The WWE hits Las Vegas this weekend for a two-night celebration of professional wrestling at its best. The WWE has such a glut of talent on the main roster that even fourteen matches over two nights do not have enough spots for some familiar names. There was room on the card for Nia Jax, Sami Zayn, Braun Strowman, or Solo Sikoa. But all that means is that we should expect the best of the best to attempt to collectively raise the bar from last year’s classic WrestleMania XL.
There are a lot of matches to analyze and predict so I will get right to it.
WrestleMania Saturday
The War Raiders (Erik and Ivar) (c) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) in a Tag team match for the World Tag Team Championship
Kingston and Woods were working with the most tired and overused gimmick we have seen in some years and were overdue for a change when they turned heel. Despite the necessity for a change, the heel turn landed with a thud and these guys are still boring and uninteresting.
The War Raiders endured a litany of name and gimmick changes under Vince McMahon’s direction in the beginning of their WWE run. They’ve finally settled on something that works for them, a straight-talking, badass duo. They will undoubtedly be excited for this opportunity and will bring their A game to the show.
Prediction: Winners and still World Tag Team Champions, The War Raiders
Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano
Rey Mysterio is somehow still hanging on as a full-time performer in WWE. He is often referred to as the greatest luchador of all time. But he now has competition for that title as he faces off against El Grande Americano. This relative newcomer to the WWE is handling himself like a tenured veteran. This match will be a great demonstration of the lucha libre style of wrestling.
Prediction: Winner, El Grande Americano
Jade Cargill vs. Naomi
This match is barely fit for Smackdown, let alone WrestleMania. This feud is boring, and neither one of them is very good in the ring. These two are taking a spot that could be used by wrestlers that are compelling to watch.
Prediction: Winner, Naomi
LA Knight (c) vs. Jacob Fatu in a Singles match for the WWE United States Championship
LA Knight is good for his staccato catchphrase and not much else. His promos are short and sweet, and they resonate with the audience. But Jacob Fatu is force to be reckoned with. In his short time on the WWE main roster, this Bloodline member (where do they get so many of them?) has gotten over quickly with both his credible microphone work and his in-ring skills. This is a great opportunity for both guys to put on a signature WrestleMania match.
Prediction: Winner, and new United States Champion: Jacob Fatu
Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair in a Singles match for the WWE Women’s Championship
Many consider Charlotte Flair to be the women’s wrestling GOAT, yet somehow the WWE managed to botch her return from injury at the Royal Rumble. The crowd was not too pleased when she won the Royal Rumble match, punching her ticket to WrestleMania. Tiffany Stratton is the current champion but has not done much to distinguish herself. This program is so boring that the two of them had to dig into each other’s personal lives in a live segment just to get people talking.
Prediction: Winner and new WWE Women’s Champion, Charlotte Flair
Gunther (c) vs. Jey Uso in a Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Jey Uso shocked the wrestling world when he eliminated John Cena from the Royal Rumble to clinch a WrestleMania championship match. Out of all the entrants in the Royal Rumble, Uso was the darkest of horses to have his hand raised. But this former WrestleMania main eventer has what it takes to carry a big match, and he has an army of fans behind him.
Gunther is a legitimate superstar in his own right. He built a reputation as a no-nonsense bruiser who is almost adorned in championship gold. Most importantly, he is easy to hate, and he is the perfect foil for the fan-favorite Uso. This should be the hardest-hitting and most physical match of the night.
Prediction: Winner and still World Heavyweight Champion, Guenther
Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk (with Paul Heyman) vs. Seth Rollins in a triple threat match
Leaving the company for ten years did nothing to help accelerate CM Punk’s timeline to main event WrestleMania, nor did his immediate injury upon his return in 2023. But here we are in 2025 and CM Punk is a WrestleMania main eventer for the first time.
This story behind this match blends a lot of real-world situations into the worked drama. Paul Heyman was a mentor, friend, and protector to Punk early in Punk’s career. Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns have a slightly less dramatized off-screen friendship to match their on-screen relationship. Seth Rollins harbors a grudge with CM Punk for leaving the company in 2013.
Heyman’s allegiances to Punk and Reigns will be tested. Rollins stands as the wildcard in this situation. These are three of the best wrestlers in the world right now and this match has instant classic written all over it.
