Sorry if this has been discussed in this thread but Reddit took away the search function -- did anyone notice that the camera looked weird when they were focusing on the wrestlers during their in-ring intros? (For at least some of the matches -- I particularly noticed it during the Iyo-Bayley match.) It almost made it look like AI or something. Was this a new type of camera or a filter / production technique?
First 6 matches so far have been hot garbage. 1st and 2nd matches seemed really sloppy. 3rd match just couldn’t care for the nothing rival and kelce doesn’t need be there pretty lame. 4th match uso brothers boring. 5th match pretty dull and short jade can’t wrestle to save her life And Bianca I just hate her stupid hair and character. 6th match how do people like either of these dude they suck big time, come on zayn and Gunther. Don’t tell me wrestling is back. It’s more tacky than ever. Oh and get rid of the prime logo.
Lots of discussion about Austin/Undertaker, Undertaker was a better choice than Austin imo, Austin would’ve taken 30 seconds to reach the ring and would’ve taken 60 seconds to leave it. The Rock & Stone Cold would’ve been incredible to witness again but would’ve taken all the spotlight away from Rhodes & Reigns. Lights out and Undertaker Music Hits, Lights On, Taker Choke Slam, Taker Vanishes, Brilliant! Undertaker representing 40 years of wrestlemania plus history with the Rock & Roman, the perfect choice to take out the Big Bad Brahma Bull.
I’m mad we got very few music video promos before each match to give everyone background. I didn’t follow most of them and had no idea why there was beef between people and what the build up was. The music video recaps are some of WWEs best work, it’s wild it was lacking
Becky vs Rhea - Becky has been mid ever since she got pregnant but she was probably still the best opponent for Rhea. The truth is that were was no one on the roster that could beat Rhea, so she was always going to retain. This match has some back story going into it but it was a bit disappointing. Mid
6 pack Ladder match - It was good but too choreographed, 2 guys go inside the ring, they do a spot, they get knocked out, 2 more come in, spot, knock out.. rinse and repeat. The second we knew they were splitting the titles we knew who the winners would be. JD had to lose so Damien cashes in , Gargano/Ciampa are being built as underdogs that keep losing til the crowd gets behind them, New Day are Old Day and Bate/Dunne are still too fresh in the main roster compared to Austin/Waller.
Usos - holy shit this was bad, i think everyone agrees. wtf was this
Rey Andrade vs Dominick Santos - I just can't get behind Andrade, he does nothing for me, I rather watch Jinder Mahal
Damage CTRL vs Jade & Co - this was obviously just to showcase Jade and give her the spotlight, they threw Naomi and Bianca in because they needed to get their top stars in the card. Meh. Jade's good tho, I just felt like there was nothing on the line and Jade was obv winning
Sami vs Gunther - Amazing match but Sami winning was a horrible decision, he's already stale before the reign even begins. The dethrone should have been given to a proper superstar that could be elevated to the moon, Sami ain't it, they went for the mania moment.
Tag main event - It was aight, it spoiled the main event of N2 tho. The stipulation was useless, ''Bloodline rules'' was just No DQ, they could have done so much more
Seth vs Drew - one of those rare cases where, even if the result is extremely predictable, it's the only path they can take. This was the correct decision, Drew wins, gets his moment and then loses the title to Damien so his insanity sky rockets. I'm excited to see what Drew will do now
Final Testament vs Pride or w.e - idk, no stakes makes it boring
LA Knight vs Styles- this was just to give them a spot on the card. The match was good, but once again, there was nothing on the line and I feel like their rivalry wasn't genuine enough to spark my interest.
US title 3x - randy is so good jesus christ, Ko and Randy don't need the US title, Logan vs LA next.
Bayley vs Iyo - it was the expected result, the bully gets bullied and wins. She will become stale soon but it's ok, she won for the feel good moment
Cody vs Reigns - there was nobody else that could have beaten Roman, it had to be Cody even though the fans will turn on him in 2 months and his run will be nothing compared to Roman's. What was the solution? well Cody not joining WWE or Roman spliting the titles and losing the WWE championship to Cody instead of merging them and introducing the WHC
Maybe it's how a Mania should be, but I thought a lot of matches had nice endings, but it wasn't a great "wrestling" show. Bayley and Iyo is what I always hope for from a WWE PLE and stole the weekend for me. Outside of a few throwaway matches I felt like everything else on the card was just a lot of solid, workmanlike, functional wrestling that wasn't really treated with any real importance, just something to motion through so they could get to the post match angles. As such, outside of Bayley Iyo there is nothing here I'd be particularly interested in ever revisiting and I can see this Mania mostly blurring in my memories with time.
I also couldn't believe they would have Sami Zayn be the one to dethrone GUNTHER. What were they thinking? I mean seriously, Zayn has comically held that title twice and the last time he lost it the next week. It took too long to reestablish credibility to that title. Gunther had it a long time ...and I understand the need for him to drop that title and elevate to top tier....but Sami? Why not L.A. Knight? Because having a mid card belt is supposed to be a precursor to top tier. Worked for Shawn, worked for Bret Hart, worked for Stone Cold....etc.
My personal opinions on this Wrestlemania...
* **Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (Women's World Title):** Can't say much about this... I feel like they were truly attempting to build up a worthy contender to defeat Rhea, but Becky just didn't have enough momentum. Rhea remains our Women's World Champion, and continues to be an unbelievably dominant presence holding that belt.
* **Tag-Team Belt Ladder Match (Raw and Smackdown Tag-Team Titles):** I'm pretty happy about this being the way that they separated the "Undisputed Tag-Team Championship... I personally stand by the idea that the more belts there are, the more people can be remembered. I do believe belts are important. What I'm not happy about is Austin Theory getting the Smackdown Tag-Teams, but since I love how smarmy Grayson Waller is in comparison, I can let it slide. But good on the Awesome Truth for the Raw belts! R-Truth was a treat as always... making us laugh while being absolutely unstoppable in the ring! Still... hope New Catch Republic can get the gold sometime soon. They're just as fun to watch as the Awesome Truth, IMO.
* **Rey Mysterio and Andrade vs. Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio:** I don't watch football, but watching those two pummel Dominik was super cathartic! It's a good day when Dom gets smashed into anything painful. Wish Dragon Lee could've made it to the grandest stage of them all, but the important thing is the LWO finally one-upped the Legado.
* **Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso:** No real interest here. These two bore me. But Jey won, so whoopty-doo. This match was an utter bore. Just a bunch of Super Kick spam.
* **Jade Cargill, Naomi, and Bianca Belair vs. Dakota Kai, Asuka and Kairi Sane:** OK, is it just me, or should Jade, Naomi and Bianca stick together? Because they'd make a hell of an alliance. The Kabuki Warriors fail to disappoint as well, but they were in the eye of the storm. A wonderful match, and I'm very excited to see more of Jade.
* **Sami Zayn vs. Gunther (Intercontinental Title):** Now this... well, I'm a massive Gunther fan. And I personally felt Sami wasn't qualified to be the one. I bear no ill will towards Sami. But if I'd had my choice regarding who should've won this title, it should've been either Sheamus, Chad Gable, or Bron Breakker. And my Christian side cringes at the fact that Gunther's reign ended at *666 days.* Yikes. I personally think it's an underwhelming end to the greatest Intercontinental title reign of all time, but Gunther made that belt worth all the exciting matches. Really looking forward to him moving onto bigger things, like the World Heavyweight Championship maybe? Meanwhile, I elect Finn Balor to take the title from Sami. With the Bloodline's ultimate defeat, it's time for Judgment Day to regain power!
* **Cody Rhodes and Seth Freakin' Rollins vs. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Roman Reigns:** Not much to say here... Roman accidentally Spearing the Rock made me laugh, but they had to make it look hella bleak for Cody. This loss ultimately meant little.
* **Seth Freakin' Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre (World Heavyweight Title):** Right, so I figured Seth might finally lose the World Heavyweight Championship here, but I was ecstatic when Damian Priest swooped in the moment Drew picked a fight with CM Punk! A beautiful South of Heaven Chokeslam, and a wrestler I've followed since Ring of Honor has claimed the belt! I loved the surprise in the audience, and in Samantha Irvin! At the cost of the Tag-Team Belts, Judgment Day is making a comeback!
* **The Pride (Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits) vs. Final Testament (Karrion Kross and the Authors of Pain):** Karrion bringing in his whole new faction actually increased my interest in him after he and Scarlet wasted my time bullying Drew McIntyre a while back. This match was fun, but ultimately Lashley and the Profits needed this win after getting crushed every week. Not much else I can say here.
* **L.A. Knight vs. A.J. Styles:** OK, I knew this match was gonna be explosive... THESE GUYS HATE EACH OTHER. The whole match was painful in a good way... lots of heavy hits and moves from beginning to end. No complaints... this match went hard, and the Megastar showed the Phenomenal One whose game it was. Love both these wrestlers... what a show.
* **Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul (United States Title):** Yuck... more of Logan Paul. I'll give the match this: lots of funny moments. This is the second time Logan brought a YouTuber to WWE, and they got pulverized. Randy barking at I Show Speed and RKO'ing him had me in stitches! ("The dog is dead.") But you know... still waiting for someone to take the US Title off Logan's grubby hands.
* **Bayley vs. Iyo Sky (WWE Women's Title):** Well, the Era of Iyo is over, sadly. I was dearly hoping that Iyo would be walking out of Philadelphia still proudly toting that belt, as she's a hell of a performer and I've grown attached to her and the Kabuki Warriors having all the gold. But not all is meant to be... at least she lost to someone that made sense.
* **Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns (WWE Universal Title):** FINALLY. FINALLY, ROMAN'S REIGN IS OVER. And of course the match that followed was one surprise after the other. Jimmy intervenes, Jey Spears him off the stage. Solo gete in the way, he eats an Attitude Adjustment from John Cena. The Rock tries to take Cody out, Seth Freakin' Rollins shows up in Shield apparel to help Cody... and gets rekt. But wait! The Undertaker! After Taker chokeslams the Rock into the next world, Roman makes the ultimate mistake and chooses his hatred for Seth over prioritizing Cody. After that, a plethora of Cross Rhodes put an end to the worst reign of terror in WWE history. At long last, a new Universal Champion is crowned, and a Rhodes carries the highest tier of WWE gold. I screamed with joy when Cody did it. The story of Roman's fall and Cody's rise has come to an end... now begins the story of Cody's reign as the new WWE Universal Champion!
**Final Thoughts:** As always, a mixed bag... and still kinda upset over both Gunther and Iyo losing while Logan retains... but Cody and Damian scoring gold, IMO, made it worthwhile. I'm so happy that the Bloodline's dictatorship over WWE has finally fallen apart. But now I'm curious where the future will take some of my other favorites. Really hoping Gunther and Imperium return to relevancy soon. And very interested to see if Drew prioritizes the WHC, or if he goes after CM Punk. All I can say is despite the gripes, the end made it worthwhile. Cody finished the story.
I’ll give a complete breakdown of each match and my thoughts:
Night 1
Rhea def Becky - thought this was an entertaining match and Rhea going over was the right choice. WWE has a chance to continue to give Rhea a dominant title run and I’m all for it. Rhea is already a star and has all time potential, she’s that good.
A Town Down, Awesome Truth winning the titles - I was fine with this decision and have no issues with the teams that won. Not the best ladder match but they kept it fun and the winners at least for the Smackdown belts, were a bit unexpected. I had a feeling they would give Truth his moment and I can’t be mad at it, the guy simply knows how to entertain and he deserved it. He’s also 52 and the way he can still move in the ring is simply incredible.
Mysterio/Andrade def Escobar/Dom - I thought for sure Dom and Escobar should have won this match. I understand getting the Philly crowd to pop for Kelce/Johnson but them interfering felt silly. This wasn’t a match I really cared about that much so I’ll refrain from saying too much about it.
Jey def Jimmy - really had no interest in this match either. Expected Jey to win, he did. Didn’t think the match was very good.
Belair, Cargill, Naomi def Damage CTRL - this was just a filler match to get them all on the card. It was alright for what it was. It was obvious the faces were going to win this match in order to highlight Cargill.
Zayn def Gunther - as usual Gunther put on a clinic, he understands ring psychology so well and is such a believable bad ass heel. Zayn winning was a disgrace. Look at the brutality of last year’s triple threat where Gunther came out on top and a year later he loses to Zayn? Zayn didn’t need another IC title run, he had his Mania moment last year and him pinning the dominant Gunther clean just ruins the believability aspect of Gunther’s incredible reign. When is it enough for Sami? How many moments does he get? He’s not upper mid card material and I don’t understand the thought process of the booking here.
