10 Early Wrestling Predictions For 2019
8. Women Will Headline WrestleMania...
...for, sigh, yes Stephanie, this one isn't b*llocks, the first time ever.
Several factors have converged to make this, to quote the great Paul Heyman, not so much a prediction but a spoiler.
The already Are-you-deaf?-We'll-shout-louder-in-case-you-are-deaf Women's Evolution PR overdrive can only naturally conclude with the first-time-ever Women's 'Mania main, especially in this Saudi Arabia era. Ronda Rousey is a genuine star of mainstream renown, and if Roman Reigns is The Guy, Charlotte Flair is The Gal: a blonde, statuesque performer of legendary lineage that, and this is crucial, is a bespoke product of and testament to the WWE Performance Center. It does not matter that Becky Lynch is considerably more popular than Charlotte; Charlotte is an act WWE can hold up to shareholders as evidence that the programme works. Having her headline WrestleMania is a dual strategy celebrating WWE's progressivism and system of talent progression.
All-important match quality is similarly assured; Ronda hasn't yet faced an opponent of genuine big match credentials, and has still excelled; the Queen, all cynicism aside, is an outstanding talent equipped with an over finish, a jaw-dropping aerial game, and a general aura protected sufficiently to level up to Ronda in a back-and-forth contest.
On a meta level, the other battle - mainstream acceptance versus we're-the-best posturing - renders this the most unpredictable 'Mania headliner ever.