WrestleMania 28: Gearing Up for WWE Event, Predicting Card for Week 1

Hey, everybody.

Now that the Royal Rumble is long gone, and the following Monday Night Raw is under our belts, we're  officially on the long and suspenseful Road to WrestleMania.

WrestleMania XXVIII is shaping up to be quite a night for the pro wrestling world, and you never know what the WWE will have in store for their biggest event of the year. That's why I decided to start a short series that will go from week-to-week, highlighting what I (and hopefully you guys) think on April 1 in Miami.

As feuds begin to grow, storylines get more clear and matches start to become reality, the predicted card will change, and by April 1, hopefully we'll have a Wrestlemania that nobody will forget. 

So, without further ado, here's my predicted card for a WrestleMania that is a distant two months away. 

Divas Title Battle Royal

Beth Phoenix has become an absolute force since winning the Divas title a few months back, and considering she fights nothing but Barbie dolls, her victories really aren't all that surprising. 

The Divas division is dying for a shot in the arm, and this would be the perfect way to put on an unpredictable match without having to waste our time on building a predictable feud that nobody would care about. 

Who knows? Maybe by then Layla and/or Michelle McCool will be back, or a legend like Trish Stratus or Lita will grace us with their presence. But I don't want to jump the gun just yet on the first week.

Winner: Beth Phoenix

And then a Kharma return? God I hope so. 

Big Show vs. Shaq

Yup, I went there.

This will be the mainstream celebrity match of the night, much like how Snooki showed up last year (and left two wrestlers unemployed by the end of that same year).

I think this match would actually be pretty fun to watch, and it's been hinted at for a while. Shaq has already mentioned it a little bit, so maybe this is more of a sure thing than it seems.

We'll see where this potential rivalry goes in a few weeks, especially as more and more news continue to spring up about it.

For now, I'll just pick blindly. 

Winner: Shaq

MITB Ladder Match

The Miz, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Brodus Clay, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Wade Barrett, Christian & Mark Henry

10 guys. The return of the Money in the Bank ladder match deserves a big return, and these guys can certainly provide it. 

Personally, I would have loved an Orton-Barrett singles match, but there's just not enough big players on Smackdown in order to make this match even for both brands in my opinion. 

Either way it'll be just good to see this match back where it belongs, and it will definitely change the career for one lucky superstar.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler, but Wade Barrett is a pretty great option too.

United States Title Match: Jack Swagger (C) vs. Zack Ryder

Zack Ryder in singles title match at WrestleMania? You know it...uh bro. 

Ryder still needs his rematch, and expect him to get some rest and finally get his WrestleMania moment. At least I hope that's what happens for the sake of all the people who have rallied behind him over these last several months.

Still, when it comes to Ryder, it's very hard to tell what the WWE wants to do with him. Hopefully, his star doesn't fade completely out by WM.

With nothing going on in the IC scene, this will be another great title match the WWE can use to push its event. Both guys are great in their own unique ways.

Winner: Zack Ryder

No Holds Barred: The Undertaker vs. Triple H

Yeah, I'm not too happy about this one either. 

But for right now, it's looking like this is the direction that the WWE has decided to go in, especially with the amazing Raw return of The Deadman.

Even though Trips wasn't too thrilled about it at first, things are going to change as the months move on. Actually, I'm pretty curious how they're going to stretch this thing for several weeks and still keep it interesting. 

Maybe they'll throw Shawn Michaels into the mix somehow.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see. 

Winner: The Undertaker

Daniel Bryan (C) vs. Sheamus

As of right now, Sheamus' decision on who he's going to fight at WrestleMania is still uncertain, but after Jericho's actions on Raw, a shot at the WHC seems like the more logical choice. 

Right now it's not a great match, but I do find it ironic that these two guys met in the dark match last year, and now there's a chance that they could main event the biggest WM of all time.

If there's any match that could drastically change though, this might be the one. Bryan may not even be champ by WM, and I could see other guys getting involved too. 

Still, The Celtic Warrior has been so hot lately I'm surprised he's not horribly sunburned; he needs to win at WM and have a shot to carry the blue brand. 

Winner: Sheamus

WWE Championship: Chris Jericho (C) vs. CM Punk

You read the headline right. I do believe Y2J will be going into WrestleMania as the WWE champion. 

I didn't think so until I saw that the WWE title would be defended at Elimination Chamber. In retrospect, it fits perfectly, and Jericho's attack of Punk on Raw makes this whole thing almost a guarantee. 

CM Punk gets a rematch at WrestleMania, and the feud basically writes itself. Just give these two guys room and let them build it into something special.

How do I think Jericho will win at EC? I think it'll have to do with the "she" that was mentioned in those promos, and expect whoever that is to keep making an impact when we finally reach Miami.

The Best Wrestler in the World should still come out on top though in my opinion.

Winner: CM Punk

The Rock vs. John Cena

What else is there to say about this match?

Icon vs. icon.

Generation vs. generation.

Bad A-List movie star vs. Bad D-List movie star.

It's going to be one hell of a ride, and for right now I can only say that I hope The Rock lays a good ol' fashioned smackdown on the Mr. Cena. 

Obviously, give this match another month for the rivalry to actually start. When that happens, we'll actually have something to talk about that hasn't already been dissected thousands of times.

For now, let's see if Cena actually embraces a little bit of that hate that Kane's been talking about. Even "The Big Red Monster" stated that he won't beat The Rock unless he starts to change.

Winner: The Rock

A Few Things That Still Need to Be Considered

Where Does That Leave Kane?

Once his little feud with Cena is over after EC, Kane is really going to be stuck with no where to go. Putting him against Zack Ryder would be absolutely terrible considering how much Kane has pummeled him over the last few weeks. Putting him in the MITB ladder match wouldn't be a great fit for him either in my opinion. Maybe they can quickly build something for him within the month leading into WrestleMania, but it seems unlikely.

Rey and ADR at WM?

This is a match I was going to put on here because in many ways it would be a perfect middle of the night match to keep the crowd interested. However, injury updates aren't looking promising for Rey Mysterio, and with his career coming to a close, there's no point to throw him back into the mix before he's ready. Plus, the original plan was for him to wrestle Sin Cara, but we all know about what that idiot did. 

ADR's situation is similar. A groin injury is nothing to be careless about, and he's not even scheduled for the WWE title match at EC. Maybe keeping him out of WM would be the best way to ensure he comes back as healthy as possible.

Will There Be a Guest Host Like Last Year?

This one intrigues me a lot, considering all the success that the WWE had last year with The Rock hosting. Of course, there's not many guys who can be as huge a hit as "The Great One," but you never know with the WWE. And if there is another guest host, what role will he or she play in the outcome of the WM matches?

Thanks for reading guys. Please leave a comment on how you think the WM card should look next week or what I missed completely.