As summer bleeds into fall, it has become apparent to wrestling fans that the Road to WrestleMania begins in a few short months. WrestleMania 35 is in the books, but WrestleMania 36 is just around the corner.
WWE have a tough job making sure that WrestleMania 36 lives up to the prestige of its predecessor. Considering the talent of the roster, however, it shouldn't be too much of a feat. Here are five matches we'd be thrilled to see at WrestleMania 36, alongside five matches that shouldn't even make the pre-show.
10 Dream Match: Four Horsewomen Fatal 4-Way
This match is undoubtedly going to take place before WrestleMania, if the recent interactions between Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky Lynch are anything to go by. Bayley and Banks are now both bad guys, and The Queen and The Man have been forced to put aside their bad blood in order to face a common enemy.
Although fans will likely be treated to this match prior to WWE's biggest PPV event, it remains a prestigious bout that would be at home on the Grandest Stage of Them All. The potential for a WrestleMania showdown upstages even their NXT collision.
9 Shouldn't Happen: Shane McMahon vs. Anyone
Shane McMahon has overstayed his welcome on WWE television. The most entertaining segments involving The Prodigal Son have been his interactions with Kevin Owens, who has found his calling as an anti-authority, CM Punk-like babyface. The Prizefighter deserves the biggest push of his career, but Shane O'Mac must not be a part of that.
Fans have criticized McMahon for taking too much of the spotlight away from the rest of the roster. Considering he is the son of WWE's chairman, it is a spotlight that he does not need.
8 Dream Match: Kevin Owens vs. Triple H
Shane McMahon is not the authority symbol Kevin Owens should dethrone, but Triple H is. The King of Kings has already had WrestleMania showdowns with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, and putting over The Prizefighter on the Grandest Stage of Them All would cement Owens as the company's next big babyface.
Owens already has a history with The Game, as it was Triple H who interfered in the four-way elimination match and all but won the Universal Championship for the Canadian Superstar. This would add fuel to the fire as Owens could set out to prove to Trips - and the crowd - that he doesn't need any help to win a world title.
7 Shouldn't Happen: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose
It seems unlikely that the current program developing between Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross against Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville will last until WrestleMania season. However, given WWE's lack of regard for the Women's Tag Team belts, it is not entirely outside the realm of plausibility.
The belts are in dire need of better booking to regain some credibility. WWE also needs to remember that their women's division exists, outside of the Four Horsewomen. Like the tag-team titles, Bliss and Cross deserve to be booked with more credibility.
6 Dream Match: Kofi Kingston vs. Big E
If Big E were to pull a Seth Rollins by turning on his teammates and attacking current WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, nobody would see it coming. That is why it absolutely must happen sometime soon.
The New Day is a family-friendly stable who has shown nothing but strong brotherhood and camaraderie since their debut in 2014. Big E's betrayal would be a cold-blooded, shocking upset that would make for compelling television. Kingston's current storyline with Randy Orton is engaging, but the champion needs new challengers and a feud this personal would immortalize his reign in the history books.
5 Shouldn't Happen: Sami Zayn vs. The Miz
Sami Zayn and The Miz are two of the most underrated workers on the main roster. Unfortunately, they lack enough star power to migrate this match out of the mid-card.
The Underdog from the Underground and the A-Lister deserve high-profile feuds that generate hype and interest from fans. A clash between the two wouldn't do them justice and could be too easily forgotten.
4 Dream Match: Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns
A match between a heel Seth Rollins and babyface Roman Reigns that fans would cheer appropriately for seems like an unrealistic Vince McMahon dream. However, with the right booking, this could easily be one of the biggest moments at WrestleMania.
The Big Dog has never been more popular, since his triumphant return after battling leukemia. If the Beastslayer is booked with a well-intentioned but gradual descent into villainy as he becomes the kind of champion he swore to dethrone, another clash between the former brothers could be electrifying.
3 Shouldn't Happen: Baron Corbin vs. The Undertaker
This seems like exactly the kind of match WWE would throw onto the WrestleMania card and it is entirely unwelcome. Taker's WrestleMania moments have become more painful to watch over recent years and fans are not invested in The Lone Wolf enough to care about this bout.
Corbin's direction in WWE has been unclear, though it seems the company is pushing him as one of their biggest bad guys. If this is the case then he deserves a credible WrestleMania moment... just not with The Undertaker.
2 Dream Match: Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman
Bray Wyatt's recent rebranding as The Fiend has done wonders for his character. The former WWE Champion feels like a credible threat again and needs a worthy WrestleMania opponent.
Strowman's history as part of the Wyatt Family could be used to tie together an exciting feud that pits the Monster Among Men against his former mentor.
1 Shouldn't Happen: Andrade vs. Randy Orton
Andrade is an up-and-coming talent with a bright future who needs a lengthy program with an established WWE figure to cement his credibility. Randy Orton, currently on the SmackDown brand and in need of new competition following his feud with Kofi Kingston, shouldn't be that person.
Although Orton's exchanges with Zelina Vega on the mic would be entertaining, WWE would likely not present Andrade as a legitimate threat and a match to put him over could easily become the match that buries him.