By: Mike Mueller & Kimmy Sokol
March Madness is not the only major sporting event going on as of late. Over the last month, you may have filled out a bracket and watched it get busted and have seen New Jersey just dominate NCAA basketball. However, for wrestling fans, this is something we have looked forward to for 10 weeks, it’s Wrestlemania week. Our Superbowl, our Stanley Cup the one week a year that does not matter if you are a diehard or casual wrestling fan you are tuning in for this one. With a story possibly being finished, careers being defined, and the WWE Hall of Famers coming out to Hollywood, here are our Wrestlemania 39 predictions.
WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley:
Kimmy: Was this the match I expected for either one of these women at Wrestlemania? Nope. This is a rematch from Wrestlemania 36, which arguably was the match of the night for Wrestlemania 36 night 2 and the match will be great but Belair and Ripley had unfinished business. This is Ripley’s time, this is the Mania moment she was supposed to get in Tampa, but couldn’t due to COVID. Hollywood will turn into Judgement Day for sure.
Winner: “And New” Rhea Ripley
Mike: I’ve never been shy about my love for Charlotte. She’s the greatest female wrestler of all time. However, part of what makes her so fantastic is her ability to make stars out of other wrestlers. Judgment day is a red-hot stable that should have never worked. You can make a strong argument that the main reason they are succeeding is because of Rhea Ripley. She has the look, she has the ability, and she has the momentum.
Winner: “And New” Rhea Ripley
WWE Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair vs Asuka:
Kimmy: Belair has carried the Raw brand for the better part of the past year. She has defeated nearly every single person on the roster, which is why the question has always been who will be the one to defeat the EST. As Asuka always says, no one will be ready for Asuka and this seems to be true for the EST of WWE.
Winner: “And New” Asuka
Mike: I love Asuka. I don’t particularly care for Belair. The main reason she doesn’t do it for me is the fact that, as a wrestler, she hasn’t had that “struggle to overcome” which is paramount to any baby face truly getting over. As T-Pain says, all she does is win. This would be the PERFECT opportunity for her to take a big loss and have to start her road to redemption. Unfortunately, I just don’t see WWE pulling the trigger on that. They seem to be content to let Bianca continue to steamroll everybody, and sadly that’s what is going to happen here.
Winner: “And Still” Bianca Belair
Brock Lesnar vs Omos:
Kimmy: Speaking of Wrestlemania matches I did not have on my bingo card this year. There have been many rumors that Brock Lesnar leaving WWE after this match. Does he put over Omos on his way out of the company? This is Brock Lesnar we are talking about here. Unfortunately for Omos, he will be on the receiving end of a trip to Suplex City.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Mike: If Bray Wyatt can’t go for Wrestlemania 39, as it seems like he won’t, I really hope we pivot to Lashley vs. Lesnar. Have Bobby come out on Raw next week, beat the crap out of Omos, “injure” him (or hell, take him down for real for all I care), and take his spot in the match. If the match stays as-is, I’d be really surprised if Lesnar doesn’t pick up the win. I just hope for the fans’ sake this match is under four minutes long.
Winner: Brock Lesnar UNLESS Lashley gets in the match, then Lashley.
Triple Threat for the WWE Intercontinental Championship: Gunther vs Drew McIntyre vs Sheamus:
Kimmy: This will be the best match on the Wrestlemania 39 card, it does not matter what day this will be the match. The interesting thing about this match is the fact that it is a triple-threat match. If you are going to take the title off of Gunther and protect him, this is the time to do it. You can easily have Sheamus pin McIntyre and they go off in the summer and have an amazing feud for the Intercontinental title. This can lead Gunther to go off and do bigger things, possibly facing the winner of the main event. Sheamus will get his flowers here and get the one title that eludes him from being a Grand Slam champion.
Winner: “And New” Sheamus
Mike: I’m certainly not going to disagree that this should be the match of the night, however, The Bloodline matches are certainly not going to let that be a guaranteed thing. Plus, triple-threat matches rarely steal the show. However, it’s going to be a banger no matter what. I agree that having Sheamus pin Drew to take the title off of Gunther and protect him is a smart way to play it, but I just don’t see Gunther losing here. We are going to get a “Roman Reigns”-esque run with Gunther and the IC title. It’s the best thing to elevate the title AND elevate Gunther, since if he drops the belt here and goes on to challenge for the world title, he almost certainly will not be successful, at least not right away. Allow Gunther to restore prestige to this glorious belt by having him pin Drew, and let Gunther and Sheamus go on to feud for the title for the next several months (hopefully at least until Summer Slam in Detroit? Pretty please?)
