WrestleMania 31 was the thirty-first annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on March 29, 2015, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.[2]
It was the first WrestleMania event to be held in the San Francisco Bay Area, the sixth to be held in the state ofCalifornia (after 2, VII, XII, 2000, and 21), and the sixth to be held in an open-air venue (after IX, XXIV, XXVI, XXVIII, and 29).
Nine matches took place at the event, with two being shown on the pre-show. In the main event, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract as the scheduled match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns was in progress, and won the resulting impromptu triple threat match to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The event was also notable for Sting's debut match in WWE, in which he lost to Triple H.
The event received highly positive reviews from fans and critics alike; some critics called it one of the best WrestleMania events.[3] WWE reported that the show was highest grossing WWE event ever, drawing a revenue of $12.6 million. WWE also claimed an attendance figure of 76,976
Production.
Background...
WrestleMania is considered WWE's flagship event, and has been described as the Super Bowl of sports entertainment.
The logo for the event included a red "play" button. According to a San Jose Mercury News article, Vince McMahon explained that the play button highlighted the technical prowess of Silicon Valley.[7] There were two theme songs for the event. The main theme was "Rise" by David Guetta featuring Skylar Grey, while the secondary theme was "Money and the Power" by Kid Ink. The event featured live musical performances from Skylar Grey, Kid Ink, Travis Barker and Aloe Blacc.[8]Grammy Award winner LL Cool J was featured in the opening video package for the event.
Travel Packages for the event went on sale on September 29 with the exclusive California Dreamin' Travel Package ranging from $5,500. The VIP Package, Platinum Premium Package, Gold Package and Silver Package was available on October 6 with prices starting from $3,250, $1,650, $1,150 and $900 respectively including tickets to WrestleMania, hotel accommodation, airfare, and other activities through WrestleMania Axxess.[10][11] Individual tickets went on sale on November 15 ranging from $35 to $1,000.
Storylines
WrestleMania 31 featured professional wrestling matches that involved wrestlers from pre-existingscripted feuds, plots, and storylines that played out on WWE's primary television programs, Raw andSmackDown. Wrestlers portrayed faces (heroes) or heels (villains) as they followed a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[13][14]
At Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar successfully defended his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match. Rollins was also the holder of the Money in the Bank briefcase, additionally guaranteeing him a future title match at a time of his choosing. Meanwhile, the 2015 Royal Rumble match was won by Roman Reigns, granting him a main event title match against Lesnar at WrestleMania. Reigns' win was met by a negative reaction from the live crowd at the Royal Rumble.[15][16][17] On the February 2 episode of Raw, Reigns agreed to put his number one contendership on the line in a match atFastlane. Later in the night, Daniel Bryan defeated Rollins to earn the privilege to face Reigns at the event.[18] At Fastlane, Reigns defeated Bryan to ensure his title shot against Lesnar at WrestleMania.[19] Reigns had only two face-to-face interactions with Lesnar prior to WrestleMania, with his title match described as "being built on whether or not he is even worthy of being in the match in the first place".[20] Reigns was also described as having "experienced no adversity on his journey" as he "chatted with [Lesnar's manager] Paul Heyman one week, got a shirt, and then played tug o' war with" Lesnar - a reference to the in-ring confrontation between Lesnar and Reigns on the March 23 episode of Raw, in which the two grappled with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt.[21] It was acknowledged in the storylines that Lesnar's contract was set to expire not long after WrestleMania. Less than a week before the event amid speculation that he would be returning to UFC, Lesnar announced his signing of a new WWE contract and his retirement from mixed martial arts.[22]
