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WrestleMania 32 predictions: Triple H vs. Roman Reigns (WWE world heavyweight championship)

With WrestleMania 32 all set to invade AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas this coming Sun., April 3, 2016, live on pay-per-view (PPV) and the WWE Network, it's time to go about making predictions for the biggest show of the year. The match card is filled out and our staff of learned blowhards will give their best guess on who is going to emerge victorious this weekend.

But instead of doing this all in one post and giving you a wall of text and 3,000 words to read through, we'll give the top five matches their own post then cover the undercard.

Got it? Good. Up next:

Triple H vs. Roman Reigns

(WWE world heavyweight championship)

Geno Mrosko: There are plenty of reasons to put the title on Reigns here, and I'm sure that's the thinking as of this moment. But you know what? I'd be far more satisfied if Triple H beat him clean in the center of the ring -- especially if this match isn't going on last, and it shouldn't -- and it led to a complete breakdown of the Roman character. The next night's episode of Raw is the perfect setting for the heel turn or, at the very least, where he acknowledges the reality of the situation and he no longer has to worry about trying to be a guy everyone will love. This is out of hope more than anything, but why not?

Pick: Triple H

Sean Rueter: Don't know if it makes me a moron, or a cynic, or both, but if there's one thing I have faith in, it's Vince McMahon. Not necessarily to tell the best story, or even make the right business decision. But if there's a way he can use money to justify stroking his own ego, I know I can count on VKM to do it. That's why the biggest question mark about this match for me is where it lands on the card. Wouldn't be surprised to see it not go on last - there are plenty of ways to justify a decision to headline with the match that has a McMahon in it, after all. I truly believe it will result in a clean win for a babyface Roman Reigns, though. Vince will be perfectly alright replicating a divisive draw like Cena, especially since he now knows he has a CM Punk/Daniel Bryan guy in Dean Ambrose. Look for a solid match, because both guys can go. But if you're in the "anyone but Roman" or "just turn him heel already" camps, I think you're gonna be disappointed.

Pick: Roman Reigns

Bill Hanstock: Given everything that has gone into this match -- and the attempted main event-ification of Roman Reigns -- it's very hard to see how Reigns doesn't leave WrestleMania as the new champion. That being said, I think this match is very much going to be about the journey rather than the destination. If the last two years have taught us anything, it's that WWE deserves the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the main event of WrestleMania. I really think they're going to pull out all the stops here, because Triple H, Vince McMahon and especially Reigns are all dead-set on proving people wrong and stealing the show. Whether they'll be able to do it in their match is another story, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see a hell of a lot of bells and whistles. Those may involve run-ins from people like The Rock, Shawn Michaels or even Seth Rollins ... or we might just get a full-blown, WWE-approved Reigns heel turn. Reigns is going to become a three-time world champion, but we're going to go on a hell of a ride before that happens.

Pick: Roman Reigns

Cain A. Knight: This match has no business main eventing WrestleMania 32. It feels like we are entering year 3 of the never-ending babyface push of Roman Reigns that was ill-conceived right from the start. The main difference from last year is that Triple H and his extremely stale Authority gimmick is a much less compelling foe for Roman to deal with compared to Brock Lesnar. But Stephanie and Triple H's ego essentially run the company, so it is no surprise that Triple H is once again WWE Champion and thinks he is a bigger attraction than the Beast Incarnate. There is no other way to say it than Triple H versus Roman Reigns is a complete disaster. The crowds are heavily booing Roman because WWE audiences are more informed than they were 10 years ago and they won't easily let WWE get away with forcing something on them that they don't want. WWE clearly needs to turn Roman heel but it doesn't seem like it is in the cards; Triple H is simply not a good opponent to facilitate that booking decision. But if Roman wins as a babyface, then who does he headline the next few PPVs with? Ryback? Wyatt? Jericho? There aren't too many intriguing heel options outside of Kevin Owens. My guess is that Roman wins and WWE stubbornly continues to move forward with Roman as the lead babyface in John Cena's absence, even though it is destined to fail. The smarter move would be finding a way for Roman to turn heel on The Rock at the end of the night. The bottom line is that Vince McMahon is going to have to show the world that his capacity for creative thinking is still sharp, because this match looks like a lost cause on the surface.

Pick: Roman Reigns

Kyle Decker: Even though a number of crowds still are not buying into Roman Reigns as the major babyface, they're going to go through with his big WrestleMania title win. They pretty much have to at this point. They've come this far, and they need to just do it. And even if they wanted to change their mind again, it's not like they have a dude with a briefcase waiting in the wings this year. They'd need to continue to run with Triple H as champion if Roman doesn't win. And while I wouldn't put that past them, I doubt we'll see that. If (big if) they really want to change course with Roman, think they'd go with the heel turn and he'd have the title either way in that scenario. Despite what will likely be an undesirable crowd reaction, this match will likely still be an enjoyable match that sees Roman become a three time WWE Champion.

Pick: Roman Reigns

That's what we think. How about you?

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Previous predictions

Intercontinental championship ladder match

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