WrestleMania 39 takes place this weekend in Los Angeles. From Roman Reigns' undisputed Universal championship title defense in the main event to Brock Lesnar facing the 7-foot Omos, the two-night card is filled with great matches. And I'll be lucky enough to be there.
As long as I can remember, wrestling has always been part of my life. Sure, I thrived on the mats and in the Octagon, but I always had a passion for the other type of wrestling. As a kid in Louisiana, I was all-in on Mid-South Wrestling, WCW and the NWA. Watching Monday Night Raw was a weekly event in my house. My fandom is something that I'll never let go.
Last year I was lucky enough to actually be part of a WWE ring as the special guest referee for Matt Riddle versus Seth Rollins, and Rollins is part of my favorite WrestleMania moment, when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania 31. I was there. I lost my mind.
This weekend, I'll enjoy a unique point of view as part of ESPN's WrestleMania coverage. There's so much to look forward to at this event. Here's a look at my top-five matches on the card, and some thoughts about the others.
No. 1: Undisputed Universal championship match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
Roman Reigns is just a next-level star. He's good with everybody he wrestles. Since Cody Rhodes has been back as the face of the company, as the good guy that WWE needed, he's been so good. He's the one who feels like he has a chance because he has so much momentum.
One thing about Reigns -- after he beat Brock, I said, "It's over now. Nobody is going to be believable to beat him anymore." Then Cody comes back and now it seems he might do it.
This run actually began with Rollins, at Hell in a Cell. Rollins is in there elevating him and helping him get to the next level, even when he's injured and going to be out for an extended period of time. The vision of the torn pec and all that toughness -- it was disgusting, but it lends itself to Rhodes being a viable challenger to Roman.
They've done everything right in the build for this one. I can't wait to see what they pull out on Friday at the go-home show to get everybody prepped for Sunday.
Prediction: I think Reigns keeps the belt. It seems too much of a foregone conclusion that Cody is going to win. And when you start to expect things in WWE, they always smack you upside the head. Cody needs to win clean -- but I don't know if you can let him go over clean. If Cody wins, someone has to do something, like the Usos have to turn. He's not going to just get pinned. I like the long reign. I was talking to Bron Breakker at NXT who told me that he wishes Roman never loses. You would think that after such a long title reign it would get boring, but it's not. He's the master of the last-second kickout. He builds the drama. You need a guy like that holding the championship.
No. 2: Undisputed tag team championship match: The Usos (c) vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
I wish this were the main event of Night 1. It probably won't be, but I wish it were.
One of the biggest tells for me in terms of how big this match is, is that my son, little Daniel, who absolutely loves wrestling, said that when Jey Uso came back and kicked Sami, it was the greatest storyline he'd ever seen. Now, he is only 12, but the acting of Zayn, Owens -- Owens not wanting to become his friend again, or Jey just being gone all those weeks and their facial expressions -- they just knocked it out of the park. They should repay them with a main event on night 1. Even without that, it will still be flat out explosive.
Prediction: KO and Sami win. Sami's rise is the most natural rise in stardom since Daniel Bryan. Remember that whole "YES!" thing? Zayn's run is probably the biggest that I've been since then. I kinda wish he didn't wrestle for the belt at Elimination Chamber, because it didn't feel so realistic that he could win, but those guys put on a show in Montreal and I could see why they did it.
No. 3: Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
Seth Rollins can work with everyone. He can make anyone look good in the ring, but he won't have to with Logan Paul. Paul is somehow the greatest natural professional wrestler I've ever seen in my entire life.
Paul said on Raw recently that "You can love me or hate me, but the fact is I'm really good at this" -- and he's not lying. From wrestling The Miz, and then I thought he was so in over his head against Roman Reigns in his second match, but he did a really good job.
These two are going to make magic. Rollins has all the ability to go flying. My favorite move in all of professional wrestling is the Falcon Arrow. He told me in Philly when I was the referee for his match that he loves doing that move, but he can't do it every night because it's taking. It's such an amazing maneuver.
Prediction: Rollins has to win this. He is a guy who doesn't have to win to stay vital to the company, but at some point he has to get some W's. And I think he needs to get one over Logan.
No. 4: Intercontinental championship triple-threat match: Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus
When you put these three guys in the ring, it's going to be a train wreck. I think that this match is going to be a barnburner. If you go back to what Gunther has done -- it's been tremendous. Watching him come up from NXT and become the Intercontinental champion with the sustained run he's had and the matches he's put on, I feel down the line in the not so distant future, he'll be one of the best heels in WWE.
He's physical, he has great endurance, a great character and I love the whole "he doesn't like entertainment, he loves professional wrestling." I love the guy that keeps the blinders on and can't look to see what wrestling is. How he feels the New Day and others are a disgrace because they make wrestling so silly.
Sheamus has been around for a long time; McIntyre, too. You saw at Clash at the Castle, when Sheamus fought Gunther, it was so physical. They were so beaten up by the end of the match. I felt like I could watch these two wrestle each other. Actually, it looked like a fight more than a wrestling match.
Gunther also showed at the Royal Rumble he's ready to take the next step.
Prediction: Gunther retains.
No. 5: SmackDown women's championship match: Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
If I were building an opening match for WrestleMania, I would do Charlotte vs. Rhea. Charlotte is one of the most gifted female wrestlers we have seen in a really long time. I think that her move set is unique enough that it doesn't get stale over time. She tends to up the ante when she gets into big moments. I still remember her and Ronda Rousey last year, and I think that was one of the best matches I saw all weekend, and that was a really good WrestleMania.
Rhea Ripley is just a powerhouse. The way she has built her persona is phenomenal -- and it's believable. For me, it's all about being believable. I want to see someone that I feel is a believable challenger to the champion. Rhea is as believable as they come. She's big. She's intimidating and she has a powerhouse style that will lend itself to a great match.
Prediction: Rhea Ripley gets it done. The visual of the brawl on SmackDown was the physical stature of Ripley -- and I loved it.
Other matches I'm excited for:
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio: I want to see them wrestle. They've held off on the setup long enough and we're going to see a special moment in Los Angeles between the two.
Austin Theory vs. John Cena: It's crazy that I left this out of my top 5, but it's a match I'm really excited about. I think what they've done with Theory since he lost the Money in the Bank briefcase has been really good. He just didn't seem like a guy who would carry a belt, and now he has the U.S. championship. He's not John Cena Part 2 anymore; he's a whole other guy. Obviously Cena is one of the greatest of all time, so this one will be fun.
Asuka vs. Bianca Belair: Good match -- I can't wait for it. Bianca is on such a run, will she be able to keep it up against Asuka?
Hell in a Cell -- Edge vs. Finn Balor: I still wonder where Finn Balor goes, because I think this Judgment Day thing is finally working. Dominik has a lot of momentum. Rhea obviously does too. I think Finn beating Edge at WrestleMania will give him the momentum that will propel him to the top of the card once again.
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos: This one is a head-scratcher. Brock has always been in a marquee match, but the reality of the situation is that we're running out of time ahead of WrestleMania. There hasn't been the ability to build Omos as much as you could with a 7-foot-4 guy. But his physical stature makes it believable. He could challenge Brock.
But could you imagine if Brock picks Omos up for an F-5? If he gets him up, he's not human. His hands are big. His body is insanely big. Brock Lesnar is from somewhere the rest of us aren't. He's an absolute star. I want to see how they make that one work. I do look forward to that match.