Wrestlemania XXX Aftermath & Discussion

[Justin Satiable]

The best thing about 'Mania was Brock Lesnar breaking the streak. Now the casuals hate him, now all of the IWC hate him, everybody. WWE have created the ultimate heel. There will never be another one like it.

 

[laodaron]

Great mania.

Some notes:

Usos looked good. Cesaro was the star in the preshow.

Holy shit can shattered glass and "can you SMELLLLLLL?" make me mark out like a 12 year old. Excellent segment.

HHH is still probably the best in ring worker in the wwe. The way he sold Bryan in the match was beautiful.

The battle royal, Cesaro gets another rub. I'm starting to like him.

The shield squashed NAO and Kane. Excellent.

Cena carried a terrible terrible out of shape winded and sloppy bray Wyatt to an OK match. Bray being eccentric is only a good gimmick of he learns how to actually wrestle.

Taker gives up his streak and goes out getting pinned in the center of the ring like all the greats before him. I liked the match.

Divas match, who the shit cares? Bellas fighting Bellas? Really? Aj wins, duh. Rumor is Vickie is leaving, sad to see her go.

Main event. Solid match. Bryan is a maniac and sloppy, but no one really cares. Steph getting suicide dove on was nice. She's really the true heel between her and HHH. Bryan gets his win, who really cares.

 

[Zycho32]

The best thing about 'Mania was Brock Lesnar breaking the streak. Now the casuals hate him, now all of the IWC hate him, everybody. WWE have created the ultimate heel. There will never be another one like it.

It's gonna be a LOT of built-up impotent hate without any feasible release... at least until he challenges for the title again. THEN there's an outlet.

But this is going to fester for a good long while.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Great mania. Bryan and cesaro were elevated. Every match was good. The shield squash was fantastic. Maybe my favorite mania if you include the preshow. I'm pretty sure about 80% of the matches including the presume got "this is awesome" chants. The live audience was great. Raw is going to be hot tomorrow.

 

[Elchicano15]

WOW!! That's all I've gotta say, and I mean that in a good way, or maybe I'm still buzzed from all the beer I drank but I'm sure when I wake up tomorrow I'm going to still say "Damn, what a Mania" I have a funny feeling I'm going to be in the minority of this I'm not sure because I know a lot of pissed off people who saw the event but I gotta say this milestone is at the top with one of my favorite manias. Defiantly an A+ show.

I think what did it for me was all the swerves, twists and various Wrestlemania moments. I haven't seen a Mania of this magnitude for quite sometime. Well let's start from the beginning. Hulk Hogan opened the show. I saw that coming. I thought he was going to open the show with the battle royal. Instead we got the biggest names in WWE history open the show with him. Now I don't care about segments opening Wrestlemania, I want a classic match but this was totally acceptable, and SCSA, HH and the Rock brought it (no pun) We then get treated to HHH/DBryan match. They had a solid match. Even though i knew the outcome or at least had a feeling I was pleased. I was happy to see the Shield win and I loved their entrance gear. I actually thought Kane & The NAO would go over. Good for the shield. I had no idea Cesaro was in the battle royal since he was already in the preshow match but it was awesome to see him win the battle royal. You might as well say another streak ended as the Miz was eliminated to.

I was really hoping for Wyatt to go over in this match. I still enjoyed watching the two of them go at it, and they're still scheduled to continue their feud but tonight proved to me that Bray Wyatt is main event material. The man can perform. I loved how he was still able to mess with Cena's mind during the match. We had a great H.O.F class and another great Mania moment with Gene Okeurland interviewing Orindorff, Piper, Hogan and Mr T. I think maybe they should have kept the camera rolling when they made peace especially when Piper told T that he's sorry and they embraced but they faded out to quick.

Now for the streak match. I don't know where to start. I was totally in shock and not going to lie but sad and still am. At the same time I'm still ok with it. For years I've seen Taker go through what seemed to me as actual threats to the streak. Kane (98 Kane), Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Edge, Show & Albert in the handicap match, Randy Orton and Taker came through. I bet against him when he faced those guys and I lost. Yes, I saw Lesnar as a threat but if none of the above could end the streak then Lesnar couldn't and maybe I thought Taker had 3 more matches in him left for The Rock, Sting, and Cena, and that he'd still retire with the streak intact. I guess something should have told me that it was coming to an end with it being the milestone Mania and Undertaker's entrance. It reminded me of what a fellow posted not too long ago about how the streak should end and he/she was almost right on except instead of the people that were victims of it to be at the stage you had all 21 caskets with their names on it Brock being the 22nd. Again I was cool with Lesnar winning because a few years ago I thought if anyone were to break the streak 3 people came to mind. Lesnar, The Rock or Cena. I just couldn't see other talent at the time believable to do it. Still I thought Taker would have gone 22-0 tonight especially with rumors floating around that Sting had signed. I'm still sad about this and shocked because I don't know if this means that Undertaker will actually retire from here, but I'm now even more intrigued as to see what will happen tomorrow. What does the future hold, are we going to start the road to Wrestlemania 31? Will Taker still come out for more Mania matches despite the loss, or is he finished for good?

Then there's Dbryan winning. I knew it was happening and I'm glad it did. I kinda hoped with all that celebration and pyro that we'd have seen either CM Punk or some legends or the roster coming out to congratulate him. But it was also great to see the HOF legends at the front row for the event. Great event with lots of moments and twists and I'll be getting my copy of the DVD in May to add to my collection.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Well, I've already commented on the matches themselves in their individual threads. This show as a whole was, for the most part, very enjoyable. I did have some issues with it. So let's address the negatives and then we can get to the positives.


