Royal Rumble 2021: Who should each winner challenge at Wrestlemania?

For both 2021 Royal Rumble winners, there is at least one match worthy of main-eventing one of Wrestlemania’s two nights. 

At last night’s Royal Rumble, two competitors earned world title matches at Wrestlemania 37, when Bianca Belair won the women’s Rumble, while Edge won the men’s Rumble.

One part of two big Wrestlemania title matches have been complete, but now the rest of these matches need to be filled out. Which champion should each winner challenge: RAW, SmackDown, or innovation of last year, NXT?

Bianca Belair 

There is no question who Bianca Belair should challenge with her Royal Rumble shot.

It is a shame that Belair never won the NXT Women’s Championship, despite several chances, and her and current champion Io Shirai would probably have an excellent match. Meanwhile, on RAW, where Asuka holding the title until Wrestlemania isn’t as certain, Belair challenging Asuka, or Charlotte Flair, or finally overcoming longtime rival Shayna Baszler would all probably be great stories.

But those options don’t really seem up to the lofty expectations of main-eventing one of Wrestlemania’s two nights. For that, there is only one option.

Bianca Belair versus Smackdown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks is absolutely the biggest possible women’s match WWE can put on at the moment, featuring two of WWE’s very best.. It would serve both as a crowning moment for Belair, but also cement Sasha Banks’ legacy with a Wrestlemania main event.

I have no doubt in my mind that Belair and Banks could not only meet the insane expectations of a Wrestlemania main event but surpass it.

Edge 

It is tougher to pick out an opponent for Edge at Wrestlemania, but nonetheless, there are intriguing options.

Edge vs. NXT Champion Finn Balor would be cool someday but doesn’t feel like it would benefit either man or the NXT Championship.

Edge vs. RAW’s Universal Champion, Drew McIntyre, makes a bit more sense, especially to continue the McIntyre vs. legends storyline that bubbled up with McIntyre vs. Goldberg at the Royal Rumble. This is a pretty strong option and would help bolster RAW’s struggling star power, but this falls short of being Wrestlemania main-event caliber.

Alternatively, Edge’s current rival, Randy Orton, could once again beat McIntyre for the title, but Orton and McIntyre had four high-profile title matches in the latter half of last year with two title changes, and it probably shouldn’t be revisited. Plus, Orton vs. Edge III also falls short of being main-event worthy. It makes more sense to complete the Edge/Orton trilogy at Elimination Chamber or Fastlane.

Really, the world title match that makes the most sense is beloved babyface Edge versus the dastardly WWE Champion, Roman Reigns. This match is really the only one mentioned that feels right main-eventing one of Wrestlemania’s two nights. There’s also a lot of similarities between the two: both use the Spear and both use/used cheating and other dirty tricks to hold onto their titles in their primes. And as a bonus, with the return of Christian, there may be room for E&C vs. Reigns and Jey Uso or, health permitting, E&C vs. the Usos. Overall, Edge vs. Reigns feels like the most fitting main event for Wrestlemania.