Wrestlemania 28 Preview

Wrestlemania 28. The most eagerly anticipated Mania of all time, due largely to it having the biggest build up of all time to what the WWE would have you believe is the biggest match of all time. The Rock V John Cena.



The first interaction between these two was over a year ago and after having it rammed down our throats constantly on TV and  on social networks there is a section of fans who can't wait for it to be finally over and the WWE to move onto something new but whatever some fans may think this has probably been an outstanding success for the WWE and they will be eagerly awaiting to hear the final buy rate numbers when it is all said and done.
Along with the main event most of the rest of the card is screaming Wrestlemania quality, something which recent Wrestlemanias have lacked, and along with a worthy 2012 Hall of Fame class the WWE universe who are in Miami and watching around the world are in for a real treat this weekend.

Here is my preview for the event with matches appearing in no real particular order.

Cody Rhodes vs Big Show  Intercontinental Title

Cody Rhodes and Big show have worked really hard to build for this match and to give both superstars their credit they have delivered. I don't normally care much for Big Show matches especially when he plays the baby face role but they way they have built this up has actually got me interested. Cody has spent the last few weeks embarrassing Big Show for his less than impressive Wrestlemania record so it is all set up for the giant to get his revenge against Rhodes but I just cant see Cody dropping the belt. His long reign with the belt should continue and his rise to the top should continue with a successful defence against Big Show.

Predicted Winner- Cody Rhodes

Kane vs Randy Orton

Another year and another lacklustre Randy Orton Wrestlemania match. For one of the main men in the company how many title matches has Randy benn in at Mania? three? not nearly enough to have us believe that he is on John Cenas main event level. This match seems randomly put together and I think even we could all thing of someone better for Randy to face this year, Ziggler or even for the World Heavyweight title against Bryan which could have been a show stealer. Anyway I would expect Randy to win this with no doubt.

Predicted Winner- Randy Orton

Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos vs Beth Phoenix & Eve

Who's Maria? No idea. She hasn't appeared live on one episode of Raw, she brings it via satellite too, and apparently has now got two broke ribs. I was praying we would get Kharma vs Beth after Kharmas appearance at the Royal Rumble but after what she has been through it is fully understandable that she is yet ready to appear. As we usually see expect the team with the celebrity involvement to emerge victorious. Lets just hope that it is short or plan for your toilet break for this match.
Predicted winner- Kelly Kelly & Maria

Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan World Heavyweight Title

Sheamus was the surprise winner of this years Rumble and his reward is to headline Wrestlemania 28. Well no it's not actually.The last Rumble winner to main event a Mania was Randy Orton in 09 and last years Rumble winner, Alberto Del Rio, was strangely put as the first match on the show and if any of us actually believe that this match will go on last on Sunday then we should't be watching at all.
Bryan has done a fantastic job of making himself a believable champion and his run isn't ready to be ended yet a feud with Orton after Mania and we could well witness feud and matches of the year contenders just like Orton did with Christian last year.
Will Sheamus stop the trend of Royal Rumble winners losing at Mania? The last Rumble winner to emerge victorious at Mania Was Undertaker in 07 and the honour of winning the Rumble seems to be dropping, especially when coupled with the fact you don't actually headline the event it self any more so a win by Sheamus will go a long way to making winning the Rumble seem relevant to Wrestlemania. Like I said before though I think Bryan still has a good distance left in this run and wouldn't expect him to drop the title here.
My Prediction- Daniel Bryan

Team Johnny vs Team Teddy

The GM role has gotten more stale over the last few years and stooped to ridiculous levels with the anonymous GM role but then CM Punk mentioned Lauranaitus in that promo. Since Johnny got the role after the promo, he has done remarkably well in the role on RAW and has made the GM position relevant again and has even done a good job in making David Otunga relevant as well.

Teddy is a great example of how the role has gone stale. Is there any point to Teddy Long on Smackdown? The only thing he seems to do is stop a brawl and turn it into a tag match. I would fully expect team Teddy to lose this so Johnny takes over both shows and can bring something different to Smackdown.

My Prediction- Team Teddy

The Undertaker vs Triple H  Special Referee is Shawn Michaels

Well the Wrestlemania story between Undertaker, HHH and Shawn will finally end on Sunday and what a ride it's been since Mania 25.We all know the story behind the match what more can be said? So here's the video that was aired on RAW about the feud. 

What role will Shawn Michaels play? Will he help his friend HHH or will he stop him from ending the streak? Only time will tell.

My Prediction- The Undertaker

CM Punk vs Chris Jericho  WWE Title

Well the IWC got what they wanted. A match between the two self professed "Best in the world". This match will steal the show in terms of the in ring wrestling ability but with anticipation higher for two other matches they will have to work hard if they want this match to stand out on the night. The change of direction in the feud with Jericho insulting Punks family has worked and their match has now become personal. I can see Jericho sneaking a win here and taking the title due to having a quiet few months since he returned with us expecting him to win the Rumble then at the Elimination Chamber but his reign should be short with Punk winning it back at Extreme rules when its hosted in his home town. 

My Prediction- Chris Jericho

John Cena vs The Rock

Hasn't a year gone quick? We all remember where it started with the jokes, insults, raps, songs all adding to the most heavily built match in WWE history. People we're saying announcing a match a year in advance would backfire but I think when it's over WWE will be very very happy, and richer, with what they have achieved. No one is expecting a great technical match but it will be iconic like when Rock faced off against Hulk Hogan back at Mania 18. 

Which way will the match go? Everyone you speak to will be split 50-50. It's in the Rocks home town surely he can't lose in front of what will be a rabid home crowd and he can add John Cenas name to the list of great superstars he has defeated and take the mantle of the greatest ever. 

Then you have to look at John Cena. He's the full time wrestler out of the two. He will still be at Raw the very night after Mania and the week after that, the week after that and so on. Cena would benefit more with a victory than Rock would. 

Will John turn heel at Mania? Most of the WWE universe has been begging for it for so long but will it finally happen when all the odds and most of the fans in Miami will be against him? It's hard to call. I would say not yet due to all the merchandise he sells and his very notable charity work. Either way this will be a very memorable match for the casual fan or the hardcore fan, it will be talked about for years to come.

My prediction- John Cena

And that's the card for the show. Best card for a Wrestlemania since 17/8? Definatley. We're in for a very special night so hope you all enjoy it!