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WWE WrestleMania 37: Predicting Match Order for Saturday and Sunday Cards
April 2, 2021
Much of the card for Night 1 and Night 2 of WrestleMania 37 has been announced, which has naturally led to speculation regarding what order the matches will play out.
WWE has already determined which matches will be happening on which night, and while further contests are likely to be announced in the coming days, the bulk of the card is officially in place.
As of now, WWE has allocated six matches to Night 1 of The Show of Shows and six bouts to Night 2 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Based on the matches that have been announced thus far, here is a full prediction of the match order for both nights of WrestleMania, as well as further analysis of some of the more intriguing placements.
Predicted Night 1 Match Order
- Raw Tag Team Championships: New Day (c) vs. AJ Styles & Omos
- Bad Bunny vs. The Miz
- Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro
- Steel Cage match: Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon
- WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
- SmackDown Women's Championship: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Bianca Belair
Predicted Night 2 Match Order
- Raw Women's Championship: Asuka (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
- United States Championship: Riddle (c) vs. Sheamus
- Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
- Intercontinental Championship: Big E (c) vs. Apollo Crews
- Randy Orton vs. The Fiend
- Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan
Breaking Down Predicted Match Placement
New Day vs. AJ Styles and Omos
Since WrestleMania 37 will be the first WWE event with live fans in over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making the first match on Night 1 a good one will be paramount.
WrestleVotes reported that the company considers the first entrance at this year's Showcase of the Immortals such a big deal that it is considering having no matches on the kickoff show for Night 1 and making the first bout on the main card the first one overall.
If that turns out to be the case, then WWE needs a strong entrance and a strong act to go out first in order to get the biggest pop possible from the live crowd.
The WWE Championship match between Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre is a distinct possibility since the Scot would likely get a huge reactionBut, with Night 1 being a little light on marquee matches, it may be better served later on the card.
If it isn't McIntyre vs. Lashley, that leaves the Raw Tag Team Championships match between The New Day and the team of AJ Styles and Omos as the best option.
New Day are one of the most popular and accomplished tag teams of all time, plus they always go all-out at WrestleMania when it comes to elaborate entrances and gear, so they should have no problem getting cheered in a big way.
Meanwhile, Styles remains one of the best in-ring workers in the world, and he is used to going on early at The Show of Shows and delivering, which was the case in matches against Chris Jericho, Shane McMahon and Randy Orton at previous WrestleManias.
This match has all the ingredients needed for a great opener, and it should get WrestleMania 37 off to an ideal start.
Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair
While the Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns, Edge and Daniel Bryan is a slam dunk to headline Night 2, there has been some debate about who should be the main event of Night 1 on April 10.
A strong case can be made for Lashley vs. McIntyre, especially since the latter main-evented Night 2 last year and was essentially robbed of his big moment, as he beat Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship in front of no fans.
The Scottish Warrior has been the face of Raw for the past year, and headlining in front of fans this year is something he has earned.
At the same time, McIntyre vs. Lashley is a match that already happened last year, and there seemingly isn't as much excitement surrounding it as the SmackDown Women's Championship match between Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair.
That match will be a first-ever affair featuring an up-and-coming star in 2021 women's Royal Rumble winner Belair and a figure who helped carry the women's division through the pandemic in Banks.
By the time Banks vs. Belair happens, it will have been about six weeks since the match was made official, meaning it will also have had far more build than McIntyre vs. Lashley.
It can be argued that WWE has made a mess of the build by involving Reginald and forcing Banks and Belair to team up twice on pay-per-view only to lose, but things have started to pick up in recent weeks with the combatants slapping each other and The Boss taking on more of a heel persona.
In terms of match quality, Banks vs. Belair has a chance to be the best bout at WrestleMania 37, plus the likelihood of The EST of WWE winning and having her star-making moment is something befitting of the main event.
Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley
Since Reigns, Edge and Bryan headlining Night 2 on April 11 is pretty much set in stone, the main decision that has to be made is which match will go on first.
Last year, Charlotte Flair beat Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship in the opening match of Night 2 of WrestleMania 36, and a strong argument can be made for that being the best non-cinematic match on the card.
The Nightmare is out for retribution this year in the form of taking the Raw women's title from Asuka, and that is a match capable of whipping the crowd into a frenzy to kick off Night 2.
Unlike Night 1, there is a bit more depth on Night 2, meaning there is room to put a marquee match like Asuka and Ripley atop the card.
Also, much like New Day, Asuka is a beloved babyface with an entrance the fans can get into, making her an ideal candidate to be the first person through the curtain.
Ripley vs. Charlotte holds up as one of the greatest opening matches in WrestleMania history, and given how fantastic both the Australian and Asuka are in the ring, they have a chance to inject themselves into that conversation as well.
Also, like Belair vs. Banks, there is seemingly a good chance of a new star being born in the form of Ripley, and having a title change kick off the show is a good way to pump up the crowd.
Considering there is no chance for Asuka and Ripley to go on last for Night 2 of WrestleMania, going on first is the next best thing.
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