WWE News: Upcoming Show Forecasts Two Major Feuds Heading Into ‘WrestleMania 33’
The card for WrestleMania 33 is shaping up and being finalized. However, as fans saw this past Tuesday on SmackDown Live, plans are always subject to change. After winning the Royal Rumble, Randy Orton had a guaranteed opportunity to headline the grandest stage of the year. With John Cena tying Ric Flair’s world title record at the same event, the stage was set for WrestleMania.
However, there was one more hurdle in Cena’s championship quest. Unfortunately, for Cena, he was unable to hold on to the championship, as he was defeated by Bray Wyatt in the Elimination Chamber match.
Oddly, as SmackDown Live concluded, the championship picture became even more puzzling. After Wyatt canceled out two rematch clauses in one by defeating both Cena and AJ Styles, Orton appeared, walked to the ring, and relinquished his championship opportunity in exchange for proving his devotion to Wyatt. This prompted Daniel Bryan to announce that there will be a battle royal on the following show to determine the new No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship.
Now, there will seemingly be a new contender, which makes Orton’s Royal Rumble win not only meaningless, but null and void. However, Orton does have enough time to rescind his devotion, and hopefully gain his title opportunity back. Objectively, this appears to potentially lead to a triple threat match between all Wyatt Family members at WrestleMania.
This feud between Harper and Wyatt has been brewing for a number of weeks. Ever since Orton joined the Wyatt Family, he and Harper have been at odds with gaining the favoritism of the captain. During this time, Harper was seemingly under a spell, as shown by his tag team match with Cena against Wyatt and Orton on an episode of SmackDown Live. This feud between Orton and Harper came to a head at Elimination Chamber, as Orton defeated Harper. However, Harper was not done with Wyatt. Harper attacked Wyatt during the recent episode of SmackDown Live, right before Wyatt was going to enter the ring.
From the event announced for March 11, just three weeks before WrestleMania, Harper is scheduled to face Wyatt at the WWE Live Road to WrestleMania event in Fairfax, Virginia. Orton will be in Wyatt’s corner during the match. Based on this information, Orton will at least be with Wyatt for the next three weeks.
Another match scheduled for the event is a triple threat match between WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose, Baron Corbin, and AJ Styles. Since Elimination Chamber, WWE has nearly confirmed the belief that Ambrose would be defending his title at WrestleMania against Corbin. However, Styles added to the mix could bring an even greater dynamic to the angle.
As of now, there are no cemented plans for Styles. The most popular speculation is that he will be competing against Shane McMahon. However, with Seth Rollins potentially out of the picture, McMahon is now being strongly considered to face Triple H. This leaves Styles without an opponent.
Inserting Styles into the title picture not only gives him a credible WrestleMania spot, but it elevates the interest of the Intercontinental Championship. While The Miz had the title, people were interested, as he amazingly displayed his heel character that made fans want someone to dethrone him.
However, since Ambrose has been champion, the interest has substantially faded. Putting Corbin in the picture gives the upstart an opportunity to win the title on the big stage. In addition, adding Styles to the mix could elicit a face turn for him after WrestleMania, leading to a very interesting-sounding feud with Corbin. If this triple threat match makes it to April 2, it should be a very intriguing one to see.
[Featured Image by WWE]
