Believe it or not we are less than eight months before WWE WrestleMania 31. The biggest event of 2015 is the end game for the current WWE creative team and while card is always subject to change, here are some card predictions based on the current landscape.
I took a stab at early Mania 31 picks the week after the 30th edition of the event wrapped up. Most of those picks won’t pan out and that was only a few weeks ago. So keep checking back as I try and update my predictions every few months. With that said let’s talk some WrestleMania 31!
Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns – I actually predicted this match in my first Mania 31 prediction blog back in April. Quite honestly it isn’t that hard to fathom this match taking place. Reigns is their “chosen one” with his push expected to culminate at Mania. Rumors have grown since I wrote that blog of a possible match so this isn’t necessarily a guess as it is feeding off of the rumors.
I am not quite sure how they get there. I’d love to see Brock hold the title until March but that is unrealistic. Brock’s limited contract would prevent that but stranger things have happened. I think this one could be big, real big by the time we get to it next year. The big question here is whether the company is patient and doesn’t get tempted to book this one early.
Plan B – Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker – I have blogged on this extensively and while there have been no reports that this is in the plans, I think it is crazy for the WWE not to consider it. If Undertaker can go, Brock Lesnar not Sting is the money match. This could go down as the biggest rematch in Mania history. By this time you will have one year of Heyman and Lesnar taking jabs at Undertaker and rubbing the end of the streak in your faces. There a few ways to get here, my favorite being Taker winning the Royal Rumble to get a title shot at Lesnar who in turns demands Undertaker put his career on the line. It makes so much sense I just don’t see how you look past it.
John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan – There isn’t enough room on the roster for a lot of babyfaces and let’s be honest. Daniel Bryan is not the chosen one. In order to clear the path for Reigns it would not surprise me to see the company turn Bryan. If not they could be faced with the same predicament they found themselves in with Batista.
This one makes a lot of sense and I think it would be quite good. For starters you can always play off of their last meeting at SummerSlam 2013 when Bryan beat Cena for the title. I hate to say it but you can also throw the Bella sisters in there as well to add to the story. There are a lot of interesting possibilities you could pull out in regards to a story so that won’t be a problem.
I wouldn’t expect to see Bryan go over but you never know. Maybe he does go over to set up Reigns vs. Bryan for the title after Reigns wins it? Either way I would be perfectly happy with this match and I think these guys would do everything they can to make their Mania moment.
Plan B – John Cena vs. Triple H – This Mania rematch won’t be nearly as big as Taker-Lesnar II but it could move some numbers. The only problem I see is that Trips would probably be cheered by more than 75% of the building. However, there is no denying that on paper this is the best available match to make.
Cena and Hunter are slowly starting to write that story. If you remember, it was around this time last year when Punk and Hunter started working their way to what would have been a WrestleMania 30 match. Quite honestly I don’t mind seeing it. I don’t think you can come back a second year in a row and have them put over up and comers (not that Cena put over Bray, but you get my drift). It keeps these guys busy and maybe you draw in some fans with a little nostalgia to boot.
Seth Rollins vs. Triple H – I can slowly see the clouds circling around this one. I just don’t think Seth is going to stay heel through Mania. The crowd is already turning him and his style lends more to a babyface in my opinion anyway. Enter Triple H.
Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose – There is just something about this one that feels right. Maybe it is the fan in me looking forward to the promos but I think these guys have enormous potential to tear down the house. I would almost bet that Y2J will be a heel by the time we get to Mania. Ambrose should be higher on the card but my instinct tells me that they won’t see it just yet. It probably won’t be high on the card but it’s a match a lot of us would love to see on the grand stage.
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Eric G.
Eric is the owner and editor-in-chief of the Camel Clutch Blog. Eric has worked in the pro wrestling industry since 1995 as a ring announcer in ECW and a commentator/host on television, PPV, and home video. Eric also hosted Pro Wrestling Radio on terrestrial radio from 1998-2009. Check out some of Eric's work on his IMDB bio and Wikipedia. Eric has an MBA from Temple University's Fox School of Business.
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