WrestleMania XXXV

WWE WrestleMania XXXV

New York, New York - April 2019

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Brock Lesnar was the Universal Champion, Daniel Bryan was the WWE Champion, Samoa Joe held the US Championship, the Intercontinental Champion was Bobby Lashley, the RAW Tag Team Champions were The Revival, the SmackDown Tag Champs were The Usos, the SmackDown Women's Champion was Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey was the RAW Women's Champion.

COMMENTATORS: Saxton, Graves, Cole, Young, Lawler, Phillips, Booker T, Shawn Michaels, JBL, and Paige

After a purposeless Hulk Hogan/Alexa Bliss "moment," Paul Heyman came down the aisle in a huff and announced that if his client was going to wrestle last, he wasn't going to sit in the back and wait either - Lesnar vs. Rollins is on now! Awesome! The crowd went wild and was solidly behind Rollins, whose entrance featured a nifty "Beast Slayer" video. I loved the booking of having this match on first as it added to the unpredictability of the finish and kicked off the show with an intense, physical, high stakes match. Lesnar looked amazing too, hitting Rollins with an F-5 on the floor within the first 30 seconds. He then rammed him face-first into the apron and the barricade. Rollins was bumping like this was the biggest match of his career, flying over the announcer table twice. All of this happened before the bell rang, as Graves mentioned repeatedly. Eventually the match did begin, but Lesnar continued to dominate, hitting a series of German Suplexes. Rollins' back was shredded by this point, but he was still able to escape an F-5, knock the ref out, and hit a low blow. The ref recovered quickly and saw Rollins hit a superkick and three Curb Stomps! Rollins made the cover and we have a new Universal Champion! Wow, I was not expecting that at all. This wasn't a "great" match in the classic sense, but like the Goldberg/Lesnar match from some years back, the shock and entertainment value was there and the finish made sense in a weird way - Lesnar's biggest weakness, as we saw against Goldberg, was "shock and awe" offense, a blitzkreig. Rollins used that strategy to beat him and while I wanted to see Lesnar win, I also was adamant that they made the wrong call last year when they didn't give Reigns the clean victory over him. An upset victory in surprising fashion and Rollins not going overboard on false finishes and "self-conscious epic" storytelling makes this more good than bad in my book. (3.5/5)

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton came next. This was a solid outing from both guys, but just felt a little out of context here - especially following the whiz-bang of the opener. Anyone that thinks AJ has lost a step should watch the work he did here as, even in a lower profile match, every strike looked like it made maximum impact. Orton has also been impressing me as of late, clearly more motivated when he gets to share the ring with someone he respects like AJ or Rey as compared to years past when he just looked bored. I thought Orton would get the W with his RKO, a maneuver that's been better protected than most, but AJ kicked out and it felt like a big deal. I was equally shocked that Styles would end up getting the clean win, especially as this seemed like the first of a series of matches and not the blow-off. Who knows? Maybe Orton is scheduled for another hiatus? On a smaller show, placed in a different spot on the card, I think I (and likely others) would've appreciated this match much more, but as it was, it was no worse than solid. (3/5)

Next up - the SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match - The Usos defending the straps against The Bar, Ricochet and Aleister Black, and Nakamura and Rusev. This was a fun match built mostly around The Bar, arguably the best "base" tag team in WWE history. Sheamus and Cesaro mixed it up beautifully with Ricochet in particular, but their chemistry with The Usos and Rusev was also noticeable. I'm not into Nakamura's Honky Tonk Man-inspired get-up, but whatever. I'd be clamoring for he and Nak to be split if I had any hope in (a) Nakamura stepping up and delivering in the main event or (b) the WWE effectively giving Rusev the push he deserves. With Rollins holding the Universal Championship, it really is a shame that guys like Nakamura and Rusev aren't in any position to challenge him as, on paper, those sound like they could be dynamite matches. But I digress...I didn't expect this match to be great and I wouldn't call it a "must see," but they had the crowd, the big spots were terrific, the Cesaro Spin was tremendous, and the right team won. Another solid, above-average match. (3/5)

