Wrestlemania 31: A Retrospective Look

[Dagger Dias]

Three years ago I ran a thread series on the first 29 Wrestlemania events to look back on each as we headed into Wrestlemania 30. Now that some time has passed I would like to bring it back for the Wrestlemania events that have taken place since then. During this month I will post one topic per week until we have covered Wrestlemania 30, 31, and 32. With Wrestlemania 33 upon us this seemed like a good time to do it. So, let's start.

In this thread we will be discussing.... Wrestlemania 31!

Wrestlemania 31 took place on March 29, 2015 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. There were 76,976 fans in attenance. Here are the results of the matches from the show:




0. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro (c) (with Natalya) defeated The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston with Xavier Woods), Los Matadores (with El Torito), and The Usos (with Naomi) in a Fatal 4-Way tag team match to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship. [9:58]

0. Big Show won the 30-man Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. [18:05]

1. Daniel Bryan defeated Bad News Barrett (c), Dolph Ziggler, Stardust, Luke Harper, R-Truth, and Dean Ambrose in a Ladder match to win the Intercontinental Championship. [13:47]

2. Randy Orton defeated Seth Rollins (with Jamie Noble & Joey Mercury) in a singles match. [13:15]

3. Triple H defeated Sting in a No Disqualification match. [18:36]

4. AJ Lee & Paige defeated The Bella Twins by submission in a tag team match. [6:42]

5. John Cena defeated Rusev (c) (with Lana) in a singles match for the United States Championship. [14:31]

6. The Undertaker defeated Bray Wyatt in a singles match. [15:12]

7. Seth Rollins defeated Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar (c) (with Paul Heyman) in a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, originally a Lesnar VS Reigns singles match but Rollins cashed in Money In The Bank. [16:43]




Now, here are some discussion questions concerning the event:

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most? What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

If you could change anything about Wrestlemania 31, what thing(s) would you change and why?

You may only use wrestlers who were available at the roster at that time or make changes that could have realistically taken place in March 2015. Please keep in mind the situations going into the show such as who could actually have been pushed into a title match, or what songs existed back then if you wanted to change the show's theme music, and so forth.

You may only discuss Wrestlemania 31 in this thread. Any posts regarding other events but do not address Wrestlemania 31 will be considered spam and you risk getting an infraction.

Discuss!

 

[rko57]

WrestleMania 31 only had 7 matches on the main card, which is pretty crazy. The thing I would change though without a doubt is STING WINNING HIS MATCH. Sting is my favorite wrestler of all time, and him losing to Triple H was one of the dumbest decisions ever made in the WWE. Yes, he went out like a champ after all of the interference from DX and the sledgehammer, but let him have his damn Mania moment.

I don't really have a least favorite match as all 7 matches were entertaining and this card was nowhere near as bad as a lot of people thought it would be. But my favorite match surprised the hell out of me: Lesnar vs. Reigns. This was a physical match, and so much better than I thought it would be.

As for what I would change: I did a whole post on another thread recently about what this card should've been. Instead of going full in depth, I'll just post my card and only explain a few matches after the card posting

Kickoff: Damien Mizdow wins the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
1. Dolph Ziggler beats Kane to retain the Intercontinental Championship
2. The New Day beats Cesaro and Tyson Kidd to win the WWE Tag Team Championship
3. AJ Lee and Paige beat The Bella Twins
4. Roman Reigns beats The Big Show in a Last Man Standing Match
5. John Cena beats Rusev to win the United States Championship
6. Randy Orton beats Seth Rollins
7. Triple H beats Dean Ambrose in a No Holds Barred Match
8. Sting and The Undertaker beat The Wyatt Family in a 2-on-3 Handicap Match
9. Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan ends in a draw due to interference
10. Seth Rollins cashes in Money in the Bank to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion

-With this card, we really could've gotten Roman Reigns over as a baby face instead of getting booed out of the building when he won the Rumble. His match with The Big Show the following month was pretty good, so put it here.
-Dean Ambrose was OVER AS HELL when The Shield disbanded, and his feud with Seth Rollins could've transitioned into the mastermind behind the breakup: Triple H. I'm thinking more of Austin/Hart ending in a way where Ambrose gives it his all in an all out brawl, but ultimately falls to the sledgehammer like Sting did. But a loss here would still have Ambrose suuuuuuuuuuper over as he'd get a standing ovation after the match.
-For the handicap match, I'd have Undertaker show up on the RAW after Fast Lane to finally address his loss to Lesnar only for The Wyatt Family to show up and take him out. The following week, something similar happens but Sting saves the day. We'd finally get to see Undertaker/Sting in the ring together and get this win, and then set up their one on one match the night after Mania for WM32. This would hopefully prevent them booking Sting in his Night of Champions match that essentially ended his career so we'd finally get one of the biggest dream matches of all time.
-Many people wanted Lesnar/Bryan, myself included. We could've gotten that here and still had Seth Rollins cash in successfully.

