Predicting Top Matches at WWE WrestleMania 35 After Royal Rumble

The 2019 WWE Royal Rumble was by no means the perfect pay-per-view, but on the whole, it was an entertaining event that successfully set the stage for multiple marquee matches at WrestleMania 35.

This year's installment of The Show of Shows was already shaping up to be must-see based on what has been rumored in recent months. Coming out of Sunday's Rumble, though, fans now have a better idea of what to expect on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Of course, WrestleMania isn't until April 7, so anything can happen between now and then. Plus, there are another two pay-per-views before the epic extravaganza, Elimination Chamber and Fastlane, so The Road to WrestleMania could be shaken up considerably over the next two months.

In the meantime, all fans can do is fantasy-book and speculate what matchups might be in store for WrestleMania. That said, WWE has begun to plant the seeds for several potential bouts at the event, and two matches have been confirmed for the card after Monday's Raw.

As for the rest of the lineup, it's anyone's guess as to what else will be added in the weeks and months ahead. Based on what we've seen so far, however, the following matches seem to be the most likely.

Originally, fans were frustrated with Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch being called off at Survivor Series in November because of an injury suffered by The Irish Lass Kicker days ahead of the event.

In retrospect, though, Lynch getting hurt turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

The Man was already massively over with the audience as a rebellious babyface, but her stock skyrocketed following her injury and caused fans to rally behind her even more. She and Rousey continued to trade Twitter barbs in the weeks that followed Survivor Series, sending the message that their feud was far from over and their row would be settled eventually.

With Rousey remaining undefeated through her many title defenses and Lynch adamant about exacting revenge for the former UFC star costing her the SmackDown Women's Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December, the two clashing on a major pay-per-view was inevitable.

Lynch entered this year's women's Royal Rumble as a replacement for Lana and went on to win the whole thing. The following night on Raw, she confronted Rousey and made it known she had her sights set on becoming Raw women's champion at WrestleMania 35.

If the reaction to their exceptional verbal exchange was any indication, the pair are poised to not only steal the show but also main-event it.

By virtue of his victory in Sunday's men's Royal Rumble match, Seth Rollins earned the opportunity to vie for either the WWE Championship or Universal Championship at WrestleMania 35.

The idea of him jumping over to SmackDown Live and challenging WWE champ Daniel Bryan was an intriguing one. After all, it has been many years since they last waged war, and a matchup between the two would have been nothing short of spectacular.

Then again, he also has unfinished business with Brock Lesnar from years ago, not to mention how he has taken several shots at The Beast Incarnate for being an absentee champion in recent months. That is why it came as no surprise when WWE announced after Monday's Raw that Rollins had chosen to contend for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania.

Although Rollins never officially declared he would be gunning for Lesnar's prized possession, it was heavily implied following The Beast's vicious assault on him at the end of Raw. Clearly, The Architect is being made to look like the underdog and will have the WWE Universe in his corner come April 7.

Whether this will main-event 'Mania over the Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch matchup remains to be seen. Either way, it's bound to be a barn-burner, especially if it results in Rollins finally becoming champion and slaying The Beast.

It's well-documented that the WWE World Cup at Crown Jewel in November was an abomination, but if nothing else, the botched tournament did lead to The Miz and Shane McMahon forming an unlikely yet entertaining alliance.

After weeks of Miz trying to convince McMahon to team with him, they finally put their differences aside on Christmas night and announced their intention to challenge for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. At the Royal Rumble, they successfully knocked off The Bar to clinch the twin titles.

Miz and McMahon are a breath of fresh air in the SmackDown tag team scene, but it isn't likely to last long. Rather, they are destined to do battle one-on-one at WrestleMania and lose the belts shortly before then (possibly at Elimination Chamber or Fastlane).

Now the question is who will be the one to turn on the other. McMahon going heel for the first time in many years would be a welcome change for his character, but Miz has a history of betraying his tag team partners, and that trend is bound to continue with Shane-O-Mac.

