NFL
By Keith Richards
It’s finally here! The granddaddy of them all! The showcase of the immortals! Wrestlemania 39 is HERE!!! The road to Wrestlemania comes to an end. Wrestlemania 39’s build-up has been big. The storylines, like The Bloodline, the Mysterios, and the Intercontinental Championship, have been building for weeks now. It all comes to a head Saturday and Sunday night.
Every championship except for one (the Women’s Tag Team Championship) will be on the line this weekend. There are also matches with no title on the line that could have major consequences. So, who will have their Wrestlemania moment at Wrestlemania 39? I’ll now preview the top matches and make my predictions.
John Cena vs Austin Theory – United States Championship – Night One
Wrestlemania 39 kicks off with the Kid vs the Legend. Since regaining the United States Championship, Theory has been full of himself, as he should be. He’s defeated Seth Freakin’ Rollins, Bobby Lashley, and survived the Elimination Chamber to retain his title. The youngest United States Champion of all time also thinks he’s the best of all time. At Wrestlemania 39, though, Theory faces his biggest test: John Cena.
Arguably the greatest United States Champion of all time, John Cena will be Austin Theory’s biggest test yet. Also known as Big Match John, Cena is one of the greatest Wrestlemania performers of all time. Right up there with The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Win or lose, I think this Wrestlemania 39 match is the one that solidifies Austin Theory. With Cena’s Hollywood schedule keeping him busy, I expect Austin to come out on top in his highly contested match. Theory will be a kid no more.
Rey Mysterio vs Dominik Mysterio – Night One
Since Dominik joined The Judgement Day, he has tormented his father Rey without mercy. Dominik, who is clearly under the control of Rhea Rhipley, claims that Rey has been a terrible father all this time. For example, Dom was embarrassed to only receive a BMW for his birthday when all his friends had Mercedes Benz’. Not even an M Series BMW either. How dare Rey?!
After months of refusing to strike his son, Rey finally broke and clocked Dom after the disrespect Dominik showed his mother (Rey’s wife). With Triple H in admiration of Dominik’s work right now, I don’t believe there will be any reconciliation here. Also, with Rey’s induction into the Wrestlemania 39 Hall of Fame class, I forsee a Dominik victory as Rey begins to ride off into the sunset.
Bianca Belair vs Asuka – Raw Women’s Championship – Night Two
Wrestlemania has been good to Bianca Belair in her time on the main roster. This will be the third straight Wrestlemania that the EST is either defending or competing for a title. Wrestlemania 39, though, may be Belair’s biggest challenge yet as she faces the Empress of Tomorrow. Asuka has had a resurgence as of late. She’s revisited her Kana persona, which made us one of the most feared women’s wrestlers coming into WWE.
Bianca is closing in on a full year as Raw Women’s Champion heading into Wrestlemania 39. While Belair has looked vulnerable (she’s been pinned in non-title matches), it’s hard to say whether or not Hunter is ready to take the strap off of her. I think he is. While Bianca has been phenomenal, Asuka deserves a better run as champion. Asuka will defeat the EST to become the new Raw Women’s Champion.
Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs Logan Paul – Night One
In his match against Roman Reigns, Logan Paul said it just takes one lucky shot to defeat an all-time great and steal a victory. For two weeks straight now, Paul has had two lucky shots that have knocked the Visionary out cold. Seth thinks Logan does not belong in pro wrestling. He’s out to prove that Paul is not on his level at Wrestlemania 39.
This could end up being one of the best matches all weekend. In the limited action we’ve seen of Logan Paul, he’s been far better than expected. That being said, I think it’s Rollins’ time now. It’s been over two years since he had a Wrestlemania victory. I think he gets one at Wrestlemania 39 over Logan Paul as the crowd serenades him with his song.
Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley – Smackdown Women’s Championship – Night One
As far as legacies go, this will be one of the more consequential matches of Wrestlemania 39. Three years ago, Rhea thought she was ready to dethrone the Queen but was promptly put in her place. Since then, Ripley has grown tremendously. She’s held both the Raw Women’s Championship and the Women’s Tag Team Championship. Just a single question remains. Is Rhea Ripley ready to fill the shoes of Charlotte Flair?
Flair is the most decorated, and polarizing, champion of the WWE Women’s Division. Without question, Charlotte is one of (if not) the best women’s wrestlers in WWE history. Though a shorter title reign, the question here is whether or not Triple H wants to hand the reigns over to Rhea. The answer to that question is YES! All signs point to Rhipley winning this match and ushering in a new era of women’s wrestling. Charlotte will make Rhea earn it, but Rhea will earn it and win.
The Usos vs Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens – Undisputed Tag Team Championship – Night One
Brothers vs Brothers. Betrayer vs Betrayer. The match for the Undisputed Tag Team Championship at Wrestlemania 39 has it all. The story of the Bloodline has been the best in WWE for over a year now. For months, Kevin Owens has fought the battle of bringing down the Bloodline alone. His brother Sami Zayn, the one he’s been through so much with, was now his enemy.
All of that changed at the Royal Rumble. In the weeks before the Rumble, it was apparent that Roman felt the Honorary Uce had become bigger than the Bloodline. And it’s true. Zayn had become so incredibly over that the Tribal Chief’s spotlight was being stolen. Reigns began to lash out at Sami. Asking if he wanted to be him. It all came to head after Roman defeated KO at the Royal Rumble. Sami grew tired of the abuse and gave his Tribal Chief a chair shot instead of Owens. In the middle of all of it was Jey.
Jey, who despised Sami initially, had finally come around after Survivor Series. While his family beat his newfound brother down, Jey just walked away. For weeks, it was not known whether Jey would turn his back on his family or keep the Bloodline strong. He chose the latter in the end, which left Sami alone.
Sami then fought to reunite with Kevin to take down the Bloodline, but Owens was adamant about going it alone. Then, with help from Cody Rhodes, KO came around and he and Sami were brothers once again. Saturday, I think the longest tag team title reign comes to an end. For one, it’s high time we saw new champions. For another, I think they will split the titles once more. Lastly…well, we’ll get back to that in a minute.
Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes – Undisputed WWE Universal Championship – Night Two
“Wrestling has more than one royal family.” That’s how Cody Rhodes’ entrance begins and it’s true. There are the McMahons, the Flairs, and the Anoa’I family. However, another family has always been in the shadows: The Rhodes’. What’s always held the Rhodes family back from the ranks of the best is its lack of being the top dog. No Rhodes has ever won a WWE World Title.
Cody Rhodes’ mission since he returned to WWE has been to finish the story. He wants to do what his father and brother were never able to do, which is win the top title in WWE. His capable enough. He’s hungry enough. Cody’s issue is that to finish the story, he has to take down (arguably) the greatest WWE champion of time: Roman Reigns.
The Head of the Table is approaching one thousand days as champion, which is extremely rarified air. Only four others have had the title longer than Roman. The longest was Bruno Sammartino’s 2,803-day reign. The Bloodline has shown cracks, but they haven’t yet broken. I believe Cody will finish his story, but I don’t believe it will be at Wrestlemania 39.
There is more story to tell. The Usos losing the tag titles will be what breaks the Bloodline, which Roman will overcome on the first try with Cody. I think Rhodes defeats Reigns at a different Premium Live Event when the Bloodline is completely in shambles. Also, Roman’s reign will fall just short of 1,000 days as I think Cody takes the title at Backlash.
Whatever the outcome of the matches, Wrestlemania 39 is set up to be one of the best Wrestlemanias in recent history. Follow me on Twitter as I will be live-tweeting the event! Be sure to check out our other wrestling coverage as well.