And that is my WrestleManian31.

 

[Aeon Mathix]

Supposedly, and I don't have a link or anything to this but I remember Sting saying in an interview that he was sure WrestleMania was going to be his last match and wanted to go out with a loss. If true then I completely understand and it takes away a lot of the anger I had with Triple H going over which I was 90 percent sure was going to happen prior to the match.

Ladder match wasn't that good, but there is only so much you can do in those types of matches which we have seen about 100 times because of money in the bank the last decade or so. Glad Bryan won and was happy to see him get a sort of redemption moment and it was a great way to kick off the show.

Rollins vs Orton was pretty underwhelming but fine for what it was. That RKO was great, but I could have gone with Rollins going over here.

I was never really big into Rusev and when it was rumored he was facing Cena at Mania I kind of groaned mainly because he could have shot Cena and ran him over with a tank and no one would have believed he was walking out with the title. I would have had someone else end his undefeated streak and title reign as he fell into nothingness after the series with Cena and hasn't recovered. Big foreign heels like him have a very bad track record in WWE though so it wasn't a big surprise.

Undertaker vs Bray Wyatt was pretty worthless. All that hype Bray did by himself leading up to Mania and Taker just showed up, looked like he barely broke a sweat and beat him clean and it was never mentioned again. I can't stand that about Bray's character and booking. He always loses the big one and a feud yet never comments on it and just moves on to the next one without any problem. Probably would have had Sting vs Taker and moved Bray to a lower level PPV where he may have had a prayer's chance in winning.

I was maybe one of like 3 people who were looking forward to Lesnar vs Reigns. I knew it would be a hard hitting slugfest and that's what we got. Easily the best match of the night and shows when Lesnar gives a shit he can put on a spectacle. I wasn't wild at all on Rollins cashing in as I wasn't completely sold on him as the World Champion. Mainly because I had a bad feeling his title run was going to be painfully boring with him cheating and hiding behind the authority every title defense which it was. I get it's the idea of a heel but it doesn't make it anymore less entertaining for me.

Overall an alright show. Not the best, certainly not the worst, but not one Im ever going to rewatch again. Pretty sure I can say that about 32, 31, 30 and 29 so Mania hasn't been a home run with me the past few years.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Weak Mania. Only thing to remember for is Bryans intercontinental win match and Rusev on tank. Reigns wasnt ready for that main event, he was hurt, then he was propelled into action with Big Show which was really weird feud because he barely got over. Then it was Rumble time and we all know what happened. Other fails include Rusev who has needed that win over Cena to be big heel and who has lost for "big Murican moment" for Cena and Sting who was in his first match in WWE where HHH bring his golden shovel. Whats worst was all those interferences where WWE needed to show how they buried WCW after 15 years again.

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most? What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

Intercontinental Championship match. Good brawl with some nice spots. Worst is HHH- Sting for reasons I said before.

If you could change anything about Wrestlemania 31, what thing(s) would you change and why?

Definitely main event. I like Reigns but he wasnt ready and pushed too soon. Bryan was better pick for that match though that match could ended his career. Then again, he didnt have much of a career after that anyway so it doesnt mater. Also Sting thing. Rollins was good call to cash in but would do it on Lesnar in main event.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

Retrospect aside, Sting should have won his match. Yes, it took a sledgehammer and a DX run in to finish him off, Sting should have won his WrestleMania debut.

Obviously WWE booked this match as if Sting would return for a future WrestleMania or two, he should have won so he could go out on his back later. It's unfortunate that the career ending injury left a sour taste on this outcome not matter how you book it.

This was the logical time to have Big Show win the Andre battle. The only other legendary giant in WWE history needs to have his name on that trophy. No one else needed that win in 2015, and Show needed to win it before he sailed into the sunset.

