WWE WrestleMania 31 Matches: Best Finishes for Each Bout on the Card

At WrestleMania 31, WWE has a chance to elevate the next generation of stars.

How the company pens the ending to the event's matches will determine just how much momentum Rusev, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns will have in hand once they leave Levi's Stadium. The goal should be to showcase these emerging talents while composing the most thrilling narratives possible.

That means having Rusev achieve a rare feat, Rollins outsmart his competition and Reigns be an unrelenting warrior.

The following is a look at the endings to WrestleMania clashes that would most help WWE boost its stars, create memorable moments and make the most of the stories that have led to The Showcase of the Immortals. 

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

The second-annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is the perfect time to take advantage of the rift between Damien Mizdow and The Miz. It's a potential launch pad for Mizdow, who's in need of a feel-good moment worthy of a WrestleMania stage.

When the field shrinks down to two, it should be The Miz and Mizdow left standing in the ring.

The Miz demands that Mizdow eliminate himself. He considers it, going as far as to begin to step over the top rope, but he stops himself. He turns to his boss and the man who has pushed him around for months and begins to throw haymakers his way.

The slugfest ends with Mizdow flinging The Miz out of the ring and celebrating victory.

Having passionate fans roar at the sight of this act of defiance—at seeing Mizdow finally get some spotlight of his own—is too good of an opportunity to pass up. Mizdow winning by pushing back against The Miz is the ideal way to end this battle.

Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins

Randy Orton already tasted revenge. The smart move is to now let Seth Rollins get a major win on his belt and extend his undefeated streak.

To make the win especially memorable and to play up how difficult it is to knock off The Viper, WWE should have Rollins pull out a rarely seen weapon—the Phoenix Splash.

Using Orton's anger against him is wise as well. Let Rollins look crafty in outsmarting his seething opponent. Have him bait Orton into going for a punt outside the ring, only to slide out of the way and send Orton face-first into the steel pole.

Rollins lifts Orton's limp body into the ring and hits the breathtaking move that he pulled out at the Royal Rumble.

Mr. Money in the Bank then gets a win on a night when the babyfaces do most of the celebrating. WWE gets a great image with Rollins twisting in the air, and Rollins benefits from taking down a top star.

John Cena vs. Rusev (United States Championship)

Rusev defeating John Cena twice in a row would usher him into an elite group, further presenting him as an unstoppable monster. That's the bold way to handle this, something WWE should strongly consider.

Fans will expect Cena to end Rusev's streak—for the American hero to overcome the foreign villain, as that's a story that has played out several times in rings for decades.

WWE, though, has a shot to make Rusev look special and hand him wheelbarrows full of momentum. 

Have the match play out like many expect. Cena makes a furious comeback after taking a beating for much of the bout. He then hits his trademark moves: the Five-Knuckle Shuffle, the fisherman's suplex and finally an Attitude Adjustment.

That last one only nets Cena a two-count, leaving him and the crowd shocked. Rusev then battles back and hits an AA of his own, putting Cena away with his own weapon. The champ has something mighty memorable to brag about for the rest of his career.

Intrigue follows him past WrestleMania as the audience wonders just who can stop this freight train.

Paige and AJ Lee vs. Nikki and Brie Bella

This match has the makings of a palate cleanser between two bigger bouts. WWE has historically undervalued its women wrestlers, and there hasn't been a ton of buildup leading up to this.

Still, WWE can have a big moment here if it uses it as a means to debut a new Diva.

Have Nikki and Brie Bella cheat to win, be it via Twin Magic or a cheap shot behind the referee's back. Then a brawl ensues after the bell. AJ Lee and Paige look to have the advantage, whipping The Bella Twins, but NXT women's champ Sasha Banks comes charging down the aisle.

She assists Nikki and Brie, whacking Paige with her championship and putting the Bank Statement on AJ.

WWE can then run with a storyline that has Banks and The Bellas looking to dominate the Divas division. This opens up potentially great feuds between the babyfaces and Banks.

Sting vs. Triple H

Sting pinning Triple H after a Scorpion Death Drop should just be the precursor to the real WrestleMania moment.

A victory for Sting makes the most sense. He's the newcomer being introduced to the WWE world. A Sting win sets up a second WWE showdown, one that can serve as his swan song.

Sting should roar in celebration after getting the three-count. The lights then go off. When they come back on, The Undertaker is standing in the ring with him.

They share a long, silent staredown. This is a moment fans have been dreaming of for years. WWE should milk it, giving the audience time to soak it up and begin chanting.

The lights go off, and Undertaker is gone, The Deadman having retreated back into the shadows.

WWE would effectively set up a match for WrestleMania 32 and make it clear that Sting's stay with the company is not yet over.  

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match

The successor to the Money in the Bank Ladder matches that WrestleMania once hosted will have its share of huge spots and violent crashes. Its long-term goal, though, should be the elevation of the intercontinental belt.

That is best done by handing the title to Daniel Bryan.

He should win by taking down Bad News Barrett. It will feel more like he's winning the title from the champ, rather than just being the recipient of everyone else being out for the count. 

Barrett and Bryan should both reach the top of the ladder at the same time. Bryan then sends the champion to the canvas with a top rope hurricanrana off the ladder. Either he manages to hang on afterward or goes scurrying back up the rungs, but either way the IC crown is his.

WWE can then showcase the title by having one of its most popular stars defend it in classic after classic.

Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt

Undertaker going 0-2 in WrestleMania after winning 21 straight just won't feel right. Having The Deadman make Bray Wyatt his victim won't be great for the rising star's momentum, though.

The compromise is to let Undertaker win the match but Wyatt win the war. 

After a Tombstone piledriver keeps Wyatt down for a count of three, Undertaker begins his walk back to the locker room. He's clearly hurting from the tough battle that Wyatt gave him. The Eater of Worlds, though, isn't done. 

Wyatt charges at Undertaker and lays a beating on him. Undertaker then has to make his exit via stretcher.

That gives Wyatt the lasting image of him destroying the legend and a moral victory of sorts. In WWE, victory isn't as important as the story. And the narrative here would be that Wyatt is a monster worth fearing, something the company has been trying to convince us for a long time.

Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

WWE can have WrestleMania's final match be a showcase of Roman Reigns' guts, Brock Lesnar's power and Seth Rollins' brains.

Have Lesnar hurt Reigns' shoulder at some point in the match. The Beast Incarnate focuses on that injury like a shark catching the smell of blood.

Reigns struggles to do any move from then on without hurting himself further, without having to clutch his arm in pain afterward.

The medical staff at ringside gets antsy. The referee considers stopping the match. The announcers worry about Reigns' health.

Eventually, though, Reigns hits three Spears on Lesnar. After each one, he winces and rolls around on the mat. Even so, they do enough damage to get him the win.

Just as Reigns grasps the WWE title, with doctors attending to him, Rollins saunters in, Money in the Bank briefcase in hand. Rollins smashes the new champ's bad arm with a steel chair and then cashes in his contract.

It would be the first time that a cash-in occurred at WrestleMania.

Reigns fights valiantly but falls. Rollins stands over him as the new titleholder and king of the WWE world. WWE then has a fabulous feud to dive into. It has Reigns on the hunt again, with fans excited to see him pay Rollins back.