WWE WrestleMania 38: What To Expect in Texas

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WrestleMania 38 is being billed as the “most stupendous” of all time, as it will be a two-night affair emanating from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

WWE packed a company-record 101,763 fans into AT&T Stadium for WrestleMania 32, and since WrestleMania 38 will take place on both April 2 and 3, it is likely even more fans will witness The Showcase of the Immortals in person this time around.

While this year’s card is still coming together, the company has already announced some blockbuster matches, and both nights of the marquee event are shaping up to be stacked.

As WWE continues its march toward WrestleMania 38, here is a rundown of what fans can expect to see when they tune in to watch the biggest spectacle in sports entertainment.

Edge, AJ Styles Will Steal the Show

Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar will do battle in the main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania 38 with both the WWE and universal titles on the line, and the bout is being called the biggest match WrestleMania match of all time by the company.

While an argument can be made in favor of that billing, there is a strong chance that a match on the undercard of WrestleMania Sunday will steal the show.

In a first-time-ever contest that fans have longed for, Edge and AJ Styles will clash on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Edge begged for someone to step up and challenge him, and Styles obliged last week on Raw. In return, The Rated-R Superstar snapped by attacking The Phenomenal One and hitting him with a con-chair-to.

Edge has seemingly turned heel for his WrestleMania rivalry, which is a positive since he tends to excel most in that role. It can also be argued Styles is most in his element as an underdog babyface with the fans firmly behind him.

Edge vs. Styles would have been great no matter what, but the fact that WWE was able to create heat between them so quickly will only serve to get the WWE Universe even more heavily invested.

Since returning from what was thought to be a career-ending injury, Edge has been involved in some classic encounters with Randy Orton and Seth Rollins, and his WrestleMania main event match against Reigns and Daniel Bryan last year was excellent as well.

Meanwhile, Styles is no stranger to putting on great matches at The Show of Shows, as he has proved against Shane McMahon, Shinsuke Nakamura and The Undertaker, among others.

Provided Edge and Styles are given the time they need to tell the right story, there is no reason why they shouldn’t put on the best match at WrestleMania 38.

Women’s Main Event for Third Time in Four Years

Women’s wrestling has been featured more than ever before at WrestleMania in recent years, and that will again be the case at WrestleMania 38.

Three years ago, women competed in the main event for the first time when Becky Lynch defeated Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair in a Triple Threat to win both the Raw and SmackDown women’s titles.

Last year, Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks closed Night 1 of ‘Mania with The EST of WWE beating The Boss to become SmackDown women’s champion.

While Reigns and Lesnar are set to headline Night 2 of WrestleMania 38, Night 1 is ripe for one of two women’s championship matches to go on last.

Each of those matches feature women who have main-evented WrestleMania before, as Lynch will put the Raw women’s title on the line against Belair and Flair will defend the SmackDown belt against Rousey.

Both matches are scheduled for WrestleMania Saturday, and it stands to reason that one could open the show and the other could main-event, providing fans with excellent bookending women’s bouts.

The biggest question relates to which of the two title matches will be the main event since a strong case can be made for either of them.

If star power is the main argument, then it likely goes to Rousey vs. Flair since the former is a huge crossover star from the world of MMA and has the most mainstream appeal.

The answer changes if storytelling is more important since the rivalry between Lynch and Belair has existed since SummerSlam last year when Big Time Becks made her return and beat The EST for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in mere seconds.

Rousey vs. Flair seems to be the likeliest candidate to headline since WWE tends to put the former UFC star on a pedestal, but either way, women’s wrestling will be in the spotlight once again at WrestleMania 38.

Celebrity Performers Will Exceed Expectations

Celebrities have always played a big role in the success of WrestleMania, and that will remain true this year.

YouTube sensation Logan Paul and movie star Johnny Knoxville are both set to compete in matches, as is SmackDown announcer Pat McAfee.

While the in-ring success of celebrities in WWE tends to be a mixed bag, fans got to enjoy one of the best celebrity performances in WrestleMania history last year with musician Bad Bunny.

Bad Bunny teamed with Damian Priest in a tag team match against The Miz and John Morrison, and he performed well beyond expectations. A lifelong fan of WWE, the singer clearly took his training seriously and delivered one of the best matches on the card.

While Bad Bunny has set a high bar, there is reason to believe this year’s celebrity performers can come close to matching him.

Paul was a successful amateur wrestler in high school and has some boxing experience, suggesting he has the physical ability to excel in pro wrestling.

Additionally, he will be teaming with The Miz, who played a role in Bad Bunny’s performance last year. The A-Lister and Paul will face Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio, the latter of whom is widely regarded as one of the all-time greats.

Given his own athleticism and the talent surrounding him, the YouTuber should have every opportunity to impress.

Knoxville’s match against Sami Zayn may be a bit more comedy-oriented, but that is the ideal space for the actor due to his years entertaining on Jackass.

As long as WWE sets up some kind of stunt for him to do in the middle of the bout, fans will likely be satisfied.

McAfee does have some pro wrestling experience, and he seemed to take to it like a fish to water in NXT when he faced Adam Cole in a singles match and was later part of a WarGames match against Undisputed Era.

The former Indianapolis Colts placekicker is also among the most entertaining personalities in the sports and entertainment field, and he understands how to deliver when the bright lights are on.

McAfee and Austin Theory could put on one of the best matches on the entire show, which is a huge bonus from WWE’s perspective when it comes to someone who isn’t a full-time wrestler.

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