WWE WrestleMania 31: Biggest X-Factors to Watch at Massive PPV

WrestleMania 31 is the biggest WWE pay-per-view of the year, and there are several variables that will determine whether the annual event will be deemed a success or not.

How well certain wrestlers perform and the booking of key matches is crucial to how WrestleMania will be remembered. As the largest event in all of wrestling, there will be intense scrutiny on how the PPV unfolds.

Here are the ultimate X-factors who will affect WrestleMania 31.

The Undertaker

As WrestleMania approaches, one of the biggest storylines is the likely return of The Undertaker. For weeks, Bray Wyatt had been subtly calling out the legend, but at Fastlane, he made his intentions clear by mocking The Deadman’s entrance.

The WWE would not invest this much time and effort into an angle if Undertaker wasn’t coming back, so it’s just a matter of when he returns, not if he returns. After holding him off television for this long, it is likely that he will not accept the challenge until the night of WrestleMania.

After watching Undertaker's match against Brock Lesnar last year, there are more questions than answers when it comes to his health, but that only adds more genuine intrigue to the WrestleMania matchup with Wyatt.

Whether Wyatt skeptics want to admit it or not, he has carried this entire feud leading into WrestleMania and deserves immense credit for the excitement he is building on his own. With Wyatt doing the heavy lifting on the mic, The Undertaker will be expected to carry the match in the ring.

Making Wyatt look strong should be Undertaker’s top priority at WrestleMania 31.

Roman Reigns

There is no question that Roman Reigns is green in the ring and lacks confidence on the mic, but he has the aura that the WWE is looking for and will main event WrestleMania whether hardcore wrestling fans like it or not.

How Reigns handles the pressure against Lesnar will be a huge X-factor for the company’s biggest PPV.

After his Royal Rumble win, a vocal portion of the WWE Universe turned on Reigns. Despite the lack of support from the fans, he has changed his promo style and has been booked as more of the quiet tough guy. He still talks entirely too much, but it is much better than a "suffering succotash" promo.

The match against Daniel Bryan at Fastlane provided a good indication that Reigns was a capable dance partner for a top star, and the hope is that he will be able to put on a memorable match against Lesnar in the main event.

With the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the line, Reigns’ performance could make or break WrestleMania 31.

The IC Title Ladder Match

The build to the multiman Ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship has been absolutely terrible, but all the pieces of this puzzle are entertaining. From the historical value of the IC title to the hardcore element in the bout’s stipulation, fans should love this match.

Every WrestleMania is ripe for an underrated bout that will make an attempt to steal the show, and the Intercontinental Championship match, which will feature fan favorites Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper and Bad News Barrett, has all the earmarks of an instant classic.

Not only is the quality of this match important to the success of the WrestleMania pay-per-view, but the potential involvement of a top star like Bryan gives this bout the potential to be the most entertaining in-ring battle of the night.

As much as stars such as Bryan, Ambrose and Ziggler deserve to be in marquee singles feuds, bringing legitimacy back to a secondary title is a nice change of pace for WWE.

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