McMahon's obligatory WrestleMania matches since 2016 have seen him face The Undertaker, AJ Styles and the duo of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, but Miz might prove to be his most exciting opponent based on the chemistry they've shown lately.

Miz has come up on the losing end of every 'Mania match he's had since WrestleMania 29, but that streak should be broken this year with The A-Lister scoring a win over the prodigal son of the McMahon family.

There is still plenty of time before WrestleMania for Charlotte Flair to be added to the Raw Women's Championship match between Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey, but WWE should be smart enough to know that feud is better off without her.

If Charlotte doesn't find her way into that storyline, then it becomes a question of where she'll wind up on the card (and no, the WrestleMania women's Battle Royal is not a viable option). She deserves a high-profile match of her own at the event, and a rematch against Asuka from last year would make the most sense.

The Empress of Tomorrow has been a bit of an afterthought lately on SmackDown Live and has largely been overshadowed by Charlotte and Lynch. However, Asuka's clean victory over The Irish Lass Kicker at the Royal Rumble should result in her becoming a bigger focal point on the blue brand going forward and rekindling her rivalry with The Queen in time for WrestleMania.

At WrestleMania 34, Charlotte shocked the world when she forced Asuka to tap out and shattered her two-and-a-half-year undefeated streak. The Empress proceeded to fall down the card and didn't recover until capturing the SmackDown Women's Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December.

It should be noted Charlotte hasn't won by pinfall or submission on pay-per-view since SummerSlam, so a redemption story with her chasing the Japanese Superstar heading into WrestleMania could be great.

Plus, Asuka has yet to beat The Queen decisively one-on-one, so it makes perfect sense from a storyline standpoint for this bout to be booked for The Show of Shows.

The bad blood between Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre can be traced to their short-lived alliance in the fall of 2018. Along with Dolph Ziggler, it was their mission to dismantle The Shield, and when they failed, the cracks started to show within their own faction.

Strowman eventually returned to his roots as a babyface and teased tension with McIntyre before Crown Jewel in November.

The feud was abruptly dropped shortly thereafter, though the Scot playing a part in Strowman getting injured (in storyline) has led to their rivalry being reignited now The Monster Among Men is cleared to compete again.

In their first-ever singles match on Monday's Raw, Strowman came close to beating McIntyre before Baron Corbin interfered and aided The Scottish Psychopath in his assault on The Monster.

With Strowman outnumbered by the two heels, it's possible he finds a partner and faces off with them at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

Although Strowman still has unfinished business with Brock Lesnar from before the Royal Rumble, McIntyre would be a far better opponent for him on The Grandest Stage of Them All. It's clear they work well together, and a WrestleMania matchup could be what helps get The Monster back on track.

More importantly, this would get McIntyre in a prominent spot on the 'Mania card and prevent him from being relegated to the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

John Cena has been quite the anomaly over the past year in WWE. Aside from a one-off appearance at the Greatest Royal Rumble last April, he disappeared from WWE TV all together following his loss to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34 and has competed only occasionally since then.

However, he is a big enough name that WWE will likely be determined to have him appear at this year's Show of Shows in some capacity.

Common criticisms of Cena from fans have included him having a knack for "burying" younger talent and hogging the spotlight. Contrary to popular belief, though, he has taken a backseat at WrestleMania in recent years and hasn't been involved in a major match at The Show of Shows since his rematch with The Rock in 2013.

That should change at WrestleMania 35, and judging by the lay of the land on SmackDown Live these days, him challenging Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship may not be too far-fetched.

It has been two years since Cena tied Ric Flair's record of 16 world championships, but his title reign was so short that it was hardly memorable. Chasing No. 17 is a story that writes itself, and there's no one better for him to face than the hottest male star on SmackDown at the moment.

Bryan emerged victorious in their last one-on-one outing at SummerSlam 2013, so that—combined with Cena's infrequent WWE schedule—makes this match less predictable than most would assume.

In addition to how there isn't anyone near the caliber of Cena on the SmackDown side who would be as logical of an opponent for Bryan on such a stage, it would be WrestleMania-worthy and help fill out an already-loaded lineup.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.