If there's one constant among fans of pro wrestling, it's that we love to fantasy book the big events, and no other PPV gets as much fantasy booking as The Showcase of the Immortals aka The Grandest Stage of Them All aka Wrestlemania. I would say that the only other fantasy booking that even comes close is the booking of the Royal Rumble matches, but even that would be a distant second because Wrestlemania is where we get the culmination of weeks, months and even sometimes years of storytelling and rivalries to pay off. And this year is looking to be the longest Mania we've ever had because there are so many stories to tell and so many performers that are either going to be involved in grudge matches or title matches or, in at least one case, a retirement match. So let's look at the stories being told, and let's look at who is already scheduled, and let's also look at how I might book this.
Let's kick this off with the confirmed matches, and let's just start with Shane McMahon vs The Miz in a grudge match. Traditionally, this is Shane's spot on the card. He's never fighting for a title; his job is to get enough heat to feud with someone who is bucking his authority. But this year it's a little different because he's the heel. Once we learned that Miz and Shane were going to be teaming together, we knew that this was setting the table for a match between the two at Mania; there was just no other option. We knew that the partnership wasn't going to last for more than a few months, so a grudge match at Mania was the only way that this story was going to pay off, but along with the rest of the world, we prognosticated that it would be Miz, one of the best male heels on the main roster. So when Shane was the one to turn, I was really excited that they decided to swerve me. I'm generally pretty happy when WWE does something unexpected that works to the benefit of the story they're telling as well as something that gets the fans involved in a positive way. Whether or not this is something that will pay off in a way that will be particularly memorable is a different question, because Shane should be pretty limited in his competitive role. This match should be fine, but it'll be another match where another performer has to carry Shane throughout, so Miz will have to do a lot of the heavy lifting. I'd really like to see Shane throw in a last-minute stipulation, like a Tables or Chairs match or something, so they can really work Miz's current underdog status. So I'm looking at The Miz to come out on top here since he's lost at the last few Manias and deserves a good win, and this match should be at a relatively snappy 10-15 minutes at most. Shane should crash and burn on a Leap of Faith onto an announce table and Miz should win either via countout or just bring him back in the ring and put him in the Figure 4 or a triangle hold (since Shane used that on him in the Fastlane attack), or even win with a frog splash like his dad told him to do against The Usos.
Now let's move on to another confirmed match and that's Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. First off, Seth is still over enough and can cut some really solid promos to keep heating up this match as opposed to the constant flubbing of Roman Reigns for the last few years. We know from the behind the scenes stuff last year that Vince was originally having Roman take the title from Lesnar at Mania, but the crowd was so far out of it at that point, that he decided to keep it on Lesnar so he could heat the rivalry up all over again to a point where fans could determine that putting the belt on Roman was the lesser of two evils, but now that real life intervened and made Roman a real guy that you could really cheer for, Seth was the next natural choice to be top guy. Seth is being booked like a top guy too. And Lesnar, well, all he has to do is show up on Raw with Paul Heyman to get heat. Despite what you may think of Lesnar as an in-ring competitor, or as a human being, he definitely knows what his worth is. He doesn't even have to appear on Raw for months at a time in order to still remain the focal point of the Raw Men's division, because he's still always being talked about. And I know that he's been somewhat more concerned with how his matches look lately because he's been doing a good job of keeping his opponents looking strong without losing, and that was definitely the case with his match against Daniel Bryan at Survivor Series and to a lesser extent, Finn Balor at the Rumble. So they should book Seth as a guy who could slay The Beast but not invincible up through Mania, and then when they go at it, I'm predicting that Dean Ambrose will appear one final time to stop Heyman from doing something underhanded and provide Seth the opening he needs to stomp Brock's head through the fucking mat and bring the Universal title back to Monday Night Raw on a regular basis, and hopefully, he'll be able to make that title important again, just as he did when he held the Intercontinental title. This should be about 15-20, but no more else you risk getting the crowd out of it, especially if they put on the Raw Women's title match on last (which they absolutely fucking should). It's unlikely that Seth will be able to hit his most impressive move on him, which is the Superplex transitioning into a Falcon Arrow, so have Brock beat the hell out of him for a while and then Seth kicks out of an F-5 (or reverses it), and the tables turn, a couple of good, dramatic false finishes to really get the crowd into it.
Let's follow up on the Shield brothers and go to another confirmed match and that's Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre in a grudge match. This is the right match for Roman and Drew at Mania. They should have a good 15-20 and maybe introduce some kind of stipulation that isn't a Last Man Standing match so they can keep it somewhat brief, but since we have another No Holds Barred match scheduled, maybe this will just be a standard match, and that's fine too. But there's no world where Drew doesn't eat the pin against a recently-returned Roman. If this were any other time where maybe Roman still held the title, I could definitely see Drew going over, because Drew is practically what I would draw if I was asked to create a wrestler from scratch. So this is going to be Roman all the way. It's going to be brutal, but it's going to have Roman fighting from underneath almost the entire time and he's going to prevail. He's going to get hit with at least two Claymores and he's going to kick out and when Drew goes for the third one, Roman's going to hit him with the Spear for the win.
