Analyzing Final Card for WWE WrestleMania 31

WWE WrestleMania 31 is finally, to paraphrase The Rock, here.

It has been a full 357 days since WrestleMania 30, where Daniel Bryan became WWE World Heavyweight champion after epic encounters with Triple H and then Batista and Randy Orton in the main event.

Roll on that single year, and the master of the "Yes Lock" has been reduced to midcard entertainment, but we'll come back to that a bit later.

We all associate the WWE with hype, drama, entertainment and a little bit of intrigue. Well, this year it appears as though Vince McMahon has taken his hand off the creative aspect of the buildup, because all we've been left with is a load of hype.

Brock Lesnar will take on Roman Reigns in the main event for the WWE World Heavyweight title.

Sting will make his long-awaited WWE in-ring debut when he takes on Triple H, who may have had a major say in the creative side of "The Grandaddy of Them All."

The supreme Bray Wyatt will face the Undertaker, Daniel Bryan has been dropped into a seven-man ladder match with Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, Stardust, Bad News Barrett, Dean Ambrose and Luke Harper that will surely steal the show and, lest we forget, Randy Orton will continue his quest to punish Seth Rollins.

Of course, there are a number of other matches, including a Diva tag team match, a Fatal 4-Way tag team match and the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

So, with 05 days, 00 hours, 42 minutes and 15, 14, 13 seconds, to paraphrase Curtis Axel, to go, let's take a look at the final card for WrestleMania 31.

WWE Wrestlemania 31: Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match

Courtesy: WWE.com

If there has been a hastily put-together match, then this is it.

Over the past month or so, the Usos and Cesaro with Tyson Kidd have developed a decent little feud.

It has included some entertaining high spots, comedy spots, some Divas and some pretty fine wrestling.

They seemed destined to meet at WrestleMania.

Now, somehow, Los Matadores and The New Day (worst tag team name ever) have been shoehorned into a Fatal 4-Way tag team match.

It's almost impossible to take this match seriously. There is no real history between the competitors and one expects plenty of outside ring interference as each team will be accompanied to the ring.

Tyson Kidd and Cesaro seem the best fit to hold on to their titles as the inevitable breakup looms down the line.

WWE Wrestlemania 31: Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Let's face it, the Andre the Giant Battle Royal has stinker written all over it.

At its very best, it's an excuse to give as many wrestlers a WrestleMania moment as possible.

At its worst, it's a drudge of a match where chaos ensues, bodies fly all over the place and some poor guy gets thrown out of the ring in about two seconds.

Ask any wrestler about their least favorite type of match and most will say a Battle Royal.

Cesaro won the inaugural event last year, and up until recently the WWE made an absolute mess in booking the Swiss giant. 

A month ago, The Miz and Damien Mizdow seemed nailed on to have a one-on-one at 'Mania. Now, both men will compete, along with the rest of the masses from the mid- and lower-card wasteland that is the WWE.

Expect both men to put in a solid showing, have a couple of spots with each other and then get dumped out by someone like the Big Show, who will in turn be eliminated by Ryback, most probably.

Ryback is the current favorite to win the event along with Mizdow, but don't be surprised to see Sheamus make a surprise appearance and win the title.

Those three, along with Curtis Axel, have featured more regularly in vignettes and segments over the last month, and those are usually good indicators for matches such as these.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think Ryback will win the Battle Royal. What better way for WWE to give a Stone Cold salute to CM Punk? Have a listen to the now-infamous Colt Cabana interview with CM Punk to understand why.

Don't expect "The Bunny" to show up either. The Bunny was Justin Gabriel, who recently left the WWE.

The field for this one is vast, and as mentioned before, the midcard Serengeti is a strange place in WWE land.

WWE.com has confirmed the following entrants, so far: The Miz, Curtis Axel, Ryback, Fandango, Adam Rose, Zack Ryder, Jack Swagger, Titus O'Neil, Darren Young, Big Show, Kane, Erick Rowan, Damien Mizdow, Sin Cara, Goldust, Heath Slater, Mark Henry, Konnor and Viktor.

WWE Wrestlemania 31: Paige and AJ Lee vs. The Bella Twins

Paige, AJ Lee and the Bella Twins could, realistically, put on the best Divas WrestleMania fight of all time.

