WrestleMania 31 Predictions
Yes, it is WrestleMania 31, not just WrestleMania. Vince McMahon reportedly has stopped naming the annual editions of 'Mania, as he does not want them to seem old. Is 31 years really that old though? Nonetheless, WrestleMania is the year's biggest event in professional wrestling and has an extremely rich history. So many great matches (like "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat, Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, and Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon), great performers (Kurt Angle, The Rock, and CM Punk), and great moments (Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant, Brock Lesnar beating The Streak, and Mike Tyson holding up "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's arm) have taken place at 'Mania. For a wrestling fan, it's easily one of the best nights of the year. Add in the fact that the Hall of Fame ceremony takes place the night before, and the whole weekend becomes a huge event.
Last year's edition was a truly incredible spectacle: Brock Lesnar broke The Streak, The Rock and Steve Austin made surprise returns to stand in the ring with Hulk Hogan, and Daniel Bryan put on the best performance of the year. The build-up to the event was spectacular and fans were thrilled for the event. This year however, the excitement has not been all there. This is the biggest event of the year, fans should be going absolutely crazy waiting for it. There is definitely excitement for the event, but not as much as there could be. In this article, we're going to thoroughly breakdown, analyze, and predict each match-up. Because of that, it's going to be a long article, so bear with me here.
Sting vs. Triple H- This was the first match announced for 'Mania back at Fastlane.This marks Sting's first ever WWE match and Triple H's nineteenth 'Mania match (second only to 'Taker). While there are doubts as to Sting's ability to put on a good match, this should be a very good one. Sting showed he still can go last week on Raw when he delivered a double Stinger Splash to J&J Security and all three of Triple H's matches last year (one against Daniel Bryan and two with Evolution against The Shield) were all excellent matches. The build-up to this match has been pretty great, stretching all the way back to Survivor Series in November. The WWE effectively used all of Sting's limited appearances. If all goes well at 'Mania, perhaps The Stinger will consider having a few more matches. As for the winner, I think it's going to be Sting. After all, this is his debut and Triple H doesn't need a win. Sure, a win for Hunter would get him massive heat, but I think getting Sting his 'Mania moment is more important. Winner: Sting
The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt- As we said before, the only person with more WrestleMania matches than Hunter is The Deadman with 22. 21 of those matches were wins, one was a loss to Brock Lesnar last year. So here's the question: now that The Streak is broken, does that make 'Taker vulnerable? Now that he's lost once, will it be as big of a deal if he loses again? Remember how much heat lesnar got last year for breaking The Streak? Wyatt would could be pushed to the moon if he won. He's carried this whole feud by himself thus far, and has done an absolutely brilliant job. His promos have been gold (especially the one from Fastlane) and he's done a great job laying the foundation for this match. Wyatt is the perfect opponent for 'Taker now that The Streak is over (though a match with The Streak would be even more intriguing). The Deadman has that old school mentality of putting someone over on the way out, and that's what could happen here. However, even if he does win, Wyatt will not be hurt. The fact that he's just having a match with 'Taker at 'Mania shows how much faith the WWE has in him. While winning will give him massive heat, losing should not hurt him. This is one of the hardest matches to call, but I'm going to go with 'Taker. I really think Vince wants one of his most loyal employees to go out on top. Winner: The Undertaker
United States Champion Rusev vs. John Cena- Unlike the previous match, this one is quite easy to call: John Cena will walk out of Levi's Stadium with the U.S. title. It's just how WWE works; John Cena wins almost all of the time. Besides, the win would make the 'Mania crowd happy. Seeing John Cena hold the title above his head? It would get the fans to cheer. Besides, Cena being champion really restores credibility to the title. A top star holding a midcard title? That's definitely going to elevate the title. Don't bet out Rusev winning, however. Vince has been known to pull last-minute swerves, so he could pull one here. Imagine how big of a star Rusev would be if he beat Cena at 'Mania. Vinnie Mac could build for the future by putting Rusev over. But even if he does lose, expect him to still be booked like a credible heel. He's been built up too big to just falter now. Also, there is no word yet on whether Lana will accompany her client to the ring (she's currently shooting for a movie). Winner and new United States Champion: John Cena
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins- This is the easiest match to pick. Seth Rollins has absolutely zero traction in this rivalry, while Orton is pretty hot. When Orton attacked Rollins on Raw a few weeks ago, many fans felt that the rivalry was over. After all, it seemed like Orton got his revenge. However, the two will officially settle their score at 'Mania in a singles clash. This isn't one of the more anticipated rivalries, but it should be one of the better matches. After all, Orton is one of the best workers in the WWE and Rollins is one of the company's best wrestlers. There could be a swerve involving Rollins later on in the night (more on that later), so their is a very good chance they will end the feud right here. Winner: Randy Orton