That brings us to another big grudge match (with the best reason for booking it at Mania), and that's Randy Orton vs A.J. Styles. I love the idea of this match because it's so simple: A.J. has been claiming that Smackdown is the house that he built for the last few years, and Randy says, "Nuh-uh, son; I've been here since 2003, so if anyone built this place, it's me". So it's a match for domination of the brand. In a way, it's more important than any other Smackdown title match, because this is about two of the brands biggest stars duking it out showing who actually runs the place. Daniel Bryan and Samoa Joe and Asuka and The Usos can have their championships, but Styles and Orton are fighting to prove which one Smackdown really belongs to, and that's one of those Booking 101 things that I talk about a lot, and how much I love when the adhere to simple storytelling when it's appropriate. Something as simple as saying, "You attacked me; I'm going to beat you" is a whole story. It doesn't need to get more complicated than that. "You have this title; I want to fight you for it" is a good start, but obviously that needs to grow in terms of proving yourself worthy of that opportunity, unless it starts getting insane, like what is currently happening with Kofi Kingston. This is so simple; "You think you're the best, but really I'm the best" is one of the best booking elements that can get a grudge match going. As far as booking this match, I would say that A.J. deserves 20-25, but we didn't even really get that from two New Japan stars last year when we had A.J. vs Shinsuke, so we're looking at 15-20 and I know that Randy is technically younger than Styles, but he actually seems like the older competitor because of how long he's been with WWE, so in nearly any grudge match, the newcomer should get put over, and since A.J. is the babyface in this confrontation, that's a better case that he should go over. So A.J. should pick up the win via counter of the RKO, then into Phenomenal Forearm and then hit Styles Clash to keep him down for three, because the best way to keep the losing competitor looking strong is to have to hit them with more than one finisher.
Arguably the biggest grudge match of the evening, though, is Triple H vs Batista in a No Holds Barred match. The set-up for this match is kind of dumb, and it should really have been booked as something more of a "You weren't able to beat me before, and I'm going to show you that you can't now" rather than a "I'm going to beat up a 70-year-old to make you so mad at me that you'll give me exactly what I want". I'm not expecting much of this match, because I don't want to see Hunter hurt himself again, and it's been a few years since he could prove that he could go. And as far as Dave is concerned, we haven't seen him wrestle in a few years. I know that he can slam Ryan Gosling through a wall, I know that he can stab a big-mouthed monster, and I know that he can apparently jump a motorcycle from one level of a soccer stadium to another (if you haven't seen FINAL SCORE, it's pretty stupid and silly fun), but without the visual effects assistance he might otherwise have, I'm interested to see what he looks like in the ring. He's also going to be the villain in a film that is adjacent to the cool Donnie Yen IP MAN films, so who knows what skills he might have picked up there. Either way, I'm not expecting a barn-burner of a match here. I am expecting some pretty grueling shots, and maybe even the sledgehammer. This should be about 15-20 at most, because these are definitely men who are getting up there, so the movement isn't going to be lightning-fast. There's going to be a lot of rest holds and a lot of these guys catching their breath. As far as fantasy booking it, I also wouldn't have booked Trips as the babyface, but people who leave the company (that aren't named Dwayne Johnson) are always going to come back as heels, so give Hunter a few good sledge shots to Dave's midsection and then Pedigree him into the mat for the pinfall.
And then we have a grudge match that I'm still hoping and praying will get changed on the final card, but since it's been announced, let's consider it to be happening, and that's Kurt Angle vs Baron Corbin in Angle's final match ever. I know that this is an actual story that's a long time in the making, but this should be almost a squash match. Kurt should make his entrance after Corbin absorbs all the heat, and then Corbin should charge at Angle, get caught for a belly-to-belly suplex, get one Angle Slam and the Ankle Lock for the quick win. This match should be a maximum of 3 minutes from bell to bell. That's it. Don't overdo it and don't make Angle try to hit a series of suplexes on a guy a foot taller than he is that can't get the elevation so Kurt doesn't land on the back of his fucking head each time. Don't stretch it out so that Corbin has to stand there and wait for Angle to catch his breath. Just give Angle the quick win to go out on top of someone who doesn't need wins. Corbin will maybe have an ad hoc tag team title in his time with the company but he'll never be anything more than a low mid-carder that will be used to get heat.
Another confirmed match that is going to be probably going to sadly be pretty boring to watch is the Cruiserweight Championship match with title-holder Buddy Murphy vs Tony Nese. I think the world of Murphy since he's had some fantastic matches in his time in 205 Live, but Nese is a whole lotta nothing. He's got a pretty flat move set that is reliant on strength rather than agility. I would never ever have booked this match for Mania, mainly because Nese is not Mania-worthy to me. This could have and should have been someone like Drew Gulak. But whatever. Murphy will probably win. This should go 5-8 minutes max because, frankly, this is the match most likely to be everyone's bathroom break.