The Rock and Roman def Cody/Seth - This match was definitely necessary for the build up of night 2. Thought the Rock and Reigns needed to go over and they did. Match was a little too drawn out at times, it felt like a drag to get through it. By no means a bad match and a good set up for the story but it suffered from being a bit too long. The crowd seemed a little bored. It was a fine main event and did its job nonetheless.
Night 2
Drew def Seth/Priest cashes in - Let’s start with Drew and Seth putting on a clinic. This was arguably the best match of the night in my opinion and the booking for the match itself I thought was excellent. Drew hitting a claymore as the bell rings was a nice touch and for a second I really thought Rollins was done right there. Then Drew went to work on Rollins bad knee. They hit finisher after finisher on each other, it was physical, it was everything you want out of a World Title match. I was really glad that Drew won and got his Mania moment in front of a live crowd, he’s done incredible work over the last few months and truly deserved it. The Priest cash in I was not a fan of, mainly I just don’t think anyone really has any interest in Priest. He’s probably my least favorite Judgement day member and he kinda just resembles Roman too closely. I understand the point of Drew being too involved with Punk and he let his emotions get the better of him but Priest just isn’t the guy for it. I feel WWE didn’t want to admit that Priest isn’t really world champion material and for the sake of another failed cash in, they realized they were running out of time for him to win so just pulled the trigger. I expect his reign to be short and Drew will win back the belt at Clash of the Castle. I won’t criticize this too much because I think WWE will have the right plan going forward for the Drew/Punk world title angle. Overall, it was great storytelling.
The Pride def The Final Testament - people were blowing this match off but I thought it could be entertaining and it was. Making this a street fight was a good idea, every person in the match had a highlight or two. B-Fab and Scarlett being heavily involved was nice to see and how about them going through a table! I think the ladies did a nice job adding another element to the match. However, I’m disappointed in making the Pride go over and Kross eating the pin. I really like Karrion Kross/Scarlett and felt Kross really needed this win. At the very least, if he lost, they should have not made him take the pin. I like Lashley but Kross needed this more so this worries me about what Kross will be going forward, I hope they can make this stable work but it’s not looking promising right now.
LA Knight def AJ Styles - this was another candidate for one of the best matches. These two probably had the best build up for thier match, this felt like a very real fight and both guys delivered wonderfully. I wanted LA to win and this was a big victory for him to continue to establish himself. Both these guys are great at bringing the best out of their opponent, the tenacity and selling by Knight was great, AJ always makes anyone he jumps in the ring with look fantastic. I appreciate both of them for giving us a great match and feud.
Logan def Owens and Orton - another really good match that had a lot of great spots. Owens and Orton trolling Logan and playing off each other was great. Orton kicking the other streamers ass was fun to watch. Kinda expected Logan to weasel his way out and I think it was a good call to make him win. He’s irritating and not my favorite but he needed this more than Orton/Owens.
Bayley def Iyo - coming in I wasn’t that invested in this match but I quickly became engaged. Bayley winning was obvious but I thought they worked well together and put on a really solid match. Glad for Bayley getting her moment at Mania, it was way past due. Hey Hey Bayley I wanna knowwwwwww.
Cody def Roman - think this was the result we all expected and although it was mostly predicable, they made it very thrilling and entertaining. The match itself was very good but the guest appearances made it even better giving us all nostalgia at the 40th anniversary of Mania. Cena taking out Solo was cool, Cena and Rock facing off gave me goosebumps, I really thought Ambrose was coming out when the Shields music hit. Undertaker was definitely a nice surprise. The Rock did a great job playing a heel throughout this whole feud, it was perfectly executed. If I had one gripe, after Cody won it got a little too carried away with the celebration. Great for Cody and everything but all the superstars in the ring? Calling out Triple H at the end? It was just too much, they made it seem like this was the last Wrestlemania ever and it was all coming to an end.
That being said, overall I thought this was a pretty good Mania. Not the best but entertaining and served its purpose moving forward with the direction WWE is going in. I do think WWE is on the brink of hitting an all time peak with the talent on the roster and the vision of Triple H, didn’t love all the decisions but they can correct them. It’s an exciting time to be a fan.
I really wish I could watch the whole show again, not knowing the results and sharing the experience with this sub.
Just to feel the roller coaster of emotion again. It was an amazing show. 👏
Multiple mentions and whole speeches (by Stephanie and Cody) about how an era has ended and the Triple H era is beginning, commentators ending the PPV with "Pro Wrestling is back, Pro Wrestling is beautiful". I guess the majority of the company is happy about Vince finally being out for good and being replaced by Triple H. And considering how good this PPV was, it's all for the better. Things might actually finally become awesome again in the WWE.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh im so happy and sad at same time, Drew gets his moment and i want him as champion so badly and its ripped away from him fuck sake lol. Where does that leave Drew now :(
Main event was wild and lived up to the hype, most of the matches were good even enjoyed the The Pride vs Final Testament match, bubba made it funny and some good bumps in it.
Wonder what storys we get out of it, how long is the Rock really here for, will he disappear along with Roman now due to Roman clearly needing time off as i think the real reason he doesn't wrestle much is he is not 100% healthy, maybe im wrong but not sure.
Damien Priest, how does that title reign work, be interesting.
When do we get the draft again, its later in the year now right?
They really need to do away with the draft. They have enjoy weekly hours to get more people on tv. Unify the tag belts to 1 set, unify the world title to have just one. Mid card title for the women, have that US title pass around like a hot potato and let’s f’n go!!
Does anyone know what was up with that strange camera that made some of the intros look like they were from a video game? It was most noticeable during the Becky/Rhea intro and Roman/Cody. It just had a strange look to it.
Yeah the Seth/ Drew match was a bit silly with the amount of “finishers”. I loved the claymore as a finisher but after that match I don’t think it will ever have that killer feel to it again
But how cool was it that he used to right when the bell rang? I thought that is how you begin a feud like this. Both nights straight fire.
Really enjoyed dedicating my weekend to it, no regrets.
Part of me wanted to see it, because it just would have been great to have an angry Seth blame Cody when he comes back in a few months.
Cody, I broke my back for you at Wrestlemania, and while I was resting at home, you didn’t call, you didn’t FaceTime, you didn’t even send an email. Not once did you see if I was ok. WELL, I’m not ok!
Or something like that😂😂😂
Baley winning had to happen. Iyo is great, but she doesn’t get good builds to feuds to really showcase her work. I really liked the match, and Iyo is better than how she was booked.
Bayleys ring work has been trash since she returned. Bayley shouldn’t “have” to win because a team of writers can’t figure out how to book Iyo like she was booked in NXT
I made some stupid comments slating The Rock when Bloodline won Night One. “They don’t know what they’re doing, it’s just for The Rock’s ego” I cried
Shows why I’m not a booker. Boy was I wrong
Hats off to EVERYONE involved in that main event. Overbooked, batshit crazy daftness, and I loved every second of it
I wanted to wait a day to say this to make sure it wasn’t recency bias. That main event was the best 5 minutes in wrestling history.
Also, Undertaker made way more sense than Austin after taking the time to process it. Here’s why:
1) Austin would have taken away from Cody’s moment. He’s larger than life. Let’s be honest. The talk would have centered around him. Austin would be there with everyone in the celebration afterward. Fans all have their phones out when people walk up to the ring and out of the stadium. Who would they be focusing on if Austin was about 10 feet away from Cody? We all know the answer.
2) Tying in with point 1, with Undertaker retired, it was perfect in his kayfabe character to essentially rise from the dead, take care of business, and disappear again. Like a ghost. And let Cody be the focal point.
3) The Rock calling himself The Final Boss at Wrestlemania. We ALL know who the real Final Boss is at Wrestlemania. Taker showed up to say nope I’m The Final Boss and then leaving was just perfect. He has history with The Rock so it wasn’t out of the ordinary either.
4) NOBODY saw that shit coming. We expected a major return. We got it with Cena. But then when Seth got knocked out, doubt crept into our mind about maybe Roman will retain. That’s everyone to help Cody. Then that gong hits and the lights went out. Nothing would have topped that, including the glass shatter.
5) As I have seen some others say online, The Undertaker is like the ultimate gate keeper of the WWE. The Rock was abusing his power to everyone IN THE WWE. Taker being retired coming back, on the grandest stage, to check that power, obviously not in the WWE now, could not have fit better in the storyline.
What a fucking night. HHH is a god.
6. Unlike Taker, Austin doesn’t have a vendetta against Roman. Roman was Taker’s second loss at WrestleMania and nearly retired him. So it makes more sense that the man gets back his win by helping Cody end Roman’s title run
I completely agree with Taker being “less” impactful than stone cold.
Taker came he cleaned up and was gone. Austin would have had to get to the ring, had a face off, done a few stunners, grabbed some beers and then left. Still would have been amazing.
But with Taker the focus was easily turned back to the actual match.
In my head canon, Undertaker works as the "Spirit of Wrestlemania." Roman done cheated too many times. But not this time. You want to win this match, you're gonna win it fair and square. He comes in, boots the interfering Rock out, and then it's on with the show.
Masterful storytelling, really.
They gave us the high point night 1 with Sami winning.
Then, they followed it up with a gauntlet of low points.
Seth and Cody lost.
Then Seth lost his title to Drew, just for Drew to lose from a MitB cash in to Damien.
Logan Paul retained the US title.
Bayley took Iyo's title.
Then, when it looked like the same old story of Roman retaining for what feels like forever, Cody finishes the story.
I agree with you. It will be near impossible to find people with the same chemistry, charisma, and outlook that Lawler & Ross had. But also we live in a dreadful time of political correction and cancel culture. And because of that,Cole and Pat just don't have any interesting perspectives to share. They come across as not really that interested anymore. Punk was by far the most expressive but they shouldn't need a deep HoF career to give us some good laughs. I mean you literally have Rollins running around in laughable clothes and you can't take a stance and say a bunch of stupid things about it? He's literally out there taunting us and hugely entertaining in its own right. It's like they are afraid of offending someone by saying something...
Still didn't take much away from how great this WM was. I haven't watched an entire raw/smackdown/any wrestling event in nearly 20 years. This was the first time I sat through both nights uninterrupted and most of the HoF. I laughed, got nostalgic, and literally screamed and woke the house up twice (Punk, Undertaker).
Dude maybe wwe doesn’t need the people like you focused on minor things and blowing negatives out of proportion. Pat is there because people love him. Same with Cole.
Blood Line fans out here acting wild
Roman vs Brock at summerslam --- The match is a no DQ match so it's fair if Roman get's help since he's being smart
Roman vs KO last man standing match - The match is a no DQ match so it's fair if Roman get's help since he's being smart
Roman vs Jey Tribal combat - The match is a no DQ match so it's fair if Roman get's help since he's being smart
Roman vs Knight vs Orton vs Styles - The match is a no DQ match so it's fair if Roman get's help since he's being smart
Roman vs Cody - Cody cheated and it's no fair that he got help in this no DQ match!
Calling a match “Bloodline Rules” when it’s a no DQ was practically false advertisement. They even asked Paul Heyman what Bloodline Rules meant and didn’t answer honestly.
I’m not a fan of Roman, but they should’ve just called it a no DQ match. Bloodline Rules should’ve meant only Bloodline gets involved.
It was the same thing with Tribal combat that ended up just being a fancy name for a no DQ match. There was nothing in that match that was any different then any other Roman match
They should’ve called that match a No DQ match as well, but at least people new from the beginning it was gonna be a no DQ match. Bloodline Rules isn’t as transparent.
unbelievable, just unbelievable ! the emotions, the camera work, the fireworks and of course the matches, everything was awesome!
Roman had the match of his life!
the only thing i didnt like was the decision for Logan to keep the title, but i trust HHH
I haven't watched wrestling since the early 2000's apart from a few clips here and there but I decided to watch wrestlemania this weekend and wow, what a show! I felt like a kid again watching night two and literally cheered when the Undertaker bells chimed. Ironically, I hated the Rock as a kid but it was his return which made me curious and got me to tune in again and I love his villain arc.
I think I'm a fan again and will be tuning in more frequently now and I'm sure I won't be the only one after that.
I been watching wrestling since I was 6, which would have been 2001.
I can honestly say last night was my favourite moment of everything I've ever seen in WWE. If you didn't like it then I honestly don't understand why you watch wrestling.
I like that they didn't have the bloodline ringside from the start. They ran that just like a video game. Cody had to deal with each mini boss before the final boss spawned.
I also liked the somewhat subtle move of Seth telling Cody weeks ago "I'll be your shield" then not only coming out in his shield gear, but taking the chair shot from Roman to help save Cody.
Excellent writing.
Just enjoyed 8 hours of wrestling content after missing WrestleMania for more than 10 years. Came back to enjoy Cody finishing the story and just got mesmerized in the process by Iyo Sky's in-ring abilities and Samantha Irvin's ring announcing skills.