AJ Lee & Paige vs. The Bella Twins- A lot of fans were disappointed when this match-up was announced (myself included), as this could very well be done on Raw. It would have made more sense to have a match for the Divas title. Thanks to the Give Divas a Chance movement, Diva matches are getting more time on television, so expect a competitive match at 'Mania. This one could really go either way. The Bella twins and AJ are all reportedly on the way out in the coming months.In recent years, the WWE has not done a good job of sending Divas out (like Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres, and Maryse), so that could happen again. Besides, Paige is the diva of the future. Winners: AJ Lee & Paige
WWE Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Tyson Kidd vs. Los Matadores vs. The New Day vs. The Usos (Fatal 4-Way)- Like last year, this match seems kind of thrown together. All of a sudden, Los Matadores became contenders after a period of not doing anything (like last year). The New Day has also come out of nowhere. The Usos are the only contenders in this match who really deserve to be here. In fact, the Prime Time Players and The Ascension are more deserving. Last year's match was great, and this one could be great as well. As for the outcome, I'm going with the reigning champs. They're doing well as champs and there is no reason to take the title off them. Winners: Cesaro & Tyson Kidd
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal- Last year's edition of this match was a really fun match and it was quite anticipated. This year, the Battle Royal has been moved to the pre-show. That shows how little interest has been placed in the match this year. Last year, there were eight former world champions in the match and some top stars, including Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Rey Mysterio, Big Show, and Dolph Ziggler. This year, there are only five former world champs in there and much less star power. The WWE had a chance to make this an important match, but they blew it almost immediately by not pushing Cesaro. As a result, the Battle Royal is significantly less important. Nonetheless, winning the match can still be a big push. After all, it is a win at WrestleMania. There are only a number of superstars in this match who have a prayer of winning: Ryback, Curtis Axel, Big Show, Kane, Damien Mizdow, The Miz, and Hideo Itami. Ryback is the clear favorite, and WWE has positioned him such. Axel has gotten a lot of popularity with Axelmania, Show and Kane are two of the biggest stars in the match, The Miz would get tons of heat by winning, and Damien Mizdow is super over. Itami earned a spot in this match by winning a four-man tournament. I like the fact that there is a NXT superstar in the match, but I would preferred it to be Adrian Neville (who lost to Itami in the first round). Neville is ready for the main roster, and having him win would get him over. I see either Ryback or Mizdow winning, as they probably want a face winning to start the show off. What better time to break up Miz and Mizdow than at 'Mania? However, I do see Sheamus returning here and winning the match. We haven't seen any vignettes for his return, but we do know he is ready to go. Winner: Damien Mizdow
Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett vs. Dean Ambrose vs. R-Truth vs. Luke Harper vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Stardust vs. Daniel Bryan (Ladder Match)- This has the potential to be the best match on the card. Everyone in this match is a talented wrestler. Barrett, the defending title, works his gimmick well and is a very good worker. Bryan is the best technical wrestler in the WWE. Ziggler is one of the best workers in the company. Stardust is a very talented wrestler who plays his gimmick well. Harper is one of the most talented big men you'll see. Ambrose is one of the best mic workers in the game right now. Truth is charismatic and a very athletic individual. The whole backstory behind this match is that people keep stealing Barrett's title. Some fans have decried this story, but I've enjoyed it thoroughly. It's been extremely entertaining and has led to some very good matches. Some have questioned the addition of some superstars to this match, especially Truth. Say what you want, but he's been great with his title stealing antics. A Cody Rhodes/ Goldust match would be better, but having Stardust in this match is better than putting him in the Battle Royal. Harper hasn't really done anything of late, but having a big guy in this match really changes it up. I see one of three guys winning this match: Bryan, Ziggler, and Ambrose. Truth and Harper are not over enough to win the title at 'Mania and Barrett has been losing like no other. While you could make a case for all three guys, I think Bryan is going to get the win. This will get the fans in a great mood and Bryan would be a fantastic champion. Let's hope we get some Bryan/Ambrose and Bryan/Harper matches down the road. Winner and new Intercontinental Champion: Daniel Bryan
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns-Fans have been turning on Roman Reigns ever since he won the Rumble. He's pretty cold, but if he impresses in the match, fans could start cheering for him. No one was really super excited for this match until Lesnar announced he had resigned with the WWE. Up until that point, it was obvious Reigns was going to win. Now, we don't know. WWE could pull a swerve and have Lesnar retain. Or, Rollins could cash in on the winner. Or, The Rock could return. Even though Rocky didn't have a wonderful time at the Rumble, he could return to set up a match with Lesnar at WM 32 (they were originally supposed to have a match at last year's 'Mania). We could also see a swerve with Paul Heyman, as a lot of the fans now see Lesnar as a face now that he re-signed. I'm going to pick Reigns, as WWE has clearly picked him to be the next top star of the company. Winner and new WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Roman Reigns
Enjoy the event everyone, and check back here for a recap and analysis of the event.
