Chris Flackett
WrestleMania Backlash is upon us, and before the show has even started it has garnered a ‘backlash’ from fans who have criticised its lacklustre build and lack of any really big matches. Still, a big show is a big show and here at Sports Obsessive, we’ve got the predictions you need to read before the first bell rings.
So, without further adieu, let’s join Jeremy Thomas, Joel Kananen and Jon Shartzer and get into it!
Happy Corbin vs. Madcap Moss
Jeremy: Drew McIntyre got the win at WrestleMania over Happy Corbin. Corbin blamed his protege Madcap Moss for the loss. A lot of people want to see this feud end but I believe that WWE is so invested in Happy Corbin that they won’t want him to lose at two pay-per-views in a row. Happy Corbin will do what he does best, cheat to win.
Prediction: Happy Corbin
Joel: Call me crazy, but I’m kinda in on face Madcap Moss. I’m rooting for the suspender-wonder to pick up the biggest win of his career, but ultimately predict Corbin will take the dub.
Prediction: Happy Corbin
Jon: I hope that this is the end of this story and that both men are allowed to move on after Sunday night. If the plan is to push Moss, then do it. He needs to be separated from Corbin and drop the Madcap gimmick and attire. Set him free and see if he can stay above water as a solo act. There’s only one way to find out.
Prediction: Madcap Moss
Bobby Lashley vs. Omos
Jeremy: Omos took the loss at WrestleMania and cannot afford to take another defeat here. At 7’3″ Omos is a mammoth of a man and presents an intimidating presence in the ring; however, he doesn’t yet possess any of the in-ring skills that he will need if WWE truly wants to make him a main event player. This feud is only hurting Bobby Lashley after WWE carefully built him up over the past year. There could be outside interference from Cedric Alexander or Shelton Benjamin in this match to realign themselves with MVP.
Prediction: Omos
Joel: Big Omos is coming for you, Bobby. Lashley likely loses due to MVP interference, and pretty much everyone will hate it.
Prediction: Omos
Jon: They didn’t have MVP turn on the Almighty for nothing. Bobby Lashley winning the first showdown at WrestleMania was the right call, but now it’s Omos’ turn to pick up a victory. I’m not the biggest fan of WWE’s 50-50 booking, but Omos needs to win if they want him to be taken as a serious threat.
Prediction: Omos
AJ Styles vs. Edge
Jeremy: With Damien Priest being barred from ringside, it just opens up the possibility that someone else will interfere in this match. I am enjoying this feud immensely and the new stable that Edge is creating. I am a big fan of Tommaso Ciampa and am predicting that he will be the one that joins Edge and Damian Priest. A save by Finn Balor to help his friend AJ Styles will distract Edge and get Styles the win to continue this feud.
Prediction: AJ Styles
Joel: While Damian Priest is banned from ringside, a certain sometimes-possessed wrestler named Finn Bálor is not. Edge-Priest-Finn would be an awesome trio, and an immediate fan favorite if booked as strongly as they deserve.
Prediction: Edge
Jon: If they’re going to give us another premium live event filled with rematches, at least it contains this one. Edge and AJ Styles are undoubtedly two of the best ever to do it. Priest being banned from ringside guarantees that he won’t get involved, but it is also almost assured that somebody else will interfere to help Edge gain his second straight victory over the Phenomenal One. But who will it be? Ciampa? Rhea? Balor? We’ll have to wait and find out.
Prediction: Edge
Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins
Jeremy: Their first match at WrestleMania was a classic. I’m happy that WWE has continued to make Rhodes look special in his return. If they are serious about continuing to make him a superstar, then he needs to beat Rollins once again to establish himself. With his recent promos, I believe that WWE is on the path to having Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns headline SummerSlam this year.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes
Joel: The first match between Seth and Cody was one of my favorites of the year, and these two versatile performers have the skills to build to what I think will end in an impressive trilogy. Look for Seth to use some underhanded tricks to pull out a win and force a rubber match, probably at SummerSlam.
Prediction: Seth Rollins
Jon: I’m not the biggest Cody fan, but I absolutely love Seth Rollins and believe that he is in a tier that very few can claim to be a part of. Which means it’s ok for him to take a second straight loss to Dusty’s son and move on to something else, possibly even bigger. I would love to see Cody move on to something new and Seth be inserted back into a title picture. Will it happen? Who knows.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes
Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey
Jeremy: I felt that their match at WrestleMania was much better than expected. It also had the most surprising result for me, as I fully expected Rousey to win. Ronda Rousey has to win this match to keep her credibility as the Baddest Woman on the Planet. Ronda should win this match convincingly.
Prediction: Ronda Rousey
Joel: Despite not clicking in the promo department, this could be a solid match. Having Ronda lean into her strong physicality could improve on what was a solid WrestleMania contest. Booking-wise I am unsure where to go with this, so I will defer to the Queen.
Prediction: Charlotte Flair
Jon: Is it just me or has Ronda felt even more out of place since her return? She just doesn’t look natural or comfortable still, especially when cutting promos. I personally don’t feel like putting the title back on her right now makes the most sense. However, WWE has seemingly booked themselves into a corner here by making it an I Quit match. If that’s the case, they should have done this at WrestleMania.
Prediction: Ronda Rousey
The Usos and Roman Reigns vs. RK-Bro and Drew McIntyre
Jeremy: This was originally supposed to be a title unification bout but was recently changed to a six-man tag team match. This should be the beginning of the setup for the inevitable Reigns vs. McIntyre match at either Hell in a Cell or Money in the Bank. WWE is suffering from a lack of credible challengers to Roman Reigns on SmackDown. Outside of Drew McIntyre, who else could be seen as a credible challenger to Reigns on the SmackDown roster? With the titles no longer on the line, I believe that the Bloodline will take the loss.
Prediction: RK-Bro and Drew McIntyre
Joel: Have to say that I’m disappointed that this won’t be the original title unification match, but it should still be an exciting matchup of six of WWE’s best heavyweights. Randy and Riddle have been key players in carrying RAW to some of its most digestible programming in recent times, and could easily be called WWE’s biggest faces not named Bianca Belair. Despite that success, the Bloodline will likely reign supreme here.
Prediction: The Bloodline
Jon: I can’t lie, I was really excited for a tag team unification match to take place between RK-Bro and the Usos. Having this turned into a six-man tag match means that the office isn’t quite ready to set up Drew vs. Roman yet. Hopefully, they can stretch that out to SummerSlam so I can watch it in person. In order to do that, the story needs reasons to keep on keeping on. That means that Roman and his cousins will have to lose this match and get their revenge down the road.
Prediction: RK-Bro & Drew McIntyre
What do you think? What did we get right and where did we go wrong? Let us know in the comments!