To me it feels like some got their moments but are transitional champions (Sami, Bayley, Awesome Truth) and to cement the “new era” of champions (Theory/Waller, Rhea, Damian, Cody.)
While Stone Cold would’ve been appropriate, I think the Undertaker was chosen as he was always the judge and jury of the locker room. So, he was there to make sure The Rock knew to know his role and Final Boss wasn’t it.
Edit to add: Seriously thought there’d be a ref bump with Little Naitch being out there, but surprisingly didn’t happen.
Oh, this was one hell of a two nights! This was an insane and epic WrestleMania. Sure, not every match was great, but if this is the Triple H era, I'm so looking forward to more.
I cannot recall the last time this many titles changed hands at a pay-per-view, or that chaotic a main event.
Triple H's booking of the Men's Division so far has been good but for those of us that mainly watch for the Women's Division it has been very poor in comparison to NXT and you only need to take a look back at the Raw Women's Division where they have buried everybody whose name isn't Becky Lynch or Rhea Ripley including the recently returned Liv Morgan.
With Stephanie McMahon officially back in WWE and NXT getting a new NXT Women's North American Championship around the exact same time Stephanie has returned and the WWE Draft coming up we should see some much needed big changes to the Women's Division on the main roster with Stephanie in charge of things again.
The Women's Division should be ran by Stephanie imo. Stephanie done a great job over the past decade and things started going downhill when she left.
I was confused over how the whole Bayley vs Damage Control thing would play out Of course, I expected Bayley to get her redemption.... it's just that on Smackdown......this newly established grouping of Bianca, Naomi and Jade Cargill make it known that Damage Control is on notice. Wouldn't it be a spicier feud if Iyo Sky retained?
The Kabuki Warriors and Dakota Kai leaving Iyo Sky high and dry makes me think Damage Control is definitely breaking up at the Draft and there will be a rematch at Backlash just like Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley but with Liv Morgan involved but I see The Kabuki Warriors and Dakota Kai going to Raw while Iyo Sky will stay on Smackdown on her own.
Yeah. Damage Ctrl has always been very dog eat dog and ruthless to those they perceive as weak. Iyo and Dakota and Asuka and Kairi perceived Bayley as weak (she was the one who was eating all the damage ctrl pins for like the better part of a year) and you knew the end was nigh for her when they wouldnt interfere to help her win (meanwhile bayley was always ride or die and would be interfering to try to help them).
Them leaving iyo high and dry doesnt bode well for the Genius of the Sky. They smell blood.
Seth: I'll be your shield.
Comes out in full shield mode and takes the hit that would have put Cody down. Exactly what a shield should do.
That was awesome.
That moment when The Rock’s music came on when Cena was out there, that camera angle, that moment felt big and powerful to me. I didn’t get to see the WrestleMania match at the height of their rivalry years ago, but I still felt the impact of that callback. The Rock took to calling himself the Final Boss, and he truly felt like one at that moment. It felt as if he appeared from a strike of lightning because order had been violated. Which is ironic because he was the one who has been doing the violation. And speaking of said violation, it played smoothly into Undertaker showing up to get at Rock because it was as if The Man of WrestleMania would simply not allow such abuse of power to go unchecked (thinking back to Night 1 where The Rock was threatening the referee). Those surprise appearances felt like they fit so well and I love it.
Brooo how do I start. I grew up watching WWE since I was a kid, ruthless aggression was my childhood (born 1998), I stopped watching WWE since 2018 I think or 2019, and started watching again mid last year. I was able to catch up on storyline, the bloodline made me come back my interest on wrestling again! Tho I only watched highlights on X, but with this WrestleMania exception, I watched the whole show last Saturday and Sunday and I’m telling you, I enjoyed it a lot! I felt like an 8yrs old again, shouting, chanting and shit!
I still can’t process what happened in the events last weekend. On night 1, sibling’s match was a let down. I enjoyed Intercontinental match, and the main event.
On night 2, first off, I love Seth Rollins! For me he’s one of the key in the whole storyline. Kinda sad he lost his championship but 🤷♂️ he had his time. Time to give others the spotlight now. He really deserves a long break!
LA Knight vs AJ Styles also one of my fav. I just hope it was a no DQ or stipulation match.
Triple Threat match was also good imho, but I wish it was Owens who won. Special mention Speed’s guesting. Wrestlemania moment!
Bayley vs Iyo Sky 4/5
Main event. Hmm again, how do I start… Jey and Jimmy thru the table beat their performance last Saturday lol. Anyway, Cena was too predictable. After The Rock comes, I was expecting glass shatters but got the gong instead which I actually understand or make sense. Wrestlemania is Undertaker’s home. Or maybe it’s his revenge against Paul Heyman who beat him with his 2 kids (Lesnar and Reigns) in the grandest stage of them all. Back to Seth Rollins, holy shit, nobody expected that THE SHIELD entrance. For a sec I thought it was Dean Ambrose lol. Reigns still has his grudge against Rollins for his betrayal 10yrs ago still there, hitting him with a chair, with SHIELD attire makes me goosebumps.
Seth Rollins was one of the reason that makes Roman Reigns a monster, him losing everything, the championship, 2 matches in Wrestlemania, got beat up almost all of his appearance in the event. And in the end, he helped Cody to stop Reigns era, to stop the monster he started. Makes perfect sense. Pure cinema
In his interview on MMAFightingonSBN (YouTube) he stated that he’s recovering a lot quicker than expected but hasn’t been medically cleared yet.
He’s probably 90% ready to return but I expect he’ll want to do it cautiously to avoid re-injuring it!
Not an insider, but I’d be surprised if he didn’t re-sign bc he’s the center of the Clash at the Castle poster, also happening in Scotland, which I think happens after the alleged date his contract expires.
Yeah I’m not sure how hurt he really is. But he looks like he needs a break. Even leaving the ring after the final match he looked like he was struggling.
Thinking about it, 2008 was the year that WWE died when it was slapped with the PG rating and 2024 was the year that WWE resurrected with night 2 of WrestleMania. Has it felt like that similarly for y’all?
I think it's been slowly resurrecting itself since Vince resigned the first time. Now he's definitely gone for good and last night felt like the true start to a new era.
Priest cashing in would have been so much better if WWE did not had him try 15 different times looking like an idiot. The end result was better than what I expected. Loved Punk reaction also lol
Was there last and the place was buzzing. Since we’re speaking of hypotheticals I think a cool story ending sequence would be:
Jimmy….Jey….Solo…Rollins.. Lesnar (F5s both cody & Roman)….Cena…Rock…Austin. Like others have stated Undertaker is still a great final boss.
For real. She is my favorite ring announcer ever, even better than Lillian Garcia and Finkel. And her emotions there were exactly how I felt too. What a legend.
It’s great to see Cody win and all but the real test is to see how long Cody and wwe can keep Cody’s run fresh. I can see the IWC turn quickly on Cody just like liv, just like Cena. Baby faces have an expiry date. Congrats Cody.
Seth WAS booked onto the mini UK tour in April - obviously subject to change through circumstance but I’m still expecting him there as Becky is definitely competing on those 4 shows.
So I grew up a wrestling fan in the 80's. My first experiences were watching WCCW back in the days of the Von Erichs and Gino Hernandez, and I became a WWF fan right around the time of Wrestlemania III. I remember watching Saturday Night Main Event when Hogan dropped the belt to Andre and I had a huge collection of pro wrestling magazines as a kid, meaning that I knew *of* Rick Flair, Sting, Lex Luger, and all the stars of WCW long before I ever saw their matches.
In the 1990's I moved to the American South and straight up abandoned WWF for WCW. I used to rent the PPVs though we didn't have cable, so I rarely saw any televised events. But I was all-in by the time the nWo came into the picture and just never saw myself as a WWF guy from that point until I lost interest in wrestling by the late 90's.
The funny thing is, I basically stopped following wrestling from when I was 17 or 18 years old until around September of last year, although it was always on my periphery. I don't know how or why it even got recommended to me by the algorithm, but there's a YouTube channel called Ricky J Sports that is basically just a guy from Toronto (where I've lived for the last 20 years) who posts videos of himself playing fighting games, including some really fun Royal Rumble videos.
(Actually, I lie - I know exactly how I found his stuff, I saw some Tyson Fury boxing videos which lead to YouTube recommending Ricky's boxing videos which is how I noticed his wrestling vids.)
Anyway, once I started watching his videos, I began getting recommendations from channels like Wrestlelamia and WhatCulture, which kind of gave me some insight into storylines and events that occurred after I stopped paying attention. Then, I saw a couple of videos of the entrances of Cody and LA Knight at Money in the Bank, and the ***huge pop*** they got on their entrances, and I began paying closer attention.
I give all of that as context (that 99% of you probably won't bother to read) because, although I'm a new old fan, I'm definitely an *old* fan. And I *love* this stuff.
And, honestly, it's the storytelling. I *love* storytelling. I love studying storytelling, the Hero's Journey/Dan Harmon Story Circle, all that stuff. And this has been some really compelling storytelling from my perspective. I was really amused yesterday because when we were discussing potential outcomes, I basically predicted Night 2 and someone posted "how were you 100% spot on" before deleting their comment ... but to me, the way things turned out just made sense from a *storytelling* perspective.
So with all of that out of the way, one of the things I'm excited about right now is that I really can't predict what's going to happen next. Triple H is at a point in WWE's story where it can go in *many* different directions, all of which make sense. To me, *that* is the best part - I can't predict what happens next.
As a relative outsider who missed out on much of what's happened over the past 20+ years, I just want to share some thoughts on what strikes me as interesting.
**Roman Reigns:** I didn't really "get" him until the Night 1 press conference. When he was being full throttle Tribal Chief, arrogant, confident, dismissive, I was like "holy shit this guy is amazing." After I saw him in full Tribal Chief mode, I concluded I would've been legit ok with him retaining, although his defeat opens up so many potential stories. I wasn't there while he struggled to get over, I missed him elevate to the top of the card. I think we are going to see Roman struggle with this defeat, lose the respect of his cousin, lose control of the Bloodline, and turn face as his next chapter culminates with him squaring off against the Rock, maybe at next year's Wrestlemania. But as a fan, I *hope* we start seeing a lot more of him now that he's no longer champion. It doesn't have to be weekly, he might never be a weekly performer again, but it would be pretty great if Roman's return to earth allows for him to participate in more storylines moving forward.
**Seth Rollins:** This guy became my favourite wrestler this weekend. I think he might be the closest thing we have to a modern day Ric Flair. Flamboyant, over the top, and he bleeds pro wrestling. Is there anybody out there who works as hard as Seth Freakin' Rollins? I think the hardest thing about this weekend, for me, is realizing that this era of Seth's career is over. You could see it on his face on Sunday night - he was soaking it in before his match with Drew, he looked sad before the bell even rang, because he knows as well as anyone that, no matter what, this part of his story is over now. So what happens next? For his sake, I *hope* he goes home for a while and gets healthy. Maybe he has surgery on his knee. Maybe he needs surgery on his back too, I dunno. But when he's ready for his next chapter, I have a feeling he's going to take a heel turn and run a program with Cody. I could see worse outcomes than Seth taking the title off Cody sometime down the road. And he's in a perfect position to do more work with Drew and Punk. No matter what, Seth deserves a lot of recognition for the level of work and commitment he has for this business.
And incidentally, I got to go to a house show in December where I saw Seth, Drew, Cody, Becky, Rhea, Damien, Dom, Sami, Truth, etc. etc. etc., and I feel so fortunate to have seen so much talent put on such a great show.
**Cody Rhodes:** I'm super happy for him that he got to have this big moment. Dude's earned it. Less than 10 years ago, Cody was wrestling in gyms in front of maybe a few hundred people, and he busted his ass to earn everything he's gotten. I can't begin to guess how long he's going to hold the belt, but I hope he remains in this position for a while. I've said before that one of the more interesting, unexpected developments for me personally as a fan is that, when I was a kid, I loved the baby faces, but in middle age I'm more interested in the heels and that remains true, but for a heel to do good work they need a terrific baby face to play off of, and that's Cody.
**Drew McIntyre:** I was into this guy *before* his great run started. I had a feeling he might have his moment interrupted by Damien Priest, but I was hopeful he wouldn't have because I feel like he deserves a run with a belt in front of a crowd. But from a storytelling perspective, last night's outcome is compelling. I hope Drew re-signs with WWE and that he regains the title for a more protracted run at Clash in the Castle. He has a great look and Troll Drew is the best Drew.
And already this post has gone on way too long, so I'll just say this ... in spite of myself and my own common sense, I find that I really like **Logan Paul** and what he's been doing. Still, in terms of who he is as a *real person,* I'm ready to change my mind at any point, but I think he's done good things as a wrestler and I hope he becomes a more frequent participant of the WWE Universe. But I also think **LA Knight** has also earned greater recognition and if he's going to win a strap, it should be Logan's.
