WrestleMania is always a hard show to grade as a fan. There's all the pageantry, the theater, the spectacle of it all. WrestleMania is more than just one match, or even the entire card. WrestleMania is an experience, and when done right, leaves you exhilarated, exhausted and satisfied. Now, don't get me wrong, WrestleMania 33 was not a perfect show. There were plenty of gaps, plenty of matches that failed to live up to expectation. This was not a perfect WrestleMania- but it was pretty damn close.
-Huge shout-out to the booking crew on this night. They take a lot of slack from fans, but this show was booked near to perfection, the obvious results followed through along with plenty of surprises to keep the fans guessing. Pretty much every match on the card got the desired reaction from the crowd, which is difficult to do in this day and age.
-I'll add some quick notes on the pre-show first. Neville-Aries was great, Mojo Rawley winning the Andre was a cool surprise and Dean Ambrose finally got a singles win at 'Mania.
-Plenty of folks were down on AJ-Shane, and almost all of them were proved wrong. AJ Styles can make anyone look like a star, but Shane O'Mac more than held up his end. That Shooting Star Press was absolutely gorgeous, and one of the defining moments on a card full of them.
-I had some expectations on Kevin and Chris's US Title Match, and unfortunately they failed them. What was a close, personal feud that needed a vicious, dangerous encounter ended up being pretty tame. KO simply out-wrestled his former teammate, proving that he was the better man all along.
-Another match that fell short was the Raw Women's fatal four way. After all the intrigue and all the hints, it was a straight-forward match with Bayley picking up the win, though the triple powerbomb to Nia was awesome.
-I heard a lot of people wanting the tag title ladder match moved to the pre-show, but this match stayed on the main card for a reason. That reason was the long-awaited return of Matt and Jeff Hardy, the Hardy Boyz, who tore the roof off the place. The actual match was nothing incredible, though Jeff celebrated his return with a ridiculous Swanton through a ladder. Welcome back Hardy Boyz, you've been missed.
-My stream cut out at this point, and I ended up missing the entire mixed tag team match. It's a shame, but the match itself wasn't the big story. After the match, we witnessed the Proposal Heard Round the World, which was an obvious staged PR stunt and also remarkably charming, which tells me John Cena was involved.
-Seth Rollins and Triple H is a match that has been a long time coming. Originally scheduled for last year's WrestleMania, there have been plenty of bumps on this winding road. Speaking of, how about Steph being put through that table? That is a crazy woman. The actual match was nothing spectacular, but with Seth's injury troubles, it was never going to be.
-Remember when everyone wanted Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt to main event WrestleMania? I sure as hell didn't, because I could see the writing on the wall. This was the most confusing ten minutes of my entire life, coupled with some very disturbing imagery that will give plenty of people nightmares. This ladies and gentlemen, is what happens when a world title match is based around spooky sh**.
-I had faith in Brock Lesnar and Goldberg to put on a good match, saying in my preview that I thought this had the most upside of any match on the card. Many of you may not have believed me then, so I pose this question: do you believe me now? This was an entertaining, chaotic match, that really deserved to be in the main event. Goldberg's Spear through the barricade, Brock kicking out of the Jackhammer and delivering ten Germans, Brock's ridiculous leap over the Spear, Paul Heyman's pre-match promo and video package, this match had everything. This is everything WrestleMania is about.
-For all the scandal kicked up on social media about the SmackDown's women's title match being on the pre-show, boy did they prove they didn't need to be on the main card. I get that they had a very limited time to work, but this was a bad match. Congrats to Naomi, who gets a very rare hometown win.
-Look, I understand that a lot of fans hate Roman Reigns. I know why, I'm not an idiot, but I don't think he deserves a lot of the hate that he gets. His match with Taker had to go last, considering what happened afterward. There's no doubt that this was a sloppy main event. Roman did his best, but he would have to have been Superman to pull this one off. Bonus points to JR on commentary, who has gone through a lot lately, and still put over both men like only he can.
-I'll finish this off with offering a few thoughts of my own. Through thick and thin, one man has stood the test of time. So many great matches, so many great moments, a career that spans decades, a legacy that will stand the test of time. Tonight, he gave us one last ride.
