WWE WrestleMania 2018: Dream, Nightmare Scenarios for Ronda Rousey and Top Stars

Every wrestler has his or her dream scenario for an appearance at WrestleMania. Some get their chance. Others never do. There are multiple top stars heading into WWE WrestleMania 34 on Sunday with high hopes for their future.

The card this year is jam-packed with talent. From AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns to the return of Daniel Bryan and the debut of Ronda Rousey, this event will define many careers and hopefully be one of the greatest nights of wrestling in recent memory.

Not everyone, though, will be walking out after pulling off their dream scenario. The results of these matches can define careers. The Miz already knows this as he prepares to once more defend a championship on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

The women especially have a huge chance to define their careers and the future of their division, with Alexa Bliss and Asuka looking to steal the show and stay on top. John Cena is also staring at the ultimate dream or nightmare situation as he awaits The Undertaker's answer for a match.

When the dust settles, everyone will have to look forward, especially with an expected Superstar Shake-up on the horizon. Those who have their dreams realized will have redefined their careers, but those who are left with the nightmares may never recover.

Ronda Rousey

Dream: She makes quick work of Stephanie McMahon and moves on.

This will be Rousey's first match in WWE. It is unlikely she will put in a performance that can match up to her billing, so it is best that the competitors maximize their minutes, highlighting what The Baddest Woman on the Planet does best.

Stephanie has experience in the squared circle, but she's hardly a top performer. She will not be able to carry Rousey through a complete match. Instead, she should be in this contest primarily to give Rowdy Ronda a chance to show off how dangerous she is.

If the match goes off without a hitch, the biggest chunk of it will be the clash between Triple H and Kurt Angle before Rousey gets the hot tag and takes down Stephanie, making her tap. She can then move on from all of this and focus on training for better competition.

Nightmare: Rousey looks inexperienced and out of sorts in her first match before paying her dues by losing to the more experienced Stephanie.

Regardless of her limited in-ring history, there are expectations surrounding Rousey. She is meant to be one of the top-billed stars in the company. Therefore, there are more than a few ways this match can go wrong and ruin WWE's build of her.

It is unlikely Rousey will lose, but WWE has made weirder booking choices in the past. Every wrestler is asked to "pay their dues" at some point early on in their career. This should not apply to Rousey in terms of wins and losses if she is to be booked like a franchise attraction.

More likely is that Rousey cannot hide her inexperience and falls on her face more than once in the mixed tag match. Few wrestlers look great their very first time out, but Rousey cannot afford to be a rookie in a match that should heavily protect her.

Daniel Bryan

Dream: Bryan looks as good as he has ever looked, putting on a show before defeating Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.

Few moments would be more defining for this year's WrestleMania than Bryan looking like his old self again once he steps back in the ring. The "Yes" Man is one of the most exciting performers to watch when he's on his game, and he could make the tag match something special.

It may not be possible for Bryan to look as good as he did before the injury, flying around the ring with a violent fervor, but the crowd will likely accept much less and be satisfied. The most over star in the company will be able to shine as long as he does not look completely rusty.

This match may have huge implications for the future of Zayn and Owens, but a win for Bryan may be just as important to re-establishing his main event status. He likely will be moving into a full-time role again after this match, and a loss would be a devastating hit to his credibility.

Nightmare: Wrestling with reckless abandon, Bryan injures himself again, and this is his last match in WWE.

Bryan changed his style when he came to WWE, becoming more flashy and reckless. Because of that, his body struggled to hold up. It was not as much bad luck as an extended sequence of poor decisions in the ring that ruined Bryan's career the first time around.

This match will be a huge indicator of just how long Bryan will last with his second chance. Shawn Michaels and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin faced similar challenges in their careers, and they came back by evolving. Hopefully, Bryan can do the same.

No one wants to see Bryan get hurt in this match, and it would be just as bad to see him return too quickly to the style that broke him down in the first place. The Beard is one of the greatest to ever step in a wrestling ring, and this first match will be a huge indicator of how long his legacy lasts.

The Miz

Credit: WWE.com

Dream: Miz emerges victorious at any cost, basically guaranteeing he keeps the championship long enough to become the only man ever to hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship for 620 total days.

Miz has defined his career around the Intercontinental Championship with a legacy that is nearly unmatched. Over his eight reigns as champion, he has held the championship 598 days, longer than everyone but WWE Hall of Famer Pedro Morales.

If he wins at WrestleMania, he will not be required to defend his championship at all until he passes 619 days, Morales' total days as IC champion. Regardless of whether The A-Lister ever wins a world championship again, this would solidify his career.

It does not matter how he gets the job done. Miz has repeatedly shown a willingness to do anything to keep his title. This match is make-or-break. If The A-Lister loses his title now, it could keep him from making history for years.

Nightmare: Seth Rollins or Finn Balor takes the win, and Miz is then traded to SmackDown where he can no longer contend for the IC title.