The next confirmed title match is for the United States title with Champion Samoa Joe vs Rey Mysterio. Despite that I'm of the opinion that this match feels so fucking arbitrary, this should be a pretty fun match, and any other time, I would probably be rooting for Rey, but this has got to be Joe. There's been way too much hot potato being played with the US title in the past few months that to switch it out again after only another month would be a huge mistake. Even the "lesser" titles have to have some shine on them, and Joe is long overdue for an extended title run. You've seen what Joe can do on the mic, and admittedly, he doesn't require a title to keep doing that, but the title sure as shit helps back up some of his claims, and if he retains, then they can reheat his rivalry with Mustafa Ali and get him this title around Survivor Series. Joe can have a program with Kevin Owens, Andrade, Shinsuke, just about anyone, and then have Ali come back in and take it. As far as this match, this should be 10-15, and that's mostly because, despite the fact that Rey can still go, there's a pretty limited window for his best and that clocks in around the 12-minute mark. Also, he just can't do some of his best moves against someone of Joe's size. So it's a counter of the post-619 springboard into the Coquina Clutch and Rey doesn't tap and just passes out.
And the final confirmed match at this time is the Raw Women's Championship match between champ Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch. So fantasy book element #1 is having this be the final match of the night, and I say that's a fantasy book because that's becoming less and less of a sure thing with the rise of Kofi Kingston and his own WWE Championship chances which Vince might somehow see taking precedence over this match and even the Universal title match. But if you really go over this last 12 months to see the rise of Becky Lynch and the rivalry she's had with Charlotte and Ronda, this is the biggest story that they could finish on The Grandest Stage of Them All. You have the big crossover star vs the biggest all-around star vs one of the best that the division has to offer. First of all, this match should go 25-30 minutes. It should have chair shots, kendo sticks, table spots, ladder spots; the works. Ronda and Charlotte should start off hot against Becky, making her work from underneath until the last act of the match when she finally gets a head full of steam and makes the both of them pay. And the big finish? Becky hits Charlotte with a series of chair shots and puts Charlotte through a corner-propped table with a Bexploder, and then use that same chair to get extra leverage to put Ronda in the Dis-Arm-Her for the win. I don't see a reasonable ending to this match other than having Becky win. Her groundswell and momentum have been too big for too long, and she hasn't had a big win since her win over Charlotte at Evolution. This should have enough solid false finishes and enough cool spots to really steal the show and leave us all going home happy. I know that there are versions of this story where Ronda retains, or Charlotte possibly steals one, but this is Becky's match all the way, and the in-ring storytelling needs to reflect that.
And now we get into the real fantasy booking, for all the unconfirmed matches! Bear in mind that this isn't necessarily what I'm predicting will happen, but rather what I want to have happen.
Let's start with the big one, and that's the WWE Championship title match. I know that right now, Vince is screwing Kofi Kingston six ways from Sunday to jump through a series of proverbial hoops and reach out for all of Vince's imaginary brass rings, but champ Daniel Bryan seems to be whispering in Vince's ear a good deal of the time, and Vince seems to be listening. It's generally a good sign when Vince himself comes out and puts someone over, because that means that he has confidence in them to go the distance, and going the distance is something that Kofi has been doing for the last several weeks. And D-Bry has been doing some next-level work both on the mic and in the ring since his heel turn. But this match is happening, and it's going to be filled with stipulations. The rest of New Day is likely going to be banned from ringside, but Bryan will be able to bring Rowan to help interfere on the outside. I'd book this as a ladder match. Two smaller and fast guys would be perfect for this kind of match, and it will also give Rowan license to interfere. But most importantly, it'll give Kofi the ability to do one of his patently amazing athletic moves in order to get to the ladder to cut Bryan off when he's all but assured of victory. This should be a good 20-25, and absolutely Kofi should go over. To make it even more interesting, I would put both Bryan's hemp title belt as well as the classic leather belt at the top, so Kofi can grab the leather one, and then, post-win, grab Bryan's one and throw it into a recycling bin. Hey, if I'm going to fantasy book this match, I might as well really lean into the fantasy aspect.
Then let's move onto another Smackdown title match, and that's Asuka defending her title. But against who? Well, the most likely way to determine this is going to be a Fatal 4-Way at next week's episode of Smackdown between Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Naomi, and Carmella. And the person best-suited to make a good match against Asuka and also take the L? It's Naomi. Frankly, Mandy and Sonya aren't ready for the Mania stage in a one-on-one capacity, and I don't want the outcome of this to be a triple-threat at Mania against two competitors that aren't really anywhere near Asuka's competitive level. Carmella will never be a top-level competitor either, but she'll always find a good way to fit into the company. But Naomi does have the skills to pay the bills. Her physicality and move set is a lot of fun to watch. It should also make for a fun entrance for the two of them as well, and sometimes, that's the best part. As far as booking, this is going to go about 10-15 and it will end with Asuka countering Naomi's finisher with the Asuka Lock and Naomi tapping.
