It’s that time of year again! We’re about three months away from Wrestlemania 31. Wrestlemania is traditionally where new stars are built. In the last 10 years of Wrestlemanias there have only been 5 new main event stars created: John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, Edge, and CM Punk. Out of those five only two are currently with WWE.
One of the reasons there have been few stars created is because WWE has been relying on stars from yesteryear to be the main attraction. Stars like The Rock, Undertaker, and Brock Lesnar, who rarely appear during the year, are booked instead of the guys who have been busting their ass the whole year. I understand the business principle of bringing in old stars, but the new guys will never get a chance to shine if they are hidden in the shadows of the old stars.
Last year WWE finally christened a new star in Daniel Bryan. Unfortunately Bryan has been out with an injury for the majority of this year. At Wrestlemania 31, WWE has no choice but, to feature several up and coming guys and transform them into larger than life superstars. Here are 8 guys who need to be on the Wrestlemania 31 card:
1. Dolph Ziggler
Source: wwe.com
Dolph Ziggler made his Wrestlemania debut at Wrestlemania 26 in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Since then Ziggler has only been involved in multi-man matches on the big show. Ziggler needs an epic one on one match to display what he can do with the whole world watching. With the recent push Ziggler has been receiving, it looks like all signs are pointing to a good spot for Ziggler on the Wrestlemania card. A solid Intercontinental title match against a strong opponent is what Ziggler needs at Wrestlemania 31.
2. Ryback
Source: wwe.com
Wrestlemania 29 should have been the start of Ryback’s push as the next big star. Ryback was one of the hottest babyfaces and the crowd was buying what he was selling. For some unknown reason WWE decided to have Mark Henry defeat Ryback. That lost set the tone for the rest of Ryback’s year as he quickly stumbled down the card. Ryback’s injury was saving the grace for his career. He made his return in October as a babyface and has quickly risen back to popularity. WWE needs to strike while the iron is hot with Ryback. At Wrestlemania 31 Ryback not only needs a match but, needs a big victory that will continue to elevate him.
3. Dean Ambrose
Source: wwe.com
When the Shield broke up everybody thought that Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins were going to get lost in the shuffle. Both men proved everybody wrong, especially Ambrose. His unique wild and reckless style has captured the adoration of the WWE Universe. Ambrose’s performance this year earned him the 2014 Breakout Star Slammy. Ambrose has main evented Hell In A Cell and TLC. During Black Friday weekend, Ambrose had the highest selling piece of merchandise. WWE can’t argue the star power of Ambrose. Depending on how the WWE title picture plays out, Ambrose could potentially win this year’s Royal Rumble and head to the Wrestlemania 31 main event. Regardless if he wins the Rumble or not Ambrose needs to be featured at Wrestlemania 31. Personally, I would love to see Ambrose versus Rollins in a 30 minute Iron Man match.
4. Roman Reigns
Source: wwe.com
Roman Reigns is currently Vince McMahon’s new “golden boy” and is being groomed to take John Cena’s spot. Rumors have been running heavy that the plans are for Reigns to win the Royal Rumble and defeat Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. There is a lot of debate whether Reigns is ready for that spot and the responsibility of being the face of the company. At this moment do I think Reigns is ready to main event Wrestlemania 31? No. Can he be ready within the next three months? I think so, but only time will tell. Whether Reigns is in the title match or not he’s still a rising star that needs a Wrestlemania moment that goes down in history.
5. Seth Rollins
Source: wwe.com
Mr. Money in the Bank, Seth Rollins is in the middle of a great heel run. Rollins’ has had several great matches this year and I think he was robbed of Superstar of the Year Slammy. Rollins has won 7 out of 4 pay-per-view matches this year. Rollins is only a few curb stomps away from being a larger than life superstar. As I mentioned earlier, I would love to see Rollins and Ambrose wrestle in an Iron Man at Wrestlemania 31. Another option could be Rollins versus Reigns versus Ambrose. To make Rollins the ultimate heel and go down in Wrestlemania history, he needs to be the first guy to cash in the Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania.
6. Bray Wyatt
Source: wwe.com
It seems like WWE creative has no idea how to fully utilize Bray Wyatt. Bray has lost a majority of matches and rivalries this year and when he does win, it seems to get him nowhere, Despite the losses he has worked with stars such as Kane, Chris Jericho, and John Cena. Rumor has it that WWE is planning for Bray Wyatt to face the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 31. Personally, I don’t think Undertaker should ever wrestle again now that the streak is broken. A match with Taker will not benefit Wyatt. If Taker competes this year I’m sure he’ll be going over. Wyatt needs a big win that can give his character some momentum. I would book Wyatt against Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental title and have the Eater of Worlds become the new champion.
7. Luke Harper
Source: wwe.com
Much like the Shield break up, when the Wyatts went their separate ways people thought that Luke Harper and Erick Rowan were going to be forgotten about. So far Harper has benefited the most from the disbanding. Harper was the first Wyatt to win singles gold and had great performances at Survivor Series and TLC. It looks like WWE is saving a Haper versus Rowan show down for Wrestlemania. Which I think all the fans want to see and would be a great way to highlight Harper and Rowan.
8. Rusev
Source: wwe.com
t’s been a destructive year for the “Super Athlete” Rusev. As of this writing Rusev has still not been pinned or submitted. I think at Wrestlemania 31 Rusev’s streak should be broken. Right now it looks like WWE is planting the seeds for Rusev versus Ryback. Ryback has the power and size to defeat Rusev. If Rusev lost I think he would be able to bounce back quickly and continue to be a dominate character.
I agree with this list. It would be nice to see a tag title match on the main card.