The odds are stacked against Miz in every way. Both Rollins and Balor are more popular stars than Miz who have never held the IC title, and they will be looking to add to their legacies. The Architect would become a Grand Slam champion with the victory, and Balor would get his second title in WWE.

While Miz can recover from losing the championship just at the brink of history, The Awesome One would be devastated if his conflicts with general manager Kurt Angle caused him to be traded away to SmackDown without the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

It is hard to imagine just what Miz would do if his career-defining milestone was taken away from him for perhaps even years to come. The Most Must-See WWE Superstar of All Time would likely become a different man than the WWE Universe has ever seen.

Alexa Bliss

Dream: Bliss manages to escape Nia Jax with her title, and Jax gets traded to SmackDown.

In their first two clashes, Jax has looked completely unstoppable against Bliss, including picking up a definitive victory in September 2017. Despite record-setting numbers over her two reigns as Raw women's champion, Bliss has not once shown she can defeat the Samoan powerhouse one-on-one.

Therefore, it is hard to imagine she will be looking to take a dominant victory over The Irresistible Force. Instead, Bliss will just want to escape with the victory and her championship. Of course, The Goddess would still have to worry about Jax getting a rematch.

That is why the next Superstar Shake-up may be Bliss' saving grace. If she escapes Jax just this once and Jax gets traded away from Raw, Bliss would remain at the top of the division while both Jax and Asuka, her main competition, are over on the other brand.

Nightmare: Jax takes Bliss' championship with ease, and the two remain on the same brand with Jax dominating everyone in her path.

Little Miss Bliss could easily see her nightmare scenario come to pass. Bliss is running into a woman she has insulted and humiliated and who is also twice her size. Jax could make quick work of Bliss and walk away with the Raw Women's Championship.

The question then would come down to whether Bliss would ever have a chance at the title again with Jax as champion. No matter what scheme she cooks up, Jax may just have Bliss' number. Few women in WWE have shown the ability to consistently outwrestle Jax.

If the two remain on the same card for the foreseeable future, Bliss will be forced to face a reality where she cannot win the women's championship, a devastating fate for a woman who has held the title 444 days over her first 620 days on the main roster.

AJ Styles

Credit: WWE.com

Dream: Styles and Nakamura put on the dream match they both crave with The Phenomenal One emerging victorious.

Everyone dreams of having a WrestleMania moment. Wrestlers around the world think about it even if they would never want to sign a long-term deal with WWE. It is the biggest stage in sports entertainment, and those who have the opportunity will do everything to seize it.

Styles and Nakamura have basically been working to get to this exact moment. They have proved they can put on a great match together with their clash at Wrestle Kingdom 10, New Japan Pro-Wrestling's biggest event of the year. Now, though, they will want to top it in front of even more fans.

If The Phenomenal One can put on a match that ends up defining the legacy of The Showcase of the Immortals and still walks out champion, he would establish himself as one of the all-time greats in just a few years in WWE.

Nightmare: Shinsuke Nakamura's taunting proves true, as Styles falls to The Artist and loses his title in a disappointingly sloppy affair.

Styles can't lose too much in this match. Even if he loses the WWE Championship, he has already proved he can get it back. The Phenomenal One will remain a top star in WWE for the rest of his career, and the company will reward him for his work with championships.

However, there is one potentially disappointing reality ahead for his match with Nakamura. If this dream match falls flat, it would be a lasting scar for both men. This is being set up as the show-stealer, the showcase of two elite stars. They need to deliver.

However, The Artist has multiple times fallen short in matches in WWE, and it is possible he cannot regain the same magic he had with Styles in NJPW. While the result would hurt Styles, it would likely cripple Nakamura's chances of staying a top champion on SmackDown.

Asuka

Credit: WWE.com

Dream: Asuka completes her journey to the SmackDown Women's Championship with her greatest match to date.

Asuka chose Charlotte Flair as her opponent at WrestleMania because she didn't just want to win a women's championship. She wanted to establish herself with a new audience and prove she is the best female wrestler on the planet.

Winning is crucial here because her streak is still intact. Asuka wants to go as long as possible completely undefeated. She also wants to put on a show, though. It would be fantastic for Asuka, Charlotte and WWE if these two women stole the show and proved how great women's wrestling can be.

While significant steps have been taken to establish the women as competitors at the same level as the men, this match could show that the evolution of the division is complete. These women could prove they should have been the main event of WrestleMania, perhaps setting up for next year.

Nightmare: Charlotte ends Asuka's undefeated streak.

Late in 2015, Asuka debuted, and no one could have believed she would remain undefeated into 2018. It is an incredible roll The Empress of Tomorrow is on, but everyone loses eventually. If Asuka lost now, though, her momentum would be shattered just as she was about to take the top prize.