The Bad
Lesnar should NOT have ended the streak.
John Cena did not have a big entrance.
The tag team match should have just had The Usos & Real Americans.
7 matches didn't seem like enough for a Wrestlemania card.


The Good
The intro promo with Hogan/Austin/Rock.
Daniel Bryan is the World Heavyweight Champion.
AJ is still the Divas Champion.
Cesaro got his Wrestlemania moment.
Triple H's awesome entrance.
The Miz lost.



Overall, I did really enjoy this Wrestlemania. The Undertaker loss tarnishes it for me. While every other match delivered, including the divas match, Brock ending the streak is too big of a negative for me to rank this show any higher. Great edition of Wrestlemania otherwise. It will end up being remembered for the streak ending and for Daniel Bryan's big celebration at the end of the show. Depending on how Cesaro and AJ's careers end up going, their wins might also go down as highlights of the show in the future. With the exception of 26, 21, and perhaps 23, I'd say it is the best of the past decade.

EDIT: Forgot to also include how great the start to the show was, with the 3 most popular wrestlers in WWE history sharing a promo in the ring together. That was incredible.


DAGGER'S REVIEW
A-

 

[tyler.durden]

This was an excellent WM and much better than the crap that was WM28 and 29. Every single match, including the pre-show tag match, was top notch. It definitely had the feels of being one of the biggest PPV's ever. The way Daniel Bryan won is how a big time PPV is supposed to end. Kudos to the WWE for this awesome build up.

Also, kudos to Batista for tapping out. Maybe this will help him turn back to face as I think he has earned my respect for putting Bryan over.

The streak ending was an absolute surprise to me. I haven't been surprised by the WWE in a looooong time so this was very welcoming. I really think it's kind of ridiculous for Taker to keep on doing this every year. He looks old and it just isn't believable anymore. I mean the "streak" isn't real anyways, so I'm glad Taker has chosen to end it.

Things I liked tonight:

Bryan's shoulder injury angle
HHH and Steph playing a role in the main event
Batista bomb / reverse RKO on Bryan (Orton landing on the monitor looked painful as hell)
Cesaro going over
Great tag match and glad Uso's went over
Shield dominated 3 old farts
AJ retaining
Live bands playing for Wyatt and Orton
Hogan Austin Rock promo

Things I didn't like:

Cena winning
HHH's ridiculous costume
Battle Royal seemed like a cluster f*ck

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

Without a doubt, this was one of the most memorable WrestleManias of all time.

The show kicked off with an incredible WrestleMania moment. Having Hogan, Austin and the Rock all in the ring together was awesome to see. The Bryan storyline was executed perfectly. Triple H put him over strongly, the injury angle made Bryan even more of an underdog, and the main event was probably the best match of the night. Orton fucked himself up on that monitor, but that was a really cool spot. It was great to see Bryan win the big one on the grandest stage of them all, and it was the feel good ending you want to have at a WrestleMania. On a side note, the band that played Randy Orton's music was just awful, they had the loudest backing track ever, they might as well not even have been there. Triple H had a pretty cool entrance I guess, even though he kinda looked like a goof. Also, Steph has jacked calves. 8/10 would bang.

Heading into the show, I thought this year's Mania would be all about Daniel Bryan. I was wrong. Bryan got the huge push, and the crowd response was awesome, but it will be forever overshadowed by the streak ending. Undertaker losing to Brock Lesnar was easily the biggest swerve in wrestling history, and it's not even close. I probably wouldn't have chosen Lesnar as the guy to end it, but it's not up to me, it's up to Taker. To be honest the Undertaker looked like dog shit out there tonight. It was very clear that he didn't have another great match left in him. It's definitely time for Taker to hang up the boots, and there isn't really a point to going out undefeated at Mania. Might as well lose the streak to somebody for the huge rub and the unforgettable moment. Again, should that somebody have been Lesnar? I don't really think so, but it was a crazy moment regardless, and I still can't really believe it happened.

Sending the divas out there to die in front of a completely drained audience after Lesnar/Taker was hilarious.

John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt was another great Cena match at WrestleMania, with a story that was very well told. Wyatt losing doesn't matter at all. Cena winning the match made sense for the story. Wyatt played his role as the villain perfectly, and his career benefits from the angle.

Cesaro winning the Battle Royal was the right call, and seeing him slam the Big Show over the top rope was another cool moment. Cesaro's a beast.

So yeah all in all it was a pretty good show with some of the most memorable WrestleMania moments of all time. The WWE was able to take a card that many people didn't feel was really worthy of the 30th WrestleMania and produce one of the greatest WrestleManias of all time. I still feel like having Cena end Taker's streak and doing the Wyatts vs. the Shield would have made the show that much better...but what the fuck do I know I'm just some guy on the internet.

 

[Hakushi]

I am one of the ones who HATED the Lesnar/Taker match.
I thought the ball was dropped here. I am not sure what losing the streak to Lesnar (who will maybe work 10 more matches) does for either man or the business. I don't really care that the streak was broken, in itself. But if you have something 21 years in the making, at least give the rub to a deserving up and comer who could use it as a huge stepping stone.

I liked the story Wyatt/Cena told throughout the match, although I'm not fan of the outcome. Not saying it's wrong, just would have preferred Bray getting a couple more quality wins.....maybe the storyline continues?

Tag team match was better than average for the pre-show

Good bit of suspense in the ATGBR. Liked Cesaro getting to puff up and kill it.

