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UPDATED WITH MIKE'S COMMENTS: WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT WRESTLEMANIA? FIND OUT NOW WITH THE WRESTLEMANIA TIP SHEET!

By Dave Scherer, Mike Johnson and Richard Trionfo on 2015-03-27 14:11:40

Here is the current card for Wrestlemania 31, which will take place on Sunday night from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, along with out thoughts on what will happen.

WWE World Title Match: Brock Lesnar versus Roman Reigns

Dave: The announcement of Brock Lesnar re-signing with WWE adds a lot of intrigue here. Had this weekend been his last, he would have had to have lost the Title. Now, things have changed. Clearly, there are many in the crowd that are not ready to accept Roman Reigns as the champion yet so out of the three possible scenarios I see happening, him winning the WWE Title and leaving WrestleMania with it is the least likely. To be clear here, I don’t blame Roman at all. He has done what has been asked of him and improved over the last few months, but there is a feeling among a portion of the fan base that he has not paid his dues yet and doesn’t deserve the Title. So the best thing to do with him is to have him put up a valiant fight, get very close to winning, but ultimately lose the match. He can earn their respect that way. Afterward, with both men worn out, Brock can do his version of endorsing Reigns, as Roman heads to the back. Then, what happens next. If WWE wants to have the show end on an up note, that can be it. The fact is, Lesnar will be cheered on Sunday. Despite having a manager, he is not a heel. He does nothing despicable. He just says he will beat you up, then does it. Fans like that, especially the mix that comes in to WresteMania. With that said, WWE can’t go through another year of having the WWE Title on the sidelines, and there are only a few months left for Seth Rollins to cash in Money in the Bank. So it seems that this weekend is the perfect time to do it. Personally, I would wait until Monday night. Let Mania go off the air with the memory of an epic war. Then on Monday at Raw, a worn out Brock Lesnar comes out and he and Paul Heyman put over the efforts of an also worn out Roman Reigns, but say Brock is still the champion. WWE can then send out the entire Authority to decimate Lesnar, allowing Seth to cash in. Reigns at some point can try to make the save for Brock since they have a mutual respect now but gets taken out. The Authority can then destroy Lesnar some more, explaining why we won’t see him until say, SummerSlam. Reigns can then chase Rollins for the WWE Title, and WWE has the option of aligning Heyman with him.

Mike: Lesnar wins. It makes no sense for WWE to get all that publicity from ESPN and then have Lesnar immediately drop the title. The only way I could even conceivably believe that might happen is if they did a double turn but now that Lesnar is locked in, there's no reason to go that route immediately. I do expect this will be far better than fans seem to expect going in and to me, the right call is for Reigns to lose while gaining credibility for having the fighting spirit.

Richard: After the announcement that Brock re-signed with WWE, I wonder how many people changed their mind on this match. Other than the tug of war over the title at the end of Raw, there has been no physical interaction between the two so the anticipation of them finally locking up on Sunday gives this a big fight feel. If Brock wins, it will make his limited title defenses mean more instead of having the champ on television every week. Is Reigns ready to be on top? Maybe. What about Seth Rollins in this scenario? If Reigns wins and Rollins cashes in during the next few weeks, will it make a Reigns win special? Reigns has a strong performance but Lesnar retains and then we get a replay of what happened after Wrestlemania 29 with Rollins cashing in on Raw.

WWE United States Title Match: Rusev versus John Cena

Dave: What they should do here is have Rusev win to elevate himself into the upper pantheon of WWE talent. But given the sappy America vs. Russia storyline, I just don’t see Cena losing. If they feel they have to have Cena win, I hope that they protect him by, say, having Lana give up for him, so that he never actually gave up. This feud is set to continue after WrestleMania so if Cena wins, they still will have the option of letting Rusev win the thing overall. The fact of the matter is that Cena going over does nothing beyond a short term pop for the fans buying the xenophobic storyline while Rusev coming out on top both elevates him and doesn’t hurt Cena a bit. WWE is in the exact same position that they were with Bray Wyatt last year. They need to avoid doing to Rusev what they did to Wyatt at all costs.

Mike: I have said all along that Rusev shouldn't lose unless it's at a major show or to John Cena. This may be the time. I really like the idea of Cena raising the profile of the U.S. title. I expect this will be a fun brawl. I like Dave's idea of Lana throwing in the towel for Rusev so he keeps his "prestige" of having never lost. In my mind, though, it's Wrestlemania and I don't see Cena losing.

