Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Paul Heyman Is the Heart of WrestleMania Main Event

1. Paul Heyman Will Prove Invaluable as WWE Builds Toward WrestleMania 31

In a battle of two titans, a pair of powerhouses with far more athletic prowess than a gift of gab, WWE's master of the mic will be key.

Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns has all the makings of a memorable passing-of-the-torch match, a bout that thrusts a new star forward. It will need Heyman to succeed, though. Lesnar and Reigns will provide the muscle; Heyman will be the clash's emotional foundation.

Fans saw a glimpse of that on Monday's piecemeal (thanks to a snowstorm in the Northeast) Raw.

Heyman pushed Michael Cole aside during an interview segment and took over. The slick-tongued manager talked up Reigns' wrestling lineage before going into storytelling mode.

The captivating segment saw him weave in Reigns' connection to The Rock and Lesnar's win over The Undertaker before setting up the emotional stakes for this match. He painted Reigns' goal of winning as an impossible task, one that would force him to suffer shame.

Heyman said, "How are you going to handle disappointing your family when you lose to Brock Lesnar? Because you can't beat Brock Lesnar."

This is the kind of moment that we will see several times over between now and March 29.

Neither Reigns nor Lesnar can handle the verbal load of the buildup himself. Luckily, one of the best talkers in the business' history will be armed with a mic.

Like he has done with past matches, he will make this feel like a true marquee bout by highlighting the stakes and the personal stories of each man. 

The narrative of Reigns attempting to fell a seemingly unstoppable beast, of Lesnar looking to swat down another contender, is the ship that Heyman will captain. When he's done selling this match, it won't feel like a title bout but a career-altering turning point, an attraction more than worthy to headline the biggest event of the year.

2. Royal Rumble's Iron Men

Reigns got the win on Sunday, but a pair of heels made an impact at the Rumble as well. Bray Wyatt tore through the competition early. Rusev flung his share of foes over the top rope, too.

Credit: WWE.com

Not surprisingly, a list of the entrants who lasted in the 2015 Rumble, per WWE.com, includes both their names:

• 1. Bray Wyatt, 47:29
• 2. Rusev, 35:40
• 3. Roman Reigns, 27:29
• 4. Kane, 17:03
• 5. Big E, 15:04

The "Iron Man" spot often goes to a babyface who guts out an impressive performance. This time out, WWE went with building up a heel who is clearly set for big things at WrestleMania.

The company was smart to give Rusev the rub that comes with a strong outing at the Rumble. The more accomplishments like this that he can add to his resume, the easier he will be able to keep momentum when he finally suffers his first pinfall or submission loss.

Big E's coming in at No. 5 is a shock. It didn't feel like he was around for that long. 

He certainly didn't do the kind of damage that the men above him on the list did. The bruiser failed to record a single elimination.

3. WWE 24 Is a Must-Watch

The WWE production team hit another home run. WWE 24, a new documentary series, debuted this week, the premiere focusing on WrestleMania 30.

The special is a behind-the-scenes look at last year's wrestling spectacular.

Fans see Vince McMahon and Undertaker interact backstage, how The Ultimate Warrior's return was received and Daniel Bryan reflect on his career highlight as it was unfolding. The moments showing Bryan's relationship with young fan Connor Michalek, who passed away last year, are greatly moving.

With WWE's slate of programming so light this week, this WWE Network exclusive helps fill a void.

4. Best Triple Threat Ever?

When Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar and John Cena were done beating on each other at the Royal Rumble in a tremendous matchup, fans started wondering if they had seen the greatest Triple Threat match of all time.

In the immediate afterglow of a performance like that, it's easy to get carried away. Each wrestler put on a hell of a show, but WWE's history has some stiff three-man competition for that bout.

Rewatch these classic Triple Threat contests before handing Rollins and company the crown for best ever:

• Kurt Angle vs. The Rock vs. The Undertaker, Vengeance 2002
• Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio, SmackDown, Sept. 26, 2002
• Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H, WrestleMania XX
• Edge vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H, Armageddon 2008
• Daniel Bryan vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton, WrestleMania 30

Benoit's WrestleMania win and the Vengeance 2002 main event both ensnared the audience's attention from the opening bell. It's hard to call any Triple Threat better than those two. Rollins, Lesnar and Cena, though, forced themselves into that conversation.

5. Potential NXT Prospect: Moose

There is a beast prowling around at Ring of Honor that WWE should take a look at. Quinn Ojinnaka, known in the ring as "Moose," has the blend of size, strength, explosiveness and agility that makes wrestling scouts drool.

The former NFL offensive lineman stands at 6'5'' and 295 pounds. 

