Rumor: Main Event For Next Year’s ‘WrestleMania 34’ Revealed
When WWE broke up the Shield in mid-2014, we all knew that they were set on pushing Roman Reigns to the top. But, we didn’t that they’d actually be this dedicated with the push. Many have suggested a heel turn for the former Shield member, but instead, he’s going into this year’s WrestleMania as a babyface against The Undertaker, where he’ll likely get booed. Will that finally convince Vince McMahon to turn Roman heel? The answer to the question is no, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
On Thursday’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez revealed WWE’s plans for next year’s WrestleMania34 event, which involve a WrestleMania 31 rematch between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.
Alvarez: “Let’s talk about the real big story, the main event for WrestleMania in 2018: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns. Give me a break.”
Meltzer: “Didn’t you predict SummerSlam? I actually thought SummerSlam too.”
Alvarez: “I did not think that they’d hold it off for an entire year. That means that they’re gonna try to build up to another WrestleMania coronation with Roman Reigns as a babyface. Like, come on.”
As previously mentioned, WWE did have Roman Reigns wrestle Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 31 back in 2015, and the fans reacted to Reigns so poorly, that WWE was forced to change their plan, and instead of having Roman win the title, they had Seth Rollins cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase.
Brock Lesnar is currently scheduled to face Goldberg at WrestleMania 33, where he’s expected to win and walk out of the event as the new WWE Universal Champion. So, if Reigns vs. Lesnar is, in fact, the planned main event for next year’s WrestleMania, it’ll likely be for the Universal Title, so we could end up seeing Lesnar hold onto the belt for an entire year.
Since returning to WWE in the spring of 2012, Lesnar has only held WWE’s main championship one time, and due to the part-time nature of his contract, he didn’t defend his championship for over 100 days. Essentially, WWE just didn’t have their main championship for over three months. So, it’ll be interesting to see how often Lesnar appears if he does end up holding the Universal Championship until next year’s big show.
Several months ago, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter explained why Vince McMahon is unwilling to give up on Roman Reigns’ big babyface push and turn him heel. Basically, Vince thinks Roman is a huge draw as a face — he thinks he has the John Cena factor, and if Lesnar vs. Roman is their plan for next year’s WrestleMania, that’s a sign that the WWE chairman isn’t planning on changing his mind anytime soon.
Speaking of Reigns being booed, he’s currently the favorite to defeat The Undertaker on April 2, which will surely get him showered with boos. He’ll also be heavily booed on the following night’s Raw, which is where WWE might tease that Reigns vs. Lesnar will be the main event of next year’s show in New Orleans, Louisiana.
As we’ve often found out, though, plans often change in the world of professional wrestling, and these days, WWE rarely sticks to any of their long-term plans. So, if Roman once again fails to gain acceptance from the WWE fans over the next year, they’ll probably change their mind, much like they did back in 2014.
It doesn’t seem likely that WWE will stick to the Roman vs. Brock plan for an entire year, mostly because the fans will react so poorly to it. Also, things such as injuries or suspensions can happen, so it’s not a given that this match will be the main event of next year’s big show in New Orleans.
[Featured Image by WWE]
