The Life Of Pablo Ren
I know my name/avi/sig don't match.
They can't put half the card on the pre-show. That just cannot happen.
Wrestlemania XXXIII: General Discussion & Reviews
- Thread starter Jack-Hammer
- Start date
The Gribbler
Gribble me this, Gribble me that...
I just had a passing idea, and wondered what you guys thought of it. Asuka has been tearing up NXT for a while now. She is legit as balls and will inject a powerful something into whatever division that she is a part of.
On Smackdown they will be having some sort of match for the Women's title involving every available woman in the division. As lame at that sounds (and it does) it does present an interesting opportunity.
Announce that the match will run as a gauntlet match, with Bliss out first. Then have D/Bry come out and announce that the first woman Bliss will face is the NEWEST addition to the Smackdown Live womens roster, Asuka.
Then have Asuka literally run through the entire women's roster, with each match getting closer and closer but Asuka ultimately coming out on top.
You then add a super legit woman to the thin ass Smackdown roster.
Thoughts?
On Smackdown they will be having some sort of match for the Women's title involving every available woman in the division. As lame at that sounds (and it does) it does present an interesting opportunity.
Announce that the match will run as a gauntlet match, with Bliss out first. Then have D/Bry come out and announce that the first woman Bliss will face is the NEWEST addition to the Smackdown Live womens roster, Asuka.
Then have Asuka literally run through the entire women's roster, with each match getting closer and closer but Asuka ultimately coming out on top.
You then add a super legit woman to the thin ass Smackdown roster.
Thoughts?
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
If Asuka comes out at WrestleMania and essentially runs through the entire female roster on SmackDown in some gauntlet match, then there's really nothing else for her to do. Who's left that she hadn't beaten? Tamina and Naomi? Compared to the likes of Mickie James or Becky Lynch, they're nobodies; Naomi is injury prone and Tamina is only there because of her family heritage. I mean...what else is left when you literally beat everyone in one night one right after the other?
If they want to bring out Asuka, and do so as part of the SmackDown roster, maybe do it at the first SmackDown after WrestleMania. Give the first live blue brand episode a little bump post WrestleMania like we often see with Raw.
If they want to bring out Asuka, and do so as part of the SmackDown roster, maybe do it at the first SmackDown after WrestleMania. Give the first live blue brand episode a little bump post WrestleMania like we often see with Raw.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
Earlier today, it was announced that the Usos will take on American Alpha tomorrow night on SmackDown Live for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. I sort of figured they'd save this match for WrestleMania, considering the Usos scored a nontitle win over them last week, but this has me thinking that there might not even be a SmackDown Tag Team Championship match for WrestleMania. Aside from the Usos, there's not really a team on the blue brand that can remotely hang with the Alphas and while it's possible they could have them drop the titles tomorrow night and have the rematch at WrestleMania, I think that they'll ultimately be part of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
The Tag Team Divisions of both brands are their weakest points, though Raw has the stronger division. It might be best to just let the tag team division for the blue brand not be a factor for WrestleMania and maybe be able to start out fresh in the post WrestleMania season.
The Tag Team Divisions of both brands are their weakest points, though Raw has the stronger division. It might be best to just let the tag team division for the blue brand not be a factor for WrestleMania and maybe be able to start out fresh in the post WrestleMania season.
So, looking like a 15 match Wrestlemania, which in this day and age, simply does not happen.
Are we seriously looking at a 9 match card and 6 match pre-show? Problem is, the live crowd wont get a chance to catch a breath and some of the bigger matches may have a dead crowd.
Does anybody not see this also, or have an idea of what may be the go? Sure Lesnar vs Goldberg will be short and sweet, but that cant finish the show, can it?
For what its worth, I think the following is how the event will pan out:
PRE-SHOW
1. RAW TAG TITLES: GALLOWS AND ANDERSON VS SHEAMUS AND CESARO VS ENZO AND CASS
2. SMACKDOWNS WOMEN TITLE INVITATIONAL ALEXA BLISS VS THE ROSTER
3. IC TITLE: DEAN AMBROSE VS BARON CORBIN
4. CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE: NEVILLE VS AUTIN ARIES
5. SMACKDOWN TAG TITLE MATCH: AMERICAN ALPHA VS THE USOS
6. ANDRE THE GIANT BATTLE ROYALE:
------------------------------------------------------------
MAIN CARD (assuming Shaq plays ball)
1. US TITLE: CHRIS JERICHO VS KEVIN OWENS
2. BIG SHOW VS SHAQUILLE ONEILL
3. SETH ROLLINS VS TRIPLE H
4. UNDERTAKER VS ROMAN REIGNS
HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2017 INTRODUCED
5. JOHN CENA AND NIKKI VS THE MIZ AND MARYSE
6. AJ STYLES VS SHANE MCMAHON
7. WWE TITLE: BRAY WYATT VS RANDY ORTON
8. RAW WOMENS TITLE: BAYLEE VS SASHA VS CHARLOTE VS NIA JAX
9. WWE UNIVERSAL TITLE GOLDBERG VS BROCK LESNAR
Are we seriously looking at a 9 match card and 6 match pre-show? Problem is, the live crowd wont get a chance to catch a breath and some of the bigger matches may have a dead crowd.
Does anybody not see this also, or have an idea of what may be the go? Sure Lesnar vs Goldberg will be short and sweet, but that cant finish the show, can it?
For what its worth, I think the following is how the event will pan out:
PRE-SHOW
1. RAW TAG TITLES: GALLOWS AND ANDERSON VS SHEAMUS AND CESARO VS ENZO AND CASS
2. SMACKDOWNS WOMEN TITLE INVITATIONAL ALEXA BLISS VS THE ROSTER
3. IC TITLE: DEAN AMBROSE VS BARON CORBIN
4. CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE: NEVILLE VS AUTIN ARIES
5. SMACKDOWN TAG TITLE MATCH: AMERICAN ALPHA VS THE USOS
6. ANDRE THE GIANT BATTLE ROYALE:
------------------------------------------------------------
MAIN CARD (assuming Shaq plays ball)
1. US TITLE: CHRIS JERICHO VS KEVIN OWENS
2. BIG SHOW VS SHAQUILLE ONEILL
3. SETH ROLLINS VS TRIPLE H
4. UNDERTAKER VS ROMAN REIGNS
HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2017 INTRODUCED
5. JOHN CENA AND NIKKI VS THE MIZ AND MARYSE
6. AJ STYLES VS SHANE MCMAHON
7. WWE TITLE: BRAY WYATT VS RANDY ORTON
8. RAW WOMENS TITLE: BAYLEE VS SASHA VS CHARLOTE VS NIA JAX
9. WWE UNIVERSAL TITLE GOLDBERG VS BROCK LESNAR
I think that there will be some form of issue that will actually vacate the titles, and they will be up for grabs in a fatal 4 way, with the two teams named, plus The Ascension and "hopefully" The Broken Hardys. But if the titles are on the pre-show, i doubt they would waste that sort of appearance on a pre-show
i really doubt that they would put 6 matchs on the preshow. Last year they had in or around the same number of matches and if memory serve me right only 3 matches made it on the preshow. Also, since Big show as been added to the battle royal last week, i doubt the the shaq match is still on but i do see the battle royal be on the main card, especially if this match is braun strowman big win.
So out of the 5 matches you put on the pre show, i see probably the smackdown women's title match, the cruiserweight title match and either the raw or smackdown tag title match depending if they actually have a smackdown tag title match on the card.
Everything else will be on the main show. They aren't on PPV anymore so they can do a over run if they want to and if the last year of special event is any indication, you will have an overrun, i just hope it won'T be as long of a overrun as last year's mania.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
Even though they had another brawl on SD Live, I don't think Shane vs. Styles is official as of yet. AJ got the best of Shane last week, Shane got some revenge last night to even things up a little so next week will probably see the official announcement of the match.
