Historic WrestleMania 35 Card Offers Plethora of Great Matches for Fans, Opportunities for Bettors

Posted on: April 7, 2019, 02:00h. 

Last updated on: April 5, 2019, 08:24h.

Casino.org Staff Writer Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

When WrestleMania 35 begins on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, there will be well over a dozen matches on the card for WWE’s biggest event of the year. But it also represents a surprisingly popular market for bettors, many of whom can’t get enough of predicting the premier pro wrestling event on the planet.

WrestleMania 35 Betting
Becky Lynch (right) is favored to win both WWE Women’s Championships in a three-way match against Ronda Rousey (left) and Charlotte Flair. (Image: WWE)

WrestleMania might seem like an odd choice for gamblers: after all, the outcomes are scripted. But that makes it no different than betting on what will happen in a popular TV series or who will win at the Oscars – both of which are known to at least a small number of people before the result is conveyed to the public.

Low Limits Protect Against Insider Betting

In the case of WWE wrestling, much of the fun comes from trying to read the tea leaves to predict how the company will decide to move forward with its storylines. Combine that with a show that plays out like an athletic competition, and you have a recipe that makes for enjoyable betting for many gamblers.

So much, in fact, that BetOnline sportsbook manager Adam Burns told CBS New York that WrestleMania tends to generate as much betting interest as a typical NFL regular season game, even if people aren’t typically taking it too seriously.

“It’s more for people to have fun to bet on,” Burns told CBS. “They can tell their friends they actually bet on WrestleMania.”

Bookmakers also keep limits fairly low. That prevents them from taking too much of a beating if word gets out about who will win particular matches, while also helping WWE by taking away the incentive for employees to use their inside information in an attempt to get rich quick.

“If the one or two people who actually know who’s going to win are willing to risk their job for a couple hundred bucks, then we’re comfortable with that,” Burns said.

Women’s Title Match Headlines WrestleMania Card

With so many matches on the card, there are a lot of betting options out there. But a few high profile clashes are likely to gather the most attention from fans and gamblers alike.

At the top of the list is the historic first-ever women’s main event, which pits Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match for both the Raw Women’s Championship and the Smackdown Women’s Championship.

Rousey has been the hottest name in the WWE since joining the promotion in 2018. But Lynch has had a dramatic, organic rise in popularity in recent months, while Rousey could soon be stepping back from wrestling to start a family. That has led Irish bookmaker Paddy Power to make Lynch the 2/5 favorite over Rousey (11/4) and Flair (11/2).

The WWE Championship is also up for grabs, with champion Daniel Bryan facing off against another fast-rising star in Kofi Kingston. Bryan comes into the match as an underdog – BetOnline.ag has him listed at +180 – though it’s easy to see a scenario where WWE decides to keep Bryan on top for storyline reasons, then allowing Kingston (-270) to win the belt later on down the line.

Then there’s the always unpredictable Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which could include 30 or more competitors. The odds on favorite is Braun Strowman (4/7 at Paddy Power), but favorites haven’t traditionally done well in these melees, so bettors will want to keep an eye out for other contenders like Apollo Crews (10/1) or a celebrity winner like Rob Gronkowski (16/1).