Bryan winning the IC title is cool, but a one on one wrestling showcase would have been superior. Had they turned Dolph heel and let him hold the IC title going in, that could have been a classic.

It sucks that Bray Wyatt had to lose, but do you have Undertaker lose twice in a row? It would be a different story had The Streak been intact, but with the Streak freshly ended, Wyatt loses this match.

The other option is not having Wyatt in the match period. Bryan vs Taker could have been an option. They also could have held Taker vs Sting, but that very well could have been the plan for Mania 32.

I wouldn't change much about this event. Unfortunately WWE had pigeonholed themselves pretty hard. Flexibility would required a lot of foresight from WWE, particularly when it came to the handling of Sting.

 

[MWRedskins]

0. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro (c) (with Natalya) defeated The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston with Xavier Woods), Los Matadores (with El Torito), and The Usos (with Naomi) in a Fatal 4-Way tag team match to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship. [9:58]

0. Big Show won the 30-man Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. [18:05]

1. Daniel Bryan defeated Bad News Barrett (c), Dolph Ziggler, Stardust, Luke Harper, R-Truth, and Dean Ambrose in a Ladder match to win the Intercontinental Championship. [13:47]

2. Randy Orton defeated Seth Rollins (with Jamie Noble & Joey Mercury) in a singles match. [13:15]

3. Triple H defeated Sting in a No Disqualification match. [18:36]

4. AJ Lee & Paige defeated The Bella Twins by submission in a tag team match. [6:42]

5. John Cena defeated Rusev (c) (with Lana) in a singles match for the United States Championship. [14:31]

6. The Undertaker defeated Bray Wyatt in a singles match. [15:12]

7. Seth Rollins defeated Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar (c) (with Paul Heyman) in a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, originally a Lesnar VS Reigns singles match but Rollins cashed in Money In The Bank. [16:43]


What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most?
has to be the ladder match because it was the best of them all with all kinds of moves and great action, that and the rest of the card wasnt the best, though Rollins and Orton had a nice match. the only issue i had with the ladder match was Bryan being in it. if they are so worried about neck injuries with him, the last thing to do is put him in a match that usually leads to falls, but i did enjoy it because it was entertaining. i wasnt a fan of Bryan being in it and felt that he should've been put in a match that was better for him like maybe have a triple threat with Rollins, Orton and Bryan.

What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?
Sting vs. Triple H and it's sad because those two could've had a classic, but the problem was Triple H had his boys DX come out, then Sting had the nWo come out (which made NO sense, it would've made more sense if Nash, Lugar and Konnan got involved because Hogan's nWo and Sting never got along). honestly, this should've just been a one on one match where Triple H won a good decently timed classic and then Sting shakes his hand on a great match.

If you could change anything about Wrestlemania 31, what thing(s) would you change and why?
clearly the booking of Sting vs. Triple H...but many things should've been changed. Bray vs. Undertaker should've been booked with Bray claiming that he's more scary than the deadman and he should've done things to Undertaker like destroy his casket or something.....and last thing i would've changed is to not put Bryan in a ladder match. honestly, i would've saved his big "comeback" match for Wrestlemania and had him face Kane. have Bryan comeback and beat "Corporate Kane" only for Bryan to trash him and say that "Demon" Kane hurt him and he wont stop until he hurts THAT Kane. have Bryan get his revenge and after the match have him do something that hurts "Demon" Kane. then move Bryan on after that to Rollins (if he's still healthy by then).

With all that said, i think the few things they did very right were the Rollins cash in and even the Brock vs. Reigns match. the only issue i had with WWE at THIS time was how they booked Bryan. i felt they should've halted his comeback until after Elimination Chamber and then booked him to feud with first Corporate Kane, then finally have him challenge Demon Kane. that would've been better for Bryan and even Reigns. the Rollins cash in was perfect and even if Reigns were cheered by the fans, the cash in still should've happened because it was a perfect heel move and made Rollins out to be the best cash in guy in history because it gave him a Wrestlemania moment. So while it wasnt the best Wrestlemania, it was still really good.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

1 Rollins def. Lesnar/Reigns (WWE Title) - Redo Royal Rumble 2015. Bryan stays in longer, and Kane and Show don't eliminate everyone. Also redo the buildup. They played tug of war for goodness sake. Would it kill someone to do an actual wrestling move? And don't turn Reigns into an underdog.