Then we have the possibility of a Smackdown Tag title match with champs The Usos vs... well, we don't know! You have either the team of Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev, The Bar, New Day, or The Hardys. Since Jimmy and Jey seem to be working more or less as tweeners right now, they could take on a face or heel team. If I'm fantasy booking here, honestly, I'm leaving this match off the card. There's no story to tell here for them, so give them a good rivalry and just put it off until MITB. This show is already really long, and since there are so many grudge matches, some titles don't have to be defended.
We also have the possibility of a Raw Tag title match as well, and right now, it's looking like a match between champs The Revival vs Ricochet and Aleister Black. However, if I'm fantasy booking this match, I'm putting The Revival vs Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder. If they could put Braun Strowman and 12-year-old Nicholas against The Bar last year and have Strowman win, they can do this match this year. Will it be a perceived slight against The Revival? You bet your ass. Because if I booked that match, I would also book Hawkins and Ryder to win. The Revival could win it back on Monday After Mania if they wanted to, but imagine the pop if Hawkins ended his 200 + match losing streak as well as Ryder essentially being off TV for so long with a tag title win? It wouldn't be massive, and the IWC would be so pissed off, but fuck it; why not have some fun at Mania? Give the fans a cool surprise. I know that they did this same thing with Ryder before at Mania 32 by winning the IC title at Mania only to have him lose it to The Miz the next night, so have them keep it until MITB and then drop. Or give them a run with the title! Do something different! And give it about 10-15.
Keeping with the tag team scene, we also are going to have the Women's Tag titles being defended by Boss 'N Hug Connection, and vying for the titles right now are Nia Jax and Tamina, as well as The IIconics, and also the newly-formed tag team of Natalya and Beth Phoenix. The general consensus seems to point towards a Fatal 4-Way and I would really and truly hate that. So, fantasy booking this, it should be just Boss 'N Hug vs IIconics. Why? Because A: it's the first true dual-branded championship WWE has had in a while and what's the point of it being dual-branded if most of the opponents are from one show? And B: I'd love to give The IIconics a Mania slot and see if they sink or swim. I know that's a little antithetical to what I stated earlier about Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, but this could be a real shining moment for Billie and Peyton. I like their teamwork and I like their underhanded tactics. You put four fucking tag teams in this match, and it's going to be a huge mess. Let it just be two teams. And I would book IIconics to win dirty with a dirty pin, but not the same thing they did on Smackdown this week. Give this 15-20.
Now let's move on to the multi-person matches. Let's start with the Women's Battle Royal. I'm sure they're going to put Nia and Tamina in the Women's tag match, so that's going to take really the Women's divisions only real monsters out of the running. This is the hardest one to book properly since nearly every female main roster talent is going to be involved in some other match. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Mandy, Sonya, Zelina Vega and Carmella. The rest of the roster is otherwise occupied. So this is where we're going to see a lot of NXT and Mae Young Classic competitors. I'm always hoping to see Candace LeRae on my TV, so I'm betting she shows up, and people like Mia Yim, Xia Li, Taynara Conti, Bianca Belair, Kacy Catanzaro, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir are going to pop up. Fantasy booking, I'd like to see it down to Mandy and Sonya and have Sonya go over. Or if we're going true fantasy, it should be Alexa Bliss throwing aside her mic as the host for a hot minute, getting into the match and shoving Mandy and Sonya off the apron. It would be a good moment for her and her gimmick of being a total opportunist.
Now let's get into the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. It's going to consist of all the undercard competitors they can get their hands on, and even in fantasy booking, I'm going with Braun Strowman. He's a guy who should at least have had a solid run with the Universal title, but for some reason (and there are a lot of rumors about some backstage heat with Vince), he's never really gotten that rub. So it's going to be Strowman. This is going to be his consolation prize for not getting a title opportunity at Mania. I don't know who he'd beat; maybe Dozer. All I know is that Braun is getting his hands on that statue.
Let's wrap it up with the last title match they're going to have, and that's going to be for the Intercontinental Title with champ Bobby Lashley defending against Finn Balor. If WWE Creative has any fucking brains in their head, Lashley and Lio Rush are going to be stomping all over Finn backstage next week, and he's going to ask Triple H to make the match at Mania. Since Hunter is Finn's NXT daddy, he'll do it, but he'll tell Finn that he's going to need to dig deeper than ever in order to go over Bobby. Then Lashley, being champion, will come out first and pose for a bit with Rush hyping him up. Then the lights go out. The sound of a beating heart while red lights pulse around MetLife stadium. Cue the fog machine. Catch Your Breath. Here comes The Demon King. He paws and claws and gyrates down the whole big entrance ramp. The match itself gets 15-20 minutes. Finn takes Rush out with a Tope and maybe puts him into a ring post, and gets Lashley up for a 1916. He counters Lashley's spear with a Sling Blade. Shotgun Dropkick into the corner. Finn gets up hard camera side, hits the Coup de Grace, and Finn is a two-time Intercontinental Champion. Yes, I've spent more time thinking about this match than probably any other because Finn.
