WWE is now five years removed from the illustrious WrestleMania 31, an event that featured a multitude of title changes, the debut of a WCW icon and a segment that introduced a future Women’s Champion to the pro wrestling universe. A lot can change in a half a decade, but a lot can stay the same as well. Let's take a look at the wrestlers who’ve managed to stay at the top of the card since their WrestleMania 31 victories, as well as the ones who’ve faded out of the picture.
Tyson Kidd and Cesaro
Tyson Kidd and Cesaro retained their Tag Team Championships in a fatal four way match against Los Matadores, The New Day and The Usos. The company has since failed to maximize Cesaro’s full potential, as he is now part of a mid-card faction consisting of himself, Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura. Kidd’s career suffered a more heartbreaking fate, as he was forced into early retirement after a Samoa Joe Muscle Buster ruptured his spinal cord during a dark match. He made a miraculous recovery despite being told that only five percent of people survive that kind of injury, and now works as a producer backstage.
Big Show
Big Show won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal after eliminating Damien Mizdow. The man formerly known as “The Giant” has since been working primarily as a part-timer due to nagging injuries, but has dedicated his time to putting over young talent such as Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins. Exciting opportunities await the big man outside of wrestling, however, as he will soon be debuting a comedy series on Netflix fittingly titled “The Big Show Show”. The series is set to premiere on the streaming juggernaut following WrestleMania 36, on Monday, April 6.
Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan defeated Stardust, Dean Ambrose, Luke Harper, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth and defending champion Bad News Barrett in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. Bryan, Ziggler and Truth are the only competitors in this match who are still employed by WWE. Bryan has achieved the most of the three, as he had a meteoric rise back to prominence after his stint as Smackdown Live GM. The former "Yes Movement" leader has since won the WWE Championship from A.J. Styles and went on to create one of the most compelling heel characters in recent memory as a patronizing vegan antagonist. Recently, however, Bryan returned to his babyface roots and engaged in a feud with the company’s hottest villain commodity, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. Bryan can now be seen tag teaming with fellow technical wrestling wizard, Drew Gulak.
Randy Orton
Randy Orton defeated his arch rival Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31 with one of the most exciting RKOs ever. “The Viper” is definitely a mainstay for the WWE and after re-signing with them last year, it’s clear he’s not going anywhere. Orton has since become a world champion once again after dethroning Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33 and he can now be seen haunting his former tag partner Edge ahead of their WrestleMania 36 match. This feud has reinvigorated everything that makes Orton such a legendary character, as he’s been back to his 2009 ways of sinister heel behavior.
Triple H
Triple H scored a victory over Sting, which was seen by many as a head-scratching decision as this was the latter’s debut WWE match. In hindsight, however, it shouldn’t have been a surprise considering that Vince McMahon typically takes any opportunity to make WWE look stronger than WCW. "The Game" went on to earn his 14th world championship by winning the 2016 Royal Rumble, shortly before dropping it to Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 32. Helmsley's ongoing career as a part-time wrestler has since included an intense rivalry with former protegé Seth Rollins, an ill-fated DX reunion match against the Brothers of Destruction and a brutal No Holds Barred match against Batista - all while maintaining his status as NXT showrunner.
AJ Lee and Paige
A.J. Lee and Paige defeated 2020 Hall of Famers Nikki and Brie Bella in a tag match. Unfortunately, neither is still wrestling. This was one of A.J.'s last matches, as she soon left the company due to injury concerns. She has since written a New York Times Best-Selling memoir entitled Crazy is My Superpower. The book details her career as a pro wrestler as well as her struggles with mental health and her bipolar disorder. Paige’s career also ended due to injury, as a kick to the spine from Sasha Banks during a live event put her on the shelf indefinitely. She is now a co-host on WWE Backstage, a “shoot” style show that allows performers to speak on the business out of character.
John Cena
Much to the dismay of Rusev fans, John Cena scored the victory over the then-undefeated rising star to capture the United States Championship. After tying Ric Flair’s record with his 16th WWE Championship victory at the 2017 Royal Rumble PPV, Cena slowly started to transition out of being a full-time wrestler. He has been busy making a name for himself in Hollywood, most recently with major movie roles like Bumblebee and Playing With Fire. He’ll also be starring alongside Dwayne Johnson in F9: The Fast Saga. Cena will soon be returning to his roots as a wrestler however, as set to take on "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36.
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The Undertaker
This match had The Undertaker defeat the aforementioned Wyatt, redeeming himself after his WrestleMania streak shockingly came to an end at the hands of Brock Lesnar a year earlier. ‘Taker has since continued his career as a part-timer, often competing in less-than-stellar matches against fellow legends such as Goldberg and DX. He is now in a program with AJ Styles, which will lead to a "boneyard match" at WrestleMania 36 between the two.
Seth Rollins
The main event of WrestleMania 31 saw Seth Rollins successfully cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase during the Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns match for the WWE Championship. Rollins has since become a star in the company, notching a Universal Title under his belt after defeating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 35 in just under three minutes. Rollins is now known as the “Monday Night Messiah,” a quasi-religious cult leader style gimmick with Buddy Murphy and AOP supporting him as his followers. This led recently to a Raw Tag Team Championship reign for Rollins and Murphy, before dropping the belts to the Street Profits on the March 2 episode of Raw.