Kevin Owens

The WrestleMania 37 card is starting to take shape, but with the event occurring over the course of two nights at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, there is plenty of room for additional matches.

Roman Reigns vs. Edge, Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley and Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair are the major contests that have been announced thus far, and given the amount of star power in WWE currently, there are plenty more huge bouts still to come.

With this year's Show of Shows less than one month away, here's a closer look at a few matches that figure to get added to the card and a breakdown of how they could play out.

'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton

The longest-running rivalry in WWE currently is the one between "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton, although the former hasn't been seen on WWE programming since TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December.

Even so, the company has managed to keep the feud going by having Orton interact with Alexa Bliss on a weekly basis. Their issues have grown to the point that The Viper accepted her challenge for a match at Fastlane on Sunday.

In retaliation for Orton burning The Fiend alive during their Firefly Inferno match at TLC, Bliss has tortured The Viper both physically and mentally. She threw a fireball in his face during the Jan. 11 edition of Raw and has since caused a black ooze to drip from his mouth.

All signs point toward The Fiend returning imminently, and it figures to happen at Fastlane since it is difficult to envision WWE allowing Orton to get too physical with The Goddess.

Assuming The Fiend returns to help Bliss and get payback against Orton at Sunday's pay-per-view, it will set the stage for what could be a show-stealing match at WrestleMania.

One can safely assume it will be a Firefly Funhouse match at The Showcase of the Immortals on April 10-11, especially considering the success of the Firefly FunHouse contest between Wyatt and John Cena at last year's showpiece.

The first Firefly FunHouse match largely focused on Cena's career, as well as what Wyatt considered to be transgressions Cena committed against him, including beating him at WrestleMania 30.

Orton defeated Wyatt for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33, plus he betrayed him by leaving The Wyatt Family and burning down their compound four years ago.

Wyatt has no shortage of ammunition against Orton, which is why a Firefly FunHouse match at  WrestleMania 37 has the potential to be even better than the 2020 version.

Given the fact that Wyatt won last year, look for him to be victorious again this year and remain undefeated in what is becoming his signature match.

Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro

Over the past few weeks, a compelling and entertaining feud has been developing between Seth Rollins and Cesaro.

It started after Rollins returned from a two-month hiatus at the Royal Rumble on Jan. 31 and subsequently addressed the entire SmackDown roster. He seemed to be teasing a face turn, only to go back to his old ways by claiming he was the leader of the blue brand.

Every Superstar who gathered ringside walked away except Cesaro. When Rollins thought The Swiss Cyborg was about to join his cause, he walked away in disgust, prompting The Messiah to attack him.

Cesaro got some revenge a couple of weeks later when he resisted Rollins' overtures once again and put him in one of the fastest and longest-lasting Cesaro Swings ever.

Rollins struck back on last week's SmackDown, interfering in Cesaro's match against Murphy by jumping Cesaro and putting him down with a Stomp.

It hasn't taken long for Rollins and Cesaro to build up a rivalry fit for the WrestleMania stage, and considering how long fans have been waiting for a big push for the Swiss Superstar, there figures to be plenty of interest in their likely match.

Rollins and Cesaro are two of the best in-ring workers in the world, and if they are given ample time, they have the ability to tear the house down and put on the best pure wrestling match of the show.

It also provides The Swiss Cyborg with the opportunity to have a career-defining moment at the biggest event in professional wrestling.

Assuming Cesaro wins, which he should, it would be his biggest victory in WWE since winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 30.

That win didn't have the follow-up most fans hoped for, but things should be a lot different this time around.

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

Another budding rivalry on SmackDown that seems likely to come to a head at WrestleMania 37 is the one between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.

The two men haven't had much of an on-screen issue yet, but the seeds were planted on last week's SmackDown when The Great Liberator asked Owens to be part of his documentary, only for KO to essentially downplay Zayn.

On Talking Smack after Friday's show, Paul Heyman told Zayn that Owens "buried" him backstage when they were on Raw, which may have been WWE's way of setting the stage for a 'Mania showdown.

Even though WWE just started teasing tension between the pair last week, the groundwork for a WrestleMania match has been laid down for years since they are longtime friends in real life who rose through the ranks together in the business.