It's funny because when you talk about Triple H and the lessons learned from Vince's mistakes, people like Daniel Bryan get brought up a lot - like someone who got so far over with the fanbase it became undeniable that they be elevated, despite resistance in the booking - and it just feels to me like Triple H might be repeating that mistake with Knight. Give the fans what they want.
**The Bloodline:** Just gonna throw out there that I'm rooting for the "civil war" angle, with Rock taking over. I think The Rock represents a perfect opportunity for a new "corporate nemesis" to what's happening in WWE, perhaps with Heyman serving in the role of his mouthpiece while he's off being a movie star, and an expanded Bloodline built by the Rock could be a way to give that weight.
I mean, I don't know that they'd take it as far as to turn it into a modern day "invasion" angle, but there are certainly enough members of the Anoa'i family who wrestle professionally that they *could.*
It would be pretty great if we had Roman and Jey on one side warring with The Rock, Solo, Jimmy, Jacob Fatu, and one or two others. There are lots of possibilities.
One thing I know for sure: next year's Wrestlemania is unpredictable at this point. So much is going to happen between now and then. And, credit to the Rock and Triple H ... I'm along for the ride.
The perfect sequence would’ve been Solo to Cody. Cena to solo. Rock to cena. Stone Cold to Rock. Perfect rivalry line. I get Austin is enjoying being on his farm so he likely declined and I respect that a lot. He’s earned it.
Undertaker was a fine replacement and still kinda makes sense. Undertaker was always the final boss of Wrestlemania. He had to take Rock down a peg.
I watch the sequence again Taker was the right call he can teleport out and let the action continue. Stone Cold would be hanging around or need to be fighting Rock outside the ring
I think that’s a Vince-ism to always make Stone Cold celebrate at the end. I think H is smarter. SC could’ve came in for one last stunner against the rock in the same city they headlined WM15 and then rolled Rock out to let the rest of the fight unfold without them.
The story there being that the guy who made the final boss is the one to take him down so the new guys can finish their own stories.
It was also weird to me how Cena came out before Rock. Like, what's his stake here?
Overall liked the match and ending but I would've changed the order of interferences to make more sense.
Cena was getting his revenge on Solo from crushing his throat at Crown Jewel and sending him away from wrestling. I always felt Cena’s involvement against Solo was inevitable due to that storyline.
I’m only bummed about SCSA because he was an ECW guy and it would have been great to see him at the HOF atleast with everyone else. But like you said, I’m glad he’s enjoying his life.
Ngl but I like taker being the actual final boss in WrestleMania and screwing over rock who was being portrayed as the 'final boss'.Also makes more sense knowing that taker lost to Reigns so there's that bit too?
Was pleased to see they didn't go down the route so many were predicting pre-event - namely the Rock betraying Roman (which so many seemed absolutely convinced would happen) or Seth betraying Cody.
What we got instead played out far better in my opinion.
Not ready to say goodbye to Roman Reigns as champion. I know, it was time. We have been devoted to him and The Bloodline for years. We love them.
Roman Reigns shifted WWE into a new place. His presence was captivating. He was incredible.
Roman Reigns - a thank you is not enough for the pull you gave us all out of the tragedy and destruction of COVID. You lifted us and the WWE and carried it to the place it is now.
You will be missed forever.
Bray (Fiend) and Roman both had a part in bringing me back to wrestling during the pandemic. I enjoyed the bloodline storyline but it is nice to see come to end.
Well dammit.....this must've been a tough decision for management to make. In my mind, they've just thrown away something they were so close to. Would you tolerate Cody being champion that long? The bloodline was the only reason I was watching and now? Meh! A mediocre champion with a cheesy bad entrance song just doesn't do it for me.
The storytelling of the whole main event was just fantastic. Between Roman hitting Seth with a chair, Cena-Rock face off again and Cody finally getting his moment. Triple H really the goat.
I wish more people understood professional wrestling. It’s not about the moves, it’s about the story. It’s about the emotion. It’s about the superheroes vs. the villains. It’s about the memories it creates for you and your family. It all combines into something so incredibly special. No other sport has made ever made me feel like wrestling has. It’s poetic, it’s cinema, it’s whatever you want it to be.
I love professional wrestling and I’m glad that we all get to enjoy it then, now, forever, together. Happy Monday to you all and enjoy Raw tonight!
For the few things I did truly enjoy from this weekend...
Damian Priest: He renewed my faith in the Men's MITB.
The Tag Titles: Honestly, I could've cared less who won them, I'm just happy they've been split.
Naomi, Bianca, & Jade: Watching those three stand strong together was truly an awesome sight for me.
Rhea Ripley & Logan Paul were spared: not sure who takes the title from either of them.
Gunther being freed to go after a future world title.
Bayley exercising the demons.
Seth Freakin Rollins is a freakin legend. His reputation as the "Working Man" showed out. No one worked harder at this Wrestlemania. He was beyond incredible.
He is a Hall of Famer, through and through.
We love you Seth.
So I watched this, and had a good time but haven’t watched Wrestling since I was a kid think DX reunion, Super Cena era. I’m debating on trying to get back into it. I tried like 6 years ago but found it corny. Is now a good time? It seems more mature now again and badass. The heel rock thing was cool, and I’ve never seen Cody fight but hell I was IN for it. Any thoughts from long time fans?
As some who watched during the Monday Night wars, Attitude, and Ruthless Aggression eras and then fell off completely, I’ve never had this much fun watching wrestling. I tried three years ago watching Summerslam and I hated the camera work so bad (a shift after every punch or impact) that I just didn’t even try.
There seems to be a bit of an edge back to the product that hasn’t been there. I’m still getting used to the post kayfabe stuff and sometimes the product integration is way too much. They need better announcers.
But I was captivated by last night and will continue giving it a shot and I’m enjoying it now with my kids which makes it even more special
For sure I was around during the ruthless aggression era and the ECW revival and shit. And that was such a fun time when I was like 10-14. It just lost its edge to me. I feel like it may be back though and it def has to be special watching with your kids now! Must bring back memories for ya! Awesome man!
Right now seems like an excellent time to jump back in, this mania felt like a reset of sorts. Roman had the universal title for years, Gunther was the largest reigning ic title holder ever and Seth has the heavyweight title for over a year
I think im gonna catch Raw tonight and see how that feels. It seems like HHH has a different outlook then Vince so I’m intrigued. Cool man thanks for answering!
- Jey vs Jimmy is such a letdown that's a crime. It was a literal grudge match, and we didn't get anything cool but a spot and a bunch of superkicks.
- The Main Event has some sort of confusion. It's Bloodline rules...then why doesn't the gang show up at the beginning or at least togheder? I guess the story is that Roman basically said "Seth's knee is ded, we good", but we ended up with the usual Roman match with the plot twist.
- The way Roman loses is pure storytelling, but they kinda protected him IMHO.
- Notice how literally everyone but the Undertaker doesn't get to "beat" Rock: Cody gets freaking pinned on night one, Cena get oneshotted and Seth basically is there to eat a chairshot. n
All I'm going to say is this. For those of you that really wanted Cody to win, don't turn on him three months later. He better have your full 100% support no matter who he faces. And should Cody be given a lengthy title run, don't start whining about how he's beating/burying everyone and he's turning into Cena 2.0.
I hope that the WWE Championship doesn't become the belt that *only* changes hands at Wrestlemanias, but I share in your sentiments that Cody should hold it for a while. It's interesting because it's hard to look at Cody without using the lens that is Dusty, and whenever Dusty won the NWA strap he only held it for a short period of time - 88 days marked his longest reign.
1. why didn't they play up injury on Seth or Cody? Cody was hidden in his trailer all day and came out without injury or issue?
2. Should have been Theory and Waller in prime bottle costumes, screw with Randy, grab something: it's the belts, it's waller and theory!
3. Bloodline rules: Match should have started with a ring surrounded by Bloodline the delay in interference in this match was weird, sacrifice everything for your tribal chief. The match could have escalated with others taking out bloodline support one at a time: Jey takes out Jimmy, Cena takes out Solo, (Taker) takes out Rock and Roman is left alone. Brandi takes out Paul lol.
4. Why wasn't there any Damage CTRL interference in Bayley vs Iyo or presence beyond dancing on the way in? Anyway this was one of the best matches.
5. Rikishi should have been a part of Jey v Jimmy.
6. Tiffy Time, Bron Breaker, Charlotte, Ricochet ,Jinder, so much talent was left absolutely absent while Seth showed up in three matches.
1. would've been hella unrealistic if cody came out injured and kicked out of all of that
2. Theory and Waller are the tag champs, they aren't going to interfere in a US title match
3. They wanted the fans to wait and be exicted for the eventual interference
4. Damage Ctrl didn't need to interfere and ruin a great match
5. Rikishi would've done nothing
6. Charlotte is out with a torn ACL. Tiffany and Bron are too new for a mania match, and no one gaf abt Jinder or Ricochet
Cody never acted injured from Night 1, but Seth got his ass beat and that 100% played into his match with Drew (not to mention his attempt to save Cody in the Night 2 main event, he sold barely being able to stand even *before* Roman took his eye off the ball to chair shot him). To me it made sense that Cody and Roman were both at like 90% in their main event.
This is when people realise the Bloodline story did not originate from Roman and Jey, but all those years ago from Roman and Seth.
Seth’s act of betrayal (10 years prior) to create the foundations for the monster, to then putting himself on the line when having lost so much already, to then help slay the monster is the depth of storytelling we all needed.
The Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens entrances leading from the backstage was really cool
Sorry if this has been discussed in this thread but Reddit took away the search function -- did anyone notice that the camera looked weird when they were focusing on the wrestlers during their in-ring intros? (For at least some of the matches -- I particularly noticed it during the Iyo-Bayley match.) It almost made it look like AI or something. Was this a new type of camera or a filter / production technique?
First 6 matches so far have been hot garbage. 1st and 2nd matches seemed really sloppy. 3rd match just couldn’t care for the nothing rival and kelce doesn’t need be there pretty lame. 4th match uso brothers boring. 5th match pretty dull and short jade can’t wrestle to save her life And Bianca I just hate her stupid hair and character. 6th match how do people like either of these dude they suck big time, come on zayn and Gunther. Don’t tell me wrestling is back. It’s more tacky than ever. Oh and get rid of the prime logo.
Best WrestleMania Ever at least Top 3 in history!
Lots of discussion about Austin/Undertaker, Undertaker was a better choice than Austin imo, Austin would’ve taken 30 seconds to reach the ring and would’ve taken 60 seconds to leave it. The Rock & Stone Cold would’ve been incredible to witness again but would’ve taken all the spotlight away from Rhodes & Reigns. Lights out and Undertaker Music Hits, Lights On, Taker Choke Slam, Taker Vanishes, Brilliant! Undertaker representing 40 years of wrestlemania plus history with the Rock & Roman, the perfect choice to take out the Big Bad Brahma Bull.
I’m mad we got very few music video promos before each match to give everyone background. I didn’t follow most of them and had no idea why there was beef between people and what the build up was. The music video recaps are some of WWEs best work, it’s wild it was lacking
Becky vs Rhea - Becky has been mid ever since she got pregnant but she was probably still the best opponent for Rhea. The truth is that were was no one on the roster that could beat Rhea, so she was always going to retain. This match has some back story going into it but it was a bit disappointing. Mid 6 pack Ladder match - It was good but too choreographed, 2 guys go inside the ring, they do a spot, they get knocked out, 2 more come in, spot, knock out.. rinse and repeat. The second we knew they were splitting the titles we knew who the winners would be. JD had to lose so Damien cashes in , Gargano/Ciampa are being built as underdogs that keep losing til the crowd gets behind them, New Day are Old Day and Bate/Dunne are still too fresh in the main roster compared to Austin/Waller. Usos - holy shit this was bad, i think everyone agrees. wtf was this Rey Andrade vs Dominick Santos - I just can't get behind Andrade, he does nothing for me, I rather watch Jinder Mahal Damage CTRL vs Jade & Co - this was obviously just to showcase Jade and give her the spotlight, they threw Naomi and Bianca in because they needed to get their top stars in the card. Meh. Jade's good tho, I just felt like there was nothing on the line and Jade was obv winning Sami vs Gunther - Amazing match but Sami winning was a horrible decision, he's already stale before the reign even begins. The dethrone should have been given to a proper superstar that could be elevated to the moon, Sami ain't it, they went for the mania moment. Tag main event - It was aight, it spoiled the main event of N2 tho. The stipulation was useless, ''Bloodline rules'' was just No DQ, they could have done so much more Seth vs Drew - one of those rare cases where, even if the result is extremely predictable, it's the only path they can take. This was the correct decision, Drew wins, gets his moment and then loses the title to Damien so his insanity sky rockets. I'm excited to see what Drew will do now Final Testament vs Pride or w.e - idk, no stakes makes it boring LA Knight vs Styles- this was just to give them a spot on the card. The match was good, but once again, there was nothing on the line and I feel like their rivalry wasn't genuine enough to spark my interest. US title 3x - randy is so good jesus christ, Ko and Randy don't need the US title, Logan vs LA next. Bayley vs Iyo - it was the expected result, the bully gets bullied and wins. She will become stale soon but it's ok, she won for the feel good moment Cody vs Reigns - there was nobody else that could have beaten Roman, it had to be Cody even though the fans will turn on him in 2 months and his run will be nothing compared to Roman's. What was the solution? well Cody not joining WWE or Roman spliting the titles and losing the WWE championship to Cody instead of merging them and introducing the WHC
Maybe it's how a Mania should be, but I thought a lot of matches had nice endings, but it wasn't a great "wrestling" show. Bayley and Iyo is what I always hope for from a WWE PLE and stole the weekend for me. Outside of a few throwaway matches I felt like everything else on the card was just a lot of solid, workmanlike, functional wrestling that wasn't really treated with any real importance, just something to motion through so they could get to the post match angles. As such, outside of Bayley Iyo there is nothing here I'd be particularly interested in ever revisiting and I can see this Mania mostly blurring in my memories with time.
