These odds are courtesy of 5Dimes, a sports book accepting customers worldwide.
A very suspicious odds move has seen Roman Reigns’ favorable chances slashed from a runaway -1200 to a mere -400. With a Roman Reigns victory being considered a forgone conclusion, this creates a few pressing questions that must be addressed. Is the reason for this strange line move the result of an inside leak? Probably not, if this were the case we might be seeing Lesnar favored right now. Is this because gamblers are drawn to the name value of Brock Lesnar, especially with his UFC history? This is probably the more likely scenario and we will have a better idea of why exactly these odds moved when we get the result of this match. Worth mentioning is that this WWE Universal Championship match is still favored by -2000 to go on last as the main event.
Conversely, the odds actually widened a bit in the WWE Championship match. Shinsuke Nakamura has seen his odds increase from -415 to -620. Royal Rumble winner traditionally are very successful with their corresponding Wrestlemania matches, the attractiveness of this match is less about the result and more about the in ring quality. This could be match of the night.
Another challenger to a world championship that has seen their odds decrease would be Asuka, who is challenging for Charlotte Flair’s Smackdown Women’s Championship. Asuka’s former odds of -1050 have dropped to -825, which are still healthy odds for the “Empress of Tommorow”. European Markets are offering odds on a Carmella cash in at a favorable -150. This bet is on an official cash in of the Money in the Bank briefcase with no regard on if the cash in is a success.
As for the Raw Women’s Championship, the challenger’s odds of winning have decreased as well. Nia Jax’s odds of winning have moved from -390 to -350. With Alexa Bliss’ evasiveness, best displayed in the first ever Women’s Elimination Chamber, we could see an upset from “The Goddess”. It’s difficult to believe every title will change hands at this event and it might be valuable to see Bliss’ successful title reign continue beyond Wrestlemania.
Looking into the secondary championship matches, United States Champion Randy Orton is in a dead heat with one of his three challengers. Both Orton and Rusev currently have odds as +100, which is an even bet where you win as much as you wager. This is impressive as Rusev was moved into this match at the last minute to make a Fatal Fourway. The other challengers are Bobby Roode with odds of +765 and Jinder Mahal at +905.
The Interconitinental Championship still has Finn Balor favored slightly, however Seth Rollins has become a close underdog. This match is competitive with the exception of The Miz having dismal odds of +360 to retain in this Triple Threat match.
The Bludgeon Brothers remain slight favorites to win the Smackdown Tag Team Championships in a Triple Threat match between The Usos and The New Day. Braun Strowman and his partner are also still favored to defeat the Raw Tag Team Champions, Cesaro and Sheamus.
In the Tournament Finals for the vacant Cruiserweight Championship, Cedric Alexander’s favorable odds have increased from -295 to -460, a marginal line move. Alexander’s fellow finalist Mustafa Ali is a +320 underdog.
While the unannounced match of John Cena vs the Undertaker is only open in the European sports books, The Undertaker’s odds have dropped from -400 to -295, casting doubt for the outcome of this epic match.
Both the Raw and Smackdown brands have tag team matches centered around the authority figures of each brand. Raw is offering the in ring debut of Ronda Rousey, as she teams up with Raw GM Kurt Angle. Rousey & Angle have seen their odds increase to -825 against Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and WWE COO Triple H.
Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan makes his long awaited in ring return, teaming with Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. The odds on this one are very close and haven’t moved significantly. Bryan and McMahon are favored slightly at -180.
The Wrestlemania Women’s Battle Royal has no clear favorite, however the best odds currently belong to Sasha Banks at +150. The Andre Memorial Battle Royal does have a definite favorite in Matt Hardy with odds of -210. At one point Elias had the best odds to win, and a returning Big Cass is a definite possibility based on his respectable odds.
Wrestlemania 34 Betting Odds
WWE Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar(c) +280 vs Roman Reigns -400
WWE Championship
AJ Styles(c) +410 vs Shinsuke Nakamura -620
Raw Women’s Championship
Alexa Bliss(c) +250 vs Nia Jax -350
Smackdown Women’s Championship
Charlotte(c) +475 vs Asuka -825
Carmella Cash In Odds(Win or Lose) -150
Intercontinental Championship – Triple Threat Match
The Miz(c) +360 vs Finn Balor -130 vs Seth Rollins +170
United States Championship
Randy Orton(c) +100 vs Rusev +100 vs Jinder Mahal +905 vs Bobby Roode +765
Mixed Tag Team Match
Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey -825 vs Triple H & Stephanie McMahon +475
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
vs Ruby Riott + 2000 vs Mandy Rose +2600 vs Mickie James +2800 vs Liv Morgan +3300
vs Sarah Logan +3500 vs Lana +3700
Matt Hardy -210 vs Big Cass +380 vs Elias +475 vs Samoa Joe +1000 vs Dolph Ziggler +1700 vs Tye Dillenger +1700 vs Baron Corbin +2500 vs Kane +3000 vs Dash Wilder +5000 vs Scott Dawson +5000 vs Mojo Rawley +6000 vs Fandango +8000 vs Tyler Breeze +13500
Wrestlemania Women’s Battle Royal
Sasha Banks +150 vs Becky Lynch +250 vs Carmella +300 vs Bayley +300 vs Ember Moon +500 vs Natalya +1250 vs Nikki Bella +1250 vs Naomi +1250 vs Sonya Deville +2000
The Undertaker -295 vs John Cena +200
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
Cesaro & Sheamus(c) +200 vs Braun Strowman & Partner -295
Smackdown Tag Team Championship
The Usos(c) +155 vs The New Day +437 vs The Bludgeon Brothers -115
Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Final
Cedric Alexander -460 vs Mustafa Ali +320
Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon -180 vs Kevin Owens +140
The following odds are courtesy of 5Dimes, a sportsbook accepting players from across the globe and accepting Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Bitcoin.