They both arrived in NXT several years ago, and after Owens initially looked like he was there to support Zayn, he quickly turned on him and ended up beating him for the NXT Championship.

Since then, Owens and Zayn have had an on-off relationship on screen, as they have both feuded and teamed together at certain points.

Through all of that, they have yet to face each other in a singles match on The Grandest Stage of Them All, making their potential match an ideal one for the undercard of WrestleMania.

It feels fresh given KO's status as a babyface and The Great Liberator playing the heel, plus they have tons of history to draw upon and the potential to put on one of the best matches on the card.

Due to Owens' recent run at the top of the card while feuding with Reigns over the Universal Championship, look for him to win at WrestleMania 37 and score his second successive big singles victory at the marquee PPV after beating Rollins last year.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Owens Wants to Do Big Stunt at WrestleMania

Kevin Owens is known for taking some big bumps, and he has his sights set on what would be perhaps the biggest of his career at WrestleMania 37.

In an interview with Ryan Satin of Fox Sports, KO expressed his desire to jump off the pirate ship located inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida:

"No, I want to do it. I can't promise people that I'm going to do it because, you know, circumstances and whatever. But, I can promise everybody that I'm gonna try as much as possible to do it. I'll do my best. I'll annoy anybody I can. I will get into anyone's ear I possibly can. I will literally do everything in my power to get to the point where I can jump off that ship."

WrestleMania was supposed to emanate from Raymond James Stadium last year, but it was moved to the WWE Performance Center with no fans in attendance because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WWE altered its plans in order to hold WrestleMania 37 there in April, however, and Owens is excited to possibly top what he did at WrestleMania 36.

WWE managed to squeeze the WrestleMania sign into the Performance Center last year, and KO made the most of it by diving off the sign and onto Seth Rollins through a table.

Owens has been doing some death-defying stunts lately as well, including getting thrown off a platform and through some tables by Roman Reigns and Jey Uso. He has jumped off a forklift and onto Reigns through a table.

KO hasn't been able to beat Reigns for the Universal Championship yet, but he has been a huge part of SmackDown in recent months and figures to have a match of some significance at WrestleMania.

Regardless of who is opponent is, it is clear that KO wants to create a true WrestleMania moment for himself in Tampa.

Angle Talks McMahon's Feelings on Styles

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle launched his debut edition of The Kurt Angle Show podcast this week, and in it he revealed a lot of previously unknown information about WWE presently and in the past.

At one point, Angle discussed AJ Styles, who he previously worked with quite often in TNA. Styles made the move to WWE in 2016 and has been far more successful than most expected, winning the WWE Championship on two occasions.

During his show (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Angle discussed WWE Chairman Vince McMahon's feelings about The Phenomenal One.

"You know Vince, I was told, Vince, when he met up with AJ after AJ won the world title, Vince went to him and said, 'I wish I would have hired you 10 years ago,' and that is that, " Angle said. "That tells you exactly how Vince feels about AJ. AJ is a star. He is, you know, when he came in the WWE, at that particular time, he was the No. 1 top best wrestler in the world. The best performer. Just from a wrestling standpoint, he was the top guy."

WWE steered clear of former TNA wrestlers for quite some time, so when the company brought in Styles, it was unclear what level he would be able to reach.

Styles received a massive crowd reaction when he debuted as a surprise entrant in the 2016 Royal Rumble and quickly entered into a program with Chris Jericho. Then, just about eight months into his WWE tenure, Styles beat Dean Ambrose to become WWE champion.

In addition to being a two-time WWE champ, Styles has held the United States and Intercontinental Championships. He has also had a marquee singles match at each WrestleMania he has been a part of, with his opponents being Jericho, Shane McMahon, Shinsuke Nakamura, Randy Orton and The Undertaker.

Even though he didn't make his WWE debut until he was 38 years old, Styles has firmly established himself as one of the company's top stars, and WWE is making up for lost time after not signing him as soon as it should have.

Angle Reveals That Cedric Was Punished by WWE

Another topic that was discussed on this week's The Kurt Angle Show involved Hurt Business member and reigning Raw Tag Team champion Cedric Alexander.

Angle divulged that Alexander was essentially punished for "a good half-year" after not following orders from McMahon before finally getting back on the chairman's good side (h/t Phillip Hendrix of Ringside News).

