WWE WrestleMania 34: Latest Rumors and Potential Spoilers After Fastlane

WWE Fastlane is in the history books. In its wake is a plethora of rumors, speculation and potential spoilers regarding mountainous monsters and rowdy badasses for fans to wade through ahead of WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans on April 8.

Braun Strowman wowed the WWE Universe on Monday's episode of Raw, winning a tag team Battle Royal to cash his ticket to The Showcase of the Immortals and a date with Raw tag team champions Sheamus and Cesaro. Will The Monster Among Men go it alone, or will he have a partner to rely on?

Despite being advertised to appear on every Raw until WrestleMania, Ronda Rousey was nowhere to be found Monday night. Why was she not there, and where was she?

The answers to those questions and more lie below.

Braun Strowman to Gain Unexpected Tag Team Partner?

When Strowman eliminated Karl Anderson to earn a shot at The Bar and the Raw Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania, commentators Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Jonathan Coachman immediately questioned whether the brute force would attempt to go it alone at WrestleMania.

According to Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE is not even sure.

Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats followed up with speculation surrounding a potential tag team partner Strowman has become quite familiar with in recent weeks.

"The speculation going around is that Elias could be Strowman’s partner, if they choose to pair him with someone."

Strowman and Elias have been frequent opponents in recent weeks, including a Symphony of Destruction match on the March 5 episode of Raw, which saw The Monster Among Men obliterate The Drifter.

Analysis

WWE has relied on the "tag team partners who hate each other" storyline in the past, most notably during the Attitude Era. Sometimes, it is executed effectively. Others, it is a team thrown together for a week to instigate a specific angle and nothing is ever said of it again.

Strowman and Elias have delivered some of the most entertaining content on recent episodes of Raw, and each man is a candidate for breakout star of the brand extension some two years in. With that said, putting them together just to get both guys on the WrestleMania card in something even remotely meaningful is a questionable call.

Forcing them together for the sake of giving them something to do on one night of the year is hardly an effective way to guarantee their momentum beyond April 8. What if they win? What if the team gets over?

What does WWE have in store for them in the long term? Has it even considered such a thing?

Those are questions the company should take into consideration before it decides to stick Elias with Strowman just to get him on the show.

Where in The World Was 'Rowdy' Ronda Rousey?

Former UFC star and WWE signee Ronda Rousey was recently advertised to appear on every episode of Raw leading into WrestleMania 34.

That lasted approximately one week, as Rousey missed Monday's episode of Raw.

Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet reported Rousey was never supposed to be in Detroit for WWE's flagship show. Instead, she was in Pittsburgh for medical testing.

Satin's also noted, "We're told that from now on Rousey will be present at every Raw prior to WrestleMania, but it's possible she'll be featured in a dark segment only seen by the live audience."

The second part of that report is a relief to fans questioning Rousey's intentions this early in her run with the company.

Analysis

It is interesting to see WWE make such an uncharacteristic mistake. WrestleMania is the most important event of the year, and its promotional efforts during 'Mania season are often top-notch. That the flub involved a mainstream star like Rousey only makes it worse.

Rousey has been better than expected, growing more confident in front of the camera and on the microphone with every passing week. It remains to be seen whether she is ready for the in-ring portion of her performance, but Rousey has done a solid enough job of winning fans over that it may not matter.

The one thing she cannot do is give fans a reason to turn on her.

The first hint she is big-timing them or playing up her star power to get special privileges like weeks off will bring about the demise of the connection she has developed already.

Thankfully, this was a miscommunication that should have no effect on her.

Shane McMahon's WrestleMania Plans

At Fastlane, SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon interfered in the Six-Pack Challenge match, costing both Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn the WWE Championship. After announcing he was taking a leave of absence from the brand two nights later, he booked Zayn and Owens against each other at WrestleMania 34, only to find himself on the receiving end of a brutal beatdown at their hands.

According to Ortman, the angle was done to set up McMahon's in-ring involvement at the extravaganza.

"Regarding that match, McMahon will definitely be in it, but it supposedly still hasn't been decided if it will be a Triple Threat or if Shane will get a tag partner," Ortman reported.

Furthermore, the match will have a special guest referee.

"Daniel Bryan is returning to SmackDown next week," Ortman noted. "It's believed he'll end up as guest referee for the Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Shane McMahon match."

The rivalry involving McMahon, Zayn, Owens and Bryan dates back to last fall and has dominated the blue brand's airwaves ever since.

Analysis

The longest-running storyline in WWE deserves a fitting conclusion, and there is no better or bigger stage than WrestleMania.

It is interesting management would be considering a tag team partner for McMahon, especially considering SmackDown's lack of depth and the absence of a clear favorite to fill that role. Every potential big-name babyface already has a match or figures to be involved in a yet-to-be-named contest.

A Triple Threat match that allows McMahon's weaknesses to be masked by the in-ring work of Zayn and Owens, whose own issues have come to the surface in recent weeks, is the better option. Bryan's involvement would create drama given the dissension between him and the prodigal son over the past few months.

This saga is the type of rivalry WrestleMania used to be built on, a long and layered epic that spans months and various developments before culminating with a blockbuster match WWE fans eagerly anticipate.

It is a throwback to a bygone era and should spawn one of the more intriguing matches in this year's lineup.