Mark Braboy
Associate Editor
With the Super Bowl one and done, March Madness heading to a close, and the NBA playoffs coming sooner than later, we have one more mega event in sports remaining: Wrestlemania 31!
LL Cool J will host this year’s 31st edition of the wrestling mega event that will be held in Santa Clara, Calif. at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, March 28.
The electrifying evening will feature an evening filled with explosive matches featuring rising new comers like Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Rusev, and the Money in the Bank winner, Seth Rollins; along with blockbuster stars and legends like John Cena, The Undertaker, Triple H, and for the first time, former World Champion Wrestling (WCW) star, Sting.
Many wrestling fans will be looking forward to the grand spectacle, especially the long awaited return of The Undertaker, after his defeat against the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar last year, breaking his previously undefeated at Wrestlemania streak.
“I’m looking forward to Wrestlemania. I mean, you got the Undertaker returning. It’s going to be a big number event just because the Undertaker is going to return from his loss and they want to see what kind of shape he’s in. And then of course you got Sting vs. Triple H as a headliner,” said Gregory Tate, a freshman computer engineering major from Jackson, Miss.
The biggest wrestling event in the world is a culmination of many high profile feuds beginning from mid 2014 up until now. Some of the more high profile matchups that will be featured include former WWE champion Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins, John Cena vs. Rusev for the United States Championship, Bray Wyatt vs. The Undertaker, and the controversial and highly anticipated main event, Roman Reigns vs. the current champ and former UFC Heavyweight champ, Brock Lesnar.
History will be made this Sunday as well when Sting wrestles his first match for WWE when he takes on top heel Triple H.
Throughout the past year, many longtime wrestling fans have vehemently complained about the current product being stale and too predictable, therefore having a negative effect on the build up. Compared to last year’s blockbuster event, some fans are not as excited.
“Well, I’m not looking forward to it as much as I did Wrestlemania 30, but I am curious to see how some things will turn out,” said Brittany Beard, a JSU alumna and graphic design major from Mobile, Ala.
“Honestly, I’m expecting an upset on some matches. I feel that, no matter who wins some matches, it will still not go over with some die-hard fans. For instance, nobody seems to want either Reigns or Lesnar as champ, so no matter who wins, people will be unhappy either way,” she added.
Fortunately, Wrestlemania always has something for everyone to enjoy. The evening will feature performances from Travis Barker, Skylar Grey, and Kid Ink, who featured on the theme song.
Wrestlemania 31 will be on Pay Per View and the WWE Network for live stream this Sunday at 7pm ET/6pm CT. The kickoff show will be live streamed on YouTube and the WWE Network