Beyond that, he's an intimidating presence and a guy who moves surprisingly well for his size. His NFL-level footwork has clearly carried over to the ring.

He battled Michael Elgin on Jan. 24 in a match that, as PWInsider's Mike Johnson notes, had the crowd chanting "This is awesome!"

One drawback is his age. Moose is already 30 years old and will need a long seasoning process at NXT. WWE has shied away from prospects over 30 in the past.

Moose may force the company to buck tradition, though.

6. Throwback Video of the Week: Diamond Dallas Page

Add appearing at the 2015 Royal Rumble to DDP's long resume. The former WCW champ was one of the bout's surprise entrants. 

It was fun to see him hitting folks with the Diamond Cutter again.

A big part of the appeal of bringing in a guy like Page is the nostalgia effect. Fans start reflecting on great moments from these retired stars. 

One of Page's best was when he disguised himself as La Parka in 1997. That allowed him to lay out Randy Savage and outsmart the NWO.

WWE should compile a list of moments and matches from Page's career on a playlist on the WWE Network. It already has all the material. After seeing Page in action again, fans are naturally going to want to relive his highlights.

Making them available in a single place is a no-brainer.

7. Ryback's Momentum Stalling

Ryback doesn't look to be getting his United States Championship shot. John Cena and Rusev are set to clash at Fast Lane, per WWE.com.

The Big Guy returned from injury late last year and immediately received more favorable booking. He went on a run reminiscent of the beginning of his career, but his rise has slowed as of late.

He was the second man eliminated from the Survivor Series main event, had a disappointing Chairs match against Kane at TLC and did little in the Rumble. 

Credit: WWE.com

His feud with Rusev seemed like a way to climb upward, giving him some high-profile matches. WWE has decided to bypass him for Cena, though. The Rusev and Ryback feud ends with just one match, a count-out win for The Big Guy on SmackDown.

With bigger storylines and bigger stories sure to overshadow him en route to WrestleMania, Ryback heads back to a familiar place—midcard limbo.

8. Kane in Casket Matches

As WWE announced, Kane and Daniel Bryan will meet on Thursday's live SmackDown in a Casket match.

It's a gimmick bout that his kayfabe brother has battled in on several occasions, but Kane has just been in two of them. Both of them were on Raw. On Oct. 19, 1998, Kane took on Undertaker, and on Oct. 28, 2002, he and Triple H went to war with a casket at ringside.

Kane enters his showdown with Bryan undefeated in these matches. He and Undertaker went to a no-contest in 1998, and The Big Red Machine knocked off Triple H four years later.

It's surprising that Kane doesn't have more casket clashes on his resume. After all, he did burn his brother in one.

9. Armchair Booking: John Cena vs. Rusev at Fast Lane

Rusev's first pinfall loss is the kind of huge feat best saved for WrestleMania. With WWE already getting this rivalry started at the pay-per-view before that, the focus should be on portraying Rusev as dangerous and giving him the career-boosting effect of getting a win over Cena.

Having it not be decisive makes it more sensible to follow this with a rematch at WrestleMania.

Cena vs. Rusev's first battle should be an extremely physical one. The two lean on strikes and brawling rather than actual wrestling. The action often goes outside the ring.

Rusev works Cena's back, to soften him up for The Accolade. As the match progresses, Cena struggles to stand.

At one point, Rusev repeatedly stomps on the small of Cena's spine. Cena stops defending himself. He is just a heap at the bottom of Rusev's foot.

Credit: WWE.com

The ref stops the fight.

Cena can then later claim that he never quit. Rusev can brag about breaking the golden boy. 

Cena's loss coming by referee stoppage easily naturally leads to this a Round 2. Their rematch then has the story of Cena hurting going into the fray as he seeks redemption but afraid that the Russian will overpower him again. 

10. Steve Austin Speaks the Truth

The fans in Philadelphia howling in disapproval about how the Royal Rumble went down has sparked a debate over the role of wrestling fans. Was this a group of people ruining the show or simply making their voices heard? Were they being whiny or proactive?

Stone Cold wasn't addressing that directly, but he summed up how many fans feel when he chatted with Wade Keller of Pro Wrestling Torch. The conversation began with Austin's thoughts on the Rumble and later turned to the business as a whole. 

Austin said, "We're voicing our opinions, but I absolutely love the business. If it could change a little bit, I would love it a little more. And I do this because I care."

That's how many of the fans in Philly and those typing in anger Sunday night must have felt. They are so loud and critical because of their passion for WWE and pro wrestling in general.

And as Roman Reigns found out on Sunday, that passion sometimes comes in an unpleasant package.

All match statistics courtesy of CageMatch.net.