Wrestlemania Betting Odds Latest Moves
Wrestlemania is this Sunday and just like the Super Bowl is to football, this is the biggest gambling event for pro wrestling. This massive card has had odds out for awhile, and since the global markets were opened last week, some of these matches have moved to become lopsided.
The most favored of anyone to win their match is Roman Reigns with odds of -1200 to beat Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. This means a $1200 bet would have to be made to make only $100. It has been a forgone conclusion all along that Roman will win this match and this has been an open secret since before the match was even announced. This match is once again heavily favored to main event, going on last at -2000.
While the match has not even been officially announced, John Cena vs The Undertaker is expected to happen at Wrestlemania. This match has been rumored for awhile and WWE has been teasing this match through the proxy of John Cena calling out The Taker weekly. It would be unlike the WWE’s prior business practices to tease a match it cannot deliver so we can count on this match happening Sunday. Even though the match is unofficial at his point, sports books are offering odds and Undertaker is favored at -400. John Cena is a +250 underdog.
Shinsuke Nakamura also has very good odds to defeat AJ Styles in the WWE Championship match. This follows a trend of champions going into Wrestlemania as underdogs. Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss is a +295 underdog and is being challenged by former ally Nia Jax, who is favored at -390. The Intercontinental Champion The Miz is another underdog at +280 and has two challengers to make a triple threat match. Finn Balor is a slight favorite to win this with current odds of -185. Seth Rollins has odds of +360, making him the outsider.
Asuka has superb odds of -1050 to continue her undefeated streak when she challenges Charlotte Flair for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. A Carmella Money in the Bank cash in is more than likely and the favorable betting odds on a successful cash in have mysteriously disappeared. This prop bet being suspended is actually a great indicator that Carmella will finally be cashing in. It is very probable the betting was suspended due to too many wagers being made on Carmella. Those lines kept moving in the favor of Carmella until it closed.
The only champion that is actually favored is Randy Orton favored at -200 defending his United States Championship in a Fatal Fourway. Of Orton’s three underdog challengers, Rusev has the best odds at +140 to take the title. Jinder Mahal has odds of +250 and the outsider is former champion Bobby Roode with odds of +500. This is actually one of the more difficult matches to predict.
For the finals of the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, Cedric Alexander is favored at -295 to capture the vacant title by defeating Mustafi Ali. Mustafa’s underdog odds of +200 are tempting in this one. Ali has a legitimate chance.
Tag Team and Battle Royal Matches
Both sets of tag team champions lack having lucky odds. Braun Strowman & whoever his opponent end up being have odds of -295 to successfully challenge the Raw Tag Team champions Cesaro & Sheamus. For the Smackdown Tag Team Championships The Bludgeon Brother are slight favorites at -134 to dethrone The Usos for those titles. The champions are slight underdogs at +140 and the New Day are also in this match with odds of +275.
In the special attraction mixed tag team match featuring women’s MMA standout Ronda Rousey, Kurt Angle and Ronda are favored at -530 to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a grudge match. According to some prop bets, we can expect to see this match via submission with Rousey tapping McMahon.
Another tag team match featuring the in ring return of Daniel Bryan has very close odds. Bryan & Shane McMahon are marginal favorites at -155 to defeat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, +110 underdogs. This is another match that is too close to call as KO and Sami fight to regain their jobs at WWE.
The Wrestlemania Women’s Battle Royal sees Becky Lynch with the best odds of +125 to win and there is another participant that is very close to Lynch’s odds. Sasha Banks, for example, has odds of +160 to win, but sports books cannot call this one right now. The Andre the Giant Memeorial Battle Royal is a match with a more definitive projection seeing Elias as the -140 favorite to win this match. There are also odds on Big Cass and Samoa Joe, both at +400, which is purely speculative with both being injured and not expected to be in this match.
WWE Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar(c) +600 vs Roman Reigns -1200
WWE Championship
AJ Styles(c) +295 vs Shinsuke Nakamura -415
Raw Women’s Championship
Alexa Bliss(c) +270 vs Nia Jax -390
Smackdown Women’s Championship
Charlotte(c) +550 vs Asuka -1050
Intercontinental Championship – Triple Threat Match
The Miz(c) +280 vs Finn Balor -185 vs Seth Rollins +360
United States Championship
Randy Orton(c) -200 vs Rusev +140 vs Jinder Mahal +250 vs Bobby Roode +500
Mixed Tag Team Match
Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey -530 vs Triple H & Shane McMahon +350
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Elias -140 vs
Dolph Ziggler +400 vs
Big Cass +400 vs
Samoa Joe +400
Kane +600 vs
Baron Corbin +800 vs
Matt Hardy +1200 vs
Tye Dillenger +2500
Wrestlemania Women’s Battle Royal
Sasha Banks +160 vs
Becky Lynch +125 vs
Bayley +300
The Undertaker -400 vs John Cena +250
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
Cesaro & Sheamus(c) +200 vs Braun Strowman & Partner -295
Smackdown Tag Team Championship
The Usos(c) +140 vs The New Day +275 vs The Bludgeon Brothers -134
Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Final
Cedric Alexander -295 vs Mustafa Ali +200
Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon -155 vs Kevin Owens +110
If you cannot make this historic event in person, you can still watch at home on the WWE Network, and new subscribers get their first months FREE! What are you waiting for?
You can check out the odds here and place your bets on 5Dimes!
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Updated 3/27: 5Dimes has just released their early lines which you can see below! And you can place your bets on who you think will take the prize! Tickets are still available, and you may be able to watch Wrestlemania for FREE! Click here for more info!