Shane isn't remotely in Styles' league, everyone knows that and it should have been a topic that was repeatedly pounded into viewers by the commentators this week. The problem with this match is that it's much the same as Taker vs. Shane last year in in that Shane is going up against someone that he can't possibly beat and fans know it; Shane most definitely can't hang with AJ Styles in a wrestling match, so my guess is that they'll decide to make this into some sort of no DQ/street fight sort of deal. I think it's the only way to give fans even the slightest glimmer of a chance that Shane MIGHT pull out an unlikely upset.
There's about a 99.99% chance that AJ Styles wins the match, which he damn well should. So the goal of this match should be all about giving the crowd an entertaining match that keeps them invested and some variation of a no disqualification match is probably the best way to go about it as a means of balancing out the difference in ring skill between the two. Like JBL said during the tag title match on SmackDown Live last night, which can be applied to this match as well, is that you don't wrestle a wrestler, you fight him and you don't fight a fighter, you wrestle him.
Shane isn't remotely in Styles' league, everyone knows that and it should have been a topic that was repeatedly pounded into viewers by the commentators this week. The problem with this match is that it's much the same as Taker vs. Shane last year in in that Shane is going up against someone that he can't possibly beat and fans know it; Shane most definitely can't hang with AJ Styles in a wrestling match, so my guess is that they'll decide to make this into some sort of no DQ/street fight sort of deal. I think it's the only way to give fans even the slightest glimmer of a chance that Shane MIGHT pull out an unlikely upset.
There's about a 99.99% chance that AJ Styles wins the match, which he damn well should. So the goal of this match should be all about giving the crowd an entertaining match that keeps them invested and some variation of a no disqualification match is probably the best way to go about it as a means of balancing out the difference in ring skill between the two. Like JBL said during the tag title match on SmackDown Live last night, which can be applied to this match as well, is that you don't wrestle a wrestler, you fight him and you don't fight a fighter, you wrestle him.
The Fabulous Rougeau's
Championship Contender
With only one more Raw and Smackdown left before Mania there are officially 12 matches on the card for Mania. This does not include Rollins/HHH which based on the past 2 weeks looks like will go down in some form or fashion. That makes 13 matches, and with the tag title switch on Smackdown and the aftermath on Talking Smack I would expect some sort of match for the Smackdown Tag Titles which would take us to 14. With Show in the battle royal I doubt we get that Show v Shaq match so I see the final card set at 14 matches. That is 2 more matches then last year's Mania which had 3 pre show matches and 9 main card matches. As a result I envision 4 pre show matches and 10 main card matches structured like this:
Pre Show:
Raw Tag Title Match
Andre The Giant Battle Royal
Smackdown Women's Title Match
Cruiserweight Title Match
Main Show
US Title Match
Shane vs AJ
Smackdown Tag Title Match
IC Title Match
HHH v Rollins
Roman vs Taker
Miz/Maryse v Cena/Bella
Raw Women's Title Match
Universal Title Match
WWE Title Match
Pre Show:
Raw Tag Title Match
Andre The Giant Battle Royal
Smackdown Women's Title Match
Cruiserweight Title Match
Main Show
US Title Match
Shane vs AJ
Smackdown Tag Title Match
IC Title Match
HHH v Rollins
Roman vs Taker
Miz/Maryse v Cena/Bella
Raw Women's Title Match
Universal Title Match
WWE Title Match
I'm pretty sure that the brawl on smackdown pretty much confirm that shane vs aj is happening at mania now it's more about what kinda of match it is. We know by now that aj is the better wrestler but we also know that shane will step up his game to give an entertaining match. Shane as done this in tje past with guys like x-pac and kurt angle and was able to pull off a really entertaining match with both off them.
I know that shane s older now but he's still able to step up to the challenge and give fan an entertaining match and I think this will surprise alot of fans as far as how great this match will be.
I know that shane s older now but he's still able to step up to the challenge and give fan an entertaining match and I think this will surprise alot of fans as far as how great this match will be.
Pre-Show:
1.Austin Aries def. Neville (C) in a Ladder Match to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
2.Braun Strowman wins the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal by last eliminating Jason Jordan and Chad Gable.
3.Samoa Joe def. Sami Zayn in a Two out of Three Falls Match
4.Enzo and Big Cass def. The Club (C) & Sheamus and Cesaro in a Triple Tag Team Match to win the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships.
Main Card:
5.? (The Hardy Boys) def. The Usos (C) in an Open Challenge Match to win the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
6.Baron Corbin def. Dean Ambrose (C) to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship
7.Bayley (C) def. Sasha Banks, Nia Jax and Charlotte Flair in a Fatal 4 Way Match to retain the WWE Raw Women's Championship.
8.Seth Rollins def. Triple H in an Unsancionted Match (also involving in the match: Mick Foley, Stephanie McMahon, Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn and Finn Balor)
9.AJ Styles def. Shane McMahon
10.Kevin Owens def. Chris Jericho (C) to win the WWE United States Championship.
11.John Cena and Nikki Bella def. The Miz and Maryse in a Mixed Tag Team Match (Also involving: Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella)
12.Brock Lesnar def. Goldberg (C) to win the WWE Universal Championship.
13.Asuka def. Alexa Bliss (C), Becky Lynch, Naomi, Tamina Snuka. Eva Marie, Carmella, Natalya and Mickie James to win the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship.
14.Randy Orton def. Bray Wyatt (C) to win the WWE Championship. (Also involving: Luke Harper)
15.Roman Reigns def. The Undertaker (Also involving: Braun Strowman)
1.Austin Aries def. Neville (C) in a Ladder Match to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
2.Braun Strowman wins the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal by last eliminating Jason Jordan and Chad Gable.
3.Samoa Joe def. Sami Zayn in a Two out of Three Falls Match
4.Enzo and Big Cass def. The Club (C) & Sheamus and Cesaro in a Triple Tag Team Match to win the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships.
Main Card:
5.? (The Hardy Boys) def. The Usos (C) in an Open Challenge Match to win the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
6.Baron Corbin def. Dean Ambrose (C) to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship
7.Bayley (C) def. Sasha Banks, Nia Jax and Charlotte Flair in a Fatal 4 Way Match to retain the WWE Raw Women's Championship.
8.Seth Rollins def. Triple H in an Unsancionted Match (also involving in the match: Mick Foley, Stephanie McMahon, Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn and Finn Balor)
9.AJ Styles def. Shane McMahon
10.Kevin Owens def. Chris Jericho (C) to win the WWE United States Championship.
11.John Cena and Nikki Bella def. The Miz and Maryse in a Mixed Tag Team Match (Also involving: Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella)
12.Brock Lesnar def. Goldberg (C) to win the WWE Universal Championship.
13.Asuka def. Alexa Bliss (C), Becky Lynch, Naomi, Tamina Snuka. Eva Marie, Carmella, Natalya and Mickie James to win the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship.
14.Randy Orton def. Bray Wyatt (C) to win the WWE Championship. (Also involving: Luke Harper)
15.Roman Reigns def. The Undertaker (Also involving: Braun Strowman)
when you look at the final card for mania this year, i think you get a typical old school type of card for this year mania
The fact is that you can put those matches in 3 different category: Main event, Special attraction and throwaway matches which is good.
The Main event is Lesnar vs Goldberg. That'S the match that going to sell the Show for alot of casual fan so their no questions that this should end the show
Then you have your special attraction matches: Aj vs Shane, Taker vs roman reigns, The mix tag match and HHH VS Rollins, orton vs bray
I kinda want to put Owens vs jericho in that category also because the bulid to this would fit more for that category then for the throaway matches which is pretty much everything else on the show and since you got so many matches in this that help because you need matches on the preshow and has buffers between special attractions matches.
i think if you put the matches in the right order and you don'T do swerve for swerve sake like last year, this will be a really good mania.
The fact is that you can put those matches in 3 different category: Main event, Special attraction and throwaway matches which is good.