Richard: I want to see Rusev walk out of Wrestlemania with the title. With Lana doing other things, her absence has added to the narrative after the attack on Raw. Cena is doing this for America and Rocky did beat Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. If they are going to talk about Cena’s back, I hope they don’t show Cena giving Big Show an Attitude Adjustment from this week’s Smackdown. I think Rusev wins and then celebrates with a returning Lana.

WWE Intercontinental Title Match: Wade Barrett versus Dean Ambrose versus Daniel Bryan versus Dolph Ziggler versus R Truth versus Luke Harper versus Stardust in a Ladder Match

Dave: This will be a car wreck kind of match (and I don’t mean that in a bad way, I just mean it will be 100 miles an hour). Looking at the participants, and assuming the goal here is to actually make the IC Title mean something again instead of being fodder for a Benny Hill skit (and I have to wonder if someone in WWE heard our comparisons to that for the last month), I can eliminate Truth, Harper and Stardust from serious consideration. Barrett has been booked so badly, with all of the losses, that letting him retain would be a downer. That leaves Bryan, Ziggler and Ambrose. Any of those three would be great as winners and would get a big pop. As I have been talking about for months now, WWE has concerns about Bryan’s health. His holistic approach has worked since he returned, but it is hard to invest long term in him right now. Ziggler has been there before while Ambrose is just getting there now. To me, the obvious pick is Dean Ambrose wins after it comes down to him, Ziggler and Bryan. By beating those two, he moves up the card.

Mike: This will bring the return of the craziness of a "popcorn movie" sort of bout to Wrestlemania. I think a lot of people are expecting Bryan but I'd really like it to be Ambrose or Harper who end up with the belt since it would be such a surprise. I really expect this to be an insane bout and I wouldn't be shocked to see it open the show. They have a lot of talent here that can take some crazy bumps and do some amazing athletic things. This could end up being one of the best things on the show.

Richard: This is my pick for match of the night. It is amazing how they treat this match in the same day. On Wrestlemania Today, they do a “Benny Hill” recap of the angle but on Smackdown they treat the match with reverence talking about the history of the Intercontinental Title and Ladder Matches at Wrestlemania. With the Battle Royal being moved to the Kickoff Show, I hope this match gets some of the time that was allocated to that match. With the quality of talent in this match, I don?t think we will be disappointed. The only questionable pick would be R Truth because they have turned him in to a comedy character, even though I have liked what he has done as it relates to the title. Every gets elevated from this match while Daniel Bryan walks out with the title.

Triple H versus Sting

Dave: I expect this to be very, very good. Both men are extremely motivated to produce a good match here. I think it’s extremely important that Sting goes over here. Triple H is an executive that occasionally wrestles now (and loses a lot to help elevate other guys). Sting is an attraction who, if he can deliver here, can be a WrestleMania and SummerSlam attraction for at least a few more years. Therefore, Sting goes over here.

Mike: If you would have told me how intruiged I would be for this match a year ago, I'd have assumed you were insane. I don't know what we are going to get once they ring the bell, but they have done a phenomenal job of getting there.   If they can have a great match, it will really be one of HHH's greatest hours.  I don't expect a great match but I suspect a lot of smoke and mirrors and interference and obviously, the bat and the sledgehammer.  In the end, Sting wins.  He has to win.  Right?  It's friggin' Sting at Wrestlemania!!

Richard: What a place to make your WWE wrestling debut. As long as the people are not expecting 1990 Sting versus 2000 Triple H, this should be a good match. I would not be surprised if some of the members of The Authority get involved in the match to try to help Hunter only to backfire. Sting gets the win as we hear announcers talk about how WCW FINALLY gets a win over WWE (even though Sting has downplayed that angle). Then we start the potential build to Sting/Undertaker at Wrestlemania 32.I hope the biggest reaction during this match is not the ring entrances.

Randy Orton versus Seth Rollins

Dave: WWE’s way of doing things is usually to have a guy lose before he wins. Since I see Rollins coming out with the WWE Title by Monday, I say that they have Orton go over here. If so, it sets up Orton for an immediate run at the WWE Title, while Reigns lingers in the background. It makes the most sense, from Vince’s thinking, to go this way. Personally, I would have Rollins go over so that when he gets the Title from Reigns by nefarious means, he can point out his big win from the day before. I also expect this to be a great match.

Mike: This very well may be one of Randy Orton's best Wrestlemania performances ever.  Rollins is at the top of the list when it comes to great, well rounded performers right now and Orton's ring work has been nothing short of phenomenal since returning.  I believe Rollins is going to walk in with a chip on his shoulder and will be looking to steal the show...and I think he's matched against the right guy to do it.   I suspect Orton wins with an RKO because Rollins is seen as bulletproof, but really, it could go either way.

