Welcome to another edition of WWE Heat Index, wherein we discuss the interest level for the various feuds heading into the pay-per-view events. This time around, we’re focusing on WrestleMania 34 coming this Sunday night.
The way this works is a pretty simple three-way breakdown of Hot, Lukewarm and Cold. If you like something and you’re very interested in how WWE is setting up the program, it’s Hot (aka Good). If you’re a bit on the fence about it and see some problems, but it’s not awful, then it’s just Okay or Lukewarm. The ones that are the most problematic that you have no interest in are Cold (aka Bad).
Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section to let everyone know what your thermometer reads for each feud as I tell you what my thoughts are below!
Without further ado, let’s get started!
Universal Championship Match: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns = Lukewarm / Cold
I’ve spent an entire year talking about how I didn’t want to see this be the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania 34. A few promos about Brock Lesnar not being around more often wasn’t going to change my mind.
I was pumped for this 3 years ago. I was one of the few people in the arena at the Royal Rumble actually rooting for Roman Reigns to win, instead of “anybody but Roman” as most people were saying.
But that was 3 years ago, and I haven’t felt like seeing this get rehashed, and I don’t feel like watching the rematch. They’re going to have to have an AMAZING match to make me change my mind in retrospect for this being worth it all, because right now, the feud itself has done nothing to convince me otherwise.
I’d be tempted to put this into Lukewarm / Cold, but that would only be due to how I’m curious about the level of boos this is going to get, and if WWE is going to fall victim to the potential problems I can see happening, like this being a typical short Lesnar match with only five moves (German suplex, F5, Superman Punch, spear, maybe a clothesline or something).
WWE Championship Match: AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura = Hot
This is what Shinsuke Nakamura has been building up to, so it’s time to make it or break it.
I’m a little worried AJ Styles is going into this match with an injury that will hinder it, and it will cause us to question whether it could have been better, but that’s something to focus more on after its finished, as it could end up being just as great as its potential.
It’s a little shameful how the bare minimum was put in advertising this ahead of time by WWE, who have really booked this feud as something that exists more as just a “wait for the match” type thing than a legitimate storyline. Basically, Nakamura won the Royal Rumble, challenged Styles, and then disappeared until Fastlane was finished, where the two have just said “I’m going to fight you in a few weeks, stay tuned” and nothing more.
Despite how WWE is clearly banking on this to be a match that sells itself purely on the hype for the in-ring action, I’m still excited to see what they have to offer and if they can top their match at Wrestle Kingdom.
Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon = Lukewarm / Cold
This is a case where the more WWE promotes it, the less interested I am in it, and good lord has this been beaten into the ground.
I don’t fault them for being excited about Ronda Rousey and trying to get as much media coverage as possible—WWE is a business and Rousey is certainly going to attract more attention than nearly everybody else on this card.
However, that doesn’t mean as a fan, I love seeing the same promo footage three or more times a week and then recycled again the next week.
So far, Rousey has not impressed me in the slightest bit with any aspect of her career outside of her popularity. Her timing has been off, her movements have been awkward and her mic skills aren’t there. Likewise, Kurt Angle isn’t what he used to be, and Stephanie McMahon was never a true performer. Triple H is still great, though.
I’m just hoping this is quick, more than anything else. My expectations are extremely low for this segment.
John Cena vs. The Undertaker = Hot
Technically, this isn’t on the card, but I can’t let this go by without throwing it out there. All I have to say about it, though, is that it’s John Cena against The Undertaker: the biggest face of the company since Steve Austin facing my #2 favorite of all time.
Of course I’m down.
Cruiserweight Championship Match: Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali = Hot
I know I’m going to be in the minority here, but that’s what happens when you actually watch 205 Live and see how talented people like Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali are, instead of what most people are going to do for this part of the night, which is turn to their friend and say “who are these guys?”
Go back and watch their previous matches. They were fantastic.
I see no reason why they shouldn’t have just as good of a match, if not considerably better, now that they were given the confidence boost of being on the WrestleMania card and fighting for the championship.
This could be one of the absolute best matches of the night and I hope if that does happen, that people don’t miss out on it just because it’s the cruiserweight division.
Raw Women’s Championship Match: Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Nia Jax = Lukewarm
If this is a squash match, I’ll enjoy it much more than if it’s going to be dragged out and last 10-15 minutes.
As far as the storyline goes, I’m down for it. Nia Jax as a babyface is something we haven’t seen yet, Alexa Bliss totally deserves her comeuppance, the time is right for a new women’s champion on Monday Night Raw, and I really don’t have all that much more to say about this.
The reason why it isn’t a Hot is because there still exists the possibility this goes on a lot longer than it should, and by the end of the segment, it feels like it dragged. Plus, in comparison to the other things given a Hot, this just doesn’t measure up.
Raw Tag Team Championship Match: The Bar (c) vs. Braun Strowman and ??? = Hot / Lukewarm
I’m naturally very curious who they decide to go with for Braun Strowman’s partner, which is even interesting if they go with him having no partner at all, as Strowman is one of my favorite acts in the company today.
I can’t say I’d be too happy with having one person hold the tag team titles, even if it’s Strowman, nor do I think the choice of his partner is an infallible one where anybody could fit the bill, but I’m definitely willing to give them a shot for all of this.
This is more of a moment than a match itself, though. If the partner idea doesn’t pan out, it’ll just end up being a weird segment.
SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Asuka = Hot
I’m one of those people who thinks Asuka is both great and overrated, where I don’t think she’s some 10/10 amazing performer who can do no wrong, yet I acknowledge that she’s one of the better women in the ring right now in WWE.
If you were going to put her up against any one singular woman on the roster right now in the hopes of having the best match possible, Charlotte Flair is truly the right decision.
A few weeks/months back, I was critical of this happening because I felt like there wasn’t enough time to successfully build the program and that it would feel rushed, but now that it’s crunch time, I don’t agree with those former thoughts. For the most part, that is because this feud didn’t need to have anything more to it other than the title shot stipulation.
Asuka is heading in with an undefeated streak and Charlotte is heading in with a title. One of them (cough*Charlotte*cough) is going to lose, and that’s good enough for a story to track.
I’m also interested to see if Carmella tries to cash in. Whether she does and is successful, or the much more likely route of her attempt being soiled is chosen, that’s still something worth watching out for.
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match: The Usos (c) vs. The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers = Hot
This Hot isn’t as hot as some of the other ones, mind you, but it’s still a big ol’ thumbs up.
I mentioned before that I’ve been a fan of pretty much all of the encounters between The New Day and The Usos, so continuing down that path is going to get my approval already, while adding The Bludgeon Brothers to the mix has me intrigued for how their powerhouse style will play into the dynamic of the match.
For me to say that this would be one of the top best matches of the night is a bit of an overstatement, I feel, but I do think it has a lot of potential to be a fun, 10-15 minute spot fest of sorts.
I’m looking forward to it, for sure, and I hope I’m not alone in that, as I think all of these guys have skills they rarely get to showcase in a way that they might be able to do with this platform this time around.
United States Championship Fatal 4-Way Match: Randy Orton (c) vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Rusev = Lukewarm
The United States Championship being on the line in a Fatal 4-Way with these four players is something that I keep going back and forth about.
On one hand, Roode and Orton are two very solid performers who I think definitely deserve some of the spotlight at WrestleMania, and I’m not even too opposed to Mahal stepping in there to get some of that warmth, too.
On the other hand, WWE has put such little effort into making this interesting that I have nothing to really base any hype on other than the names and their previous work, and that is all magnified significantly with the random addition of Rusev to the mix, who got inserted out of nowhere. I like Rusev, but I think he would have been better suited for the battle royal.
This all started because Mahal was complaining that Roode was maybe touting that he was more important than Orton on the SmackDown Top 10 list—a list which has never been brought back, has never amounted to mean a damn thing, and was never really fully explained or fleshed out to begin with. Why was that the impetus for this entire feud, and why has nothing really interesting happened since then?
All they’ve done is have numerous segments on SmackDown where two of them interrupt whoever was talking first and then the three of them fight a few minutes later. There really must be a copy/paste from one script to the next, and that’s just not good enough to stir up anything but a Lukewarm reception.
Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match: The Miz (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor = Hot
For all intents and purposes, this could be the best match of the entire night if these three guys are given the proper amount of time to go out there and put on the best show possible.
The Miz is no Shawn Michaels, but he’s a solid, consistent and passionate performer who gives it his all, and he’ll be opposite two guys who are more adept at the technical side of things in a different way.
Seth Rollins has a knack for wanting to steal the show and usually doing a good job at his attempts, while Finn Balor is certainly going to try his hardest to prove that he’s someone WWE management can’t afford to lose out on.
With the chance that bonus points could be awarded by appearances from The Miztourage and The Good Brothers ringside to spice up a moment or two, this could really set the bar.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon = Hot
It’s Daniel Bryan’s return to the ring! What else needs to be said?!
Admittedly, I think the better match here on paper would be a Triple Threat between Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Daniel Bryan, but that would have made less sense given the context of the storyline and I don’t think Shane McMahon is going to get too too much in the way to prevent this from being quality entertainment.
Owens is one of my absolute favorites on the roster, Zayn is someone I think has been criminally underutilized for a while and Bryan is just Bryan, so with those three in this match and the manageable expectations of it not being a 5-star classic due to Bryan’s inevitable ring rust, I’m still anticipating this segment ending with putting a smile on my face and possibly tears in the audience.
Women’s Battle Royal = Lukewarm / Cold
Pass. I have less interest in this than I do the men’s battle royal, although I’ll admit that I’m glad WWE went this route than to try to cram in a singles match between Bayley and Sasha Banks.
At least in this scenario, the other women can get a chance to perform, and there’s also a possibility that this doesn’t just come down to Bayley/Banks as I’m expecting.
Then, if we get something different, that will be much more interesting to me, especially if it involves someone from NXT, as the call-ups are the aspect of this that I’m most excited for.
I’m looking out for The Iconic Duo, possibly Ember Moon and maybe even Zelina Vega or someone like Kavita Devi to turn some heads.
5th Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal = Lukewarm / Cold
We’ve had four of these and WWE has proven four times in a row that they don’t really care about this match, so I can’t go into it feeling like I’m in for a doozy of a match.
This should be roughly 14 minutes of the leftovers who weren’t important enough to get a better spot on the card punching each other amidst some questionable eliminations before someone wins that I doubt will get a solid push for more than a few weeks following Mania.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m very, very glad its still on the card instead of being shafted and leaving all of these guys sitting backstage with nothing to do. However, I just can’t get super thrilled about something starring people like Curt Hawkins. Face the facts.
Those are my thoughts, but how do you feel about these particular feuds? What’s hot and what’s cold in your mind? Fill us in on your point of view in the comments below!