The Main event is Lesnar vs Goldberg. That'S the match that going to sell the Show for alot of casual fan so their no questions that this should end the show
Then you have your special attraction matches: Aj vs Shane, Taker vs roman reigns, The mix tag match and HHH VS Rollins, orton vs bray
I kinda want to put Owens vs jericho in that category also because the bulid to this would fit more for that category then for the throaway matches which is pretty much everything else on the show and since you got so many matches in this that help because you need matches on the preshow and has buffers between special attractions matches.
i think if you put the matches in the right order and you don'T do swerve for swerve sake like last year, this will be a really good mania.
The Life Of Pablo Ren
I know my name/avi/sig don't match.
I've been looking up the weather for Orlando the past few days and it's gone back and forth on whether there's gonna be rain on Sunday night. Would be pretty fitting to see a downpour during Goldberg/Lesnar. WWE's been extremely lucky weather wise when it comes to outdoor Mania's.
I'm really excited for the stage, probably more so than anything else to be honest. As more and more pictures start to roll in it's starting to look pretty impressive.
I'm really excited for the stage, probably more so than anything else to be honest. As more and more pictures start to roll in it's starting to look pretty impressive.
I'm speechless. I knew it wasn't the strongest card but even the matches I was excited for didn't deliver.
Here is the one highlight: The Hardys are back in the WWE and there is some chance they will be continuing their TNA gimmick.
The rest? Wow.
Before the show even officially started there was a bad sign with Mojo Rawley winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and what may well have been the match of the night (Neville vs. Aries) not even on the main card. Then Ambrose vs. Corbin which, lets be honest, how excited can a person be for a match like that?
Then the PPV starts, Shane McMahon ends up looking like a bigger star than 95% of the roster by taking AJ Styles to the limit and, even though Styles won, he hardly looked like a star on this night.
Owens vs. Jericho was very paint by numbers, it didn't feel like the culmination of a long storyline, and it wasn't unfortunately capped with a weak finish.
The Fatal 4-Way for the Raw women's title was, like last year, one of the best performances of the night but felt incredibly rushed after the Nia Jax elimination. And, once again, another weak ending that felt like it came before any momentum was even built.
The ladder match was fun, since Sheamus/Cesaro are one of the best acts in wrestling right now, and the Hardys return was big. If there is one match from this night that will be remembered in the future it will be the shock of this one.
Watching Miz get the crowd going was fun but it was less a match and more of a set-up for the marriage proposal. It was what it was, I'm glad for the two of them, and on a stronger show this might not even be a big deal but it was just another moment that grinded on unfortunately.
Triple H vs. Seth Rollins was pretty good, the right person won, but my hype for Seth Rollins died a long time ago when he got watered down by the whole "make Triple H look strong" vortex. This is hopefully his way out of that and he'll move onto better things but this didn't save the night for me by any means.
WTF was that garbage they tried to pass off as a WWE Title match? All this build-up about Orton destroying everything Wyatt cares about and then he randomly hits an RKO, gives him a nonchalant cover, and wins. Why even bother?
Lesnar vs. Goldberg was fun, sadly one of the best matches of the night despite how short it was, and at least delivered some exciting, hard hitting action. Lesnar winning was the inevitable but who does he even have to face with the former champion already being moved back to the midcard?
And, are my eyes deceiving me, or have they pasted in the Smackdown Women's Title match at the end of the show?
This on top of some of the worst camera work the WWE has ever done and some of the worst graphics we've seen since the 1990s...normally I feel like there needs to be time to process before declaring something to be awful but I think this is undoubtedly one of the worst pay-per-views of the year and maybe even one of the worst WrestleManias of all time.
Oh yeah, it's been so sloppy I forgot Roman Reigns vs. Undertaker was even going to happen. Yeah.
A Pitbull concert...
Why?
Here is the one highlight: The Hardys are back in the WWE and there is some chance they will be continuing their TNA gimmick.
The rest? Wow.
Before the show even officially started there was a bad sign with Mojo Rawley winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and what may well have been the match of the night (Neville vs. Aries) not even on the main card. Then Ambrose vs. Corbin which, lets be honest, how excited can a person be for a match like that?
Then the PPV starts, Shane McMahon ends up looking like a bigger star than 95% of the roster by taking AJ Styles to the limit and, even though Styles won, he hardly looked like a star on this night.
Owens vs. Jericho was very paint by numbers, it didn't feel like the culmination of a long storyline, and it wasn't unfortunately capped with a weak finish.
The Fatal 4-Way for the Raw women's title was, like last year, one of the best performances of the night but felt incredibly rushed after the Nia Jax elimination. And, once again, another weak ending that felt like it came before any momentum was even built.
The ladder match was fun, since Sheamus/Cesaro are one of the best acts in wrestling right now, and the Hardys return was big. If there is one match from this night that will be remembered in the future it will be the shock of this one.
Watching Miz get the crowd going was fun but it was less a match and more of a set-up for the marriage proposal. It was what it was, I'm glad for the two of them, and on a stronger show this might not even be a big deal but it was just another moment that grinded on unfortunately.
Triple H vs. Seth Rollins was pretty good, the right person won, but my hype for Seth Rollins died a long time ago when he got watered down by the whole "make Triple H look strong" vortex. This is hopefully his way out of that and he'll move onto better things but this didn't save the night for me by any means.
WTF was that garbage they tried to pass off as a WWE Title match? All this build-up about Orton destroying everything Wyatt cares about and then he randomly hits an RKO, gives him a nonchalant cover, and wins. Why even bother?
Lesnar vs. Goldberg was fun, sadly one of the best matches of the night despite how short it was, and at least delivered some exciting, hard hitting action. Lesnar winning was the inevitable but who does he even have to face with the former champion already being moved back to the midcard?
And, are my eyes deceiving me, or have they pasted in the Smackdown Women's Title match at the end of the show?
This on top of some of the worst camera work the WWE has ever done and some of the worst graphics we've seen since the 1990s...normally I feel like there needs to be time to process before declaring something to be awful but I think this is undoubtedly one of the worst pay-per-views of the year and maybe even one of the worst WrestleManias of all time.
Oh yeah, it's been so sloppy I forgot Roman Reigns vs. Undertaker was even going to happen. Yeah.
A Pitbull concert...
Why?
Wow, five hours was waaaay too much but I will say this. Reigns vs. Taker delivered and has at least sent me home happy. It was a well told story and, like him or not, Reigns is delivering on a level that no one else is when it comes to big time matches these days. If Undertaker is going out and wanted to put someone over when he did it, I think even though a lot of us wanted to see a match like Taker/Cena or Taker/Styles, Reigns may ultimately have been the best choice.
I haven't been a big fan of Reigns since the Shield split but I must say that his hard work is definitely making my opinion change. He has been given some awful, cheesy segments and is coming up in an era where WWE is clearly very lost about what direction to go in, but he is still bringing it when it needs to be brought. The rest of the PPV may not have been very good but I appreciate the big sendoff for Taker and that Reigns delivered the best match we could expect out of one of the biggest names ever to step foot in the ring at this point in his career.
I haven't been a big fan of Reigns since the Shield split but I must say that his hard work is definitely making my opinion change. He has been given some awful, cheesy segments and is coming up in an era where WWE is clearly very lost about what direction to go in, but he is still bringing it when it needs to be brought. The rest of the PPV may not have been very good but I appreciate the big sendoff for Taker and that Reigns delivered the best match we could expect out of one of the biggest names ever to step foot in the ring at this point in his career.
Spidey Revivey
Porn is okay here long as it ain't dudes.
That Wrestlemania was fantastic. Some people can't be satisfied.
From the get-go the throwaway Andre Battle Royal had celebrity involvement, and a winner very, very few predicted. Braun Strowman was taken out early, and so was Big Show. It was full of surprises, and for something on a Pre-Show it was pretty fun.
Dean Ambrose retained, a good enough result in my books after another decent match.
Women's wrestling is still going strong. The Elimination Match had several great spots and my baby's momma retained like the true star she is. Several in the LD complained it didn't go on long enough, or the ones they wanted to win didn't. Fairly a small problem in this day and age when years ago we were treated to five minutes of pussy grabbing and hiked up skirts. One guy griped it didn't last 15 minutes like it should. Little did they know only one women's match at Wrestlemania actually went on that long. Smackdown's match was shorter, but sweeter with the hometown girl winning and giving many of the viewers a breather before the main event.
