WWE WrestleMania 2020: Predictions for Charlotte vs. Ripley and 1st-Time Matches

The WrestleMania 36 card is stacked with several first-time matches, which is a big reason why the WWE Universe is still intrigued even though the event will be held at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, with no fans in attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic.

While this year's Show of Shows will be unlike any other and won't have the same bells and whistles as those that came before it, many of the matches on the card still have a big-fight feel due in part to the fact that they have never happened before.

Here is a rundown of a few of the top original matches slated for WrestleMania, along with predictions for how each of those highly anticipated clashes will play out.

Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair

Many of the matches at WrestleMania 36 feature stars who have already been made, but NXT women's champion Rhea Ripley has a chance to establish herself as one of the faces of the entire women's division in WWE when she faces Charlotte Flair.

Ripley has been on a highly impressive run that included beating Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women's Championship, winning a WarGames match, being the sole survivor for her Survivor Series team and beating Bianca Belair to secure her spot at WrestleMania.

After Flair last eliminated Baszler to win the 2020 women's Royal Rumble match, there was plenty of talk within the WWE Universe about whether she would challenge Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship or Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Ripley threw everyone for a loop when she challenged The Queen and offered to put her title on the line, though. An NXT title had never been defended at WrestleMania and a Royal Rumble winner had never opted to go after an NXT title before.

While it took some time before Flair officially accepted, she finally did so after Ripley beat Belair, which meant a never-before-seen match was booked for the WrestleMania card.

Ripley was compared to Flair by many fans when she debuted in NXT, but she has worked hard to change her look and attitude since then. Now, the Australian is very much her own person, and she is the antithesis of The Queen in many ways.

Even so, both Superstars have good size and are supremely athletic, which suggests they should mesh well in the ring and put on an excellent match.

In terms of the result, it is clear that Ripley should and will win, as a victory over Flair on The Grandest Stage of Them All will not only launch her to the next level individually, but it will also add even more credibility to the NXT brand as a whole.

Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre

If any match should close out Night 2 of WrestleMania 36, the WWE Championship bout between Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre clearly deserves that honor.

In addition to the fact that they are two of the toughest and most physically impressive Superstars in WWE, the story that has been told between them since the Royal Rumble should end with a massive payoff.

After Lesnar dominated the first half of the men's Rumble match, McIntyre eliminated him with a Claymore Kick. The Scottish Superstar went on to win the Rumble before quickly declaring he would face The Beast Incarnate at WrestleMania.

That alone made McIntyre look like a threat to Lesnar, but WWE took another step in the right direction by having him lay out the titleholder with three Claymore Kicks on an episode of Raw.

There hasn't been any physical interaction between them since that segment, which is likely by design on WWE's part since it allowed for the building of anticipation over the course of multiple weeks until they finally get their hands on each other at The Showcase of The Immortals.

Many of Lesnar's matches last only a few minutes and end with The Beast standing tall, but his clash with McIntyre will likely be an outlier.

If any Lesnar match is going to go 10 minutes or more, this one fits the bill, as WWE would benefit from making him look strong even in a losing effort.

There is at least some level of possibility that Lesnar will win since he can never fully be counted out, but based on the way McIntyre has been built and WWE's constant need for new top stars, the Scot will climb to the top of the mountain and become world champion for the first time.

Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley

While the build for the aforementioned matches has been strong, the same can't be said for Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley.

In fact, the build for the bout has been nonexistent, as Lashley did not appear on any episodes of Raw after the match was announced. Instead, Black won some squash matches and was made to look strong entering the contest.

While the match would have benefited from some interaction between the combatants, there is still some intrigue surrounding it due to the fact that they have never locked horns.

The two men also have differing styles that could either mesh beautifully or clash in an unsightly way. The uncertainty of whether they will have any in-ring chemistry is a big part of the draw at this point.

While Black is arguably the best striker in WWE currently, Lashley may be the strongest person in the company. The Dutch Destroyer has run through a long list of names on Raw in recent months, but Lashley is possibly his biggest test yet.

If Black can get past The All Mighty, it would be a major catalyst for his career and could send him down a path toward world title contention.

Lashley deserves to be in that discussion as well, and he will give Black a run for his money, the match will ultimately end with the Dutchman hitting the Black Mass and scoring the victory.

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