WrestleMania XXX
First up, the pre-show Fatal 4-Way Tag match was a fun, action-packed bout and would've been a welcome hot opener on any card. It really should've been exactly that on the actual PPV. Nice to see The Usos retain, and even nicer to see Cesaro turn on Jack Swagger and begin his rise to singles stardom. More on that later.
The PPV itself opened with the obligatory Hulk Hogan host segment, but Steve Austin and The Rock made surprise appearances, and seeing all three in the ring together was certainly historic.
Unfortunately the segment lasted twenty-five minutes. Twenty-Five. Look, I get that this was a really special moment, having these three in the ring at the same time, but this is WrestleMania. This night should by and large be about the actual wrestling and the promos should be kept to a minimum. A promo is meant to sell a match or an event. We've already purchased the event, so what are you selling us at this point?
Anyway getting past that, the opening match (which incidentally didn't begin until 38 minutes in!) was the much-anticipated Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H main event qualifier. And as expected it was an epic duel. Both guys played their roles to perfection and told a helluva Face-In-Peril story for 26 minutes. As predicted, Bryan won the match clean to propel himself into the WWE Title match, but Hunter attacked him after the bell in the hopes of rendering him too injured to compete later on. Made perfect sense and beautifully enhanced the drama of Bryan's quest.
The Shield bout was rather a disappointment as I had hoped for a solid eight minutes. But Ambrose, Rollins & Reigns made the most of their allotted three minutes and emerged once again as a dominant faction that's about to have much bigger fish to fry.
Third up was the second biggest shocker of the night, as the Battle Royal was tremendously entertaining and blew away any previous 'Mania Battle Royals. The scenario I was most hoping for, Cesaro being a surprise entrant and winning the whole thing, is exactly what happened. Cesaro turned in a star-making performance with a stunning power display as he bodyslammed the 450-pound Big Show over the top rope. Spot of the night however goes to Kofi Kingston with his vault over the turnbuckles while keeping his feet on the ring steps. Amazing.
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| Cesaro has arrived! |
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt was a match that while not the most exciting, told a terrific story of temptation and good triumphing over evil (for now at least). I probably would've given Wyatt the win here but clearly these two will fight again next month, possibly with a different result.
The most disappointing match was The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar. For the first time in eight years, an Undertaker WrestleMania match was not one of the best matches of the night. I wasn't expecting anything spectactular here but for me this failed to crawl out of two-star territory until the ending. And in the shocker of the night, Brock Lesnar pinned The Undertaker, at WrestleMania. The Streak is dead. The nine of us watching this event at my house watched in utter disbelief as the "21-1" graphic flashed across the screen (two of my friends actually had a 10-1 odds bet over this match, and the guy who put up the ten bucks was none too pleased). I have mixed feelings about this. I can't fault Taker for wanting to pass the torch when his time was up, I'm just not sure Lesnar was the right guy to take it. If this were 2003 and Lesnar was still a full-timer I'd be all for it. But to drop the Streak to someone who only wrestles 3-4 times a year seems like a wasted opportunity. I'm hoping Taker made Lesnar promise to earn this honor, and to pass a similar torch to someone else when the time comes. Then at least a rising star can have the distinction of beating The Guy Who Broke The Streak.
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| Very high on the list of things I thought I'd never see. |
The Divas match took the buffer spot on the card (a phenomenon I still don't fully understand - IMO a supercard should build to a peak, not have a lull before the main event), and was actually pretty decent for what it was. AJ Lee retained as I hoped she would.
Finally the main event arrived. Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE World Title. We had to expect that Triple H would get involved, which he did; Bryan would suffer an "injury" putting his status in doubt, which he did; and he would eventually overcome it all to complete his journey to the top of the WWE. Which he did! First, the match was pretty great; full of violent action, against-the-odds drama, and edge-of-your-seat nearfalls. But what a moment immediately afterwards! The visual of Daniel Bryan fallen to his knees, both belts draped over his shoulders, was one of the most satisfying images I've witnessed in my 27+ years as a wrestling fan. It was the perfect culmination of the 8-month journey Bryan and his massive fanbase have endured since Summerslam, and hopefully the official beginning of The Daniel Bryan Era. For me the idea of Bryan winning the WWE Title in the main event of WrestleMania has been a pipedream since 2007 when I first became one of his fans. If anyone had told me that seven years later he'd be the hottest WWE star since The Rock I'd have said, "That'd be AWESOME. But it'll never happen."
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| Greatest ending to a WrestleMania EVER. |
I need to watch 'Mania 30 again to fully absorb it, but my initial reaction is that while nothing exceeded the 4-star range, this was one of the best-booked, most satisfying WrestleMania cards in a long time from a company working very hard to elevate multiple deserving talents.
Monday Night RAW
As is often the case, the post-Mania RAW was also a landmark show, with a crowd just as rabid as their SuperDome counterpart. The opening segment with Bryan celebrating his Title win and basking in the crowd's adoration was such a joy to watch. I was truly moved by the spontaneous "You Deserve It" chant that engulfed the entire building. I can't imagine how goosebump-inducing this must've been for everyone in the arena. This was a RAW moment for the ages.
Not surprisingly the deck was immediately stacked against Bryan as Triple H interrupted and announced a 'Mania rematch for the Title at the end of the show. But this would play out in a rather unexpected and awesome way.
Other RAW highlights included:
1. A superb six-man tag with The Wyatts vs. Cena/Sheamus/Big E. Great stuff there and Wyatt got some redemption for his 'Mania loss. The crowd response to The Wyatts is pretty incredible. Are these guys over or what?
2. Yet another brilliant promo by Paul Heyman putting over Lesnar's Streak-killing win. My only gripe is that Lesnar won't be around in the short-term to move on to someone else.
3. Cesaro dumping Zeb Coulter as his manager, in favor of Mr. Heyman. Very unexpected given Cesaro's babyface-like fan support, but this could be interesting with a heel managing a babyface. I suppose it could lead to a Lesnar-Cesaro showdown at some point.
The main event segment was incredibly exciting - Daniel Bryan prepared to defend his newly-won Title against Triple H but was attacked by Orton, Batista, and Kane, allowing Triple H to enter the ring and order the match started. Seemingly this would lead to Hunter picking up the easy pinfall, if not for The Shield's timely arrival. The Shield once again demonstrated how over they are by drawing yet another This Is Awesome chant, without throwing a single punch. What followed cemented their babyface turn and began their alliance with Daniel Bryan. Reigns speared Triple H and Bryan capitulated with a Baisuke knee to Hunter's face.
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| What a superteam! |
I love, LOVE this alliance between Bryan and The Shield, and their impending feud with Hunter's stable reminds me of Dusty Rhodes enlisting the aid of The Road Warriors against The Four Horsemen. It's no wonder the internet has been rampant with WarGames rumors.
The past two days have left me as excited about the present and future state of WWE as anytime I can remember. Not since 1998 has WWE created such a one-two punch of 'Mania and its accompanying RAW episode, with the rise of a new babyface Champion and the building of multiple young stars to set the stage for the post-Mania season. Where most years WWE shifts into neutral following their SuperBowl, 2014 promises to be a rare occasion where 'Mania is just the beginning. It is truly an exciting time to be a WWE fan.
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