Pit Bull was Pit Bull, giving us all a bathroom break, which is awesome.
New Day did their job without being all over the place. Hardys returned and pretty much sealed the deal for being moment of the year. Some in LD were tossing the tag match up as a cigarette break before that happened, which made it all the more awesome when people rubbed it in their faces. Screw them and their cancerous habits.
All in all I'm happy I watched it. Bray vs. Orton was a little too weird with no explanation for what was happening inside the ring itself, and Goldberg vs. Lesnar was just as spotfest-y as I expected. Seth Rollins had the worst special entrance I had ever witnessed. But Shane McMahon delivered better than he did against Taker, giving Styles counter after counter. John Cena proposing and Undertaker retiring has made this particular Wrestlemania one of the more important ones ever, so once again I can't help but roll my eyes at how modern fans can nitpick fun things to death.
In general, it was solid event.
From the get-go the throwaway Andre Battle Royal had celebrity involvement, and a winner very, very few predicted. Braun Strowman was taken out early, and so was Big Show. It was full of surprises, and for something on a Pre-Show it was pretty fun.
Dean Ambrose retained, a good enough result in my books after another decent match.
Women's wrestling is still going strong. The Elimination Match had several great spots and my baby's momma retained like the true star she is. Several in the LD complained it didn't go on long enough, or the ones they wanted to win didn't. Fairly a small problem in this day and age when years ago we were treated to five minutes of pussy grabbing and hiked up skirts. One guy griped it didn't last 15 minutes like it should. Little did they know only one women's match at Wrestlemania actually went on that long. Smackdown's match was shorter, but sweeter with the hometown girl winning and giving many of the viewers a breather before the main event.
Pit Bull was Pit Bull, giving us all a bathroom break, which is awesome.
New Day did their job without being all over the place. Hardys returned and pretty much sealed the deal for being moment of the year. Some in LD were tossing the tag match up as a cigarette break before that happened, which made it all the more awesome when people rubbed it in their faces. Screw them and their cancerous habits.
All in all I'm happy I watched it. Bray vs. Orton was a little too weird with no explanation for what was happening inside the ring itself, and Goldberg vs. Lesnar was just as spotfest-y as I expected. Seth Rollins had the worst special entrance I had ever witnessed. But Shane McMahon delivered better than he did against Taker, giving Styles counter after counter. John Cena proposing and Undertaker retiring has made this particular Wrestlemania one of the more important ones ever, so once again I can't help but roll my eyes at how modern fans can nitpick fun things to death.
In general, it was solid event.
Jeff Deliverer of Mail
Money for nothin, chicks for free
I thought the show was great. It started out very strong with AJ Styles vs Shane having a great match. I take back every bad thing I've said about Shane now. He can actually do some technical wrestling moves as well as stunt work.
Then the next match continued the vibe with K.O vs Y2J, another strong match with K.O doing Swanton dives and whatnot. K.O wins the title and Mania is off to a hot start.
The set, the endless budget of fireworks and that really huge entrance ramp added to the show.
The crowd were really into it (especially the Hardy Boyz coming back) and that gave Mania some added electricity.
Best Mania in awhile.
Then the next match continued the vibe with K.O vs Y2J, another strong match with K.O doing Swanton dives and whatnot. K.O wins the title and Mania is off to a hot start.
The set, the endless budget of fireworks and that really huge entrance ramp added to the show.
The crowd were really into it (especially the Hardy Boyz coming back) and that gave Mania some added electricity.
Best Mania in awhile.
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Only have NJ World now!
Shane vs Styles was my favourite match of the night because of how shockingly good it was. Hardys coming back was also a good moment. Goldberg and Brock was probably the best possible match you could do with 2 wrestlers with only 2 moves between them.
However Roman vs Taker... Probably the worst Mania main event I have seen (I haven't seen every single Mania). At least Cena vs Miz at 27 had Rock come out. There was literally nothing redeeming about this match at 33.
However Roman vs Taker... Probably the worst Mania main event I have seen (I haven't seen every single Mania). At least Cena vs Miz at 27 had Rock come out. There was literally nothing redeeming about this match at 33.
The Gribbler
Gribble me this, Gribble me that...
Overall I am happy. There are a few downs for the night, but I think it worked as a good WM.
Ups:
Shane vs AJ - The result was right, the match was right. All good.
Roman vs Taker - Okay, the match wasn't perfect, but Roman winning feels like it might have been the right call. With Roman getting booed out of the building these past few weeks it feels as though Roman is finally where he belongs.
Hardys - Okay... they didn't need to win, but I marked out like a little boy.
New Day hosting - Was actually entertaining for mine.
Brock winning - Match was what I expected and sets up Brock to put someone over big time.
Raw Womens Title - Surprising, but about right. Either Bayley wins or Sasha turns heel. Either way.
IC Title - What needed to happen, happened.
US Title - Damn that was good.
Cruiserweight Title - Why this wasn't on the main card I don't know but good match.
Downs:
Bray Losing - Why? Did Orton need the rub? no. Did Bray? Yes. No logic.
Smackdown Womens Title - What was the point of this match?
Andre The Giant - ...Why... Why... What?! Why?!?!?
Cena, Miz etc. - Why did Cena need the win. He was going to get his moment proposing anyway. Now he fucks off to Hollywood. Why not give the Miz that heat!
Oh and one question. Although I can see the logic in putting the Hardy's in a ladder match, since The Uso's literally weren't even defending the titles, it seemed wrote that there was a vacancy on the card... Oh well, very minor.
Over all, and I'm suring I'm forgetting something. Very good card.
Ups:
Shane vs AJ - The result was right, the match was right. All good.
Roman vs Taker - Okay, the match wasn't perfect, but Roman winning feels like it might have been the right call. With Roman getting booed out of the building these past few weeks it feels as though Roman is finally where he belongs.
Hardys - Okay... they didn't need to win, but I marked out like a little boy.
New Day hosting - Was actually entertaining for mine.
Brock winning - Match was what I expected and sets up Brock to put someone over big time.
Raw Womens Title - Surprising, but about right. Either Bayley wins or Sasha turns heel. Either way.
IC Title - What needed to happen, happened.
US Title - Damn that was good.
Cruiserweight Title - Why this wasn't on the main card I don't know but good match.
Downs:
Bray Losing - Why? Did Orton need the rub? no. Did Bray? Yes. No logic.
Smackdown Womens Title - What was the point of this match?
Andre The Giant - ...Why... Why... What?! Why?!?!?
Cena, Miz etc. - Why did Cena need the win. He was going to get his moment proposing anyway. Now he fucks off to Hollywood. Why not give the Miz that heat!
Oh and one question. Although I can see the logic in putting the Hardy's in a ladder match, since The Uso's literally weren't even defending the titles, it seemed wrote that there was a vacancy on the card... Oh well, very minor.
Over all, and I'm suring I'm forgetting something. Very good card.
Here are my thoughts on the overall experience called Wrestlemania 33.
Neville/Aries
Was extremely entertaining and had the crowd, what was there of it going right from the get go. I believe the right person one, and can see this going all the way to Aries taking the belt of Neville at Summerslam. Good match from two good wrestler's.
ATGBM - Winner Mojo Rawley
Stunned at the fact Rawley won, he was definitely a dark horse and I would never have picked him to win in a million years. Thought they would go with Zayn or Strowman. Outside chance for Big Show since he's winding down his career by the looks of things. Maybe nice to have him go out as a two time winner. Another stunner was the fact that both Show and Strowman went out so early in the match. Fun match overall though.
Ambrose/Corbin
Amazed that they put this on the preshow, but there you have it. Pretty standard match from both guys and again surprised that Corbin didn't win.
Guess we'll be seeing more from these two in the weeks going forward, considering there isn't really anyone else for Ambrose to feud with right now.