At Survivor Series, Sting made his first appearance in the WWE by interfering in the main event Survivor Series elimination match, attacking Triple H and aiding Dolph Ziggler in pinning Rollins, giving Team Cena the win and causing the Authority to be removed from power, which had been a secondary stipulation of the match.[23] On January 19 episode of Raw, Sting made his Raw debut by appearing backstage during the main event, a 3-on-1 handicap match between Cena and the team of Big Show, Kane, and Rollins. The lights in the arena darkened as Sting walked to the stage and gestured to the Authority at ringside. The distraction allowed Cena to pin Rollins for the win, which reinstated the jobs of the recently (kayfabe) fired Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan.[24] On January 26, it was officially announced via WWE.com that Triple H challenged Sting to a "face-to-face" confrontation at Fastlane. On the February 9 episode of Raw, Triple H again called Sting out to accept his challenge. The lights went out, and a group of Sting impersonators appeared around the arena and inside the ring, illuminated by spotlights, while a video message stating that Sting had accepted Triple H's challenge played on the TitanTron.[25] At Fastlane, the two brawled until Sting got control of Triple H. Sting then pointed to the WrestleMania sign in the rafters, with Triple H accepting the challenge. Later in the night, it was announced that Triple H would face Sting at the event.[19]
On the February 23 episode of Raw, it was announced that the second annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal would take place at WrestleMania. The Miz,Curtis Axel and Ryback announced their participation in the match.[26] On the February 26 episode of SmackDown, Fandango and Adam Rose announced their participation in the match.[27] On March 2, it was announced on Facebook by WWE that Zack Ryder was added to the match.[28] Later in the night, Jack Swagger,Titus O'Neil, and Darren Young announced their participation in the match on the WWE App. On the March 5 episode of SmackDown, Big Show and Kane announced their participation in the match.[29] On March 9, it was announced on WWE.com that Erick Rowan and Sin Cara were added to the match. On the March 9 episode of Raw, Damien Mizdow announced his participation in the match.[30] On the March 16 episode of Raw, Goldust, Heath Slater, and Mark Henry were added to the match.[31] On the March 23, the Ascension announced their participation in the match on the WWE App. On March 26, it was announced on WWE.com that the match would take place on the pre-show.[32] That same day, Hideo Itami won an NXT tournament at WrestleMania Axxess to earn a spot in the match.[33]
On February 26, it was announced on Facebook by WWE that Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett would defend his title in a multiple-man ladder match at the event.[34] On the March 2 episode of Raw, it was announced that R-Truth would be part of the match.[35] On March 4, it was announced on WWE.com that Dean Ambrose and Luke Harper were added to the match.[36][37] On the March 5 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that Ziggler was added to the match.[29] On March 10, it was announced on WWE.com that Stardust was added to the match. On the March 12 episode of SmackDown, Bryan announced that he was entering the match.[38]
At Fastlane, Rusev defeated Cena to retain the WWE United States Championship after hitting Cena with a low blow (while the referee was distracted with Lana) and making him pass out to the Accolade submission hold.[19] In the following weeks, Cena challenged Rusev to a rematch, which Rusev declined. On the March 2 episode of Raw, Stephanie McMahon decreed that Cena would not compete at WrestleMania unless Rusev agreed to a match.[35] On the March 9 episode of Raw, after Rusev defeated Curtis Axel, Rusev made several insulting remarks towards the USA, drawing the ire of Cena. Following the insults, Cena went into the ring and placed Rusev in the STF submission hold until Rusev passed out. Cena then picked up a bottle of water, used it to revive Rusev and then placed him into the STF again. Although Rusev was tapping out, Cena refused to break the hold until Lana granted Cena a title rematch at WrestleMania on Rusev's behalf.[30]
On the March 2 episode of Raw, Paige defeated Divas Champion Nikki Bella by disqualification in a title match after Brie Bella attacked Paige; therefore, Nikki retained the title. Brie and Nikki then continued to attack Paige in the ring until AJ Lee returned from injury and saved Paige.[35] On the March 5 episode of SmackDown, AJ defeated Brie after Paige prevented Nikki from interfering in the match.[29] On March 9, it was announced on WWE.com that AJ and Paige would face The Bella Twins at WrestleMania.
