Buddy and Rollins lost the belts to some other team, who then lost the belts to AOP.
Either way, I feel as though AOP vs. Viking Raiders is a big money match destined for WrestleMania. But to establish AOP as the hot, rechristened tag team on the block, a win would be necessary.
Winners: Authors of Pain
Lana vs. Liv Morgan – No DQ
This would be the very “sports entertainment-ty” portion of the show that also book ends this storyline that seems like it’s been going on forever. The No DQ stipulation is there not only to give Lana an edge, but lead to a pair of run-ins.
Let’s say Lashley comes in to aid his wife, Rusev comes in as an equalizer, Lashley overpowers him, then all of a sudden you hear blaring through the speakers …
“IF YOU SMELL ….”
Yes, The Rock (who lets not forget had his own “run-in” with Lana of sorts, once upon a time ago in kayfabe) runs down to take out Lashley and allowing Liv Morgan to take out Lana all by herself with no outside interference. Then, in molding a new top star with the millions (and the MILLIONS) of new eyes upon her, Liv has her arm raised by The Great One in victory to finally end her storyline with Lana.
Winner: Liv Morgan
Aleister Black, Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins, Buddy Murphy and Ricochet
Yes, in my fantasy booking, I envision Ricochet turning heel. Great babyface moveset, but there’s something about his promo work that always screamed heel to me. Can’t quite put my finger on why. Is it the voice? It’s gotta be the voice. That squeaky, Kentucky voice.
Anyway, high pitched octaves aside, He hasn’t had the perfect string of luck and could seek out Seth Rollins’ cult after seeing how it did wonders for Buddy Murphy. Add in Aleister Black (former friend to Ricochet, rival to Buddy) as an equalizer for Joe and Owens and we’ve got ourselves a Six Man Tag. A tag that Rollins and his boys would win.
Not only to make their union look strong, but because Rollins has his own plans for the following night …
Winners: Team Rollins
Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai – NXT Women’s Championship
Something tells me that Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai is the money match for the Mania weekend’s TakeOver show this year, but with no TakeOver the night before WrestleMania in this fictional universe I’m strumming up, let’s move that contest to WrestleMania.
I’d pick The Genius of the Sky to go over here. Yes, having won the title in December, Ripley’s reign may come off as somewhat short, but the last time Shirai had a title match, the loss shattered her to the point that she needed a whole new attitude change.
In theory, this new character change should give her the edge necessary to finally capture the gold and, in my eyes, it would.
Winner: Io Shirai
Adam Cole (c) vs. Finn Balor vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Keith Lee vs. Velveteen Dream – Six Pack Challenge – NXT Championship
This is another NXT showcase match. This time, rather than a one-on-one, this showcases the biggest names who have towered over the men’s division since the move to USA Network. Ultimately, I’d say Tommaso Ciampa wins, just because a guy returning from injury to win the belt he never lost sounds like something deserving of a WrestleMania moment.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa
Brock Lesnar vs. Matt Riddle – WWE Championship
The big rumor is that Lesnar could be facing Cain Velasquez in an in-ring rematch, but with a Saudi Arabia show happening a couple months before Mania, I think that’s where the rematch takes place.
And if it does, let’s say that Lesnar and Heyman start gloating about beating every MMA specialist and UFC fighter put in front of them inside of a wrestling ring. Well, almost every ex UFC fighter. Cue The Bro’s music and set up the match that Matt Riddle has been begging for since his days on the independent circuit.
In a perfect world, Matt Riddle would do what he’s promised to do time and time again by beating him for the World Championship and retiring The Beast. But this isn’t a perfect world. This is my, fantasy booked world and as the fantasy booker overlooking on this fictional universe, I say Lesnar beats Riddle to a pummel. He puts up a good fight, sure, but gets pummeled regardless.
Not just because I have other plans for Lesnar for Night 2, but because I’m evil and can’t pass up on the image of thousands upon thousands of disappointed faces in the crowd.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Bayley vs. Sasha Banks – SmackDown Women’s Championship
Another match strongly rumored to be taking place for real, the two best friends finally fall out to set up a match at WrestleMania. After Sasha Banks served as a bad influence on Bayley and the main catalyst steering her heel turn, Banks must destroy her own creation after Bayley (without completely changing her attitude yet, mind you) finally realizes the error of her ways.