Styles/Shane McMahon
Much better than I was expecting from Shane truth be told. Styles carried most of that match and could make a broom look good, but Shane held his own. The guy has to stop jumping off crap though. One of these days he's going to kill himself. Smackdown should be interesting this week to see the confrontation between the two. Expecting Styles to get traded to RAW.
Jericho/Owens
Again pretty standard fare from the two of them. We'v seen both in action like this before so there was no real surprises. Good match and since Jericho is leaving to tour with his band, no surprise either that Owens won. Can't believe that Owens is satisfied with the US title though when you think he was the Universal Champion just a month or so ago. That's the one I thought he'd be gunning for. Anyway should be a good reign for him depending on who they pair him up against.
RAW women's match - Winner Bayley
For some reason this match felt rushed, don't know if they were told to cut it short or not, but after Nia was eliminated things went rather quickly. Don't see why Nia was in the match to begin with since she hasn't really had one decent feud under her belt on RAW since she came up. Match was okay but last year's was much better. Maybe it was the time restraint. All four women looked great last night, even though can't get over the feeling that Bayley looks like a small child compared to the other three.
RAW Tag match - Winner's Hardy Boy's
Match of the night for me with the return of the Hardy's. The pop for them was tremendous and so glad to see them back. As soon as they announced it was a ladder match had a feeling we would see them. Jeff's Swanton Bomb off the big ladder was a sight to behold. He missed Sheamus but folded Cesaro in half. Kind of felt sorry for the other three teams as it was all about Matt and Jeff. Great match and will be replayed over and over again.
Cena and Nikki Bella/Miz and Maryse
This match was all to set up the proposal at the end of it, fairly obvious to most watching. Okay match, did Maryse get in any offense at all? Nikki Bella did more damage to Miz than anyone else did. Short, sweet and nice proposal from Cena. Also did anyone think Nikki Bella was going to say no?
Orton/Wyatt
Poor Bray Wyatt, gotta feel for the guy, lost his shack and the belt within a month of each other. Match graphics were creepy as hell, I hate bugs, so had to turn away, but I guess it was cool to some. Really would it have killed Orton to lose this one and put Wyatt over. Expecting Wyatt to win the rematch which makes this decision even more of a head scratchier. The whole match was kind of a dud.
Rollins/HHH
HHH had one of the best entrances of the night, as usual, but this feud lost a lot of steam for me a long time ago. It should really have been over at the Rumble or Survivor Series. With HHH taking time off and Rollins just sort of doing nothing but calling him out every so often felt like the train was going off the cliff. Sure they had a build in the last month, but for something that has dragged on for so long nothing they did could have made me interested in it. One huge surprise was that Samoa Joe or Balor didn't interfere. Glad this thing is over and done with now. Didn't feel this one at all.
Smackdown Women's Match - Winner Naomi
This match felt like it was cut and pasted into the program and if they could have cut it they would have. Naomi had a wonderful entrance and the darkness really helped, if this had been on the preshow it would have been nothing, you need the blacklight for it to work. Not really much to say about this, I was already beginning to tune out. Not sure the right person won though, Bliss should have carried the title a little longer.
Lesnar/Goldberg
Well at least it wasn't a 2 minute squash and both managed to some get offense in. Wasn't great but wasn't horrible either. Everyone projected a Lesnar win so again no surprises there. At least Heyman woke the crowd up.
Undertaker/Roman Reigns
To be honest this one was hard to watch. A young stud beating up a 50 year old man. To watch Undertaker crawling around barely able to stand was horrible. Still don't know why this match happened to begin with, but unless the crowd was muted it didn't do Reigns any favour's by having him go over a legend. Taker leaving the ring was emotional to say the least and I think that's it. Next time we see him will be next year's Hall of Fame when he headlines. Shame to say I wasn't into this match at all right from the get go.
Overall thoughts
Good show, wasn't the best but it delivered for so many on different levels. Nice to see the Hardy's and JR come back, and amazed that the Rock didn't show up, was waiting for him to come out. Crowd starting dying about 3 hours into the show and who could blame them, it was a long night. Felt really sorry for those sitting there, must be a great experience but I would rather be at home in my pajamas with the fridge and bathroom nearby. Don't think they can cut the show down though with the amount of talent that has to get on TV.
Looking forward to tonight's RAW and seeing what happens there and any fallout from Mania.
EDIT: Forgot to add the set was one of the best yet, and really came to life when the sun went down.
Neville/Aries
Was extremely entertaining and had the crowd, what was there of it going right from the get go. I believe the right person one, and can see this going all the way to Aries taking the belt of Neville at Summerslam. Good match from two good wrestler's.
ATGBM - Winner Mojo Rawley
Stunned at the fact Rawley won, he was definitely a dark horse and I would never have picked him to win in a million years. Thought they would go with Zayn or Strowman. Outside chance for Big Show since he's winding down his career by the looks of things. Maybe nice to have him go out as a two time winner. Another stunner was the fact that both Show and Strowman went out so early in the match. Fun match overall though.
Ambrose/Corbin
Amazed that they put this on the preshow, but there you have it. Pretty standard match from both guys and again surprised that Corbin didn't win.
Guess we'll be seeing more from these two in the weeks going forward, considering there isn't really anyone else for Ambrose to feud with right now.
Styles/Shane McMahon
Much better than I was expecting from Shane truth be told. Styles carried most of that match and could make a broom look good, but Shane held his own. The guy has to stop jumping off crap though. One of these days he's going to kill himself. Smackdown should be interesting this week to see the confrontation between the two. Expecting Styles to get traded to RAW.
Jericho/Owens
Again pretty standard fare from the two of them. We'v seen both in action like this before so there was no real surprises. Good match and since Jericho is leaving to tour with his band, no surprise either that Owens won. Can't believe that Owens is satisfied with the US title though when you think he was the Universal Champion just a month or so ago. That's the one I thought he'd be gunning for. Anyway should be a good reign for him depending on who they pair him up against.
RAW women's match - Winner Bayley
For some reason this match felt rushed, don't know if they were told to cut it short or not, but after Nia was eliminated things went rather quickly. Don't see why Nia was in the match to begin with since she hasn't really had one decent feud under her belt on RAW since she came up. Match was okay but last year's was much better. Maybe it was the time restraint. All four women looked great last night, even though can't get over the feeling that Bayley looks like a small child compared to the other three.
RAW Tag match - Winner's Hardy Boy's
Match of the night for me with the return of the Hardy's. The pop for them was tremendous and so glad to see them back. As soon as they announced it was a ladder match had a feeling we would see them. Jeff's Swanton Bomb off the big ladder was a sight to behold. He missed Sheamus but folded Cesaro in half. Kind of felt sorry for the other three teams as it was all about Matt and Jeff. Great match and will be replayed over and over again.
Cena and Nikki Bella/Miz and Maryse
This match was all to set up the proposal at the end of it, fairly obvious to most watching. Okay match, did Maryse get in any offense at all? Nikki Bella did more damage to Miz than anyone else did. Short, sweet and nice proposal from Cena. Also did anyone think Nikki Bella was going to say no?
Orton/Wyatt
Poor Bray Wyatt, gotta feel for the guy, lost his shack and the belt within a month of each other. Match graphics were creepy as hell, I hate bugs, so had to turn away, but I guess it was cool to some. Really would it have killed Orton to lose this one and put Wyatt over. Expecting Wyatt to win the rematch which makes this decision even more of a head scratchier. The whole match was kind of a dud.
Rollins/HHH
HHH had one of the best entrances of the night, as usual, but this feud lost a lot of steam for me a long time ago. It should really have been over at the Rumble or Survivor Series. With HHH taking time off and Rollins just sort of doing nothing but calling him out every so often felt like the train was going off the cliff. Sure they had a build in the last month, but for something that has dragged on for so long nothing they did could have made me interested in it. One huge surprise was that Samoa Joe or Balor didn't interfere. Glad this thing is over and done with now. Didn't feel this one at all.
