WrestleMania 32 will be televised on the WWE Network, which is available through OSN, on Monday morning in the UAE from 1am.
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Ahead of Sunday’s WWE WrestleMania 32 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Deputy Sports Editor Graham Caygill gives his predictions on who will win each match.
Click through for each match.
Shane McMahon to beat Undertaker in a Hell in the Cell match
Now, if you told me even two months ago I’d be typing this sentence I would not have believed it, but yes, it is looking very plausible that Shane McMahon will be only the second man to beat the Deadman at WrestleMania.
On paper this should be an one-sided affair, but this is WrestleMania so expect the unexpected.
This will not be a good match in terms of ring quality, but it should be spectacular as McMahon bounces around the ring for the Undertaker, and takes a couple of huge bumps.
The stipulation that McMahon gains control of Raw if he wins the match is too intriguing to be wiped out by a straight loss, so an upset win to close the show is probable, though it will not be clean.
The WWE will somehow get around the stipulation that Undertaker can never compete at WrestleMania again if he loses - they have overcome John Cena and other wrestlers being fired in the past, only to return a couple of weeks later, so no way will this stick.
Expect, with Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon interfering at ringside, for Shane to get some outside help to triumph.
The injured Cena has been mooted for a surprise run-in, but it could also be Triple H as there has to be a reason the WWE World Heavyweight champion has stayed out of this story until now, considering it affects his livelihood in theory.
The loss will not hurt Undertaker too much and he can gain vengeance in the coming months on whoever costs him the match.
Roman Reigns to beat Triple H to win the WWE World Heavyweight title
Now, the only thing that will not be pretty will be the crowd reaction towards Reigns in Texas.
He will be booed, and booed loudly, despite the fact he is supposed to be the hero trying to conquer the evil Authority.
He has not been helped by poor booking and Triple H’s very un-heelish behaviour since becoming champion.
If you watched WWE programming for the past few months with the sound turned down and only the images to tell the story it is hard to tell who the heel and face is in this storyline.
WWE abandoned putting the title on Reigns at WrestleMania 31 a year ago, and if they do it again here they are almost killing his credibility as a top guy.
They have to go with him here. Yes, the crowd may not like it, and they may not like it in the months ahead, but they can turn him heel, if they have no choice by then, later on when the likes of Seth Rollins return from injury.
This should be a good match, and for all his detractors, Triple H knows how to put on a good match, and he will put Reigns over well.
Brock Lesnar to beat Dean Ambrose in a no-holds barred street fight
It is a mark of just how well Ambrose has done in the ring that he is a creditable opponent for Lesnar, given that in the past 20 months since the Shield split up, he has won only four singles match on PPV, and three of those were against Kevin Owens.
His work on the microphone and facial expressions have made him arguably the most popular face on the card, now that Daniel Bryan has sadly retired.
A win over Lesnar would be huge for him, but it is not going to happen.
Only John Cena, Triple H and the Undertaker have beaten Lesnar by pinning him since he returned in 2012, and while Ambrose’s stock is rising, he is not thought of high enough by WWE to go over here.
This is smart booking as allowing weapons and outside objects into the match will allow Ambrose to be competitive, and in theory give Lesnar an out for losing if they decided to go that way.
The WWE clearly have a Roman Reigns v Lesnar II match in mind for further down the line, and they will not want Lesnar to lose again before that, so expect a heroic effort from Ambrose, which will not prove enough.
Kevin Owens to retain the Intercontinental title in a seven-man ladder match against Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Stardust, Sin Cara and Zack Ryder
This should be an exciting match, full of big falls of the numerous ladders dotted around the ring.
The match has been built around Owens making so many enemies that he faces an impossible task to hold on to his title.
Owens is the star of the match, and likely a future opponent for the WWE World Heavyweight title against Reigns, so keeping him strong would be a good move.
Thus expect Owens to squeak out the win and be unbearably arrogant in victory.
AJ Styles to beat Chris Jericho in a singles match
This feud has been going for more than two months, and Styles is 2-1 up in their matches.
The change here is the first three matches were with both men as faces, but Jericho’s frustration finally snapped last month as he turned on Styles.
This should be a high quality match between two of the best in the world in terms of in-ring work.
Jericho is notorious for always doing what is best for business, and putting over Styles strong is the right thing going forward and that will be what happens here.
The New Day to beat The League of Nations in a 3 on 4 handicap match
This feels a bit thrown together and is a waste of a lot of these guys’s talent, especially Rusev and Alberto Del Rio, while it is hard to believe Sheamus was world champion only three months ago.
The New Day have dominated the tag team division for the past year, and it would be daft to have them lose momentum here, especially with their recent face turn.
New Day to delight the crowd, with King Barrett liable to the man who takes the pin for the League of Nations.
Sasha Banks to win the WWE Divas title in a triple threat match against Charlotte and Becky Lynch
It is a shame to end Charlotte’s title reign, just when it has really got going, with her willingness do whatever is necessary to win, alongside some shenanigans at ringside by her father Ric Flair, making her a genuinely disliked heel champion – a rare breed these days in WWE.
But, Banks has the potential to be a real superstar. She is great in the ring, has charisma and a connection with the crowd.
Lynch has done well, and had a good feud earlier in the year with Charlotte, but Banks is the one with the more potential.
Losing does not mean this is the end for Charlotte, and she and her father should be just as much fun as they pursue the belt in the coming months,
Kalisto to retain the United States title against Ryback
Kalisto has been treated largely as an after-thought as champion since he upset Alberto Del Rio to win the title back in January.
He is the underdog here against the bigger, and stronger, Ryback, who has treated the champion with nothing but disdain since this match was confirmed.
Kalisto needs to win this match, otherwise this one-sided feud and the past three months will have been a waste of time in trying to build-up him and give him credibility.
The Total Divas (Brie Bella, Paige, Natalya, Alicia Fox and Eva Marie) to beat BAD and Blonde (Naaomi, Tamina, Lana, Emma and Summer Rae) in a 10-Diva tag match
This match has been thrown together to get as many of the Divas on the show as possible, and that is fine, as it has been a good year for the division, and they deserve the chance to shine.
It is likely to be a short match, but expect Brie Bella, in what is rumoured to be her final match before retiring, to get the pin to claim the victory for her team.
Bray Wyatt to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Hardly any names have been announced for this at present, other than last year’s winner Big Show.
Wyatt needs a big win, and while this will not make up for how poorly booked he has been over the past two years, if he and his faction are allowed to dominate this match, and then the rest of the Wyatt family eliminate themselves to give Wyatt the win, it at least makes them more of a threat in the coming months.
There are doubts on whether Wyatt is fit enough to compete, and if he is not, then fellow Wyatt family member Braun Strowman should go over.
The Usos to beat the Dudley Boyz in a tag team match
This feud has promised much, but delivered little since the Dudleys turned heel in February.
There should be plenty of action in this match, which is on the pre-show before the main show begins, but this should end with the younger team, the Usos, going over, and finishing the match by putting the Dudleys through a table.
WWE WrestleMania 32 will be televised on the WWE Network, which is available through OSN, on Monday morning in the UAE from 1am.
gcaygill@thenational.ae