Pro Wrestling
Spread
Money Line
Total Points
Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar – WWE Universal Championship – Sunday, April 8, 2018 8:00 PM
201 Roman Reigns (initial ruling)
202 Brock Lesnar (initial ruling)
203 Roman Reigns (end of broadcast ruling)
-1050
204 Brock Lesnar (end of broadcast ruling)
+550
AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE Championship – Sunday, April 8, 2018 8:00 PM
211 AJ Styles (initial ruling)
212 Shinsuke Nakamura (initial ruling)
213 AJ Styles (end of broadcast ruling)
+170
214 Shinsuke Nakamura (end broadcast ruling)
-230
The Miz vs Seth Rollins vs Finn B??lor – Triple Threat Match – WWE Intercontinental Championship – Sunday, April 8, 2018 8:00 PM
221 Finn B??lor wins Triple Thread Match
+145
222 Field wins Triple Thread Match
-185
223 Seth Rollins wins Triple Thread Match
224 Field wins Triple Thread Match
225 The Miz wins Triple Thread Match
226 Field wins Triple Thread Match
Randy Orton vs Bobby Roode vs Jinder Mahal – Triple Threat Match – WWE United States Championship – Sunday, April 8, 2018 8:00 PM
231 Randy Orton Triple Thread Match
-120
232 Field wins Triple Thread Match
-120
233 Jinder Mahal Triple Thread Match
+145
234 Field wins Triple Thread Match
-185
235 Bobby Roode Triple Thread Match
+500
236 Field wins Triple Thread Match
-900
Alexa Bliss vs Nia Jax – WWE Raw Women’s Championship – Sunday, April 8, 2018 8:00 PM
243 Alexa Bliss (end of broadcast ruling)
+175
244 Nia Jax (end of broadcast ruling)
-245
Charlotte Flair vs Asuka – WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship – Sunday, April 8, 2018 8:00 PM
251 Charlotte Flair (initial ruling)
252 Asuka (initial ruling)
253 Charlotte Flair (end broadcast ruling)
+325
254 Asuka (end of broadcast ruling)
-475
Cesaro & Sheamus vs Braun Strowman – WWE Raw Tag Team Championship – Sunday, April 8, 2018 8:00 PM
261 Cesaro & Sheamus (initial ruling)
262 Braun Strowman (initial ruling)
263 Cesaro & Sheamus (end broadcast ruling)
264 Braun Strowman (end of broadcast ruling)
Cedric Alexander vs Mustafa Ali – WWE Cruiserweight Championship – Sunday, April 8, 2018 8:00 PM
271 Cedric Alexander (initial ruling)
272 Mustafa Ali (initial ruling)
273 Cedric Alexander (end broadcast ruling)
274 Mustafa Ali (end of broadcast ruling)
Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey vs Triple H & Stephanie McMahon – Mixed Tag Team Match – Sunday, April 8, 2018 8:00 PM
281 Kurt Angle & R.Rousey (initial ruling)
282 Triple H & S.McMahon (initial ruling)
283 Kurt Angle & R.Rousey (end of broadcast)
-825
284 Triple H & S.McMahon (end of broadcast)
+475
WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal – Sunday, April 8, 2018 8:00 PM
Oddsmakers in Europe have created betting odds for the announced Wrestlemania matches, and even a few that haven’t yet been announced. According to these early projections, none of the current champions are favored.
Challenging for the Universal Championship, Roman Reigns is heavily favored at -770 to defeat Brock Lesnar. Reigns is the most favored out of anyone on the card right now. This match is still favored at -200 to main event, a huge drop from being favored at -1000 just last month.
After earning a title match at Wrestlemania by winning the Royal Rumble, Shinsuke Nakamura has chosen to challenge WWE Champion AJ Styles. Nakamura is favored -250 to best AJ. Unlike the Universal Championship match, this one isn’t so predictable.
Charlotte Flair is a +400 underdog to not be champion by the end of Wrestlemania. This particular wager is setup like this to account for the possibility of a MitB cash in from Carmella. While Asuka is favored at -295 to leave Wrestlemania with the title, Carmella has odds of -150 to do the same. So even if Asuka can win the title from Flair, a successful Carmella cash in would cause those betting on Asuka to lose that particular bet, even if Asuka wins the original match.
The United States Championship match has not yet been announced, however odds are being offered on who will walk out of Wrestlemania with that title. With a rumored triple threat match between current champion Randy Orton, former champion Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal, those three names all have odds. Of these three Jinder is slightly favored at -118, while Orton has even odds of +100. Roode is the outsider in this with odds of +375.
Another match that is likely but not yet announced would be Alexa Bliss defending the Raw Women’s Championship against Nia Jax. As a -500 favorite, Jax is long overdue for a championship in WWE and this match has been slowly building for a while, often being put on the back burner.
The special attraction mixed tag team match not only has odds, but also some interesting prop bets. The team of Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey are favored at -625 to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. The method of finish is favored to be by submission and Rousey is favored to be the one capturing the fall at -400. Furthermore, while the gender involved with the finish is favored at -400 to be female, the male participants are favored at -625 to start the match.
These are early odds and will move and shift dramatically. Some of these are close enough to flip altogether and all matches are subject to “end of broadcast ruling”, meaning the final announced outcome by the end of the broadcast.
