With WrestleMania 35 coming up this Sunday night, the go-home shows of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live have given us an indication of what talent is booked for the pay-per-view and who is not currently scheduled. Of course, the card is always subject to change and WWE may end up making alterations to this lineup, but at the moment, the men and women in this breakdown are not currently advertised as being part of this event.
In some cases, this may be justified, or even a purposeful plan to set up a surprise. In other cases, it may be ridiculous. That is up to you to decide as we take a look at which superstars aren’t being promoted for this show.
Competitors Without a Brand
— John Cena: It would seem like something was missing if The Undertaker made no appearance this year at WrestleMania, but in an odd way, I’m not even counting him, and I’m attributing more weight to John Cena’s lack of an appearance. At this point, I don’t expect The Undertaker, but I do expect Cena, and if The Franchise Player doesn’t do a single thing, I’ll be shocked. I’m just hoping it isn’t that he interrupts Elias.
— Lars Sullivan: After being heavily promoted even before the rest of the NXT call-ups, Sullivan has yet to make his first appearance on the main roster after suffering an anxiety attack. I’m suspicious of a potential appearance and win for the ATGMBR for him, but at the same time, since he’s yet to be advertised at all, it has to be assumed that he’s just not showing up at WrestleMania in any capacity.
— Lacey Evans: In some fashion, she’ll show up and walk around the stage. It’s absolutely going to happen. The only questions are whether or not she competes in the women’s battle royal, too, or if she just does that, and if she does only the walk-out, who does she interrupt?
From the Raw Men’s Singles Division
— Bray Wyatt: The Eater of Worlds has been out of action for several months as he and JoJo are having a child. WrestleMania is as good a time as any for him to make his return, but I honestly don’t think we’ll see him at this event. Rather, I think he’ll show up afterward either on Raw, SmackDown or post-Superstar Shake-up.
— Dean Ambrose: Twice, Ambrose was written off television via Drew McIntyre, which wasn’t done by accident. This is due to his contractual status being up in the air with the likelihood that he’s leaving WWE sometime in April. WWE probably sees no point in utilizing him just for him to go away, so if he does anything, it will likely be a distraction to help Roman Reigns defeat McIntyre, but even that is a stretch.
— Dolph Ziggler: The Showoff has been off television since Royal Rumble. My guess is that’s been planned, as WWE had nothing for him and he didn’t want to work without a game plan. I don’t think we’ll see him at this event, even in the ATGMBR.
— Goldust: Injury (knees). There is no set timetable for his return, if it happens at all.
— Mojo Rawley: Curiously, Rawley wasn’t announced for the ATGMBR. I assume he’ll be in the match, but it’s weird they neglected him. Perhaps that’s just an oversight.
— Sami Zayn: Injury (two torn rotator cuffs). He is expected back possibly sometime around WrestleMania season.
From the Raw Women’s Division
— Alicia Fox: After her recent issues with the company, it’s surprising Fox is still employed, rather than released. However, she does remain under contract, even though she’s been out of action for quite some time and it’s unknown when or if she will return.
— Ember Moon: Moon is still injured and unlikely to be able to return in time for WrestleMania.
From the Raw Tag Team Division
— The Authors of Pain: Akam is still injured, so Rezar has been relegated to house show and Main Event duty. If Rezar is used at all, he’ll be in the ATGMBR. I wouldn’t expect Akam to be back by this point.
— Fandango: Fandango remains out due to a shoulder injury; Tyler Breeze is in the ATGMBR.
— Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder / The Revival: It was teased that these two teams would potentially be put on the WrestleMania card (I’m assuming the kickoff) in a backstage segment after Raw that was put on WWE’s YouTube. This would make sense, as neither team’s members were advertised to compete in the ATGMBR. Until there is confirmation, though, they remain on this list.
From the SmackDown Men’s Singles Division
— Aiden English: English may compete in the ATGMBR, but more than likely, his only role at WrestleMania will be acting as a commentator for the Cruiserweight Championship match.
— Big Show: At this point, I don’t even consider Big Show an actual member of the roster, as he’s much more of an ambassador. But since he’s technically supposed to be considered an active competitor, yeah, he’s missing in action. His previous injury put him on the shelf again and really, there’s no need for him here. It’s more likely he’ll appear in Saudi Arabia than WrestleMania.
— Harper: Harper is returning to action at WrestleMania Axxess in the Worlds Collide setup wherein he’ll face Dominik Dijakovic.
— Kevin Owens: How has Kevin Owens not been named for the ATGMBR at the very least??
— R-Truth: The website doesn’t list R-Truth in the ATGMBR, but he was in the mixed tag team match on SmackDown that implies his involvement.
— Sin Cara: While he’s supposedly been cleared to compete for a while now, Sin Cara has yet to make his return on screen following the injury that had kept him out of action for several months.
From the SmackDown Women’s Division
— None: Every woman on the blue brand is accounted for.
From the SmackDown Tag Team Division
— The Colons: I’m actually not surprised that Primo and Epico haven’t been announced for the ATGMBR. Only Primo, for some reason, was out on SmackDown recently, and these two have been on the sidelines for years at this point. If anyone is completely overlooked for WrestleMania, these two fit the bill.
— SAnitY: It’s pretty bad when you go from being a big deal in NXT to mostly not ever doing anything for an entire year and you can’t even get in the ATGMBR.
From the 205 Live Cruiserweight Division
— Everyone But Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese: Since Tony Nese won the tournament and is set to face Buddy Murphy for the Cruiserweight Championship, those two will be the only two superstars set to represent 205 Live. The remaining wrestlers on the show could show up in any capacity, such as in the ATGMBR, but it’s unlikely. For the sake of completion, the wrestlers on 205 Live who are not currently scheduled for WrestleMania are Akira Tozawa, Ariya Daivari, The Brian Kendrick, Cedric Alexander, Drew Gulak, Gentleman Jack Gallagher, Humberto Carrillo, and Mike Kanellis.
Do you think these men and women or any others not on this list should have been booked on the card in some fashion? How would you have utilized them if given the opportunity? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
