Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

WWE: WrestleMania XXXI Blu-ray Movie Review

That was...expected...but still a lot of fun.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 7, 2015

It's been called "The greatest WrestleMania of all time," and there's certainly plenty of evidence to back up that claim. WrestleMania XXXI was pushed and promoted to an extent that was borderline excessive even for the WWE's flagship showcase. Major stars in John Cena and Daniel Bryan were pushed to bring prestige back to the under-appreciated U.S. and Intercontinental titles, respectively. A new face the fans didn't want battled an established (and newly re-signed) monster for the WWE Championship. It saw The Undertaker make his first appearance since his historic loss at WrestleMania XXX. The Authority's Triple H took on longtime WCW favorite Sting in a match featuring two superstars with a combined age of 100. Randy Orton battled the Money in the Bank winner Seth Rollins as part of a deep (and still ongoing) feud between The Viper and the former Shield member. Even the Divas match suddenly felt like it mattered. Stars were everywhere, new, old, and up-and-coming alike battling in some of the most purely exciting wrestling and entrenched in some of the most interesting drama that the WWE has seen in some time. It was so packed that the traditional fan-favorite Tag Team match and the new Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal extravaganza were relegated to pre-show status (A trend which, for the tag team championship, would have continued into the next month's pay-per-view at Extreme Rules were it not for Bryan's medical absence). It was a spectacle to be sure and one of the deepest, top-to-bottom great WrestleManias of them all. On paper. Could the night live up to the hype?

The man who would be champ.

WrestleMania XXXI's story lines proved just as intense as the wrestling and, outside of Bryan's unexpected absence and inability to defend the Intercontinental championship, the fallout is still being felt, built up, and propelled now more than a month removed from the March 29, 2015 event, held at the brand-spanking-new open-air Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in front of 76,976 fans. The main show kicked off with an intense, violent, and wildly entertaining seven-man battle for the long-disputed Intercontinental title which, prior to the match, rightly belonged to Bad News Barrett but that had been at the center of a number of shenanigans whereby the belt rightfully remained Barrett's but physical possession frequently switched hands and mostly ended up with R-Truth through a series of comical shenanigans. Next on the card was the Orton-Rollins match that had nothing up for grabs in terms of hardware but that was easily one of the showcase events of the night and saw the continuation of a longstanding feud between Orton and The Authority that, prior to WrestleMania, was refueled when Orton "betrayed" The Authority after finagling his way back into the group's good graces. Though arguably the match of the night, nothing was settled but it did serve as a prelude to Rollins' Money in the Bank cash-in later in the night. A quickly built and, now, it seems, quickly forgotten match between Sting and Triple H followed and, in terms of results, offered the only unpredictable result of the night. In hindsight, the match feels superfluous considering Sting and Triple H's absences from the scene in the weeks following WrestleMania, but if nothing else it offered the WWE Universe a chance to see the legendary Sting on WWE turf for the first, and maybe only, time.

The Divas took the spotlight for the next match, a match that will ultimately be remembered as the last in the career of AJ Lee who, days after, followed in her real-life husband CM Punk's footsteps and retired from WWE, leaving her partner Paige out to dry and redefining the Diva landscape. A relatively fresh feud between John Cena and the United States Champion Rusev fueled the next match with Cena defending American pride from the constant attacks on and disrespect of the United States from the Russian giant. The feud allowed the controversial Cena to step up into a new role as something of an American hero in what began as, and continues to be, a predictable, and sadly fairly dull, routine (the rivalry has continued, first at the Extreme Rules PPV and said to conclude at 2015's Payback) that looks better on paper than it plays out in the ring (one cannot help but think Daniel Bryan might have been a better choice in the Cena role). The next match on the card also felt like it was overshadowed by the rest, maybe because its set-up was largely built-up in the shadows, when Bray Wyatt would appear in a darkened arena and fool around with powers beyond his control, summoning, willing The Undertaker to return to WrestleMania for a match that Wyatt hoped would solidify him as "the new face of fear." It was an oddly staged series of vignettes that, at one point, involved lightning striking, and setting ablaze, a chair. It was also odd that The Undertaker never actually appeared to accept the match, leaving audiences to blindly assume he'd wrestle at Mania or some of the more skeptical thinking, or maybe even hoping, he wouldn't, if only for the dramatic value of billing a match with a no-show, based on the assumption that Wyatt, playing with forces beyond his control and crazy enough to call out a legend without grasping the ramifications thereof, may not have succeeded considering 'Taker's total absence in the build-up. Or, perhaps, fans hoped 'Taker might not come and tarnish his legacy with a poor in-ring performance.

