WrestleMania Reflections: Wrestlemania 37 Predictions (Saturday) (Patreon)

WrestleMania 37

Raymond James Stadium

Tampa, Florida

Saturday, April 10, 2021

Airing on The Peacock Network

By: Bruce Mitchell

This is WWE’s first major show since the Pandemic to be held in front of a significant number of live fans, expected to be around 25,000 people each night. This should add a surge of energy to the proceedings, particularly as compared to last year’s WrestleMania.

Note: The following are NOT Spoilers and are not based on company leaks or inside information. I don’t seek out advance word on match finishes. Hell, we’ll know soon enough. These predictions are based on Vince McMahon and WWE Creative’s short-term and long-term booking patterns and ways of constructing wrestling shows, particularly WrestleMania, and as such will include some desperate guessing.

This is Saturday night’s announced lineup, but as for match order, except for the main event last match of the evening which seems obvious, your guess is as good as mine.

Bobby Lashley defends the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre.

No, I can’t think of any good reason for Vince McMahon to disband The Hurt Business less than a week before WrestleMania. The Business was rounding into one of the company’s few recent booking successes. I don’t expect either Cedric Alexander of Shelton Benjamin to be involved in any significant way in this match. McIntyre gets win the WWE Championship back in a good, hard-hitting match in front of a real crowd. WrestleMania Saturday night has a happy ending.

Sasha Banks defends the Smackdown Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair.

Sasha Banks, the biggest star in women’s wrestling, is finally in the midst of her first sustained championship run. WWE Creative seems to have more confidence in her ability to maintain this pace than any time before. Bianca Belair has the charisma and athletic ability to continue to grow into a major star that can expand a fan base. By the way, if you’re the type of guy who constantly wonders why no one yanks that pony-tail extension of hers,  you don’t get it. Since this is the first match between the two, Belair looks strong but Banks wins in the end to extend her championship run.

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods defend the Raw Tag-Team Championships against AJ Styles and Omos.

Obviously Omos, in his first match ever in WWE, is the wild card here. Omos tosses Kingston and Wood around like they were children and in doing so, Kingston in particular takes some creative bumps. Omos sells nothing while AJ Styles does the wrestling for the team. Somehow New Day find a way to retain their championships when Woods pins AJ.

The Miz and John Morrison face Bad Bunny and Damian Priest.

Like AJ Styles, Damien Priest does the wrestling for his team, although Bad Bunny tags in for specially designed spots where he is mostly on offense. You don’t want him selling for very long. The Miz acts cocky but doesn’t exactly know what to make of Bad Bunny. This thing is carried by Mix and Morrison’s facial expressions. Bunny knocks out Miz with one punch so he can’t save Morrison from getting pinned by Priest.

Shane McMahon faces Braun Strowman in a steel cage match.

We’ll find out what WWE thought of AEW’s Thunder Rosa vs Dr. Britt Baker match by whether Shane bleeds here. The way the story has been told, the arrogant business grad school bully should be taught a lesson when the man-of-the people resourcefully gets the better of him. I just figure Strowman will win but get upstaged by McMahon taking two big stunt bumps off the roof of the cage.

Seth Rollins faces Cesaro.

This should be Saturday night’s best match, and one whose predictability is a strength. Seth Rollins takes a record number of rides on Cesaro’s swing, then Cesaro wins clean.

Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan vs. Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke vs. Natalya and Tamina vs. Naomi and Lana in a tag team turmoil match for a shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Titles.

Well, it’s WWE, so let’s go with Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke so the hot blondes can face big mean Shayna Baszler and the interminable Nia Jax on Night Two.

Notes:

• As many skits and cameos jamming in WWE Superstars and Hall of Famers not already announced as humanly possible will bloat the show even further.
• No, Brock Lesnar isn’t coming.
• The Hulk Hogan and Titus O’Neil hosting segments will be short and tightly scripted.
• The Andre The Giant Battle Royal is on Smackdown Friday night. Prediction: Omos wins.
• This is the first WrestleMania on the Peacock Network streaming service.

Math

Raw (3 hours) + NXT Takeover Night One (2 hours) + NXT Takeover Night Two (2 hours) + Smackdown (2 hours) + WrestleMania Night One (4.5 hours) + WrestleMania Night Two (4.5 hours) = 18 hours of in-ring programming WrestleMania Week.