2 Taker def. Wyatt - Taker still has the Streak and is around for the buildup.

3 Orton def. Rollins - No changes.

4 Sting def. HHH (No DQ Match) - Same match but Sting wins. Also don't do the handshake.

5 Cena def. Rusev (US Title) - No changes.

6 Bryan def. Ambrose, Ziggler, Miz, Barrett, Stardust (Ladder Match - IC Title) - R-Truth is taken out. 7 people is just odd (pun intended). Mizdow is at ringside and finally turns on Miz. Harper is taken out since he's in the tag match. Some say Bryan shouldn't have won since he was injured, but no one knew that at the time.

7 Cesaro/Kidd def. Usos, New Day, Wyatts (Elimination Match - Tag Titles) - Replace Los Matadores with Harper and Rowan of the Wyatts.

8 Paige def. AJ, Natalya, Nikki (Women's Title) - The tag match was fine, but the title should be defended at Mania.

 

[Spencesc11]

1) New Day wins 4 way tag title match
2) Sandow wins Andre Battle Royal
3) Orton defeats Rollins
4) AJ wins fatal 4 way for the Women's title vs. Paige, Nikki, & Brie
5) Cena defeats Rusev for the US Title
6) Taker defeats Sting
7) B. Wyatt wins I-C gold in ladder match
8) D. Bryan defeats HHH again
9) Rollins cashes in to win the WWE Title in Reigns vs. Lesnar match

Changes & Notes

Sandow was way over so why not have him win the Battle Royal
New Day eventually got the gold anyway but a Mania win is always great for momentum
Women's Title should've been defended and the 4 ladies all had claim to the gold
Sting vs. Taker was a much bigger draw than HHH vs. Sting
Wyatt could've had his first title run with I-C gold and feuded with Ambrose
Bryan vs. HHH is an easy storyline to write
Rollins cash in was epic and was the right way to end that match

 

[The Perfect Max]

Wow, looking at the card makes WrestleMania 31 seem like it was a weak WrestleMania, but I think it has been one of the more enjoyable events in recent years.

My favourite match was probably Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (vs. Seth Rollins). I thoroughly enjoyed the build-up. It's a shame about Reigns to be honest. I liked him in the Shield, and I wanted to enjoy him then and now as well, but when it's so damn obvious how far the company will go to get just one guy to the top, it reduces the impact so much. Having said that, Reigns delivered here. They constructed a well-worked match at a time where Lesnar was unstoppable. Rollins cashing in made the most sense and it worked perfectly. One of my favourite WrestleMania moments from the last few years.

The worst match on the show? That's hard because I don't think there was any match that was particularly bad really. I suppose the divas tag team match was a little bit of a throwaway. Which is a shame because I remember around that time, if I am correct, that the women were getting more TV time exposure and their matches were lasting longer. Yet at WrestleMania they cut the match time for an absolutely frigging pointless live concert. Yeah, no.

Not much I would change here either. I think The Miz and Damien Mizdow needed to split on the main show. I don't think I would put the Battle Royal on the main show, but maybe if The Miz was in the ladder match instead of someone pointless - like R-damn-Truth - and have Mizdow cost him. I think someone above mentioned something similar. Mizdow doesn't lose anything (like he lost the Battle Royal) and it lets the feud develop in a much better way for me.

Hindsight being a beautiful thing, Sting wouldn't lose the match with Triple H either. Then again, you would think that they'd throw Sting and Undertaker together at the first chance they got, but apparently not. Possibly the plan for WrestleMania 32 or not, it was a massively missed opportunity. Not sure how to work that out though, since Bray would be left out. Anyway, with Sting and Triple H, the DX/nWo cameos were great. You can't deny that. And yeah, the nWo helping Sting made absolutely no fucking sense, but nostalgia. I complained about it at the time, because really the surprise was there just for the sake of surprise, but it was a WrestleMania moment nonetheless. Sting wins here because Triple H doesn't need it and Sting gets a WrestleMania win.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

First thing I'll change is all the set-ups to Wrestlemania 31.

Daniel Bryan wins the Royal Rumble by eliminating the guy everyone thinks is winning it, Roman Reigns for a big pop. DB is celebrating in the ring, exhausted and pointing at the Wrestlemania sign...Seth Rollins music hits and he CASHES in on DB! He has trouble and it looks like a failed attempt but Seth Rollins wins the Royal Rumble and is heading to the main event at Wrestlemania!