Smackdown Women's Match - Winner Naomi
This match felt like it was cut and pasted into the program and if they could have cut it they would have. Naomi had a wonderful entrance and the darkness really helped, if this had been on the preshow it would have been nothing, you need the blacklight for it to work. Not really much to say about this, I was already beginning to tune out. Not sure the right person won though, Bliss should have carried the title a little longer.
Lesnar/Goldberg
Well at least it wasn't a 2 minute squash and both managed to some get offense in. Wasn't great but wasn't horrible either. Everyone projected a Lesnar win so again no surprises there. At least Heyman woke the crowd up.
Undertaker/Roman Reigns
To be honest this one was hard to watch. A young stud beating up a 50 year old man. To watch Undertaker crawling around barely able to stand was horrible. Still don't know why this match happened to begin with, but unless the crowd was muted it didn't do Reigns any favour's by having him go over a legend. Taker leaving the ring was emotional to say the least and I think that's it. Next time we see him will be next year's Hall of Fame when he headlines. Shame to say I wasn't into this match at all right from the get go.
Overall thoughts
Good show, wasn't the best but it delivered for so many on different levels. Nice to see the Hardy's and JR come back, and amazed that the Rock didn't show up, was waiting for him to come out. Crowd starting dying about 3 hours into the show and who could blame them, it was a long night. Felt really sorry for those sitting there, must be a great experience but I would rather be at home in my pajamas with the fridge and bathroom nearby. Don't think they can cut the show down though with the amount of talent that has to get on TV.
Looking forward to tonight's RAW and seeing what happens there and any fallout from Mania.
EDIT: Forgot to add the set was one of the best yet, and really came to life when the sun went down.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
For the most part, my only real complaints were Bray Wyatt dropping the title and the overall length of the show. Not really got enough time to do any sort of detailed review, so I might do it later
I have ZERO interest in another Randy Orton WWE Championship run, I have even less interest in that than in Brock Lesnar as WWE Universal Champion. I'm guessing that this is a feud that goes on for a few months and ultimately results, at least I'm hoping, in Wyatt reclaiming the title.
As for my other complaint, WrestleMania as a whole has just gotten too damn long. Even though it was obvious some of the matches were rushed, it just reinforces the notion that the overall event is just too much. The main card itself lasted 5 hours and has a 2 hour kickoff show prior to that, most of the fans had been there since at least the very start of the kickoff show, I watched since then, and 7 hours is just too damn long. I dig that WWE tries to give pretty much the entire main roster part of the WrestleMania payday but I'm of the opinion that, going forward, they either need to tell some people "I know it sucks but some of you just aren't gonna be part of the show" or figure a way to make WrestleMania into a double show by having half of it on Saturday and the other half on Sunday. By the time you got into the what's the third hour of the main card, you couldn't help but feel fatigue as a viewer.
Overall, I thought it was a good show, a good solid B that could probably have been better if the entire thing had been 60 to 90 minutes shorter.
Neville vs. Aries was a helluva Cruiserweight Championship match and I've no problem at all with Aries winning after a good long chase.
Mojo Rawley winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was an okay moment, the match itself was pretty fun as battle royals go.
Ambrose vs. Corbin was okay, nothing particularly special and was possibly the flattest match on the entire card. I wouldn't have minded seeing Corbin win, but Ambrose keeping the strap works for me too.
Shane vs. Styles was a highly entertaining match that went about how I figured it would with a mix of some fun spots from Shane and Styles ultimately carrying the match on his shoulders.
Jericho vs. Owens was another fun bout that had the right outcome with Owens becoming WWE United States Champion. Here's hoping WWE gets back on track with the mid-card titles in the post WrestleMania season.
The Raw Women's Championship match was fun, it did feel rushed but I thought the ladies made good use of the time they had.
The Raw Tag Team Championship match was a lot of fun and while not on the level of the Hardys vs. the Young Bucks Saturday night, due in no small part to this match being half that one's length, they made good use of the time they had, hit some big spots and gave fans a nostalgia rush with the Hardy's winning the straps.
John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse was entertaining in the sense of watching Miz play up the crowd. I knew it wouldn't be a match for the ages, and it certainly wasn't, as it was mostly about Cena proposing after the match. I'm just glad the fans didn't act like shits by ruining a genuinely nice moment.
Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton was a mess and fans were getting really fatigued by this point. The match graphics were pretty cool and the live crowd seemed to think so as well, but Wyatt losing just really took the wind outta my sails.
Seth Rollins vs. Triple H was a fun brawl that had the fans invested and told a good story. It wasn't as brutal as I thought it should be, but Rollins showed a lot of heart, Steph got put through a table and Rollins pinned Trips with his own move so I was happy.
The WWE SmackDown Women's Championship match felt kinda like an old school women's buffer match in some ways. It was definitely rushed but the gals worked hard with the time they were given. Naomi winning and having a nice moment in her hometown worked as she's gotten over really well as a babyface on the blue brand.
Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar was better than I anticipated and was probably as good as it could get. I have to admit that I didn't understand the reaction this match got, I honestly don't, but Lesnar scored the win after about 5 minutes and now we have another part timer with a title.
The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns was better than I was expecting. There was a botched spot with Reigns trying to reverse the Tombstone but it's understandable because it was obvious Taker was hurting at times.. The fans weren't super invested as I think they were mostly just waiting for the inevitable. There were some really strong reactions when Taker kicked out of the spear so many times as it generated some hope that maybe Taker was going over. Taker did lose and ultimately left his gear inside the ring signaling that this is pretty much it and if that didn't, then giving Michelle McCool a kiss certainly did as these are things Taker just doesn't do. The match told a good story and it was emotional given that this is probably the last time Taker will wrestle again.
So yeah, overall, I give last night's show a B, maybe a B+.
I have ZERO interest in another Randy Orton WWE Championship run, I have even less interest in that than in Brock Lesnar as WWE Universal Champion. I'm guessing that this is a feud that goes on for a few months and ultimately results, at least I'm hoping, in Wyatt reclaiming the title.
As for my other complaint, WrestleMania as a whole has just gotten too damn long. Even though it was obvious some of the matches were rushed, it just reinforces the notion that the overall event is just too much. The main card itself lasted 5 hours and has a 2 hour kickoff show prior to that, most of the fans had been there since at least the very start of the kickoff show, I watched since then, and 7 hours is just too damn long. I dig that WWE tries to give pretty much the entire main roster part of the WrestleMania payday but I'm of the opinion that, going forward, they either need to tell some people "I know it sucks but some of you just aren't gonna be part of the show" or figure a way to make WrestleMania into a double show by having half of it on Saturday and the other half on Sunday. By the time you got into the what's the third hour of the main card, you couldn't help but feel fatigue as a viewer.
Overall, I thought it was a good show, a good solid B that could probably have been better if the entire thing had been 60 to 90 minutes shorter.
Neville vs. Aries was a helluva Cruiserweight Championship match and I've no problem at all with Aries winning after a good long chase.
Mojo Rawley winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was an okay moment, the match itself was pretty fun as battle royals go.
Ambrose vs. Corbin was okay, nothing particularly special and was possibly the flattest match on the entire card. I wouldn't have minded seeing Corbin win, but Ambrose keeping the strap works for me too.
Shane vs. Styles was a highly entertaining match that went about how I figured it would with a mix of some fun spots from Shane and Styles ultimately carrying the match on his shoulders.
Jericho vs. Owens was another fun bout that had the right outcome with Owens becoming WWE United States Champion. Here's hoping WWE gets back on track with the mid-card titles in the post WrestleMania season.
The Raw Women's Championship match was fun, it did feel rushed but I thought the ladies made good use of the time they had.
The Raw Tag Team Championship match was a lot of fun and while not on the level of the Hardys vs. the Young Bucks Saturday night, due in no small part to this match being half that one's length, they made good use of the time they had, hit some big spots and gave fans a nostalgia rush with the Hardy's winning the straps.
John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse was entertaining in the sense of watching Miz play up the crowd. I knew it wouldn't be a match for the ages, and it certainly wasn't, as it was mostly about Cena proposing after the match. I'm just glad the fans didn't act like shits by ruining a genuinely nice moment.
Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton was a mess and fans were getting really fatigued by this point. The match graphics were pretty cool and the live crowd seemed to think so as well, but Wyatt losing just really took the wind outta my sails.
Seth Rollins vs. Triple H was a fun brawl that had the fans invested and told a good story. It wasn't as brutal as I thought it should be, but Rollins showed a lot of heart, Steph got put through a table and Rollins pinned Trips with his own move so I was happy.
The WWE SmackDown Women's Championship match felt kinda like an old school women's buffer match in some ways. It was definitely rushed but the gals worked hard with the time they were given. Naomi winning and having a nice moment in her hometown worked as she's gotten over really well as a babyface on the blue brand.
Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar was better than I anticipated and was probably as good as it could get. I have to admit that I didn't understand the reaction this match got, I honestly don't, but Lesnar scored the win after about 5 minutes and now we have another part timer with a title.
The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns was better than I was expecting. There was a botched spot with Reigns trying to reverse the Tombstone but it's understandable because it was obvious Taker was hurting at times.. The fans weren't super invested as I think they were mostly just waiting for the inevitable. There were some really strong reactions when Taker kicked out of the spear so many times as it generated some hope that maybe Taker was going over. Taker did lose and ultimately left his gear inside the ring signaling that this is pretty much it and if that didn't, then giving Michelle McCool a kiss certainly did as these are things Taker just doesn't do. The match told a good story and it was emotional given that this is probably the last time Taker will wrestle again.
So yeah, overall, I give last night's show a B, maybe a B+.
The Life Of Pablo Ren
I know my name/avi/sig don't match.
I'll group the pre-show together as one instead of reviewing the matches one by one. The Cruiserweight Championship match was great, it got a lot more time than it would have on the main card and I'm glad because they put together something great. I hated the battle royal. I thought it was booked horribly. I hate Mojo, I hate Gronk, I can't believe the way they treated Strowman, it really makes you wonder if he did something and he's being punished for it... just horrible and I thought Mojo winning would just be an omen for the rest of the night. I wasn't a fan of the IC match either, I feel like the only reason Dean won was because it was on the pre-show and it was kind of an apology. The match was alright but I feel it was the wrong result, overall I wasn't all that impressed with the pre-show, but now onto the main card.
AJ vs. Shane
Great. Honestly one of the best openers in Mania history. I've seen people complain that it didn't make AJ look strong which is a bad thing but... you know Shane isn't James Ellsworth. He only faces the best of the best and he's supposed to be taken seriously. Far exceeded I think everyone's expectations.
KO vs. Y2J
Very good. I'm glad this went on early as opposed to somewhere in the middle of the card where their time could've been caught. The only gripe I would have is the finish. As gnarly as the powerbomb to the ring apron looks, with the way it's sold I don't take it seriously as a finish. I was really hoping for a caught Codebreaker, then KO would throw him up into the pop-up powerbomb. But still it's a minor thing, otherwise it was great.
Bayley vs. Sasha vs. Charlotte vs. Nia
This was the first hiccup of the night but it wasn't a major one. It was obvious they had some of their time cut but they still put forth a pretty good match. Sasha's elimination was a little awkward, I thought they'd maybe ad-lib something different after Charlotte didn't pull the padding off either way. I think the TV audience knew what they were trying to go for there but the crowd must've been confused as hell.
Enzo and Cass vs. The Club vs. Shemaro vs. The Hardyz
GOOOOOOOOD LORD what a moment. It looks like the Hardy's aren't Broken and even though going into the event people said they'd be disappointed if that were the case, the pop they got at the start and the reaction throughout proves otherwise. Honestly the match itself is a bit of a blur for me because I was heating up my pizza but their return was definitely my favorite part of the night.
Miz and Maryse vs. Cena and Nikki
The match went on longer than I thought it would. Miz and Maryse got in more offense than I thought they would. But in the end we got the result we all expected. The match itself wasn't anything special but the post match proposal was cool. Congrats to Nikki and John and I applaud the crowd for not shitting all over it and being respectable.
Seth vs. Trips
I think people expected this to be more brutal than it was. Maybe something similar to the unsanctioned match that HBK and HHH had from Summerslam all those years back. But really the only reason it was given that stipulation was so that Rollins couldn't sue. I'm probably making excuses, it wasn't my favorite match of the night but it was still good.
Orton vs. Wyatt
I... there's so many things I can say. I don't think this is the payoff that the almost 8 month long feud deserved. It was the only real dud of the night. So disappointed in it.
Brock vs. Berg
Beyond happy with this. It was exactly what it needed to be. It was short, both men got their two moves in (and I'm pretty sure literally nothing else) and it brought the crowd back after Orton/Wyatt.
Alexa vs. Naomi vs. Becky vs. Mickie vs. Natalya vs. Carmella
The SD women had a Fatal 4 Way on Smackdown a bunch of months back with similar competitors in the match and it was honestly really great. I feel like with more time it could've been that. It would've been given more time if it was on the pre-show but whatever. Also Naomi is like 6-0 against Alexa now... I don't know if that's good.
Taker vs. Reigns
I can't be mad at it, I really can't. You know, Taker did more than I ever thought he could do but it was clear he was in a bad way. Roman had to carry the match and he just isn't capable of doing that yet. Taker couldn't help Reigns out at all. I would argue the match should've been way shorter but does Taker really deserve to go out with a short loss? The crowd was hesitant to cheer because they knew the inevitable was coming, the crowd's tone reflected on the commentary which was also just as flat (although I give JR a pass) yet despite all that, the right decision was made. Taker looked defiant in the end but in the same breath it was almost like Reigns was trying to put down an old sick dog... somehow... someway... I loved it. And the post match brought a tear to my eye.
Overall thoughts:
I'm floored. This had no reason to be as good as it did. It surpassed every expectation I had for it. We had two great matches, very good matches, good matches, one dud but whatever. And on top of that an onslaught of moments, which is what the WWE wants at WrestleMania more than anything else. It's way too early and soon to rank it but overall with everything taken into account I thought it was a great show.
AJ vs. Shane
Great. Honestly one of the best openers in Mania history. I've seen people complain that it didn't make AJ look strong which is a bad thing but... you know Shane isn't James Ellsworth. He only faces the best of the best and he's supposed to be taken seriously. Far exceeded I think everyone's expectations.
KO vs. Y2J
Very good. I'm glad this went on early as opposed to somewhere in the middle of the card where their time could've been caught. The only gripe I would have is the finish. As gnarly as the powerbomb to the ring apron looks, with the way it's sold I don't take it seriously as a finish. I was really hoping for a caught Codebreaker, then KO would throw him up into the pop-up powerbomb. But still it's a minor thing, otherwise it was great.
Bayley vs. Sasha vs. Charlotte vs. Nia
This was the first hiccup of the night but it wasn't a major one. It was obvious they had some of their time cut but they still put forth a pretty good match. Sasha's elimination was a little awkward, I thought they'd maybe ad-lib something different after Charlotte didn't pull the padding off either way. I think the TV audience knew what they were trying to go for there but the crowd must've been confused as hell.
Enzo and Cass vs. The Club vs. Shemaro vs. The Hardyz
GOOOOOOOOD LORD what a moment. It looks like the Hardy's aren't Broken and even though going into the event people said they'd be disappointed if that were the case, the pop they got at the start and the reaction throughout proves otherwise. Honestly the match itself is a bit of a blur for me because I was heating up my pizza but their return was definitely my favorite part of the night.
Miz and Maryse vs. Cena and Nikki
The match went on longer than I thought it would. Miz and Maryse got in more offense than I thought they would. But in the end we got the result we all expected. The match itself wasn't anything special but the post match proposal was cool. Congrats to Nikki and John and I applaud the crowd for not shitting all over it and being respectable.
Seth vs. Trips
I think people expected this to be more brutal than it was. Maybe something similar to the unsanctioned match that HBK and HHH had from Summerslam all those years back. But really the only reason it was given that stipulation was so that Rollins couldn't sue. I'm probably making excuses, it wasn't my favorite match of the night but it was still good.
