WWE Wrestlemania 31 General Discussion thread

[L@RISANO]

My feeling is the opposite. I agree Sting and Undertaker should meet at WM31. Especially if this is to be Sting's only match and 'Taker's last match, this is the logical choice.

So, why are we reading rumors about Undertaker facing Triple H? I think it might be because WWE legitimately doesn't know if Mark Calaway is going to be fighting anyone.....ever again.

If he is wrestling that night, I would think either Sting or Brock Lesnar will be his opponent. If 'Taker isn't entering the ring again, that's where Triple H comes in. He's a legendary opponent for Sting to face....but, consider this: of all the top performers on the WWE roster, who can most easily step aside without having his career plans messed up if Undertaker decides to compete after all?

Triple H, that's who. I don't think he's inserting himself to feed his ego; he's doing it because he wrestles only when the company needs him to....and if plans suddenly change, he can take a seat without losing his place in the hierarchy.

For example, if the company was advertising Seth Rollins for a WM31 match against Sting......what would happen if Undertaker suddenly announced he wanted to face Sting? What would the company do with Seth Rollins, unexpectedly forced out of the match and left with nothing to do at the biggest show of the year?

No, there's only one guy who can: (1) Be an opponent worthy of fighting Sting in his first (and only?) match in WWE, yet (2) Step gracefully aside if he's bumped from the contest.

That's Triple H.

This is it really, isn't it?

Only thing I hope is that IF Taker does get ready and Sting becomes his opponent, that HHH just doesn't merely go to the side and sit it out at a WrestleMania that could well be "the Dawn of a New Era" in the WWE, given the pushes that have happened this year.


I'd love Taker vs Sting to happen. That is a definite being I am a huge Taker mark. But I'd also love if HHH then ends up facing Roman Reigns and finally gets those 2 to go at it, with HHH giving Reigns the rub and letting the latter 'finish off' the Authority once and for all. Seems pretty apt given how it all played out from the Night after Mania 30, doesn't it?

 

[@smarkmouth]

I think the fact that we haven't seen this match yet suggests that the WWE is holding onto that ace for a big payoff. I had honestly thought we'd see at at SummerSlam for the championship, with Rollins cashing in on Cena at Battleground. Maybe WrestleMania is that time.

Their history aside, the match needs relevant stakes, and the only thing I can think of would be for Seth's Money in the Bank case. You could argue that they book Ambrose and Reigns in an "I want revenge more than you" scenario, but that only takes you so far. They'd inevitably have to try and pin each other at some point, but where's the logic in that? If the Money in the Bank is on the line, you could even raise the stakes for the entire WrestleMania if Seth vows to cash in after the main event, regardless of who's champion.

OH MAN, Armchair booking alert. How cool would it be if Roman won such a triple threat match, then Seth, like a treacherous snake, congratulates him and tries to encourage him into stealing the main event?

The other scenario I would like to see as Hillali2, as well as Labar have mentioned; a fatal four way, Shield vs Lesnar. You could have the Rumble end in draw when Ambrose and Reigns eliminate one another. Rollins, both jealous of the spotlight and his uneasy alliance with Heyman/Lesnar, cashes in in an unprecedented move with the briefcase and inserts himself into the match.

Lots of interesting moving parts going into Wrestlemania.

 

[fallguye6011]

That would be an absolutely ridiculous idea to have another Lesnar/Taker match at WM, that has done nothing but cause WWE trouble since. Putting a worthless part timer like Lesnar in there was a mistake. They were too late with Sting for that one, but bringing Lesnar back in the first place was a bad idea, much less having him end the streak and win the WWE title. Only the Undertaker knows for certain the whole thing with that match, there's been numerous reports he wasn't supposed to lose, he wanted Lesnar to beat it, etc.,. The ending didn't go over with the fans and I'd imagine Vince caught a fair share of flack for going through with it. Look what it's done to WWE. Lesnar beats the Undertaker, then a few months later, shows up again to become the champ before vanishing again, except for three brief appearances. You can't say the way Lesnar beat Cena wasn't out of respect to the Undertaker. Since Lesnar's been champ, the biggest title in the business has become as irrelevant as the guy himself and how much money has WWE lost in PPV sales because he's not defending? Giving Lesnar anything more than a ticket back to UFC to lose there is stupid. The sooner he's history, the better WWE will be. If Lesnar actually cared enough about the company and had a contract that made him worth a hoot, it'd be one thing, but the guy's just there for a paycheck and bidding his time so he can go back to MMA. In the 34 years I've been watching wrestling, I don't recall a champ more undeserving than Brock Lesnar. There'd be no true purpose of another WM match between the two, even if the Undertaker wins. WWE finally needs to get the turd flushed and keep him down.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

