There’s nothing quite like WrestleMania. In years good or bad, WWE’s iconic event stands out as one show a wrestling fan cannot miss. That’s no different this year, with WrestleMania 38 set for April 2 and 3 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The cards for the two-day event are nearly complete, though there are likely still matches to be added during the final week stretch. There are also certain to be surprises when the action goes down.
Royal Rumble winners Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey have their matches locked in, with WWE champion Lesnar set to face universal champion Roman Reigns in a title vs. title match. Rousey is set to take on SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair. The other women’s championship will also be on the line when Raw champ Becky Lynch defends her belt against Bianca Belair.
In addition, celebrities Johnny Knoxville and Logan Paul are set to take part in matches and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will appear on a special edition of Kevin Owens’ “KO Show.”
As with all major WWE events, WrestleMania 38 will stream live on Peacock. The main card both nights will begin at 8 p.m. ET following a kickoff show one hour prior.
Let’s take a look at what we know — and what we expect — at WWE WrestleMania 38.
WWE WrestleMania 38 Day 1 matches
Raw Women’s Championship — Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair: Lynch returned to WWE and beat Belair in seconds to become Raw women’s champion at SummerSlam. Belair has been waiting for a definitive rematch and settling things at WrestleMania was one of the only ways WWE could make up for the disastrous decision they made with how they approached Lynch’s initial win over Belair. Belair earned her shot by winning the women’s Elimination Chamber match.
The Miz & Logan Paul vs. The Mysterios: Miz had issues dealing with two-on-one situations against Rey and Dominik Mysterio, including losing to Rey at the Elimination Chamber event. After that loss, he vowed to bring in a friend to help him even the odds. That friend ended up being Paul, the social media star-turned-boxer who has spent the last year flirting with the idea of competing in WWE.
Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Corbin: McIntyre has been feuding with Corbin and Madcap Moss for months now, beating Moss at both Day 1 and Elimination Chamber — and nearly killing Moss in the process. That was always going to lead to McIntyre vs. Corbin and we’re finally getting that match. This has been a way to keep McIntyre active and on TV while waiting for him to be elevated back to the main event picture.
SmackDown Tag Team Championship — The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) (c) vs. Rick Boogs and Shinsuke Nakamura: Boogs and Nakamura earned a title shot on the March 11 episode of SmackDown. Jimmy offered Boogs and Nakamura a SmackDown Tag Team title match if Boogs could defeat Jey. Boogs made short work of the champion, officially landing them on the WrestleMania card.
Edge vs. AJ Styles: After pointing out his incredible resume on wrestling’s biggest stage, Edge issued an open challenge for anyone to face him at WresteMania. One week later, that challenge was answered by Styles, setting up a dream match. Edge then viciously attacked Styles, hitting two con-chair-tos and turning heel as he demanded Styles be the “pitbull” version of himself instead of the guy who sat in Omos’ shadow in a tag team.
SmackDown Women’s Championship — Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ronda Rousey: After winning the Royal Rumble, the question became which title Rousey would challenge for. On Feb. 4, Rousey made it official, showing up on SmackDown to challenge Flair to a match at WrestleMania. It was not a surprising choice, but Fialr vs. Rousey makes the kind of match WWE loves to position as a women’s main event for the biggest event of the year and if anyone can drag Rousey to a good match in her first singles bout in years, it’s Flair.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin appears on The KO Show hosted by Kevin Owens: Owens promised the most stupendous KO Show of all time, demanding an appearance by legendary WWE champion Austin. “Stone Cold” accepted the offer, promising to bring the fight to Owens.
WWE WrestleMania 38 Day 2 matches
Title vs. Title — Roman Reigns (Universal Champion) vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE Champion): Lesnar cemented his shot at Reigns by winning the Royal Rumble. The two have a very long history and recently had their planned Day 1 match canceled when Reigns tested positive for COVID-19. Lesnar would go on to win the WWE championship at Day 1, a title he lost at Royal Rumble when Reigns interfered in his match with Bobby Lashley. Lesnar then regained the title by winning the Elimination Chamber match, setting up a title vs. title clash on the biggest show of the year.
Women’s Tag Team Championship — Queen Zelina & Carmella (c) vs. Naomi & Sasha Banks vs. Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan vs. Natalya and Shayna Bazler: There wasn’t much set-up for this match. Banks returned to SmackDown and defeated Shotzi in a one-on-one match. After the match, Naomi joined Banks to announce they’d challenge Zelina and Carmella for the titles at WrestleMania. Ripley and Morgan were added to the match after defeating the champ’s in a non-title bout on Raw. Authority figure Sonya Deville added Natalya and Shayna Bazler to the mix after they interfered in a tag team match on SmackDown, laying waste to competitors Naomi, Banks, Ripley and Morgan.
Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory: Despite some rumors that McAfee would face Vince McMahon, it’s McMahon’s on-screen protege who will get the slot at WrestleMania. Theory will look to make a show of McAfee’s main roster debut after McAfee confirmed his participation at the event when Vince McMahon appeared on his radio show. After McMahon had taken Theory under his wing, the young superstar is looking to make a big point when he faces down with the commentator at the event.
Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville: The “Jackass” star appeared in the Royal Rumble and has already had several run-ins with Zayn. Outside the ring, the two had an altercation at the premiere of the new Jackass film. The clear build to a match eventually finalized when it was announced the pair would appear in one-on-one action after Knoxville showed up at SmackDown and provided a distraction that allowed Ricochet to pin Zayn to win the intercontinental championship.
Raw Tag Team Championship — RK-Bro (c) vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy: After RK-Bro won the tag titles for a second time, the Profits were quick to remind the champions that they had defeated them just weeks before Riddle and Randy Orton won the belts. Riddle and Orton would accept the challenge but Alpha Academy forced their way into the match through a series of attacks and matches with the other two involved teams.
WWE WrestleMania 38 predictions
United States Championship — Finn Balor (c) vs. Damian Priest: Balor won the belt from Priest on Raw, leading to a Priest heel turn as he attacked the new champion. Priest also has vowed to win the title back and with two nights of action to fill, having the United States title on the line makes sense.
Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes: As rumors continue to swirl that Rhodes is returning to WWE, everything has been positioned for Rollins to be his opponent. Rollins has been “left off” the card, failing over and over to secure a spot. He’s a top-tier star for the promotion and certainly will be in a big match. And there are few bigger possible matches on the table than one with Rhodes as he returns from AEW.
