WWE Wrestlemania 31 RESULTS: All Three Belts Change Hands and One Epic Finish

By Nick “Red” Conley

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match – Exciting Match that Could Have Been Better

Winner: Daniel Bryan

I had higher hopes for this match, but maybe that is because I had unrealistic expectations from the beginning. Or, it could be just that WWE Creative dropped the ball again, which is certainly not unheard of. When I think of ladders, I think of nothing but mayhem. I think of the match between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose where the two destroyed each other. People wanted to see a stunt show with this match. With superstars like Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper, Bad News Barrett, Stardust, and I guess R-Truth in the ring together, you would expect nothing but action, and to an extent there were some great moves and serious punishment.

I would say the greatest and most shocking was when Luke Harper threw Dean Ambrose out of the ring onto two ladders. It is unfortunate though because it was that very move that practically eliminated Dean Ambrose from winning the belt. Luke Harper looked great in this match and Bad News Barrett looked strong as well. Stardust had some interesting plays, but R-Truth and Dolph Ziggler lacked in this match (maybe except for the head butting contest with Daniel Bryan at the end).

Overall, I think WWE went with the correct winner by having Daniel Bryan victorious. He is going to do great things with the Intercontinental Championship belt and we can expect some great feuds and matches ahead. The fans will be behind him and the opportunities are endless. For the next couple of months, we can expect Bryan to feud with Bad News Barrett, maybe Stardust and Luke Harper, and almost certainly Ziggler. We do know that Bryan and Ziggler have great chemistry together. I think really Daniel Bryan is going to make the belt relevant again. My question is, where does Dean Ambrose go from here?

Randy Orton versus Seth Rollins – Phenomenal Finish to a Largely Unremarkable Match

Winner: Randy Orton

This match followed the Intercontinental Championship match, so the pace seemed much slower than it probably was. The match was pretty typical of what you would see from these two incredible athletes – trading big blows, J and J Security interferences, several moves off the ropes, etc. Although, I have to say that what finished this match was the best RKO I had ever seen in all my time watching Randy Orton. It was a great way to end the match. Even though Seth Rollins lost, he still looked strong because even the best would not be able to kick out from that RKO. To sum this match up – a solid, but unremarkable match with an incredible finish.

With Rollins now having bigger things in store (see analysis on Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns match), Randy Orton is likely to move up as well and possibly be a future contender for the World Heavyweight Championship belt. Randy Orton certainly deserves that, since he is one of the best.

Sting versus Triple H – The Match of Nostalgia

Winner: Triple H

The match between Triple H and Sting is a dream match for many WWE fans. WWE Creative definitely gave us some surprises with this match. While the match itself was kind of slow, as expected, interference by D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels, Billy Gun, Road Dogg, X-Pac) on behalf of Triple H was shocking enough. However, when NWO (Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall) showed up to counter D-Generation X, it brought us all back to the days of the Monday Night War. Social media and WWE fans at Levi Stadium ate this up. After some back and forth interference and good match ups outside the ring between the sides, Triple H ended up finishing the match with a sledgehammer hit to Sting’s face. Another surprise was Triple H and Sting shaking hands at the end. I would argue this was not a fantastic match, but definitely a memorable one. It is possible this could be Sting’s last match or at least last match until next year’s WrestleMania.

AJ Lee & Paige versus the Bella Twins – Give the Divas a Chance!

Winner: AJ Lee & Paige

I was optimistic prior to this match that WWE Creative would in fact “give the Divas a chance.” I mean over the last several months, the Divas were getting more time in the ring, at least the Bella Twins, Paige, and AJ Lee, but this match certainly disappointed in my opinion. It was nothing special between the sides. I am actually a huge fan of Paige and would have liked to see her in the ring more (outside of getting beat up by the Bellas). My favorite part of the match though was outside the ring when Paige threw Brie into the stairs. It is time though for WWE Creative to incorporate more Divas into interesting storylines. The friend-enemy storyline between AJ Lee and Paige is boring and redundant, and having the two constantly fight the Bellas is getting old and boring. Hopefully we will only have a few more rematches like this between the sides and then everyone could move on. What I learned though from this match is WWE Creative did NOT give the divas a chance at WrestleMania.

