It's that time of year again! I watched WrestleMania 35 so you wouldn't have to! As my yearly public service to you all, I have recapped and graded all of the matches on the main card. I didn't worry about the Pre-show because 1) none of those matches really matter and 2) I have a life and didn't have the opportunity to sit in front of the TV watching grown men and women in spandex risk their lives for seven and a half hours today. I could only afford five and a half. Sorry.
If you need a reminder about what my predictions were, check out my blog from a couple days ago by clicking on this little hyperlink right here!
On we go!
Pre-show:
Tony Nese def. Buddy Murphy to become the Cruiserweight Champion
- SotT Prediction: Buddy Murphy
Carmella wins the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal
- SotT Prediction: Lacey Evans (did not compete)
Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder def. The Revival for the RAW Tag Team Championship
- SotT Prediction: Hawkins & Ryder
Braun Strowman wins the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
- SotT Prediction: Braun Strowman
Main Card:
Seth Rollins def. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship
- SotT Prediction: Brock Lesnar
- Recap: The Beast Incarnate wasted little time to begin his beatdown of the self-proclaimed Beast Slayer, jumping Rollins before the match could officially get underway. Once the bell was finally run, Lesnar took Rollins straight to Suplex City, with a trio of German suplexes. Welts and cuts covered Rollins' back. When a bump sent the referee flying out of the ring, Rollins hit Lesnar with a low blow, leading to three Curb Stomps and a pinfall. That's right, ladies and gentlemen: Seth Rollins is your new WWE Universal Champion.
- Analysis: It was a quick match (2:30, officially) that spent more time outside the ring than inside, but it was great to kick off the show with a big win for a fan favorite.
- Grade: B
AJ Styles def. Randy Orton
- SotT Prediction: Randy Orton
- Recap: This match started out at what they like to call a "methodical pace," which means that it was pretty slow and boring for quite a while. Eventually, things picked up with Styles nailing a Springboard 450 and Orton responding with a Superplex off the top rope. The crowd randomly started cheering for something that apparently was not happening in the ring (apparently the lighting in the stadium was making it difficult for fans to see the ring), so Orton mocked the crowd and hit an RKO for a two-count. Styles vaulted himself outside of the ring for a Phenomenal Forearm in the midst of a possible count-out. When the action rolled back into the ring, Styles finished off Orton with a second forearm before securing the pinfall victory.
- Analysis: This wasn't a horrible match, but it started off too slow and the crowd just wasn't into it.
- Grade: C-
The Usos def. Ricochet & Aleister Black, The Bar and Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev to retain the Smackdown! Tag Team Championship
- SotT Prediction: Ricochet & Aleister Black
- Recap: This bout began with quick tags to make sure that all competitors had a chance to be in the ring, but things really heated up when The Bar were spotlighted with Cesaro performing the King of Swing on Ricochet while Sheamus thumped the chest of literally every other competitor on the outside of the ropes. Another high spot involved a pyramid suplex off the top rope involving all eight men. Ricochet survived largely unscathed and soared through the air for a 630 flip off the top rope, but his pin on Sheamus was broken up. Chaos ensued with a flurry of finishing moves, culminating an a double Flying Use from the Usos, who pinned Sheamus for the win.
- Analysis: Great stuff. Fast-paced action and certainly a step up from Styles/Orton. Ricochet looked great and all of the teams had some good spots.
- Grade: B+
Shane McMahon def. The Miz
- SotT Prediction: Shane McMahon
- Recap: Mr. Miz made an appearance early on, even entering the ring at one point before being pummeled by Shane. The fight spilled into the crowd and up to the row of international announcers, where The Miz put Shane through a table and knocked him over a barrier, off the roof of a golf cart and down another six feet to the concrete floor below. It was a brutal bump. The two battled their way up to some TV scaffolding, where McMahon kicked out of a Skull Crushing Finale. They climbed up one level higher, where Shane pleaded for mercy - but to no avail. The Miz grabbed his former Co-Bestie and suplexed him off the 15-foot tower to a platform below. McMahon landed on top of The Miz and earned himself the three-count.
- Analysis: That suplex off the tower was... AWESOME! Shane took some nasty hits up in the bleachers and the ending was terrifically choreographed.
