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Traina Thoughts: WWE Fans Had Huge Hand in WrestleMania 35 Matches

Ronda Rousey was never supposed to be a "heel" in the WWE, but fans and Becky Lynch changed that.

Jimmy Traina

WWE

1. With WrestleMania 35 taking place this Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, "Wrestling Observer" publisher and editor, Dave Meltzer joined the newest SI Media Podcast to discuss the WWE's Super Bowl.

For the first time ever at 'Mania, a women's match will main event the card, but it will not be how the WWE intended it to be. Rousey main eventing WrestleMania was always a consideration when the company signed her, but no one expected her to do it as a heel. 

"They did not plan on turning Ronda Rousey heel," Meltzer said on the podcast. "The fans did it."

Meltzer continued, "The one interesting thing about this show is that this show is very much driven by the fans as much as Vince McMahon. Ultimately, it's Vince McMahon's decisions across the board. But if you look at Kofi Kingston in the match with Daniel Bryan, that was not their idea. They had completely different plans for that, but Kofi Kingston got hot.

"Becky Lynch, she's been in the plan since about November for the match, but there were plans for this dating back to April [of 2018] and she wasn't in the picture until November for that match. And Ronda was supposed to be the babyface in that match. The fans spurred on a lot of changes."

There are a lot of rumors about Rousey's future in the WWE after her WrestleMania match. "Ronda Rousey not booked on anything after Monday," Meltzer told the podcast.

To get information on the rest of the 'Mania card and news on The Undertaker, John Cena, Rob Gronkowski, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and more, check out Meltzer's full appearance on the podcast beginning at the 33-minute mark. You can download the show on iTunes, Spotify and Google Play, or listen below.

2. The biggest moment of the short-lived AAF came in the first game of the season when quarterback Mike Bercovici took a vicious sack. He said goodbye to the league Tuesday in spectacular fashion after it was announced that the AAF was suspending operations.

3. The Bryce Harper return to Washington lived up to the hype, thanks to a bat flip for the ages and one of the more creative jersey edits we've seen.

4. Ken Griffey Jr. made his Major League debut 30 years ago Wednesday. The tho things I'll always associate with Griffey Jr. anytime I hear his name is 1) his 1989 Upper Deck rookie card that I thought would make me rich, and 2) the sweetest swing ever.

5. Knicks legend Charles Oakley claims that Jeff Bezos is interested in buying the Knicks and PLEASE GOD LET THIS BE TRUE.

6. Forgive me for being a company man, but the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated is very cool

7. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: Since it's WrestleMania week, let's remember when the Macho Man won the WWF title at WrestleMania IV. Of course, Hulk Hogan had to make sure he hogged the spotlight, but it was a great moment, nonetheless.

Traina Thoughts is the best of the Internet, plus musings by SI.com writer, Jimmy Traina. Get the link to a new Traina's Thoughts each day by following on Twitter and liking on Facebook. Catch up on previous editions of Traina Thoughts right here. And make sure to listen to and subscribe to the SI Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina.

IN CLOSING: Serious question because I don't follow UFC: Are there people who actually like Conor McGregor?

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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