Wrestlemania 34 Betting Odds
Mixed Tag Team Match
Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey -625 vs Triple H and Stephanie McMahon +350
Method of Finish – Submission -240, Pinfall +100, Other Method +675
Participant to Obtain Victory
Ronda Rousey -400, Kurt Angle +300, Triple H +300, Stephanie McMahon +700
Participant to Concede Defeat
Stephanie McMahon -400, Kurt Angle +300, Triple H +300, Ronda Rousey +700
Gender of Participant Obtaining Victory
Female -400 vs Male +250
Gender of Participant Starting Match
Male -625 vs Female +350
Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar(c) +400 vs Roman Reigns -770
WWE Championship
AJ Styles(c) +175 vs Shinsuke Nakamura -250
RAW Women’s Championship
Alexa Bliss(c) +300 vs Nia Jax -500
Smackdown Women’s Championship*
*This bet is graded on which woman will be the title holder at the end of the event
Charlotte Flair(c) +400 vs Asuka -295
Carmella to Cash in the MitB and win the Smackdown Women’s Title -150
Intercontinental Championship – Triple Threat
The Miz(c) +325 vs Finn Balor -118 vs Seth Rollins +110
United States Championship*
This bet is graded on which man will be the title holder at the end of the event
Randy Orton(c) +100(evens) vs Bobby Roode +375 vs Jinder Mahal -118
The following betting odds are sourced from Grosvenor Casinos, an outfit with a sports book serving the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
Wrestlemania season is often filled with speculation on which of the matches will be put in the main event slot and be the final match of the event. It is considered the greatest of honors to go on last on the biggest and most monumental show of the year. While the matches for “The Show of Shows” is yet non-existent, it is slowly coming together the card draws near. There have also been many rumors from insiders as to what the announced matches will end up being.
Grosvenor Casinos is offering odds on what the finale of Wrestlemania will be and the favorite is a match that has been the long rumored Wrestlemania 31 rematch of Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns. This match is favored at -150, and even though Roman didn’t win the Royal Rumble to challenge for Lesnar’s Universal Championship, he will be competing in the Elimination Chamber in hopes of getting this title opportunity. Beings as Reigns has main evented the past 3 Wrestlemanias, these odds are completely sensible.
The Undertaker has even odds of +100 to be featured against any opponent in the main event. While Taker seemingly had his final match last year in the main event of Wrestlemania 33 against Roman Reigns, leaked information suggests another match in the works. There are even universally believed rumors of Taker and John Cena finally having Wrestlemania match and strangely there are no odds on that specific match.
The Divas Revolution is apparently still going, with the ultimate goal being a Women’s match main eventing Wrestlemania. Women’s bouts have already main events recent PPVs and TV Shows, the latest being the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble in Philadelphia. This match made history and while Asuka won the match against 29 other women, she was overshadowed by a Ronda Rousey showing up afterwards. It would not be surprising to learn that Rousey’s involvement with Wrestlemania are the reason a Women’s match going on last is a respectable +100, an even bet.
About the only match officially announced is Shinsuke Nakamura challenging A Styles for the WWE Championship and this match has odds of +200. Another bet being accepted, while it is unlikely he will even show up at the event, see Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson having odds of +300 to main event. One possible match for Ronda Rousey being rumored would be her teaming up with Braun Strowman to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon and that match has odds of +300. If WWE could get The Rock for this match, which is what they are believed to want, it would be a payoff to a Wrestlemania 31 angle that took place when Rousey first appeared in a WWE ring.
WrestleMania Main Event(Final Match of the Event)
Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns -150
Any Women’s Match +100
Any Match Featuring The Undertaker +100
AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura +200
Any Match Featuring The Rock +300
Braun Strowman and Ronda Rousey vs Triple H and Stephanie McMahon +300
Any Match Featuring Daniel Bryan +500
Braun Strowman vs Brock Lesnar +800
Brock Lesnar vs Shinsuke Nakamura +1500
I apologize for the lateness of this article… I moved since getting back from Orlando, and have had some technical difficulties that kept me from uploading the media I wanted to use for this article!
As some of you know who read my articles, I have been a life long wrestling fan. I have been watching as long as I can remember and it has always been a part of my life, one way or another. When WrestleMania was announced, and I found out my grandparents friends were getting it on closed circuit tv, I begged to be allowed to watch, as they said it was an “adult party” that I wouldn’t be interested, in wrestling anyway, as it was “for boys”. Begging, pleading, and naming all my favorite wrestlers worked, and I got to watch it with the guys my grandfathers friend had invited over. This was just the beginning. When pay per view became a thing, we would order the special box for the wrestling shows, my grandfather would invite his friends, my moms sister, and her family would join us in watching it at our house, or invite us to theirs to get the PPV. Wrestling was the one sport that brought my family together in any way.
This was my first opportunity to go to WrestleMania, despite many offers and failed attempts in the past. Like when my friend spent $4k on fake tickets, he insisted were real, despite not being from Ticketmaster. He was arrested for trying to sell the fake ticket I refused to attempt to use to an undercover, and spent 2 nights in jail. (Don’t buy tickets through scalpers who put ads on craigslist, or in the paper, only buy them through Ticketmaster, or verifiable reseller sites.) Even last year I was asked to go to WrestleMania, but the person wasn’t ever intending on taking me, or so it seems…
When the possibility of going this year came up, I didn’t put too much into it, as I rather not get excited about things that may not happen. But when my plane tickets were purchased, and we began forming an agenda, I knew it was real. Holy shit…. I was actually going! We procured tickets to WrestleMania, The WWE Hall of Fame, RAW, and Axxess for Thursday. We also booked for PromoterCon at WrestleCon, and planned on hitting up some of the independent events. When we began looking for a hotel, all that was available was lower end motels, so I began looking at other options. Usually I wouldn’t do this, but since we were heading to Orlando, Florida, I didn’t feel bad about booking an airbnb, as its a city full of vacation rentals. We found a lakeside rental, only 10 minutes from the airport, that could sleep up to 8 people, and it cost less than a small cheap motel for the week!
We flew out last Wednesday, and luckily had no big issues. We got our rental car, picked up our WrestleMania Flyers and went to the spot we rented. It was quaint, but clean and spacious and perfect for working when we had downtime as well as entertaining guests. We called it an early night so we could be ready for the weeks events, and the fact is I am on Los Angeles time, so the three hour time difference made it harder for me to be a morning person. I managed to get up and get dressed up, and we hit the road just about on time. On our way we stopped at WaWa, which is a treat for me as I live in Los Angeles, and we don’t have them there. And anyone who has been involved in east coast independent wrestling knows just how important WaWa can be, and I procured my favorite beverage, WaWa Green Tea!
