WWE WrestleMania 34: Stars Most Likely to Have Their 1st Major Moment at PPV
WrestleMania goes by many nicknames and taglines, with one of the fanciest being The Showcase of the Immortals.
The most prolific Superstars will try to etch their names in the history books in a fashion not available to them throughout the rest of the year.
This has become such a tradition that the term "WrestleMania moment" is something highly sought-after, with performers always talking about how much they strive to achieve that goal.
This year, at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans, there are plenty of talented Superstars who are going to get a chance to perform and get their first moment in the sun.
Not everybody will be so lucky, and there are people such as Ronda Rousey and Roman Reigns who have already had their time and will steal some of the spotlight at this show, too, but let's take a look at the men and women who can have their first time to shine at this year's event.
Asuka
1 of 7
Of all the people on this list, Asuka is the most obvious choice to be included and the one that needs the least explanation.
She has a longer undefeated streak than even Goldberg, so why would WWE have her lose at this event?
This will be her first WrestleMania, and she'll be facing Charlotte Flair, who has had a long enough title reign and doesn't need the victory over The Empress of Tomorrow to solidify her credibility.
There's no doubt Asuka will win the SmackDown Women's Championship and continue her winning streak, as WWE would not have given her the Royal Rumble victory just to have her fail at the biggest event of the year.
Winning her first main-roster title, defeating a Flair and being one of the marquee matches is as good as you can ask for when it comes to WrestleMania moments.
Shinsuke Nakamura
2 of 7
Much like Asuka, Shinsuke Nakamura is following the path of having won the Royal Rumble and being set up to win a title at WrestleMania 34.
Facing AJ Styles in a regular non-title match would have already sufficed when looking for a WrestleMania moment, but when the WWE Championship is on the line, it makes it significantly sweeter.
A victory isn't as set in stone as it is for Asuka, but it's an easy one to bet on. If he were to come up short, it would deflate the audience.
Almost always, when someone is given that big push toward the title at WrestleMania, the end result is a title change. And since Nakamura will become the head of the SmackDown brand in the process, it's a huge moment for his first WrestleMania.
Finn Balor
3 of 7
Normally, the title matches at WrestleMania are fairly easy to predict, as most belts change hands and the challengers are properly set up in advance with the right momentum to see the outcomes from a mile away.
When it comes to the Triple Threat match for the Intercontinental Championship, though, it's a little harder to distinguish where WWE may go.
The smart bet is The Miz will drop the title, but will that be to Seth Rollins or Finn Balor?
Since Rollins has already had a monumental WrestleMania moment when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania 31, a win for him wouldn't mean as much as one for Balor.
The Demon King will probably make an appearance in full makeup, since it's the biggest show of the year, and he would be the more worthwhile choice to hold this particular title going forward, as he needs it more.
Since Balor was injured last year and had been in NXT before that point, he's never performed at The Show of Shows before, meaning this is his first WrestleMania moment.
Coupling that with a title win is a huge deal and something he'll always have on his list of accolades and memories.
Cedric Alexander or Mustafa Ali
4 of 7
It's difficult to pick which man will walk out of New Orleans with the Cruiserweight Championship, but for the purposes of this list, it doesn't even matter.
Neither Cedric Alexander nor Mustafa Ali has competed at WrestleMania, nor have either of them held the Cruiserweight Championship.
Winning the tournament to crown a new champion would have been the highlight of their entire careers even if it happened on a regular episode of 205 Live, but for it to take place at WrestleMania is like adding whipped cream and a cherry on to a sundae.
Even the loser will still technically have his moment, as he'll be competing for a title in his first match at this show—something he may never get a chance to do again.
Here's hoping the crowd is receptive enough to what is sure to be a fantastic match between the two and a moment they will never forget.
Nia Jax
5 of 7
With the way the storyline is going, it's doubtful Alexa Bliss is going to walk out of WrestleMania with the Raw Women's Championship around her waist.
Nia Jax has been bullied and made fun of by her best friend at a level where the company would never allow the finish for the feud to be the villain getting away with it.
Just for the sake of the "Be A Star" program, Jax must wipe the floor with Bliss in order to teach her a lesson and to give hope to the kids who are being picked on in a similar way.
Jax will get her first win at WrestleMania, which will also be the start of her first title reign, all while solidifying her babyface turn and having a feel-good moment that assuredly will not just be therapeutic in a scripted sense but also in reality.
She's not like most girls, and at this pay-per-view, she'll prove why that isn't a bad thing.
Braun Strowman
6 of 7
To date, Braun Strowman has not had good luck at WrestleMania, as his two performances have ended in failure.
At WrestleMania 32, he was in a random segment with The Wyatt Family, wherein they were taken out by The Rock and John Cena.
Last year, he was eliminated in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal fairly quickly, which was surprising and underwhelming.
This time around, though, he seems poised to continue his trend of destruction by winning his first title in WWE by defeating The Bar to become a Raw tag team champion.
Even if he were to come up short, it's doubtful WWE would have him simply lose and then walk away with his head down.
Instead, he'll go on a rampage that will allow him to look strong despite his loss, giving him a clip to look back on that showcases his dominance.
Carmella
7 of 7
It's important to keep in mind that a WrestleMania moment doesn't always mean someone has to be victorious in a title match or something along those lines.
When it comes to Carmella, she has yet to do anything of value at WrestleMania; this year, she has a Money in the Bank briefcase that will double her chances of pulling off something interesting, as she's also competing in the women's Battle Royal.
It's unlikely she'll win that match, which seems to be focusing on Bayley and Sasha Banks, but she can follow it up with an attempt to cash in on Charlotte Flair or Asuka.
Of course, there's an even smaller chance she would win that match, but at least she'd be trying and making the crowd pop with her cash-in attempt.
That is already a moment people will talk about, so Carmella will be able to check off doing something important at WrestleMania from her bucket list, even though it isn't as glorified as she might want it to be.
Who do you think will have their first standout WrestleMania moment this year? Keep the discussion going by leaving a comment below.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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