WWE WrestleMania 34: Match Card, Potential Spoilers, Predictions and More

WWE WrestleMania 34 will have no shortage of big, celebratory moments. New champions are poised to capture gold at Sunday's marquee pay-pay-view.

By the end of the night in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, it will feel as if WWE has rebooted itself.

Brock Lesnar is likely to be out as universal champion and perhaps gone from the company. Asuka, Braun Strowman and Shinsuke Nakamura are closing in on winning their first titles on the main roster. A new cruiserweight champ will reign as the tournament for the vacant belt climaxes.

And at The Show of Shows, we are also getting Daniel Bryan's in-ring return after a three-year absence and the start of the Ronda Rousey era.

So amid all the spectacle and theater that comes with WrestleMania, WWE will welcome change. A fresh set of titleholders is on the way. Star-making moments will unfold as well. 

News, Potential Spoilers

Undertaker isn't confirmed on Sunday's card, but there's little doubt he's going to make his presence felt in New Orleans.

John Cena has been calling him out for weeks but has yet to receive an answer. The audience waited for all the foreshadowing and teases to lead somewhere. It hasn't. That's set to change at The Show of Shows.

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc), WWE CEO Vince McMahon believes the fans know Undertaker will show up at WrestleMania and that the storyline is a means to bring The Deadman back.

Don't expect The Rock to make an appearance, however. In an interview promoting new movie Rampage, The Great One told WSVN-TV's Chris Van Vliet that he wouldn't be at WrestleMania.

Elsewhere, the universal champ is possibly on his way out of WWE after the big show.

During a recent appearance on Fox Sports, Dana White revealed Lesnar is returning to the UFC. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani later noted that a deal between the promotion and Lesnar is in place:

That makes Reigns the expected winner in the Universal Championship match. Bookmakers agree. OddsShark shows Reigns is a -1,200 favorite.

Match Card

• Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali (Cruiserweight Championship)
• Women's Battle Royal
• Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
• The Usos vs. The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)
• Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Braun Strowman and a mystery partner (Raw Tag Team Championships)
• Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax (Raw Women's Championship)
• Randy Orton vs. Rusev vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal (United States Championship)
• The Miz vs. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins (Intercontinental Championship)
• Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
• Stephanie McMahon and Triple H vs. Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle
• Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka (SmackDown Women's Championship)
• AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)
• Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (Universal Championship)

Predictions

• Ali over Alexander.
• Sasha Banks wins the Battle Royal.
• Goldust wins the Battle Royal.
• The Bludgeon Brothers over The Usos, The New Day.
• Strowman and his partner over The Bar.
• Jax over Bliss.
• Orton retains.
• Rollins over The Miz, Balor.
• Bryan and McMahon over Owens and Zayn.
• Rousey and Angle over McMahon and Triple H.
• Asuka over Flair.
• Nakamura over Styles.
• Reigns over Lesnar.

Bryan is Back

Daniel Bryan last wrestled in WWE in 2015. Concerns over his history of concussions and seizures led to his retirement.

The SmackDown general manager's tireless pursuit of a comeback didn't bear fruit until March, when the company announced Bryan was cleared to compete.

He will team up with SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon in a battle against the blue brand's resident hellions. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have terrorized the show and its authority figures for months. They left McMahon lying before doing the same to Bryan.

Their comeuppance is fast approaching, with Bryan and McMahon looking to send them away for good. KO and Zayn have to win this match to regain their spots on the SmackDown roster. If they fail, they will remain fired for their recent attacks.

It almost doesn't matter how good the match is. Finally seeing Bryan dart around the ring again, drop-kicking everyone in sight, is going to be such a moving experience.

Rousey Arrives

The Ronda years will begin in earnest Sunday. 

Rousey emerged at this year's Royal Rumble, stared down both Charlotte Flair and Asuka and pointed to the WrestleMania sign. And with that, the UFC star's transition to a WWE Superstar role kicked off.

She hasn't yet wrestled, but she's had plenty of run-ins with Raw's bosses, McMahon and Triple H.

Their rivalry plays off Rousey's violent interaction with the executives at WrestleMania 31. To aid The Rock, the former UFC women's bantamweight titleholder whipped both members of The Authority.

With The Rock busy making movies, she enlisted Raw general manager Angle's help.

The unknowns are plentiful with Rousey. Will WWE fans take to her? Will she thrive in the ring? Will WWE book her as a Lesnar-type special attraction or make her a more regular part of the product?

The Rousey-WWE story won't be complete by WrestleMania's end, but we will have some early answers to some of those questions.

The Queen vs. The Empress of Tomorrow

Flair has been WWE's top women's wrestler, a perennial champion and centerpiece star for several years. Asuka walked in with an undefeated streak she began at NXT and has extended it as a part of Raw.

The two warriors are set to meet in New Orleans in one of the biggest matches possible within the women's division.

Asuka's Royal Rumble win earned her an opportunity at Flair's SmackDown Women's Championship. For Flair to keep hold of that prize, she has to do what Bayley, Banks, Mickie James, Ember Moon and others couldn't: beat Asuka.

Their showdown has all the makings of an instant classic.

The Dream Match

In early 2016, both AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura competed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. They collided at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in a thriller for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.

Fast-forward two years, and both men are among SmackDown's biggest names. Styles has proved himself to be the company's top in-ring performer. Nakamura has shown flashes of his greatness, but as he told Bleacher Report in a recent interview, he hasn't shown his best.

"I think I haven't shown my 100 percent yet," Nakamura said. "I'm going to try to show them 100 percent of myself at WrestleMania."

Like Asuka, Nakamura made it to this point via a Royal Rumble win. He wasted no time in deciding what title he wanted to pursue. Moments after his Battle Royal victory, he set his sights on Styles.

With their history, their chemistry and what they are capable of producing in a Wrestle Kingdom rematch, that was an expected, welcome move.

Nakamura is ready to have his coming-out party and possibly to capture his first WWE crown. Chances are he and Styles produce some magic along the way.

Lesnar vs. Reigns II

Roman Reigns had Brock Lesnar reeling at WrestleMania 31. In a bloody, smashmouth battle, The Big Dog looked to be closing in on his crowning moment against the WWE champion. Then came his old stablemate Seth Rollins with the Money in the Bank briefcase in hand to steal a win and the title.

Reigns' chance for redemption is upon us three years later.

Uncertainty hangs in the air as Lesnar readies for another go at a UFC run. WWE, via Reigns, has painted The Beast Incarnate as an entitled star who doesn't care about this business. It all felt like a means to ease his exit and to portray Reigns as a workhorse man of the people.

The reaction to both wrestlers will be intriguing, as we could get a repeat of the boo-heavy Lesnar vs. Goldberg WrestleMania XX bout.

The action between the ropes will be enthralling regardless. Lesnar vs. Reigns promises to be WrestleMania's most violent contest. The night will offer something for everyone, from the high-octane cruiserweight title bout to all the bells and whistles of the Rousey spectacle.

It will lead to change atop the brand hierarchy. After all the fireworks, Raw and Smackdown Live will emerge from WrestleMania with new kings and queens.