Vince McMahon and the WWE creative team have a great opportunity at Wrestlemania on Sunday to put young stars over in matches against established veterans to set up their next group of main event level Superstars. If they choose to take that path we might look back at Wrestlemania 31 in five years as the turning point that turned entertaining young wrestlers into box office Superstars.
That is the path I took for the most part in this fantasy booking article for Wrestlemania 31.
Below is how I would book the show in terms of the order of matches, the time for each match and who I would make the winner for each match; who the WWE will likely pick is also included as my choices definitely won’t line up 100 percent with what happens on Sunday.
The order in which I listed these matches was not a ranking of how important I think the matches are, but instead I attempted to pace out a show like they do behind the scenes. So I wanted to have a great lead-off match and then slowly build up to the main event with a few less serious matches in between to give fans a mental break.
In terms of timing out the matches on the main card I aimed for right at two hours worth of wrestling. Seems short for a four hour show, but the last three Wrestlemania’s have been pretty consistent with total match times of between 118 and 123 minutes, so that will be my target. I would love to give the matches more time, but apparently the ring walks, set up videos, musical performances and all the other extra stuff takes up more time than I realized.
Kickoff Pre-Show
Fatal 4 Way for the WWE Tag Team Titles – The Usos vs. Los Matadores vs. Big E and Kofi Kingston vs. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd
Time: 20 minutes
Los Matadores and the duo from The New Day—a terrible gimmick by the way—shouldn’t even be considered quite frankly as their current status doesn’t even warrant a title shot at the biggest show of the year much less a victory to win the belts. Adding those two teams was most likely just a way to get more Superstars involved with the card and possibly to take some weight and workload off the injured shoulder of Jey Uso.
Cesaro and Tyson Kidd have earned this spot with a run of good performances over the last couple months, so let them keep the title for a little while and continue to explore their characters; they could really have something. With the split up of Gold and Stardust, the soon to come split of The Miz and Damien Mizdow, the injury to one-half of the Usos and the obvious demotion of The Ascension who else could you even consider giving the belts to?
Who I Think Should Win: Cesaro and Tyson Kidd
Who WWE Will Probably Pick: Cesaro and Tyson Kidd
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Time: 15 minutes
I wouldn’t be shocked if Sheamus won the match after being a surprise entrant, but assuming that doesn’t happen there seem to be two clear favorites to win the match: Ryback or Damien Mizdow.
Ryback certainly has more main event potential, but he’s seemingly already over with the WWE Universe in a big way and doesn’t really need the push; he just needs to be booked into the right program to take off.
With Mizdow however this match seems like the perfect time to pay off the building feud between himself and The Miz while also giving Mizdow a push into a singles run.
As far as booking the finish to set up the feud I would have Mizdow eliminate someone important—maybe Ryback—to leave only he and the Miz left in the ring and then while Mizdow’s back is turned right after the elimination have the Miz attempt to eliminate Mizdow by sneaking up from behind, grabbing his legs and trying to flip him over the ropes. The elimination attempt would of course fail leaving the Miz to turn on his Ric Flair style coward pose and facial expressions or even attempt to order Mizdow out of the ring before he finally snaps after months of torment and eliminates the Miz to win the Battle Royal.
The breakup and victory by Mizdow could set up several return matches including on Raw the day after and then again at the next PPV—Extreme Rules—possibly.
Who I Think Should Win: Damien Mizdow
Who WWE Will Probably Pick: Ryback or Sheamus
Main Card
Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Title – Dolph Ziggler vs. R-Truth vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper vs. Stardust vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Bad News Barrett
Time: 25 minutes
Picking this match as the most likely to steal the show feels like an easy call, but picking a winner was more difficult.
If the goal or desired outcome from this match is only to elevate the Intercontinental Title back to the importance it held during the 1990’s when guys like Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Razor Ramon wore it around their waist then the obvious choice would be to put the belt on Daniel Bryan. I don’t understand all the reasons as to why he’s gained this status, but it’s hard to deny that he’s the top baby face in the company and having him defend the IC Title on PPV’s would give the belt relevance once again.
