So how would I book the event? Read on and see. This is not about what I think WWE will do. No, this is how I would book the matches to end, in order to set up better stories going into the summer months...
The Matches:
Seth Rollins vs Randy Orton
Randy Orton returned at Fast Lane and laid out the Authority. Then, on Monday Night Raw, he basically rejoined the Authority. Anyone with half a brain could see this was a slow burn. During a handicap match against Roman Reigns, Orton turned his back on Rollins and left Reigns to demolish the former the Shield member. Orton then set to work claiming a revenge that was four months in the making.
Now, the two are set to collide in an official match at WrestleMania. I've heard some people say that the Money in the Bank briefcase should be on the line, but I disagree. This should be a no-holds-barred, no DQ, street fight. The WWE has shied away from it, but this is the one match on the card that should feature blood. There is so much anger and animosity here that someone should be hurt bad.
Orton should come out swinging and beat Rollins down. Rollins should get in some offense, but this needs to be Orton's match. This is the pay-off to Orton being beaten down by the Authority in November. Orton should demolish Rollins in this contest. And it should be the first match of WrestleMania 31...for good reason.
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (announced participants as of 14 March: Curtis Axel, The Miz, Ryback, Fandango, Zack Ryder, Adam Rose, Jack Swagger, Darren Young, Titus O'Neil, Erick Rowan, Kane, Big Show, Sin Cara, Damien Mizdow. )
So far only 14 men have announced their participation in this 30-man battle royal. For me, it doesn't matter how many men are entered into this match. This is about two people: The Miz and dAmien Mizdow. For months, Mizdow has served as stunt double and personal assistant to The Miz. His antics have earned him the adoration of fans, and payoff is due. Miz has bullied and berated Mizdow for weeks.
This battle royal should come down to Miz and Mizdow being the last two standing. Miz should order Mizdow out the ring, handing himself the victory. Mizdow, looking downtrodden, climbs over the top rope and stands on the apron. He begins to lower himself down and Miz turns away, gloating. Mizdow then storms back into the ring and attacks. He tosses Miz over the top rope and claims the battle royal trophy. Miz and Mizdow then have a brief feud, which Mizdow wins.
AJ Lee & Paige vs. The Bella Twins
The hashtag #GiveTheDivasAChance carried the day for a brief minute, then stopped. The WWE, in the form of Vince and Stephanie McMahon, claimed they heard the fans who wanted longer Divas matches and better stories. Then, on Raw Monday night, the Divas were right back to their 2-minutes-or-less matches with no storyline development at all. Meanwhile, Triple H's NXT is just laughing at the main roster. AJ and Paige are set to challenge the Bellas. I honestly don't know how I would book this one, because the Creative team just doesn't seem to care about the women wrestlers any more. Once Triple H gains greater control, I think the product will get better. Until then...
United States Championship Match: John Cena vs Rusev (c)
Cena and Rusev has actually been a very entertaining feud so far. Rusev has pushed Cena to the brink, and the Bulgarian has taken on the true trademarks of heel work in the process. But Cena has a reputation for taking on up-and-coming stars at WrestleMania and beating them, stealing every bit of momentum from them. Case in point: Bray Wyatt last year. Wyatt was one of the hottest heels in the business, and had the fans on his side. He had Cena on the ropes, conflicted about how to defeat the new Face of Fear. Of course, Cena overcame Wyatt. The finality of their feud set Wyatt far enough back that it's taken him until now to reclaim a spot in the upper tier of the card.
Now, Cena has a chance to put over one of the best monster heels to come along in a long time. Chances are that Cena gets beaten within an inch of his life, only to hit an AA on Rusev and defeat him, finally taking down the Russian sympathizer and claim the US Title for himself. That's not how I would book it...
I would have Cena put up a valiant fight, only for Rusev to beat him down and put him in the Accolade. Cena would struggle, but Rusev would cinch down on the submission move and Cena would tap. Then Cena would have to explain to his legions of infant/toddler fans why he gave up. It would work. The Cena character needs something. He's been stale for years now, as his character refuses to change. On Monday night, Cena beat Rusev down, locked in an STF, and held it until Rusev passed out. Cena then dumped water on Rusev to wake him up...only to lock the STF in again until Rusev tapped. That type of aggression needs to be front and center in Cena, especially after Rusev beats him at WrestleMania.
The Undertaker vs Bray Wyatt
This is, without a doubt, the most difficult match to predict. Undertaker just suffered his first ever WrestleMania loss last year when Brock Lesnar took him down. Now that the allure of the streak is gone, we have a potential "passing of the torch" moment for this match. Bray Wyatt is the self-proclaimed "New Face of Fear." He has been verbally attacking the Undertaker for weeks, single-handedly carrying the feud on the mic. Undertaker accepted the challenge on Monday night, and we'll see two fairly similar characters take on each other at the biggest show of the year.
