Quick Takes on Edge's 'Mania Decision, McIntyre vs. Sheamus, AEW and NJPW, More

With WrestleMania season officially underway, the possibilities are endless for what WWE might have in store for fans in the weeks and months ahead.

The Royal Rumble pay-per-view kicked off this year's Road to WrestleMania on a high note, specifically with Edge and Bianca Belair winning their respective Rumble matches. Neither of them has announced which champion they intend to challenge at 'Mania. However, plenty of time remains until The Show of Shows (April 10-11) for their marquee matchups to be made official.

One match that seemed to be set in stone for WrestleMania but may be in jeopardy is Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus for the WWE Championship. All signs pointed to that bout happening on The Grandest Stage of Them All, but recent events indicate WWE could be planning on having them collide sooner rather than later.

What the rest of the WrestleMania card will consist of, as well as where all of the top talent will fit in, is in question. Following the strong showings of Christian and Carlito at the Rumble, it's possible they also compete at the event.

Lost in all of the excitement was the tease of an AEW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling working relationship on Wednesday's Dynamite. Although Kenta's appearance was designed to further his feud with Jon Moxley, there's a good chance it ends up being much more than that.

This installment of Quick Takes will tackle Edge's and Belair's WrestleMania paths, when fans can expect McIntyre vs. Sheamus, AEW and NJPW joining forces and more.

Between winning the men's Royal Rumble match and his subsequent appearances on Raw, NXT and SmackDown, it was quite the week for The Rated-R Superstar.

Never before has anyone in WWE confronted all three of the company's top champions in the span of five days, yet Edge did just that. He stated his case for why he could choose that championship to contend for and got fans excited for the potential matchups.

It was a brilliant use of Edge, who hadn't been seen on WWE TV in more than seven months before returning for this year's Royal Rumble event. He shouldn't appear on every show heading into WrestleMania, but there's nothing wrong with him popping up here and there and creating a feeling of unpredictability that Raw, SmackDown and even NXT lack.

More importantly, his WrestleMania opponent is far from obvious. Roman Reigns would provide the perfect foil for him, but Edge vs. Drew McIntyre is also an appealing match. Edge vs. Finn Balor, meanwhile, plays into the rumors that the NXT Championship could be defended at The Show of Shows this year.

The event isn't set to get underway until April 10, so there's no need to rush into announcing Edge's 'Mania match. Him teasing feuds with all three champions is smart and is an effective way to kill time until after Elimination Chamber later in February.

Although Edge's WrestleMania plans are up in the air, there can be no doubt that Bianca Belair's opponent at 'Mania must be SmackDown women's champion Sasha Banks.

Similar to The Rated-R Superstar, Belair has the option of choosing from the three champions on Raw, SmackDown and NXT. She didn't mention Io Shirai in her promo Friday night, but she is a possibility as well after last year's women's Royal Rumble winner, Charlotte Flair, chose to contend for the NXT Women's Championship at WrestleMania.

Belair against either Asuka or Shirai would make for a terrific match, but both bouts would be a step backward for her. She's already spent time on Raw and NXT and wasn't able to reach the level of success she should have, whereas she's been booked like a star on SmackDown, and that's where she needs to stay for the foreseeable future.

Additionally, Belair vs. Banks is a match fans have been clamoring for since the moment The EST of WWE arrived on the blue brand in October. Between The Boss doing some of her best work to date and Belair riding a wave of momentum, it has the potential to be an encounter for the ages.

Win, lose or draw, Belair would be elevated simply by stepping into the ring with Banks. The pieces are there for the ultimate attraction at WrestleMania; it's up to WWE to put those pieces together.

The wheels for Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus have been in motion since early November, when the two started to interact more frequently on Raw. It's been well-documented that the two are close friends, but it was more a matter of when than if The Celtic Warrior would turn his back on him.

WWE was wise to hold off on his inevitable betrayal of his best friend until after the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, but pulling the trigger on the turn in the opening segment on Monday's Raw seemed a bit abrupt. By the end of the evening, Sheamus had already explained his actions and McIntyre agreed to face him one-on-one.

Unless WWE is starting that storyline two months ahead of WrestleMania 37, it's a lot likelier that McIntyre vs. Sheamus will headline the Elimination Chamber event instead. That might be the better bet with how many losses Sheamus has endured lately and how it may not feel like it would be a WrestleMania-worthy contest.

If that's the case, WWE needs to start figuring out what options there are for McIntyre at 'Mania, especially if Edge winds up choosing to face Roman Reigns, as has been heavily speculated. A stipulation rematch with Sheamus is a possibility, as well as Brock Lesnar returning and re-entering the title picture as if he never left.

We're bound to get a better idea of what WWE has in mind for McIntyre on Monday's Raw. Look for a match between the champion and Sheamus to be a featured attraction at Elimination Chamber before WWE moves in a different direction and begins building toward a bigger main event 'Mania match for McIntyre.

The Royal Rumble match is known for its surprises, and both the men's and women's Rumbles this year delivered those in abundance. Everyone from Victoria to Jillian Hall to The Hurricane made cameos, but the most impressive appearances of the bunch were those of Christian and Carlito.

The latter had been rumored for the Rumble after missing out on the Legends Night edition of Raw earlier in January, but no one could have expected him to show up in the shape he was in. After lasting roughly nine minutes, he resurfaced on Raw the next night and had a great showing alongside Jeff Hardy against Elias and Jaxson Ryker.

A little later in the match, Christian came out at No. 24, stepping into the ring for the first time in nearly seven years. He was among the final combatants in the match and showed no signs of ring rust.

In post-match interviews with WWE.com, both men expressed excitement over being back but didn't confirm what the future held for them. With WrestleMania around the corner, now is as perfect of a time as ever for them to have one more run and be utilized in a meaningful manner.

Carlito would be a great addition to the United States Championship scene, while Christian has ready-made opponents in Randy Orton and AJ Styles given his history with both men. This would allow them to get a proper sendoff and also add some star power to a show that could desperately use it.

After months of teasing, Kenta arrived on Wednesday's AEW Dynamite to put his rival Jon Moxley in his place. He's been owed a shot at Moxley's IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship since the summer and will finally be getting it on an episode of NJPW Strong on February 26.

Kenta's Dynamite debut could have easily been AEW's answer to Moxley showing up on Strong the week before. However, there has to be more to it than that considering Kenta will be competing on the forthcoming Dynamite alongside Kenny Omega against Moxley and Lance Archer.

AEW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling fans have been hoping for a crossover since the inception of AEW two years ago, and we seem a lot closer to that happening than ever before, especially with NJPW operating under new management.

A working relationship between the promotions would be beneficial to both parties. Occasional cameos from Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenta, Jay White and stars of that caliber would add even more depth to AEW's already loaded roster, while NJPW could gain massive U.S. exposure through publicity on Dynamite.

Aside from a few independent promotions here and there, WWE has proved in the past that it isn't willing to work with anyone else. The rest of the companies banding together and trading talent is refreshing and makes the wrestling world infinitely more exciting. NJPW must be next on AEW's list of allies.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.