John Cena versus Rusev – I Hope Lana is Alright

Winner: John Cena

I want to start out by saying that I am glad WWE Creative is no longer having John Cena compete for the World Heavyweight Championship belt, and instead having him compete for a title like the U.S. Championship. It brings more prestige to the belt and allows more credible superstars to compete for it. This match overall was pretty typical and what one would expect from these two competitors. It did not seem like the fans were really into the match – booing Cena, cheering/booing Rusev, and chanting “Let’s go Lana.” I kind of would have preferred if Rusev won this match. WrestleMania 31 represents Rusev’s first loss since he came to the WWE, and I think that loss should have been to someone the WWE was trying to make into a rising star, which would have given that person instant credibility. Losing to Cena I think was kind of a waste.

On a positive note though, I guess it does give Cena the U.S. Championship belt and makes this secondary belt relevant again. The only really interesting and unique part of this match was when Lana attempted to interfere, which ended up backfiring and costing Rusev the match. Lana was flung off the ropes and really one of the few, if any, times we see Lana directly impacted in a match. I hope she is alright.

Undertake versus Bray Wyatt – The Deadman is Back

Winner: The Undertaker

I expected this match to be slow and Bray Wyatt to have to do all the heavy lifting. I mean the Undertaker did just turn 50 years old. However, I think the Undertaker moved pretty good for his age and certainly better than last WrestleMania against Brock Lesnar. I am a big fan of Bray Wyatt, but even I understand there is no way the Undertaker is losing two Wrestlemanias in a row. No way.

This match was nothing special and I actually expected more from it. I figured the Undertaker would win, but I was hoping there would be something after the match, maybe some indication that the Undertaker was “passing the torch” to Wyatt. Something. It just ended and next thing I know, Bray Wyatt was out of the ring. It makes me wonder where WWE Creative is going to have Bray Wyatt go from here. He lost two WrestleManias in a row and not in a position to challenge anyone for a title. Will we see another long break for Bray Wyatt? He seems to be kind of in a similar situation as Dean Ambrose. Both are immensily talented, but seem to have no direction. And for some reason, both keep losing. Despite my rant, I am glad to see the Undertaker win. He surely deserves it after losing to Brock Lesnar last year.

Brock Lesnar versus Roman Reigns – The Opportunities are Now Endless

Winner: Seth Rollins

I just want to start out by saying that Brock Lesnar is an absolute beast. The match started with both Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar beating on each other, with Reigns drawing first blood by causing a large cut on Lesnar’s face. However, within the first few seconds, Reigns got F5’d, and then “Suplex City” started. Despite the beating by Lesnar, there were spurts of energy for Reigns, and for a few moments, Reigns looked like he was on top when he got in a few spears and superman punches. It all started when Reigns sidestepped Lesnar and used the ring post to cause a massive cut on Lesnar’s face that bled everywhere. However, before you know it, Lesnar gave Reigns another F5 and a few more suplexes, but he was beaten and bloodied. Now this is where the match takes an interesting turn. Seth Rollins cashes in his Money in the Bank contract (as expected). It is absolute mayhem in the ring for several minutes with spears, F5s, and curb stomps. Lesnar ends up getting knocked out of the ring, Rollins curb stomps Reigns, and Rollins wins the match.

So I am happy and a little upset about the outcome of this match. I am upset because I really enjoyed Lesnar as the World Heavyweight Champion. He was absolutely dominant and no wrestler seemed close to beating him in a one-on-one match. I think nothing is more exciting right now than a Brock Lesnar match. I am happy in a way because now the opportunities are endless for WWE Creative in terms of competition for the belt. The WWE was able to get the title away from Lesnar by still making him look strong because he was not the one pinned, made Rollins look like an opportunistic scavenger, and made Reigns still look tough despite being the one pinned because he kicked out of numerous F5s and laughed at Lesnar as he took a beating. The viciousness of the match was clear, and enhanced by the bloodshed. The drama in the last 45 seconds of the match was really unparalleled and it was hard to tell who was going to win. But in the end, it was the opportunistic and self-proclaimed future of the WWE Seth Rollins who won.

So all in all, I would say I am a little excited about the outcome of this match, as long as WWE plays it right. At the moment, we have three legitimate superstars who should be all competing with Seth Rollins for the belt – Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Randy Orton. I would even like to see Dean Ambrose thrown in there, or Bray Wyatt. The good thing here is that none of them are John Cena.