Shane McMahon battled The Miz in the next contest. I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but the build-up has been mostly good - except for some of the physicality, which I questioned as being too "wrestling-based" (see Shane McMahon locking The Miz's Dad in a submission instead of just beating him down at Fastlane). Here, Miz and McMahon wisely sidestepped any actual grappling or MMA-inspired nonsense and just went at each other. Shane's punches were their usually level of clumsy, but thanks to The Miz pulling off babyface fire better than he ever has before, I was able to overlook it and enjoy this match for what it was. I liked The Miz's father getting involved more than I probably should've too. The brawling in the crowd changed things up after three matches that kept things ringside and though this won't (or shouldn't) rank on anyone's list of all-time great Falls Count Anywhere match, it did feel like more of a fight than a string of choreographed, contrived set pieces with the loose, messy production. The final spot was good without falling into "gif wrestling" territory the way Shane's big Hell in a Cell bumps did in years past. I was not expecting to enjoy this PPV as much as I did up to this point. (3/5)

The Boss N' Hug Connection defended the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships against Nia Jax and Tamina, The Ilconics, and The Divas of Doom (Beth Phoenix and Natalya) in the next bout. While I was hoping that this would exceed my expectations the way the first four matches of the main show did (I didn't bother to watch the Pre-Show because...well...I have a lot of free time, but not that much free time), this match didn't grab me. I may have missed it, but did Phoenix get in a big power spot on Nia? Natalya did her double Sharpshooter, but we've seen it before. Sasha (wisely) reined in her usual Mania impulses to perform a ridiculously dangerous high spot for no reason. Paige's commentary was odd....like maybe she was starting the Mania party a little early in her dressing room? Some of her responses to Cole and Young's comments made no sense. I wasn't expecting this match to be great, but it felt like there was no agent in charge and it was thrown out there to cool the crowd off when, with the right lay-out, this match could've been a sleeper hit. (2/5)

Daniel Bryan defended the WWE Championship against Kofi Kingston in the next match. The crowd was hot and almost entirely behind Kingston. The match began with a nice exchange of holds and escapes before Kofi started using his high-flying skills to throw the champion off. Bryan was able to lock Kofi into the surfboard in an impressive moment of technical wrestling early on. Bryan was gaining momentum, but Kofi cut him off with a not-so-pretty double stomp. Its worth noting that while there were execution issues early, these sorts of hiccups tend to help matches like this (for me, at least) as compared to some of the more overly choreographed wrestling matches that the weekend offered. In the first awesome spot of the match, Kofi attempted a forearm off the top rope onto Bryan but the champ side-stepped him and Kofi crashed with tremendous force into the table chest-first. Bryan then went on the attack, connecting with a series of kicks and then a perfect knee to the back on Kofi as he hung over the top rope. Bryan slowed the match down with a waistlock, but Kofi kept struggling to escape - a good example of what Steve Austin would say is the difference between a "rest hold" and "working a hold." Kofi escaped, but Bryan hit him with a series of running kicks in the corner, the third of which Kofi attempted to counter but Bryan turned into a Boston Crab in an amazing moment. It really is remarkable how some of the maneuvers that used to make up Bryan's fan-adored comeback have been remade into his biggest heat-getters. Bryan attempted to hit Kofi with a back suplex from the top but got elbowed off and took 3 stunning bumps into the center of the ring, which Kofi then followed with a huge splash on Bryan as he tried to get to his feet. From here we got the classic "Boo-Yay" punch-trading that climaxed in Kofi attempting a Trouble in Paradise only for Bryan to counter it into a nearfall. The rapid nearfalls came in quick succession over the next minute before Bryan attempted to tap Kofi with a Lebell Lock, only for Kofi to use his kicks to escape. Kofi attempted to run into Bryan in the corner, but Bryan cut him off with two feet right to the chest and drove him into the mat in sick fashion. Bryan went for the running knee, but Kofi countered and tried to hit the SOS - only for that to be countered into the Lebell Lock in an absolutely INSANE 10-second sequence that had the crowd chanting "New Day Rocks!" at the top of their lungs. With the crowd chanting "Kofi," Bryan basked in the heel glow and started delivering some vicious kicks to the chest of Kingston. Kofi ate a half-dozen of them, but begged for more, his anger and momentum carrying them into a "Boo-Yea" series that ended with Kofi hitting a somewhat-awkward reverse suplex. It wasn't the prettiest maneuver of the night, but it was effective enough and, by this point, the crowd was eating out of the palm of their hands anyway. Bryan rolled to the outside and Rowan stood over him, preventing from Kofi from capitalizing. The New Day attempted to take Rowan out but got flattened until Kofi struck. This led to the New Day hitting the Midnight Hour on the arena floor. Kofi blocked a Daniel Bryan slide and attempted a Trouble in Paradise - only for Bryan to duck, reverse momentum, and hit his Running Knee...but only for 2! Bryan's facial expression was gold here and the pop for the kick-out was absurd. D-Bry then stomped Kofi's face into the mat with the same vicious kicks he had rained down on Lesnar back at Survivor Series. Bryan then locked in the LeBell as the crowd jeered heavily. Kofi wouldn't tap, though, and the crowd erupted in a loud "New Day Rocks!" chant. Kofi tried desperately to escape, but Kofi was able to get in a mount position and hit Bryan with a series of big punches. On his feet, Kofi then gave Bryan a taste of his own medicine, stomping him in the head. Kofi then got in the corner and hit the Trouble in Paradise for the win! I'm not sure I'm knowledgeable enough of every match of the guy's career, but that was the most emotionally rewarding and engaging Kofi Kingston match ever and while he was great in it, Daniel Bryan deserves arguably even more credit for the excellence of this match. The fact that there wasn't even a "Fight Forever" or "This is Awesome" chant makes this one even better - proof that the fans were more invested in the drama and story than they were of the workrate. It will be very hard for any match this year to top this one in my book. (4.5/5)

