Monday 5 September 2016

An In-Depth Look Through Betfair's WrestleMania 33 Appearance Odds

In the first post published today, I mentioned that the oddsmakers at Betfair.com had published WrestleMania 33 specials and alerted you to a bet that I had placed on the 'Live In-House Appearance' market. I rushed the post out for people to grab Rhyno at 33/1 and have returned with a proper look through every name on the list.

I'll start with the bottom of the pile and work upwards.

Tommy Dreamer (Opened 33/1, now 28/1)
I have backed him at 33s. This was a speculative punt only because he's still in good standing with WWE.

Maria Sharapova 33/1
The tennis player is on the list because she has a home in Florida. Unless she's in a tag team with Brock Lesnar called 'The Violators', I can't see her being there.

Michelle McCool 20/1
The former wrestler was born in Florida. On top of that, she's married to The Undertaker so there's a high chance she'll be in attendance. Whether she will appear 'live in-house' is another thing entirely, though.

Kelly Kelly 20/1
Another female wrestler who comes from the state of Florida. 

Ted Dibiase Sr. 16/1
The chance of the Million Dollar Man being at WrestleMania should be good as he'll likely be brought in for the festivities during the week. However, he'll more than likely be featured in a comedy backstage segment. This will mean a bet is a loser.

Rey Mysterio 16/1
I cannot see how this bet will pay out as a winner. Mysterio is contracted to the El Rey Network, home of Lucha Underground, so it's legally impossible for him to appear for WWE.

CM Punk 13/2
Another one that may be a few years off from happening (if it ever does). There's far too much bad blood between Punk and WWE right now. On top of this, as of the time of writing, Punk is contracted to the UFC.

Batista 13/2
I backed Batista when he was 10/1 elsewhere.The new Guardians of the Galaxy movie is out shortly after WrestleMania and thought it was worth a small speculative punt.

Rhyno (Opened 33/1, now 6/1)

Jon Stewart (Opened 8/1, now 6/1)
I haven't backed him, but the odds shortening would indicate that others have. I wouldn't rule it out, he's been in the two recent New York SummerSlams and, as I write this, I think I recall him being acknowledged as being in attendance at WrestleMania 32. Don't quote me on it.

Mick Foley 4/1
I've backed this one. This has a great chance of coming in if Foley is still the Raw General Manager - or at least tied to a storyline - in seven months time.

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin 7/2
Another selection that I have bet on. I am not as confident that Austin will be there as I do with some of the other wagers I have placed. This is mainly because Austin has been vocal about only wanting to do appearances if it's worthwhile. 
If - and it is an if as I have no idea whether this will happen - The Rock happens to be inducted into the 2017 Hall of Fame, I can see Austin being the person the company chooses to introduce him. This would guarantee Austin being around for WrestleMania weekend. 

Shawn Michaels 7/2
I've bet on Shawn Michaels making a WrestleMania appearance. I don't think he has missed a Mania since he's retired, so I fully expect the Heartbreak Kid to feature somewhere.

Vin Diesel 3/1
If you've followed the story - Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel are supposed to have had a falling out while filming Fast 8. The movie comes out a few days after WrestleMania, so it's very possible that what ever is going on publically is a slow build that leads to Rock/Vin Diesel confronting each other at Mania in order to hype the movie. If this is the case, it'll be live and in-ring, so the bets would be a winner.

Ronda Rousey 7/4
It happened before and all signs point to it happening sometime again. Whether it's next year's Mania is the question. I have not backed it, but would not be surprised if it is a winner.

Hulk Hogan 7/4
I believe there will come a day when Hulk Hogan returns to WWE. Just like with the Rousey option, it's a question of when. Is 2017 still  too soon?

Kurt Angle 6/4
I'm not so sure. He's a free agent, but WWE has been keeping him at a distance for a long time. To be honest, I would have probably backed this selection if the odds were a bit higher. I don't really know if it's worth a gamble at this price considering all the reports of WWE not wanting anything to do with him. 

Goldberg 4/5
Since he signed up to promote the new WWE video game, people have been speculating on Bill Goldberg returning to a WWE ring. Goldberg himself hasn't discounted this, so he's evidently interested in doing something. 

The Rock 1/4
With WrestleMania 33 taking place in the state that Dwayne Johnson is associated the most with, I think there's a good chance he'll be at the event. There are obvious drawbacks like film schedules to deal with. 
In the part above where I wrote about Steve Austin, I suggested the idea of Rocky being inducted into the 2017 Hall of Fame. It's pure speculation on my part, but I think it would fit with the show being relatively close to his home. If my wild prediction turns out accurate, he'll be featured for sure. And even if I'm incorrect - the chance of him doing something at Mania is still in the hunt.

The Undertaker 1/10
It wouldn't be a WrestleMania without an appearance from The Undertaker. However, in the days following this year's show, there were reports that Taker had told people he was done. It should be noted that wasn't the first time there was talk of him having wrestled his last Mania match. 

I'll revisit this market many times before WrestleMania to see where the customers have been betting. If you'd like to have a punt on some of the options on this board, you can find them in the 'Special Bets' section of Betfair.com. If you aren't a Betfair customer, there's a link below that will give you the latest welcome offer:

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