Way-Too-Early WWE WrestleMania 35 Match Card Predictions

It is far too early to be making predictions about what the WWE WrestleMania 35 card will look like.

Stars will rise and fall before that event takes place on April 7, 2019. Some competitors will get injured, making it impossible for them to compete on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Even those who are major stars could be gone by next year. No one is sure of Brock Lesnar's future or whether veterans such as The Undertaker, Big Show, Kane and Kurt Angle will have called it quits or want one more big match.

What makes it that much harder to predict is how big the roster is. There are 54 wrestlers listed on the Monday Night Raw roster, with another 45 on SmackDown Live. If everyone stays healthy, it seems impossible to give everyone a spot in which to shine.

However, speculation is always fun, so why not theorize on how this roster will look come next year? Why not predict what WWE will do to make the most of the talent, assuming everyone makes it through healthy?

This is a card that could make sense for WrestleMania 35 and would allow the event to shine beyond its recent incarnations given recent results and the massive Superstar Shake-up.

Credit: WWE.com

Kickoff: Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal, WWE Cruiserweight Champion Ricochet vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak vs. Johnny Gargano

The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal looks impressively stacked assuming everyone on the roster makes it to 'Mania healthy. With so much talent and so few spots—even on a huge card—this Battle Royal would include Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, The New Day, Elias, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler and Matt Hardy.

The WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal is more straightforward, as it should again be used to give the spotlight to anyone on the main roster who will not be in the two title matches. This contest would include Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Ember Moon, Becky Lynch and Naomi.

What will the cruiserweight division look like next year? It is tough to project. While many would like to see great performers such as Ricochet and Johnny Gargano on one of the main brands, they could both add new excitement to a division on the rise.

Raw Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain vs. The Revival vs. American Alpha

How can Raw's tag team division evolve now that so much of the top talent has headed to SmackDown Live? It will take creativity but also perhaps some inspiration from a developmental program that fostered the potential of many of Raw's top stars.

In NXT, Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder were followed by The Authors of Pain as the dominant force in the tag team division. The Revival has not been able to continue that success on the main roster, but the duo's time may have come by WrestleMania 35.

Add in the excitement of a reunion between the recently drafted Chad Gable and a soon-to-be-healthy Jason Jordan, and you may just have a trio of hungry young teams looking to steal the show. This match looks unlikely now, but who else could step up long term for Raw's tag team division?

SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos vs. Sanity

No division is tougher to pin down than SmackDown's stacked tag team division. Basically every top tag team is on the same roster following the recent Superstar Shake-up, which makes it hard to know what will come of such a group. The one team certain to stay near the top are The Usos.

Since they have been so connected to New Day in the past, it would make more sense for The Usos to get new competition. Harper and Rowan's reign of dominance looks like it is just getting started. They seem likely to have a long title reign over the next year.

That still leaves significant talent on the outside looking in, so Sanity at least also should be getting into the game. The former NXT stable will likely be coming in as a big deal, bringing its brand of dominant power. These three teams should be the SmackDown tag championship scene's mainstay trio.

Ladder Match: WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Big Cass vs. Rusev vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus vs. Cesaro vs. Andrade 'Cien' Almas

Every 'Mania weekend has to have a ladder match, and SmackDown's packed midcard division is the perfect spot for the latest high-octane showcase. Get everyone on the show by having them all smack each other with ladders to get a championship.

While Shinsuke Nakamura should hopefully get his chance with the WWE Championship soon, he will likely not stay in the picture all the way to The Showcase of the Immortals. With his new heel persona playing up the ignorant foreigner persona, he could have fun as United States champion.

Big Cass will likely be pushed heavily in 2018, so he would be the other big star in this match. Rusev and Jeff Hardy should hopefully be mainstays in this title scene.

Sheamus and Cesaro likely will not last another year as a team given how long they have already been together, so they should both be hungry for singles gold. This leaves one last spot for the latest big name from NXT. Andrade "Cien" Almas would also look good with the U.S. title.

Credit: WWE.com

WWE Intercontinental Champion Bobby Roode vs. Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

Unfortunately, this is just a case of too many talented stars and not enough spots on the card. There is no way Bobby Roode, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens or Sami Zayn miss the main card, but where do they fit in next year? To spice it up, the dynamic of this match should be much different by 2019.

In this hypothetical scenario, Roode has turned heel, while KO and Zayn have had a falling-out, maybe with Owens now face. Balor would still be in the Intercontinental Championship scene because he seems well-suited for going after the workhorse title.

Much like WrestleMania 34's IC title match, this would just be the hungriest Raw wrestlers going out to steal the show. Owens and Zayn would add another epic match to their rivalry while Roode and Balor could continue or begin a rivalry of their own.

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

There was a time in 2017 when it looked like this could be the plan for WrestleMania 34, but Dean Ambrose's injury stalled that match. Hopefully The Lunatic Fringe will be back soon, setting up a surprise turn on his Shield brother Seth Rollins that can rage all the way to 'Mania.