So that's really it, at least as of this publishing! We'll find out more about these matches, I'm sure, as this upcoming week goes on. So don't forget to come on back this week as I post my recaps of both Raw and Smackdown Live as well as this week's upcoming episode of NXT!
Until next time, kids...
Let's kick this off with the confirmed matches, and let's just start with Shane McMahon vs The Miz in a grudge match. Traditionally, this is Shane's spot on the card. He's never fighting for a title; his job is to get enough heat to feud with someone who is bucking his authority. But this year it's a little different because he's the heel. Once we learned that Miz and Shane were going to be teaming together, we knew that this was setting the table for a match between the two at Mania; there was just no other option. We knew that the partnership wasn't going to last for more than a few months, so a grudge match at Mania was the only way that this story was going to pay off, but along with the rest of the world, we prognosticated that it would be Miz, one of the best male heels on the main roster. So when Shane was the one to turn, I was really excited that they decided to swerve me. I'm generally pretty happy when WWE does something unexpected that works to the benefit of the story they're telling as well as something that gets the fans involved in a positive way. Whether or not this is something that will pay off in a way that will be particularly memorable is a different question, because Shane should be pretty limited in his competitive role. This match should be fine, but it'll be another match where another performer has to carry Shane throughout, so Miz will have to do a lot of the heavy lifting. I'd really like to see Shane throw in a last-minute stipulation, like a Tables or Chairs match or something, so they can really work Miz's current underdog status. So I'm looking at The Miz to come out on top here since he's lost at the last few Manias and deserves a good win, and this match should be at a relatively snappy 10-15 minutes at most. Shane should crash and burn on a Leap of Faith onto an announce table and Miz should win either via countout or just bring him back in the ring and put him in the Figure 4 or a triangle hold (since Shane used that on him in the Fastlane attack), or even win with a frog splash like his dad told him to do against The Usos.
Now let's move on to another confirmed match and that's Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. First off, Seth is still over enough and can cut some really solid promos to keep heating up this match as opposed to the constant flubbing of Roman Reigns for the last few years. We know from the behind the scenes stuff last year that Vince was originally having Roman take the title from Lesnar at Mania, but the crowd was so far out of it at that point, that he decided to keep it on Lesnar so he could heat the rivalry up all over again to a point where fans could determine that putting the belt on Roman was the lesser of two evils, but now that real life intervened and made Roman a real guy that you could really cheer for, Seth was the next natural choice to be top guy. Seth is being booked like a top guy too. And Lesnar, well, all he has to do is show up on Raw with Paul Heyman to get heat. Despite what you may think of Lesnar as an in-ring competitor, or as a human being, he definitely knows what his worth is. He doesn't even have to appear on Raw for months at a time in order to still remain the focal point of the Raw Men's division, because he's still always being talked about. And I know that he's been somewhat more concerned with how his matches look lately because he's been doing a good job of keeping his opponents looking strong without losing, and that was definitely the case with his match against Daniel Bryan at Survivor Series and to a lesser extent, Finn Balor at the Rumble. So they should book Seth as a guy who could slay The Beast but not invincible up through Mania, and then when they go at it, I'm predicting that Dean Ambrose will appear one final time to stop Heyman from doing something underhanded and provide Seth the opening he needs to stomp Brock's head through the fucking mat and bring the Universal title back to Monday Night Raw on a regular basis, and hopefully, he'll be able to make that title important again, just as he did when he held the Intercontinental title. This should be about 15-20, but no more else you risk getting the crowd out of it, especially if they put on the Raw Women's title match on last (which they absolutely fucking should). It's unlikely that Seth will be able to hit his most impressive move on him, which is the Superplex transitioning into a Falcon Arrow, so have Brock beat the hell out of him for a while and then Seth kicks out of an F-5 (or reverses it), and the tables turn, a couple of good, dramatic false finishes to really get the crowd into it.
Let's follow up on the Shield brothers and go to another confirmed match and that's Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre in a grudge match. This is the right match for Roman and Drew at Mania. They should have a good 15-20 and maybe introduce some kind of stipulation that isn't a Last Man Standing match so they can keep it somewhat brief, but since we have another No Holds Barred match scheduled, maybe this will just be a standard match, and that's fine too. But there's no world where Drew doesn't eat the pin against a recently-returned Roman. If this were any other time where maybe Roman still held the title, I could definitely see Drew going over, because Drew is practically what I would draw if I was asked to create a wrestler from scratch. So this is going to be Roman all the way. It's going to be brutal, but it's going to have Roman fighting from underneath almost the entire time and he's going to prevail. He's going to get hit with at least two Claymores and he's going to kick out and when Drew goes for the third one, Roman's going to hit him with the Spear for the win.