"You look at what they have been doing with Alexander, the Hurt Business," Angle said. "You know, he got in a little trouble last year. He didn't do something that Vince wanted him to do, and you know, if you don't listen to your boss, things could get a little bit, you know, depressing for you, and he didn't listen the one night, and they scolded him for a good half-year before they started using him again, and rightfully so, he should have listened.

"That is his job, it's to listen to Vince and do what Vince tells you to do, and he didn't do that. So, I thought, 'Wow, this kid's career is over,' you know, when that happened, and Vince eventually gave him another chance."

Alexander was in the midst of a singles push in 2019 and seemed to be trending toward beating Styles for the United States Championship, but AJ beat him at Clash of Champions and then again on Raw.

Cedric wasn't used much for several months after that, but he resurfaced last year as part of a rivalry alongside Ricochet and Apollo Crews against The Hurt Business.

After The Hurt Business attempted to recruit Alexander multiple times, he finally turned on Ricochet and joined the group in September.

Alexander has enjoyed a great deal of success as part of The Hurt Business, including teaming with Shelton Benjamin to beat New Day for the Raw Tag Team Championship.

It has been a bumpy road for Alexander to get to this point, but he has finally established himself and may be in line for a big WrestleMania match.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Kevin Owens Addresses Royal Rumble Handcuff Botch

Even though WWE plans out its matches and storylines ahead of time, sometimes real life can intervene to upend those plans. 

One such incident took place at the Royal Rumble in the last man standing universal title match between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens.

Late in the match, Reigns got handcuffed to a metal structure by Owens. The spot fell apart when Paul Heyman was unable to unlock the cuffs with a key, leading to the referee stopping his count because Reigns was supposed to win. 

Reigns was eventually freed and immediately put Owens in a guillotine choke until he passed out. The referee made the 10-count to end the match. 

Appearing on The Jake Asman Show (h/t Jeremy Lambert of Fightful), Owens was asked about the situation: 

"I'm still recovering from the Royal Rumble. It was a pretty rough night for me. I was thrown off a 12-foot platform onto a bunch of tables, I got hit by a golf cart, I jumped off a forklift that was about 10 feet in the air, I burned my arm on a light that was part of our setup, and to top it all off, I didn't win because I think a referee got paid off or something. A lot to recover from. I've never been cheated by a referee that way before. I used to play hockey in Canada as a kid so you would think it would have happened before."

Owens is obviously speaking in character, which makes sense after last week's SmackDown continued the program between him and Reigns for the time being. 

The botch would actually have played better if WWE gave Owens more credibility leading up to the match with Reigns. Throughout this feud, he's clearly been portrayed as beneath the universal champion by getting beat up multiple times on the same SmackDown show for weeks. 

Despite WWE's inability to build Owens up as a legitimate threat, he and Reigns are such good workers that their matches have been entertaining. 

Bully Ray Puts Over Lana

Lana finally got her revenge on Nia Jax by putting her nemesis through a table on this week's Raw. The match came after Jax spent weeks putting Lana through tables on Raw late last year.

Following the biggest win of Lana's career, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray offered praise for her work ethic and desire to get better in the ring on Tuesday's episode of Busted Open Radio (h/t Anthony Nash of WrestleZone): 

"The number one word that has come to mind when I see Lana these days on television, ever since the first day she went through that table is professional. She is a complete pro. I see that woman trying as hard as she can every single time she goes out there. Lana's not Charlotte and she's not Sasha, and she's not Bayley, yada yada we get it. But I'll be damned if that girl doesn't go out there and give it her all and try her hardest. I know she goes down and she rolls around with Nattie [Neidhart] and TJ [Wilson]'s place down there. She tries to get that extra work in." 

Lana's in-ring ability is limited, but she has been given more opportunities to wrestle in recent months. That experience is only going to help her if WWE decides to give her a proper push in the women's division. 

Even if Lana never turns into a great wrestler, her ability to talk is excellent, and WWE has proven many times in the past it will keep people in the spotlight if they can cut a good promo. 

Damian Priest Praises Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny is having a moment in WWE. At the Royal Rumble, he performed his song "Booker T" and later attacked The Miz and John Morrison when the former ruined his DJ's equipment. 

The rapper also appeared on Raw when he accompanied Damian Priest to the ring for his match with Angel Garza. 