Winner: “And Still” Gunther
WWE United States Championship Match: Austin Theory vs John Cena:
Kimmy: The last time WWE was in Hollywood Cena won his first WWE World Heavyweight Championship from JBL in the co-main event. 18 years later he returns to LA as one of the biggest stars in the company facing off against essentially a mini him. Now, despite your personal feelings about A-Town, he is pretty talented, and he was able to hold his own in the segment with Cena to set up this match. This match can go either way. I can see Cena winning on night 1 and losing to a debuting superstar on Night 2. However, since we don’t know when this match is taking place, I am going with the safe bet here.
Winner: “And Still” Austin Theory
Mike: Returning legends competing for a title match all but guarantee the current champion is going to retain. However, if there was one instance where that’s not a guarantee, it would be a situation like this. Young, brash, and over for all the wrong reasons, it would definitely be a feel-good moment to see John Cena put the obnoxious Austin Theory in his place. I’d be much more excited if Theory’s Amish beard was on the line instead of the US title. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that Cena gets the win here, only to drop it back to Theory at Backlash (or somewhere else down the line). However, it is pretty obvious that WWE is throwing all kinds of momentum behind the young superstar, and what better way to give him credibility than having him beat the biggest wrestling star of the last 20 years?
Winner: “And Still” Austin Theory
Trish Stratus, Lita, & Becky Lynch vs Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, & Iyo Sky):
Kimmy: Can you imagine 365 days ago being hurt and not being used by WWE and being released right after Wresltmania, and now a year later you are having a match against your idols? That is the exact story behind Damage CTRL. Bayley was hurt, Kai was released, and Sky was not being used and was heavily rumored on leaving the WWE. Now they are wrestling two Hall of Famers in Lita and Stratus and one of the best to ever do it, Becky Lynch. Since the titles are not on the line, Damage CTRL can win here. This adds more to the story between the tag team champs and also Lita and Status can afford to lose her. I’ll probably regret this choice at some point.
Winners: Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky)
Mike: As far as dropping the ball goes, Damage CTRL might be WWE’s biggest blunder of the past year. This group should have reached much more success than they currently have. I just got done saying that one returning legend is going to lose, I’m not going to be so bold as to say another legend is going to lose, and given the disappointment that Damage CTRL has been thus far, I see no reason why they don’t eat yet another loss here.
Winners: Trish, Lita, and Becky
Hell in a Cell Match: Finn Balor vs Edge:
Kimmy: Hell in a Cell returns to the grandest stage for the first time since 2016! This match should just be named the Demon vs The Brood because we are getting a darker version of each man’s character. This build has been great and this match should be very good. As far as a winner, Judgement Day seems to be falling to the Rated R Superstar.
Winner: Edge
Mike: Copy-paste my segment from Charlotte-Rhea. Edge has gotten more than enough victories in this feud to do the job to Finn here. One of the main takeaways from this Wrestlemania is going to be the fact that Judgment Day is the new dominant faction in the WWE. Rhea becomes the new champ, Dom retires his dad if they go ahead and make that match official, and Finn gets his retribution on Edge. Oh, and to all the people thinking he’s going to show up as “Demon Finn”, that’s a babyface persona, not a heel persona. 0% chance he’s “the demon” for this match.
Winner: Finn Balor
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville vs Shayna Bazler & Ronda Rousey vs Natayla & Shotzi:
Kimmy: Can we assume both of these Wrestlemania showcase matches are #1 contenders matches for the respective tag team championships? Sure. Honestly, if Carmella truly is injured that is the biggest loss because the team of Carmella and Green has been gold. As long as the team of Rousey and Bazler does not win this is a true W for everyone involved. Morgan is due for a Mania win, let’s go with that team.
Winners: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
Mike: Well, Ronda is injured again, which I personally think is fantastic, so I have no idea how this card is going to fill out, but the fact is this whole thing is stupid. Both of these matches are meaningless, and I’d MUCH rather have a men’s and women’s battle royal instead. 16 people are enough for an entertaining battle royal, and you’d have half of the contestants from these two matches alone. But, since we are not getting that, I can only hope and assume that this is finally Raquel’s time to shine, and pairing her with the still-over Liv Morgan is a really smart move. No matter who the other teams are, your winners are Liv and Raquel, whose team name should be “Crazy Strong” by the way. WWE CREATIVE, HIRE ME!
Winners: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs Alpha Academy (Otis & Chad Gable) vs The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar):
Kimmy: The only team that can win this is Alpha Academy. They will get the huge win here and then on the Raw after Mania break up as Otis goes to Maximum Male Models. If this does not happen, I do not know what we are doing here.