Every year there seems to be one match that ends in under a minute and this year it was Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe for the United States Championship. I was 90% sure that whatever match followed the Kofi win was going to go real short so that the crowd could have more time to cool down before the next round of major matches, but considering how good Joe and Rey are, and how good this match could've been, it was still disappointing. A point awarded for the right man winning as Joe getting squashed in a minute would've been much, much less believable than Rey getting tapped out in the same amount of time. (1/5)

After a commercial for the upcoming Batista movie, Stuber, we got Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre. I actually felt bad for the WWE as this match played out. The commentary team was working overtime trying to build up this match as a big deal, but it was clearly thrown together at the last minute and McIntyre hasn't been booked as particularly dominant no matter how much Graves and Cole tried to paint him as such. The WWE production pitched in by giving Reigns an entrance with a fireworks show longer the entirety of the last match but once the match began, the crowd was mostly hushed - even as these two put on a very respectable bout that featured a crazy suplex on the arena floor (that barely popped the front row). Reigns's bumping and selling was great too, making McIntyre's already impressive offense look even more damaging. This has easily been my favorite McIntyre match since he joined the main roster as he pulled off some incredible strength spots. The crowd seemed to come alive towards the end, though they were still cooler for this than for nearly any other match that had happened on this show. (3/5)

John Cena showed up to cut-off an Elias segment. I disliked the Elias segment, but seeing Cena return as his Doctor of Thuganomics character was a fun surprise. Based on Cena's pre-entrance video, I'm guessing he's now going to be the "Babe Ruth of Wrestling" even though Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and countless others are all under Legends Contracts and could arguably fulfill the same duties? Not quite good enough for a bonus point.

