WWE WrestleMania 31: Winners Who Will Fall Short at Extreme Rules

The first couple of months heading out of WrestleMania can often provide the WWE with a bit of a lull, but there's the potential for that to be strikingly different this year.

After the superb twist of having Seth Rollins become WWE World Heavyweight Champion to close WrestleMania, the company could potentially ride this wave all the way through to SummerSlam.

The winners at WrestleMania have momentum like at no other period throughout the year, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be continuing for all of them at the company's next pay-per-view, Extreme Rules.

This is a show that often promises much, largely owing to the fact that it's going to feature plenty of matches with stipulation and a real edginess that you barely see elsewhere in this era of PG wrestling.

And even though some of the winners from WrestleMania won't be competing here (think Triple H and The Undertaker, for example), some victors will still come up short.

Take Cesaro and Tyson Kidd, for example. Although they are clearly a popular duo among WWE fans, there always seems to be a temptation there for the WWE to almost punish that popularity.

The reaction that they received on the Raw after WrestleMania was impressive, and Cesaro seems to have found his niche again with Kidd by his side. However, even though Cesaro and Kidd got a nice pop on Raw, they weren't the only tag team that got a good reaction.

Interestingly, the WWE used the Raw after WrestleMania to throw some of its talent from NXT into the spotlight, and it's safe to say the Lucha Dragons definitely caught the eye.

Anyone who watches NXT will have been impressed by the way they held the NXT Tag Team Championships last year, and all of a sudden, they seem to have leaped toward the front of the queue to challenge Cesaro and Kidd.

The thought of having Cesaro and Kidd defend the gold against Kalisto and Sin Cara is simply mouthwatering, and there's the realistic possibility they could dethrone them at Extreme Rules. Their aerial ability and potential to please the crowd is essentially greater than any other team that could challenge the champs, and we could see a quick rise to the top at Extreme Rules.

Elsewhere, don't be surprised if Big Show comes up short at Extreme Rules. Although it's unclear what type of contest he's going to be competing in (if at all), his win in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal will not be followed up with any sustained success at the next pay-per-view.

That win almost felt like a farewell present from the WWE to Show, who has made little impact elsewhere in recent months. His bit-part role as a henchman for The Authority has lost its credibility, and simply being teamed up with Kane and/or Seth Rollins just doesn't get people excited.

It's possible the WWE could use Show and Kane as a filler for the card at Extreme Rules, and have them facing off against someone like Ryback, and even potentially throwing Roman Reigns into the mix. If that occurs, don't expect Reigns to lose yet again on pay-per-view after coming up short at WrestleMania.

Finally, with it looking possible for Randy Orton to go at it again with Seth Rollins at Extreme Rules for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, at least judging by the events of Raw this past week, don't expect a new champion to be crowned.

Rollins will no doubt face competition from a number of guys before Brock Lesnar returns from his "suspension" imposed by Stephanie McMahon this past week, but he will almost certainly retain the strap against each and every one.

Orton vs. Rollins at WrestleMania was a hugely enjoyable match from start to finish, and it featured an ending that had fans gasping at what they saw with that RKO for the ages by Orton.

And although Orton is on an impressive roll since his face turn just prior to WrestleMania, it won't be enough to dethrone Rollins, who is set for a nice run as champion after nearly a year of biding his time with the Money in the Bank briefcase.