Paige and AJ will be expected to carry much of the match and make most of the calls, but the Bellas are more than capable of holding their own in a fight that will switch back and forth. These four women are easily the top of the pile when it comes to Divas in the WWE and deserve their shot on the biggest stage of them all.

The fact that WWE has decided to go with a tag team matchup instead of a straight-out title fight suggests that the powers that be in McMahon Towers do not have faith in the talent.

I don't agree. Sometimes, even at WrestleMania, one has to build for future events. I expect a Triple Threat featuring Nikki Bella, Paige and AJ Lee in the near future and possibly at Extreme Rules on April 26.

Look for the Bella Twins to win after a good old-fashioned bit of cheating.

WWE Wrestlemania 31: The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt deserves his place at WrestleMania perhaps more than any other person on the card.

It's not easy to build interest in a feud when you have a good opponent, and it's damn near impossible to build a feud with an opponent who has poor mic skills.

So how Bray Wyatt was able to build interest without an opponent in any way, shape or form, other than a name, speaks volumes of "The Eater of Worlds."

Mark William Calaway, The Undertaker to you and me, turned 50 on March 24. 

The Phenom has been one of wrestling's and the WWE's greatest servants. Vince McMahon chose to break the unbeaten streak last year for a yearlong buildup to where Roman Reigns would become the man who beat the man who is, the "One in 21 and One."

I expect that decision weighed heavily on McMahon after Undertaker's over two decades of service to the WWE.

For that reason, I can only see The Undertaker beating Wyatt after a titanic battle where 'Taker sells for the younger man throughout thus leaving "The New Face of Fear" to take up the mantle from Calaway.

WWE WrestleMania: Intercontinental Title 7-Man Ladder Match

There is little doubt that the seven-man ladder match is the one that most fans are waiting for.

There is also little doubt that it will steal the show.

On any other given night, any of the seven men could be main-eventing WrestleMania. The caliber of talent is that good.

Sure, the storyline of belt-stealing seems forced, and the comedy element has been as frustrating as it has been entertaining. But when it comes down to brass tacks, these seven men know how to rock.

Daniel Bryan has been forced into the match because WWE basically has nowhere else for the most popular wrestler on the planet to be.

Bryan is not just the best wrestler in the WWE, he is one of the best of all time, and the fact that he has no singles match at 'Mania speaks volumes to the problematic booking and creative system under Triple H.

Oh wait, Triple H has a singles match...

But I digress, R-Truth is one of the most underrated wrestlers on the planet. He is the man you want to test your main eventers against while pushing your lower-card men to the limits. 

Dean Ambrose is scarily popular and a solid worker given the style he utilizes. 

Dolph Ziggler is the man on the fringes of the main event and quite possibly the man who deserves the title most. He needs an injection to push him to main event level, and there is no one better at selling to opponents in the WWE.

Luke Harper is a fantastic worker. You have to question the decision to separate him from Erick Rowan, especially when you look at the barren tag team division.

But Harper deserves to stand on his own two feet, and he will surprise many with his outing here.

Bad News Barrett is a fantastic worker and is getting better every day. His move to using "The Bull Hammer" as his finisher of choice naturally sets up a feud with Roman Reigns down the line. He is quality in and out of the ring and has used the intercontinental title to elevate himself brilliantly.

That leaves Stardust. Cody Runnels has been added to this match because WWE decided not to pursue his feud with his brother, Goldust, any further.

The two brothers are skilled ring generals and could have torn the house down given the right environment.

Sadly, that won't happen, but his addition to the ladder match adds speed, ingenuity and dexterity that otherwise might be missing.

Any man is capable of winning this one. Bryan doesn't need the belt, so a strong showing where he gets screwed over would keep him strong. Giving him the title, however, could also really elevate the strap to a level it has lacked in recent years.

Then again, we're talking about WWE here, and they could very well bury Bryan in an effort to stop fans chanting for him anytime Reigns takes to the ring.

Giving the strap to Bryan would also be a way for WWE to take Bryan out of the World title race by stealth and by doing so they would also be eliminating the "Yes" chants whilst appearing to listen to the fans.

WWE Wrestlemania 31: Sting vs. Triple H

Triple H and Sting, Triple H and Sting...

For me, this has vanity all over it as Trips takes to the stage at the biggest event of the year to take on the Stinger. 

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade here, but one must look at the ages of the competitors.

Sting is 56, and Triple H is 45. This is not going to be a fast-paced match.