HHH/Bryan was really a spectacular match. Not a huge fan of Trips, but they killed it tonight.

The main event seemed slow and long, until the great finishing series.

 

[Kris Benwa]

Maybe I'm looking at this in a weird way but I didn't enjoy this WrestleMania as much as some of you.
The intro promo was awesome and had me pumped for what I thought was going to be the greatest WM. Then it went to Bryan vs Triple H who put on a great match. I was disappointed with the Shield squash match because I wanted to see more of those three. The battle royal was okay just your standard run of the mill battle royal IMO nothing to write home about. I'm happy with that result.

The Cena vs Wyatt match sucked IMO. It didn't suck because of who won because that never really matters to me (or so I thought...) but it was just really slow paced and lackadaisical IMO. Not to mention I expected that to be classic match of the year candidtate which it end up being a stinker to me. Sure they had near falls but idk I never got that Cena match feel and like I said it was too slow paced and lackadaisical for me.

Then when I was disappointed in that I put my hope into the Taker vs Lesnar match thinking maybe they'd tear it down. They didn't I said Cena vs Wyatt was slow it seemed like they took the pace of that match and slowed it down by 50%. This was Taker's worst wrestlemania match since WM 20 IMO but at most it's on the same level as Mark Henry's match with him. I lost interest several times during the match and even considered taking my bathroom break during that match. As I stood up though they started to go into what was obviously their finishing sequence so I decided to check out the finish and out of no where Lesnar actually gets the fall??? WTF that was terrible it tore at my soul, the match was awful, I don't understand why Lesnar. I wish he would have called it a career at WM 28 rather than lose to Lesnar.

Divas match I actually enjoyed more than the previous two oddly enough though I would have rather had Naomi win the match.

The main event was great. The story was great obviously, the way they told it was phenomenal and all three men in the match and the people involved in the interference delivered. While the Bryan win and celebration was obviously dampened by the streak being broken it was still a decent moment.

All in all this WM just wasn't that good to me. I've seen people call it the best WM ever, say the main event was the best triple threat ever, all of which are huge reaches to me because it had 7 matches and I only really enjoyed 2. 2 were terrible IMO, 2 were average nothing to write home about matches, 1 was a squash so whatever and the other two were the Bryan performances which were great. I have a hard time putting this WrestleMania in my top half. I think it was better than 29 but that's not praise to this one. If I had to give it a ranking I guess it would be just about a 6/10. Carried by Bryan's performances and then a round to the next highest point for the awesome opening segment.

 

[blueskyy]

This is one of the few times I disagree with the general consensus. WM30 has its moments. The Hogan, Stone Cold and The Rock segment was good. The last few minutes of the rumble match was good. Triple H vs Daniel Bryan match was near great, but not great, and I attributed that to Hunter (60%). The Triple Threat Match was good, lots of drama and twists and turns, with Randy and Batista puting in more work than Bryan (obviously, because Bryan had two matches). Bryan won, but his ring work didn't shine for me. Finally, the Undertaker match, though good, was still a little of a let down, with Brock, unlikely a candidate as it may be, working the entire match. Undertaker no longer has the strength or agility he once had in the ring, however resilient he might still be. That's very sad to see.

 

[Alastor]

This was easily one of the top 5 Wrestlemania of all time. Might even top 17 as the best ever with almost every match having its moment.

The opening segment has to be the best Wrestlemania moment of all time with Hogan, Austin and Rock together in the same ring at the same time.

HHH Bryan was a main event match that opened the show.
Shield vs Kane/NAO was a squash match to showcase Reigns but the triple powerbomb on NAO was a cool spot to remember the match by.
The battle royal was a horrible at the beginning but once the ring started to clear up the spots were pretty fun to watch. Kofi's usual battle royal spot to escape elimination. Sheamus beating up on Fandango. And the finish where Cesaro scoop Big Show up to win was great to witness.
Cena Wyatt told an emotional story and ultimately good wins over evil.
Lesnar Taker was for me the most disappointing match of the show, quality wise. But the ending that shocked everyone more than make up for it. Pity the streak was broken in one of Taker's worst matches during this decade plus run of selling the streak.
Divas match was better than the usual Wresltemania Divas match. For once the in ring spots were actually watchable.
Triple threat for the title was a good enough main event and the right person won.

Whoever hates on this Wrestlemania either just hates for the sake of hating or just cannot be satisfied either way when presented with an excellent show. Only his/her efed booking will ever satisfy those who rate this as a poor PPV. Oh and Punk wasn't even needed to create one of the best PPV in WWE in years or even of all time.

 

[rge2010]

No issues with the streak ending and no issues with it ending to Lesnar. At least it was a legitimate bad ass who broke the streak. No good him winning 21 other matches and losing to a rookie.

I am glad it is over, far too predictable the last few years and can't believe people are upset - the same fools who cry WWE is predictable.

Lets be honest, this was Takers decision. Nobody elses.

 

[Kris Benwa]

Maybe I'm looking at this in a weird way but I didn't enjoy this WrestleMania as much as some of you.
The intro promo was awesome and had me pumped for what I thought was going to be the greatest WM. Then it went to Bryan vs Triple H who put on a great match. I was disappointed with the Shield squash match because I wanted to see more of those three. The battle royal was okay just your standard run of the mill battle royal IMO nothing to write home about. I'm happy with that result.

