We’ve got your Wrestlemania Night 1 preview

Fels: Well this is a mess. WWE can’t seem to keep more than one storyline going with the women at a time, so we get this thrown together stew of huh? If they’re after the best match for Nia and Shayna on Night 2, then it’s The Riott Squad. But I’m guessing it’s going to be Naomi and Lana, not because Naomi isn’t awesome and should be involved in either singles title picture (because she should) but because Vince is going to push Lana until we all puke. She even gave her own “grab the brass ring” interview a couple weeks back which assuredly had Vince reaching for the blue pills.

Fonseca: It’s shades of the ‘Diva’ era where they just find some women they have nothing for creatively and throw them into a random match with added-in stakes for the sake of getting them on the show. It’s unfortunate because all eight of these women, especially Naomi, Tamina, and Natalya, have long, warranted storylines that they don’t get to develop frequently enough. Each of them has a case for being most underutilized in their division. That said, I think Natalya and Tamina deserve something meaningful, and maybe a tag team title run is it, so seeing them win would be cool. But to Sam’s point, it might be Naomi and Lana, even though Naomi is probably due for another single’s title run instead.

Fels: This has to lead off the whole show, except that it might be the best match of the whole event. Seth was the designated leadoff man on PPVs for like a whole year there. This is going to rip. Two CrossFit gods powerlifting each other all over the place. This feels like it has to be Cesaro’s launchpoint, the moment he’s never had and fans have been baying for. I suppose a win could point Seth toward either of the titles on Smackdown again, but a Cesaro win gives him a platform for a babyface chase of Apollo and the IC title into SummerSlam. And Seth would probably love to put over his main buddy on the biggest stage. As perhaps the last remaining Seth Rollins fan on Earth, this is one of the matches I’m most excited for.

Fonseca: This is the kinda match where Seth Rollins can prove he’s still the best wrestler in the world, as I told him he was two years ago. It’s about damn time Cesaro is doing something worth caring about because he’s in a class with Shelton Benjamin regarding the most underutilized wrestlers in the company’s history. Rollins doesn’t need the victory in the way Cesaro does, so here’s to hoping the WWE gets this right. Even if they won’t, he could win in defeat because the match will probably be akin to Shawn Michaels versus Kurt Angle 16 WrestleMania’s ago.

Fels: BAAAAAARRRRRRFFFFFFFF!

Fonseca: I’m with Sam; outside of the possibility of Shane McMahon actually going too far, who cares?

Fels: This has to be A.J. and Omos because it wouldn’t make any sense to make a big deal about this mountain’s debut and then have him lose his first match on this stage. Where would you even go from there? I don’t know if Omos can do anything, and maybe that’s the whole point, but A.J. can make this work by himself with Kofi and Xavier to be really good. Either way it sets up another program with the Street Profits, because Raw only has three tag teams. If Omos can merely stand where he’s told, there are three workers here who can make an Easter Island statue look good. Which is what Omos might be.

Fonseca: Similarly to Fandango and Chris Jericho once upon a time — nine WrestleMania’s ago, to be exact — Omos is making an awaited in-ring debut on the biggest card of the year, sharing the stage among the most talented at the company. For Omos’ sake, hopefully, he has a better subsequent tenure than Fandango has, but this is clearly set for Omos and Styles to win, but a swerve that pits them against each other would be an interesting twist. Still, let’s continue to hope Omos’ gradual monster build isn’t totally derailed like Fandango’s push was once upon a time. Omos has been a great compliment to Styles, and their place in the tag team division — though not necessarily needed — could really work. Will it be Diesel and Shawn Michaels? Who knows, but Omos coincidentally was a college basketball player, like Nash, who accompanies the arguable best wrestler in the world today, as Nash did with HBK. It’s not a bad blueprint to follow, if possible.

Fels: There’s always a dorky celebrity thing at Mania, but this one has been done well. Mostly because Bad Bunny has committed to it fully and looks like he’s having the time of his life. This should be a good spot to bounce Priest higher in the company, and he’s a guy I’ve loved since seeing him as Punishment Martinez (maybe the worst wrestling name ever) with ROH in New Orleans three years ago. Miz plays his role well, and I’m sure this will be a fun 10 minutes that acts as a nice breather before the business end of Night 1.

