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WWE WrestleMania 35: Most Intriguing Storylines to Follow for Final 3 Weeks
March 17, 2019
With WWE set to invade East Rutherford, New Jersey, for WrestleMania 35 as soon as April 7, the card is taking shape and fans are getting a better idea of the matches and moments that will unfold on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
There are still several unknowns, storylines still in development and Superstars without clear paths to The Showcase of the Immortals.
The uncertainty makes for intriguing stories to follow on the Road to WrestleMania—as does the continuation of the prominent narratives already introduced to the WWE Universe.
These should most pique your interest.
What Will Finn Balor Do?
Finn Balor's loss of the Intercontinental Championship back to Bobby Lashley on the March 11 episode of Raw left fans wondering where the former NXT and universal champion fits into the WrestleMania picture.
A report from WrestleVotes, though, suggests management does have plans for the Irish competitor.
Furthermore, a WWE Network advertisement for WrestleMania depicts Balor in his Demon persona, something fans have not seen on WWE programming since SummerSlam 2018, when he steamrolled Baron Corbin for a big pay-per-view win.
While it could be WWE using one of its most colorful personalities to help sell its most prestigious pay-per-view, WrestleMania is exactly the type of event at which fans would expect to see Balor stalk toward the square circle in his famed face paint.
It is possible that the frustration he has experienced in regard to Lashley and mouthpiece Lio Rush could push Balor to reintroduce The Demon to WWE. It is also possible that whatever WWE Creative has in store for him is special enough to invoke that unbeaten side of the Irishman.
One thing is for certain: The path the immensely popular Balor takes to WrestleMania will be of great interest, especially if we are greeted with a rare sighting of the enigmatic Demon.
How Will WWE Utilize Its Enormous Roster?
One would be hard-pressed to find a time in history when the WWE roster was as loaded with talent as it is now.
From NXT all the way up to the main roster, the plethora of talent that exists under the WWE umbrella is untouched by any era. While that is a blessing, it is also a curse in terms of finding something satisfactory for everyone to do.
Such is the case facing the company as it prepares a WrestleMania card that has the potential to be bloated with matches.
Multiple-person bouts will almost assuredly be the theme for the event as the company looks to make use of its deep midcard, tag teams and women's division.
We have already seen the writing team suggest as much in regard to the Raw Tag Team Championships, with The Revival maintaining their stranglehold on the titles despite challenges from the teams of Aleister Black and Ricochet and former champions Bobby Roode and Chad Gable.
The seeds have already been planted for women's tag team champions Sasha Banks and Bayley to defend against the teams of Nia Jax and Tamina and the reunited Beth Phoenix and Natalya.
Over on SmackDown, Samoa Joe and the United States Championship have been in the crosshairs of Andrade, Rey Mysterio and R-Truth.
So many moving pieces in so many title pictures almost ensures this year's event closely resembles the 2000 incarnation of WrestleMania, which featured just one singles bout.
How WWE brings so many Superstars together, without the promise of an Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal to this point, will be interesting.
Roman Reigns' Return to WrestleMania
In October, the idea Roman Reigns would compete at WrestleMania was inconceivable.
The Big Dog had just relinquished the Universal Championship and announced to the world that he had leukemia for the second time in his life. The wrestling world was shaken by the revelation and WWE was left reeling, desperately seeking a new face to insert into the top storylines on Raw.
The question then was not whether Reigns would be able to compete at WrestleMania but whether he would ever be healthy enough to lace a pair of boots again.
Fast forward to the last week of February and his announcement that he was in remission. Suddenly, the impossible became reality and the second-generation star was setting his sights on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
Monday's episode of Raw brought with it the first hint of a showdown between Reigns and Drew McIntyre.
On the surface, that hardly sounds like a match worthy of Reigns' tremendous star power. What it does, though, is pair an established main event attraction with a Superstar WWE most definitely hopes will thrive at the top of the card beyond WrestleMania.
McIntyre has all the tools and has delivered in the handful of opportunities he has had to compete in prominent spots. There are no more high-profile spots in the industry than a WrestleMania match against the top star in the company.
McIntyre can propel himself into a sustained push at the top if he can perform up to the moment on April 7 and deliver a strong showing against Reigns.
The Big Dog lends McIntyre a level of credibility that will ensure he is taken seriously by an audience hungry for fresh faces at the top of the card. What the Scot does with it from there is entirely up to him.
For Reigns, it gives him a bit of a reprieve.
Over the course of the past four years, he has been the focal point of WrestleMania. He has battled Brock Lesnar twice, The Undertaker and Triple H in the show-closing bouts of The Showcase of the Immortals. The pressure that comes with that spot is incredible.
Coming back from what he has, The Big Dog will not shoulder as much of the responsibility and can focus on delivering the electrifying match that none of his past few have been.
How WWE continues to put over McIntyre to prove to its audience he is worthy of the spot bears watching—as does Reigns' response to his rival's beatdown of Dean Ambrose on Monday's Raw.