When I made my top ten greatest wrestler list last year, I did not include The Undertaker. I've never been one of his biggest fans, and I've never had a huge investment in his career. If this is goodbye, then I tip my cap. Congratulations to one of the greatest ever, to the wrestler that captivated millions, to the man who's mere presence excited fans across the globe. If I could go back to change that list, I would. #ThankYouTaker
9/10
-Huge shout-out to the booking crew on this night. They take a lot of slack from fans, but this show was booked near to perfection, the obvious results followed through along with plenty of surprises to keep the fans guessing. Pretty much every match on the card got the desired reaction from the crowd, which is difficult to do in this day and age.
-I'll add some quick notes on the pre-show first. Neville-Aries was great, Mojo Rawley winning the Andre was a cool surprise and Dean Ambrose finally got a singles win at 'Mania.
-Plenty of folks were down on AJ-Shane, and almost all of them were proved wrong. AJ Styles can make anyone look like a star, but Shane O'Mac more than held up his end. That Shooting Star Press was absolutely gorgeous, and one of the defining moments on a card full of them.
-I had some expectations on Kevin and Chris's US Title Match, and unfortunately they failed them. What was a close, personal feud that needed a vicious, dangerous encounter ended up being pretty tame. KO simply out-wrestled his former teammate, proving that he was the better man all along.
-Another match that fell short was the Raw Women's fatal four way. After all the intrigue and all the hints, it was a straight-forward match with Bayley picking up the win, though the triple powerbomb to Nia was awesome.
-I heard a lot of people wanting the tag title ladder match moved to the pre-show, but this match stayed on the main card for a reason. That reason was the long-awaited return of Matt and Jeff Hardy, the Hardy Boyz, who tore the roof off the place. The actual match was nothing incredible, though Jeff celebrated his return with a ridiculous Swanton through a ladder. Welcome back Hardy Boyz, you've been missed.
-My stream cut out at this point, and I ended up missing the entire mixed tag team match. It's a shame, but the match itself wasn't the big story. After the match, we witnessed the Proposal Heard Round the World, which was an obvious staged PR stunt and also remarkably charming, which tells me John Cena was involved.
-Seth Rollins and Triple H is a match that has been a long time coming. Originally scheduled for last year's WrestleMania, there have been plenty of bumps on this winding road. Speaking of, how about Steph being put through that table? That is a crazy woman. The actual match was nothing spectacular, but with Seth's injury troubles, it was never going to be.
-Remember when everyone wanted Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt to main event WrestleMania? I sure as hell didn't, because I could see the writing on the wall. This was the most confusing ten minutes of my entire life, coupled with some very disturbing imagery that will give plenty of people nightmares. This ladies and gentlemen, is what happens when a world title match is based around spooky sh**.
-I had faith in Brock Lesnar and Goldberg to put on a good match, saying in my preview that I thought this had the most upside of any match on the card. Many of you may not have believed me then, so I pose this question: do you believe me now? This was an entertaining, chaotic match, that really deserved to be in the main event. Goldberg's Spear through the barricade, Brock kicking out of the Jackhammer and delivering ten Germans, Brock's ridiculous leap over the Spear, Paul Heyman's pre-match promo and video package, this match had everything. This is everything WrestleMania is about.
-For all the scandal kicked up on social media about the SmackDown's women's title match being on the pre-show, boy did they prove they didn't need to be on the main card. I get that they had a very limited time to work, but this was a bad match. Congrats to Naomi, who gets a very rare hometown win.
-Look, I understand that a lot of fans hate Roman Reigns. I know why, I'm not an idiot, but I don't think he deserves a lot of the hate that he gets. His match with Taker had to go last, considering what happened afterward. There's no doubt that this was a sloppy main event. Roman did his best, but he would have to have been Superman to pull this one off. Bonus points to JR on commentary, who has gone through a lot lately, and still put over both men like only he can.
-I'll finish this off with offering a few thoughts of my own. Through thick and thin, one man has stood the test of time. So many great matches, so many great moments, a career that spans decades, a legacy that will stand the test of time. Tonight, he gave us one last ride.
When I made my top ten greatest wrestler list last year, I did not include The Undertaker. I've never been one of his biggest fans, and I've never had a huge investment in his career. If this is goodbye, then I tip my cap. Congratulations to one of the greatest ever, to the wrestler that captivated millions, to the man who's mere presence excited fans across the globe. If I could go back to change that list, I would. #ThankYouTaker
9/10
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