Fonseca: The Bad Bunny and Damian Priest thing is actually working and has been since the very beginning of their WrestleMania season partnership. It doesn’t make sense for The Miz and Morrison to win even though Bunny is technically not a wrestler, although he’s been training at the WWE’s Performance Center in Florida, so he is taking this very seriously. (He’s one of the longest-reigning WWE 24/7 Champions after all.)

But however long this Bad Bunny-WWE pairing lasts could be effective in myriad of ways, simply because he gives a shit. It’s one thing to have a celebrity, but Bad Bunny is a real wrestling fan who gives a shit. This isn’t someone who is disengaged and is really just acting, nor is he trying to use this as a stepping stone in his career; he’s just a huge wrestling fan who happens to be one of the most famous acts in music across all genres. And, he’s Puerto Rican, as is Damian Priest, and if you know anything about the island, we really follow our athletes and musicians in a way that reflects the act of rooting for sports teams in America. We all cried when Bernard Hopkins beat Felix Trinidad, so hopefully, Bunny and Priest handle business Saturday.

Fels: Have not been a fan of this build at all. If there’s one guy that WWE didn’t need to cram into the “cowardly heel” mold, it was Lashley. Look at that guy! He’s an actual Titan! The break-up of the Hurt Business was sloppy and ill-timed and basically pointless. Maybe it’s an end-around to get Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin involved in this match anyway, but again, Lashely shouldn’t need those kinds of shenanigans.

That said, it should be a great match (BIG MEATY MAN SLAPPIN’ MEAT!). Lashely was on a tear before the silliness, and McIntyre has been a solid bet for a year now. It feels like this has been set up to give McIntyre his live Wrestlemania moment he didn’t get last year, which isn’t totally fair to Lashley. But these two could run this program straight through the summer anyway.

Fonseca: Breaking up the Hurt Business was one of the worst things the company could’ve done leading up to WrestleMania unless the twist is that their separation was staged, only to find Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander run in and help Lashley retain. But Lashley losing the WWE title, the same one he should’ve taken off John Cena in 2007, after just over one month, would suck. Drew McIntyre’s been all over Monday Night Raw ever since COVID happened. As Peter Rosenberg jokes on Cheap Heat, it’s like he’s been the champion (when he was) and the host. Lashley should win what may be one of the better matches of the night, but I agree with Sam; he should not cowardly navigate this. He and MVP should, though, be saved by Benjamin and Alexander while an official is unconscious, reviving the heartbeat of Raw, the Hurt Business.

Fels: Just plug it into my veins! If Rollins-Cesaro isn’t the peak of the night, this will be. Sasha hasn’t had a big singles match at Mania before, so you know she’s going to be in sixth or seventh gear for this. Bianca has “face of the company” written all over her, and whatever deficiency she might have in the ring simply due to a lack of experience — athletically there’s nothing she can’t do — Sasha will make up for.

I want to say this is Banks’s big moment, FINALLY, but they ran the NXT-star-comes-up-and-falls-just-short angle last year with Rhea Ripley and Charlotte. A Sasha win could set up a SummerSlam blowout with a returning Becky Lynch, and Bianca won’t be hurt by a brave defeat. Or an enraged Sasha on the chase could be another delicious angle for the summer. Maybe this is when Sasha’s crossover appeal, that started with The Mandalorian, explodes. Either way, we all win.

Fonseca: Objectively, this should be the main event of Night 1 and could wind up being the show stealer of the overall WrestleMania 37 two-day event. A feud initially built on admiration, respect, a championship opportunity, and making history morphed into something else once Sasha Banks (unsurprisingly) heel turned — at least temporarily — adding another jolt of anticipation into this match. Banks and Belair are two of the best wrestlers in the world right now, so going in either direction has a pathway to what could be a longstanding feud that carries through a chunk of 2021.

If Belair wins, which should probably be the odds-on favorite result, you have a new star to build the women’s division around on Smackdown, with the obvious need for revenge from Banks needed to drive this into a legitimate rivalry we see play out for multiple pay per views, probably culminating in SummerSlam if played correctly. If Banks wins, Belair could continue her pursuit and win the title afterward. Banks could settle into the heel role she’s extremely comfortable in once more. As Sam said, we’re good either way. This has five-star classic potential in both WrestleMania lore and the possible lengthy rivalry to follow.