How WWE's WrestleMania 32 card, Hall of Fame class are shaping up
WrestleMania 32 looks like it will be yet another blockbuster show for WWE, while the company's 2016 Hall of Fame class includes some of the industry's biggest names.
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3 min read
The Road to WrestleMania 32 has been filled with twists and turns already through its first two weeks, and with Monday's news of the WWE's fourth inductee into its Hall of Fame's 2016 class, it's as good a time as any to take a look at how the company's biggest events of the year are coming together.
Though some fans are less than thrilled with Roman Reigns being back in the main event of the "Showcase of the Immortals," the divisive superstar will once again compete for the WWE world heavyweight championship in what's expected to be the evening's final match against title holder Triple H.
Considering how many top-tier performers WWE lost to injury over the last few months, the build to this title match has been better than initially expected with a triple threat match between Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar earning the former Shield member a chance to win the title for a third time.
WWE has also thrown a complete curveball into The Undertaker's annual WrestleMania match as the Dead Man will compete against the returning Shane McMahon with control of Monday Night Raw on the line for the son of WWE chairman Vince McMahon. Oh, and the match will occur in the WWE's famed Hell in a Cell.
Shane's return was a shocker to open Raw the Monday after Fastlane, and while the storyline still needs to be fleshed out -- why exactly does Taker care to wrestle on Vince's behalf against his son when The Phenom should otherwise not be invested in the family drama -- it has no doubt raised the stakes of WrestleMania and added some mystery to the show.
Most believe the shocking return of Shane McMahon was a reaction to an injury suffered by John Cena, who was rumored to originally be Taker's planned opponent at WrestleMania. Others think Shane will not ultimately participate in the match as long as Cena can recover in time, that he is merely a placeholder to give the company time to figure out whether it can move on with his planned match. Either way, it's brought necessary eyeballs to WWE before its biggest show of the year.
The rest of the card, as it stands now, includes a street fight between Lesnar and Ambrose and an expected triple threat match between champion Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks for the Divas title.
It looked like WWE was prepared to have Lesnar face Bray Wyatt at 'Mania, but the Ambrose-Lesnar feud is actually a better one that should result in an epic match next month. The triple threat women's match was always assumed; it should pay dividends for WWE as possibly the best women's match held at a major pay-per-view in years.
So far, so good. The question is where WWE goes from here.
| Current WrestleMania 32 Match Card | ||
| Triple H (c) | vs. Roman Reigns | World Heavyweight Championship |
| The Undertaker | vs. Shane McMahon | Hell In a Cell* |
| Brock Lesnar | vs. Dean Ambrose | Street Fight |
| Charlotte (c) | vs. Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks^ | Divas Championship |
| * If McMahon wins, he will control Monday Night Raw. ^ Triple threat match |
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The third incarnation of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal should be expected along with a tag team title match that will most likely feature New Day against the new team of Chris Jericho and A.J. Styles.
There's no question that intercontinental champion Kalisto and United States champion Kevin Owens will be on the card, but whether they're defending their titles or involved in larger matches -- perhaps a seven-way ladder match? -- remains to be seen. WWE still needs to figure out a way to get Wyatt, Ziggler, its League of Nations faction and others on the four-hour WrestleMania card. They will, and there's plenty of time for them to figure it out with nearly a month to go until the big show.
As far as the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Boss Man joins a star-studded 2016 class headlined by Sting. The Fabulous Freebirds and The Godfather are other members of the class, which should expand with a few more wrestlers and an annual inductee into the celebrity wing.
WrestleMania 32 is set Sunday, April 3 at 7 p.m. live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Hall of Fame will occur one day prior on Saturday, April 2 from American Airlines Center in Dallas.