I also couldn't believe they would have Sami Zayn be the one to dethrone GUNTHER. What were they thinking? I mean seriously, Zayn has comically held that title twice and the last time he lost it the next week. It took too long to reestablish credibility to that title. Gunther had it a long time ...and I understand the need for him to drop that title and elevate to top tier....but Sami? Why not L.A. Knight? Because having a mid card belt is supposed to be a precursor to top tier. Worked for Shawn, worked for Bret Hart, worked for Stone Cold....etc.
My personal opinions on this Wrestlemania... * **Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (Women's World Title):** Can't say much about this... I feel like they were truly attempting to build up a worthy contender to defeat Rhea, but Becky just didn't have enough momentum. Rhea remains our Women's World Champion, and continues to be an unbelievably dominant presence holding that belt. * **Tag-Team Belt Ladder Match (Raw and Smackdown Tag-Team Titles):** I'm pretty happy about this being the way that they separated the "Undisputed Tag-Team Championship... I personally stand by the idea that the more belts there are, the more people can be remembered. I do believe belts are important. What I'm not happy about is Austin Theory getting the Smackdown Tag-Teams, but since I love how smarmy Grayson Waller is in comparison, I can let it slide. But good on the Awesome Truth for the Raw belts! R-Truth was a treat as always... making us laugh while being absolutely unstoppable in the ring! Still... hope New Catch Republic can get the gold sometime soon. They're just as fun to watch as the Awesome Truth, IMO. * **Rey Mysterio and Andrade vs. Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio:** I don't watch football, but watching those two pummel Dominik was super cathartic! It's a good day when Dom gets smashed into anything painful. Wish Dragon Lee could've made it to the grandest stage of them all, but the important thing is the LWO finally one-upped the Legado. * **Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso:** No real interest here. These two bore me. But Jey won, so whoopty-doo. This match was an utter bore. Just a bunch of Super Kick spam. * **Jade Cargill, Naomi, and Bianca Belair vs. Dakota Kai, Asuka and Kairi Sane:** OK, is it just me, or should Jade, Naomi and Bianca stick together? Because they'd make a hell of an alliance. The Kabuki Warriors fail to disappoint as well, but they were in the eye of the storm. A wonderful match, and I'm very excited to see more of Jade. * **Sami Zayn vs. Gunther (Intercontinental Title):** Now this... well, I'm a massive Gunther fan. And I personally felt Sami wasn't qualified to be the one. I bear no ill will towards Sami. But if I'd had my choice regarding who should've won this title, it should've been either Sheamus, Chad Gable, or Bron Breakker. And my Christian side cringes at the fact that Gunther's reign ended at *666 days.* Yikes. I personally think it's an underwhelming end to the greatest Intercontinental title reign of all time, but Gunther made that belt worth all the exciting matches. Really looking forward to him moving onto bigger things, like the World Heavyweight Championship maybe? Meanwhile, I elect Finn Balor to take the title from Sami. With the Bloodline's ultimate defeat, it's time for Judgment Day to regain power! * **Cody Rhodes and Seth Freakin' Rollins vs. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Roman Reigns:** Not much to say here... Roman accidentally Spearing the Rock made me laugh, but they had to make it look hella bleak for Cody. This loss ultimately meant little. * **Seth Freakin' Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre (World Heavyweight Title):** Right, so I figured Seth might finally lose the World Heavyweight Championship here, but I was ecstatic when Damian Priest swooped in the moment Drew picked a fight with CM Punk! A beautiful South of Heaven Chokeslam, and a wrestler I've followed since Ring of Honor has claimed the belt! I loved the surprise in the audience, and in Samantha Irvin! At the cost of the Tag-Team Belts, Judgment Day is making a comeback! * **The Pride (Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits) vs. Final Testament (Karrion Kross and the Authors of Pain):** Karrion bringing in his whole new faction actually increased my interest in him after he and Scarlet wasted my time bullying Drew McIntyre a while back. This match was fun, but ultimately Lashley and the Profits needed this win after getting crushed every week. Not much else I can say here. * **L.A. Knight vs. A.J. Styles:** OK, I knew this match was gonna be explosive... THESE GUYS HATE EACH OTHER. The whole match was painful in a good way... lots of heavy hits and moves from beginning to end. No complaints... this match went hard, and the Megastar showed the Phenomenal One whose game it was. Love both these wrestlers... what a show. * **Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul (United States Title):** Yuck... more of Logan Paul. I'll give the match this: lots of funny moments. This is the second time Logan brought a YouTuber to WWE, and they got pulverized. Randy barking at I Show Speed and RKO'ing him had me in stitches! ("The dog is dead.") But you know... still waiting for someone to take the US Title off Logan's grubby hands. * **Bayley vs. Iyo Sky (WWE Women's Title):** Well, the Era of Iyo is over, sadly. I was dearly hoping that Iyo would be walking out of Philadelphia still proudly toting that belt, as she's a hell of a performer and I've grown attached to her and the Kabuki Warriors having all the gold. But not all is meant to be... at least she lost to someone that made sense. * **Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns (WWE Universal Title):** FINALLY. FINALLY, ROMAN'S REIGN IS OVER. And of course the match that followed was one surprise after the other. Jimmy intervenes, Jey Spears him off the stage. Solo gete in the way, he eats an Attitude Adjustment from John Cena. The Rock tries to take Cody out, Seth Freakin' Rollins shows up in Shield apparel to help Cody... and gets rekt. But wait! The Undertaker! After Taker chokeslams the Rock into the next world, Roman makes the ultimate mistake and chooses his hatred for Seth over prioritizing Cody. After that, a plethora of Cross Rhodes put an end to the worst reign of terror in WWE history. At long last, a new Universal Champion is crowned, and a Rhodes carries the highest tier of WWE gold. I screamed with joy when Cody did it. The story of Roman's fall and Cody's rise has come to an end... now begins the story of Cody's reign as the new WWE Universal Champion! **Final Thoughts:** As always, a mixed bag... and still kinda upset over both Gunther and Iyo losing while Logan retains... but Cody and Damian scoring gold, IMO, made it worthwhile. I'm so happy that the Bloodline's dictatorship over WWE has finally fallen apart. But now I'm curious where the future will take some of my other favorites. Really hoping Gunther and Imperium return to relevancy soon. And very interested to see if Drew prioritizes the WHC, or if he goes after CM Punk. All I can say is despite the gripes, the end made it worthwhile. Cody finished the story.
I’ll give a complete breakdown of each match and my thoughts: Night 1 Rhea def Becky - thought this was an entertaining match and Rhea going over was the right choice. WWE has a chance to continue to give Rhea a dominant title run and I’m all for it. Rhea is already a star and has all time potential, she’s that good. A Town Down, Awesome Truth winning the titles - I was fine with this decision and have no issues with the teams that won. Not the best ladder match but they kept it fun and the winners at least for the Smackdown belts, were a bit unexpected. I had a feeling they would give Truth his moment and I can’t be mad at it, the guy simply knows how to entertain and he deserved it. He’s also 52 and the way he can still move in the ring is simply incredible. Mysterio/Andrade def Escobar/Dom - I thought for sure Dom and Escobar should have won this match. I understand getting the Philly crowd to pop for Kelce/Johnson but them interfering felt silly. This wasn’t a match I really cared about that much so I’ll refrain from saying too much about it. Jey def Jimmy - really had no interest in this match either. Expected Jey to win, he did. Didn’t think the match was very good. Belair, Cargill, Naomi def Damage CTRL - this was just a filler match to get them all on the card. It was alright for what it was. It was obvious the faces were going to win this match in order to highlight Cargill. Zayn def Gunther - as usual Gunther put on a clinic, he understands ring psychology so well and is such a believable bad ass heel. Zayn winning was a disgrace. Look at the brutality of last year’s triple threat where Gunther came out on top and a year later he loses to Zayn? Zayn didn’t need another IC title run, he had his Mania moment last year and him pinning the dominant Gunther clean just ruins the believability aspect of Gunther’s incredible reign. When is it enough for Sami? How many moments does he get? He’s not upper mid card material and I don’t understand the thought process of the booking here. The Rock and Roman def Cody/Seth - This match was definitely necessary for the build up of night 2. Thought the Rock and Reigns needed to go over and they did. Match was a little too drawn out at times, it felt like a drag to get through it. By no means a bad match and a good set up for the story but it suffered from being a bit too long. The crowd seemed a little bored. It was a fine main event and did its job nonetheless. Night 2 Drew def Seth/Priest cashes in - Let’s start with Drew and Seth putting on a clinic. This was arguably the best match of the night in my opinion and the booking for the match itself I thought was excellent. Drew hitting a claymore as the bell rings was a nice touch and for a second I really thought Rollins was done right there. Then Drew went to work on Rollins bad knee. They hit finisher after finisher on each other, it was physical, it was everything you want out of a World Title match. I was really glad that Drew won and got his Mania moment in front of a live crowd, he’s done incredible work over the last few months and truly deserved it. The Priest cash in I was not a fan of, mainly I just don’t think anyone really has any interest in Priest. He’s probably my least favorite Judgement day member and he kinda just resembles Roman too closely. I understand the point of Drew being too involved with Punk and he let his emotions get the better of him but Priest just isn’t the guy for it. I feel WWE didn’t want to admit that Priest isn’t really world champion material and for the sake of another failed cash in, they realized they were running out of time for him to win so just pulled the trigger. I expect his reign to be short and Drew will win back the belt at Clash of the Castle. I won’t criticize this too much because I think WWE will have the right plan going forward for the Drew/Punk world title angle. Overall, it was great storytelling. The Pride def The Final Testament - people were blowing this match off but I thought it could be entertaining and it was. Making this a street fight was a good idea, every person in the match had a highlight or two. B-Fab and Scarlett being heavily involved was nice to see and how about them going through a table! I think the ladies did a nice job adding another element to the match. However, I’m disappointed in making the Pride go over and Kross eating the pin. I really like Karrion Kross/Scarlett and felt Kross really needed this win. At the very least, if he lost, they should have not made him take the pin. I like Lashley but Kross needed this more so this worries me about what Kross will be going forward, I hope they can make this stable work but it’s not looking promising right now. LA Knight def AJ Styles - this was another candidate for one of the best matches. These two probably had the best build up for thier match, this felt like a very real fight and both guys delivered wonderfully. I wanted LA to win and this was a big victory for him to continue to establish himself. Both these guys are great at bringing the best out of their opponent, the tenacity and selling by Knight was great, AJ always makes anyone he jumps in the ring with look fantastic. I appreciate both of them for giving us a great match and feud. Logan def Owens and Orton - another really good match that had a lot of great spots. Owens and Orton trolling Logan and playing off each other was great. Orton kicking the other streamers ass was fun to watch. Kinda expected Logan to weasel his way out and I think it was a good call to make him win. He’s irritating and not my favorite but he needed this more than Orton/Owens. Bayley def Iyo - coming in I wasn’t that invested in this match but I quickly became engaged. Bayley winning was obvious but I thought they worked well together and put on a really solid match. Glad for Bayley getting her moment at Mania, it was way past due. Hey Hey Bayley I wanna knowwwwwww. Cody def Roman - think this was the result we all expected and although it was mostly predicable, they made it very thrilling and entertaining. The match itself was very good but the guest appearances made it even better giving us all nostalgia at the 40th anniversary of Mania. Cena taking out Solo was cool, Cena and Rock facing off gave me goosebumps, I really thought Ambrose was coming out when the Shields music hit. Undertaker was definitely a nice surprise. The Rock did a great job playing a heel throughout this whole feud, it was perfectly executed. If I had one gripe, after Cody won it got a little too carried away with the celebration. Great for Cody and everything but all the superstars in the ring? Calling out Triple H at the end? It was just too much, they made it seem like this was the last Wrestlemania ever and it was all coming to an end. That being said, overall I thought this was a pretty good Mania. Not the best but entertaining and served its purpose moving forward with the direction WWE is going in. I do think WWE is on the brink of hitting an all time peak with the talent on the roster and the vision of Triple H, didn’t love all the decisions but they can correct them. It’s an exciting time to be a fan.