In doing so, Bayley is able to overcome The Boss.
Winner: Bayley
Roman Reigns vs. The Fiend – Universal Championship
Royal Rumble winner Roman Reigns faces The Fiend. A practically unstoppable man vs. what has proven to be an entirely unstoppable monster. After a year of failing to re-insert himself in the title picture, a year of embarrassing defeats, some months of eating dog food in between, and of course, after his comeback year from beating cancer, Roman Reigns seeks redemption.
Reigns re-asserts himself as The Big Dog by achieving what was believed to be impossible.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey – Raw Women’s Championship
A match one whole year in the making. We finally get The Man vs. The Baddest Woman on the Planet one-on-one and, poetically, Rousey enters the main event of WrestleMania Night One just as Lynch entered Mania last year: by winning the Royal Rumble.
After a year of people judging the match’s end by a questionable finish, Lynch silences the critics not by pinning Rousey’s shoulders to the mat, but by tapping out the former UFC fighter. Which, I know what you’re thinking, good luck in convincing Rousey to tap out on live TV, right? But again, this is fantasy we’re talking about.
Also, keep this in mind for Night 2’s undercard: just because Rousey took an L does not mean this is the last time the Horsewomen do battle.
Winner: Becky Lynch
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Daniel Bryan – Intercontinental Championship
This is another one that actually has a good chance of happening for real. Daniel Bryan teased a feud of sorts with Sami Zayn and his stable after refusing to join them a couple months back, but that storyline never got wrapped up because Bryan suddenly had his hands full with The Fiend.
But in the case that it does pick up, I say give these two a show stealing opener and let Bryan win the belt that he never lost before originally retiring.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Kay Lee Ray (c) vs. Jinny vs. Piper Niven vs. Toni Storm – NXT UK Women’s Championship
If NXT is going to have its presence known, why not NXT UK? At least put its women’s division on the card, since it is so darn stellar. Place the four figureheads of said division in the middle of the ring, watch them produce magic, then dub Jinny as the new champion. Why? Because I like Jinny and she’s a great character.
Yes, my bias is showing, but hasn’t it shown throughout this whole article? It’s a fantasy card, after all. Fantasies are produced in bias.
Winner: Jinny
Andrade (c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Rusev
If Liv Morgan vs. Lana from the night before serves as a book end to their storyline, then having Rusev and Bobby Lashley face off one last time – this time, with Andrade and his United States Championship in between them – would serve as a final nail in the coffin.
Not a story progressing one, no. Given how the previous night wrapped things up nicely. So here, both rivals cancel each other out and leave themselves as easy pickings for the champ.
Winner: Andrade
Beth Phoenix and Natalya vs. The Kabuki Warriors (c) – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Beth Phoenix returned to WWE TV last year by making a grab for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship with Natalya. Matter of fact, she delivered the killing blow (a Glam Slam from the top rope) to Bayley before The IIconics shoved her off to claim the belts for themselves.
Because she was so close last year, let’s say Phoenix goes for one more match to try get her first taste of gold in nearly a decade. Even crazier, let’s say she wins and a pinfall over Kairi Sane is enough to cause a split between the Kabuki Warriors.
Winners: Beth Phoenix and Natalya
Miz and Morrison (c) vs. New Day vs. Heavy Machinery vs. The Usos vs. Ziggler/Roode – Ladder Match – SmackDown Tag Team Championship
For a WrestleMania show, this fantasy card is admittedly lacking in gimmick matches. So, voila! A gimmick match. And not just any gimmick match, but a ladder match pitting six of the best tag teams that SmackDown has to offer (sorry, Revival, but you’re likely dipping from WWE by the end of the year anyway) against each other.
While it would be disappointing to see Kofi Kingston relegated to a tag team match a year after winning the WWE Championship (which appears to be the trajectory in real life), it may be worth it if Xavier Woods makes a surprise run-in and return from injury to help his boys win.
Would it be too early for him to recover from injury? Ah well. It’s a fantasy card, remember? None of this is happening for real anyway, so let’s fantasize.
