What if Daniel Bryan had beaten Roman Reigns at Fastlane 2015?

#2 Seth Rollins waits

Seth Rollins may have held off on cashing in, had WWE not needed out for Reigns vs. Lesnar

There may be no more memorable moment from WrestleMania 31 than the final three minutes of the main event. That's when Seth Rollins became not only the first Superstar to ever cash in Money in the Bank in the middle of the match to force a Triple Threat, but also the first to do so during the WrestleMania main event--probably the single highest-profile match of the year.

Rollins cashing in was the perfect move for the situation at hand. Fans were primed to reject Roman Reigns going over Brock Lesnar for the world title; the idea of Lesnar beating Reigns, even if fans didn't want The Big Dog to win, nonetheless felt like a deflating way to end a WrestleMania. Rollins interceding provided the electricity of a huge surprise and moment while protecting both Reigns and Lesnar.

If Daniel Bryan were to be the man challenging Lesnar for the title, it would have presented some similar concerns. Lesnar going over would have been dissatisfying for the crowd, while Bryan winning also would have felt like a less than ideal option given the backstage concerns we now know about regarding his health.

That said, neither option would be as problematic; Bryan winning would have at least sent fans home happy, and WWE wasn't as invested in protecting Bryan for later as it was for Reigns. In either case, WWE could have kept the WrestleMania cash in, as well as Rollins's specific briefcase in its back pocket for use down the road.