That leaves the main event (spoilers follow), the controversial matching of defending champion Brock Lesnar and the challenger, by way of his Royal Rumble victory, Roman Reigns, the latter pushed as a new face that the fans didn't accept (but now seem to be warming to after his showing at Extreme Rules against Big Show in the night's surprising best match) as the title contender. Maybe it's that Reigns looks more heel than hero with his black garb and hair, his fairly flat on-mic persona, or maybe it's just a case of "too soon" or "pushed too hard," but Reigns came into the match as the clear-cut on-paper favorite to win but the clear choice for a pummeling if the fans had their say. But Reigns is a strong wrestler (even if he's too reliant on the spear) and, by all accounts, a hard, dedicated worker, and he put on a great show against the more established, menacing, and seemingly invincible Lesnar. "I can and I will" was Reigns' mantra heading into the match, a fairly trite and simple response to his critics that, to his credit, he backs up in the ring with a high quality effort. But Rollins threw a wrench into the proceedings and gave everyone what they wanted at the end of the day with a cash-in victory by pinning Reigns and walking away with the championship without Lesnar actually "losing" the match by way of a pinfall. The ending got the WWE out of the "promote Reigns" jam and, by all accounts, Rollins' victory has been "what's best for business" considering his post-Mania storyline that's seen him become a frightened weasel of a champion who all but refuses to defend his title, a schtick that led to one of the most memorable RAW moments in history when Lesnar invoked his rematch clause on the following RAW, a 'jet lagged" Rollins refused to fight, and Lesnar proceeded to destroy anything and everything in his path, including F5ing WWE play-by-play announcer Michael Cole.

Huge hype, big matches, strong stories, great wrestling. And a ridiculously high level of predictability. That's the fatal flaw in this WrestleMania. Every match -- save for the Triple H-Sting clash -- ended with the odds-on-favorite walking away victorious. Never was anything in doubt, not that the fan-favorite Bryan would walk away with the title (and now claim to have, at one time or another, held all the major belts), not that Cena would defeat Rusev and become America's champion, not that The Undertaker would silence Bray Wyatt and avenge his WrestleMania XXX loss, not that Orton would get the better of Rollins, and not that Rollins would walk away as champion. Outside of that Sting-Triple H match, which felt like a lost opportunity to reintroduce Sting as something of a staple or set up a Sting-Undertaker match at WreslteMania XXXII, about the only surprise was how Rollins ended up with the strap. Once again the WWE managed to book it smart, allowing Rollins to win, Lesnar to not "technically" lose, and keep Reigns away from the title, for the time being, anyway (he's currently booked for a fatal four-way match against Orton, Rollins, and Dean Ambrose for the title at 2015's Payback; it's a shame that the currently-"suspended" Lesnar could not somehow get added to the mix). Does that predictability make this Mania a loser? Not hardly, not at the time and not in hindsight. It's a shame the company couldn't take a few more chances, maybe allowing Rusev to retain; bury the Undertaker and allow Bray Wyatt, one of the best on-mic wrestlers working today, to blossom; or make a bigger deal out of the Tag Team division; but overall it was a great night that found a balance and dramatic interest that's still reverberating now, more than a month removed from the event. WrestleMania XXXI might ultimately be remembered as the Mania in which two titles went wayward almost immediately afterwards with Bryan's injury and Lee's retirement, but it was otherwise a high quality spectacle that will certainly be revered as one of the top-tier WrestleMania events for some time to come.

The following matches comprise the WrestleMania XXXI card:

• Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Bad News Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. R-Truth vs. Stardust vs. Luke Harper.
• WrestleMania Match: Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins.
• WrestleMania Match: Sting vs. Triple H.
• Divas Tag Team WreslteMania Match: AJ Lee & Paige vs. The Bella Twins.
• United States Championship Match: Rusev vs. John Cena.
• WrestleMania Match: Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt.
• WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns.

