My thinking going into WM39 weekend was that WWE would want to maintain The Bloodline as a top-of-the-card force in some form, and that if, as expected, Roman Reigns was being booked to lose the unified WWE title, then The Usos would have to retain the tag belts.
Yeah, obviously, that didn’t happen, so now my question is, does Reigns still lose tonight, and The Bloodline comes to an end, with Reigns going on an expected hiatus, and The Usos being left to their own devices, or does WWE flip a year-long story pushing Rhodes as the next champ and have that push end with a thud?
Let’s examine that, and also examine what I got right, and wrong, with my Night 1 predictions from earlier in the week.
Night 1
Austin Theory defends his U.S. title against John Cena. Prediction: Cena is here only to put Theory over, not just giving the young U.S. champ the win, but giving him the shine of a main event with a WWE legend/movie star. What happened: Theory retained the belt, using a ref bump and a low blow to score the fall, and the match somehow was used to open, not close, the show.
Charlotte Flair defends to Smackdown women’s title against Rhea Ripley. Prediction: All signs point to Ripley leaving with the belt. What happened: Ripley won in a WM classic.
The Usos defend the WWE tag titles against Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens. Prediction: With Reigns set to drop the WWE belt on Sunday night, the Usos need to retain here, to maintain some heat for The Bloodline after ‘Mania. What happened: Zayn and Owens won in the main event.
Becky Lynch/Lita/Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL. Prediction: Vince loves putting the legends over on the big stage. What happened: The legends went over on the big stage.
Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul. Prediction: Vince also loves putting celebrities over his full-time talent on the big stage. What happened: Seth Rollins was actually given the win, which is as it should be, but now last year’s win for Johnny Knoxville over Sami Zayn is even more insulting to Sami Zayn.
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio. Prediction: Rey is going into the Hall of Fame this weekend. Vince loves to humble his stars in these kinds of situations. What happened: Rey got the win.
Braun Strowman/Ricochet vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs. The Viking Raiders. Prediction: The Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt returns were a big mistake. What happened: This one was actually a surprisingly fun match to watch.
Night 2
Roman Reigns defends the undisputed WWE title against Cody Rhodes. Prediction: Cody for the belt, and for extra credit, I’ll predict a Cody heel turn, with “The American Nightmare” joining Paul Heyman. What I’m thinking now: I’m still going with Rhodes for the win and the title change. And I’ll stick with my unlikely extra-credit pick.
Bianca Belair defends the Raw women’s title against Asuka. Prediction: Toss-up here. I’ll go with Belair, but I can see this one going either way. What I’m thinking now: I want to lean back toward Asuka, but I’ll stick, uneasily, with my first call.
Gunther defends the Intercontinental title in a three-way with Drew McIntyre and Sheamus. Prediction: This one is to elevate Gunther with a win over two established former world champs. What I’m thinking now: Sticking with Gunther to go over.
Edge vs. Finn Bàlor in a Hell in a Cell match. Prediction: Finn Bàlor never loses as “The Demon.” Edge doesn’t lose as “Brood Edge.” I’m going with “Brood Edge.” What I’m thinking now: Sticking with Edge.
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos. Prediction: Omos’ job here is to be a 7’3” rag doll for Lesnar, who will be lined up to be the challenger for Rhodes at SummerSlam. What I’m thinking now: Looking for a WM moment with Lesnar throwing around the big guy.
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Natalya and Shotzi vs. Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler vs. Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green. Prediction: Another match aimed at getting as many people on the card as possible. What I’m thinking now: Hoping for the women to get a nice showcase.
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Chris Graham