The Cena vs Wyatt match sucked IMO. It didn't suck because of who won because that never really matters to me (or so I thought...) but it was just really slow paced and lackadaisical IMO. Not to mention I expected that to be classic match of the year candidtate which it end up being a stinker to me. Sure they had near falls but idk I never got that Cena match feel and like I said it was too slow paced and lackadaisical for me.

Then when I was disappointed in that I put my hope into the Taker vs Lesnar match thinking maybe they'd tear it down. They didn't I said Cena vs Wyatt was slow it seemed like they took the pace of that match and slowed it down by 50%. This was Taker's worst wrestlemania match since WM 20 IMO but at most it's on the same level as Mark Henry's match with him. I lost interest several times during the match and even considered taking my bathroom break during that match. As I stood up though they started to go into what was obviously their finishing sequence so I decided to check out the finish and out of no where Lesnar actually gets the fall??? WTF that was terrible it tore at my soul, the match was awful, I don't understand why Lesnar. I wish he would have called it a career at WM 28 rather than lose to Lesnar.

Divas match I actually enjoyed more than the previous two oddly enough though I would have rather had Naomi win the match.

The main event was great. The story was great obviously, the way they told it was phenomenal and all three men in the match and the people involved in the interference delivered. While the Bryan win and celebration was obviously dampened by the streak being broken it was still a decent moment.

All in all this WM just wasn't that good to me. I've seen people call it the best WM ever, say the main event was the best triple threat ever, all of which are huge reaches to me because it had 7 matches and I only really enjoyed 2. 2 were terrible IMO, 2 were average nothing to write home about matches, 1 was a squash so whatever and the other two were the Bryan performances which were great. I have a hard time putting this WrestleMania in my top half. I think it was better than 29 but that's not praise to this one. If I had to give it a ranking I guess it would be just about a 6/10. Carried by Bryan's performances and then a round to the next highest point for the awesome opening segment.

I'm rewatching this now because I'm not seeing what you guys are seeing. I seem to appreciate and understand wrestling more when I'm under the influence so I decided to do my thing and restart it. I really want to enjoy this show but the first time I didn't I hope I enjoy it this time around.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

After having some time to process things, last night may very well have been the most memorable WrestleMania in a very, very, very long time. It definitely generated a couple of those "I was watching when...." moments right up there with Hulk vs. Andre, Hulk vs. Warrior, Shawn vs. Razor, etc.

The tag title match was a lot better than I was expecting. The fans got into things quickly and it was obvious that they were there to enjoy the show. I think it would've been better served had it just been a tag match between The Usos & The Real Americans, but I did like the elimination aspect of the match. They got Los Matadores out of there quickly and the match really picked up well from there. It had the right outcome, the fans were really into the two main teams, Cesaro is on his own and here's hoping they do something with him. I thought it was a good 3 star match.

They crowd was fired up from seeing Hogan, Austin & The Rock in the ring at the same time. I thought their promo went a little too long, but it gave people a serious nostalgia jones and got things going.

Bryan vs. Triple H was a helluva match that told a great story, featured great action, generated a lot of drama and had the right ending. I thought it was a very strong 4.25 star match, especially when factoring in the post match assault that played perfectly with the overall story being told.

The six man tag match was a disappointment as I was hoping The Shield's role in WrestleMania would have been greater. At the same time, it was kinda nice seeing them utterly destroy Kane & The NAO in about 3.5 minutes. On the main page, in which people can vote on the matches, I was surprised that a majority gave this about 3 stars, but it was too short and too one sided to rate for me.

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal was more fun than I expected. It went about how battle royals usually go initially and things really got fun when it was down to about 10 guys. Kofi & Ziggler both had some pretty good performances and I was very pleased with the outcome. Cesaro going toe to toe with Big Show in a battle royal, hoisting him up in a body slam position and dumping him over the top was a big moment that I marked out a bit over. Cesaro looked like a beast and fans were excited to see him get the win. I thought this went about 3.25 stars.

Cena vs. Wyatt told a fantastic story. Windham Rotunda, AKA Husky Harris, puts so much effort and passion into Bray Wyatt and delivers a very unique character. I wasn't particularly thrilled with Cena winning but, in all honesty, it didn't affect me the way I thought it would. Wyatt's character stood out so much during that match and Cena's reactions to his taunts and his crazy antics only made me like Wyatt all the more. It would've been a perfect ending had Wyatt won, at least for me, but I thought it was a 3.5 star match that told a killer story.

Taker vs. Lesnar had to be the most shocking ending to a match I've seen since Hogan turned heel and joined Hall & Nash at Bash At The Beach back in '96. NOBODY thought that the streak was coming to an end. I was a jumble of emotions here and I had no idea what to think. Looking at those same poll results on the main page, it seems that most people liked the match with 63.2% total giving the match either 3, 4 or 5 stars. I went with 3 stars due to the shock of the ending. The match itself wasn't all that great, Taker genuinely looked like an old man to me for the first time last night, but it was most certainly memorable.

The Diva match wasn't as bad as I was expecting. There was actually some pretty decent action through much of it. AJ retaining the title was the right decision and it was great to see her not only retain, but retain cleanly. I gave the match 2.5 stars.