Last year's edition was a truly incredible spectacle: Brock Lesnar broke The Streak, The Rock and Steve Austin made surprise returns to stand in the ring with Hulk Hogan, and Daniel Bryan put on the best performance of the year. The build-up to the event was spectacular and fans were thrilled for the event. This year however, the excitement has not been all there. This is the biggest event of the year, fans should be going absolutely crazy waiting for it. There is definitely excitement for the event, but not as much as there could be. In this article, we're going to thoroughly breakdown, analyze, and predict each match-up. Because of that, it's going to be a long article, so bear with me here.
Sting vs. Triple H- This was the first match announced for 'Mania back at Fastlane.This marks Sting's first ever WWE match and Triple H's nineteenth 'Mania match (second only to 'Taker). While there are doubts as to Sting's ability to put on a good match, this should be a very good one. Sting showed he still can go last week on Raw when he delivered a double Stinger Splash to J&J Security and all three of Triple H's matches last year (one against Daniel Bryan and two with Evolution against The Shield) were all excellent matches. The build-up to this match has been pretty great, stretching all the way back to Survivor Series in November. The WWE effectively used all of Sting's limited appearances. If all goes well at 'Mania, perhaps The Stinger will consider having a few more matches. As for the winner, I think it's going to be Sting. After all, this is his debut and Triple H doesn't need a win. Sure, a win for Hunter would get him massive heat, but I think getting Sting his 'Mania moment is more important. Winner: Sting
The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt- As we said before, the only person with more WrestleMania matches than Hunter is The Deadman with 22. 21 of those matches were wins, one was a loss to Brock Lesnar last year. So here's the question: now that The Streak is broken, does that make 'Taker vulnerable? Now that he's lost once, will it be as big of a deal if he loses again? Remember how much heat lesnar got last year for breaking The Streak? Wyatt would could be pushed to the moon if he won. He's carried this whole feud by himself thus far, and has done an absolutely brilliant job. His promos have been gold (especially the one from Fastlane) and he's done a great job laying the foundation for this match. Wyatt is the perfect opponent for 'Taker now that The Streak is over (though a match with The Streak would be even more intriguing). The Deadman has that old school mentality of putting someone over on the way out, and that's what could happen here. However, even if he does win, Wyatt will not be hurt. The fact that he's just having a match with 'Taker at 'Mania shows how much faith the WWE has in him. While winning will give him massive heat, losing should not hurt him. This is one of the hardest matches to call, but I'm going to go with 'Taker. I really think Vince wants one of his most loyal employees to go out on top. Winner: The Undertaker
United States Champion Rusev vs. John Cena- Unlike the previous match, this one is quite easy to call: John Cena will walk out of Levi's Stadium with the U.S. title. It's just how WWE works; John Cena wins almost all of the time. Besides, the win would make the 'Mania crowd happy. Seeing John Cena hold the title above his head? It would get the fans to cheer. Besides, Cena being champion really restores credibility to the title. A top star holding a midcard title? That's definitely going to elevate the title. Don't bet out Rusev winning, however. Vince has been known to pull last-minute swerves, so he could pull one here. Imagine how big of a star Rusev would be if he beat Cena at 'Mania. Vinnie Mac could build for the future by putting Rusev over. But even if he does lose, expect him to still be booked like a credible heel. He's been built up too big to just falter now. Also, there is no word yet on whether Lana will accompany her client to the ring (she's currently shooting for a movie). Winner and new United States Champion: John Cena
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins- This is the easiest match to pick. Seth Rollins has absolutely zero traction in this rivalry, while Orton is pretty hot. When Orton attacked Rollins on Raw a few weeks ago, many fans felt that the rivalry was over. After all, it seemed like Orton got his revenge. However, the two will officially settle their score at 'Mania in a singles clash. This isn't one of the more anticipated rivalries, but it should be one of the better matches. After all, Orton is one of the best workers in the WWE and Rollins is one of the company's best wrestlers. There could be a swerve involving Rollins later on in the night (more on that later), so their is a very good chance they will end the feud right here. Winner: Randy Orton
AJ Lee & Paige vs. The Bella Twins- A lot of fans were disappointed when this match-up was announced (myself included), as this could very well be done on Raw. It would have made more sense to have a match for the Divas title. Thanks to the Give Divas a Chance movement, Diva matches are getting more time on television, so expect a competitive match at 'Mania. This one could really go either way. The Bella twins and AJ are all reportedly on the way out in the coming months.In recent years, the WWE has not done a good job of sending Divas out (like Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres, and Maryse), so that could happen again. Besides, Paige is the diva of the future. Winners: AJ Lee & Paige
