Wrestlemania 31: Match by match analysis and predictions

The biggest event of the year, Wrestlemania 31 is now only days away and the match card appears to be set in stone.Expectations from the fans are high and everybody will be looking to steal the show at the grandest stage of them all as an attempt to cement their legacy. Only time will tell if this year’s mania can live up to the hype of its predecessors.Let’s take a look now at each Wrestlemania 31 bout and analyse potential outcomes/predictions. Join us for LIVE coverage here

#1 Pre Show: Cesaro and Tyson Kidd vs The Usos vs The New Day vs Los Matadores (tag team title match)

Personally I was hoping to see Cesaro and Tyson Kidd face The Usos in a standard tag team title match on the main card in what could have been a classic tag team bout to go down in history.

Instead, we get a very similar situation to last year’s mania. The recently crowned champions (Cesaro and Kidd) will defend their titles against three other teams (Usos, New Day, Los Matadores) in a bout that is sure to be fun but has already been relegated to the pre-show.

Cesaro and Kidd have a lot of potential as a team so the smart move would be to have them keep their titles.

Prediction: The Brass Ring Club retain

#2 Barrett vs Truth vs Ambrose vs Harper vs Ziggler vs Stardust vs Bryan (IC Ladder match)

It goes without saying that this match will be absolutely outstanding and will almost certainly steal the show. All 7 men involved are fantastic performers and have a legitimate chance of capturing the belt.

Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler are easily the three most popular stars in the match (and in all of WWE as a whole) and are probably the favourites to win. Despite being a huge Ziggler fan, I still think that either Ambrose or Bryan will win and I personally believe that Ambrose deserves a huge moment.

Prediction: Ambrose captures his first Intercontinental championship in the match of the night

#3 Rusev v John Cena (US Title match)

The monster foreign heel Rusev who had yet to be pinned/submitted will face his toughest challenge to date in the form of superman himself, John Cena. However, Rusev already boasts a victory over the leader of the Cenation albeit thanks to a distraction from Lana which lead to a low blow.

Most expect Cena to walk out victorious and it’s extremely likely that will happen. However, I think that Rusev should defeat Cena cleanly in the centre of the ring by making him tap in what would be one of the most shocking outcomes of Wrestlemania 31.

Prediction: Rusev retains

#4 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

A large portion of the meaning behind this bout was lost after the severe mistreatment of last year’s winner, Cesaro. That being said this bout should still be fun but hopefully shouldn’t take up too much time.

The most intriguing parts of this bout will be Curtis Axel with his #Axelmania movement and the ongoing rivalry between Miz/Mizdow. Both guys are possible candidates to win but Mizdow (Damien Sandow) is the man who really deserves a big win to capitalize on his overwhelming popularity/momentum.

An NXT match between Tyler Breeze, Adrian Neville, Finn Balor and Hideo Itami will also take place with the winner gaining entry into the battle royal. Whichever NXT star appears at mania will also be a fair chance to win.

Prediction: Sandow wins

#5 Randy Orton vs Seth Rollins

A future legend in the making will take on the legend killer who has evolved into a legend himself in deeply heated showdown. Both Orton and Rollins are incredible in ring workers so it highly likely that this match will be another candidate to steal the show.

This bout is also one of the hardest to predict as both men possess legitimate chance/reasons for winning.

A recently returned face Orton could really use a big win on the grandest stage of them all to gain some momentum. On the other hand, Rollins who is destined to become WWE champion (possibly at mania) has been excelling as the company’s top heel and would really benefit from a huge win over a huge star.

Many seem to think the Viper will win (which could be the best option) but I’m actually going to support the future and pick The Architect.

Prediction: Rollins emerges victorious

#6 AJ Lee and Paige vs The Bella Twins

It would have been nice to see the divas championship defended at Wrestlemania however it should be just as satisfying to see AJ Lee and Paige team up to take on the Bella Twins in what should be a solid bout.

With the recent push to #GiveDivasAChance it very likely that this match will actually be given a considerable amount of time compared to many other past divas bouts.

It’s possible that some dissension between Paige & AJ could cost them a victory, but I still think the faces will walk out victorious. Hopefully, this will lead to maybe a fatal four match for the championship at Extreme Rules.

Prediction: AJ & Paige win

#7 Triple H vs Sting

Finally we will witness a sight many thought would never occur, Sting first ever official match inside a WWE ring. The baseball wielding vigilante will battle the master of the sledgehammer, the king of kings Triple H in a highly anticipated bout.

The match will likely be very impressive but the outcome still seems obvious. This is Stings first ever match in WWE so it makes since that he would win his debut. However the predictability of the result shouldn’t harper this bout at all and anyways it’s always possible that WWE throws a curve ball.

Prediction: Sting defeats the game

#8 Undertaker vs Bray Wyatt

The legendary streak was broken last year and many (like myself) thought this would mean the end of The Undertaker but that is not so as the deadman will now go one on one with the new face of fear Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania 31.

This bout is likely to be slow and methodical with the emphasis on storytelling which both individuals are superb at. Undertaker’s entrance along will be spectacular like always especially since we haven’t seen him since his loss to Lesnar. Also the result could realistically go either way.

Undertaker could defeat Wyatt in a competitive match that both elevates his opponent while also letting Taker retire with a win. Alternatively Wyatt could defeat the Phenom giving himself a major push and emphatically putting an end to his career.

Another option is that Taker could win in a competitive match that would give him momentum for one final dream showdown against Sting at Wrestlemania 32. If that is the plan then it’s a huge possibility that these two will come face to face at Wrestlemania 31

Prediction: Taker wins and a post-match stare down between him and Sting occurs

#9 Brock Lesnar v Roman Reigns (WWE championsip)

The main event will see the monstrous champ Brock Lesnar defend his title against the challenger Roman Reigns in a bout that could amaze or become a complete disaster.

It looks set that The Beast will get cheered at mania while Reigns will face a lot of heat. The obvious initial plan seemed to have Reigns squash the unstoppable heal champ but now that fans are turning on Reigns the result could now be very different.

Regardless of the result I still firmly believe that is Seth Rollins who deserves to cash in his money in the bank briefcase successfully and walk out as champion. With Lesnar’s contract status up in the air, it’s possible Reigns wins only to have Rollins cash in (in a potential double turn?) setting up a feud between the two former shield brothers going forward.

Prediction: Reigns captures the title. Rollins cashes in and steals it from him.