The triple threat match to close the show was killer, a spectacular way to close the show. After the shock of the streak ending, the show needed an especially strong match with a great showing to counter said shock and they were able to pull it off. Bryan took it all last night and all three guys players performed tremendously. The combination Batista Bomb/RKO on Bryan though the announce table looked sick. I give props to Orton for still going after landing on the sharp corner of that monitor the way he did, you know that had to hurt like hell. Bryan pulling himself off that stretcher was a great moment and it was what I was hoping for. He stayed in the match, took a ton of abuse, told a helluva story with the "injury" all night and made Batista tap out. To me, it was a 5 star match. The fan reaction was everything it should have been, the confetti was a great touch and Bryan sharing an embrace with his niece and twin sister was a sweet moment. His niece was absolutely adorable. I know little to nothing of Bryan's personal life, but I'm thinking that both of his parents are no longer living? Since his sister & niece were there but not his parents, it just struck me that they're dead.

While there were a few disappointments, they were easily overshadowed by some strong matches and some very, very, very memorable happenings. I give last night's show an A: it kept me entertained, it generated some very strong, genuine "I was watching when...." moments, legends cameos were a nice touch, the big dogs starting the show off was a hot way to kick things off, but their presence didn't overshadow the show in the least.

 

[Skyeborne]

I wonder just how many people were told Undertaker was losing. Obviously it wasn't leaked, and the expressions of everyone seemed genuinely shocked, even the ref. Paul Heyman especially seemed like he didn't know.

Throughout the night Undertaker had been directing what to do during the match with what seemed to be little input from Lesnar. I fully believe Lesnar didn't even know he was going to win.

 

[rge2010]

I wonder just how many people were told Undertaker was losing. Obviously it wasn't leaked, and the expressions of everyone seemed genuinely shocked, even the ref. Paul Heyman especially seemed like he didn't know.

Throughout the night Undertaker had been directing what to do during the match with what seemed to be little input from Lesnar. I fully believe Lesnar didn't even know he was going to win.

I agree with your last comment. I also truly believe they only people who knew this were Vince, Triple H, Taker and the Referee.

Great acting by Heyman and Lesnar if not. Lets be honest, they didn't have to know they were going to win did they? As far as Lesnar was aware Taker was going to kick out and then pick up the win.

 

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

After letting this sink in over the morning, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is on par with WM17 as being the greatest Wrestlemania of all-time, perhaps even bigger. I came in expecting something great to the standard of 10 or 24, but what I got blew my expectations out of the water.

The pre-show was a nice enough opening match to get the crowd set up for the show. I’m glad the Usos retained so they can potentially work with the Wyatts over the summer, which will give WWE enough time to bring Ascension up to the main roster. Cesaro turning was a great moment too, and at first, I was sceptical of having it on the pre-show, but that thought was diminished later in the night. Probably would give it a C+.

I loved the opening segment, and it set the standard better than any match could. The prospect of seeing three of the biggest wrestling draws of the last era all together at last was a great tribute to the past 29 Wrestlemanias, and it set the wheels turning for the show.

Triple H vs Bryan might have been my match of the night. The psychology was off the charts and Triple H looked a despicable evil out there, especially with the badass entrance of HHH. Some of the best storytelling was present in that match, and it was perfectly wrestled. Easy A+, and on par with Owen vs Bret for the best Wrestlemania opener ever.

The Shield vs The Authority was just what it needed to be. It helped cement the entire team, Reigns especially as absolute stars and to showcase their bright future in the WWE. There wouldn’t be much sense in having an actual competitive match, so they just let the Shield unleash an onslaught and it worked better than any match could have. Billy Gunn is reported to be coughing up blood, and I hope he makes a speedy recovery if this story proves to be true. No qualms with this match.

The Andre Battle Royale was just as I was predicting it to be, a lot of fun. It had a lot of good moments, and Kofi stole the show as always with his signature theatrics. If I had to nitpick stuff, maybe it would be the order of some eliminations, but as I said, it’s a nitpick. The final 6 was fast-paced and heart-pounding mayhem and the ending was in itself a Wrestlemania moment. What made the moment special for me was the fact that Cole brought up that both Andre and Cesaro were European (imagine that, Cole did something good) and Cesaro hoisting the massive trophy with ease, along with the Big Show handshake. B+ match here, a hell of a lot of fun.

Bray vs Cena was another marvel to behold. Again, the psychology and story-telling was off the charts, and perhaps the most overlooked aspect of the show was the fact that it potentially planted seeds for a Cena turn sooner rather than later. Bray was exceptional tonight, and the live band did a great job and were portrayed very well. The smarks will probably scream and moan about Cena winning, but if Bray won, what is there for him to do? He’s beaten Bryan and everyone else would be beneath him. Bray losing here benefits his character in the long run and sets up a gimmick match at Extreme Rules which I imagine to be brutal. A+

Lesnar vs Taker as a match was acceptable. It’s safe to say that this is Taker’s worst Wrestlemania match in quite some time, but that’s not his fault as you could tell that he was trying out there, whereas Brock was being lethargic all things considered. I know they had to be careful with Taker out there, but Brock could have shown a lot more intensity in victory. I’m glad Heyman didn’t get involved as that would have done more harm than good. I’ll give it a C, most of it on Taker’s part.

But the Streak ending here is easily the biggest wrestling swerve since Hogan’s heel turn at BATB 96. I think everyone was in absolute awe when Lesnar won and I honestly thought it was a psych out at first. I don’t think Lesnar winning was very good for business and it should have gone to someone more deserving, though I can see that putting that stock in Reigns or someone else would be too much of a risk. The Streak ending was a necessary evil, and it’s a clear sign that Taker’s time in the ring is drawing to a conclusion. However, I don’t think this’ll be Taker’s final match at Wrestlemania, rather his penultimate. I imagine he’ll have one final showdown against Sting with no streak to cloud our perception, where he goes over and rides off into the sunset. It’s a very sad moment for a huge Undertaker fan like myself, especially the prospect that his career is going to end very soon, but I can grow to accept it. And whatever way you look at it, The Streak is going to be legendary. Bruno’s 11 year reign is still regarded as outstanding, and yet it was broken by Ivan Koloff (who lost to give the title to Morales but whatever). Taker’s Streak will be remembered in the same respect, and there is no cause for concern in that regard.

