We are getting closer and closer to WWE WrestleMania 28 as the Royal Rumble is just around the corner so I thought it would be a perfect time as any but to give you my latest predictions for the WrestleMania 28 card as of February 2012. With that being said lets take a look at how WrestleMania 28 is shaping up according to yours truly:
The Rock vs. John Cena (confirmed)
I have to be quite honest here; I am really surprised this match hasn’t received the post-Royal Rumble hype that I thought it would get. The WWE has been running a vignette covering The Rock and Kane mentioned The Rock’s match with Cena at WM 28 in a promo but besides that there has been very little to no build for this match at all. Some people are even calling this one of the worst times in this feud since the announcement and that’s not good since it’s not that far away. The silver lining in this all is that The Undertaker/Triple H feud didn’t have that much build last year and it was still great, it’s also good that The Rock will be appearing on RAW come March, I really hope this match still delivers.
Sheamus vs. Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett (c) (For World Heavyweight Championship)
There is no way the WWE is keeping Randy Orton out of the World title match this year I believe. Orton has been the MVP of the WWE roster for a good part of an entire year and just like Sheamus, deserves to be rewarded with the biggest stage in wrestling, a World Title match at WrestleMania 28. I believe this match will be happening come WrestleMania 28.
CM Punk (c) vs. Chris Jericho (For WWE Championship)
Chris Jericho might have not won the Royal Rumble but I believe his WrestleMania 28 indications were revealed to us the night after the Rumble after he attacked CM Punk. This match has been rumored for quite sometime and now seems like it is even closer to being confirmed. I’m really looking forward to how this match builds leading up to and after the Elimination Chamber. I don’t think it’s any surprise here but this match will definitely deliver on the WrestleMania stage.
The Undertaker vs. Triple H
The RAW after the Royal Rumble proved to be one that was filled with WrestleMania implications as The Undertaker made an unexpected and surprising return to Monday Night RAW for the first time since before WrestleMania 27. There were no words spoken but the actions spoke volume for wrestling fans witnessed The Undertaker challenging Triple H for another WrestleMania match without uttering a single word.
The segment was eerily similar to their ones that lead to WrestleMania 27 in the early stages of the feud and the hype for this one will be just as big as the WrestleMania 28 build. The one thing I have changed in this match from my prediction back in January was that Brock Lesnar will not be involved. I really don’t see any way Lesnar can be involved in WrestleMania 28 by now but I could be mistaken.
The Big Show vs. Shaquille O’Neal
Do I want to see this match? No not at all. Will it make that “Sportscenter moment” that the WWE always looks for? Yes. The only thing I’m wondering about this match is whether or not we will be witnessing a heel turn soon for The Big Show. We know that no matter what he is at WrestleMania (heel or face), he will be cheered on like crazy by the WrestleMania faithful.
Zack Ryder vs. Kane
Since I started doing these predictions blogs back in December I have always put one “bold prediction” match on my predicted WrestleMania lineup. For the last two months it was The Miz & R-Truth and I don’t see that match happening now due to other potential match reasons (see below). But my latest “bold prediction” match is for Zack Ryder vs. Kane at WrestleMania 28.
I have not been the biggest of Zack Ryder fans during his recent push but his latest stuff in the Kane/John Cena feud has been pretty good and leaving fans to find that emotional attachment that we tend to lose in wrestling angles. Ryder could be put over big time as a babyface should this match take places because he is a major underdog versus the guy who has taken him out week after week during the month of January. If you want to make Zack Ryder a big star I believe a match with Kane at WrestleMania, with this current build, could help put him over with the fans even bigger.
Mark Henry vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz vs. R-Truth vs. Christian vs. Kofi Kingston – Money in the Bank Ladder match
Since the Money in the Bank PPV appears to not be returning ever again it looks like the match the PPV was named after is making its long awaited return to WrestleMania. These matches usually have a large degree of various talents in it and I believe the wrestlers I picked will make up the match for this year’s M.I.T.B. All of these talents have had a great 2011 and look to push their careers to the next level in 2012.
But one thing we know always happens in these types of matches is that one star will be made and for me the early favorite right now has to be Kofi Kingston. It looks like the WWE is ready to give him another chance as a potential main eventer and he is really starting to get over with the fans. I will be shocked if he is somehow not involved in this match but won’t be surprised if he wins it in Miami.
Cody Rhodes vs. Mick Foley
I believed we saw the seed of this match being planted during the Rumble match itself as Rhodes was responsible for Foley’s elimination in the match. Foley only does WrestleMania matches with talents that are going to be big stars in the near future, we’ve seen him tangle with Orton & Edge since he retired from active competition and shortly thereafter they became huge stars in the process. It’s no secret that Cody Rhodes is on the cusp of being a big star in the WWE and a match with Foley at WrestleMania can really put him over.
Kharma vs. Beth Phoenix (c) (For WWE Divas Championship)
For more on this topic join us for the Thursday February 9th edition of “The Still Real to Us Show” and download the show at www.wheelhouseradio.com or www.wrestlechat.net.
If you would like to subscribe to “The Wheelhouse” on iTunes simply subscribe for free at iTunes by typing in “Wheelhouse Radio!”
You can follow “The Champ Jeff Peck” on Twitter at www.twitter.com/therealjeffpeck you can also follow Wheelhouse Radio on twitter at www.twitter.com/thewheelhouse and you can e-mail them @ [email protected]
WrestleMania XXVIII Championship Gear now available at WWEShop.com!
New Anti-Cena Tee Only $24.99 at WWEShop.com!
Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com
Eric G.
Eric is the owner and editor-in-chief of the Camel Clutch Blog. Eric has worked in the pro wrestling industry since 1995 as a ring announcer in ECW and a commentator/host on television, PPV, and home video. Eric also hosted Pro Wrestling Radio on terrestrial radio from 1998-2009. Check out some of Eric's work on his IMDB bio and Wikipedia. Eric has an MBA from Temple University's Fox School of Business.
Follow Me:
