Just one day removed from the biggest wrestling event in history, and the shock still hasn’t worn off for most WWE fans.
But, was the show any good? Given the build up I had gone in with very little in the way of expectation, I mean the majority of matches had no real heat, there were far too many competitors in the ring at one for most fans to follow and the main event reeked of a skinny jeans wearing screw job.
Could WWE really pull this one off? Let’s take a look.
Pre-Show
WWE Tag Team Championships
The Uso’s (c) vs The Real Americans vs Rybaxel vs Los Matadores
Grade 3/5
As far as pre-shows go, this match was the best one or a long time. It had a nice mix of styles, with The Uso’s and Los Matadores covering the high octane spots and Rybaxel and The Real Americans handling the aggressive strength component.
I can’t help but think that the match could have been so much better if it was a simple tag match between the Uso’s and the Real Americans though, as Los Matadores didn’t really add much to the contest and it was never a real possibility that they were a threat to the titles and Ryback brought the match to a stuttering halt by using depressingly long rest holds and chin-locks, that have absolutely no place on in a fifteen minute pre-show match.
On the plus side though, at least he didn’t kill anyone.
That being said however, once these two teams had been sent packing the match began to heat up and both teams had the chance to show what they could do. Antonio Cesaro was the clear star of the match and the ending finally gave him the platform he has been waiting for to progress.
The Uso’s picked up the win with a pinfall on Cesaro, after hitting a double big splash.
But, this was only half the story, as the whole thing was set up for the Real Americans to finally split up.
After the match, Swagger berated Cesaro and attempted to lock in the Patriot Lock, only for Cesaro to give Swagger the Big-Swing, thus dissolving the team and solidifying his face turn in the process.
Main Show
Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock Open The Show
Grade 4/5
This was pure gold, the three biggest stars in the history of the business, in the same ring, at the same time at the biggest show of all time, what could possibly go wrong?
Well, apart from Hogan getting the venue wrong and dropping in a nostalgic ‘WWF’ reference, not a lot.
This was the perfect start to the show, and it was smart on WWE’s part because, it got the crowd hyped and it got the inevitable Stone Cold return out of the way early, so the show could carry on.
There was a lot of fun banter between the three, they built up the show and the occasion, belted out their respective catchphrases and disappeared to the back with a beer, to enjoy the show.
Daniel Bryan vs Triple H (w/ Stephanie McMahon)
Grade 4/5
The culmination of one of the year’s hottest and most vicious feuds ended up being a somewhat unexpected affair.
It’s no secret that I am a Triple H mark and as such I fully expected a great match here, but it was the direction these men took it, that surprised me.
I expected a hard hitting, brutal assault from the Game throughout, but this was saved until the match was over.
Instead, the pair put on somewhat of a wrestling clinic, the match technical wresting at its best, coupled with the ring psychology that has made Triple H famous.
Let’s be clear, the point of this match was not to be great standalone match, it was to build tension and create a flowing narrative for the main event, and this is what they did. The storytelling was second to none and the addition of Stephanie at ringside barking at Bryan throughout, added a whole different dimension to the contest.
The biggest surprise for most fans here though, was the ending. I could count on one hand the number of people who expected Daniel Bryan to pick up a clean win here, and that was the point.
Daniel Bryan needed one more big win to make him a true main event player, and Triple H did the job for him.
Bryan pinned the Game after a flying knee to the head and secured his place in the nights main event, this was swiftly followed by the brutal attack I had expected, as Triple H and Stephanie tore into Bryan, leaving his place in the championship bout up in the air.
The Shield vs Kane and The New Age Outlaws
Grade 2/5
It was never going to be easy for anyone to follow the Triple H/Daniel Bryan match, and even the Shield were bound to struggle to get a god match out of the ageing Outlaws, but even so, this wasn’t great.
In truth, the match was a squash match, which is exactly what it should have been, The Shield came away looking strong and more united than ever, so in that respect it was job done.
However, the match itself was so short, that you have to question the legitimacy of its place on the card.
There was an interesting Triple Power Bomb which gave the Shield the victory, and sent Billy Gunn to the emergency room with internal bleeding, but apart from that, there really was nothing much to see here.
Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Grade 2.5/5
I wasn’t looking forward to this match at all, it seemed tacked on and simply a way to get more talent on the card, so they could earn their bonus, but, it wasn’t as bad as I thought.
I mean, look, it was still a Battle Royal, there were still 20 men in the ring at once, and you still couldn’t follow the action with any real conviction until the field was narrowed down to the last 4.
But, at least there were some memorable spots here, namely Kofi Kingston’s broken ankle defying drop onto the steel steps, and a truly awesome display of power from the ‘Swiss Superman’ Antonio Cesaro, as he rekindled memories of Hulk Hogan’s immortal body slam of Andre The Giant at Wrestlemania 3, by doing the exact same to the Big Show, before bundling him over the top rope for the win.
