Match Predictions for WWE Wrestlemania 31 on Monday

WWE's annual extravaganza, Wrestlemania happens on Monday at the Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. This is the 31st edition of the mega event, and will be telecast LIVE on Ten Sports at 4:30 am IST (Monday). 

The main event matches include Brock Lesnar v/s Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Sting v/s Triple H, Undertaker v/s Bray Wyatt, John Cena v/s Rusev and Seth Rollins v/s Roman Reigns. Additionally, the Intercontinental and Tag Team Titles will also be defended on the show. There is also the Andre the Giant battle royal. Here we predict the results of each match on the card.

1) AJ Lee and Paige v/s The Bella Twins: This match is as much about the rivalry between now-friends, now-enemies AJ Lee and Paige as it is about beating the Bella Twins. While AJ and Paige are back on the same side, there has been tension between them again, keeping up a possibility of one turning on the other at Wrestlemania in their tag match. But the two ladies have been through so many twists and turns that a clean pinfall victory, assumedly at the hands of Paige seems likely.
Winners: AJ Lee and Paige

2) Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal: What should have been a stepping stone to success has become just another way to win a trophy, and a spectacle for the pre-show. There are a dozen or more competitors in this bout, but expect Mizdow to come out on top trouncing the Miz. Some Curtis Axel theatrics (and a very poor performance) are to be expected too.
Winner: Damien Mizdow

3) The Usos v/s The New Day v/s Tyson Kidd and Cesaro v/s Los Matadores (Tag Team Titles): A match thrown together because WWE's creative lacks creativity. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro are the champions right now, but WWE will be tempted to give the titles to the Usos. Perhaps another Kidd-Natalya showdown is on the cards. In any case, New Day and Los Matadores are just there to fill up the numbers.
Winners: The Usos

4) Undertaker v/s Bray Wyatt: This is the first big ticket match. The Undertaker has not wrestled for a year after his historic, streak-ending loss to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 30. Bray Wyatt on the other hand, has been rebooted after a feud with Cena only saw his character get hurt. The storyline is that Wyatt claims the Undertaker is finished and not frightening any more, that he (Wyatt) is the new 'face of fear'. Wyatt has carried this whole feud yet as Undertaker has not shown up in person. 

But this match is difficult to predict. Would WWE risk another Bray Wyatt loss to a megastar at Wrestlemania, thus never really allowing him to become big enough to enter the main event scene? Or will it allow another Undertaker loss? If Undertaker loses, his legacy will be hurt - 1 loss against a beast in the form of his life, after 21 wins, is still very formidable. WWE may not want to make it 21-2, as it would hurt Undertaker as well as lessen the scale of Lesnar's achievement. But I'd still go with Bray Wyatt here, he needs the win more than Undertaker does.
Winner: Bray Wyatt

5) Daniel Bryan v/s Luke Harper v/s Stardust v/s Dolph Ziggler v/s R-Truth v/s Bad News Barrett v/s Dean Ambrose (Ladder Match for Intercontinental Title): Why do we have a 7-man match? For excitement? I'd rather have Daniel Bryan v/s Dolph Zigger and Goldust v/s Stardust. But then WWE Creative lacks creativity so they threw these 7 men together. It was also a way to assuage Daniel Bryan fans and (reportedly) an attempt to elevate the IC title. How do they do it? They will do it by letting Daniel Bryan win. It would also be a clever way to keep him away from the WWE World title picture by having him rot in the midcard.
Winner: Daniel Bryan

6) John Cena v/s Rusev (US Title): It's unprecedented to see Cena so low on the card at Wrestlemania. Anyway, Rusev is the unpinned Russian nationalist who runs down America at the first opportunity each time. Ironically, he holds the US Title. John Cena is the Hogan-esque chest beating American patriot. Cena doesn't need the US Title, but he and only he can beat Rusev because so many have fallen before the Russian. Cena will get the US Title because ultimately, America and Cena must prevail over Russia and unbeaten, raw talent.
Winner: John Cena

7) Seth Rollins v/s Randy Orton: The build-up to this match was a stop-start one until Orton went bonkers on Rollins a few weeks ago on RAW. Nevertheless, it is exciting to see Orton as the raging face once more. Unfortunately, Orton is a difficult man to handle, and might have insisted on a win at Wrestlemania to regain his 'lost' main event reputation. Better sense should prevail however, with Seth Rollins beating Orton. It could elevate Rollins and set up an interesting cash-in opportunity segment which I will discuss later.
Winner: Seth Rollins

8) Sting v/s Triple H: Yet another feud which has been underdone by a clueless Creative team. Sting was instrumental in helping Cena's team overthrow the Authority at Survivor Series, so wouldn't it make sense to put the Authority's jobs on the line here? But no. They had to have the marquee match with the brain dead idea that Sting was waiting to strike HHH all these years. Moreover, Sting has successfully thwarted HHH twice already, and embarrassed him at Fast Lane. By professional wrestling logic, HHH should get the win then. That makes little sense however, so WWE may just give Sting the win and enhance HHH's new reputation as a main event jobber. 
Winner: Sting

9) Brock Lesnar v/s Roman Reigns (WWE World Heavyweight Title): California, we have a problem.
Lesnar is supposed to be the unstoppable, brutal heel who waylaid the Undertaker at Wrestlemania and then beat Cena to pulp in an extended squash match at Summerslam last year. His feats however gained Lesnar a big, fresh fan following among WWE fans. Reigns on the other hand was a loved heel-turned face in late 2013 and even until mid-2014. His hernia surgery however, stunted his momentum. On coming back he was booed by a WWE Universe intent on seeing Daniel Bryan (returned from injury too) as the World champion again. Bryan's injury cost Reigns a massive fan following and this was not helped by his ordinary in-ring skills or mediocre mic work. 

But WWE is determined to push Reigns to the top, and it will happen at Wrestlemania 31. The only difference being that Reigns will be booed all the way to hell along the way. There is a rumour that with Brock extending his contract with WWE, he could keep the title, but that would kill Reigns' push and throw him a few years back in time. It would also render the Wrestlemania main event meaningless.
Winner: Roman Reigns

Here's an interesting twist though. Seth Rollins has the Money In the Bank briefcase and I believe he will cash it in on Reigns on Sunday night. Fresh off a victory, Rollins would crash the party and get the match started. Would he win the title then? Probably not. I feel Orton would come out to spoil the fun and rob Rollins off a win and the briefcase. Rollins has grown enough to not need the briefcase anymore. Once he is done with Orton at a later date, he can feud with Reigns or whoever the champion is and get the title, in a proper match. After all, Wrestlemania ending in a successful cash in sounds wrong, and no cash in sounds bad too.

Overall, the Wrestlemania card is not as strong as it was last year. There is an obvious lack of planning and a case of thick headedness on the part of WWE Creative (as usual). But it's a solid card and could be enjoyable if WWE presses the right buttons.