WWE Fastlane 2015: Feuds That Will Help Shape WrestleMania 31 Card

As the final pay-per-view before WWE WrestleMania 31, Fastlane must give us plenty of feuds that will whet our appetites for the biggest show of the year.

In order to make Mania, a four-hour show, exciting, WWE must present conflicts that fans want to see resolved.

It may seem obvious to look at the top end of the Fastlane card for those particular rivalries, but in Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns, we have a feud that could legitimately lead us anywhere with our WrestleMania main event.

A win for either man doesn't rule the other out of the match against Brock Lesnar, and with Reigns slowly developing into a full-fledged heel, that rivalry is worth keeping an eye on.

Reigns could lose against Bryan, and The Authority could decide that the best way to keep Bryan's hands off the title is to throw another monster into the mix.

There's even a scenario that Bryan could lose yet still be inserted into the main event owing to backstage politics and those in charge bowing to fan pressure. With Reigns morphing into a heel and Lesnar very much a bad guy, the decision-makers may have to include a fan favorite to keep the peace.

Elsewhere, it's hard to ignore John Cena's rivalry with Rusev. Many people believe Cena will be the one who brings Rusev's unpinned streak to an end.

What's interesting here is whether the WWE decides to book Rusev's first defeat at Fastlane or chooses to wait until WrestleMania. There's a case for it to happen at either event. If Rusev is going to lose at Cena, it should happen at Fastlane so that the Bulgarian Brute can avenge that defeat at WrestleMania.

That's the way it should play out. Rusev has a bright future, and a WrestleMania moment such as beating Cena (cleanly) on the biggest show of the year could be a great launching pad moving forward. We'll have to wait and see whether the WWE plays it out that way. Regardless, the Cena-Rusev match at Fastlane will have an impact on the card at WrestleMania 31.

There's also the potential of Randy Orton returning at Fastlane, which will set up what could be the most anticipated match of the entire WrestleMania card.

Orton is certain to have Seth Rollins in his sights over the next few weeks, especially after the way The Viper was decimated by The Authority late last year.

Whether Rollins is booked in a match with someone else or not at Fastlane, leading to potential interference by Orton, is unclear as of this writing. However, their rivalry reigniting at Fastlane will lead to a blockbuster WrestleMania match, and that will help hold the card together.