IF Taker was still physically healthy and able to deliver a strong match, I could see it. As has been mentioned, the notion of the good guy coming back to avenge himself after suffering a crushing loss can have great storytelling, but The Undertaker's case isn't typical. For one thing, he's been used as a special, one time a year attraction for the past several years. For another, he's almost 50 years old and the wear & tear of the business coupled with old injuries have caught up to him and just flat out kicked his ass the past 5 or 6 years.

Taker's match against Brock Lesnar was almost the worst case scenario that I and a lot of other fans thought it'd be. Not only was Taker just not physically up to par, but Lesnar beat the snot out of him to such a degree that he had to be hauled off in an ambulance due to suffering injuries during the match itself. The only thing that would've made things worse would be Taker's injuries being more severe than they were, though they could very well be career enders considering his age and overall physical condition.

When I saw Taker last year, it was the first time that he genuinely looked old in my eyes. You could also tell that things had taken their toll to such a degree that he couldn't keep up with his conditioning. From about 2001 to probably about 2010 or so, Taker was ripped, just leanly muscled, great cardiovascular conditioning, you could tell that the guy put in some serious time in the gym. After that, he was still in good shape but he wasn't as cut as he had been. Then against Lesnar, he looked like a pale shadow of his former self. He looked both skinny and chubby at the same time, not nearly as much muscle tone and you could tell that his cardio wasn't up to snuff because he was gassed.

Taker tried his best, he honestly wanted to give the best match that he could but he just physically can't deliver. At his current state of physical health, it'd be a huge mistake to put him in another match. It was a mistake last year and it'd be a mistake again because all things considered, especially with how stiff Lesnar can be and the fragility of Taker's health, Taker got off light last year.

 

[Johnny Scumm]

So, if you've been reading all around the internet, the past few weeks have held rumour to the fact that a BIG Wrestlemania 31 angle will be kicking off on the first Raw of 2015, which just so happens to be tonight.

My question is; What will it be?

I believe we may finally get to see & hear Sting for the first time since he helped Team Cena to win at Survivor Series. This could start to be the set up of the big HHH/Sting match at Wrestlemania we've heard a lot about. Maybe a simple confrontation between the two men is all it will take to start off one of the big angle of this years 'Mania.

We know that tonight, something big should be coming...but what?

 

[L@RISANO]

So, if you've been reading all around the internet, the past few weeks have held rumour to the fact that a BIG Wrestlemania 31 angle will be kicking off on the first Raw of 2015, which just so happens to be tonight.

My question is; What will it be?

I believe we may finally get to see & hear Sting for the first time since he helped Team Cena to win at Survivor Series. This could start to be the set up of the big HHH/Sting match at Wrestlemania we've heard a lot about. Maybe a simple confrontation between the two men is all it will take to start off one of the big angle of this years 'Mania.

We know that tonight, something big should be coming...but what?

I hope the "Big Angle" isn't just to setup Triple H vs Sting.

It has to be something 'blanket-like' that will pit the Top Babyfaces against what is looking like a quite formidable Authority that will return, with even Brock and Heyman in cahoots.


A Sting and HHH story(IF it is indeed the plan) can be setup, but it shouldn't be the focus alone, there needs to be something that fans can look forward to that involves all the Superstars in an intertwining storyline that will run through till Mania.


Hopefully, WWE have this all planned out properly given it is Mania season, or could be a huge bust .


Note: I'd love if Taker returned tonight in a surprise, and we get Sting also...