The belt can’t make a performer; it’s the status of the person that makes the belt. For that reason putting the belt on Stardust, R-Truth, Luke Harper who I like a lot or even letting Bad News Barrett retain would be a mistake. If one of those guys is holding the belt the night after on Monday Night Raw the crowd in the arena and the audience on TV won’t care any more about the belt than they did before the match.
I love the work of Dolph Ziggler, but since he was arguably the belts most prominent owner last year it would seem odd to give it right back to him; it needs a new face, someone who hasn’t held the belt.
So Dean Ambrose or Daniel Bryan: The easy choice would of course be Bryan, but is that the right one?
It may come across as me going against my own logic, but I would give the belt to Ambrose in an attempt to raise his profile. Ambrose is on that second tier of baby faces that are close to breaking out, but just need that one good push to get over the top. The belt can’t make Ambrose by itself, but Ambrose doesn’t need much help and if he’s presented as a major player once he has the belt and is booked into big matches, then you could accomplish both the goal of raising the profile of the title and of Ambrose.
Admittedly Ambrose and the title would have to be booked smartly—which hasn’t been a lock for WWE creative recently—for this to work, but it’s not impossible.
Have most of the high spots and wow moments center on Ambrose and Bryan, make Bryan the last obstacle that Ambrose overcomes before pulling down the belt and then start a feud between them over the next couple Pay-Per-Views. If you put main event Superstars into main event level matches with Ambrose as champion, then the goals of boosting the belt and Ambrose will be accomplished.
Who I Think Should Win: Dean Ambrose
Who WWE Will Probably Pick: Daniel Bryan
Sting vs. Triple H
Time: 20 minutes
What’s best for business is a Sting victory despite the confusing buildup.
By positioning it as WWF/WWE vs. WCW it feels odd to then have the WWF/WWE legend lose, but a Triple H victory would be short sighted. Of course it should be part of the story, but the focus should have been on something more personal.
Putting aside the ridiculous idea to bring Sting back after 14 years to have him lose potentially his only match with the company, a Sting victory could open up opportunities over the next year leading up to Wrestlemania 32 where a Triple H win would not.
Sting may decide to walk away after this one match, but the chances of him returning if it goes well seem favorable. If that’s the case then we might see Sting again at Summer Slam and/or the Royal Rumble leading up to a farewell match at Wrestlemania 32. What story line or matches would a Triple H victory open up?
Maybe there could be a return match with Triple H or another member of the Authority if let’s say Sting were to interfere with a WWE Championship match involving Seth Rollins?
Maybe there could be a double farewell match between Sting and Undertaker at 32? Part of the reason why we didn’t get that match this year despite Sting’s multiple public statements that he wanted it to happen had to be because they didn’t want to bring Sting in just to lose his first match and nothing much could be gained by having him hand the Undertaker a second straight defeat; as in Sting wouldn’t need or benefit from a rub.
So let Sting get his victory this year and then have him do the job for Undertaker next year in a farewell match that would have the added benefit of being in Undertaker’s home state. Plus that match would sure go a long way towards selling out the 100,000-plus seat stadium in north Texas.
Who I Think Should Win: Sting by pinfall
Who WWE Will Probably Pick: Sting by pinfall
Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton
Time: 15 minutes
The clock is ticking on the Money in the Bank contract held by Seth Rollins, so if he’s going to cash in soon and be presented as a main event star then he needs to be treated like one at Wrestlemania.
The move set and skill level that Rollins showed off at the Royal Rumble will probably turn him into a top baby face at some point, but for the time being he should be used as the company’s top heel. Rusev and Bray Wyatt could also make an argument for that spot as the top heel, but Rollins is obviously much closer to the main event level as the owner of the Money in the Bank briefcase.
I’ll put it simply: What does a Randy Orton victory accomplish? He’s already a made man and having Rollins lose would push the idea that he’s still stuck on that second tier.