That brings us to another big grudge match (with the best reason for booking it at Mania), and that's Randy Orton vs A.J. Styles. I love the idea of this match because it's so simple: A.J. has been claiming that Smackdown is the house that he built for the last few years, and Randy says, "Nuh-uh, son; I've been here since 2003, so if anyone built this place, it's me". So it's a match for domination of the brand. In a way, it's more important than any other Smackdown title match, because this is about two of the brands biggest stars duking it out showing who actually runs the place. Daniel Bryan and Samoa Joe and Asuka and The Usos can have their championships, but Styles and Orton are fighting to prove which one Smackdown really belongs to, and that's one of those Booking 101 things that I talk about a lot, and how much I love when the adhere to simple storytelling when it's appropriate. Something as simple as saying, "You attacked me; I'm going to beat you" is a whole story. It doesn't need to get more complicated than that. "You have this title; I want to fight you for it" is a good start, but obviously that needs to grow in terms of proving yourself worthy of that opportunity, unless it starts getting insane, like what is currently happening with Kofi Kingston. This is so simple; "You think you're the best, but really I'm the best" is one of the best booking elements that can get a grudge match going. As far as booking this match, I would say that A.J. deserves 20-25, but we didn't even really get that from two New Japan stars last year when we had A.J. vs Shinsuke, so we're looking at 15-20 and I know that Randy is technically younger than Styles, but he actually seems like the older competitor because of how long he's been with WWE, so in nearly any grudge match, the newcomer should get put over, and since A.J. is the babyface in this confrontation, that's a better case that he should go over. So A.J. should pick up the win via counter of the RKO, then into Phenomenal Forearm and then hit Styles Clash to keep him down for three, because the best way to keep the losing competitor looking strong is to have to hit them with more than one finisher.
Arguably the biggest grudge match of the evening, though, is Triple H vs Batista in a No Holds Barred match. The set-up for this match is kind of dumb, and it should really have been booked as something more of a "You weren't able to beat me before, and I'm going to show you that you can't now" rather than a "I'm going to beat up a 70-year-old to make you so mad at me that you'll give me exactly what I want". I'm not expecting much of this match, because I don't want to see Hunter hurt himself again, and it's been a few years since he could prove that he could go. And as far as Dave is concerned, we haven't seen him wrestle in a few years. I know that he can slam Ryan Gosling through a wall, I know that he can stab a big-mouthed monster, and I know that he can apparently jump a motorcycle from one level of a soccer stadium to another (if you haven't seen FINAL SCORE, it's pretty stupid and silly fun), but without the visual effects assistance he might otherwise have, I'm interested to see what he looks like in the ring. He's also going to be the villain in a film that is adjacent to the cool Donnie Yen IP MAN films, so who knows what skills he might have picked up there. Either way, I'm not expecting a barn-burner of a match here. I am expecting some pretty grueling shots, and maybe even the sledgehammer. This should be about 15-20 at most, because these are definitely men who are getting up there, so the movement isn't going to be lightning-fast. There's going to be a lot of rest holds and a lot of these guys catching their breath. As far as fantasy booking it, I also wouldn't have booked Trips as the babyface, but people who leave the company (that aren't named Dwayne Johnson) are always going to come back as heels, so give Hunter a few good sledge shots to Dave's midsection and then Pedigree him into the mat for the pinfall.
And then we have a grudge match that I'm still hoping and praying will get changed on the final card, but since it's been announced, let's consider it to be happening, and that's Kurt Angle vs Baron Corbin in Angle's final match ever. I know that this is an actual story that's a long time in the making, but this should be almost a squash match. Kurt should make his entrance after Corbin absorbs all the heat, and then Corbin should charge at Angle, get caught for a belly-to-belly suplex, get one Angle Slam and the Ankle Lock for the quick win. This match should be a maximum of 3 minutes from bell to bell. That's it. Don't overdo it and don't make Angle try to hit a series of suplexes on a guy a foot taller than he is that can't get the elevation so Kurt doesn't land on the back of his fucking head each time. Don't stretch it out so that Corbin has to stand there and wait for Angle to catch his breath. Just give Angle the quick win to go out on top of someone who doesn't need wins. Corbin will maybe have an ad hoc tag team title in his time with the company but he'll never be anything more than a low mid-carder that will be used to get heat.
Another confirmed match that is going to be probably going to sadly be pretty boring to watch is the Cruiserweight Championship match with title-holder Buddy Murphy vs Tony Nese. I think the world of Murphy since he's had some fantastic matches in his time in 205 Live, but Nese is a whole lotta nothing. He's got a pretty flat move set that is reliant on strength rather than agility. I would never ever have booked this match for Mania, mainly because Nese is not Mania-worthy to me. This could have and should have been someone like Drew Gulak. But whatever. Murphy will probably win. This should go 5-8 minutes max because, frankly, this is the match most likely to be everyone's bathroom break.
