So, Which Match Stole the Show?

[OYDK]

Just as the title of the thread implies, who do you think stole the show last night at Wrestlemania 31? I think the card included a lot of good-great matches, looking back on it now, I can't think of one match that really let me down, but it's hard to pick out one match that stood out above the rest. All in all, it was a solid 6 hours of wrestling and relatively logical booking. For me, there were a few matches that can be considered the "show-stealer":

Sting vs HHH: I understand this match was not for everybody, but personally, I liked it a lot and though it was fun enough. This was the "attraction match" of Wrestlemania, lately there's been one every year. We saw DX and NWO finally come face to face, Nash hilariously looked like he tore his quad, and dammit if Shawn Michaels didn't take me back to 1997 with one Superkick. Although, the DX/NWO thing has been played out over the years, it was nice to finally see something (more than one thing) that has been on the minds of people for years, come to fruition. I didn't like that HHH went over but I'll reserve my feelings until I see what comes of this. Not a technical masterpiece, but a solid match made great by the inclusion of the legends.

Orton vs Rollins: This probably won't stick out to many people going forward seeing as it will probably get glossed over for Rollins cashing in his MITB contract, but it was a very good match that saw some great spots. The RKO to end it was one of the nicest we've ever seen imo. Thought Rollins would be going over but can't complain given the end result.

Rusev vs Cena: Not much to say that hasn't been said. Just a good match by two good workers. Lana getting involved physically was great to see, and Rusev really made you believe that he was going to win. Should be a fun run with Cena as US Champion.

Reigns vs Lesnar: The match that most people seemed to look down on. Few picked this to be match of the night, but I think it exceeded expectations. Brock Lesnar showed he was the new human suplex machine and Reigns took an ass-whooping like a champ. I think Lesnar used over 5 variations of suplexes last night... German, fisherman, springboard, vertical, snap... beautiful. I think props has to be given to Lesnar as well as it's obvious he let Reigns stiff him a few times to get the blood flowing... still don't know if he bladed on that ring post spot... anyway, the finish was spectacular and the match made the fans care which was no small feat.

Opinions?

 

[Kelsey2101]

My top three:

Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt: Undertaker is the wrestler who initially got me hooked on wrestling, so anytime I get to see him perform is a plus, and I also love Bray. I was pleased to see Taker looking healthy, and much better than last year IMO. Loved the "you still got it" chants, and I think Taker proved he can still go! His selling was excellent and even had me wondering if he was injured again for a second. The moment where Bray was doing the spider walking & Taker sat up was excellent. Too bad Bray suffered an injury as I think this could have been an excellent match, since Taker was clearly on his game. Definitely not one of my favorite Taker matches from a physical standpoint, but I thoroughly enjoyed the match.

John Cena vs. Rusev: I expected this match to be good, as both Cena and Rusev are good workers. Lots of back and fourth and I truly thought it could have went either way. Liked seeing a couple of new things come out of Cena, however I cringe whenever I see him put anyone in the STF.. Cannot get into that submission at all! Lana was an excellent addition to the match, and the ending was perfect in that Rusev wasn't made to look weak by any means.. Perfect way to end his undefeated streak without taking away any of his credibility. I am a fan of Rusev's in-ring work, but worry about him staying relevant in the weeks/months to come.

Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar: Actually was enjoying this match even before the Rollins cash in. Thought it was great that Roman was getting some stiff shots in on Brock, as I think it's the only way Roman could have came off somewhat believable in beating Lesnar. Brock getting bust open was a nice touch too. To me, the stiff shots and blood from Brock made this match good from a psychological standpoint, since it really fit with the story line of "Brock bleeds too" and proves he's human like everyone else. Was somewhat expecting Rollins to cash in, but I expected it to be on a beaten down Reigns or Lesnar. I was nervous for a second that he was going to be the first person to unsuccessfully cash-in, but was very pleased when he won! Love Rollins and he definitely deserves the title. Great way to finish the match and have no guy come across as weak. Excellent booking.

I don't think I can pick which match stole the show, as I enjoyed each for different reasons. Any Undertaker match on a Wrestlemania card will always be my favorite match overall.. However I enjoyed the in-ring action of Cena vs. Rusev. Lesnar & Reigns had a better than expected match, with Rollins having the best moment of the night in cashing in MITB!

 

[ArcherCC]

Who stole the show?

Ronda Rousey This was one of the best moments in years of wrestling to me, but we are talking who stole the show match wise so she doesn't count.

Rollins/Orton I have loved randy for years, and Seth since the Shield began, but wow what these two did last night showed the rest of the locker room that they are on a different level.

 

[cornerdon26]

Nothing stole the show, and I think that is why it was such a good PPV. Plus no match was the same. That is why it is up there with Wrestlemania 17 and 19 for me. I was not really excited by the build but it was such a solid event.

The tag match and ladder matches were fun spot fests.
Andre the Giant Battle Royal has so many little spots (put the Rumble to shame). Big Show finally got a WM moment after years of being the victim of horrific story lines
The divas match, whilst nothing like an NXT match, was better than what we are use to.
HHH vs Sting was pure nostalgia.
Wyatt vs Taker was not a classic, but a nice gimmicky match. I wish they made Taker give him 3 Tombstones and reference the Kane Mania debut though.
Rollins vs Orton was a solid PPV match. Would have not looked out of place headlining almost any other PPV.
The Rousey/Rock segment was fun and got me so excited. Was a tad long, but if it was shorter we would have moaned it was rushed.
Lesnar vs Reigns told one hell of a story and the cash in was brilliant.

