WWE WrestleMania 28: 13 Bold Predictions for the Upcoming PPV

The long wait is almost over.

After months (and in the cases of some matches, years) of hype and anticipation, we're now just five days away from the WWE's biggest pay-per-view of the year, WrestleMania 28.

The show's card is shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory, and if all goes right, we could be treated to a wildly entertaining four hours of nonstop WWE action.

Though many, like me, have high hopes for WrestleMania 28, we all know that the success of the show will depend largely on how it is booked, who wins and loses and so on and so forth.

It's almost impossible to predict exactly what's gonna go down in Miami, but that won't prevent me from trying.

Here are 13 bold predictions for WrestleMania 28.

13. Kane vs. Orton Will Actually Be a Good Match

Sure, the build to this match has been horrible, but that doesn't mean that the match has to be, too.

While time limitations (and Kane's too) will certainly prevent this bout from being a classic, what I've seen out of Kane and Orton in the past leads me to believe that they could put on a surprisingly good match at WrestleMania 28.

When Orton was feuding with Christian last summer, he also had a mini TV feud of sorts with Kane, and they faced each other a couple of times on Smackdown. This street fight between the two from an episode of Smackdown in July was actually a great TV bout, one that gives me that hope that their Mania match won't be the disaster that everyone thinks it's gonna be.

Of course, I would have preferred to see both guys in different Mania matches, but I'm willing to give them a chance despite the fact that their feud has really sucked.

12. At Least One Member of Team Johnny/Teddy Will Be Replaced During the PPV

I can't really pinpoint why, but I get the feeling that at least one member of either Team Teddy or Team Johnny (and maybe both) will be replaced during WrestleMania.

We've already seen one participant, Christian, replaced because of an injury, and I could see a similar situation happening at the pay-per-view, with perhaps a heel attacking one of the baby faces and causing him to be removed from the match.

It just seems like there are some big names—like Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio and Brodus Clay—that fit better in this match than some of the guys who are already in it, such as The Great Khali.

Maybe this is wishful thinking on my part, but I think we'll see the teams you're looking at in that picture look at least slightly different once the match starts.

11. Dolph Ziggler Will Get the Win for Team Johnny

Regardless of who is in this match, I think that Team Johnny is the obvious winner here because Teddy Long is extremely stale as a TV character and needs to go bye-bye.

Since this is not an elimination style tag team match, however, the next biggest question is: Who is going to get the win for Team Johnny?

I see no better option than Dolph Ziggler.

"The Showoff" is undoubtedly the best worker in the match, and since he's not in the high-profile singles match that I think he deserves, the next best option is for him to get the spotlight by being in the ring the most and getting the pin.

There just isn't any other superstar in this match who deserves it as much as he does.

10. Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes Will Last Only a Few Minutes

At every WrestleMania, there is a match that gets a decent amount of build, but ends up only having a few minutes on the actual pay-per-view.

It happened at WrestleMania 27 when Big Show's team faced The Corre (four minutes), at WrestleMania 26 when CM Punk faced Rey Mysterio (six minutes) and at WrestleMania 25 when Rey Mysterio defeated JBL in 21 seconds.

It's going to happen again this year, and the match that it's going to happen to is Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship.

There's no reason whatsoever to have Rhodes lose this match, and given that he has played up Big Show's embarrassing WrestleMania record, it only makes sense to have Rhodes win by beating Show in a very short match, one that lasts maybe just three or four minutes.

That will add to Show's Mania shortcomings and help get Rhodes even more over than he already is. 

9. Shawn Michaels Will Refuse to Count Multiple Pin Attempts

Shawn Michaels is stuck in a really tough position as the special guest referee of the Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Triple H.

On one side, he has the man who ended his career, on the other side he has his best friend and in between those two, he has his integrity that will want him to call this match right down the middle.

But given how involved HBK has been in this feud, I don't see him being able to remain impartial throughout the entire bout.

I think we can all accept that Undertaker's going to win, but we aren't sure how Michaels is going to ref this thing. If I was a betting man, though, I'd venture to guess that HBK is going to refuse to count multiple pin attempts...for both guys.

Undertaker will go to pin Triple H, and Michaels will suddenly get "distracted." Triple H will go to pin Taker, and he'll do the exact same.

It only adds to the story of the match: He doesn't want to screw over The Undertaker, but he doesn't want to count the 1-2-3 on his best friend, either.

8. Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan Will End in a DQ/Countout, Bryan Will Retain

The WWE is trying to build up both Sheamus and Daniel Bryan right now, so a clean loss for either of them is probably not something that the creative team wants to do because it will kill the loser's momentum.

The solution? A dirty finish.

I'm one of those fans who hates seeing unclean finishes at major pay-per-views, but I feel like this is one of those times where the story merits it. Bryan's been portrayed like a cowardly, weasel-like heel, and it would only add to his mega-heat for him to purposely get himself disqualified or counted out to lose the match.

Meanwhile, Sheamus' momentum wouldn't take a hit because he would likely just find himself getting another title shot at Extreme Rules anyway.

I definitely don't see Bryan winning clean, so unless the WWE decides to have Sheamus win clean (I don't want to see that for Bryan's sake), a DQ or count-out finish seems likely.

7. Kharma or Layla Will Return

The Divas tag team match at WrestleMania is probably going to be a lackluster outing that not too many people care about or are even remotely interested in.

But if the WWE wants to spice things up, then it can do so by having a major Diva return. And the two best options are Kharma or Layla.

