WWE WrestleMania 2015: Early Card Predictions for Company's Marquee Event

Still laying the first bricks for WrestleMania 31, WWE is constructing a show that will celebrate the company's future.

So often in recent years, WrestleMania has become a hub for novelty acts and part-timers, an indication of just how dependent WWE is on past stars. While the expected card still welcomes familiar faces, the event promises to be a showcase of emerging talent from Bray Wyatt to Rusev and Seth Rollins to Roman Reigns.

Reigns already has his spot on The Show of Shows secured. His Royal Rumble win assures him a shot at Brock Lesnar in the night's main event.

The rest of WrestleMania's matchups have yet to be announced, but hints aplenty point to what they will be.

Picking apart backstage reports, WWE's foreshadowing and the current direction of various storylines offers a look at what clashes to expect come March 29. 

Bray Wyatt vs. Undertaker

Bray Wyatt claimed not to fear anything dead or alive in a creepy speech on Thursday's SmackDown. That phrasing, along with his promise that his next act will be sure to upset fans, has many speculating whether Wyatt was referring to The Undertaker.

Look for Wyatt's speeches to become less cryptic soon and to mention The Deadman by name. A Wyatt-Undertaker clash is coming.

According to F4WOnline (h/t Wrestling Inc), WWE officials expect that to be the case if Undertaker is healthy enough to wrestle.

WWE has booked Wyatt of late as if he is indeed going to lock horns with Undertaker. The Eater of Worlds dominated his feud with Dean Ambrose, wrapping it up with a decisive victory in an Ambulance match. He then knocked off Daniel Bryan before playing the Royal Rumble's wrecking ball, lasting over 47 minutes in that match per WWE.com. 

It feels like WWE is prepping him for something big. A showdown with Undertaker would be exactly that.

The younger Wyatt could do much of the work, and WWE can elevate him in a major way by having him defeat or at least push Undertaker.

Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins (Street Fight)

WWE has taken its time bringing Randy Orton back from The Authority's throttling of him in November. That will mean that it won't be long before The Viper finally charges back in search of vengeance leading up to WrestleMania.  

The company could have him and Seth Rollins meet at Fast Lane, but that won't be the climax of their rivalry. Saving that for WrestleMania makes more sense, as it would give the story time to play out.

That will lead to Orton vs. Rollins being a gimmick match that plays up the hatred between these men.

Giving them steel chairs and Kendo sticks to play with will add some variety to the WrestleMania card. It will also open the door for Rollins to create a memorable moment.

As he did at Payback and Extreme Rules last year, look for Rollins to pull off a jaw-dropping stunt.

John Cena vs. Rusev (Rematch)

John Cena and Rusev collided after the Royal Rumble, seemingly setting up a WrestleMania bout between them. WWE surprisingly made the match one pay-per-view earlier, giving the enemies a chance to lock horns at Fast Lane.

That timing points to this being a double-count-out or a no-contest. 

If Cena wins by pinfall or submission, it will mark Rusev's first true defeat since his debut. If Rusev wins, he will get a career-changing victory against "the face who runs the place." Both those moments are better saved for a stage of WrestleMania's size.

Expect Cena vs. Rusev to be the precursor to what happens at WrestleMania, especially because WWE is offering Fast Lane for free (along with free WWE Network for the month of February) to new subscribers.  

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Credit: WWE.com

Dean Ambrose

When the dance card fills up and guys like Dean Ambrose don't have a partner, they will have to settle for battling in a crowded match brimming with midcarders.

Last year, Cesaro outlasted Mark Henry, Big Show, Rey Mysterio and others in the first Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. The bout proved to be a good way to get a number of wrestlers involved. Look for WWE to go that route again. 

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestle Zone), WWE officials have been discussing the idea of making the Battle Royal an annual event.

The facts that the company named the match and included a trophy ceremony afterward point to this being something WWE wants to implement going forward. In a way, it takes the place of the Money in the Bank Ladder matches that used to be a tradition at WrestleMania.

The Miz vs. Damien Mizdow

The Usos and the rest of the tag team division aren't going to like this choice, but Damien Mizdow is too popular, and this is too good a story for WWE not to capitalize on it at WrestleMania.

The company has long teased tension between The Miz and his stunt double. Recently, it has turned the volume up on that. We have seen more backstage segments where Mizdow has looked frustrated or disappointed. 

The Miz looked none too happy when Mizdow revealed that he had been secretly taping him for a documentary. And according to F4WOnline (h/t Wrestling Inc), WWE is planning on having that angle lead to the duo breaking up.

Following that split, WrestleMania offers the perfect stage for their big clash. The crowd will be hot for Mizdow, who will have a chance to craft a huge moment as he heads into the next stage of his career.

Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler

It's not the main event Daniel Bryan fans were pushing for, but a match with Dolph Ziggler will be a fun ride.

Ziggler lobbied for the bout on Twitter. Bryan signed off on the idea.

WWE likes that potential showdown too. According to Wrestling Observer (h/t Wrestle Zone), officials are currently planning for Bryan to face Ziggler at WrestleMania.

That sure looks to be the case. 

In a backstage interview last week, Ziggler talked about facing Bryan and how much that would mean to him. WWE teased that direction on the five-point preview for the Feb. 2 edition of Raw as well. James Wortman asked in that article, "Will Bryan's social media exchange with Dolph Ziggler about a friendly match at WrestleMania 31 lead to a Show of Shows dream match for the two fan-favorite Superstars?"

All signs point to yes.

Triple H vs. Sting

WWE foreshadowed this matchup back in November when Sting's debut featured his dropping Triple H's head to the canvas and helping to oust The Authority.

The next time fans saw the man in black appear, it was to ruin Triple H's plans again. Sting appeared on Raw to aid John Cena in his efforts to get his Team Cena teammates their jobs back. Spit flew from Triple H's mouth as he screamed Sting's name.

The COO then demanded a face-to-face meeting with Sting at Fast Lane.

You don't need to be a psychic to see where this is going. You don't even need to consult any backstage reports.

WWE is being transparent here: Sting is going to face Triple H at WrestleMania.

It's a clash of two men who have long established their legacies. Much of the rest of the night will be dedicated to younger, hungry wrestlers looking to grab that proverbial brass ring. 

Roman Reigns has a date with Brock Lesnar. Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler have mighty promising opportunities on the horizon as well.