Wrestlemania 33: Preview, Predictions and Chicken Wings
By Trevor Dueck in Entertainment
Updated: January 17, 2018 at 9:39 am ESTPublished:
Get ready for Wrestlemania 33 on Sunday, April 2 in Orlando, Florida. God knows you’ll need a full day to take in the entire telecast.
With 14 or more matches that could wind up on this card, the wise old adage “less is more” doesn’t seem to be anything the WWE subscribes to.
In true Wrestlemania fashion, the show will have big draws like Brock Lesnar, John Cena, HHH, Goldberg, and the Undertaker. These household names only work a part-time schedule but show up for the big pay-per-views.
Within all of the pomp and circumstance, some attention needs to be directed to the hard-working full-time talent looking to have their big Wrestlemania moment.
Will Bray Wyatt hang onto his WWE Championship belt? Could Bayley overcome the odds and defend her women’s title on the grandest stage of all? Will the Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens match steal the show?
There is a lot to digest. Good thing you’ll have all day to eat chicken wings and yell at your TV.
Below are the odds and predictions of what will go down at Wrestlemania 33 and the matches that we currently know are in the works.
The card is subject to change and we will update as we go along.
(Updates are marked UPDATED and are in bold)
Wrestlemania 33 Odds and Predictions
Universal Championship: Goldberg (c): (9/1) vs. Brock Lesnar: (1/9)
This is the third, and let’s hope final, meeting between these two. Goldberg is 50 and it’s cute that he is having his little run again in pro wrestling, but he can’t perform longer than five minutes. All he has is a spear and a jackhammer, and I don’t see the WWE giving him another squash match against Lesnar.
“The Beast Incarnate” should pick up the win and send Goldberg into retirement. It will be interesting to see how the WWE goes about having a part-time performer as champ.
Predicted Winner: Brock Lesnar (new Univesral Champion)
WWE Championship: Bray Wyatt (c): (7/3) vs. Randy Orton: (3/7)
Fans loved that Bray Wyatt finally got his due. For so long, bad booking kept this great talent in obscurity. Now that Wyatt finally has the WWE Championship, he deserves to hang onto it. But WWE executives like HHH love Randy Orton and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a title change here.
Maybe the promotion will surprise me for the first time in a while and give Wyatt a legitimate reign that goes well past Orton. In what should be an entertaining match, I’m going with my heart on this one over what the bookies are saying.
Predicted Winner: Bray Wyatt (remains WWE Champion)
Undertaker: (3/2) vs. Roman Reigns: (2/3)
This is a tough one to call. The WWE loves to push Roman Reigns as a big deal, but the fans aren’t responding to Reigns as a face. For the love of everything holy, make Reigns a heel! This might be Undertaker’s final match, although I’m betting on next year’s Wrestlemania in New Orleans. That said, Taker is old school and will have no problems putting over the younger talent. Get ready for the Roman Reigns era to continue to be pushed down fan’s throats.
Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns
AJ Styles: (1/19) vs. Shane McMahon: (19/1)
Poor AJ Styles. Arguably the best worker in the biz is going to be relegated to a match against SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon. There is no way that Styles jobs to McMahon, so this will be a match with a somewhat predictable ending. The only real question is what kind of Shane O’Mac death-defying stunt will we see this time?
Predicted Winner: AJ Styles
United States Championship: Kevin Owens (c): (3/7) vs. Chris Jericho: (7/3)
This has the potential to steal the show as these former best friends are fantastic workers and have a great grudge going. KO turned on Jericho at their Festival of Friendship segment. Then Jericho cost Owens his Universal Title against Goldberg at Fast Lane.
I’m fully expecting Jericho to lose his United States Championship Belt. Owens needs the win after losing his Universal Title to Goldberg is a squash match. Jericho is expected to be taking a break from WWE after Wrestlemania to tour with his band, Fozzy. So this has all the makings of an Owens win.
Predicted Winner: Kevin Owens (new United States Champion)
John Cena & Nikki Bella: (1/4) vs. The Miz & Maryse: (4/1)
This is such a lame match but also pretty easy to predict. Over the last few weeks, Cena and his real-life girlfriend, Nikki Bella, have been on the receiving end of a lot of abuse from both Miz and Maryse. That leads me to believe that they will pick up the win at Wrestlemania. It could also lead to Cena proposing to his long-time girlfriend.
Predicted Winner: John Cena and Nikki Bella
Odds John Cena asks for Nikki Bella’s hand in marriage after the match: 2/1
UPDATED (Nia Jax was added to the match on March 20th, 2017)
RAW Women’s Championship: Bayley (c): (2/3) vs. Charlotte Flair: (2/1) vs. Sasha Banks: (15/1) vs. Nia Jax
This went from a solid three-way to now a thrown together Fatal 4-Way match. The problem is RAW has done a terrible job of booking the women’s division. Although Charlotte Flair appears to be the favorite to win back her title, I predict Bayley gets her Wrestlemania moment and defends it instead of continuing with the musical chairs of title changes.
For now I’m sticking with Bayley picking up the win, but the RAW Women’s Championship is impossible to predict. I won’t be surprised if Banks turns heel (either at Mania or shortly after) and costs Bayley her the title leading to a possible showdown between Bayley and Banks at SummerSlam.
