TODAY we continue with our series of Hooked On WrestleMania previews by looking at the United States Championship match.
Our team are almost unanimous once again. Read on to see who we think will walk out of New Orleans with WWE’s most star spangled title.
United States Championship Match: Randy Orton (c) Vs. Bobby Roode Vs. Jinder Mahal
Paul Benson – Hooked On Events chief organ grinder and podcast co-host
After Orton took the title last month, it seems too soon to dethrone him.
Randy is in an odd place on the roster. Too good to be an afterthought but not really relevant enough to be a true main eventer nowadays.
It’s a position many have found themselves in over the years. On the plus side, any mid-card matches Orton is involved with immediately assume greater importance based on his presence and I think that’s the idea with this match and his title run.
I also expect this to be the beginning of the Bobby Roode heel turn which has to have been the medium term plan from the outset of his main roster run.
GLORIOUS is too over to have resisted the initial face reaction but it’s time to turn that on it’s head as Roode is much more suited, and more useful, as a heel.
It’s surely nailed on as the main event of the pre-show which is a slight shame for all concerned but feels the bout’s natural place on the card.
Good match? In all honesty, likely not. It will be quite crisp and should have decent heat but ultimately, this might be fans’ in the stadiums (Or at one of our viewing parties) last chance to grab a beer safe in the knowledge they are not missing anything crucial.
Prediction: Randy Orton
CRUISING FOR A BRUISING Cedric Alexander vs Mustafa Ali for Cruiserweight Championship but who do our writers think will come out on top and why?
Rob McNichol – Writer, journalist, Hooked On party host and podcast host
If in doubt, RKO
Prediction: Randy Orton
George McMenemy – Hooked On Contributer
An interesting match here given that this is one of two triple threat matches for a secondary title.
Bobby Roode has had an slow start on the main roster and felt like he was getting by on an entrance alone, with the following US Title run not exactly setting the world on fire so setting him up against the ever popular Randy Orton is an interesting proposition.
The match will be a really good, solid WWE main event style match. Jinder still draws great heat from the crowd, which benefits Roode greatly as the crowd can cheer for both him and Randy.
Bobby Roode is going to go through a lot of false finishes in this match and come up just short each time, with Jinder Mahal taking an RKO (presumably, from out of nowhere) to retain the title.
I think we see the start of a Bobby Roode heel turn to continue the feud with Orton and the development of a potentially great main roster heel act.
Prediction: Randy Orton
Jamie Kennedy – Commentator, Hooked On host, heel manager extraordinaire
For one horrible moment, it seemed like poor Bobby Roode’s WrestleMania-related dreams might be tossed out of the nearest window in favour of reprising last year’s WWE Title feud between Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal.
Thankfully, those fears have been allayed by WWE’s decision to make ‘Mania’s United States Title bout a Triple Threat affair.
Much like other matches on the card, this reeks of management’s attempt to cram as many workers on the biggest show of the year as possible.
Whilst making sure everybody gets that WrestleMania spotlight and larger-than-usual pay day, it does come at a cost: some matches, including this one, feel a bit throwaway.
SmackDown’s writers have done everything in their power to ensure that Mahal looks like a credible threat to Orton’s crown.
This has made Roode seem like a third wheel despite being recently dethroned as US Champion himself, but at least fans can take solace in the fact that the in-ring action will be solid.
Roode has fit snugly into the WWE system, and his “Glorious” character is over with fans. Add to that the long-lasting star power of Orton and some genuine heat for Mahal (based on xenophobia or not) and this could be a sleeper hit.
Of course, the success of it depends on where the trio are placed on the card and whether or not Orton wins, which he should.
Placed earlier in the show, the match is assured some reaction from the cavernous Mercedes-Benz Superdome crowd.
That’s the only option. If the United States Title is tossed into that ‘death spot’ (right before the main event), then it’ll suffer.
Prediction: Randy Orton
Ash Rose -Sports journalist, co-host of TalkSPORT’s Gorilla Position
Grand Slam champion Randy goes into WrestleMania defending his US crown, a year after walking out of last year’s show as WWE Champion.
Say what you want about Orton, but when the big one comes around gold seems to follow him in tow.
This could have been built as a first-time meeting between The Viper and Bobby Roode, but having used up that match up last month at FastLane, Jinder Mahal has been added to the mix to give this title bout an interesting dynamic.
Former champ Bobby Roode, hasn’t quite found the same grove on SmackDown that he had on NXT, possibly down to a gimmick that lends itself to a heel rather than the babyface role we’ve seen on the blue brand.
A notion quite ironic, given that Randy Orton always seems at his best when playing the villain as well.
Yet the villain in this story will be Jinder Mahal, who crowns off his incredible year with another championship opportunity and this time on the grandest stage of them all.
It will be interesting where they place this bout, as it’s not one I believe fans are truly into and the build hasn’t given them any further reason to.
I have no doubt in the match quality, but I think the story will need to be more engaging on the night. Who wins? I think Randy walks out another WrestleMania still with gold round his waist.
Prediction: Randy Orton
Steve Cox – Professional DJ and Hooked On Tech Guru
I quite like that Jinder has stayed in the spotlight even if he’s dropped from the world title picture, we need more wrestlers like him around.
Randy and Bobby are two peas of a pod, older wrestlers that still have a ton of talent it’s been built up as if Jinder almost doesn’t belong in this fight at all and because of that I have a feeling Jinder will take the belt here.
Prediction: Jinder Mahal
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