John Cena

WrestleMania 35 happens on April 7, but even with seven confirmed matches, WWE still has plenty of room on the card.

Before we look at what else might be added in the coming weeks, here is a quick rundown of the show as it stands, according to WWE.com:

• Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins (Universal Championship)
• Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch (Raw Women's Championship)
• Shane McMahon vs. The Miz
• AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton
• Triple H vs. Batista
• Buddy Murphy will face the winner of an ongoing tournament on 205 Live.
• Kurt Angle will wrestle his final match against a yet-to-be-named opponent.

                           

Who Will Kurt Angle Face?

The answer is simple Kurt and the answer is BRO this is what the fans want and deep down it’s what you need! Riddle Vs Angle for the world 🌍 #Bro #Stallion #ob #originalbro #kingofbros #wwe #nxt #WWENetwork #RiddlevsAngle https://t.co/tSp4zZtHpN

— Matthew Riddle (@SuperKingofBros) March 16, 2019

Kurt Angle announcing his retirement from in-ring competition after WrestleMania 35 caught a lot of people off guard, but it also caused people to speculate about who would be the ideal opponent for the Olympian.

Several Superstars expressed interest in battling Angle on social media, including NXT star Matt Riddle.

However, the most intriguing possibility is Shelton Benjamin. Not only did the official WWE website run an article naming him as a potential opponent, but The Gold Standard also expressed interest.

I’m game!!!!

— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) March 17, 2019

When Benjamin first arrived on the scene in 2002, he and Charlie Haas were Angle's proteges. Having The Olympic Gold Medalist face someone he used to mentor would bring his career full circle.

Angle even took to Twitter to let Benjamin know he likes the idea, but we all know it's up to WWE management in the end. Not only would this give Benjamin the push he has deserved since returning to the company, but it would also give us the best possible retirement match.

Both men have similar backgrounds in amateur wrestling, so this would be a fun, technical encounter to end an amazing career. 

                         

Will John Cena Even Have a Match?

The buildup to WrestleMania has been an all-hands-on-deck situation for WWE in recent weeks, but one notable name who has been absent is John Cena.

The 41-year-old has gone down to a part-time schedule to focus more on his career in Hollywood over the past few years, but 'Mania is one event he always makes time for.

According to Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Jeremy Thomas of 411Mania.com), Cena might somehow end up in a match against R-Truth.

His recent run as United States champion saw Truth try to emulate The Cenation Leader by issuing open challenges and using some of his signature moves during his matches. 

How this would lead to a match would be interesting because Truth would likely have to turn heel to make the angle work, though it wouldn't be a necessity if WWE booked it the right way.

Another possibility discussed was Samoa Joe vs. Cena, but it's all still up in the air. Whatever happens, WWE doesn't have a lot of time left to make it happen.

                        

Matches Likely to Happen

While WWE hasn't officially announced most of the card yet, there are some matches we can assume will take place at WrestleMania 35 based on recent events.

Kofi Kingston will kick off this week's SmackDown with a Gauntlet match against The Bar, Randy Orton, Samoa Joe and Rowan. If the New Day member wins, he earns a shot at the WWE Championship on April 7.

It has reached the point where anything other than Daniel Bryan vs. Kingston would be unacceptable, so management is doing its best to build the latter up before he gets his big 'Mania moment.

Roman Reigns appears to be heading for some kind of match with Drew McIntyre after what happened on last week's Raw, with both The Big Dog and Dean Ambrose being assaulted by The Scottish Terminator.

This will supposedly be Ambrose's final PPV with WWE, so it could end up being a tag team match with The Lunatic Fringe and Reigns taking on McIntyre and Baron Corbin.

The Hardy Boyz returning to action opens the door for a possible SmackDown tag title bout with The Usos, possibly with one or two other teams thrown into the mix to get as many people on the show as possible.

Aleister Black and Ricochet have been gaining steam on the main roster and will likely be booked in some capacity at WrestleMania, be it in the Raw or SmackDown Tag Team Championship match.

Everything else is up in the air. Samoa Joe, Bobby Lashley and Asuka have all been involved in recent storylines on their respective brands, but none of them have clear challengers for their titles at this point.

The next few weeks leading into WrestleMania 35 will be an interesting time for the company. Hopefully, management puts together a card that will leave fans fulfilled. 

The Undertaker's role at WrestleMania 35 has not been announced.

He'll be there, with any luck; his appearance is an annual tradition, and WWE is already selling WrestleMania 35 products with his image. There are even Superstars who are teasing matches with him. In an interview with WKQX radio, Elias expressed his wish to have a dream match with The Phenom.