Orton vs. Wyatt
I... there's so many things I can say. I don't think this is the payoff that the almost 8 month long feud deserved. It was the only real dud of the night. So disappointed in it.
Brock vs. Berg
Beyond happy with this. It was exactly what it needed to be. It was short, both men got their two moves in (and I'm pretty sure literally nothing else) and it brought the crowd back after Orton/Wyatt.
Alexa vs. Naomi vs. Becky vs. Mickie vs. Natalya vs. Carmella
The SD women had a Fatal 4 Way on Smackdown a bunch of months back with similar competitors in the match and it was honestly really great. I feel like with more time it could've been that. It would've been given more time if it was on the pre-show but whatever. Also Naomi is like 6-0 against Alexa now... I don't know if that's good.
Taker vs. Reigns
I can't be mad at it, I really can't. You know, Taker did more than I ever thought he could do but it was clear he was in a bad way. Roman had to carry the match and he just isn't capable of doing that yet. Taker couldn't help Reigns out at all. I would argue the match should've been way shorter but does Taker really deserve to go out with a short loss? The crowd was hesitant to cheer because they knew the inevitable was coming, the crowd's tone reflected on the commentary which was also just as flat (although I give JR a pass) yet despite all that, the right decision was made. Taker looked defiant in the end but in the same breath it was almost like Reigns was trying to put down an old sick dog... somehow... someway... I loved it. And the post match brought a tear to my eye.
Overall thoughts:
I'm floored. This had no reason to be as good as it did. It surpassed every expectation I had for it. We had two great matches, very good matches, good matches, one dud but whatever. And on top of that an onslaught of moments, which is what the WWE wants at WrestleMania more than anything else. It's way too early and soon to rank it but overall with everything taken into account I thought it was a great show.
Not going to do a match by match reviews because their so many others that have done that. I will just go with my highlights and disappointment from the show.
Highlights: aries vs neville match was awesome, mojo winning the battle royal was a big surprise, like the aj vs shane match, hardys returns even if it was telegraph was a great moment, cena asking nikki to marry him was a great moment, goldberg vs lesnar was great for what it was and taker doing the honors for reigns before he retired was great.
Disappointment: ambrose vs corbin, orton vs wyatt, hhh vs rollins. Three match that will the results made sense, the matches we're just boring to watch. Both women's match we're underwelming. The length of the show was again way to long for what it was worth.
Still I the end, I way better show then last year's event and it ended the right way, with a veteran putting over the future of wwe.
Highlights: aries vs neville match was awesome, mojo winning the battle royal was a big surprise, like the aj vs shane match, hardys returns even if it was telegraph was a great moment, cena asking nikki to marry him was a great moment, goldberg vs lesnar was great for what it was and taker doing the honors for reigns before he retired was great.
Disappointment: ambrose vs corbin, orton vs wyatt, hhh vs rollins. Three match that will the results made sense, the matches we're just boring to watch. Both women's match we're underwelming. The length of the show was again way to long for what it was worth.
Still I the end, I way better show then last year's event and it ended the right way, with a veteran putting over the future of wwe.
The Fabulous Rougeau's
Championship Contender
For me the match of the night was Shane/AJ. Outside of that I would throw in the tag title match, brock/goldberg and Aries/Neville as good matches, with ko/jericho, hhh/rollins, and goldberg/taker coming in at par for the course with all other bouts missing the mark.
Haven't been joining in the Live Dicussions any more due to watching delayed from mobile.
That said: even though I started to watch well after the event began I still watched the majority of the show in the end including all the main parts.
Good solid end to Neville vs Aries and the right man won the match in the end. Glad they resisted and setup for this feud to go on post-Mania.
Mojo wasnt a bad choice for the ARMBR and clearly the Gronk appearance was the main factor in that.
Didnt care much about Ambrose vs Corbin. Was expecting more from it and thought the wrong guy went over.
AJ and KO went over in their match which was the correct decisions also. Shane with the SSP was a sight to behold and hugely unexpected for me. Earned my respect big time given I dreaded him being in the ring for a match and thought it was a waste of AJ.
Great Hardys return for a heatless 3-Way tag match and thereafter only One winner made sense. Looking forward to them vs New Day sometime soon.
Both Women's matches had the correct winners as well. However, with regards to RAW, I thought Sasha Banks was shafted big time apart from her great entrance. Surely, she deserved a bigger spotlight on the night. Good luck turning her heel against Bayley whilst clearly 'keeping her down',lMO.
Now for the Main bouts:
Seth Rollins vs HHH: Was surprised at Joe not being at Mania at all, tbh. Thought he would be in the ARMBR or running interference. However, at least, they went right through and gave Rollins the clean victory, although most surely, that feud is just now properly heating up.
World title match: Unlike others, I thought the bug stuff was intriguing. However, the ending of the match shit all over that. WRONG winner regardless of if WWE want to run AJ vs RKO for the title and can't wait. Bray should have won and even had Harper and Rowan back by his side to start pure Wyatt domination all over SmackDown, lMO.
Universal title match: Really fun match between two titans and the right guy won in the end. That leapfrog by Brock Lesnar was epic and something only he can pull off which in turn makes it really hard to boo him. Anamoly in every sense.
Lastly, the Retirement of my All-Time Favourite Superstar at the hands of my current fav:
The right result in this one as Roman is one for the future.
Match itself told a great story overall with the Old Guy just not having 'it' anymore and ended up being put down by the new Big Dog.
The aftermath was a real tearjerker for me, especially when Taker started to take off the gloves to truly signal the End of the Greatest WWE Career ever.
Hope he gets announced as Headliner for the HoF Class of 2018 tonight itself. We all Salute You!
#ThankYouTaker #GOAT
That said: even though I started to watch well after the event began I still watched the majority of the show in the end including all the main parts.
Good solid end to Neville vs Aries and the right man won the match in the end. Glad they resisted and setup for this feud to go on post-Mania.
Mojo wasnt a bad choice for the ARMBR and clearly the Gronk appearance was the main factor in that.
Didnt care much about Ambrose vs Corbin. Was expecting more from it and thought the wrong guy went over.
AJ and KO went over in their match which was the correct decisions also. Shane with the SSP was a sight to behold and hugely unexpected for me. Earned my respect big time given I dreaded him being in the ring for a match and thought it was a waste of AJ.
Great Hardys return for a heatless 3-Way tag match and thereafter only One winner made sense. Looking forward to them vs New Day sometime soon.
Both Women's matches had the correct winners as well. However, with regards to RAW, I thought Sasha Banks was shafted big time apart from her great entrance. Surely, she deserved a bigger spotlight on the night. Good luck turning her heel against Bayley whilst clearly 'keeping her down',lMO.
Now for the Main bouts:
Seth Rollins vs HHH: Was surprised at Joe not being at Mania at all, tbh. Thought he would be in the ARMBR or running interference. However, at least, they went right through and gave Rollins the clean victory, although most surely, that feud is just now properly heating up.
World title match: Unlike others, I thought the bug stuff was intriguing. However, the ending of the match shit all over that. WRONG winner regardless of if WWE want to run AJ vs RKO for the title and can't wait. Bray should have won and even had Harper and Rowan back by his side to start pure Wyatt domination all over SmackDown, lMO.
Universal title match: Really fun match between two titans and the right guy won in the end. That leapfrog by Brock Lesnar was epic and something only he can pull off which in turn makes it really hard to boo him. Anamoly in every sense.
Lastly, the Retirement of my All-Time Favourite Superstar at the hands of my current fav:
The right result in this one as Roman is one for the future.
Match itself told a great story overall with the Old Guy just not having 'it' anymore and ended up being put down by the new Big Dog.
The aftermath was a real tearjerker for me, especially when Taker started to take off the gloves to truly signal the End of the Greatest WWE Career ever.
Hope he gets announced as Headliner for the HoF Class of 2018 tonight itself. We all Salute You!
#ThankYouTaker #GOAT
