With the full card basically set for WrestleMania 34 on Sunday, April 8 in New Orleans, WWE has completed its annual game of chess to produce a much-anticipated and stacked lineup.
Despite a small sampling of injuries, WWE was still left with no shortage of options when it came to booking the card and creating storylines. But did the creative team present the best possible combination for a memorable show? That's largely up for debate, depending upon your preferences.
One thing is for certain, WWE could've mixed up the pairings almost entirely and still put forth a lineup worth buzzing about. The following is an example of what said card might've looked like at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome had the promotion zigged instead of zagged.
WrestleMania 34 kickoff show
Cruiserweight Championship -- Buddy Murphy def. Cedric Alexander to win the vacant title: Alexander has been correctly tabbed as the "cruiserweight king in waiting" throughout his run in the 205 Live tournament to crown a new champion (after Enzo Amore's dismissal). In fact, Alexander needs to be on the short list of any countdown ranking WWE's top in-ring performers. But Triple H, who has reportedly taken over the booking on Tuesday nights, may have been too hasty in overlooking the star potential that the repackaged Murphy possesses. Murphy, a former NXT tag team champion, was eliminated by Mustafa Ali in the quarterfinals despite performing as impressively as anyone in the tournament.
Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal -- Shinsuke Nakamura wins: As usual, this battle royal has become a catch-all for anyone not booked in bigger feud or title match, simply as a means to get them on the show. But this year has potential to be more exciting should WWE mix in more exciting talent from NXT and 205 Live. In this alternative booking universe, Nakamura wouldn't have won the Royal Rumble, which means a victory here presents the best possible way to still give him shine. WWE should also consider adding a stipulation prize for the winner to repeal the current "midcard and jobber" stigma associated with it. [Participants: Nakamura, Rusev, Jinder Mahal, Jeff Hardy, Baron Corbin, Mojo Rawley, Velveteen Dream, Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, TJP, Kalisto, Mustafa Ali, Pete Dunne, Roderick Strong, Apollo Crews, Titus O'Neil, Mark Henry, Big Cass, Big Show, Curt Hawkins, ECIII, Chad Gable, Shelton Benjamin, Dash Wilder, Scott Dawson, Goldust, Heath Slater, Rhyno, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper.]
United States Championship -- Dolph Ziggler def. Randy Orton (c) to win the title: SmackDown hasn't done much with the time invested in Ziggler's new gimmick and disappearance from the show after voluntarily giving up the U.S. title. Giving him a chance to win it back against a legend like Orton would be a great way to spice up the kickoff show with a strong match. Considering Orton's respect for Ziggler's work, it's likely he would be fully engaged and hungry to steal the show.
Women's Tag Team Championship -- Absolution def. Sasha Banks & Bayley to win the vacant, newly introduced titles: With the injured Paige serving as their mouthpiece, the team of Mandy Rose and Sonia Deville present a look that screams star potential. So why not strap the rocket on them as the first women's tag team champions in company history? Consider this match a better alternative to the women's battle royal set to debut this year. And with the men (see below) unifying tag titles now that WWE has moved away from single-branded pay-per-views, this move only makes more sense. This match would also be the perfect platform for Banks and Bayley to break up once and for all after so many false starts with "The Boss" finally returning to the heel persona we all fell in love with in NXT.
WrestleMania 34 main card
Intercontinental Championship -- The Miz (c) def. Chris Jericho: This would be one heck of a opener, although getting the free-agent Jericho to agree to a WrestleMania match that doesn't involve a main event or major title would take some negotiating considering he's fresh off a New Japan Pro-Wrestling classic with Kenny Omega. But the hook in this match would be to declare the greatest intercontinental champion in WWE history. Not only is The Miz closing in on Pedro Morales' record for most combined days as champion, Jericho is the only one with more IC title reigns than Miz (who has one less at eight). The promo work alone in the build up would be worth the price of admission. As would seeing elements of the maniacal and longer-haired character Jericho debuted in NJPW. All Jericho would have to do is somehow quietly cancel the date his band Fozzy has booked for that night in New Hampshire.
Tag Team Championship (Tables, Ladders and Chairs) -- The Usos (c) def. The Bar (c) and The New Day to unify the titles: With WWE going away from brand-exclusive PPVs, it's time for the return of a single champion who can float between shows (helping to ease the watering down of too many titles). This match would also serve as a nod to The Dudley Boyz's induction to the WWE Hall of Fame. Including The New Day would make sense considering their dominant run across both brands over the past three years. The match would also contend for best of the night in a classic spotfest. After the match, a promo from Jimmy and Jey would contend that they, and not The Bar, are legitimately out of competition after cleaning out the tag team division. That would trigger a run-in from former NXT champions Authors of Pain, driving both Usos through tables.
Raw Women's Championship -- Asuka def. Nia Jax (c) to win the title: Under this scenario, Asuka would still have won the Royal Rumble, only Jax, having found out the truth about Alexa Bliss, would've taken her revenge by winning the title at Elimination Chamber. Asuka and Jax also wouldn't have had any matches on Raw ahead of time, allowing Jax to be presented as the toughest main roster challenge (despite their previous match at NXT TakeOver: The End in 2016) to Asuka's unbeaten streak in WWE.
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn ends in a double countout: Imagine for a moment that WWE had medically cleared Bryan to return but had kept the announcement secret, booking him as special guest referee in this match. Under this scenario, SmackDown Live commissioner Shane McMahon would seek revenge against Owens and Zayn by booking the devious friends against each other under the stipulation that the loser would be fired. In order to ensure there's a winner, McMahon booked heel sympathizer Bryan as referee. But as a rebellion to McMahon's overbearing spite, Bryan physically prevented both superstars from reentering the ring before the 10 count, saving their jobs in the process. An angry McMahon not only fired Bryan after, he assaulted him. This set up a true WrestleMania moment in Bryan rallying with the crowd at fever pitch in "Yes!" chants, setting up an eventual payoff when the feud is revisited at SummerSlam. In between, Bryan would've been shifted to Raw to restart his wrestling career and feud with The Miz.
