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The layout of any WrestleMania event can decide the success—or failure—of WWE's annual extravaganza.
In 2002, the company opted to book Chris Jericho vs. Triple H in the main event of WrestleMania X8 instead of The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan, and the result was an exhausted crowd that did not respond nearly as loudly as it should have for the Undisputed Championship match.
This year, two decades later, WWE has learned its lesson.
Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns is undeniably the hottest match on the card, the most hyped and heavily promoted contest of either night of The Showcase of the Immortals. It will close the show out Sunday, but what about the other matches?
Which match slots where on their respective night?
Ahead of the extraordinary premium live event, we predict the listing for each match and run down the full WrestleMania 38 match card.
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For the third year, WrestleMania will take place over two nights, this time from the magnificent AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The card features several championships encounters, a number of grudge matches and celebrity in-ring appearances as WWE delivers the key aspects that help set its premier event apart from other premium live events.
Saturday, April 2 (8 p.m.)
SmackDown Women's Championship Match: Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair (c)
Raw Women's Championship Match: Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch (c)
Fatal 4-Way for the Women's Tag Team Championship: Sasha Banks and Naomi vs. Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan vs. Natalya and Shayna Baszler vs. Carmella and Queen Zelina (c)*
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs vs. The Usos (c)
The KO Show with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Rey and Dominik Mysterio vs. The Miz and Logan Paul
Seth Rollins vs. a mystery opponent
Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Corbin
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. Sheamus and Ridge Holland
Sunday, April 3 (8 p.m.)
Winner Takes All for the WWE and Universal Championships: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
Anything Goes Match: Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn
Triple Threat Match for the Raw Tag Team Championships: RK-Bro (c) vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy
AJ Styles vs. Edge
Bobby Lashley vs. Omos
Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory
Match listed for both days on WWE.com. Card and schedule subject to change.
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- Belair vs. Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship
- McIntyre vs. Corbin
- Boogs and Nakamura vs. The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship
- Kingston and Woods vs. Sheamus and Holland
- Rollins vs. mystery opponent
- Fatal 4-Way for the Women's Tag Team Championship
- Mysterios vs. Miz and Paul
- Flair vs. Rousey for the SmackDown Women's Championship
- The KO Show with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Predicted Match Order (Opener to Main Event)
Some will scoff at the idea of a promo segment ending Night 1 of WrestleMania, but does anyone on the card want to try and follow Austin's physical confrontation with Owens? The arena will explode when The Texas Rattlesnake walks the aisle and with expectations of more physicality than we have seen out of Stone Cold since his retirement in 2003, but it is unlikely any match on Saturday's card could possibly win the crowd back.
Fans will be exhausted after screaming at the top of their lungs for the Hall of Famer and rooting him on as he spars with Owens. Flair and Rousey, as nice as it would be to see them compete in the Saturday closer, does not have a story behind them strong enough to get the fans back after that.
It will still be the main event match of the show, a contest in which Rousey should capture the blue brand title for the first time in her sports-entertainment career.
Belair and Lynch kicking the night off feels like the most appropriate option and would continue WWE's tendency to kick off the event with a high-profile match that sets the tone for the remainder of the card.
Rollins and the mystery opponent, expected to be Cody Rhodes, slots right in the middle of the card. That way, it pops the crowd after a few undercard bouts and gives an opportunity for a cooldown before the night's most prominent matches.
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- RK-Bro vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy for the Raw Tag Team Championship
- McAfee vs. Theory
- Knoxville vs. Zayn
- Edge vs. Styles
- Lashley vs. Omos
- Reigns vs. Lesnar for the WWE and Universal Championships
Predicted Match Lineup
The only certainty on the WrestleMania 38 card is that Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns are closing out Night 2. It is the biggest match of the year and the first contest that has felt like a big, blockbuster main event in years.
Figuring out the rest of Sunday's lineup was not quite as easy.
Does WWE go with two celebrity-heavy matches back-to-back in McAfee vs. Theory and Knoxville vs. Zayn. The matches are totally different in nature, and the fans have been very accepting of both Knoxville and McAfee in their roles, probably because they respect the industry.
If the decision is made to go with them back-to-back, Edge and Styles hitting the ring midway through the card makes the most sense. It is going to be the Match of the Year candidate of this card and will be tough for anyone to follow right away, hence slotting a less-hot Lashley vs. Omos in the cooldown spot.
Randy Orton and Riddle are guaranteed to pop the crowd and bring a certain level of energy to the show, making the Raw tag team title match the perfect choice of the previously announced matches for the opening contest of Sunday's broadcast.
WWE WrestleMania 38: Updated Card, PPV Schedule and Predicting the Match Listing - Bleacher Report
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