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Our first stop was PromoterCon, which was a panel on promoting wrestling shows featuring: WWE Hall Of Famer JJ Dillon, Owner/Founder of WrestleCade Entertainment & AML Wrestling Tracy Myers, Owner/Founder of Gimmick Tree Entertainment & Modern Vintage Wrestling Charlie Armstrong and Owner of Combat Zone Wrestling and WSU, DJ Hyde. The event’s tagline was “Putting Butts in Seats” but honestly they could have done a better job getting folks to this. With my background in promoting shows, and working in production, I was quite interested in this event, but honestly I didn’t learn anything new. It was more geared towards beginners and folks who had limited knowledge of how to run live events. It probably was helpful for a few in the room. And it was nice to see Bill Apter there, who gave a short speech on wrestling media. Bill Apter is the longest running wresting journalist I know of, and he is full of all kinds of useful info, and I wish I would have had more time to chat with him of all people, but we had more to do!
Our next stop was WWE Axxess, which I already wrote a little bit about. The first person I saw that I know was “The Hobo” former CWF Hollywood Champion. The line was huge to get in, it took half an hour but moved pretty quickly. When we got inside it was a little overwhelming, as there was a lot to see and do. Some of the highlights were the Foam Pit Ring, the Superstar entrance way, the promo cutting booth, as well as many other interactive displays.
There was a ring set up for a few 205Live/NXT matches, presentations, interviews, and more. Fans also go opportunity to get autographs and photos with their favorite WWE superstars, and there was a massive WWE Pop Up Shop there as well. Overall it was a fun experience. Here is a clip of WWE Hall of Famer Alundra Blaze on women’s wrestling.
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The next day we attended the WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony and watched the class of 2017 be inducted, which included: Beth Phoenix, the Rock and Roll Express, Ravishing Rick Rude, Teddy Long, Kurt Angle, and others. There were heartfelt speeches from Nattie Niedhart, Ricky Steamboat, Jim Cornette, and JBL and Ron Simmons as they inducted this years class.
Day 3 we headed to the WWN shows, which due to miscommunication we did not actually have tickets, for, but due to our connections we did end up attending the afternoon Chikara Pro show. If you are not familiar with Chikara, they are my favorite independent wrestling promotion. They are one part lucha, one part Japanese, one part catch, with some american independent wrestling blended in. You never know what to expect. They kicked it off with a trio’s match, which is a tag team match with teams of 3 instead of 2. Chikara actually has whole tournament built around these teams called “King of Trio’s” which if you can get tickets, is not to be missed! We also got the rare opportunity to see their trainer and mentor, Mike Quackenbush in some action with Zack Saabre Jr. This match was yet another technical masterpiece. I really enjoyed it. In fact I enjoyed the matches so much, I didn’t bother with a review. Its really hard for me to write up reviews when I am really into watching something. The lighting also made it impossible to take photos if you were not sitting at ringside, so all my pictures came out blurry.
After checking out what was going on in the independent scene we headed out to meet up with my friend Melissa Coates, who is currently working with Sabu, as his wrestling genie sidekick.We met up with Melissa, Sabu, Jaime Dauncey, Crystal Carmichael and others, and headed out to Kevin Nash’s Shenanigans VIP Party. Though I did not see everyone who was listed in attendance, I am sure way more folks were there. We got there later in the evening, and the place was packed. It seemed the venue was far from prepared for the madness that ensued. You literally could not walk. Plus as we were in attendance with Sabu, fans were so excited to see him, at times it seemed they were more excited to see Sabu than Kevin Nash! I finally got opportunity to meet Al Snow, and I couldn’t help but mark out a little, as he really has done a tremendous amount for the wrestling industry and those in it. Other notable folks in attendance were: Shane Helms and his lovely wife, RVD, OBD, So Cal Val, Abyss, Amber O’Neill, Billy Gunn, and so many others we either did not spot or can’t remember to name at the time of this article. Shout out to The Pro Wrestling Report for putting together such a fantastic event! Here is a clip of the the crowd preparing to do a shot with Kevin, as you can see it was packed, and pretty wild.
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We got back to our rental extremely late/early depending on how you look at it. Everyone else went directly to sleep, but I was so stoked… WrestleMania was only a few hours away! After a couple hours of browsing through twitter, I finally fell asleep. When I woke up it was time to prepare for the biggest day of the year! We got ready to go, waited for the rest of our party to return from their early morning expedition and headed to the Camping World Stadium, aka The Citrus Bowl. One thing that blew my mind was that parking was $150 per car. No I didn’t add a zero or extra digit… you read that right… one hundred and fifty dollars to park a car!!! Seriously that has to be the most ridiculous parking charge I have ever heard of in my life. If I were to pay that, the motherfucking valet better clean and polish my car, and drive me home. My plane ticket home to Los Angeles cost less than parking at the stadium!!! So we did what any smart folks would do, we found a business owner a few blocks away who was renting his trucking company lot for $30 per car. Whoot! If I wasn’t in heels, I would have been down to park even further away. Note to anyone ever going to Orlando for major events, parking is expensive and can be a bitch, as there is not much street parking to be found.
We got inside, and much to my horror, we were sitting up in the top of the stadium. I have issues with vertigo, and an ridiculous fear of falling, (probably because I am a total klutz.) so it took me about 15 minutes to adjust to our seats. I wrote the match results as we sat there, but they were brief as there is no pause button on a live event. I was so happy that we got there in time to see Neville vs Austin Aries. I don’t care what anyone says, I love watching these guys wrestle. I been a long time fan of Aries, and Neville just keeps getting better and better. This was one of my favorite matches of the night and it wasn’t even on the main card! Ambrose vs Corbin was way to short for my liking. Shane and AJ were just as wild as I expected. The Owens/Jericho match was meh. I think I had enough of it the month before. The RAW Womens Championship match was also disappointing as I would have liked to see Nia Jax go further in the match. The 4 way Tag Team Championship Ladder match was OFF THE CHAIN!
