WWE WrestleMania 2016: Matches with Biggest Historical Implications

Thousands of matches are wrestled in WWE rings over the course of a year, but none have the historical significance that the bouts occurring at WrestleMania do.

With the eyes of the sports and entertainment worlds watching, the lights brighter and the spotlight hotter than at any other time, what a Superstar does on that night lives in eternity. A good match is celebrated for generations; a bad one is scrutinized for just as long. And then there are those bouts that change the landscape of wrestling, either in the immediate future or for years to come.

Sunday night, when Vince McMahon and the men and women of WWE roll into AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for the latest incarnation of The Showcase of the Immortals, any of the 11 matches slated for the massive card are capable of achieving that status.

Only these select few will, though.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. Triple H

When historians look back at WrestleMania 32, they will recognize it as the show that either launched the star of Roman Reigns or doomed him to failure once and for all.

There is no in-between. After starting and stopping and delaying and botching Reigns' push countless times leading into the event, April 3's showdown with Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship will present Reigns with a very real "sink or swim" scenario.

A classic performance, one that silences criticisms regarding his in-ring work, will take his down a path similar to that of John Cena. The current franchise star of WWE had a similarly bumpy start to his main event career, fan disdain plaguing his entire time at the top. That would be a perfectly fine business model for Reigns to attempt to replicate.

Should he fail to perform up to the moment, wrestling a subpar match against an opponent who has been on a roll of late, he will doom himself to harsher criticisms and lend credibility to arguments against his placement at the top of the card.

For Triple H, the match could very well be his last main event at The Showcase of the Immortals.

One of the greatest in-ring performers of his generation, The Game has been to the proverbial dance countless times, waged war against the most decorated stars in wrestling history and turned in some of the finest performances of his career at the event.

At age 46, he only has a few more high-profile, high-intensity battles left in him. With a wealth of young talent waiting to seize the opportunity and usurp him, the likelihood he makes it back to the marquee match lessens with every passing year.

Expect to see The Cerebral Assassin pull another classic performance out of his bag of tricks in what very well may be his final go-round at the top of the 'Mania card.

Hell in a Cell: Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker

Anyone who expects Shane McMahon to beat The Undertaker and instantly change the landscape of WWE from a business standpoint will be sadly mistaken when Monday rolls around. The state of the company looks eerily similar to the way it looked prior to WrestleMania, regardless of whether he wins.

What could change are the major storylines within WWE.

If recent reports like this one from PWInsider.com (h/t WrestleZone.com) are any indication, there could very well be another brand split on its way. That would undeniably be the result of a McMahon victory and would alter the way Raw and SmackDown are presented every week.

From a touring perspective, it would mean nothing. WWE already splits its roster in two, with some stars captaining the "A" show and others headlining the "B" run. What it would do is give some of the men and women of WWE increased television time, even if the storytelling and booking methods remain largely unchanged.

A McMahon victory would also put him in position to be the face of the Raw brand, freshening things up after the monotonous Authority run of the last three years. That could ignite interest in the show once more and generate renewed excitement.

Because of the possible split, which would be for television purposes only, the match could prove to be historically significant.

Triple Threat Match for the Divas Championship: Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch

The future of women's wrestling in WWE rests squarely on the shoulders of Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch come Sunday's extravaganza. A match that has been hyped as one of the biggest and most important on the WrestleMania card, it is the first real opportunity the female talent in Vince McMahon's company have been allowed to appear in this high-profile a situation.

As Sasha Banks revealed in one of WWE's official YouTube videos, her photo joins Charlotte and Becky Lynch's right on the front of AT&T Stadium. There those women are, right alongside Shane McMahon, Undertaker, Triple H and Roman Reigns, proof positive of the trust McMahon and NXT head Triple H have in them to deliver on the grandest stage known to their profession.

If they succeed, it would not be out of the realm of possibility for those women and the rest of their counterparts to see their roles expanded in the WWE Universe. They have the opportunity to erase the long history of demeaning Bra and Panties matches, Hot Lesbian Action and any other questionable use of female stars one can remember.

They have the chance to prove to the world that women's wrestling belongs in WWE and, more importantly, can main event right alongside the top male stars in the industry.

On the other hand, though, failing to live up to the lofty expectations would provide a setback that may return the state of women's wrestling to where it was before Paige made her debut in 2014 and the Four Horsewomen shocked the world with extraordinary performances in NXT.

The women of WWE will make history Sunday night. Whether it is for better or worse is the question.