DB wins a special elimination match the next night against impossible odds to interject himself right back to the Main Event of Wrestlemania to set up a triple threat Main Event. (Let's face it, Brock shines in triple threats, not so much one on one. Plus you have two very agile wrestlers that can make him look excellent)

Dean Ambrose wins the I.C title on Fastlane. He's attacked viciously post match by a HEEL Roman Reigns, Roman now has short hair and is shirtless with black tights on. Paul Heyman comes out and announces that he's expanded his clientele and demands that Ambrose put up his title against his newest client, Roman Reigns!

The Wyatt Family have started wrecking havoc against The Authority and HHH is taking measures into his own hands at Wrestlemania.

The Undertaker returns at Survivor Series to give Ziggler the big win. But during his demon pose on his knee, Sting's music hits and they have a long staredown to end Survivor Series.

Sting gets eliminated at The Rumble by Taker.

-------------------

Wrestlemania 31

Pre show - New Day defeat all other tag teams to win the titles for a big reception.

Pre show - Woman's 5 way title elimination match. Whomever it was at this time. Division was as dead as ever at this point. Not sure how they made it to the main card.

-----

Main Card ----

Andre the Giant Battle Royal --

Isn't this the one where Sandow eliminated The Miz for a pretty big pop? I'd call an audible and let Sandow hit six dropkicks on Big Show to eliminate him for a career moment and big pop win to open the show with. Quick note, Barrett, Ziggler and Stardust are also in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal.

Randy Orton special Wrestlemania open challenge. He talks on the mic for awhile saying he's been bored with the competition as of late, explains his accolades, insults some heels for cheap pops. He waits....

DDP vs Randy Orton. RKO vs Diamond Cutter.

Triple HHH, Corperate Kane, S and S Security vs The Wyatt Family with DX interferance. Wyatts hypnotise and demonize Kane to use him as a weapon and win.

John Cena vs Rusev. US Title match.

Miz T.V special Wrestlemania edition: N.W.O interrupt his segment with Sandow and clean house NWO style, spray paint and all. They claim Miz TV is cancelled for The NWO Show.

Dean Ambrose vs Roman Reigns - IC Title Match.

Undertaker vs Sting

Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins vs Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship. R-Truth comes out thinking hes one of the competitors but is told by security that he's not in the main event of Wrestlemania.


Seth Rollins wins clean off DB after Lesnar dominates both for a long stretch of the match.

Conclusion : IMO it wasn't a bad cash in (original Seth ending where he cashed in) but to me it could be seen from miles away so it wasn't much of a surprise when his music hit at the end of WM to inject himself in the match.

 

[The Life Of Pablo Ren]

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most?
Reigns vs. Brock. It was exactly the match it needed to be, a hard hitting brawl. It certainly exceeded my expectations and the expectations of many others who were pretty sour on the match. And of course the decision to have Rollins cash in to win the title was by far the best way to go.

What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?
AJ and Paige vs. The Bellas by default. There were no bad matches, and this one was even pretty entertaining but this was before WWE put any real stock in their Women's division and since they didn't care, neither did the fans.

If you could change anything about Wrestlemania 31, what thing(s) would you change and why?
I wasn't mad about the decision to have Sting lose, so I wouldn't change that. I'd even say having Cena beat Rusev was the right decision to make. The only thing I really would've changed is that I would've had Bray be more of a threat to Taker. I get that this was Taker's first Mania after the streak ended but I think that above all is what hurt Bray the most and sent him spiraling downward but had he put up more of a fight I think some of that could've been avoided.

 

[Elchicano15]

Wrestlemania 31 definitely followed well, after the previous year's "yes-elmania" Match of the night for me was RKO vs Seth Rollins. This was the start of a new beginning. Seth showed that he can hang with main eventers and he did so later on that night.

My least favorite match was John Cena vs Rusev. I'm not a a big fan of the two and at somepoint when they were building up to the match I didn't feel overly excited. Rusev's entrance was pretty cool though.