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We saw the return of the Hardy’s, which though speculated for 2 weeks prior, got one of the biggest pops of the night. The Hardy’s walked away as the new RAW Tag Champions. Next was Miz and Maryse vs Cena and Nikki Bella. Cena Proposed to Nikki after the match. She should have said no. Rollins vs HHH was kinda a snoozer. As much as I love Rollins, I am incredibly bored by HHH. Stephanie saved the match by falling through a table though, and effectively putting her out of commission for a while. Orton vs Wyatt was interesting. Watching them project worms on the ring was a nice touch, though it would have been nice to see Orton sell it as if the ring was moving and writhing under him. Hopefully that storyline gets buried with the worms… Lesner vs Goldberg… I can’t even remember watching it, I am so bored by those two. SmackDown’s Womens Championship match was WAAAAAY too short. So happy for Naomi, she has come a long way and deserves that belt! And finally the main event… The Undertaker vs Roman Reigns. It was really hard to see The Undertaker moving so slowly, and really having difficulties with things he once made us go crazy for. That man has put his body through an incredible amount of hell for our entertainment. I think it was a huge honor for Reigns to be the one working him in his last match, and to be handed the torch so to say. Overall the match wasn’t of the highest wrestling quality, but for nostagia, and pulling at the heart strings, it was a 10. Wrestlemania ended with The Undertaker leaving his hat, gloves, and jacket in the ring, signalling his retirement.
My first in person WrestleMania was a great one, and probably the most memorable one in the 33 year history of WrestleManias.
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The next night we were back at it, and headed out to Monday Night Raw at the Amway Center. When you watch RAW on TV, some folks don’t realize in order to get the crowd riled up there are often matches for Main Event, or other WWE pre taped shows, so the fans have something to cheer for After the match taped for Main Event, the entire arena chanted “Undertaker” over and over. Those who watched RAW live that night, said the TV show opened with us chanting, and it gave them chills. The first segment was Roman Reigns coming out the the ring for a promo. The fans in attendance boo’d for what felt like an eternity. Roman said one simple statement “This is my yard now” and walked off. Other highlights of RAW were Kurt Angle being named the new GM, Cesaro and Sheamus becoming the #1 contenders for the tag titles, and the return of Finn Balor! The crowd was on FIRE when his music hit. I know I say it a lot, but it is awesome to see those I knew from my independent wrestling days make it to TV.
After RAW was over Goldberg came out and said his goodbyes for now. It was kinda sweet as he brought his kid to the ring and acknowledged his wife, and his life as a dad. Here is our after-RAW report from the rental.
The next day we went to breakfast with Osiris and his entourage, we caught up on some north east indy wrestling. After parting ways we then considered going to Smackdown, but instead decided to hit Disney World, specifically the Magic Kingdom. Can I say Space Mountain might be my favorite ride ever? Also got to spin around wicked fast on the tea cups, and look at the bizarre ideas Walt Disney held of the world.
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Our last day in Florida we decided to hit the beach. Cocoa beach is beautiful! The water was so nice, considering I have been on the west coast so long, I forgot how nice the ocean could feel when its not freezing and full of oil…
Overall the trip was great. It was nice to catch up with long lost friends, and make some new ones! We are already planning on next year, so watch out New Orleans, here we come!!!
So instead of doing my usual “Wrestler of the Week” posts here I decided to talk about the man that made me fall in love to professional wrestling: The Undertaker.
So here we are, just days away from WrestleMania weekend. One of my favorite weekends of the year. The WWE has a very stacked card for not only WrestleMania but NXT Takeover: New Orleans as well. We’re all going to be parked in front of the TV (or tablet, or computer, or however we watch the WWE Network) so here are my picks for who is going to win on both shows. Now, I must warn you all that I have been reading rumor sites and am basing on my picks on who MIGHT get either called up or switched to a different show in the Superstar Shakeup.
With that in mind, here we go. I’m going to start with NXT Takeover: New Orleans.
NXT Women’s Championship: Ember Moon (c) v. Shayna Baszler
Shayna has been damn impressive since her debut and given her performance at the previous Takeover, she’s definitely in line to become the monster heel champion of NXT. Especially once Ember gets called up to the main roster, possibly Smackdown. WINNER: Shayna Baszler
NXT Tag Team Championship: Undisputed Era (c) vs. Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne vs. Authors of Pain (Triple Threat Match)
So, I’m wondering if Adam Cole is actually going to wrestle twice in one night if so he deserves all the titles. But again, given the call-ups, I’m thinking that not only will this be a damn good match but I think we’re going to crown a new Dusty Rhodes Cup winner and NEW NXT Tag Team Champions in Roderick Strong and Pete Dunne WINNERS: Roderick Strong and Pete Dunne
Unsanctioned Match: Johnny Gargano v. Tommaso Ciampa
This is another match that is likely going to be decided by a call-up. Allegedly, Johnny Wrestling is heading to 205 Live but even with that I still don’t know how this is going to play out. I can see Ciampa winning and sending Johnny packing, but I can also see Johnny winning to bring closure to this storyline and then Johnny goes up. WINNER: Johnny Gargano
NXT North American Championship Ladder Match: EC3 V. Ricochet v. Velveteen Dream v. Killian Dane v. Lars Sullivan v. Adam Cole
Having seen the new NXT North American Title, its very old school and nice looking. This is going to be the usual plunder match. Dane and Lars will cancel each other out, Cole will likely be a nonfactor should he compete in the tag title match as well, so that leaves us with EC3, Ricochet and Velveteen Dream.