On the other hand a strong Rollins win over a future Hall of Famer should give him the rub he needs to be a serious player for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
It needs to be a strong victory by Rollins too, not something he gets cheaply through interference from J&J Security. Those guys are great at building heat for Rollins, but Wrestlemania should be a spot where Rollins is presented as good enough and skilled enough to beat top level guys on his own and not someone who is only capable of winning through cheating.
Cheating is crucial for a heel to get heat, but to me it’s important for a future WWE Champion to win cleanly at least a couple times to show the fans that he belongs on that level.
Who I Think Should Win: Seth Rollins by clean pinfall
Who WWE Will Probably Pick: Seth Rollins by distraction
Bray Wyatt vs. The Undertaker
Time: 20 minutes
This was a tough call because the Undertaker has been my favorite wrestler since I first started watching the product—WWF at the time—back in 1995.
As tough as it would be to book the Undertaker into a second straight defeat, Bray Wyatt needs the victory as a push more than the Undertaker needs it as a feel good, comeback story.
This match should be treated like a passing of the torch as Wyatt takes over the spot as the mysterious, face of evil heel that Undertaker use to own. It’s possible to put Wyatt over even with a loss like they did with Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 13 in a loss to Bret Hart, but after also losing last year to John Cena it would be hard to push him as an unstoppable force and top heel coming off back to back losses on the grandest stage of them all.
The WWE has to invest in their future with this match and their future is obviously the 27-year old Wyatt and not the old enough to be his father Undertaker who just turned 50. At best the Undertaker could have a few more matches left before he fully retires while Wyatt could have 15 years or more left in his prime; the pick should be obvious if you’re able to set aside emotions and feelings.
With a win Wyatt could be pushed up to the main event level pretty quickly while a win does what exactly for the Undertaker? Sure it would feel good to see him get a win, but win or lose he’s already a lock Hall of Famer and one of the best of his generation; Wyatt has way more to gain than Undertaker has to lose.
Put Wyatt over this year and if Undertaker feels up for it bring him back for Wrestlemania 32 in his home state of Texas and give him an amazing farewell win over Sting or another legend of his era. That type of match may seem difficult to sell at first with him coming off consecutive losses, but the build really wouldn’t be that hard to plan.
Play it up as “does the Undertaker still have it” like you would with any other aging athlete. The same story lines have circulated around guys in other sports like Brett Favre and people still paid to see him perform and the media still talked about him. If the opponent is a heel he could easily antagonize Undertaker about his age, the losing streak, call him over the hill or washed up and tell the world that his time is over and that he doesn’t have “it” anymore.
Sell the Undertaker as an underdog basically and let him overcome and prove “the critics” wrong so to speak. People love to see the older performer that they loved during their childhood have one last hurrah and come away victorious in his send-off; easy to write and plan out.
The Undertaker is an attraction and will be so next year despite two losses; especially if it’s announced that it will be his final match.
Who I Think Should Win: Bray Wyatt by pinfall
Who WWE Will Probably Pick: The Undertaker by pinfall
Divas Tag – Bella Twins vs. AJ Lee and Paige
Time: 5 minutes
I’m not sure the winner of this match matters a great deal because there isn’t much of a story line here and the WWE rarely books Divas into matches or programs that feel important.
All of these Divas can work and perform pretty well, but their matches often just feel like a random match of the week. There’s rarely any build up, they rarely get any promo time and their matches are often the shortest of the night; hard to get excited when it’s presented like it doesn’t mean anything.
The Bella twins are important for the relationship between the in-ring action and their TV show “Total Divas” which AJ Lee isn’t even on I believe, so putting them over makes sense.
Who I Think Should Win: Bella Twins by pinfall
Who WWE Will Probably Pick: Bella Twins by pinfall
WWE United States Title Match – Rusev vs. John Cena
Time: 15 minutes
It’s time for John Cena to put a young guy over.
I would argue he should have done the same last year against Bray Wyatt, but eventually he has to do the favor to boost a young guy up and help out the business over the long term.
Putting aside how much the cheesy build up has annoyed me—just waiting for Cena to start running up steps or punching slabs of meat inside a freezer—giving Rusev the win makes the most sense for his future, the future of the company and for Cena himself.