As to what I would have change, it would totally be the outcome of the Sting/Triple H match. I couldn't believe, it was the most anticipated match for me and it got loused up by Triple H going over. I also don't think intervention from DX or the NWO was necessarily. DOn't get me wrong nostalgia acts at Mania, are great and all but to have both factions getting involved in this match didn't seem like it belong, especially since, an hour later one of them would have to get ready for the HOF segment. I also feel that Manis on the west coast should be broadcasted an hour later like at 8 est. I love outdoor stadiums for Mania, but I also like to see it when it gets dark so the entrances look more pronounced.

 

[ComeOnVince]

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most?


Honestly, the main event. Not only did Reigns and Lesnar put on a better show than I expected, the Rollins ending was unexpected and perfect. I was not excited about this mania because of this main event, but I wound up being pleasantly surprised by the whole show, really.

What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

Undertaker/Wyatt. Bray's ankle was bothering him, and Undertaker is old and run down. I loved that Bray GOT this match and that it was on the card, but it turned out to be pretty lackluster. I also hated it because HHH/Steph/Rock/Rousey segment ran SO long before it because they were trying to let it get darker outside so that Taker/Wyatt's entrances would have more oomph. By the time they did get to it (and it wasn't dark), I was just annoyed and kind of over it.

If you could change anything about Wrestlemania 31, what thing(s) would you change and why?

Only one thing, really: Sting should have won what would turn out to be his only Wrestlemania appearance. Whether or not it turned out to be his only appearance, he should have won his debut. If that meant facing someone besides Triple-Ego, then I would have preferred that. It was a decent match, even with all the unnecessary shenanigans, but I would like to have seen Sting's hand raised at the end.

 

[ShinChan]

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most?

The main event. Brock Lesnar Vs. Roman Reigns was indeed a good match. Not Match Of The Year but still good. Rollins' cash-in at the end saved Reigns from the booing he suffered a year later at the same event against Triple H. Plus, his cash-in was a memorable Wrestlemania moment.

What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

Sting Vs. Triple H. Atrocious booking. I don't want this many interferences in a Wrestlemania match. Plus, the fact that Triple H won. Ridiculous result.

If you could change anything about Wrestlemania 31, what thing(s) would you change and why?

Have Sting win against Triple H because that's the only logical result. Also, have Divas Championship be defended and Nikki Bella's reign be ended as well because the record thing was just dumb.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

WrestleMania 31 is one of my favorite WrestleManias of all time. It may not necessarily be on everyone's list for best WM ever the way WM17 is, but WWE def knew their audience this year and gave a little something for everyone. As a matter of fact, in that respect, WM31 may actually be one of the best of the 21st century.


For the IWC diehards who love indie guys and think they should be WWE Hall of Famers right off the bat, WM31 opened up with an Intercontinental Title win for their hero Daniel Bryan. The real picky ones still cry and say he should've been in the main event but let's be clear he was injured for the majority of 2014 and barely performed in 4 months of 2015 so there wasn't much time to build any momentum toward a World Title Program.

For the WWE Fanboys, classic mainstays Randy Orton AND John Cena both found themselves victorious (the first WM they were both victorious in 5 years) at this show and both of these matches got very good reviews by fans and critics.

For casual viewers and fans, we got one of the more memorable 'pop culture' moments in WrestleMania history, as Ronda Rousey aligned herself with The Rock for a quick Smackdown on Triple H and Stephanie. Rumors swirled around for MONTHS about a potential follow-up tag team match between those 4 and that story was published all over major media outlets. It was definitely a 'Once In A Lifetime' moment.

For the Attitude Era fans (which is still a pretty viable demographic), both Undertaker AND Sting performed on the card. In what will now in hindsight be Sting's only WM appearance, he put on a classic match with Triple H that turned into the only real footage of an on-air "DX vs NWO" war. There is no single match in the history of wrestling that I enjoyed watching in real time more than this match, and there is a special place in my heart for the memory of seeing Scott Hall take a back body drop after all he's been through. While I didn't care much for Undertaker's match, I'm sure plenty of people in the crowd were happy to see him walk away victorious after shockingly losing his Streak at WM30.

As for the main event, all of these groups were winners. There were definitely WWE Fanboys who were rooting for Reigns to take down the Beast, he was perceived as the only man big and strong enough to end his reign of terror. Attitude Era guys and casual viewers respect Brock Lesnar as the "Next Big Thing" and the former top draw of Mixed Martial Arts. An overwhelming majority wanted Brock to go over, but every single person in that arena was overjoyed to see the first ever Cash-In in WM history and see Seth Rollins (a guy who appealed to all demographics) walk away as the World Champion.