Winners: Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)
Mike: So wait, Alpha Academy is going to win this…only to break up the next day? Me think not. I agree this is the end of Alpha Academy, but they’re going to be the ones getting pinned, not going to do the pinning. And who is going to pin them? The first contenders for the new tag team champions, The Viking Raiders!
Winners: The Viking Raiders
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) vs Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens:
Kimmy: This SHOULD BE the Night 1 main event and no one can convince me otherwise. The story leading to Owens and Zayn reuniting again has been one of the best storylines WWE has had in recent memories. This is also fitting because the one title that alludes to Owens being a Grand Slam champion is the tag team title, and he will get the opportunity to win them with his best friend. THIS IS WHY YOU LOVE WRESTLING!
Winners: “And New” Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
Mike: In case you haven’t noticed, Kimmy is obsessed with everybody becoming a Grand Slam champion. Where she was wrong with Sheamus and the IC title, she’s spot on here. This has been a beautifully told storyline and it needs to culminate with Sami and KO becoming tag champions here. Ideally, it will end with both Sami and KO pinning each Uso simultaneously, but it will likely end with Sami pinning Jey. Anything else just wouldn’t be very Ucey.
Winners: “And New” Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
Logan Paul vs Seth Rollins:
Kimmy: Last year when I did this I said that celebrities always win at Wrestlemania, and I was right. However, there is just something about this feud that is not letting me pick Paul so easily, and no not because I am a Rollins fan. Throughout the feud, Rollins has never gotten the upper hand he has constantly gotten beaten down and destroyed by Paul. Rollins has also lost the last three Mania matches he has had. This is why I am going against my belief Team Rollins bay bay.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Mike: I’m glad to see Kimmy brought up the whole “celebrities always win at Wrestlemania” argument because that’s the only thing giving me pause on this match. This SHOULD be Seth’s redemption. No reason for it not to be, but that refrain just keeps playing in my head “celebrities win at mania, celebrities win at mania.” I hate making this pick because I’m going to feel really stupid when the celebrity wins at Wrestlemania (as they always do), but the better story here is for Seth to win and begin his build to being the #1 Contender for the WWE Universal championship.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rey Mysterio vs Dominik Mysterio:
Kimmy: Finally, this match has practically been two years in the making. Now the thing to keep in mind with picking this match is what is happening at the Hall of Fame the night before Wrestlemania officially kicks off. Rey is the headliner for this Hall of Fame class and will be inducted into the prestigious WWE Hall of Fame. Now, what does this have to do with anything? The last time we saw this done was in 2008 when Ric Flair was inducted the night before he was “forced to retire” after losing to Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 24. Do we see a repeat here with the son retiring his father on the grandest stage of them all? This match can go either way, but unfortunately, I see the writing on the wall for the newest Hall of Famer to take the loss and ride into the sunset and retire putting his son over.
Winner: Dominik Mysterio
Mike: Regardless of whether this is a retirement match or not, I don’t see any way Rey wins this match. I think the whole purpose of this last run of his was to get his son settled in and put in a good position in the company before he left. What better position can Rey get for Dom than putting his son over at Wrestlemania? Dom wins, likely with SOME help, but not an overwhelming amount of Tomfoolery. Also, I really hope he stays away from the HOF speech, no need to make an angle out of that.
Winner: Dominik Mysterio
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes:
Kimmy: Rhodes will finish his story. He will walk into LA in Sofi Stadium with over 90,000 people chanting his name to win the main event of Wrestlemania. If you honestly think this is going any other way then you honestly aren’t paying attention.
Winner: “And New” Cody Rhodes
Mike: To quote the great Australian philosopher, Natalie Imbruglia, “nothing’s fine, I’m torn.” Now, I’m not torn on who I’ll be rooting for. You’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger Cody Rhodes fan than me, except for Mike Raimondi. But I said two years ago I would not pick against Roman Reigns again until he drops the belt. He’s given me a lot of correct predictions over the past two years, it’s hard to abandon him now. So what do I do? Do I listen to my head and take the Tribal Chief, who has made a legacy out of crushing dreams (get it? Dreams? Like Cody’s dad? Man, I’m clever), or do I listen to my heart and pick Cody because it seems pretty clear he’s destined to win this, and it’s who I’ll be rooting for anyway? Ultimately the heart wants what it wants, and I’m picking Cody Rhodes. If I’m wrong on this, I’m never picking against Roman Reigns again.
Winner: “And New” Cody Rhodes
