On the road to WWE WrestleMania 41, most of the attention is being focused on the heavyweight title picture. Royal Rumble winners Jey Uso and Charlotte Flair have officially made their choices to face at WrestleMania. Uso will face the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, and Flair, meanwhile, has chosen WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton for her Championship match.
In addition to that, the biggest storyline is whether John Cena will win his record-breaking 17th world title. Rightfully so, but what about the midcard title picture? At the moment, they almost feel like an afterthought, but more attention should be shown towards them as we get closer to The Grandest Stage of Them All. Shinsuka Nakamura is the biggest name of all the midcard holders, but there are so many different stories that can be told with the midcard picture. Here's how they should shake out...
What Should The First Midcard Title Matches Be For WrestleMania 41?
AJ Styles Looks Set To Throw His Name Into The Ring
Last year at WrestleMania 40, there were two midcard title matches. On Night 1, Sami Zayn dethroned Gunther to capture the Intercontinental Championship to end his 666-day title reign. On Night 2, Logan Paul defeated Randy Orton and Kevin Owens in a triple threat match to retain the United States Championship. Even with the Cody Rhodes/Roman Reigns match, Zayn's title win was one of the most memorable moments of the PLE.
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For this year's WrestleMania, the longest tenured midcard champion is Bron Breakker at 176 days and counting. After taking the title back from Uso back in October, Breakker has put together an impressive second run as the Intercontinental Champion. He was also the guy that beat Zayn for the title. Since he has held the title the longest of the four, he should be the first focus. And if you watched last week's Monday Night Raw, it appears that WWE is already on the mission.
A quick staredown between newly acquired Raw superstar AJ Styles and Breakker indicated there would be a match between the two. Breakker versus Styles is too big for a weekly Monday Night Raw, so that would be a perfect match for 'Mania.
How Can WWE Add More Prestige To Women's Midcard Titles?
Women's Midcard Belts Need More Attention
Back in December, Chelsea Green made history by becoming the first woman in WWE history to hold a midcard title. After a tournament, Green defeated Michin in the finals on Saturday Night Main Event on December 14th to become the first ever Women's United States Champion. Since then, Green has won just one match, losing a match to Naomi and failing to qualify for the women's Elimination Chamber main event match. Since this is a first time title, WWE Creative has to figure out a way to build the belt's prestige.
Michin and B-Fab both appear to have their eyes on the belt, but Michin has already had a rematch for the title and lost. And B-Fab versus Green isn't a WrestleMania-level match quite yet. Green adding another member to her court would give her current title reign some more excitement. And a welcome challenger could introduce themselves after Elimination Chamber.
Lyra Valkyria is coming off an incredible 2024 rookie campaign on the main roster. Immediately after being called to Raw, she entered the Queen of the Ring tournament, in which she reached the finals and ultimately lost to Nia Jax. She then had to regroup and prepare for what was coming for her.
A month after Green won her title, Valkyria became the first ever Women's Intercontinental Champion on Raw by defeating Dakota Kai in the finals of the tournament. Since she won the title on a normal Raw and not on a PLE, the prestige of her title is already lower than the Women's US belt. She is currently in a feud with American Made's Ivy Nile, who wants a shot at Valkyria's title. Again, this isn't likely a match for WrestleMania. If WWE decides against Iyo Sky facing Rhea Ripley for the Women's World Championship, she would be a great opponent for Valkyria at WrestleMania 41.
Who Should Walk Out of WrestleMania 41 With The Midcard Titles?
Who Should Come Out On Top After WrestleMania
When it's all said and done, both women midcard titleholders should walk out of Las Vegas still champions. It is too risky and too early to have one or both of them drop a belt they just won. Whoever they wind up facing, unfortunately, will have to take the fall if WWE wants to build prestige for those respective titles.
For the men's, United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura could defend the title in a multi-superstar match. Much like last year's triple threat match, a Fatal 4-way match that includes Andrade, Carmelo Hayes, or LA Knight would be a classic match. It doesn't have to be a TLC match or anything crazy. These men can all wrestle and there would be tons of memorable spots. This would be a great opportunity to crown a new champion in Andrade or Hayes, who have both been working towards a title run. It's a chance to create a new star in Hayes, or restore Andrade's legacy.
Finally, for Breakker, there aren't many options for him. He has already run through most of Raw's roster to retain the title with wins over Ludwig Kaiser, Sheamus, Zayn, and Uso. Styles is a formidable competitor that would bring the best out of Breakker. In the end, Breakker should walk out of WrestleMania 41 having retained the Intercontinental belt. WWE has a chance to really build him as a force to be reckoned with, and after playing some hot potato with the title, it'll be nice to stay with a young, promising star for a while. He is clearly the future of the company, so there is no reason to rush the title off him just yet.
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