- Grade: A
— Get The Tables (@GetDaTables) April 8, 2019
The IIconics def. The Boss 'n' Hug Connection (Bayley and Sasha Banks), The Divas of Doom (Beth Phoenix and Natalya) and Nia Jax & Tamina to win the Women's Tag Team Championship
- SotT Prediction: The IIconics
- Recap: It's always hard to follow up a show-stopper like The Miz and Shane put on, so it felt like a natural decline in excitement. Natalya slapping a double Sharpshooter on Sasha and Bayley was nice, though. Beth Phoenix hit a Glam Slam on Bayley from the top rope, but the IIconics made a tag from the outside and snuck in for the pin.
- Analysis: Not a great match (and Sasha needs to work on that Frog Splash), but there is inevitably one shocking upset every WrestleMania - and WE CALLED IT!!!
- Grade: C
Kofi Kingston def. Daniel Bryan to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion
- SotT Prediction: Kofi Kingston
- Recap: A back-and-forth affair took a turn in the champion's favor when Kingston missed a dive toward the announce table, taking a toll on Kofi's upper body and face. Bryan gained control and was able to keep the New Day member grounded for several minutes. A reversal-heavy stretch of the match led to several missed Trouble in Paradise attempts and a couple gutty crawls to the ropes while Bryan had Kingston in the Labell Lock. Woods and Big E took out Rowan on the outside of the ring, which gave Kofi an opening to hit his finisher, but Bryan connected with a running knee. Kofi kicked out, however, much to the delight of the WWE Universe. After the two traded face stomps, Kofi finally landed Trouble in Paradise to pick up the win and become the first African-American WWE Champion. The New Day immediately ditched the eco-friendly belt in favor of the standard black, leather title, and the crowd went wild.
- Analysis: All in all, a very good match. Most importantly, it awarded a guy who has worked his butt off for more than a decade and gave the fans what they've been begging for for months.
- Grade: A
Samoa Joe def. Rey Mysterio to retain the United States Championship
- SotT Prediction: Samoa Joe
- Recap: Well... that was quick. Rey hit a 619, but Joe caught Mysterio's next move and countered into the Coquina Clutch to end the match almost as soon as it started.
- Analysis: Squash match.
- Grade: F
Roman Reigns def. Drew McIntyre
- SotT Prediction: Roman Reigns
- Recap: Nothing out of the ordinary here. Reigns hit the Superman Punch and Spear for the win.
- Analysis: This would have been a pretty good main event on RAW. But it was good to see Roman back in the ring - and to see the fans get behind him for once.
- Grade: C
John Cena interrupts Elias
- Recap: John Cena returned as his old "Doctor of Thuganomics" character to slam Elias in a rap battle. I had a feeling Cena might make an appearance tonight, but it's been a while since we got to see the Doc. Nice throwback and some pretty good burns on the mic.
- Grade: B+
Triple H def. Batista
- SotT Prediction: Triple H
- Recap: Great entrances for both guys. Triple H got in some early offense with a toolbox, a steel chain, a folding chair and a couple pairs of pliers - including apparently ripping Batista's nose ring out?! It was a little hard to watch, honestly. Batista's attempt for a Batista Bomb off the steel steps and through an announce table was reversed by The Game, but the announce table didn't break when The Animal landed on it, which always looks painful. One crotch chop later, Triple H ran across the first two announce tables to spear Batista through the third one. Hunter grabbed his trusty sledgehammer from beneath the ring but was met with a spear from Batista when he climbed back into the ring. The Guardian of the Galaxy landed a vintage spinebuster and a Batista Bomb, but Triple H managed to kick out of the subsequent two-count. Batista introduced a set of steps into the ring, but Triple H powerbombed the Animal on top of them, then hit a Pedigree - but Batista kicked out! Ric Flair, who was attacked by Batista weeks ago, emerged from the crowd to give Triple H his sledgehammer, leading to a Superman-Punch-like attack with the foreign object. Pedigree. One, two, three. The Game wins.
- Analysis: In retrospect, this match was a bit too long - it clocked in as the longest match of the night, at just over 24 minutes. Although the two men looked rusty in some stretches, the bout was much better match than anticipated, and just as brutal as I expected. The interference by Flair was unexpected and a good bit of storytelling. The Game lives to fight another day.
