WrestleMania 31: Buildup, The Shield, NXT and More from the Group Mailbag

WWE is taking the carpool lane on the road to WrestleMania.

Group matches are once again dominating the card. The Intercontinental Champioship, Tag Team Championship and Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal will see multiple WWE Superstars competing simultaneously.

This group trend is unsettling. The only group WWE could still draw money from is The Shield. Which brings us to the first question.

Shield Reunion at WrestleMania?

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@ThisIsNasty Can we agree that reunited Shield, holding WWE & IC titles, & MITB, under Paul Heyman would be greatest Wrestlemania outcome?

— Alandres_Cal (@_NESNY) March 12, 2015"

This is an intriguing question indeed, but I still think it's too soon for a Shield reunion. All three WWE Superstars still have a lot to prove as singles stars. I don't think a Shield reunion should happen until all three establish themselves as perennial world champions or at least upper-midcarders who occasionally flirt with the main event.

A Shield reunion would add direction to Dean Ambrose's current journeyman booking, but there wouldn't be any upside for Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. Both Reigns and Rollins should be world champions at least once before the end of 2015. Both are constantly in the main event. They've competed so many times, it wouldn't make sense for them to suddenly join forces.

If a Shield reunion happened, Rollins would make the most of it, since Reigns still has room for improvement on his promos. This wouldn't present Reigns as the top star WWE wants him to be.

The involvement of Paul Heyman would be the glue that keeps this thing together, but ultimately, having the WWE world heavyweight champion and a Money in the Bank winner in the same stable would be awkward to say the least.

WrestleMania 31 buildup: good, bad or ugly? 

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@ThisIsNasty In your opinion, what is the potential for WMXXXI and have/are the WWE living up to the potential?

— V (@MrVDawg) March 11, 2015"

WrestleMania is always cause for excitement among fans, but the buildup for this year's show has been among the worst I've seen. In recent years, WWE opted to book WrestleMania as a showcase in socialism where everybody shares the spotlight.

Gone are the litany of intense, dramatic one-on-one showdowns between the biggest stars of the given year. Much like WrestleMania 30, group matches with very little backstory will be the norm.

WWE is doing no favors to the Intercontinental Championship with the ongoing "hot potato" angle. The champion looks silly, and midcarders are coming out of the woodwork to join a free-for-all for what was once a prestigious title. A similar angle is occurring with the Tag Team Championships.

In addition to its all-inclusive booking, WWE's top singles matches each contain a part-time star. Undertaker, Sting and Brock Lesnar have not been on television every week—and in Sting and Undertaker's case, any week—to further their feuds.

The absence of key WWE Superstars leads to an abundance of vignettes which are good in moderation but become filler when multiple stars use this tactic.

Question of the Week: Which NXT star will stick?  

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.@ThisIsNasty Finn Bálor, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens.....who has the highest main roster potential?

— Mike Walpole (@walpeezy) March 10, 2015"

This ones's easy. Finn Balor will make the biggest connection with fans. Balor will be accepted as more than just an indy guy. He has a character and an entrance that could captivate a TV-PG audience tomorrow.

Balor's entire presentation, from his entrance to his high-flying style, reminds me of Rey Mysterio. WWE will only have so much room for NXT Superstars who will attract a hardcore following. But Balor doesn't have to worry about competing for the meta vote. 

WWE is clearly invested in his talents, given his strong booking in NXT. When he makes the main roster, WWE won't have to talk about his history on the independents, since that's not part of his mystique. Balor may not be world championship material but should have a prominent spot on the card for as long as he holds up.

I'd be surprised if he wasn't called up to debut on the main roster the night after WrestleMania.

Can part-time WWE Superstars deliver full-time performances?

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@ThisIsNasty If Sting and 'Taker both don't show up on Raw again, what hope is there for a future match between the two? Assuming healthy.

— adam ∇ (@AdamHEEL) March 10, 2015"

The Undertaker's match with Bray Wyatt will be terrible. The worst-kept secret in professional wrestling is that The Deadman is done.

I've said tongue-in-cheek that Undertaker should lose to Bray Wyatt in 15 seconds. While this would be a shocker that could potentially kill the crowd, I'd rather see this match go 15 seconds than the 15 minutes it will probably get.

The key to Undertaker's brilliant run of matches from 2007 to 2013 was his opponents. Undertaker worked with veteran WWE Superstars, most of whom were known as ring generals. Wyatt is not the type of wrestler who will get a classic match out of Undertaker. He's still a young star who has yet to enter his wrestling prime. The two can only brawl for so long before being exposed.

Triple H, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. A smart worker and a ring general in his own right, there are few WWE Superstars who could get as good of a match out of Sting as The Game.

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