So for my favorite match of the card - Triple H vs Sting by far. It included every single aspect of wrestling that I like and used two icons to tell the story. I've never felt more nostalgia during a match and HHH/Sting actually put on a great match. It wasn't too spotty, wasn't too gimmicky, it had the perfect balance of nostalgia, drama, and action.

Least favorite match - I don't even remember the women's match so it gets my vote. I have a tremendous respect for both AJ's character and her ring ability, but the other 3 have never really moved the needle for me (although I acknowledge Paige is talented).

If I could change one thing - Have Bray go over Undertaker. The Streak is over, more than half the appeal of Undertaker's WM match is over, why not give Bray the rub? Everyone already is comparing the two guys, I think WM31 would've been the perfect stage to pass the torch and erase all the bullshit Bray had to endure in 2014 putting over everyone he worked with.

 

[Navi]

First of all some thoughts about Wrestlemania 31. This was a weak Mania card compared to some other years, and that's a surprise. They had a relativity healthy roster but somewhere along the line the train went off the tracks.

For one sitting here I don't even remember the tag team match at all, that's how much it interested me. Also the only thing I remember about the ladder match is the bump Ambrose took when Harper folded him in half on the ladder outside the ring. Don't really remember the women's match either.

What does stand out is the RKO out of nowhere on Rollins by Orton, that was an amazing piece of footage. Also Rusev coming in riding a tank, best entrance ever. Rousey hip tossing HHH and Undertaker sitting up and laughing at Bray Wyatt. Rollins cashing in the MITB probably prevented a riot, considering the response to Reigns.

My favourite match of the whole card was the Rollins/Orton match. Pretty fast paced and as I said that RKO was the icing on the cake. The worst match for me was the Sting/HHH match. Sting should definitely have won but it ended up being a mess. I'm sure had they known it would be his one and only Mania match things would have been different.

What I would have changed, well there are a number of things. Sandow should have won the Battle Royal after eliminating Miz. Rusev and Cena after that amazing entrance, could have ended up with a dirty finish as Rusev has never really recovered from it. He was unstoppable till he met the wall in John Cena.

I would also have had Wyatt going over Taker, breaking the streak. Taker losing to Lesnar the year before was a sin. Also with it being outside in California Wyatt and Taker's entrances really didn't work as well as they should have when you consider it was still light outside. Last but not least as I said before, having Sting lose his first and only Mania match was a crime that unfortunately they can't go back and fix as the guy's wrestling career is now over.

Overall for me this Mania didn't deliver as it should have. Maybe it was the booking, location I don't know, but I was left feeling that so many things could have made it better. As usual though these thoughts and ideas are subjective to each person. One might think it was the best Mania ever, to another it left a lot to be desired.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I've enjoyed reading everyone's responses in this topic, though it appears I am in the minority when it comes to the Sting match. So, here come my own thoughts on the subject matter.

This Wrestlemania is another I look back fondly on. While it was a step down from Wrestlemania 30 (which I rank in the top 4 Wrestlemanias of all time) it was infinitely better than I expected it to be. I recall going into the event everyone thought it was going to be horrible and dang did this show come from out of nowhere with a fun experience to watch. My favorite match was the main event, but only because of Seth's cash-in. That will quite possibly go down in history as the best cash-in of all time. My least favorite is a little tougher to pick. Probably Paige & AJ VS The Bellas or Taker VS Bray. Neither were awful though I would have changed things up a bit. In my booking, Lesnar would have lost at Wrestlemania 30. This opens up a huge opportunity for Bray to win here and end the streak. I would also have had Paige win the Divas Championship with AJ in her corner instead of the random tag team match.

As for Sting.... Keep in mind they did not know at the time that this would be his only Wrestlemania match. I loved how they incorporated DX and the nWo into it. Sure, Sting and the nWo were bitter enemies but they were portraying the Monday Night Wars during this match and bringing in both stables was a nice addition. As much as Sting and the nWo hated each other, they were all still on the same team in the sense of being in WCW together in the real ratings war. It was cool for that reason to see the classic stables involved, plus nostalgia. I dunno. I see why some may not have liked it and obviously a number of us wanted Taker VS Sting, but the match was better than it has been made out to be. Great Wrestlemania overall. It absolutely destroyed the expectations of many and it has gone on to become a good example to bring up when a show looks weak on paper to give it a chance first.

