As of this writing we are but a few days removed from the 2015 edition of the Royal Rumble, World Wrestling Entertainment's January pay-per-view. If you know anything about the 2015 Royal Rumble you undoubtedly know that it was an event ripe with controversy. For the second year in a row WWE opted to take a creative direction that did not sit well with what I'll call a rather vocal, albeit possibly misguided segment of their fan base. Last year the uproar came when Batista returned and earned a WWE title shot by winning the Rumble match despite working a part-time schedule (he was back to promote the Guardians of the Galaxy film). Now the hullabaloo seems to be stemming from their having Roman Reigns win the Rumble match as opposed to someone else, namely Daniel Bryan.
I'm not going to delve further into the post-Royal Rumble shenanigans than that because every media outlet from Time to FOX Sports has chimed in on it. What I'd sooner talk about is the fact that WrestleMania 31 is quickly approaching and there's a whole lot up in the air at this point in time regarding the card. When I say "a whole lot", I'm talking 90% seeing as how the only match we know for sure is happening is the WWE World Heavyweight Championship bout featuring Reigns as he attempts to dethrone current champ Brock Lesnar. Everything other than that is purely hypothetical because no one knows (other than Vince McMahon himself, and there are those who would argue even he doesn't have a clue) what's going to ultimately take place at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California approximately two months from now. That being the case, I'm here to bring you my still-way-too-early WrestleMania 31 predictions!
What follows should not be considered gospel as I am attempting to assemble the contents of the event based on current angles, storylines, and trends. Even so, as my previous efforts at predicting the WrestleMania matches have proven (which you can see for yourself here and here), I have a decent knack for predicting the winners - now we'll now see how good I am at predicting the body of the show as well as the outcomes.
PRE-SHOW:
1) WWE Divas Championship Match - Nikki Bella vs. Natalya/Paige/Brie Bella
The Divas division is as big of a mess as it has ever been seeing as how the ladies who make up this portion of the roster seem to be there to provide fodder for the Total Divas program on the E! Network more so than anything else. Nikki Bella has held the Divas title for a number of months and she's faced random challengers without anything resembling a consistent adversary. The Bellas have been in a number of matches, either tags or one-on-one contests, with Natalya and Paige so they are likely challengers. It was announced in the past few days that Paige will challenge Nikki for the title at the Fast Lane pay-per-view, so it's possible that the feud will carry over into WrestleMania. Now that Daniel Bryan has returned to active competition it only makes sense that his wife, Brie Bella, would begin to see the error of her ways in sticking by her ne'erdowell sister. I'm leaning towards this being a Bella vs. Bella match as it would make for an attention-getting scenario.
PREDICTION: Nikki vs. Brie
WINNER: Brie Bella
2) WWE Tag Team Championship Match - The Usos (C) vs. The Ascension vs. New Day vs. The Miz & Damien Mizdow vs. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro
The tag team division has been something of a revolving platform throughout 2014 although the Usos rule the roost currently. It's tough to say where WWE might decide to take things as there have been a few other teams to have glimpses of success as the Usos have traded the belts with both the Miz & Mizdow as well as the Dust Brothers (Goldust and Star Dust). Despite being a new pairing Tyson Kidd & Cesaro are growing in terms of popularity through their in-ring performance. A New Day (technically a trio made up of Big E Langston, Xavier Woods, and Kofi Kingston) and the Ascension (Konnor & Victor) are also relative newcomers to the division and there's been a lot of effort made lately to get attention on both groups but especially so for the Ascension. It feels like the Ascension are being made out to be the next challengers for the tag straps, despite the fact that of the options available they're probably the least popular choice.
PREDICTION: The Usos vs. The Ascension
WINNER: The Usos
3) NXT SPECIAL ATTRACTION/CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH - Sami Zayn (C) vs. Kevin Owens
If you are a wrestling fan and you have never watched a match from the rivalry of El Generico (now known as Sami Zayn) and Kevin Steen (now known as Kevin Owens), you should immediately stop what you're doing and go check out as much material involving the two of them that you can possibly get your hands on. Much like Batman and the Joker, it appears as though these two are destined to be at each others throats forever, and that's a beautiful thing. If they're given time to shine, they might make some of the main events look bad by comparison.
WINNER: Kevin Owens
MAIN CARD:
1) Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler/Sheamus/Wade Barrett
Some combination of these guys will be on the card, I'm convinced of that. Dean Ambrose is one of the more popular talents on the roster and he's still fairly fresh off of a really spectacular feud with Bray Wyatt that served to elevate the former leader of the Wyatt Family as well as Ambrose (or so it did in my opinion). As for who Ambrose will face, I am leaning towards a confrontation with Wade Barrett since Barrett is the current WWE Intercontinental champion and it only makes sense that every title/title holder get an appearance on what is certainly the biggest event of the year.
PREDICTION: Ambrose vs. Barrett
WINNER: Dean Ambrose
2) Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton
This is a feud that has been simmering away for a number of months as Seth Rollins took Randy Orton out of action by way of a series of curb stomps into various objects back around November of 2014. (This was a method for getting Orton off television for a while so that he could film a movie.) Rollins has been on a roll ever since then and he still has the Money in the Bank briefcase which he can choose to use at any point in time to challenge the WWE champion, whoever that may be. With all that in mind, I think he gives Orton a happy homecoming by doing the job here.
