Home WrestleMania 31 Primer: Match List, Predictions, Blog, More
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WrestleMania 31 Primer: Match List, Predictions, Blog, More

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wm31Everything you needed to know about WrestleMania 31, Sunday night, March 29, from Levi’s Stadium in San Jose, Calif.

 

Main Event: WWE champion Brock Lesnar defends against #1 contender Roman Reigns

Preview: Reigns became #1 contender by winning the Royal Rumble. The sense since SummerSlam was that Reigns was being groomed to win the belt at WrestleMania, but tepid fan reaction to his elevation, and the news that Lesnar has signed a multi-year extension with WWE, has us wondering who will emerge victorious at the end of the night.

Prediction: Lesnar retains his title

 

Legends Collide: Sting vs. Triple H

Preview: Sting was the face of WCW, and his WM 31 match marks his first in-ring effort in WWE after a long run in TNA. Triple H, the face of The Authority, has referenced Sting’s long-term departure from the mainstream wrestling scene in a series of worked shoots.

Prediction: Sting

 

The Dead Man Riseth: Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt

Preview: The mystique is no longer about The Streak. Undertaker makes his first appearance in a WWE ring since his 21-match unbeaten streak at WrestleMania came to a shocking end at WM 30. It’s a compelling matchup with Wyatt, the logical sideshow successor to ‘Taker.

Prediction: Undertaker

 

U.S. Title Match: U.S. champ Rusev defends against John Cena

Preview: Rusev already owns a pay-per-view victory over Cena, but it’s hard to imagine Cena taking the fall two straight times. Though it’s also hard to imagine what WWE is going to do with Cena holding a second-tier title belt.

Prediction: Cena wins the U.S. title

 

Grudge Match: Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton

Preview: This one between the former teammates in The Authority has been in the making for months in one of the better extended storylines from WWE creative for this WrestleMania. No title on the line, but fans still want to see Rollins get his comeuppance for months of a brilliant run as the company’s top heel.

Prediction: Seth Rollins

 

Give Divas a Chance: A.J. Lee and Paige vs. The Bella Twins

Preview: Nice psychology with the discord between Lee and Paige sewn at the go-home Monday Night Raw earlier in the week. It would be nice to leave this one with a seeds to the next series of Divas feuds having been planted.

Prediction: The Bellas

 

Intercontinental Title Ladder Match: I-C champ Bad News Barrett defends against Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, R-Truth, Stardust and Luke Harper

Preview: This has the feeling off the top of being a cluster, but given the participants should be quite entertaining, with tons of high spots that will have fans chanting “This is awesome!” at least a couple of times.

Prediction: Daniel Bryan wins the I-C title

 

Pre-show: The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and the Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Title Match

Preview: The battle royal was moved to the pre-show earlier in the week, which tells us WWE creative thinks it needs more time for some sort of surprise on the main show. These two matches were basically warmups anyway. And an excuse for those on the roster with any kind of future in WWE to say that they had a spot on the biggest show in the business.

Prediction: Ryback wins the battle royal, The New Day wins the tag titles

– Preview by Chris Graham

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Contributors

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.

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