On the Road to WrestleMania, the roster pull out all the stop to ensure that they are the ones shining going into the annual spectacular. Many will fail, but many will also succeed, and the Grandest Stage of Them All has played host to some of the biggest career-defining moments in the history of this industry. Legends are made on this extraordinary stage, and many of the WWE's greatest superstars and divas of today will compete for that privilege in the hope of receiving their WrestleMania moment. Here is the story so far as we head into what promises to be one of the biggest WrestleManias of all time...
WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION BROCK LESNAR vs. 2015 ROYAL RUMBLE WINNER DANIEL BRYAN — Since his grand return at the Royal Rumble which ended in victory for the bearded superstar, he has vowed to reclaim the title that he was once forced to give up due to an injury that everyone was unsure he would ever return from. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship has become a life goal for Daniel Bryan and to win it on the Grandest Stage of Them All for the second year in a row would surely define the career of the Yes! Man. But standing in his path is The Beast himself, Brock Lesnar. Capturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from John Cena at SummerSlam, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion has destroyed the competition, leading him to headlining WrestleMania as Champion for the first time in his career. Over the weeks building to WrestleMania, Brock Lesnar seemed dormant, until Daniel Bryan delivered a message to The Beast through Lesnar's advocate, Paul Heyman. The Beast soon became unleashed and Daniel Bryan's previous neck injury came to light, perhaps suggesting that it wasn't completely healed. With a target clearly pinned to his neck, Daniel Bryan was vulnerable, but determined to fight on, he refused to back down. Just six days before the biggest match of his career, Daniel Bryan fell victim to the devastating F-5 in the center of the ring and laid motionless, making the WWE Universe wonder — is Daniel Bryan truly able to defeat The Beast?
TRIPLE H vs. STING — 2001 saw the demise of WCW and WWE purchase all of its property. The long-time rival of the WWE was finally defeated, but there was a certain individual that remained in the shadows for 14 long years, planning the ultimate strike against The Authority's king, Triple H. In a match that many thought they would never see, the two icons from opposite companies will battle it out, but this ongoing rivalry is far from any old turf war — this is personal. Speaking for the very first time on Raw, Sting declared that this wasn't about the demise of WCW, this was about the inevitable demise of The Authority. Of course, The Game took issue with Sting's words and claimed that the former WCW World Champion was living in the past and clinging onto what was left of the WCW legacy. Triple H made a promise to erase Sting and the remaining strands of WCW from history at WrestleMania. But it isn't easy to erase the Stinger, and Triple H was met with the iconic offence that Sting provides, complete with his trusty baseball bat. At WrestleMania, it's a battle of the century as two icons in their own right go head-to-head in what is being dubbed "The Final Battle". Will Sting stop The Authority's corruption like he says he will? Or will it be game over for Sting, proving his return to be 14 years too late?
THE UNDERTAKER vs. BRAY WYATT — The WWE is no stranger to cryptic messages, but the ones delivered by Bray Wyatt were bone-chilling to say the least. Claiming to be on the path to fulfilling his prophecy, The Eater of Worlds promised that he would gain his immortality and sit atop his new throne. When the time came for Bray Wyatt to reveal the meaning behind his cryptic warnings, he arrived with an object in his hand that the WWE Universe know only as The Undertaker's urn. Why did Bray Wyatt have possession of this iconic brass container? The answer was simple — he planned to resurrect The Undertaker in order to plunge him back into darkness and claim his rightful throne. The ritual took place and The Undertaker's spirit was indeed resurrected, but The Undertaker was far from pleased to be awoken from his slumber and delivered a chilling message of his own, warning Bray Wyatt of his grave mistake. But the self-proclaimed New Face of Fear was undeterred and pursued his journey into darkness. On the final Raw before WrestleMania, the two demons stood face-to-face and for the first time ever, The Undertaker stood across from someone who rather than feel intimidated, laughed directly in his face. But this was no joke, and Bray Wyatt soon planted The Undertaker with a Sister Abigail, claiming that the throne awaited him. The Undertaker hasn't been seen since WrestleMania 30 where he lost to Brock Lesnar and the Streak was broken. Is he really recovered from his devastating loss at the hands of The Beast? Bray Wyatt cares not, and has full intentions on becoming the new Lord of Darkness.
UNITED STATES CHAMPION RUSEV vs. JOHN CENA — Arguably the most dominant United States Champion to ever hold the title, Rusev has plowed his way through challenger after challenger. The question began to arise — could anyone beat the Soviet Machine? Well, even Rusev felt that he deserved more competition, and the night after the Royal Rumble, viciously assaulted John Cena to the point where the Cenation leader was put on the shelf until after WWE Fastlane. Rusev's reasoning was that he believed that he should have won the Royal Rumble Match and headline WrestleMania, but if he can't, then he was going to make people realize that he should have. At the expense of John Cena, Rusev made a statement and put the entire WWE on notice. Chris Jericho returned to fight in his friend's name, but even he fell victim to the devastation of the Hero of the Russian Federation. But history tells us that John Cena can never be held down for long, making his return and immediately taking the fight to the man who took away a month of his career. The 15-time World Champion challenged Rusev to a match and demanded that he defend his United States Championship, but initially, the Russian refused, believing John Cena to be below his league. Cena pursued his desire and stole Rusev's beloved Star of the Russian Federation, holding it hostage unless Rusev was willing to accept his WrestleMania challenge. Ultimately, the United States Champion gave in and the stage was then set, but John Cena's persistence may have put him in quite the predicament. On the Grandest Stage of Them All, the Cenation leader squares off against an undefeated wrecking machine. Can even John Cena overcome this mass of pure destruction?
