WWE WrestleMania 31: Predictions That Will Shape the WWE

WrestleMania has always been the defining show in the WWE calendar, but 2015's offering is likely to be a little different in that it will set the company up for years to come.

WrestleMania, "The Granddaddy of Them All," is the biggest wrestling show of the year in the WWE Universe, or any other wrestling universe for that matter, be it ROH, TNA or NJPW.

The big difference, however, between WrestleMania 31 and many of the shows of years gone by is that 31 will, in effect, set into motion, storylines, plots and feuds that will echo back to their beginnings in Santa Clara, California.

Vince McMahon's most loved child had some dodgy beginnings in 1985 and 1986, before WrestleMania 3 in 1987 really put, the then-WWF, over the top in terms of popularity. The 1987 show in Michigan's Pontiac Silverdome set a new indoor attendance record of 93,173. That incredible record stood until 2010, when the NBA's All-Star Game set a new record of over 108,000, as per Forbes. Next year's event in Texas looks set to have 105,000 in attendance.

Since then, WrestleMania has become one of the biggest and most watched sporting events of the year.

At the time of writing, there are 24 days, one hour and 12 seconds, 11 seconds, 10 seconds, to paraphrase Curtis Axel, to WresteMania.

The main event between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns will see a story that began with Lesnar defeating The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30 come to its final end when Reigns wins the title

Reigns, while still raw and in obvious need of improvement in terms of mic and mat skills, is the man Vince McMahon has chosen to lead his company into the new era. That decision may have irked the many Daniel Bryan fans around the world, but its reasoning can be found in Lesnar's win over The Undertaker in WrestleMania 30.

McMahon, quite simply, needed Lesnar to be a monster in 30, and the biggest and best way was to bring the Phenom's unbeaten run to a shattering end. Now he needs a new Superman, and the man with the Superman punch is the chosen one.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Lesnar's contract issues, as per the hugely respected Dave Meltzer, writing for MMAFighting.com, has added further guarantees the former UFC champion will lose the strap on March 29. The only other questions remaining from the main event concern Lesnar's and his manager Paul Heyman's immediate futures.

Reigns is a face at the moment, but a turn including Heyman becoming his new manager makes a lot of sense.

In fact, if one steps back and looks at the roster in general, the former members of The Shield are all now in elevated positions and ready to pounce on titles.

Dean Ambrose will contest the Intercontinental title in a 4-Way Ladder match that will put fans on the edge of their seats. Seth Rollins, for the moment, is embroiled in a strangely entertaining, but ultimately ridiculous, angle with Jon Stewart, as per Jack De Menezes reporting inThe Independent. Ultimately, however, Rollins looks set to face Randy Orton in what should be a crackling bout.

Ambrose, for his part, will face Bad News Barrett, R-Truth, Luke Harper and an, as yet, unnamed opponent for the IC title. Let's hope it's Dolph Ziggler, as his inclusion would push the match to an even higher level.

Of course, Rollins, the self-proclaimed "future of the WWE," still possesses the Money in the Bank contract, which guarantees him a title shot. 

It would come as no surprise if The Shield reunited at WrestleMania complete with Paul Heyman, the heavyweight title, an IC title and an unused Money in the Bank contract as part of a master plan to take over the WWE. 

This turn would set up a new, but yet old and well-known, heel faction in one deliberate go that would dominate the WWE landscape for years to come. 

That would also leave the door open for a feud between fan favorite Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns. The pair showed their chemistry over the last month, and particularly at Fast Lane, where the duo put on an outstanding display. In many ways, that match, combined with the John Cena vs. Rusev, bout saved the card.

Bryan is obviously a ring general and could have a good match with a paper bag, but Reigns is improving every time he gets in the ring with someone of Bryan's caliber. Vince will not put his champion in the position of getting less crowd heat than a fellow wrestler on the card, so Reigns' turn makes sense on a certain level. Either that, or Vince is hoping the fans will turn to cheering Reigns once he wins the title. 

Have any of you ever known Vince to gamble with something like that?

That turn would leave Bryan as the undoubted face of the show alongside Randy Orton and, perhaps, Dolph Ziggler, and we're not forgetting John Cena here.

Cena has been at something of a crossroads for the last couple of years. He is booed and cheered in equal measure regardless of the venue. The apathy toward him by fans and the tone of his current storyline suggest that Cena could also be on the verge of a heel turn, or at least a turn of sorts.

Lesnar is the undoubted main event heel at this moment in time. However, his contract issues, combined with the fact that he is getting more cheers than boos of late, mean that the McMahons and Triple H must put contingency plans in place.

WWE needs two strong heels and two faces in place at any one time in case injuries curtail storylines. This exact situation arose when Daniel Bryan was forced to take a leave of absence for nine months recently, as per Marissa Payne in The Washington Post.

Bryan is money. He fills stadiums and sells merchandise. Keeping him as a face through 2015 seems certain.

Cena, however, looks like he needs a change of pace. The veteran is one of, if not, the hardest working wrestlers in wrestling today. The 15-time heavyweight champion has shown a more aggressive side of late and in a kayfabe twist, he looks ready to turn on the fans who boo him and anyone else who gets in his way.

Think back to Stone Cold Steve Austin attacking anyone and everyone as something of a lone wolf back in the halcyon days of the Attitude era.

Cena did tell Marc Graser and Variety, back in October 2014, that he would not turn heel because it would be bad for business. His wrestling world is a vastly different place now, however, and a move to an anti-hero type vibe could be more than good for business, both in and out of the ring. Not that he needs it, having made nine Hollywood movies in the last six years.

Cena does not need to win over at WrestleMania to get over, but his predicted opponent, Rusev, most definitely does. The giant Bulgarian/Hero of the Russian People is improving with his every minute in the ring and has surprisingly good mic skills given that Lana, his manager, does most of the talking for him.

WWE has marketed him brilliantly as a monster heel and another legitimate victory over Cena at WrestleMania would push him to the top of the card.

Rusev, Reigns and Cena all need smaller, faster opponents to get the very best out of them.

With that in mind, the next 12 months could bring about something of a golden age for WWE fans who love to see their Supermen in the ring with smaller, faster and more intelligent, but ultimately less despicable foes.

Roll on WrestleMania 31!