10 WWE WrestleMania 35 Card Predictions After SummerSlam 2018
The long and winding road to New Jersey.
SummerSlam 2018 will likely go down as one of WWE's most successful shows of the year. It didn't deliver a slew of ****+ bouts, but compensated with huge talking points like Becky Lynch's heel turn, Roman Reigns finally usurping Brock Lesnar as Universal Champion, and Braun Strowman's lopsided squash of Kevin Owens. The deck has been reshuffled, the summer slump is over, and with Raw and SmackDown suitably refreshed, fans have much to look forward to.
WrestleMania 35 takes place on 7 April 2019, and while it's still a little too early to point to WWE's potential plans with any degree of certainty, SummerSlam gave several indications of where key storylines will head over the coming months. Their direction isn't half as muddy as it was a few weeks ago, so let's take aim at some of the 'Show Of Shows'' biggest bouts.
The Andre the Giant and WrestleMania Women's Battle Royals are a boring inevitability, and therefore not included here. Similarly, this isn't a comprehensive card breakdown, but a collection of predictions aimed at the biggest ticket-sellers. Rest assured, your omitted favourites will likely find a way onto the final card itself...
10. SmackDown Women's Title: Becky Lynch (C) Vs. Asuka
Regardless of whether or not Becky Lynch has been miscast as a heel, WWE have committed to heading in this direction. 'The Lass Kicker' cemented the turn on SmackDown, ripping into Charlotte Flair and the WWE Universe with a blistering promo, then engaging in a pull-apart brawl. She was cheered at and chanted for throughout, suggesting a disconnect between the company and their fanbase, but there's plenty of time to overcome this.
The turn will ideally cement Lynch as her division's undisputed alpha. In this utopia, she'd become a permanent fixture in the title scene, and embark upon the kind of dominant run usually reserved for lesser heel performers. Challenger upon challenger would fall by her hand, leading towards a big showdown with the division's most dangerous babyface at WrestleMania.
Asuka is barely on television at the moment, and needs much rehabilitation after the Carmella feud. The rebuilding process will be long and arduous. Still, if WWE want to present a compelling SmackDown Women's Title fight at 'The Show of Shows,' a restored 'Empress of Tomorrow' is the most compelling option for Evil Becky.