ROMAN REIGNS vs. SHEAMUS — The Celtic Warrior returned in the Royal Rumble Match, sending a buzz around the WWE Universe. Sheamus was back and ready to deliver his own style of Irish punishment to his opponents. However, during the main event of WWE Fastlane, the former World Champion turned his back on his fans, delivering a Brogue Kick to Roman Reigns and costing him the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. When asked why, he simply declared that the spotlight was his, and he was joining the winning side — The Authority. With the backing of Triple H and his wife, Stephanie McMahon, Sheamus ran rough-shot through the roster, but Roman Reigns hadn't forgotten what Sheamus had done. The powerhouses battled back and forth until finally they were given a match in the main event of Raw. But before the match could take place, Roman Reigns went into a different zone, unleashing his frustrations on The Celtic Warrior and Spearing him through the barricade. The rematch was set for WrestleMania, and it isn't going to for the weak of heart. Roman Reigns has revenge on the brain, but Sheamus won't let The Juggernaut stand in his way of a WrestleMania moment.
RANDY ORTON vs. SETH ROLLINS — Ever since turning his back on The Shield, Seth Rollins has gone onto much bigger and better things. Becoming Mr. Money in the Bank and being the face of the company thanks to his Authority affiliations. However, an Authority ally took issue with Seth Rollins' attitude. But instead of siding with his former Evolution buddy, Triple H chose to invest in the future, and The Authority turned their back on The Viper, allowing Rollins to take Orton out of action with a brutal beating and the Curb Stomp on the steel steps. With Orton out of the picture, Rollins flourished. That was until The Viper made his return in the Royal Rumble with his sights set on getting his revenge. But somehow, the Future of the WWE managed to avoid Orton and eliminated him from the Royal Rumble Match. Rollins continued to avoid Orton's clutches until WWE Fastlane where the two met in the Fatal 4-Way main event. But Orton wasn't finished and requested that a match be made for WrestleMania. Surprisingly, Seth Rollins accepted the challenge, but on his own terms, making it a No Holds Barred Match. Triple H told Seth Rollins that he better have it under control, because if he loses, then The Authority loses, and that's not best for business.
INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. BAD NEWS BARRETT vs. DEAN AMBROSE vs. LUKE HARPER — The Intercontinental Championship has always been a sought after prize, but on the road to WrestleMania, four men are eager to leave the spectacular with the belt around their waist. Two rivalries that crossed wires became a full-on four-way brawl, leading to this match at WrestleMania for the prestigious gold. Three former Champions and one determined superstar make up this brawl for it all and after weeks and weeks of attacks, interruptions, backstabs, it's all come down to this. Who will leave WrestleMania as the Intercontinental Champion?
GOLDUST vs. CODY RHODES — Brotherly love is a thing of the past between these two men. The sons of legendary WWE Hall of Famer, Dusty Rhodes are former WWE Tag Team Champions, but when the losses got too much for big brother, he turned his back on his younger sibling and showed an aggressive attitude we hadn't seen from Goldust in years. The Bizarre One viciously assaulted Cody Rhodes (then going by the name Stardust) and left him laying. While Rhodes initially refused to fight his brother, he realised that the only way to end this was to fight him once and for all. Dropping the facepaint and stars to return under his real name, Cody Rhodes vowed to settle this sibling rivalry at WrestleMania. But which brother will be the victor? And what long-lasting effects will this have on the Rhodes family?
DIVAS CHAMPION NIKKI BELLA vs. AJ LEE — The Bella Twins have been unstoppable, dominating the Divas division. Many attempts had been made to take the Divas Championship from the waist of Nikki Bella, but not a single woman could accomplish it. The latest attempt was made by Paige, who only found herself on the receiving end of a Bella beating. However, the numbers game soon evened out when AJ Lee returned and came to the aid of her "frienemy", fending off the Bellas. Some few weeks later and AJ Lee expressed her desire to bring back "true wrestling talent" to the Divas Championship and challenged Nikki to a match at WrestleMania. The Bella twin accepted and the match was made, but can AJ Lee truly be the one to topple the Bella barrage?
KICKOFF MATCH: ANDRÉ THE GIANT MEMORIAL BATTLE ROYAL — Cesaro was the inaugural winner of the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal last year at WrestleMania 30. The prestigious trophy is up for grabs for the second year running with an array of new faces challenging for the golden statue. Names such as Ryback, Mark Henry, Chris Jericho and NXT superstar, Sami Zayn will compete to win the annual brawl, but only one of them can leave as the winner. One thing should be remembered though — the Big Show competes in the match for the second year running, and after last year's close call, he'll be sure to make sure that he doesn't lose again.
KICKOFF MATCH: WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE NEW DAY vs. CESARO & TYSON KIDD — It's been an up and down title reign for The New Day, nobody really knowing how to take them. Do you embrace the positivity and live life to the fullest? Or do you not trust their unnatural amount of enthusiasm to never see the negative? Regardless of what you think, they're the WWE Tag Team Champions and will defend against the #1 Contenders, Cesaro and Tyson Kidd at WrestleMania. Cesaro and Kidd have come up short before at WWE Fastlane, but they believe this is their time. And the WWE Universe are starting to come around to the idea. But if you ask Tyson Kidd, then they are going to win the titles on the Grandest Stage of Them All, and that's a FACT!