Ambrose has been a face for far too long, waiting for an opportunity to branch out. With Rollins fully settled into his show-stealer role on Raw, it only makes sense to have his foil be the man he has been connected to since the beginning of his time in WWE.

Singles matches without a title on the line on the 'Mania card are precious and few, but this feud has always delivered. The duo are among the elite talent in WWE, and they could easily tear down the house.

Raw Women's Champion Sasha Banks vs. Bayley

It is about time WWE gave Sasha Banks and Bayley the spotlight they deserve. It was a shame not to see these two battle it out one-on-one at The Showcase of the Immortals this year, but there's plenty of time to give them a chance to shine.

The Boss has long teetered on the edge of turning heel, so it is possible WWE could hold off just long enough to make the moment the catalyst for one huge match between these disputing friends. The story would be easy to tell if difficult to keep delaying.

This would keep top Raw women, including Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax off the main card, but that's exactly the position Banks and Bayley were in at 34. Singles matches are the attraction at WrestleMania, and they give a greater importance to the titles being defended.

Triple H vs. AJ Styles

If there is one certainty on every 'Mania card, it is Triple H getting a major headliner. The NXT founder only comes out to compete on special occasions, and there are a few potential dream matches possible for him at WrestleMania 35. One match Hunter would likely jump at the chance to have is a showdown with AJ Styles.

The Phenomenal One is arguably the best wrestler in the company, putting on consistently excellent matches. He even brought out Shane McMahon's best performance in over a decade at WrestleMania 33. Shane's brother-in-law knows full well how good Styles is.

Since SmackDown's finest has been the star of the show on the brand for a while, he will likely have to step back from the top of the card soon. A feud with Triple H, especially slowly built up over several months, would be the perfect way to keep Styles relevant outside of the title picture.

Credit: WWE.com

Retirement Match: The Undertaker vs. John Cena

The Undertaker has returned, and it looks like he may be getting more involved in WWE over the next year, perhaps leading up to one last 'Mania showdown. John Cena shockingly was squashed by Taker at WrestleMania 34, which could be a perfect setup for The Champ to demand another shot.

The story would be made for The Grandest Stage of Them All. Cena got his dream match but was humiliated, so he will do anything to get a second chance—even put his career on the line.

With Cena already doing incredible honors for Taker, The Deadman could return the favor, going out after one last major performance. While no one knows exactly how healthy The Phenom is, his announced match with Rusev at Friday's Greatest Royal Rumble should tell everyone whether he's ready for one more 'Mania battle.

WWE Champion Samoa Joe vs. Daniel Bryan

SmackDown's main event scene was shaken up by recent events, with Daniel Bryan's return to the ring and Samoa Joe's arrival. While Bryan will be busy for a while with Cass and Joe with Roman Reigns, this is just delaying for an inevitable dream match.

If Joe and Bryan are kept away from each other long enough, The Showcase of the Immortals would be the perfect place for SmackDown to showcase its best stars and finally have the pair battle in a WWE ring. It would also be fresh given how long both have been out of the main event scene.

Joe as champion made sense last year for Raw, and it makes even more sense on SmackDown. He's a ruthless heel who can work well with anyone.

Bryan would be the ultimate babyface to contest Joe's reign of terror, perhaps after finally winning a Royal Rumble.

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman

Even with Lesnar's potential departure for UFC, Raw will be dominated by hard-hitting heavyweights for a long time to come. If Reigns wins the WWE Universal Championship at the Greatest Royal Rumble, it would likely set him up to hold the title for a while to make up for the lack of long reigns on his resume.

Given Reigns has already faced many of Raw's top stars, it may be smart to set up his 'Mania match as the ultimate challenge, battling two men who will test him the most. Bobby Lashley is back, and he should be a major factor in the main event scene over the long haul.

Meanwhile, no one deserves a chance to shine at WrestleMania more than Braun Strowman, who has repeatedly been underutilized. The Monster Among Men is massively over and perfectly set for a major title run. He might start to lose momentum if it does not come soon.

If WWE commits to Strowman, he could even be the one to dethrone Reigns in the summer to begin a reign of dominance. While it is less likely, a more exciting potential match for 'Mania would be to just have him face Lashley in a battle of pure power while The Big Dog finds a different big match.

SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey

In the 35-year history of WrestleMania, no woman has ever competed in the main event. Next year would be the right time to change that with a high-profile match between the two biggest stars in the women's division.

Charlotte Flair ended Asuka's undefeated streak, and she will likely continue fighting The Empress of Tomorrow for a while. She may not hold the SmackDown Women's Championship, but she will get that title back in time for a huge showdown with Ronda Rousey.

Since Rousey signed with WWE in January, a match with Charlotte was just about at the top of everyone's list of dream bouts. By April 2019, the former UFC star should be ready for such an epic match, especially after showing serious promise in her debut at WrestleMania 34.

Flair and Rousey are the biggest stars in the division, and this could both be their first clash and result in the latter's first title victory. It would be the perfect exclamation mark for the women's evolution, finally signaling the division will be treated as equal to the men's heavyweight division going forward.