WWE WRESTLEMANIA 38 Preview: 4 Things You Need To Know

The most “stupendous” two-night sports entertainment event in history, World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) WrestleMania, will take place at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX. Here are four things you should know about this year’s matches on “The Grandest Stage of Them All”.

Historic Title Run

WWE Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch’s historic title reign is in grave jeopardy at the “Showcase of the Immortals”. Becky Lynch has been an active champion in WWE for over 500 days. She also became a double champion in the main event of WrestleMania 35. Touted as “Becky Two-Belts”, she won both the SmackDown Women’s Championship and Raw Women’s Championship defeating Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match.

Lynch lost her SmackDown Women’s Championship to Flair in May 2019 and relinquished her Raw Women’s Championship to superstar Asuka due to her real-life pregnancy announcement in May 2020. Becky Lynch made her shocking return from her hiatus in August 2021 at the WWE SummerSlam premium live event. Lynch stunned Allegiant Stadium when she defeated then SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair in 26 seconds. Lynch was drafted to Monday Night Raw in October 2021 and swapped titles with Charlotte shortly thereafter to once again become Raw Women’s Champion.

Now the “EST of WWE” Bianca Belair looks for retribution when she challenges Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship on Saturday at WrestleMania. Belair captured her first WWE championship at last year’s WrestleMania. She defeated champion Sasha Banks in the main event of WrestleMania 37.

WWE CELEBRITY APPEARANCES

From the inception of WrestleMania I, celebrities have always been a main staple at the “show of shows”. Overall, there have been well over one hundred celebrities, actors, musicians and athletes who have participated at WrestleMania over the years. Some notable celebrities include Mr. T,  Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and, yes, even former United States President Donald Trump. The latest celebrity standout was Grammy Award winner Bad Bunny. Bad Bunny teamed with WWE Superstar Damian Priest to defeat Miz and Morrison in a tag team match at WrestleMania 37.

This year, WWE Superstar The Miz will team up with social media influencer Logan Paul. The duo will take on the legendary luchador Rey Mysterio and his son WWE Superstar Dominic Mysterio. Logan Paul made a guest appearance at WrestleMania 37, but this will be his in-ring debut on Saturday.

The “Jackass” star Johnny Knoxville has been a thorn in the side of WWE Superstar Sami Zayn on the Road to WrestleMania. The pair have had several altercations with Zayn crashing the Jackass Movie premiere and Knoxville costing Zayn his Intercontinental Championship. On Sunday, they will collide in an “anything goes” match. An anything goes match is a gimmick match in pro-wrestling where there are no rules.

EPIC RETURNS TO THE WWE RING

Former UFC Champion Ronda Rousey returned to WWE in January to win the 2022 Royal Rumble match. Rousey claimed victory by eliminating WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair over the top rope to earn a championship title match opportunity at WrestleMania 38. Ironically enough, Rousey chose to challenge 12-time Women’s Champion and current SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair at this year’s WrestleMania event. The “Baddest Woman on the Planet” Ronda Rousey is making her triumphant return to WrestleMania since suffering her first pinfall defeat at WrestleMania 35 against Becky Lynch.

What would WrestleMania in Texas be without the returning “Texas Rattlesnake” Stone Cold Steve Austin?

The state of Texas for weeks has been insulted by WWE Superstar Kevin Owens. Owens’ disparaging remarks towards the WWE Universe fanbase in the Lone Star State prompted the antagonist to provoke Stone Cold. Owens challenged Stone Cold to appear as a special guest on the KO Show at WrestleMania 38. Austin, a WWE Hall of Famer, hasn’t competed in the ring since WrestleMania 19 losing to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Stone Cold has accepted Kevin Owens’ invitation. Additionally, in a video message posted on social media, Austin vowed to drink beer, raise hell, and open up a can of whoop-ass in AT&T Stadium.

THE MAIN EVENT

In the main event of WrestleMania 38, it will be WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns versus WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a “Winner Takes All” title unification match. During his dominant title run, Reigns has defeated notable WWE legends such as John Cena, Edge, Daniel Bryan, and Goldberg. Roman Reigns has also earned his place at the head of the table of pro wrestling’s Samoan Dynasty.

“The Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar is out for blood after his former advocate Paul Heyman betrayed him at this year’s WWE Royal Rumble. Heyman’s betrayal and Reigns’ interference also cost Lesnar his WWE Championship. Later that night, Lesnar hell-bent on revenge entered the Royal Rumble match as the 30th entrant. He also won and earned a championship opportunity at WrestleMania 38. Lesnar recaptured his WWE Championship title at the Elimination Chamber premium live event in the Elimination Chamber Match.

WWE announced the high-stakes championship match, which will undoubtedly change the landscape of sports entertainment. The stage is set for what could be one of the greatest WrestleMania main events in history.

Stream WWE WrestleMania live on Peacock Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3 at 8 p.m.

About T.J. Legacy-Cole

T.J. Legacy-Cole is a published journalist, Sports Editor, host of The Soapboxx Podcast, and radio personality. Throughout his career he has been featured on many multimedia platforms such as TMZ Live, ESPN Radio, NPR Radio, Fox News Radio, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, Yahoo Sports, USA Today, and more. Legacy is also an avid MMA and pro-wrestling enthusiast covering major events such as WWE WrestleMania and UFC pay-per-views.

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