WrestleMania 28: Who Will Be Peforming on the Grandest Stage of Them All?

I know that it is still almost six months until we are graced with WrestleMania 28; however, this week on Bleacher Report, there has been quite a few articles sharing rumors and generally musing about what we should expect from this event.

WrestleMania 28 already boasts an electrifying main event as the hero of the PG Era, John Cena, battles it out with the hero of the Attitude Era, The Rock.

While this will undoubtedly be the final match of the night, and no doubt a match that all of us will remember for years to come, what will the other matches on the card be?

A couple of months ago, the WWE leaked some of the matches which they were considering for the year's biggest PPV. These matches were HHH vs. the Miz, Big Show vs. Shaq, Rey Mysterio vs. Sin Cara, Del Rio vs. Orton and Jericho vs. Undertaker.

Despite this, certain circumstances over the past few months have suggested that the WWE is moving in a different direction with some of these matches.

Let's take a look at the matches that I predict will be taking place at WM28.

Dark Match: Battle Royal

As we all know, every WWE Superstar who isn't injured or suspended for any reason participates in WrestleMania in one capacity or another.

Often, the WWE utilises all of the Superstars who haven't got matches by either placing them in a Battle Royal or using them as lumberjacks.

A Battle Royal seems a likely option again for this year's WM, where the mid-carders (who could be described as low-carders) showcase their "talents."

Expect to see the likes of Kane, Heath Slater, Michael McGillicutty, JTG, Percy Watson, Ted DiBiase and Jinder Mahal alongside 15 or 16 others.

I'm sure that no one really cares who the eventual winner is, either way...

Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton for the Intercontinental Championship

When Cody Rhodes brought out the old Intercontinental Championship at Hell in a Cell and mentioned names such as "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, it got me buzzed with excitement.

My excitement didn't so much stem from the fact that the old title was coming back (although it is an attractive-looking belt), but instead I was enthused by the fact that some prestige is going to be brought back to the Intercontinental Title.

It has been obvious for a long while now that the WWE Title and WHC have been for the bigger stars in the WWE, whereas the US Title and IC Title have been reserved for stars who are at the top of the mid-card. This avoids the fact that a title is a title.

What better way to re-christen the Intercontinental Championship than a nice, lengthy feud between Rhodes and Orton that would culminate at WrestleMania, which the IWC has been begging for and hinting at for a while now.

Rhodes put on a fantastic match with Rey Mysterio at last year's WM, which arguably stole the show, and the other match that shined on that evening was Randy Orton vs. CM Punk.

These two together could really kick the evening off with a bang.

Tag Team Championship Match

With a new life being breathed into the Tag Team Division, it should be expected that a tag team match of some variety will feature at WM28.

Whether this will be a Tag Team Turmoil match, a straight up tag team match or some sort of elimination tag match is yet to be decided. However, it could include a number of teams:

Air Boom

Christian and Otunga; Based on Christian's love of legal proceedings and Otunga's legal background.

Team Vickie Guerrero; Two out of Ziggler, Swagger and Brodus Clay.

The Usos

Wade Barrett and Drew McIntyre; That ever-tenuous link that they are from a similar area of the world.

Justin Gabriel and John Morrison; Mid-card anonymity could push these two like-minded Superstars together.

Celebrity Match: Big Show vs. Shaquille O'Neal

WrestleMania has some sort of fetish for celebrities, and this year it has already been leaked that Shaquille O'Neal is set to face the Big Show.

I have no real interest in these types of matches due to the fact the celebrity often has no ability. These are almost like secondary toilet-break matches, just behind the Divas.

I imagine this feud will start when Shaq is a guest host on Raw or something similar. He then will make jokes at the Big Show's expense or something like that, prompting the World's Largest Athlete to retaliate in the only way he knows how.

A waste of a space on the WM28 card, if I'm brutally honest.

Sin Cara vs. Alberto Del Rio

Will WWE risk Sin Cara on the grandest stage of them all? If this match is to happen, then he has a lot of work/butt kissing to do.

A feud between Del Rio and Sin Cara could work for one main reason: communication.

It has been no secret that Sin Cara has not got on with a lot of the Superstars on the WWE roster due to his straight up refusal to learn English. Because of this, his in-ring work and promos have suffered (there's only so much you can get across by just pointing).

They've worked together before and Del Rio (obviously) speaks Spanish, so they can really gel in the ring and put on a great show. Despite this, Sin Cara's half of the promos would still be a let down.

