Less than two months remain until WrestleMania 33 in Orlando and there is only one more event until that time and it is Fastlane in early March. Two matches have been officially confirmed for the biggest pay-per-view (PPV) of the year, but there are many more that need to be put in place and added to the card. After losing the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble, many wondered where AJ Styles would go, and now, his road appears clear.
For weeks now, there have been rumors swirling around that AJ Styles is going to have a huge match at WrestleMania, but who would it be against? He lost the WWE Title to John Cena at the Royal Rumble, and he came up short at capturing it back last night at the Elimination Chamber.
Still, there are plans in place and the rumors are gaining some credibility now.
Yes, the rumors have been running wild that SmackDown Live commissioner Shane McMahon will step back into the ring to face Styles at WrestleMania 33. While those may be hard to believe, it certainly appears as if the rumors will end up coming true.
PW Mania is reporting that the Madison Square Garden website has updated its preview for the SmackDown live event on March 12. Styles isn’t being advertised for a match and Shane McMahon doesn’t usually appear at house shows, but they are both on this card.
The site lists “special appearances by AJ Styles and Shane McMahon” which is just a really weird way of saying they will be there. Usually, previews state that other talents are scheduled to appear, but this one is letting the fans know they are in for a treat because these are “special appearances.”
Last year, AJ Styles performed at his first-ever WrestleMania and took on Chris Jericho. Shane McMahon also had a match and he took on The Undertaker inside the vicious Hell in a Cell structure. Both of them appear headed for a face-off at this year’s PPV, but is it a mistake?
Fox Sports certainly feels as if this is the wrong move by WWE as they believe it is a waste of Styles’ talent and build-up over the last year. He became WWE Champion in almost no time, held the title for months, and has been in main events against the top stars on the roster.
So, WWE putting him against a very limited and part-time performer like Shane McMahon does seem odd, but it will make for a good match. Obviously, Shane-O Mac put everything on the line last year against The Undertaker when he took his huge fall off the cell.
Considering it is the commissioner and AJ Styles, this will be one of the top matches on the card from the SmackDown Live brand. Sure, it may be unexpected but fans had better get used to it because it seems like it is happening just as Cageside Seats reported a month ago.
As of this writing, there are only two matches confirmed for WrestleMania 33 with the first being Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar for their third and final bout. That match is expected to be made even bigger in the coming months as it will likely be for the WWE Universal Championship as well.
The other big match was made official last night after the Elimination Chamber and it will have new WWE Champion Bray Wyatt taking on Randy Orton.
WrestleMania 33 is going to be a huge event that has superstars deliver only the best of the best in their matches. With so many great talents on the rosters of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live, it is odd to think that WWE would give a coveted spot to Shane McMahon yet again. No-one can deny that he puts on a great match and that will likely be the case against AJ Styles, but it’s an interesting choice.