The next confirmed title match is for the United States title with Champion Samoa Joe vs Rey Mysterio. Despite that I'm of the opinion that this match feels so fucking arbitrary, this should be a pretty fun match, and any other time, I would probably be rooting for Rey, but this has got to be Joe. There's been way too much hot potato being played with the US title in the past few months that to switch it out again after only another month would be a huge mistake. Even the "lesser" titles have to have some shine on them, and Joe is long overdue for an extended title run. You've seen what Joe can do on the mic, and admittedly, he doesn't require a title to keep doing that, but the title sure as shit helps back up some of his claims, and if he retains, then they can reheat his rivalry with Mustafa Ali and get him this title around Survivor Series. Joe can have a program with Kevin Owens, Andrade, Shinsuke, just about anyone, and then have Ali come back in and take it. As far as this match, this should be 10-15, and that's mostly because, despite the fact that Rey can still go, there's a pretty limited window for his best and that clocks in around the 12-minute mark. Also, he just can't do some of his best moves against someone of Joe's size. So it's a counter of the post-619 springboard into the Coquina Clutch and Rey doesn't tap and just passes out.
And the final confirmed match at this time is the Raw Women's Championship match between champ Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch. So fantasy book element #1 is having this be the final match of the night, and I say that's a fantasy book because that's becoming less and less of a sure thing with the rise of Kofi Kingston and his own WWE Championship chances which Vince might somehow see taking precedence over this match and even the Universal title match. But if you really go over this last 12 months to see the rise of Becky Lynch and the rivalry she's had with Charlotte and Ronda, this is the biggest story that they could finish on The Grandest Stage of Them All. You have the big crossover star vs the biggest all-around star vs one of the best that the division has to offer. First of all, this match should go 25-30 minutes. It should have chair shots, kendo sticks, table spots, ladder spots; the works. Ronda and Charlotte should start off hot against Becky, making her work from underneath until the last act of the match when she finally gets a head full of steam and makes the both of them pay. And the big finish? Becky hits Charlotte with a series of chair shots and puts Charlotte through a corner-propped table with a Bexploder, and then use that same chair to get extra leverage to put Ronda in the Dis-Arm-Her for the win. I don't see a reasonable ending to this match other than having Becky win. Her groundswell and momentum have been too big for too long, and she hasn't had a big win since her win over Charlotte at Evolution. This should have enough solid false finishes and enough cool spots to really steal the show and leave us all going home happy. I know that there are versions of this story where Ronda retains, or Charlotte possibly steals one, but this is Becky's match all the way, and the in-ring storytelling needs to reflect that.
And now we get into the real fantasy booking, for all the unconfirmed matches! Bear in mind that this isn't necessarily what I'm predicting will happen, but rather what I want to have happen.
Let's start with the big one, and that's the WWE Championship title match. I know that right now, Vince is screwing Kofi Kingston six ways from Sunday to jump through a series of proverbial hoops and reach out for all of Vince's imaginary brass rings, but champ Daniel Bryan seems to be whispering in Vince's ear a good deal of the time, and Vince seems to be listening. It's generally a good sign when Vince himself comes out and puts someone over, because that means that he has confidence in them to go the distance, and going the distance is something that Kofi has been doing for the last several weeks. And D-Bry has been doing some next-level work both on the mic and in the ring since his heel turn. But this match is happening, and it's going to be filled with stipulations. The rest of New Day is likely going to be banned from ringside, but Bryan will be able to bring Rowan to help interfere on the outside. I'd book this as a ladder match. Two smaller and fast guys would be perfect for this kind of match, and it will also give Rowan license to interfere. But most importantly, it'll give Kofi the ability to do one of his patently amazing athletic moves in order to get to the ladder to cut Bryan off when he's all but assured of victory. This should be a good 20-25, and absolutely Kofi should go over. To make it even more interesting, I would put both Bryan's hemp title belt as well as the classic leather belt at the top, so Kofi can grab the leather one, and then, post-win, grab Bryan's one and throw it into a recycling bin. Hey, if I'm going to fantasy book this match, I might as well really lean into the fantasy aspect.
Then let's move onto another Smackdown title match, and that's Asuka defending her title. But against who? Well, the most likely way to determine this is going to be a Fatal 4-Way at next week's episode of Smackdown between Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Naomi, and Carmella. And the person best-suited to make a good match against Asuka and also take the L? It's Naomi. Frankly, Mandy and Sonya aren't ready for the Mania stage in a one-on-one capacity, and I don't want the outcome of this to be a triple-threat at Mania against two competitors that aren't really anywhere near Asuka's competitive level. Carmella will never be a top-level competitor either, but she'll always find a good way to fit into the company. But Naomi does have the skills to pay the bills. Her physicality and move set is a lot of fun to watch. It should also make for a fun entrance for the two of them as well, and sometimes, that's the best part. As far as booking, this is going to go about 10-15 and it will end with Asuka countering Naomi's finisher with the Asuka Lock and Naomi tapping.
Then we have the possibility of a Smackdown Tag title match with champs The Usos vs... well, we don't know! You have either the team of Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev, The Bar, New Day, or The Hardys. Since Jimmy and Jey seem to be working more or less as tweeners right now, they could take on a face or heel team. If I'm fantasy booking here, honestly, I'm leaving this match off the card. There's no story to tell here for them, so give them a good rivalry and just put it off until MITB. This show is already really long, and since there are so many grudge matches, some titles don't have to be defended.