- Grade: B
Baron Corbin def. Kurt Angle
- SotT Prediction: Kurt Angle
- Recap: Angle got in all his classic moves: a German suplex, the Angle Slam, the triple German suplex, the Ankle Lock... But when he missed a moonsault from the top rope, Corbin hit the End of Days and pinned the American hero.
- Analysis: It was a good showing for Kurt, and he got a nice ovation from the crowd just before missing the moonsault, but this didn't end the way anybody really wanted it to - except for maybe Angle, himself. The sign of the night goes to the guy holding up "You never sucked."
- Grade: C
"The Demon" Finn Bálor def. Bobby Lashley to become the Intercontinental Champion
- SotT Prediction: Finn Bálor
- Recap: This was the point in the night when I realized that I had been watching wrestling non-stop for four and a half hours. WrestleMania is just an incredibly long show. This probably wouldn't be classified as a "squash," but it lasted less than five minutes and Lio Rush didn't even try to break up the pinfall when The Demon hit his finisher off the top rope. Bálor becomes a two-time Intercontinental Champion and we're headed to the main event.
- Analysis: This was simply a formality - the transfer of a championship from one guy to the other. Whatever. The Demon deserved better.
- Grade: F
Becky Lynch def. Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair to become the RAW and Smackdown! Women's Champion
- SotT Prediction: Becky Lynch
- Recap: The offense was fairly evenly distributed throughout the beginning of the match, and also included a decent amount of double-teaming from Charlotte and Becky against Ronda. Becky applied a few submissions, including a turnbuckle-aided armbar on Ronda, which was unique. Ronda took a beating; her leg and elbow were both visibly cut and bleeding. But that didn't stop Charlotte from locking her in a Figure Four leg lock around the turnbuckle. Flair's elbow was also busted open mid-way through the match. With Triple Threat rules in play, it was perfectly legal for Becky to set up a table in the middle of the ring. Lynch and Rousey attempted to counter a spear to Flair through the table, but the table didn't break, so that was interesting. And then I looked down for a second and missed Becky rolling Ronda up for a three-count. Literally, I looked away for like five seconds and missed it. Perhaps part of the reason why I missed the pin was because, upon instant replay review, Rousey's shoulders were not even close to being down on the mat. Wow.
- Analysis: Certainly, this was the most underwhelming finish of the night. Thinking back on it, the match was sloppy. The botched table spot. The botched pinfall. It just... wasn't very good. This match had so much potential, but ultimately fell very short of what could have and should have been. The right person won, but it was a confusing, strange and abrupt ending to an otherwise good pay-per-view. "RAW After Mania," you're gonna have some 'splainin' to do!
- Grade: D
Overall Awards:
- MVP: Kofi Kingston
- SotT prediction: Kofi Kingston
- Rising Star Award: Baron Corbin, apparently?
- SotT prediction: Ricochet
- Match of the Night: Daniel Bryan vs Kofi Kingston
- SotT prediction: Daniel Bryan vs Kofi Kingston
- Honorable mention: Shane McMahon vs The Miz
- Surprise of the Night: The IIconics win the Women's Tag Team Championship
- SotT prediction: The IIconics win the Women's Tag Team Championship
- Honorable mention: John Cena appears as the Doctor of Thuganomics
- Most Disappointing Match of the Night: Finn Balor vs Bobby Lashley
- SotT prediction: AJ Styles vs Randy Orton
- Honorable mention: Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte Flair
- Worst Moment of the Night: Baron Corbin def. Kurt Angle
- SotT prediction: Brock Lesnar def. Seth Rollins
- Honorable mention: Ref botches the pin count in the main event
The Bottom Line:
- In the end, WrestleMania 35 was a good show. The right people won, with the exception of Baron Corbin. My picks went 7-5 on the main card (not TERRIBLE) and 9-7 overall. The show didn't seem as long as it has been in past years until there were only two fights left, which, again, isn't bad.
Overall Grade: B+
What did you think? Did you watch? Did you even read this blog? If you've got any thoughts, we'd love to hear them. Either way, in the immortal words of Mick Foley, "Have a nice day!"
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