Actually, now that I think about it, Triple H has never been in a fast-paced match.

This one will be a brawl. It will go inside the ring, outside the ring, most probably up the ramp and feature a table, maybe even the Spanish speaking announcers.

There will be baseball bats, sledge hammers, the odd chair here or there, a few crashes into outside barriers, or walls as they are nowadays, and some more brawling. Just when you think the brawling looks like it'll be over, we'll have some more.

And just when you think you haven't had enough, there will be run-ins by the truck load.

Do not be surprised if DX, Razor Ramon and Kevin Nash run in, along with Ric Flair and possibly even Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels.

One might even see a turn if Big Show comes out. The Show partnered Sting in the WCW Tag Team Titles in 1998.

Expect to see Triple H walk away with the win because losing would be like admitting WCW had the better product 100 years ago to the likes of Trips and Vince McMahon.

This won't be a classic, but hopefully it will entertain...

WWE Wrestlemania 31: Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins

Courtesy: WWE.com

Randy Orton and Seth Rollins should have a great matchup. The two men are at the very top of their games and have the ability to mix it up in a variety of ways. This match is also the hardest to call and could really go either way.

The storyline for this particular bout has been wellish-put-together, but it does seem to distract and take away from Rollins' push to regular main eventer. 

The former ROH man obviously wasn't going to main event WrestleMania, but with the Money in the Bank contract, he is the obvious choice for upcoming events.

Rollins will be flanked by J&J Security, which is fine as both fans and the WWE will want to change up the one-on-one matches as much as possible with side stories and events as the night progresses.

If I were a betting man, I'd make Rollins the slight favorite after some outside interference. This would leave the door open for retribution later on in the night...

WWE Wrestlemania 31: US Title Match: Rusev (c) vs. John Cena

The John Cena-Rusev bout is one that has suffered from poorly balanced segments outside the squared circle.

Inside the ring, the two men put on a fantastic show at Fastlane. Up until they took to the ring, the show was really dead and buried as an entertainment piece.

Rusev winning in the manner he did in February (Cena never tapped out because he was unconscious) set up the WrestleMania fight we have before us.

However, between Fastlane and today, the two men have been booked strangely.

WWE seemed intent on Cena turning and set up a segment where he brutally attacked "The Hero of the Russian People" and knocked him out before waking the champion, only to attack him again.

This is classic heel behavior.

A few weeks later, and Rusev is back playing the heel while reading out a manifesto as Cena stands up for the good ol' U.S. of A.

This lack of consistency takes away from the feud somewhat, and if truth be told, many of the WrestleMania fights suffer from the same booking, or lack thereof.

Cena will be the red-hot favorite to win the strap, especially after losing in Fastlane. I don't think the Rusev push is over yet, however. There would be no better way to get the supremely gifted Bulgarian further over than to have him go over Cena again this Sunday.

But then again, this is WrestleMania and this Cena...

WWE Wrestlemania 31: World Heavyweight Title: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns

Nobody has done more to promote this match than the superb Paul Heyman.

Heyman has always been one of the best mic workers in the business, but his mic work in the past month has moved to another level completely.

Not only has he done his very best to promote the match, he has also pushed Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns to the hilt. 

WWE is lucky to have Heyman on the roster, as neither Lesnar nor Reigns is great on the mic. 

Lesnar can back it up in the ring with phenomenal performances, and Reigns has been challenged to do the same.

It is widely expected for Reigns to go over Lesnar and win the title at WrestleMania. It will be a physical confrontation with wrestling as a side order. 

This fight won't be a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but the end is all that counts and WWE will undoubtedly throw in a few surprises. It would come as no surprise to see Rollins cash in, but I expect he will only do so if he loses to Randy Orton earlier.

That way, WWE would immediately elevate Rollins and Orton into a main event storyline that would also involve Reigns and Lesnar.

I have a funny suspicion that Heyman will turn on Lesnar and assist Reigns to the title giving WWE the chance to pit Reigns against the likes of Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan in the coming months. Going down this route would also eliminate Bryan getting a larger pop from the crowd than Reigns if he were to remain a face.

The Shield reuniting is also a possibility...

The main event may not be the match the fans wanted—Bryan and Lesnar sounds very nice to many—but it is the match WWE wants, and as CM Punk would say, "WWE is the land of the giants."