But ideally, The Undertaker would not compete at WrestleMania 35. It is better for him to preserve the mystique he has left rather than let us know how much fight he still has in him.

Think back to last year's WrestleMania 34 buildup. John Cena spent several weeks conducting a one-sided feud with The Deadman and taunting his lack of heart. After all, Undertaker had been defeated soundly at WrestleMania 33 by Roman Reigns, and it was not a good showing. He was in need of hip surgery, and beyond his entrance, he had none of his signature presence and charisma.

He couldn't even jump with enough force to sell his classic Tombstone Piledriver reversal. And on top of that, the match lasted an agonizing 23 minutes—an epic, entirely inappropriate length when placed against The Deadman's capabilities. It was setting him up for failure.

So in his match against Cena last year, WWE got smart. The promotion stopped trying to recapture The Undertaker of the past decade—the prime "beat The Streak" Taker who had classic matches with Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and CM Punk—and instead went back to the early '90s version, who beat up his opponents in three-minute squash matches.

Back then, these lopsided, no-sell exhibitions accomplished a dual purpose. They got the supernatural gimmick over with the audience, and they hid a young Mark Calaway's relative inexperience. And at WrestleMania 34, the squash match served a similar purpose. Only this time, it was to hide what an older Calaway was no longer capable of doing.

If The Undertaker continues to wrestle once per year, we can look forward to more three-minute squash matches like this one; he's not getting any younger. Win or lose, it is about what he's capable of before the cracks start to show.

A defeat at The Showcase of the Immortals under these circumstances is embarrassing for the recipient. And thankfully, Cena was willing to take it—it gave The Undertaker a nice cap to his career, and Cena was going to Hollywood anyway. But to continue repeating this will help no one.

Maybe this year, he can do his entrance and cut a promo. Maybe he can interrupt Elias and then hit him with a Tombstone. It's important WWE finds a spot on the show that celebrates The Undertaker but limits his exposure to the audience—that allows him to be awe-inspiring without breaking the illusion he has spent decades crafting. And that spot, wherever it is, is in a non-match capacity.

Preserve the mystery. Less is more.

Vince McMahon might be the chairman of WWE, but he wasn't the company's most well-compensated employee during the 2018 fiscal year. 

In a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, WWE revealed the salaries for its top executives (h/t Wrestling Inc's Marc Middleton). McMahon earned a $1.4 million salary and took home a little over $5.6 million in overall compensation.

Co-presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson both eclipsed McMahon. Barrios received $9.1 million, with Wilson just edging past him at $9.18 million.

Triple H, who continues to be a part-time active performer in addition to the executive vice president of talent, live events and creative, earned just over $5 million between both roles. His wife, Stephanie McMahon, got $2.8 million in compensation.

For comparison, John Cena was the highest-paid wrestler based off the most recent data. According to Forbes' Chris Smith, he was estimated to have collected $10 million in 2017, a figure that includes income from outside of wrestling.

After over 20 years in sports entertainment, Kurt Angle has seen and done it all throughout his career.

With more than 20 title reigns to his name, the former King of the Ring, Triple Crown and Grand Slam champion has even been inducted in both the TNA and WWE Halls of Fame.

At this point, there isn't anything left for him to do but to write the final chapter of his career and retire. It's going to happen eventually, and with WrestleMania 35 coming up, now may be the time he hangs up his boots.

WWE has not officially made any reference to this or advertised that Angle retiring is the plan at The Show of Shows, but it's as good a time as any to bow out.

Assuming that happens, the remaining question is deciding who on the roster will be the one to face Angle in his final match.

             

Setting the Ground Rules for Options

If you polled the locker room, it's likely every single person would be honored to wrestle against Angle in any match, especially his final fight. There would be no shortage of volunteers to stand opposite him in the squared circle.

Ideally, though, it should only be one person who gets that spot, rather than see him retire on the back of a Fatal 4-Way or something like the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, so all possible candidates on this list are being limited to singles competition.

It's also safe to assume anybody with an obvious direction that doesn't include Angle needs to be exempt as an option. This means no Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins or Daniel Bryan, despite how great that could have been.

And finally, there has to be some reasonable booking in mind. Someone like Heath Slater isn't going to be pushed to the moon out of nowhere, and Curt Hawkins is not going to end his losing streak by beating Angle.

              

The Long Shots

In our grouping of wrestlers who could be great challengers but aren't likely to be chosen for the role, the name Dolph Ziggler has to be mentioned.

