WWE: 6 Likely Matches For WrestleMania 31

Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton

If you watched this week’s installment of Monday Night RAW you probably guessed that it’s only a matter of time before Randy Orton turns on The Authority because he’s sick of having to clean up all of Seth Rollins’ messes.

Orton, who has made it clear in the past that he strongly prefers being a heel, will likely be making his turn soon after the new year and possibly at the Royal Rumble event on January 25.

Rollins vs. Orton has the potential to end up being the best match at WrestleMania 31. Rollins, who will likely still have the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania could put the briefcase on the line against Orton to add some extra intrigue.

Before Orton and Rollins went face-to-face this past Monday, I believed that Rollins would be the perfect opponent for the returning Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 31. Now it seems that Orton vs. Rollins is the direction WWE is going.

Expect Rollins to pick up the win in a “heel-ish” manner over Randy Orton.

John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose

Cena vs. Ambrose did just take place this past week on RAW; however, the stipulation and the layout of the match was to make neither man look inferior.

It has been reported that WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan is pushing for a match with John Cena at WrestleMania 31. In the unlikely event that Hogan is able to pass a physical that will allow him back in the ring for one more match at WrestleMania 31, then expect him to be in the ring with John Cena at the big event in March. However, with Hogan’s long history of back problems and inability to take bumps, don’t count on that happening.

This could be a “passing the torch” type match between Cena and Ambrose as I don’t expect either man to go heel any time soon.

Even though this won’t be a championship match, I expect Dean Ambrose to come out of WrestleMania 31 as the biggest star and best performer on the show.

If WWE knows what they’re doing, Ambrose will beat Cena clean.

Rusev vs. Kurt Angle

Former WWE champion Kurt Angle has been negotiating a return to the company for several months now and will likely have a done deal with WWE by the new year.

This is the obvious match to make if Angle ends up back in WWE. Over the summer, we saw what a poor man’s Rusev vs. Angle match would be like when Rusev took on Jack Swagger. Angle, of course, will have a match with Rusev that is far better than any match Rusev ever had with Swagger.

With it being confirmed that WWE is doing a 40-man Royal Rumble in January, it’s very possible that means they have an abundance of legends who will be making their return to the company in the rumble. Angle could be one of them and, upon his return, he could be the one to eliminate Rusev from the rumble, kicking off their WrestleMania feud.

Angle, the veteran, will likely lose to Rusev via submission at WrestleMania 31.

Sting vs. Undertaker

It’s been a dream match that’s been talked about for years now. The one thing that’s always gotten in the way, Sting not being with WWE, is now not in the way as Sting is signed with WWE and is willing and likely to wrestle a match at WrestleMania 31.

There’s only one barrier to this match and that is Undertaker’s health. The Deadman is no spring chicken, and has a lot of nagging injuries.

Last year’s newsworthy Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar match was a real stinker and I’m not sure how much of that was because of his opponent and how much of that was because of Undertaker’s health.

If Undertaker decides to not compete at this year’s WrestleMania due to too many nagging injuries, Sting may have another willing opponent in Kane. In a recent interview Kane expressed his desire to wrestle Sting at WrestleMania 31. Kane vs. Sting would be a major downgrade but, on the positive side, we’d at least see Sting in a WWE ring.

I expect Undertaker to do what he always does and that is show up on RAW with about 4 weeks left until WrestleMania and one-up Sting’s WWE debut.

If I were booking I’d make this a career vs. career match. However, I’m not, and I expect the Undertaker to win with a Tombstone right in the middle of the ring and retire the next night on RAW.

Triple H vs. The Rock

On the 15th anniversary edition of Friday Night SmackDown Triple H and The Rock went face-to-face and alluded to the two of them having a match at WrestleMania 31.

Some fans may not be all that thrilled to see The Rock take on Triple H at WrestleMania; however, if they do end up taking each other on at the big event, I’ll be more than excited to see how it unfolds.

There’s almost no chance that Triple H will not wrestle at WrestleMania every year until he’s physically not able to do so. As for opponents for him, well, WWE doesn’t have an abundance of those at the moment.

Could “The Game” take on Dean Ambrose at WrestleMania? Sure, it’s possible. Could Triple H take on the returning Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania? It could happen. However, I think WWE wants to get as many eyes as possible on this year’s WrestleMania because it’s likely going to be a launching pad for their next generation of stars and, contrary to what hardcore wrestling fans may have to say, putting super-matches like The Rock vs. Triple H on the card is the best way to get eyes on the big show.

If the two future Hall of Famers end up going one-on-one I expect that The Rock will come out on top.

Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

It’s no secret that WWE wants Roman Reigns to be the heir-apparent to John Cena and having him defeat the dominant Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31 to capture his first WWE championship would most definitely put him on that path.

There has been some concern that eventually WWE fans will catch on to what WWE’s plan is for Roman Reigns and give him the “John Cena treatment.” However, I think the fans are genuinely into Reigns and will just be happy to see someone take John Cena’s spot.

Lesnar vs. Reigns may not end up being a great main-event in terms of match quality, and it may not have the feel-good moment that last year’s WrestleMania 30 had, but it’ll accomplish what it needs to — which is launching a new star.

Personally I think Dean Ambrose should be the guy winning the WWE title in the main-event of WrestleMania, but I don’t have a problem with Reigns being that guy. Reigns and Ambrose will likely be the Cena and Orton of their generation, and be battling for the title for years to come.

Expect Reigns to win clean in the middle with a spear and expect Brock Lesnar to then step away from WWE, temporarily or permanently.

[Images via deviantart.com, overthetoprope.net, bleacherreport.com]