Predicted Winner: Bayley (remains women’s champion)
UPDATED: (Naomi and Eva Marie Added – March 22, 2017)
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Entire SmackDown Women’s Roster
Alexa Bliss is supposed to take on all SmackDown women who aren’t currently in a Wrestlemania program. It’s unsure if this is a Battle Royal or how it’s going to work. But we have the odds on who we think has a chance to walk out with the title. Expect the unexpected here like possibly the return of Naomi who had to relinquish the title due to a knee injury. There is also some rumors that Eva Marie could also make a return to the ring.
(UPDATE March 28: It appears Eva Marie’s days with the WWE are done according to Wrestling Inc. Odds have been adjusted)
- Odds Alexa Bliss defends her title: 2/1
- Odds Naomi wins the title: 3/1
- Odds Carmella wins the title: 3/1
- Odds Becky Lynch wins the title: 9/1
- Odds Mickey James wins the title: 19/1
- Odds Natalia wins the title: 50/1
Odds Eva Marie wins the title: 100/1
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Neville (c): (1/3) vs Austin Aries: (3/1)
Even though this match is lower on the card, this has all the makings of show stopper. When you have two fantastic athletes and pure wrestlers like Neville and Aries, the chances that you’re going to get something special is high. These two will tell a great in-ring story and although there might be a chance we see Aries take the title, I just think the WWE is going to continue to push Neville as their Cruiserweight Champion and give him a longer run until he crashes into the young Akira Tozawa somewhere down the line.
Predicted Winner: Neville
Intercontinental Championship: Dean Ambrose (c): (7/3) vs. Baron Corbin: (3/7)
The feud between Corbin and Ambrose began at the Elimination Chamber and it has continued every week on SmackDown since. It appears they are headed towards a date at Wrestlemania and you can probably expect some sort of gimmick to be added to this match, like a falls-count-anywhere type of add-on. However it goes down, “The Lone Wolf” Corbin has been getting a nice push from WWE and I expect that the promising young talent will see the Intercontinental Title around his waist when it’s all said and done.
Predicted Winner: Baron Corbin (new Intercontinental Champion)
RAW Tag Team Championship: Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson: (7/3) vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass: (2/3) vs. Cesaro & Sheamus: (9/1)
As much as I want to see the former members of the famed Bullet Club, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson get the push they deserve, it appears the WWE isn’t interested at the moment. The Tag-Team Champs haven’t really looked strong leading up to Wrestlemania and this Triple Threat Match could be where they drop the titles.
It appears based on what we are seeing on TV that the Realest Guys in the Room, Amore & Big Cass could get their Wrestlemania moment and win their first WWE titles. They are powered by their charisma and are super over with the fans that I can see the company giving them a run with the RAW Tag Team Championships.
Predicted Winner: Amore & Cass
Seth Rollins: (1/3) vs. Triple H: (3/1) – tentative due to Rollins injury
No word if this match will happen; it depends on Rollins recovering from his knee injury in time. We probably won’t know until Wrestlemania and if Rollins doesn’t get cleared, I’m sure they will find an angle where HHH takes him out only to find out he has a date with a returning Finn Balor. At least that’s how I would write it. That said, if Rollins is good to go, I expect he’ll win and be pushed to bigger matches like a date with Samoa Joe.
Predicted Winner: Seth Rollins (If healthy enough)
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Not all the entrants have been announced yet. This match is essentially for all the talent that won’t be included in big matches on the card. As I write this, rumors are that Braun Strowman could enter this rumble, and if that’s the case, it makes my prediction very easy. However, there are also a few others who could surprise us.
Odds to win Battle Royal
- Braun Strowman: 3/2
- Samoa Joe: 2/1
- Finn Balor: 9/1
- Luke Harper: 19/1
- Sami Zayn: 19/1
- Big Show: 25/1
- Dolph Ziggler: 100/1
- Cesaro: 100/1
- Kurt Angle: 150/1
- Kane: 200/1
Predicted Winner: Braun Strowman
Wrestlemania 33 Props
Odds a referee is knocked down in any match: 2/3
Odds any belt is used as a weapon on the night: 2/3
Odds any match ends in a disqualification: 1/1
Odds any match ends in a double count-out: 8/1
Odds on the number of titles that change hands
- 0-1: 19/1
- 2-3: 3/1
- 4-5: 2/1
- 6-7: 18/7
- 8-9: 12/1
Odds Shinsuke Nakamura makes an appearance: 3/1
Odds Finn Balor makes an appearance: 3/2
Odds Hulk Hogan makes an appearance: 9/1
Odds The Rock makes an appearance: 17/3
Odds Asuka makes an appearance: 19/1
Odds Steve Austin makes an appearance: 50/1
Odds Kurt Angle makes an appearance: 2/1
Entertainment Writer
Trevor was Sports Betting Dime’s resident geek (aka: entertainment writer) from 2016-18. He also moonlights as a national film reviewer for other publications. He comes equipped with diplomas in marketing and broadcast journalism with a PHD in couch lounging.