The Divas Match was better than I thought it would be, although not really great. Granted, I didn’t pay much attention because I was still in awe over the Streak, but I’m glad AJ defended. She’s going to lose it at Payback I think against Tamina to end her one year run with the title. I’ll be nice and give this match a D+

The main-event was chaotic and all kinds of fun. That powerbomb/RKO spot was sick and I think Orton got hurt quite badly by it. All three guys looked incredible but tonight was Bryan’s night, and he won it in the best fashion possible by having Batista tap out. The closing moments of Wrestlemania, despite being expected, were overwhelming and I feel it easily fits in as one of the biggest Mania moments of history. Daniel Bryan has cemented himself as a legend of WWE, and I eagerly anticipate what comes next in the epic Daniel Bryan tale. I’ll give this match an A.

This Wrestlemania is to me is like Iron Maiden’s Powerslave (my favourite album of all-time) in that the entire card felt like an adventure. You had frantic fast-paced action, methodical and complex stories being told, historical moments being made, and emotions on both ends of the spectrum being conveyed. Kudos to WWE for creating a masterful show.

A++ show and in the running for the best show ever.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Well, at least CM Punk doesn't get a Wrestlemania share. That's something, I guess.

Overall, I thought it was a good show. A lot of good in-ring action and several causes advanced as they should on the most important PPV of the year.

As well, it's fine that we got the obvious (Daniel Bryan's coronation) in addition to the not obvious (Undertaker's streak ending), the latter proving that the folks on this board who claim to know everything that's going to happen....after it happens, usually.....should take notice that WWE still has plenty of tricks up their corporate sleeve, which makes watching a continuing pleasure.

 

[ad556]

I am gonna say this, and i have watched Wrestling since 1999. I have watched episode of raw smackdown from 1999 and lots of research and watching, i watch all different feds and i know people will disagree. I thought this Wrestlemania was pretty disappointing, i enjoyed watching it with a friend who is a big fan to which was great.

Apart from that things i enjoyed.

Opening segment, austin, rock and hogan in the ring.

Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H

Great match back and forth technical wrestling, had great spots HHH did a great job making Bryan look over, honestly it could of gone on a bit longer. I thought it was a little bit rushed i think some fans will agree.

The Shield vs. Kane & New Age Outlaws

Was a good squash match, but way to fast paced no built Shield showed a great display of Wrestling ability, great spot for me was the triple power bomb with Road Dogg and Billy Gun being held in the air by all members of the shield.

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Was very slow but a good surprise Big Show did not win as me and my friend predicted, i did end up saying to my friend why they made Cesaro win. To my knowledge (myself i am Italian decent). Cesaro is from Europe to is Andre to thats why i think they did it, but i could be wrong.

I wish Ziggler should of won, i believe that WWE is wasting great home grown talent. Ziggler has been in WWE for years since the spirit squad, its pretty sad that WWE do not care much for Ziggler and he is better then majority of the roster.

John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt

Very slow match, i will admit though Bray displayed great wrestling ability. He made Cena look pretty weak, i do not care about Cena one bit, i used to be a Cena fan back in 2002-2006, but he has been shoved down our throats so much is disturbing really.

The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

I have to say as a fan, i thought that Taker kicked out. I had to rewind and watch it again to be in belief. I was in a bit of shock, but for some reason i had a feeling Brock Lesnar would win, i do not really care because that match was pretty horrible, i felt sorry for undertaker.

I have always said WWE push him way to much, he has had lots of injuries and obviously we could see it was taking a toll on him, i read reports he suffered a concussion obviously this is why brock was jumping for the snake eyes spots i believe, and it was very disturbing that WWE would push undertaker that much, and they would of known he had a concussion. Hopefully he returns to raw tomorrow.

Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan/Triple H

I really really enjoyed this match i must say, think it could of been alot better. I would say Mania was a let down this year in my eyes as a fan.

 

[Skyeborne]

I agree with your last comment. I also truly believe they only people who knew this were Vince, Triple H, Taker and the Referee.

Great acting by Heyman and Lesnar if not. Lets be honest, they didn't have to know they were going to win did they? As far as Lesnar was aware Taker was going to kick out and then pick up the win.

I wouldn't even say the ref knew...I think that's why he threw his arms up as if no pin, he didn't believe Undertaker stayed down until they told him in his ear piece.

 

[Rocky84]

This was easily one of the top 5 Wrestlemania of all time. Might even top 17 as the best ever with almost every match having its moment.

The opening segment has to be the best Wrestlemania moment of all time with Hogan, Austin and Rock together in the same ring at the same time.

HHH Bryan was a main event match that opened the show.
Shield vs Kane/NAO was a squash match to showcase Reigns but the triple powerbomb on NAO was a cool spot to remember the match by.
The battle royal was a horrible at the beginning but once the ring started to clear up the spots were pretty fun to watch. Kofi's usual battle royal spot to escape elimination. Sheamus beating up on Fandango. And the finish where Cesaro scoop Big Show up to win was great to witness.
Cena Wyatt told an emotional story and ultimately good wins over evil.
Lesnar Taker was for me the most disappointing match of the show, quality wise. But the ending that shocked everyone more than make up for it. Pity the streak was broken in one of Taker's worst matches during this decade plus run of selling the streak.
Divas match was better than the usual Wresltemania Divas match. For once the in ring spots were actually watchable.
Triple threat for the title was a good enough main event and the right person won.