 

[Dave]

I'd imagine that if this was a more trafficked section, a lot of people would be saying that Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns stole the show last night. Which is surprising given all of the hate that both of those guys got from the Royal Rumble until last night. So many threads around these boards and the Internet giving hate to Roman Reigns especially. What happens when you put both of those guys in the main event at WrestleMania? They create one of the best main event matches in the history of WrestleMania; I'm not joking.

It was far from a perfect match but it was so much better than what everyone was expecting it to be. Roman Reigns showed everyone that the faith Vince has shown in him will be repaid in kind. Brock Lesnar showed everyone that he is with the WWE in every sense of the word. He didn't need to re-sign with the company, especially since he likely knew that Rollins was leaving the event as Champion. Both of those guys have it everything and what's more managed to silence all of the haters that didn't give it a hope in hell. When you have two guys in the ring who have something to prove, you often get magic and that's what we all witnessed last night. Major kudos goes to Vince and the Creative team for booking that match.

 

[XXJJ]

I thought Orton/Rollins and Lesnar/Reigns/Rollins were the best matches of the night. Also, the Ronda segment was very good.

I don't think anything really stole the show, but you had a lot of good matches.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

Sting vs HHH for me as well.

Sure, it was overbooked for sure and a lot of didn't make sense if you care about continuity. But I marked out like a kid for the entire thing. DX. Mark out. NWO. SUPER Mark out. Sting lost, which was a bummer though. But overall highly entertaining.

Marked out for The Rock and Ronda Rousey as well.

And of course the Rollins cash-in. Oh and Suplex City Bitch. That was the greatest way to end the show for sure. 10 out of 10 for entertainment.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

Suplex City bitch.

Lesnar vs. Reigns was my favorite match. It was booked perfectly. Lesnar was dominant. Roman withstood a ridiculous amount of punishment and kept kicking out. Rollins capitalized using MITB to walk-out Champion, without having to beat Lesnar. The match was physical and it felt real, the blood added a lot to that. I think that in the modern era there is way too much emphasis on flashy moves and complex sequences and reversals and not enough focus on making it actually look like a real fight. That was a legit main event that made up for a poor build and delivered something great that the WWE can work with going forward.

 

[Dragonslayer]

I enjoyed quite a few bits of the show.

Sting vs HHH for the nostalgia: As I used to watch more WCW during the Monday Night Wars than WWE (mostly because that was the only thing available), not only did I LOVE seeing Sting come out on the grand Mania stage, looking like he was having a ton of fun and enjoying himself.

Sure the match was overbooked and a clusterf*ck, but that was something you'd have seen a-plenty in the Monday Night Wars era, especially in WCW, so I felt like this was a nod to the past.

And sure, logic was thrown out the window when the nWo appeared (though huge mark-out moment for me), as half of the nWo and half of DX had just hugged it out the night before at the Hall of Fame, so them now fighting over Sting vs HHH made zero sense, but what the heck... we all know why this showdown happened, even if it was about 10 years too late.

Sting can still go for a guy his age, and with the overbooking he also was protected nicely. Also, Nash got a laugh out of me when he hald his thigh ringside as if he'd torn his quad.

I also think Sting should've gotten over, but I also understand Trips needed the win to rebound after losing to Bryan last year, and also to keep his position as "The Authority" strong, particularly for the segment with Rock/Rousey later on.

I hope Sting sticks around for at least 2-3 matches where he also wins the odd one, and have another Mania match next year (maybe vs Taker), in a double retirement match.

Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns: I actually enjoyed this match. Brock being Brock and taking Reigns to Suplex City was nice, and served to put Reigns' resiliency over. Also, the superman punches looked (and sounded!) pretty stiff once he got them in, and then Brock was selling like a merchant for Reigns too, which definitely gave him a lot of credibility. Good build up, and then an awesome finish when Seth Rollins finally cashed in, and making himself the uber-heel in WWE in the process. Rollins to me is the standout star of the past year; he's stellar in the ring and can handle himself on the mic, has a great look and definitely can be a big time player in the years to come. It depends on how WWE handles him now, but I feel he has a big year ahead of him, and I wouldn't be surprised if he lost the strap around Summerslam, but won the Rumble next year (for a heel win again, unless he turns again before but I don't see that happening just yet, or of course John Cena wins).

The match however also showed that, while Reigns is definitely a prospect for the future, he's indeed just not ready for quite that main event spotlight yet. So given the circumstances, WWE really booked this well and in the best way possible, I think.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Nothing match really stole the show, but for me the best match was Orton/Rollins. Two great wrestlers who put on one hell of a match. Not a classic, but on that level just below. The end spot was just unreal with Orton pushing Rollins up on his curb stomp attempt and then catching him for a RKO.

Outside of matches, there are 2 moments that this Mania will be remembered for.

1) The segment with Rock/Rousey/Trips/Steph
2) Rollins cashing in