Wrestlemania XXX was surely the springboard for Antonio Cesaro, who could well be in the main event at next year’s show.
John Cena vs Bray Wyatt
Grade 3/5
This was a solid match, but it was missing that extra aspect, which would have made the whole thing more interesting.
It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what that extra aspect is though, although, I suspect it is the whole ‘Super Cena, is a good person’ thing. I just don’t buy it.
Wyatt did a brilliant job telling the story and controlling the narrative, and Cena played his part too and continued to surprise the ‘smarks’ by proving that he can actually wrestle to a good enough standard to put on decent matches.
The trouble is, the whole thing has been done before, with Cena vs Kane and the whole ‘embrace the hate’ thing, it’s exactly the same story, just replace Kane with Bray Wyatt.
If Cena is going to turn heel, just get it over with already.
The fans in the arena didn’t seem to invest in the match, they seem just about done with the Cena thing, and there was a groan of disappointment when the ‘Cenation’ leader picked up the victory.
To me, it was the right call, Wyatt isn’t ready to beat Cena at Wrestlemania yet, but I think he will at SummerSlam.
Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker
Grade3/5
Wow…where do I start?
The match was pretty awful in terms of Undertaker’s recent Wwrestlemania outings, and I expected better.
The match had very little pace, in fact, it seemed as though the Uundertaker was genuinely injured during the match and was severely limited as to what he could actually pull off.
Obviously, this was always a risk when sticking a guy the Undertaker’s age in with someone with the stiff style of Brock Lesnar.
But, the match didn’t really get going, and much like the awful build up to the match, it fell flat.
Of course, the match details will fade into obscurity and the only thing that matters is the STREAK IS OVER!
I could prattle on for pages and pages about how this was the wrong decision, the wrong time and the wrong person, but the fact is, all of the above are true.
There have been reports from inside WWE that this was not supposed to happen, some say Brock changed the script, others say that ‘taker simply missed his cue and was unable to kick out in time. If this is true, I wouldn’t be surprised, given the delay before playing Brocks music and putting up the 21-1 sign, coupled of course with the look of shock on Brock’s face when the bell rung.
But, let’s take it as it is, if it was supposed to happen, it will have been the Undertaker’s call, and he has gone out on his back, as all the greats are taught to do.
I would be surprised if we see Undertaker compete again, but he is a shoe-in for the 2015 Hall of Fame class.
The Vickie Guerrero Divas Championship Invitational
Grade 1/5
Just like the Andre The Giant Battle Royal, this felt tacked on as a way to get the as many Divas as possible on the card.
The concept of the match was ridiculous; there was no feud, no heat and far too much happening at once.
AJ Lee eventually retained the title by way of submission. That really is just about all I can say about this. It was a palate cleanser at best.
I am still flabbergasted as to why Paige is still in NXT instead of feuding with AJ for the title, that would have been a far superior Wrestlemania match.
It also looks as though Vickie Guerrero has parted ways with the company, so I guess it was a nice way to commemorate her work.
WWE Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs Batista vs Daniel Bryan
Grade 4.5/5
This was a great match and the only thing that prevents a 5/5 rating for me was the result, as I don’t think the time was right for Bryan to win the belt. I’d have held off until SummerSlam.
That aside though, these three men put on a great show. The styles worked together seamlessly and the story leapt out of the ring and hit you in the face.
The crowd started flat, as expected with the whole Undertaker debacle, but they eventually came around and became invested in the match.
Everything was stacked against Bryan, and him coming out on top at the end of the night was a dream come true, and the way Wrestling storylines are supposed to end.
But, that’s just it; it felt like the end, not the beginning.
Where do WWE go with Bryan now?
As for the other competitors, you have to take your hat off to them.
Batista is the best unintentional heel in decades, he’s brilliant in the role, but I’m not sure he knows he’s doing it.
Randy Orton is one of wrestling’s greatest in ring talents, his fluency brings any match together, and this match simply would not have worked without him.
There was a nasty spot when Batista and Orton hit a Batista Bomb-RKO through the announce table on Bryan, which sent Orton’s back crashing onto one of the strewn monitors. I’d be surprised if he escaped that without legitimate injury.
After this spot, the EMT’s came down with stretcher in tow for Daniel Bryan, who pulled a Mankind by jumping off the stretcher to carry on with the match.
Bryan eventually won the match via submission over Batista to earn his Wrestlemania moment.
A great match, but the Undertaker’s loss hurt the crowd, and there was more to get out of the feud in my opinion.
Overall Grade 4/5
This was surprisingly one of the best Wrestlemania’s I have seen, it was so hard to predict the way it was going to go and WWE did a great job of keeping the suspense going.
The shock value was top notch, especially the end of the streak, and yet the fans were still sent home happy with Daniel Bryan having his YEStlemania moment.
I was very impressed with the show overall, although there were a few disappointing segments, they were far outweighed by the good.