 

[TheICChampion]

Well, unless they somehow feel they can pay him more money for extra appearances, (and with all the money they're paying Lesnar I really don't see how they could afford it) then I doubt we will see Sting tonight. Maybe we will see HHH start trying to challenge Sting, but I don't think we'll see Sting for another few weeks.

 

[Straightfromthehart]

HHH v STING is the only nailed on mania match so I'm guessing that.

Would have the surprise factor tonight, but I'm guessing tonight a bit too early. Night after rumble more likely. But who with uk ireland network announcement they might try go big in the build to rumble.

 

[kadroan]

The Undertaker returns and confronts Bray. RAW tonight is in Texas which should be convient for Taker. The past few years Taker appears on a random RAW in January to get his WrestleMania angle started.

 

[BuriedByCena]

So WWE RAW just confirmed John Cena is the main event of WrestleMania by adding Seth Rollins to the match making it a triple threat. We all know WWE lives by opposite momentum/Cena wins which means John Cena wins by beating Seth Rollins at the royal rumble by pinfall/submission.

This way Brock still looks strong, Cena looks strong and Seth will take the hit and MAYBE cash in at the end.

But since we all know Cena loves the spotlight, we have to assume he wins and he is either facing Bryan, Ziggler, Ryback or Reigns... in that order in terms of hype/fan support.

 

[Starkist]

Cena doesn't love the main event, the WWE loves placing him in the main event. It is clear you hate Cena that's awesome for you. The possible add of Rollins could be because of true uncertainty of Brock staying or leaving. But hey, it makes it more interesting so let's see how it plays out.

 

[Navi]

So WWE RAW just confirmed John Cena is the main event of WrestleMania by adding Seth Rollins to the match making it a triple threat. We all know WWE lives by opposite momentum/Cena wins which means John Cena wins by beating Seth Rollins at the royal rumble by pinfall/submission.

This way Brock still looks strong, Cena looks strong and Seth will take the hit and MAYBE cash in at the end.

But since we all know Cena loves the spotlight, we have to assume he wins and he is either facing Bryan, Ziggler, Ryback or Reigns... in that order in terms of hype/fan support.

Hold on a second, I watched RAW and it was never confirmed that Cena would main event Wrestlemania. When did that happen? What was confirmed was that Seth Rollins would be added to the main event match at the Royal Rumble. So now we have Lesnar/Cena/Rollins in the main event there.

We have to get through the Rumble before we can talk about the main event at Mania. Adding Rollins to the main event at the Rumble, might just busted the whole thing wide open. He now has two chances to win the belt, either by pinfall, or cash in. Then he will have to contend with the winner of the Rumble, which should either be Reigns, Ambrose or Ziggler.

 

[roipdh123]

I'll tell you what as of this moment - because of Raw I know half of the main event of Mania {Cena vs ??} and I know the storyline that is going to play out:
You'll have an anti-authority guy {Reigns \ Bryan \ Ziggler \ RyBack \ Orton - I can say Rowan but we all know that is not going to happen} who will face Cena to say he betrayed them and so on..

That would be a decent thing but my question is where Lesnar goes if that is what will happen?

Well I think the WWE should have Lesnar vs RyBack not for the title and have RyBack be the one to beat him.

 

[kingofkings1]

so raw is over. I think the angle taken is regarding hhh vs Sting. since hhh came back and fired three big superstars. because of this Vince may come back also, to set a power angle. where Vince will cancel the firing order and let rusev face ryback, bnb vs Dolph at rumble.. and then team Vince vs team hunter at fast lane, where at the end issue remains unaltered. then let hhh vs Vince's man @WM31. where Vince chooses Sting.

 

[tomthebodz]

At the moment I'm torn between 2 WWE title situation.

Firstly, if Reigns wins the Royal Rumble he'll face Brock Lesnar for the title and win only for Seth Rollins to cash in MITB and take the title off him leading to a feud between the 2 over the summer. After all Reigns hasn't really gone after Rollins for retribution.