Whoever hates on this Wrestlemania either just hates for the sake of hating or just cannot be satisfied either way when presented with an excellent show. Only his/her efed booking will ever satisfy those who rate this as a poor PPV. Oh and Punk wasn't even needed to create one of the best PPV in WWE in years or even of all time.

Agree with everything 100%.

I don't know about anybody else, but I thought Stephanie did an awesome and hilarious job during the DB-HHH match. The trash talking was funny as hell. That element she added was great. The match itself was great. Loved it.

I was in favor of Big Show or a little guy like Rey or Kofi winning the Battle Royal as I thought Show was obviously a "giant" and I thought the little guys would be an ironic win. I didn't want Cesaro until he attempted to body slam Show outside the ring. Once he went for the scoop, I was like "YES!!! do it!!" Because I thought that would be more of a WrestleMania tribute win to Andre (mania 3). Great Mania moment.

I thought Bray and Cena would've been more fast paced but it was pretty damn slow. Good, but slower. I loved the spot where Cena went for the 5 knuckle shuffle and Bray popped up with that freakish handstand thing. Scared the shit outta me lol. Some really cool storytelling, and I loved Cena freaking out with the crowd chanting Cena sucks lol. He had nice spots with smacking Rowan with a chair instead of Bray and spearing Harper through the barricade. One of the best entrances btw I've ever seen for the Wyatts. The voodoo lady dance and the freaky band/masks.

Taker n Brock was very slow and just not good as I thought it could be. I wish the ending would've been more exciting but it was almost awkward and weird. Still legendary though and it kinda makes up for it I guess.

The triple threat was a lot better than I thought. I loved HHH and Steph coming back and DB actually hitting HHH with the sledge hammer and splashing HHH and Steph plus the crooked ref on the outside.

I gotta say though that they didn't get that money shot of the entire stadium chanting "yes" like I had hoped. The camera men really slacked there and had horrible angles. I wanted that Raw shot when DB was on top of the steel cage and you saw everyone chanting. We didn't get that wide shot unfortunately. If we did maybe I missed it but I don't think so. Every time they did pan out he stopped chanting and so did the crowd.

Was disappointed with the Outlaws and Kane being sacrificial lambs as they are capable of much more. Also loved AJ retaining.

I MARKED THE PHUCK OUT when Austin then Rock came out. I was doing the Ric Flair strut like an idiot throughout my whole house screaming wooooo! with all my buddies doing similar stupid mark screaming and dancing lol. Phenomenal moment and best Mania moment I've ever seen..ever.

All in all, one of the best Manias I've ever seen from start to finish.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

Saw the WM30 event and to be honest, it was better than I thought it would be.

The Good

Bryan won the title in two good matches.
The Andre the Giant Invitational Battle Royal
The Hogan/Austin/Rock intro (even though it felt like Rock was downplaying his role in wrestling history and he takes a backseat to nobody)

The Bad

The Diva Invitational
A good chance for Divas to make a payday but it was a desperate attempt to include all of them. It was ridiculous and confusing. Some good spots but in a lot of cases it was just unnecessary. The rules were really weird and if anything it doesn't help AJ build credibility as a champ. I also would have liked to see Naomi take it or Natalia.
They have so many women, maybe a tag title for the women might be an idea to think about.

Fatal Four Way match
The tag team titles are left off the main show again and the match was good enough to be there. The Usos and the tag division need and deserve some spotlight and a spot on the main card.

Brock ending the Streak
Taker looked his age but he still gave a decent performance and you could see the shock on people's faces. I never wanted the streak to ever end. Let him retire with the streak intact. 21- 1, is still a great record but I have to be honest, it was not the end I was looking for. It seemed like that loss just took the air out of the arena and the crowd was just shocked and in despair after the loss. Brock has the look of someone who can beat anyone but imo, I'd feel better if it were someone else. I mean if Kane, HBK, Triple H, Rock or even Sting had ended it I could have handled that but Brock seems to be there just for a paycheck not someone who loves the business and is a longtime worker in the business. I might sound crazy but that's just my view.

No defense of the IC or Us title
The midcards can't be of any importance when they aren't defended on a ppv. It sucks that they get pushed to the side for no reason.

Bray vs Cena
Good match but I think that Cena should have put over Bray. It would have helped Bray more than the win will help Cena. Bray could have been a great (he might still be) opponent against Bryan.

 

[Kizzani]

I have broken this down my bouts using bold lettering so you can skip the parts or match you don't want to read about. I am skipping the Divas match CM punk hooks are keeping Aj champ.

Sorry people but the WestleMania bouts are becoming worse and and worse. We all knew Daniel Bryan had to win he had been held down to long, Taker streak was coming to and end but really did nothing for anyone. Real American breakup was near guaranteed. The Shield running thru Kane and NAO was pointless other than to put talent on the roster. Cena winning does nothing for he career and slightly helps Bryan. The battle royal left out players like Cesaro so you could be kept guessing.