WWE Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Tyson Kidd vs. Los Matadores vs. The New Day vs. The Usos (Fatal 4-Way)- Like last year, this match seems kind of thrown together. All of a sudden, Los Matadores became contenders after a period of not doing anything (like last year). The New Day has also come out of nowhere. The Usos are the only contenders in this match who really deserve to be here. In fact, the Prime Time Players and The Ascension are more deserving. Last year's match was great, and this one could be great as well. As for the outcome, I'm going with the reigning champs. They're doing well as champs and there is no reason to take the title off them. Winners: Cesaro & Tyson Kidd
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal- Last year's edition of this match was a really fun match and it was quite anticipated. This year, the Battle Royal has been moved to the pre-show. That shows how little interest has been placed in the match this year. Last year, there were eight former world champions in the match and some top stars, including Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Rey Mysterio, Big Show, and Dolph Ziggler. This year, there are only five former world champs in there and much less star power. The WWE had a chance to make this an important match, but they blew it almost immediately by not pushing Cesaro. As a result, the Battle Royal is significantly less important. Nonetheless, winning the match can still be a big push. After all, it is a win at WrestleMania. There are only a number of superstars in this match who have a prayer of winning: Ryback, Curtis Axel, Big Show, Kane, Damien Mizdow, The Miz, and Hideo Itami. Ryback is the clear favorite, and WWE has positioned him such. Axel has gotten a lot of popularity with Axelmania, Show and Kane are two of the biggest stars in the match, The Miz would get tons of heat by winning, and Damien Mizdow is super over. Itami earned a spot in this match by winning a four-man tournament. I like the fact that there is a NXT superstar in the match, but I would preferred it to be Adrian Neville (who lost to Itami in the first round). Neville is ready for the main roster, and having him win would get him over. I see either Ryback or Mizdow winning, as they probably want a face winning to start the show off. What better time to break up Miz and Mizdow than at 'Mania? However, I do see Sheamus returning here and winning the match. We haven't seen any vignettes for his return, but we do know he is ready to go. Winner: Damien Mizdow
Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett vs. Dean Ambrose vs. R-Truth vs. Luke Harper vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Stardust vs. Daniel Bryan (Ladder Match)- This has the potential to be the best match on the card. Everyone in this match is a talented wrestler. Barrett, the defending title, works his gimmick well and is a very good worker. Bryan is the best technical wrestler in the WWE. Ziggler is one of the best workers in the company. Stardust is a very talented wrestler who plays his gimmick well. Harper is one of the most talented big men you'll see. Ambrose is one of the best mic workers in the game right now. Truth is charismatic and a very athletic individual. The whole backstory behind this match is that people keep stealing Barrett's title. Some fans have decried this story, but I've enjoyed it thoroughly. It's been extremely entertaining and has led to some very good matches. Some have questioned the addition of some superstars to this match, especially Truth. Say what you want, but he's been great with his title stealing antics. A Cody Rhodes/ Goldust match would be better, but having Stardust in this match is better than putting him in the Battle Royal. Harper hasn't really done anything of late, but having a big guy in this match really changes it up. I see one of three guys winning this match: Bryan, Ziggler, and Ambrose. Truth and Harper are not over enough to win the title at 'Mania and Barrett has been losing like no other. While you could make a case for all three guys, I think Bryan is going to get the win. This will get the fans in a great mood and Bryan would be a fantastic champion. Let's hope we get some Bryan/Ambrose and Bryan/Harper matches down the road. Winner and new Intercontinental Champion: Daniel Bryan
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns-Fans have been turning on Roman Reigns ever since he won the Rumble. He's pretty cold, but if he impresses in the match, fans could start cheering for him. No one was really super excited for this match until Lesnar announced he had resigned with the WWE. Up until that point, it was obvious Reigns was going to win. Now, we don't know. WWE could pull a swerve and have Lesnar retain. Or, Rollins could cash in on the winner. Or, The Rock could return. Even though Rocky didn't have a wonderful time at the Rumble, he could return to set up a match with Lesnar at WM 32 (they were originally supposed to have a match at last year's 'Mania). We could also see a swerve with Paul Heyman, as a lot of the fans now see Lesnar as a face now that he re-signed. I'm going to pick Reigns, as WWE has clearly picked him to be the next top star of the company. Winner and new WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Roman Reigns
Enjoy the event everyone, and check back here for a recap and analysis of the event.
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