While I think Kharma is a little less likely because she's probably still grieving the loss of her child, Layla is reportedly going to receive a big post-WrestleMania push, according to F4Wonline.com (via WrestleZone.com).

Obviously, an easy way to start that push would be to have Layla return at WrestleMania, and assuming she's going to be a baby face, she can immediately go after Divas Champion Beth Phoenix to kick off their title feud.

6. John Cena Will Beat the Rock Clean

I don't care what The Rock's WWE future holds—John Cena has to beat him at WrestleMania 28.

Even if The Rock is going to stick around for a best two-out-of-three series or a rematch at WrestleMania 29 next year, the only logical outcome is to have him lose to Cena on the grandest stage of them all.

Cena is the full-time wrestler now, and he's the one who should get the win in the biggest match ever. If The Rock is going to wrestle again (and specifically, if he's going to wrestle Cena), that doesn't change anything.

You have The Rock lose, and then you have him challenge Cena to another match to even the score. Oh, and you have Cena win clean, too.

We don't want any nonsense or shenanigans in arguably the biggest match in wrestling history. We want a clear outcome with an easily identifiable winner.

I think we'll get that, and I think his name will be John Cena.

5. Jericho/Punk Will Unseat Owen/Bret as Best Opener in Mania History

The consensus among just about everyone involved in professional wrestling seems to be that Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania X is the best show-opening match in WrestleMania history.

I tend to agree with that, but this distinction might not last long.

According to PWInsider.com (via WrestleZone.com), Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship could be the opening match at WrestleMania 28, and if that indeed happens, it could very well unseat Bret vs. Owen as the best show opener in Mania history.

I know it's a really bold statement to make because Bret/Owen is one of the best WrestleMania matches ever. Period.

But the feud between Punk and Jericho has been phenomenal so far, and that should lead to an epic match that steals the show at WrestleMania. Just how great it will be is the only real question.

4. Chris Jericho Will Beat CM Punk to Win the WWE Championship

It seems like most fans are banking on CM Punk walking out of WrestleMania as WWE Champion, but I'm just not buying it.

I'm of the belief that only one of the World titles will change hands at WrestleMania, and I keep asking myself who needs to hold onto their title more, Punk or Daniel Bryan.

The answer: Bryan, whose character is based largely on holding that title, screaming "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and boasting that he's the World Heavyweight Champion.

Punk, on the other hand, has already established himself as a top-two or three star in the WWE, and he doesn't need the WWE title to be considered one of the biggest stars in the company. Bryan's momentum, however, will be completely killed if he loses the World Heavyweight title clean to Sheamus.

Plus, where is the pay-per-view after Mania, Extreme Rules taking place? The Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.

It might be better booking to have Punk win the title back in his home state, especially if Jericho is going to win it at some point during their feud anyway.

3. The Seeds for a Wrestlemania 29 Main Event Will Be Planted

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via Wrestleview.com), the WWE wants to announce the WrestleMania 29 main event as soon as possible, preferably on the episode of Raw the night after WrestleMania 28.

In order to do that, though, one thing has to happen: The WWE has to plant the seeds for that WrestleMania 29 match at WrestleMania 28.

And I think that's exactly what's going to happen.

What those seeds will be, no one really seems to know for sure right now. But there are a number of huge stars that could get involved in each other's business in Miami to set up a colossal showdown in New Jersey.

Maybe it'll be something involving The Rock, John Cena, The Miz, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin or CM Punk. But no matter who's involved, I think something will go down at WrestleMania 28 that lays down the foundation for WrestleMania 29. 

2. It Will Go Down as One of the Best WrestleManias Ever

From top to bottom, the WrestleMania 28 card isn't as good as several others we've seen in the past.

But when you look at the show's three main events (The Rock vs. John Cena, CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho and Triple H vs. The Undertaker), they all have the potential to be incredible matches, and each of them offers something different.

Rock/Cena will have more electricity and a more raucous atmosphere than any match since The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan, Punk vs. Jericho should be phenomenal from a technical standpoint, and Triple H vs. Taker might end up being the best Hell in a Cell match ever.

We've also got a potentially great Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan match and a Kane vs. Randy Orton bout that could surprise some people as well.

Those five matches in particular will have to be spot on for WrestleMania 28 to live up to the hype, but if they do, then I think we'll look back upon this pay-per-view as one of the top five WrestleManias in history.

1. The Miz Will Turn Baby Face

The Miz finally made his way onto Team Johnny on last night's Raw, but it took him three attempts to actually get on the squad. 

I don't know about you, but I smell something fishy going on.

My theory is that The Miz got onto Team Johnny because he just wanted a spot on the WrestleMania 28 card, but he did so to get a little revenge on the interim Raw GM rather than help him. Why? Because The Miz feels like he should have been on the team to begin with.

So perhaps The Miz costs Team Johnny the match, or maybe after Team Johnny wins, he nails John Laurinaitis with the Skull Crushing Finale, turning baby face in the process.

I just feel like The Miz's character is ridiculously stale, and he needs something, anything to freshen up and get back to the main event scene.

There are other ways to do this, but I'm thinking a baby face turn is what will get The Miz's career back on track. And I'm thinking it will happen at WrestleMania 28.

Note: As part of the new WWE blog, I'll be asking all of the B/R wrestling readers for questions for a new mailbag that I will post on Fridays. It will be a slideshow featuring 10-20 questions and answers on a wide range of topics. You can submit questions either through Formspring or Twitter, and the best ones will be answered in the B/R mailbag.