WWE WrestleMania 36: Edge vs. Orton and Matches That Will Thrive in Empty Arena

WrestleMania 36 will undoubtedly be the most unique show in the history of WWE's premier event given it is set to be held at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, without any fans in attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Many of the bells and whistles that come along with WrestleMania won't be available to WWE, but a card worthy of The Grandest Stage of Them All has been crafted, and many of the scheduled matches should impress regardless of the surroundings.

Of the bouts that have been announced or strongly suggested, here are a few involving performers who will expertly take the cards they have been dealt and turn in strong performances at The Showcase of the Immortals.

Edge vs. Randy Orton

After Randy Orton took him out with a Conchairto and later hit his wife, Beth Phoenix, with an RKO, Edge challenged The Viper to a Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania on Monday's episode of Raw. While Orton has yet to accept the challenge, there is little doubt that he will.

Edge vs. Orton has been among the best-told stories in wrestling this year. Although it is unfortunate that the former won't have the benefit of the crowd going wild for him before and during his first singles match in nearly a decade, a Last Man Standing match is perfectly tailored to an empty arena setting, and it has a good chance to steal the show.

WWE's first-ever match inside an empty arena, the Halftime Heat match between The Rock and Mankind in 1999, saw the combatants fight all over the arena, resulting in Mankind trapping The Rock under a forklift.

The possibilities for Edge vs. Orton are endless, and WWE fans got a taste of what could happen on Wednesday's episode of NXT when Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa battled all throughout the Performance Center.

Like Gargano and Ciampa, Edge and Orton have no shortage of history and chemistry, so there is little doubt that they will find a way to make the most of a tough situation.

The Last Man Standing stipulation should make things a little easier for Edge in his first match back and take some of the pressure off Orton to carry the match. It would be surprising if Edge and Orton don't find a way to deliver an entertaining battle for the fans watching at home.

Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler

Becky Lynch beat Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair in the main event of WrestleMania 35 in front of more than 82,000 fans last year, but her Raw Women's Championship defense at WrestleMania 36 will be far different.

The Man is set to face two-time NXT women's champion Shayna Baszler, who is close personal friends with Rousey.

Like Rousey, Baszler is a former UFC star who excels in mat wrestling. She is also a submission specialist, and she did a great job of selling how the empty arena aspect of the match against Lynch could add to the story being told in a recent tweet:

While a live crowd could have added to the match because of their love of Lynch and hatred for the villainous Baszler, the style of match they are likely to have can work in any environment, and it could make Becky even more sympathetic in the eyes of the WWE Universe if she has to fight her way out of Baszler's punishing submission holds.

Baszler was dominant during her run in NXT, and The Queen of Spades has already received a massive push on the main roster. Most notably, she became the first person to eliminate every other combatant in an Elimination Chamber match earlier in March.

WWE is clearly building Baszler to be the biggest threat to Lynch's Raw women's title reign, and the one-on-one nature of their match at WrestleMania is something that meshes well with the story that has been told between them.

Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg

Perhaps no match on the WrestleMania card would have gotten a bigger fan reaction than Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship.

WWE's hope in putting the title on Goldberg was undoubtedly to get the WWE Universe to cheer for Reigns, but the possibility of the fans booing both men existed. However, WWE no longer has to worry about that.

Instead, WWE can focus on crafting a match that will allow both Superstars to thrive, which means neither performer should be asked to do too much.

Reigns and Goldberg are double-tough former football players who excel in brawls and are at their best when they keep it simple and limit things to only a few different moves over the course of a few minutes.

Goldberg vs. Reigns doesn't have to be longer than about five minutes, and it should feature plenty of spears from both men, as well as some Jackhammers from Goldberg and Superman Punches from The Big Dog.

If they empty the tank over the course of a few minutes, beat each other to a pulp and get to the finish relatively quickly, the fans watching at home should appreciate it and be fine with Reigns winning the universal title at the biggest show of the year.

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