Hogan, Rock and Stone Cold

Still missing the point. You got the second biggest ( maybe 3rd ) pop of the night by having these three guys do nothing. Damn I wonder if that was money well spent. The Answer is NO, you gave the fans Daniel "the giant killer" his win. NOTHING will top that pop not even old schoolers. They could have been used so much better. Like to keep HHH from the ring, instead of making D Bry look like the best wrestler ever of all time. (sorry just threw up in my mouth)

Andrea Battle Royal
Even thought the idea of this match was epic, it really proved nothing. Having Big Show the odds on Favorite to win grab that trophy would have just made the match that more predictable. But I promise you when Antonio Cesaro was announced for the match the odds jumped to 99% sure Cesaro was going to win. This is by far the best option. Cesaro just left his team for now, wins the Battle Royal giving a newer SuperStar that extra push. This is how wrestling is supposed to work. As the older guys begin to fade and can't go as much as the younger the torch should be passed. (take note John Cena) The rest of the talent are guys that had a shot and need to do something to get back like Sheamus and mid to low card guys who will be let go before they see another wrestlemania ( 3MB)

Shield vs Outlaws and Kane I am so thankful that I did not have to blink, eat or use the bathroom during this match, I would have missed it. Amborse had little to nothing to do with the outcome and rollins was and afterthought. In reality Regins dismantled the 3 in quick fashion some of the better talent. This squash match did nothing for Kane who is on his way out but the Outlaws and Kane both Put over the younger talent in quick fashion making them look very dominate. (Take note Cena)

Triple H vs Daniel Bryan There was a very small part of me that was looking to see a actually montreal screwjob. Then see Bryan take the title and toss it in some croc filled swamp in the Bayou. ( But the triple H booking crew has no desire to build a story) Triple H took the Undertaker to the Limit 3 times, he has beat some of the best Superstars in the WWE.....However he gets beat by and overrated, 1 armed man. Apart from Daniel Bryan looking ridiculously strong Triple H is officially washed up, over the hill and no longer worth anything as a wrestler. ( Again older talent putting over younger talent) ( Cena take note)

Taker vs Lesnar As I am learning now the Undertaker decided this is who he wanted to lose it too. Brock Lesnar left the WWE to Pursue an NFL career in which he failed to do. Then he jumped in to UFC in which he won the championship, but as soon as he was no longer on top he quit. Now he is a part timer that is John Morrison bad at promos and his in ring skills are more of the UFC style than actual wrestling. He does sell extremely well making his match seem more legit. I am not a huge fan of Brock, only because he quit until he was no longer good at it then came back and only as a part timer. Undertaker deciding this make no sense, I am sure he respects the man but this isn't about personal feelings this is about characters.
I thought whoever beat the Undertaker and his streak was going to feel like a badass in my opinion. However that wasn't the first thing I was thinking, it was well Brock got lucky he got to fight taker as an old man. The Undertaker looks done and Brock only looks like he stumbled on to an old man. This will not make Lesnar be anything more than a part timer...Until he finds another way to make money.
So what does this do overall? Nothing!!!!!. It puts the Undertaker up on retirement shelf and give Heyman something to say when his client comes out again in 4 months......woooo. (Note the Cena move, not putting over young talent)

Cena and Bray Wyatt
Let's start with the build up. 2 weeks? really that is all. Which makes me think this Bray Wyatt/Cena storyline should continue. To what end? Cena is not putting over young talent Cena is a me guy who wants people to think that he is some team player etc. Cena is greedy PERIOD. The only fans he has confused are children under 13. Cena gets hurt nearly once a year ( my favorite time of wrestling,not that I want any wrestler to get hurt, remember we are talking about personas not people). WWE/Cena/McMahon are not watching the fans support. NO MATTER how heel a guy is people will cheer them when they fight Cena. You NEED to build a loathed heel. Bray Wyatt is the closest thing you got.
The WWE Heels are a Joke....Del Rio, Orton, Batista, Sandow and the rest of the inbetweeners. I did not mention Brock because he is a part timer. Bray Wyatt is the only heel. Beating Cena would make kids cry and people would hate them more. You could have had Bray and the Wyatts attack Undertaker after his loss and draw serious heat, But nope...Let have a clean match and let Cena overcome.
Sure the Match made Bray Wyatt look stronger, but why not have him win, pushing John to Lose it and come back. We all know this feud can continue by why? Cena needs to fight Daniel Bryan Who else can beat him? (I'll get to this) The win for John Cena does....Nothing for John, But Bray is just getting started...

Daniel Bryan with 1 arm Vs 2 Clowns we pretend are superstars

So not only did Daniel Bryan ( with 1 arm) Beat the cerebral assassin with 1 arm. He also went out and beat Batista and Orton at the same time. Damn this is unstoppable, who can beat him. If he can beat Triple H the Man who took Undertaker to the limit, took Lesnar to the limit. But this 1 armed man beat Triple H. Then with his broken arm he jumped in to the ring with 2 more superstars who took Undertaker to the limit at wrestlemania ( Taker being one of the best wrestlers at Mania) So who is next vs Bryan? Lesnar....Nope Triple H beat Lesnar with 2 arms and since Daniel only needs 1 arm to beat greats Like triple H, Batista and Orton Lesnar isn't even on his level. John Cena beat Lesnar and has a huge winning record.....So John Cena is the only person that could possibly beat Daniel Bryan. Since that is all the fans want maybe we can just have D Bry wrestle 6 matches in a night vs 3 people at a time.....Maybe then he can find competition. ( remember we are talking about a persona, not a person.) So this D bry Character might as well just retire, there is ZERO competition.

Nice booking WWE.

 

[TheValeyard01]

First Mania I've enjoyed from start to finish in years. So I completely disagree with you on most of your points.