When Pete Rose was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004 (yes, this actually happened), the late great Bobby “The Brain” Heenan quipped to a sold out crowd, “I have a confession to make … I bet on pro wrestling.”
The line brought the house down, and even got a chuckle out of Rose himself.
Fifteen years later, Heenan’s joke isn’t all that ridiculous.
Consider that in February, nearly all of the sportsbooks in the country set odds and took wagers on The Oscars. In other words, the books were taking bets on something that was pre-determined.
This has opened the door for sportsbooks to take bets on major pro wrestling events – and there is considerable betting buzz this week ahead of the 35th edition of WrestleMania, which takes place this Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Here are some odds and betting advice for some of the top matches.
Brock Lesnar +120 vs. Seth Rollins -160
Lesnar is always a threat to leave WWE in real life because of his outside interests (read: UFC and farming). But in recent years, WWE has enjoyed spinning real life Lesnar news into an unpredictable finish.
Still, Seth Rollins has never won the WWE Universal title and is overdue for a run with the strap.
The play: Rollins -160
Ronda Rousey +400 vs. Becky Lynch -350 vs. Charlotte Flair +1275
This match is going on last and back in the day Vince McMahon used to like to send everyone home happy at the WWE’s biggest event of the year. Giving Lynch the win here would please the crowd, but McMahon would likely rather grab those Monday morning headlines by giving Rousey the victory.
The play: Rousey +400
Triple H -260 vs. Batista +180
Going against the grain here again.
WWE wants to shock its fans with an Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar –like finish. A win by Batista in Triple H’s “career threatening match” would drop a few jaws … Triple H can always just reinstate himself, anyway.
The play: Batista +180
Kurt Angle -195 vs. Baron Corbin +155
Even if John Cena shows up in this match (Angle’s farewell bout, BTW), expect the Olympic Gold medalist to go out a winner.
The play: Kurt Angle -195
AJ Styles +110 vs. Randy Orton -150
Orton is one of those guys that WWE has to prop up with big wins at big events in order to keep him relevant to fans. Fans will always be interested in Styles regardless of a win or a loss.
The play: Randy Orton -150
Daniel Bryan +180 vs. Kofi Kingston -260
It feels like WWE will only win with the “smart fans” by having either Becky Lynch win or Kofi Kingston grab a victory. Here’s saying Kofi will the get lifetime achievement nod.
The play: Kofi Kingston -260
Will Gronk -220 or Conor McGregor +180 appear at WrestleMania?
Gronk showed up at WrestleMania two years ago coming off an injury and was still under contract with the Patriots at the time. Now he has no such restrictions. He’s a good bet to appear in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Maybe he even wins.
McGregor is more of a long shot here but wouldn’t it be fun if he interfered in the Lesnar match and KO’d Brock back to UFC?
The play: Gronk yes, McGregor no