Winners: The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Big E)
Charlotte Flair vs. Shayna Baszler
Anyone who read my Evolution 2 fantasy card over a year ago knows that I’ve wanted to see Charlotte Flair vs. Shayna Baszler happen for a very, very, very long time. And with this being the first WrestleMania where Flair is likely to be out of the title picture, this seems like the biggest match should could get without a belt on the line.
I’d say Baszler wins, but with an assist from a certain MMA Horsewoman who’s still miffed about losing to Flair’s fellow wrestling Horsewoman the night before. Let’s build the bricks to seeing Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen, shall we?
Winner: Shayna Baszler
King Corbin vs. Sheamus
Sheamus returned by kicking the head off the shoulders of one Chad Gable, which suggests he’s a heel now, but judging by the promos leading to his return, I get the impression Sheamus may prove to be more of a tweener than a true blue heel.
In his Nov. 29 return hype promo, he alluded to future feuds with both babyfaces and heels, including Shorty G and King Corbin. He’s already delivered on his promise ravage through Shorty G. My guess is in due time, he’ll just keep adding to his bucket list. So, in theory, Corbin’s next on his list.
With the way they are building up Corbin as a top heel, though, I think the king would get his just desserts with a win.
Winner: King Corbin
Drew McIntyre vs. Triple H
More recently, Drew McIntyre has been feuding with Randy Orton, but what if he decides to bite the hand that’s fed them both in the NXT Daddy himself (gross, never let me call him NXT Daddy again), Triple H?
More importantly, a win over a big name like Triple H – at WrestleMania, no less – would give a newly babyface Drew McIntyre the win he needs to cement his babyface push into the main event scene.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Seth Rollins vs. John Cena
Rollins will be the only non-main eventer to wrestle both nights of WrestleMania, but the stakes for him are almost bigger than a main event title match in itself. The feud would be that Rollins, in his attempts as The Monday Night Messiah to remold Monday Night Raw into his own image, he feels he must first take out The Face That Runs The Place to take Raw by force.
And he succeeds in beating John Cena (albeit, with assistance from his stable of journeymen). A win over John Cena as one of the few people to pick up wins on both nights legitimizes Rollins to re-enter the World Title picture, somewhere he hasn’t been since losing the Universal Championship on Halloween.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Bayley vs. Becky Lynch – Title vs. Title
So at Wrestle Kingdom 14, Night Two offered NJPW fans the first ever “Gold Dash” where the respective winners of Night One’s Intercontinental and World Heavyweight Championship matches duked it out in a Winner Take All double title match at the end of Night Two.
This mostly served to close out Tetsuya Naito’s multi-year redemption arc, but I thought this idea was interesting enough to apply to this WrestleMania fantasy booking. Let Night 2 be a night of redemption for a few folks. In this case, it’s for Bayley.
Redeem her after a streak of losses (the big one being at Survivor Series) even after her attitude change. By the same sword, after a proposed face turn leading up to her match with Banks, allow her to answer for her sins after she first turned heel by mercilessly attacking Becky Lynch.
For whatever questionable booking that Bayley may have gone through in the last year, it’d all be worth it to see her hand raised with both titles in hand and being the first to unseat The Man after a whole calendar year. And in a nice show of sportsmanship, in a moment echoing what we saw at the first TakeOver: Brooklyn show, we see all Four Horsewomen stand tall and celebrate at the end of the match.
Only to be attacked by the MMA Four Horsewomen afterwards, teasing a Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen match for the future.
Winner: Bayley
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar – Title vs. Title
I know, I know, I know. I KNOW.
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I get it. None of you reading this want to see Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar again, yet alone as a Winner Take All double title match. But remember, Gold Dash is all about satisfying redemption arcs, and I feel like Reigns battling Lesnar one last time provides a certain redeeming closure after WrestleMania 34’s ending.
Sure, Reigns got that redemption at SummerSlam 2018, but this is for the casual fans who only watch WrestleMania every year for their sole, annual taste of wrestling.
After failing to beat Lesnar on the Grandest Stage of Them All twice, the third time proves to be the charm as a stacked WrestleMania weekend ends with Roman Reigns holding the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship high above his head.
And the marks complain online. Oh boy, do they complain.
Winners: Roman Reigns