Prediction: Winner, Roman Reigns
WrestleMania Sunday
Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley in a Triple threat match for the Women’s World Championship
While the triple-threat main event on Saturday night has the potential to be an instant-classic, this triple threat has the potential to be a disaster. The big difference is talent. The Saturday night main event has three of the best wrestlers in the world. This match has two of the best female wrestlers in the world, and one of the worst.
Bianca Belair already proved she can carry a WrestleMania match very capably when she main-evented WrestleMania Saturday at WrestleMania 37. Rhea Ripley dominates the women’s division right now and can stand with anybody. But Iyo Sky is a mess. She is undersized, cuts bad promos, and does not look like a credible threat against anybody. This is one of the bigger booking mistakes we have seen in the Triple H-era, and it would have been much better had they rolled with Belair vs. Ripley only.
Prediction: Winner, and new WWE Women’s World Champion, Rhea Ripley
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria in a Tag team match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
I watch a lot of wrestling, and I still wouldn’t recognize Lyra Vaklyria if she bit me on the ass. Is that on me? Or does she just not make an impression? Maybe I haven’t given her enough of a chance, but I do not have high hopes for this match. It will be tough for these four that were thrown together to find some chemistry with each other and make it look good.
Prediction: Winners, and still WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez
AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul
This match is slightly lost in the WrestleMania shuffle but has a ton of promise. Styles and Paul are two of the very best the WWE has right now, but with the logjam of talent at the top they are stuck on the mid-card of WrestleMania Sunday.
In his short and part-time WWE run, Paul has mastered crowd psychology like a 15-year veteran, and his athleticism is unparalleled. Styles wrestled all over the world and has been to the top of the WWE himself. This could be a hidden gem on this WrestleMania card.
Prediction: Winner, Logan Paul
Bron Breakker (c) vs. Penta vs. Finn Bálor vs. Dominik Mysterio in a Fatal four-way match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
This looks like one of those “let’s get everyone booked somehow” matches from afar. But under the surface, there is a compelling championship match between four entertaining wrestlers.
Breaker is off to a good start on the WWE main roster. He is still a little rough around the edges and has a bit of a ways to go, but his speed and athleticism have delivered some noticeable in-ring spots. I would not want to be on the receiving end of his 22mph spear.
Bálor and Mysterio are a bit of an unlikely duo but have undeniable chemistry in the Judgement Day. The jealousy and mistrust between the faction members is classic heel work.
The newcomer Penta is one of several luchadors on the roster but received an open-arms welcome by the WWE fans upon arrival. WWE fans always like new and Penta is fun to watch. This is a quick ascension to WrestleMania status for him so he should be motivated to try to steal the show in what should be an unpredictable match.
Prediction: Winner and new WWE Intercontinental Champion, Dominik Mysterio
Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre in a Sin City Street Fight
Much like Logan Paul and AJ Styles match, this match features two stars who could be in the main event themselves. Both are former champions and are known for putting on hard-hitting matches. If you want a preview of what you could see, check out the McIntyre vs. Punk Hell in a Cell match from 2024.
A Street Fight allows for a lot of creativity. Expect this match to go anywhere in the stadium, maybe even out to the Vegas Strip!
Prediction: Winner, Drew McIntyre
Randy Orton vs. TBA
Kevin Owens had to bow out of his announced match against Randy Orton due to a spinal injury that requires surgery. It is good to see Randy Orton still on the card with an open challenge match and I am looking forward to seeing who the surprise entrant is. An NXT callup? A top star left off the card like Sami Zayn, Braun Strowman, or Solo Sikoa? A Hall of Famer? Goldberg?
Prediction: Winner, the other guy
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. John Cena in a Singles match for the Undisputed WWE Championship
The reaction that John Cena has received since “The Heel Turn Heard ‘Round The World” has been amazing. His heel promos are so good that the audience can’t help but cheer him when they are over. With Cena set to retire in 2025, he has saved some of the best work for the end.
Cody Rhodes is hanging on as a babyface champion a year after finishing his story at WrestleMania XL in an epic main event against Roman Reigns. It is not easy to keep the crowds hot for a year as a babyface in today’s WWE, but Rhodes has connected with an audience that loves him.
This is Cena’s last WrestleMania match it it might be his biggest one ever. Rhodes is no stranger to WrestleMania events, having competed in two at WrestleMania XL and in the Sunday main event at WrestleMania 39. All the ingredients are in place for this match to punctuate an epic WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas.
Prediction: Winner, and new Undisputed WWE Champion, John Cena
The North Jersey Nonconformist 
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