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A new report from Sports Illustrated confirms some pieces of information about WWE’s WrestleMania 34 plans for their women’s roster, and also throws a few more possibilities out for a match which will be more heavily promoted than either of the championship matches which are rumored for April 8 in New Orleans.
First, what we already “knew”. SI has heard what Wrestling Observer and others have - the direction is for Royal Rumble winner Asuka to challenge Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s title while Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax finally have a Team Rude face-off for the Raw belt.
Which means their sources are also pointing toward a mixed tag match for Raw’s newest Superstar, Ronda Rousey. The reports line up with most of what’s already out there: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon will be Rowdy’s first opponents, and a ‘Mania 31 follow-up with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as her partner is atop WWE’s wish list.
A name we’ve seen as a back-up plan for Johnson is Ronda’s new kayfabe boss, Kurt Angle. SI lists Angle as an option, but also throws Shane McMahon and Seth Rollins in as back-ups to the back-up.
Rock’s issue is well known. He’s much more valuable to his partners in Hollywood than he was the last time he took a bump, and studios weren’t crazy he was doing it then, either. The injuries he suffered at WrestleMania 29, and the money it cost the production of Hercules he was supposed to start shortly after that show, certainly aren’t helping change any minds now.
Angle wrestled several times for WWE last fall, but his health and medical status make him far from a sure thing. He confessed to working injured at Survivor Series already. Which is probably why they’re considering Shane, once they write him out of his never-ending program with Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Daniel Bryan on SmackDown, or Rollins - who SI says the company currently has no other ‘Mania plans for, anyway.
At least he has history with Haitch from last year.
There’s a lot to digest, and probably get upset about, there. So we’ll let you get to that.