The Showoff has had his ups and downs in WWE and has spent most of his time in the past several years complaining about being the best in-ring performer to not receive enough credit, but that comes from a place of honesty. He is a very talented wrestler.

There are few Superstars who could have as good of a match with Angle as Ziggler, as both have amateur wrestling in their blood and know how to play up to the crowd. The Showoff is an enthusiastic seller.

It's unlikely he'll get the gig, though, as he appears to be on the backburner, having not appeared since Royal Rumble.

When searching for alternatives in the company, Johnny Gargano is another name worth noting. His track record in NXT is astonishing with nearly every performance in 2018 being in contention for Match of the Year.

Gargano has been wrestling on Raw and SmackDown recently, which gives him a better standing for something as big as this, but he's still a long shot because of his status as an NXT Superstar.

No matter what is going on right now with these random call-ups, his entrance still refers to him as being on the NXT roster, and he's firmly in the build to TakeOver: New York on April 5. Consequently, it would be odd to see him compete at that event while also having a retirement match with Angle scheduled for WrestleMania two days later.

Both AJ Styles and Samoa Joe have history with Angle from TNA and could be picks to retire The Gold Medalist, yet nothing has been hinted at involving either man.

Angle has wrestled primarily on Raw, and both Styles and Joe have had more interactions with Randy Orton in the past few weeks than with the former general manager of the red brand in the past year.

EVERYBODY gets a #GermanSuplex as @RealKurtAngle picks up the victory over @JinderMahal on #RAW! @SinghBrosWWE pic.twitter.com/lQ01OHpxwx

— WWE (@WWE) February 26, 2019

WWE could always go in a random direction after Fastlane by taking any of these guys and pairing them with Angle, but you don't need a magic eight ball to see the outlook is not so good.

              

The Possible Contenders

Based on his most recent encounters and their previous feud over the leadership of Raw, Baron Corbin would be one of the most logical guesses for Angle's opponent, but the WWE Universe would scoff at the idea of him being the one to take the Olympian out of commission.

The same may not be the case for Drew McIntyre, though, who has earned a more revered status with the audience than The Lone Wolf. Plus, the Scot was the man who forced Angle to tap out to his own finisher and has since cut more than one promo about humiliating The Olympic Gold Medalist.

The smart money for predictions would be The Scottish Psychopath, yet he may not be the only option on the table.

Angle has an affinity for Finn Balor, and if this is one of those scenarios where WWE lets him pick his opponent rather than creating a storyline he has to follow like everyone else on the card, he could choose the Irishman to be his final dance partner.

There doesn't need to be any reason other than that Angle is looking to test himself and considers Balor to be one of the best. The Intercontinental Championship could be put on the line if The Extraordinary Man still holds it.

Angle has also spoken highly about Roman Reigns and has yet to wrestle him. It wouldn't make much sense to pair the two off in a babyface vs. babyface encounter where there is a risk The Big Dog might be booed, but if it's Angle's last request, WWE could honor it.

At the very least, it would give Reigns another accolade by being the one to wrestle Angle's last match, and since WWE is all about showing that The Big Dog is the top of the food chain, it further strengthens that perception.

When factoring in people who are high up enough on the totem pole but don't have another opponent scheduled yet for WrestleMania, there really is only one name left to consider.

             

The Top Choice

John Cena checks off all the boxes previously mentioned and adds a few more to the equation.

He made his debut against Angle in an open challenge on the June 27, 2002, edition of SmackDown and has faced him numerous times over the years—but not so often that fans would groan at the idea of seeing it again.

Cena is also someone Angle holds in great respect, so much so that he was the one to induct the Olympian into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017. That in itself catapults him straight to the top of this list.

The Cenation Leader is beyond a big name, someone who could beat Angle and it wouldn't seem strange, and a guy who could play the heel by default of fans wanting to cheer the former Raw GM but not ruin his own career in the process. He could also celebrate with him after the match is over without it appearing out of place.

Importantly, Cena also has no match being worked toward for WrestleMania this year, freeing him up to take on the responsibility.

There wouldn't need to be any build other than Angle requesting a match with Cena, almost similar to what happened in reverse last year with The Champ itching for a match against The Undertaker.

Cena winning or losing against Angle would both work, and even though it wouldn't propel a young talent, not everyone needs to go out doing the honors for someone like that. Sometimes, such as in the case of Ric Flair, they're more than allowed to lock horns with a friend to end their career on their own terms.

Out of everyone available in WWE right now, Cena is the one who makes the most sense to wrestle against Angle in his final match.

And if it happens at WrestleMania 35, there likely won't be a dry eye in the arena as both Cena and the audience chant "Thank you Angle."

            

Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.