Richard: This is another match that could steal the show since it is not considered among the “main event” matches despite having the man who holds the Money in the Bank briefcase. Orton’s plan to get revenge on Rollins looked a bit sketchy but he turned up the intensity in the last few weeks. I think we will see Orton try to brawl with Rollins while Seth will try to show that he can outwrestle Randy. In the end, the Future beats the Legend Killer to set up Rollins finally getting ready to cash in the briefcase.

Undertaker versus Bray Wyatt

Dave: As I mentioned above, WWE killed Bray’s momentum by jobbing him out to John Cena last year. He has not gotten it back. He has done as much as he could to make this feud interesting but at the end of the day, here is how it goes. If this was going to be his last match, I don’t see Taker losing to Bray. If it’s not going to be his last match, I don’t see him losing to Bray. The only way Taker loses here (short of an injury), is if Vince McMahon says, “I can get a guy hot whenever I want” and has Bray go over. If he does that, I think the crowd will quickly let him know how wrong he was in that assessment.

Mike: Tombstone.  Pin.  Undertaker.  I don't see him coming back just to lose to lukewarm Bray.  Bray has done an amazing job of building this, but I don't believe he will be rewarded with a win.

Richard: This is the match I have the most questions about. Bray has gone back to the supernatural “son of the devil” promos from his debut to set up this match. Will Undertaker’s absence during the entire build for the match affect things? With Wyatt’s history in feuds with top guys, I would not be surprised to see Taker get the win.

Nikki Bella and Brie Bella versus Paige and AJ Lee

Dave: The tease is will be can AJ and Paige keep it together. Since the Divas Title is not on the line I see no reason for the Bellas to win. It would make no sense for them to.

Mike: I am with Dave.  It makes more sense to have the babyfaces win since they can then chase the title while racing each other to see who gets it first.  I suspect this will be good and will get a little bit more time than the usual Diva matches at a Mania show.  All four have done a great job and deserve the spotlight.

Richard: This is another match that got me more interested after watching Smackdown. The promo segment they had felt real instead of four people reading scripts and trying to act like people who don’t like each other. The tension between AJ and Paige has been quashed, but with their histories, it could be a smokescreen. Nikki and Brie will continue to work on those issues during the match, but in the end, Paige and AJ will get the win with the person getting the victory earning a title match and possibly taking the belt from Nikki.

WWE Tag Title Match: Tyson Kidd and Cesaro versus The Usos versus Los Matadores versus The New Day

Dave: I expect this to be good, but honestly what have The Blue Day or The Matadors done recently to be in this? Not much. So I hope it comes down top a lot of Usos and the champs, with the champs retaining. Kidd and Cesaro have been good and interesting as the titleholders. They need to keep going with them.

Mike: This should be solid but I don't see a title change here.  It's far too soon to switch the belts.  I expect they will use Jimmy Uso's shoulder injury to play off in the finish.

Richard: They had a fun match on Smackdown with one member of each team that made me much more excited for this match. Kidd and Cesaro have been great as a team and I want them to keep the titles for a while. If you look past the gimmick, the New Day are good in the ring and could surprise people with a win. Please give this match 15 minutes so the Tag Team division can be showcased again.

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Dave: Sigh, remember last year, when Cesaro won it and had a ton of momentum, and then Vince McMahon decided to quash him? That makes it very hard to get excited about this, and that doesn’t even take into account that it’s the guys that had no other spot on the show. If they are not going to have Hideo Itami run the gamut and win (and I don’t think they should), it has to come down to Miz and Mizdow, with Mizdow finally rising up and beating the snot out of Miz to win it. Then, he be scared he will get the same non-push Cesaro did after winning last year.

Mike: Unless Sheamus shows up for the big surprise win, it should be Mizdow's to win.  It is really, really, really time to pull the trigger on that Mizdow/Miz turn!

Richard: It sucks that this got pushed to the Kickoff Show, especially since it will be Hideo Itami’s Wrestlemania debut. The biggest story about this match is Miz and Sandow and whether we will finally see Sandow turn on Miz. I mentioned on a recent audio about how they could bring in Alex Riley to tell Sandow to finally stand up to him since he dealt with the same thing. I would also not be surprised to see a few returns to the ring. Since there is no title match associated like with the Royal Rumble, they can have anyone win this match. I would like to see Sandow win just so he can hold that over Miz.

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