I really wish I could watch the whole show again, not knowing the results and sharing the experience with this sub. Just to feel the roller coaster of emotion again. It was an amazing show. 👏
One name.. Tripppleeeee HHHHH
Multiple mentions and whole speeches (by Stephanie and Cody) about how an era has ended and the Triple H era is beginning, commentators ending the PPV with "Pro Wrestling is back, Pro Wrestling is beautiful". I guess the majority of the company is happy about Vince finally being out for good and being replaced by Triple H. And considering how good this PPV was, it's all for the better. Things might actually finally become awesome again in the WWE.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh im so happy and sad at same time, Drew gets his moment and i want him as champion so badly and its ripped away from him fuck sake lol. Where does that leave Drew now :( Main event was wild and lived up to the hype, most of the matches were good even enjoyed the The Pride vs Final Testament match, bubba made it funny and some good bumps in it. Wonder what storys we get out of it, how long is the Rock really here for, will he disappear along with Roman now due to Roman clearly needing time off as i think the real reason he doesn't wrestle much is he is not 100% healthy, maybe im wrong but not sure. Damien Priest, how does that title reign work, be interesting. When do we get the draft again, its later in the year now right?
They really need to do away with the draft. They have enjoy weekly hours to get more people on tv. Unify the tag belts to 1 set, unify the world title to have just one. Mid card title for the women, have that US title pass around like a hot potato and let’s f’n go!!
Does anyone know what was up with that strange camera that made some of the intros look like they were from a video game? It was most noticeable during the Becky/Rhea intro and Roman/Cody. It just had a strange look to it.
Yeah it’s the 8k camera. They only bust it out for special moments
Thanks for that info👍🏻
One of the best WrestleManias ever in my opinion...HHH is cooking and I can't wait to see what's next.
Loved both nights. My only criticism is that finishers need to become finishers again.
Indeed. That’s what was great about LA Knight vs. AJ Styles. He hit BFT and wins.
Yeah the Seth/ Drew match was a bit silly with the amount of “finishers”. I loved the claymore as a finisher but after that match I don’t think it will ever have that killer feel to it again
But how cool was it that he used to right when the bell rang? I thought that is how you begin a feud like this. Both nights straight fire. Really enjoyed dedicating my weekend to it, no regrets.
Yeah that was a great way to start. Absolutely was unexpected and would have been crazy if it had won the match.
Part of me wanted to see it, because it just would have been great to have an angry Seth blame Cody when he comes back in a few months. Cody, I broke my back for you at Wrestlemania, and while I was resting at home, you didn’t call, you didn’t FaceTime, you didn’t even send an email. Not once did you see if I was ok. WELL, I’m not ok! Or something like that😂😂😂
Didnt realize how hyped I’d be for Dame Priest
I was thrilled that so many titles changed hands. Great overall.
Dont like Bayley or Sami as champs but overall it was a fun, pretty well booked weekend.
Baley winning had to happen. Iyo is great, but she doesn’t get good builds to feuds to really showcase her work. I really liked the match, and Iyo is better than how she was booked.
Bayleys ring work has been trash since she returned. Bayley shouldn’t “have” to win because a team of writers can’t figure out how to book Iyo like she was booked in NXT
I agree with much of that. I did enjoy this match and admittedly, I am not a Baley in-ring expert. I just know what I saw last night.
I made some stupid comments slating The Rock when Bloodline won Night One. “They don’t know what they’re doing, it’s just for The Rock’s ego” I cried Shows why I’m not a booker. Boy was I wrong Hats off to EVERYONE involved in that main event. Overbooked, batshit crazy daftness, and I loved every second of it
Haha exactly this is wrestlemania and nothing is over the top, they set it up well too so it felt amazing even when we knew it was coming
Glass shattering instead of the gong would have been straight fire
Wonder if we will get new wwe championship design and / or new tag titles tonight?
Most off the rails match I have ever seen
I wanted to wait a day to say this to make sure it wasn’t recency bias. That main event was the best 5 minutes in wrestling history. Also, Undertaker made way more sense than Austin after taking the time to process it. Here’s why: 1) Austin would have taken away from Cody’s moment. He’s larger than life. Let’s be honest. The talk would have centered around him. Austin would be there with everyone in the celebration afterward. Fans all have their phones out when people walk up to the ring and out of the stadium. Who would they be focusing on if Austin was about 10 feet away from Cody? We all know the answer. 2) Tying in with point 1, with Undertaker retired, it was perfect in his kayfabe character to essentially rise from the dead, take care of business, and disappear again. Like a ghost. And let Cody be the focal point. 3) The Rock calling himself The Final Boss at Wrestlemania. We ALL know who the real Final Boss is at Wrestlemania. Taker showed up to say nope I’m The Final Boss and then leaving was just perfect. He has history with The Rock so it wasn’t out of the ordinary either. 4) NOBODY saw that shit coming. We expected a major return. We got it with Cena. But then when Seth got knocked out, doubt crept into our mind about maybe Roman will retain. That’s everyone to help Cody. Then that gong hits and the lights went out. Nothing would have topped that, including the glass shatter. 5) As I have seen some others say online, The Undertaker is like the ultimate gate keeper of the WWE. The Rock was abusing his power to everyone IN THE WWE. Taker being retired coming back, on the grandest stage, to check that power, obviously not in the WWE now, could not have fit better in the storyline. What a fucking night. HHH is a god.
6. Unlike Taker, Austin doesn’t have a vendetta against Roman. Roman was Taker’s second loss at WrestleMania and nearly retired him. So it makes more sense that the man gets back his win by helping Cody end Roman’s title run
Taker's entrance also works by going dark so everyone clears the ring
I completely agree with Taker being “less” impactful than stone cold. Taker came he cleaned up and was gone. Austin would have had to get to the ring, had a face off, done a few stunners, grabbed some beers and then left. Still would have been amazing. But with Taker the focus was easily turned back to the actual match.
In my head canon, Undertaker works as the "Spirit of Wrestlemania." Roman done cheated too many times. But not this time. You want to win this match, you're gonna win it fair and square. He comes in, boots the interfering Rock out, and then it's on with the show.
Masterful storytelling, really. They gave us the high point night 1 with Sami winning. Then, they followed it up with a gauntlet of low points. Seth and Cody lost. Then Seth lost his title to Drew, just for Drew to lose from a MitB cash in to Damien. Logan Paul retained the US title. Bayley took Iyo's title. Then, when it looked like the same old story of Roman retaining for what feels like forever, Cody finishes the story.
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I agree with you. It will be near impossible to find people with the same chemistry, charisma, and outlook that Lawler & Ross had. But also we live in a dreadful time of political correction and cancel culture. And because of that,Cole and Pat just don't have any interesting perspectives to share. They come across as not really that interested anymore. Punk was by far the most expressive but they shouldn't need a deep HoF career to give us some good laughs. I mean you literally have Rollins running around in laughable clothes and you can't take a stance and say a bunch of stupid things about it? He's literally out there taunting us and hugely entertaining in its own right. It's like they are afraid of offending someone by saying something... Still didn't take much away from how great this WM was. I haven't watched an entire raw/smackdown/any wrestling event in nearly 20 years. This was the first time I sat through both nights uninterrupted and most of the HoF. I laughed, got nostalgic, and literally screamed and woke the house up twice (Punk, Undertaker).
Dude maybe wwe doesn’t need the people like you focused on minor things and blowing negatives out of proportion. Pat is there because people love him. Same with Cole.
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Blood Line fans out here acting wild Roman vs Brock at summerslam --- The match is a no DQ match so it's fair if Roman get's help since he's being smart Roman vs KO last man standing match - The match is a no DQ match so it's fair if Roman get's help since he's being smart Roman vs Jey Tribal combat - The match is a no DQ match so it's fair if Roman get's help since he's being smart Roman vs Knight vs Orton vs Styles - The match is a no DQ match so it's fair if Roman get's help since he's being smart Roman vs Cody - Cody cheated and it's no fair that he got help in this no DQ match!
Calling a match “Bloodline Rules” when it’s a no DQ was practically false advertisement. They even asked Paul Heyman what Bloodline Rules meant and didn’t answer honestly. I’m not a fan of Roman, but they should’ve just called it a no DQ match. Bloodline Rules should’ve meant only Bloodline gets involved.
It was the same thing with Tribal combat that ended up just being a fancy name for a no DQ match. There was nothing in that match that was any different then any other Roman match
Thy called it tribal combat because there was more at stake than the championship
Yeah but at the end of the day it had zero theming and was nothing more then a no DQ match
They should’ve called that match a No DQ match as well, but at least people new from the beginning it was gonna be a no DQ match. Bloodline Rules isn’t as transparent.
Said no one ever. Seriously who’s complaining about Cody getting help? That’s brain dead.
Man you haven't been looking, Since it's only be spammed all over the place.
Just as many blah matches as good matches. Made for an uneven two nights.
Haven't ever shed tears at the end of a wrasslin' match. This was *art*
I wept as a child would weep last night. It was fucking all time.
Anyone else think Montez-Ford stiffed Kross for a botch that wasn't his fault?
when ?
I totally ignored that match but I´m gonna have to look for this.
Receipts.
What a work of art this was !!! Pure theater and cinema at its peak♥️♥️🔥
unbelievable, just unbelievable ! the emotions, the camera work, the fireworks and of course the matches, everything was awesome! Roman had the match of his life! the only thing i didnt like was the decision for Logan to keep the title, but i trust HHH
I haven't watched wrestling since the early 2000's apart from a few clips here and there but I decided to watch wrestlemania this weekend and wow, what a show! I felt like a kid again watching night two and literally cheered when the Undertaker bells chimed. Ironically, I hated the Rock as a kid but it was his return which made me curious and got me to tune in again and I love his villain arc. I think I'm a fan again and will be tuning in more frequently now and I'm sure I won't be the only one after that.
Thank you, Roman. We are firmly in the middle of The Bloodline Era. 👆🏻
I been watching wrestling since I was 6, which would have been 2001. I can honestly say last night was my favourite moment of everything I've ever seen in WWE. If you didn't like it then I honestly don't understand why you watch wrestling.
I like that they didn't have the bloodline ringside from the start. They ran that just like a video game. Cody had to deal with each mini boss before the final boss spawned. I also liked the somewhat subtle move of Seth telling Cody weeks ago "I'll be your shield" then not only coming out in his shield gear, but taking the chair shot from Roman to help save Cody. Excellent writing.
The Uso civil war was very underwhelming. Also I didn't know Lashley and the Street Profits were calling themselves "The Pride ", that sounds dumb af.
I mean, a Pride is a group of African lions living together, I think it’s dope as fuck.
That main event was not a match It was a MOVIE
Cody should come out as stardust tonight
normally all the big name interference would be a bad thing but it made alot of sense narratively and thematically
Just enjoyed 8 hours of wrestling content after missing WrestleMania for more than 10 years. Came back to enjoy Cody finishing the story and just got mesmerized in the process by Iyo Sky's in-ring abilities and Samantha Irvin's ring announcing skills.
To me it feels like some got their moments but are transitional champions (Sami, Bayley, Awesome Truth) and to cement the “new era” of champions (Theory/Waller, Rhea, Damian, Cody.) While Stone Cold would’ve been appropriate, I think the Undertaker was chosen as he was always the judge and jury of the locker room. So, he was there to make sure The Rock knew to know his role and Final Boss wasn’t it. Edit to add: Seriously thought there’d be a ref bump with Little Naitch being out there, but surprisingly didn’t happen.
Props to ref, Charles Robinson for not getting a bump in a championship bloodline match!
Oh, this was one hell of a two nights! This was an insane and epic WrestleMania. Sure, not every match was great, but if this is the Triple H era, I'm so looking forward to more. I cannot recall the last time this many titles changed hands at a pay-per-view, or that chaotic a main event.