At Fastlane, Bray Wyatt challenged The Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania after sending messages to the Undertaker weeks prior.[19] On the March 9 episode of Raw, the Undertaker accepted Wyatt's challenge to a match at the event.[30]
On the October 20 episode of Raw, Authority members Randy Orton, Kane, and Seth Rollins defeated Cena and Ambrose in a 3-on-2 handicap street fight. Immediately following the match, Orton was Curb Stomped by Rollins following dissension between the two.[39] On the October 27 episode of Raw, Orton RKO'd Rollins, thus directly defying the Authority's orders.[40]On the November 3 episode of Raw, after increasing frustration, Orton attacked Rollins during his Intercontinental Championship match against Ziggler. Orton then demanded a match with Rollins to settle their dispute, which Triple H granted in order to keep Orton on the Authority's side. Rollins won the match, and Orton then attacked the Authority before being Curb Stomped by Rollins, causing a (kayfabe) injury which forced Orton to miss several months of competition.[41] At Fastlane, Orton returned to WWE and attacked the Authority.[19] In the following weeks Orton teased a renewed alliance with the Authority, before attacking Rollins following a handicap match against Reigns.[30] On the March 12 episode of SmackDown, Orton challenged Rollins to a match at WrestleMania.[38] On the March 16 episode of Raw, Rollins accepted the challenge.[31]
At Fastlane, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro defeated The Usos to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.[19] On March 23, it was announced on WWE.com that Tyson Kidd and Cesaro would defend the titles against Los Matadores, the New Day and the Usos in a fatal four-way tag team match on the WrestleMania pre-show.
Event
Miscellaneous
The WrestleMania Kickoff Show was hosted by Renee Young, with Booker T, Corey Graves and Byron Saxton as analysts, while Tom Phillips and WWE Hall of Famer Lita served as social media correspondents. English commentators for the event were Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and John "Bradshaw" Layfield. Spanish, German, French and Italian commentators also called the matches at ringside. Lillian Garcia and Eden Stiles served as the ring announcers. Maria Menounos served as the special guest backstage interviewer during both the pre-show and main broadcast. The pay-per-view itself was opened byAloe Blacc performing "America the Beautiful". The event saw another musical performance as Skylar Grey, Travis Barkerand Kid Ink performed a medley of the two WrestleMania 31 theme songs - "Rise" and "Money and the Power".
Pre-show
Two matches were contested on the WrestleMania Kickoff pre-show. The first was a Fatal 4-Way tag team match for theWWE Tag Team Championship between the champions Tyson Kidd and Cesaro (with Natalya), The New Day (Kofi Kingstonand Big E) (with Xavier Woods), Los Matadores (Diego and Fernando) (with El Torito), and The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) (with Naomi). Kidd and Cesaro retained their titles after Big E was hit by a splash from Jimmy Uso, followed by Cesaro throwing Uso out of the ring and stealing the pin.
The second match on the pre-show was the second annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Big Show won the 30-man contest by last eliminating Damien Mizdow after Mizdow had turned on and eliminated his tag team partner The Miz.
Main card
The first match on the main card was a seven-man ladder match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship involving defending champion Bad News Barrett and challengers Daniel Bryan, R-Truth, Dean Ambrose, Luke Harper, Dolph Ziggler, and Stardust. Bryan won the match after he and Ziggler exchanged headbutts at the top of the ladder, causing Ziggler to fall backwards and allowing Bryan to claim his first Intercontinental Championship.
The second match of the night was a singles match between Seth Rollins and Randy Orton. Both Rollins and Orton kicked out of their opponent's finishing maneuver (RKO and Curb Stomp respectively), and Orton eventually won the match after a second RKO, which was given additional elevation as Orton countered Rollins' Curb Stomp by flinging Rollins up into the air.
The third match on the main card was a pinfall and submissions-only match between Sting and Triple H. This was Sting's first official match in WWE. Midway through the match, Sting locked Triple H in his Scorpion Death Lock submission hold, which prompted Triple H's D-Generation X allies to come to the ring and attempt to interfere in the match. Sting knocked down Billy Gunn, Road Dogg and X-Pac, countered Triple H's Pedigree and threw him to the outside, and then launched himself from the top rope onto all four men. Triple H then hit Sting with a Pedigree and retrieved a sledgehammer from under the ring, which prompted the three original nWo members (Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan) to interfere on Sting's behalf. The nWo members took out DX and Sting dropped Triple H with his Scorpion Death Drop, but Triple H kicked out of the subsequent pinfall attempt. Sting then locked Triple H in another Scorpion Death Lock. HHH tried to grab his sledgehammer but Hogan pulled it out of his reach, causing another brawl between the two factions while HHH was still locked in Sting’s submission hold. Shawn Michaels then appeared and landed a Sweet Chin Music on Sting. HHH went to pin Sting, but Sting kicked out. HHH crawled back to his feet and grabbed his sledgehammer from Billy Gunn, while Scott Hall provided Sting with his signature baseball bat. A standoff ensued between HHH and Sting as they both held weapons. Sting struck HHH in the gut with his bat and broke HHH’s sledgehammer in half. Sting then trapped HHH in the corner and landed his Stinger Splash. When Sting went for another Stinger Splash, however, HHH hit Sting with the sledgehammer for the pinfall victory. Following the match, Triple H and Sting shook hands in the ring while the commentary team speculated that the rivalry between WWE and WCW had finally been put to rest.