A great thing about Del Rio is that he has the build of a grappler while also having the ability of a luchadore, and that could be the key to this being a successful feud.

Triple H vs. Awesome Truth in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match

The leaked matches suggested that Triple H would be facing the Miz at WM28; however, I think this match will now have a bit of a twist.

Over the next couple of weeks, I think that WWE will "fire" Triple H because of the Hell in a Cell shenanigans and the walkout this past week. Logic would say that the new GM/COO/whatever would rehire Awesome Truth for one reason or another so they can keep the conspiracy storyline running.

As we lead up to WrestleMania, I would see Triple H returning in order to hunt down the pair, because they were the main contributing factor behind him losing his job.

So the provisional match would see Triple H taking them on in a handicap match; however, could this have just one more twist? Is a Stone Cold and Triple H pairing too much to ask? It probably is, but hey, a guy can dream.

Beth Phoenix vs. Natalya for the Diva's Championship

These two together could bring back the spirit of the Women's Division. That's right, Women's Division. Not Diva's Division. Maybe calling them "Divas" is half of the problem.

Over the past couple of years, we have been subjected to horrendous in-ring action from the women of the WWE. Just take a look at any Kelly Kelly or Bellas match and you get the picture.

Since the departures of Kharma, Gail Kim and Melina, the WWE has yet to replace them with women who actually have in-ring ability. In fact, Natalya and Beth Phoenix are the only two women in the WWE who could probably string together a mildly entertaining match.

If we do have to endure a Diva's match at WM (and we will), I wouldn't mind as much if it is these two facing off. The question is whether WWE will give this feud TV time to develop. Maybe rejuvenating the Diva's Division is on the list when they've finished sorting out the Tag Team Division.

The Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho

Is 20-0 really going to happen? Of course it is. Despite this, I can see this being the Deadman's last WrestleMania because he really isn't in any shape to continue in the WWE and, well, 20 is a nice round number.

So this year's "contestant" is the self-proclaimed "Best in the World" Chris Jericho, who has been threatening a WWE comeback since he left Dancing with the Stars.

Whether you've read around on Bleacher Report or not, Jericho has set out demands that will guarantee his return to the company, which are: winning the WWE Championship, winning at WrestleMania and being inducted into 2013 Hall of Fame.

I'm sure that Jericho is enough of a sport to trade in a WrestleMania win for wrestling in the Undertaker's last ever WrestleMania match. Right?

I don't think that the streak should be ended, and I don't think that the Undertaker would actually let the streak end. Expect 20-0, but expect it to be a match of epic proportions.

Mark Henry vs. Sheamus for the Wolrd Heavyweight Championship

After Mark Henry's consecutive wins over Randy Orton, which gained him the WHC, I fully believe that his title reign will be a long one, and that he will hold the title until at least WM.

I also think that Sheamus will win this year's Royal Rumble. Why? Because he's becoming the one of the biggest faces of the company, and while the other ones (Orton and Cena) are tied up with other matches on my projected card, he is left over.

So why will it be this long until they have another proper feud together? Well, I think we all know that Mark Henry is going to be tied up with the Big Show for a little, while Sheamus will be continuing his feud with Christian.

Could the Great White be the one to unhinge the World's Strongest Man?

CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship

A ROH reunion could be just what Daniel Bryan needs.

This feud would start to build after the Royal Rumble, when Daniel Bryan realises that the Rumble winner is challenging for the WHC, causing him to set his sights on the WWE Title.

The in-ring action would be great in this match, and a feud between the two could really bring out the best in Daniel Bryan and really make him more relevant.

These two have faced off in ROH before in brutal matches, and they have great chemistry in the ring, so maybe it's time that WWE let them have a little reunion.

I think D-Bry will be the first MITB winner not to win the title, thus turning him heel because his good nature in announcing his cashing-in did not pay off.

For those interested, here's some highlights of one of their previous encounters on the independent circuit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR-ItPo1zPo

John Cena vs. the Rock

The PG Era vs. The Attitude Era.

Up until this match was set six months ago, this seemed like a match that we would only ever see in video games. If I had to pick a winner, I'd go with Cena.

Since most of you are over the age of 13, then I will assume that you disagree with me. However, think back to the Rock vs. Hulk Hogan 10 WrestleManias ago. It wouldn't be productive for WWE to show the past as being stronger than the present.

With this in mind, I wonder who Cena will be facing at WM 38?

What do you think of my WrestleMania 28 card? Do you agree with my ideas, or do you think I'm completely off the mark? As usual, I'd love to hear your opinions.

Get commenting.