We are finally here! It’s WrestleMania week! The Grandaddy of them all, the showcase of immortals, whatever buzzwords you want to use, this is the big one of the year. A two-night showcase of the industry’s best and most popular superstars vying to be in the match of the event. There are so many matches to choose from in this list, but I have gathered what should be the five best matches on the card.
Lace-up your boots and get your mask on, this weekend is shaping up to be one of the most fun wrestling cards in quite some time…
Best WrestleMania 39 Matches
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio
There’s just something about airing out family grievances in the squared circle that always seems to elicit a great reaction. This particular pairing of Mysterio family males should do just that.
After months of build-up dating back to Thanksgiving and Christmas family gatherings, Dominik has been rebelling against his now Hall of Famer dad, Rey. Every type of disrespect you can imagine from a rebellious child is unfolding right before our eyes. Whether it was the beatdown on Christmas Dominik put on his father, or his brief jail stint (one night) that has effectively changed him into “Prison Dom”, we are seeing a change in Dominik no one anticipated.
Rey refused this match until finally last week, Dominik disrespected his mother and sister live on Smackdown, leading to Rey ultimately attacking Dom and accepting the challenge. This weekend we get a one v one for the first time between father and son, the same weekend Rey deservingly gets into the hall of fame, at WrestleMania. Storylines aside, how cool of a moment will this be for the family?
Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair (Champ) for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Transitioning from one member of Judgement day in Dominik Mysterio to fellow member and girlfriend Rhea Ripley.
I would argue that there is no one on the roster who has ascended as quickly to the main event scene as Rhea Ripley. She earned this opportunity by outlasting all other opponents in the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Ripley has never held a title on the main roster but has all the tools necessary to achieve this feat, but she will have to go through the Queen, Charlotte Flair.
Flair is a 14-time champion and no stranger to defending her title, so WrestleMania is just one more opportunity to prove why she’s the most decorated female wrestler of all time. This match has all of the ability to be the best women’s match on the card and features two of the premiere women’s performers throughout the entire industry.
Can Rhea achieve her dream? In the wise words of Charlotte Flair’s father Ric, “To be the man, WOOOOOOO, you gotta beat the man!”.
John Cena vs Austin Theory (Champ) for the United States Championship
Did you really think we would have a WrestleMania list without mentioning John Cena?
Cena has been more of a part-time performer lately as he continues to transition more and more into the mainstream pop culture scene, but he just couldn’t stay away from WrestleMania. How could you, when you have a guy like Austin Theory trash-talking you even when you aren’t there?
Theory is as brash as they come, but he has the skills to back up the talk. It feels like forever ago that he was one v one at WrestleMania with Pat McAfee and ended the night with a Stone-Cold Stunner and some not-so-good memories. He now comes in a year later as a champion defending against the most decorated superstar of all time and arguably the greatest performer ever.
They’ve been cutting promos on each other like knives and have really been building this into a rivalry and the payoff should be great. What’s even better? This is the opening match of the entire event on Saturday night. Cena opening night one in Hollywood in a title match? We can’t ask for much better than that as wrestling fans.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs The Usos (Champs) for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
We may as well call this show KO-ZAYN-ia. The last two months have featured the Bloodline (before and after Sami was there) engaged in attacks and interferences in all things Kevin Owens, but the odds have finally evened.
Formerly known as “Sami Uso”, Zayn has had quite an exciting storyline over the course of the last four or five months. Going from being a comedic relief in the Bloodline family to being accepted as one to betraying the “Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns, this has been one of the most fun storylines of this entire century.
So, after Sami betrayed Roman to save Kevin, we see them with a shot at the undisputed champs, who have held the titles for a record 600 days and counting. Can the longtime friends capture their first tag team title in WWE at the greatest event of the year? Or will they fall short like so many others to the twins, Jimmy and Jey Uso?
Regardless of the outcome, it is safe to say that these four have created so many fun and exciting memories this past year, but there is really one match we all must watch at WrestleMania…
“The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reigns (Champ) for the Undisputed Universal Championship
In what has to be a candidate for match of the year as far as the hype goes, we finally get the one we all have been waiting for. Rhodes vs Reigns.
Let’s start with the challenger. Cody Rhodes is a legacy in the wrestling business, his father was “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, and his brother was “Goldust” Dustin Rhodes. Cody famously left and helped to start the now rival promotion AEW, he returned last year at WrestleMania and had a great match against Seth Rollins, but after a torn labrum pushed him out of action it was unclear if we would ever see a Rhodes have an opportunity at the title.
That was, until this past Royal Rumble match where Cody returned and won, guaranteeing him a shot at the gold. He gets the opportunity to do what no one has done in almost 1,000 days: beat Roman Reigns.
There may not be a better story than the career arc of Roman Reigns, who goes from Shield enforcer character to marquee man of the company. But, there were roadblocks on the way. Whether it was Cena calling him out for being unable to consistently do promo work, or the fact that he was seemingly “given” opportunities as opposed to earning them, one thing is for sure, Reigns is now the number-one guy in the company and number two isn’t particularly close.
This match could truly go either way, but one thing is for sure, the pomp and circumstance leading up to it may be just as exciting as the actual match. This has a feel of an all-time match that could be talked about for years, so even the casual fan needs to pay attention.
Can Cody Rhodes achieve the dream and do something his father couldn’t, or will Hollywood be forced to Acknowledge their Tribal Chief Roman Reigns once more? I don’t care, fight forever you two!
Main Image: Photo/Dylan Azari / USA TODAY NETWORK