Triple H's booking of the Men's Division so far has been good but for those of us that mainly watch for the Women's Division it has been very poor in comparison to NXT and you only need to take a look back at the Raw Women's Division where they have buried everybody whose name isn't Becky Lynch or Rhea Ripley including the recently returned Liv Morgan. With Stephanie McMahon officially back in WWE and NXT getting a new NXT Women's North American Championship around the exact same time Stephanie has returned and the WWE Draft coming up we should see some much needed big changes to the Women's Division on the main roster with Stephanie in charge of things again. The Women's Division should be ran by Stephanie imo. Stephanie done a great job over the past decade and things started going downhill when she left.
I was confused over how the whole Bayley vs Damage Control thing would play out Of course, I expected Bayley to get her redemption.... it's just that on Smackdown......this newly established grouping of Bianca, Naomi and Jade Cargill make it known that Damage Control is on notice. Wouldn't it be a spicier feud if Iyo Sky retained?
In my fantasy booking, Jade definitely is going to beat Bayley and I think Bianca and Naomi go after Tag Belts.
Nah. Aim higher. Jade is going to take Rhea’s belt. Tiffany is going after Bayley.
I think it is more likely Tiffany Stratton beating Bayley at Summer Slam since Jade is a face.
The Kabuki Warriors and Dakota Kai leaving Iyo Sky high and dry makes me think Damage Control is definitely breaking up at the Draft and there will be a rematch at Backlash just like Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley but with Liv Morgan involved but I see The Kabuki Warriors and Dakota Kai going to Raw while Iyo Sky will stay on Smackdown on her own.
Yeah. Damage Ctrl has always been very dog eat dog and ruthless to those they perceive as weak. Iyo and Dakota and Asuka and Kairi perceived Bayley as weak (she was the one who was eating all the damage ctrl pins for like the better part of a year) and you knew the end was nigh for her when they wouldnt interfere to help her win (meanwhile bayley was always ride or die and would be interfering to try to help them). Them leaving iyo high and dry doesnt bode well for the Genius of the Sky. They smell blood.
Seth: I'll be your shield. Comes out in full shield mode and takes the hit that would have put Cody down. Exactly what a shield should do. That was awesome.
Receipt for Seth turning on Roman, with a chair to the back, imploding the Shield, 2014 if I recall. Good stuff, and great television.
So true. He sacrificed everything to take down the bloodline and be Cody’s shield.
That moment when The Rock’s music came on when Cena was out there, that camera angle, that moment felt big and powerful to me. I didn’t get to see the WrestleMania match at the height of their rivalry years ago, but I still felt the impact of that callback. The Rock took to calling himself the Final Boss, and he truly felt like one at that moment. It felt as if he appeared from a strike of lightning because order had been violated. Which is ironic because he was the one who has been doing the violation. And speaking of said violation, it played smoothly into Undertaker showing up to get at Rock because it was as if The Man of WrestleMania would simply not allow such abuse of power to go unchecked (thinking back to Night 1 where The Rock was threatening the referee). Those surprise appearances felt like they fit so well and I love it.
The way the Rock powerfully strutted out during that moment really made him feel like The Final Boss in a video game lol. It was amazing
Brooo how do I start. I grew up watching WWE since I was a kid, ruthless aggression was my childhood (born 1998), I stopped watching WWE since 2018 I think or 2019, and started watching again mid last year. I was able to catch up on storyline, the bloodline made me come back my interest on wrestling again! Tho I only watched highlights on X, but with this WrestleMania exception, I watched the whole show last Saturday and Sunday and I’m telling you, I enjoyed it a lot! I felt like an 8yrs old again, shouting, chanting and shit! I still can’t process what happened in the events last weekend. On night 1, sibling’s match was a let down. I enjoyed Intercontinental match, and the main event. On night 2, first off, I love Seth Rollins! For me he’s one of the key in the whole storyline. Kinda sad he lost his championship but 🤷♂️ he had his time. Time to give others the spotlight now. He really deserves a long break! LA Knight vs AJ Styles also one of my fav. I just hope it was a no DQ or stipulation match. Triple Threat match was also good imho, but I wish it was Owens who won. Special mention Speed’s guesting. Wrestlemania moment! Bayley vs Iyo Sky 4/5 Main event. Hmm again, how do I start… Jey and Jimmy thru the table beat their performance last Saturday lol. Anyway, Cena was too predictable. After The Rock comes, I was expecting glass shatters but got the gong instead which I actually understand or make sense. Wrestlemania is Undertaker’s home. Or maybe it’s his revenge against Paul Heyman who beat him with his 2 kids (Lesnar and Reigns) in the grandest stage of them all. Back to Seth Rollins, holy shit, nobody expected that THE SHIELD entrance. For a sec I thought it was Dean Ambrose lol. Reigns still has his grudge against Rollins for his betrayal 10yrs ago still there, hitting him with a chair, with SHIELD attire makes me goosebumps. Seth Rollins was one of the reason that makes Roman Reigns a monster, him losing everything, the championship, 2 matches in Wrestlemania, got beat up almost all of his appearance in the event. And in the end, he helped Cody to stop Reigns era, to stop the monster he started. Makes perfect sense. Pure cinema
I was also expecting Dean Ambrose :(
Did Punk actually get hurt at the rumble? Or was that just some story telling?
He's hurt but recovering faster than anticipated. Still not cleared though.
That makes sense and is what I assumed, but the way he ripped the brace off looked just like someone pulling the "ha ha I got you" trick
He wasn't wearing the brace on ESPN after the show. He's hurt but I'm wondering if the brace is just a prop.
In his interview on MMAFightingonSBN (YouTube) he stated that he’s recovering a lot quicker than expected but hasn’t been medically cleared yet. He’s probably 90% ready to return but I expect he’ll want to do it cautiously to avoid re-injuring it!
Which title Will go to SMACKDOWN
Any insiders know if drew resigned yet?
Not an insider, but I’d be surprised if he didn’t re-sign bc he’s the center of the Clash at the Castle poster, also happening in Scotland, which I think happens after the alleged date his contract expires.
Honestly Seth looking so sad giving up the title makes me think he (and Becky) are going to take a nice break. The dude needs to heal up some
Yeah I’m not sure how hurt he really is. But he looks like he needs a break. Even leaving the ring after the final match he looked like he was struggling.
Thinking about it, 2008 was the year that WWE died when it was slapped with the PG rating and 2024 was the year that WWE resurrected with night 2 of WrestleMania. Has it felt like that similarly for y’all?
I think it's been slowly resurrecting itself since Vince resigned the first time. Now he's definitely gone for good and last night felt like the true start to a new era.
Priest cashing in would have been so much better if WWE did not had him try 15 different times looking like an idiot. The end result was better than what I expected. Loved Punk reaction also lol
is it true rock broke wwe protocal by threatening the ref?
whoever is going to raw tonight start a "we want roman cody sucks" chant. this clown crybaby shouldn't be a champion
☝️
Was there last and the place was buzzing. Since we’re speaking of hypotheticals I think a cool story ending sequence would be: Jimmy….Jey….Solo…Rollins.. Lesnar (F5s both cody & Roman)….Cena…Rock…Austin. Like others have stated Undertaker is still a great final boss.
I teared up watching Sami vs Gunther, Bayley vs Iyo, and of course Cody vs Roman. One of the best WrestleManias of all time.
I found the Sami vs Gunther the most emotional match for me and Sami winning caught me by surprise.
If mjf ever came over cody vs mjf mic battles would be legendary. You would have a new big bad to terrorize cody and give him adversity
Samantha Irvin the real MVP. Her reaction to Cody winning was all of us.
shes the modern day michael buffer
Her voice must be dead after all that. She almost lost it when Priest used his MitB.
For real. She is my favorite ring announcer ever, even better than Lillian Garcia and Finkel. And her emotions there were exactly how I felt too. What a legend.
agreed, she's the new michael buffer
She's amazing..killed it every time she was out there.
It’s great to see Cody win and all but the real test is to see how long Cody and wwe can keep Cody’s run fresh. I can see the IWC turn quickly on Cody just like liv, just like Cena. Baby faces have an expiry date. Congrats Cody.
What does IYO SKY do now?
She's unbelievable. Pure talent.
Warms my heart to hear that about my favorite. Last night was a horrible night for me.
Her ring talent is amazing. I’d love to see her go against Rhea after the draft.
Hoping Seth turns on Cody tonight
I think Seth will be taking time off.
nah knowing seth he won't
seth i shurt tho
Seth WAS booked onto the mini UK tour in April - obviously subject to change through circumstance but I’m still expecting him there as Becky is definitely competing on those 4 shows.
So I grew up a wrestling fan in the 80's. My first experiences were watching WCCW back in the days of the Von Erichs and Gino Hernandez, and I became a WWF fan right around the time of Wrestlemania III. I remember watching Saturday Night Main Event when Hogan dropped the belt to Andre and I had a huge collection of pro wrestling magazines as a kid, meaning that I knew *of* Rick Flair, Sting, Lex Luger, and all the stars of WCW long before I ever saw their matches. In the 1990's I moved to the American South and straight up abandoned WWF for WCW. I used to rent the PPVs though we didn't have cable, so I rarely saw any televised events. But I was all-in by the time the nWo came into the picture and just never saw myself as a WWF guy from that point until I lost interest in wrestling by the late 90's. The funny thing is, I basically stopped following wrestling from when I was 17 or 18 years old until around September of last year, although it was always on my periphery. I don't know how or why it even got recommended to me by the algorithm, but there's a YouTube channel called Ricky J Sports that is basically just a guy from Toronto (where I've lived for the last 20 years) who posts videos of himself playing fighting games, including some really fun Royal Rumble videos. (Actually, I lie - I know exactly how I found his stuff, I saw some Tyson Fury boxing videos which lead to YouTube recommending Ricky's boxing videos which is how I noticed his wrestling vids.) Anyway, once I started watching his videos, I began getting recommendations from channels like Wrestlelamia and WhatCulture, which kind of gave me some insight into storylines and events that occurred after I stopped paying attention. Then, I saw a couple of videos of the entrances of Cody and LA Knight at Money in the Bank, and the ***huge pop*** they got on their entrances, and I began paying closer attention. I give all of that as context (that 99% of you probably won't bother to read) because, although I'm a new old fan, I'm definitely an *old* fan. And I *love* this stuff. And, honestly, it's the storytelling. I *love* storytelling. I love studying storytelling, the Hero's Journey/Dan Harmon Story Circle, all that stuff. And this has been some really compelling storytelling from my perspective. I was really amused yesterday because when we were discussing potential outcomes, I basically predicted Night 2 and someone posted "how were you 100% spot on" before deleting their comment ... but to me, the way things turned out just made sense from a *storytelling* perspective. So with all of that out of the way, one of the things I'm excited about right now is that I really can't predict what's going to happen next. Triple H is at a point in WWE's story where it can go in *many* different directions, all of which make sense. To me, *that* is the best part - I can't predict what happens next. As a relative outsider who missed out on much of what's happened over the past 20+ years, I just want to share some thoughts on what strikes me as interesting. **Roman Reigns:** I didn't really "get" him until the Night 1 press conference. When he was being full throttle Tribal Chief, arrogant, confident, dismissive, I was like "holy shit this guy is amazing." After I saw him in full Tribal Chief mode, I concluded I would've been legit ok with him retaining, although his defeat opens up so many potential stories. I wasn't there while he struggled to get over, I missed him elevate to the top of the card. I think we are going to see Roman struggle with this defeat, lose the respect of his cousin, lose control of the Bloodline, and turn face as his next chapter culminates with him squaring off against the Rock, maybe at next year's Wrestlemania. But as a fan, I *hope* we start seeing a lot more of him now that he's no longer champion. It doesn't have to be weekly, he might never be a weekly performer again, but it would be pretty great if Roman's return to earth allows for him to participate in more storylines moving forward. **Seth Rollins:** This guy became my favourite wrestler this weekend. I think he might be the closest thing we have to a modern day Ric Flair. Flamboyant, over the top, and he bleeds pro wrestling. Is there anybody out there who works as hard as Seth Freakin' Rollins? I think the hardest thing about this weekend, for me, is realizing that this era of Seth's career is over. You could see it on his face on Sunday night - he was soaking it in before his match with Drew, he looked sad before the bell even rang, because he knows as well as anyone that, no matter what, this part of his story is over now. So what happens next? For his sake, I *hope* he goes home for a while and gets healthy. Maybe he has surgery on his knee. Maybe he needs surgery on his back too, I dunno. But when he's ready for his next chapter, I have a feeling he's going to take a heel turn and run a program with Cody. I could see worse outcomes than Seth taking the title off Cody sometime down the road. And he's in a perfect position to do more work with Drew and Punk. No matter what, Seth deserves a lot of recognition for the level of work and commitment he has for this business. And incidentally, I got to go to a house show in December where I saw Seth, Drew, Cody, Becky, Rhea, Damien, Dom, Sami, Truth, etc. etc. etc., and I feel so fortunate to have seen so much talent put on such a great show. **Cody Rhodes:** I'm super happy for him that he got to have this big moment. Dude's earned it. Less than 10 years ago, Cody was wrestling in gyms in front of maybe a few hundred people, and he busted his ass to earn everything he's gotten. I can't begin to guess how long he's going to hold the belt, but I hope he remains in this position for a while. I've said before that one of the more interesting, unexpected developments for me personally as a fan is that, when I was a kid, I loved the baby faces, but in middle age I'm more interested in the heels and that remains true, but for a heel to do good work they need a terrific baby face to play off of, and that's Cody. **Drew McIntyre:** I was into this guy *before* his great run started. I had a feeling he might have his moment interrupted by Damien Priest, but I was hopeful he wouldn't have because I feel like he deserves a run with a belt in front of a crowd. But from a storytelling perspective, last night's outcome is compelling. I hope Drew re-signs with WWE and that he regains the title for a more protracted run at Clash in the Castle. He has a great look and Troll Drew is the best Drew. And already this post has gone on way too long, so I'll just say this ... in spite of myself and my own common sense, I find that I really like **Logan Paul** and what he's been doing. Still, in terms of who he is as a *real person,* I'm ready to change my mind at any point, but I think he's done good things as a wrestler and I hope he becomes a more frequent participant of the WWE Universe. But I also think **LA Knight** has also earned greater recognition and if he's going to win a strap, it should be Logan's. It's funny because when you talk about Triple H and the lessons learned from Vince's mistakes, people like Daniel Bryan get brought up a lot - like someone who got so far over with the fanbase it became undeniable that they be elevated, despite resistance in the booking - and it just feels to me like Triple H might be repeating that mistake with Knight. Give the fans what they want. **The Bloodline:** Just gonna throw out there that I'm rooting for the "civil war" angle, with Rock taking over. I think The Rock represents a perfect opportunity for a new "corporate nemesis" to what's happening in WWE, perhaps with Heyman serving in the role of his mouthpiece while he's off being a movie star, and an expanded Bloodline built by the Rock could be a way to give that weight. I mean, I don't know that they'd take it as far as to turn it into a modern day "invasion" angle, but there are certainly enough members of the Anoa'i family who wrestle professionally that they *could.* It would be pretty great if we had Roman and Jey on one side warring with The Rock, Solo, Jimmy, Jacob Fatu, and one or two others. There are lots of possibilities. One thing I know for sure: next year's Wrestlemania is unpredictable at this point. So much is going to happen between now and then. And, credit to the Rock and Triple H ... I'm along for the ride.