Daniel Bryan was then interviewed backstage by Maria Menounos regarding his Intercontinental Championship victory, and was joined in celebration by former Intercontinental Champions Pat Patterson, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Ric Flair, and Bret Hart, who all congratulated Bryan by performing Bryan's "Yes!" chant together during which Ron Simmons appeared and proclaimed his Damn! catchphrase.
The fourth match of the night was a tag team match between The Bella Twins (Brie and Nikki Bella) and AJ Lee and Paige. Paige and Nikki Bella began the bout. The majority of the match saw the Bella Twins isolating Paige and preventing her from tagging in AJ - who the Bellas would frequently knock off the ring apron onto the floor - until Paige landed a somersault plancha to both Bellas on the outside. Paige finally tagged in AJ, who applied her Black Widow hold to Nikki, but Brie saved her sister from defeat. Paige then ran in to land a big boot on Brie, but she soon got pushed outside the ring. A distraction from Brie led to AJ being hit with an elbow strike from Nikki, but AJ kicked out of the pin attempt. Outside the ring, Paige pushed Brie into the ring steel steps. AJ then locked in the Black Widow once again, causing Nikki to tap out.
Following this match, the 2015 Hall of Fame class was introduced; The Bushwhackers, Larry Zbysko, Alundra Blayze, Tatsumi Fujinami, Rikishi, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kevin Nash were presented to the crowd, while posthumous inductees "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Connor "The Crusher" Michalek were represented by family members.
The fifth match of the night was for the WWE United States Championship between defending champion Rusev(accompanied by his manager Lana) and John Cena. Rusev entered the arena in a Russian tank. Rusev dominated the majority of the match and overpowered Cena throughout, but Cena was able to make a comeback. The end of the match came when Lana climbed onto the ring apron and was accidentally knocked off by Rusev, who was then hit with an Attitude Adjustment for Cena's pin and the title (Cena's fourth U.S. Title). This was Rusev's first pinfall loss in WWE.
The Authority (Triple H and Stephanie McMahon) then came to the ring to announce that WrestleMania had set a new Levi’s Stadium attendance record of 76,976. The duo then began to gloat about their accomplishments and Triple H's victory over Sting earlier in the night, which prompted The Rock to come to the ring. After a verbal exchange, McMahon insulted the Rock and slapped him across the face, taunting that he wouldn't retaliate because he dare not hit a woman. Rock then brought UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey (who was sitting in the front row) into the ring. After Rousey let McMahon know that she "owns every ring she is in" Rock attacked Triple H and Rousey then threw both McMahon and Triple H from the ring, first teasing an armbar on McMahon.
The sixth match on the main card was a singles match between The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt. This was Undertaker's first appearance since WrestleMania XXX. It was reported that Wyatt had suffered a legit ankle injury earlier in the day while preparing for the match, resulting in both men working at a slow pace. While Wyatt largely controlled the offense, Undertaker was able to execute most of his signature moves such as Old School, the big boot, and Snake Eyes. Late in the match, Wyatt kicked out of a Tombstone, while Undertaker kicked out of Sister Abigail. Both men then performed their respective signature taunts simultaneously (Wyatt's spider walk and Undertaker's "zombie" sit-up), before Undertaker hit a second Tombstone to pick up the win.