I'm torn. Does Undertaker defeat Wyatt? That would hand Wyatt another WrestleMania loss and basically consign him to the midcard for yet another year. Does Wyatt beat the Undertaker? That's back-to-back losses for the Deadman at the show he once dominated.
The best call for business is for Wyatt to win. Undertaker has, perhaps, one match remaining in him after this. The dream has always been Undertaker vs Sting at WrestleMania. So, for Taker vs Wyatt, what direction does WWE go?
I would have Wyatt simply beat down the Deadman. WWE is in need of a fearsome, monster heel. Rusev is a monster, but he can't play the headgames that Wyatt can play. Having Wyatt beat down the Undertaker in convincing fashion will immediately position Wyatt for an upper tier or main event run. After Wyatt defeats the Undertaker, I would have him enter into a feud with the winner of the next match.
Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Bad News Barrett (c) vs Dean Ambrose vs Daniel Bryan vs Dolph Ziggler vs Stardust vs R-Truth vs Luke Harper (vs Sheamus?)
A seven man ladder match is a bit odd. I think there will be another man added to this match as a surprise entrant: Sheamus. We've been told for a long time that Sheamus is coming back. He needs to return as a heel, preferably in the employ of the Authority. Sheamus can then bring a strong heel presence to this match. Let's be honest, Bad News Barrett has been booked so poorly as IC Champ that he's not a true heel at this point. Luke Harper could be, but Creative seems reluctant to push someone who doesn't look like a model.
The booking concept of having the title constantly stolen by those chasing it has been a load of fun. This match should be between Dean Ambrose and Daniel Bryan. Sheamus will probably be there in the end, as well. I would book Bryan to win this match. Stardust is a definite dark horse, but I'd rather he revert to the Cody Rhodes character before gaining the gold. Bryan wins the title, then Sheamus Brogue Kicks him into next week. While Bryan is knocked out in the ring, Bray Wyatt comes out, hits a Sister Abigail on Bryan, and steals the IC Title.
Sting vs Triple H
This is the match pitting the face of the WCW against the heart of the WWE. Sure, Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock were more popular and widely known than Triple H, but the Game was the most loyal to the company. On the flip side of the spectrum, Sting was the stalwart of WCW, the franchise player. He never jumped ship. He never came to WWE after Vince bought WCW.
Sting has twice laid out Triple H, once at Survivor Series and once more at Fast Lane. Triple H has, basically, exacted no vengeance on Sting. That needs to change before WrestleMania 31. In order to better sell this match, the creative team needs to book Triple H to beat Sting up at least once, preferably on the go-home show ahead of WrestleMania. That way Triple H looks like a threat to the Vigilante. Right now, it's almost a foregone conclusion that Sting is going to win. No one doubts this, as bringing in Sting almost brought the surety of a Sting victory.
I have no problem with Sting winning. What I would do, though, would change the face of the business. I would have Sting and Triple H add stipulations to their match. Triple H should say if he wins Sting must retire. Sting should say if he wins, Triple H is truly out of power as part of the Authority.
At WrestleMania 31, Sting overcomes Triple H and wins. I don't care how they play that out. The next night on Raw, Triple H comes out to deliver a normal promo. He says that, since he lost fair and square to Sting, he has lost power in the Authority. Since his power officially ended at noon, he took several steps to make the business better. Triple H says that, effective at the end of April, SmackDown is ending on SyFy. Taking its place will be Triple H's pet project, NXT. Triple H then takes the helm at NXT and outright challenges Raw as a separate brand.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Brock Lesnar (c) vs Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns very unpopularly won the Royal Rumble. For the third consecutive year, the Royal Rumble was extremely telegraphed for the fans. It was obvious who was going to win. There was not even an attempt at surprise. The fact that fans were cheering for the overly heelish Rusev to win the Rumble over Vince-McMahon-approved Reigns should tell them something.So, now that Reigns has the main event at WrestleMania, here's how I would book it:
Reigns and Lesnar have a brutal slugfest. Lesnar hits two or three F5s, but Reigns keeps barely kicking out. Reigns hits a spear or two, but Lesnar kicks out. After a back and forth battle, Reigns finally hits a spear and pins Lesnar for the title. In a fit of rage, Lesnar absolutely demolishes Reigns, hitting another F5 on the title.
While Reigns is struggling to get up, Rollins rushes in and hits a few chair shots. He curb stomps Reigns on a chair and cashes in, winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Reigns and Rollins then have a long feud over the summer, with Rollins carrying much of the mic work.
ALTERNATE ENDING: Reigns and Lesnar have a brutal slugfest. Lesnar hits two or three F5s, but Reigns keeps barely kicking out. Reigns hits a spear or two, but Lesnar kicks out. After a back and forth battle, Heyman climbs up on the ring apron and hits Lesnar in the head with the title. Reigns nods at him, spears Lesnar, and wins the title. Reigns and Heyman then join forces.