The other is a little more far-fetched. Lesnar gets beat by Cena at the Royal Rumble and beats down Cena post match, leading to Rollins cashing in MITB and winning. Ziggler returns in the Rumble and wins last eliminating Roman Reigns. I'd personally love to see a decent Ziggler v Rollins feud. WWE seems to have invested a lot of time and effort in Dolph the last few months.

 

[rge2010]

Adding Rollins was simple. Lesnar retains by pinning Rollins. Cena doesn't take the pin making him look weak again.

Lesnar will defeat both Rollins and Cena and headline Wrestlemania against Reigns or Bryan.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I know that saying it's all about Cena's ego and wanting to be in the main event is a crutch that Cena haters like to lean on quite a bit. However, most likely, if Cena winds up in the main event at WrestleMania XXXI, it's because Vince McMahon wants him in it. When it comes to Cena, Vince simply can't resist making him look like WWE's Superman and making him seem all heroic by having him shoulder seemingly insurmountable odds or burdens in nearly every storyline he's in. For instance, last night they laid the responsibility for Ziggler, Rowan & Ryback being "fired" on John Cena and played up the whole aspect of Cena being the great hero who had to go back on his word not to bring back The Authority in order to "save" Edge's life. If it was someone different, the angle would feel fresh and energetic but we've seen John Cena in this position over and over and over and over and over again, so it's essentially business as usual.

If John Cena winds up in the main event for WrestleMania XXXI, they're running the risk of having the main event hijacked. A lot of fans are tired of seeing guys like Orton & Cena in the main event picture, especially at the biggest show of the year. If John Cena main events WrestleMania XXXI, it'll be the 8th of the last 10 WrestleMania events in which John Cena has wrestled for either the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship. A lot of fans are just burned out and they want to see fresh faces, or at least 1 fresh face, in the title picture for WrestleMania.

If it's Cena vs. Rollins, fans might embrace the match and not crap all over it.

If it's Cena vs. Reigns, I expect fans to hijack the show as it'll be clash of the supermen and I don't think a lot of fans are eager to embrace another "Superman" of WWE.

If it's Cena vs. Lesnar, I don't see fans getting behind it as they'll have already seen it several times already.

If it's Cena vs. Ryback, I see fans pretty much crapping all over it. I think it's more likely we'll see Ryback take on Rusev for the US title.

If it's Cena vs. Bryan, fans will be highly interested in the match and rally behind Bryan just as they did in his bout with Cena back at SummerSlam 2013.

If Cena wins the strap at the Rumble and Rollins cashes in immediately, I see Cena getting his rematch at the WWE Fast Lane ppv. They might make it another triple threat match as Lesnar will be entitled to a rematch as well.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I still think it will be Reigns, Rollins and Amborse in a triple threat match for the world title at wrestlemania but its difficult to predict this year, I'm no John Cena fan but I don't think hes done with the world title even if he isn't in the title match this year,
I can't get the obsession with the IWC in finding the next John Cena the guy is only 37 Bret Hart didn't win his first world title untill he was 37 I believe Cenas got a few more years as the main guy

 

[Jack-Hammer]

According to a report at wrestlinginc.com, there's been discussion for the WrestleMania XXXI season for a program between Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins. The article mentions that there's no word if the match was discussed for WrestleMania XXXI or to happen during WrestleMania season.

Also mentioned is that Bryan will be on next week's Raw and SmackDown! tapings, but he's not expected to wrestle until the Royal Rumble match.

If this is legit, then Bryan & Rollins may definitely steal the show for WrestleMania, if they have a match at the big event. Rollins & Bryan have fantastic chemistry together and this is feud has to be one that a lot of fans are hoping to see for 2015. It's not the main event, but it'd definitely be a quality program, though it still leaves WWE with the possibility of fans hijacking the main event.

 

[BigGreen73]

Logically, Taker vs. Brock II would make the most sense at WM. Brock ended the streak now Taker wants revenge and wants to take Brock's title. Simple. But WWE isn't about logic and Taker should never Wrestle another 1x1 match again.