Main event
The main event of the night was the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between defending champion Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) and Roman Reigns. After being bloodied in the opening exchanges, Lesnar dominated the first 10 minutes of the match, hitting an F-5 followed by multiple German suplexes, forearms, knees, and a clothesline that sent Reigns crashing to the floor outside. Lesnar hit another F-5, but Reigns kicked out. This prompted Lesnar to take off hisMMA gloves and attack Reigns bare-knuckled. Lesnar continued to suplex Reigns and delivered another F-5, which Reigns again kicked out of. Outside the ring, Reigns shoved Lesnar head-first into the ring post, which dazed Lesnar and caused him to start bleeding profusely. Reigns then hit three Superman punches and two consecutive spears, but Lesnar kicked out at a close two. Lesnar then hit a fourth F-5 on Reigns, but was unable to follow up due to fatigue and blood loss.
While both men were down, Seth Rollins ran in from the back with his Money in the Bank briefcase and cashed in his contract, with referee Mike Chioda turning the singles match into a triple threat. Rollins then knocked Reigns out of the ring and hit a Curb Stomp to the dazed Lesnar. Rollins went for a second Curb Stomp but Lesnar caught him and lifted him for an F-5. Reigns speared Lesnar while he was holding Rollins and as Lesnar rolled out of the ring, Rollins (who spun out of the way of the spear) quickly delivered a Curb Stomp to Reigns, pinning him to win the title.
Reception
WWE reported that the show was highest grossing WWE event ever, drawing a revenue of $12.6 million. WWE also claimed an attendance figure of 76,976.[4]However, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported an attendance of 67,000,[42] and said during the second main card match that there were "actually a lot of empty seats all over the stadium", mostly in the upper deck.[43]
The event received acclaim from fans and critics alike. John Powell of Canadian Online Explorer gave the event a perfect 10 out of 10 star rating, calling it "the best Mania ever", with the main event between Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins rated 8.5 stars out of 10. Sting vs. Triple H received the highest rating of 9 stars out of 10, and Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt was rated 8 stars out of 10.[3]
In his live report from the event, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter described the event as "one of the best shows I've ever seen. Several great matches, a killer angle and very little that wasn't good". He also praised the involvement of Ronda Rousey.[43] Meltzer later wrote that live the event felt comparable to a New Japan Pro Wrestling Tokyo Dome show, but after re-watching it on tape, he no longer felt that way. Overall, he stated that WrestleMania 31 was "one of the more balanced WrestleManias in history because there was not a bad match. But it also didn't have anything close to a match of the year or a candidate for best Mania match".[44]
Jack De Menezes of The Independent said, "It will go down as one of, if not the greatest WrestleMania of all time. From NWO's reunion, to The Rock teaming up with Ronda Rousey and Randy Orton's incredible 'RKO outta nowhere', nearly every match delivered a spectacle fitting of the Grandest Stage of Them All".
Aftermath
Dave Meltzer reported that members of Roman Reigns' family were legitimately upset at the finish of the main event, writing that especially his father Leati was furious to the point that there was "nearly a bad scene".[46]
The following night on Raw after WrestleMania 31 in San Jose, Brock Lesnar wanted to invoke his WWE World Heavyweight Championship rematch clause. New champion Seth Rollins claimed that he was jet lagged from flying cross-country to and from New York City to appear on The Today Show, and would give Lesnar his rematch another day, denying Lesnar his rematch. As Rollins walked away, Lesnar (irate about not getting his rematch) snapped and chased after him, however, Rollins was able to slip away after avoiding a suplex by hitting Lesnar with an enzugiri. Barely fazed and still irate, Lesnar then took his frustrations out by attacking Rollins' cornermen J&J Security (Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury), flipping the broadcast table over onto announcers JBL and Booker T (burying them underneath it), and hitting an F-5 on lead announcerMichael Cole, causing him to have to be stretchered out. Lesnar then delivered the F-5 to a cameraman before Stephanie McMahon announced that he was suspended indefinitely and fined. Lesnar responded by hitting one more F-5 on the cameraman before leaving.
On the same show, new United States Champion John Cena issued an open challenge to anyone in the back for a title shot. Dean Ambrose answered the challenge, but was defeated. He continued to issue the open challenge every week on Raw. On two separate occasions, Cena had defeated Rusev in rematches to retain his championship.
Also on Raw, new Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan successfully defended his title against Dolph Ziggler. After the match, former champion Bad News Barrettattacked Bryan, while Sheamus returned and - after appearing to save Bryan from Barrett - brogue kicked both Bryan and&