Batista vs. Triple H was next after what felt like 30 minutes of hype video and ridiculous entrances. Bats and Hunter went to the outside early, brawling around the ring. Triple H busted out a toolbox, bashing it into Batista before whipping him viciously with a steel chain. While the whippings were stiff, Triple H and Batista cooperated a little too much with the follow-up choke (and Shawn Michaels didn't help matters with his atrocious commentary). Triple H then grabbed channel lock pliers and went to work on Batista's fingers in a crazy spot straight out of a Saw movie. Into the ring they went where Triple H struck him with a chair and then pulled out his nose ring with pliers! Triple H held up the ring as Batista sold on the outside. Triple H tried to come off the apron with a chain around his hand, but Batista caught him and side-suplexed him into a table. The Animal followed it up with another side suplex on the table and then tossed his former mentor into the barricade. As Batista's control segment went on, the crowd seemed to grow a bit restless - which was completely understandable as, even without the preshow, the show had now entered its fourth hour. Batista set Triple H up for a Batista Bomb off of the steel steps (which were placed on top of a table) through the main announcers table, but Triple H countered it, back body dropping Batista onto the other table (which somehow didn't break). After they both got back on their feet on top of their tables, Triple H speared him through the German announce table, splintering the wood with their combined mass. It can't be overstated, again, how poor Michaels was on commentary, drawing the life out of nearly every big moment with his slightly-off idioms and ill-fitting platitudes. As Batista rolled into the ring, Triple H finally grabbed his faithful sledgehammer. As he attempted to bring it to the ring, Batista stopped him with a spear for 2 and the sledgehammer went flying into the corner. Batista grabbed it, but couldn't hold onto it. Triple H got it back in his grips, but got spine-bustered. Batista hit a huge Batista Bomb...but only for 2! Batista then brought the steel ring stairs into the ring only for Triple H to powerbomb him onto them in a ridiculous bump that no 50 year old man should ever have to take. Triple H hit a Pedigree...but Batista kicked out! As Batista went to the corner and grabbed a sledgehammer, Ric Flair appeared out of nowhere to hand Triple H another sledgehammer! Triple H came flying off the steps and struck Batista with his favorite weapon and added on a Pedigree to get the victory. I think the audience not seeing Flair come out of the audience to help prevented this finish from getting the pop it deserved. Anyway, this was pretty good, if plodding at points. Above average thanks to the crazy bumps, but definitely not everyone's cup of tea. (3/5)

Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin wrestled next in a "death spot." Angle tossed Corbin with tremendous force early, but Corbin was able to escape a German Suplex attempt and get some offense in. I'm not sure there was a person in the arena that wanted this match to happen as the show neared the four-and-a-half hour mark with two matches to go. Angle looked like he might wrap it up after a trio of suplexes, but Corbin kept coming, even escaping an Angle Lock. Corbin hit a Deep Six...but only for 2! This match could've been a few things, but as it went on and Corbin kicked out/escaped Angle's best offense (and vice versa), it made less and less sense and it became increasingly confusing what this match was even supposed to accomplish. Angle hit another trio of suplexes after Corbin mocked Cena's "You Can't See Me" taunt, but then missed a moonsault, allowing Corbin to hit the End of Days to end the career of Kurt Angle. (1/5)

The Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley made his way down the aisle for the penultimate match of the night, defending his gold against Finn Balor, who was decked out in his Demon gear. What do you think Balor preferred, wrestling at midnight or opening up the show like he did last year? Balor's entrance was spectacular (which wasn't a surprise), but at this point of the show, every second felt tedious. Balor came in with a number of huge dropkicks and this one looked like it might end rapidly as Balor hit one of his awesome somersault splashes on the outside and moved around the ring going approximately 90 miles per hour. Lashley planted him and things slowed down a bit, bringing him back into the ring with a big suplex. Like McIntyre/Reigns and even Orton/AJ, in a different context I think this match would've been much higher-regarded. Lashley hit a giant spear through the middle rope to Balor on the floor (and followed it with another one in the ring) for two and the audience barely reacted. Lashley attempted a powerbomb, but Balor fought out, eventually managing to powerbomb Lashley! Balor then hit a Coup De Grace to win the Intercontinental Championship clean. This match showed that these two guys have great chemistry and that they both do solid character work and have good offense...but because of the context, Lashley was hurt by the loss and Balor's "big victory" was overshadowed by several much bigger victories that happened earlier in the show. I'm not sure this shouldn't have ended in some sort of double DQ or something. (2.5/5)

Alexa Bliss came out for one final hosting segment, announcing an attendance of 82,265 fans. Carmella and R-Truth came out for a dance break and we then got a number of commercials that absolutely no one could've cared about (with the final one being the ad for next year's WrestleMania in Tampa Bay).