I don’t see Dream getting this title because I personally think that his first singles title should be the NXT Championship. So it’s going to come down to EC3 or Ricochet. I’m going to go with Ricochet so that we can start the feud with EC3 WINNER: Ricochet
NXT Championship: Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas v. Alestair Black
I’m actually disappointed we aren’t getting another match featuring Candice LeRae v. Zelina Vega but oh well. I’m sure she’ll chase off Zelina at some point in this match though. I think this is Alestair’s time, that and Almas may get called up as well. We’re going to have a new face of NXT as well as a new NXT Champion. WINNER: Alestair Black
And now on to Wrestlemania. A jam-packed 6 hours, if you count the preshow and its traditionally the biggest show of the year. Again, however, I’m reading rumor sites and basing my picks on who is going to switch shows in the Superstar Shakeup.
WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
We’re starting with the preshow matches. This is going to be fun because it involves women from Raw, Smackdown AND NXT. The fun part for me is going to be seeing who from NXT shows up, unfortunately thought the only storyline in this match is Bayley v Sasha Banks (which honestly should be its own match) so it is likely going to come down to the two of them and I’m calling Sasha the first winner of the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal WINNER: Sasha Banks
Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Who hasn’t declared for this match yet? Of all the people who have declared my personal favorite is WOKEN Matt Hardy. I certinately hope that the final two are Hardy and a returning Bray Wyatt. WINNER: Woken Matt Hardy
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Cedric Alexander v. Mustafa Ali
This is one match I am looking forward to. 205 Live has been awesome since Triple H took control of it and these two are a good reason why the in ring product has been better as well. Honestly, either one of these two would make an excellent choice for Cruiserweight Champion, but with all the attention that Cedric has gotten over the last year, he’s the obvious and logical choice to win. WINNER: Cedric Alexander
WWE Raw Womens Champion: Alexa Bliss (c) v. Nia Jax
Alexa has been great as Women’s Champion, but its time to take the focus off of her. This is one of the few feuds I can see continuing after Mania but even with the interference of Mickie James, I don’t see Nia leaving Mania without the title. WINNER: Nia Jax
WWE Raw Tag Team Titles: The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro) (c) v. Braun Strowman and ???
Since it hasn’t been announced who Braun’s partner is, logic would say he’s going to go at this alone. Although, since nothing is happening with him, I don’t see why Elias can’t be his partner as has been rumored for weeks. Sadly I don’t see Braun and his mystery partner coming out ahead here. Braun’s first title should not be the tag team titles, it should be the Universal Title so The Bar is going to retain here. WINNERS: The Bar
WWE United States Title Fatal 4 Way: Randy Orton (c) v. Bobby Roode v. Jinder Mahal v. Rusev
Why is Randy Orton even in this match? Why is he the US Champion other than to pad his resume? Orton is just a warm body here, I don’t even think he’s going to try. And also, RusevMania lands on Rusev Day so there will be a Rusev Day parade on Bourbon Street once he wins the US Title. WINNER: Rusev
WWE Intercontinental Title: The Miz (c) v. Seth Rollins v Finn Balor
This is one where the Superstar Shakeup will come into play. Rollins is going to head to Smackdown Live because his upward mobility has stalled since he came to Raw. And with the possibility of The Miz either taking time off after Mania or stepping up to feud for the Universal Title that just leaves one person left to win. WINNER: Finn Balor
WWE Smackdown Live Tag Team Titles: The Usos (c) v. The New Day v. The Bludgeon Brothers
I am a huge fan of Luke Harper, he deserves so much better than he’s had over the last year. In my personal opinion, he should have been in the WWE Championship match at last year’s WrestleMania. Who knows, it might have made the match remotely better.
There are Shakeup rumors that may send the Usos to Raw, which would be awesome to see them face The Bar. Smackdown needs some fresh blood in their Tag division, I either see the Bludgeon Brothers winning to assert dominance, or The New Day winning to bring in the Authors of Pain to the blue brand. WINNERS: The New Day
WWE Smackdown Live Womens Title: Charlotte Flair (c) v Asuka
Does anyone actually think Asuka’s streak is going to end here? Without her winning the title? C’mon people. Charlotte is going to put up one hell of a fight, probably Asuka’s best match she’s ever had. But the ending of this one is pretty obvious. WINNER: Asuka
Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon v. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
This is going to be awesome as I have been a fan of Daniel Bryan since the very beginning and I am going to be watching closely this match. Sadly we aren’t getting KO v Zayn one on one so we’re getting this. Zayn pins Shane, but they’ll pull a fast one saying since Owens didnt get the pin he’s still fired, thus moving KO to Raw. WINNERS: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey v Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
This is the one match I’ve got reservations about. I’ve been hearing how hard Ronda is going with her wrestling training at the performance center but her promos on the mic leave a lot to be desired. And that bump she took through the table on Raw last week didn’t inspire confidence in me.
All in all though, I think Kurt and Ronda will pull this one out but honestly this is going to be the bathroom break match of the night. WINNERS: Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey
WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) v. Shinsuke Nakamura
The ONE match on this card that EVERYONE either wants to see or should want to see. THIS is the dream match, the match that will DEFINE this WrestleMania. Unfortunately, this is also one that appears it may fall victim to the Shakeup rumors as well. AJ Styles has accomplished everything he can on Smackdown Live, now its time for him to move to the red brand and take over there. WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) v Roman Reigns
AJ and Nakamura should be the main event but instead, we are stuck with this. We all know Lesnar is on his way to the UFC so we are going to be stuck with WrestleMania ending, for the 4th year in a row, with Roman with his arms raised high in victory. C’mon, we all know its coming. WINNER: Roman Reigns
The following odds are from 5Dimes and represent the American Market. Currently Mastercard, American Express and Bitcoins are being accepted for deposits. Bets can be made for as low as 50 cent although there is never an obligation to place a wager or make a deposit to view and follow the ever changing odds. Visit 5Dimesby clicking here.