We also have the possibility of a Raw Tag title match as well, and right now, it's looking like a match between champs The Revival vs Ricochet and Aleister Black. However, if I'm fantasy booking this match, I'm putting The Revival vs Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder. If they could put Braun Strowman and 12-year-old Nicholas against The Bar last year and have Strowman win, they can do this match this year. Will it be a perceived slight against The Revival? You bet your ass. Because if I booked that match, I would also book Hawkins and Ryder to win. The Revival could win it back on Monday After Mania if they wanted to, but imagine the pop if Hawkins ended his 200 + match losing streak as well as Ryder essentially being off TV for so long with a tag title win? It wouldn't be massive, and the IWC would be so pissed off, but fuck it; why not have some fun at Mania? Give the fans a cool surprise. I know that they did this same thing with Ryder before at Mania 32 by winning the IC title at Mania only to have him lose it to The Miz the next night, so have them keep it until MITB and then drop. Or give them a run with the title! Do something different! And give it about 10-15.
Keeping with the tag team scene, we also are going to have the Women's Tag titles being defended by Boss 'N Hug Connection, and vying for the titles right now are Nia Jax and Tamina, as well as The IIconics, and also the newly-formed tag team of Natalya and Beth Phoenix. The general consensus seems to point towards a Fatal 4-Way and I would really and truly hate that. So, fantasy booking this, it should be just Boss 'N Hug vs IIconics. Why? Because A: it's the first true dual-branded championship WWE has had in a while and what's the point of it being dual-branded if most of the opponents are from one show? And B: I'd love to give The IIconics a Mania slot and see if they sink or swim. I know that's a little antithetical to what I stated earlier about Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, but this could be a real shining moment for Billie and Peyton. I like their teamwork and I like their underhanded tactics. You put four fucking tag teams in this match, and it's going to be a huge mess. Let it just be two teams. And I would book IIconics to win dirty with a dirty pin, but not the same thing they did on Smackdown this week. Give this 15-20.
Now let's move on to the multi-person matches. Let's start with the Women's Battle Royal. I'm sure they're going to put Nia and Tamina in the Women's tag match, so that's going to take really the Women's divisions only real monsters out of the running. This is the hardest one to book properly since nearly every female main roster talent is going to be involved in some other match. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Mandy, Sonya, Zelina Vega and Carmella. The rest of the roster is otherwise occupied. So this is where we're going to see a lot of NXT and Mae Young Classic competitors. I'm always hoping to see Candace LeRae on my TV, so I'm betting she shows up, and people like Mia Yim, Xia Li, Taynara Conti, Bianca Belair, Kacy Catanzaro, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir are going to pop up. Fantasy booking, I'd like to see it down to Mandy and Sonya and have Sonya go over. Or if we're going true fantasy, it should be Alexa Bliss throwing aside her mic as the host for a hot minute, getting into the match and shoving Mandy and Sonya off the apron. It would be a good moment for her and her gimmick of being a total opportunist.
Now let's get into the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. It's going to consist of all the undercard competitors they can get their hands on, and even in fantasy booking, I'm going with Braun Strowman. He's a guy who should at least have had a solid run with the Universal title, but for some reason (and there are a lot of rumors about some backstage heat with Vince), he's never really gotten that rub. So it's going to be Strowman. This is going to be his consolation prize for not getting a title opportunity at Mania. I don't know who he'd beat; maybe Dozer. All I know is that Braun is getting his hands on that statue.
Let's wrap it up with the last title match they're going to have, and that's going to be for the Intercontinental Title with champ Bobby Lashley defending against Finn Balor. If WWE Creative has any fucking brains in their head, Lashley and Lio Rush are going to be stomping all over Finn backstage next week, and he's going to ask Triple H to make the match at Mania. Since Hunter is Finn's NXT daddy, he'll do it, but he'll tell Finn that he's going to need to dig deeper than ever in order to go over Bobby. Then Lashley, being champion, will come out first and pose for a bit with Rush hyping him up. Then the lights go out. The sound of a beating heart while red lights pulse around MetLife stadium. Cue the fog machine. Catch Your Breath. Here comes The Demon King. He paws and claws and gyrates down the whole big entrance ramp. The match itself gets 15-20 minutes. Finn takes Rush out with a Tope and maybe puts him into a ring post, and gets Lashley up for a 1916. He counters Lashley's spear with a Sling Blade. Shotgun Dropkick into the corner. Finn gets up hard camera side, hits the Coup de Grace, and Finn is a two-time Intercontinental Champion. Yes, I've spent more time thinking about this match than probably any other because Finn.
So that's really it, at least as of this publishing! We'll find out more about these matches, I'm sure, as this upcoming week goes on. So don't forget to come on back this week as I post my recaps of both Raw and Smackdown Live as well as this week's upcoming episode of NXT!
Until next time, kids...
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