In an interview with Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso, Priest heaped praise on Bad Bunny for what he's bringing to the show:

"Some people love that Bad Bunny is in WWE; some people hate it. Our fans don't always accept outsiders, but when it comes to Bad Bunny, he's one of us. This isn't some star just coming to WWE for a paycheck—he loves this, and it is very authentic. He wants to learn, and he's enjoying this and making the most of every second."

Priest added that he would be "all for" working a tag team match with Bad Bunny at WrestleMania if that's the direction WWE wants to go. 

Based on The Miz and Morrison's involvement in Priest's match against Garza, it seems WWE is building toward a match with all four men. WrestleMania would be a natural end point because WWE likes to use celebrity matches for its biggest shows to help build publicity. 

Bad Bunny has already shown he's capable of doing a big spot, so it shouldn't be hard to put together a match in which he does one or two of those. Miz and Morrison are also good workers who can hide his deficiencies. 

Priest also has the potential to come out of his partnership with Bad Bunny as a bigger star at a time when WWE badly needs to build its depth. 

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Last year was one of the worst on record because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but 2021 isn't starting as great as many wrestlers in WWE and All Elite Wrestling thought it would.

On the WWE side, Kevin Owens and Lacey Evans thought they were in line for major pushes to start the year, but the former was nothing more than a way to get Roman Reigns over and the latter is dating an old man to get under Charlotte Flair's skin.

As for AEW, Orange Cassidy hasn't capitalized on the momentum he created by beating Chris Jericho, and Abadon has been lost in the shuffle since running through the division before coming up short against Hikaru Shida.

Here are the wrestlers off to rough starts this year.

Kevin Owens

Any time Owens is part of a major program, it is a chance for him to showcase why he is regarded as one of the best professional wrestlers around. Unfortunately, Owens has been a placeholder rival for Roman Reigns.

WWE's obsession with Reigns is unquestionable, but letting him beat Owens for the third straight time does nothing for either man. Owens looks weak for losing all of his matches against the universal champion, and Reigns looks foolish for wasting his time.

The biggest problem for Owens is there was no setup for another feud leading out of this feud, which will likely see him relegated to a secondary storyline with little to no build as per usual.

Owens will make the most of what he's given, but he deserves so much more than being a holdover feud before the Road to WrestleMania.

Orange Cassidy

Orange Cassidy finished 2020 with a whimper, and that has carried over into 2021. Since beating Chris Jericho in a Mimosa Mayhem match at All Out, Cassidy has lost every big match.

After being defeated by both Brodie Lee and Cody Rhodes in challenges for the TNT Championship and losing to MJF for the Dynamite Diamond Ring, Cassidy's biggest wins include pinfalls over John Silver and Kip Sabian.

Cassidy was a star on the rise last summer, but recent booking has brought him back down to earth.

Heading into the remainder of 2021, AEW creative needs to not only find a substantial role for Orange Cassidy on its television programming, but the company also must ensure he is in a marquee storyline to capitalize on his immense popularity.

Lacey Evans

If a WWE Superstar were told they would be working with Charlotte and Ric Flair, most fans would think it's a slam dunk and would take their career to the next level. Not for Lacey Evans.

Sorry, folks, this is WWE.

Evans has been one of the hardest-working athletes in the company since making her debut in 2019, drastically improving her in-ring work and developing a heel persona that resonates with the fans. Unfortunately, the best WWE creative could come up with is a storyline that Vince Russo would reject.

Evans and Charlotte should have solid matches coming out of the angle, but hitting on Ric Flair will do nothing for Evans' long-term success and could end up being a reason the WWE Universe doesn't accept her when she eventually turns face again.

Abadon

One of the best parts of AEW's women's division in 2020 was the rise of Abadon, a frightening character who was built to be an unstoppable force.

Since the start of 2021, though, it's been a major letdown.

Abadon went 7-1 in AEW in 2020, with her only loss coming to women's champion Shida in March. The six straight victories to close the year led to a championship match against Shida at New Year's Smash, but the bout didn't live up to the hype.

The relatively short contest—eight minutes and 27 seconds—and commercial break turned off many fans to the situation, which made Abadon look weak. She has not been seen on TNT since, which is no way to build upon last year's success.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).