Thumbs Up on WrestleMania Stories, Thumbs Down on Showcase Matches, More Quick Takes

With WrestleMania 39 less than two weeks away, it's crucial that WWE delivers a strong final stretch and ensures the hype for the two-night event is as grand as possible.

Although Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship sells itself, there was a question early on The Road to WrestleMania of whether the rest of the card could hold up.

With a majority of the top matches for The Show of Shows on April 1-2 having been made official (or heavily hinted at) since then, the answer is a resounding yes.

This year's build to the showpiece hasn't been entirely smooth, though, with Brock Lesnar vs. Omos feeling forced and Bianca Belair vs. Asuka having little storyline support. The newly announced WrestleMania Showcase matches, which currently lack stakes, also deserve scrutiny.

All in all, WWE has done a commendable job of generating interest for this year's Showcase of the Immortals. Enough time remains for the undercard to improve, especially as the statuses of several injured and inactive Superstars become clear.

This installment of Quick Takes will examine what's working and what's not ahead of WrestleMania, "Hangman" Adam Page possibly reuniting with The Elite in All Elite Wrestling, MJF's next world title challenger, and more.

WrestleMania's Biggest Stories Clicking at Just the Right Time

The inconsistency with this year's Road to WrestleMania has been apparent at times, specifically in the weeks following Elimination Chamber when Raw and SmackDown were hardly as exciting as they should have been.

WWE has successfully turned that around in the past two weeks with both brands by making multiple matches official for the card and doing so in effective fashion. The marquee bouts in particular have been handled perfectly and are clicking at just the right time as 'Mania approaches.

The build for Reigns vs. Rhodes needed to hit a home run with the latter having missed almost eight months of television. Amazingly, every segment involving them has been must-see, and there's still more ground they can cover before 'Mania.

The story of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens reuniting has been nothing short of stellar, with all of their interactions progressing their storyline with The Usos a little further.

Rey and Dominik Mysterio have also relied on promos to build anticipation for their inevitable father-son encounter and have become one of the best parts of WWE programming.

There hadn't been anything special about Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley rekindling their rivalry until their electric brawl on Friday's SmackDown.

This is the perfect time for all of these angles to reach the next gear and give fans reason to believe WrestleMania 39 will live up to its potential.

WWE Reveals 'Mania Bathroom Breaks with Showcase Matches

For as many positives that the build to the marquee pay-per-view has produced, a handful of matches and storylines still need creative attention. The pair of WrestleMania Showcase matches that just joined the card a few days ago lead that list.

Despite rumors of WWE head of creative Triple H wanting a smaller card this year, two Fatal 4-Way tag team matches for the men and women have since been added. Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan were the first team to qualify on Friday's SmackDown.

The biggest problem with both bouts is that they're being announced so close to The Show of Shows with little time to be built up. Although the action is guaranteed to be great, it'll be difficult for fans to care about random teams being thrown into one match for no real reason.

Worse yet, no stakes have been determined as of now, begging the question of what these wrestlers will be fighting for beyond a spot on the biggest card of the year. More talent can be incorporated into the event this way, but the promise of WrestleMania exposure is hardly an important prize in the eyes of the audience.

A quick fix would be to establish that the winners earn themselves tag team title opportunities at a later date, otherwise these contests will be better off relegated to the Kickoff show for each night.

Elite-Hangman Reunion Is Exactly What AEW Needs Right Now

AEW Revolution earlier this month was an all-around excellent event, but more compelling stories are needed to make Dynamite a stronger show on a weekly basis. The tease of an Elite reunion could be exactly that.

Last Wednesday's Dynamite ended on an intriguing cliffhanger when Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks were shown backing up an unknowing Adam Page against Blackpool Combat Club. It marked the first time all of The Elite have been on the same side in nearly three years.

All signs point to the group reuniting to battle BCC in a Blood and Guts match sometime in the next few months. It should be a slow burn given all of the issues Page has had with Omega and the Bucks in the past, but the payoff could be massive if executed properly.

It's the next logical chapter for everyone involved. Omega and the Bucks should be done in the AEW World Trios Championship picture and need something significant to do, while Hangman could benefit from having some backup against the Jon Moxley-led group.

Beyond Blood and Guts, Omega and Page should shift their focus toward the AEW World Championship.

AEW has been centered around The Elite since Day 1, and their reconciliation is arguably the biggest story that can be told right now save for a CM Punk return.

Mapping Out MJF's Challengers for AEW World Championship

Dynamite last week started as strong as it ended with MJF being interrupted by three men considered by fans to be fellow "pillars" of AEW: Jack Perry, Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin.

All of them staked their claim at a title shot before breaking out into a brawl, seemingly setting the stage for a three-way match to determine who will be next in line for a shot at the AEW World Championship.

With Double or Nothing not for another two months, whoever emerges from that No. 1 Contender's match will likely get the next title shot on an edition of Dynamite. Of the three, Perry makes the most sense as Guevara isn't an interesting opponent for MJF at the moment, and Allin should be saved for a future PPV.

Perry has made it clear that his next goal is to hold singles gold, so although he'd come up short, he can gain a ton from having a competitive title match with MJF in the main event of Dynamite.

Allin vs. MJF would an excellent main event for Double or Nothing if their outstanding encounter at Full Gear in 2021 was any indication of what they're capable of, assuming Allin is built up a bit more between now and then.

Adam Page would be a solid second choice depending on his status in the storyline with The Elite.

WWE Must Hit Reset Button with Bray Wyatt Post-WrestleMania

Bray Wyatt's popularity with the WWE Universe has been undeniable since his return in October, but everything else about his second stint so far has been less than stellar, to say the least.

From his storyline with Uncle Howdy jumping the shark at the Royal Rumble to his lack of in-ring inactivity, Wyatt hasn't had a lot going for him in recent months. His lack of character development and direction has been disappointing and a complete waste of what he could bring to the table.

The peak of his run came in his first promo back on SmackDown when he took a more realistic approach for the first time. Unfortunately, the follow-up was nearly nonexistent, and he was back to the hocus-pocus silliness before long.

His potential absence from WrestleMania 39 due to a "physical issue" per Fightful Select could be a blessing in disguise, as it would allow WWE to (hopefully) hit the reset button with him and start fresh coming out of the event.

It's early enough in his return that Wyatt shouldn't be written off as damaged goods just yet, but a serious overhaul will be needed in order for fans to regain faith in his booking.

Something more straightforward would be ideal along with ditching Uncle Howdy if there is no plan for it to lead to anything of note in the foreseeable future.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.