WWE: WrestleMania XXXI Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

WrestleMania XXXI features the typical WWE Home Video Blu-ray profile, where it looks great on the surface but shows plenty of problems upon closer inspection. The 1080i, 1.78:1-framed image is based out of a bright, naturally lit arena that gives most of the event a unique appearance. The sun-drenched wrestlers and all of the surrounding stuff -- the stage, the ring, the lettering, the equipment, the fans -- all look a little washed out in the earliest goings, particularly far back into the distance where definition wanes. Up close, however, and ignoring a lot of the lingering smoke, there's an honest bit of good, stable detail to be seen, right down to the nitty-gritty beads of sweat and tattoo details on wrestlers like Seth Rollins and Randy Orton, respectively. Massive clumps of facial hair (Luke Harper, Bray Wyatt) are also strongly detailed. Colors are bold and striking, with the rich blue California sky contrasting nicely against a myriad of shades dotting the crowd by way of fan attire and signs. The Russian flag, for example, stands apart nicely during Rusev's entrance, and colorful wrestler attire is attractively presented. But the image sees plenty of macroblocking throughout many backgrounds and frequently struggles with aliasing. The thickest layers of smoke also show some heavy banding. Yet this is a good watch and vastly superior to the much more heavily compressed WWE Network streams that fans saw when the event happened live.

WWE: WrestleMania XXXI Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

WrestleMania XXXI features the WWE-standard Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. It's fine in all regards, particularly in its foundation, but it comes up lacking a more potent, precisely defined finishing touch. Wrestler intro music flows fully through the stage but with something of a mildly uneven presence, sounding a bit more aggressive here and less so there. Basic clarity is fine and there's a healthy bit of full stage immersion, but it's not so pronounced and authentic that listeners will believe they've been transported to the stadium. Likewise, crowd noise is full but lacking precision envelopment. Basic ringside commentary from Michael Cole, Booker T, and JBL plays with strong, effortless clarity and center placement. Basic wrestling effects like the ringing bell and heavy falls on the mat play with healthy definition.

WWE: WrestleMania XXXI Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

WrestleMania XXXI contains several extras on disc one and the Hall of Fame induction ceremony and additional extras on disc two. Also included in the Blu-ray case is a sealed Topps Hulk Hogan trading card.

It's a shame WWE Home Video didn't include the full RAW episode from the night after WrestleMania. It was a classic that included a high-energy intercontinental title rematch between Daniel Bryan and Dilph Ziggler with one surprise and one not-so-much-a-surprise at the end, the beginning of the John Cena "open invitation" series of matches in which he squared off against Dean Amrbose, a continuation of the Rollins-Orton feud with a new participant thrown into the mix, and of course Brock Lesnar's rampage in which he destroyed the announce table, injured JBL and Booker T, F5ed Michael Cole and a cameraman, and was indefinitely suspended by an irate Stephanie McMahon.

Disc One (1080i, 27:51 total runtime):

• Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship: Tyson Kidd & Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston & Big E vs. The Usos vs. Los Matadores.
• John Cena Prepares for Rusev: A short promo featuring Cena talking up his match with the Russian giant with Byron Saxton.
• Seth Rollins Is the Future: Rollins sits down with Booker T to talk about his feud with Randy Orton and WreslteMania match against him.

Disc Two:

• Hall of Fame (1080i, 3:58:21): 2015 Inductees include Rikishi, Larry Zbyszko, Alundra Blayze, Connor "The Crusher" Michalek, The Bushwhackers, Tatsumi Fujinami, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Kevin Nash.
• Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (1080i, 20:32).

Disc Two Blu-ray Exclusives:

• The Beast Is Here to Hunt (1080i, 3:41): A short Brock Lesnar promo piece.
• Daniel Bryan Sets His Sights on the Intercontinental Championship (1080i, 3:29): Bryan discusses what earning the championship would mean to him.

WWE: WrestleMania XXXI Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

WrestleMania XXXI may not have had surprise on its side, but it was packed with terrific matches and match ups and built around great stories that continue today to shape the WWE landscape. This is WWE's signature event done right, and the home video production is equally strong. WWE Home Video's Blu-ray release of WrestleMania XXXI delivers a quality video and audio experience that's hugely superior to the streamed WWE Network feeds. Supplements satisfy and include the entire Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Highly recommended.