Updated betting odds for the early afternoon of Wrestlemania Sunday have set mandates for projected winners of most Wrestlemania matches and a few have become too close to call at this point. With the extent these lines have moved in many cases it has looked like this is what the “smart money odds” would look like if they even come in at all. Last month’s Fastlane had 3 upsets, which is unheard of and many speculated the smart money never came in, while it could be that with more bettors wagering these days the lines can withstand the inside betting and still maintain a “balanced book”.
Braun Strowman has been favored all along to win the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, but now it looks like Sami Zayn would be the projected winner at -210 to Strowman’s significant drop to -110. To put these odds in perspective, to win $100 would take a $110 bet on Braun or a $210 bet on Sami. Other movers and shakers in contention to win are wither member of American Alpha, each individually with odds +4500. Mojo Rawley has some of the best odds at +3000, due to speculation that his New England Patriot’s friend Rob Gronowski will have a featured appearance.
The returning Naomi is now favored to regain the Smackdown Women’s Championship at -530. The only other woman with respectable odds in this match currently in Carmella at +320, most likely based on the popularity of her act with James Ellsworth.
It seemed to be a given the Enzo Amore and Big Cass would finally have their big title win in Orlando where they became popular it being the home base of NXT. Enzo and Cass are still favored at -175 but this is actually a huge downgrade for their chances. The majority of these matches have moved in a direction of lopsided and the RAW tag titles are an exception. At +168, Cesaro and Sheamus seem to have a fighting chance.
All of these odds fall under “End of Broadcast Grading” or “End of Preshow Grading” which would be the final announced result to account for a “Dusty Finish”. Often times “Initial Ruling Grading” is offered closer to show as well.
[clink id=”1″ target=”_blank”]Follow the Latest Odds at 5Dimes[/clink]
WWE Universal Championship
Goldberg (c) +1350 vs Brock Lesnar -3250
WWE Championship
Bray Wyatt (c) +450 vs Randy Orton -750
RAW Women’s Championship
Bayley (c) -1500 vs Sasha Banks +1400 vs Charlotte Flair +1200 vs Nia Jaxx +5500
Smackdown Women’s Championship
Alexa Bliss (c) +9500 vs Naomi -530 vs Carmella +320 vs Becky Lynch +9500 vs Mickie James +9500 vs Natalya +13500
United States Championship
Chris Jericho (c) +850 vs Kevin Owens -1750
Intercontinental Championship
Dean Ambrose +850 vs Baron Corbin -1750
RAW Tag Team Championship
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson +168 vs Enzo Amore and Big Cass -175 vs Sheamus and Cesaro +1100
Roman Reigns -900 vs Undertaker +500
Mixed Tag Team Match
John Cena and Nikki Bella -1975 vs The Miz and Maryse +975
Non-Sanctioned Match
Seth Rollins -1750 vs Triple H +850
AJ Styles -1625 vs Shane McMahon +775
Pre-show Matches
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Neville (c) -1750 vs Austin Aries +850
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Braun Strowman -110 vs Sami Zayn -210 vs Big Show +1200 vs Mojo Rawley +3000 vs Jason Jordan +4500 vs Chad Gable +4500 vs Mark Henry +4500 (Various Other Odds Exist for All Other Entrants on the Sports Book)
As this is my first Wrestlemania trip, we are hitting up some of the events that WWE is doing leading up to the big event.
Yesterday we attended our first ever WWE Axxess event. What Axxess is, is basically a wrestling convention but done WWE style. There were autograph signings, live wrestling, interviews, and all kinds of interactive exhibits.
Some of the exhibits included: A Foam Pit Ring, The Elimination Chamber, A promo video booth, an superstar entrance way, The Undertaker entrance set, with druids, caskets, and all the creepy stuff to go along with it. Also there was the cage from WWE Fastlane, that Jericho was suspended in above the ring, so I locked my boss in it for good measure.
We only got opportunity to see a little bit of the wrestling, as there was a lot to look at, but we did catch Gallagher vs Davari, and it was a nice little match. I am really starting to dig Gallagher, he gets better and better with every match.
Also we got to see an interview with WWE Hall of Fame Alumni Alundra Blayze (Aka Madusa) about the current women’s division. Her insights were right on, and extremely inspiring.
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Harley Race and Ric Flair Ring Jackets
We also explored the massive WWE Pop Up Shop at the convention center… I really want some of those lunch boxes, they were probably my favorite thing there.
Again WWE has missed the mark on some of the womens shirts they have available, many of which have this weird beach tourist stand vibe, and at $30+ were ridiculously expensive for mid quality shirts. WWE could make more money from merch if it was more affordable to the masses. Just my opinion here as I know the costs involved in making merch, and at the level they make it, the cost vs what they make off the merch is an extremely large gap, and by lowering prices, they would probably sell double the amount of stuff. Not to mention there are great deals if you buy online this week from WWE Shop!
Also, it would have been nice for the ring to be more centered, so you could see the matches from the lines you were waiting in, and maybe slap hands with the wrestlers entering the ring. To me that would be the centerpiece of the event.
And lastly, getting people to pay for autographs of current talent seems to be a bit much, its understandable to pay for an 8 x 10, but you shouldn’t have to pay twice just to meet someone, especially current talent.
Overall it was fun, and definitely would have been more exciting if I was a casual fan, and not someone who works in the industry. They need to add contests, and I would have loved to see a set up to play WWE2k17 as well as a booth to make your character and upload it to play with.
I am glad I got to experience this first hand, and see the displays in person, because it’s just something you have to do at least once.
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And don’t forget, you can get WWE Hall Of Fame 2017, and Wrestlemania for FREE as part of your first month of WWE Network!