The Undertaker & Kane def. Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt (Deletion of Horrors): After the success of Hardy's "Ultimate Deletion" match opposite Wyatt, who was kicked into the Lake of Reincarnation and reinvented to be a member of Hardy's extended universe, this makes a lot of sense. It provides the Brothers of Destruction one more chance at exiting WrestleMania on their terms with a victory, in the style of match that won't expose their age and lack of movement. The match could also be pretaped yet still presented as if it was live at an undisclosed location near the dome in New Orleans. Would it be a sloppy Super Bowl of supernatural powers and weapons? Of course. But it could also be fun and memorable (Backlot Brawl from WrestleMania 12, anyone?), especially if Hardy's style of tongue-in-cheek comedy can be featured.
WWE Championship -- AJ Styles (c) def. Finn Balor: Slotted into the Randy Savage-Ricky Steamboat spot as the match most expected to steal the show, this one also would feature a storyline that sells itself. Balor, the Royal Rumble winner, decided instead to choose the WWE championship from SmackDown as a way to prove to Styles who the true leader of the former Bullet Club (redubbed Balor Club in WWE) truly is. Styles would also be seeking revenge from his one-off loss to Balor in their non-title match at TLC in 2017. Having Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson at ringside, torn between which former NJPW teammate to support would provide the perfect touch.
Seth Rollins def. Triple H and Kurt Angle: If it sounds a little bit clunky, if not an outright waste of Rollins on such a big card, hear me out for a second. It's hard to imagine Triple H not having a match of any form at WrestleMania and the screwjob finish at Survivor Series is a story that needs an ending. But the idea of Trips and Angle, with a combined age of 97, throwing potatoes at each other doesn't quite equal mega entertainment. So enter Rollins, who has a history opposite Triple H (including last year's match when Stephanie McMahon went through a table), to provide the bumping and aerial aspects. A storyline beef could also be added between Angle and Rollins over Jason Jordan, the Raw GM's kayfabe son, about costing "The Architect" the tag team championship. Not only would this build allow the injured Jordan to remain on TV in a speaking role, Triple H could secretly recruit him to screw over his biological father by joining The Authority in an epic heel turn as the new "chosen one," a role previously played by Rollins.
In-ring music segment: Elias and Kid Rock perform a duet in a song about New Orleans before Elias avoids an attempted guitar smash from new WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett and delivers his own.
SmackDown Women's Championship -- Ronda Rousey def. Charlotte Flair (c): This one is so star-studded, featuring the built-in allure of Rousey's debut WWE match, that a case could be made for it to go on last. The expected growing pains that Rousey will inevitably show as a green performer prevents such a decision, of course. But there are ways WWE could still present Rousey in a dominant light while hiding her shortcomings. A big part of that would be the constant interference from the entourages at ringside, featuring dueling members of their respective Four Horsewomen stables (including Becky Lynch for Flair and fellow UFC veteran/NXT superstar Shayna Baszler for Rousey). WWE could also book a failed cash-in attempt by Carmella of her Money in the Bank contract at the midway point in the match to create more chaos. In fact, should it want to tie up another loose-ended story, James Ellsworth could make a surprise return to physically stuff Carmella's attempt at victory while taking a comedic bump from Rousey in the process. The storyline would be a culmination of an angle first birthed last summer when Rousey stared down Flair while in attendance at the Mae Young Classic tournament.
Braun Strowman def. Brock Lesnar (Falls Count Anywhere): Pretend for a second that WWE hadn't rushed this match as a one-off main event at No Mercy last fall. Let's also imagine a build which included nothing but circus-like backstage spots, showcasing the absurd strength of both. Not to completely steal the booking from Lesnar's car-wreck, five-minute classic against Goldberg last year, but this match deserves the same level of "heavyweight wrestling" action. Moving said action outside the walls of the ring would also be a good idea, especially if a creative stunt could be planned. The story would center u[on Strowman having cost Lesnar his title by eliminating him at Elimination Chamber (opening the door for Reigns to win the match). And should Lesnar have decided not to re-sign with WWE afterwards, a victory for Strowman on this stage would serve as a passing-of-the-torch among big men. It would also prepare Braun for his own WrestleMania main event match the following year.
Universal Championship -- Roman Reigns (c) def. John Cena: Even with their first meeting having been microwaved into a one-month build and a non-title, non-main event bout at No Mercy last September, a rematch of this magnitude would've been epic. Talk about a a true "dream match." Six years later, with Cena at 40 and Reigns maturing into the company's biggest star, the parallels to Cena-Rock I at WrestleMania XXVIII are uncanny. But the added stipulation of Cena going for his WWE record 17th world championship almost pushes it over the top, especially because there would be enough historical reasons for even the smart marks to believe Cena can win. A victory for Reigns would certainly give him the final rub as the next in line among WWE's crossover stars. But the ringside presence of Ric Flair, whose record Cena would potentially be breaking, would put the match over the top. Flair, who last year recovered miraculously from life-threatening organ failure, would author one final chapter to his playbook as "the dirtiest player in the game." After overly supporting Cena's pursuit throughout the build to the match, late interference from Flair plays a part in costing Cena the win. It also plants the seed for a SummerSlam comeback match for a babyface Nikki Bella against a heel Charlotte, with Cena back in opposite corners.