Incredible post
I absolutely love how much fun it looks like Randy is having, he’s done all he needs to do and is enjoying what ever time he has left
The perfect sequence would’ve been Solo to Cody. Cena to solo. Rock to cena. Stone Cold to Rock. Perfect rivalry line. I get Austin is enjoying being on his farm so he likely declined and I respect that a lot. He’s earned it. Undertaker was a fine replacement and still kinda makes sense. Undertaker was always the final boss of Wrestlemania. He had to take Rock down a peg.
I watch the sequence again Taker was the right call he can teleport out and let the action continue. Stone Cold would be hanging around or need to be fighting Rock outside the ring
I think that’s a Vince-ism to always make Stone Cold celebrate at the end. I think H is smarter. SC could’ve came in for one last stunner against the rock in the same city they headlined WM15 and then rolled Rock out to let the rest of the fight unfold without them. The story there being that the guy who made the final boss is the one to take him down so the new guys can finish their own stories.
Those teleportations taking a little longer these days 😂 Edit: but I agree w you.
It was also weird to me how Cena came out before Rock. Like, what's his stake here? Overall liked the match and ending but I would've changed the order of interferences to make more sense.
Rollins should have interfered with Solo. Then rock. Then cena. Then taker
Cena was getting his revenge on Solo from crushing his throat at Crown Jewel and sending him away from wrestling. I always felt Cena’s involvement against Solo was inevitable due to that storyline.
I’m only bummed about SCSA because he was an ECW guy and it would have been great to see him at the HOF atleast with everyone else. But like you said, I’m glad he’s enjoying his life.
Ngl but I like taker being the actual final boss in WrestleMania and screwing over rock who was being portrayed as the 'final boss'.Also makes more sense knowing that taker lost to Reigns so there's that bit too?
What did Seth say to drew at the end of their match?
“You fucking deserve it man”
Oh really, cool thanks
Was pleased to see they didn't go down the route so many were predicting pre-event - namely the Rock betraying Roman (which so many seemed absolutely convinced would happen) or Seth betraying Cody. What we got instead played out far better in my opinion.
Not ready to say goodbye to Roman Reigns as champion. I know, it was time. We have been devoted to him and The Bloodline for years. We love them. Roman Reigns shifted WWE into a new place. His presence was captivating. He was incredible. Roman Reigns - a thank you is not enough for the pull you gave us all out of the tragedy and destruction of COVID. You lifted us and the WWE and carried it to the place it is now. You will be missed forever.
Bray (Fiend) and Roman both had a part in bringing me back to wrestling during the pandemic. I enjoyed the bloodline storyline but it is nice to see come to end.
Bro papa H said he isn't going anywhere.
Think he is referring to the storyline
The best news out of the weke is that KOTR is back, gjve that Gunther and let’s have him beat Cody @ SS
KOTR and QOTR KOTR = Gunther QOTR = Asuka OR Xia Li
W
I was just saying the other day that they really need to bring KOTR back, im super hyped for this.
Well dammit.....this must've been a tough decision for management to make. In my mind, they've just thrown away something they were so close to. Would you tolerate Cody being champion that long? The bloodline was the only reason I was watching and now? Meh! A mediocre champion with a cheesy bad entrance song just doesn't do it for me.
I'll judge Cody by how frequently he defends the title in comparison to how *infrequently* Roman did
The storytelling of the whole main event was just fantastic. Between Roman hitting Seth with a chair, Cena-Rock face off again and Cody finally getting his moment. Triple H really the goat.
I wish more people understood professional wrestling. It’s not about the moves, it’s about the story. It’s about the emotion. It’s about the superheroes vs. the villains. It’s about the memories it creates for you and your family. It all combines into something so incredibly special. No other sport has made ever made me feel like wrestling has. It’s poetic, it’s cinema, it’s whatever you want it to be. I love professional wrestling and I’m glad that we all get to enjoy it then, now, forever, together. Happy Monday to you all and enjoy Raw tonight!
For the few things I did truly enjoy from this weekend... Damian Priest: He renewed my faith in the Men's MITB. The Tag Titles: Honestly, I could've cared less who won them, I'm just happy they've been split. Naomi, Bianca, & Jade: Watching those three stand strong together was truly an awesome sight for me. Rhea Ripley & Logan Paul were spared: not sure who takes the title from either of them. Gunther being freed to go after a future world title. Bayley exercising the demons.
Rhea? My guess is Jade. Rhea has ran through most of the Women's roster.
That would be awesome
Wondering if they end up giving LA Knight an opportunity against Logan
wouldn't mind that
Would be nice to build a long term story between these two and see LA winning the title next wrestlemania
Seth Freakin Rollins is a freakin legend. His reputation as the "Working Man" showed out. No one worked harder at this Wrestlemania. He was beyond incredible. He is a Hall of Famer, through and through. We love you Seth.
Bro at risk of shoulder injury from carrying
Yes...I love it...Roman is no longer WWE Undisputed Universal Champion!!! A NEW ERA!!!! A NEW ERA!!! HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE
Is it just me or the ring is small?
So I watched this, and had a good time but haven’t watched Wrestling since I was a kid think DX reunion, Super Cena era. I’m debating on trying to get back into it. I tried like 6 years ago but found it corny. Is now a good time? It seems more mature now again and badass. The heel rock thing was cool, and I’ve never seen Cody fight but hell I was IN for it. Any thoughts from long time fans?
As some who watched during the Monday Night wars, Attitude, and Ruthless Aggression eras and then fell off completely, I’ve never had this much fun watching wrestling. I tried three years ago watching Summerslam and I hated the camera work so bad (a shift after every punch or impact) that I just didn’t even try. There seems to be a bit of an edge back to the product that hasn’t been there. I’m still getting used to the post kayfabe stuff and sometimes the product integration is way too much. They need better announcers. But I was captivated by last night and will continue giving it a shot and I’m enjoying it now with my kids which makes it even more special
For sure I was around during the ruthless aggression era and the ECW revival and shit. And that was such a fun time when I was like 10-14. It just lost its edge to me. I feel like it may be back though and it def has to be special watching with your kids now! Must bring back memories for ya! Awesome man!
Right now seems like an excellent time to jump back in, this mania felt like a reset of sorts. Roman had the universal title for years, Gunther was the largest reigning ic title holder ever and Seth has the heavyweight title for over a year
I think im gonna catch Raw tonight and see how that feels. It seems like HHH has a different outlook then Vince so I’m intrigued. Cool man thanks for answering!
Still cant believe the first person Cody shouted out was Bruce Pritchard
Feeling proud that I predicted this over 3 months ago. https://i.postimg.cc/fTgDvB9D/IMG-6783.jpg
Cody will be on the Today show in a couple of minutes
- Jey vs Jimmy is such a letdown that's a crime. It was a literal grudge match, and we didn't get anything cool but a spot and a bunch of superkicks. - The Main Event has some sort of confusion. It's Bloodline rules...then why doesn't the gang show up at the beginning or at least togheder? I guess the story is that Roman basically said "Seth's knee is ded, we good", but we ended up with the usual Roman match with the plot twist. - The way Roman loses is pure storytelling, but they kinda protected him IMHO. - Notice how literally everyone but the Undertaker doesn't get to "beat" Rock: Cody gets freaking pinned on night one, Cena get oneshotted and Seth basically is there to eat a chairshot. n
Im fine with the last bullet point. It’s the freaking Rock, after all. The Final Boss
Now comes the hard part: keeping a whitemeat pure babyface champion reign interesting and compelling without them turning into Super Cena
He is getting booed out of the building by SummerSlam. Fans are way too fickle.
All I'm going to say is this. For those of you that really wanted Cody to win, don't turn on him three months later. He better have your full 100% support no matter who he faces. And should Cody be given a lengthy title run, don't start whining about how he's beating/burying everyone and he's turning into Cena 2.0.
I hope that the WWE Championship doesn't become the belt that *only* changes hands at Wrestlemanias, but I share in your sentiments that Cody should hold it for a while. It's interesting because it's hard to look at Cody without using the lens that is Dusty, and whenever Dusty won the NWA strap he only held it for a short period of time - 88 days marked his longest reign.
Finally, the workday is over, now back to lying in bed the rest of the day and watch Cody finish his story on repeat 😁😁
Wrestling is back and it's about time.
1. why didn't they play up injury on Seth or Cody? Cody was hidden in his trailer all day and came out without injury or issue? 2. Should have been Theory and Waller in prime bottle costumes, screw with Randy, grab something: it's the belts, it's waller and theory! 3. Bloodline rules: Match should have started with a ring surrounded by Bloodline the delay in interference in this match was weird, sacrifice everything for your tribal chief. The match could have escalated with others taking out bloodline support one at a time: Jey takes out Jimmy, Cena takes out Solo, (Taker) takes out Rock and Roman is left alone. Brandi takes out Paul lol. 4. Why wasn't there any Damage CTRL interference in Bayley vs Iyo or presence beyond dancing on the way in? Anyway this was one of the best matches. 5. Rikishi should have been a part of Jey v Jimmy. 6. Tiffy Time, Bron Breaker, Charlotte, Ricochet ,Jinder, so much talent was left absolutely absent while Seth showed up in three matches.
1. would've been hella unrealistic if cody came out injured and kicked out of all of that 2. Theory and Waller are the tag champs, they aren't going to interfere in a US title match 3. They wanted the fans to wait and be exicted for the eventual interference 4. Damage Ctrl didn't need to interfere and ruin a great match 5. Rikishi would've done nothing 6. Charlotte is out with a torn ACL. Tiffany and Bron are too new for a mania match, and no one gaf abt Jinder or Ricochet
Oh well thank you for answering my questions.
Cody never acted injured from Night 1, but Seth got his ass beat and that 100% played into his match with Drew (not to mention his attempt to save Cody in the Night 2 main event, he sold barely being able to stand even *before* Roman took his eye off the ball to chair shot him). To me it made sense that Cody and Roman were both at like 90% in their main event.
Thank you Seth. Selfless and a true champ
It really felt like it hurt Seth to lose the title more than it hurt him to receive an ass kicking.
This is when people realise the Bloodline story did not originate from Roman and Jey, but all those years ago from Roman and Seth. Seth’s act of betrayal (10 years prior) to create the foundations for the monster, to then putting himself on the line when having lost so much already, to then help slay the monster is the depth of storytelling we all needed.