WINNER: Randy Orton
3) Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler/Sheamus/Wade Barrett/Kane/Big Show
Much like the Ambrose match I discussed above, this is a match that has potential to go a lot of different ways with the only definitive aspect being Daniel Bryan's involvement. Bryan has a had long-running feud with Kane that appeared to have been put to bed permanently on a recent edition of SmackDown when Bryan defeated Kane in a casket match. Thus, I am eliminating Kane as well as Wade Barrett as possible opponents. Sheamus is still on his way back from injury and I feel like throwing him into WrestleMania would be a mistake; let him continue to rest and come back after Mania. A match with Big Show would be a classic David vs. Goliath contest and it could be a fun contest, but I think the match that would give fans the biggest pop and likely steal the show would be Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler. It feels like a match made in the hearts of purist wrestling fans everywhere and I cannot find any fault in the pairing.
PREDICTION: Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler
WINNER: Daniel Bryan
4) John Cena vs. Rusev
Rusev is the current WWE United States champion, and he's also got the "Ravishing Russian" Lana at his side. In a different era, Rusev would have likely been in line for a main event match against the likes of Hulk Hogan or Sergeant Slaughter thanks to his role as a villainous "super athlete" from a part of the world that still smells faintly of communism. For at least the time being he's going to be involved with a program pitting him against John Cena, which could potentially be disastrous to his momentum. As you may recall, Bray Wyatt was in Rusev's position at last year at WrestleMania 30 and afterwards Wyatt was so far buried in terms of his credibility that he had to be rebooted as a character. Wyatt spent months re-establishing himself and Cena went on to continue being Cena. I hope Rusev can grow from this and if he wins I think it will mean he's in line for bigger opportunities in the near future.
WINNER: Rusev
5) Triple H vs. Sting
You don't often see a match anymore that will literally go down in history as being an important, relevant contest in the overall spectrum of the professional wrestling industry, but this is exactly that. Sting is an icon in the world of wrestling, a man whose carry spans three decades and that features feuds with almost every big name in the sport throughout that same length of time. He accomplished that in spite of the fact that, until last year, he had never been signed to a WWE contract. It's difficult to believe but he's never had a match for WWE - that will change come WrestleMania 31 when he's challenged by Triple H, a man who himself has had a historic career. This may be the one and only time Sting ever competes in a WWE ring, and I for one expect it to be a tremendous contest.
WINNER: Sting
6) The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt
The professional wrestling world reacted like they'd been told their significant other had an incurable disease when Brock Lesnar pinned the Undertaker at WrestleMania 30. Taker's undefeated streak ended and many thought so too had his career as a professional wrestler. As it has turned out, there is another dark soul lingering within the WWE roster, that being none other than Bray Wyatt, a man many consider to be the most interesting character WWE has produced since the Undertaker. It's only fitting that they go to war with one another.
WINNER: The Undertaker
7) WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match - Brock Lesnar (C) vs. Roman Reigns
At the time of this writing there is some doubt as to whether or not the WHC match will go on as scheduled due in no small part to the backlash that occurred after the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. It's unclear if Roman Reigns will be the only challenger Lesnar will face or if he'll even be Lesnar's opponent. Regardless, I'm going forward in presenting this as the main event of the card because that's what current plans reflect.
Rumor is that Lesnar wants to return to the world of mixed martial arts and if that's true then he won't be hanging onto the WHC for very long (unless Vince McMahon and Dana White have orchestrated some incredibly intricate deal wherein a WWE title could be featured on UFC programming and vice versa, that is - I think that's about as likely to happen as me getting into Metallica). Reigns has been recognized for quite some time as the next big thing in terms of talents to be pushed to the next level, however he is still very much in need of help in getting over with fans when it comes to his promo work. He's like many other performers over the years in that regard who had amazing physiques and a great look yet were lacking in the area of charisma and the gift of gab. This is a tough call, and it's made more so by the fact that the Money in the Bank contract could come into play at any moment in time.
WINNER: Roman Reigns
NOTABLE POTENTIAL EXCEPTIONS:
- Goldust vs. Star Dust
This is being teased on TV right now and could be on the main card but I don't know that it is as valuable as the matches I've laid out herein. It's an attraction, for sure, just not one I am convinced will be worthwhile.
- Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
The AGMBR was featured on the WrestleMania 30 card and Cesaro was the winner of the match, but there's been no inclination as of yet that it will be a part of WrestleMania 31. This would be a way to get a lot of talent involved in the card but I don't think it's necessary when there are better contests that could be presented.
- Kane & Big Show
These two members of the Authority could be plugged into a number of different matches, the trick is whether or not they'll get those spots or even have a spot.
- Eric Rowan, Ryback, Wade Barrett, Luke Harper
These four men are stuck in limbo as far as their involvement with WrestleMania 31 is concerned. It would be entertaining to see Rowan and Harper go at it in some kind of gimmick match where they could get into some sort of insane arrangement. Barrett is one of my favorite members of the WWE roster and I hate that he as well as the Intercontinental title don't get the respect they deserve. Ryback is a meathead that I don't particularly care for one way or another, so no big loss there.
- Sheamus
There is a better than decent chance that WWE will pull the trigger on Sheamus' return prior to WrestleMania 31 and have him face Daniel Bryan, which would serve as a continuation to a quasi-feud they've had going ever since WrestleMania 27. I persist in the notion that Sheamus, who is apparently 100% after having been sidelined for the past few months with injuries, should be held off until after WM31 so that he can have a fresh start in a new program.
- AJ Lee
AJ Lee is one of the best female wrestlers in the world and yet she likely will have no place in the WrestleMania 31 card. She's been dealing with a neck injury as of late but depending on what you read and what you believe she's not as bad off as it would seem. That plays into the possibility that she might be getting the shaft thanks to the fact that her husband, CM Punk, is - well - CM Punk.
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