Main event time - Ronda Rousey defending the Raw Women's Championship, Charlotte Flair defending the SmackDown Women's Championship, and Becky Lynch challenging both in a Winner Takes All Triple Threat Match. This historic match began with Charlotte Flair literally walking from the parking lot to the arena - just in case anybody wasn't ready for this show to start wrapping up. As she walked, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts played "Bad Reputation" to signal the arrival of Ronda Rousey. Flair entered the ring next, with Becky coming in last to a sizable response, but one that seemed a little slight - most likely because many of the fans in attendance had been in the stadium for upwards of 6 hours. The match began with Rousey striking everything that moved, driving both of her opponents out of the ring and hitting a Piper's Pit on Charlotte on the floor. Becky's offense drew big cheers, while Flair wisely played to the crowd to draw their ire. The sequences that followed were fun, fast, and while they weren't all executed perfectly, they were all physical. Rousey took a nasty bump onto the floor early, neck-first, off a Becky Lynch dropkick, leaving Lynch and Flair to continue the story in the ring. When Becky got Charlotte in an armbar, Rousey resurfaced and locked Lynch in one herself - only to get knee'd in the face. Lynch was sent to the outside and Flair hit Rousey with a series of chops, including a wild one straight to the face! Rousey came back, though, only to get put into a Boston Crab. Lynch re-entered the fray, nailing Charlotte with a huge kick to the jaw. After Lynch hit a Becksploder from the top, the crowd seemed to die down a bit, seemingly losing steam as the action lulled. Rousey attempted a Double Armbar, but Becky and Charlotte pooled their efforts and hit her with a series of two-person powerbombs to break the hold. Charlotte sent Becky to the outside and attempted a cover on Rousey for two, the match basically stopping dead after her kickout. Charlotte went for a spear to the outside but Lynch dodged it, hit her with a kick, and then got a two-count of her own. Lynch then focused her attack on Rousey, hitting her with a quick suplex and then applying the Disarmher! Rousey wouldn't quit, through, grinding her way to the ropes (with Becky's noticeable cooperation). In the corner, Lynch locked her up again, but Charlotte made the save. The girls were breathing heavy between calling each other bitches (and counting down their big spots), the ring mics inexplicably turned to 12. As the match continued, Flair went after Rousey's knee, applying a figure four around the post (one of my all-time favorite spots). Charlotte continued to dominate, eventually locking Rousey in the Figure 8 only for Lynch to break it up with a big leg drop from the top that seemingly sliced Flair's arm (which began to bleed almost immediately). Lynch then went under the ring, busting out a table to the roar of the crowd. I'm not sure the match needed it, but hey, why not, right? Lynch set up the table and looked to be setting Flair up for a powerbomb through it, but Rousey broke up the attempt and knocked the table away, striking away at Becky in the corner. As Becky and Rousey grappled, Charlotte hit them with a double spear, covering Ronda for 2. Charlotte set up the table in the corner, took out Rousey, then hit Lynch with another spear, but couldn't keep either down past 2. Charlotte then went to the corner and attempted to tackle both girls, only to be hiptossed by both into (but not through) the table. I'm sure she was meant to go through it, but landing so low on the table made it look even more painful. Rousey and Lynch then traded blows, with Rousey eventually dropping her with a knee. Rousey hit a Piper's Pit, but Lynch managed to use her momentum against her to bring her shoulders to the mat for 3! Crazy imperfect finish, Batman! I might've liked something a bit more definitive, but it still worked for me (and even protected Rousey a little bit). This match delivered what it needed to overall, though there were some iffy moments and audible spot-calls that hurt it. (4/5)


Over at ProWrestlingOnly, I described WrestleMania XXXV as "one of the better death marches the WWE has had." That's really the best way to describe a show that clocked in at 5 hours and featured 12 matches just on the main show (there was a pre-show I didn't even bother to watch) and at least twice as many advertisements and video packages. For the most part, the booking was good too with all three of the major championship matches ending with "feel good" winners (though, personally, I would've liked to see Brock retain). The Kwang Score of 2.79-out-of-5 is almost fitting. I can't give the whole show a glowing review, but there were at least two could-be Top 10 MOTY finalists and Shane/Miz, Balor/Lashley, Styles/Orton, and even Reigns/McIntyre were better than I expected. Hell, for a certain type of fan, HHH/Batista was a fun watch. Sadly, there were also some of the weakest PPV matches of the year on this card - namely Corbin/Angle, the disappointing Women's Tag match, and the meaningless US Title match. Still, compared to some of the woeful slog shows the WWE has produced since the invention of the Network, this was above average.

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote In Hand