Makes sense for Cena? I know, stay with me while I explain.
Cena will turn 38 next month and is at a point in his career where he should start taking time off every once in a while and cut his schedule back. Not only would some time off help extend his career by not wearing him out physically, but taking a step away could also help to freshen him up with the fans.
Over exposure creates fatigue, resentment and the desire to see something new. Despite Cena putting on some great matches in 2014 the reaction from fans has been negative because they’re simply tired of listening to the same promo week after week and having the Super-Cena ending forced down their throat month after month at each PPV.
Randy Orton suffered from some of the same fatigue from the fans last year, but after a three month break he received a great pop when he returned at Fastlane and then opened Raw the following night.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Right now Cena is like a hit song: You like it a lot and appreciate the skill of the performer(s), but if someone in the work place puts it on repeat on their iPod you might jam something sharp in to your ear. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Let Cena rest physically, let the fans recover mentally from Cena fatigue and give him a couple months off after Wrestlemania.
Booking Rusev strong, having the announcers play up the physical beating Cena receives and maybe even having him taken out on a stretcher would put Rusev over huge and give Cena an excuse to take some time off.
One idea would be to have Cena make a surprise return at Money in the Bank in June to interfere with Rusev and start a build up for a return match at Summer Slam.
A win like that would put a rocket booster on the back of Rusev and give the WWE another main event level heel to go along and rotate with Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt to help keep things fresh and not have to repeat the same story lines each month.
Who I Think Should Win: Rusev by submission—Cena passes out again
Who WWE Will Probably Pick: Cena by cheesy comeback pinfall
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match – Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
Time: 25 minutes
With Brock Lesnar re-signing the WWE has a couple attractive options, but for me neither involves Roman Reigns winning—and keeping—the title.
What they should do depends on how they want to use the WWE World Heavyweight Champion over the next several months: If they’re OK with a part-time champion then keeping the belt on Lesnar—the biggest attraction on the roster—makes the most sense. On the other hand if they want a more active champion or fail to/choose not to boost up the secondary belts then they’ll need to come up with a different plan.
For me that plan would be to have Reigns win the belt, but then immediately lose it to Seth Rollins after he cashes in with some help from the Authority. My reason for putting the belt on Rollins instead of Reigns is twofold: Rollins is more interesting with both his promos and in-ring work and because giving it to Rollins would better set up a feud to carry the company while Lesnar and Cena—from my previous scenario—take some time off.
If Reigns wins and then keeps the belt, who do you match him up with over the following months? It probably wouldn’t be Rollins while he still has an un-cashed Money in the Bank contract. I know Rollins already got one title match while also holding the briefcase, but I would be surprised if that happened again as that felt like a unique situation.
You could create a conflict between Reigns and Rusev or Bray Wyatt—assuming either guy is booked strong and wins their match—but the storyline is already there and ready to go if Rollins screws Reigns over not to mention their history going back to the destruction of the Shield.
I would have two plans for after Wrestlemania with who Rollins would defend the belt against and how he would eventually lose the title.
Both scenarios involve him successfully defending the belt against Reigns at Extreme Rules and then again versus a different baby face in May at Payback. At that point going into Money in the Bank in June I would either use Sting like I hinted at earlier or have Brock Lesnar return to challenge and win the belt back.
If Sting is willing and available and the WWE chooses that option, then Sting could help a baby face like Dolph Ziggler or Daniel Bryan win the title at Money in the Bank or Battlefield. From there you could set up a Rollins vs. Sting feud with a Summer Slam payoff while also setting up a new feud for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship between one of the baby faces I mentioned and either Rusev or Bray Wyatt to keep things fresh.
Having Rollins cash in with one of the scenarios I laid out would be my first choice, but picking Lesnar to retain and following a path similar to what they did with him in 2014 would be fine as well.
Who I Think Should Win: Roman Reigns by pinfall victory followed by Seth Rollins taking the belt after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract
Who WWE Will Probably Pick: Brock Lesnar by pinfall
What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised.
Follow me on Twitter for more WWE discussion and live commentary during Wrestlemania: @sackedbybmac