 

[Navi]

Sorry forgive me but I forgot something in my earlier post.

One thing about this Mania that really kind of bothered me was the fact I found the in ring action very hard to follow. Not because there was so much of it, but I'm used to watching wrestling in a darkened stadium with really the only spot lit up being the ring itself. Maybe that's why I don't remember much of the matches. I was too busy reading what people had on their t-shirts.

All the people moving around in the background and the sun shining and glaring off of various thing, put a cramp in the for me. Later in the evening as the sun went down it was much better. But for most of it found the background interfered a lot with what was going on the ring. This year's Mania will probably be like that too for the first little while.

 

[@smarkmouth]

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most? What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

My favorite was definitely Orton vs Rollins. Just a tradition one on one match, no gimmicks, well done with a spectacular finish. What a way for the Curb Stomp to retire, huh? Well, main event aside.

My least favorite was Sting vs Triple H. It pains me to say that. Instead of being presented as the dream match that it was with a bitter rivalry that it had, we got a nostalgia side show featuring unnecessary run ins with DX and the nWo. The run ins get retconned when everyone celebrates together, which in turn gets ret-retconned later in the night when HHH 'buries' Sting on the microphone in the Rock segment. The whole thing stank of trying to appease too many masters. I think HHH winning would have been less a bitter pill to swallow were it not such an overbooked fiasco.

If you could change anything about Wrestlemania 31, what thing(s) would you change and why?

While Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar exceeded expectations, I think they could have done something really special if Rusev won the Royal Rumble. This would have been heel vs heel, but Rusev's antics would have turned Lesnar into the defacto babyface. While everyone chants USA at Brock during the build, Heyman can casually throw in that Brock is a proud American, but isn't fighting for any other American than Brock Lesnar.

The match itself could have been every bit the hard hitting affair that Lesnar/Reigns was, maybe more so. I'd even hope it would finish with the heist of the century, only Rollins gets to pin the Beast, after he and Rusev had destroyed each other thoroughly.

Also, remember how Raw after Rumble got snowed out? That would have been one hell of a metaphor for Russian Winters.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

This was the last Mania I watched live on TV amd stayed up till 4am for...

On paper people seem to think it weak, but I looked at it as the chance for the new talents to step up to the plate...and many did.

Wyatt did well despite being hurt... I'd have changed the ending of that match for a Wyatt win - but that would have probably happened if not for the injury anyway.

The cash-in at the end was the most exciting Mania moment in a long time but my abiding memory was how cool Rusev's entrance was...and how dumb it was to have him lose. Yes it was a piss take of Rocky 4... but there's something about the Russian National Anthem played properly (not sung badly by someone) that makes whoever is coming out to it seem epic..be it Dolph Luindgren in the movie or Rusev on the night at Mania... the tank was jawdroppingly good.

Whole thing smelt of Cena wanting a win and them being pissed over Rusev and Lana's engagement, but they'd already hired the tank...

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

I very much enjoyed Wrestlemania 31, despite it looking quite weak on paper (for a Wrestlemania); the one thing I would change in-ring would be Sting beating Triple H, but otherwise nothing.

However, there is one huge thing I would change if I could go back in time; the organisation at Levi's Stadium that night was an absolute shambles. I arrived at the stadium at 3pm I believe, and, being an international fan, had to collect my ticket from the Will Call desk, as I have done at every other Wrestlemania I have attended. Except the signs for will call were non-existent, and a steward even sent me the wrong way accidentally; eventually I found signs for the ticket office (the show sold out but only on the night; they were still selling tickets up to the show proper starting) - and the geniuses at the stadium had decided to have the ticket collection and ticket sales at the same windows! The queue was horrendous, and, despite getting to the stadium exactly one hour before the show proper was due to begin, I got to my seat just as the LL Cool J intro was happening. ONE HOUR to collect my ticket and get to my seat. And I wasn't near the end of the queue... I would estimate that, from this queue alone, hundreds missed the pre-show matches and dozens maybe even missed the ladder match.

Also it is the only WM I've been to where they weren't selling programmes on the way out, meaning it's the first and only one I've not got a programme from (I didn't get one beforehand as I was rushing to get to my seat). Minor gripe but still...

I know this isn't what you intended to get as a response on this thread, but that is really the only negative memory I have from a rally enjoyable show. And that RKO...