It would be a devastating moment that might hamper Asuka's career long-term. The Japanese star would have to build herself back up to eventually challenge Charlotte again. While she would likely be fine, it would still be a huge blow.

The day Asuka loses will be a heartbreaking nightmare scenario in her career, but it should not be at WrestleMania this year. The Empress is ready to take her crown and rule over the SmackDown women's division for the foreseeable future.

John Cena

Dream: Cena gets the match he always wanted, an instant classic against Undertaker.

The Champ has been craving a match against The Deadman at WrestleMania for years, and this may be the last opportunity he will ever get to face the legend. While the story has sold the idea that Taker will not answer Cena's challenge, there's still one last chance The Phenom will appear.

All The Cenation Leader has left is to step in the middle of the ring at 'Mania and call out Taker one last time. If The Deadman does answer, there's still the risk that Taker was right, that he was not ready to step back in the ring one more time.

The ideal scenario would be to see The Phenom of old rise up and put on one last incredible performance in the dream match fans have long considered, but it may not be possible to get that from The Demon from Death Valley at this point in his career.

Nightmare: Cena ends up spending WrestleMania on the sidelines before taking another extended break from the company.

The Face That Runs the Place can say he is all right with not competing at WrestleMania all he wants. He's a competitor, though, and there's no way he wants to skip the show. Obviously, it is unlikely he does spend the night on the sidelines, but it is not impossible.

Perhaps the match with Taker falls through at the last minute with The Deadman deciding he is done with wrestling. Maybe the legend does not make it through his final physical. Either way, Cena could spend the night playing fan.

As the movie roles ramp up for Cena, he will get fewer chances to compete in WWE, and this might be one of the last big matches of his career. Missing 'Mania and then stepping away again would be one of the final signs that Cena's career is winding down.

Brock Lesnar

Dream: Lesnar makes quick work of Reigns and heads right to WWE headquarters to finish negotiations on a new contract that allows him to also compete in the UFC.

As Paul Heyman told the New York Post's Joseph Staszewski, it's pretty clear Lesnar has one goal right now: returning to the UFC. The former UFC champion seems ready to get back in the Octagon even after he was suspended for two failed tests related to his fight with Mark Hunt. He will still have to wait another six months after signing to fight again.

The Beast would likely be willing to remain in WWE and make more money, but he has his heart set on another sport. If he defeats Reigns on the Grandest Stage of Them All, it would be a sign The Beast is going to re-sign with WWE, but likely only if he is allowed to also fight for the UFC.

The dream for Paul Heyman's client would be remaining WWE universal champion and getting a new contract that allows him to work for both companies where he can dominate twice over. He would be the star of both products.

Nightmare: Preoccupied with the UFC, Lesnar puts in little effort, which causes the crowd to turn on him before dropping his title and leaving the company the same way he did in 2004.

This situation feels eerily similar to the build to WrestleMania XX, though only on Lesnar's side. The Beast is stepping into the ring for perhaps the last time, and he will have to put in a better effort than he did against Goldberg in 2004 to sell the crowd.

Even if The Conqueror cares little about what the fans think, he would not enjoy spending his last match being booed while he lazily walks through his final performance. It would be an embarrassment for everyone involved, especially WWE.

This would guarantee Lesnar was dropping the title and make for an anticlimactic end to a dominant run where WWE put every effort into making Lesnar the most elite monster in the company. The Beast would likely be burning one bridge too many if he doesn't put his all into his final main event showcase.

Roman Reigns

Credit: WWE.com

Dream: Reigns puts on one of the best performances of his career, which convinces the crowd to cheer him by the home stretch as he earns his latest world championship.

These days, every Reigns match is a unique experience driven by crowd reaction. Almost every crowd starts the match firmly against The Big Dog, which is especially true with the massive international crowds on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

However, the quality of Reigns' matches can often get the crowd behind him or at least the match as a whole by the home stretch. This is especially important in the main event of WrestleMania where a bad crowd reaction can warp the perception of a match's quality.

If Reigns goes out and puts on a show as good or better than his top-notch clash with Lesnar three year ago, he can end 'Mania with a bang, walking out with the WWE Championship and an all-time great bout on his record.

Nightmare: For the second year in a row, Reigns struggles to carry a hampered veteran through a match with Lesnar not interested in working, and the crowd boos until it just gets bored.

Despite consistent quality performances throughout the past few years, Reigns has had some bad experiences at The Showcase of the Immortals as of late. His match against Triple H was a dud primarily thanks to a crowd that never bought into the action.

Worst yet, he was not prepared to carry The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 when the legend's body gave out on him early on. Instead of getting an angry crowd, the match was met with indifference as Reigns and Taker fumbled through the home stretch, where Taker could not even pull off his signature moves.

If The Beast does not care to put on a show at 'Mania with his looming departure, Reigns will again be required to single-handedly carry the action. Over the years, he has not been able to do that, which would lead to another terrible main event and dud for Reigns' 'Mania career.