I am a big Taker fan, but as others have stated, last year it seemed like everything finally caught up to him. He just couldn't go the way I think he wanted to and the way the fans expected him to. He got injured and looked old. When he walked up the ramp after that match, he didn't look disappointed in the "loss" he looked disappointed in his performance (if he even knew what was going on because of the concussion).

If he wrestles again, it should be part of a team where his partner carries the load, he gets the hot tag, comes in and does his signature stuff and maybe picks up the win. That's it.

 

[supaman5279]

I'm down with the idea. Let Rollins cash in on Lesnar after a Taker beat down. Too bad he's old as dirt and looks horrible right now. Seeing recent pictures of him makes me believe he's not gonna be at 'Mania this year. But what do I know. He's got a good 3 months to get in decent shape. I hear old people build muscle easier/faster anyway.

 

[Papa Pillman]

According to a report at wrestlinginc.com, there's been discussion for the WrestleMania XXXI season for a program between Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins. The article mentions that there's no word if the match was discussed for WrestleMania XXXI or to happen during WrestleMania season.

Also mentioned is that Bryan will be on next week's Raw and SmackDown! tapings, but he's not expected to wrestle until the Royal Rumble match.

If this is legit, then Bryan & Rollins may definitely steal the show for WrestleMania, if they have a match at the big event. Rollins & Bryan have fantastic chemistry together and this is feud has to be one that a lot of fans are hoping to see for 2015. It's not the main event, but it'd definitely be a quality program, though it still leaves WWE with the possibility of fans hijacking the main event.

I'm not normally one of these guys who thinks that every major Rollins match that is pitched needs to involve the MITB briefcase. Especially as it relates to proposed matchups that are pitched between him and his former Shield "brothers", enough heat is already built in to those potential showdowns to make the MITB briefcase an unnecessary piece of the equation.

However, pitting Rollins against Bryan at Mania with the case on the line makes too much sense. Considering the way Bryan was forced to relinquish his belt, just before MITB no less, and factoring in the fact that putting Bryan in a match that can earn him an automatic chance to regain the prize he never lost would help to cushion the blow with fans of not having Bryan in the title match, then Bryan vs. Rollins for the contract is a great way to go.

I still hope to see Bryan win the Rumble and face Brock in the WM31 main event, as I think its the best money match for the company right now and is a spot DB deserves; but Bryan taking on Rollins is the next best thing and also gives Rollins an unmeasurably huge rub getting to work with Bryan on that stage.

And- Match of the Night? Yeah, that's a no brainer.

 

[hollowpoint]

Cena pins Rollins for the win, Lesnar destroys Cena, Rollins cashes in the money in the bank contract to end up the champion. Reigns wins the Rumble, faces Rollins at WM31. Cena faces Lesnar for no other reason other than they have nothing else to do. This is my guess as I have no idea (neither do any of you) as to how it will all play out. Adding Rollins to the fold ensures Lesnar's status as far as remaining in WWE or leaving. He will leave after WM31 for sure after milking the WWE for all they are worth. Long story short, I don't see Cena in the main event of WM31 this year. All the haters can rest easy and be happy.

 

[laodaron]

Personally, I would book it like this:

Cena wins the Triple Threat, but he collapses after the match. Rollins cashes in at that moment, and takes the belt at Rumble.

Daniel Bryan is entered as number 2 in the Rumble, and wins.

Brock takes off Fast Lane, Cena gets a rematch at Fast Lane, and doesn't get the belt because of interference or something stupid.

Now we have:

Bryan v. Rollins for the WWEWHC
Lesnar v.Reigns
HHH v. Sting
And my dream retirement match, Cena v. Taker

But I think that it's crucial that Bryan and Rollins is for the WWEWHC. If we're going to accept some new main eventers, then they have to be main eventers. Brock v. Reigns can't be for the title, because it's shit no matter how the end of that plays out.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I have such little interest in this. They may put on a great match but no matter who wins, loses, or how they pull a screw job to protect the other guy I'm going to be left disappointed. Rollins won't be worth sniffing Bryan's jock until he can walk on his own with Kane, Show, HHH, and J&J.

If you don't like the current state of WWE programming right now, this is not the WM feud for you. It is begging for more of the same.