WrestleMania Reflections: WrestleMania 37 Predictions (Sunday) (Patreon)

WrestleMania 37

Raymond James Stadium

Tampa, Florida

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Airing on The Peacock Network

By: Bruce Mitchell

Note: The following are NOT Spoilers and are not based on company leaks or inside information.

This is Sunday night’s announced line-up, but as for match order, your guess is as good as mine.

Roman Reigns, Edge, and Daniel Bryan compete in a Triple Threat for the WWE Universal Championship.

The story of The Head of The Table is the strongest, most consistent one in all of pro wrestling. The Crown lies heavy on the head of Roman Reigns, so heavy that his consigliere Paul Heyman is sometimes concerned with how far Reigns will go to hold his head high.

Reigns is every boss who tells you to sacrifice for the benefit of the corporate family, when what he really means is you sacrifice for his benefit and not your own.

I don’t think anyone takes Reign’s Crown until Jay Uso earns another shot and Tribal Leader The Rock appears to back his play, so Reigns retaining his Universal Championship here makes sense. The addition of Daniel Bryan gives this, the overall WrestleMania main event, a chance to be a great match, maybe the best of this year’s WrestleMania. If WWE is looking to take the title off Reigns for a bit just to give him something different to play, Daniel Bryan ought to win the match because he’s more versatile an overall performer than Edge and he’s the clear babyface in the match. WrestleMania could have its traditional happy ending. Actually, if The Champ doesn’t retain, WWE would more likely go with Edge here.

Asuka faces Rhea Ripley for the Raw Women’s Championship.

Champion or not, WWE Creative can’t help weakening Asuka by letting that over-the-top English delivery up-stage the fact that she’s the strongest, best female wrestler in WWE.

Rhea Ripley is the pick here, if only because she didn’t win the title at last year’s WrestleMania, so it’s her turn.

Randy Orton faces The Fiend.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t a movie style pre-tape. Whatever. WWE can throw in all the animated cinematic cartoon tricks they can think up,  but it won’t distract enough from the fact The Fiend won’t sell at all and the whole thing doesn’t make any damn sense. Hell, the last time we saw Randy Orton, he was losing an inter-gender match when a woman half his size dressed in a school-girl outfit pinned him by sitting on his crotch.

Yeah, like it’s my fault. Tell me I’m wrong.

One of dozens of facets in this story that make no damn sense: How come no one in the company has noticed that Orton gets sick and spits black drool on every show? Shouldn’t someone call him a doctor? Wouldn’t everybody else be worried that Alexa Bliss and The Fiend are going to infect them too?

The Fiend is returning from an absence caused by his being murdered (he was burned alive, or at least an obvious dummy in the shape of the Fiend was), so you’d think that means he wins because he needs to look strong in his return. On the other hand Randy Orton just did  the job to, well, I already described her, so it’s his turn to win.

I don’t know who wins this thing, not that it matters. I’m thinking Orton and The Fiend join Voices in the aftermath.

I bet they sell a lot of Fiend masks in Tampa this weekend, though.

Big E faces Apollo Crews in a Nigerian Drum Fight for the Intercontinental Championship

WWE making gimmick matches out of the traditions of other countries in today’s cultural context seems like a really bad idea, particularly considering the company’s history. This isn’t years back, when you could stick raw chicken or a fork in a Canadian’s mouth and claim he came from The Sudan just because it sounded strange and exotic. The world is a much smaller place now.

I think Apollo Crews wins this match and the Intercontinental Championship in the next chapter in the feud. After all, Crews was losing all those matches to his friend Big E before he embraced his Nigerian Royalty. If he still can’t beat the guy what’s the point?

Riddle faces Sheamus for the U.S. Championship.

Riddle annoys the hell out of me. At least Louie Spicoli got stoned before he acted like that. It would be ok with me if Sheamus just ripped his arms and legs off to win the U.S. title.

The thing is, though, Riddle was a hell of a wrestler before he got to the main roster and here’s the perfect place and opponent to prove he is again. Regardless, Sheamus wins here to make up for all those matches he lost to Drew McIntyre.

Kevin Owens faces Sami Zayn.

Logan Paul is somehow involved. This should be a great match, given that these two have had great matches in all kind of places and companies and that it’s WrestleMania. KO (storyline) should have beaten Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship but got cheated of it. That means its his turn to win, particularly since Sami never gets a turn.

Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler defend the WWE Women’s Tag Titles against the winners of Saturday’s tag team turmoil match, which I predicted yesterday to be Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke.

Here’s where WWE gets Divas in ‘Mania with Rose and Brooke. Jax and Baszler retain.

Notes:

No, Brock Lesnar isn’t coming Sunday either.

Economics

The Law of Supply and Demand only applies to content providers and content platforms, not pro wrestling companies and pro wrestling fans.